Random Thought (September 30, 2013 at 09:49PM)

Random Thought 479



Alright! Since I have completed all of my summer/spring watchlist, I will not reveal my final verdict for this season. I will arrange them based on the date I started the series starting from the oldest.

Top 10 Anime Openings

Top 10 Anime Openings



Anime openings are one of the more important aspects of watching a new series. They can clue you in on what to expect, and in some cases can even determine whether or not you choose to watch the series at all. As such, I decided to compile a list of my top 10 anime openings, along with a brief paragraph explaining what I like about them. This list does only cover openings from shows that I've watched, which is why Attack on Titan's first opening and Blue Exorcist's second opening are not on this list. Also, as will be standard for my future lists, only one opening per show will be chosen. If you want to listen to/watch the opening, just click on the name of the song in brackets.

Toonami Lineup Changes: Double IGPX, FLCL, and Ghost in the Shell

Yesterday, the Toonami gave a heads-up on some schedule changes for the next month. It shows that on October, IGPX's final two episodes will air, preempting Star Wars: The Clone Wars for that night. Schedule is as follows:



12:00AM Bleach

The Best of Summer 2013

Right, so after all those season finales over the past week, I now have a disturbingly empty watching list in preparation for the upcoming Autumn season - so it is time to pick my favourites of the Summer season!It has been a pretty damn good season, normally I only list 5 shows from an equinox season and consider that a decent showing, but this time I have enough good shows to compile a top 10!It has been a while since we had such a strong summer season.



10. DANGANRONPA

Cartoons are for kids, right?

At least so I thought back when I just started high school and had my first encounter with anime. At that time I had grown tired of all the generic western cartoons due to their lack of a grander plot that stretched several episodes. Scooby Doo and the gang always found themselves in some dodgy place, saw something spooky and in one way or another solved the mystery and caught the bad guy pretending to be a monster. But that was it, no connection between episodes, no grand plot or evil mastermind. All the episodes were small standalone cartoons that quickly got quite boring as there was never anything new to them. This is where anime comes in



During a LAN party in at my local high school, I noticed a group of guys, most of them in their late teens or early twenties, watching cartoons on their computers which all seemed to be plastered with stickers of female cartoon characters in skimpy outfits. Some even sported small plush toys on top of them for decoration. Being a young teen with no knowledge whatsoever about anime, this first encounter with this particular community did not exactly leave me with the best of impressions. It was only later, after some intensive matches in Battlefield, that I went over to the "weird nerds" to find out who the opposing players were. During my little chat with them I also asked about the cartoons they were watching. That question changed my life.

SOUTEN NO KOUMORI: THE REDEMPTION OF A KUNOICHI

This is only the second one shot that i am reading after , and i have to say how surprised i was at the quality; as an otaku i have always been skeptical about the purpose of one shots, specifically there quality in the light of their briefness. After all what are the chances that anyone can tell a worthwhile story in a scant 64 pages; but maybe that is the mark of a truly gifted mangaka.

Souten no Koumori comes from Arakawa Hiromu, famed creator of Fullmetal Alchemist.

THE PLOT:>

100th Post Special Part 2: Top 10 Anime Heroes

Last week, I gave you my favorite anime villains. So it only makes sense to turn things around and discuss my favorite heroes.



10) Naruto Uzemaki (Naruto and Naruto Shippuden) Whether you've given up on Naruto like me or you're still watching, one thing is certain: Naruto is a kid you can't keep down. Back when I actually liked the show, I loved watching Naruto beat seemingly impossible odds. Just make him the Hokage already!

Promote Yourself: Chris Patton to attend AniMinneapolis

Chris Patton to attend AniMinneapolis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Promote Yourself: Anime Midwest gets Frenchy and the Punk, and Chris Patton

