moetron.com

[ATTENTION]: It's Moving Day for Moetron

2006-01-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

New address (Please bookmark): Moetron.com

We finally have a dedicated paid server (Dreamhost) for Moetron. With that, I took the liberty of registering yet another domain address: Moetron.com ... (So just toss moetron.net out the garbage, please.)

From now on this site here will NO longer be updated. So please redirect all your links to the new Moetron.com address when you get the chance to. The content here on Moetron.net (a.k.a: pkjd.blogspot.com) will stay online indeterminately, but I’ll be putting up an automatic redirect to the new site relatively soon.

Neka Reviews: Grandia III

2006-01-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

This Valentine's day, an old favorite is about to hit the states. The Grandia series returns with Grandia III! This time kicking off the adventure with another new set of characters and a beautiful world that can only be taken in full from the skies. With airships a plenty the new Grandia promises to be as loveable as those it follows in this epic series!

The trailers give it complete justice as it gives you a peak into the new realm of Grandia III. Square Enix does it again, by giving us an expansive game with a psuedo real time battle system. Something to wet the pallete until Kingdom Hearts 2 I'm guessing. Already released in Japan it's date to the states is fast approaching.

The official website
The official fansite

The official fansites features fun challenges and awesome banners and icons from those who participate.

Take to the skies and enjoy!

Here are few of my favorite screenies from Gamespy for the trailer!

The perfect gift for a sweet Valentine!

My Turn to Flood the Net w/ Even More Junk!

2006-01-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd take this moment to go ahead and share with everyone the very environment that I'm exposed to every time that annoying morning sun hits my eyes as I awake to start the day:

Click For Full-Size

Most of the posters that you see are from past issues of the popular Megami magazine, (very recommended). However lately I've been in dire need of some room on my wall for even newer posters I just acquired. So don't be surprised if you see some of the stuff above pop-up on Ebay in the near future...

And now for our next presentation, I bring you this small batch of gashapon and PVC goodies, (not for sale, for obvious reasons ^^)...

Click For Full-Size

Yes, I know my 'photo-taking' skills suck, but please bear with me, I'll get it right eventually ^^;; ... Anyway, I'll try to get even more pics on here soon, hopefully...

.hack//G.U. to be Animated...

2006-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Moonphase has recently listed, in their anime section, the upcoming .hack//G.U. series. This would mark the third TV animated installment of the .hack franchise.

TV Series:

.hack//SIGN (2002)
.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet (a.k.a. .hack//DUSK) (2003)
.hack//G.U. (2006)

OVA Series:

.hack//Liminality (2002)
.hack//Intermezzo (2002)
.hack//Unison (2003)
.hack//GIFT (2003)

Genshiken 2nd Season Anime Announced !!

2006-01-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

I kid you not...

㈱メディアファクトリーアニメーション「げんしけん」の続編 2006/10 UHF全国
ネット（予定）

(Genshiken season 2, 2006/10)

Source

So far we got, in 2006, season 2's of:

Ah! My Goddess
Tsubasa Chronicle
School Rumble
....and now Genshiken.

Upload Complete

2006-01-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

Torrent CD:

Nausicaa OST + Bonus
MP3 Rotation:

(As promised...)

# Futakoi Alternative - [OP] New World
# Ah My Goddess TV - [OP] Open Your Mind
# AIR TV - [OP] Tori no Uta
# Dokuro-chan - [OP] Club-to-Death Angel Dokuro-chan
# Gundam Seed Destiny - [OP 2] Pride
# Gundam Seed Destiny - [OP 3] Bokutachi no Yukue
# Gundam Seed Destiny - [ED 2] Life Goes On
# Gundam Seed Destiny - [ED 4] Kimi wa Boku ni Niteiru
# Full Metal Alchemist Movie - [OP] Link
# Bleach - [OP 1] Asterisk
# Loveless - [OP] Tsuki no Curse
# He is My Master - [OP] Trust
# Full Metal Panic : The Second Raid - [OP] Minamikaze
# Ichigo 100% - [ED] Ike Ike
# Ichigo Mashimaro - [OP] Ichigo Complete
# Nanoha A's - [OP] Eternal Blaze
# Pani Poni Dash - [OP 1] Kiiro Vacances
# Rozen Maiden 2 - [OP] Seishoujo Ryouiki
# Shakugan no Shana - [OP] Hishoku no Sora
# Tsubasa Chronicle - [OP] Blaze
Video Rotation:

