With today being the last day of the month, we've finished up the final two contests of September. Congratulations to Scott McVay for his win in the El-Hazard: The Alternative World DVD win in the random entry contest and another round of congratulations to Jim Lazar for his perfect send up in the Odin DVD contest!

NEWS: 09/29/99

In a puff of smoke the Lethal Panda reveals his presence. Another appearance can only mean one thing... a new review. This time it's all about the new disc of El Hazard The Alternative World - The Spring of Life. Give it a read and beware there is another wacky semi-spoiler at the bottom. The Lethal Panda shakes his head, he will never understand Web Padawans, especially super deformed ones. - Contributed by Roman Martel

* EXCLUSIVE * - In what I believe is a first, we have a review of the Urusei Yatsura "test" DVD-R that Animeigo has sent off to its testing group. The reviewer has sent along his opinions (which is also what was sent to Animeigo) with full permission of Robert Woodhead of Animeigo. The important thing to remember, as Mr. Woodhead stressed at the beginning, this is only a test disc and not complete. With what I've read, and based on the source materials for the show, I'm thrilled at how well things are now progressing. This won't be a killer app, but it will be a great release for fans of this classic comedy series. Check out the DVD-R test disc review here by Eric Romero.

NEWS: 09/28/99

So, anyone looking for some good news? I was following up with CPM today in regards to the existing petitions and the new one for them (Area 88). They'll definitely be keeping a close eye on the petition numbers for that show, and will take a new look at Here is Greenwood based on the current petition numbers. Petitions can work! But, that's not the good news. I was also following up with the current signature totals for the Slayers TV episodes. To quote, "Last Thursday, just I was preparing to leave for Tokyo on Friday, we got back from our licensors the signed contract for the DVD rights to Slayers! Finally! We also picked up the remaining Slayers TV episodes." They'll be examining release schedules, pricing, episodes per disc and so forth in the coming weeks, but it's likely we won't start seeing it until close to Summer 2000. But this is one of the big titles that we've been waiting on for over a year now for some shift in the Japanese licensor, and it's happened. Excellent news!

The Web Padawan kneels before the Lethal Panda prepared for the heavy blow. With a mighty swing the Baka-Hammer comes down and the Web Padawan is smashed into Super Deformed mode. Another swing of the hammer and he is flat in SD mode. Why all the commotion you ask? Simple one of our readers Tim Burgess (also the first to send in a Retailer Review) sent in a second review. The Web Padawan forgot all about it with his last update and now for such stupidity you see his fate. Let this be a lesson to all. So click here for Tim's Media Play Retailer Review. Next we have another column from LadyCat! Find out about Pioneer, Robotech and Little Catgirls in this installment. Again Tim please for give the Web Padawan he is weak and foolish sometimes. However you can always depend on the Lethal Panda! - Contributed by Roman Martel

A couple of additions to the petitions today. The Kite uncut has been added (please read the link on that line before signing) as well as one for the final two volumes of Area 88 from CPM and Master of Mosquiton.

Want to check out the cover artwork for A Chinese Ghost Story on DVD? Click here!

Let's see, a couple of new reviews today. Sean Connolly of Anime Showcase takes us down memory lane with Fatal Fury, The Motion Picture, Battle Athletes OVA #1: On Your Mark, Battle Athletes OVA #2: Ready and the final release in this OVA series, Battle Athletes OVA #3: Go!

NEWS: 09/27/99

Kicking off the new year properly? I've gotten a reliable email that indicates that Media Blasters will be releasing their first DVD this coming January. First up? Ninja Cadets. For those who recall, this was part of the couple of titles tossed around previously by Media Blasters in the anime newsgroup. And as the saying goes, yet another one falls into the fold.

With lightning speed, the news begins to travel around the net. Is it reliable? Since I'm not on the mailing list that this following piece of info came from, I can't honestly say. However, it certainly would not surprise me and it would certainly make sense going into the next year for this to happen.

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All right, just to settle these two questions. My source at Buena Vista gave me permission to release the following information.

