« June 2004 | Main | August 2004 »
July 30, 2004
Otakon, Day 1
It was a bad omen that we started Otakon by leaving Baltimore.
We got all the way into downtown, but somehow got turned around on the way to the hotel and ended up back on the road out of the city. Took us a few miles before we finally found the exit (thank you Caton Road!) that allowed us back into Charm City.
With that little wrinkle out of the way we checked into the hotel, got our stuff put away and went to get our badges. And promptly ended up waiting in the wrong line. (To those people who lied to us: May you be cast into the nine hells of pins and needles and badly designed model Gundams with instructions only in Chinese.) Once we finally got into the right line, things finally started to go kinda right. I barely recognized any of the badge picture choices but at least they had Risky/Safety. (Speaking of which I went to the AnimeNation booth in the dealer's room and they said the boxes were available only through mail order. Bah.) So anyway, day 1 passed without too much event. Jewish Wolfwood was the best costume idea I saw and the Greatest American Hero was ....well, certainly the most unexpected. Nothing on the scale of Man-Faye or Sailor Bubba. Yet. (It's only Friday, after all.) Saw a Sakaki with the kuroneko clinging to her fingers.
This is definitely the summer of Naruto though. Even those who are not wearing the full costume are wearing at least the headbands. I really should start watching that.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:32 PM | Posted to | Comments (0)
Off to Otakon
Hopefully I won't be a screaming wreck by the end like I was last year. Lines lines lines. It even inspired one of my strangest nightmares.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:45 AM | Posted to | Comments (0)
July 29, 2004
to hear some people tell it...
... you'd think no girls were reading comics before manga came along.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:37 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Regarding Kabuki
I had a good time at the Kabuki performance at the Warner Theatre last night. I didn't understand half of what they were singing, but it was a very dynamic and colorful performance. Also, stage samurai are way underrated.
I think, though, that Ticketmaster should require ticket buyers to state their height ahead of time. I thought we had pretty good seats until a 6-ft 300-pound person sat in front of me, forcing me to crane my neck at a 45-degree angle for 2 hours. Nevertheless it was a good show.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:47 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
July 28, 2004
...then again...
...reflecting on the crappy series first episodes NTUSA pushes off on readers - and what's coming down the pipe - maybe it's just as well.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 02:47 PM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
Subscribe to NTUSA now or get shortchanged
AnimeNation News: "AnimeNation has confirmed via direct communication with Newtype USA Magazine that as of the current issue, retail and news stand copies of Newtype USA Magazine will continue to retail at $9.95 per issue but will no longer include a free sampler DVD. Only consumers with a subscription to the magazine purchased directly from the publisher will continue to receive the monthly bonus DVDs."
Reflecting on the subscription problems I had last year, I can only say that this is a bad bad thing.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:26 AM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
July 27, 2004
What it sez
Turns out that little bit of script on the still between Samurai 7 twofers means roughly "Samurai 7 immediately after this." (kono ato sugu)
GONZO, still having fun. (That's a little Kikuchiyo keychain hanging off of Heihachi's sword hilt.)
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 08:40 PM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
Piro's airplane sketch
There's something indescribably sad about the image evoked by the title a handful of snow. This one reminds me of Reki on the train tracks for some reason...
Damn you Piro! You drew this on an AIRPLANE?!
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:25 AM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
July 26, 2004
Penny Arcade speaks for all of us!
There are three people whom I would gladly see publicly and abjectly humiliated at a convention:
1) Kevin J. Anderson
2) Stephen Foster (ADV) and
3) Rob Liefeld
Thank you, Gabe and Tycho.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 02:22 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Dang! Our secret is out!
From USA Today's report on Comic-con:
'These are the fans you want to impress,' said star Lance Henriksen. 'Because if they don't like what you show them, you're cooked. These guys know how to use the Internet.'
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:17 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
3rd Star Wars movie titled
Revenge of the Sith.(washingtonpost.com)
Well, at least it's not as dorky as The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones. A carrot of hope?
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:11 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
InuYasha ending?
