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Hi so the article portion of this site was not working so I wasn't able to do any writing on anything, because it wasn't being fixed. I understand now that creator is refurbishing this website to make it better, and as such has got the article section working again. The downside is of course I've gotten behind on my writing, but I'll think I'll just do a short review article for all the anime I've watched since last time I wrote to expedite the process. In fact I may even shorten up my anime reviews so I don't spend too much time on time, unless the mood takes me at the moment. In the meantime, my diminished experience at Sakura Con has inspired me to do more cosplays again and I already have two planned, both have been delayed for a while but should finally come to light this summer. And more to follow. So that's what's been going on.

Lupin the 3rd, series 3

 

Lupin is at it again with his usual gang of thieves and Zenigata always trailing close behind. Whether it's looking for meteorite made of gold, getting involved with a young sick heiress to her dad's priceless artwork or tangling with some lady pirate looking for old Spanish treasure, Lupin never stops until he gets what he wants.

 

80's anime.

 

 

Ladies Versus Butlers

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) March 7th, 2017 at 7:03 PM

Hi folks I took a break from writing anime reviews to celebrate Emerald City Comic Con, which was a lot of fun. Also I have a bit of cold too, plus I also have to write an essay this week for this online class I'm taking, that's due next Monday. I'll be back to watching more anime come the 13th, prepping for Sakura Con (which is one of the reasons I've been watching so much anime), and writing. ECCC review will come AFTER I get to GGC '16. Plus ECCC photos will be up soon. So busy! check you later...

Saekano

Tomoya Aki is an otaku, loving anime, dating games and other related fandoms. One day walking down a street, he finds a white hat flying in the wind. He manages to get the hat and give back to its owner--a pretty girl his age. He is stunned by her beauty, and just then he has an epiphany to create a dating sim game to his likeing featuring that girl. But he has to find some local talent who'd be willing to help him. His search leads to Eriri, a half Japanese American who is the best art student in school and also a dojinshi creator. Tomoya has the inspiration for the game but can't remember what the girl looked like, which doesn't impress Eriri nor does it seem to be something to be taken seriously. He also finds the smartest girl in the school Utaha who is also already a popular novelist. listening to Tomoya's idea, she doesn't find it all too original and also balks at the idea of helping him. Tomoya is desperate but finally runs into the girl who's hat he returned, Megumi. She doesn't seem to enthusiastic about the idea as she doesn't know anything about anime, games or otakudom, plus she doesn't have sifinificant traits that would make her stand out. Eriri and Utaha begin a conflicting rivalry and both agree to help Tomoya design the game to try to outdo each other. They are unimpressed with Tomoya's drafts and are losing interest in the idea. They give him a deadline, though he may not make it in time. Eriri and Utaha both try to talk him out of it, but then later Megumi says the 2 girls helped her in trying to become the girl Tomoyo envisions in the game. All agree to help create the game, with Tomoya shooting for a debut at Winter Comiket...

 

This is another anime about an otaku, in this case a dating sims game fan who wants to make his own game. It's interesting how the creators of this series depict Tomoyo the otaku as not very likeable, obssessive (like a otaku can be), obnoxious and even a little creepy. He knows what he wants for the game and when others tell him otherwise he strongly and loudly disagrees and tells them how it should be and why. As the series goes along though, we can see how devoted and hopeful he is to get to his goal, even taking several jobs to raise the funds for the game project. So it's completely understandable that the 2 talented girls don't want anything to do with him at first, while the inspiration for the game, Megumi, is completely clueless about his world of otakudom. Fortunately for the 2 girls, they don't want to be outdone by each other and are touched by Megumi who says they helped her. Eriri is a loudmouth and irritable, while Utaha is calm cool and will point out your faults and flaws to you. It may not sound like the ideal team to make a game, but in the anime world it's perfect. Like I said it took a little while to warm up to Tomoyo, but once they decide to go with the project, I'm eager to see how it will unfold and if they can make their goal. It could have been all laughs but the character interaction, the conflicting personalities and devotion make for some interesting interaction I think. Besides the character designs are pretty cute and animation is smooth. I look forward to the conclusion, not just to see if they can make the game, but also to see if they will learn something from each other and even like, get along...?! Thumbs up.

 

Yuki Yuna is a Hero

 

Yuna, Mimori, Fu and Itsuki all attend Sanshu middle school and are members of the "Hero Club." The club's specialty is to help out anyone who needs it and in any way, be it fellow students, clubs, local events and anything else. One day there is a strange occurrence: all 4 are caught in a bright explosion of light, then find themseleves in a bizarre forest where strange and deadly monsters attack them. Fu and Itsuki then explain that they know what's going on--the creatures called Vertex and they aim to destroy something called Shinju which protects humanity. Fu tells the other 2 to explain, while they use a special app on their phones to transform into warriors with special powers and weapons to fight the Vertex. Yuna is about to leave when she sees the 2 in peril, and soon the Vertex are attacking them too. She summons up the courage and bravery to also transform into a warrior. The 3 band together to destroy the core of the Vertex, and everyone returns to the real world. Fu explains they've been tasked by an organization called Taisha to defeat the Vertex which number up to 12. Mimori feels bad that she can't help because she is wheelchair bound and is upset that Fu has kept everything a secret. When the Vertex attack again and go after Yuna, Mimori summons up her courage and transforms into a warrior, with the ribbons of her outfit acting as stilt-like leg replacements, and all succeeding to defeat the Vertex. Later on they receiver help from another warrior named Karin, who can defeat the monsters singlehandedly and deems the other 4 unsuitable for the job at hand, but doesn't get along with the others, at first. Soon though Fu receives messages from Taisha that things could get worse for the Hero Club...

 

Oh I definitely got a very heavy Magica Modoka vibe from this series, with magical girl warriors with awesome weapons, a strange netherworld with bizarre creatures out to destroy you. Also the serious tone of the battles and dangers also stem from that series, including the story heading towards more serious peril for the characters or even worse. So why not just watch that series again? I think what sets apart this series from something else is probably it's characters, but I think the one important character to make note of is Mimori, whom I believe is the first heroine I've seen in a japanese anime that is wheelchair bound. This is a great idea to include a character confined to wheelchair who overcomes that hindrance to become a hero just like her friends who have the luxury to still use their legs. This could inspire hope for real kids in wheelchairs who watch this series: never give up on your dreams, you can still do what you want to do in life even with a handicap, nothing is impossible. I thought at first her warrior powers would heal her legs, but no that doesn't happen which is more realistic. Her warrior outfit becomes a substitute for her legs, which I thought was really clever. Of course the focus is on Yuna who is cute and brave and has a pretty cool costume and weapon to use. And I like the 2 sisters who protect each other, with one still learning the ropes. As for Karin, she is unlikable at first but then learns that's okay to be friends with her "inexperienced" warrior friends. She's actually a typical character in anime nowadays, the one who "changes," but she still works and provides a bit of balance to the characters. I also like the fact they use a phone app to transform, as opposed to a magic pen or wand like other magical girls. Yes you've seen this all before, but there is some originality to it. Marginal thumbs up.

 

Gourment Girl Graffiti

Ryo has been living by herself since her grandmother died, who taught her how to cook for herself and make wonderful dishes. Whenever she eats them though, they taste bland to her.  Her second cousin Kirin, comes to the city--against her mother's protests--to study at cram school. Ryo offers her to stay with her, and this gives her an opportunity for more cooking practices. To her delightful surprise, Kirin loves her cooking, and when she tries it herself, it IS delicious. After eating more of her cooking, Kirin theorizes that food tastes better when it's shared with others. Ryo now looks forward for more cooking for Kirin and herself. Kirin becomes closer to Ryo like a real family member, though she gets jealous when Ryo's school friend Shiina visits or hangs out with them, who is more chummy with Ryo. The 3 together eventually hang out more at Ryo's place, making wonderful dishes to sample and try. On her own one day, Ryo also realizes her food tastes better when thinking of loved ones, particularly her late grandmother. And so she looks forward to Kirin and others to return and share food with them... 

 

This 4 panel manga inspired anime is pretty straight forward, wholesome entertainment for anime fans that like Japanese food, and what anime fan doesn't (well most of them anyway)? There's no fan service, panty shots, no things bouncing around--you could call it "decent?" Well, I mean that a family could watch it together. It is always more pleasant to have a meal with a friend or family, so perhaps--though I can't confirm it--that it tastes better when in company with others.  Good times call for good food, right? Mostly I think of special occasions when it comes to eating together.  But anyway the series is pretty harmless with really no questionable content. We do get extreme closeups of the characters putting food into their mouths, licking their lips and so on. I'm not sure what they intended with that, but I gather it's about savoring the moment of ingesting the food into your mouth, when you taste it and get pleasure out of it, and nothing really else. This is mostly about friends and family enjoying food together because it's a way to connect and getting to know each other. I guess it could be also an escape from the "real world," when things don't go right, like when Ryo doesn't do well on one of her tests, that she can retreat to food. All that aside the animation is standard above average quality for a tv series, cute character designs and there are some touching and humorous moments besides all that food stuff. Maybe it could have had some more humor here and there. It's great to watch though I thought it was slightly static. I still recommend it of course. Thumbs up.

 

Uta no Prince-sama

 

This anime series, based on a hit visual novel/game, tells the tale of student Haruka who dreams of becoming a great song composer, maybe composing a song for her favorite idol--the chipper and friendly Hayato. She enrolls into the prestigious Saotome academy where all great wannabe composers learn the tricks of the trade. She meets and befriends two handsome students on enrollment day, the friendly Otoya and the seductive Jinguji. After successfully passing the entrance exam, she begins to make herself at home at the academy. A stray black cat leads her to a meeting with someone who resembles Hayato, though he is not very friendly to Haruka. It turns out it's Ichinose, Hayto's twin brother. Haruka faces an early problem as she realizes even though she can play piano, she can't read music. This motivates her to learn to read music in a short amount of time, and rumors spread as how she was able to get into the academy without that musical knowlege. The students pair up as instructed to write a song together, and it's through the comfort and motivation of friendly Otoya that helps her come up with a song for the class. However she freezes up when trying to play piano because of the constant rumors being spread. The serious Masato understands her pain and comes to her aid with his own song. Soon Haruka is touched and moved by several of the male students, which brings out the best in her as well as them...

 

The "otome" visual novel games the anime is based on is similar to like a dating sim game but geared for girls. Remember the Sakura Wars game where the player interacts with the female warriors and based on what you do or say to them the gameplay is different, even getting one to fall in love with you? Uta is similar but the character you play is Haruka, the only lady of the story. But it's less of a game and more of a story that you can change, thus the name visual novel. Anyway the anime adaptation is pretty straightforward as Haruka interacts with most of the guys (and there's a lot of them!) in the series, all with different personalities. Add to that the wild founder of the academy "Shining" who shows up on opening day in costume, bouncing around, to the dismay of some of the veteran students.There's also Haruka's teacher Ringo who always crossdresses and acts female, and very well I must say. Of course there is a lot music as well as songs performed by the characters. This was my main interest in the series as I always like an anime with a music angle. The story itself is nothing to rave about, but works if you understand the origin of the series. Every character has a secret or back story, which is standard in anime like this. No doubt this kind of series will appeal to ladies, guys...maybe or maybe not. I think they would probably go for Love Live or Idolmaster instead! Not that this is a bad series--I think it would be good to sit through once, and it will be enjoyable. ARE YOU READY? Moderate thumbs up from me.

Dallos

In the future, the Earth's resources have been depleted and therefore a mining colony has been established on the moon so the Earth inhabitants can survive and flourish.  But all is not perfect on the moon. The colonists complain of being treated unfairly with low pay and feeling as if they are of a lesser race than Earthlings because of being colonist. As such they resort to terrorism in retaliation and to make their cause known to everyone. Of course the Earth leaders who are charge of them are under fire by the higher ups, and so they appoint Alex, head of the defense to get rid of the protestors and "terrorists." A young man named Shun gets mixed up with the the colony workers uprising, as his deceased brother was part of the movement. His best friend also gets caught in the crossfire and the workers do their best to resist the forces. They protect and hide around their stronghold Dallos, a mysterious advanced form of ancient technology whom no one knows what is it's purpose. Eventually Shun joins the resistance after the seeing the crimes the Earth defense has lied about and committed. When the earth forces try to destroy Dallos as a last resort, it actually rebuilds itself, but they are not prepared for what will happen next.

 

This was an interesting watch, mostly because of the fact it was the first OVA or Original Video Animation, and also the first straight to video anime. It's a 4 parter with each episode running 25 minutes or so, so about a movie length if you wanted to watch it in one day. Knowing 80's titles, I thought it would be more light hearted, and yet I was pleasantly surprised how serious it's content and message was. It's a futuristic setting, and yet a lot of the issues: equal rights for workers, discrimination, authority abuse and government cover ups, all were and still are timely subjects of current situations. The animation is very good for being from the 80's, and set the standard for later OVA series that look high quality, compared to TV series where there is a tighter budget. The characters are good though not totally memorable. I like how Alex goes from being stern with his guidlines and his job to actually learning a lesson from everything in the aftermath. I expected Shun to actually support the colonists cause, though I didn't expect his girlfriend would do a 180, after pleading with shun not to but then seeing the horrors of what is happening. As for Dallos, I'm still not sure what it's full purpose was and perhaps that's the point. I mean they have an idea what it can do when people "misbehave" if you will, so I think it's one of those "leave well enough alone" kind of things. For historical purposes, Dallos is a great watch after all, and probabaly one to have in your classic collection. Maybe not the most memorable OVA, but all future video series owe a lot to this one. Thumbs up.

 

Sound Euphonium

 

The Kitauji High School band club usually performed very well at concerts and were good enough to make it to the nationals. But one year they only made it as runners-up, which was devastating to some band members such as devoted trumeter Reina. Kumiko is a member of the band, playing a Euphonium in the bass section. When the new year comes around, she and her two new friends Hazuki and Sapphire reluctantly decide to join the band club again. Kumiko wants to play a different instrument than euphonium while Hazuki wants to play the trumpet. But the enthusiastic vp of the club Haruka is determined to get new recruits for the bass section. It's leaked that Kumiko plays euphonium, but she decides to try it agian. Hazuki is seduced into playing a tuba and gives it a nickname to boot. Sapphire sticks with her personal favorite: the contrabass. Mr. Taki is the new music teacher and advisor for the club, and decides to have the club vote whether or not to try to make it to nationals, while others hope just to play at the Sunrise Festival. The vote goes in favor of the nationals and so Taki warns them he will very strict in getting them to practice to get to a concert level of playing. Some ensembles practice, while others neglect to do so. At their first practice together with Mr. Taki, they play very badly, so he says they can't expect to play at the festival let alone the nationals if they play like they did. Some students don't like how Taki is running the show, and lose interest in the band. A practice is cancelled, and the heads of the club have to figure out what to do. Reina is frustrated and snaps at Kumiko after hearing criticism about Mr. Taki. Taki runs some vigourous and unusual drills to get everyone to practice better and get to a level he wants. The band later gets together for practice so Taki can hear them. They have much improved, and to the delight of everyone, Taki says they can aim for the festival as well as the nationals now...

 

I always like a series that has something to do with music, but I never had the privilege of being in a band during school. I guess it was just too intimidating and too time consuming--having to either blow into an instrument constantly or use a bow to play something. I guess I was destined to play a guitar. But seeing a series like this gives me an idea what it was like to be in a symphonic band. It's interesting to see a Japanese series centering around western instruments, and that even the cute school girls in anime can use trumpets, tubas and euphoniums (and I never knew that's what they were called). It's also interesting to see that the students devotion to band varies: some are just in it for fun, some probably just doing it for their mom or dad or some are striving to be the best. When faced with a challenging teacher/advisor, we see where their devotion lies. We start with a typical anime school setting, but it became more interesting when Kumiko and friends start talking about band and instruments and soon it becomes a great character study and not just an appreciation of band. Kumiko's relationship with Reina is rather cold after the failure of the previous year of getting to the nationals--Reina was heartbroken and couldn't believe Kumiko didn't feel the same. Now Kumiko has to start from scratch from her, though she's so afraid to approach her. She's also trying to restart a friendship with childhood friend Shuichi, after a falling out a few years earlier. Her two classmates Hazuki and Sapphire are very charming and are great more relaxed counterparts to the rather serious Kumiko. I also like the entusiasm of Haruka the VP of the band club, who's a bit overzealous and overexcited about getting new recruits for the bass section, and she's also very cute. Anime series where they aim for a goal keep me hyped to see the conclusion, so I hope they make it to the nationals--of course I hear there's a second season too. For something a little different in a school anime, and if happen to be a band otaku, you many want to check this one out. Thumbs up.

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) January 9th, 2017 at 5:47 AM

Hi folks I took time off from writing for the holidays plus I've been sick for more than 2 weeks! I think I'm getting better, though my son has a cold now and I hope I don't get it again! Anywho I'll start writing again as I'm behind on writing a con report, plus I want to review Rogue One as well. Stay tuned!

Triage X

 

There are several young recruits who work as nurses and such at Mochizuki General Hospital, but it is all a charade. The hospital is home base to an organization known as Black Label, a vigilante group who takes the law into their own hands and execute criminals, undesirables and other "cancers" of society--a cancer they want to stop the spread of infection.  Arashi, the only male member of the team, takes his job very seriously and wears a helmet on during his jobs--a metaphor for wanting to hide his expressions or his feelings, feeling no emotion or sympathy with the criminals he executes. He even gives a gun to a target in hoping he would shoot himself. The main female member Mikoto questions his dangerous tactics, until he sees scars on Arashi's body. The targets quickly become more dangerous and wild, putting everything on the line and thinking they can win against Black Label, even using a hostage against them. Of course the team are one step ahead of them but realize that all these insane criminals are part of the same group. The police meanwhile try and catch up with BL, as their actions are not part of the department and of course illegal. On top of that officers are getting injured dealing with the wild criminals. Mikoto remembers that Arashi was badly injured in a terrorist attack which killed her brother, and Arashi was saved using her brother's organs. Now things get more complicated when a lone vigilante starts stepping on BL's toes, burning criminals to death...

 

I wasn't sure what to expect from this title, and the plot synopsis I thought was interesting enough. But from the first episode this series was pretty engaging and the action is fantastic. The character designs are great even though there are tons of fan service going on here. The swordswoman can barely fit in her bikini if not all of her clothes, and of course the main group of female characters are all curvy and either have cleavage-a-plenty or wear less down below. A lot of the situations involve ladies in peril by some rather sick men too, so this definitely not a title for kids. I'm not sure why it had to be so extreme, for the villains to treat the women the way they do. In the end they do get their come uppance, boy do they! I do like the main characters such as Arashi, who feels like some sort of creation, like a Terminator who wants to kill without remorse, because of what he's been through. And Mikoto, who's basically his partner and who's brother was Arashi's best friend, killed in an attack and now whose organs Arashi has in his body. How is she supposed to interact with him normally knowing all of this? There are some other fan characters, like the teenage idol of the group who's all bubbly and yet is a demolitions expert. And the fire loving vigilante is another layer to add to this adventure. She meets Mikoto in school and becomes overly friendly with her, insinuating some sort of yuri relationship. But this is THAT kind of series, adult themes, fan service to bring in the guys, violent action and some humor too. On that basis, I like this series. Thumbs up.

 

 Space Adventure Cobra

 

In future we meet a guy named Johnson, and has a boring office job like everyone else. His robot servant named Ben suggest he try to have some and go try a "trip," a virtual reality kind of dream mechanism that seems very real when experienced. His Trip changes though from what it was supposed to be programmed for. In it, he becomes a super cool adventurer named Cobra, exploring space and has a female android named Lady Armaroid. He battles with a man named Valken, head of the pirate guild--a crime syndicate--and reveals his powerful Psycho Gun, where his fake left hand covers it up. After waking up and driving home he comes across a man who looks a lot like Valken the Guild leader. A confrontation leads to the truth that the man really is Valken, who asks where Cobra is. In the heated argument. Johnson points his left hand at Valken, and he is blasted. Johnson sees the Psycho gun on the end of his left arm, and realizes he is Cobra. Returning home Cobra starts to remember and finds a hidden room. Suddenly armed assailants storm in and attack. Ben reveals itself to be Armaroid and she and now Cobra make quick disposal of the bad guys. Cobra remembers he altered his looks to hide from the Guild and live a peaceful life, and the Trip unlocked his previously forgotten memories. Their adventures resume with more Guild bad guys to pursue and plenty of dangerous space babes...!

 

This is another title I didn't know what would be like, but since it's a classic series I wanted to give it a go. I was NOT disappointed. I guess this week is like "fan service week" for the 2 titles I viewed. Cobra is no exception, though the service is more muted since we are in the 80's. That doesn't mean the space ladies are featured in various forms of undress, or skimpy outfits. That aside: this is an action packed series, with plenty of twists and turns, violence, humor and good pacing of everything. The setup of the story--with Cobra apparently losing his memory and it being revived by a futuristic dream device, reminds me a lot of Total Recall (Arnold's movie), and I seriously wonder if that movie basically ripped off Cobra rather than come from Phillip K. Dick's sci-fi stories. And both movies have lots of action and violence and sexy women to boot. The animation is again pretty fluid for an 80's series, and it's interesting to have cigar chomping hero--something you never see nowadays. I hope there is more backstory to Cobra, like what he did before he lost his memory and if there is more to him than meets the eye. There's lots of opportunity, and I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed. I'm not so far. Thumbs up!

 

 

Valvrave the Liberator

In the 71st year of the True era, most of the human have moved from Earth to other planets and other artificial space bases, such as a Dyson Sphere. There are two superpowers: Dorssia, who are a powerful military and European based empire and ARUS with a North American basis. There is another country known as JIOR which consists of Japan and other Asian countries and are neutral peaceful and prosperous. Dorssia has a sent a group of teenage military trained team of boys to infiltrate JIOR and find a secret weapon they are working on. Meanwhile Haruto and friends live a peaceful and typical teenage life, with Haruto and his childhood friend and crush Shoko, who is the daughter of the JIOR prime minister. Without warning Dorssia forces attack the Dyson Sphere in hoping to take control and expand their territory. The secret team led by L'elf succeed in finding a powerul robot called Valvrave, but at the last second the dying engineer manages to eject the robot to the surface where Haruto just happens to be. Haruto has witnessed the violence and death caused by Dorssia and even seeing Shoko get caught in an explosion. He snaps and takes off in the robot to easily destroy the enemy. Returning back to land L'elf stabs and shoots Haruto, who falls dead. As L'elf starts to walk away, Haruto rises again and bites L'elf on the neck, and both fall to the ground. As L'elf's teammates arrive, he turns on them and wounds his colleague. He, Haruto and friends escape, while his teammates wonder why the loyal L'elf has returned. The Valvrave robot has made Haruto immortal and he has the ability to transfer his soul to another being and now is the only capable of operating the robot. L'elf is captured by JIOR forces after switching back, but escapes and single handedly destroys an entire troupe of soldiers. JIOR goes back on their word to evacuate all of the high school students. Realizing they have to rely on themselves, Shoko and Haruto lead the school in independence from JIOR and anyone else, actually separating their colony from the rest of the Dyson Sphere, with Valvrave at hand to defend them and L'elf in tow...

 

I thought this was going to be another Gundam clone and in fact it starts out that way. It's all set up with a young teenage guy stumbling across a super robot that's more powerful than the enemy's mecha. But the story set up and plot take a somewhat different turn which makes it very watchable. The robot is a little different as it makes the user immortal and gives the ability for the user to transfer his soul to another person with a direct bite to the skin. But it's a very kick ass robot in the tradition of a Gundam that can take on a fleet by itself. It also leaves the person who was used without any memory of what the person inside him did: did you get that? The best part comes when JIOR is willing to sacrifice it's people to protect themselves, the school declares independence from them and takes Valvrave with them!That's a nice spin on the story and it takes the anime to a different and interesting level. The characters are interesting from the unsure Haruto to the more confident Shoko who turn out to make a good team. Then there's L'elf who is stemmed from Dorssian military training and believes conflict is important and the only option. Obviously he has a past that we are eager to learn about. As for Valvrave, it definitely doesn't look like a Gundam--it has it's own original design. The best part is the interface which is a cute teenage blonde girl that pops up on the screen and tells you everything is okay. If anyone but Haruto is in the cockpit seat, she will let you know that it's NOT okay. But it's way powerful and I bet it has more tricks up it's sleeve. This is a nice spin on the genre and I look forward to the conclusion. thumbs up.

 

 

Brave Beats

 

On a distant planet, A "Dancerian" named Breakin challenges the king of dance, showing off his fantastic Breaking moves. But the king says he doesn't stands a chance against him and so he fails. His punishment is to have his dance stones taken from him and sent to another planet. His objective is to go and find the scattered stones. And wouldn't you know that the planet happens to be Earth?! Breakin is reduced to a cute little robot form and so must resort to having someone help him restore his energy and help him find the stones. He comes across a kid named Hibiki who reluctantly takes him into his home, and does not believe in Breakin's plight. The stones begin to appear, and be used by classmates or others who can't control the power of the stone, making things go awry and destructive. Hibiki ends up having to fuse with Breakin to create a powerful new dance being named Flash Beat. Using Breakin's power, his dance moves can counter the uncontrollable stones and in doing so gives them more powerful. Meanwhile some villains make their appearance: a duo who love to steal for fun and who work for a mysterious man named Kamiya who seems to be looking for the stones as well. Hibiki's friend Kotone has become infatuated with Flash Beat the moment he saw him and hopes to meet him up close and personal. Another alien appears on earth, taking the form of a cute bunny like creature name Adeline who befriends to Kotone. When Flash Beat has trouble with his moves (due to Hibiki's lack of practice), Adeline decideds to fuse with Kotone and create another new dance being called Wink Beat. Both dancers can take down the villainous duo and conquer the dance stones, but Kamiya is about to make himself known...

 

This is sort of a mix of elements of stuff like Dragon Ball, Pokemon and DDR maybe!With the simplistic animation style it's definitely geared for kids, but I do like the dance aspect of the series, especially since the aptly named Breakin is expertise in, well, breakin'! It's also interesting that the Dancerian and the human character can fuse together to make a powerful dance warrior (and a good looking one to boot!), although fusing is nothing new. But there's the catch that the human has to practice dancing so he can keep up in his warrior mode moves. We then throw in a couple henchman: a beautifully annoying lady (can you say Jessie?) and her simple minded muscle man cohort who can only say "yeah!" who are straight out of something like the pokemon anime. Even more nods to pokemon or even Dragon Ball, where they have to go and find the dance stones to complete his quest. So it's a pretty simple anime with a standard story line--nothing fantastic about it. I liked the dancing and the opening theme song, plus the fused dance warriors are cute, but there's not much else to give it a rave review. But kids are going to love it, and why not? It's got everything to please them in this show, but even they've seen it before. I'll give a minor thumbs up.

Cat's Eye

Hitomi is a young woman who runs the popular Cat Cafe with her two sisters Rui and Ai. They also have secret lives as a trio of art thieves known as Cat's Eye, as it says on their calling card they leave. The purpose of their thefts is to collect the art pieces left behind by their father who has been missing for some time, and hope the art will provide some clues to either his whereabouts or his fate. Hitomi's love interest is police officer Toshio, who is obssessed with catching Cat's Eye. Not only does he not know Hitomi is Cat's Eye, but also his discussions with her about museum security gives the trio opportunity to bypass it when they strike. The only clue Toshio has so far about them is that they are women, which he found out when he bumped into Hitomi during a chase (and touched her breast). Time and time again though Cat's eye slips through his fingers, gaining the ire of his frustrated police chief. Special investigator Mitsuko is brought in to try and solve the case, and using her intellgence and fighting skills nearly unmasks them, but thanks to Ai's high tech savvyness she fails. Cat's Eye's rival is a blonde known as "lupin's bride" who nearly beats them to their act, but decides to help them when she finds out who they are. Does she know something about their father....?