Disney is currently in negotiation with Studio Ghibli and its parent company to release all the films on DVD. Disney DOES NOT CURRENTLY have the rights to DVD. This could take some time. Rest assured that when the rights are acquired, this list will be the first to know

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The "ownership" of the Ghibli titles for DVD has been up in the air for quite some time and with many rumors surrounding them. With the changes made in the Buena Vista Home Video Group over this past summer (many people were sacked, new management) this could be indicative of a change. But as the saying goes, I won't believe it until I see the number of copies in stock at DVD Express. Thanks to Syclick for posting this on the forum.

NEWS: 09/26/99

Since today is Sunday, it meant another trip out to the Brattle Theater in Boston for the Magic of Miyazaki traveling movie festival. After last weeks excellent presentation of Kiki's Delivery Service and the wonderful Princess Mononoke, this week starts me in with shows I've neither seen nor really heard much about. Whisper of the Heart was a very well done and charming film that I'm glad I've gotten a chance to see. I did have to pass up seeing the evening showings of Grave of the Fireflies... I just can't bring myself to watch it again so soon.

What's this in my mailbox? A mini review of Macross Plus? Goodness... it must really be coming in October!

What the heck? Another contest? Oh man oh man.... we can't stop ourselves from giving away some of the coolest DVD's out there!

It's team to ease back into your comfy desk chair and make sure you have some cha handy as the latest installment of Philosophies in a Teacup is set into place. This week: When Magical Girls Go Wrong, Part II: Dressing Up For A Blind Date With Destiny.

NEWS: 09/24/99

Only one new anime disc due out next week, but what a great one! El-Hazard: The Alternative World #2: The Spring Of Life arrives with a very impressive 600+ copies in stock. The anime numbers are definitely growing with each new title coming out!

It also looks like Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Demon Womb has been delayed until 10/5.

The Top Ten has been updated today as well, with the EH leaping from a previous position of 5th place to 2nd place. The Macross discs begin to slide a bit as the Tenchi discs hold their ground. Lain is still in the top spot though with a comfortable lead.

NEWS: 09/23/99

All seems quiet... Then the Lethal Panda strikes bringing with him two retailer reviews for your enjoyment. The first in on Amazon and 800.com, the second is on DVD Express, 800 and Buy.com. And don't forget to send in more reviews so you too can gain fame and fortune here on this wonderful website. Adios Amigos! - Contributed by Roman Martel

From DVD Animania, they've gotten the early info from Diamond Previews, everyone's favorite unreliable comics distributor. As noted on Kevin's site (and noted here many times as well), the shipping month is really tentative. Some will hit, some won't. Previews just treats videos and such as really second class. Either way, these titles give us a good heads up on things to come.

Nazca Vol. #1: Awakening, Sailor Moon R Movie, Sol Bianca, The Legacy Vol. #1, Tenchi in Tokyo Vol. 8 and Wild Cardz. So it looks as if December does indeed bring to a close the Tenchi in Tokyo series, Battle Athletes Victory series and the Dragonball Z commitment. On the plus, the month also starts the new Nazca show and the new Sol Bianca series. I managed to catch the first episode of Nazca at Otakon this year and it's definitely something I'm really looking forward to. Add in the 11/30 release date for Fushigi Yugi and the December release of the Urusei Yatsura box set and you'll have some pretty darn happy anime fans this Christmas!

NEWS: 09/22/99

Our first September Contest has ended, and the prize of the Dominion Tank Police DVD has been awarded to Brian Threlkeld! Your disc will be winging it's way to you shortly! Contest #2 just started yesterday, so there's still time to win another DVD (Odin!).

Word is spreading via Animenation that the Fushigi Yugi box set is being delayed until 11/30, a months delay. While I'm hoping that the delays don't go beyond that (a la the Tenchi OVA set), this'll probably help some fans budget a bit more and if the quality is impressive on the set, it'll be worth it. This may affect the chances of the El-Hazard OVA's making it out this year though.

NEWS: 09/21/99

Pioneer has gotten in 3 new announcements today: Battle Athletes Victory - The Human Race! (V.8) which finishes the TV series and contains four episodes as well as Dragonball Z - The Ginyu Forces and Dragonball Z - Super Saiyan (V.17) which brings Pioneer's commitment to the Funimation series to a close. All are due on 12/7. Quite a few series they've gotten in this year!

