Review: CANAAN

Maria Oosawa and her partner Mino head off to Shanghai, China to gather some newsworthy information to report back home. While taking pictures at a festival, an odd attack happens between the excited crowd and an old friend of Maria's, Canaan, appears to stop the crossfires. After settling down in a hotel, Mino gains interest in Canaan leading into an investigation involving a deadly virus.

CANAAN is an action packed series with a few strong female characters from the good and bad ends. It mixes different cultures and a little bit of global history into the mix, but shows a strong bond of friendship and how the past can haunt you. The storyline is entertaining and gives you some downtime from all the action and emotional blows. If you need some powerful anime women in your life, this is the series for you.

Books to film event, July 28th @ 2:00pm

Title: I am Legend
Rating: PG-13
Showtime: 7/28 @ 2pm
Location: McCullough Room (2nd floor)

Description: Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Adapted from Richard Matheson's work of the same name. Total runtime is 101 minutes.

Review: Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran Academy is a school for the rich and prestigious. One of the most popular extracurricular activities at the academy is the host club. Fujioka Haruhi is a commoner and a transfer student, when she walks into a certain music room, she accidentally breaks an 8 million yen vase. Since she's not like most of the students that attend Ouran, she has to work in the academy's host club to pay off the debt.

Ouran High School Host Club is a fairly popular series in America. It gives us a simple, comical view of how host clubs work with a small taste of gender bending. The characters are likable and entertaining and the storyline is light and easy to enjoy. This series is more geared toward female audiences, but labels are so lame.

Books to film event, July 21st @ 2:30pm

Title: Coraline
Rating: PG
Showtime: 7/21 @ 2:30pm
Location: McCullough Room (2nd floor)

Description: When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. Adapted from the Neil Gaiman book and graphic novel of the same name. Total runtime is 100 minutes.

Review: Black Bird

A fairly new shoujo series that's still being published that deals with sacrifice, hierarchy, demons, and romance. Black Bird is the new generation Inuyasha (in some ways) and I'm glad it has been added to the Young Adult collection as it has been in my personal library since the beginning.

It has wonderful artwork, an intriguing storyline, and a nice balance of action and romance. Although it's not completely like Inuyasha, we still follow a young girl named Misao and her relationship with a demon named Kyo that she vaguely remembers from her past. Throughout the story, their relationship becomes stronger and we learn more about Kyo's clan's rules while fighting off rivalling groups and enemies. If you like the elements I mentioned earlier, then this is the series for you. If you enjoy it enough, feel free to request the newest volumes with our young adult librarian Gavin Sheaffer.

Review: Summer Wars

Oz is the latest technological trend that has captured billions among billions of people worldwide. People use it for various activities such as games, communication, and even functions around the city such as utilities and traffic lights. When a virus strikes the system and steals people's accounts by asking it a numerical riddle, the world faces an impending doom.

We follow Kenji Koiso, who works as temporary maintenance with his friend Takashi, as he agrees to take on a "summer job" with Natsuki. He finds out that this "summer job" is to pretend to be Natsuki's fiance and impress her family, especially her grandmother.

Summer Wars is a comedic sci-fi film that promotes family togetherness. With these parallel stories tying together to create the "summer war" of the century, it easily pulls viewers in with a great set of relatable characters, vibrant animation, and an easy flowing storyline. This has a great message for everyone and is highly entertaining.

Books to film event, July 14th @ 2:30pm

Title: Pride & Prejudice
Rating: PG
Showtime: 7/14 @ 2:30pm
Location: McCullough Room (2nd floor)

Description: The classic tale of love and values unfolds in the class-conscious England of the late 18th century. The five Bennet sisters -- including strong-willed Elizabeth and young Lydia -- have all been raised by their mother with one purpose in life:... The classic tale of love and values unfolds in the class-conscious England of the late 18th century. When a wealthy bachelor takes up residence in a nearby mansion, the Bennets are abuzz. Total runtime is 127 minutes.

Review: Dogs: Bullets & Carnage

An action packed story set in Europe following the genetic engineered experiment Haine, his occasional partner Badou, and a sword wielding lady Naota. What they don't know is that they all share a common goal: to find someone who has drastically change them in their past. Dogs: Bullets & Carnage has an intriguing storyline full of twists and turns, especially if you haven't read the prequel Dogs, and interesting cast of characters that you can easily come to hate or love. The artwork is unique and edgy, then blends in with shounen manga style with mature images. It's a little bit graphic and vulgar, but it doesn't fail to entertain as it progresses.

Books to Film event, July 7th @ 2:30pm

Title: The Outsiders
Rating: PG
Showtime: 7/7 @ 2:30pm
Location: McCullough Room (2nd floor)

Description: Based off of S.E. Hinton's work of the same name, the Outsiders addresses class issues in 1950’s small town America. The story begins with two boys from the wrong side of town who befriend two girls from the wealthier side, tensions explode. The two poor greasers, Johnny, and Ponyboy are assaulted by a vicious gang, the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events. Total runtime is 91 minutes.