Father Geek here with Scott Green to bring you an especially over flowing with info edition of the Wednesday AICN Anime Report. Its a lengthy column, but well worth the read, sooooo ol' Father Geek will step aside and let you get on with the meat...

Manga Preview: The Big O

Published by Viz

(based on 16 page preview)

The Big O manga is Hitoshi Ariga's version of the story told by the Big O anime series, scripted by Sunrise's Hajime Yatate. Big O is a detective story in the classic noir tradition of quick-witted hero surrounded by powerful and corrupt institutions, except that the hero doesn't just have his wits to rely on, he has a giant robot too.

40 years ago "The Event" robbed the citizens of Paradigm City of their memories. Now memories have become the most valuable commodity in the city. Roger Smith is The Negotiator , hired to privately settle matters. When words fail his means of solving problems is Big O, a giant robot from the days before the citizens lost their memories.

The preview indicates that the story does not start as the same place as the anime series. It's a class murder/heist followed by police chase. Chapter One: Take Back a Memory begins with a group shooting a truck driver to steal his valuable cargo of real tobacco cigarettes. Police pursue them in armored vehicles but they escape by plunging their helmet shaped vehicle into the water. As it reemerges connected to a giant turtle shaped machine, it is stopped by the colossal Big O.

The character art differs greatly from the anime series. Roger Smith remains sharply dressed man with a youthful, but knowing look. The square, bulky, Batman: The Animated Series look is gone. He has lost his square jaw. The new look accentuates his feline-like eyes, and makes him look more like a shrewd business man than a blocky superhero.

The character design and posturing has a pulp, larger than life edge to it. Paradigm City and the Big O robot have not changed in their worn, arc deco look. The thick lines, and heavy shadows provide a noir look. Speed lines are used exceptionally well in conveying action and movement in the opening chase scene.

Detective fans who don't mind the interjection of a large physical force to solve problems in the hero's favor, and giant robot fans will find a lot to like in the series.

The 48 page first issue will be released in February.

Anime Spotlight: Sorcerer on The Rocks

Releases by ADV Films

Few non-pornographic anime titles cross the line of political correctness as far as Sorcerer on the Rocks. What saves it from offending anyone who believes in gender equality is that nothing in the series is meant to be taking seriously. If you can get past that with just a grimace or ignore it, the two episode OAV series is a quick, fun, swords and sorcery explosion-fest, with several good battle scenes.

The series opens with Gin Fizz, a kind, pure Sister of the Golden Cross praying for the redemption of her master Lord Shibas, who currently has her collared and chained. She serves him. He demeans her, called her things that are bleeped out in both the English and Japanese language tracks. He fondles her. Later, when they run out of money he has her dance in a bunny suit for tips. Ultimately the moral of their excursion, as it is explicitly stated, is that Fizz should not trust what appears to be innocent. Shibas may abuse and debase her, but he will never betray her, because he is her master. All of this is player for humor.

If you are still following this, you don't mind the relationship above, or you are willing to ignore it for an anime monster hunt fix the series delivers. Sorcerer On the Rocks shares it's setting with Sorcerer Hunters. On the Rocks is short enough and insular enough not to require any knowledge of the longer Hunters series.

Fizz and Shibas are joined by their companions Kiss, an energetic green haired werewolf girl, who transforms into her wolf form in a magic girl esque sequence, and Genmi, a gay swordsman in love with Shibas. The group is hired to kill Roki, a giant shape-shifting monster who is attacking a city which is one giant red light district.

The battles in the series are comparable to the best of Slayers, or any other member of the genre. The wolf Kiss ripping out a chunk of Roki, or Genmi fending off magical blasts with his sword are fluid, and exciting. The composition is often impressively complex, with an animated giant monster, attacking heroes, and the accompanying smoke/dust clouds. Improvements in animation techniques have certainly benefited this genre. It's a long way from the Slayers giant demon which barely moved.