Two mini-reviews are up today for Dragonball Z Vol. #10: Rebirth and Dragonball Z Vol. #11: Namek. Pioneer definitely looks on track to complete all 17 volumes of this series within less than a year. Impressive.

It also looks like retailers are getting a better heads up from ADV this time around with the Sakura Wars title. Still no Queen Emeraldas listed anywhere though. Yet.

For those who ordered the first El-Hazard TV DVD, it sounds like 800.com has gotten in their next shipment and are putting them out as we speak. Check your email for confirmations.

Some of the first submissions for the second contest this month are up.... competition is going to be interesting to say the least!

NEWS: 09/20/99

Akira to hit DVD in October? Yup, that's what it sounds like. Only if you're in Region 2 and have a PAL capable TV set however. A version in German only apparently will be out then. Check out the details here, with thanks to Axel Loehn!

I get in a lot of email every day (over 100 pieces on average) and often I can't do more than just give a quick response or a "Check the FAQ" answer. To help with that, the Ask Ladycat column is being brought more to the front. Be sure to check out the first couple of entries and send in some of your questions there!

What's this? Contest #2 for September? Yeah, we're a bit behind this month. October should see us doing a contest a week or so, but we've got our second contest for this month up and running, so be sure to check it out!

Well, I feel better now. Apparently I wasn't the only one that bought the Sonic movie DVD. Check out Sean Connolly's alternate angle review!

Sean's also sent in a review for the Tenchi Muyo in Love 1 movie, so give that a read. And to keep in the mood, Sean's also sent in a review for Tenchi Muyo: Daughter Of Darkness. Talk about a Tenchi mood!

NEWS: 09/19/99

With today being Sunday, it's time to pull out a cup of cha and settle in for a new Philosophy in a Teacup. This week? When Magical Girls Go Bad.... oh, the imagery!

My review for the totally great series Battle Athletes Victory #5: No Looking Back is now up in the review section.

Also reviewed today is my Disc of the Month, Tenchi in Tokyo #5: A New Love. I've been called a lot of things over my adoration of Tenchi in Tokyo, right down to not being a real anime fan because of it, but with this disc it has now outranked even the original six OVA episodes in my mind.

NEWS: 09/18/99

In the rec.arts.anime.misc newsgroup, Ru Igrasashi has posted the latest from his 5th semi-annual questionnaire for the group. While the entrants were the lowest participating yet, the results are pretty interesting still.

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DVD ownership has gone up another 10% from 25% a few months ago. The increase was approximately the same in the previous period. There is also no surprise that LDs are down in all but ownership categories, the latter finally being overtaken by DVD on this questionnaire. DVD is also up 10% in the preference category, to 30%, and is now at the 70% mark for a wish medium. Apparently nearly half the anime fans in rec.arts.anime.* own DVD decks (where practically 100% own VHS). If anyone has any doubts about DVD's market viability, they might as well stop doubting when a niche market like anime gets this kind of medium proliferation.

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Also interesting were the results from this question: If you own anime, what video format do you wish to collect anime in if you could afford it? DVD came in with 69%. Another question was: Would anime be, or was anime, an issue in your decision to buy (or not to buy) a DVD player? The response? 69% said yes. Companies take notice.

71% even said if DVD is not recordable, they would be interested in the format if the video quality is sufficient and the format is mainstream enough. Thanks to Adam Schenker for giving me the heads up on this newsgroup posting.

NEWS: 09/17/99

Well, if you're able to tear yourself away from The Matrix next week, there's a couple of interesting anime titles out. Check out Pokemon Vol. 8: Primeape Problems, Pokemon Vol. 9: Fashion Victims, Pokemon Vol. 10: Fighting Tournament and the perfectly matched title Urotsukidoji II: Legend of the Demon Womb.

Check out the Thursday news on DVD Animania for recent information about Manga. In a nutshell, once the Macross DVD's come out in October, that's it until spring 2000. After all the promises so far this year from them, disappointment from fans is quite high but not unexpected. While probably not a PR fiasco, it's definitely something you'd think companies would want to avoid.

