Tag: anime

CLAMP

- Elena Leave a comment

As a classic manga enthusiast, one of my all-time favorite authors is CLAMP. An all-women manga group formed in 1987, CLAMP began creating their original manga works in the 1990s. Early works from the group contributed to the beloved style of 90s shoujo manga. The group continued to write iconic manga series across multiple genres, including magical girl, isekai, dark fantasy, and romantic comedy. The following CLAMP series are available for checkout through the Library. (Descriptions below provided by publishers.)

Cardcaptor Sakura
Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the all-time classics of the magical girl genre, and the Collector’s Edition will be the definitive version of the story, for both long-time fans and readers new to the story. The adventures of the plucky Sakura Kinomoto are as adorably thrilling as ever, as she tracks down the magical Clow Cards and plunges headlong into a world of sorcery beyond anything she could’ve imagined.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card 
Sakura Kinomoto’s about to start middle school, and everything’s coming up cherry blossoms. Not only has she managed to recapture the scattered Clow Cards and make them her own Sakura Cards, but her sweetheart Syaoran Li has moved from Hong Kong to Tokyo and is going to be attending her school! But her joy is interrupted by a troubling dream in which the cards turn transparent, and when Sakura awakens to discover her dream has become reality, it’s clear that her magical adventures are far from over…

Magic Knight Rayearth
CLAMP’s masterwork Magic Knight Rayearth—now in a new translation! This update of the manga classic forms the centerpiece to any CLAMP collection and is also a fantastic introduction to girl-powered adventure manga—perfect for fans of Sailor Moon and She-Ra. While on a field trip to Tokyo Tower, three teenage girls cross a magical portal and are transported to another world called Cefiro. There they are summoned through the last remaining strength of the Princess Emeraude, who believes the trio will become the magic knights who will save her, as prophesied by legend.

Gate 7
An innocent sightseeing trip to Kyoto opens up a magical realm to shy high schooler Chikahito Takamoto! Visiting a legendary shrine, Chikahito finds himself in the mystical world of Hana and her comrades—and his immunity to their powers leads them to believe that he’s no ordinary, awkward teenager! Protecting our world from violent elemental beasts, Hana and her team welcomes the confused Chikahito—who isn’t quite sure that he wants to be caught in the middle of their war! One’s thing’s certain, though, since he’s smitten with aloof, childlike warrior Hana, he’s along for the ride, for better or worse!

Chobits
After moving from the countryside into the big city, poor college student Hideki Motosuwa finds himself down on his luck. All he wants is a good job, a girlfriend, and his very own “persocom” – the latest and greatest in humanoid computer technology. Hideki’s luck changes one night when he finds Chi – an adorable, but seemingly broken, persocom thrown out in a pile of trash. After taking her home, Hideki discovers that Chi is more responsibility than he expected – and that there’s much more to his cute new persocom than meets the eye.

Prefer watching to reading? Check out these animated adaptations of CLAMP works.

Cardcaptor Sakura, Movie 2: The Sealed Card
With all 52 Clow Cards captured, Sakura should be looking forward to a summer of freedom, yet Syaoran’s last words linger in her heart still. Meanwhile, the demolition of Eriol Hiiragizawa’s former home reveals a threat both new and yet familiar. When cousins Shaoran and Meiling Li return from Hong Kong to pay a surprise visit to their friends in Japan, Sakura receives further encouragement to finally declare her feelings. Will Sakura be able to return Syaoran’s feelings? Or will the hope of something pure be swallowed by the fear of lonely nothingness?

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, The Complete Season
Sakura had managed to capture all of the Clow Cards which could bring disaster to the world and turned them into her own Sakura Cards. Now it’s spring. With cherry trees in full blossom, Sakura is just entering middle school. Her beloved Syaoran has returned from Hong Kong, and Sakura was thrilled to be going to school with him again. But one night, something strange happens to her Cards…

xxxHolic, First collection and Second collection
There is no such thing as coincidence; there is only the inevitable… Watanuki has been haunted by dark spirits his entire life, a curse flowing through his bloodline preventing peace. When his incessant demons drag him to the ornate door of the Dimensional Witch Yuko, he meets a mystical woman of insight and luxury, quick to help those in a bind…for a fee! One might very well end up paying with their soul! To be free of his visions, Watanuki will work in her shop of dreams and wishes.

Anime on Kanopy

- Elena Leave a comment

April 15th is National Anime Day! Did you know that you can stream anime on Kanopy with your Davenport Public Library card? These must-watch series ran for a single season and are available to watch on Kanopy. (Descriptions below provided by Kanopy.)

Dororo

During the Warring States period, the young thief Dororo encounters Hyakkimaru, a strange, sightless boy who wields fearsome prosthetics in place of his missing limbs. Parts of Hyakkimaru’s body were traded to a group of 12 demons by his father in exchange for power, but thanks to a kindly medicine man, Hyakkimaru survived his horrifying ordeal. Now he roams the land in search of his missing body, and together he and Dororo will fight to survive in an unforgiving, demon-plagued world.

Parasyte: The Maxim

One night, a quiet invasion takes place. Across the world, mysterious parasites fall to earth and begin possessing humans one by one with the rest of humanity none the wiser. Shinichi Izumi is one such victim. But when his would-be invader fails to take over his brain and takes root in his arm, instead, Shinichi finds himself forced to share his body with a horrific creature that has a mind and an agenda all its own.

