FEATURE: New Anime releases for the week of 7/5/2004

Robots, androids, evil corporations, world conquest; it all sounds like a very serious and dark sci-fi adventure story. In most cases, that would be true, but we are talking about Nuku Nuku TV. In the latest incarnation of this popular series everyone's favorite cat-brained girl android spends most of her time adjusting to life in school. The focus this time is more on the comedy rather than the slightly darker turn of the previous OVA, Nuku Nuku Dash. The show itself goes out of its way to point out how different this series is by saying in the opening intro, 'the real story is totally different, but never mind.'

The original cast that worked on the other OVAs are back, joined by a lot of other ADV actors filling out many of the new characters. Allison Shipp remains quite energetic in the role of Nuku Nuku. As an extra on the disc is an interview with Allison discussing the series and her role. Vic Mignogna takes his role as young president in a completely different direction by playing it up as a world conquering super villain. There are so many over the top yet well suited performances that it's hard to highlight all of them. Just keep many of these names in mind when you run out to get this one; Kira Vincent Davis, Tiffany Grant, Monica Rial, Chris Patton, Hilary Haag, Tad Hathaway, Kelly Manison, Jessica Boone, Shelley Calene-Black and Luci Christian. Nuku Nuku is a fun show, more parody than actual adventure, so just sit back and enjoy.

Ever had or wanted one of those shows that you just can't get enough of? Enter; Excel Saga. It's easily a show that quickly becomes an addiction. You may find yourself having to take a walk outside to clear your head from the zaniness that it contains. Well, in an attempt to make your head explode, here comes the entire 26 episode series in a nice Perfect Collection box set. Just to clarify a few things, when I say zany, I mean this is a good way and when I say head explode, I mean uncontrollable fits of laughter. Either that, or you standing scratching your head muttering about just how wrong many of the things you've just seen are.

For those unfamiliar with this show, Excel Saga is a parody of all things anime. With no genre safe, Excel Saga starts with the simple idea of world conquest and runs wild. From Shoujo to Fist of the North Star, no genre is safe. In the end, Excel Saga manages to redefine the entire comedy genre, and remains a favorite among fans every where.

With all that going on, it?s a good thing there is a strong cast behind the zaniness. It starts with Jessica Colvello in the role of Excel. This particular role proved to be so taxing that a second actress was brought in to finish recording. Larissa Wolcott came in just as fired up as Jessica and helps finish the series with a splash. Combined, these actresses redefine the term energetic and create a character that is quite memorable. Not to be out done by the leading lady, the supporting cast is just as strong. Monica Rial stands out as the constantly dying Hyatt. Brett Weaver shined as Nabeshin and Jason Douglas took no prisoners as Ilpalazzo. If you haven't had a chance to check out this crazy series, then the ImPerfect Collection is the best place to jump on!

All good things must come to an end, and Final Fantasy Unlimited finishes things in a very satisfying manner. Everything comes together to provide a solid conclusion to this beautifully weaved tale. While fans will be disappointed that this story is coming to an end, there shouldn't be any lingering questions to the mysteries that made Final Fantasy Unlimited a unique tale.

Throughout this show, the cast made a great effort into bringing to life these characters. Evan Slack and Jessica Schwartz worked well together as the brother and sister duo of Yu and Ai. Their search for their parents is what tied the entire series together, and the very honest performances from Evan and Jessica went a long way to build off the childish innocence that drove much of this show. James Brownlee and J Shannon Weaver also worked well against each other as the mysterious Kaze and arrogant Makenshi respectively. The origin of their rivalry becomes quite clear in the end and their performances do a solid job of matching the impact of that revelation. These performances and those of the supporting cast do a great job of maintaining the emotional drive of this show, creating a strong dramatic conclusion for this beautiful show.