Due to continuing weather issues in the area (most of my ISP connections seem to be dead in this state), this update will be cut short and Sunday will see a couple of reviews put up.

NEWS: 09/16/99

For those looking for that extra bit of "real" confirmation, Image is now listing Sakura Wars for a 10/26 date. "The second Demon War is upon us. Armies of mechanized soldiers advance on the capital with the pride of Hell in their wake. But the beautiful Spirit Warriors are ready. They have been training hard with their steam-powered spirit weapons and look forward to meeting the demons on the battlefield, if they can ever stop fighting each other. When a dashing young naval officer is installed as the new commander, the stakes are raised even higher. Can love stop an army of demons, or will jealousy rule the day?" Okay... next announcements from ADV?

NEWS: 09/15/99

All right, for those of you who are huddling in and avoiding the wrath of Floyd as it moves up along the east coast and are attempting to eke out every minute online you can before everything shuts down, here's a few tidbits for you today.

Mike, a forum regular, has sent in an alternate angle review of Battle Athletes Victory #5: No Looking Back. Be sure to give it a read. I got my copy in today, so with luck I should have a review for it and Tenchi in Tokyo #5 tomorrow.

CPM slid in their December title announcement today with Wild Cardz, which is from the directors of Cutie Honey and Cat Girl Nuku Nuku. With it being a shorter running time than the movies they've been releasing, the price has been nicely dropped down to 24.95$ and I hope other companies take note with that. Sounds like a fun title, and for a discounted price of 14.99 I'll try just about anything. Heck, I'm the one who reviewed Sonic! (and thanks to ADV for linking to the review directly from their site, something I certainly didn't expect!).

Pioneer also tossed in a few new announcements last night after I went to sleep; El-Hazard: The Alternative World - The Ruler of the Universe and Serial Experiments Lain - Reset are both scheduled to arrive on 11/23/1999... give or take a week or two!

NEWS: 09/14/99

For your loading pleasure, the Top 10 DVD's ordered via here from DVD Express has been updated and moved to it's own page. Link accessible to your right on a daily basis...

DVD Animania is reporting that the Macross Plus DVD's have been delayed from 09/28 to 10/12. Someone better mention that to their webmaster so they can adjust their front page image...

What's this? A new contest? Someone pinch me...

Information has surfaced on the Tenchi Forever DVD:

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Tenchi Forever passed the checkdisk stage last week and has been approved by THX. It is now being replicated. With any luck it should be to retailers in less than a month.

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CPM has announced their October title via Image yesterday. On 10/19, we can look forward to Darkside Blues, "From the creators of "Vampire Hunter D," "Demon City Shinjuku" and "A Wind Named Amnesia." In the future, the Persona Century Corporation rules 99% of the world. They thought they wielded absolute power. They were wrong. A dark mystic has appeared in the lawless free-zone known as Darkside. But the Corporation is aware of the threat he poses, and has the resources of an entire world to throw against him. Can one mystic and a small band of freedom fighters stand against a tyrannical global dictatorship? ".

NEWS: 09/12/99

Moment of truth time folks. Animeigo is now taking credit card/payment information for the Urusei Yatsura first box set. Expected date is early December or possibly earlier. So check it out on their site here or for the secure link, go here.

It's Sunday, so that means it's time for another Philosophy in a Teacup! This week, he looks in a topic close to most anime males hearts, the Gainax Bounce Effect.

A lot of people have been asking where to find the Tenchi Muyo Ultimate Collection since it's been fairly well out of stock at most places recently. Corey Ashcroft wrote in to say that DVD Express has about 20 copies in and Animenation has about 40 copies in stock now.

Jon Gibson has sent in a "To the rescue!" review for Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer today. Be sure to give it a read!

A few have been asking the question about the recent Utena DVD and the double endings song sequences that show up. Christopher Pluta wrote in with a possibility, in that it's from the Japanese LD source which had two episodes per side and was set up in a format like this: opening, episode, ending, preview, opening, episode, ending, preview, ending. This definitely seems to be what it's like, so it's quite likely.

