It was a short week what with the holidays and all and yet some publishers managed to get a load of things out for the new year. So grab up those gift cards and get ready to lay into a stack of anime and manga, it's time for Saturday Morning Cartoons! Crack open the Pop Tarts, mix up that Tang, here's what's hit this week and is coming for the next.

All hail the masters of anime and manga, VIZ Media. Without a doubt they have the most aggressive publishing schedule of the bunch and they're starting the new year out right with enough new manga to keep you reading well into the new year. I pulled this week and next week's list for you today.

	MANGA	EST. STREET DATE
	Black Cat, Vol. 12	1/1/2008
	Dr. Slump, Vol. 14	1/1/2008
	Fall In Love Like a Comic, Vol. 2	1/1/2008
	Gin Tama, Vol. 4	1/1/2008
	High School Debut , Vol. 1	1/1/2008
	Hikaru no Go, Vol. 11	1/1/2008
	Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 18	1/1/2008
	Kurohime, Vol. 3	1/1/2008
	La Corda d'Oro, Vol. 6	1/1/2008
	Love Com, Vol. 4	1/1/2008
	Nana, Vol. 8	1/1/2008
	Reborn!, Vol. 6	1/1/2008
	S.A, Vol. 2	1/1/2008
	Sand Chronicles, Vol. 1	1/1/2008
	Shaman King, Vol. 14	1/1/2008
	Skip Beat!, Vol. 10	1/1/2008
	Strawberry 100%, Vol. 3	1/1/2008
	The Prince of Tennis, Vol. 23	1/1/2008
	Whistle!, Vol. 18	1/1/2008
	Bastard!!, Vol. 16	1/8/2008
	Cheeky Angel, Vol. 20	1/8/2008
	Inuyasha, Vol. 32	1/8/2008
	Project Arms, Vol. 18	1/8/2008
	Red River, Vol. 20	1/8/2008
	Togari, Vol. 4	1/8/2008
	Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 9	1/8/2008

Additionally VIZ squeezed off a magazine and a DVD release this week.

And then there's ADV Films, a maker of fine anime even though they never manage to respond to the emails I send. You would think they aren't really interested in promoting their products. But seeing as they have some of the big hitters with true anime fans (like Ah! My Goddess) I continue to include them. I have found a sort of new release list from them but it's acuracy is questionable at best.

Kanon Vol. 1

Animated by Kyoto Animation (Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), Kanon has elements of fantasy, drama, romance and comedy. Its whimsical plot follows the story of a boy who returns to finish high school in a town he called home seven years ago. While he realizes that much about the place is a blur, his memories are awakened bit by bit through his connections with five mysterious girls. Their antics take him back through the past, unraveling both the town’s supernatural undertones and his own buried feelings.

Jinki: Extend

The elite organization Angel pilots the mighty Jinki, giant robots employed to fight the evil Kyomu. But Angel needs new recruits, and it just so happens that a set of beautiful girls were born with the innate ability to be the best Jinki pilots ever! What happens when these cuties become Earth's last line of defense?

Earth faces an implaccable alien threat, and the arms manufacturer Nergal deploys its mightiest battleship in a desperate bid for survival. Unfortunately, a shortage of military personnel leaves them with a crew of geeks, misfits, and otaku running the ship! There's love, war and giant robots galore in the award-winning Martian Successor Nadesico! 

Xenosaga: The Animation 

4000 years after humanity has traded Earth for the stars, mankind has developed a secret weapon in the war against their mortal enemies, the Gnosis. Her name is KOS-MOS, and she is a battle android with amazing capabilities. Once activated, KOS-MOS and her human companions find themselves caught between Gnosis, the U-TIC Organization, and their own superiors in a battle with no clear sides.

Venus Versus Virus

Demons exist in our world. Known as "Viruses," they are shells of men and women, sad yet fearsome beings cursed with an insatiable hunger for human souls. The only thing keeping the innocent alive are the Venus Vanguard, an elite group of hunters tasked with the extermination of Viruses. Lucia is their top killer, cold, calculating, and a deadly shot. Fate shines on Lucia when her path crosses Sumire Takahana, a young student with the ability to become a living anti-Virus. There’s just one problem with the Vanguard’s newest recruit – when she enters into a rage, there’s no stopping her!

Here is the store. It is not all new releases of course.

While I like the whole idea of the Amazon Unbox videos I'm concerned about the digital rights management in the files. Mostly I'm concerned with limitations on devices and programs that can play the files and such. Maybe I will look into that further. But for now... 

Tak Čau!

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