Maid Sama!
came out a little while ago here in the States, but in Japan it started running in 2005. The manga was created by Hiro Fujiwara and hit the ten volume mark, with an animation set to be released sometime this year. That says something about the quality and popularity of the work, but does it have that kind of staying power in America? Not too long ago I had the chance to check out the third installment and it proved itself to be entertaining enough, but does that continue into the fourth volume?
Before we get going into what happens with this installment, let's backtrack a little and check out what the show's all about. The series follows the exploits of a girl named Misaki Ayzawa, who just so happens to be the student council president at her high school. She has a reputation for being tough as nails and single handedly changed the fact that Seika High used to be an all-boys school. She has a strong influence and is regarded by many to be strong of character, however, everyone needs a job. She gets a part-time gig at a maid café and much to her dismay a boy named Tamaki Usui discovers her "secret". Cue hilarious antics and the beginnings of a relationship.
At last year's Anime Boston I caught a preview of Heroic Age
during FUNimation's business panel. The teaser left me a tad underwhelmed, but after checking out the show on DVD my early impressions were thankfully misguided. The series turned out to be a solid science fiction anime with plenty of space opera elements. It wasn't something I would have labeled as "epic" or a "must see", but it was a good quality sci-fi production with some very climactic moments. The battles were big, the characters were interesting, and the story was interesting right to the end. With that in mind when the opportunity presented itself to check the series out on Blu-ray I jumped at the chance.
before? If you haven't then it's time to come out from that rock you've been living under. This hilarious manga series has been around since 2003 and is the brainchild of Kiyuhiko Azuma (the creator of 
). The series is going strong in Japan and is up to the ninth installment, though no animation has been announced (sadly it seems Azuma doesn't want one). However, here in the States we have plenty to cheer about because the eighth installment is on the horizon thanks to Yen Press.
, otherwise known as Jean Grey. This particular lineup of figures features some of the femme fatales from the Marvel Universe as rendered by popular anime artists and sculptors. The twist with Pheonix is there are actually two versions being released.