Fans of humorous swords and sorcery anime series such as Slayers, Sorcerer Hunters, and Maze will find the kind of setting, story and action they enjoy in Sorcerer on the Rocks. There are server genuinely amusing moments, such as when Fizz vows to protect the good people of the town they are defending, only to recall its full of "scary looking shop keepers", "punks" and "evil men", but the main thrust of the humor just isn't funny. Perhaps it was meant to be an outgrowth of the S&M undercurrent from Sorcerer Hunters, but it doesn't effectively come across as such. It isn't even funny in a "how can they say that" or "that's so wrong" sense.

Anime Spotlight Power Stone volume 2: "Battle Training"

Released by ADV Films

Power Stone is a silly, but surprisingly enjoyable series based on a video game in which an odd cast of characters battle each other for flimsy reasons. In this case the characters are English boxer/pilot, mummy wrapped knife wielding psycho, cute ninja girl, large miner, Arabian fortune teller girl, Indian (Native American) warrior, high spirited kung fu guy, and brooding samurai. The series follows Folken, the English son of an archeologist whose father sends him a power stone that grants him the power to briefly undergo a Power Ranger like transformation to a robot that is made out of a plane that blast fists and missiles

If this makes the series sound like it is aimed towards young audiences, it's because the series clearly is. However, it is a series that is enjoyable for older audiences. It knows and embraces its outlandishness. It flaunts the fact a squad of ninjas are battling a giant barrel shaped robot in the Victorian English country side. The characters' posturing is consistently amusing. The samurai has all of the manners and tricks samurai fans enjoy, such as catching a thrown sword in its sheath. When kung fu character, named Wang Tang, is confront by his school, and wizen old master, the resulting posing made for a great parody.

It consistently skirts being annoying, such as with its frequent use of characters such as a harried butler, or a love struck gay ninja, but it knows when to pull back enough to not bother the viewer, Power Stone wins points for embracing the odd potential of a video game base anime series. It's not going to make anyone's favors list, but it's an amusing distraction.

This Week's Releases

Anime

• Battle of the Planets (Vol. 3)
• Battle of the Planets (Vol. 4)
• Dragon Ball Z - Garlic Jr. - Black Water Mist
• Now and Then, Here and There - Discord and Doom (Vol. 1)
• Pilot Candidate - Training (Vol. 2)
• Princess Nine - Double Header (Vol. 2)
• Rurouni Kenshin - Fire Requiem
• Saber Marionette J Again - Plasmatic Crisis Collection (Vols 1-3)

Manga

• Cardcaptor Sakura #24
• Clover Vol 3 Pkt Gn
• Dragonball Part 4 #6 (Of 10)
• Dragonball Z Part 5 #1 (Of 12)
• Geobreeders #33 $2.95
• Marmalade Boy #2 (Of 5
• Miracle Girls #16
• Ranma 1/2 Part 10 #10 (Of 11)
• Saint Tail #15
• Slayers Special #1
• Slayers Super Explosive Demon Story #3

For a preview of Now and Then, Here and There see here.

Rurouni Kenshin - Fire Requiem concludes the Kyoto story. Kenshin, a former political assassins during Japan's Meiji revolution faces Shishio, the man who replaced him when he gave up killing.

Saber Marionette J Again is a six part OAV (direct to video release) that takes place after the conclusion of the Saber Marionette J television series. The series take place on a colony where all human inhabitants are clones of males who survived the journey to the planet. Female robots called marionettes are introduced to fill some of the void missing in society. An earnest young man named Otaru finds three marionettes with Maiden Circuits which gives them emotions: the cute and innocent Lime, the proper and romantic Cherry, and the wild, and headstrong Bloodberry.

For a look at Clover see here.

Dragon Ball Z Price Drop

FUNimation will be dropping the prices of Dragon Ball Z volumes 18-39, cover the 18-39, the Captain Ginyu through Androids saga from $24.95 to $14.95.

Gundam Movie Information Correction

Bandai representative Charles McCarter posted on Anime on DVD's forum:

"The Gundam Movies on DVD will be as follows:

1. They will be JAPANESE AUDIO with ENGLISH SUBTITLES ONLY. There will be no English Dub track. The information on the Bandai Entertainment website is incorrect.