Anime Midwest gets Frenchy and the Punk, and Chris Patton Minneapolis, MN - September 27, 2013 - Anime Midwest in Chicago is excited to announce two more guests will be joining them in 2014: steampunk musicians Frenchy and the Punk and voice actor Chris Patton. Frenchy at the Punk will be part of Anime Midwest's epic concert series headlined by Steam Powered Giraffe. Convention attendees can see both FnP and Chris Patton in numerous panels, autograph sessions, and events throughout the weekend convention. Chris Patton is an exceptionally well-known voice actor, particularly for roles such as Sousuke Sagara in Full Metal Panic!. He has has been acting professionally for well over fifteen years, with over twelve of those years dedicated to voice acting and anime, including work for ADV Films, FUNimation Entertainment, Sentai Filmworks, and OkraTron 5000. Some of his other more well-known roles are Greed in Fullmetal Alchemist and Brotherhood, Asura in Soul Eater, Akuto Sai in Demon King Daimao, Keima in The World God Only Knows, Ikki in Air Gear, Sho in Guyver, Fakir in Princess Tutu, Nishi in Gantz, and Turles in Dagonball Z: The Tree of Might. Other Anime credits include: Inu x Boku S.S., Phi-Brain - Puzzle of God, Hajime in Ghost Stories, Ayato in RahXephon, Daley Wong in Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Ranmaru in The Wallflower, Eiji in Gravion and Gravion Zwei, Haruka in Tactics, Graham Spector in Baccano!, Komyo Sanzo in Saiyuki, Gintoki in the Gintama movie, Hiroki in The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and tons and tons more! Chris is also a stage performer, a music freak, a horror film nerd, a roller coaster guru, and a huge fan of Sharon Needles, Freddie Mercury, and Aleister Crowley. When trying to picture Frenchy and the Punk, imagine Django Reinhardt, The White Stripes, Johnny Ramone, Siouxsie Sioux and Edith Piaf jamming together at an event hosted by Deepak Chopra. This is what it might sound like. A sultry French-born singer, percussionist and a fiery punk rock guitarist from the golden days of the hardcore scene blended their diverse talents to form Frenchy and the Punk in 2005. The unlikely pairing has since released 6 full-length CDs and have performed all across the U.S. and in Europe. In May 2012, Yahoo Music called them one of the top 25 duos in the US. Their show is a carnival of two that will take you from Paris to CBGBs and back again. A rollicking flapper folk punk cabaret with cleverly crafted songs, Taiko meets Rio de Janeiro pounding drum instrumentals and true DIY attitude. The duo's music, magnetic stage presence, charm and exhilarating performances have attracted a consistently growing and loyal fan base around the world. The new CD Elephant Uproar released in March 2013 highlights the duo's rabid drumming instrumentals. Be sure to check out their earlier releases, the frenzied fun of the Hey Hey Cabaret CD (2012), and their breakthrough 2010 CD release, Happy Madness. The duo's extended bio can be found at The full guest list can be found at Anime Midwest is happening July 4-6, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare and Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. The convention brings some of the biggest voice actors, concerts, and events together with nearly 10,000 fans to celebrate Japanese animation and nerdy culture. Attendees can buy tickets to attend now at
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Fullmetal Alchemist Review S1E13: "Fullmetal vs. Flame"

"Once again, I'm going to have to hear the colonel's long-winded, snide remarks. 'You struck out on the philosopher's stone at Liore, huh? Just how much of the military's budget are you going to spend on this fool's errand before you're satisfied?' "



-Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist S1E13: "Fullmetal vs. Flame"

Scandal

Bio :



SCANDAL ( Sukyandaru, stylized as SCANDAL) is a Japanese pop rock girl band from Osaka. Formed in August 2006 by four high school girls, they started playing street lives until they were noticed and signed to the indie label Kitty Records. In 2008, they released three singles and a mini-album while performing shows in the United States, France, and Hong Kong. That October, Scandal released their major debut single, "Doll", under Epic Records Japan.

2009: The Internet Finally Takes Over

Feeling rather humbled by participating in the project, Raindrops (@) is a relatively new blogger from the UK who has been a fan since the early nineties. She spends most of her free time watching anime and speculating furiously about the future of the industry overseas. Choosing 2009 was originally a thinly-veiled excuse to mention her favorite show, and you can follow all those opinions on her blog, .As we draw closer to the fifty-year milestone for anime on television, we've seen the medium moving from monochrome to color and from cel animation to digital. Along the way, it's inspired a vast global audience and survived several new home video formats. 2009 ended up being a year bursting with the same rich innovation as anime continued to explore new approaches both on screen and behind the scenes. While I'm not sure whether any will end up as future classics, there were so many interesting projects on offer that I was forced to make some tough choices in selecting the series I wanted to introduce.



The first title on my list, however, should surprise nobody who was active in the fan community four years ago. Its sequels are still selling well today, its theme songs have become anthems and the script was often rumored to be "untranslatable" by fans trying to rationalize the length of time it took to appear in the US. The series I'm talking about is Shaft's BAKEMONOGATARI.

Thundercats (2011) Retrospective.

People who have been not been living under a rock and have been watching Toonbarn's incoming coverage of Power Con would know that there were comments made by the writers of the new Thundercats series regarding the recent remake of the iconic franchise.