NEWS: 09/11/99

Just when you thought it was safe. You were all relaxing in your bean bag chairs thinking nothing could go wrong... Well the Lethal Panda has struck again! Like lightning from the heavens he descends and leaves this tasty morsel for the crazed Otaku. That's right it another addition to the LadyCat Column! So get ready for some juicy reading, because this one has it all, romance, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, and of course horror. So grab that mug of cocoa/coffee and read another installment of Ask LadyCat! - Contributed by Roman Martel

NEWS: 09/10/99

New arrivals coming next Tuesday via DVD Express: Battle Athletes Victory #5: No Looking Back (300 copies), Dragonball Z #10: Rebirth (150 copies), Dragonball Z #11 : Namek (150 copies). Animation fans in general are probably very keen on the Prince of Egypt (4471 copies) release from DreamWorks. I'm looking forward to reading Kevin's review over at DVD Animania soon. My personal pick for next week is the Corruptor. Chow-Yun Fat is by far my favorite HK actor, and with news of many upcoming imports via Tai Seng coming down in price from 49.95 to 24.95, well, HK cinema is going to be a growing cornerstone in my library!

Wondering what happened to the 2nd volume of El-Hazard: The Alternative World? It's been pushed back to 09/28. Even though Pioneer's dates are slipping, a lot of you are noticing it's usually a consistent 2 weeks. At least they haven't had anything going into "TBA" mode yet!

Does this sound familiar? Daniel Fawcett sent in a note regarding the UK release of Ghost in the Shell. Apparently due to authoring problems, the disc is missing it's October date and is now pushed back to a February date. Believe me guys, I feel for you!

As for the week after, 09/21, we look to have the wonderful pairing of 3 Pokémon DVD's and the second Urotsukidoji movie. I know, I haven't reviewed the first yet. Maybe I'll watch that, then the 3 Pokémon discs and then the second disc. That should put me in the right frame of mind.

Courtesy of Adam Francis, some interesting release information has seeped out into the world. In a video retailer magazine, there was a piece about anime and its popularity (can you say Pokémon?). In it, some other high profile releases were listed: Queen Emeraldas DVD - 10/26, Perfect Blue DVD - 11/23, Midnight Panther DVD - 11/16, A Dog of Flanders DVD (Pioneer) - 10/19. Perfect Blue's date is flexible depending on how well it does theatrically (this date is also listed on the Right Stuf site). Midnight Panther we talked about a little while back and have a huge contest coming up for hopefully. I'm wondering if Pioneer is going to try and angle the Flanders release with the live action version that was out recently but barely made a dent.

Side note: Dreamcast rules!

NEWS: 09/08/99

My review for Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie is now up. Some early comments can be seen further down on today's news.

Could Crystania and Slayers be getting closer? According to today's Image Entertainment update, both titles have a prebook date of 09/14 with their street date as TBA. ADV? Any info?

Our resident region 2 reviewer is gearing up to start doing a bunch of reviews in the next few weeks once he's settled in his new pad, but before he got things rolling there, he was pretty darn enthusiastic about getting a review to me today. Check out the region 2 title Angel Links Vol. #1!

I got in my copy of Sonic today and will post about it later today or tomorrow, time depending. For those interested, according to the insert and the menu, the following titles are due on DVD from ADV: Battle Angel, BGC 2040, Burn Up W, Eva, Ninja Resurrection, Those Who Hunt Elves in addition to the previously announced Slayers, Legend of Crystania, Queen Emeraldas and Sakura Wars.

Taking a brief look at the disc, the authoring was done by AIX Media (anyone know what else they did? website?). This is also the first ADV title I've seen with the new intro (looks nice!) but then again the last ADV title I bought was Tekken back in January. From all appearances, ADV will produce some great looking menus and content itself, and I look forward to the real anime titles listed in the paragraph above.

NEWS: 09/07/99

One more holiday down, the best ones yet to come! I hope everyone had a good weekend and if you're at work, you're getting more coherent by the minute. We'll be updating throughout the day (check the time date stamp above to see when our last update was) so you may want to scroll down in case you miss something.