 

I always loved City Hunter the anime, and then I heard of Cat's Eye and I caught some of it at a convention several years ago. I didn't appreciate as much until just recently, as I've always loved watching classic anime. It definitely has that 80's vibe, and you get that feeling with the opening titles. As the for the anime itself, it's a very engaging caper comedy/action/drama. It's difficult to limit it to one category as one moment there's plenty of intrigue and action, and then there's schoolgirl antics, Toshio being scolded by his boss or him being slapped by Hitomi for being "ecchi" again. There's also added intrigue with the plotline concerning the trio's father, and brings up a lot of questions: who was he, how did his art get scattered all over the place and why is he not in the picture (so to speak)? This adds a layer of interest to the series and makes you want to tune in to find the answers. As for the anime design, it definitely takes from Tsukasa Hojo's manga pretty well. He has a knack for drawing body types well from the muscular broad shouldered guys to the curvy and leggy ladies. The animation is pretty fluid for an 80's show and doesn't really look cheap like other series do of the time. I always get a kick out of the end song which have the girls in leotards doing aerobic exercises, which was the mainstay back then (I remember we had to do aerobics in Junior High), in fact their thief outfits are like leotard body suits. It's a fun nostalgic romper, and on top of that you have a story where the thieves are the heroes, or rather the heroines which is another plus, and I like that. Thumbs up.

 

Yuri on Ice!!!

 

Yuri Katsuki is talented figure skater and hopes to be as great as his longtime idol, Russian champion Victor Nikiforov. He is Japan's best, and soon he is competing against his idol at a championship. Yuri though succumbs to pressure frequently and during his skate he fails several jumps, and can only watch his idol win another championship. Victor's fellow countryman, a talented upstart also named Yuri, is disgusted with Yuri K's performance and says he could do much better. The miserable Yuri waves off an chance to take a photo with Victor, which leaves the champ concerned. Yuri K returns home seeing himself as a failure though people still acknowlege him. He returns home to his familys hot spring inn, and has gained weight from eating his favorite pork cutlet bowl a lot. He still shows greatness at the local skating rink, perfectly imitating Victor's skating routine, but he feels his career has ended. He returns to the inn and finds Victor relaxing in the hot spring, apparently waiting for him. Victor has gone against his coaches wishes and retired from skating to come to Japan and be Yuri's coach, as he feels he has the potential to be the next greatest skater. Yuri P has heard of this, and also rushes to Japan, but to get Victor to come back to Russia and be his coach. Victor decides to hold a skate-off, to the public, and decide what he should do and who he should coach. He selects music for the two, music that is contradictory to the skaters strength. It's only when Yuri gets tips from a female dancer does he know what to do. The result: Yuri P returns home by himself and gets a different coach, while Victor stays in Japan and coaches Yuri K. Victor puts Yuri through his paces to make him the best he can be, and to be ready to skate in the national circuit, the international circuit and then the Grand Prix...

 

Some fans may be disappointed to learn that this anime series is NOT about "yuri" that is "girls love!" In fact there's hardly any girls in sight! Yuri in this case refers to the main Japanese character's name as well as one of young Russian skaters. When I heard that it was about all guys, I immediately said "Yaoi on ice." But turns out I was wrong, as this a very thoughtful, though also humorous anime about figure skaters striving to be the best in the world. What I liked the best is the research that went into all of the background information about ice skating: the jumps, the skating contests, the music and so forth. The creators certainly know their stuff, and I felt right at home after all of ice skating championships I watched on TV, particularly the Winter Olympic skates. And just like watching the real contests, I got nervous watching the characters perform, getting nervous wondering whether or not they will land their jumps. The main characters are great: the somewhat flamboyant world champ Victor, his Russian hot head upstart Yuri P and the star of the show the talented but flawed Yuri K. Victor sees something special in Yuri and we can see it, and he wants Yuri himself to know it which is something he has difficulty with. The humor of the show derives mostly from Victor's antics which borderline on Yaoiistic tendencies, such as him standing up in the hot spring nude to introduce himself to Yuri, or how he gets real close to Yuri and touches his chin as if trying to seduce him or something, scaring Yuri.  Of course there are plenty other skaters that they will meet during the competition which vary from super cute, obsessive and downright sexual, which all are pretty funny. I'm not sure how this series will end, but I'm hoping we will see Yuri K stand at the top podium at least at some point in the story, because it's been built up well. Anyway I give this one an enthusiastic thumbs up!

 

Dramatical Murder

Aoba tries to live a peaceful life on the futuristic island of Midorijima, running a junk shop with his little pet dog, who can speak. Gangs are about and soon one gang is harassing Aoba, but is saved by a friend who's in another gang, Dry Juice. Soon, mysterious disappearances of gang members of Ribsteiz occur and it's possibly connected to Rhyme, a virtual battle game where two opponents battle using special attacks, but the user in the real world can sustain actual injuries from the attacks. Aoba downloads a strange email at home and discovers an old school game which makes no sense. The next day Aoba is tricked into a Rhyme with the opponent seemingly knowing Aoba, though he has no idea who it is, nor does he remember every playing Rhyme. Aoba gets badly injured along with his cohort Ren, and when it looks like he will lose, Aoba suddenly changes, becomes confident and begins to attack his opponent easily and eventually win. Still confused, Aoba continues to run into interesting characters, such as a man in a mask who calls him master, and a guy who kisses him and later challenges him to a battle. Still more gang members are disappearing, and gang tags are being painted over with Morphine group tag, who many think are responsible. Aoba's spunky grandmother Tae, seems to know something about what's happening, and secretly speaks with men in suits in a car ride...

 

This anime is based on a visual novel, and actually based on the sequel video game. This means the anime puts you right smack in the middle of the story, so you're left asking a lot of questions of who is who and where you are. The setup is interesting though, and as the world unfolds you can be amazed by all of the advanced technology, not to mention laugh at Aoba's "antiques" he sells at his junk shop. The show is essentially a mystery, from what I can tell, but there is also the concept of the Rhyme battles that give the story some much needed action. This kind of show it seems you would have to watch more of to get really engaged into it and judge it, so 4 episodes hasn't cut it for me yet. There are some interesting characters such as the guy who wears the gas mask all of the time, and seems to be permanent since he eats with it on. Aoba's grandma Tae is pretty awesome: scrappy and doesn't take any crap from him or his friends. Her characterization hints at her being involved somehow, so that is something to tune in for. Lots of guys in this show, so this will appeal to girls and fans who like to pair up guys for fun. In fact the only girl character is a young girl hanging out with 2 boys. I feel an anime intrigues me more if there is a better balance of male and female characters, but this anime and its game is specifically all guys, so if you don't like that then maybe this anime isn't for you. All in all there's nothing wrong with the anime but nothing's really jumped out at me yet, but there is theoretically a lot to enjoy from your usual anime interests. Marginal thumbs up.

 

GodMars

In the near future, A UFO lands on Earth containing an infant boy. That boy grows into a short tempered teen Takeru who joins the Earth Defense Squad which protects the Earth from Alien invasions and such. He becomes a part of the Crusher Squad, a force in charge in case of a UFO attack. During his sleep he has a rather realistic dream of the Emperor of Gishin telling him Takeru is his alien son and his job is to destroy the Earth with something called Gaia. Takeru refuses and so the Emperor condemns him to death. The head of the EDF confirms to Takeru he is from Gishin, and the Emperor contacted him via psychic connection as all Gishins have psychic powers, some of which destructive. Soon a Gishin warrior arrives to kill Takeru, but he fights back and during the chaos uncovers a giant robot in a mountain. This is Gaia, and Takeru easily adapts to using it to fight and destroy the assassin. But during the activation of the robot, he discovers Gaia IS the device that's supposed to be used to destroy the Earth as it has a powerful detonator aboard. Takeru is successful at fighting off Gishin warriors, then when it looks like Takeru is finished, 5 other unknown robots suddenly arrive to form together as one with Gaia to create a super poweful robot. Meanwhile his team is very suspicious of Takeru's strange powers and when they discover the truth, some don't want to work with him. But there's more: the EDF chief says if Takeru is killed, the psychic connection between him and Gaia will be severed, and the robot will detonate. So now the EDF must protect Takeru at all costs, but they must also let him fight in the battles with Gishin...

 

Love the classic series, and this one is no exception. I love those series where the head villain sends out a lackey to kill the good guy, (rather than do it himself) but he gets killed so what do they do? Keep sending more lackeys which meet the same fate! But this is a super robot anime as well, and one of many that made a name for the genre back in the day. 6 count'em 6 robots combine to form GodMars as if Gaia by itself wasn't awesome enough. You get lots of action not just from the robots, but also Takeru and the villains who both possess psychic powers (I guess kind of like Bison from Street Fighter), so they can emit energy bolts from their fingers or release a whole ton of energy blast from their entire body. There's also dramatic moments such as when Takeru's father explains the truth to him, and as he talks a lightning storm occurs outside--good timing! Godmars is also unique in that the hero is actually an alien and not human, though he sees himself as one since he was raised that way. It reminds me of DBZ where Goku is revealed as an alien but considers himself an earthling. Godmars also teaches about prejudice believe it or not, as some of the Crusher squad refuse to work with Takeru because he is a member of the enemy alien race, can't be trusted, and so on. Of course the gang will understand that not only can he can be trusted that they need him and his abilities on his side. So not only is this a classic anime, an action packed fun anime but thoughtful as well. It's probably not as popular as it should be in North America. Thumbs up.

 

Watamote

Tomoko Kuroki is hoping to become a popular girl in high school, after having only one good friend in middle school. The problem is she is incredibly socially awkward, barely speaking to anyone and at an audible level too. What's worse is that thinking she talked to boys before, like 6 times, she thinks she is popular and that she is on her way to become popular. But even the little hint at doing something she hasn't done before is seen as a improvement and that she is progressing, only to blow the next opportunity to socialize with someone, making her regress even more. She does realize that perhaps she's not the popular go she thought she was, so she makes attempts to rectify the matter. She tries to converse with popular brother, but he just finds her annoying yet she tries to humor her in her predicament. Her attempts to make conversation with boys at a rainy bus stop, hang out at a popular burger joint or having to work with a fellow boy student doesn't really help with her social skills. Her middle school friend does encourage her to keep doing her best, though something always seems to ruin her chances, be it an embarassing situation or even more awkward moments in her life...

 

This is a very funny show, but it's also sometimes painful to watch. Being a painfully shy guy myself, more so when I was younger, I always yearned for more social acceptance (but sometimes wanted to be alone), and yet I was able to establish some longlasting friendships not to mention actually get a girlfriend/wife in the end. Seeing Tomoko's attempts to try to fit in, to be more accepted are sometimes hillarious in their results. She even hopes to be molested on one of those tightly packed Japan trains so she could "fit in" with the other girls who have experienced it, and yet is of course horrified when she thinks it has happened to her (but in the end she wasn't after all). Trying different hairstyles, try to "change" her facial expressions and her inner monologues of jealousy and "plans" make you chuckle. You can't help though but feel for her when she tries to speak to someone--you can sense the awkwardness of the moment and kind of want to urge her on or go into the anime and try to help her. I'm glad this issue is being addressed in an anime series. Not every anime schoolgirl is all perky and outgoing, tough, a genius or can make friends from the get-go. This is a more realistic depiction of a person trying to fit in to their new surroundings, but of course in anime style so ideas and thoughts can be expressed in extreme and exaggerated ways. Besides being a humorous show, it has a decent insight as well as being an unshallow anime with a message. Thumbs up.

 

 

Shirobako

 

5 school friends consisting of Aoi, Ema, Shizuka, Misa and Midori are members of the animation club and their big project was to create an animation short. With their work and experience, all of them hope to work in the anime industry to work on an actual series in some capacity. 4 of the gang graduate while Midori, a year younger than the others, stays in the club. They succeed in getting a job in the industry, with the story focussing on Aoi. She becomes the production asisstant of Musashino animation, while Ema is the key animator of the company. Aoi's job has her driving back and forth, distributing cels that need to be colored and bringing finished ones back. She's also on hand on solving problems, such as if someone on staff gets sick and they have a deadline. She's also a mediator to solve arguments, and even comes up with ideas for the series they are working on: Exodus. Not only do they have a dilemma with the deadline, but one of the staff heads has an agreement over the director of an already completed scene, and requests it to be redone. There's a long discussion and Aoi states the staff must believe in the series, the characters, and that they are there with them in the studio. Suddenly they see a vision of the characters of Exodus floating above the meeting table, looking and smiling at them.

 

I was always fond of Animation Runner Kuromi by Akitaro Daichi. That was a hillarious take on what happens at an animation studio, featuring a new employee. Shirobako is similar in that vein, though with less exaggerated moments. I find Shirobako a more realistic take on the story featuring a young woman trying to get into the anime business. The setup is something we've seen before: a group of friends in high school with the same interest, run a club, then plan to use their skills to start a career (K-On! comes to mind). We have an extensive collection of characters running the studio: veterans, newbies, shy, outgoing, serious, silly, confrontational and friendly. They even have the elderly boss that makes food for everyone (reminding me of Hayao Miyazaki a little). We get to see their progress in all the aspects of production: working on the animation itself, and even see the voice actors doing their jobs. The challenges of bringing everything together is clearly seen. The animation director of the series had problems with his previous work and doesn't want to create another flop, while the director is not satisfied with a scene and the performance of the VA, suggesting to redo the scene, even this would set back the production. It's great to see scenes like this, and gives you a better idea of what happens during the creation of an anime--that it's no so easy and not everything is the fantastic final product that we see on TV like we do. The story gets you interested into seeing whether or not the company can pull it off, and on time. The whole idea itself is post modern, which I find intriguing: an anime series about people making an anime series. It makes for intriguing viewing and I look forward to more. Thumbs up.

Golden Time

Banri Tada hopes to start fresh, succeeding in joining a private law school in Tokyo. On the opening ceremony day, he befriends the handsome Mitsuo, also starting his first at the same school. When Banri asks if he has a girlfriend, Mitsuo has a confused expression of anger and fear on his face. As they approach the school on the street, a young beautiful woman approaches Mitsuo, congratulates him and hits him in the face with a bouquet of roses. This turns out to be the girl in question, named Koko Kaga, a girl he has known since they were kids. Koko believes since they were kids, they were destined to be together and married, and so she has dedicated her life to go in the direction with him, no matter what she has to do to make it happen. Mitsuo thought he escaped her when he applied for the law school, but Koko tracked him down with her connections. Mitsuo desperately ignores her, doesn't answere his phone and runs when she sees her. Caught up in the fracas is Banri, who gets to know her a little and sees she's a lonely person since people don't want to befriend such an intimidatingly beautiful girl. Banri tries to get her to like to take down her devotion a few notches, but when she tries, she doesn't do it until after she's made a scene with him in public. Koko tries to explain to him all her plans and devotion to him throughout the years and that she truly loves him. The problem is, he doesn't love her and the the promise he made when he was kid, was..well.. a kid thing and not to be taken seriously. Mitsuo is rather harsh saying all this devotion means nothing to him, and so she finally understands painfully. Banri sees all this and tries to comfort her because he has an idea of her true self. In the aftermath while looking for a school club to join, Banri starts to fall for her and expresses it so, opening up to Koko about his past...that he can't remember...

 

I loved this anime! I had flashbacks from other 2 romantic comedy anime that I also thought were top notched: Kare Kano, and Marmalade Boy. I know an anime of this genre is very good when I get drawn into it emotionally. It also delivers laughs and adventure as well, such as when an aggressive club gets Koko and Banri to join only to reveal themselves as a religious cult that chase after them when they escape. I admit that I did NOT like Koko in the first few episodes, but when her bubble is burst by Mitsuo and she has to face reality, is the moment I felt for her. And we already had a hint of her real side, alone with no friends, and so the sensitive Banri steps in to get her past the breakup and look forward to good things. One of the funnier moments is when she realizes she cannot dance, and everyone knows it! As I said there is some great humorous moments, but there is a lot of drama with Koko coming to grips that her fairy tale is not going to come true, and her battle with lonelinesss. More drama unfolds with Banri falling for Koko, but also the mystery of his loss of memory from a previous accident, trying to piece together what he can remember or rather trying to connect the original Banri with the current Banri--which is rather touching. The animation is great quality, and Koko is absolutely stunning in her anime form. The theme songs are very catchy, particularly the ending song in my book "Sweet and Sweet Cherry." There is definitely going to be lots of ups and downs with the characters, and it's something to look forward to. If you like this genre as much as I do, you should check out. Enthusiastic thumbs up.

 

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia

 

At the Paranormal Investigations Club at school, member Momoe excitingly does her work, and thinks she sees objects floating around and starts to get nervous. Teiichi Niiya comes in to join her and the way he talks it seems he can read Momoe's mind. A 3rd member comes in, Kirie, acting strangely annoyed by something. Leaving the club room into the school hallway, and suddenly Teiichi is flung head first into a dumb waiter type shaft. We see the same scenes again, but this time we see the truth: there is a ghost of a beautiful schoolgirl teasing Momoe, then talking with Teiichi who can see her and then annoying Kirie who can also see her. the ghost named Yuuko, kicked Teiichi into the shaft. She is the lonely and friendly spirit who hangs around the school, and also one of the old school buildings. Teiichi started the club to investigate why she is hanging the school and figure out her plight. Yuuko becomes comfortable with Teiichi, even so much becoming jealous of the other girls, but she sort of becomes the "Ghost" president of the club. Kirie is cautious of her, as her grandma is Yuuko's sister, and warns Teiichi to stay away, as her true form is not being revealed. However Teiichi is trustworthy of Yuuko, and vice versa. Actually what Kirie has sensed about her, there may be much more to it than meets the eye...

 

I was impressed with the first episode, which show the first scene without Yuuko being seen, and then the same scene with her, to explain everything. That was a nice artistic presentation, and in fact I was pleased with the other episodes as well. There's a good combination of humor, drama and suspense from this anime and like that they focus on just a small group of characters so we can learn more about them as the series continues. The most interesting is of course Yuuko herself. She seems really nice, but is it a facade or charade? Or is there something even more mysterious lurking? That's what I get from watching, and I expect there to be more spooky elements to appear and evolve as the series goes on. I like the relationship with Yuuko and Teiichi, as Yuuko tends to want to take a step further as perhaps boyfriend and girlfriend, or even lovers. It's funny because she's not embarrassed or shy to undress in front of Teiichi, but when he finds her "exposed" skeletion bones, she is incredibly embarrassed and even calls him a pervert for looking at her "naked bones!" It's a nice balance with these two and the energetic fraidy cat Momoe and the more serious Kirie who has a connection with Yuuko. I look forward to seeing where the series goes, and I recommend it to fans of the genre, which is actually a mix of genres--so that's a plus. Thumbs up.

 

 

I eagerly awaited the next Anglicon, so much that I bought cheaper advanced tickets not too long after the initial "regeneration" of the first Anglicon. I had hoped to have a new costume be made for the occasion, but lack of money meant I relied on the usual: my popular 2nd Doctor costume. In additon I had enough clothes gathered for an 11th Doctor costume, which I wore on Sunday. As for my son, he had his Jamie McCrimmon outfit that still fit, and would turn out to be a favorite at the convention. More on that later. This year's Anglicon was scheduled at a conflicting time in the summer. Anime Revolution, held in Vancouver, Canada was the same weekend, so we had to decide which to attend. In the end we went with Anglicon, since we didn't have to spend what little money we had on a hotel since it was a local con.

 

We arrived a little late on Friday, but that's all right as things don't really take off at the con until late in the afternoon anyway on the first day as I experienced last year. It took place once again at the Doubletree Hotel by the Airport, a comfortable place where convention folks can hang out with the people waiting for their plane to depart, including airline stewardesses from other countries. The layout for the convention was pretty much the same with a few changes. Last year the main stage was split with the autograph/photo room, which was also the Dalek room, that is where fanmade full-size Daleks could get a tune up and wander around for photo ops or improv comedy. This year the the photo room was moved to a panel room on the other side of the convention area where you pass the courtyard on the left. Here in one area was the autograph and photo line, and in the other area was actually a Dalek lab/display area, where up to 3 working Daleks used as their bass and also stationary parts of a Dalek were on display as well. Some of the creators were on hand to show you how things work such as the metallic Dalek voice microphone and modulator, and laser sound effects. You could even do your best Dalek voice through the special microphone and fire the laser as well for fun. My son was in tow along with the wife and he took an instant liking to the Daleks, who took a liking to him. Even after we left the Dalek room he kept wanting to go back there.

 

What the guest lineup lacked in any Doctors made up for with other memorable talents from the series as well as non DW shows. Probably the most noticable from the Whoniverse was Dan Starkey aka Strax the Sontaran who always talks about the "puny humans!" Even without all the makeup and prosthetics, you can see Strax just from his considerable and distinguished grin. Dan wasted no time to play up to the fans doing his Strax persona. Annette Badland was also a familiar face to Who fans as one the head Slitheen in the "Aliens of London" episode but also from favorite British series such as East Enders and Coronation Street. Terry Molloy is a "classic" DW guest as he played Davros during the 5th, 6th and 7th Doctor serials. He was seen wandering around con wearing a kilt. And aside from Doctor Who there was also a guest from the famed series Red Dwarf. Norman Lovett played the much loved computer interface Holly in the first 2 series as well as the 7th and 8th.

 

We only spent a few hours at con on Friday, but the usual low key first day of con meant we could take breaks, wander around, take photos and maybe pop in a panel for a short time anyway. The panel schedule seemed to have expanded from last year as there were a lot more interesting things that I would like see and do. Want to learn about David Tennant, James Bond music, play TV game shows or learn about the history of the Cybermen. It was all there at Anglicon! They even had a Karaoke room on Friday night, though sadly I had to leave before it started, because I had a previous engagement with the TV at home: The Olympic opening ceremony was on at the same time, which I never miss, so that was a priority. At the same time, I originally had planned a Olympic party that night before I learned of the Anglicon dates. But I came up with the idea of going to Anglicon up until 6pm, and then head to my mom's house to watch the ceremonies, so I got the best of both worlds.

 

Saturday I set out on my own, as the wife had a different event to attend and took the son with her. This gave me an opportunity to get more cosplay photos and take a good look at everything. I saw a few panels featuring the guests, which included annette badland, whose interview was conducted similar to the Actors Studio standard questions, like "what turns you on?" and Ms. Badland would reply "Al Pacino!" Mr. Strax himself Dan Starkey talked about having to put on that big Sontaran headpiece each time for DW. He shared a panel with Terry Malloy who also talked about the difficulties in performing in extensive makeup and costumes, that being Davros, and how difficult it was to see and react to the other actors. "I'm a prop" said Starkey as he also had trouble seeing, had a fan built inside of his fake head and had to be poked when it was time to speak a line! But the most interesting guest panel was with a guest that wasn't there. Confused? What I mean is Robert Lewellyn. He was originally to be a guest this year but had to back out due to conflicts with his schedule. Fortunately Anglicon worked it out so he could still hold a panel via Skype, and we could see him on screen and speak with him. I've seen problems trying to do this before with Skype, but this was pretty successful, but I think Robert was a bit too close to the camera so we could only see the top part of his head on screen for most of the interview. Norman Lovett helped host the interview, and fans were able to go up to the pc camera to say hi to Robert and ask a question. Basically Robert said he really had fun playing Kryten and other characters in Red Dwarf. I'm me and the fans got to see him in some way, shape or form.

 

Before my wife arrived with the son, I hung out at the Monty Python sing-along panel. This was set up so you watch a music video or a MP movie or tv clip of a famous song with on-screen lyrics, and sing with it. This was a family friendly convention so the more racier songs were left out. But you still got to sing some of your favorites like "the money song," "Every sperm is sacred," "Spam," "Camelot," "Universe song," and of course "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." This was a lot of fun to be with other Monty Python fans and laugh at your favorite clips and sing all the songs together. As it concluded my family arrived and so we wandered around a bit. I should mention the refreshment room provided by Anglicon, where you can free snacks and tea and just sit down and take a break from the con. It's also in a quiet area of the hotel so there's no noise. I unfortunately didn't get to the Tea Luncheon like I did last year, but I managed to get a free tote from KBTC so that was a consolidation. We had a another major event to attend.

 

We signed up our son to be in the kids portion of the cosplay contest. I'm always amazed and happy to see many kids come out and cosplay from Doctor Who (mainly). It's so great because their parents loved to watch DW and get their kids into it, or perhaps they have friends that have shown them the series. In any case it's wonderful and welcome sight. Our first objective was to get James signed up. Then we showed up to the stage and be told what to do, where to go and how to act onstage. Once we do that we line up or take a seat in a designated area. Actually that was the beginning of a confusing time, because people were lining up and we weren't told to do so. Eventually the kids were all lined up backstage to get ready. Then there was a long delay, first because the coordinator was thinking they were missing a contestant, but it was actually someone who dropped out, so they delayed the show for no apparent reason. And so we waited and waited longer, and if you know a thing or two about 1/1/2 year olds, they want to be doing something and not standing around in the same place. My son began to get very bored and frustrated, and got tired of eating snacks. Fortunately the other kids smothered him with affection and shared their toy Sonic Screwdriver with him which he got very attached too. In fact when I tried to give the toys back he got upset. Also, him catching a cold didn't help things much either. The kids playing with him were the saving grace, and to reward them I gave them Jelly Babies to eat which I had on hand. Finally the contest started, and it was soon our turn to go onstage after they announced Jamie's name and character. Unfortunately for whatever reason they had incorrect information--someone elses entry info. So we just told the announcer at the time, then everything went well. James was a hit and he was given an award for Cutest cosplay--his first cosplay ribbon ever! He and the other winners also received a bag of Jelly Babies as well. The other kids also had some great costumes: 11th Doctor, 4th Doctor, Amelia Pond as a little girl "who waited," and many others. I just wish the contest was better organized, so that's something they were going to have to work on for next time. Kids can't wait that long!

 

The adult contest actually ran must faster, and again there were some great costumes on display. There was a great River Song in an Astronaut suit, an awesome Cyberman, some Dalek and TARDIS dresses, Captain Jack Harkness, a 12th doctor, Susan Foreman who was done up in Black and white clothes and makeup and a whole flock of TARDISes dancing around on stage. My favorite was an 11th Doctor and Clara who were the cutest couple, one that appeared last year at the dance and doing very well. Despite the tedious delay, it was another good contest. We quickly rushed the boy home to grandma's as he soon fell asleep during the Olympic ceremonies...

 

Sunday as it usually is at 3 day con, is a relax day. I put together a 11th Doctor outfit, and me and the family just wandered around the con taking photos, getting our photos taken, with my son stealing the show. We popped into another Dan Starkey panel and he talked about working with Matt Smith and meeting Tom Baker, doing a decent impression of his voice. He also of course did his Strax voice for the fans, improvising some humorous lines. We met up with some of the same kids that kept my son's spirits up at the contest, thanking them again. I hope they didn't ever catch his cold, since he played with their sonic screwdrivers. Before we knew it we were at the closing ceremonies saying goodbye to everyone and the special guests. They announced some winners of the contests, and had people who attended a plushie making workshop show off their final results onstage-this included adults and kids. At the end they brought out the guests--exiting the onstage TARDIS prop featured throughout the convention--one more time to say goodbye, or rather "Huzzah!" Strax added a "Sontaran huzzah!" at the end. The staff mentioned the guests are always welcome to come to Anglicon anytime, though not necessarily pay for their airfare. The guests had a "well..." expression on their face. Staff made a final announcement about a new date for next year's Anglicon, which will be in early December!

