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August 30, 2004
irky things
While I am fully aware that it is beyond egotistical to believe that they are doing so just to annoy me, I find it irritating that certain allegedly professional media companies are apparently unable to furnish lists of products that they are purportedly to release in a month beginning less than a day from now.
Or,
WHEN IS BLEACH VOLUME 3 COMING OUT??!!! dammit.
And for that matter, WHERE'S HIKARU NO GO VOL 2?!
And for THAT matter, WHERE the HELL is YAMI NO MATSUEI???!!!
Seriously, they need take some people off Rurouni Kenshin and pay some attention to their other translation projects.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:46 PM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
Pappara funi funi...
Somehow I never thought of Dragon Half as a particularly Essential Anime, though ADV seems to think it is. Although it might be helpful to the remaining few anime fans who have no idea why people burst out laughing when Beethoven's seventh symphony comes on.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 05:27 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
me want toooyyyyy...
Animaxis is taking orders for a Maggie action figure from R.O.D -THE TV. Me waaaaaaaaant....
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 03:59 PM | Posted to | Comments (0)
August 28, 2004
Sakura Wars 5 cast
The Sakura Taisen mailing list has been buzzing lately since the names and faces of the New York Kagekidan for the 5th game were revealed... the consensus seems to be they're boring. Looking at the seiyuu talent lined up it looks like most of them are in an alto/contralto range and play generally calm, un-genki 
characters (the seiyuu for the main character, Gemini Sunrise, played Hikaru no Go's Akira Touya in another life)- with the exception of Momiji Souma's seiyuu, who plays yet another hyper character - so it'll be interesting to see what the result will be. Although on reflection, a nice low-pitched range of voices would surely be better than a bunch of sopranos squeaking throughout the game.
The only person I was really interested in was Ookawa Shinjirou, the player character replacing Oogami, and it turns out that not only is it Oogami's nephew, but he's a naval lieutenant (Oogami started out as an ensign). He's supposed to be 19, but they're drawing him really young and pretty. I thought he was one of the girls until I read a translation.
Perhaps an effort to bring in female players...? (although technically Shinjirou would be seen very rarely.)
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:33 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
August 26, 2004
speaka da devil
Episode descriptions for episodes 9 and 10 of Samurai 7 are up. Unfortunately since the site is in Flash, direct linking is no longer possible... so it's the third link in the menu on the side. gotta remember that. The kanji means "monogatari", or (fictional) "tale". I was a bit puzzled because there was supposed to be a new episode block this weekend, and the episode descriptions are usually up at the beginning of the week in such cases. I guess the switch to the Flash site threw their update schedule off a little.
I think I finally figured out how to read the damn schedule on the SkyPerfect site. If I'm reading this right, the new episodes are airing at 4am on Saturday... morning.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:51 PM | Posted to | Comments (0)
Bleach TV
Oh happy day! A Bleach anime is scheduled to begin October 5.
Alas, Viz is being coy about when vol 3 will be out. phooey on them.
(Fumiko Orikasa will be Rukia. According to ANN she was Kim Hotaru in RahXephon, Hikari in Haibane Renmei, Pacifica in Scrapped Princess, and is currently Kirara in Samurai 7, among many other things. Busy girl. I have a very good feeling about this.)
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:41 PM | Posted to Bleach | Comments (0)
The Amazing Disappearing Anime Movie
So I just saw a graph (AnimeChecklist.net) that illustrates the number of anime productions since 1917. According to the graph, over the years anime OAV and series production have fluctuated constantly while movie production has remained more or less constant. It's only recently that movie production has steadily decreased while series and OAVs are on an upswing.
I believe that this the direct result of audiences turning away from theatrical anime to watching it on the increasing number of television channels (thanks to cable, satellite and so on). Although movies continue to be made, they are more likely to be extensions of TV series than self-contained works. It's probably too early to predict what this means for the future of theatrical anime - but as long as Studio Ghibli's around, we can be assured that there'll be at least one full-length anime movie to enjoy every 3 years.:)
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 01:25 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
August 25, 2004
AAAAAAAAA!!!
After I got discs 1-3, Bandai FINALLY announces a Tsukikage Ran Complete Collection!!!
