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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Oh, My Bank Account Groans In Agony!
2007-10-26 07:46:00
I've been doing my part in supporting the anime industry. I had bought volumes 6 to 10 of the Monster manga when I spotted them at the local Books-A-Million and couldn't resist buying them all. I ordered volume 5 from Robert's Anime Corner Store and ordered a few manga to help my girlfriend fill in holes in her collection and Spriggan and the art box and the first three volumes of Mushishi . I rented and watched Spriggan at the girlfriend's apartment several days ago, and we enjoyed it as essentially a popcorn movie. The story it hints at telling is far too much to be told in 90 minutes, but it had some amazingly fluid animation and had enough action throughout it to keep us entertained. It is a Studio 4 ? production, and it shows. Impressed me enough that I bought the special edition version and I can't wait until I can watch it on the big screen at my place with the DTS surround sound track. Mushishi was one of my favorite series from last year and one that was on my to pu...
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Lucky Star Episode 22 Moments
2007-10-26 05:22:00
After a little hiatus away from anime, I picked up on episode 221 of Lucky Star . A few scenes caught my attention. First of all, about the MLB World Series: And on Konata questioning her father on how he would like to die: I'm really been enjoying Lucky Star , especially the later episodes. It stumbled off the starting blocks, but it's now managing to get me to laugh out loud on a consistent basis. Or maybe I'm too easily amused... Yes, I know I'm behind...
More About: Episode , Anime , Moments

Not dead yet
2007-10-17 22:07:00
Just a quick update: I'm still around. Was out on vacation from Oct 11 to 15 and have been swamped at work on coming back. Haven't been watching much anime recently, but I'd like to get a post on what I've watched since my last update. I did complete my Crest of the Stars novels and picked up the first volume of the Dirty Pair novel.
More About: Personal , Dead

Low-brow humor...
2007-09-21 09:16:00
Guchuko apparently has the ability to store things in her pants1. The stuff that she takes out of them simply... well... Well, there's corn. And then, there's this: And... Exhibit #2: ... No comment. Why am I watching this again? Ah well, at least I only have one more episode to watch. It can't be that bad, right? Right? Pants of holding?
More About: Humor , Anime

Mahou Shoujo Tai Alice - Licensed?
2007-09-21 06:24:00
Big thanks to Steven for the heads up! By the looks of it, Media Blasters has acquired Mahou Shoujo Tai! This series is also called Tweeny Witches1, which will most likely be the official title as released in the U.S. To begin with, Studio 4 °C has been my most favorite Japanese animation studio since I had stumbled onto Noiseman Sound Insect and was, at once, baffled and amazed at what can be done with animation in 16 minutes. This short impressed me enough to seek out more material from this studio, and discovered just what was written on Wikipedia on them: They are known for marrying the spirit of independent festival animation with a more mainstream anime aesthetic. The entry itself is far too short to gain any substantial information about the company, but all I know is that I have yet to find any animated film, series, or OAV made by Studio 4°C that I didn't like. And I found absolute gems, like Comedy, which I consider the best under 30 minute animated short that I've eve...
More About: Anime , Alice

...Walked 40 miles in the snow both ways...
2007-09-19 08:44:00
Some of my local peers who are anime fans have been lodging complaints about the "new generation" of anime fans. This came to me as a bit odd at first, as my tastes rarely fell in line with most anime fans I met, online or off, which is why I started doing anime blogging instead of complaining about it or trying to change what I thought was "wrong" in these new fans. Something that a friend posted on the local anime forum that seemed to summarize well what many of them were really saying: Anime fans used to be part of a little-known geek community that spent most of its time watching edgy, counterculture anime that might seem quaint now, but was revolutionary for its time. It was harder then hell to find, cost us an arm and a leg to get, and offered its viewers a glimpse of a visual medium that incorporated aspects of dramatic and artistic expression that were unknown to young Americans at the time. This was WAY back in the day - back when Final Fantasy VII and the PlayStation was...
More About: Miles , Snow

Website Upgrade
2007-09-13 19:59:00
Since I was taking the day off from work, I decided to upgrade the site software to Drupal 5.2. Unfortunately, my modified version of the Meta Theme is not available in this version of Drupal, but I guess a theme update won't be a bad thing (I've had the old one since November last year. I still have a few more things to fix, like how some of the images aren't working well. I'll also be experimenting with the theme for a bit.
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diff "Japanese Animation" "Western Animation"
2007-09-12 18:15:00
Kineska links to a neat thread on the AniPages forum where Peter Chung (of Aeon Flux and Animatrix fame) offers some very interesting details and perspectives from his experiences. I'm only half way through the thread myself, but I'll be finishing up the thread when I get time. I was probably a tween the last time I was actually interested in animation theory and process, though Makoto Shinkai's work has inspired me to look into it more in the past couple of years. Check out the thread from the start.
More About: Animation , Japanese , Western , Imation , Diff

Indecisions
2007-09-11 06:45:00
Even after the third time I watch it, I seem to waver between considering the last part of Makoto Shinkai's Byousoku 5 Centimeter either a misstep or a masterpiece. Indeed, I do declare that the first two parts near perfection, but it's the third part that give me some consternation. The first time, I watched the whole 62 minute movie without subtitles, and I was moved. The second time, I was somewhat disappointed by it. This time, on the third watch, I'm picking up cues on some very important details that raise my opinion up again. The clues you can catch by paying very close attention is very consistent, and you can infer things that are rather unimportant in the end. But it's possible that Shinkai was far too subtle at the end. I actually had a similar issue with Shinkai's previous film, Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho (U.S. title: The Place Promised in Our Early Days), except that time I was wavering on the middle part of that movie. The last 15 mi...