According to AnimeonDVD's Viz con report, episodes 166 & 167 will mark the end of the InuYasha series' run in Japan. As I stealthily muffle ESOI's howlings of "AND IT'S ABOUT TIME TOO!!!" I wonder if this is because of low ratings, or if Takahashi-sensei has finally put her foot down.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:00 AM | Posted to | Comments (0)
July 25, 2004
Comic Con reports from Anime on DVD
Well, if I can't be there in person, reading the industry con reports is the next best thing.
No new licence announcements of significance. I feel guiltily relieved that Samurai 7 hasn't been licenced yet. Though there's still the possibility that they may be saving new licence announcements for Otakon next weekend.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:30 AM | Posted to | Comments (0)
July 23, 2004
What were they thinking?
I put off getting the first volume of ROD The TV because the artbox version wasn't out yet. Then I got a good look at the artbox.
Okay... someone was not thinking clearly. As you can see it does look good. Resembles a hardcover book, bound in faux leather, latch closure. HOWEVER. In order for the artbox to fulfil its destiny as a storage device for the entire series, one must toss the covers and cases of each ensuing volume. Or file the covers away in a scrapbook and just trash the cases. I honestly don't know. Methinks they were going for the LOTR SE effect but forgot a minor detail. Or ten.
I stood in Best Buy a full 10 minutes trying to decide which one I wanted. Finally I went for the non-artbox case. I may be a nut, but I LIKE having the original covers for each volume and I LIKE displaying all the cases of my collection. Makes me feel rich. Tossing perfectly good cases and covers (which someone somewhere puts a lot of effort into designing) just feels wrong.
(BTW I'm also vaguely amused by the "suggested nudity" coment in the Rating section of the official R.O.D. : The TV site. Obviously they haven't seen episode 9.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 01:18 PM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
July 22, 2004
DC's CMX previews
DC's manga line starts distro in October with 3 titles. So far the most interesting appears to be Land of the Blindfolded.
on a completely unrelated note, isn't Supergirl, er, dead?
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:32 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Japanese kids' names today
An article in the Japan Times Online points out the evolution of children's names in Japan. It's interesting that many of the names mentioned in the article that started gaining popularity in the 80s (for children born in the 70s) appear in manga and anime, though it's really not that unusual, since a manga creator woud want to subliminally imbue their characters with positive qualities. (and just more proof that the Japanese are still hung up on the 80s!)
Also interesting is that Emma and Emily, currently both top girls' names in the US, are also catching on with fashionable Japanese parents - but ..."graceful linen"?
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:23 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
July 21, 2004
Elegy for a Sonata
So I finally got my act together to make a Shia costume since Koge Donbo is coming to Otakon. (although I'm not sure if he will be flattered by this or run screaming in terror.) Alas and alack, as I was sewing last night, the needle of my trusty Singer Sonata encountered an unfortunately placed pin and went awry. I replaced the needle, but the impact must have thrown something internal out of alignment, because it will no longer catch the bobbin thread. Result: One konked-out Sonata, and a costume in peril.
Oh well, it was 14 years old when I got it... I should be surprised that it worked at all.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:28 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
July 20, 2004
Someone made a weatherfish!
Sadly, non-readers of the wonderful Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou would have no idea what I'm talking about or why this is momentous.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:47 AM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
Samurai 7 - 7/24 Episode Previews
Whee! Previews and synopsis of episodes 5 and 6, to air this Saturday, are now available.
I just love how the Japanese anime sites have absolutely no reservations about giving out spoilers. My kind of people.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:41 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
July 19, 2004
Miyazaki does it again!
Official Howl's Moving Castle site
I really can't remember if Sophie had a little dog, though... I'll have to go dig it out again. I wonder what Wizard Howl looks like? I'd imagined Sophie a little skinnier - not quite so Yubaba-like - but I like the look on her face and the briskness of her stride.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:49 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
Moratorium
With Otakon less than 2 weeks off, I have resolved not to buy any anime or manga till then. RightStuf BETTER NOT have any new sales.
*twitch*
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 04:07 PM | Posted to | Comments (0)
NYT Reviews MegaTokyo
And says some very nice things about it.
