Episode 41 looks at "Galaxy Angel Rune", "Bokura ga Ita" (We Were There) and "Death Note". Galaxy Angel Rune tries to be a lively sequel in a series that already has too many sequels. Bokura ga Ita pairs a whiney girl with an unapologetic liar in what may be the best alternative to drugs for insomniacs. Death Note is a chilling psycho drama wherein a top notch student suddenly finds himself in possession of a grim reaper's death book, and with it he will change the world.

Episode 40 looks at "Soukou no Strain", "Hataraki Man" (Workaholic) and "Sumomo mo Momo mo" (Plums and also Peaches). Soukou no Strain is a mecha war drama that pits a young, female mecha pilot against her turncoat older brother. Hataraki Man showcases a magazine writer working girl who puts doing her job ahead of everything to become the best in her office, at the expense of any kind of social or home life. Sumomo mo Momo mo is a sexually charged comedy about a young female martial arts expert who seeks out a boy she believes to be her equal, with the intent of bearing his child.

Episode 39 looks at "Joshikousei" (High School Girls), "Bartender" and "Asatte no Houkou" (Towards the Day After Tomorrow). Joshikousei is another venerable entry in the pantheon of up-skirt late night anime that highlights the importance of clean underwear, especially for high school anime girls. Bartender casts the title role as a miracle worker with a cocktail shaker, whose prescriptions are as efficacious as the best of medicines. Asatte no Houkou pairs a little sister who wants to escape her childhood with a jealous ex-girlfriend who wants a fresh start... so they magically swap ages.

Episode 38 looks at "Juu Ou Sei" (Beast King Planet), "Super Robot Taisen" (Super Robot Wars) and "Pumpkin Scissors". Juu Oh Sei follows a pair of twins who are whisked off to a prison planet of carnivorous plants following the apparent political murder of their parents, their only escape embodied in becoming the planet's Beast King. Super Robot Taisen is yet another in a long line of battle suit anime sponsored by toy company Bandai to promote a new line of action toys, special psychic powers included. Pumpkin Scissors, despite the strange title, is a fairly straightforward post-war reconstruction epic, complete with banned weapons, government coverups and pushy girls with guns.

Episode 37 looks at "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" (When the Cicadas Cry), "Nishi no Yoki Majo" (Good Witch of the West) and "Garasu no Kantai" (The Glass Fleet). Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is what you would get if you did a mash-up of a horror, mystery and harem anime... and made it engrossing. Nishi no Yoki Majo is an often boring, sometimes exciting, Cinderella story... that is, if Cinderella had had to deal with the Inquisition. Garasu no Kantai is a retelling of something akin to the French Revolution, except it's done in a weird parallel universe outer space, where countries are populated asteroids and there's no lack of oxygen.

Episode 36 looks at "Honey & Clover II", "School Rumble Second Term" and "Love Get Chu". Honey & Clover is a coming-of-age series, highlighting the simple but enjoyable lives of poor college students. School Rumble is a Japanese High School comedy, but better executed than most. Love Get Chu follows the trials and tribulations of five young girls who, for various lousy reasons, are trying to become voice actors in a series heavily sponsored by, duh..., a record company.

Episode 34 looks at "Le Chevalier d'Eon", "Black Blood Brothers" and "Innocent Venus". Le Chevalier d'Eon takes the Court of Louis XV at Versailles as its setting, then adds alchemists, necromancers and a legion of undead as foes for the gender-confused protagonist. Black Blood Brothers reveals a future world where humans and vampires live together, but not in harmony. Innocent Venus pits a whole army against one little girl and her two protectors, but why does everyone want her?

Episode 33 looks at "Tsuyokiss Cool x Sweet", "Binbou Shimai Monogatari" and "FLAG". Tsuyokiss is another dating game adapted to anime, this time with a drama club theme. Binbou Shimai Monogatari is the improbable tale of two orphaned/abandoned girls who somehow manage to raise one-another, but the viewer may sleep through it. FLAG takes a few pages from the headlines regarding civil wars in far away countries, adds a comely female photographer, then screws it up by pitting high-tech mecha against insurgent nomads in the sponsor's effort to sell toys.