 

So that was Anglicon in 2016, and I'll say I had a good time at my second one. It's amazing they get some cool guest for a rather small con. I still say it's a little pricey for a con this size, but if you get your tickets in advance, the discount price might be worth it. I've had some difficult financial times now and again, so this is one of the factor for me being "cheap" if you will. I'm a little tired of anime conventions, and look forward to more multi fandom ones, or a particular group of fandoms such as Anglicon. I feel I get more out of them nowadays, pleasure, satisfaction, my money's worth, and of course fun. The con is what you make it though, but it helps if you have a nice place that isn't overcrowded and people welcome you and think your costume is cool even though there isn't much to it. That's how I feel at Anglicon, it's a nice feeling. So I think I'll keep going.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samurai Bride

This show takes place in an alternate version of Japan, based on the Edo Period, but it takes place in modern time. Samurai still exist but live in isolation after WW2 (still defeated by the USA). Muneakira Yagyu has come to seek out the Buou academy where young folks learn samurai skills. There he discovers a 2 small factions, that is 2 girls each, fighting for control of the academy. the young looking Yukimura argues with the stuck up prima donna Sen until a battle ensues with Muneakira stuck in the middle. Suddenly a powerful beam of light appears in the sky and ends at Muneakira's feet. There a teen red head girl appears...nude. She awakens and Muneakira holds her, at which point they share a kiss. She becomes reanimated and becomes a powerful fierce warrior that takes no prisoners. Suddenly she faints and as she awakens again, she's a typical bubbly school teen. The others try to figure out who she is and how she got that power and why it comes and goes. Another encounter reveals that if she kisses Muneakira, a samurai descendant, she gains the power again and reveals she is Yagyu Jubei. Now the two quarreling ladies try to keep each other from kissing Muneakira, hoping to activate their hidden powers...

 

I was a little confused over this series, not able to figure out if this was a period or modern setting. Once I saw a character using a cellphone I surmised it was modern but with historical overtones. Aside from that, knowing that the samurai code still exists in this timeline will help you understand the setup, not to mention who is everbody. The characters are actual exist samurai back in the day, though in a different incarnation, in this case mostly women. Now I've seen this a couple of times before in anime in varying degrees of success. This time I think it works, and the tone of the anime blends pretty well the samurai drama with schoolgirl comedy. Also to add to the mix is the character designs for the women which are very sexy and curvy. And whereas Majikoi-Oh censored all of the nudity in that series, Samurai Bride does NOT! In fact the only thing not seen is Muneakira's privates when he ends up naked, though they were really pushing the limit when one underdeveloped girl character (looking like a loli in fact) is naked and sits on said naked guys lap to steal a kiss! Oh did I mention the servant who is masochistic? I don't see why it needed to be overtly adult here, though everything is awesome to look at and the action is pretty good. On that grounds I give it a minor thumbs up.

 

Digimon Adventure tri

 

This series takes place 4 years after the original 2nd season of Digimon, and continues the story with most of the kids in the everyday lives in their high school years. Taichi and friends are doing their own thing and seem to be drifting apart. Taichi is ready for a soccer match, while Yamato gets ready for a gig with his band. Suddenly strange digital anomalies are occurring in the skies over Tokyo, causing electronic desruptions. And some strange flying creature is phasing in and out. Tai alerts the others and Mimi is contacted from overseas. The disruptions get worse until finally the monster appears in solid form in the streets of Tokyo causing mayhem and distruction. Taichi has no choice but to summon Agumon once again to battle the rogue digital monster. More of these same digimon appear at the airport, and a school teacher gives the gang a ride there and another mysterious lady also offers her assistance. Apparently they're actually part of a secret Digimon monitor organization, and have been watching the disruptions and agree they need to be stopped. The fallout gets worse, and Taichi fears people will get hurt as his digimon fights the corrupted digimon. All of the Digidestined reunite, along with busy Joe and the overseas Mimi to fight off Kuwagamon. Soon another corrupted digimon appears, as well as another new girl student who seems to have her own Digimon...

I remember the original Digimon series on TV in the early 2000s, and one thing that was good about was even with the English dub, it retained it's cultural background mostly, if you compare it the Pokemon dub. Watched the series to their conclusions, but never really thought about what they did in their teen years. It's great they decided to bring back the series to celebrate the anniversary. As for the series itself, it definitely has matured. What I mean is back with original series, it was geared for kids as the kids were the main characters. And as the kids grew to adulthood, so has the new series. There is a definite more serious tone in the forehand, while there are humorous moments between the mayhem, and of course the little digimon are still cute. Taichi definitely is the heart of the drama again, as he is very concerned over the destruction being caused by the digimon in the real world, while Yamato is angry at Tai's hesitation to fight because of that. Joe is so caught up with his studies he has distanced himself from the others, although he has time for a girlfriend. There's also a hint of a coupling or romance between 2 characters, but that's for you to discover on your own. As for the episode structure, they seemed to end rather abruptly and not really a wrap up for what has happened. But then I found out this series was released as a series of films, and for the tv version they had to chop up the movie into 4 parts, ending each episode at a decent spot. There are actually 4 films, which equals about 12 tv episodes. Knowing that, I can say I enjoyed seeing the Digimon gang again, alive and well, grown up and still kicking butt. The character designs are nice to look at, and the action has been pumped up and better animated than the originals. If you've enjoyed the originals, then you should check out this sequel. Thumbs Up.

 

Silver Spoon

After not passing the high school exam and an estrangement with his family, Hachiken decides to attend a school far away from suburbia at Ooezo Agricultural High School. Here, students learn about every aspect of farming, from growing fruit, milking cows, farm animals and the meat they provide etc. He chose the school believing it would be easier and he would have extra time to study again. He soon learns though that the school is very demanding as it's an actual working farm that provides food for the country as well as growing and harvesting the food they use for school meals. He's horrified to learn about farm animal food, like where chickens eggs come out of, and having to kill chickens and pigs for their dinner, yet he can't help but be amazed at how delicious the fresh produce and meat taste. His reluctance to do tasks and help out due to his generosity makes him out of place at first. Once he discovers how all the students all have goals pertaining to farming and how it's a part of their life already, he questions what his career goal will be and admires his friends who eventually respect him.

 

I've see a few anime that feature job life in Japan: some more funny (ServantXService), and some more action packed (Rail Wars), but both give you an idea of what the job is like. I never knew much about farming in Japan, and so this anime (based on an award winning manga btw) was a pleasant surprise. It shows you several aspects of farm life in Japan and we get a main character who doesn't know what to expect and at first doesn't like it. But we see him start to change his mind about attending the farm school and actually learn to like to do the tasks and eat the homegrown food, never minding the fact that chicken eggs come out of their anus and that someday he's going to have to kill and prepare his new pet pig named "Pork Bowl!" And he's surrounded by a unique bunch of school chums, all having a goal of what to do with what they learned at the school. All kind of things occur at the school to create hijinks, whether it's the guys sneaking out to see a new state of the art farming machine, trying to figure out how to make pizza, or Hachiken spending time with friends and their families to see their everyday lifes. Most notable of these friends is Aki, whose family raises horses and is comfortable with Hachiken's friendship. There's good animation, voice acting and the story overall is better than you think it might be. If you're looking for something that has more of an insight in modern Japanese life, Silver Spoon is a great alternative. Thumbs up.

 

Digimon Xros Wars

 

Taiki Kudo is a typical energetic 7th grader who likes action and sports, and has a habit of helping people in need even if it's not the best idea. The school basketball team is short of a player and he helps them win a game. One day while hanging out with friends Akari and Zenjiro they come across a strange device that activates when Taiki grabs for it. The 3 friends are then sucked into a dimension portal which takes them to an unrecognizable land--an alternate digital reality.  there they rescue a strange creature that actually talks to them. He's revealed to be Shoutmon, a Digimon from an alternate digital reality. He's been watches energetic and believes he can help him be the strongest Digimon in the digital world, thus becoming the King of Digimon. There are also bad Digimon who resent humans being in their world, so they attack. Shoutmon on his own is tough, but no match for the large Madleomon. With Taiki's device he can create a "DigiXros" between 2 Digimon, or rather fuse them to create an even more powerful Digimon. Shoutmon and Ballistamon fuse together to defeat Madleomon. Taiki learns there's a Digimon war taking place between the good free Digimon and the ones ruled by Bagramon. Also keeping an eye on the new visitors are other human kids who have been in the digital world for a while to fight the war: Kiriha, who becomes a rival to Taiki, and Nene who admires Taiki's talents. The trio discover a fragment of something called a Code Crown. When the fragment (which looks like an SD card) is inserted into the Xros Device, they're taken to another area of the Digital world. Nene tells them it's important to try to collect all of the fragments of the Code Crown. Taiki and Shoutman believe it will make them more powerful and be the ruler of the land, while Akari hope it will help find a way to return home...

 

That took a few more sentences to explain, since there is so much going on in this kiddy anime it's a bit dizzying. Anyway, this is another anime within the popular Digimon universe, with new characters and creatures, though they we do see some familiar Digimon too. I've seen most of the other series, and they all have a spin on the tale and the Digimon evolve more and more, or the humans become digimon and so on. Here the concept of Digixros (pronounced Digicross), or in the English version Digifuse into a single even more powerful Digimon to defeat the enemy. I do like that the other little digimon (in the shape of little stars and such) can connect together to make a weapon to use. The animation style is similar to all of the other series, though a little better quality and cute enough for kids to enjoy. I liked the 3 mains characters, though they're really not anything new. The plot is interesting though having to collect magical objects all around the digital universe is also nothing knew, in fact it reminds me of...well several other anime such as Pokemon, Dragon Ball, Card Captor Sakura and others. But I guess this show will appeal to its demographic, but also fans who grew up on the previous series. Plus I do like the idea of fusion, though that's not original either. Marginal thumbs up.

I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying!

We meet young couple Hajime and Kaoru who were recently married. Kaoru has to come to terms with that Hajime is a otaku: a big fan of anime and girl characters. He has no job at first, and so she is the sole support, working in a office. Nevertheless they do love each other emotionally and sexually. Hajime eventually leaves his PC blogging and does find work as a web designer, but he's still an otaku and eventually ends up working on his PC at home. Meanwhile relationships develop with Kaoru's brother (who likes to dress as a girl), her dad--an expert chef, and friends who are also married. Also the couple deal with the ups and downs and quirks of the married duo such as drinking, smoking, anime critique, cooking and of course whether or not to have children. In the end deep down they know they are blessed to have each other.

 

I really liked this series since I could actual relate to some of the things going on since I am also married, even though it's a different culture. Fortunately me and my wife are both anime watchers, cosplayers, and fans of other fandoms as well but we still have to deal with our personal junk. But this show is pretty funny in presenting the couple to us, and I'm pleased to see the author of the manga also did "koomori-san can't decline," another series I really liked. There are some fantastic moments such as when it's discovered that Kaoru gets violently horny when she drinks, and jumps Hajime's bones when she gets home (to the sound effect of a jack hammer!). Also when we find out Kaoru's little sister is actually her little brother and is a fan of yaoi, so much he wishes to share a bed with Hajime and "do things," and upon saying that is abruptly kicked out of the apartment! The animation is based off the manga so it's a kind of rough style but consistent. There's one episode where it's even more exaggerated, probably to emphasize that it's a flashback. The episodes are only about 5 minutes each, so I was able to get through the whole show quickly. I won't dare spoil the conclusion, but there will be a 2nd season. Enthusiastic thumbs up!

 

 

Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls

 

Samurai ancestry is prominent in Kawakami city. The schools take pride in this ancestry, emphasizing strong fighting spirit among the students. Two classes share a rivalry and take part in non lethal battles to settle disputes: 2F and 2S. 7 students of 2F, are a tight bunch featuring Yamato, the tactician of the group who doesn't have a strong fighting power but takes up arms when the situation gets critical. The strongest ones are the Big Four, 4 girls who each have a unique and awesome fighting skill. 2F wins the battle due to 3 of the Big 4 and Yamato's tactics, since he knew that the 4th of the 4, Momoyo the most powerful, would help 2S at the last minute. As the dust settles, we see the 7 friends interact in their usual lives, go on special but trivial missions, and Yamato getting into hairy situations such as lustful love interests, serious love interest and of course seeing girls naked...

 

With this anime, you may need to research it a little and find that it's based on a series of popular video games in Japan. I wish I'd known that too at first, since going into the first episode I had no idea who was who or why they were fighting. Once we get to the 2nd episode, the battling takes a backseat to characterization mixed with touching moments and hilarity. We get to know most of the character fighting in the previous episode, and then center around the main 7, particularly interaction between Yamato and all of the other girls. One girl is absolutely in love with him and is even willing to give herself to him (or even sneak into his bed), and make a sim game featuring the 2 as well. Another girl questions whether or not he'd make a good husband, brought on by her toy horse that talks to her (via ventriloquism). Then there's the relationship between him and Momoyo, whom he loves and has professed to her, but she thinks of him otherwise. So it's obvious he's going to get a smack by some of these girls, though he does try to figure ways out of it. When he accidentally sees a lady friend naked, he makes this long winded conversation to the girl--who is not Japanese--that in modern Japan it's okay if people see each other naked. Does it work? You'll have to see for yourself. Animation of the series is very good and the character designs are pleasant. One word about nudity in the series. There is some, of the ladies, but the creators decided rather than shoot a girl undress and put her private parts out of frame or something like that, they just show it all but censor it with little pictures of that one girl's horse mascot. I guess they decided to make a big joke out of it, to see how many horsies they can fit on the screen. All in all this is a decent series once you figure out who's who and what's going on. Thumbs up.

So I Can't Play H!

Ryosuke is a 2nd year student and also is a self admitting lecher, going ga-ga over girl's breasts, panties and other things that he likes, yet somehow he still has respect for girls. For example his childhood friend Mina tolerates his behavior even when he oogles her impressive G-cup bosom, but he would never cop a feel (plus the fact that she has feelings for him).  One night in the pouring rain he comes across a pretty red headed girl seeking shelter, and his hormones offer her to stay at his house where he lives alone. Her interest in Ryosuke takes a drastic turn as he pierces his body with a strange weapon she pulls out of nowhere. She then reveals herself to be Lisara a shinagami or rather a Grim Reaper, and she has a made a contract with him, using him as pretty much a rechargable battery, absorbing his life energy to recharge her powers. Luckily for her, Ryosuke's lecherous ample energy is a great power source, especially when dealing with strange creatures trying to end her life (not to mention when she's depleted her energy all her clothes begin to dissolve). Ryosuke protests the idea, but when it's discovered she can maybe change his future, by extending his short life, he agrees. Other reapers begin to appear such as Lisara's cousin Quele, and her bitter rival Iria (disguised on earth as a very busty idol), all trying to look for energy sources, which may lead them to Lisara's goal: the Singular Man...

 

 This is another odd series where I didn't know much about, except the fact that the main character is a perv. That usually makes for some good anime comedy with fan service abound. That's true for this series, though hooking up with a grim reaper, who is a beautiful girl, and that her energy supply comes from his lecherousness levels is pretty hillarious. In the end they need each other, and so that may lead to something between them. Meanwhile besides the laughs and the fan service, there's some pretty good battle scenes being the reapers, with their powerful weapons: lances, swords etc., not to mention the skimpy outfits they're wearing, to Ryosuke's delight. There is an objective to all this, which is Lisara trying to look for someone known as the Singular Man, and she gets serious when she talks about it. I like the combo of the action and comedy, and the battles increase the energy level of the series. I have a feeling this will increase with the rest of the series, but I can only speculate. The animation is high quality and there's plenty of characters to enjoy, though the mainstay is ladies. If you enjoy some service with your grim reapers, this show is for you. Thumbs up.

 

When Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace

 

The craziness begins with Jurai, a high schooler who's a member of the literature club but is a hardcore "Chuunibyou," always trying to act mature and always claiming to have superpowers. Of course none of his club friends believe him and really wish he would stop acting that way. During a gathering of their club Jurai again claims to have superpowers, extending out his right hand to try and show everyone. His friends are annoyed until something actually does appear above his handd, a great light which encompasses the room. Flash-forward a few months later, and not only is it revealed that Jurai has a power, but all the other club members have acquired a power: earth manipulation, time manipulation, creation etc., while Jurai's power doesn't really do anything at all. While in the Lit club room, they usually spend their time talking about their powers, why they have them and how to develop them. Jurai of course thinks they should all come up with names for them. Meanwhile the student council president is suspicous of them about what they are doing in the club room. Turns out she also has a power--stealing others powers, and she's not the only one...

 

I wasn't sure what to make of this series, especially since I wasn't sure what Chuunibyou meant. Getting past that, it's a rather unique storyline--schoolmates suddenly acquire superpowers for no reason (early on anyway), and how they deal with them, but that really takes a back seat to all of the shenanigans. The main point is Jurai and the fact that he hasn't changed much since they've gotten powers and still treats everyone the same way as before. Although as they go along, Jurai's behavior is seen as being helpful to everyone. We also see things like the class prez falling in love with Jurai because of a misunderstanding, why the young chiyufu hangs out with high school kids and the relationship between Jurai and Tomoyo begins to develop. It's only later we see a hint of what is all going on with these supernatural abilities. This series is one you have to stick with it longer to see what it all adds up to. While it's engaging in some spots, I don't think I've gotten to the juicy part yet. In the end I like the characters and animation and the basic idea of it all. Marginal thumbs up.

Battle Girls - Time Paradox

Yoshino Hide is an average school student who spends her time playing with her phone, social networks and whatnot. Her grades are not so good as a consequence, and is told she needs to improve or she will have to take summer classes to make up, and she doesn't get that her priorities are out of whack. She goes to a shrine to wish for good luck and sees a lady doing a strange ritual. The curious Hide goes to her but stumble on to her, there's a flash of light and both of them disappear. She wakes up on a battlefield where there is fire in a village. She spots someone that looks like one of her classmates and goes to her. A powerful lady warrior in a skimpy warrior outfit comes to her rescue, and she is then taken back to their palace and are identified as historical warriors Nobunaga and Mitsuhide. When she discovers her cell phone has no service and cannot find a subway, she slowly realizes she has gone back in time to Feudal Japan, but in this world there are nothing but females. Nobunaga accepts her as an assistant after she demonstrate some martial arts moves (which she learned from an anime). She hopes to secure some special armor pieces which she hopes to conquer Japan with, while Hide tries to fit in to this strange alternate feudal world...

This series has a lot going for it, though it's stuff I'd seen before in better anime. The title in question is Ambition of Nobunaga which is also about someone who is transported into a Feudal style Japan, though all of the warriors are female (difference being the main character is male). I thought that series was done a lot better, but I do like to see how a female character would react to the similar setting as seen in Battle Girls. But basically it's Fish out of Water type story--Hide does accept where she is, but does not have much use except for the kung fu she learned from a tv series she's seen, or her ability to try to stop a senseless battle. She also tries to style her living quarters into a modern girls room too, which was humorous. The animation style isn't as good as Ambition and the humor isn't as fresh either.  And what of the armor Nobunaga is collecting? What happens when she collects it all? Will the results be something good or disastrous? I guess the payoff might be a good reason to finish this anime to the end, but for now this anime is only so-so. Marginal thumbs up.

 

Fist of the North Star

This is the classic TV series that began to air in 1984. In the year 199X, the world has been ravaged by nuclear war. However some humans manage to survive, but now they have to struggle for the future and to build a new life. There are many ruffians and sadistic leaders who hope to take control of the land for their own benefit, beating and killing anyone that goes against them. Enter Kenshiro a lone muscular man with a mysterious 7 scars on his chest who stands up against the villains who he sees first hand to spread death and sadness. He is just one man, but unfortunately for his enemies he is an expert of a powerful martial art known as Fist of the North Star. With this style he can annihalate an opponent in seconds. Even worse, his expertise in activating certain pressure points on his enemy's body can paralyze them, or, after a few seconds during which Ken says "Don't you know you're already dead?" the bad guy's body will explode. During his journey he is joined by a little girl Rin, whom he saves from ruffians and whose parents were previously murdered by other thugs. Bat also joins him, a preteen boy who stole to survive and initiates deals with people to get supplies. Ken realizes many of the thug clans are controlled by Shin, his former friend who used his martial arts--Fist of the South Star--to gain power, cripple Ken and steal his beloved fiancee Yuria. It is Ken's quest to track down and find Shin, defeat him and take back Yuria...

 

You could call this one "Bruce Lee meets Mad Max," as Ken was definitely inspired by Bruce and the look, feel of the setting, along with the nuclear war angle and the character designs of the baddies were inspired by the Road Warrior. This show is a lot of fun, even though it has some sort of somber serious tone to it. But of course it's jam packed with action and the rockin' opening theme song ("You wa Shock!") gets you pumped up. The episodes have a formulaic approach, with bad guys committing heinous crimes, then Ken shows up, does some moves on them, announces the move, then the bad guys bodies convulse and explode. Sounds like it could be monotonous but really it isn't. The baddies are so colorfully evil, you can't wait for the moment when they go boom. Ken has an extensive array of techniques that vary the carnage. He usually begins his attack with multiple hits and his "yatatatatatatatatatatatatatatata!" cry reminds you of Bruce Lee (even though Ken's voice is so low!). You'd think this show would be very gory, but actually it's been toned down quite a bit for TV. When it's time for the bad guy to blow, the background turns red (sometimes), and then the silhouette of the bad guy explodes, but the blood and gore is white, not red. We do get to see people's heads bulge and convulse, plus one time a bad guy explodes so bad we see his spinal column. This is all a bunch of fun, but the show is also melodramatic as Ken hardly ever smiles (except for Rin), but energetic Bat adds a little comedy relief. It's safe to say Ken is super tough, and tricky--just when you think he's been tricked and badly wounded, something happens that sends the villain cowering back in fear. Enjoy! Thumbs up.

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) July 29th, 2016 at 4:42 AM

Hi. So I've been doing some brainstorming and deciding what else to write about besides anime and movies, and general con reports. I thought I'd do a wrap up of the year's cons, ones I went to, ones I decided to skip (and why I skipped them), once the con season ends (which would be Geek Girl Con).

 

I also wanted to go down memory lane and write about past convention, as much as I can remember abou them. I would start with my first convention: Sakura Con 2000, try to jog my memory and dig through my old SC program books (which I've saved) and see what I can talk about. Things that happened, things I enjoyed, didn't enjoy, and maybe reveal some things I've never talked about in the con reports.

 

This is all in the planning stage, but I hope to start soon. See ya!

Magical Warfare

Takeshi comes to the school campus and finds an unconscious girl on the ground in a strange school uniform. He brings her around, and then suddenly she brandishes a strange gun and fires at Takeshi and misses, or so he thought. Mui says she is a magician and just then some other teens confront the two, demanding the girl named Mui to come with them. A fight ensues and Takeshi comes to her aid, fighting with his kunai (bamboo sword). Takeshi manages to get the upper hand, partly because of his skill, but also Mui tells him the blast from her gun did make contact with him, which has given him magical powers. Takeshi's friends, one his girlfriend, also end up in the middle of the fracas and also end up with magical powers. Mui then takes them to meet the leader of her school, which turns out to be an alternate world than where Takeshi lives. In that world, there is a devastating war between magicians who want to co-exist with normal humans and magicians who do not. Takeshi and his 2 friends are offered to come to the other world to train their magic skills at the academy, and help with the war...or they can stay in the real world. They choose to train at the academy...

 

This is a pretty cool anime featuring magic oriented action battles, making for a pretty exciting show. But there's also room for some humor here and there, including a little fan service. Takeshi's girlfriend gains transformation magic, and the first thing that occurs when she gains the powers is her breast become large! The background story is pretty cool as well as dark, with an alternative world where the city is in ruins from the magic wars. A lot of the characters have interesting back stories that brought them to this point and are continued throught he series, such as Takeshi's homelife and the relationship with his brother or why Kurumi is Takeshi's "girlfriend." There's also the mystery of Mui's brother and why he joined the magicians who want to take over. This makes for a nice blend of action, drama and light comedy here and there. Maybe the animation could have been a little better, but it's a pretty exciting series that keeps you interested. Thumbs up.

 

Hamatora

 

This anime is part of a multi franchise project, which started as a manga, then anime and then a video game. It takes place in Yokohama in a world where certain people are born with special powers and are known as minimum holders. The main character Nice is a laid back always wearing headphones and always scrounging for food and money. He's part of a special detective agency with other minimum holders, taking various jobs for money. 2 cases involving a safe theft and kidnappings are deduced to be linked, and so the agency goes into action. One of suspects turns out to also be a minimum holder, using a special gravity power to lift large things (like cars) with ease. Nice then reveals his power, known as Sonic, and moves faster than the eye can see and with that speed provides his attacks with power, defeating the large enemy. The next case is more serious as it involves a serial murderer targeting Minimum Holders, and a mad man that wants everyone to be one...

 

I thought this was a pretty cool mix of anime genres, a detective agency solving mysteries but the detectives each have a different special power. It didn't really remind me of X Men or SCRYED or anything else. It does make the series more action oriented, and there's room for some drama and some light comedy as well. As you notice from the beginning, most of the detectives are guys so it will appeal to girls as well as guys. But there are a couple of lady co-workers though they usuall stay near the agency and don't go out with the others. Why is that? Do they not have powers? And what's with the girl that has a tail? I guess if I watch this all the way it may explain a few things. I like the animation quality and where the story is going, and now that I think of it the villain wanting to have everyone be a MH does remind me of x-men a little. I know the manga starts the story before where the anime does, while the anime puts you right in the middle of the agency already established. But it still works even if you haven't read the manga. This was another decent discovery. Thumbs up.

Symphogear

The famous idol duo Zweiwing puts on a dynamic concert in a packed stadium. Just then a mysterious group of destructive monsters known as The Noise, destroying and consuming victims in their path. Zweiwing is revealed to be 2 warriors who can transform and gain powers using special armor, singing a special song during battle to increase the power. An innocent girl Hibiki is caught up in the attack and injured. One the warriors Kanade comes to her rescue but both are cornered by multiple Noise. Kanade then sings an epic song, destroying all of the monsters, but critically inuring herself, then dissipates to dust in her partner Tsubasa's arms. During the battle however, Hibiki sings Kanade's song, and has somehow gained power of the armor, called Symphogear. It turns out Hibiki has inherited Kanade's power and is now a Symphogear warrior. Because of this she spends all of her time after school to train, under the strict rule to not reveal the reasons and her identity as a Symphogear user. Hibiki is exhausted and is causing concern for her best friend. At the same time, she's determined to do the job and gain the respect of Tsubasa, who refuses to believe Hibiki has gained Kanade's power, someone who was very dear to her...

 

The concept of this anime is similar to Macross 7, where sound is used as a weapon, or rather music. But while 7 the warriors perform music which is enhanced by their mecha, in Symphogear the source of power is a relic that's fused in the body of the user, and when music is performed, power and weapons are released. The more epic the song, the more powerful. It's a pretty cool idea, and it brings together some popular aspects of anime series, catchy songs and big battles with weapons. The tone of the anime is exciting, touching and with some slight humor added. It begins on a somber note, which changes it to a more dramatic anime, not to mention seeing many people get consumed by the Noise. The story and characters are what kept me watching. With Hibiki being a Symphogear warrior is very difficult as she has to miss out being with her friends to go train after school each day, making her tired and alienated from the others. In the end she accepts the job and hopes to do what is necessary. Tsubasa resents Hibiki's presence and as a new warrior because she believes she has no right to Kanade's power, and she's gone. It all comes together for some dramatic action and some pretty good animation. The opening theme song is exhilarating, and gets you excited for the series. Thumbs up.