Carole & Tuesday

Fifty years after humankind began migrating to Mars, people live in comfort with help from AI. Carole makes her way to Mars with dreams of forging a career in music. But there’s a spark that’s missing. Tuesday has lived a life of comfort, so no one expects it when she runs off to another city with nothing more than her guitar. When the two of them meet, Tuesday’s spark ignites Carole’s fire. As long as they don’t give up, every planet will know the names CAROLE & TUESDAY!

Akame Ga Kill!

Tatsumi arrives in the Imperial Capital in hopes of earning money for his village. After becoming stranded in the streets, a wealthy family offers to take him in for the night. But when his would-be benefactors are attacked by a group of killers known as Night Raid, Tatsumi learns that beneath the thin veneer of the Capital lies a teeming hive of corruption. With nowhere else to turn, Tatsumi joins the Night Raid to help put a stop to the wicked ways of the Capital once and for all.

Kids on the Slope

In the summer of 1966, high school freshman Kaoru struggles to adjust to the latest move. It’s not easy fitting in, but this time is different. This time he makes friends and discovers a passion that rocks his soul. It’s called jazz, and with bad boy Sentaro and music store girl Ritsuko, they follow their muse wherever their music takes them! Travel to a time when dreams and musical instruments changed the world! Be blown away by a tale of life, love and all that jazz in The Kids on the Slope!

Back to (Magic) School

- Elena Leave a comment

August is back to school season! Check out these TV series where school is a magical experience. (Descriptions below provided by publishers.)

Wednesday: Wednesday is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’s years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago, all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.

 

Legacies: The next generation of supernatural beings at The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted is where Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, seventeen-year-old Hope Mikaelson, a tribrid daughter of a Vampire/Werewolf hybrid; Alaric Saltzman’s twins, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman; and other young adults, come of age in the most unconventional way possible, nurtured to be their best selves, in spite of their worst impulses. Will these young witches, vampires, and werewolves become the heroes they want to be, or the villains they were born to be?

American Horror Story: Coven: The exceptional young witches at Miss Robichaux’s Academy are under assault by forces of ignorance and hate. Caught in the turmoil is new arrival, Zoe, who harbors a terrifying secret of her own. Fiona, a Supreme Witch with unimaginable powers, is determined to protect the Coven, but her obsessive quest for immortality will lead her to cross paths with a formidable voodoo queen and a murderous slave owner cursed with eternal life.

Monster High: Teenager Clawdeen Wolf never felt like she fit in, until her instincts led her to Monster High, where she discovered she’s a werewolf and a human, and now feels at home in both worlds. She is befriended by Draculaura, Frankie Stein and Deuce Gorgon. These young monsters are learning who they are, defying expectations, disrupting the norm, and embracing their differences to make a difference. Together, they’ll learn to be fierce and fearless at the one place they all belong: Monster High.

 

Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun: Iruma Suzuki’s parents were horrible, nasty people who sold his soul to a demon! Ironically, it seems that the Demon has always wanted a grandson and is determined to make Iruma fit into that role even if that means that Iruma has to go to school with all the other demon kids. Since Iruma’s never had a decent education, he’s fine with that, but there’s a catch: if anyone learns that he’s human, his classmates will eat him!

During the month of August, look for the “School Time Stories” display at the Eastern branch for more back-to-school recommendations.

Anime Movies

- Elena Leave a comment

April 15th is National Anime Day. National Anime Day celebrates anime, a style of animation that originated in Japan and became popular with viewers worldwide. With its wide variety of animation styles and stories, anime has something to offer for everyone! Check out these award-winning anime films owned by Davenport Public Library. (Descriptions below provided by publishers.)

Ponyo: During a forbidden excursion to see the surface world, a goldfish princess encounters a human boy named Sosuke, who gives her the name Ponyo. Ponyo longs to become human, and as her friendship with Sosuke grows, she becomes more humanlike. Ponyo’s father brings her back to their ocean kingdom, but so strong is Ponyo’s wish to live on the surface that she breaks free, and in the process, spills a collection of magical elixirs that endanger Sosuke’s village.

 

Weathering With You: The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…

 

The Boy and the Beast: When Kyuta, a young orphan living on the streets of Shibuya, stumbles into a fantastic world of beasts, he’s taken in by Kumatetsu, a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior beast who’s been searching for the perfect apprentice. Despite their constant bickering, Kyuta and Kumatetsu begin training together and slowly form a bond as surrogate father and son. But the unlikely pair will be put to the ultimate test; a final showdown.

 

Belle: Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.

 

The Night is Short, Walk On Girl: As a group of teens go out for a night on the town, a sophomore known only as ‘The Girl with Black Hair’ experiences a series of surreal encounters with the local nightlife, all the while unaware of the romantic longings of Senpai, a fellow student who has been creating increasingly fantastic and contrived reasons to run into her, in an effort to win her heart.

 

Miss Hokusai: As all of Edo flocks to see the work of the revered painter Hokusai, his daughter O-Ei toils diligently, creating the paintings sold under her father’s name. Shy in public, in the studio O-Ei is brash and uninhibited. Seeking to come into her own as an artist, O-Ei sets out into the bustling city of Edo (present-day Tokyo), where she encounters spirits, dragons, con-men and traders.

 

During the month of April, look for the “National Anime Month” display at the Fairmount branch for more anime film recommendations.