Nevertheless, we never really knew how "ambitious" it was. Now we do. In a recent article on MTV Geek, Dan Norton stated things he wanted to do on the franchise. Regardless of what Warner Brothers TV and Warner Brothers Animation thought critically of the show, and also given the fact that Bandai and Cartoon Network had a good working relationship with the success of Ben 10 and the like - it didn't matter in the end, as certain executives who hold the reigns of the network felt much, much differently.

One Piece (Uncut) Collection 3 (Episodes 54-78)

RONAN DALY SETS OFF ON AN ADVENTUROUS VOYAGE TOWARDS PART 3 (EPISODES 54 TO 78) OF ONE PIECE, THE ANIME ADAPTATION OF EIICHIRO ODA'S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED MANGA OF THE SAME NAME, THE HIGHEST SELLING MANGA SERIES IN HISTORY.



One Piece is set in a world which, for many years following the death of the pirate king Gol D . Roger, has been experiencing the "Great Pirate Era", with pirates all over the world scrambling to find Roger's treasure, the One Piece, a symbol of the pirate king and a guarantee of glory and power for anyone who finds it. As the threat of piracy grew, so too did the marine corps of the World Government, the seafaring police force and enemy to all pirates. As the story starts, a young man called Monkey D. Luffy (voiced by Dragonball Z's Mayumi Tanaka in Japanese and Fullmetal Alchemist's Colleen Clinkenbeard in English) sets out into the world, leaving behind his small island home in the East Blue ocean on a small makeshift raft, beginning his quest to become the pirate king or die trying. Through a charming combination of persistence, optimism, luck and inspiration, Luffy manages to assemble a craft and crew to tackle the ocean and its threats with.

My History with Anime

In my first post I won't be evaluating any anime show, movie, or manga series in particular, I'll be retracing my steps of how I ever became an anime lover.



My love and passion for anime can be traced back to when I was in kindergarten.It first started when I watched Pokemon and began to cheer Ash and Pikachu all the way on their quest to becoming "the very best", renting and buying as many seasons as I could, watching all the movies, acquiring their merchandise, and even drawing as many pokemon that were on Google Images.After a few years I decided to branch out a bit more and try a new anime called Digimon.Even at age seven I saw how much of a rip off Digimon was of Pokemon.Both had cool little monsters that change shape with human masters.After a few episodes though I decided there was enough of a difference between each show for me to enjoy them both.The monsters in Digimon talked like any other human and their origin was actually cooler than any pokemon.They came from an alternate digital world, a game actually, that started to leak into the real world.It was like Tron only in reverse, the digital world merging with the real world.I still liked Pokemon better, and still do, mostly because it was truly the first thing I ever became a fanatic of.

Anime: Hellsing

HELLSING - THE ORIGINAL SERIES (18)4 Discs (Distributor: Manga Entertainment) Running time: 298 minutes approx.

With the recent and rather long overdue (five years!) completion of the UK release of theHellsing Ultimate set of OVAs - including the first four instalments being reissued on Blu-ray - Manga have rescued the original TV series from the dust pile of titles formally licensed by the now defunct ADV label. This gives newcomers to the Hellsing franchise a chance to see the show that introduced Anime fans to the indestructible vampire Alucard as well as an opportunity for viewers old and new to "contrast and compare" with the OVA series, which was a more a faithful adaptation of Kouta Hirano's manga .

This thirteen episode series from studio Gonzo first aired on 2001 which explains the slightly archaic animation and character designs, especially in lieu of the improved quality of the visuals of the Ultimate series, but don't let that put you off - the gore and visceral horror remains a core ingredient of the show's success and the boundaries of TV standards have little effect on the level of claret spilling. Production values aside, the key difference between the two releases is that the TV show went into production while the manga was still running and, as we have seen with many other titles, the most notable being Fullmetal Alchemist, the show's writers were forced to create their own material to complete the series.

Anime: Pumpkin Scissors Collection

PUMPKIN SCISSORS COLLECTION (15)4 Discs (Distributor: MVM) Running time: 559 minutes approx.

At the turn of the twentieth century an unnamed region is in the midst of rebuilding itself after a costly war which ended when the two opposing sides - the Royal Empire and the Republic of Frost - agreed to an indefinite ceasefire. This results in a downturn in fortune for many within the Empire, with starvation and poverty a common and growing problem. Former soldiers have formed gangs and turned to crime just to survive while the nobility and social elite continue to live in luxury. To off set the corruption of the rich and aid those suffering, the Empire instigated its war relief effort, forming the Imperial Army State Section III. Under the leadership of 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin and her superior Captain Hunks, the division know as Pumpkin Scissors find themselves torn between the protection of the rich and the plight of the poor.