2. The two audio tracks will be the same as those released on the R2 DVDs, including the 5.1 Japanese audio and the Dolby Surround Audio. The original mono soundtrack is not available for the DVD release, per Sunrise.

3. The Box Set will contain a special 12-page booklet that will not be available anywhere else, and will include an introduction written by Yoshiyuki Tomino, creator of Gundam, especially for this release."

Ghost in the Shell 2 and Yamato in 2003

According to a post on Anime News Service's mailing list Japanese magazine Nikkei Entertainment Magazine lists Ghost in the Shell 2, and Shin Yamato was heading to theatres in 2003. There are rumor that Mamoru Oshii will no be directing the Ghost in the Shell sequel.

Anime in Japan

The Japanese Chara-Ani anime news website has created a site devoted to the "quad-feature" of 4 anime films that opened together in Japanese theaters late last month- the 85 minute long Sakura Wars the Movie with the 30 minute long Slayers Premium, 20 minute long Di-Gi-Charat, and 5 minute long Azumanga Daioh movies.

Legend of Crystiana on DVD

ADV has announced that the Legened of Crystania: The Chaos Ring will be released on DVD on 3/19. The three episode OAV follows the knight Ashram and dark elf Pirotess after the events of Lodoss War. Ashra,m Pirotess and their followers fled to Island of Crystania where Ashram fell under the influence of the Beast God Barbus. After 300 years Pirotess returns with a group of adventurers. The OAV series is follow up to the Legend of Crystiana movie.

Cardcaptors Promotion at Taco Bell

Taco Bell is currently running a promotion selling Cardcaptors merchandise at their outlets. The promotional items can be seen here

Anime In Japan

The Chara-Ani video site now features streaming trailers for new and upcoming anime titles including the Sakura Wars movie, Shichinin no Nana, Full Metal Panic, Onegai Teacher, Alien 9 and Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School.

Tenshi no Shippo ended with episode 12 broadcast on December 20th. Bakuten Shoot Beyblade concluded with episode 51 and Grappler Baki: Ultimate Fighting Tournament ended on episode 23 both broadcast on December 24th. Scryd aired it's 26th and final episode on December 26th. Fruit Basket and Kokoro Toshokan ended with episodes 26 and 12 respectively on December 27th. Mahoromatic and Babel II ended on episodes 12 and 13 respectively on December 28th

January Online Periodical Updates

The January Anime Fringe include an article on Boogiepop Phantom, and reviews of Ah! My Goddess: The Movie, NieA Under Seven, Gravitation, and Miracles Girls.

Sequential Tart's January issue a look at the new Vampire Hunter D movie, anime fan parodies, and anime and manga reviews.

Kaidomaru Release Upcoming

Anime News Network reports Kaidomaru, the new movie from Produciton I.G. is slated for release in Japan on January 23rd.

Kaidomaru is a new feature film featuring many of the talent from Blood: The Last Vampire. Taking place in Imperial China during the Heian period. The whole film lasts 46 minutes long.

The DVD features a collection layout art by Tajima, a collection of scenes from main characters, talks with the character designer, key animation supervisor and director and a collection of 3D movies. The retail price is ¥5600.

The VHS will feature a collection of scenes from main characters, talks with the character designer, key animation supervisor and director and a collection of 3D movies. The VHS version retails for ¥8600.

AnimEigo adds references to Macross

Anime News Network reports AnimEigo has added subtle, comedic references to the Macross subtitles.

The references, which were suggested by Robert Woodhead while the script was being finalized, were used to flesh out certain aspects of the script, and not to add new content to the script.

For example "On a battleship on the ass-end of space," was used to translate a sentence that could also have been translated as "On a battleship in the furthest reaches of space." The ass-end of space is a term first coined in an episode of Star Trek. The majority (or perhaps all) of the references come from Star Trek.

Reaction to this has been mixed. On one side people find it amusing and have no problem with the added references because they do not change the meaning of the original script. On the other side some people are deeply disappointed by AnimEigo's decision to add references to the subtitled Macross script that were not in the original script.