*sob*
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:16 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
gaijin no me
A random observation about anime design memes:
Even in realistically designed anime, Japanese characters always have rounder eyes than non-Japanese characters. Consider Hikaru in Hikaru no Go, whose eyes are bigger and rounder than those of all the foreign players at the amateur championships, including the merkins and Germans. (Interestingly, the Chinese and Korean players are depicted realistically, with narrow eyes. Yun-sensei's eyes are practically slits most of the time.)
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 01:04 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
August 24, 2004
priorities skewed on Adult Swim
Just noticed this last night...
The American stuff on Adult Swim (Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, SeaLab) really is for adults (well, seriously immature adults, anyway). NONE of that is suitable for children. And yet it's shown at a time when kids are more likely to be up. The anime (InuYasha, Case Closed...OK, maybe not Cowboy Bebop) is IMHO fine for kids, and yet it's shown after midnight.
Do the schedulers even WATCH the shows?
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 04:41 PM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
August 23, 2004
dissonance
Hm. I finally got my hands on the (a?) full version of Unlimited, but as far as I can tell, the lyrics in the TV-size version aren't even in it. Usually when a pop song is adapted for OP they take a verse and the chorus, but in this case they just took the tune. Most odd. Hope they'll issue the TV-size as a single or a track on the OST (I think it's too much to hope for them to record a full-size TV version).
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:48 AM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
August 22, 2004
Kikuchiyo-size Samurai 7 review!
Now that I've shaken the dust of Otakon off my shoes, it's time to gather my thoughts about the past 4 episodes of Samurai 7.
As predicted in the preview for episode 5, Heihachi is next to join the merry band. His intro is almost word for word with the movie (except for the fact he's cutting wood with his actual sword - tsk!).
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However, as the Kirara-ikkou welcome their 5th samurai, things take an unexpected twist in episode 6 as the Imperial messenger is murdered in Maro's palace. The murder weapon is, conveniently, a katana - which gives Maro the perfect excuse to round up all the samurai in town, dead or alive. Kikuchiyo proves once again that being nigh indestructible sure helps. Meanwhile, Kirara falls off something again (someone tether that girl down!), and this time it's Katsushirou to the rescue. He's clearly getting better at this defending stuff. Will she start to warm up to him?
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I found this interesting because it shows that Heihachi's little paper doll has a sarcastic little face. (No, he doesn't always have a little Kikuchiyo on there! geez!)
See, those little dolls are usually hung from the eaves to ask for rain or shine (Upside down asks for rain, head up asks for sunshine); usually they don't have faces. I guess it shows Heihachi's warped sense of humor at work.
Episode 7 brings in Shichiroji, and .... a new OP sequence! And it's definitely an improvement over the first one, which looked like it was thrown together at the last minute from what footage existed when someone realized "oh yeah, we need something to go under the opening song." 
The animation style went wacky in the first ten minutes, too - I'm not sure if it was supposed to convey the dreamlike state of that particular region, or if the animation QA was just asleep at the wheel. (cf Animation Runner Kuromi 2.) It's as if they were going for the effect of that episode of Samurai Champloo when the marijuana fields were set on fire and everything went groooooovy. I can't figure out if they did it on purpose because the keyframes are still one's and two's.
Shichiroji's situation is interesting. He's the only one who built a life, whereas the other samurai seem content to be drifters. The producers better give him the same ending as movie Shichiroji.
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Does everyone except Kirara think that she and Katsushirou would make a cute couple? Poor Katsu-no-oji. For a chick magnet he's really not very experienced at this ladies' man business.
And I'm not putting in any screencaps of the bath scene because this isn't that kind of blog.
Episode 8 serves to illustrate, once again, that this series is not so much a remake of the movie than it is a deconstruction and reassembly. They've managed to keep the main plot points fairly consistent, while introducing new and intriguing plot elements to stretch the 2-hour movie plot out to 10+ hours. Plus whoever's designing the production is definitely channelling the Star Wars prequel production designers - in a good way.
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(Is it unfair of me to suggest that if Lucas had brought in some real manga and anime writers to work in Episodes 1 and 2, those films might not have reeked as much? But I digress.)
So our heroes, still on the run (I like how I can actually differentiate between the parts of the run), escape to an underground city where even Maro's men don't dare follow. (Well, maybe Ukyou would. But he's dumb.) For the first time we get an inkling that the Nobuseri might not be completely invincible, which is balanced with an unnerving display of just how deeply they've managed to intimidate the farmers. Oh yeah, first blood is drawn from the samurai ranks, and poor Katsushirou gets the short straw. Because of this (or maybe in spite of it) Kanbei finally deigns to accept him into the ranks.
