The panel started very strongly, and I feel I have to give the panelists top marks for their ambitious introduction, which clearly showed that they had put a lot of thought into the content that they wanted to cover. Also praise-worthy was the miniature AMV that one of the panelists put together which set the tone of the panel as a whole — exploratory but still humorous.

The panel hit on a number of different points — the use of magical girls as a allegory for puberty, an examination of gender relations presented in the show, altruism, the existence of the Ubermensch and role of a deity (if there is one) in the shows universe. All of the individual points were well presented, in particular during the altruism and "Where is God?" sections where the panelists had some very good exploratory discussions amongst themselves. I would have greatly enjoyed more instances of this as opposed to the sections where the three panelists took turns handing off the same argument between each other. The panel certainly had enough meaty content to live up to it's name and presented it in an approachable, engaging manner.

Sadly, this is the part where I write up a small laundry-list of niggling issues I had with the panel, none of which "ruined" the presentation but taken together weakened it. Primary among my irritations was the over-use of PowerPoint slides — at some points the panelists exhibited my pet hate habit of reading directly off of the slides and not adding anything to the text on screen. This, combined with the aforementioned lack of debate between the panelists left some very interesting points relatively unexplored. The slides also contained numerous typographical errors — not a major issue in itself but combined with previous niggles was indicative that the content presented could have done with an additional critical look to shore up the arguments presented and provide a more "solid" talk overall. In particular the lack of a proper conclusion before the floor was opened up for Q&A at the end of the panel left me feeling somewhat unfulfilled.

An additional misstep was taken in the middle of the panel when the audience was asked to respond to a small question — sadly this did not go as planned as instead of answering the question participants instead rushed the mic to present their own theories and have miniature discussions with the panelists. This took a lot of the momentum out of the discussion and it never fully recovered.

To be frank, I did not expect great things from this panel — rather cynically I presumed the discourse would be at the level of message board chatter and I was very pleased to be proven wrong. The panelists here have some very good ideas and discussion points tobring to the table, and if they can take what they currently have and iron out the kinks then they will have a very robust and intriguing panel.

That's my question: Why do fansubs exist? Why are there legions of people ready and willing to rip anime from TV and DVDs, add their own subtitle tracks, and distribute them illegally to fans around the world without permission from the original rights holders? I ask partly out of innocent curiosity, though I certainly am a personal supporter of the North American anime industry.

Nobody denies that fansubs served a useful (if not exactly necessary) purpose in the 1980s and 1990s, when fansubbers brought over series that fans would probably never get to enjoy. They were risking illegal action in order to provide access to a medium that had little to no American industry to aid in legal distribution. So if fansubbing exists to give fans a way to watch unlicensed series, why does the practice continue to this day, and with such high participation?

Surely 480p Hulu streams or free simulcasting on Crunchyroll (together, an ever-increasing total of nearly 300 series that include over 50% of each new TV season) is enough to displace fansubs, right? If the content is out there, fans don't need to turn to illegal methods, right? Or is this about something else? Has this become an issue, not of obtaining unobtainable material, but of acquiring material at the highest possible quality for completely free? You give an inch and they take a mile, as they always say.

But really, those are just a few of my personal thoughts on the matter. I swore off nearly all but the most retro fansubs a couple of years ago, so maybe I "just don't get it" when it comes to modern fansub usage. I'd love to hear some theories from both sides of the fence on this issue. Why do we still have fansubs? Are they serving a worthy purpose to fans? What would happen to the North American anime industry (and/or the Japanese industry) if fansubbing stopped altogether?

Naruto fansubs are the most popular ones out there, and many - myself included - believed that Viz could never truly stop the flow of illegal versions of Naruto. Now they have not only provided a legal, free alternative to fansubs, but fansubbers have stood up and defended their vaunted "Code of Honor." Even though Dattebayo did not receive a Cease and Desist letter, Interactii has stood up and admitted that his fansubs are a promotion for Naruto, not a replacement for legal versions. If there is anything better than this that could have happened in the fansub debate, I can't think of it.

Bravo, my good sirs. Bravo.

Sections

• Mimasho!: Japanese for "Let's watch," this section contains the good shows.
• Mimasen!: Japanese for "Do not watch," this section has the mind-numbingly bad ones.
• What Else?: A list of other stuff to watch.

Mimasho!

The Gundam series has been alive and kicking for going on 30 years now, so it's no surprise that BANDAI and Sunrise would be producing yet another epic installment of the classic mecha anime. Luckily, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (Double-Oh) seems to be taking a very refined approach to the series. Fans of Seed will enjoy the similar character designs, while Wing fans will love the plot similarities and political undertones. Of course, the new mecha designs are also very cool-looking, with some mobile suits taking fairly large departures from the Gundam norm.

The plot goes like this: Humanity has created a giant ring around the Earth, installed with massive solar panels and generators in order to use solar power as the predominant power source of the Earth. Connecting this ring (similar to the "Halo," as a matter of fact) to the Earth are three "Orbital Elevators" that transport people, supplies, and--most importantly--solar energy to and from the ring. These three Elevators are placed evenly across the globe in South America, Africa, and Asia. The importance of the elevators has caused the world to split into three major powers: The Union, the AEU, and the Human Reform League.

