Marvel Animated Series: X-Men

The X-Men comic books have spawned a number of animated series as well as big-budget feature films, but this production stands out because it's made for a Japanese audience, produced by the legendary Madhouse animation house in partnership with Marvel Comics and Sony Japan. This anime reboot of the American superheroes franchise combines various storylines while adding a relatively recent (and popular) addition to the X-Men universe: Hisako Ichiki, aka Armor, a Japanese recruit created during Joss Whedon's run as a writer on the comic book series. She joins a familiar line-up that includes fan favorite Wolverine, team leader Cyclops, former-villain-turned-wary-ally Emma Frost, Beast, Storm, and Professor X, to fight the U-Men, an organization that kidnaps and experiments on mutants. More visually dynamic than its American animated counterpart, the fast and furious battle scenes here are depicted in explosive, graphically-energized anime style. More exciting (if less faithful) than previous versions, this is an interesting complement to the comics and movies. Presenting all 12 episodes aired in 2011 in a dual-language set, suitable for 12-up, DVD extras include three behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. [Note: Madhouse's Iron Man is also newly available.] (S. Axmaker)