The New York Times > Books > Sunday Book Review > Chronicle | Comics: No More Wascally Wabbits (free registration required)
Hurrah for Piro! It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I do mean that literally and wholeheartedly, with the warmest of intentions. Yes, I still remember his kindness in autographing and drawing Pirogoeth and Boo in both my MT books when I poured out my sob story to Seraphim of not getting his autograph after stalking lining up at 3 different cons. Stan Sakai is still the nicest guy in comics, but Piro is a close second.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 02:42 PM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
Warm fuzzies on a Monday morning
Several major players in the US anime/manga industry have teamed up with Anime News Network to form Project: New Future, a noble effort to get otaku off their couches and out to help cheer up kids with cancer.
Among the participants are TOKYOPOP, FUNimation, Bandai Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics, Urban Vision, Animerica, and The Right Stuf International. The idea is that otaku go spend time with kids at the hospital or at a camp, and then send their experience to ANN, who in turn sends them a gift.
The cynical part of me wonders how many otaku will lie to get free loot; the genki part of me thinks this is a great idea, although really it shouldn't take a promise of free loot to get people out to help the less fortunate. But if that's what it takes, well...
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:45 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
July 18, 2004
Time and Chrno
I was thinking of making a music video (just to see if I even can, with the crappy tools I have) and had in mind a song, so I decided to see what raws I had before I start ripping DVDs. My chrnocrusade folder's near the top of my anime folder listing, and I remembered that I had some CC raws, and so I went in to rummage around. Turns out I have a whole LOTTA CC raws...
then I noticed the music folder and remembered that I hadn't listened to the OP and ED for a while. So... while listening to Sayonara Solitaire, I decided to go look up the lyric again, and someone's contributed a translation! And suddenly I realized that HEY! It's from Chrno's point of view! And I looked at it again and thought HEY! AGAIN! If you read alternating lines it's BOTH Chrno and Rosette speaking! er, singing! (Well, actually it's Azmaria singing, but feh, that's beside the point.) That made me put on Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line, which I had always thought of as Rosette's song with Chrno singing backup. But THE POINT! (and I do have one) IS! that after all this time I am still finding new things to discover about Chrno Crusade.
Even though the ending of Chrno Crusade wasn't... well, what I'd hoped it would be (I'm still rather mad at Moriyama) - I still like it. There was a lot going on, and the anime was forced to add some really weird padding because of the manga timing, but what it all really came down to was that it was a sweet little love-sort-of story between a nun and a demon. Before Chrno Crusade came along there hadn't really been anything with a real old-fashioned pair to root for (Last Exile was a bit mixed up, and Haibane Renmei... well, my mind just doesn't work that way.)
So does that make me a sappy romantic? I suppose so... I still watch mainly for good plot and story, but it's OK sometimes just to root for a romance to work out. (Though not to the exclusion of the overall plot. bleh. A romance-only plot would be boring.)
As for the AMV. I now have a vague Idea of what I want to do, but first I have to decompress the avi into a format that my video editing program will deign to recognize. More research needed.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:28 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
July 17, 2004
Aha!
Kikuchiyo reminds me of Gimli!
...what?
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:14 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
expressing myself
In case you haven't noticed, I got smilies.
Also, some say Kyuuzou looks like Spike Spiegel, but I think he really looks like the DNA recombination of Vash the Stampede and that chick from Blade Runner.
YMMV...
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:00 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
SAMURAI 7 Image Album in September
Listing from CD Japan: SAMURAI 7 Image Album to be released 9/29. Apparently it will have 7 songs by 7 artistes.
...Yes yes, very nice. But when's the freakin' full-sized OP single coming out??!!!
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:53 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
Samurai 7 4
At this rate there isn't going to be much city left when Kirara's done gathering all seven samurai. Good thing Kikuchiyo's there to clean up the mess.
And I was right about Katsushirou.
And Kirara.