Episode 32 looks at "Witchblade", "Air Gear" and "Zero no Tsukaima". Witchblade follows a young mother and her 6 year-old daughter as they flee the Child Welfare Ministry, which wants to save the girl from a destitute mother without knowing about the monster that mother turns into. Air Gear re-invents physics using roller blades with super-powerful internal motors, and kids daredevil enough to leap from rooftop to rooftop on them. Zero no Tsukaima borrows as much as it possibly can from Harry Potter, but instead of an owl to do her bidding Louise gets a Japanese boy.

Episode 31, the first episode of our second season, looks back at "Kamichu" from episode 1, "Elemental Gelade" from episode 2 and "Gun Sword" from episode 4. Kamichu follows the life of a young girl who suddenly became a god one day, but didn't receive an instruction manual. Elemental Gelade pairs a young sky pirate with a cute girl, who is also a weapon of great power only he can invoke. Gun Sword follows a loner's search through a Mad Max landscape for the claw-handed man who killed his wife.

Episode 29 looks at "Nana", "Ah! Megamisama! II" and "Powerpuff Girls Z". Nana is a slice of life anime about two girls, both named Nana, who meet on a train and end up rooming together in Tokyo in spite of having personalities which are complete polar opposites. Ah! Megamisama! (second tv series) is a continuation of last year's 26 episode run about a geek and his goddess girlfriend, oh, and her inconvenient sisters, etc. Powerpuff Girls Z is a Japanese trashlation of the popular American Cartoon Network series, with little more than the names of the characters preserved.

Episode 28 is a retro special and looks at "Wandaba Style", "Chobits" and "Onegai Teacher". Wandaba Style is a goofy comedy where a young inventor with way too much money cons a quartet of young female singers into piloting a series of rockets to the moon for a live concert. Chobits is the classic anime extension of the girlfriend-roommate genre of PC games, wherein a loser guy creates the perfect girl through trial and error, mostly error. Onegai Teacher explores several contemporary fetishes, but none more than the allure of the be-spectacled older woman.

Episode 27 looks at "Makai Senki Disgaea", "Utawarerumono" and "Kamisama Kazoku". Apparently aimed at children, but with some incongruous adult moments, Disgaea follows the adventures of an apprentice angel and demon prince in the land of the demons. Utawarerumono is an epic samurai war drama set in an alternate universe of impossibly competent fighters and cute animal-girls. Kamisama Kazoku is an over-the-top high school romance comedy with some uncomfortably strange risque moments.

Episode 26 looks at "The Yoshinaga Family Gargoyle", "Ouran High School Host Club" and "Black Lagoon". The Yoshinaga Family Gargoyle pits a rock guardian against numerous and sundry foes, whilst his young mistress berates him about the collateral damage. Ouran High School Host Club starts out as a smarmy boy-on-boy bishonen romance, but quickly turns into an enjoyable gender-bent comedy. Black Lagoon is an adventure in sea piracy and military hardware, along with the obligatory girl-with-guns.

Episode 25 looks at "The Third: Aoi Hitomi no Shoujo", "Ray the Animation" and "XXXHolic". The Third reprises the age-old story of post-apocalypse and a young girl's love for her battle tank. Ray the Animation stacks the production staff with medical experts and casts a teenage girl with x-ray eyes as a super surgeon, but not without major gaffs. XXXHolic, about a boy plagued by restless souls, is the latest insipid product to come out of the once super-hot manga artist collaboration known as CLAMP.

Episode 24 is a retro special and looks at "Chrono Crusade", "Haibane Renmei" and "Fruits Basket". Chrono Crusade follows Sister Rosette and her demon companion on a monster hunting spree that spans the North American continent, but all that's well doesn't end well. Haibane Renmei showcases life as a pseudo-angel in a sort of semi-comfortable purgatory, but no one will actually explain that to you. Fruits Basket is an amicable shoujo high school romance series, with the twist that all the male characters turn into animals when hugged by a girl.