Indecisions
2007-09-11 06:45:00
Even after the third time I watch it, I seem to waver between considering the last part of Makoto Shinkai 's Byousoku 5 Centimeter either a misstep or a masterpiece. Indeed, I do declare that the first two parts near perfection, but it's the third part that give me some consternation. The first time, I watched the whole 62 minute movie without subtitles, and I was moved. The second time, I was somewhat disappointed by it. This time, on the third watch, I'm picking up cues on some very important details that raise my opinion up again. The clues you can catch by paying very close attention is very consistent, and you can infer things that are rather unimportant in the end. But it's possible that Shinkai was far too subtle at the end. I actually had a similar issue with Shinkai's previous film, Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho (U.S. title: The Place Promised in Our Early Days), except that time I was wavering on the middle part of that movie. The last 15 mi...
More About: Anime

Honi Honi! Honi Honi!
2007-09-10 04:57:00
Yeah...Yeah, I know I'm pretty late to this party...For those wondering what the heck this is, it's the opening piece to Potemayo.
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Temptations
2007-09-09 19:15:00
Am I crazy enough to drive a bit over a thousand miles to this? Hmm...
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Animenfo down?
2007-09-05 19:36:00
I've been unable to connect to AnimeNfo.com since this morning. The DNS entry resolves to a server at IP 204.15.225.46 that is up and running, but http seems to be down. Anybody know what's going on? UPDATE: Looks like it's back up again.  
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Re: Shingu Ends
2007-08-22 06:11:00
To help Author answer his question to himself, no, I don't think you've deceived me in anyways. I was looking at the feel and presentation of the Shingu OP more than elements or characters. Hell, it actually shows more about the show than, say, the Mushishi OP: And I do think that OP has presented the feel of the show very well while not revealing any elements of the show...
More About: Anime , Ends

Interested in Shingu, now...
2007-08-20 07:02:00
It's only after Author links to a Youtube video of the OP that my interest pikes up on Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars. Especially when he finds it "a good match and preview for the show." Strange that it's actually viewing the OP that catches my eye, not all of the glowing talk about it on the anime blogging world I frequent (pretty much started by Steven Dan Beste's gushing over the series). Still, all the positive views of the series really didn't peak up any interest (Though I've been avoiding any real discussion of the show to avoid spoilers if I did decide to watch it). No, it's the OP which as been panned by most critics I've seen, except for Author. And from what I've seen, I agree with him that it isn't bad. I'll put the thinpak of the series on my "to-buy" list after I get my hands on the Mushishi Art Box, the My Beautiful Mari DVD, the Full Moon Volume 6 DVD, and volumes 5 to 8 of each of the Berserk ...
More About: Anime , Este , Eres

They have arrived!
2007-08-16 03:23:00
Only took 10 days to cross the Pacific. Not bad. And they were packaged quite well too.

They have arrived!
2007-08-16 03:23:00
Only took 10 days to cross the Pacific. Not bad. And they were packaged quite well too.
More About: Byousoku 5 Centimeter

AMV Concept
2007-08-15 16:05:00
For some reason, I found this concept a bit strange. It's an AMV featuring Rakka's story in Haibane Renmei , but the song is "Fusshun" from The Twelve Kingdoms soundtrack. Online Videos by Veoh.com read more
More About: Anime , Concept

Updates from a Japanese Import Newbie
2007-08-07 00:16:00
I received an update from CDJapan last night that my order for Gekijo Animation Byosoku 5 Centimeter DVD Box [Limited Edition](DVD) and MIND GAME (English Subtitles) (DVD) was shipped. The email said that the shipment should take 4-12 days to get to me. I'll see how long it would take to ship. And for a small update, I watched the fansub of Byousoku 5 Centimeter last night and was highly taken in by everything except the ending. I still found it to be a very good film overall (excellent if I discount the ending) and I'll try to have more in an update later.
More About: Anime , Updates , Japanese , Import

I am insane
2007-08-02 04:06:00
I just spent $112.62 US on two DVDs. They were Byousoku 5 Centimeter Limited Edition and Mind Game . Granted, I got the first only because I am a Makoto Shinkai fanboy and watching the raw of his latest film moved me to want to import the DVD before I tackle the fansub of it. Yes, I will also get ADV U.S. release coming this December. I got Mind Game as it's one hell of a good movie and the U.S. release of it is nowhere in sight. At least, though, the R2 DVD of Mind Game does contain English subtitles. And my Oppo DVD player is an all-region player, so I'm set there. I'll do a further update on the experience when the order ships and arrives. read more
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Anime Fan Demographics And Nick's Ramblings About Blogging
2007-07-25 21:47:00
Something about this poll on the Anime Nfo.com forum struck me. Well, it isn't any surprise that 85% of the 65 members that answered the polls identified themselves as between the ages of 15 to 24. And the poll results also helps to support the hypothesis a friend had that most anime fans "grow out of" anime by the age of 25 for various reasons. read more
More About: Blogging , Other , Demographics , Blogg