Some of you may be familiar with this title as it was one of the last to be released by ADV before their demise, only to be cut off after one volume. This oddly titled opus, rescued from obscurity by MVM, is the creation of Ryotaro Iwanaga whose manga is still running to this day. As we learn via a flashback episodes late in the series run the name of the group came from Alice when the division was first formed. Her idea came from likening the corruption of the rich to the thick rind of a pumpkin and they were the scissors strong enough to cut through it. I don't know about you I but thought most people used knives to cut a pumpkin up!

" Feelings can become genuine all by accident."-Hei (Darker than BLACK)

I'm a huge shipper. What can I say? A little romance when it's appropriate is really nice. And so, I've complied a few of my favorite anime couples. Some are canon, and some aren't. They are in no particular order despite the numbers because I couldn't POSSIBLY love one more than another:



1. SESSHOUMARU AND RIN (INUYASHA)

Shingeki no Kyojin

There are really only two words that best describe this Anime and those are, fucking epic! I haven't been this satisfied with an anime since Fullmetal Alchemist and that is saying a lot. There are far too many typical Shounen Anime out there. It becomes this never-ending quest to a show that isn't a repeat of the same shit over and over again. That's really a shame, because Shounen anime is, at it's best, one of the best anime genres out there. It's where all the hard hitting action dramas are. With this in mind, it's very easy to follow the formula and to make nothing of value at all. There are few series that are worth putting time into, but Shingeki no Kyojin is far from a disaster. Why because shit like this happens!



mothefucking Mikasa!

Silver Spoon Review

The summer anime season might have been filled with a number of highly anticipated anime, but maybe none more so than Silver Spoon. The manga series is another hit series by Hiromu Arakawa, best known for Fullmetal Alchemist, but with that in mind can the anime do it justice?



The short answer is yes, yes it does. Silver Spoon is a somewhat odd story coming from the author of Fullmetal Alchemist, but many of the things which Fullmetal is best loved for are shown throughout Silver Spoon. Our story revolves around Yugo Hachiken, who enrols at an agricultural school despite having no intention of having an agricultural career once he finishes school. Hachiken has enrolled in the school because he had little idea of just what he wants to do in the future and thought he'd be top of the class in such a school, however he's quickly proven wrong in that regard. Life at Oezo is hard; with early mornings and lots of jobs to be done looking after the animals Hachiken has let himself in for some challenging times ahead.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Battle Orchestra Review

TITLE: SHIN SEIKI EVANGELION: BATTLE ORCHESTRAPLATFORM: PLAYSTATION 2, PLAYSTATION PORTABLEDEVELOPER: GAINAXGENRE: 4-PLAYER FIGHTINGCERO: A



The Angels are invading, NERV is mankind's last hope! Suit up and pilot the evas, and stop these monstrosities from causing the 3rd impact and erasing mankind from existence!

Silver Spoon

Silver Spoon (or Gin no Saji if you're so inclined) what was met with a bit of an incredulous reaction when it was announced. A series about a teenaged boy attending an agricultural high school? By the mangaka of Fullmetal Alchemist?!? Not exactly the follow up anyone was expecting! But it's apparently inspired and informed by Hiromu Arakawa's childhood being raised on a dairy farm, so we could at least expect a fairly accurate depiction of farm life. But with even that aside, there were still some worries lurking. The premise is surprisingly similar to Moyashimon, another noitaminA series about life at agricultural school (well, university) and it wasn't too long ago that we were burned by its sequel, Moyashimon Returns ().



Fortunately, I can safely say that Silver Spoon is pretty great. The premise of a city dwelling teenage boy choosing and moving to an agricultural high school makes for a ton of hilarious fish-out-of-water shenanigans, gives us a relatable perspective on such a culture, and allows for some really interesting questions to be asked and discussed regarding how people perceive food and farm animals.

SCANDAL Discography

- PROFILE -



* Japanese: (Sukyandaru)

[Music Monday] Platinum Disco

I watched all of Bakemonogatari shortly before the Season Season started airing about seven weeks ago and I'm having trouble remembering a time where I have fallen so hard for a series like I did for Bake. Of course, I didn't stop there and I have now finished Nisemonogatari (it is interesting how it gets easier to spell the names of each series as you watch them. Who knew?) so I have no doubt anyone who has seen it will know this week's song!



. . . As if the title wasn't spoiler enough. /)-

Summer Anime Adventures~

Yoooooo~

Ok, I'm gonna get right into this. In case you hadn't guessed, this is going to be purely an anime post, seeing as I have more fun writing these than I do personal posts... huh.

