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Paramount recently released a DVD set featuring Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas specials by Alvin and the Chipmunks. I shall review each disc as their respective holiday arrives. Disc Two: Alvin's Thanksgiving CelebrationAlvin and his brothers have signed up for a community Thanksgiving pagent, set to be broadcast all over the city. They think it's their ticket to stardom (they aren't stars already?) and make sure Dave gets out all the invites for Thanksgiving dinner, so they can brag to family. But when the roles they're used to are scrambled, the chipmunks start to freak out. Also included are episodes from the 80s TV series: Food For Thought: Theodore may not graduate from their grade unless he passes a test, so Alvin and Theodore try to help him remember important events in American history using food.Cookie Chomper III: The chipmunks adopt a stray kitten, whom soon after meets with an accident when he gets loose from the house. Dave's Getting Married: Dave is getting rather serious with a pretty woman named Marsha, and though his sons like her well enough, it's her own kids (near mirror images of their animal counterparts) that are the problem.As I said in my review for the Halloween disc, check this out if you're a Chipmunks fan and/or simply want to see the 80s show finally on DVD. If you're rather casual about the whole thing, you might want to find something else to watch (like Charlie Brown or Garfield's specials). Although, I did like the episodes selection better in this one (even though some of them, like Dave's Getting Married, I simply couldn't see the Thanksgiving connection). And hey, the Chipettes show up! That's always a plus! I'm warning you, though, animal lovers - Cookie Chomper III might make you cry a little :(
Mari Yaguchi, former member of Morning Musume, has followed in the footsteps of a few fellow H!P members and created her own blog. She's my favorite, so I look forward to visiting (even if I can't read most of it). I just hope she doesn't spend most of her blogging time taking pictures of what she had for lunch. Those plague a lot of Japanese celebrity blogs I've looked at for some reason ;)http://ameblo.jp/mari-yaguchi/
This is Tutenstein's first made-for-TV movie, and aired in October.Tutenstein has been plagued with nightmares lately, and believes the Mirror of Isis is the cure. If he uses it to go back in time, he can stop himself from dying, thus ending the terrible dreams and ensuring him the long and happy reign he feels he so richly deserved. But before Cleo or himself can get their hands on it, it's stolen by a thief. When they confront the man, they are in fact able to go back in time, but they miss Tut's fatal demise by about 1,000 years! Not only that, the mirror is broken and royal guards are out for their heads - until somebody gets a good look at Cleo and mistakes her for Cleopatra, their current ruler. 
As far as these sorts of projects go, it's entertaining but not terribly special - take it or leave it, though fans will certainly get the most enjoyment. I think this is one of those shows that throws in something educational, but doesn't shove it down your throat or talk down to you. Tut was amusing in his anger - I mean, everybody is treating Cleo like a pharaoh, when he's supposed to be one! How dare they, right? Or so he thinks, with his inflated ego. We also learn just how Tut died, and why - the answer might surprise you!
Mabo has been found among the lost children, dirty and silent and covered in bruises. It's immediately discovered that someone has been abusing him, very likely his new adoptive parents, and Sei goes on the rampage. Yamanami's relationship has been steadily progressing with Akesato, but a new conflict within headquarters may stop it permanently before it can lead to anything very serious (like marriage). The poor man is shocked and torn on the dark discovery and doesn't know what to do with that he knows. The answer, or his messy solution, may be more deadly than anyone dreamed.
In this third installment of the new Futurama movie series, we find ourselves taking a glimpse into the nerdy culture of Dungeons and Dragons. Bender is shunned by Cubert and his friends for not having enough of an imagination (or any at all) to play the game with them. Meanwhile, there's a shortage of dark matter due to Mom's monopoly on the fuel market. WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW.........-The fantasy part of the movie they've been using to hype it doesn't happen until the last half hour! -Fry and Leela shippers, do not expect anything. The "shippiest" thing you could get out of it is Fry riding Leela when she's in her horse form.-This pretty much stands by itself with little reference to the last two. Nibbler is magically back with no explanation.-I wonder what Kif would think if he found out Amy was being a lot, uh... friendlier towards males than usual.-This time, and I'll give them this, it feels more like a movie and less like four episodes they'll later slice apart for TV.-A lot of good jokes that had me smiling.Overall, I'd say it's not as good as BBS, but not as bad as BWABB. Somewhere in between.
If you're looking for something that isn't your average, frantic, over-the-top, cutesy shoujo read, this is it. This is the story of a maid named Emma and a man from a wealthy family named William, set in Victorian England. Though they come from vastly different worlds, and according to the culture they could never be together properly, still they find themselves developing feelings for each other in the first volume (William definitely so). Right away you can tell it will be a slow and steady romance that will take many volumes to reach its conclusion. Emma is very shy and demure, definitely not the perky, food obsessed main character you'd expect from a modern shoujo story. William is very head-strong who has no desire to marry somebody his parents choose or go to boring social events "just because." But he'll have to get in line to win her over, seeing as she gets love letters daily (but all of which she turns down). Luckily, his former governess, whom Emma now works for, is rooting for them.It's a very good manga that portrays a quiet, sweet romance that I look forward to reading more of.
