Having said all that, if you’re looking to get your loved ones some Anime, Manga or other goodies with Japanese influence this year, then consider buying some of these fine items that your friendly (and smart) GamingAngels have found for you – just in case you needed a little help!

Anime

Title: Ouran High School Host Club
Rating: 14+
Price: $40.49USD (Amazon)
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
Review by Naomi here!
What happens when a girl (mistaken for a boy) breaks an expensive vase belonging to an exclusive boys club? She has to pay it back of course! Join Haruhi as she not only struggles to get through high school, but deals with young boys and their hormones while paying off a debt that increases by the day. I absolutely fell in love with this series and I would recommend it to anyone looking for laughter, love and a whole lot more! ~Naomi

Title: Naoki Urakawa’s Monster DVD Box Set 1
Rating: 17+
Price: $32.99USD (Amazon)
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy named Johan. When the boy, now a coldhearted and charismatic young man, reappears nine years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial murders, Tenma must go on the run from the police, who suspect him to be the killer, to find Johan and stop the monster he set loose upon the world. ~Yukino

Title: Black Blood Brothers
Rating: 17+
Price: $33.99USD (Amazon)
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
Review by Naomi here!
Vampires are a popular theme this year, and if that is what you like to see in your Anime then I suggest you consider this for your collection. Follow Jiro as he and his little brother Kotaro continue their battle with the vicious Kowloon Children that started 10 years ago. With plenty of humour and vampire action, I would recommend this highly – and I’m not that keen on vampires myself! ~Naomi

Title: Tokyo Godfathers
Rating: 13+
Price: $12.99USD (RightStuf)
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
It’s Christmas Eve in Tokyo. Three homeless people – alcoholic Gin, drag queen Hana, and teenage runaway Miyuki – discover an abandoned baby in a pile of garbage. Rather than turn the infant over to the police, the trio decide instead to find the baby’s parents themselves.  Following the only clue they have, a locker key, the three godfathers embark on a surprising journey of danger, humor and excitement. And in the process, they revisit their own haunted pasts and learn to face their future. ~Yukino

Title: Fushigi Yugi – The Mysterious Play
Rating: Unknown
Price: $178.99USD
Where to buy: Amazon
Review from Naomi here!
When Miaka finds an ancient Chinese book in the local library, she finds herself taken into the story – literally. Miaka must take on the role as the Priestess of Suzaku and find the 7 Suzaku warriors to invoke the return of the ancient protector of, a phoenix named Suzaku. She must do this while falling in love and saving her best friend Yui. If you enjoy a good story that includes history, courage, betrayal, comedy and romance then you will definitely love this one! ~Naomi

Manga

Title: Clover Omnibus by CLAMP
Rating: 14+
Price: $13.57USD
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
Kazuhiko is a young but already deeply wounded black ops agent of a baroque, retro-tech future. pulled out of retirement to escort Sue, a mysterious waif, to a destination she alone knows. Sue and Kazuhiko have never met… yet she knows him, having grown up since the age of four with her only human contact two distant voices: that of her elderly “grandma,” General Ko, and of Kazuhiko’s dead girlfriend, Ora. And Sue has been kept in that cage all these years because of what she is, and what the Clover Leaf Project found her to be: a military top secret, and the most dangerous person in the world. ~Yukino

Title: Return to Labyrinth (Volumes 1 to 3)
Rating: 13+
Price: Volume 1 & Volume 2 – $7.49USD (RightStuf),Volume 3 – $9.35USD (Amazon)
Where to buy: Volume 1 (Amazon / RightStuf),Volume 2 (Amazon / RightStuf),Volume 3 (Amazon / RightStuf)
The story of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth lives again in this manga series, which see Toby returning to inherit the throne of the infamous Goblin King, Jareth. Reintroduce yourself to some of the characters you met in the movie that starred David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, and catch up with Toby now that he’s all grown up. If you’re a fan of the movie, I would recommend you get this series! ~Naomi

Title: xxxHOLiC: Official Guide
Rating: 13+
Price: $13.49USD
Where to buy: RightStuf (Pre-order)
Join Yuko, Kimihiro, Domeki, and all your favorite characters on a journey deep inside the thrilling world of xxxHOLiC! Learn more about the folklore behind the story and the various connections to the other works in the CLAMP universe. Filled with fascinating story details, creator interviews, fashion highlights, glossaries, lavish illustrations, and much more, The Official xxxHOLiC Guide is your ultimate companion piece to the beloved series. ~Yukino

Title: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles: Album de Reproductions
Price: $14.99USD
Where to buy: RightStuf (Pre-order)
In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the phenomenon known as CLAMP – a prolific collective of four female artists who are now among the most popular manga creators in the United States – here’s a deluxe, gorgeously designed book featuring more than one hundred pages of color art, plus a five-page original Tsubasa manga that will appear only in this book! ~Yukino