Bleach [OP 3] - "Ichirin no Hana" by High and Mighty Color
Wallpaper Goods:

Blood+
Mai Otome
Random Artwork from Ryoji (Attic Work Space)
Karin

News that may be of interest:

KOTOKO has been confirmed to perform the second opening theme to the series Shakugan no Shana.
A second season to the popular School Rumble series is in the works.
The Nintendo DS has sold out in Japan.
Credit goes out to one of our visitors for this one, (wish they would've left a name though)... The first trailer to the upcoming Disgaea anime has been released. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this came from last December's Rondo Robe event. Just press play below to see it!

Next month expect to see yet another teaser as a new special promotional DVD goes on sale in February. Details here.

[pKjd] Fate/stay night Anime - Episode 1

2006-01-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Just aired 3 hours ago:

ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━ｯ!!

Click for Full-Size

[RAW Torrent]

Initial Reaction: （　ﾟДﾟ）（　ﾟДﾟ）（　ﾟДﾟ）

WOW OH WOW!! It was everything I expected and more. (Actually it was so beautiful that it almost brought a tear to my eye, *sniff*). Expect a lot of free media goods from the show as the weeks go by. <3 Saber!!

(Oh and yes, I will post those Top 20 mp3s eventually, just as soon as I recover from the awesomeness that you see above ;p ...)

Anime Review: Honey & Clover Ep. 1 by Neka

2006-01-06T01:19:00.000-08:00

Title: ハチミツとクローバー (Hachimitsu to Clover)
Translated Title: Honey & Clover
Episodes: 24 [Complete]
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Slice of Life
Studio: JC Staff
Year: 2005
Website: http://www.hachikuro.net/

Review:
First we have Takemoto, Mayama, and Morita students at an art university that live in a run down apartment building. They each pay way too much in my opinion, but they are art students they don't have much to begin with. The main focus of this story is basically Takemoto, a sophmore who is lost to the world but seemingly is enjoying life. Mayama is a Senior when we first enter the story that has his life pretty much spread out before him. And then we have Morita, I can't really explain his character because Morita is just insane. Together these 3 make the best adventure they can out of life while they have it, becoming more and more entwined as the year passes. However, no matter how close they can be there are always those parts of our lives that we do not share with one another.

Enter Hagu-chan (Hagumi), Hanamoto-sensei's cousin. Hagu-chan is a beautiful young lady with amazing artistic abilities starting at this college. However, she looks like she's still in gradeschool. When she appears in the lounge infront of Takemoto and Mayama; Takemoto falls into a trance. Mayama looks on at Takemoto and notices that this is probably the first time he's ever seen someone fall in love at first site. Hagu-chan is very quiet, and reserved. She serves them all tea with her little hands using the kettle Takemoto is still staring. Just at that moment, Morita comes barging in as usual. However, as his eyes cast upon he falls into the same trance as Takemoto, but instead of keeping it, he goes running from the classroom a grin emerges. He comes back after some time with a huge leaf and holds it out to a frightened Hagu-chan telling her to hold it. After a few moments she takes it and he proclaims she's a Korokokkuru (dwarf like thing in Ainu myths that lives under a fuki leaf) and begins to take pictures of her.

Morita, the man who disappears for weeks on end and returns with a wad of money. Mayama, an architecture student who already knows where he wants to be. Takemoto, a student who keeps running away and not looking back hoping to find answers. These three will lead you on a very interesting tale of love, rejection, and discovering that sometimes answers are simply found with nothing gained.

With an amazing soundtrack featuring YUKI from Judy and Mary now performing solo she opens the show with an amazing upbeat song. SuneoHair, gives melodic melodies that are sure to steal your heart each time the beat begins and you know yet another episode has ended. Definitely get this OST!

