Well, the January Anime packet has just arrived in the mail from ADV Films (info to receive FREE anime and newsletters for anime groups found here: Anime ADVocates). Our teen anime group (ages 12-16) have been with the ADV club for about 5 months and we’ve found that the quality and enjoyableness of the anime we receive from them have been hit-or-miss. The teens and I are not too familiar with the anime culture and consequently judge it by the graphics found in the ADV newsletter.

This month’s DVD features Misaki Chronicles and Kaleido Star episodes while the newsletter’s spotlight is on Macross. The few characters advertising Kaleido Star don’t appear very promising. Their oddly posed, Barbie-esque bodies suggest characters claiming little depth and conveys a mundane plot. However, I do have a few Sailor Moon fans so there might be one or two in the group who will enjoy this creation. If not, there will be much laughter and sarcasm to be appreciated by all. The other anime, Divergence Eve: Misaki Chronicles, will definitely need to be previewed. One of the stills depicts a woman clutching her naked size DD breasts. I’m assuming this is the same imprudent character shown at the top of the page bending over exposing her butt cheek lines. Hmm, this is just a bit too haughty for my audience.

Unfortunately there appears to be too much god-awful anime, like those featured in the January ADV packet, flooding the market. I wish my knowledge of this genre was extensive enough to correctly analyze the trends. To begin my education I’m going to try to locate this book Adult Manga: Culture and Power In Contemporary Japanese Society authored by Sharon Kinsella.

‘Til then I’ll keep checking up on ICV2–an awesome resource for graphic novels, manga, and anime with the emphasis on how these genres relate to popular culture. They even have a review guide ICV2 Retailer’s Guide that I highly recommend making the contact to acquire. Included in the guide are: short, sweet, and to the point reviews; lists detailing which anime currently appear on television; and much more info. “I thank ye o’ great ones who keep this site up and running!”