Title: Rin-ne (Volume 1)
Rating: 16+
Price: $7.49USD (RightStuf)
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
This manga tells the story of Sakura Mamiya. As a child Sakura disappeared on a venture behind her Grandma’s house, however she returned safely enough but with added ghost-seeing abilities. Now she is a teenager and she just wants the ghosts to leave her alone! Also, the seat next to her at school has always been empty since the beginning of the school year. One day the seat is no longer empty when the long-absent classmate starts showing up for class, but is he more than what he seems? ~Yukino

Special Mentions

Title: MAIKO HAAAAN!!!
Rating: Unknown
Price: $18.69USD (RightStuf)
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
Reviewed by Naomi here!
Meet Kimihiko – a Maiko fanatic. He got lost in the Geisha district of Kyoto while on a school trip, and fell in love with the Maiko that helped him to get home. Years later, he owns a Maiko fansite and has a girlfriend who speaks the Kyoto dialect. One day he gets a transfer to the Kyoto office of his work company, and he feels he has made it to paradise. Follow him as he rides the ups and downs of the social rollercoaster, while making friends and enemies along the way. If you like comedy as well as Geisha, then this movie will certainly tickle your fancy! ~Naomi

Title: Blood: The Last Vampire
Rating: 17+
Price: $17.49USD (Amazon)
Where to buy: Amazon / RightStuf
Demons have infested Earth and only one warrior stands between the dark and the light: Saya, a half-human, half-vampire samurai who preys on those who feast on human blood. Joining forces with the shadowy society known as the Council, Saya is dispatched to an American military base, where an intense series of swordfights leads her to the deadliest vampire of all. And now after 400 years, Saya’s greatest hunt is about to begin. ~Yukino

Title: 20^th Century Boys (Movies 1 & 2)
Price: 20^th Century Boys: Beginning of the End – $18.69USD (RightStuf), 20^th Century Boys: The Last Hope – $18.69USD (RightStuf)
Where to buy: 1 (Amazon / RightStuf), 2 (RightStuf)
This trio of movies are based on a popular manga with the third movie being released in Japan a few months ago. The movies follow the story of a group of childhood friends as they grow up to discover the book they wrote as children came to life. This is an action-packed trilogy with a lot of fun explosions and big, giant robots. Definitely for adults – I fell in love with the third movie and can’t wait to get my hands on these two! ~RenoChan

Item: Final Fantasy XIII Play Arts Figures – Lightning, Snow & Vanille (pictured)
Price: $39.99USD each
Where to buy: Lightning (RightStuf), Snow (RightStuf) & Vanille (RightStuf)
While these figures won’t be available until Feb 2010, collectors will not want to miss out. Pre-order these beautiful figurines and surprise your loved ones with a full set as a Xmas surprise. ~Yukino

Stocking stuffers (all under $5 USD!)

Item: Original Pocky
Item type: Food
Price: $2.20 USD
Where to buy: JBox.com
The most popular snack in Japan and amongst western otaku is a great item to add to your gifts this holiday season. One box is 130g, but if you buy a whole case (10 boxes) you get 15% off! Yum! (And one other thing, even though it may look the same – don’t purchase Thai Pocky. It’s not the same as Japanese Pocky – trust me!) ~Naomi

Item: Pocky Parody Chopsticks (Chocolate or Strawberry)
Item type: Eating utensil
Price: $4.50 USD
Where to buy: Chocolate (JBox.com) or Strawberry (JBox.com)
If you can’t get enough of the real Pocky, then maybe these novelty chopsticks could be your answer. Available in either chocolate or strawberry – be quick, they are bound to sell out fast! ~Naomi

Item: Super Micro English/Japanese Dictionary Strap
Item type: Printed material
Price: $3 USD
Where to buy: JBox.com
Who hasn’t come across the problem of seeing something in Japanese while out and about, only to find there’s no English translation? This little English/Japanese Dictionary could prove to be just what you need! A good item for those otaku who also need a little help with their Japanese. ~Naomi

Item: Sake Skin Lotion
Item type: Health/Cosmetic
Price: $4.25 USD
Where to buy: JBox.com
Sake fans who want to up their devotion while keeping sober and healthy – here is your answer in the form of a skin lotion! The lotion bottle is 250g, and contains some additional healthy goodies as well. Kanpai! ~Naomi

Item: ASAKUSA KAMINARIMON Omamori
Item type: Good luck charm
Price: $4.80 USD
Where to buy: JBox.com
If you believe in buying yourself some luck in the form of a charm, then buying buying this Omamori will have all of your bases covered. It’s an all-round good luck charm, which will help you help you keep your luck in check. And even if you don’t rely on these sorts of items for luck, it still makes a cool charm for your phone, keys or even your DS. ~Naomi

Well, that’s it – hopefully we’ve been able to give a helping hand this year!