Robert Woodhead, AnimEigo CEO, has posted his own reply to the AE mailing list responding to the questions & comments regarding the decision to add Star Trek references to the Macross subtitles.

"It has been a longstanding tradition in AnimEigo translations, right from day one, that when a famous movie line is a perfectly reasonable translation for a line, we tend to use it, in particular if its a humorous scene. We never bend the translation to fit the cute line, but when the opportunity presents itself, we take it.

Most of them are very, very subtle and obscure."

Upcoming Release Dates:

• 2/15
• Dragon Ball Z: Majin Buu "Tactics" and "Revival"
• 4/9
• Zoids! Vol. 1: The Battle Begins (DUB / DVD DUB)
• 4/23
• Sherlock Hound Casefile 2 DVD
• 5/7
• Gundam I: The Movie DVD
• Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow DVD
• Gundam III: Encounter in Space DVD
• Gundam Movies Box Set (1-3) DVD
• Pilot Candidate 4 DVD
• 5/14
• Cardcaptor Sakura 9 (SUB / DVD SUB): Winter Wonderland
• Gatekeepers 5: To the Rescue! (DUB / DVD)
• Vandread 3: Great Expectations (DUB / DVD)
• 5/21
• Brain Powered 1 DVD
• Gundam 0083 Vol. 3 DVD
• Ronin Warriors 2 DVD

Sherlock Hound is Sherlock Homes series where the characters are depicted as dogs. The series is noteworthy because Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki's Delivery Series, Princess Mononoke) directed six episodes of the series, and wrote some of the six before the series was put on hiatus due to copyright issues.

Volume 9 of Card Captor Sakura will include the last three episodes of the Clow Card story.

Zoids will be a dub only release.

Gatekeepers and Vandread are now anime series from Studio Gonzo, known for their CGI work in series such as Blue Sub No. 6. Vandread is a young pilots giant robot story set in a gender civil war. Gatekeepers takes place in an alternate version of the 60's where after World War II "Invaders" starting appearing on earth (men with off suits, cowboy hats, and mirrored shades). A group called AEGIS is formed to combat the Invaders. People known as Gatekeepers, with the power to help people or destroy begin to ally themselves with the Invaders or AEGIS. Canadian Anime magazine Protoculture Addicts described the series as ".truly one of the best TV shows we have seen in 2000. Its in-between Evangelion and Thunderbirds, and offers lots of humor and some great action."

Read or Die Third OAV Gets a Release Date

Anime News Network reports Sony Visual Works has given a release date for the last installment of the Read or Die OAV. The DVD will be released in Japan on February 6th for ¥6000.

The US rights for Read or Die were rumored to have been picked up by Manga Entertainment. They have not yet given a date or any indication for the US release of the series.

Read or Die is a story about Yumiko Readman. She is your ordinary 25 year old high school teacher with a secret. She's a secret agent! A secret agent for the Royal British Library's Division of Special Operations. Poor Yumiko is forced to quit her teaching job and team up with a new partner, Nancy Deep, to take on a new mission.

You can check out the official wesbite for Read or Die with artwork, information and screenshots. If you prefer your websites in English you can view the English portion of the website here.

New York Times Article Causes Manga Controversy

source: Comicon Splash In a positive article spotlighting Hayao Miyazaki here James Brooke controversially stated "Comic books account for 60 percent of printed publications in Japan, a reflection of low literacy rates due to the difficulty of learning Japanese characters."

The ASSOCIATED PRESS immediately responded with an article on Brooke and his statement, titled "NY TIMES ARTICLE SAYS JAPAN HAS 'LOW LITERACY RATES' which pointed out that "According to the U.S. State Department, Japan has a literacy rate of 99%, as compared with about 97% for the United States."

The AP reported: "Reached by phone for comment, the article's author, James Brooke, said, ''The cheap shot is to say the New York Times doesn't know how to read the U.N. literacy tables.'' He said the popularity of comics reflects the difficulty of kanji, or Chinese characters, used in Japanese. ''What we are talking about here and a lot of older Japanese have told me this, reading and writing kanji skills are deteriorating. And this is what I meant by low literacy. In other words, a lot of Japanese people read comic books because they don't want to sit on the subway with a long full text kanji book.''