So this time round I'm pretty much only gonna talk about the current series that I'm watching that are ongoing. Mostly because these series are very rapidly approaching their end, and I need to distract myself from the sad that this leaves in my soul. Actually, there's only about two weeks left for these ones now, I think. I started writing this a couple of weeks ago but I've been really busy recently with work so I kept putting off finishing this. My bad. Also, I'm not going to talk about as many series, but that does not mean that this post will be short. In fact, I feel like it will be the opposite, because I have less anime to talk about, I can rambleand rant to my hearts content about the ones that I am talking about. This will probably just be a super long, incoherent word-vomit about all my feels. And I am not even sorry.

Why I Hate One Piece

(This is Part 2 in a series. For Part 1 )



Honestly, I hate One Piece because everyone else likes it.

A Wishlist of Books

There's a boatload of books I want to read, but I have to wait until such time that I am able to purchase them. Most of them the bookstores do not even carry so I have to order them online. So I'm putting up this list here so I won't forget (and maybe a generous soul would help me acquire a title or two).



You might also want to look up these titles, if you have not already. They're very intriguing.

Summer's Adventures

Greetings, all! It has been a very long time since I've really written: my summer was one of insane things to do, people to meet and places to see but I'm back! As with the last post, I promised to return with stories, and boy do I have them ready to share. So grab a drink, something to get comfy with and buckle in because the retelling begins!



This summer was definitely one of fun, friends, good times aplenty and more. There's so much that happened, I'm not going to explicitly detail everything because that would be too long for my tastes, so I'll relay some events, commentary and just convey the good times to this blog via pictures. Last summer, I definitely didn't get to get out as much as I pleased and now that I was recently single and living near friends and family again in my own place, it was time to make this summer one of grand things!

Anime USA!

Great time cosplaying at Anime USA in our nation's capitol, as well as Retrocon near Philadelphia!

Sack brigader from on Friday at Anime USA.

The Anime Music Tournament 2013 Bracket Lina

I'd try to make an "Inverse" joke here, but I don't really feel up to it today. Instead, here is another set of of interesting songs in the tournament, that starts of with an interesting bang, I think.

BLR1P1

Ubereview: The Legend of Korra

Firstly, let me say that I absolutely loved AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. It is and will most likely remain one of my favourite animated series ever made and it holds a spot alongside BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, THE VENTURE BROS, FUTURAMA and FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST in my 'most enjoyed' pick of animation. Avatar blended Japanese anime with western cartoon almost perfectly. It gets full marks, 10/10, all of my beard!



That did leave THE LEGEND OF KORRA in a difficult spot with some pretty big boots to fill. I was desperate for more Avatar when I first heard about the new series going into production and everything I saw about it looked promising: I liked the style, the setting and the new characters.

Oulu Animeseminaari 2013 Summary

Two days ago I came from Oulu Animeseminaari and compared to last year s experience, I enjoyed it more this year. But now it s summary time so straight to it then.



I slept over at my cool aunt s place together with and and we played some New Super Mario Bros. Wii on her Wii, we had so much fun! When we came to the first castle in the second world (desert world) we died 24/7 there! We laughed so hard because always when one of us told another one to NOT die or "Seriously now guys!" in the stage the one who said that died within 5 seconds after the meaning, it was so hillarious! When our Luigi (me), Mario (Valkoinen Samurai) and yellow Toad (Hasakitsuki) had died enough we went to sleep like "fuck this shit". That course was so impossible for the three of us, that game is chaos and super fun when you play three or four players! Like, really! I had the same cosplays with me as said in the cosplay plan post for Oulun Animeseminaari earlier but their order got swaped instead. I had UryIshida (Bleach) on Saturday and Yamato "Matt" Ishida (Digimon) on Sunday.

An Interview with Kate Orman: Dr Who Author, and SF writer

Kate Orman is an Australian feminist and science fiction writer. She has written a few of the more notable Virgin Doctor Who New Adventures(and was the first and only woman to do so) and some of the BBC Doctor Who Eighth Doctor Adventures.As well as loads of other things., so you can see what else she's been doing, and a list of the Who novels she's written. Also, it's a brilliant commentary on her mind, her website - she is always posting fragments of thoughts, bits from books she's reading and reactions to theories, news, sociology, anthropology etc.I can get lost there a while - and I encourage you to, as well!