Poor Katsushirou.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:24 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
When samurai universes collide, niiban
For the record, here are the names of the samurai, in order of recruiting.
| Movie Kanbei - the leader Katsushirou* - the young one Gorobei - "You jest!" Shichiroji - Kanbei's right hand man Heihachi - the lighthearted one Kuuzyou - the stern one Kikuchiyo - the different one | TV (so far) Katsushirou** Kikuchiyo Kanbei Gorobei Heihachi*** Shichiroji Kuuzyou is most likely to be the last. |
*Technically Katsushirou doesn't officially become one of the seven till the others talk Kanbei into accepting him, which is just before Kuuzyou joins up.
**Katsushirou is the first to join Kirara's group, and because this time Kirara's doing the recruiting, Kanbei's opinion doesn't count.
***Heihachi was spotted in the preview for episode 5 but not Shichiroji.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:54 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
July 16, 2004
When samurai universes collide
Caution: spoilers!
So I decided to see what else I misremembered about the original Seven Samurai movie, and pulled it out to have a looksee.
Kanbei's introduction is virtually identical; Katsushirou's is a little differently timed, but fundamentally the same. Gorobei's entry is also basically the same with a bit extra in the series. Kuuzyou's is rearranged also, and Heihachi's entry, which is foreshadowed in the preview, should mirror the movie. Kirara and Komachi are original creations, of course, but Rikichi is a holdover from the movie, where he was a crucial catalyst. It'll be interesting to see if he gets the same story.
The only one that's more than a little different from his movie predecessor is Kikuchiyo. Kikuchiyo's main schtick is that he's not quite like the other six - i.e. he's not born to the samurai caste, but aspires to be one anyway. Toshiro Mifune plays him like a wild man who desperately wants to be a samurai and shadows Kanbei a tad obsessively. Samurai 7's Kikuchiyo is - well, it's not clear if, like the Nobuseri, he was a human samurai who made robotic modifications in order to continue fighting, or if he made the modifications to emulate the samurai. OR if he's a robot who wants to be a samurai. TV Kikuchiyo's speech pattern reminds me of somebody, I can't quite place it...
Interestingly Katsushirou's the only one of the seven who gets, er, some. I wonder if this will carry over to the series.
And the last line of the movie, which is supposedly very important to the TV plot, is: "The winners are those farmers, not us."
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:03 PM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
Three down, one to go!
Wheee! My Tsukikage Ran vols 2&3 have arrived from Right Stuf. Now to hunt down vol 4.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:35 AM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
I wanna go to Comic-Con
I really really really really want to go to San Diego Comic-Con International!!!
Damn you Otakon! Why couldn't you have been one month later (or earlier)??!!
OK, whining over.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:40 AM | Posted to | Comments (0)
July 15, 2004
"Something Like An Autobiography"
Ever since I found out that Akira Kurosawa's birthday was the same as mine and my dad's, and that he was the youngest child in his family like me and my dad, I've felt a certain ....kinship with him. Yes, I know, it's weird, especially since I have nowhere near the same talent nor discipline as Kurosawa-sensei. (Or my dad for that matter.) Nonetheless, I feel strangely pleased at this odd little coincidence.
I'd been wanting to read "Something Like..." for a while, but it proved surprisingly elusive. I finally picked it up at Kinokuniya while in New York last month and have been reading it veeerrrryyy sloooowly. Not because it's bad, but because it's so good that I don't want to finish it; it is the only actual Kurosawa biography, really, and so reading it is like glimpsing the soul of the man himself.
I don't know if this is true of all the legendary filmmakers, but Kurosawa-sensei was one hell of a writer. His words flow smoothly from the page, and yet they resound with a individualistic voice that carries echoes of wise old sages. (I'm also currently reading Anthony Yu's translation of Wu Cheng-Ern's Journey to the West, and it surprises me to see how similar the language patterns in both books sound. Maybe it's something to do with the Sino-type languages.) Bouquets must also be flung in the direction of Audie E. Bock, who did the translation - it must have been difficult to preserve the rhythm and meter of the master's surely unique voice in legible English.