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Now, since Katsushiro, Kanbei and Kikuchiyo were drafted in episode 1, Gorobee was picked up in episode 3, Heihachi shows up in episode 5, and Shichiroji joins up in episode 7, Kyuuzou should finally turn in episode 9.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:22 PM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
August 21, 2004
Flash is evil
Oh cripes. The official SAMURAI 7 site has relaunched and it's now all Flash all the time. Before, at least I could count on the status bar to give me at least a clue about what I was clicking on, but now I am practically blind. What's more, they've replaced some of the kana with kanji, so I'm really struggling with reading now.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to memorize where everything is and hope they don't redesign again.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 03:39 PM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
The power of Bleach
I heard the young moderns talking about this one before it was picked up by Viz. And seeing the first 2 volumes at $7.95 AND having a coupon for 25% PLUS it being triple Replay point weekend, I just couldn't pass it up.
Story: Orange-haired Ichigo (yes, "strawberry" - those wacky Japanese) Kurosaki is a high school boy who can see ghosts. One day a girl appears in his room to fight off a "hollow" - those evil spirits who devour souls - and is incapacitated while saving Ichigo. Desperately she passes half her shinigami powers to Ichigo so he can save his family, but after the beast is dispatched, they find that she's accidentally given him all of it. The girl, Rukia, decides that until her powers can be restored, Ichigo has to take over her shinigami duties. So she takes human form, moves into Ichigo's closet, and begins the training. Violence and hilarity ensue.
At the center of every great manga are the personalities of the main characters, and there's a nice mix in this one. Ichigo tries hard to be a badass, but he just can't stop helping ghosts and small animals. Rukia has lived at least ten lifetimes and is all experienced and cool, but is fiercely devoted to protecting human souls and is helpless in the face of cute bunnies. It's sort of like seeing Kyo and Hana team up to fight evil spirits.
Because this is a shonen manga, there has to be some fanservice. And so Ichigo is secretly crushed on by the girl with the biggest boobs in class who in turn is being pursued by the resident class lesbian. But she actually gets a good story early on and the fanservice is not as persistent as a Ken Akamatsu manga (since, after all, the fanservice is not the point of the story, as it is in all of KA's stuff). So I suppose one can live with the spandex school uniform blouses.
In between the fights with hollows and the spats between Ichigo and Rukia, there are some intriguing ideas about the disposition of souls after death. The sketchy artwork takes some getting used to, but the intriguing premise more than makes up for it. I look forward to seeing how this proceeds - apparently it's still running in Japan's Shounen Jump, so there's a ways yet to go.
I wonder why evil spirits in Japan are always covered in stripes?
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:57 AM | Posted to Bleach | Comments (0)
August 20, 2004
tee hee hee
ooooOOOoooo!
[sings]Hayasaka and Largo, sittin' in a tree...
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 03:25 PM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
Manga outsells American graphic novels
According to ICV2, 47 of the top 50 graphic novels in the US this week are manga, with the top 37 spots being all manga titles. Fruits Basket #4 (with Shigure on the cover!!!)is the number one selling graphic novel.
Probably no surprise. If the mainstream bestseller lists deigned to include graphic novels in their listings, I bet manga would come in pretty high there too.
I don't think we're reached the point where gray-suited businessmen are reading Ruruoni Kenshin on their morning commute to their jobs on Wall Street - but thirty years down the road, who knows?
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 03:10 PM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
August 19, 2004
I knew it!
I just knew Layla wasn't inherently evil. Vol 4 is too far away.
I must say, though, that Kaleido Star's mascot characters are duds. Jonathan, aside from having a ridiculous name, is so obviously engineered for merchandising that any charm he has seems cynically calculated. And Fool is a one-trick pony - that ecchi side gets real old. (I get the feeling he's just there to prove that tarot cards are bunk.) (But if he is, what about his assertion that Sora is destined for greatness?) (Hm, maybe he's using tea leaves for that prediction.)
ooh ooh, I nominate Ken for the Kaleido Star mascot. 