Pada Pada Airship Adventure Set For TV

According to AnimeFringe a new anime based on the works of Jules Verne. Entitled Pada Pada Airship Adventure, it's scheduled to be broadcast January 2, 2002. It's going to be broadcast in High Definition format. A sneak preview including a "making of" , character information, and world background was aired on December 2. Twenty-six episodes are planned, scheduled for a late Saturday night airtime and an early Saturday morning rebroadcast.

Street Fighter vs Dragonball?

According to the usually reliable Japanese Challenger arcade chain website, Capcom has plans to create a Dragonball vs Capcom fighting game. The upcoming releases list on the Challenger homepage lists, at the bottom of the first column, "Dragonball" as the latest release in the "Vs series" with an undetermined release date.

Doraemon 2002

The official website for the new Doraemon movie is up with screenshots, information and the trailer. The movie is scheduled for a March 9th release in Japan.

Escaflowne Release Information

According to an article in Video Business Escaflowne will start its limited theatrical run on January 25th in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Vancouver, expanding slowly after February.

"We're really looking to make it a big deal, much like Akira was," said marketing producer Jerry Chu. "This is our first time dabbling in the film business."

Bandai is planning a big campaign for Escaflowne's video launch--on DVD only. The effort will include promotion at the July 4-7 Anime Expo in Long Beach, Calif., and cross-promotion with a new collector's edition DVD box of all eight volumes of the Escaflowne TV series, which has aired on the Fox network.

The trailer for the Escaflownie movie, a Girl in Gaia has gone online at here.

In the movie Hitomi is a girl alienated her shyness, and suicidal from her feelings of alienation. She is directed by a silver haired man in black to the world of Gaia, where she is found by a feral young warrior named Van. Van needs her to summon the Escaflowne, a biomechanical armor that will be his instrument of revenge against the Black Dragon clan which destroyed his kingdom.

The movie features music by popular composer Yohko Yanno (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, the Escalfowne TV series), character design by Nobuteru Yuki (Escaflowne TV, Lodoss War) and mechanical design by Kimitoshi Yamane (Escaflowne TV, Macross).

Fred Patton Talks Anime History

AnimeTourist has posted an with Fred Patton, who talks about the the relationship between Tezuka and NBC for the making of Kimba and Astro Boy, the origins of anime fandom, the efforts to save lost anime episodes.

AniPike Founder Retires

Jei Fubler Harvey, founder of the most popular anime portal, Anime Web Turnpike has announced that he will be retiring from work on the site after working on it for six years.

March Manga Releases

The following are the comics Diamond Distributors is soliciting for a March release. To preorder then talk to you local comic shop. Highlights include Lupin III from ComicsOne.com. a re-list of many of Central Park Media's trade paperback collections, Love Hina from TOKYOPOP, and the first collections of Ceres: Celestial Legend, Vagabond, and No. 5 from Viz.

COMICSONE.COM

ComicsOne.com will likely be releasing the first volume of Lupon III. The 4"x6" 300 page volume will retail for $9.95. Other releases include Wild 7 #4, Sarai Volume 1 #7, Kazan Volume 1 #7, Weed Volume 1 #3 and Wounded Man Volume 1 #3.

CPM Manga

Rather than releasing new material Central Park Media will be taking a month to get caught up in their schedule. Instead they will be re-releasing the graphic novel collections: Aquarium Volume 1, Geobreeders Book 1, Maxion Book 1, Midnight Panther Book Two: Feline Fanatics, Record Of Lodoss War: Chronicles Of The Heroic Knight Book 1, Record Of Lodoss War: Grey Witch Book 1 and Slayers Book 1: Medieval Mayhem.

Central Park Media will be offering Dark Angel Volume 1 signed and number by Kia Asamiya again. Dark Angel is the sword-and-sorcery tale, the story of Dark, a young swordsman, and his quest to find the truth about his past.

Aquarium in a romance about a girl who fails her high school entrance exam, and decides to take solice by spending time in the aquarium.