Some new release news, courtesy of Pioneer. The following titles are due through them on 11/23/1999: A Chinese Ghost Story, Pokemon - Pikachu Party, Pokemon - The Great Race and Tenchi in Tokyo - A New Career. I have to admit, I'm surprised Viz managed to get anything else out this year beyond their early Fatal Fury movie. They've been quite a disappointment this year, and I think most would agree. Anyway, with luck, there's a good chance both Battle Athletes Victory and Tenchi in Tokyo will be finished out this year, giving Pioneer 2000 to bring out all sorts of new series (nudge nudge, Magical Project S).

Doing some follow-up with Manga, I've been looking into the date for the second Macross Plus disc. Initially these were going to be released separately with probably at least a month between them, then it seemed like the second one was given a TBA date. I've seen mixed results from retailers on how things really are (some don't list the second one at all, others list it as TBA). Following up a lead from DVD EXPRESS and getting in touch with Manga, it does indeed look as if both volumes of Macross Plus will arrive on 9/28/1999. This is definitely a treat; kudos to Manga!

In recent weeks, I've gotten several requests, both publicly in the feedback forum and privately in many emails from individuals about providing an age rating system. A lot of them were wanting an MPAA system. I made myself clear early on with my opinion of the MPAA (i.e. less than poor). However, I've been in touch with a few of the company folks, and the rating system that Pioneer advocates is gaining more acceptance with a couple more companies signing on to use it. Since this system doesn't offend me anywhere near the same level as the [deleted] at the MPAA, I've decided to begin implementing it here, though it'll take time to go through things and get everything set up for it. You can scope out the overall "impact" on the Serial Experiments Lain review. That's the extent of it.

Though a little delayed, here's my review for Serial Experiments Lain Vol. #2: Knights

Even though I've had this disc since July, it was only recently that Melanie and I had time to sit down and give it a good whirl and see how it stands. Check out El Hazard Magnificent World Vol. 1 imported from Japan and get salivating for the Region 1 release.

The top ten to the right was updated today as well and looks as if the Matrix is still the only non-anime movie to break into the top ten here. Lain slips into the top spot today though, finally overtaking powerhouse Fushigi.

NEWS: 09/03/99

Shall we get right into the good news? Various reports indicate that Tenchi in Tokyo #5 and Battle Athletes Victory #5 are shipping from various places. So far, I've gotten emails about BAV#5, but during a quick check at DVD Express, I noticed that they got in a whopping 790+ copies of Tenchi in Tokyo #5! This is a huge number, especially for a 5th volume in a series. Folks, that is a great number! They don't seem to have in BAV#5 yet but they did get in more copies of Lain. It looks as if preorders are being filled and there are about 58 copies in stock after that.

What else? Sonic's arrived as well! So depending on your buying habits and where you ordered from, you could have upwards of four peachy new anime DVD's next week. Most marvelous!

For those who read from outside the U.S., this coming Monday is a national holiday, Labor Day. As such, many companies (my own included) is closed for the day, allowing us hard working Americans to break out the barbecues for one of the last hurrahs of summer and to get stinking drunk. As such, I'm actually going to take this weekend off and catch up on some much needed sleep and meditation for the impending arrival of my Sega Dreamcast. I'll be doing some behind the scenes work as well which will be brought to bear next week, but my updates probably won't begin again until this coming Tuesday. Roman and LadyCat should have a new column or two up over the weekend, and if any news does come to light, I'll be sure to bring it up as I am still reading my email.

But in the meantime, pull up a chair, get something to drink, and take pleasure and humor in reading the latest (and quite lengthy) Philosophy in a Teacup: The Perils of Anime Crossovers.

NEWS: 09/01/99

All right, let's get one of our contests out of the way. First up, check out the Pokemon contest winning entry as well as a special surprise right after it!

And rounding out the second contest, Utena... well, there were a couple of great entries in this essay contest. Check out the winning entries here!

August was a great month for us with contests. We gave away two copies of Utena, playing cards, an import CD, three Pokemon DVD's and a copy of Ghost in the Shell. Lots of happy folks out there I hope! My thanks to everyone who participated and especially to the winners, Kim Stetina, Melissa Jensen, Gene Chung and Atiya Hakeem. And kudos to both Digital Eyes and Animenation for their involvement with the Utena contests! More to come in the upcoming months!