Princess Jellyfish: The Complete Series

In this daffy sitcom anime, provincial girl Tsukimi—a virginal, shy, aspiring artist fixated on jellyfish—moves to Tokyo and finds subsistence lodgings in an all-women-boardinghouse threatened by neighborhood development. Misfit residents range from a never-seen manga artist to an afro-wearing trainspotter, but all share a disdain for males, dating, and "stylish" girls. Tsukimi dares to bring home a glamorous Barbie-doll lookalike who aided her purchase of a pet jellyfish. But unbeknownst to the others, newcomer “Kuroko” is really a young man in drag, a former lady-killer now cross-dressing partially to avoid female drama, partially to indulge his fashion crazes, and partially to spite his wealthy, politically connected family (who are tied to the development scheme). But his incipient attraction to Tsukimi grows even more complicated when she starts falling for his dull half-brother, a rising bureaucrat who is also a virgin. Compiling all 11 episodes aired in 2010 in a dual-language set, rated TV-14, extras include audio commentaries and a Princess Jellyfish field guide to the characters. A consistently amusing romantic comedy, this is recommended. (C. Cassady)