"Something Like..." begins at a fairly early point in Kurosawa-sensei's childhood and ends shortly after the premiere of Rashomon. He went to school, got in trouble, went to calligraphy class, got in trouble, went to kendo, got in trouble, and generally lived a normal and somewhat rambunctious childhood; was good at art; got a little older, and was introduced to film (and revolutionary politics) by his older brother; then he happened to see a newspaper ad for film staff, and that was where it all began.
It's fascinating to see the many influences on his life. The first, of course, was growing up in Taisho-era Japan - a bustling period familiar to fans of Sakura Wars, but not often referred to in the West. (As far as most Westerners are concerned, Japanese history apparently started in 1941.) The great Kanto earthquake, which destroyed the town by first shaking it to its core and then burning what was left in the resulting fire, was a key turning point in young Akira's life: in the quake's aftermath his brother Heigo, for reasons unknown, took him to see the heaps of dead bodies, and told him to remember. This brother later introduced him to the world of Western films, and it soon becomes clear that without the influence of his older brother the world might never have known the name Akira Kurosawa. (Let this be a message to the older siblings of the world. You can nurture greatness. So for heaven's sake, don't screw it up.)
The one strong sense I get from the book is that Kurosawa-sensei himself felt that he was a hack. (Somehow it's a little comforting to know that such a great moviemaker could still see himself through humble eyes. I can think of one who needs that kind of perspective, and his name rhymes with Lodge Mucus... but I digress.) The way Kurosawa-sensei described his life - at least the way that he remembers it - it's as if fortunate things just happened to him. By his own account, he was a lazy slob who always happened to be in the the right place at the right time. It isn't false modesty either - it's stated just the way he saw it. And yet it's obvious that there was more than simply the hand of fate at work - Kurosawa-sensei refers only obliquely to this, but it's fairly clear that he worked pretty damn hard to get to where Fate could find him.
Kurosawa-sensei came from an era before film school, when fledgling directors entered the business armed only with a love of film and the willingness to work hard. I think that's what's missing from film school curriculums these days - at least the film schools that the current crop of directors come from. They spend all their time with their eyes glued to a viewfinder, and never seem to look up and experience the real world and let it inform their storytelling. But I digress again.
At the end of "Something Like..." are a few random notes on filmmaking, appropriately titled "Some Random Notes On Filmmaking." The final random note goes:
I am often asked why I don't pass on to young people what I have accomplished over the years. Actually, I would very much like to do so. Ninety-nine percent of those who worked as my assistant directors have now become directors in their own right. But I don't think any of them took the trouble to learn the most important things.
With this book, he has taught them. Now it is up to them to listen, and to learn.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:18 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Powerpuff Girls ala CLAMP?
Anime News Network reports on Sweet Valerians, a new anime with "concept and characters by CLAMP."
The story according to Babelfish:
Girl mosquito saw pop Kate normal you live in overhead city Ajarasotei in the research institute which goes for field attaching license acquisition, even accidentally the creature of puzzle (?) You can have an eye on ear Sein, is not field attaching license and being able to make Valerian license acquire it finishes.
Hiding, friend of the justice which protects the people from the hand of the demon of group stress group of badness "Relaxation squadron Valerian" was born! ! !
...
Or, as an actual speaker of Japanese put it, two girls go to get their moped licences, get issued Valerian licences instead, and transform into bunny rabbit mahou shoujo to fight the evil forces of stress. Or something like that.
I think I prefer Babelfish's translation...
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:06 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
July 14, 2004
Only in Osaka.
The World's Biggest Gundam Shop
Wonder if Pop Japan has any plans to expand to western Kyushu...
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 06:50 PM | Posted to | Comments (0)
making the connection
Finally figured out why Kurau looks so familiar. She looks a lot like Ghost in the Shell's Major Kusanagi (movie Kusanagi not Stand Alone Complex Kusanagi).
...Only Kurau has less boobage and keeps her clothes on.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 12:17 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
Gaiman vs McFarlane
Technically manga-related (wherein manga=comics): this case summary of Neil Gaiman's suit against Todd McFarlane regarding the ownership of Spawn makes for an enlightening but more importantly engaging treatise of work for hire. Judge Posner sure knows his comic books.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:37 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
July 13, 2004
Woohoo! Chrno Crusade R1 DVD!