This week has proven to be a bit of strain on the wallet, with not two, but three collections making their way to the public. In the second position comes one of Go Nagai's classic shows, The Devil Lady. With beasts infiltrating the world of man, it's up to someone to step forward and hunt them down before they do harm. Jun Fudo, a fashion model, must face her inner beast and rely on it to save mankind from a new beast order. The Devil Lady stands out as a classic horror series from the master of the genre, Go Nagai.

Cast in the lead role of Jun is Shawn Sides. Through twenty-six episodes, Jun is forced through a lot of turmoil and Shawn's performance does a solid job of keeping up with that, allowing Jun to remain relatable. Backing up Shawn is a cast that also knows how to role with the twisting this story takes. Twenty-six episodes is a long story, making it difficult to maintain a certain momentum, but the story, script and all the performances do a great job of keeping the audience involved. Fans of Go Nagai's work will definitely enjoy this series, and those that love Horror should think of adding this one to their collection.

And now the third collection of the week, Nadia Collection 2. Containing the second half of the series as well as the movie, Collection 2 brings this exciting story to a wonderful finish. Being one of Gainax's early works, Nadia is a prime example of why Gainax stands out as one of the best animation production companies out there. While looking a bit dated, the animation stands on its own as some of the best of its time, and the story remains a favorite amongst fans every where.

With thirty-nine episodes the cast has grown quite large. Many different characters managed to make their way in and out of the story along the way, and despite the large cast, the core group of actors continue to shine in their respective roles. Leading the pack are the most obvious leads of Meg Bauman as Nadia and Nathan Parsons as Jean. These two work well off of each other working well through their budding friendship and romance. Ev Lunning Jr. brings to life the mythic character of Captain Nemo, helping to define this particular version of Nemo for this particular tale. Rounding out the main cast comes the trio of Corey Gagne as Hanson, Martin Blacker as Sanson and Sarah Richardson as Grandis. These three went from primary villains to good guys while managing to play out as comic relief throughout the entire series. Overall, Nadia Collection 2 is an outstanding way to collect the last episodes of the series as well as the movie. The soundtracks thrown in are simply a bonus to this great series.

Where do I even begin with this one? Let's see; take a foul mouthed five year old. Give her a robotic assistant and a robotic dog. Oh, don't forget her pet slug. Just to keep things interesting, she's constantly harassing her gay landlord and did I mention she's a super hero that works directly for the President of Everything? And while I'm at it, I'll mention that all of this doesn't even come close to describing this insane guilty pleasure. Want to know something else about this release? When you open it up, you'll see 2 discs. One contains the original Japanese with an English dub that sticks as close as possible to that Japanese version, while the second disc is an adaptation that breathes its own life into the Milk mythos. On that second disc, Milk becomes the show within the show as we get a sneak peek into the lives of the actors behind the voices. Built around an original story, the live action sequences show what life could really be like at the offices of ADV. Ok, not really, but it's still a lot of fun.

Leading the casts of both adaptations of Milk as well as playing an exaggerated version of herself in the live action sequences is Hilary Haag. Hilary has made a name for herself playing cute and cuddly roles in a number of shows, and her performance as Milk should come as no surprise? until you actually hear what Milk has to say. It's a bit of a shock to hear many of the words and innuendos coming out of such a cute little face. Backing up Hilary are Marcy Bannor, Ben Pronsky, Mike MacRae, David Matranga, Tommy Drake, Rob Mungle and Shelley Calene-Black all playing themselves as well as various lead parts in the show itself. Playing additional voices and appearing in the live action version are Monica Rial, Luci Christian, Taylor Hannah, Christine Auten, Chris Patton, Mandy Clark and Greg Ayres.

The Super Milk-chan Show is proving itself to be an interesting experiment. For hardcore fans of the original Japanese, they'll be happy with the original Japanese version on its own separate disc. For those looking for something different and of course, for the fans of ADV's acting crew, the 100% Whole disc will provide an experience that really hasn't been tried before. In the end, fans should find something solid to enjoy with this release and should give it a try for the shear novelty of the whole endeavor.