 

Another

Koichi transfers to Yomiyama North Middle School, and starts attending after a sudden illness puts up him in the hospital. He begins to make friends with some of the classmates. One day he meets a quiet docile girl named Mei, who wears an eyepatch over her left eye. She's always by herself and everyone else seems to ignore her. Some of the students are wary of Koichi's presence, and seem to question why he's at the school and if he's been there before. Koichi meanwhile continues to try to befriend Mei and find out about her. She mentions perhaps he should stay away from her. When Koichi brings up Mei, they stop cold then pretend to not understand. Koichi soon learns that there's a curse on the school and it has something to do with the death of a girl student there several years ago. The curious Koichi starts to follow Mei after school, leading to a strange shop and Mei revealing secrets, including why she wears an eyepatch. Koichi's fellow students keep telling him that Mei doesn't exist, or can't exist, and it may be true. The curse seems to be real when one student is killed in a grisly accident in the school halls...

 

Now if David Lynch ever directed an anime taking place at a school, it'd be something like this...! I went blindly into this anime, thinking it was a more serious series which is is. I didn't count on the horror aspect of it, but I kept getting a Lynchian artistic vibe from watching. Then I thought "all it needs is some shocking violence," and lo and behold there was. But I didn't find dark and depressing like zombie anime or overly creepy like Parasyte--this was a thoughtful series with lots of mystery and chills at every corner, not to mention characters. Probably the most surreal eerie scene was in the doll shop, and then Mei's revelation--pretty dramatic moment there. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but I ended up enjoying the characters, the mood and drama and the story development. Animation quality is very good and music works pretty well. If you like this genre, you should check it out. Thumbs up.

Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note

 

Here's a simple little mystery series featuring teen school kids of course. Aya is a loner at school, having no friends, overly cautious and gets embarrassed easily. Though she is good in English, her math skills are sub par and so the teacher tells her she must do some supplement work to compensate. She meets up in a classroom of a group of cute guys who tell her they are part of a detective team, each member having a specific talent to help out. Aya is naturally reluctant to take part even though most of the guys are happy to have her join. Kazuomi is a hot head and thinks she will just get in the way of investigations. She nevertheless joins the team as she can be the language expert and can record the cases (with a notebook). Because the team is so handsome, other more popular girls of the school are envious and even resent Aya, though she doesn't have to courage to protest. However after a stressful day with the team, her bad mood allows her to put one of the jealous schoolmates in her place. Aya actually becomes a more important part of the team when she inadvertantly helps Kazuomi from being injured by a suspect, and has a special connection with someone who's part of another case.

So this is not like Detective Conan, with murders galore each episode. The mysteries presented here are not grisly though what's uncovered could unravel an even bigger picture. The first case deals with Kazuomi's bicycle being stolen, and they eventually discover it's connected to a local robbery. Another case is about Kazuomi getting sick after eating ground beef, and their investigation leads to the meat company and a disgruntled employee. It's kind of a low key mystery series with cute and simple character designs, and while some of the cases are flimsy, they do keep you interested. And it's interesting to follow Aya and see how being with the team could bring her out of her shell, if she wishes to. All in all it's harmless fun for a series, not the best out there, but it's a short series that you can enjoy. Thumbs up.

Argevollen

Taking place during a long war between 2 countries whose primary weapons are robot mechas, Tokimune is a new recruit ready to be a robot pilot, though he complains that they run rather slowly. A transport convoy is en route in territory where the enemy will strike. A robot team is ordered to defend the convoy, but believe it to be a lost cause. Against better judgment, Tokimune takes off in his mecha to try and save the transport. A girl named Jamie tries to save her cargo first, rather than go with Tokimune. She unloads a brand new prototype created by her company, an advanced battle robot known as Argevollen. Knowing Tokimune is a pilot, he has him get into cockpit and get it moving to save it. She explains it will sync with the pilots brain and will do whatever he thinks. It's difficult at first but suddenly Argevollen springs into action and defeats the enemy robots. Taking it back to the base, it is discovered the robots computer is now permanent linked to Tokimune's brain, so no one else can operate it. But now the enemy is curious about the new robot, and hope to either catch it or destroy it.

 

Well, this mecha anime has a lot going for it, with it's new prototype robot, reluctant hero, lady pilots and officers, robots used for fighitng wars...Wait, that sure sounds a lot like Gundam though! But what Argevollen lacks in originality makes up for with good quality action, some interesting characters and a pretty cool robot. The main character acts without thinking things all the way through, but in the end he gets things done. Jamie is devoted to protecting the new robot, and has a lot of knowledge about it as she is the one in charge, though she admits she doesn't know exactly how it works. In essence she becomes Tokimune's assistant in operating it and fighting with it. I also like the main leaders of the outfit: one stoci and quiet but completely in charge, the other very helpful and kind in private, but all business when giving orders. The animation is very good, characters are 2D while the mecha is in 3D CGI, and the action is pretty good. I don't quite understand what the war is all about, but perhaps that will be revealed a bit later. In the end, not too original, but worth a look. Marginal thumbs up.

 

The Anti-Magic Academy: the 35th Test Platoon

 

This anime was originally a light novel series, then manga, then series. Takeru comes to join the Anti-magic academy, where students learn techniques and weapons needed to stop the magic of rogue magicians, witches and sorcerers bent on causing death and mayhem in the city. Takeru's weapon of choice is a katana, which is rather unusual for this kind of work. He ends as the captain of his squad, the 35th Platoon, and is more or less accepted by his group as they also have their unique flaws. One new member doesn't like him--Oka, a transfer from another squad who is excellent in combat, but was demoted for killing a watch which was not necessary. Oka doesn't accept him as the leader as he lacks experience and leadership. Their first mission is mostly a disaster, and Oka wants nothing to do with them. The next mission is to find a gunmen who makes fun of Takeru's sword. Enraged, Takeru shows off his talents with sword by cutting an airborne bullet in half. Their next assignment has to do with a magic artifact, and while Oka goes out on her own, but she gets into trouble and Takeru ends up nearly dying to protect her. The bigger problem of magic users is revealed when a leader of a criminal magic group called Valhalla attacks during a tournament at the academy, injuring students. The leader, Haunted, wants nothing more than to cause pain and suffering and uses dangerous magic. Meanwhile Takeru is tapping into his power, making a pact with a mysterious "girl." In addition an actual witch ends up joining the platoon, gaining the ire of Oka...

 

This is a perfect blend of action, drama and teen humor that we've come to expect from school related anime series. Bickering is common between the characters, particularly between the girls, and there are a lot of laughs that come from it. Of course there are some fan service-y moments that you've come to expect, and they're not out of place here at all--they have to do with of course female body parts. But the story and the characterizations are what stand out the most for this series. We learn why Takeru wants to join the academy, and the reasons Oka hates witches, plus she discovers a secret of one of the recruits that really disturbs her, adding another layer of intrigue. The Valhalla group comes to fore after the first couple episodes, which no doubt becomes the good guys main enemy of the series. Haunted is an absolute demented villain and you so want to knock some sense into him yourself. I like the weapons used in the series, plus Takeru's sword is more than meets the eye. There's lots of good action sequences and the animation is very good. All around an exciting series that leaves you wanting more. Thumbs up.

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) June 1st, 2016 at 7:36 PM

God Eater

 

In post Apolcalyptic Japan, the area has been devastated by destructive creatures called Aragami, some small while others are much larger--and even worse, they can evolve. To fend off and destroy these monsters, a force was created to construct weapons using Aragami cells, God Arcs, to destroy the creatures. Teams are formed of people who can wield these weapons and are known as God Eaters. Lenka is a new member of an academy where God Eaters are trained, and trains himself strictly for the task. An Aragami attack occurs, and with a shortage of GE's close by, he volunteers to fight, but steals his future God Arc weapon and goes into battle. Unfortunately he doesn't know how to use it and is unable to cope with the monsters. 3 experienced God Eaters appear to destroy the Aragami, and seeing a woman about to be killed by one, he grabs his weapon again--this time the God Arc activates into a gun, and is able to blow the monster away. Later on he is punished for breaking the rules, but is given a second chance to redeem himself instead of prison time. He is to go with the other God Eaters to rescue a new recruit on an airplane en route, but being attacked by Aragami. The GE in question, Alisa, is a gifted GE and refuses to leave the plane of passengers despite the others pleas. She shows her ability to release her God Arc's aragami weapon to defeat the others, and then Lenka shows his surprising talent by unleashing his...

 

This genre of teams with weapons against Big Giant monsters taking over the world, varies with each series (Attack on Titan for example), but I like this series though it is also has a serious tone and never really lighthearted. But I like the fact that not just any person can weild a God Arc, you have to have a gift for it (Newtype is the term, though I keep thinking of Gundam!). The plot twist I like is that the monsters are not from another planet or something like that, but were created (how and why I won't reveal here). And these monsters are so ferocious and intimidating, they are in fact scary to me as they appear on the screen, and of course people are going to get killed. But there is a lot of action in the series, with the God Arc weapons being used to kick much Aragami butt, plus there is tension among the teams as well, particularly the loner Alicia who has more compassion for the regular folks caught up in the monster attacks. But also she doesn't like to be compared to Lenka after he shows his gift for battling with the God Arc, however I feel she'll soften up a little later. What really stuck out for me was the animation style, which is much better than the typical style you see for anime series. I'm not exactly sure how you describe, though it's much more detailed and has a more artistic feel to it, sort of somewhere between 2D and 3D animation (pertaining to the human characters, the monsters are more 3D). It's eyecatching and nice to view, and I like the story and characters, so it's definitely a series to check out, whether or not you're familiar with the games. Thumbs up.

 

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE: 0096

 

This series, based on novels, was originally released in 2010 as OAVs in 7 episodes, but then recently rebroadcast on TV and expanded to 26 episodes, with new openings/closings and animation. The main story takes place in the Universal Century universe in the year 0096, 16 years after the events in the Classic Gundam series (Amuro and friends). The prologue though takes place in UC 0001, as space colonization begins and the Prime Minister has a ceremony on a space colony to celebrate the new UC dating system. A terrorist attack occurs by unknown assailants with mecha, massively damaging the colony and killing the PM. fast forward to the year 0096 The main character is a student named Banagher Links, who attends school with his friends on a space colony, where old relics like a damaged Zaku stands as a monument at the school. By chance Banagher catches a glimpse of a girl on the run. Her name is Audrey, and Banagher actually helps her escape from a ship and adults trying to catch her. They end up at the mansion of the head of Banagher's academy named Vist, and he tells of a strange device known as the Laplace's Box, something that could save or destroy the world. At the same time an attack occurs, with mobile suits attacking the colony and engaging in the Federation MS's as well. In addition this "enemy" invades Vist's house and demand the Laplace's box. A chase ensues, and while Audrey is captured, Vist manages to escape wounded to the MS hangar. There, he meets up with Banagher and puts him into a new prototype Gundam, that hones in on his brain signals, making it simple to operate. In the tense conflict, Banagher becomes airborne and is able to take on the enemy single handed, while both sides watch and wonder who is operating the Gundam...

 

Such enjoyment out of this series, as it takes place in the UC timeline of the Gundam series, the original 0079 of which I cherish as a classic. The series pulls you in with the action and war themes, and you're immediately engaged with the main character. You also anticipate when you will see the Gundam go into battle. The animation is top notch, and they did very well with the mecha and the battles. And while I prefer the old fashioned hand drawn style, there is much to enjoy in the state art style you see here. It's nicely balanced with it's drama, war tragedy, action and light humor. If you seen the original it set the pace for futuristic war atrocities at the hands of Zeon, so you know there will be bad as well as good. Banagher is a serious character in the tradition of Amuro Ray: naive, scared yet quick to do what needs to be done. Audrey is also a rather serious character for a change, and there's good reason with her origins. Music score is of course dramatic, and it's interesting to note the opening theme is sung in english. And there are nods to the original series as well: there is a descendant of the original Haro that belongs to Banagher, but most importantly everyone's favorite masked blonde pilot in red is back in action in this series...yup! So classic fans as well as newer fans will enjoy this series in Gundam franchise. An enthusiastic thumbs up.

 

 

 

Young Black Jack

 This series is based on the Black Jack characters and manga/anime by the great Osamu Tezuka, but was created by another manga-ka--Yoshiaki Tabata and illustrated by YÅ«go ÅŒkuma. The series follows the famous doctor in the 1960s when he was just a medical student, but already a talented physician to be. He shows off his skills when he recruited in desperation by a veteran intern Maiko, whom Hazama (Black Jack's real name) calls "senpai." She is stunned at his speed at the impossible task of reattaching the limbs of a child after a train accident. He gets help from Yabu, also a doctor but addicted to drugs due to PTSD and is afraid at the sight of blood. Hazama's skills and morals are put to the test, when he has to decide or not to help an injured war deserter who can't go to the hospital for fear of being arrested. He also has to decide whether or not to do a heart transplant to an old ill man who doesn't deserve it, while having to sacrifice the life of an innocent man.

 

This is one of the more interesting animes I've watched, featuring a classic character. I've sometimes wondered what Black Jack was like before he became this famous doctor. Even at a younger age his talent is assured, along with moments of conflict with himself (right and wrong). He does actually smile a little for once here, when he is enjoying his curry meals! The fact that it takes place at the time of the Vietnam war provides a great backdrop and a lot interesting ideas to explore in the story. He stumbles upon some war deserters where one is stricken ill, and since they can't go to the hospital, their leader forces him at gunpoint to do surgery. Does this work? Well you'll have to see to find out. The supporting cast is great as well, with senpai intern Maiko who is the one who discovers Black Jack and is the only one who he really listens to and heeds her words in crisis. There's also the addicted Yabu, who can barely function as a doctor and surgeon but is able to get it back thanks to his talented colleague. The character designs are of course based on the original Tezuka manga, but definitely have a modern, more realistic look to them, such as Black Jack himself. Some characters still have that exaggerated look, with big long noses and such. In fact in the end credits they show a character as seen in the original manga and then the new anime version along side it. This show is a must for BJ and Tezuka fans, and is a interesting prequel of sorts, plus all the medical jargon is intriguing as well. Thumbs up.

 

World Trigger

In futuristic Mikado city, a gate to another world suddenly appears, allowing creatures later known as Neighbors, invade the city and cause death and destruction. Since regular weapons don't work, a mysterious team appears known as the Border defense agency, and use special high tech weapons to destroy the creatures. Osamu is a typical brainy school student who comes across a Neighbor attack, but before Border can arrive, a small young white haired dude appears, transforms and easily destroys the creature. It turns out this kid named Yuma is a new student and is Osamu's classmate, but he's not a Border agent. He corrects Osamu on the fact that the creatures are not Neighbors but are created by humanoid aliens that are the actual neighbors from that other world. Another attack occurs in the no mans zone, and Osamu reveals himself to be a Border trainee, but is no match for the creature, and so Yuma steps in again. When hoods try to take advantage of the 2, Yuma shows off his amazing alien strength on them, but Osamu begs him not to reveal his real identity, nor show off his powers...

 

This is a pretty fun sci fi action anime, and it seems to be following a trend or subgenre of anime recently: large monsters taking over the city/earth/etc, and armies with special weapons to get rid of them (like Attack on Titan, or God Eater, which I'll review soon). It's definitely not as bleak or grim as AOT, in fact there's a layer of humor added here, perhaps to give a more fan friendly flavor. Yuma has a schtick where he puckers his lips and acts all aloof and carefree. He's a nice counterpoint to the always serious Osamu. The leader of the Border team seems serious but gets wildly enthusiastic when he sees his siblings and embraces them (they don't want anything to do with him when he acts like that!). As for the monsters, they are quite menacing and scary, but no overly so. The weapons Border uses against them are pretty cool, though I thought they could have been more hardcore--come on we shouldn't kid around with monsters, right? It's a cool sci-fi blend of action, suspense and some laughs as well, though I imagine more drama will occur later on in the series. Thumbs up.

 

I was excited in the coming months leading up to ECCC. This was my first convention of the year, after a previous year of less cons, less money and disappointment. That was partially due to being busy with my 1 year old son, and having to adjust to his needs, plus just lack of planning and not getting out to the convention until late. This really irritates me since I'm paying good money for conventions--I want to get my money's worth of seeing exhibits, panels and take plenty of cosplay photos.

 

We planned better this year, actually getting a hotel room for ECCC for the first time. Since the downtown hotels are way expensive even at convention rates, plus the fact that we're not sharing a room with friends (not that they'd want to share with a couple with a baby), I picked a hotel near the Seattle Center and we would just take the monorail to the convention center each day. The hotel itself was old but decent, had all we needed plus complimentary breakfast. I was wondering a little about how ECCC was going to be different this year, as I heard they sold to a major company (Reed Pop), which is I guess who owns the comic con in New York, where they are more strict with cosplay rules. I waited to see what unfolded that weekend before I made any conclusions.

 

We headed out on Thursday which was the first day of ECCC as they changed from 3 to a 4 day con. I hoped to check out the exhibit hall, cosplayers and other things. We got there late unfortunately, and we had to meet family for dinner, so we just had a quick run through that night, ate dinner then headed back to the hotel. One thing that was bothersome was trying to unfold the playpen the hotel provided for my son to sleep in. They weren't locking in place, and we had to get a hotel worker to assist us.

 

Friday was looking to be better. I opted to wear one of my classic crossplay costumes for the day as I hadn't crossplayed in like 2 years. I dusted off my Chun Li costume, adjusted it and got help with makeup from my wife. I looked pretty good, though I think my age is starting to show in my face. I went ahead with my son to the convention while the wife got ready. I started to take photos of some great cosplayers including some friends, and got a good reaction from my costume. I had to take a break to change my son's diaper and give him some food, so I took him to the family room, a nice service that ECCC provides for it's con-goers. Last year we used the newborn room, where new families could nurse their babies and relax quietly away from the con. The family room is for older kids and families who need a break from all the people stimulation of the con, and say hello to other families who are also fan geeks and are turning their kids into them (just like us!). Diapers and stuff for cleaning were provided, along with kiddy snacks. I thought it might be a weird sight for a guy dressed as Chun Li changing his toddler son in the room, but nobody complained. I let the little tyke run around the room and eat graham crackers. He's pretty friendly with everyone anyway.

 

Then back to the convention floor for more photos and checking out the dealers room and artist alley exhibits. There are so many it's difficult to remember where everything is if you wanted to come back and look and buy something. They have a key in the program and the ECCC phone app, but still you can get turned around easy in the showfloor. You can pretty much find something for every fandome imaginable, from comics, movies, tv series, video games or sci/fi and fantasy novels. I met up with the wife later on, then I actually headed back to the hotel room to fetch something, then come back. I made a decision early on to either concentrate on panels and guests, or cosplay photos seeing friends. I chose the latter because I hadn't interacted with many friends in the past few conventions and wanted to at least say hi to them. Also I had very few photos from last year and I wanted to change that. At least with family with me, one can watch the child AND get a quick photo, and not be stuck in a panel which you may have to leave early if the child gets unruly. At the end of the day I met up with an old buddy of mine, and we all headed back to the hotel room, ordered Italian food and watch You Tube videos as my son fell asleep.

 

Saturday is usually the biggest day of ECCC, attendance wise. Sure enough when I arrived there I was amazed with the attendance, but I never felt it was like too many people. You do have to navigate carefully through crowds to get to your destination, making sure you don't bump into people. This is harder when you're pushing a small stroller. I went ahead again with my son, both of us in costume. I was excited as I was wearing a new costume for once: Rick Deckard from the film Blade Runner, my favorite Sci-fi film. I didn't expect many people to recognize it, but probably a half dozen people did, including a exhibitor who was selling a BR piece of art, which I gleefully bought. I did more of what I did on Friday, which was take cosplay photos, visit the showroom and artist alley areas, plus catch a few of my friends wandering around the halls. As for shopping I was mostly looking for artwork. Last year I found some awesome art of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy films such as superman, star trek, highlander and others. I was hoping to find some artwork of some other genres of films, and I lucked out. A fan artist had some great artwork for Bruce Lee and Quentin Tarantino films, so I got a couple. There was also a drinking glass I saw last year, and hoping it was still available. I found it: a Bugs bunny glass where he says "What a Maroon!" on it, and I got one for my sister too. My wife found me a Beatles art work as well, from this small seller who created his own comic book based on his career in a rock band in the 70's. I hope to find that comic. I would have liked to go to the cosplay contest, but we had the little tyke to put to bed so we have to knock around 7 or so. I also have hoped to partake of the beer garden at ECCC, but at 8$ a pint, I'm more happy than to go to the drug store and buy a 6 pack of PBR, which I did. We stopped at the store to get more snacks and stuff and and then we hung out again at the hotel with my friend Hector. We also hoped to soak in the hot tub there, but it was being repaired. Oh well.

 

Sunday, the final day of ECCC, started just like any other convention does, with us packing up the car and vacating the hotel room as quickly as we could, and putting our costume as well. As our stuff filled our car, I had the wife and child take the monrail to the con, and would drive the car there into a garage. Even on a Sunday, some of the main parking garages were full, but I managed to find one nearby--albeit a rather expensive one. I proceeded to the con and meet up with my family, where we would take care of the baby's needs, walk around the sites and take photos. I rushed around to find an exclusive Bruce Lee comic in the showroom before the con closed. We saw more of our friends on that final day doing the same thing we were. A lot of them hang out at an area opposite the escalators called the "Brotography corner," a place where several photographers shoot cosplayers as there's enough space and backgrounds to shoot. It's a pretty cool spot, and we'll stop there to see friends or maybe hope to get a picture too. Continuing on our final run, we hung around the artist alley area since my wife wanted to meet this artist who created an academy award nominated short animated film in 2014, and was doing another one. So we basically stayed there (though I went outside to another area to look at T-shirts), until the announcement was made that ECCC had concluded (after which everyone applauded). We stopped at the bro corner again and found several friends saying their good-byes as ECCC did end, and chatted a little until we decided to leave as well.

 

So that was it. It was great fun, though I felt maybe I should have attended some panels or something. After all we spent a bit of money on these tickets and I hoped to get my money's worth out of them. However I was a little disappointed in the guest they had, no offence to Sean Astin who would have been cool to see. I know that Jenna Coleman was to appear, but she cancelled...AGAIN. She did the same thing the previous year which erked many fans including myself, but we all understand that's how it is when you're in show biz (but still...!). Melissa Benoist, Supergirl herself, was also to appear but ALSO cancelled which was another disappointment. So the 2 main guest I wanted to see were out, so no point in waiting in line or fighting for a chair in the main panel room. And like I said before I wanted to take a lot of cosplay photos this year, but I guess I succeeded. I didn't really see any noticeable problems at the con in regards to staffing and organization. I remember I was in the family room and a young teen came in out of breath, like a panic attack. A staff member came in and asked for the one in charge of the room, but no staff member was ever in the room in charge in the times I was in there. I guess the family room doesn't need to be staffed? The only other problem that caused some controversy at the convention was the weapons policy. From what I understood, you cannot take a weapon that's too large and heavy into the showroom, and you would have to leave it with staff at a table or station. This bothered a lot people who's character brandished large weapons, or were made with heavier material and that all their work had to be left behind for a spell. Plus it made for some odd photos if the character poses without their signature weapon, don't you think? People speculate it had to do Reed Pop's acquisition of the con, and that the con itself is changing for the worse, getting too big, and so on. I don't see any real problem yet with the con growing, but I will keep an eye on it as I continue to attend it. And there's always an issue of creepazoids out there who follow cosplayers around for pics and such, or just socially awkward people who start talking to you about weird stuff. One guy was bothering my wife who was in her Lum costume (furry tiger striped bikini) and took her pic, but then followed her around with his camera phone and saying weird things. I didn't think of it as anything until later, but the wife didn't like it, so we'll have to be more wary of folks like that at conventions and stop them in their tracks.

 

Overall ECCC was a lot of fun. There's stuff to see and do for the whole family. This convention has been eclipsing the other con of the season, Sakura Con. In fact we skipped SC this year as the 2 cons were only a week apart, and we couldn't possibly afford attending both, along with the fact that I have been disappointed with SC for a long time. Not that ECCC is perfect. My main gripe with this years comic con was guests I wanted to see cancelling, which was one of my mains draws to the con. I've seen many a celebrity from filims and TV series at past comic cons, so I hope they can rectify the situation of people mainly coming to see a certain guest that doesn't show up. I look forward to seeing what great guests and events they will have at next year's ECCC with great eagerness.

 

 

 

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) May 2nd, 2016 at 7:28 PM

 

 

Yowamushi Pedal

Onada is a big anime fan. He likes to ride his "mommy" bike from his suburb home all the way to Akihabara to buy anime goods and get his fix, and he also uses it to go to school. Sometimes he'll even stop there after school. He gets excited when he hears there is an anime club at school, but is crushed to find out it has been disbanded due to lack of interested club members. His fellow student is Shunsuke, a bicycle enthusiast who has trained extensively for racing and is eager to join the bike racing club at school. During one of his riding sessions going up hills, he comes across Onoda on his bulky old fashioned bike and thinks nothing of it, even telling him he shouldn't be riding that bike uphill. He is shocked to see Onoda going uphill easily on the bike, even catching up with him! Of course Shunsuke can't believe it, but it bothers him that this guy can catch up to him. He decides to challenge to a race just to prove to himself he's better, but Onoda is not really interested. He only changes his mind when Shusuke says he will join the anime club if Onoda wins. Tagging along for the race is Miki, who's brother is in the cycling club. She knows about bikes and sees the potential in Onoda and admires him for it. She is also the one who approached him and talked to him about his bike, and like his entusiasm for the anime club.  As the race goes on, shunsuke catches up with Onoda easily after starting with a handicap, then takes off. Thanks to Miki's help, his bike seat is adjusted, and he is able to catch up to him to his shock. But then Shunsuke turns up the heat and blasts off, seeing that Onoda has used up all of his energy...or so he thought. With sheer determination, Onoda just manages to catch up to him again nearing the finish, saying his motivation is hoping to get Shunsuke to join the anime club if he wins. Shunsuke finishes just ahead of him, but he has respect for Onoda and hopes he will join the cycling club, though he is not obligated to. Meanwhile Onoda returns to watching his favorite show "Miss Hime." Later on he meets the spunky and enthusiastic Naruko In akihabara, who admits Onoda's bike is old fashioned but pretty cool. He helps with Onoda's riding technique when they try to catch up to a car whose driver threw a cigarette butt at Onoda's bike. Naruko becomes Onoda's real friend.

 

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this, but I gave it a shot. Before I began driving (which was only recently), I biked a lot everywhere and I did a lot of biking when I was younger. So I was interested in seeing this anime, also the fact I enjoy seeing the bike races in the olympics. I like the fact the main character likes to ride to his bike a long route to get to the anime mecca Akihabara, even though he could take a bus or train instead (cheaper!). With him riding so long in his life, he's a natural at it even with his old fashioned heavy bike. But he's taught he can put it to good with a few adjustments--this makes a little more interested in bike riding and motivating him to ride better. This is a great set up to get you hooked into the anime, and I got to admit I am somewhat hooked to this story and eager to know where it will go. You also get to learn about bike dynamics and mechanics and racing strategies to make you faster on your own or with a partner. I also like Onoda's enthusiasm for anime as well. Shunsuke is so serious, I just wish he'd lighten up, but I have a feeling that he'll soften as the show goes along. This is one of the more recent animes I can safely say I recommend, even if you're not really into bikes. Thumbs up.