September 21!
Chrono (Chrno) Crusade DVD 1 (Hyb): A Plague of Demons & Artbox - $39.99 MSRP
Based on the price, there may not be goodies. Sigh.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:55 PM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
Kurau Phantom Memory 1
Sometime in the the future (we know it's the future because there are flying cars and people live on the moon) genki 12-year-old Kurau Amami guilt-trips her scientist father into taking her to his lab when he forgets her birthday. A accident occurs that briefly dematerializes Kurau, and when she re-forms, it's obvious that she's not quite herself anymore. Something called a Rynax has moved in, and it doesn't know how to leave - and claims that Kurau herself summoned it. Kurau's father reluctantly agrees to help Rynax - and its "Tsui", a life partner of some kind - to find a way to separate from Kurau, in exchange for ensuring Kurau's safety.
In addition to a powerful story, boy does this show look gooooood. The meticulously realistic design, reminiscent of BONES' earlier RahXephon, lends an extra emotional depth to the characters that a more stylized scheme could not. The best animation is not in the smoothly rendered fight sequences, but in the quietly intense scenes of Kurau and her father as he struggles to come to terms with what his daughter has become.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:06 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
codec soup
It's probably totally unreasonable of me, but I wish the fansubbers would just pick one codec and stick with it, instead of switching to a new codec every week. It's not like the new codecs are doing anything to reduce file size or improve image/sound quality.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 06:31 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
top-selling manga
According to ICv2 News, the top-selling manga for Q2 2004 are:
1. Rurouni Kenshin*
2. Fruits Basket*
3. Tsubasa*
4. Trigun
5. Alice 19th
6. D.N.Angel
7. Negima
8. InuYasha*
9. Naruto
10. Megatokyo*
11. Xxxholic*
What is surprising to me personally is that I read 6 of the top 11 titles (and 5 of the top ten [note titles with asterisks]... and I plan to pick up Negima at some point). Does that make me the manga reader equivalent of the average American Idol viewer? 
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 05:01 PM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
robot art dream team
August will see robot, an upcoming manga anthology/artbook with Range "Last Exile" Murata AND Yoshitoshi "Haibane/Lain/Niea/other weird stuff" ABe among the featured artists. Murata is contributing the cover and a FC manga. Drool. A "Mie Nekoi" is also listed among the contributing artists - CLAMP's Mick Nekoi? Nah, that would be TOO perfect.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:03 AM | Posted to | Comments (0)
July 12, 2004
Samurai 7 3
First, a correction - I originally thought that none of the Samurai 7 seemed to be direct parallels of the original Shichinin. I decided to take a look at the original cast list again, and it turns out that their names are the same. Most tellingly, Kikuchiyo was the not-quite-samurai played by a young Toshiro Mifune. I knew there was something special about that boy.
Anyhoo. Episode 3.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:47 PM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
That's 6 hours of my life I'm never getting back
Well, the trains finally collided. I can't believe I watched 12 episodes of Aishiteruze Baby before finally giving up.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:37 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
GONZO having too much fun:)
Episode 3's "next time"* picture.:D
*at least I think that's what it says. I can't make out the middle kanji.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 07:20 PM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
Me want Samurai 7 DVD
According to the Samurai 7 Website, the first 2 episodes of Samurai 7 (unusually generous for a Japanese anime DVD) will be released on DVD Sept 29. There will be a special edition with goodies (about 8000 yen) and a regular disc-only edition (about 6000 yen). At this point it does not look like it will have English subtitles. (I base this on the lack of the kanji for "eigo" on the page.:) )
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:33 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
July 11, 2004
Samurai 7 1-2
But does it work? Well, the first few seconds looked like Last Exile and Sakura Taisen collided in mid-air and landed on the Princess Mononoke set. At first glance it's obvious that Gonzo's trying hard - maybe too hard - to create an epic. However, Kirara's quest is noble, and the samurai so far are all colorful and interesting. Kanbei - a cross between Qui-Gon Jinn and Han Solo - is clearly meant to be the lead, and Katsushirou's endearing in a puppyish kind of way, but the crotchety robot Kikuchiyo is by far the most fascinating. In a way he's symbolic of the entire universe that the series is set in. So, yes, it's worth following - just to see what else they come up with. (There's presumably loads of info on the official Samurai 7 site but it's all in Japanese.)
