The Kikaida Brothers are back in town, and they're heralding the return of a classic TV series to DVD.

Regulars to “;Cel Shaded”; know what to expect from a JN Productions “;Kikaida”; event by now. The Kikaida Brothers, Kamen Rider V3, Inazuman, Hakaida and the Dark Destructoid monsters will be strolling around Shirokiya at Ala Moana Center today from 2 to 3:30 p.m. “;Kikaida Karaoke”; will be sung. Ban Daisuke, star of “;Kikaida,”; “;Kikaida 01”; and “;Inazuman,”; will sign autographs. Generation Kikaida merchandise will be on sale. In short, fans of all ages are guaranteed to go home happy.

This event also marks the return of “;Kamen Rider V3”; to DVD. The 52-episode series is dear to the hearts of fellow Star-Bulletin staffer and manga fan Wilma Jandoc and myself. In fact, we reviewed the set back when it was released in 2005 (www.hsblinks.com/2ep). Our set has been safely stored with our office “;V3”; fan, and we hope to actually finish watching the series sometime soon.

For more on all things “;Kikaida,”; visit www.generationkikaida.com.

MEDIA BLASTERS STREAMS ANIME ONLINE

Media Blasters is an anomaly in the U.S. anime industry. Most publishers canvas conventions nationwide to announce series acquisitions; Media Blasters limits its presence to stealthy online word-of-mouth campaigns and a few East Coast conventions. Its website is a Flash-laden horror condemned by many bloggers who attempt to venture into it for some shred of information.

As a result, recent news that the publisher would be joining Crunchyroll, Funimation, the Anime Network and Viz in streaming episodes online came as a surprise. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on your tastes—there are only first episodes posted of three series: “;Queen's Blade,”; “;Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny”; and “;Kano Kon: The Girl Who Cried Fox.”; Here are brief summaries:

» “;Queen's Blade”;: A bunch of busty women battle in a tournament to become queen. (One would-be queen even shoots acid from her chest.)

» “;Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny”;: Busty teen girls at three high schools fight amongst themselves to establish their schools' supremacy.

» “;Kanokon”;: Teen boy attends high school where an older girl, who's a fox spirit, falls in love with him. The girl also happens to be a rather busty teen.

Catch a developing theme?

Suffice it to say that younger audiences should steer clear of these offerings. Others can visit www.media-blasters.com.

ANIME AROUND TOWN

» Mangabento: This group of anime- and manga-inspired artists meets from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the Academy Art Center, 1111 Victoria St., Room 200. Visit www.manga-bento.com.

'CEL SHADED' TAKES A VACATION

After spending what amounted to a working vacation last month covering Kawaii Kon, I'm off this week to enjoy a more leisurely vacation at FanimeCon in San Jose, Calif. “;Cel Shaded”; will be taking next week off, but join me back here June 6.

Jason S. Yadao is the author of Rough Guides' “;The Rough Guide to Manga,”; now available. For more anime and manga news and commentary, check out “;Otaku Ohana”; at blogs.starbulletin.com/otakuohana. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jsyadao or e-mail him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).