 

Haikyu!

Shoyo Hinata fell in love with volleyball when he saw a match on TV. He hopes to be a great volleyball player despite his short height, and the fact that there is no men's volleyball team in Junior high school. He trains on his own, his jumps and spikes, jogs, gets tips and hangs out with the women's volleyball team, and desperate recruits people to help him toss the volleyball so he can practice. Eventually he is able to form a team, and they're good enough to play in the local school tournament. There on the opposing team he meets the very strict and serious Tobio Kageyama. Though Hinata's team are soundly defeated, some take notice of Hinata's impressive spiking and jumping power. He's grateful to have played in the game, and now consider Kageyama his rival and hopes to beat him someday. Hinata moves on to high school and to try out for the men's volleyball team there. When he gets to the gym, he is shocked to see Kageyama there, realizing he is also attending the same school! The 2 bicker and argue in the tryouts so much that they are banned from the gym and from trying out. The two talk with the captain and persuade him they can be on the same team and get along. To do that they put together a match that demonistrates their teamwork. Will they make it on the team?

 

I use to play intramural volleyall in Junior High and was pretty good at it, although the net was probably lower and my unique backhand spike, wasn't very powerful. This spiked my interest to watch this show, and also the fact I like to watch Olympic volleyball as well. I also enjoyed the Crimson Hero manga featuring a girl's volleyball team. Now it's "the guys," and I go to say I thought it was pretty good. I enjoyed the heart and determination of the Hinata character, and the fact that he's short (like me) and enjoys volleyball is a plus. It also reminds me of the famous olympic USA volleyball player Eric Sato, who was also short but a powerhouse. It took a little time to get to like Kageyama as he's always angry and serious, that is until the 2 finally connect on the court with how to score points together. We also learn why he is so angry and is a "loner" on the court, not to mention why is nicknamed "king." I enjoyed most of the other team members, including the captain, the cheerful Sugawara and the loudmouth Tanaka. I don't Tsukishima, who looks down on the two characters but is pretty shocked when they perform killer set and spike moves. I would imagine this guy's attitude will change throughout the series. Overall this is a nice mix of sports action and drama, with a layer of humor as well. It will please fans of the sports anime genre, not to mention fans who like watching guys do sports! I would say I'm more of the former--doesn't matter if boys or girls are playing, if the anime is good, go for it! Thumbs up.

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) April 20th, 2016 at 5:54 PM

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun

Sakura has a crush on Nozaki Umetaro, and when she tries to confess her love to him, it comes out as "being a fan" of his. He quickly gives her an autograph! The reason is Nozaki is actually Sakiko Yumeno, a popular manga-ka writing a manga in the popular monthly magazine "Monthly Girls Romance." He invites her to his place, only to show his work and have her help out with the inking. Sakura is frustrated and pissed, but she decides to take a job as his inker to stay close to him. Along the way he meets one of Nozaki's friends and assistants, Mikoto, also popular plus flirtatious with the ladies but in reality is really embarrassed about it all. There's Yuzuki, Sakura's rude and thick skinned friend, who provides inspiration for his manga characters. Also aboard his team is Yu who's known as a "prince" but is actually a tall girl that the other girls fawn over. Though talented, she likes to ditch responsibility...

 

So there you have it, this motley bunch of screwballs fill the series with lots of laughs and situations. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was watching the series, but I did like the Sakura character. However I should have know this would venture into a "hot guy" anime (a term I just made up). That's not to say the guys are not interesting. They all have their interesting quirks: Nozaki is mostly serious, while Mikoto is actually embarrassed by acting so flirty with the girls. And the other "guy" is not really a guy. There's also plenty of laughs in this series too, but I wonder what the goal is here. Will Sakura join Nozaki in the manga business, or will she focus back on her love for him, and will he reciprocate? These questions make you want to watch the show more, though I think these kind of "hot guys" are not my kind of thing in an anime, or rather their type of character. It's good for laughs, but I prefer other types of male characters in anime, though a lot of the series I've watched feature girls! Well I can't say I did not like it. Moderate thumbs up.

  

Wakakozake

This is based a popular manga, and the episodes are 5 minutes each so you can get through this series in a day. And it's delicious!

Wakako is a typical office worker lady (although her character design is much different than the others, with a larger head and big eyes), but her favorite thing to do is to go out to a local restaurant and a enjoy a Japanese dish on the menu. She narrates to us how enjoy a dish such as grilled salted salmon, and what to drink with it (sake or beer). She feels accomplished when she knows the way to eat something, but when he sees she made a mistake, she says she has more to learn. The dishes can be as popular as Karaage (fried chicken), simple as potato salad (made with potato chunks) or a small delicacy such as Crab Miso. Eating and drinking makes her feel good and relaxed, and she always lets out a peaceful sigh of relief and satisfaction (Pssshuuuuuuuu...). It's also interesting to note that her going out to eat a dish and have a drink helps her forget if she had a bad day at work, or reminisce abou the old days when she was a more picky eater. This is pretty pleasant little anime that's sure to go under you radar, but if you have a little spare time you should definitely check this one out. It's the idea itself, dining out as a hobby, that engages you, including the character quirks of Wakako, who herself is an interesting character. The animation is okay, and the theme song is catchy too, but this story makes for some fun. It might even make you hungry for Japanese food. Thumbs up.

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) April 6th, 2016 at 7:37 PM

Hi folks. Well it's time for Emerald City Comic Con again!. I'm hoping to get some awesome cosplay photo shots, and maybe even some of me in cosplay too. We are (wife and child too) staying at a hotel this time for ECCC, as it was rather difficult to get ready every morning, get the baby ready and head out from home. We've planned better t his time, and so we hope to see come cool stuff, see some friends, maybe buy a souvenir or 2 and party a little. I'm a little excited! I'll be writing a con report sometime after ECCC concludes, and post photos!  See ya!

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) March 29th, 2016 at 7:30 PM

 Hi folks, a couple more titles that are pretty fun.

 

Is the Order a Rabbit?

Coco Hoto is a girl who comes to a new town to start at new school, but she needs a place to stay. She comes across the Rabbit House coffee shop ran by a softspoken girl named Chino around her age, and always has a live angora rabbit named Tippy sitting on her head--turns out the rabbit is the cafe mascot. She is also welcomed by a cautious girl at gun point (in her underwear as well), but is also a kind gentler worker at the shop. Coco finds the coffee shop to her liking, like the girls and thinks Tippy is the cutest. She ends getting a job there and by coincidence there is a spare room for her to live in with Chino. She can pay for the room by working in the cafe. Each day she learns about brewing coffee, making Latte art, and wonder about rival coffee shops, meanwhile getting to the know the girls and stroking the very fluffy Tippy.

 

That's it! This is the kind of anime I think my wife would like (or maybe not), since she is a coffee fan. Just the everyday life of cute teenage girls running a coffee shop, and so far nothing absolutely strange is happening EXCEPT Tippy can talk like an old man and has the personality of one when Coco is not around. Apparently Tippy has a few secrets. But it's a nice slice of life with the girls, comical situations and coffeet shop problems, with just a hint of fan service here and there, but it's really not the selling point of the show. The character designs and animation quality are high caliber and great to look at, and just watching the characters do their thing is fun and comfortable, plus you get laughs as well. There are anime about pretty much everything right now, so an anime at a coffee shop is no big surprise, but it is surprising how nice and charming the series is. thumbs up.

 

 

 

Anime de Training ex

 

This a unique short segment anime series, in that it doesn't really have a storyline. The big hook is a bunch of cute idol girls show you how to do excercises. Each episode a girl of a different personality and look talks to the viewer, makes small talk and shows you the excercise, be it a yoga move, advanced push ups or dance moves. Whether it's the chipper cute bubbly girl, a dark mysterious girl who practices gothic rituals or something, a girl with an attitude and tries to toughen you up, a calmer but happy girl who's taller (and bustier) than the others or the quiet shy one with glasses, they each give you a demonstration of an excercise and want you to do it with them. Seems pretty straight forward, and you may think it'd be boring. Of course this is anime we're talking about here, so it wouldn't attract viewers if there weren't some fan service in it. So we get various shots of them excercising: shot of their legs, rear end and chest of course (which sometimes bounce depending on the exercise). They do a set amount, like 8 to 10 repetitions, and there's a numbered countdown on the screen. And then at the end of the final rep they let out an orgasm gasp and say something like "I'm finished!"

This may be the kind of thing you could show at an anime convention on Saturday morning, and people would come and do exercises with the show (or just watch and oogle at the idols). I'm surprised that this idea for a series wasn't created much sooner, or maybe it has and I haven't seen it. Also I should mention it's all just girls exercising, but I bet girls would flock to a similar show that had guys doing the same moves, had the same shots or just a shot of a muscular guy with his shirt off doing bicep curls (I'm not sure if guys would watch, you never know!). So it's not particulary deep in it's concept and simplicity, but it's fun and maybe even an incentive for us to get off our asses and do some excercises, no? Maybe?... Thumbs up by the way...

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) March 18th, 2016 at 6:02 PM

Here's the next 2 titles:

 

School Live!

This was an unexpected title to watch, as it took a surprising turn right in the first episode. If I had known about it, I would probably not have watched it. I'll explain in a few sentences. Yuki is cheerful teenage girl, wears a cute hat, likes cute things and enjoys attending classes, talking to friends and trying out new activities. Her circle friends keep a close eye on her, even interrupting class to check on her if a situation occurs. The terrible truth is...it's all a delusion Yuki has created for herself. There are no classes, and there are no other students and teachers. She and her friends are the only survivors of a zombie attack that has devastated the city. Yuki and friends actually live in the school, gathering food and supplies from where necessary and make sure none of "them" get inside the school grounds. Yuki's delusion starts to break down when a "ghost" roams the library, and Kurumi must "dispose" of it with her weapon of choice..a shovel, something she's kept since her school crush turned into a zombie and she had to kill him as well. Somehow through all this, the friends keep each other happy and busy, but knowing they have to keep the grounds secure, and even leave them to find supplies, or perhaps to find other survivors...

 

Now I got to tell you straight up. I do NOT like zombies or zombie movies, even anime. I only watched one episode of High School of the Dead, then I stopped. It's just way too intense. In fact I'm a little offended that the zombie genre has invaded or infected anime series, featuring cute and handsome school kids having to kill their undead friends and deal with the horror and shock. Yes I know zombies are not real, but the idea is frightening and I don't like the idea of apolcalypse having to do with them, seen in various films. I liked Shaun of the Dead because it had a happy ending and was funny. Now School Live is very well made and is great if you are into the genre. But cute anime girls having to face zombies who eat flesh just doesn't work for me, in fact it's a little depressing. Watching the first 3 episodes I can see the situation getting bleaker and bleaker, and I don't like it. I mean I'd rather watch Evangelion again (and again and again)! I can recommend the show for other people, but not for myself. THUMBS DOWN for me.

 

Danchigai

This anime is based on a 4 panel manga, and consists of 12 5 minute episodes. Haruki lives with his 4 sisters. The 2 young twin sisters are always teasing, or want him to do something for them. Yayoi is always getting on his case about various things, especially if she thinks he is acting like a pervert, and subsequently becomes violent. The oldest of the siblings, Mutsuki the mature one, has to break up the fracas continually, even threatening to take away or cut their allowancen if they don't comply. Away from the other girls, Mutsuki acts rather lazy in front of Haruki, even sleeping his bed in a skirt or even just a bath towel (because it's too much trouble to get dressed again!). In the end though, there is much love between the siblings. Each episode has a mini-adventure, whether it's the girls really getting into their favorite anime show, or all of them getting into a kiddy pool indoors, because they miss the ocean (also the fact that it's autumn, and rather cold!).

 

This is a fun little anime, very simple with lots of laughs as well as touching moments. It doesn't really sink into fan service, though there are hints at it and nothing more. Mostly it's about the siblings everyday life, and while it's a pain, they wouldn't have it any other way. I like these short series, because you can a get lot of only 5 minutes, which is not the case with every 22 minute series episode! The animation is standard quality but above average, and the ending theme songs trade off from a kiddy type song to more touching one. It's pretty enjoyable. Moderate thumbs up.

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) March 3rd, 2016 at 8:35 PM

Hi here are the titles for this week:

 

Recently, My Sister is Unusual!

Mitsuki's mom remarries a man also divorced and who has a son her age, Yuya. Therefore they are now brother and sister, and to add to turmoil is the new parents move overseas when the dad is transferred from his work. So far not too bad, but Mistuki doesn't want anything to do with her new "brother" and keeps quiet to herself all the time, even at school. One day she is walking up the stairs in school and suddenly she is stunned and falls backwards into Yuya's arms. She suddenly gets energetic, caring and happy towards Yuya, who is shocked at her behavior, and then she comes back to her senses. Later in her room a weird but pretty girl named Hiyori appears floating, a ghost apparently, saying she loved Yuya when she was alive but died before confessing. With unresolved issues, she cannot climb the steps to the afterlife, but there's a solution! Hiyori wants to take over Mitsuki's body from time to time to fulfill her "lovey-dovey" requirements with Yuya, even sleeping with him, in order to get to heaven. To get Mitsuki to help, she puts a permanent (and skimpy) chastity belt on her (except in increments of 3 minutes, during which Misuki can go to the bathroom!) with a container which fills each time she has sexual feelings for Yuya. Hiyori mentions at last minute that if doesn't help and it doesn't fill both of them will die... And then the fun begins...!

 

Did you get all that? This is one of the more outrageous and risque anime series I've seen so far. The set up is pretty good, with two people from different families now forced together and come to the realization are siblings. Throw in a ghost as a wrench, but one who wants to use the sister's body to fulfill her sexual needs with her brother! And what of Hyori? Not only is she trying to score with the brother, she's willing to fulfill her sexual desires with the sister also, who's in a helpless situation. And the chastity belt! This gives an excuse for lots of fan service, where we're looking up Mitsuki's skirts (or she lifts it up). Then we add in an old friend of Yuya, who was a sweet innocent young girl and has now "developed" into a woman, making Hyori jealous. And can she see her? and what of their classmate who seems to know something about what the hell is going on? Well it's not obviously an anime for kids, which is not a bad thing. It can be funny with the risque subject matter. Is this what is "hip" nowadays? anyways I'm interested to see if Hiyori can accomplish her "goal." Thumbs up.

 

 

Red Data Girl

Izumiko is a shy old fashioned "dull" girl who lives and was raised at the Tamakura Shrine. She doesn't use any electronic devices as any she comes into contact with is destroyed. Because of her old fashioned perception, she wants to try new modern things, like going to school in the city and change her look (starting with cutting her bangs). Her father brings a young man named Miyuki to school, an angry kid who always scolds just as he did when they were little, and doesn't want to go there but is forced into it. On a field trip, they are supposed to rendezvous with Izumiko's parents. Her dad appears suddenly but says her mother can't make it. At her dad's house, Izumiko suddenly appears in a beautiful kimono, and seems to be in a trance. It's revealed that she is to be a vessel for a powerful goddess named Himegami, and no more other vessels will follow. Izumiko's mom was possessed by a mysterious power, and she will follow suit...

 

This is a bit different than your typical anime, more serious and mysterious. Strange powers, timid girl, monks, shrines, Goddesses...well maybe it is typical! It's definitely interesting, and I'd like to see if Izumiko does change a lot or not, and whether Miyuki truly warms up to her and the task that he's been asigned. I like the animation and theme songs too. Marginal thumbs up.

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) February 22nd, 2016 at 8:37 PM

Hi again here's a couple more titles

 

Rideback

Sometime in the near future, a strict organization called GGP controls the entire world and governments, which some see as a form of oppression. Rin was an up and coming ballet dancer, but an injury put an end to it all. Now attending a regular college, she one day stumbles upon a garage containing a Rideback, a radical form of computerized motorcycle that can change shape and can adapt to the riders abilties. Turns out there is a club for Ridebacks and the eager members want Rin to try out a Rideback and join up. Rin reluctantly tries it but the Rideback takes off on its own with Rin aboard. When it looks like it's about to crash, the Rideback moves with Rin and flies middair, like a ballerina and avoid the danger. Because of her skills and background, Rin is a natural with a Rideback. This catches the eye of Rideback veteran Tamayo and racer, and also happens to have a father working for GGP. She challenges Rin to a race, not trying to prove she is NOT a natural at a Rideback, but rather to confirm that she IS one...

This was an interesting title to watch as I wasn't sure where it was going to go at first, and therefore wasn't too involved in the story. The character designs I thought at first were not impressive, but then I looked beyond that and felt they were fine especially after the introduction of the Ridebacks. These vehicles are pretty cool and are sort of mecha like with their transformations. With the oppressive government lingering in the background I can see these two forces are going to come to a head. And I like the use of the vehicles as a form of redemption for Rin. Looks to be a good series. Thumbs up.

 

Akame ga Kill

 

This series is based on a manga and has a fantasy adventure setting, a touch of humor, and with, surprisingly, short bursts of bloody violence. Sword wielding Tatsumi travels to the prosperous capitol in hopes to enlist in the army to raise money for his family. He gets cheated out of his money by a sexy blonde but rescued from the streets by sweet young Aria and her gentle family. As he stays there at night, a group of assassins infiltrate their castle and begin killing the family members. Tatsumi tries to defend Aria, but the assassins known as Night Raid tell him the rich folks take in poor people then revel in torturing them to death. He can't believe it, but then he finds his best friends in a torture chamber, one dead and one dying. Sweet Aria does a complete 180 and screams loving to torture poor people and can't stand the sight of them having anything in common with her. Enraged, Tatsumi slices her in an instant. The blonde is Leone one of the Night Raid and the others are also impressed him being to able to kill without hesitating. Thus begins Tatumi in training to become a Night Raid member as he sees first hand the evil corruption of the capital and the government. He befriends the head assassin, the emotionless Akame, and trains under her as well as the stuck up Mine who is a sharpshooter who rubs Tatsumi the wrong way. He succeeds in killing twice, though the second was rather difficult. We also learn the capitol is ruled by the young king who is manipulated by PM Honest to fulfill his every wish. The Night Raid plan to assist with the resistance army to overthrow him...

I was a bit stunned by the violence depicted in this series, however violence is never quick and tidy (especially with swords) and in the context of the story and character actions it comes with the territory. It asks the viewer "are you willing to kill for a cause? Is there any good out of killing evil killers?" It's something that got me pondering the thoughts, and it's definitely going through the mind of Tatsumi. That aside this is a pretty good series that's different because the good guys are actually the bad guys in some eyes, and vice versa. the Night Raid is a great diverse bunch of characters that are very interesting and all have their reason for joining up. The character designs are nice to look at and the bloody action is actually exhillarating if not shocking. This is a kind of series that you're anticipating the climax right away. Thumbs up.

 

 

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) February 8th, 2016 at 8:13 PM

Hello again. As I said before I'll just do a couple of titles each week, to cut down on writing time.

 

Karen Senki

This is a 3D CGI anime series. Machines were made in the future to serve mankind and be friendly. We then flash forward even further into the future after we discover a major apocolyptic war has occurred, caused by the machines who became self aware and wanted to take over from the humans. However there are those who resisted the takeover and have become freelance defenders against the machines. One of these is Karen, a tough sexy and confident gun toting loner who executes machines with easy accuracy. She "toughened" up after the death of her younger sister at the hands of these same machines. The robotic leader can see she is a threat, and so hires a human to betray his race and try to eliminate her...

This is a pretty cool sci-fi action anime on a subject that we've seen before in this genre and live action (Terminator of course), but present in a 3D CGI animation, so we can see better details of everything including the machines and Karen's awesome motorcycle. The character designs are pretty good, such as Karen's sleek qipao style outfit, with side holsters for her guns. There are great action sequences and some interesting storylines going on here. The series brings up a Blade Runner type subject: do machines have feelings? This show is pretty interesting. Thumbs up.

Lupin the Third, Part 1

You're probably familiar with the Lupin character and the many series, special and movies that have been released. This is the very first television series which in aired in Japan from 1971 to 1972, and features the original Lupin theme song, not the jazzy upbeat tune that they subsequently used. At the beginning of the show we are introduced to super thief Arsene Lupin III, his friend and sharpshooter Jigen and bombshell femme fatale Fujiko(Goemon is introduced later on). Lupin's first adventures have to do with a formula one car race and then a super villain who is seemingly unkillable by bullets and explosions. You'll notice the tone of this initial series is a lot different with the 2nd one which aired on the Cartoon Network for a spell. There's hardly any humor and goofball shenanigans, except when we discover Lupin's fear of Octopuses. His scheming smirk expression hardly ever changes in the show, even with Fujiko because he needs to be on guard with her, but also wants her as well! The animation quality is actually a bit better and less cartoon than the subsequent series, so it can be taken a little more seriously. It's also interesting to note that the original director was fired after the first 2 episodes, and replaced by 2 directors, one of which was Hayao Miyazaki. Fujiko's character design is more eye catching here and the more recent series or specials revert to this style of design for her, unlike the 2nd series where she gets a total makeover, not to mention some of the movies or specials (such as Cagliostro where she is blond). Also she seems to get her clothes torn off more often..! Anyhow I really enjoyed watching this classic show, and it makes me want to cosplay Lupin even more. An enthusiastic thumbs up.

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) January 25th, 2016 at 8:35 PM

Greetings, programs! Here's this weeks reviews:

Miss Monochrome

The character Miss Monochrome first appeared at a Yui Horie concert in virtual form, voiced by her (similar to Vocaloid Miku). She then got her own anime series with Yui also voicing her (she created her as well). She is an android who has been around for centuries, powered by AA batteries. She aspires to be a singing idol after seeing idol Kikuko, and hopes to someday meet her if she gets famous too. Once rich, she has to start from scratch after being tricked out of her wealth by her servant, a homeless girl she took in. Not fully understanding how to become an idol, she along with her pet roomba Ru, insists from a convenience store manager that she become her manager to gain success. The confused decides to go through it after all. They start from the bottom, but gets Mono some new special batteries. When she tries out, she gets an amazing power up (Ru does too), and by sure coincidence is able to fire a beam into the sky and blast an alien invasion, after which she passes out. Though she can't remember anything, she unwillingly has saved the Earth. This is pretty fun stuff and is easy to digest since the episodes are short. I like that Yui Horie created her, a real singing idol, and voices her, and also her rival Kikuko is voiced by singer Kikuko Inoue. The AA gag is great, and it's fun since different batteries will make do different things. Also the fact that she is pretty serious (monoTONE if you will) but kind, and bit too trustworthy. A cute show.

 

Romeo X Juliet

This anime is of course based on the classic Shakespeare play, but with radical changes. The setting is a fantasy like world of Neo Verona, which is actually a floating island and where people can travel on winged horses known as Dragon Steeds. We get to see a prologue where the Montagues try to wipe out the Capulet family, but only the youngest, Juliet, escapes. Years later the Montagues are the rulers of the land and severely punishes opposers. A mysterious rebel in costume called "Red Whirlwind" fights against the Montagues, and is nearly killed but saved by Romeo who came on the scene suddenly. She is later revealed to be Juliet who hides her true identity as a Capulet by pretending to be a boy named Odin. She is invited to a ball by a friend, and she is allowed to dress as herself. There she encounters Romeo again, and it's love at first sight... The setting reminds me of Escaflowne somewhat, and then we get a unique (though used several times) idea of Juliet as a masked avenger, which is fun and different, because we get to see Juliet kick some butt for once. We got people flying around on horses, and then we get to the heart of the story where she meets Romeo. Well you know how it's going to end right? But I have a feeling this anime version will have a lot more action in it. I may stay tuned...

 

Dai Shogun -  Great Revolution

Here's a period piece samurai type anime that's geared for an older audience with humor and fan service abound, plus a unique twist. In this version of Japan, there special steam powered mecha robots that warriors use, and have been previously used to repel foreign ships. Samurai Keiichiro is looking for some action packed conquests, but his enemies quickly surrender without a fight. Hanging out around town, he comes across a series of murders of men who being picked up by a prostitute. He suspects one lady he saw at an earlier party, while the dumb police suspect him. When the lady reveals herself to be a ninja sworn to protect him, the real culprit is revealed, a curvaceous woman who can pilot a mecha that's starts to attack. Keiichiro realizes he's the target as he is capable of piloting a mecha. Why? Because only virgins can pilot one! This is a pretty good anime that was enjoyable even without the mecha, but the robots are a bonus. There's lots of funny moments and lots of eye candy. The animation is well done as well as the character designs. Worthy of viewing.

 

Robotics Notes

This anime is based on a popular video game. Kaito and Akiho are the sole members of their school's Robotics Club, and they hope to get a budget so they can complete their dream project--a full size robot that can be piloted. The robot is based on a mecha from a famous anime known as Gunvarrel. They don't get much support from former members, and the vice-principal doesn't want to give them the budget they need, seeing it as a waste. However she makes a deal with them--if they can complete the robot and enter it into a robot tournament and win (which is in 2 weeks!), they will get their budget. If they don't win, they agree to disband the club. Now they are pumped to finish building it, but how...? This is a pretty fun idea for a show, a mix of typical school anime, combined with a mecha one. The animation is superb as are the character designs as well as the mecha designs. I like Akiho's enthusiasm for the building the robot, and I like the high tech gadgets that are seen being used, such as Kaito's tablet like device he plays games on. There's even an app where you turn on the camera and aim it at a person, then you can add a costume onto that person--he does this to make Akiho look like a maid cat girl! There's something secret going on also in the background of the show, so I hope to tune in again.

 

The Asterisk War

This futuristic anime was based on a seris of light novels. Asterisk aka Rikka, is known as the Academy City on the water. In the future, many people are born with special powers and can weild massive sword like weapons. Several academies vie for power and control and do so by staging dueling tournaments. Ayato is new student at Seidokan Academy who returns a handkerchief to Julis, known as the "Gluhende Rose" and also a princess for more reasons than one. Unfortunately he came through her window into her room where she was changing, as so the enraged Julis challenges him to a duel. Using a borrowed weapon, he finds he's quite adept at deflecting and attacking, and then ends up saving her from an unknown attack. Meeting with the student council president, his true reason for him coming to the academy was to discover what happened to his sister who used to attend the academy, and to find his purpose. there's a big explanation about what happened before the episode begins which was kind of hard to understand, but the look, design and the battles are wonderful. There's humor as well from situations, along with the action and serious background drama. This series is fairly new too, and it looks to be good.

 

My fave: Asterisk War

 

 

Well I've already been swamped writing these reviews every week. I have to write them at work on breaks because I have no time at home. So I've decided I will watch one series a week and then every few weeks I will review them. This means less titles at a time, but means less writing time spent on this stuff, because I want to write other things as well besides anime reviews. So I hope that's okay for ya!

 

 

The new Star Wars movie, featuring characters from the original SW trilogy, has created all sorts of enthusiasm for the movie franchise once again, not to mention lots of speculation on where the stories will go plus plenty of merchandising. I thought I'd do an epic movie review for the special occasion. Hold on, this will be a long one.