Opening Theme:
"Dramatic" by YUKI
Ending Theme:
#1: "Waltz" by SuneoHair (eps 01-12,24)
#2: "Mistake" by THE BAND HAS NO NAME (eps 13-23)

Rating A+

Manga review: Girls Bravo by Coengar2

2006-01-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

Ok,the rain has been falling steadily here in Seattle for at least the last two weeks.Everything is soaked and with the continous grey skies,it all just feels miserable.And you know what that means....it's a great excuse to stay indoors and read all the manga i got for Christmas LOL. Here's an interesting series that has recently caught my eye.

Title: Girls Bravo
Publisher: Tokyopop
Genre: Comedy
Age: Teen 13+ (i disagree with this,should be Older Teen 16+)
Volumes: 2 out of 10
Violence: slapstick
Sex/Nudity: plenty of fanservice,bare breasts,sexual innuendo and situations
Status: New series,just getting started

Yukinari Sasaki is an average high school boy who has been so abused and mistreated by girls throughout his life that he has developed an physical allergy to them,one touch and he breaks out in hives.One day he falls into his bathtub and resurfaces on an alien world called Siren,a world populated almost completly by women.Yukinari soon finds himself being chased by a screaming horde of lust/love crazed women who want to marry him or worse. With the help of the lovely Miharu,Yukinari escapes back to his world,accidently bringing Miharu with him.Yukinari is surprised to discover that Miharu is the only girl he can touch without getting sick,much to the dismay of his childhood friend Kirie,who is developing romantic feelings for Yukinari which she hides behind incredible displays of violence,usually against Yukinari.To add to the chaos of his life,Risa,the younger sister of his nemisis,Kazuhara (a cad of low character and even lower morals) has decided that Yukinari is destined to be her husband and will stop at nothing to make it so.As if that wasnt bad enough,several of the girls from planet Siren,including Miharu's older sister,Maharu,have discovered the way to Earth and have crossed over to continue thier pursuit of Yukinari.

Good Points:The artwork is pretty good and the characters work well with each other. See Overall Review for other good points.

Bad Points:Every character in the series reminds me of some character in another manga series. It's like the mangaka went through his manga collection and "Frankensteined" this series from elements taken from his favorite books.
Yukinari combines elements of both Keitaro Urashima (Love Hina) and Junta Momanari (DNA2).He even gets girl sickness like Junta
Kirie acts just like Naru Narusegawa from Love Hina.She even beats up on Yukinari the same way that Naru pounded on Keitaro (Yukinari seems to have inherited Keitaro's invulnerability)
Miharu is very much like Ren from DearS,right down to a triangle shaped marking on her forehead

Overall Review:It should come as a surprise to noone that this series is done in the "Harem Genre" style of one guy being chased after by many girls.In my opinion,this genre has been over worked.Now you may ask,if this series seems so unoriginal,why do i collect it.The best Harem comedies work best when the characters are placed in situations where they can just be themselves and the jokes come from reactions that you can believe that the character in question would actually do or give.Girls Bravo does this pretty well.I can believe in the characters and this makes all the chaos that much more funny.I actually laughed out loud a few times (a very rare occurance for me,only Excel Saga can do that to me on a regular basis).So while i cant say that this is an original series i can say that it is a funny series and that makes it worth collecting. By the way,even though the series is rated Teen 13+,i feel that the sexual nature of some of the content makes this a series better suited for the Older Teen 16+ reader

Coengar2 gives this series a 3 out of 5 (for now) and says:CHECK IT OUT!!!

Moetron's Top 20 Anime Themes of 2005

2005-12-31T20:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry I completely forgot to post this list earlier. Check back later as I'll have all these songs uploaded and ready:

20.) Futakoi Alternative [OP] - New World
19.) Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's [OP] - ETERNAL BLAZE
18.) Full Metal Panic! [OP] - Minamikaze
17.) Gundam SEED Destiny [ED 4] - Kimi wa Boku ni Niteiru
16.) Ah! My Goddess TV [OP] - Open Your Mind
15.) Loveless [OP] - Tsuki no Curse
14.) Ichigo 100% [ED] - Ike Ike
13.) Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan [OP] - Club-to-Death Angel Dokuro-chan
12.) Rozen Maiden -Traumend- [OP] - Seishoujo Ryouiki
11.) Pani Poni Dash! [OP] - Kiiro Vacances
10.) Ichigo Mashimaro [OP] - Ichigo Complete
09.) Shakugan no Shana [OP] - Hishoku no Sora
08.) Fullmetal Alchemist Movie [OP] - Link
07.) Gundam SEED Destiny [OP 3] - Bokutachi no Yukue
06.) Tsubasa Chronicle [OP] - BLAZE
05.) Gundam SEED Destiny [ED 3] - Life Goes On
04.) He Is My Master [OP] - Trust
03.) AIR TV [OP] - Tori no Uta
02.) Gundam SEED Destiny [OP 2] - Pride
01.) BLEACH [OP] - Asterisk

Moetron's Top 20 Anime Titles of 2005 [#10 - 01]

2005-12-30T00:27:00.000-08:00

So here it is, the final 10. (*Note - Please remember that in order for a show to be nominated, it must abid by the following rules: 1.) The show must have debuted between October 2004 - December 2005. 2.) The show must have already ended. So sorry, no Bleach, Shakugan no Shana, Rozen Maiden Traumend, SHUFFLE!, To Heart 2, Solty Rei, Blood+, or Jigoku Shoujo. I've also been informed that the final episode of Paradise Kiss just aired yesterday. Unfortunately it is too late to include it into our little list we got here, but I'm sure it'll still receive the same kind of attention in the new year...)

Rank: [# 10]
Title: Kamichu! ~ Kamisama wa Chugakusei ~

Debut: June 28th, 2005
Comments: By the same production team that blessed us with Read or Die TV, ANIPLEX, comes an animated show about a middle school girl, (Yurie Hitotsubashi), who suddenly tells her friends, (Mitsue Shijou and Matsuri Saegusa) that she had become a God. This series kept me entertained from episode 1, wanting more as the weeks went by. Inspired by the legendary Hayao Miyasaki, Kamichu takes the whole lighthearted comedy/romance genre to a brand new level. High quality animation, a powerfully balanced soundtrack, unique and memorable characters,... there's really nothing bad to say about this show. (Shame it didn't rank higher on the list).
Rank: [# 09]
Title: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's

Debut: October 1st, 2005
Comments: I for one was not a fan of the first season. Never have I seen a mahou shoujo title that more reminded me of CLAMP's Card Captor Sakura series. But, when a friend just about begged me to check out the new second season that just started to air, I thought why not since it would make him and everyone else who's been asking happy. What I saw was insane! So much action being thrown at you all at once. Fate and Nanoha never looked better. "Mahou shoujo for guys" I believe is how he put it...
Rank: [# 08]
Title: Loveless

Debut: April 6th, 2005
Comments: "Shounen-ai" themes made evident in mainstream anime? (I've never actually been exposed to this sort of thing before.) So yes, I was a little hesitant when I first heard about Loveless, but seeing as I make it my job to check out just about EVERYTHING anime, regardless of the touchy subjects that may be present, it was only a matter of time before I would start checking out this show. And I have no regrets whatsoever. What secured this series for me was its mysterious storyline. What exactly did happen to Aoyagi Ritsuka's brother, Seimei? Fighters and Sacrifices, what is their true purpose? And the ending that left you saying, "what the heck!?". I guess it was just the staff's clever way of forcing us the fans to read the manga to see what happens next...
Rank: [# 07]
Title: Ichigo Mashimaro

Debut: July 14th, 2005
Comments: One can put it simply in just 3 words: Cute, clever, funny. I think anyone who's been reading my entries throughout the year knows perfectly well just how much I adore this show. From what I hear, Geneon US has the rights and may start producing the domestic DVD releases next year for purchase. I can't wait!
Rank: [# 06]
Title: Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid

Debut: July 13th, 2005
Comments: Usually I'm not one to say that the sequel was better than the original, but when it comes to TSR, I have to give credit where credit is due. The atmosphere of the new season felt a lot more darker and overall much interesting than its predecessor. Though it did feel a bit rushed, I'd say it was still a major improvement. The Kyoto staff certainly knew how to make this combo-formula of action and comedy continue to work in this mecha series, (something I thought only GONZO could do.)
Rank: [# 05]
Title: Victorian Romance Emma