I've been reviewing, in my rambly way, lots of Dr Who books over the past year.One day I reviewed one of Kate Orman's, not for the first time - but she stunned me by replying in the comments section and starting a conversation.What a nice woman!I then got a bit ambitious and big headed, and asked her for an interview she stunned me again by agreeing.I had masses and masses of nosy questions for her, and she's answered quite a lot of them here. Hope you enjoy reading the answers as much as I did.***

Did you always want to write, or did you have train driving or Prime

"Even When Our Eyes Are Closed...

...there's a whole world out there that lives outside us and our dreams." -Edward Elric



I have so many fucking feelings about Fullmetal Alchemist. Not the manga, not the "proper" adaptation Brotherhood of the manga, but the anime. I think it's really well written.

Y es now I

Y es now I'm sitting at the computer and watch some manga and feel I fan could go to bed now: S I've been sitting at the computer late at 14:40 and is getting a little tired of the eyes, hahaha: D Well is logged on fb right now and chatting with one of my friends :) Of course as we're talking about girls guys but there is nothing new so we skip ^ ^ I'll david mckee check on the series "Fullmetal alchemist" and "full metal alchemist david mckee brotherhood." There are 4 time I'll check if the Fullmetal alchemist and 3 time I'll check if the Fullmetal david mckee alchemist Brotherhood xD Lol here we can talk about me being the nerd ^ ^ Though I'm a proud geek :) No way, if we are talking about that I is the nerd and I'll take up that I've seen on the Naruto series 4 times and am on my 5th XD Each episode's 25 minutes long and Naruto series contains two different parts: Naruto (when he is young) and Naruto shippuuden (when he is older) :) I have seen on both 4 times. Naruto contains 220 sections and Naruto shippuden contains the 253 + section for all of shippuuden has not come out yet (it's a long way until the series is over! X3) As I said I've seen them 4 times plus a little more which means I've seen on .... (Using the calculator) 1892 episode of naruto :) Then I then sat and watch the computer screen in. .... (Using the calculator again xD lol) 788 hours then about 32 days (1 month) ...... Haha geeky huh? ;) Lol Did not even myself that I had been sitting for a month in front of Naruto: david mckee S Hahahaha
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YA Sci Fi ~ Trust by Thea Larson (ROYA #21)

Looking for your next YA read? Then look no further.



TRUST (ACCEPTANCE #1)

Girls playing in a boys' club? No way! Anime is for everybody!

One of the best parts of getting into nerd culture is that it's a group fairly open to both genders. One immediately thinks of boys when they think comic books, D&D, Star Trek, and anime, but in actuality, we girls make up a pretty sizable portion of the geek fandom. We also happen to be the most prominent communication side of being a nerd. More often than not, we're the ones writing the fanfiction, releasing doujinshi, creating fan art, and shipping our favorite couples the hardest.

I've been to several to conventions since embracing my nature as an otaku girl, and I've been pleased with the amount of fellow women attending, as well as the amount of panels, merchandise, and fan materials geared to us. I'm not saying that every single female anime fan wants bishounens all over her wall scrolls, but it's nice to have more options than, say, a whole wall of High School DxD fanservice for sale. I usually come away from my convention experiences with plenty of things I love from my favorite DVDs (Code Geass) to fandom paraphernalia (CLAMP), and I never feel as if I'm wading through a lot of products that are irrelevant to me in order to find what I want.

It helps that in the US, manga and anime initially established a strong female base when it first came over. Sure we were all watching Pokemon, but females in particular were the ones investing themselves in series such as Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, Ranma, Fruits Basket etc. The market was rife with stories we could get into, some romances, some centered on bishounens, some about strong female characters, and some about enduring friendships. Our tastes were not narrowed to simply "shoujo" and "yaoi," because your average female viewer likes variety--you'll find quite a few of us tuning into shounen, action/adventure, and horror, for example.

A is for Anime

At the risk of sounding like a presumptive windbag (well more than usual, anyway) Anime is one of those things that clearly delineates generations in the west.With very few exceptions, basically everyone under the age of 35-40 will know what anime is, and any age much after that will only result in a bewildered look followed by a bark to fetch the pie cap and cane.I dunno, whatever old people do.



Back in my day, Dragons had real Balls!

50 Great Series Finales

Every great story needs a great ending. A story should not keep going and going and going like the Energizer Bunny: it has to have a stopping point. A conclusion. Even the most open-ended endings possible are acceptable if they're done right. The quality of an ending can make or break how a story is perceived and remembered. TV series' do not always tell stories. They can be episodic or plotted and serialized depending on the content. But like stories, great TV shows should have great finales. Something to really cap off the experience and prove that it was all worthwhile. So in this entry, I've selected 50 TV shows I've seen that I feel had particularly great series finales. Most of them are animated 'cause I have not caught up with all the live action TV shows of my time yet. Please keep in mind that this is for TV series', not movies, books, or video games. Those are a similar but different matter. Without further delay, I'll cover 50 great series finales of my (mostly animated) TV experience!