 

I've pretty much been a fan of Star Wars since the original film came out in 1977, though I was only 6 and was probably not to ready to cherish the movie experience. It didn't help that my older sister saw it and said there was some scary scenes in it. I waited until it's 2nd or 3rd run (1979 I believe), but until then I got the story on record, a pop up book, a darth vader TIE fighter toy and model, and a DV costume for Halloween. I was a fan. The sequels followed and they were just as awesome as Episode IV as it came to be known. It was in college (where they also showed the original trilogy on campus) that I became a film fanatic and learned to write about them, plus I learned how to critique by watching Siskel and Ebert. I saw the 15th anniversary edition of a New Hope in the theater. I saw the special editions in the theater and was awestruck by the new effects and enhancements. Then the prequels came out and suddenly fans were divided, but I remained devoted to the franchise and supported the films even though people gave me a sour face when I said I liked them, though I admit they are not perfect.

 

So when we all heard of another trilogy coming out, now being released by Disney of all companies (who own the rights to Marvel, Peanuts, Muppets and other fandoms I cherish), I was admittedly skeptical and not all that excited, because you know how Disney likes to the sell the heck out of all of their properties. That feeling changed after seeing the teaser trailers, and suddenly I did get very excited. Me and my wife went to see Episode 7 on advanced screening day...

 

(WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!!!)

 

And I have to say I wasn't disappointed, nor were all the other fans in the packed theater. The opportunity to see Luke and the old gang (and they ARE old now) on the big screen and to continue the story of the original trilogy was so exciting, though we were wondering what the story would be as it wasn't being handled by George himself for the first time. It all starts with the opening titles. In the old days it was the 20th Century Fox Fanfare logo and extended theme that opened the SW films, but that's history. I thought I would cringe when I would see the big Disney logo and "when you wish upon a star" playing in the background, but no I was wrong. We jumped right to the Lucasfilm logo first (which is how it should be),  "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away" and then BAM! There's the famous SW logo and scroll. We would only see the Disney name at the very end of the end credits. I thought that was good move.

 

I won't go through the whole story--you can do that on Wikipedia or something, and I won't give away very important plot points as much as possible. There's a new enemy rising from the ashes of the Galactic Empire, known as the First Order who has a Supreme Leader known as Snoke(?), with their head enforcer named Kyllo Ren, who brandishes a unique light saber and seems to be familiar with the ways of the force. On the other side is the Resistance, backed by the New Republic, headed by General Leia Organa. With Luke on their side things would be a piece of cake, but he has disappeared (as it says in the scrolls which really got my attention) with no possible way to locate him. This gives the First Order an opportunity to up their influence and attack in the universe. So you have the familiar characters Leia and Luke. Han Solo and Chewie? Of course they're there too, and the way they're introduced into the film is fantastic, with a great plot point concerning the location of the Millennium Falcon. R2 and C3P0, yup they're back and they haven't changed much though Threepio has a new left arm and R2 seems to have gone into a Robot Rut which is explained.

 

Then we have some new characters such as new members of the New Republic such as Poe the ace X-wing pilot who's probably a better pilot than Luke, Wedge and maybe even Anakin. He has information that could be useful to the Republic. There's Finn, who has an amazing setup and background story--once a stormtrooper but decides to jump ship after seeing the carnage in one of the 1st Order's attack on a planet. He gets help from Poe, and both end up on a desert planet to end up meeting Rey, a lady scavenger who's very resourceful and tough. Poe's x-wing droid is BB-8, which you could say is an advanced compact form of an R2 unit with a head and a ball for a body that rolls along as its means of getting around, rather than R-2's legs.

 

So there are the characters, and in the usual style of Star Wars, the story jumps from location to location as things are set up and revealed. The good guys and the bad guys come to clash, and Rey ends up in the middle of it. Slowly we begin to see Rey showing signs that she has the power of the force, and amazingly she quickly learns how to use it. The climax of the whole movie is of course an attack on the enemy base: a planet with an immense cannon in it--a gigantic Death Star if you will.

 

This has all the makings of a decent Star Wars film. Does it work? Well for the most part very much so, and not just certain aspects. The creators can definitely craft a good film and script to please fans of all ages. It looks great in terms of art direction and set design, costumes, special effects and the actors, so that's basically EVERYTHING. The desert planet of Jakku looks great, though it is similar to Tatooine, but the nicest touches are the destroyed Star Destroyers and other damaged Empire relics that litter the landscape that ships can fly through or people can lean on. I think that's my favorite part of the movie sets, so you realize that it's been a long time since "dem days!" The villains costume design and sets are very ominous and intimidating. They are of course reminscent of the Empire outfits with a bit of a variation, this includes the Stormtrooper helmets and the hats worn by the head officers. Lots of black, white and greys. In the scene where the chief address all of the troops before they fire they weapon. The background is draped in red, making it very Nazi-esque not to mention the little salute which is just a fist in the air, as opposed to a more "Sieg Heil" response.

 

How about the new characters? I think they are all well cast and we learn a bit about them, but I think the next films we'll delve into that even more (I hope). Daisy Ridley as Rey is well cast, a self-assured character who suddenly finds something different about herself. She's tough and realizes she's going to be part of an even bigger picture. A lot like Luke in some ways. Oscar Isaac as Poe is a really cool character. It's interesting to see a character who is already an ace pilot, yet even he can get overcome by an enemy attack, and is no match for Kyllo Ren's power. Nevertheless he is very resourceful and devoted to his mission. John Boyega as Finn is probably the most interesting character in my mind at the moment because of the way he is introduced and how gets to become one of the good guys. He doesn't know everything and isn't too learned about certain things like the Force. In the course of the struggle he learns how to fight to protect himself, rather than fight to kill. The only disppointment of the new characters was Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, the head of the stormtroopers with her own special mettalic stormtrooper armor, a cape (that really has no use) and big weapon. The design is great, and I commend the creators to have a lady be a stormtrooper and also a leader for once however she really doesn't do anything in the film except get captured by Han Solo and the gang.

 

Then there's Kyllo Ren. This character, based on what I've seen and heard is probably the most hated and loved character. Hated for what he does in the movie, and loved (by girls mostly, I think) for how he looks without the mask and his adolescent "charm" if you will (tantrums if you won't!). He's played by Adam Driver and it's a character that will no doubt be talked about until the next star wars film, and one that will be delved into more deeply with the next films. His devotion to his cause and the conflict inside of him makes him a complex character. You could write him off as a little brat who deserves to be sliced up by a light saber, but since we have 2 more films to go, we're going to see an evolution or rather delve more into him and his situation.

 

The veteran actors of the Star Wars films are still in fine shape, even in their elder years. These folks know their roles inside out. Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew still make a great team as Han and Chewie, and help each other in hazardous situations. Han still has that quick tongue, and now completely believes in the Force, probably thanks to his old buddy Luke, but there are definitely other reasons as well. Chewie, looks about the same, so I guess Wookies age well. Carrie Fisher is still in great form as the now General Leia, though I notice her speech is different (which may have to do with her past health issues and such), but she also has that same great rapport with Han. What does she say when she sees Han? "Same old jacket." Perfect. And yes that's Anthony Daniels in the C3PO costume, and not just his voice, and that's what he opted for. R2 is still his number one pal and sticks by him, and of course babbles on endlessly. Also returning with the same actors are Admiral Ackbar (Tim Rose), the Mon Calamari leader of the New Republic and Nien Nunb (Mike Quinn), who helped pilot the Falcon in Return of the Jedi with Lando. Such a great thrill to see these two characters again. As for Mark Hamill as Luke, He does make an appearance, abeit a brief one, but I imagine we'll see more of him in the next films.

 

It's difficult to not try to compare this film with the original 3, especially since it's a direct sequel to those. If there's a flaw anywhere with Episode 7 it's with the story. A droid carrying information vital to the survival of the resistance. An ace pilot. An aging Jedi. An evil overlord dressed in black, with a red light saber. And a super powered weapon that can destroy a planet. Does any of that sound familiar? BB8 is a little harder to catch since he rolls pretty fast, though it turns out the info he carries is incomplete, so where is the rest of it? You can probably guess. And I understand Kyllo Ren is trying to emulate Darth Vader, and I do like the effect of his voice through the mask--he's even trying to sound like Vader, as well as dress and fight like him. Even his light saber is a nod toward Vader, though his laser blade seems to flicker a little, like it has not been perfected (proof that he built it himself), but it still inflicts terrible damage on people and inanimate objects(!). It is possible he will grow out of it--ah, young people. 

And the Deathstalker base, the planet with a huge cannon built into it. Come on, that's just another Death Star! But wait it's bigger, and the beam can split and destroy 4 planets, not just one! It's STILL a Death Star! You'd think after all these years the bad guys would know if you go up against the rebellion with a Death Star like weapon, they're going to find a way to destroy it! Even Han Solo says "we'll just blow it up!" I was waiting for him to say "again!" after that. Back to the drawing board, once again.

 

And then there are the two surprises in the film. First off, was Kyllo Ren's identity, which actually I did not see coming. You see, I've skipped watching the full trailers for the film, so nothing important would be revealed to me when I saw the film. I wanted to be totally surprised. So I wasn't shocked but definitely surprised and it made complete sense when you think about it. It added a major layer to the plot, you know, throw a wrench into the proceedings, and I was waiting for that wrench. The other surprise was a bigger one: the death of a major character. When the scene came, it looked liked the situation could have gone either way but then some symbolism occurred (it has something to do with darkness) and the inevitable happened. I've heard there was a deal with the actor to do this, and if that's the way they want it then that's cool. This creates yet another layer of intrigue into the story. However, I wondered it may have worked better if this death occurred maybe in Episode 8--why die so soon? I guess they wanted a shocker to take place, just like when Obi-Wan was struck down by Darth Vader in Episode IV. I just feel there's sort of an empty space, though by the end of the movie the space is partially filled by someone else, but will that work with the rest of the story?

 

As you can see the story raises a lot of questions, and with that a lot of speculation on what the heck is going on here. I don't think there wasn't as much speculation for Episode V after Episode IV, but definitely for VI. One of the biggest questions is how Rey is so force-savvy. Who were her parents? There are theories is that she is related to either Luke or Obi-Wan in some way shape or form. There's also the idea is that she was naturally born with the Force and is like a new breed of gifted Force bearers, with no relation to anyone we know of who has the Force. Me personally I don't like to speculate so much, and as I said before I would like to be surprised just as we were shocked when we found out Luke's father is Vader in Empire. And what if your speculation is wrong, and you are disappointed with the actual facts? I say just let it unfold naturally. The real question in my mind are other characters in the film. Who is the old guy at the beginning who's supposed to be an ally to the good guys, someone we've never really heard of (although I bet he's in some of the pre-episode 7 novels)? Maz is a character who has been around for ages, and knows about the Force, but how come we haven't heard of her before if she's been around so long? And who is this Snoke: where did he come from, does he have the Force, is he really all that powerful that people call him the "supreme leader?" Or is he like the Wizard of Oz, just a regular man behind the curtain? I guess we will just have to wait until Episode VIII, and that's fine with me.

 

But in the end The Force Awakens works, because the creators and artists made it work, and it's worked before. I believe there was a touch of apprehension. If the creators thought of doing a more original story, more like Lucas did with the prequels, it would get a luke-(!)warm reception. So I think they went with familiar territory to please the fans of the originals. And if it works for everyone, it works for me, also a veteran fan. This film will make it's money back no doubt, and with the addition of the extreme merchandising blitz put on by Disney, there will be more space bucks changing hands. It's like the old Star Wars craze all over again, but now even bigger. But you have a strong film that most people are agreement on, so it looks like all involved have succeeded in producing a pretty good film in that galaxy far, far away...again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More reviews coming:

 

Chu-Bra

Underwear is a staple in several anime, so this show may not be everyone's cup of tea. However this anime has a funny twist on all of the fan service that it shows. Nayu is a new gifted student who accidentally falls down at an assembly, inadvertantly showing off her black panties. However everyone sees they are more of an adult style, leading people to believe she has more "experience" or even is involved in "subsi-dating" (enjo kosai--paid dates). She is also seen meeting an older man who gives her gifts of underwear. Haruka and Yako follow her around at school to find out the truth, but keep their distance to not get inolved. Turns out she is not an underwear model but a "monitor," and tries out new products for research for someone as well keeping up on trends in the latest bras and panties. She's so good she can tell if her friends need to upgrade from kids underwear to women's, or if someone is wearing the correct size bra. So it's all about underwear here, and while there's plenty of laughs and panty shots, the information given is pretty much correct (I'm married so I know a thing or two about my wife's sizes and stuff, really!). The animation style and designs are great, and the characters are very engaging and interesting, and no NOT because of the underwear. It's a fun spin on the subject, a purpose if you will.

Sasami Magical Girls Club

I watched this one in English as that was the only one available. Sasami is a cheery girl who has had magical powers since birth, but her parents want to her to hide them from everyone. At school she has many friends, plus a new teacher name Washu. Sasami and her very shy friend Misao come across a strange creature and chase after it. It leads them to a strange underground cavern and rooms. Their lives are put in danger, but Sasami resorts to her magic to save them, and it's discovered Misao also has magic. This was actually a test set up by Washu--she has plans for them! Some of these characters are of course from the Tenchi Muyo franchise, while Misao comes from the Pretty Sammy series. Of course the story is totally different and separate from the Tenchi canon world, though the characters are recognizable including Mihoshi who is the homeroom teacher. Ryo-Ohki belongs to Washu and is rather mischievous as opposed to cute and cuddly in Tenchi. The animation style is also much different from TM, even Tenchi in Tokyo. Nevertheless this is a cute innocent series, definitely aimed at the Shojo market. Since I'm a fan of TM, I may check out more to see where it goes.

Food Wars

Anime about food! Soma is a teenager asipiring to be as great as cook as his father, who owns his own restaurant and always wins cooking challenges against his son. Greedy businessmen want to buy the property for their own use and put pressure on the two to sell, saying that the restaurant won't survive. But the two strive to keep it open. One day though, Soma comes to work at the restaurant and finds it closed up, then gets a call from his dad saying he's studying from another cook and staying with him, plus it may require him to move, thus closing up the restaurant. Soma is devastated to see the food inside has been ruined, the work of the shady business lady who challenges him to make a meat dish immediately. Soma lives up to the challenge and prepares a dish that sends her into ecstasy. His dad tells him to move on and find his destiny. He is then taken by a friend to a cooking school, not realizing it's an elite culinary school where only 1% of the students graduate, and are beaten and chastised for not following the learning methods. Yet Soma is determined to find his destiny. Very exciting anime considering it's about cooking. It reminded me of a HK movie called God of Cookery, with similar themes of being the best cook and providing ultimate pleasure in food form. Very funny, and this anime looks and feels great. Definitely want to check out more. 

Samurai Warriors

This anime is based on a series of video games and takes places during the Sengoku period, with two powerful clans, Toyotomi and Tokugawa vying for power and unity in Japan. The only holdout is Oda wara castle. There are discussion whether or not to strike it again, until ultimately one of the Sanada brothers, yukimura, takes off on his own into the castle to challenge the leader. An explosive battle ensues, and in the end Ujiyasu concedes defeat, with the castle taken and the country united finally with the help of the other Sanada brother Nobuyuki. A banquet is held for the victory, wishing everyone will now work together, although its clear that some are at odds with each other, including the Sanada brothers. This is a decent period piece anime, a bit of a history lesson, but more explosive battles and attractive character designs in the anime tradition. More or less it is straight foward, and if you played the games it follows them pretty well, although there are original characters to the anime. This is decent fun if you're into this genre.

 

Wakaba Girls

Wakaba is sweet schoolgirl that comes from a wealthy family. She feels "out of tune" with the other girls, and wears a conservative school uniform. She longs to be part of the "gyaru" culture, or be hip to the latest fashions and trends--to start off she even tries on a typical schoolgirl mini skirt. She makes some eclectic girl friends at school who try to introduce her to stuff they like do, though she gets overly excited over little things. For example going out to the town square she sees many other schoolgirls doing the same thing, and wants a picture of everyone. She gets extremely happy about going for ice cream with her friends too! This "gyaru" concept I wasn't too familiar with, but I've read up on it a little, so it's more clear to me what is the big deal about it, especially to the main character. I wonder why she hadn't asked her rich folks to get her some gyaru stuff, but maybe they're conservative as well, judging by Wakaba's dress. I'm sure if I watch more, I'll learn more about her and see where this wacky show goes. With interesting characters, animation and chuckles here and there, this show is off to a good start.

 

Fave: it's a toss up between Chu-Bra and Food Wars, but I'll go with food!

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) January 8th, 2016 at 10:50 PM

5 more reviews

 

Upotte!!!

This time, the girls don't have guns, they ARE guns! A new teacher comes to a special academy but discover all of his students are actual guns in human form, and they're training at the academy to become a useful weapon someday. The main character is Funco also known as an FN FNC rifle, who definitely has a hair trigger temper when the teacher accidentally sees her "skeleton stock." Though he's put in the infirmary, he will still continue his teaching job very carefully.  This is another very weird idea for an anime series, but it works as somehow they translate guns into schoolgirls and both share traits that make sense more or less (a skeleton stock means skimpy underwear). When the girls get sick, it means something is wrong with their gun parts. It's rather clever and fun, and the girls are charming. Animation is good and though I'm not a fan of guns, I did learn a thing or two about them. Thumbs up!

 

Komori-San Can't Decline!

This series is based on some 4 panel mangas, and as such the anime episodes are about 2 minutes each (so you can get through the whole series quickly). Komori is a teen schoolgirl who is much taller (and more developed) than all of her friends. Her thing is she never refuses a request for something whether it's helping someone with homework, fixing things or helping her girlfriends on emotional problems. Of course she gets exhausted from doing all of this work, but she believes it's her destiny to fulfill requests and cannot bring herself to decline any. This makes for some humorous vignettes, plus all her friends wondering why she does it and if there's anything she would refuse. There's a boy character who doesn't want to rely on her and tells her so, and yet Komori turns it around and turns his opinion into a request! If you're into these funny episodic series a la Azumanga Daioh, this series is for you. I thought it was pretty funny and animated decently.

 

Wooser's Hand to Mouth Life

This is a cutesy CG anime series with animation in the style of Hello Kitty, though it comes off as a more sophisticated show aimed and older kids and even adults. The main character Wooser, a rabbit like thingy talks (or we hear his thoughts, I'm not sure) in a normal grown man's voice. He talks about making money and food, and everyone thinks he's so cute, though he doesn't seem to care. However he likes girls and is not as innocent as he looks. He lives at Rin's house, a cute girl who doesn't seem to mind he's freeloading off of her. We see his adventures like going to a zoo, a farm, watching the things Rin and her friends do, and even presumably getting killed! It's an enjoyable series that makes you chuckle, though I wasn't laughing hard like other series. I like the cute designs of this animation style, plus there are also art stills at the end of each episode that draw the female characters in the more eye catching modern anime style while Wooser stays the same. The episodes are short, so you can watch several at a time, so I may finish the series as it is enjoyable.

 

Magic Kaito

This is a TV series based off of the manga by Gosho "Conan" Aoyama. I've seen a couple of the OAVs but never really saw the story of Kaito Kid's origins. This show I get to see the story from the beginning. Kaito is a typical smart alecky student, but also intelligent, who loves to tease Aoko, a close lady friend who he is also in love with. A mysterious thief named Kid the phantom thief, who was famous for stealing valuable treasures, makes an appearance again after several years. Kaito hopes to catch him but back at hope he finds a secret room leading to Kid's costume, revealing that his dad was Kid. The police are also alerted to the Kid sighting, and both close in on him on a roof of a tall building. Kaito finds him first and the true identity of this "kid" is uncovered. Kaito's suspicion was correct so now, does it end here? Or will Kaito continue his father's reputation and be the next Kid...? This makes for some fun adventurous anime centering around Kid a thief, rather than a detective solving mysteries. It has a good pace and animation, and there's plenty of room for characterization, so off to a good start.

 

No Game No Life

This show is based on a manga which in turn was based on a novel series. Set in a high tech world where online gaming is highly competitive, a brother and sister are sort of gamer shut-ins, spending almost all of their time gaming and winning, going by the name Blank. When a gamer named Tet, known as the "god of games" challenges them to chess, they are able to win and accept his invitation into his game "world." To their shock they are physically warped into a strange world (and seem to be invulnerable to physical pain, falling from the sky and hitting the ground, making a crater) where everything is revolved around gaming. Now they have to adapt to this world and need money, so with their game skill they are able to outwit another gamer and win. But it looks like they are going to be there for a while...I've seen other gaming anime like the .hack franchise and Sword Art Online, which were decent, but not being a modern gamer (I prefer classic games, growing up in the 80's) I'm not that enthusiastic about these kind of series, though it's very interesting to see the subject of games and reality always being touch on here. Actual humans going into a game world is interesting, and having to resort to games to survive is also cool.  The animation is not bad, but not my favorite style that I've seen, and I like the look of the "real" world and the game world. I'm not sure if I'll continue this one, just not enough interest as of now.

 

Fave: Upotte!

Hi folks it's the start of 2016. Here are the four titles I looked at right before the New Year.

 

Nobunagun

This one starts out with a simple everyday school life featuring a girl, then things get really hairy. Sio is an awkward, clumsy kind of girl who doesn't have many friends because of her love of military equipment (artillery, aircraft etc.), but one girl Asao wants to be her friend. On a field trip to a Taiwan shrine something very weird happens, jet fighters start to scramble overhead, and suddenly a strange creature appears starting to demolish the area and wreaking havoc. A strange guy also appears with a weapon transformed from his hand to fight the monster. As the situation gets worse, Sio remembers her dreams and then remembers who she really is and what she has to do... Not the first schoolgirl who transform into a warrior, but I like the setup and the payoff. Introduced to her in a "normal" situation then faced with hell on Earth, and then finally tension and excitement explodes into an action packed anime. I liked it, I wasn't expecting it...!

Ultimate Otaku Teacher, Japanese title He is an Ultimate Teacher

Junichiro, an "otaku" of anime, manga and games, is forced by his sister to get a career doing something. She chooses for him to be a substitute teacher at a high school. The students are first not impressed with him, until they see their first assignment is to beat him at a online cell phone video game! He takes interest in one of his students, a girl who aspires to be a voice actor and singer for anime, and is ridiculed by 3 punk girls whom she used to hang out with. Not only do the two get to know each other better, he helps her by teaching the 3 girls a frightening lesson, utilizing his computer hacking and website skills. This title definitely had some GTO vibes going on, with a new odd teacher trying to help the underdog students. This is more manic and frenetic in it's comedy, but slows down a little for some serious moments. It'd be interesting to see where it goes, and Junichiro will stick with being a teacher.

To Love Ru

 In space we see a ship flee from pursuers intent on destroying it. The pilot, evidently a girl, performs a quick manuever to escape. On earth Rito is desperately trying to summon up the courage to confess his love to his crush Haruna, but something always happens to interrupt the chance. As he contemplates in the bath, light and effects appear in the tub water and Rito feels around and out pops the pilot named Lala from the water, who used a special device to teleport to his tub, naked. This is a lot to handle (literally!) for Rito and desperately tries to brush Lala off so he can pursue Haruna, however he comes to her aid when Lala's pursuers catch up to her and attack. Finally he gets a chance to say "I love you and want to marry you" to Haruna, but someone else hears it...!  Urusei Yatsura anyone? This definitely reminded of one of my favorite all time series with a pretty alien girl and a guy who doesn't want anything to do with her. At least though he's not a pervert, well not on purpose anyway. And Lala has a tail rather than horns. There's a lot to enjoy here still with the comical situations and the space battle at the beginning was pretty good with great animation--in fact good animation all around. Will this live up to the premise? Let's find out...

 

Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan

This is a rather cute and funny spinoff of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, spotlighting most of the supporting cast of that show (though Haruhi makes appearances). The "star" is Yuki Nagato, the non emotional bookreading alien of the Haruhi show. Here she is a shy bespeckled girl who is a member of the book reading club at school. Her best friend is Ryoko and Kyon is also a friend, the object of a big crush. She's wanting to have a Christmas party with her friends and hopes to get a turkey. She can get a turkey from the obnoxious Tsuruya if she competes in a contest between her and Mikuru, though it's actually Ryoko and Tsuruya who are competing! If you seen the Haruhi show, you know it's frenetically paced since Haruhi talks so much, and she is the center of attention. With this series, the pace is slower and calmer, though we still get loud talkers like Ryoko and Tsuruya, who create a little chaos. But the best part is Yuki and watching her through her day, and her interaction with Kyon which is rather charming. Look fast, you might see Haruhi herself walk past them! The animation is just as good as Haruhi and the songs are fun too. Such a nice contrast to that series and good if you wanted to see more of the supporting cast taking the lead.

 

My fave: Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan

 

See you next time!

Whoo boy I'm behind with the writings due to the holidays, but I'll try and finish up these before the new year.

 

GATE

This title was unexpected in its seriousness, despite the fantasy like set up. Yoji usually spends his time playing video games and reading doujinshi. On his way to a doujin convention a strange gate appears, and the large doors open up. Suddenly soldiers in Roman gear and weapons storm through the gate and attack everyone, along with real dragons. Because of his reservist training, Yoji springs into action to protect citizens and fight off the warriors. As the attack ceases he is considered a hero and promoted to lieutenant in the army. The alarmed government orders their own army and personnel to enter beyond the gate and investigate. The soldiers, one of them Yoji, enter a different world and see a Roman army waiting in the wings... This anime is based on some fantasy novels and the animation designs based on the novel artwork. It's interesting we get this fantastic phenomenon occurring, and usually we would see a lot of comedy and some explosions in a situation like this, but it soon becomes clear the Romans are real and really attacking people so it makes for a more serious anime, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure where it's going to go, though I'm curious as to WHY the gate appeared...

 

Heroic Legend of Arislan

This anime is based on a classic manga from the 80's, and was previously animated as movies and OAVs. Arislan is the young prince of Pars, a kingdom where a lot of the common people are treated as slaves within the walls of the city. Arislan hopes to be as mighty as his king father who with his army defeated the neighboring country of Lusitania. He is young and lacks battle experience, and his gentle personality is at odds with his dad. When he travels out on the town one day, he is taken hostage by a Lusitanian prisoner who has escaped. The two get to know each other, and Arislan learns of the tragedy of the soldier's plight. I haven't seen the original OAVs of this series which I've heard is a classic. But this new series gets high marks for it's quality of animation, characters and storytelling. It definitely feels like it's going to be epic, and I'm interested in seeing how Arislan will grow and mature. Something worth checking out.

 

Black Jack

The world's greatest Doctor returns, Tezuka's Black Jack. This is a review of one of 4 specials called Four Miracles of Life, released in 2003. A spoiled son of a super rich businessman drives recklessly and has a near fatal car accident. His dad demands he be healed even though the son is critical. Black Jack is hired but he says he cannot survive with his present severely damaged body. The businessman comes up with a scheme to get a body replacement and force Black Jack to save his son. BJ is always fun to watch and to see how he can save someone or figure out a plan for him and the good guys to come out on top while still maintaining his hippocratic oath. His little assistant Pinoko is a little annoying but provides the comedy relief. The animation is pretty good for 2003. No doubt I'll watch more.

 

Dragonaut-The Resonance

Jin is the only surviving member of his family from a shuttle accident. A couple of years later the accident still haunts him, then more problems surface. He sees a monster attack someone, then it comes after him and suddenly he's feeling deja vu. At the last second a strange girl named Toa rescues him and fights off the monster. What's going on?! 

The opening accident reminded me of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster so many years ago. After that serious scene, this Sci-fi drama continues it's tone and we're left in the dark wondering about the monsters and the girl. It's an interesting start to a show, and one that you'd have to watch more of to get into it more to fully enjoy it, I believe. Other than that I like the animation quality and the futuristic set design and art direction.

