At first glance, Production I.G.'s first 3D production, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, is easy to dismiss as a wannabe Studio Ghibli film that tries to be the next Spirited Away and Laputa. Using an almost paint-by-numbers approach to family films, all of your basic ingredients are present including a spunky teenage female lead named Haruka, cute dancing critters, and fantastical hullabaloo that might have some anime and cinema fans rejecting it right out of the box. However, to do so would discredit what makes Japanese storytelling so great: somewhere in the midst of the film's exotic setting, predictable plot, and dancing dolls is a film filled with a lot of heart.

We all remember the innocent and cute Powerpuff Girls and Puffy Ami Yumi. Ok, now take those two shows and add them to a blender, then add a little Invader Zim and a lot of vulgar language, a few adult toys, and a lot of panties. Just for extra measure, add a few pounds of sugar, and mix well. What do you get with this crazy mixture‌. Well, it would be the new Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, a thirteen episode plus one series made by Gainax Studios and brought to us by our friends at FUNimation.

When I first heard of Oreimo, I thought to myself, "yet another series that I must keep from watching in front of family and friends because it's borderline super ecchi (sexually suggestive)." [Editor's note: Aniplex licensed the series as Oreimo, a shortened version of the original Japanese: Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, which translates to, My Little Sister Can't Possibly Be This Cute.] I was surprised to discover that the title was misleading, and the series has deeper themes like: acceptance, understanding, family bonds, and of course love for anime, manga, doujinshi (fan-made comics), and eroge (adult computer games).

Packed with magic, destruction, comedy, and epic battles galore, Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail has been a series that I personally have followed closely ever since I read the first chapter of the manga. So you can imagine how excited I was to hear that the animated series, which has over 120 episodes aired in Japan, was being licensed and released in North America. Fairy Tail Part Three was released for English speaking audiences by the lovely folks at FUNimation earlier this year.