Debut: April 2nd, 2005
Comments: Those who are appreciative of Jane Austen's works, such as "Pride and Prejudice" and "Emma", may have already treated themselves to a little something special with this anime. It takes place in late 19th century London, (right after the industrial revolution), and the main story, (William Jones, a member of the gentry, falls in love with a maid named Emma), is told in a very realistic fashion. So as you can clearly tell, the barriers of their social class is what stands in their way from true happiness. Yes it may be a little slow-paced and too focused on the mundane, but the rich atmosphere and beautiful chemistry between William and Emma will keep you begging for more...
Rank: [# 04]
Title: Tsubasa Chronicle

Debut: April 9th, 2005
Comments: It's not over yet! Second season is marked to take place sometime in April 2006.

So yeah, I was one of those who had some major issues with the earlier episodes. It was so bad that I almost gave up on the show entirely. But I continued to watch and thought it was handled okay, (still nothing beats the manga period.) Also would of loved if they got Sakura Tange to play the role of you know who. Yeah I know, but still!
Rank: [# 03]
Title: Ah! My Goddess TV

Debut: January 6th, 2005
Comments: Once again, another show that will receive a second season in the Spring of 2006!

Everybody knows about this show, so it's no surprise why it would rank as high as #3.
Rank: [# 02]
Title: Honey and Clover

Debut: April 14th, 2004
Comments: A true masterpiece. If you haven't seen it yet then I'd suggest you do so as soon as you can. Definitely the best that 2005 has to offer. I also suggest not to place any judgment based on the first few episodes, b/c it really picks up half way through.

This slice-of-life series focuses on these main college students, (yes college, not high school), and, as the relationship entanglements come into play in their everyday lives, we witness the bunch grow up right into adulthood. The animation and art style from J.C. Staff is almost perfectly matched to Haibane Renmei with the usage of beautiful watercolor backgrounds and rather sketchy character designs. And it does feel like watching a live-action drama at times. The soundtrack is also an element that shouldn't be ignored. Pick this up if you haven't already...
Rank: [# 01]
Title: AIR TV

Debut: January 6th, 2005
Comments: AIR TV is, and you can even quote me if you want, the best eroge-to-anime adaptation ever! No other story more symbolizes the season of Summer better than AIR. Here is a quick summary of the plot given by the staff at ANN: "Yukito Kunisaki is on a journey, seeking a girl with wings who flies in the sky, as mentioned in a childhood tale. During this journey, he settles down in a small town, trying to make some money. There, he meets a strange girl named Misuzu. Misuzu quickly makes Yukito her friend and invites him to stay with her. Yukito decides to stay in the small town, and continue searching for the winged girl his mother had searched for in her life."

With its absolutely stunning animation, luscious backgrounds, beautiful musical score, and brilliant dialogue script, it's no surprise why the show would rank at #1 for 2005. For many, AIR TV will always remain as an experience that will be cherished for many years to come. For me, this enchanting series was certainly an incredible/emotional ride from beginning to end.

Gao~

[Disgaea 2] - Laharl and Plenair FTW !!

2005-12-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

Once again, leave it to Gpara.com to unleash even more new images and secret info from the upcoming Disgaea 2 game. Apparently Laharl and Flonne will have some sort of new role this time around. But what exactly is still to be seen... It also seems that the Dark Assembly wants you the player to perform a few illegal activities in exchange for new items and weaponry... Also take a look at the near bottom for some info on the "Legendary Senators". And is that Plenair and Usagi-chan handling the next episode previews instead of Etna?

(*´Д`)ﾊｧﾊｧ

Manga Updates by Coengar2

2005-12-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

Well,Christmas is finally over and i've managed to blow all my holiday loot at the local mall (on manga and anime of course LOL) However,the traditional Seattle holiday rainy season is still going strong with it raining now for about seven days straight with no end in sight,at least for this week. i'll be posting new manga reviews in the weeks to come but i thought that i would take some time to update the status of several manga series that i have review on Moetron in the past,and to report on a few that while i didnt review onsite,are well worth mentioning.