Meri Kurisimasu Minna-san! (Merry Christmas Everyone!)

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! (Happy New Year!)

Release Date: 15/04/2009
Languages: ENGLISH, JAPANESE
Genre: Anime, Comedy, Romance
Subtitles: ENGLISH subtitles
Number of Discs: 2
Runtime: 325.0 mins

“Kiss, kiss, fall in love!” says the opening line of the theme song. You might fall in love with Ouran High School Host Club, and if you do, blame Bisco Hatori. The manga series is her brainchild, and while she hasn’t won any awards for it yet, it is one of her most successful works thus far. And of course a manga series’ success is measured by whether someone is willing to develop an anime version – so here it is.

I had high hopes for the anime as I had found the original Japanese version online a couple of years ago, and I fell in love with it. At first I can’t say I was impressed with the English dub, but you know what they say about first impressions!

In this story, Haruhi Fujioka is your normal teenager on a scholarship to a prestigious private school. Apart from the fact that she isn’t as wealthy as her schoolmates, she goes about her school life studying to keep her grades up in order to retain her scholarship. And by dressing in a way that has many schoolmates mistake her as a boy.

Being that she is a bookworm and has no money to buy decent school clothing, Haruhi doesn’t actively go out of her way to make friends with anyone. One day she goes looking for a quiet place to study since the library is occupied. She comes across a music room and thinks she has found a good place to continue studying her little heart out. Wrong!

When she walks in Haruhi finds she has stumbled upon the schools Host Club – a club consisting of 7 male students who entertain young ladies with tea and sweets, as well as their charms. Realising she has interrupted them, Haruhi tries to exit the room, but the clubs “King” Tamaki has other ideas.

Tamaki more-or-less chases Haruhi around a little bit, asking questions while at the same time insinuating she is a boy who could be gay. Shocked, Haruhi backs away from him and right into a vase, knocking it to the ground. The vase was worth 8 Million Yen, and so begins Haruhi’s “employment” by the Host Club to work off her debt. The Host Club members treat her as though she were a boy until one-by-one they eventually click. The clubs patrons do not know and, so far as this volume goes, they don’t find out.

Haruhi manages to jump a few hurdles (e.g. learning to dance – let alone as a boy, school physical exams, a visit at home from the entire Host Club), and she gains supportive friends and a little more self-confidence along the way. She grows fond of them, even if they do act like a bunch of spoiled rich kids sometimes.

The first thing I was disappointed in was the opening and closing credits. For whatever reason the team that worked on the English dub decided it was necessary to do English versions of the songs. While they are alright, they still weren’t as good as the Japanese versions. I think it was only soured for me because the Japanese artist for the opening song is my favourite Jpop star. But you can’t please everybody right?

The second thing that I was unhappy with was the the actors chosen to voice Haruhi and Tamaki. I felt the voice for Haruhi was a little too flat and monotone, and it bordered on boring at times. Tamaki I liked, but had something else in mind when I was about to watch this version. However, as I progressed through the episodes the characters English voices grew on me, and now I love them!

As always, the extras included with this volume:

Disc 1:

• Episode Commentaries for Episodes 1, 4 & 5 with Caitlin Glass (voice of Haruhi) and her guests Vic Mignogna (Tamaki), J Michael Tatum (Kyoya), Monica Rial (Renge), Greg Ayres & Todd Haberkorn (Kaoru and Hikaru, The Hitachin Twins).

Disc 2:

• Outtakes
• Textless versions of the English opening and closing songs
• Trailers for other Madman releases

Fun and laughs are in abundance throughout this series, and it appeals to those who like their anime with high school icing and a mature themed filling. Sometimes the ‘filling’ is questionable, but it makes it taste better.

As for the manga, I have only gotten a look at the very first edition so my comparison to the anime is somewhat brief.

The anime has kept very closely to the manga in the way of storylines. I don’t know why but I was surprised at how exact most of the characters were in appearance when drawn for the anime.

The only thing I would have left out would have been Bisco Hatori’s need to thank you for reading the manga – at the end of each chapter. It was annoying, especially when she made herself out to be incompetent for one reason or another. However, I also believe this is the Japanese way but you may correct me if I’m wrong.

This series is now one of my favourites and I have the need to not only collect the anime, but also all of the manga as well. You won’t regret it, so give it a chance!

(c) Based on the comic ?OURAN High School Host Club? by Bisco Hatori originally serialized in ?LaLa? published by HAKUSENSHA Inc. / Bisco Hatori / Hakusensha ?  NTV/ VAP/ Bones/Hakusensha