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 08:19 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
August 18, 2004
8/18 MegaTokyo
Good gravy! All the seemingly unconnected chaos was actually leading up to a point! And a good one, too!
Keep it up, Piro - you're doing GREAT!
(This is one of those story arcs that's going to look much better in the collection without all the DPD/SGD interruptions. I'm glad Piro has set the precedent of compiling the omake separately from the story strips. Would that more webcomic artists would do the same when confronted with the opportunity of putting their work in hard copy.)
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:16 AM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
August 16, 2004
truths of downloading
If you start 2 Bittorrent downloads of 2 episodes of the same series at the same time, the later episode will always proceed 40% faster than the earlier episode, and finish 4 hours ahead.
*sigh*
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:07 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Uichi Buredo?
Anime news sites are buzzing about the news that Gonzo is going to produce an anime based on Top Cow's Witchblade comic property, but will replace Sara whatserface (a NYC cop I think - one of those gritty urban professionals) with a Japanese character. Gee. Wonder if all those otaku who scream bloody murder whenever a foreign property is adapted with a blonde gwailo replacing the lead character are going to squawk about this one. (not that I'm saying it's right to replace the lead character willy-nilly to attract a whider audience.)
Personally, I always regarded Witchblade as one of those comics that displays busty women armored with +20 Bulletproof Nudity to get adolescent males to buy them. I understand there was a TV show, but then the lead actress checked into rehab, and... yeah. 
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 04:26 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
August 15, 2004
They added a catgirl...
...to Sakura Wars.
Sakura Taisen V characters
And I though Gemini whatserface was wacked out.
I wonder who that narrow-eyed person is below Gemini's picture? The American version of Kayama? (With my luck it's a girl.) And is the horse going to be Gemini's koubu?
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:54 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
August 14, 2004
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
(Yes, this is anime. In that the term means animation.)
"Foster's Home" really is one of the most charming things to come out of Cartoon Network lately. Basically it's about a little boy, Mac, who's forced to give up his imaginary friend (a blue thing called - well, Blue) because he's 8 years old and his mother thinks that his immaturity, represented by the presence of Blue, is the reason his brother is picking on him. (Adults. ) Then Blue sees a late night TV commercial about Foster's Home, and persuades Mac to take him there. However, Foster's Home is really a kind of imaginary friend shelter, where imaginary friends await adoption by kids not creative enough to make one up. Everybody at Foster's are really nice people, and feel really bad about this, but Blue can't be an exception... or can he?
At this point I'm not sure if it's going to be an anthology of kids and imaginary friends, or if it's going to stay about Mac and Blue. I'm guessing Mac and Blue will continue to be the focus. Which is fine. Mac's a good kid and Blue's very cute. Older siblings may object to the portrayal of Mac's older brother, but hey. I thought that it perfectly captured exactly how older siblings look like to younger siblings. So deal.
It looks kind of like Jay Ward's Fractured Fairy Tales, with the curly backgrounds, but it's from Craig McKracken, the real Professor X of the Powerpuff Girls. Lots of in-jokes of course (MOJO JOJO!!!), and you really feel an affection for the cartoons of yesteryear coming through.
THe only thing wrong with last night's episode is that it felt like it dragged on too long (it was, actually, a 90-minute pilot movie). If this were a Japanese anime series they would well have cut it up into 3 parts with no problem, but I guess attention-challenged American kids just can't deal with that kind of waiting. 
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:05 AM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
August 12, 2004
~bounce~
Tokyopop is releasing translated versions of CLAMP's classic North Side and South Side Art Books! Street date is January 11 2005.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 04:37 PM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
Cardboard Tube Usagi!
Stan Sakai, TNGIC* drew a Very Special sketch of Usagi for Penny Arcade's Gabe (scroll down the page past the Doom3 and PAX posts).
* The Nicest Guy In Comics.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:37 AM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
August 11, 2004
Samurai Seven 7 & 8 this weekend!
Wai! Spoilerstuff for episodes 7 and 8 are up on the official site! No screencaps though. Either Gonzo is behind, or they're trying to keep something under wraps (like, oh... someone's return?) Or they saw my last post about spoilers.
At last count:
Katsushirou, Kanbei, Kikuchiyo, Gorobei, Heihachi, and Kyuuzou (eventually). Just Shichiroji to go!