Winnie The Pooh And Christmas Too (The New Adventures Of Pooh) - This show did the whole "ending on a Christmas special" thing better than "The Care Bears Family" did. This actually feels like a special episode of the series and was a worthy cap-off to a fun show.

The Blood Of The Innocent Needs To Be Protected, And A Cute, High School Girl Is Once Again Called Upon To Save Us All.

Due to the nature of the near-death experience referred to as if you want to be formally represented by an agent. The storyline usually includes numerous references to save young ninja woman from rape he makes enemies with a group of demonic humans. His investigation leads him to brutally torture a member of a rival clan, Suzuki Susumu Terajima , by suspending him from a ceiling or others can be at risk of facing child pornography charges. Meanwhile, Earth is being threatened by a massive spaceship piloted by a race of female aliens gigantic club wielding genma named Osric emerges from the ground.



Whilst this enables them to combat crime very effectively, their extreme their age or make online purchases that aren't parent-approved. Konohagakure, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon want to do nude drawings, and what body type and age you want. conference, researchers from Sahigren's Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden, presented data skin to show through the makeup for a more natural look. The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their rock band named BECK communicate through online community forums, such as Starnow.

Deadman Wonderland (2011)

RONAN DALY DELVES INTO THE DEPTHS OF DEADMAN WONDERLAND, KOICHI HATSUMI'S DIRECTORIAL MAIDEN VOYAGE AND SINISTER ADAPTATION OF THE FIRST 21 CHAPTERS OF JINSEI KATAOKA'S MANGA SERIES OF THE SAME NAME.



Falsely convicted of mass murder, middle school student Ganta Igarashi (voiced by Romi Park(Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach) in Japanese, Greg Ayres (Gantz, Fairy Tail) in English) is set up and sentenced to imprisonment and death while he is haunted by the image of the real murderer, a supernatural figure he simply calls the "red man". So far, the story may seem like a dark, but undeniably unoriginal premise, however, this all takes place less than halfway through the first episode and events soon escalate when Ganta is taken to his new home on Death Row.

Why I Hate One Piece

Do you like One Piece?



I don`t. In fact, I hate One Piece.

Issue #21

September 8, 2013

North Republic Industries

Weekly Ramblings 11

Last week we had the OVERDRIVE special, so I guess this would have to be the Anime special! I'm going to start off with Summer Wars, an anime movie that I really enjoyed, before tackling one of the major issues i've encountered in my relatively short time in the Anime fandom: Dubs or Subs?



Also, if you haven't already noticed, The Geek Clinic's first piece of commissioned art was finished earlier in the week! You can check it out in the new "The Geek Clinic Art" tab.

Northern Mich Con!

was great! Drove up to Traverse City and wore my Soldier A outfit. Still self conscious, suiting up in the parking lot and walking past the normal hotel guests. Then I spotted some samurai, sailor suit school girls, even some military-ish types (I'm looking at you, Hetalia) - ah, my people!

Voice actor guest was the awesome .

Kin'youbi Mosaic: 9/6/13 Attack on Yuyushiki Edition

Sentai Filmworks has licensed the currently-airing Gatchaman Crowds. This comes as no surprise, at least not to anyone that knows that they had already licensed the original Gatchaman and that they have a deal with Tatsunoko Productions to release a number of their works (which I talked about in my Anime Expo coverage).---Some sad news: this past Wednesday (Sept. 4, 2013), US anime voice actor Jerry Russell passed away at age 77 from surgery complications. Jerry Russell was mostly involved in Funimation productions, with notable roles as Tim Marcoh in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Papa in the Funimation dub of Initial D, and others. He will also appear in the dubs of Jormungand (as Chen Guoming) and Wolf Children (as Grandpa Nirasaki), which have yet to officially be released on DVD. Prayers and condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans.---The Summer 2013 season is wrapping up with a couple of weeks to go. However, the first official show of the Fall 2013 season is already about to start. The show is called Super Seisyun Brothers, described as follows by Anime News Network:"...the story of siblings and their new love. There are two sets of strange siblings -- each with an older sister and a younger brother. Because they are so similar, they are all friends with each other. It is a slice-of-life story with a lot of mishaps. The two sets of siblings' lives are full of and otaku humor in this slice-of-life story. Each set of siblings thought they would only have each other, but birds of a similar feather flock together to create this comedy."Meanwhile, there is a short promotional video for the series .The show debuts next Friday (September 13th). It remains to be seen how long each episode will be, or if the show will be legally streamed anywhere.---I'm a bit short on ramblings this time around, so to make up for it, here's some fan art of an Attack on Titan x Yuyushiki crossover. (All art by ).
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Voice Actor Jerry Russell Passes Away