Episode 23 looks at "Strawberry Panic", "Simoun" and "Haruhi Suzumiya's Melancholy". Strawberry Panic follows the antics of the lifestyle-confused high school girls in three all-girl academies. Simoun combines technology and mysticism to create a war epic with hot girls and impossible sky machines. Haruhi Suzumiya's Melancholy follows the antics of a custom-made high school club that attracts the strange and supernatural among the student body.

Episode 22 looks at "Soul Link", "Kiba" and "Aria the Natural". Soul Link follows a group of space cadets through their first training session in space, making stops in the girls' shower, and teaching them the importance of clean underwear. Kiba follows a young Shadow Caster from the grime of his home city to an alternate universe of magic and monstrous avatars. Aria the Natural revisits Akari and her gondolier friends of Neo Venezia, on the aquaformed planet Mars of the distant future.

Episode 21 is a retro special and looks at "Grenadier", "DearS" and "Scrapped Princess" from 2004. Grenadier is an alternate universe fantasy girl-with-guns anime where the girl has exceptionally big guns, and a revolver as well. DearS is an alien girlfriend anime in the Chobits vein, but this time around she isn't a computer. Scrapped Princess is a far future post-apocalyptic series that thinks it's a fantasy series, sure to please both audiences.

Episode 20 looks at "Meine Liebe Weider", "Ergo Proxy", "Lingerie Senshi Papillon Rose" and "Shinigami no Ballad". Meine Liebe Weider is a bishonen saga about boys in prep school for the elite political life of turn-of-the-century Europe before WWI. Ergo Proxy is a return trip to the Blade Runner well in search of yet another incarnation of the hunter of escaped androids. Lingerie Senshi Papillon Rose remakes a soft porn direct-to-video release as a TV series focused on maid cafes, Akihabara and a monster-of-the-week. Shinigami no Ballad follows the life, or afterlife, of Momo the grim reaper and her cute bat-winged cat.

Episode 19 looks at "Binchoutan", "REC" and "Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star". Binchoutan is a slice of life anime about tiny girls living in the forest, beautifully animated and more powerful than valium. REC is a love story about a salaryman with broken dreams falling for a young voice actress who's living her dream. Pretty Cure Splash Star is yet another sequel series in the Pretty Cure canon, a must-view for Pretty Cure fans and almost noone else. [Japanese clips are subtitled in English.

Episode 18 looks at "Yomigaeru Sora Rescue Wings", "Nerima Daikon Brothers" and "Rakugo Tennyo Oyui". Rescue Wings follows the first assignment of a young Self-Defense Force pilot assigned to a rescue helicopter squadron in a rural area of northern Honshu. Nerima Daikon Brothers is a rather silly musical comedy, which would probably be funny if anyone beyond a native speaker of Japanese could decipher it. Rakugo Tennyo Oyui is a Sakura Taisen wannabe hidden in a mystical time-travel story, from the background music to the Edo Japan setting.

Episode 17 looks at "Kage Kara Mamoru", "Ayakashi" and "Karin". In Kage Kara Mamoru a ditzy pink-haired girl is protected day and night by her ninja neighbor under a 400 year-old arrangement. Ayakashi tells the tale of a vengeful ghost and how her tragic life brought her to this end 180 years ago. Karin is a high school romance about a steadfast boy and his reverse-vampire girlfriend.

Episode 16 looks at "Lemon Angel Project", "Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora" and "Kashimashi ~ Girl Meets Girl". In Lemon Angel Project a quirky music producer tries to rebuild a legendary idol singer group using all new talent. Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora explores teen romance in the critical care ward of a hospital, where sick boy meets dying girl. Kashimashi ~ Girl Meets Girl is this year's prominent gender-bender where boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy turns into girl, girl gets girl back.

Episode 15 looks at "Fate/Stay Night", "Tactical Roar" and "Amaenaideyo! Katsu". Fate/Stay Night is about the adventures of a boy in an alternate universe where sorcerers and their servants battle for possession of the Holy Grail. Tactical Roar is a confused anime, not sure whether it wants to be a serious military story or a slapstick comedy with girls in skimpy attire. Amaenaideyo! Katsu is a sequel series, searching for a plot amidst the panty shots and cheap gags.

