Another review flood -- apparently, being snowbound (or at least, very, very cold) does wonders for anime review production.

Jeremy snags us a look at the substandard OGRE SLAYER, and the even *more* substandard KOJIRO OF FUMA. Aiee! He also checks out ARC THE LAD and ST LUMINOUS MISSION HIGH SCHOOL, which come off just a little better.

Meanwhile, Stig takes on the challenge of TOKYO REVELATION, and then tackles STREET FIGHTER ALPHA, with mixed results.

New reviews, as you might surmise.

The ever-faithful Stig "suffers" through yet more hentai for us. This time, we get another installment of the omnibus Vanilla series, MEI KING, which proves to be much better than the last, as well as another Pink Pineapple title, MAGICAL TWILIGHT. 18 and over, of course.

But he's not just our Hentai Correspondent, he's been a reviewing fiend in general over the last week. Also new from Stig are takes on AMON SAGA, GALL FORCE: EARTH CHAPTER, and LAND LOCK. It's an all-Stig update!

You would write a bunch of anime reviews too if you had to spend winter in Norway.

No more delays, we're back on track for 2004.

Accidentally missed last update was Jeremy Beard's look at VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU TV, so that is up now.

And just to confuse you, the reader, I'm introducing the reviews in the order I received them. Ah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa ... err, umm, well. Open the floodgates!

*whoosh*

First up is the Leiji Matsumoto directed INTERSTELLA 5555, which many of you may recognize as the videos for dance music duo Daft Punk. Stig Høgset is thoroughly pleased and gives this top marks, obviously thankful for this reprieve from some of the crap he's been wading through as of late.

Robert Nelson gives us another high mark with his completed second opinion on X TV, "X done right."

We return to Jeremy Beard for a moment as he tackles the love-it-or-hate-it SOUL TAKER, which he finds satisfying and worthwhile, though not quite the top of the line.

Not everything is peaches and cream for our reviewers though -- Enoch Lau finds himself bewildered and disappointed by MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, giving it an average rating and wishing for the "baka baka" of the TV series. Enoch also endures the blandness of PIANO, which miraculously scoots away with a "normal" rating but endures a sound thrashing all the same.

Another average rating, but a more favorable-sounding review, from Robert Nelson for POKEMON 3: THE MOVIE, which he finds enjoyable enough to recommend to fans of the series.

Jeremy Beard tries out the vampire anime SHINGETSUTAN TSUKIHIME, which looks impressive to begin with, but like so many other series in the genre is undone by awkward pacing and lack of proper development, ending up in the middle of the pack.

Next up, Enoch Lau tackles GALAXY ANGEL, a diabetic's nightmare, and a perfectly watchable if superdeedupercute Broccoli show.
He's more enthusiastic over R.O.D. -THE TV-, though, giving it a definite thumbs-up. He also sneaks in a second opinion for NOIR, which reaffirms the rating of the original review, but for slightly different reasons.

Still more reviews as our editor starts burning the midnight oil for this update ... Jeremy Beard takes on the dating sim-derived KIMI GA NOZOMU EIEN, which is uncommonly good in a genre filled with mediocrity. Don't expect another Comic Party, though, and bring a hanky or two.

At long last, we get a review of something truly bad, as Samuel Arbogast breaks out the spiked flail and bashes SD GUNDAM FORCE to smithereens. This is not your big brother's SD Gundam ... and if it was, he'd probably disown it on sheer principle.

Derrick Tucker takes on WOLF'S RAIN in the only partial review of this update, and the verdict is still out, but it's not looking like a five-star, but rather, a very pretty average.

One more e-mail submission from Diane Tiu for KIDDY GRADE, a slick-looking show that, again, falls back down to average. Argh.

That's quite enough for today, but there will be more soon.