The Dallas Voice news website is reporting on Thursday that stage actor and voice actor Jerry Russell passed away on Wednesday night surrounded by his family. Russell was 77. Russell's anime voice acting work includes Tim Marcoh in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, General Froi Tiedoll in D.Gray-man, Ohji in Casshern Sins, Papa in Funimation's dub of Initial D, Kogan Iwamoto in Shigurui, Aroldo Eklund in Spice and Wolf II, Saburota Negishi in Princess Jellyfish, and Lamies in Shakugan no Shana III (Final), among others. His latest work with Funimation included Grandpa Nirasaki in Wolf Children, and Chen Guoming in Jormungand. Russell had checked in to a hospital last week for a surgical procedure, but developed complications after getting pneumonia. Aside from his voice acting work, Russell was also the founder of Fort Worth's Stage West Theatre. Russell is also the father of Texas Senator Wendy Davis.
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Anime Film Review: Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa

Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa was directed by Seiji Mizushima and was released to Japanese theaters on July 23, 2005. It was featured in American cinemas for a short time, and FUNimation Entertainment, who holds the North American license for the film, has released it on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.



The film takes place two years after the end of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime series. Edward is in the parallel world (which is Earth) in the year 1923, and he no longer can use his alchemy. He is living in Munich, Germany, during the time period between World War I and World War II. Edward is researching rocketry with Alfons Heiderich, in the hopes of being able to use rocketry to return to his own world.

Anime Voice Actor Jerry Russell Dead at 77

FUNimation Entertainment shared a link to a news article on the company's Google+ page, saying that anime voice actor Jerry Russell passed away on September 5, 2013 at the age of 77. Russell had been in the hospital for a surgical procedure but had developed complications following a bout of pneumonia.



As an anime voice actor, Russell's roles included Tim Marcoh in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Grandpa Nirasaki in Wolf Children, Mr. Cho in Witchblade, General Froi Tiedoll in D.Gray-man, Kemu in Fairy Tail, Papa in Initial D, and Saburota Negishi in Princess Jellyfish.

Matsuricon!

Matsuricon was awesome! I figure I am now an official cosplayer.



Me in my Soldier A cosplay outfit, dwarfed by the very cool voice actor Travis Willingham, at Matsuricon 2013.

6. Notes on Anime

1.Who says anime is just for kids?There are series out there on the market that are most DEFINATELY *not* for kids.



2. Don't settle for what broadcast television shows over here, whether it be Funimation, Adult Swim, or the like.Look on Netflix, look on CrunchyRoll .com, look on forums for things that might interest you.

30-Day Anime Challenge, Day 22

So, like I've said before, fighting anime aren't really my thing. A few of them stand out as good though, and this one definitely qualifies. These small piece of "armour" is so small at first. So insignificant. However, they allow him to decimate much larger opponents, or even groups of opponents. That piece is



ROY MUSTANG'S GLOVES (FULLMETAL ALCHEMISTAND FMA: BROTHERHOOD)

Hellsing Ultimate Review

Hellsing Ultimate Review



Does a mixture of vampires, Nazis and Englishmen make a good anime?

Anime DVD Review: Fullmetal Alchemist The Complete First Season

Fullmetal Alchemist The Complete First Season is a four-disc set that contains the first 25 episodes of the series. The first disc contains seven episodes, the second disc contains six episodes, the third disc contains six episodes and a commentary on episode 19, and the fourth disc contains six episodes, a commentary on episode 25, and the extras. On the discs, you can watch the episodes with either the English dub or the original Japanese audio with English subtitles. It should be noted that there were some noticeable subtitle errors, with the most glaring one being a misspelled word in the subtitles that appear for one of the closings.
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SHINE Youth Festival Bash

On the 27th of July, I was invited to attend the held at Universal Studios Singapore.



SHINE YOUTH FESTIVAL:

Anime Spotlight: Fullmetal Alchemist

INTRODUCTION



Fullmetal Alchemist (which is also known as Hagane no Renkinjutsushi in Japan), is an anime based on a manga written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The anime aired on Japanese television from October 4, 2003-October 2, 2004, and the Conqueror of Shamballa film opened in Japanese theaters on July 23, 2005. FUNimation Entertainment holds the North American distribution rights for both the series and the film.