Geobreeders is an action series about Kagura Security Company, a group of five women and one man who use a combination of magic and weapons to deal with various threats.

Record Of Lodoss War: Chronicles Of The Heroic Knight roughly corresponds to the Lodoss War anime television series. The young knight Spark fails in guarding the Crystal Ball of Souls from the Dark Elves in the service of the evil wizard Vagnado. Spark is joined by Parn and Deedlit and a new group of adventurers.

Record Of Lodoss War: Grey Witch Book corresponds to the Lodoss War anime OAV series. Parn the knight, Deedlit the elf, Ghim the dwarf, Etoh the priest, Slayn the sorcerer and Woodchuck the thief face off against the Grey Witch, a who threatens the balance of power on the island of Lodoss.

Slayers is a swords and sorcery comedy about the red-heated sorceress Lina Inverse, and her dim whitted swordsman sidekick Gourry Gabriev.

Dark Horse:

Manga legend Osama Tezuka's Astro Boy continues in volume 2, translated by Frederick l. Schodt in a 4 1/2" x 7" 200+ page volume for $9.95. "In this volume, Astro Boy comes to the aid of Gravia's robot president to prevent his overthrow at the hands of a secret anti-robot society; a robot magician is cloned as a setup to start a movement against intelligent robots, and only Astro Boy can expose the conspiracy; and Astro Boy defends a powerful robot race car from an evil gang in the globe-spanning Equator Race!"

The Dirty Pair: Sim Hell 3Rd Edition will feature Adam Warren's Dirty Pair tale colored by GURU eFX. The ever destructive Lovely Angels ne Dirty Pair must face employee evaluation in a virtual reality world. The volume also includes a bonus Dirty Pair short story, never-before-seen in color, and an extensive gallery section, including work by Bruce Timm (Batman Beyond), Rick Mays (Kabuki), and Run from the Future colorist Ryan Kinnaird.

In Lone Wolf and Cub volume 20: A Taste of Poison the shogun lends the Yagyu his poison master to kill the Lone Wolf and Cub assassin.

Shadow Star: Darkness Visible Tp collects issues #7-#12 from Super Manga Blast of the a pair of teenagers bound to star shaped alien shape shifters.

The Super Manga Blast! #20 anthology features new entries in What's Michael?, Shadow Star, Seraphic Feature, Club 9, and 3x3 Eyes.

In Blade of the Immortal #66: Beasts Part 1 the sadistic swordsman Shira reappears to warn Hyakurin that the Itto-ryu sword school is on her trail, and want revenge for the members she has killed.

Other individual issues being released include Oh My Goddess! Part Xi #8: Mystery Child Part 6, and Kenishi Sonoda's Cannon God Exaxxion #5: Stage 1 Part 5

Samurai fans will want to see Usagi Yojimbo #56 with the long awaited duel between Usagi's master Katsuichi and his rival Nakamura Koji. The Dark Horse Extra #45 anthology will also feature a Usagi Yojimbo strip.

Ironcat will be releasing Futaba-Kun Change! Volume 8 #2, Vampire Yui Volume 4 #2, and the Vampire Princess Miyu Artbook, with paintings from Vampire Princess Miyu, Charmer, Vampire Yui, The Wanderer, and Dahlia.

TOKYOPOP

Individual issues include:

Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz #1 picks up after the Battlefield of Pacifists, and corresponds to the OAV series by the same name. The Gundam Wing boys seek to destroy their Gundams, but the peace is broken when Mariemaia Khushrenada, the daughter of the late Oz leader Treize, kidnaps Relena and declares a war of independence against the United Earth Sphere Nation.

The first two issues of the four issue Love Hina mini series will be release. After the mini series Love Hina will be released in collected volumes. "When Keitaro Urashima fails his entrance exams to get into Tokyo University again, his parents kick him out of his house. Fortunately, his aunt works at the fabulous Hinata Lodge, and has agreed to take Keitaro in as caretaker. Only, the lodge is now a girl's dorm, and he's the only guy around! Printed in the original right-to-left format!"