These three powers stand on the brink of war, and are currently engaged in a massive arm's race. Appearing seemingly out of nowhere, a terrorist group called Celestial Being attacks, claiming a goal of ridding the world of wars by attacking anyone who starts one. (Luckily the irony of this theory is pointed out multiple times in the first few episodes, showing a marked self-awareness in this Gundam plot) Celestial Being's secret weapon is the Gundams, mobile suits powered by an unknown particle system and piloted by young "Gundam Meisters." (It's okay, they're not 14 years old this time)

We've seen pacifism-based plots like this before in Gundam, but this is one of the first in the series to not include Space Colonies, as well as focus on important political issues like alternate energy and terrorism. This is clearly a very fresh Gundam, and both its plot and characters have a mature appeal to them that gives 00 a potential to outperform previous Gundams. Of course, this is a mecha action show, so we cannot forget one of the most important features: animation. In only the first four episodes, there have been 4 or 5 battles, and the animation for these have been incredibly smooth and beautiful. The main Gundam (Exia) is such a beautiful sight to see, cutting up enemies with its elbow-mounted blade, that just those scenes alone are a reason to watch 00. For anybody interested in mecha, military, or political anime, this is the show to watch this fall. From the battle scenes to the killer mobile suit designs to the political themes, Gundam 00 is sure to please action fans this fall.

Final Grade: Unlike most Gundams, this one should be greatly enjoyable whether you're into all-out action, political intrigue, or a little of both.

It's hard for me to write a review of Mokke. The series is so charming and effortlessly whimsical that a review does not do it justice. But like little Mizuki, who is constantly oppressed with various ghosts and spirits, I perservere.

Mokke's slice-of-life story is quite simple. Shizuru and Mizuki live out in the Japanese countryside with their Grandma and Grandpa. Their parents sent the sisters to live there primarily because of their Grandpa's expertise when it comes to spirits and exorcism. You see, Shizuru, a concientious teenager, can see ghosts, and her younger sister Mizuki, an energetic little girl, is often haunted and possessed by them. With the help of their Grandpa (and sometimes their cat Mike-san), the two work their way through various spirit-related problems.

What, were you expecting them to fight the ghosts? Mokke is a great example of what anime can do when it gets down to its simple, Japanese roots. The stories of Shizuru and Mizuki (4 in all at the time of this writing) are simple, meaningful, and heartwarming. Much like the highly-acclaimed Mushi-shi, this series is calmly paced, and provides a peaceful portrayal of Japanese mysticism and spirituality.

Sadly, where Mokke lets me down is exactly the place where it should do best. Unlike Mushi-shi, Mokke lacks beautiful animation, character designs, and backdrops. The characters look forced and unrealistic and the animation is far from great. To its credit, Mokke often shows pretty (though not top-shelf) backgrounds and other nature-related art. In this regard, fans of Hayao Miyazaki's work, especially in Princess Mononoke, will find much to love here.

All in all, Mokke is something for anyone who likes slower-paced stories. The characters are charming, and the plot can get really philosophical and heartwarming, especially at the resolution of each episode.

Final Grade: A truly charming mix of drama, comedy, and spirituality creates a great example of calm, thought-provoking slice-of-life anime.

Mimasen!

Take everything you loved about Slayers, then add everything you hate about moe. Now take out everything that could make that a watchable experience, and you have Prism Ark. Based on the H-game of the same name, this anime is a nearly unwatchable show that attempts to make up for its general shortcomings with some slightly-above-mediocre technical touches.

The plot of the first episode is about as shallow and generic as you can get. Young warriors Hyaweh and Priecia are travelling through a desert with their allies (all women), and are trying to reach the land of their enemies to fight some war or something. (None of this is explicitly specified) As the two are about to go through their horribly cliched teen love scene, they are rudely interrupted by the ironically-named Sister Hell. As if that scene wasn't bad enough, they go into a huge battle with the scantily-clad, crucifix-sword-wielding nun, and eventually get aid from their pink moe catgirl, moe priestess, and moe samurai teacher. All the while, any possibility of enjoyment is cut into little pieces by stupid and confusing flashbacks about how Priecia's mother (confusingly named Prinsea) met Priecia's father. Meanwhile, we watch the army of moes do generic seen-a-million-times-before fantasy battle with a giant mecha thing summoned by Sister Hell.

Let's get the good stuff out of the way. If you enjoy good fantasy animation and action-packed battles, you might like Prism Ark's action scenes. Don't be expecting a Claymore here, though, since the moe characters and overstylized look of Prism Ark will definitely turn away fans of "real" fantasy-action.

