Rumiko Takahashi FamilyYou might not recognize Rumiko Takahashi by name, but I bet you’ve seen her manga and anime characters before. Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most successful manga artists/authors in the world. She’s the creator of several worldwide favorites like InuYasha, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma ½. Her manga is very popular and several of her series have been made into anime TV shows. AADL has lots of her manga series and a few of her anime series on DVD. Take a look!

One more thing. Fans of InuYasha will be happy to know (if you don’t already) that the final story arc is at long last being adapted for TV! AADL has DVDs of the original series and the movies. Check out the manga and follow along with the story as it unfolds each week.

2009 Manga Contest

The judging is done and the winners have been announced! Judging was conducted by Jerzy Drozd and Shannon "Roku-Chan" Townsend. With over 80 entries in four age categories the judges had a tough time this year! The top three finishers in each category received gift certificates to Wizzywig and medals. All of the artwork will be on display through August in the Downtown Youth Department and can also be found online in our image gallery!

Click Read More to see the list of the winners!

Lego Contest year 2

If it's summer it must be time for our annual Lego and Manga Contests! Use the summer to focus your creativity and maybe you will win! In order to enter either contest participants must read and follow the rules and guidelines. Children and teens aged preschool to 12th grade are invited to enter the 4th Annual Lego Contest. This year the Lego contest award ceremony will take place at Weber's Inn (3050 Jackson Ave) on Monday, August 10 @ 8:00 PM. For complete submission guidelines and the talent release form click here. Top finishers will receive gift certificates to Toys R Us, and we'll have medals for winners of the special categories!

It's our 3rd Annual Manga Drawing Contest for grades K-12. The award ceremony will be on Monday, July 27 @ 7:00 PM in the Downtown Youth Room. For complete submission guidelines and the talent release form click here. Top finishers will receive gift certificates for Wizzywig Collectibles!

Witch Hunter Robin is a must see anime for fans of science fiction and fantasy. It follows the story of Robin Sena, who moves to Japan after being raised in Italy to join STN-J, a secret government group that hunts witches. Witches have powers that are inherited genetically and can lie dormant for many years before they "awaken." Members of STN-J often have their own powers and are trained to hunt witches. Robin's power of fire is particularly powerful.

The first half of the series follows Robin's integration into STN-J and various hunts, with each episode featuring a new witch. The latter half starts to delve into deeper questions of what makes a person a witch. As Robin learns more about the people she works for, she begins to question her own powers and alliances.

Trigun

Season 2 of Bleach comes to a close with Disc 10. However, action junkies still waiting for their Naruto or Bleach DVDs to come in might want to check out Trigun: Vash the Stampede is an unstoppable gunslinger known for leaving devastation in his wake. Two insurance company representatives are on his trail to make sure he doesn't incur any more property damage while villainous foes and 'upstanding' lawmen right and left want him dead. But who is he, and is he bad or good? An anime series that's a little older, but definitely still worth a second peek.

2nd Annual Manga Drawing Contest

Our 2nd Annual Manga Drawing Contest has drawn to a close! This year our hard working judges were Jerzy Drozd and Shannon Towsend. They each spent hours judging the entries and providing feedback to each and every entry - thank you! In case you don't know what manga is click here. If you missed this year and are looking to find other places to post your work Jerzy made a great resource sheet. You can check out all the entries in this year's contest in our image gallery.

Click Read More to see the list of the winners!

Lego Contest year 2

A year has passed, you've been planning and we can't wait to see what you come up with! We're happy to be hosting our 3rd annual Lego® Contest for preschoolers thru 12th grade. Prizes will be awarded in five age categories. Complete rules and guidelines can be found here. Even if you don't enter the contest we invite you to come and take a look on the evening of Wednesday, July 30 in the Downtown library multi-purpose room - it's a spectacular, but limited time only display. Last year we had over 100 entries! Doors open @ 7.

We invite fans of anime and manga, who also like to draw, or write comics, to enter our 2nd Annual Manga Drawing Contest. Entries are limited to those in grades K - 12. Prizes will be awarded in four age categories! Complete rules and guidelines can be found here. All artwork submitted will be on display in the Downtown Youth Department during the month of August.

Fans of the manga and anime series Bleach will not want to miss the US premiere of Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody. The film will be shown just two evenings, Wednesday, June 11th and Thursday, June 12th, at 7:30. Showcase and Quality 16 are among those screening it and will show behind the scenes extras! Tickets are available through fathomevents.com.

Even if you aren't familiar with the series, who isn't intrigued by the tagline: "Can Ichigo and his fellow Soul Reapers save the two worlds from annihilation?"

If you loved the Death Note manga, you won’t want to miss the fabulous anime adaptation now available on dvd at the library. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it’s the story of a bored high school student, Light Yagami, who takes justice into his own hands when he finds a notebook which gives him the power to kill simply by writing down someone’s name. But when criminals begin to die of unexplained causes, the authorities send the legendary and eccentric detective L to track down the killer. The cat-and-mouse chase between Light and L is one for the ages. Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are in, and volume 4 is on order. Add your name to the hold list today! For older teens and adults.

Think you know everything there is to know about Fullmetal Alchemist after watching the anime? Think again. The manga’s and anime’s plots diverge after a certain point, and the most recent events in the manga will be a big surprise to anime-only fans. Fans of the state military characters will especially like volume 15, which takes readers back to the Ishbal Conflict that Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and others fought in seven years earlier. Catch up with the story today!