Anime Heats Up On Demand

Thank heavens summer is almost over. The heat is unbearable in the state of Hawaii. The heat is so unrelenting you want to take three showers a day. I have the autumn equinox marked on my calendar. Until then, I’m going to have to endure the merciless heat. The air conditioner is broken. This old Toshiba fan is my best friend right now.You know, the term summer is rather meaningless for adults anyway. The one bright spot is there’s less traffic in the morning. That’s about it.

What gets my mind off the heat? The answer has to be Network On Demand. What is better than watching hit anime shows for free? All right, technically you’re paying your local cable provider. But you would surely spend thousands of dollars if you purchased these anime at your local movie store. Why pay 27.99 for a 100 minute Nerima Daikon Brothers DVD when you can watch it on demand? Speaking of which, most of these anime are uncut and unedited. The lyrics in Nerima Daikon Brothers are completely obscene and definitely not for children! But if that's what you're into, you're going to laugh your ass off.

At this very moment, I am marveling at the selection of programs available at the press of a button. There are four categories of anime I can choose from: Bento Beat Box, Action Zone, Girl Power and Giant Robots. You can pretty much guess what to expect from these names. But I’ll sum it anyway.

Bento Beat Box

Bento Beat Box features a mixture of new and recent releases from ADV Films such as Nerima Daikon Brothers, Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat, The Super Milk-chan Show and You’re Under Arrest. For me, the highlight of Bento Beat Box is DVD Dojo, a monthly program that gives viewers previews of highly anticipated anime and Asian cinema in North America. Of course, all anime featured on the program are produced by ADV Films. The August 2007 show features 60 second previews of Air TV and Innocent Venus.

Action Zone

The second category is Action Zone. What I like about this category are the icons that appear in parental advisory before each show. For instance, before Innocent Venus Ep 01, you’ll see funny little icons representing violence, language, hyperactive teens (fiery smiley face), lost in translation (kanji character for “big”) and kawaii overdose (Japanese teddy bear mascot). Right now, you can watch the following programs on Action Zone: Elfen Lied, Mezzo, Mythical Detective Loki, Papuwa and Air Gear. I highly recommend Elfen Lied. If you love the blood and guts of Gantz, you’re going to love this show. Air Gear is wonderful, too. Fans of Full Metal Panic voice actress Luci Christian will undoubtedly love her work in Air Gear.

Giant Robots

The third category is Giant Robots. This is arguably the oldest anime theme. Gargantuan robots piloted by prepubescent pilots battling to save the earth while simultaneously dealing with trivial romantic issues. When it comes to anime, love truly is a battlefield. Here are this week’s programs: Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Godannar and Jinki: EXTEND.

Girl Power

The fourth and final category is Girl Power and I have to admit, it’s my favorite. There are some very entertaining series here. For example, this week you can catch Petite Princess Yucie, Air TV, Best Student Council. The funniest programs though are Excel Saga, Maburaho and Ninja Nonsense. Each of these series is jam-packed with fan service. If you don't know what fan service is, all you need to do is watch five minutes of Maburaho. Most 14-year-old boys will forget what they're seeing isn't real as hot female characters jiggle, bounce and defy the laws of gravity right across the screen.

After seeing most of these on demand, I have to own the DVDs. There you have it. A reason to live during the summer heat. If you don’t already have Anime Network On Demand, you should check with your local cable provider and ask for it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check what’s going on at entertainment on demand. I have to catch up on my favorite BBC programs Hotel Babylon and Jekyll. Or maybe I should see what Paula Deen and her sons are cooking up on Food Network on Demand. Whatever I choose, one thing is clear. It’s a great time be alive.