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 07:52 PM | Posted to Samurai 7 | Comments (0)
Aria Drama CD
Aria Drama CD scheduled for release 8/25.
Quite an all-star cast they've got lined up (Kaori Mizuhashi, Kikuko Inoue, Megumi Hayashibara, et al.). I'm guessing these will play Akari, Alicia and Aika respectively. I wonder if Akatsuki will be in it. Hope they get Aya Hisakawa to play Aria-Shachou.
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 07:19 PM | Posted to Aria | Aria_All | Comments (0)
Yay, more Planetes!
For some reason I thought it ended at vol 3. Apparently there are two more volumes to go, though technically it is Volume 4 in two parts. (Why not just call it Volumes 4 and 5 then?! Isn't 4, like, an unlucky number?!)
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:40 AM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
Kinokuniya dotcom observations
I've just noticed that Kinokuniya's New York site is all in Japanese - indeed, all their US BookWeb location sites (East Coast and West Coast) are entirely in Japanese.
Whereas if you go to their various other country locations (S'pore, M'sia, Thailand, Oz) they're all in English. (Searching for Japanese books brings up Japanese results, though.) Most puzzling. I guess the US stores are more tightly targeted at a Japanese-reading audience.
A note for those visiting the Rockefeller Center Kinokuniya in NY - the manga is UPSTAIRS. I wasted a good half-hour searching for the manga section (having only a precious hour before closing time!!!) before finally noticing the stairs. I suppose it's so that grown-ups can browse the manga without getting funny looks.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:47 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
August 10, 2004
Kozue Amano's Website!!!
Amano Company
And her cat cosplays!
Now I want an Aria cap for Ginger...
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 05:30 PM | Posted to Aria | Aria_All | Comments (0)
Aha!
Double bonus! Aria AND Tactics!
Natsume Goushin Ryu 16-29 February 2004 news
(I hope Aria will also include the story in AQUA. On a scarier note, my previous blog entry is now showing up in the Google hits for "Amano Kozue Aria". Fortunately not too high up...)
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 03:53 PM | Posted to Aria | Aria_All | Comments (0)
an Aria anime?!
I read yesterday on a Googled edition of Natsume Maya's blog that there will be an Aria anime sometime in Jan-April 2005, but I can't find the entry today. 
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 01:28 PM | Posted to Aria | Aria_All | Comments (1)
August 09, 2004
pull the other one, it has got bells on
Anime Network's 'Pull the Switch' Campaign
Quote: "Looking to fill your anime need? The Anime Network is now beaming 24 hours a day on satellite. Cable companies can easily pull it down so it's up to you to tell your cable provider you want it. Feedback from customers is the #1 way that cable and satellite providers decide which new channels to add to the line up. Make your voice heard. Demand your anime."
...So they can add it exclusively to their digital channel lineup and charge me an additional $40 to watch dubbed, edited anime?
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 03:50 PM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
August 08, 2004
If Muhammad doesn't go to the mountain, etc.
Well, I got it. Hopefully it won't bring the wrath of Mag Garden/ADV/Kozue Amano down upon my head. But hey, if they REALLY wanted it they should've bought it in the first frickin' place...
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:58 PM | Posted to Aria | Aria_All | Comments (0)
Throwing caution to the wind
I just realized that I'm currently buying DVDs for shows that I've never seen on TV or in fansub. The last time I did this was for... let me see... Gasaraki, I think. (Oh, how well I recall praying that the ending wouldn't suck!) And Excel Saga, but at least that didn't have the potential of emotional scarring. General brain scarring, well, that's another matter.
On the other hand, although I am buying the DVDs of shows I've seen in fansub, I'm not actually watching them as quickly. I have a stack of Last Exile and Saiyuki DVDs that I am waiting to "get in the right mood" to watch. (Also because the Saiyuki dub is so godawful AWFUL, I can't use it as background noise.) Oh well, at least I'm buying the damn things and supporting the anime industry...
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:34 AM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
August 07, 2004
LA-deez and GENtlemen! CHILDren of all AGES!
When I was a kid I loved Enid Blyton's "Come to the Circus!", a novel about a timid little girl who is taken in by her uncle and aunt, who work in a circus. However, despite Blyton's romanticized (and sanitized 
) vision of circus life, I never felt a particular need to run away and join the circus myself.