 

Soranowoto

A girl who wants to join the army to play the bugle? Sounds ridiculous right? Well not quite. Taking place in a post war world, Kanata is assigned to a city called Seize and meets her superior Rio. Through legends of the town and help from Rio, Kanata hopes to be a great bugler. With the similar animation style and, according to the opening animation, 5 young girls with instruments, you could call it "K-On at War." But no it's much better than that, this production is actually more thoughtful, soft spoken and yet still has room for some humor. I like the look of the village--has that European WW2 feel to it. And I also like the character designs, with Kanata in a military uniform that's a little big on her. I don't know if the story will take a more serious turn or it will go wacky. I guess I'll have to watch more to find out.

 

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

Hachiman is a loner, and a bitter guy who doesn't care about friendships, and thinks everyone is a hypocrite. As a result his chip on his shoulder gets him into trouble. The school counselor is concerned for his future so he is forced to join the "Service Club," a place where people with no direction or don't care can get guidance by the leader of the club Yukino. She is also a loner as she is beautiful and envied by her peers, but at first is afraid to be alone with Hachiman with the way he looks at her (his weird eyes don't help!), but decides it's her duty to help the downtrodden. Add to the conflicting mix is their first "customer" Yui, a bright and cheery girl who wants to learn to make cookies! But seriously, this setup is a more thoughtful approach to a school related anime, and actually addresses teenage issues. The animation style is not my favorite, but it works, and the character designs are okay. This is another series where it's difficult to see where it will go storywise, but perhaps that's the idea to get people to tune in. I'm curious to see if and how Hachiman will change

 

Eden of the East

A young man finds himself naked in Washington D.C. near the white house, with no memory of who he is or what he's doing in DC or why. He helps out a girl Saki who is visiting DC on her own, to evade police. And thus begins a cat and mouse chase. He has a gun and a cell phone with him and is able to get back to his apartment where he finds passports and bullets. Now taking the name Akira, the young man discovers his memory has been "wiped" and decides to go back to Japan with Saki, until they discover what is waiting for them there...Wow! From the moment we seek Akira naked, this anime captured my attention. There's lots of surprises here and there, chases, allusions to movies (such as Taxi Driver) and yet there is still time for characterization. The relationship developed early on by these two characters was great to watch and seemed natural as well. Plus there's plenty of laughs too, such as how Akira "talks" a police woman out of investigating him! I can see there is a bigger picture coming by the end of the episode, so it makes for some exciting anime.

 

Durarara!

This one throws me for a loop! Mikado comes to the city to attend high school, away from home in the country side. His childhood friend Masaomi also attends the same school, and while the 2 walk around Ikebukuro at night, she warns to stay away from certain people and groups that could be dangerous. Not too far from them they see someone raging and throwing things, causing a ruckus. They also meet a big black russian guy who speaks Japanese and runs a sushi shop(!). A kidnapping is foiled by a mysterious helmeted biker, and appears to be headless! A screaming and running red head girl goes by, as well as the headless motorcyclist. Just another day in the city! I don't know what to make of this show. Is to be a black comedy with violence and several stories like some sort of Tarantino movie? Or will it focus just on Mikado alone? I have no idea, however it is intriguing, strange and sort of funny. I like the animation, and the enigma of the headless motorcyclist is something to watch unfold...

 

Eureka Seven AO

Here's the the sequel to the original Eureka Seven, taking place a few years after the events from the original series. The story revolves around a young boy known as AO living out in the islands and friends with girl the same age. He gets mixed up with some scavengers looking for something when an unknown entity rises and begins to cause havoc. The bracelet on Ao begins to glow, a bracelet left to him by his mother. I'm happy to see a sequel to one of the better sci-fi anime titles that came out several years ago, and the animation is great quality and the story is interesting. I have read that critics did not like this series compared to the original, but so far I'm interested in what will happen next, though I'm hoping Ao's parents will make an appearance because they were awesome.

 

My faves: Black Jack and Eden of the East

 

That should do it. Happy New Year everyone!

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) December 18th, 2015 at 11:04 PM

Still watching anime even with all of this Star Wars hype. Don't get me wrong, I already saw it! 

 

Anyway here are this weeks titles:

 

Rail Wars

Naoto is a train otaku, knowing all types and models. He explains one can have a lengthy career with Japan National Railways, so takes courses to prepare him for the job. He learns how to get a train up to a fast speed, then is assigned--still in training--for security along with a lively bunch of other students as station security. From here he starts his probationary job with JNR. I was pleasantly surprised by this anime. I didn't think it would be so interesting, and humorous as well. There are familiar elements and characters such as the athletically gifted girl who acts quickly, the not so smart guy who's the muscle and the gentle innocent beauty whose curves distract the main character, providing some fan service moments. But these all work together in a different environment, training to work for JNR. We actually skip most of the classroom time and go directly to the main exam, and then we see them in their new job.  The animation is high quality and I enjoyed the character designs, not to mention the CG train effects, making them look real. I'll watch more. 

 

D-Grayman

A police officer is killed by an unknown entity in an house, and at the scene is a young man named Allen Walker who tells the other officer that the killer is an Akuma. Suspected of being the killer, Allen is taken into custody, and is staying at officer Moore's apartment so Moore can delve into the mystery even further. It turns out Moore's relative is not who he claims to be, and so Allen must reveal his power to destroy Akuma. This is a little different from an anime that has been out for while, but I'm only getting to it now. Other than Inu-Yasha, I haven't come across demons in an anime if I remember correctly, so this is a nice departure. The main character could be a forerunner to Ed Elric from FMA, and both have a transforming hand! This anime has elements of humor, drama, horror and action that works pretty well. I'll have to see if it lives up to this first episode.

 

Baby Steps

More tennis anime fun! Eiichiro is a top honor student in his class, and he extensively takes very organized notes that are so good, his friends and other students borrow them to study. One day the very pretty Natsu borrows some of his notes and Eiichiro becomes infatuated with her. While he's got all the smarts, he lacks any physical activity. When he finds out Natsu is in the Tennis club, he decides to go check it out. With her encouragement. Ei-chan decides to join the club as well. While Prince of Tennis was all about the pretty boys doing super moves for their tennis team, Baby steps is about a guy new to the sport and becoming friends with a veteran player, and learns to become a great player utilizing his studying skills. It's a pretty clever way to present a sport anime, but also there is the side plot of the relationship between Natsu and Eiichiro, which I like as well. The character design for the main character is kind of off-putting at first--not you're typical handsome male look--but you get used to it right away and actually forget about it because everything as a whole works.

 

Darker Than Black

 

This anime was a little more confusing and more difficult to follow and moves quickly to different areas in the city and jumps to different characters. I can appreciate the action and intrigue and the mystery of who's on who's side, and if a young girl is not who she seems to be. The setup for the story is interesting enough, people emerge with special powers after a strange phenomenon changes the earth and sky, and a group agents working to investigate the occurence. No real character pulled me in, so perhaps the characters all work better as a whole, or maybe it doesn't get better.  The animation could be better. I'm not sure if I will tune in for more, though like I said I do like the action.

 

My Wife is the Student Council President

 

This anime was a hoot, so right up my alley. Energetic and curvaceous Ui becomes the student body president of the school after giving an outlandish speech about "free love" and tossing out condoms. This outrages the other candidate Hayato, who ends up as vice. When he gets home he finds Ui making herself home there and says both their parents are friends and talked about an wedding arrangement between Hayato and Ui. Based on that alone Ui moves in with Hayato, declaring her to be his "wife." Not only is this scandalous, but Hayato has to get used to Ui walking around not wearing much! Lots of comedy and energy in this one, good pacing and animation not to mention fan service. Makes me curious to see if they will stay "married" through the entire series.

 

fave: Rail Wars

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) December 8th, 2015 at 11:11 PM

Hi again folks. we're at the 10th review now, and still no end in sight to catch up on anime! Here's the latest I've seen:

 

Code: Breaker

 

School student Sakura is on the bus one night when she catches glimpse of people being burned by a bluish flame nearby, with a young man standing by the burning people. Of course when she investigates with a cop in tow there's not much left, and not much evidence. A new student named Rei suddenly appears in her class, acting very kind and friendly. She's immediately suspicious but he starts to share emotional secrets with him she's so moved she befriends him. When she gets beat up by a violent gang one night, Rei shows up and shows no remorse or emotion to destroy the gang with his power--the same blue flame. Sakura is outraged at his actions, but she doesn't have time to vent as he begins to unleash his fire power on her... the series is immediately engaging with the strange occurences and a strong female character who is brave and gets stuff off her chest. The violence is shocking but it's a great setup for Rei to unleash his even more shocking violence. Animation is good as this was the same studio that put out FMA. This has lots of potential.

 

Hunter X Hunter

 

This is a remake series that actually follows the original manga much closer than original 1999 series. Gon aspires to be great "Hunter" (an elite member of humanity) like his Ging, and is ready to begin the Hunter exams after catching a colossal fish. His reluctant caretaker aunt Mito lets him go on his journey which begins on a boat that will take him to the exam location. The boat is filled with applicants, but after a storm violently shakes up the boat and a lot of them, the captain sees that only 3 on board, including Gon, are worthy of becoming Hunters. The 3 lock horns but end up helping out together in a crisis, as so the captain grants them passage to the exam site. This kind of anime has a set up like the Pokemon series but is very different, as the Hunter must show their humanitarian causes rather than collect cute monsters. It has a very adventurous feel, and a great musical score that's catchy. The animation is high caliber and faithful to the manga. It will be cool to see the trio's adventures.

 

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior

 

Usa is a student who moves into a Dormitory called Kawai since his parents had to move out of town for their jobs. He discovers his pretty senior student Ritsu also lives in the same complex though the male and female dorms are in separate and restricted sections. He also ends up with weird roommate whom he previously saw on the street behaving strangely, and add to that he has to contend with a voluptuous woman named Mayumi who has bad luck with men and subsequently hits the bottle and acts accordingly. Despite all this Usa looks forward to getting to know Ritsu who lives so close to him. Once all the characters were introduced I got a big Maison Ikkoku vibe from this series: the pretty object of affection, the weird neighbor, the drinking sexpot--it all fit perfectly. So I'm pretty much at home with this series: lots of laughs, violent yet accidental actions and a developing love story. The animation could be a little better, but this is a pretty egaging series right from the start.

 

DearS

 

This is a series I started several years ago but never finished. Aliens have come in contact with Earth and must stay there after their ship crash lands on Earth. It is decided for them to become Earth citizens known as DearS. The aliens resemble cute and sexy females with distinct marks on their foreheads and special powers. Takeya is a school student who does not like DearS and comes off as cold hearted. When DearS Ren takes a liking to him, she ends up living with him, turning his closet into a bedroom. Takeya wants nothing to do with her and treats her badly, but her devotion to him (not to mention she way cute!) starts to touch him. Things get more complicated when it is explained DearS are to be treated as slaves, and their "master" can make them do as they wish, which conflicts Takeya. At first this series reminded me of Chobits, except of girls that are computers to be used by humans, they are aliens to serve humans. However this anime takes a little more risque turn. There's a little more fanservice that's sometimes blatant, but sure to grab your attention. Also the fact that Takuya is not the most likable protagonist, but of course as time goes on he begins to change--something typical of this genre. The school teacher, who seems to want to be the center of sexual attention (and even comes to class in her underwear to boot!) is a bit distracting to the story and maybe even annoying (can't she find a date or what?). Takuya's lady childhood friend is great as she is always calm in the most absured of situations so she's a cute plus. The animation isn't as high quality as it should. This is however still a fun anime to watch as it has a lot going for it.

 

Tenchi Muyo: War on Geminar

 

Hi everyone, hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend! Here's the last two week of anime I checked out:

 

Monster Musume Everyday Life

In this series, monsters and humans live together on earth but there are certain rules for each race, particularly in interaction with each other. The government set up an exchange program, having monsters live with some humans. A single guy ends up living with a beautiful and clingly Lamia--half female woman, half snake (her lower half), but by accident as he was not part of the plan. Now he has to deal with a sexy Lamia who is attracted to him, however law dictates that monsters and humans cannot be intimate. This is a pretty funny idea for a series, something a little different but has the same type of fan service and harem style situations anime fans love. So far so good.

 

RWBY

 

This is the anime series created by the late Monty Oum, and I didn't realize it was going to be in English, however I'm open to English dubs unlike some purists out there. RWBY (pronounced Ruby) is about a battle between an expert team of warriors with special powers and weapons, and Grimm--powerful monster. Ruby is a team member wannabe who foils a robbery and is witness to a battle between an official Huntress and an unkown being of great power. She is take to the Beacon Academy to train with others to also become a huntress. I hadn't seen 3D animation in a while so I was a big surprised by it. However it's very well done and the animation is very fluid. The action is pretty cool and the story is interesting. I even like the voice acting! Monty Oum definitely had potential to have a big career in animation series.

 

Castle Town Dandelion

 

This one is about the Sakurada Family, of which consists of 9 brothers and sisters. Their father is King of the kingdom and so they are royalty, which explains why he accidentally wears his crown home sometimes. It centers around the 3rd daughter Akane who doesn't want to "stand out" because she is the Kings's daughter and doesn't want the attention. In addition each of the siblings also have a special power--for example, Akane can manipulate gravity so she can fly and run super fast, so standing out is definitely a problem for her! This is a nice change for an anime, something I haven't seen much of: a royal family with powers, with added humor and action. It's pleasant and harmless, animation is good too.

 

The Comic Artist and His Assistant

Yuki is a Manga Artist working on ambitious projects though he always finishes them at last minute. However he is obssessed with trying to capture the female body perfectly in his manga, going so far as to buying panties and bras a lot and getting his assistant to do things so he can get a better idea of the human body. He is also a pervert and usually gets beat down for his antics. Not the the mangaka slice of life I was expecting. This is more standard pervy guy comedy situations that we've seen before. I must however admit admire his devotion to his "craft!" I do think its well paced and funny, and I like the female characters. Good animation too.

 

Cat Planet Cuties

 

16 year old Kio comes across a cute lady named Eris among a local party. She is in fact an alien race of catpeople who have come to earth in peace and to explore the planet. Unbeknownst to them, secret agents, some disguised as his friends get wind of this alien visitor and either want to remove the alien from earth or take her for their own deeds. However the two have grown to like each other and Kio vows to protect her. This title was available to me only in the English dub but I like the voice acting and the voice for Eris was cute. I really surprised this type of anime hasn't been made earlier, as catgirls have been popular for so long. I definitely like the scifi angle so it may be worth a second look. Interestingly this was rated MA, but probably only because we see Eris bare bottom briefly in one scene.  

 

File of Young Kindaichi Returns

 

Also known as  Kindaichi Case Files R,  this is the second series about the young detective Kindaichi, grandson of a famous detective. He's a lazy school student that doesn't do very well in school and doesn't complete tests (however he manages to solve the almost impossible problem on the test to his teacher's amazement). He is, like his grandfather, a genius in deduction. He gets involved in a mystery when his lady friend who is identical to a famous chinese model is invited to go to Hong Kong to stand in for her when she goes missing. However as soon as she gets there she is kidnapped, and this leads to an encounter with the real model and of course a death...  Conan anyone? Actually no this isn't a carbon copy of Detective Conan. It has it's own style and Kindaichi is a bit different than Shinichi/Conan. The animation style is much different than Conan. It's actually more easy on the eyes, which I like. Plus the fact they start off in Hong Kong is up my alley. I'll take a look at some more.

 

Terror in Resonance

 

I decided to check this series out as it's a very timely subject. There's a sudden and intricate terrorist attack in Tokyo (two twin buildings are bombed), and it seems to be the work of two teenage boys who offer no real explanation for their terrorist motivations except to "wake up the world." A fellow schoolgirl coincidentally keeps bumping into to them, intertwining with the boys and putting herself in danger. This anime is surprising created by Shinichiro Watanabe, and it's quite well made: storytelling is great and there's no room for comedy. It's most interesting and quite unusual to have an anime about terrorism, especially in this day and age.

 

World Fool News

 

 

A newscaster is transferred to a different broadcasting station with a reputation to being the least popular and with a most weird staff. But he has to deal with the weirdness as it's his news job. Surprisingly this is a very routine comedy anime with a very simple animation style. But you know I didn't really laugh because all the jokes I've seen before in other anime and all the characters are pretty much standard: one likes to eat, one is lazy, one doesn't want any trouble etc. It kind of reminds me Animation Runner Kuromi, but that was done better than this. But I'll give it a chance with another episode.

 

My fave: Terror in Resonance!

 

See you next time!

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) November 19th, 2015 at 8:44 PM

GGC is in my mind, the reliable con. A convention, unique in its mission, small, yet dedicated to and by its staff and followers. It's been a convention I always feel welcome at, and always have fun. So I look forward to it every year.

 

The previous year was a little tricky for me and my wife to attend, as she ran a booth in the exhibition hall and about 8 months pregnant, and chock full of emotions. I did have a good time despite these hurdles. This year our son was with us, and his first GGC in what I hope to be several to come. This was also my first GGC without press credentials, so mostly I was there to enjoy the con this time, and try to take some cosplay photos. We made a loose system, where I would take care of my son, take him where I go and my wife would mainly run the booth. The booth would be a rest area for us two, if the baby needed a break, or food, or sleeping. If I needed to a photo run, I would leave him at the booth for a spell. But mostly I would take him with me, even taking him to panels and sit in the back. That way if he started fussing I can pick him up and walk him around in the back of the panel room, so I don't disturb people much and still get to see the panel. In addition we brought a little food so we wouldn't have to buy much at the convention. We also parked the car at the Hertz garage where the fee is way cheaper. With this plan and leaving on time to the convention from our house, this was the first time we went to and enjoyed a convention without incident!

 

I was in charge of the son right away the first day of con as Kirsten went ahead to set up her booth. When I arrived, we settled in a little before I took off and explored the entire convention. The setup was pretty much the same as previous years, gaming on the lower floor, registration and industry on the 1st floor, then panel floor and artist alley, and the upper floor is main panel rooms and the exhibitor's hall. The main hall continues to have all sort of fun things to see and buy, either official merchandise or original merchandise of different genres. The floor below had the artist alley, and previous years it had been disappointing as nothing really appealed to me. This year a lot of cool artwork stood out, and was very tempting to buy, and I probably would have bought a lot if not for not having much dough and wall space for it.  Since last year I've seen more new animation shows, not just anime, but American Cartoons. This is one of the reasons I recognized more stuff in the alley, such as Adventure Time and Steven Universe. There were also anime favorites I spotted: little badges of characters from anime such as Ranma 1/2, Slayers and Dragonball.

 

I was able to get to a panel, taking my son with me and see how he does. This was an X Files appreciation panel, a series celebrating its 20th anniversary and so the panelists wanted to take a look back and bring all the fans together. What was interesting was that they talked about how times have changed. When the show was first on, internet was in its infancy, and you had to have actual physical get togethers with fans to talk about the show rather than internet chat rooms. And you had to record shows or watch them live with actual folks, rather than find it online. They showed fan art, and classic magazine covers of Mulder and Scully. They talked about the Mulder x Scully coupling and why it never came to it on the series. And finally they had a preview trailer for the new X Files show with the same cast which will debut next year. Me and my son both had fun at the panel.

 

I closed out Saturday with the costume contest. In the past they usually just had a system where you show up to the contest and you can get in, and I planned on entering my son with his Jamie McCrimmon outfit. But things changed, and they actually had a signup early on at the GGC website, and by the time the con rolled around signup was closed. A little disappointing, but not a big deal. I decided to just go watch the show by myself without my son, so I could concentrate on getting a lot of good photos. The reason why they changed formats with entering was probably because the popularity of the contest has gotten much larger, judging by the amount of entries this year. The stage was set up differently, with more a runway type of stage where contestants walk to the end of the runway with the audience all around it. I was lucky to find a seat directly in front of the end of the runway, usually a prime spot to take photos. The entries were divided into 2 categories: kids and non-kids (adults mostly). I got a big kick at seeing so many kids cosplaying at this convention, whether it's anime, live action, american cartoons, or comic book characters. It's all fun for both them and the audience. There was great duo from the classic 80's movie Labrynth. The highlight was a little girl dressed up as Thor that stole everyone's hearts (including the judges!). As for the non-kid costumes they were also fun, and some did a little spin on the traditional costume, such as two ladies in female versions of Thor and Loki.  It was also cool to see costumes from the new Mad Max movie, Sailor Moon and even Miss Frizzle from Magic School Bus (who also got an award). I actually had to find out who that was, as I've never had the pleasure to watch that series. While the addition of the runway was good, some cosplayers didn't utilize it fully, or didn't know they were supposed to head all the way down to the end. As such some costume pic opportunities were missed. I do have to say that this was best costume contest at GGC so far.

 

Sunday was more of the same with cosplay photos and wandering around the convention halls with my son. There was a short time when I dropped my son off at the booth and hunted down some great costume photos, and I was pretty much successful. I did get to another panel this day, taking my son along this time in my arms rather than putting him in the stroller.

 

The panel was a history of and about Shojo manga and anime series, and it's influence on today's series. The panelist talked about the origins of shojo in very early works that predate the main manga period. The main title that we all know now to be the foundation of shojo was Princess Knight, by Osamu Tezuka the "father of Manga." The innovation was that the lady who is a princess is disguised as a prince, and that it dealt with gender roles. This was the inspiration for other titles such as the very famous Rose of Versailles, which was a French period piece setting with the main character a woman raised as a man to be the heir to her father's throne. Other ideas that became notable was a character being adrogynous and also the subject of yuri, or woman-woman love. From there shojo titles began to flourish and culminated in Sailor Moon, the most famous shojo series in manga and anime. From then on many series were influenced by all that came before. Revolutionary Girl Utena was greatly inspired by Rose of Versailles, and also inspired other series abroad. More recent titles use shojo style and themes in the their series with different story twists. Ouran High School Host Club had a female main character having to work in an all male Host Club disguised as a boy. Even American series have Shojo elements in the them--Steven Universe's creators were inspired by Utena, and Adventure Time has a unique quality that appeals in both shonen and shojo titles (with the characters Marceline and Princess Bubblegum in particular).  It was a well presented panel, using several references and slides of manga and anime titles that were sure to give fans ideas on what to read and watch shojo-wise.

 

After more photos I took a short break to change my son's diaper, which lead to an interesting experience. The nearest restroom was a "gender neutral" bathroom, which means anyone can use the bathroom. I changed my son then used a stall myself. I heard ladies come in, so I wondered if they were going to react to me when I come out even though it's clearly a gender free room. I came out and washed my hands, and the only thing I heard from them were compliments on my Ranma costume and my cute son. It was a weird unique experience: I never shared a restroom with ladies, but I'm glad how open people are today. It was a good very idea to have this gender free room---Geek Girl Con are aware of the issues.

 

After brief goodbyes at the closing celebrations, I took my son back to the booth, packed up with my wife and left GGC. I'm so glad this con experience went so smoothly and the con itself seems to have been run smootly as well. They had some interesting panels this year and a great costume contest, plus nifty stuff to see and buy. The cosplayers are increasing in numbers and a churning some great costumes of popular series, movies and anything else, some of the costumes original spins on characters. My only qualm is the lack of a major guest at GGC. They have some comic artists, and voice actors, but I've been waiting for another big name to grace their presence at this con, such as Denise Crosby and Karen Prell who attended a couple of years ago. I think the con would have a greater number with another guest like that, but at the same time the con has been selling out of its 2 day passes by the time it rolls around (although there were still some single days left, however friends said that they ran out of 1 day badges and were sold 2 day badges at the door!). I still think the big name cons can learn a lot from smaller cons like GGC, maybe not with big media guests but rather having the con itself, the people and things to see, be the experience. In that sense GGC is a unique experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi again. I'm getting a little behind on writing because my PC is not working and I have to do my writing either on my wife's laptop or the break PC at work! So I'll include the last 2 weeks anime titles this time.

 

Locodol

A schoolgirl is tricked into becoming a local singing idol (local idol=Locodol) after needing money to buy a swimsuit. She wants to quit after her debut, but her singing idol partner is so friendly and supportive, she decides to give it a try. There are several idol animes out there now--I think it's all about the story idea. If it's good enough, original enough then it could be a good show. This is one of them: the characters are likeable and the animation is very good. The setup is rather original too--her rotten uncle is the cause! It may be fun to see where this goes.

 

Birdy the Mighty: Decode

A TV remake of the classic anime 1996 OAVs. An outer space officer named Birdy comes to earth to hunt down aliens. A regular shoolkid gets caught in between the two in a action packed attack. Birdy accidentally kills him, but fuses her body with his to save his life. But now both persons inhabit his body, and both must try to make the best of it whether going to school or killing aliens. The original OAVs were a lot of fun and the animation was great. The TV series has it's flaws: mostly the 2D animation of the main characters isn't as good as quality as say the state of the art outer space and alien animation part of the show. It's like they had a limited budget or something. Perhaps I'll tune in to see if gets better. I like the story, the characters and the mix of comedy and action, not to mention the fan service in the tradition of the original.

 

The Idol Master

The second Idol anime I'm watching this time around. It's based on several games and has grown into a multimedia franchise.  This show is presented in a sort of documentary style, introducing all the idols, staff and what they do each day, using a camcorder and asking questions. There are all types: one likes cute things, one is serious, one has no confidence at all in singing and so forth. We do get to see their feelings over being an idol, their goals and hopes, dreams, all that. All I can say is this is way better than American Idol and other tripe like that. The animation is high quality and the characters are interesting enough I want to watch more. Oh and the songs are good too.

 

Casshern Sins

A remake of the classic series Casshern, although it could possibly be a prequel or maybe an altogether reboot. Casshern is here more of a dark character. He's a cyborg walking a devastated Earth, having no memory of who he is or what he has done. Killer robots appear to take him out, but he can destroy them easily. Some say he's responsible for the devastation because he killed someone of importance. Now he must roam the Earth to try and retain his memories, though he may not want to... It's a very moody and serious anime, with violent action added. The anime style is retro but has a modern feel to it as well. So it's a good quality series, but may not appeal to everyone. I don't usually go for bleak anime like this, but I may tune in to see where the story goes.

 

Is it Wrong to try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon?

This one takes place a in a fantasy D&D kind of world, featuring an up and coming warrior trying to gain experience points visiting the dungeon and slaying monsters. Problem is he's a big chicken, and ends up being saved by a beautiful swordswoman, whom he instantly falls in love with. He's encouraged to pursue both being a warrior and his love, and in doing can gain lots of experience. It's anime full of adventure type stuff as well as fits of comedy, if the title doesn't give you that idea already. I want to see if he becomes a bad ass warrior and get respect from the girl he likes and her clan as well. Could be fun. Animation is pretty good.

 

Ebiten

Another series set in school with a group of girls who organize an Astronomy club. When a new girl wants to join (or is coerced to join), she is put through an absurd test to qualify. This series has a mixed feeling of say Haruhi and any wacky frenetically paced school anime. Even the main character is reminiscent of Haruhi Suzumiya, taking the role of leader of the club. There are other character types: the skilled one, quiet one and one who likes to read yaoi when she's not supposed to and is punished by being stripped! This series could be episodic, though it's too early to tell. I may have to tune in for more. 

 

Bikini Warriors

 

The title says it all! A group of curvaceous warriors commission special bikinis that act like armor (the creator also makes regular bikinis!), so they are well protected in battle without having to wear much! They are then given a special quest by the local leader, though they are not paid very well for it. This show was based on a series of figures, which gave birth to a media franchise. The episodes are only 4 minutes long, so you don't have much time for character development and story, but with a series like this, who needs those? Anyway the animation and action is great, the characters are likeable and kick butt, and with the shortness of the series you can call this one a guilty pleasure.