Popular Japanese Words
2007-07-25 15:22:00
A new blog has cropped up by the name of Japanese words of anime fans, by anime fans, for anime fans has gained my attention fairly recently. The title of the blog pretty much describes what the blog is about, but I'm quite pleased with how much detail that bangin, the owner of the blog, goes into describing the word-of-the-post, and how he relates it to other Japapanese words, provides screenshots if necessary, and even goes a bit into the etymology of the word. It's very informative reading, especially for a non-Japanese speaker like me. It's been the first new blogroll addition to this site in a long while. Thanks to a tip from Iwa ni Hana.
More About: Words , Popular , Pula

Oukashou locations
2007-07-17 01:46:00
Daike from the Makoto Shinkai Fan Web has put up pictures of the actual locations Makoto Shinkai used for the first part of Byousoku 5 Centimeter . I recognize all of these from the anime, and Daike includes some interesting commentary with the pictures. Check them out if you've seen the first episode from the movie. It's also three more days until the DVD is released in Japan. I'm sure that fansubs will leak out, and I'm of two minds on them: read more
More About: Anime , Locations , Loca

Nick's Anime Update - July 1, 2007
2007-07-02 06:08:00
Time for an update of what I've been watching. Finished Watching Catblue: Dynamite I had finished a review of this 40-minute movie this morning. In truth, I've probably rewatched this around 5 times in the past week or so, most of that showing the movie off to different people. I don't have much to add here on top of my review of it. read more
More About: Anime , The Twelve Kingdoms , Fuyumi Ono , Update , Claymore

Not Much Substance, But What Style! A Review of Catblue: Dynamite
2007-07-01 17:41:00
I had never heard of Romanov Higa or of his ROMANoV Films before. His previous claims to fame, Urda and TANK S.W.A.T. 01, neither of which I never heard of, were largely panned by reviewers. Ridian, in a review on AnimeNfo, said that Urda, among other problems, suffered from "the rather cheap and cheesy writing". Romanov Higa's latest film released on December 2006 on the web, Catblue: Dynamite , still holds this quality. But this time, that cheesy writing actually added to the full effect of this 40 minute film featuring a blue-haired catgirl who can wield three guns at once; Catblue: Dynamite was heavily influenced by 70s exploitation films. Though I haven't seen many of those myself, I did show Catblue to a few friends who are big fans of those types of films, and they were amazed. Everything in this cell-shaded CG animation, the 70s muscle cars, the amateur English voice acting, the very well used disco music, came together into what became a highly ente...
More About: Review , Style , Mite , Subst

Had a blogging hiatus...
2007-06-22 07:52:00
If anybody noticed that I've been missing from here for a while, well, it's been hectic for a few weeks. read more
More About: Personal , Blogging , Hiatus , Blogg

Byousoku 5 Centimeter - Licensed!
2007-06-22 02:24:00
I just got word from the Anime News Network that, as I expected would happen at some point, ADV has confirmed the licensing of Makoto Shinkai's Byousoku 5 Centimeter ! I had several reactions to the news: Yay!  The movie will be released in the U.S.!  And probably with a good English dub too, given ADV's excellent work with dubbing Shinkai's previous movies. No!  I won't be able to justify downloading the fansubs that will inevitably come out when the movie is finally released on DVD in Japan on Jun 19th! Yay!  I'll be able to watch the entirety of the (expected to be) gorgeous movie in full DVD quality! I can't wait!
More About: License , Meter

Nick's Anime Update - June 3, 2007
2007-06-04 04:47:00
It's been a couple of weeks since I've had one of these, and instead of looking at code this late on a Sunday, I might as well get an update in on what I've been watching in the anime world. read more
More About: June , Anime , Update

Byousoku 5 Cm - DVD Info
2007-05-28 07:22:00
I didn't have time and energy to writeup a Nick's Anime Update, so I"ll just forward this bit of news. Daike from the Makoto Shinkai Fan Web has put up the DVD release information for Makoto Shinkai's new movie, Byousoki 5 Centimeter. Looks like there will be two versions released in Japan on July 19th, a regular release and a limited version release. Check out the MSFW site for further information about what each release includes. Daike also translates some information from Shinkai's site about the potential of a Blue-ray or HD-DVD release. Essentially, it's not planned yet, but Shinkai is definitely interested in such a release. If that does happen, I might not be able to resist importing it at any expense, even if I don't have the equipment to play it!
More About: Info , Byousoku 5 Centimeter

Nick's Anime Update - May 20, 2007
2007-05-20 22:20:00
I am a couple of days late on this (pulling quite a bit of time on making sure a customer's server is working fine after a code migration), but here's my current list of what I've been watching: read more
More About: Anime , Update , Nick