New Anime/Manga Titles for May 2011 in Australia

We have arrived at this time of month where all current titles for April have been released and therefore we eagerly await for the next months supply of our anime fix. Thankfully, both Siren Visual AND Madman Entertainment have once again got a great lineup for us to feast our eyes on! As usual, I will list all the anime titles alongside a short synopsis whilst for the manga, I will just list the onces I am interested in since Madman have at least two dozen coming out this month seemingly. *’s mark series I am interested in.

Siren Visual

Durarara!! – Part 3 *
Durarara!! moves in every direction – characters cross paths throughout each episode and drift in and out of the story creating a complex, non-linear plot that is thick with twists psychological depth. This is the third and final part in the series, where the plots will all be resolved and this supernatural city tale will come to an end. Is it a good or bad ending? Pick up this part to find out!

Needless – Part 1 *
All of the Earth’s cities became targets of bombings and were bathed in frightful red flames. Half a century has passed since then. The contaminated former epicenter is still isolated from the city of Tokyo creating a hole in the middle of Japan commonly known as the Black Spot. As time passed, people began to inhabit this wasteland. They were deemed unnecessary by those who lived in cities. Among these people were the ones who could command strange abilities – fire, wind, gravity… they had the ability to control these supernatural powers. Thus, those who possessed Fragments were regarded as….THE NEEDLESS!

When They Cry – Part 2 *
On a hot summer day in 1983, a transfer student named Maebara Keiichi comes to a peaceful rural village in Hinamizawa. There he befriends his classmates Rena, Mion, Rika, and Satoko. Just as Keiichi is beginning to assimilate into simple rural life, he stumbles upon the dark history of Hinamizawa – every year for the past four years, one person has been murdered and another has gone missing on the day of the Watanagashi Festival. When They Cry is an unnerving story of rural folklore and small-town psychosis steeped in brutal violence and horrific sadism. Cute and funny one minute, sinister and twisted the next, When they Cry broods with a unique psychological malaise.

Madman Entertainment

Black Butler – Part 2 *
Sebastian Michaelis is more than just one hell of a butler. He’s a lonely boy’s everything. Summoned from darkness, Sebastian serves Ciel with a sly smile. He brews the morning tea with care, gently dresses his ward in the daintiest of robes, and quashes the Young Master’s enemies with a flourish! But following orders can be quite the bore, and Sebastian grows ever so hungry… Before he can silence the rumble of his stomach, however, there is the small matter of an unholy union, a contract if you will. The Butler must locate and exterminate the nefarious ne’er-do-wells responsible for the murder of his Young Master’s most unfortunate parents. Then – and only then – may Sebastian reveal his true form and dine on the delicacy that is Ciel’s scrumptious soul. And while the demon devours his prize, all of London shall burn.

Chobits Collection – Blu-ray *
A Boy’s first computer. A country boy from Hokkaido, Hideki arrives in the big city (Tokyo) to go to college. Instantly, he is shocked and amazed by the variety and prevalence of Persocoms: personal computers designed to look and act like animals or even people! Too poor to afford one of his own, Hideki is overjoyed to discover a discarded Persocom in a trash heap. However, this gift of fate turns into a mystery as his Persocom, Chi, appears to be able to operate without her OS… How real is real?

Strike Witches (Season 1) Collection *
The year is 1944 and the world lives in fear of unidentified flying objects called Neuroi. With the old-boy old guard unable to thwart this deadly menace, humanity turns its desperate eyes to an aerial attack force with much nicer legs. Meet the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, better known as the Strike Witches. These darlings of the great blue yonder may not have standard issue uniforms, but they do have all the right stuff. Where the average flyboy falters, these dolls blast aliens to bits in the bat of an eyelash. With a little magic and a whole lot of leg, the girls of the 501st are winning the war on pants, and aliens!

Blade of the Immortal Collection
Manji is a skilled samurai who has a decisive advantage: no wound can kill him. In the past, his actions led to the death of 100 other samurai. Cursed with immortality at the hand of an 800-year-old nun named Yaobikuni, he is compelled by the death of his sister to accept a quest to end his agelessness and make amends by killing 1000 evil men.

