Heaven's Lost Property

This anime import recycles one of the genre's most overused concepts: an extraterrestrial shaped like a gorgeous pubescent girl drops out of the sky and into the world of a geeky male teen. In this case, the outer space visitor is the buxom, winged Ikaros, who visits obnoxious, sex-obsessed Tomoki. Ikaros functions as the anime equivalent of a lamp-residing genie, and Tomoki's wishes tend to revolve around panty displays and other puerile fantasies. The plots occasionally edge toward inspired ridiculousness, as when Tomoki's wish to become ruler of the world results in a mass vanishing, because no one will accept him as the planetary chieftain. In another chapter, a giant robot created by Tomoki to guard his porn collection turns violent and destroys Tomoki's entire home, much to the surprise of his neighbors. But most of Heaven's Lost Property is forgettable, while the constant lapse into Benny Hill–style humor is all too predictable. Compiling all 14 episodes from the 2010 series in a dual-language set, rated TV-MA, this is an optional purchase. [Note: Heaven's Lost Property: Forte is also newly available.] (P. Hall)