So with an impeccable pedigree, lush production values, and a strong start, the only thing that could hurt Samurai 7 is its insane broadcast schedule - depending on who you talk to, it's two episodes every other Saturday, or alternating two and four weeks between 2-episode blocks. And I thought Chrno Crusade's broadcast schedule was random. In any case, this show will have its work cut out for it just to hold on to an audience.
But despite all the hallmarks of a quality series, I think that the major R1 studios will take a while to decide if they will licence it - at a rumored $300k per episode, it's going to be an expensive investment.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:52 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
Super Doll Licca-Chan 1&2
To simplify things, doll Licca is Doll Licca and little girl Licca is just Licca. There, all clear now.
The plot is pure lil'shoujo candyfloss. Licca lives in an absurdly big (Barbie's Dream) house with her mother and grandmother. However! A mustachioed character named Scarecrow are after Licca so that they can take over a "Kingdom." This being lil'shoujo, of course, the Scarecrow's minions are more funny than evil, and Doll Licca always shows up at the end to save the day. (An unusual but still fairly predictable twist is that Doll Licca's strength is linked somehow to Licca's grandmother - who has the responsibility of "summoning" Doll Licca - and the old lady ain't getting any younger.) Toss in schoolmates with myriad crushes and a bishounen graduate student who just happens to be studying the very Kingdom that Scarecrow is plotting to take over, and voila! A big entertaining mess.
Super Doll Licca-chan gives off a definite 80's vibe. Everything is in pleasant pastels and fluorescents, and the music is bubblegummy pop - there seems to be only one song commissioned for this series, and it serves triple duty as OP, ED, and battle theme. THe most weirdly fascinating thing about this show is that 11-1/2" Doll Licca starts out in a snappy military-style uniform, but when she transforms to full size to save Licca, she turns into, uh, Punky Brewster's big sister with shaggy pink ponytails and a magic yo-yo.
You'd think it would be the other way around, but this is lil'shoujo after all... Also, the show is oddly... American. I could see it being translated to English with absolutely no problems or edits. The only thing would be to licence the Licca-chan, which wouldn't last long against Barbie.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 08:35 AM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
July 10, 2004
New on BitTorrent
Episodes 3&4 of Samurai 7 (is it 2 or 3 episodes that were aired Saturday night? I'll never be able to keep up with their crazy broadcast schedule). Lunar must have started subbing them as they were airing or something.
AF released a good episode 5 of Samurai Champloo. (There was an earlier version that was apparently translated to French first and then to English. It shows.)*
And Seichi quietly released Sensei no Ojikan 7.
I'm glad to see that the rash of dating-sim-based shows seems to have subsided for now... Hurrah for the antihistamines of good taste!!!
*You know a fansub is bad when even I can tell.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:34 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
What I'm Watching/Reading
So I thought I should begin by posting a list of the anime and manga I'm currently following.
(A) = Anime (M) = Manga
| Purchasing: Azumanga Daioh (A) Comic Party (A)(M) Last Exile (A) Chrono Crusade (M) Pitaten (M) Kindaichi Case Files (M) Aria (M) Hikaru no Go (M) (Gensoumaden) Saiyuki (A)(M) Master Keaton (A) ROD The TV (A) | Fansub/Scanlation: Samurai Champloo (A) Samurai 7 (A) Sensei no Ojikan (A) Hikaru no Go (A) Kurau Phantom Memory (A) Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (M) Yotsubato! (M) Aishiteruze Baby*(A) |
* Frankly, I'm watching this with the same sickened fascination that one has when watching two trains hurtling towards each other.
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:07 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Moved!
I've moved this blog to my own domain so as to avoid taking up space on what is supposed to be a shared site. Since I'm not doing much on this site anyway... ^_^;
--------
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:56 AM | Posted to | Comments (0)