Chrome Shelled Regios – Collection 1 * (Maybe)
The world of tomorrow is an arid wasteland; a forsaken place where nomadic communities take shelter within mobile, domed cities. Massive, mutant Contaminoid monsters swarm the planet’s desolate surface, and the lack of resources fuels constant conflict between cities. In this bleak future, mysterious young Layfon struggles to escape his violent past. Unfortunately, his former life might be impossible to hide after he’s forced to enroll at the military academy – his special powers are clearly stronger than those of his comrades. As he joins his fellow student soldiers in the desperate battle against the Contaminoid scourge, Layfon must fight to keep the origins of his enhanced abilities a secret, because the truth could tear his team apart.

Honey and Clover – Collection 3 *
Yuta returns from his journey of self-discovery only to find everyone around him deep in their own struggles to shape their futures. Ayumi finds herself increasingly included in projects involving Takumi and Rika, and the strain is breaking her. Far away in America, Shinobu and his brother’s endless quest for money finally helps them achieve their ultimate goal, while back home Hagumi must face the devastating consequences of an accident that could change her life forever. Can the pursuit of happiness and the pursuit of art ever be one and the same?

Initial D 2nd Stage + Extra Stage Collection
Takumi’s rise to the top the street racing underground is the stuff of legend, but his status as the best is on the line once again. Team Emperor’s in town with a singular goal: to crush all opposition. The team’s drivers are as aggressive as their cars are advanced, and Akina’s Eight-Six might be outclassed. There’s a chance that Takumi’s skills have surpassed the abilities of his beloved machine, and if he wants to maintain his rep, severe modifications must be made. Unfortunately, mechanical woes aren’t his only problem, thanks to some rumors going around about his girl. The distractions are definitely stacking up, and so are the challengers. That means it’s time for Takumi to do what he does best – keep his eyes on the road ahead and floor it.

One Piece – Collection 9
The Straw Hats crossed a desert to defend the kingdom of Alabasta, but the real adventure is about to begin! Crocodile and his army of assassins set their sights on King Cobra’s empire, Luffy and his mates get locked in the clink, and a regal imposter leads Vivi’s people towards a bloody uprising. Lucky for Luffy, Sanji and Chopper are still on the loose, and they’ve got a plan to spring their captain from the jaws of ravenous reptiles!

Phantom: Requiem of the Phantom – Collection 2
A young man with no memories fights to salvage his humanity when he’s forced into a life of murder by a dangerous crime syndicate called Inferno. The organization gives him a new name, Zwei, and molds him into a perfect killing machine, a meticulous instrument of death created to obey his masters’ every deadly command. Zwei’s not the only puppet controlled by Inferno; Ein is a girl as beautiful as she is brutal, and as lethal as she is lost. While mafia violence escalates around them, the two assassins grow closer, and Zwei begins the struggle to reclaim his past and save Ein from a blood-soaked future.

That is it for anime this month, totalling 12 series over two distributors. Interested in the manga Madman is releasing this month? Thankfully, even with Tokyopop US going down, Madman has a nice collection of series which include:

Sakura Hime, Blue Exorcist and Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, all of which have reviews that can be found on the site (Nura is coming up today). The titles are all going to be released on the 10th.

Aion – Volume 1
Tatsuya Tsugawa loses his wealthy parents in the middle of high school. Trying to fulfill his father’s dying wish of becoming an upstanding man, Tatsuya attempts to save a girl from obsessive bullies only to be consumed with intrigue and slight obsession himself. But what will Tatsuya do when his good will and earnest efforts lead him into a twisted fantasy world infested with mermaids and mind-controlling parasites?

Butterfly – Volume 1
An Hilarious Gender-Bending Supernatural Thriller
In this creepy mystery, a guy who despises ghosts, lucky charms, and all things related to the occult — even anyone who is interested in the supernatural — is suddenly kissed by a school girl. Afterward, she informs him that she’s going to buy him — in order to wipe out every ghost in the world!

Chibi Vampire – Volumes 4 to 6 (Three Separate Volumes)
Karin’s crush on Kenta has taken a turn for the worse. She seems to be falling deeper into the friend zone. Her monthly woes are putting a damper on her life. Karin must come to terms with the fact her desire to kiss Kenta may turn into a bite. This is a synopsis for Volume 4 only.