Cowboy Bebop 3 and 4 concludes the four issue mini series following the crew from the anime series. The issues will be printed in right to left format.

Kodocha 3 of 5 continues child actress Sana's struggle to control her classroom, after neutralizing Akito "the demon" Hayama a new bully steps in to fill the vacuum.

In Marmalade Boy 4 of 5 Miki learns more about her parents previous marriage.

In Ragnarok 2 of 4, by Myung Jin Lee, adapted by Richard A. Knaak "A terrible wyrm is plaguing the villages outside the Midgard kingdom, and only one team of heroes is brave enough to take on the bounty. Chaos, a cynical young warrior with an enchanted sword, and Iris, an attractive young cleric, find that their target is actually the offspring of an even more powerful monster. Chaos's sword of sorcery, "Tyrfing," might not even be enough to handle a 1,000-foot-long wyrm! English version written by New York Times Best-selling author Richard A. Knaak. Covers colored by Dark Minds creator Pat Lee."

Other indiviual issues include Cardcaptor Sakura #26, Dragon Knights #6 of 6, Miracle Girls #18, Saint Tail #17, Skull Man #5.

TOKYOPOP's shoujo manga anthology volume Smile 4 #4 includes new entries in Mars, Planet Ladder, Peach Girl, and Paradise Kiss.

Trade Paperback collections:

Gundam Wing: Battlefield of Pacifists bridges the gap between the end of the Gundam Wing TV series and Endless Waltz. "Heero Yuy has become a vigilante pacifist, tracking down weapons stashes and destroying them, while Relena, former Queen of the Earth Sphere, is now trying to maintain the peace politically. But an unmanned weapons factory has been discovered somewhere near Mars, and now the Gundam boys are going to have to dust off their mechs for one more battle if peace is to stand a chance of lasting."

Clover volume 4 completes CLAMP's surreal tale. Volumes 1 and 2 will be re-released.

Correct Yui Volume 2 Pocket Mixx GN continues Keiko Okamoto's version of Kia Asamiya's story. "One thing great about entering the virtual reality of the Com-Net is that any dream really can come true. When Corrector Yui and the other Correctors explore the realm of FairyTale.Net, they suddenly find themselves bringing their favorite fairy tales to life. But when Grosser and his henchmen discover them, and threaten to delete the Correctors forever, it's time for the crusaders of justice to mount an attack! Joining their fight is a mysterious and handsome young prince. But who can think about love at a time like this? Why, Yui can, of course! Created by , an internationally recognized modern master of sequential art and creator of such series as Silent Mobius, Steam Detectives, and Dark Angel."

In CardCaptor Sakura volume 6 Sakura has found the last card,

In Island Volume 3 Miho becomes the quarry of demons that feed on human souls and only a relentless killer named Pan stands between her and death. A strange young American, John, enters the picture as Miho continues to seek answers about the demon infestation of Cheju Island. All three must work together when they discover a link between the demons stalking Miho and Pan and a seemingly possessed young girl. English version written by Jamie Rich, editor-in-chief for Oni Press.

Other collections include Juline Volume 4, Miracle Girls Volume 4 Pocket Mixx, Saint Tail Volume 4 Pocket Mixx and Sorcerer Hunters Volume 9 Mixx .

Gundam Technical Manual #1: Gundam Wing is the first in a series that will cover the entire Gundam universe covering the history and technology of the universe.

Cowboy Bebop: Complete Anime Guide #2 covers the episodes: "Sympathy for the Devil," "Heavy Metal Queen," "Waltz for Venus," "Jamming with Edward," and "Ganymede Elegy."

Cardcaptors Anime Book Volume 1 is a graphic novel using images from the Card Captor anime series.

Viz

Indivual issues:

Bastard!! #4 "Ninja!!" Part 2 (of 3) continues the battle between the wizard Dark Shneider, and his former lietenant Ninja Master Gara.

In Big O Part 1 #2 Roger Smith's negotiations with a pair of criminals results in the Memory Bank going up in flames.

In Kia Asamiya's Silent Möbius: Turnabout #3 Lum Cheng's initiation into AMP takes the form of a duel against Katsumi Liqueur.