 

Nisekoi

 

A teenager whose heir to his father's Yakuza empire keeps a locket given to him by a girl when they were kids, hoping to meet when they are grown and marry. Heading to school he is run over by a violent blonde girl, and soon these two are rubbing each other the wong way. and of course they are in the same class together. But both their fathers have a shocking surprise for both of them. This is pretty good setup for a funny anime. Lots of arguments and slapstick skirmishes, though painful. Sounds predictable, though the hot headed guy and the violent girl remind me a little bit of Ranma and Akane. It may be worth to watch more. Animation is good too.

  

Blood Blockade Battlefront

 

A high octane sci-fi action anime! In the future, aliens and monsters roam the city freely and in equal rights with humans--this was caused by a portal opening years ago allowing these creatures onto earth. A young man named Leonardo comes to New York for help, but ends up being mistaken for a member of a strange crime fighting group called Libra.  An alien attack reveals the groups amazing powers as well as Leonardo's reason for coming to New York. It's a great set up for a sci-fi series, with an interesting plot, great quality animation, and amazing action sequences. I definitely want to watch more of this one.

 

Love Live! School Idol Project

 

This is the third Idol anime I've watched and I think it's the best of the 3, because I like the story idea better than the others. Honoka's school has announced it will close down due to lack of applicants. Not wanting to lose her beloved school she comes up with an idea when she visits another academy that prominently features it's own singing school idols and is quite an attraction for wannabe students. Honoka proposes the idea to have her school produce some of their own singing idols, herself included. Another multimedia franchise that's very popular, and so I wanted to check it out. I like the characters, the animation, the story and outfits the singers wear. I think the songs are pretty good too. I get an exciting feeling from this show, more so than the other idol shows.

 

FAVES: So many good ones, but probably Blood Blockade Battle front and Love Live!

 

There you go. Next week is Thanksgiving week, so there will only 3 titles to view so I can have days off to enjoy the long holiday weekend. Cheers!

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) November 4th, 2015 at 11:01 PM

This the 16th consecutive Sakura Con I've attended, and it sure has grown since that first one in 2000 (the 1st time it was called Sakura Con, not Baka Con). It went through growing pains and endured and then when it got even bigger it moved to downtown seattle and has stayed there since. And it was a lot of fun, for a while.

Nowadays, or rather the last few Sakura Cons have been less than stellar, with guests that just don't to appeal to me as much these days, same with musical acts and organization. For 10 of those years I covered SC and wrote reports and was critical of its flaws. This year I am just an attendee, which frees me from obligations I had before, and so I just sit back and take a look at what I liked and didn't.

Things are also different on the homefront as may have heard before. This was the first Sakura Con for my baby son, and the challenge to bring a baby to con continued from ECCC. We had planned to get to SC on Friday by noon, but my wonderful wife decided to make costumes at the very last minute--Dragon Ball Z. Finally finished Friday afternoon we took off. Unfortunately not only did we hit traffic, but we had to make a stop for a bathroom break, then my son started crying. At last, around 5pm we made it to the convention center, changed into our new DBZ costumes and hung out in the convention center. We didn't get much chance to walk around and check out the dealers hall, so we hung around a lounging area on the 4th floor, which is nicknamed "Brotography Corner." This is prime area where cosplayers and photographers hang out, meet up and take photos. We saw a few of our friends there, chatted, showed off the baby and took photos. I ran into Al aka Eurobeat Kasumi after not seeing him for a few years, and he took some of our Vegeta, Bulma and baby Trunks, and other photogs got into us as well. My hope for shooting a lot of photos fell quite short, but I snapped a few. After a couple of hours we decided to call it a night, so we all could settle in at the hotel and eat as well. I parked to car at a nearby garage rather than at the hotel as it was much cheaper. A rather quiet Friday for a first day of con for us.

Saturday would be similar to Friday unfortunately. I got up early to used the exercise room in the hotel, and to check on the car in the other garage. Due to various circumstances we did not get to the convention until after 3pm, missing the morning and part of the afternoon. We wore our Urusei Yatsura costumes and headed to the brotography corner once again for photo ops. We only stayed for a short while as my wife was having "malfunctions" with her Lum bikini. We headed back briefly to our hotel room to change back into our DBZ costumes then headed back. The 3 of us got a lot of attention, maybe because of my son's baby Trunks outfit being so cute, or perhaps Vegeta's pink "Badman" shirt may have hillarious to them. In any case we got a lot of photos taken of us all over the convention area. We checked out the dealer hall and artist alley, though we didn't have much time until it closed since it was already getting late. We headed back to the photo corner to meet up with my buddy Hector. We just hung out there for a little bit, then headed back to the hotel room to eat some food. We ate and drank, then decided we wanted to go back to the convention and play some music--something we've always done at convention--me guitar, Hector sax. I put on my Gakuen Naruto costume and we took off. We played on the first floor, and played all of our standard anime theme songs we learned throughout the years. Lots of folks stopped to listen and enjoy the music, even leaving some tips. Our baby was falling asleep and so we called it a night while Hector went home.

Sunday proved to be more active for us. We actually checked out of the hotel on time and got to the covention early afternoon. We were our Ranma 1/2 cosplay today. We planned to get Sumi Shimamoto's autograph though we were there a little late. I was taking care of the car while Kirsten stood in line, and by the time I got there the line was cut off behind my wife. I was angered because I hoped to have my DVD of Maison Ikkoku autographed. I stormed out of there and checked out the dealers room and took cosplay photos while my wife got her figure signed.

We bummed around the dealers room and artist alley for a little while afterwards, then lined up for a panel. Yes we finally were going to see something! We went to the Sumi Matsumoto panel, which would be the first and last event we would see at this Sakura Con. I have no obligation to go to the Opening or closing ceremonies, so I ceremoniously skipped those.

As we waited in line, I witnessed the only staff infraction I had time for. It seems to me staff members know how to do their job, just not politely. I saw a lady shouting commands to attendees to not congest the area around the panel waiting lines. It just seems common courtesy to politely remind attendees what they can do and what they can't, not act like stern schoolteachers or army commanders. It just ruins the experience for the con-goer, I think.

Anyway the panel itself was very good. She discussed her experiences with being a seiyuu back in there heyday. She even sang an excerpt that her character Nausicaa sung at one point in the Ghibli film. She also demonstrated Kyoko's voice from one of favorite series, Maison Ikkoku. She answered many questions from the audience, and we even got a photo with her after the panel ended.

The rest of time we were at the convention we just hung out in the photography area. Then we just decided to call it a night and head home. Another Sakura Con done.

 

More or less this year's Sakura Con was anticlimatic in my opinion. This mostly due to lack of time, or running out of time to see anything basically. Such is the life as we already had experienced at ECCC, of being new parents. Other factors ate up time, but as I've stated before we think now we have a better idea of what to expect when we take our kid to a convention, and know how to better plan accordingly. We did see some friends, got some photos and showed off our child who charmed everyone. We also hung out with a friend we been meaning to see for a while-this was most important. But also important, having have to pay for a convention now means I want to get my money's worth otherwise I'd rather stay home than waste money. Of course I also want the convention I'm attending to have cool stuff to see and do--something interesting. Sakura Con falters on that topic lately, but I'm still hoping they will surprise me with a great guest or event in the future. In the meantime I look forward to other superior conventions in the area, attending with the wife and child. And I hope the experiences are superior as well.

 

 

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) November 3rd, 2015 at 11:09 PM

Hope you all had a happy Halloween! Here's what I watched during Halloween week:

 

Yamishibai

Some short but creepy anime stories with a radically different, perhaps jarringly too, style of animation--as if they are all cut outs. The episodes are very short but I think more effective that way. The first tale is about a man who moves into an old apartment and finds wards in the room, and a strange woman looking at him through the window from her place across the street. I think it's innovative.

Blood C

 Sort of a yet another reimagined anime about a cute monster slaying girl, after Blood: The Last Vampire and Blood +. This time she is a bespeckled daughter of a Shinto priest. She undergoes his harsh training, is rather klutzy, but when she's called to do her duty, to kill monsters, it gets bloody. Cool action sequences, along with a likable heroine keeps you interested. Animation style is good quality.

 Dance With the Vampire Bund

This show has a fantastic setup, taking place on a debate like talk show discussing the truth or fiction on vampires as the topic. When a guest who claims to be a Vampire queen appears, tension heats up and the truth is revealed, all happening on live TV. If this show lives up to the beginning, it could be great. Good quality show and animation, so I'm hoping the character development is good since it didn't really focus on anyone except near the end of the episode.

 Is This a Zombie?

A school student is murdered by a serial killer, but is resurrected by a mysterious lady in a futuristic outfit. Though he's alive and looks normal, he is actually a zombie which allows him constant death, super strength but brittle limbs. Add in a crazy magical girl with a chainsaw who loses her powers to him and you have the wackiest zombie anime ever. Animation is great, I like to see where this goes...! 

 Ghost Hunt

A series I have watched for a while but never finished, A group of psychic investigators of different backgrounds including a new member: a schoolgirl who later discovers an ability essential to investigations. Lots of good stories, characters and animation in this anime.

 

My fave: of the  new ones, Vampire Bund.

 

that's it! see ya!

 

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) October 28th, 2015 at 10:12 PM

Here's the weekly anime reviews:

 

Vividred Operation

This futuristic anime definitely has a strike witches vibe, considering the blatant booty shots. Aliens attack a seaside town, and the main character schoolgirl is given a special key to unlock special abilities. The animation is wonderful and there's a nice blend of everyday school life moments as well as serious sci-fi entertainment. So this is a keeper.

 

Ben-to

At a local supermarket, the discounted bento box lunches are so coveted, teenagers have brutal fights over them, unaware to the main character who just wants to get something for lunch cheap. The mysterious white haired girl (sort of a mix of Ryomu Shimei and Rei Ayanami) warns him, "stay away from the supermarket." Well he goes anyway, and as a result of his stamina is recruited into the girl's bento battle club! Probably the most ridiculous idea for a fighting anime, but also pretty hillarious. The animation is good, though I wonder where this fighting for bento story will go.

 

Denki-gai

This is the everyday lives of a group of young adults running a fandom shop where they sell anime, toys and doujinshi. While they tackle obstacles like making sure the adult doujinshi is clearly marked for adults, the bespeckled female worker is revealed to an aspiring manga-ka, hoping to become a great manga writer and selling her wares at a local convention. This is a good quality anime with great characterization, story and animation. A great combo.

 

Buddy Complex

A normal schoolkid is suddenly targeted by a mecha robot who came from the future. His lady schoolchum reveals herself to be also from the future and a mecha pilot that battles the sadistic enemy that has some sort of vendetta. The kid is transported to the future time where the 2 came from to avoid death. This definitely has my attention, and makes me eager to see where this story will go. Lots of action and great designs.

 

Rosario x Vampire

A guy whose parents are desperate to get him into a good school signs him up to one that's a hour trip away, and is coed. Unbeknownst to him, the school students are all monsters and creatures in human form, and humans are not allowed. He befriends a very cute pink haired girl who turns out to be a vampire and borrows nips from his neck when she needs it. Her true form is a very powerful (and sexy) vampire who's not to be trifled with. Needless to say the guy is stuck there idefinitely. Lots of laughs, monstrous action and some fan service. This should be good if they uphold the setup.

 

My fave: Denki-gai

 

Next week is Halloween themed, so get ready!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) October 20th, 2015 at 5:05 AM

Hello here's the third week of Anime reviews. This week...

 

Momo Kyun Sword

A fantasy period adventure with a female lead, born from a peach of all things. The narrator quickly points out Momo grows her own "peaches," so you know where this show is going. That explains her peach shaped cleavage cut-out in her outfit. Once you get past those two, this is a pretty interesting adventure with some powerful animal sidekicks, a squad of magical girls, monsters and a pretty cool power-up by Momo. Animation is above average too.

Air Gear

A sort of futuristic world where the big thing is Air Trek, sort of a motorized pair of rollerblades, enhanced with such power that users literally fly in the air, doing amazing tricks. This is a pretty cool idea for a show, and the characters are interesting and are a nice design. I love the theme song by Back-On, whom I interviewed about 8 years ago at Anime Evolution.

Hajime no Ippo

A well made boxing drama, in the tradition of Ashita no Joe. Ippo continues the legacy of his late father by aspiring to be the greatest boxer. Lots of out of the ring drama, as well as dramatic boxing matches. Looks to be good. 

 Baccano!

Taking place in the 1930's America, the story follows several mafia members and their rise and machination to power and success. Sounds straight forward right? Well add to that, some of the gangsters have acheived the power of immortality, so rubbing out rivals with a tommy gun isn't so easy! An ensemble cast of character makes for lots of character development and story twists and turns. This may be good. 

 

Beast King Go-Lion

Classic anime titles are some of the greatest, so here's an 80's title that became famous as Voltron on American TV. The setup for the Japanese version is much more darker and grim than the Americanized version. The mecha was once an ancient weapon that caused mayhem and destruction. Humans who have escaped from alien slavery find a planet where the local aliens have a nice surprise for them: Go-Lion! I look forward to this one.

 

My fave: I would go with Air Gear, with its fast pace action and story.

 

That's all for this week! Until next time...!

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) October 19th, 2015 at 11:24 PM

Here's the anime week in review:

 

Ambition of Oda Nobuna: A period piece adventure with comedy, where famous war figures of Japan are all women! A mix of action, humor and some fan service too. It's pretty engaging and fun.

Jinki Extend: An older title I never got around to, until now. A mecha anime with Eva and Gundam overtones, featuring a female protaginist who's a mecha otaku. Actually a more serious title, like eva but interesting drama from the start.

Kokoro Connect: School anime where a group of friends discover they keep swapping bodies. Unusual premise which actually works thanks to the voice actors, the comedy that ensues from the situation and the mystery behind the phenomenon. Character designs remind me of K-On.

Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple: A fighting genre anime, where the bullied main character attends an extreme martial arts school. Animation style is more cartoony than usual, but solid. Action, humor, curvy female designs and of course fighting. Looks to be good.

Invaders of the Rokujyoma: A cheap apartment a guy rents suddenly fills up with several strange ladies who want the room as well (ghost, maiden, space girl, magical girl). Add to that the landlady is the dude's fellow school chum! Of course this is hillarious, with breasts and panties here and there thrown in. It's a lot of character to introduce all at once, so its seems a bit too much--you know, all crammed in here like his little apartment. We'll have to see where this one goes...

My favorite of the week: ambition of oda nobuna. I love the character designs, the setting, action and humor the most.

That's it! More viewing each week. What do you think of this idea?

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) October 13th, 2015 at 10:21 PM

Greetings!

I've been sampling a lot of anime lately of streaming sites, to try to get back in the swing of things. I haven't been able to watch much anime as I'm so busy with a baby. In fact I tend to watch anime before I start work in the morning. So I thought I'd share some of what I've seen so far, what I liked and didn't (many are based on just seeing one episode).  Rather than write a long review for each, I thought just a "quickie" would suffice--to give you a basic idea of everything. This first batch is from a few weeks of watching:

Good Luck Girl: watched several episodes. This is pretty funny, great character designs, lots of comedic action but it has some serious moments.

B Gata H Kei: Another hilarious anime but it's different as it involves sex and more risque. I started watching this a while back.

Kids on the Slope: More serious than I thought it would be for an anime, but deep character development and more realistic character designs. Music is great, all that jazz!

Squid Girl: Also been watching this one for a while. This is all laughs a plenty and cute characters.

Working: An anime in a restaurant. Pretty funny. Started watching this one a while back.

Oreimo: Season 1 was superb. Interesting characters and lots of otaku moments.

Toradora: This one, people have been telling me I have to see it as it's real good. I thought it would be more funny but actually it's more serious so I'm a little perplexed by it, not sure where it's going to go. It's enjoyable.

Blade and Soul: a period fantasy adventure with sleek character designs. The action is surprising and the animation is top notch. Definitely want to see more.

Girls Und Panzer: Schoolgirls and tanks!? How absurd, no? It's actually set up much better than you think it would be, and not wacky at all, so far. Animation is high quality.

Bodacious Space Pirates: I haven't seen a decent sci-fi anime in a long time. It's much better than you'd think and not as exploitative as the title suggests. It looks to be epic.

Melody of Oblivion: an older title I never got to see. The setup is promising. character designs are attractive.

Servant x Service: Civil service office worker comedy! Fun to watch, characters are interesting. Main character is hot!

Kan Colle: Reminiscent of Strike Witches, but actually better. Wonderful action and animation. Will check out more.

Super Sonico: Everyday life of SS, which is straight forward and doesn't have a central plot (yet?) to follow. I like that she's in a band though.

Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure: The setup is most intriguing and engaging. Definitely the character names got my attention. The first ending song made me decide to tune in for more.

Reborn!: At last! Wacky action packed hillarity. I will watch more.

My Little Monster: Hmm I dunno. The main male character is truly unlikable. I will have to check out another episode to see where it will go.

Ghost in the Shell: Alternative Arcitecture: Wow. Just great! Of course this one has always been a fave of mine.

Wanna be the strongest in the world: Obviously from the creators of Sekirei! I like the concept of Idol wrestlers, great animation and character designs and of course eye candy. A guilty pleasure.

Seiyu's life: great idea for an anime. It does give you an idea what it's like, in an anime way. Funny and engaging.

Psycho Pass: Most intriguing anime. Not just great character design but art direction as well. Sleek, serious and full of action. Main characters keep you interested.

Comic Party Revolution: picks up where the first series left off. More of the same, but still fun to watch and animation style has improved.

 

my faves: so many! But I'll go with Bodacious Space pirates, Psycho Pass, GItS, Good Luck Girl and Blade & soul

 

That's quite a few! From now on I'll review one week at a time, about 5 titles. You can view all of these on Crunchyroll and/or Funimation. Netflix has a smattering of titles as well. See ya!

 

ECCC 2015 was a first for many reasons. But no, I've been attending the convention since 2008. It was the first convention of the year for me, it was the first convention since the birth of my son, and his first time attending a convention. It was also the first time to go to a convention without any press credentials. ECCC was tightening their distribution of press passes for the last few years, due to growing popularity and that some so called internet zines or other websites have abused their privileges to gain access to interviews and places to get photos. Also the fact that the website I worked for, anipike, had an increasingly shrinking viewership. Each year I was turned down (since 2011) for a pass, until I decided it was futile. All of these points were moot as anipike shut down in 2014, so now I got to a regular badge like everyone else. I got a badge for Friday and Saturday.

This gives me little incentive to cover events at conventions, but again this first convention was a challenge for me anyway. Having being a new dad, and juggling my day job and my "night" job (taking care of my son) was already tiring me out. I approached the new convention with enthusiasm, but even after food and extra sugar I found myself running out of energy at one of now favorite conventions I look forward to each year. The first day of convention I was originally looking forward to it as there were several media guests I hope to catch them at their panels. Unfortunately the three I wanted to see: Karen Allen, LeVar Burton and Marina Sirtis, all cancelled right before the convention. I was let down as I bought a Friday ticket mostly for those guests. I was left with little to do except walk the con grounds, mainly in the artist alley and exhibtion hall, and take some cosplay photos here and there. Again my loss of energy unmotivated to take many cosplayers doing their thing. I attended a Doctor Who panel which talked about the latest news, the upcoming Anglicon and they had all the cosplayers come up and show off their costumes. That was pretty fun and I definitely felt at home with all of the other DW fans. Other things I spotted were a delight, such as arcade machines to play in one area of the the center, an area for a beer garden which was a new thing at ECCC this year. I also saw the official ball pit, an inside joke and stab at a failed convention that took place earlier in the U.S. the previous year. Another event I attended was a Doctor Who open discussion panel. This turned out to be a mistake due to my shyness around people: I'm a bit introverted and only interact well with certain people--I can just tell. I didn't feel too comfortable so I left halfway through. Not bad for a Friday, but could have been better.

Saturday I brought my wife and 5 month old son to his first convention. He was also wearing his first cosplay ever in his short time being around. We know parking would be difficult downtown so we opted to park at Seattle Center then take the monorail to the convention center. We go to the convention right before 1 pm and met up with a friend and my sister. I took some photos, and then got photos taken of us and our friends, hung out, then checked out the rest of the convention. I didn't want to abandon my wife and son to go to panels so I stuck around, sacrificing some opportunities to see some guests. This was fine in the end, although I barely took any cosplay photos again due to lack of motivation and energy.

As for what the convention offered for families was a big plus for the first time. They had a family room so mothers could nurse their babies, change diapers and basically relax and get away from all of the mayhem. We were glad they had these and utilized them that day.We didn't interact with staff very much, but I saw a minor incident regarding the attendee flow to the escalator. There were so many people heading there, a line was formed and controlled by the staff from the esalator, wrapping around to the edge of the hallway. Some people didn't notice the line and one man was stopped and accused of cutting in which he denied. Apparently there were several complaints about ECCC staff or "minions" as the were called who were accused of rude behavior and lack of people skills. Here was one of them, which is why I try to avoid any run-ins with staff at any convention because I have seen these poorly trained staff before at other conventions. They know what to do but forget to be polite.

After resting we looked around some more, ate snacks and then returned to the room where the other 3 stayed until the con closed. I had a few minutes left to buy some great movie based artwork that would look great on the wall of the den room at home. We decided to head out and take my sister home, but not before having some chinese food to top it off.

So that was pretty much it for ECCC. Unfortunately some missed opportunities, but when you have a baby with you to take care you have to make adjustments. Heading from home and back makes it much more difficult to get to con each time. We learned from later cons in 2015 what to do now and that may involve getting a hotel room for next year. I think that way we can enjoy the convention more that way. And we can come up with a balance between seeing what we want to see and having time for family as well. What I did see at ECCC I enjoyed, that's for sure.

 

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) August 18th, 2015 at 2:06 AM

Me and my wife return to AR after skipping the previous year, this time with our now 9 month old son. Getting there took a little longer as my wife felt sick Friday morning. We then got to the border crossing which was backed up a little and so that took up more time. Add to that, BC-99, which was usually 2 lanes joined by 2 others that merged, was relegated to only one lane for no particular reason. This added almost another hour to get to Vancouver, of which the trip from the border to the city is usually quick.

By the time we got to our hotel, the wife was rather exhausted and just wanted to stay in. I decided to head out to the con and get our badges with our son in tow. It was his first time on the Skytrain and he didn't mind it. Staff had trouble finding my badges due to unusual circumstances, and it was the end of the day. Normally other staff would make me wait and come back the next day to take care of it, but AR staff researched the problem and found my badges in a few minutes and even apologized for the wait. This is a rare occurence with con staff. I don't think I've experienced help like that at a U.S. convention in a long time. I managed to shoot a few photos of cosplayers and other sights, hanging out at the con for a couple hours, then head back to the hotel to call it a night. You have to understand the trials and tribulations of attending a convention with family--you have to deal with it.

 

Saturday was better, though surprisingly it was a little wet and much cooler than what we're used to in August. We got ready and headed out to AR in the early afternoon, in cosplay of course. I ordered Vegeta's armor costume early, hoping it would get to me by AR time. Unfortunately it got stuck at customs, and so I was up the creek. I had my backup Vegeta costume, the "Bad Man" outfit, so I wore that to go with my wife's new Bulma costume and my son's baby Trunks. I'm continually surprised by how popular this costume is nowadays. A pic of it from Sakura Con this year was shared and tagged thousands of times on Tumblr or wherever else. Of course Trunks stole the show, charming all the ladies and some guys too. But it got better. There was plenty of Dragon Ball cosplay at AR this year, thanks to the new DBZ movies that came out along with the new TV series. This makes me very happy. Even better was differently aged Trunks cosplayers all taking a pic together with my son. But there was a nice variety of cosplays at AR such as new and classic anime titles, games, Disney, Star Wars and Marvel. Even better, and mostly because I'm a father now, there were more children cosplaying along with their parents. I even saw a boy cosplay a Titan from the popular Attack on Titan series, with him made up with body paint to look like one of the fearsome creatures.

 

The layout of the convention area is similar to previous years, but with more utilization of the venue as well. The main events and dealer's hall were located on the first floor, while the panels, gaming and Maid Cafe were located on the 2nd floor. Most people used the escalator, while we had to use the elevator since we had a stroller (we had to use it for Skytrain too). This was a little confusing, trying to figure out the first floor was G and the 2nd floor was M and so I had to figure out what buttons to press. We took time out for lunch at the Canada Place cafe, where they offer pastries, sandwiches, coffee, soda and even beer!

 

The dealers room, since the rest of the convention had spread out more, was expanded more than ever than previous years. They had a great selection of booths that sold official merchandise of you favorite anime and game stuff. The hall also included artist alley, home of fan made stuff featuring your favorite fandoms and maybe some even more obscure stuff. Oddly enough, Churches Fried Chicken had a tent to promote their restaurant, and had a full costumed chicken running around saying hi and offering coupons. With Canada's sagging dollar, we were lucky to have a little money to get little souvenirs for us and our son. By the time we returned to the hotel for the day, I was in a good enough mood to celebrate with a 21 ounce beer down at Boston Pizza by BC Place Stadium.

 

The sun came out Sunday, and after we checked out of our hotel we headed to AR for the final day. Once again my son charmed everyone, looking super cute in his P-Chan costume my wife made for him, with her as Akane and me as Ranma, our favorite cosplays. After some snacks we checked out the dealers hall once again, then went outside. My wife hung out with our son while I made a loop around the con area to take more photos and buy some things in the dealers hall, before meeting up with my family again. One thing we haven't done yet is check out a panel or something, so we attended the Richard Cox panel, since he voiced both Ranma and Inu-Yasha. the line up for the panel was odd as it was located on the opposite end of the 2nd floor, and the walkway which took you straight to the panel room was roped off, so we had to go the long way around to line up. Actually we ran into some friends near the room, and so as the line of people began to move to past us, we just joined it at the end. Though this was inconvenient, staff did apologize for it--something that con staffs rarely do as well.

This was mostly a comedy show featuring the voice actor, talking about the characters he voiced, elaborations on his career, and just silly stuff, with a little toilet humor thrown in. I haven't laughed a lot in a long time (seriously), and Cox just happened to hit my laughing button--well the whole audience was like that! Afterwards he offered autographs and photos for a short time. We then hung out with the cosplayers some more before having a light meal at Tim Horton's (once again--we went there the day before, a Canadian favorite) before heading out to our car. We wanted to go to closing ceremonies but they didn't start until 7 pm--an unusual move to have them so late. We had to get on the road before then.

 

That was our AR. Taking a close at everything, it was ran rather well and there wasn't any signs of disorganization. As previously mentioned, any inconveniences that I had were taken care of or they apologized for them, and I like that. I also like that they used more of the convention space as well. Their programming has expanded so using more space is a good move, things aren't so cramped and there was things to see and do. Once we get a routine with my son, we will be able to alott more time for panels, events and other things. The attendance of AR has grown considerably, but not to the point of excessive, where you can barely move in the con space. Cosplay has also grown not only in numbers but also variety. I felt pretty comfortable there and never really bored, which is an issue I have with other cons. The energy missing from them was not absent here. Plus I love Canada. If I have a good excuse to go to Canada, it would be AR...!

 

 

 

 

 

Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) Ojii-chan (Ani-Maid Prod.) March 15th, 2015 at 6:19 AM

Hi folks. I used to write for a website but it shut down, so I'm really hankering to write again, about conventions and other things. I think I'll start utilizing Cospix for articles and blogs, hopefully if I can remember to and have the time. So be on the lookout for some reports and photos.