Just recently, I discovered Kaleido Star, through the Newtype dvd sampler. (I supposed those things are good for SOME things after all...) Naegino Sora, a talented gymnast, has always dreamed of joining Kaleido Stage, a Cirque de Soleil-type circus which captivated her as a child. So she travels all the way to America to audition,gets her suitcase stolen, performs some amazing street acrobatics to get it back, gets taken in by the cops because of her age, convinces them that she's no runaway, is returned to Kaleido Stage by a friendly cop who declares himself her first fan, and... misses the audition. All this happens in the first half of the first episode. Yes, it's frenetic. However, a chance encounter allows her to audition in the middle of a performance, and with that Sora is welcomed into Kaleido Stage (though not with open arms, as we are to see in upcoming episodes...)
The characteristic animation designs by Hajime "Animation Runner Kuromi" Watanabe quickly drew me into this weirdly fascinating technicolor anime. As befitting a circus atmosphere, GONZO Digimation brings a sparkly, otherworldly quality to the production. But as always, it all comes down to character personality, and there's plenty to go around. Sora is your usual genki shoujo heroine with guts and persistence to spare (she reminds me of Tohru). Later on we meet Anna, a serious-looking trainee acrobat who really wants to be a clown, and Mia, who's... er... there to make up the triumvirate. I guess we'll get to see more about her later on. Then there's ice queen Layla, who disapproved of Sora's unorthodox adoption into Kaleido Stage, but oddly enough she does not give off an Evil Bitch vibe as much as a Perfectionist Diva "I won't let this circus be ruined" vibe. She clearly recognizes talent when she sees it, and rather than try to extinguish Sora's spark, she somehow encourages it. In her own, er, special way.
A warning for those who get the DVD - DON'T read the character descriptions, they contain HUGE spoilers. I just can't look at Yuri the way Sora does now.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:29 AM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
August 06, 2004
do I really need another domain?
I'm sorely tempted to buy a certain domain that isn't registered yet, just because it's not registered yet, and because I could do some really great things with it.
Yes, this is manga-related.
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:57 AM | Posted to Aria | Aria_All | Comments (0)
MegaGear LIVES!!! Really.
Seems the new Megatokyo online store crashed within minutes after opening on Saturday because Piro had greatly underestimated the traffic. Silly Piro, when are you going to realize that there are thousands of otaku out there who really do WANT to give you money???
Anyway, it's back up now.
http://www.megagear.com/
I see quite a few things on there I want for Christmas. I think I'll wait till they make Sad Girl in Snow available on a sweatshirt before ordering that one, though.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:39 AM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
August 05, 2004
Voice Actors In Bed!
Stumbled across DVD Vision Japan's really quite amusing interview with the voice actors at Otakon 2004. Woo woo indeed!
Here's one question I would like to ask Monica Rial or Chris Patton sometime: When they're cast in the same anime, why are they almost always cast as couples?
Gasaraki - Yushiro & Miharu
RahXephon - Ayato & Haruka
Chrono Crusade - Joshua & Fiore
...or am I missing something glaringly obvious?
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 01:05 PM | Posted to Anime, American Style | Comments (0)
Aria artbook
Argh! I saw this at Sasuga Books' booth!
Alpha - Kozue Amano Illustrations
I wish I'd thought to pick it up....(ah well, I couldn't have afforded it anyway.... It concerns me that I own books that cost more than my shoes on any given day.)
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:02 AM | Posted to Aria | Aria_All | Comments (0)
August 04, 2004
Vroom Vroom
It seems Lupin's car is going to be featured in an exhibition. I wonder if it can climb sideways up a cliff at a 100-degree angle?
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 08:45 PM | Posted to | Comments (0)
what do I like?
Lately I've been trying to figure out what draws me to the kind of anime I watch. For others, it seems to be so simple. They just like yaoi, or they like action, or they like big boobies (or conversely, hordes of pretty boys. I like one pretty boy at a time. Hordes of them give me hives).
My likes are hard to categorize. I do know what I don't like. I really don't like fan service of any kind. Once the fan service gets in the way of the plot, it's outta there. I also generally don't like the teenager saves the world plot. I despise soap operas. I don't like the Gundams very much. And I am one of the (very, apparently) few who don't think that Evangelion is the greatest artistic accomplishment of the human race.