Episode 14 looks at "Gundam Seed Destiny Final Plus", "Majikano" and "Kagihime Monogatari - Eikyuu Alice Rondo". Gundam Seed Destiny Final Plus is the latest installment in the long-running battlesuit space opera, sporting the finest in CGI starship design, awesome mecha and hot chicks fainting. Majikano is a witch girl junior high romance, just because there's a requirement to have at least one of these every season. Kagihime Alice proffers cuteness in the form of girls in elaborate cosplay costumes and bunny ears, fencing with long antique keys, and it kinda works.

Episode 13 looks at "Sugar Sugar Rune", "Noein ~ Mou Hitori no Kimi e" and "Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart". Sugar Sugar Rune is an aptly named Saturday morning magical girl fest that should come with a Surgeon General's warning about diabetes. Noein takes us to the not-so-distant, but very ugly war-torn future of aliens vs. humans, where only a 12 year-old girl can save humanity. Pretty Cure Max Heart reprises the Pretty Cure dynamic school girl duo from the original tv series, because the need to fight evil never really ends.

Episode 12 looks at "Gunparade Orchestra", "Paradise Kiss" and "Shuffle!". Gunparade Orchestra is yet another giant battlesuits vs. alien monsters saga, but I'd bet it has great toys. Paradise Kiss is a shoujo tale about finding one's self among non-conformists while under the pressures of a conformist society. Shuffle is a good old fashioned date-sim anime, with good old fashioned supernatural twists.

Episode 11 looks at "Capeta", "Solty Rei" and "IGPX". Capeta follows a ten year-old boy and his obsession with racing as he receives a go-cart from his father and practices relentlessly. Solty Rei introduces a nearly indestructible android girl to a grieving bounty hunter who has lost his daughter, and mixes in some babes in hard suits for good measure. IGPX takes fantastic CGI battlesuits and casts them in the incongruous role of skate racers, but it looks sooo good!

Episode 10 looks at "Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's", "Rozen Maiden II" and "To Heart 2". 'Tis the season for sequels, and all of the above are at least the second series in a set. Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's picks up again with third grader Nanoha's efforts to stem evil and save the world while avoiding getting a chill when her clothes disintegrate. Rozen Maiden revisits the theme of living gothic lolita dolls in a series specially produced for those who like to stay up at night and dress figurines in cute outfits. To Heart 2 goes one series too far in the second extension of the now classic 1999 franchise based on a date sim game.

Episode 9 looks at "Blood +", "Jigoku Shoujo" and "Mushishi". Blood + is a series sequel to Blood: The Last Vampire, a movie that delivered gore in drips, gushes and high volume spray. The Jigoku Shoujo, or Hell Girl, delivers revenge for the downtrodden at the cost of their own souls when they themselves die, a sort of supernatural kamikaze facilitator. Mushishi follows the travels of a paranormal investigator who tries to learn everything he can about the "mushi", or progenitors of all life.

Episode 8 looks at "Ramune", "Ginban Kaleidoscope" and "Black Cat". Ramune is fun in the summer sun with the girl next door, and her vegetable patch. Ginban Kaleidoscope pairs a Japanese figure skating Olympic wannabe with the ghost of a Canadian stunt pilot in what will either be a gold medal success or a crash landing. Black Cat is about an invincible assassin who delivers bad luck in the form of a bullet in the back, but only to those who deserve to die.

Episode 7 looks at "Aria the Animation", "Mai Otome" and "Shakugan no Shana". In Aria, teenage girls aspire to become professional gondoliers in Neo-Venice on an aquaformed Mars. Mai Otome leads us into a parallel universe version of the highly acclaimed Mai Hime of two seasons before. Shakugan no Shana combines horror and the occult with high school romance and a gothic lolita for fun in the twilight zone.

Episode 6 looks at "Akagi", "Angel Heart" and "Cluster Edge". In Akagi, streetwise toughs beat each other up over the ancient Chinese game of majong. Angel Heart re-introduces old school fans to City Hunter in another reincarnation. Cluster Edge mixes creative anachronism, military/political intrigue and pretty boy characters to create a sort of "yaoi" Gundam.