While the animation is usually pretty good, the character designs sure aren't. Costume design is way overboard, with characters looking like they wre ripped from the pages of a gothic-lolita catalog. Not to mention, the characters all have an annoying moe look that immediately kills any serious scene

When it comes to writing, there is so much to criticize. Not only is the plot fractured, confusing, and badly-paced, but the names (both of characters and "special attacks") are comicly bad. Apparently they were being sophisticated with the choice of Hyaweh, a simple anagram of the Jewish god Yahweh (with only one changed letter). And the names Priecia and Prinsea are definitely some of the most brilliantly inventive names for princesses I've ever heard. Who can forget Sister Hell, whose name and character design are great reasons why half on the anime is existence needs to be thrown into the fires of Mount Doom? As for the attacks, we have some very nice lessons in cliche, including "Glow Lance," "Frost Buster," "Ice Javelin," and my personal favorite, "Critical Break." Each of these are, of course, screamed out by their users before their attacks.

Final Grade: Unless you're a fan of the original H-game, or you can stand masochistically bad levels of cheese in between your mediocre fighting scenes, steer clear of Prism Ark this fall.

What Else Is On?

• Genshiken 2
• Ghost Hound
• Hero Tales
• Shakugan no Shana Second

New Series

The next big installment in the ever-growing Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (pronounced "double-oh," like James Bond) looks promising. From what we can see in the trailers, gone is the teen drama of Gundam Seed, and we can see much more military action a la Gundam Wing. The story follows 4 young Gundam pilots working for the "Celestial Being," a mysterious group that seeks to end the current world war and create peace...with the help of giant robots. (generic, huh?) The animation and action scenes are really nice-looking, so fans of more action-oriented Gundam shows such as Wing or G should definitely be watching this. And of course, 00 is guaranteed commercial and popular success by simple virtue of the fact that it's a Gundam. Rating: 3/5

One look at this should allow some of you to realize why this is on the list. Jyushin Enbu, better known as Hero Tales, is a new anime series based on a manga by none other than Hiromu Arakawa, creator of Fullmetal Alchemist. This alone should make it a hit among Arakawa fans, but it looks to be a fairly action-packed show as well. The trailers promise us some heart-pounding fantasy/martial arts action, but I still have my doubts. With a generic-looking plot and visual style, this is looking like Arakawa's very own Buso Renkin. (Nobuhiro Watsuki, creator of the hugely popular Rurouni Kenshin, created the fairly unpopular, generic action manga Buso Renkin directly after finishing Kenshin) Keep an eye out for this though, as it could be a big hit in the action category. Rating: 4/5

Moving away from high-energy action shows like Gundam and Hero Tales, Mokke is a heartwarming story of two sisters, the older of which can see ghosts, and the younger of which is perpetually haunted by them. The story looks calm and philosophical, much like the fairytale-esque Mushi-shi. The animation is fairly plain, though the character designs and backgrounds are pleasant and peaceful looking. Definitely check this light drama out, as it provides something very different for many anime fans. Rating: 3/5

Easily the most interesting show this season, GHOST HOUND is Production I.G's extremely ambitious horror project. Directed by Serial Experiments Lain's Nakamura Ryutaro and written by Ghost in the Shell's Masamune Shirow, this series' dark tone and high-quality animation just could make it a hit this fall. According to the trailer's translation, the story is about a group of boys who travel through different worlds. The trailer shows lots of psychological drama, burnt houses, and emotionless teenage girls, so this should be right up the alley of any fans of Lain, Boogiepop, or similar horror shows. Rating: 5/5

Well, I have no real idea what this actually is. From what I can tell, it is a futuristic action/drama OAV, and there's a guy with a robo-suit. (presumably a "Strait Jacket") According to cheap onine translations, there's something with magic and technology developing together, and a sort of police war against a "demon family" or something. The animation is top-notch, (courtesy of animation company Feel) and the only trailer I could find looked exctremely professional. Watch out for this, since it could turn out to be a really awesome action show. Rating: 3/5

Sequels

Genshiken, the light comedy series about a college anime club, has gone through a lot of different forms in recent years. It started off as a manga, was animated into a 12-episode anime, was reanimated into a 3-part OAV extending the series, and even had its invented anime, Kujibiki Unbalance, turned into its own inpependent animation. This October, though, Genshiken 2, the official second season to the original anime, premeirs on Japanese television. The plot promises to be just as wacky and hilarious as the anime and OAV, and since there's a lot of manga that was never animated, you can count on lots of material to base the series off of. Sadly, this sequel's character designs seem to be of the same cheapened and inconsistent quality as the OAV. Even so, fans of the original series should catch up on the OAV (viewable at CrunchyRoll) if need be, and make sure to check out the newest iteration of their favorite anime club. Rating: 4/5

The action-packed sequel to the original Shakugan no Shana, SnS II (pronounced "Second") looks to follow up its predecessor with more high-powered demon-fighting action. While Shana has been criticized by many for being too cliched and similar to series like Bleach, it has enjoyed a small cult following for the past year or so. Fans of the series should look forward to more of Noizi Itou's lively character designs, as well as some very pretty looking animation. Rating: 3/5