Zoids, which recently aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami will be released in manga form. The first two 90 page issues will ship in March. The series a boy learning to pilot and battle giant robotic creatures.

Other indivual issues include Ceres: Celestial Legend Part 2 #4, Dragonball Part 4 #8,Dragonball Z Part 5 #3, Inu-Yasha Part 6 #11, Magical Pokémon Journey Part 7 #1, Pokémon Adventures Part 6 #4, Ranma ½ Part 11 #1 and Vagabond Part 1 #5.

The Animerica Extra anthology includes new enteries in Chicago, Fushigi Yugi, Marionette Generation, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Steam Detectives and Video Girl Ai.

The Pulp mature manga anthology includes new entries in Bakune Young, Cinderalla, Dance Till Tomorrow, Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, Short Cuts, and Uzuamaki.

Collections:

NO. 5 TP "A science-fiction thriller set in a powerfully imagined multi-cultural future, No. 5 is the latest work from the acclaimed creator of the Black and White comics series, Taiyo Matsumoto. All of this is rendered in Matsumoto's characteristic arresting, surreal art style, a unique combination of European comics and Japanese pace and storytelling. The result is a comic that attacks the mind as well as the senses, and explains why Taiyo Matsumoto is currently one of the most highly regarded young comics artists in Japan. The "No. 5" in question is one of a series of super-powered global security guardians. But when No. 5 goes off on his own, the other guardians must track him down. but he won't go down without a fight! With No. 5, Matsumoto has imagined a complex geopolitical backdrop for his characters, and will keep you guessing."

Ceres: Celestial Legend Volume 1: Aya Tp : "Yû Watase's newest supernatural manga thriller, now in graphic novel format! Aya and her twin brother Aki are summoned to the massive Mikage house where their family reveals to them a secret: both are descendants of supernatural beings out of a fairytale! Even more shocking, Aya's family views her as a liability, and now they want her dead! Can Aya escape her family's deadly grip when they have an entire corporation gunning for her?"

Dragonball Z Volume 8 sees the seven wish-granting Dragon Balls are in the hands of evil emperor Freeza, with Gohan,Kuririn and Vegita to stop him, but first they go through the Ginyu force.

Gundam Wing: Episode Zero Tp tells the tales of the Gundam pilots childhoods.

Vagabond Volume 1 Tp "Tokugawa Era Japan: a new government has just taken power and the land is in disarray. Amidst the turmoil, a young man sets out on a journey seeking spiritual enlightenment by the way of the sword, prepared to slay anyone who might get in his way! Adapted from the fictionalized biography Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, Takehiko Inoue depicts the life and times of real-life "sword saint" Miyamoto Musashi! At the aftermath of the Battle of Sekigahara, 17-year-old Takezo and his friend Matahachi lose the epic battle and seek refuge at the home of a woman named Okô. Tsujikaze Tenma, the local bandit leader, and his men attack. Takezo manages to defeat Tsujikaze Tenma, while Matahachi sneaks off with the Okô and her daughter Akemi. Separated from Matahachi, Takezo returns to his home village of Musashi and finds he is wanted as a criminal! Will Takezo be captured?"

Other collections include Banana Fish Volume 6, Strain Volume 5 and Ranma ½ Volume 18/

Gundam: The Official Guide will feature information about all nine, eight movies and four OAVs, as well as the model kits based on the Gundam mecha. The 128 page volume will retail for $12.95.

The second volume of Yukito Kishiro's Aqua Knight will be re-released.

The first fives volumes of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's Neon Genesis Evangelion manga series and art book Der Mond including his work on Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia, Blue Uru, and his Eric Clapton cover..

Dork Storm press will be re-releasing S. John Ross & John Kovalic (Dork Tower)'s Pokéthulhu: The Adventure Game. "Pokéthulhu, the role-playing game and comic. The Pokéthulhu adorable eldritch monsters from the icy depths of space, run wild in the swamps, the forest, and even the cobwebs and sagging gambrel roofs of the fishing village that you call home. "