Wondering if you should go see the new Astro Boy movie?

Apparently, so were a lot of anime fans.

Although Astro Boy didn't fare well against some of the other releases hitting the box office, it hung tight about midway on the box office top 10. Read the many reviews and you'd find a mixed bag of comments, some from those who said the flick was fine while others gave it a big thumbs down.

So why the mixed reviews?

For some long-time anime fans, Astro Boy didn't live up to expectations. Not because the CGI isn't good... it's actually great. And not because the story is too dark or too scary for younger kids. Quite the contrary, Astro Boy is a perfect solution for a family-friendly movie.

So, why all the fuss?

If you're familiar with the original Astro Boy anime series, then you'd understand. The movie is based "loosely" on Osamu Tezuka's 1963 anime series but the new adaptation takes quite a few liberties with the storyline. Dr. Tenma for example, has a change of heart in the movie and tries to help and protect his new robot boy creation. This didn't happen in the original series -- in fact, Dr. Tenma sold Astro to a circus when he realized that Astro would never fill the shoes of his real son.

There's also the addition of President Stone, ruler of Metro City who has a serious political agenda that revolves around harnessing the power of the "blue core energy" -- the energy that powers Astro -- and using it to power a military robot and start a war.

But before you listen to all that fuss, I'm going to ask you to give this one a chance. Astro Boy is a beautiful work of CGI brilliance. The storyline, although different from the original series, is still really well done and makes for a happier movie, an important feature if you're taking young ones to see it.

Find out why I think Astro Boy is the perfect family-friendly anime flick here.

Do you like edge-of-your-seat excitement? Heart-pumping chases, bad-to-the-bone fist fights and in-your-face action that makes you gasp for breath?

Then you're an action anime fan!

But just what makes a good action anime?

The truth is, there are number of things that make a good action flick... from down-in-the-dirt fisticuffs to chasing the bad guy across the Universe. There's also action anime titles that make your skin crawl, your heart beat faster and leave you sleeping with the light on at night, "just in case".

The reason that the action anime genre is so varied is that it crosses over so well with so many other exciting genres. Want to learn more about these themes and subcategories? Click here to take a look at all the sub-genres and themes that make action anime so great.

So, now you tell me...What's your favorite action anime theme?

• Battle (fighting) anime
• Ninja anime
• Samuari anime
• Supernatural anime
• Spy/Detective anime
• Mecha (robot) anime
• Space anime
• Western anime
• Military anime
• Adventure anime
• View Results

If you didn't make it to the theaters to see Miyazaki's newest work, Ponyo, take heart -- this amazing anime feature film will hit the DVD shelves on March 2, 2010.

Coming from Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertaiment, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea will release in three editions: standard, a 2-disc Special Edition, complete with plus Ponyo and a Blu-Ray edition that has all the DVD extras included in the Special Edition but not the plush figure.

Ponyo is the story of Sosuke, a young boy who rescues a fish that is stranded on the shore and names her Ponyo. Ponyo's father, Fujimoto thinks the humans have kidnapped his daughter and calls on the water spirits to bring her home. This causes a confrontation between father and daughter fish and Ponyo uses her father's magic to wish herself into a human so she can be with Sosuke.

The transformation works but unbalances the Universe and all sorts of awful catastrophic events begin to happen.

Ponyo is the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, KiKi's Delivery Service, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) and Studio Ghibli. It is Miyazaki's biggest grossing film to date in the U.S., bringing in over $15 million at the box office.

Source: ICv2.com

There's just something about a good action anime that gets your blood pumping, isn't there?

In fact, action anime continues to be one of the most popular genres, producing blockbuster after blockbuster as anime series go.

Action anime encompasses a wide variety of sub-genres and themes, including martial arts, ninja, adventure stories, thrillers and even a few comedies.

The key to a good action anime is that it has to have some "oomph" to it. You want it to leave you breathless, to get you excited and to be intense... at least part of the time. Will they escape? Will our hero win the battle? Will they find the secret key and save the Universe?

This is the stuff action anime series are made of and to show my appreciation of this genre, I thought it would be fun to share some of my top picks with you.

So, here they are... some of my favorite action anime titles.

Despite all the hype and the merchandising, the CGI Astro Boy movie opened 6th at the box office last weekend with just over $7 million in ticket sales.

Although it did barely surpass the buzz-worthy Vampire's Assistant, there was no competing with the box office hit, Paranormal Activity which opened at the #1 spot and Saw VI which came in at #2.