Boys:Be : Now at volume #7 (with #8 due out in Feb.) : While my original enthusiasum for this series has diminished lately,it still has moments when the stories show the promise that they did when the series first came out,so it still is on my buy list,but now on a volume by volume basis. My biggest peeves are this: 1)As stated,there are only so many variations on the first love/new romance storyline,some of the stories in later volumes can feel pretty stale. 2)It's really difficult to tell characters from different stories apart as they are all drawn in the same manner.

Cheeky Angel: Now at Volume #10 (#11 due out in March): Still going strong and holding my interest.This series has moved onto my must have list and is one i now preorder directly from the publisher.I'm not sure how many volumes are left but elements in the storyline of the last few volumes seem to indicate that this one may end around Vol. 15 or so (but dont quote me LOL)

Happy Hustle High: Now at Volume #4 (#5 due out in march) :Another one i preorder now.While the latest volumes are less slapsticky than earlier ones,the series is still funny and the characters are developing nicely.And in Vol #5 Hanabi and Yasu supposably will finally go "all the way" (lordy knows they've been trying since Volume #1 LOL)

Hot Gimmick: Now at Volume #10 (#11 due out ???) : I still can not praise this series highly enough,although it has gotten a bit more soap opera like now that the secret of who Azusa's mother's lover was has been revealed (dont ask,i'm not telling) Definatly still worth adding to your collection. My biggest peeve: Unlike most other Viz titles (which are released every two months) Hot Gimmick seems to release a new volume whenever they bloody feel like it,which leads me to believe that it may be in translation hiatus (they've translated and published all available material and now release new volumes whenever they can translate more material)

Also in Translation Hiatus:
Full Metal Panic!
Steel Angel Kurumi
Excel Saga (which really sucks since the mangaka only releases two volumes a year in Japan. Excel Saga #14 not due in America until at least April

Series Ending in 2006:
Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) 2 volumes left,should finish up in July. This is probably one of the best manga out there the last two volumes promise to be filled with high drama as Soichiro must finally confront his birth parents and faces the same choice that his birth father had to.

Ai Yori Aoshi: 4 volumes left.should finish up in December. My all time favorite manga.

Mahoromatic:Automatic Maiden: 1 volume left,finishes in January. Mahoro and Sugaru finally confess their love for each other,but only Mahoro knows that her lifespan is now measured by days and hours.The Keepers declare open war on the now publically revealed Saints with Vesper caught in the middle.Should be a great send off to a worthy series

Maison Ikkoku: 1 volume left,released Feb. 14th. The conclusion of one of the true classics of manga. A ground breaking series from the beginning,it was Rumiko Takahashi's second series and it paved the way by showing that Shojo style manga could be both popular and profitable.

Also ending in 2006:

DearS
Doubt!
Sakura Taisen

well,that's it for now.Thank you for allowing me to indulge in a bit of nostalgia.I'll post updates for other series at another time,but for now,look for reviews for Evil's Return and Girls Bravo in the upcoming weeks

Moetron's Top 20 Anime Titles of 2005 [#20 - 11]

2005-12-28T00:32:00.000-08:00

Below is a short list of what we (and a few others) felt were the top 20 shows of the year. We asked some staff members, a few friends, and randomly picked a couple of online buddies to submit what their top 20 list would look like. And from all the votes that were sent in, we somehow came up with the following. However there were two rules to follow closely. 1.) The show must have debuted between October 2004 - December 2005. 2.) The show must have already ended. So sorry, no Bleach, Shakugan no Shana, Rozen Maiden Traumend, SHUFFLE!, To Heart 2, Solty Rei, Blood+, or Jigoku Shoujo. Since the idea came to us a little late, there was no real time to create an online poll to let our own visitors make their say. Sorry, but we'll definitely make this idea a little more interactive in the new year. Until then, enjoy as we recall some of the best of 2005:

Rank: [# 20]
Title: Pani Poni Dash!