The stuff I do like includes Tsukikage Ran, Hikaru no Go, RahXephon, Haibane Renmei, Azumanga Daioh, Gasaraki, Kodocha, PitaTen, Big O, Sakura Wars, Last Exile, Read or Die, Witch Hunter Robin, Cardcaptor Sakura, Inu Yasha, Comic Party, Samurai 7, .hack//SIGN, LIMINALITY and DUSK, the Miyazaki films, Aria, Someday's Dreamers, Cooking Master Boy, Ah! My Goddess, Saiyuki, XXXholic, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Kindaichi, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou ...
... I am staring at that list and trying to find the common thread, and I just can't see one. I guess my taste could be said to be very mainstream and esoteric at the same time.
Maybe that just says more about anime than about me.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 08:10 PM | Posted to Anime/Manga | Comments (0)
Chef Sakai :: Welcome
Welcome indeed! This appears to be the official Iron Chef Sakai site.
ChefSakai.com
That reminds me, I've been remiss in stalking Morimoto and Kobe. I need their autographs to complete my Iron Chef book.
Then of course I will also need to get the autographs of Rtd ICs Nakamura, Ishinabe, and the elusive Michiba. Thank goodness there's always only been one Iron Chef Chinese - and I got his autograph already!.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 01:08 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
August 03, 2004
Aria #2
The more I read of life on Neo-Venezia, the more I want to move there.
Hmmm...does Akatsuki like Akari?
Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 03:24 PM | Posted to Aria_All | Aria_All | Comments (0)
Practically on my doorstep!
More and more it seems, the stars are aligning in a path that points towards home.
Goerge Lucas opens Singapore studio (Reuters UK)
Although it remains to be seen if the studio will be merely a glorified sweatshop.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 02:06 PM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
August 02, 2004
Ghost in the Shell 2nd edition!
I am SO glad I resisted the temptation to buy this at Otakon. w00t!
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 10:20 PM | Posted to Manga Manga | Comments (0)
Otakon Loot
At last count!
Manga:
Fruits Basket vol 4 - cuuuute Shigure puppy on the back!
Aria #2 - Sweet quiet joy. Now will ADV PLEASE licence Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou*???
Negima #1 - 
PlanetES #3 - Omedeto Hachi & Tanabe!!!:) ...What, there's a volume 4?!
Sakura Wars #3 - will someone PLEASE licence this....
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle #6 - Pretty Yukito cover.~____~
Comic Party #2 (series) - Definitely different from the anime.
Comic Party #2 (doujin edition) - urh... I suddenly feel more confident in my doujin skills.
CDs:
Last Exile Soundtrack #2 -
R.O.D. Soundtrack -
Big O OP/ED single - no, I don't have it up for download. Apologies in advance to everyone who finds this through Google. Ya know what, go order it from Anime Audio. SUPPORT LEGAL CDs dammit!!!
Haibane Renmei Image Album - peaceful and mellow as expected. although every other song seems to be performed by the same girl who did "Blue Flow."
DVDs:
Kaleido Star #1 + box - I liked the first episode a lot.
Azu #3 - Do I really have to say anything more about the joy this show brings me? PLUS a free Necoconeco pin!!!
Comic Party #4 - It is DONE!!!
Last Exile #5. :)
Misc:
Haibane Renmei wall scroll
2 Tsubasa and 1 Last Exile pencil boards - WAI!!!
1 Tsubasa and 1 XXXholic plastic folders - pretty pretty pretty...
2 Deleter manga background collections -
GETA!!!! (Bonus point: they scare my cat!)
Best freebies: Geneon's moist towelettes. Others were going for Viz's tacky totes, but I thought Geneon's giftee was far more practical. If you want a tote, pledge to PBS, is all I have to say.
*I was surprised to see that Sasuga had a stack of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou artbooks in their booth. Even more surprised to go back on Sunday and see that they were all gone. Maybe there's hope.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:37 PM | Posted to Conventions | Comments (0)
Washington Post Express, are you listening?
Scott Kurtz is offering PVP to newspapers for free.
This is the PERFECT opportunity to replace that back page Monty imitator.
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 11:48 AM | Posted to Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Otakon Redux
Shoulda brought ramen cups.
Really, that IS all I learned from Otakon this year.
Hi Betty!
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Posted by Innocent Sidekick of Evil at 09:26 AM | Posted to | Comments (0)