To kick off its opening, Imagi Studios partnered with McDonalds to offer Astro Boy toys in a Happy Meal series. The toy line features three different Astro Boy toys as well as three other robotic figures, some of which shoot projectiles, have moving limbs or fly across the floor.

Imagi also gave Right Stuf the go-ahead to market two special edition DVDs and partnered with IDW to produce new Astro Boy comics.

Back in 2008, rumor had it that Dreamworks had bought the rights to produce a live-action movie based on Ghost in the Shell. Rumor also had it that the movie would be in 3D.

It now looks like that rumor was true.

Headed by none other than Steven Spielberg himself, a live-action 3d Ghost in the Shell is just one step closer to reality - they've signd Laeta Kalogridis to write the script.

In addition, they've also hired Avi Arad of Seaside Entertainment (along with Ari Arad and Steven Paul) to produce.

No word yet on actors or a release date, but you can bet everyone is watching this one develop closely.

The story of Major Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost is the Shell takes place in the year 2029 - a new future, where mankind has found a way to "merge" with computers. The result is that humans can now reside in a virtual universe and can even download themselves into another "shell".  Kusanagi is a cyberspace agent, tracking a criminal known only as Project 2501 - a virtual personality that doesn't need a shell and can hack into the brains of anyone, including top officials from rival governments.

It will be interesting to see if Dreamworks stays with the 3D twist since many 3D movies don't fare as well as their 2D counterparts but that said, if there was ever an anime-turned-live-action movie to go 3D, Ghost in the Shell would definitely be it.

Ah, vampires...

Those romantic albeit toothy bloodsucking creatures that make the girls swoon and the guys grab a wooden stake...

What it is exactly about vamps that keeps us coming back for more?

There was a time when vampires were sinister, evil creatures that made your skin crawl. But those days are gone. The vampires of today have much more self-control and are much more likely to have close relationships with human companions.

And as a vampire enthusiast and fan of HBO's True Blood myself, who wouldn't want to have a little one-on-one with some of these vamps? One look at the mysterious vampire Eric Northman and you can see my point.

This new breed of vampire has ignited a whole new cult following, one that has writers and producers created vampire heroes if you can believe it and what's more, the fans are biting (pun definitely intended).

So, because of this fangy frenzy and because Halloween is just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to round up some of the best vampire animes on the market. So here you go... see how many of your favorite vampire animes are on this list.

Like anime that goes "bump in the night"?

Then you'll love Red Garden!

This is the story of four girls who have nothing in common... except of course, that they're all dead.

And not just dead, but murdered.  Except that they don't know they're dead... at least not at first. But soon, they meet a mysterious woman who not only fills them in on their demise but also shows them how to go become killers themselves.

Rated TV-MA, Red Garden comes from Studio GONZO and ADV Films. Originally releasing in Japan in 2006, it was debuting on DVD in the States the very next year. What's really interesting about this particular series (other than the fact that dead chicks are killing other people) is that the story is set in New York, an unusual twist for a traditional anime produced in Japan.

But twisted or not, Red Garden is definitely a must for your Halloween anime viewings.

You've sent out the invitations. You've planned the menu, the music and the decor. You even bought a fog machine to give your Halloween party that extra spooky feel.

But what about the anime?

If there was ever a form of entertainment made for Halloween, anime would be it. I mean, the costume ideas alone are enough to make you think anime when October rolls around.

But if you want to get really creative with your Halloween bash, here's some ideas for turning your party into an all-out anime extravaganza.

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to really dive into all the creepy, crawly anime series out there that do such a holiday justice. So, from now until October 31st, I'm going to dig out some of the best in scary, spooky anime shows.

First on my list? Hellsing... perhaps one of the most beloved vampire anime shows out there. Now, if you've got a different favorite vamp anime, not to worry. I've got plenty more to come.

But in the meantime, you can enjoy this look at Hellsing from Geneon Entertainment.

And here's a bit of Hellsing trivia for you - did you know that Gabriel Van Helsing, played by Hugh Jackman in the Van Helsing movie was loosely based on the same Abraham Van Helsing that founded the Hellsing Organization? It's true - both Van Helsing and Hellsing borrowed from the protagonist Abraham Van Helsing in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula?

So, why did they change the name from Abraham to Gabriel in the movie? Word has it that Universal Pictures wanted to have rights to the character so they changed his name and made him immortal by implying that he was actually the arch-angel Gabriel - the "Left Hand of God".