Debut: July 3rd, 2005
Comments: Many I spoke to agree... Pani Poni Dash! = Azumanga Daioh. Though personally I don't think the show deserves such high praise. But don't get me wrong. There were some very memorable moments spread throughout the series. But the real reason why I even gave this anime a chance was b/c it was latest project done by the same staff who did Tsukuyomi Moon Phase, SHAFT.

Another thing that made the show great was the opening and ending animation sequences. Other than that, Pani Poni Dash is highly strange, over the edge at times, and chock full of Japanese cultural references, (which was the same formula used to make Azumanga what it is today). With each episode having its own story, you can easily check it out whenever you have the time.
Rank: [# 19]
Title: Ichigo 100%

Debut: April 5th, 2005
Comments: Okay, I feel the only reason this show is even on this list was b/c of the manga's popularity. Other than that, the show was just god awful! However, I will admit that I do have a soft spot for the OVAs that have been coming out over the months. But when referring to the TV anime, it was just weak. This is one of those cases where the anime does not do the manga any justice at all. As each episode aired, I felt more and more angered by what the staff was doing to the storyline. They kept jumping important pieces of the story that were told in manga chapters. "Just how the hell did they get from here to there!" - my reaction. I swear it was all too confusing for those of us who were already established fans of the Ichigo comic. Stick with the manga by all means.
Rank: [# 18]
Title: Futakoi Alternative

Debut: April 7th, 2005
Comments: As the title implies, this is a remix version of the original Futakoi anime. Great show, nice designs, smooth animation, but, I did have one major complaint, the opening sequence. The opening was so full of fast-paced, high flying action scenarios that made the new series look very promising. However, none of that actually ever happened in the show itself, (with the exception of a few eps including the very first). So, with putting aside the misleading opening and first 2 eps, I'd say Futakoi Alternative still turned out to be pretty decent.
Rank: [# 17]
Title: Erementar Gerad

Debut: April 5th, 2005
Comments: Yet another great product from anime powerhouse XEBEC. With an intriguing and unique storyline, (mixed in with well-done character development), and a grand finale that lasted over the span of 6 episodes, Erementar Gerad is a well deserved ride that shouldn't be missed.
Rank: [# 16]
Title: Petopeto-san

Debut: July 8th, 2005
Comments: Now this is how all anime character designs should look like!

The show also gets some major points for having Kana Ueda play the part of Petoko. Brilliant!
Rank: [# 15]
Title: Trinity Blood

Debut: April 28th, 2005
Comments: A series that felt like it had a lot of potential but never quite fulfilled them. (Caused mostly by the staff's decision to rush the overall backstory/flashback). Nice show but the end did leave me unsatisfied.
Rank: [# 14]
Title: He Is My Master

Debut: April 4th, 2005
Comments: With an alligator who has a tendency to ~~rape~~ play with young girls in sexy maid outfits, a lesbian who has absolutely no self-control for Izumi's pure body, and a rich, extremely perverted 14 year old lolicon boy who would have nothing better than to have a bunch of ~~pre~~ teenage girls bow down to his feet and call him "goshujin-sama", He is My Master is a show that you'll either love or just plain be digusted by. (GAINAX had me rolling on the floor with this one...)
Rank: [# 13]
Title: Mahou Sensei Negima!

Debut: January 1st, 2005
Comments: No real comment from me, as I stopped watching half-way through, (but apparently people loved it so much that it ranked at #13 o_O ...). Again, just another typical case of "anime doing no justice to the original manga storyline".
Rank: [# 12]
Title: Gundam SEED Destiny

Debut: October 10th, 2004
Comments: u_u <---(watch the ending and you'll know what I mean).
Rank: [# 11]
Title: Zettai Shounen

Debut: May 21, 2005
Comments: With its laid back pacing, quirky animation, and unique art style, Zettai Shounen is definitely one of the surprise hits of 2005.

Happy Holidays! - Now for some Disgaea News!

2005-12-24T18:36:00.000-08:00

First off:

Click for Full-Size

A X-mas themed Disgaea 2 wallpaper, (featuring 2 new characters from the game). Anyway, let's get started with what we do best, (we think):

Disgaea 2 News - (Regarding the PS2 Game) -

Laharl, Flonne, and even Pram are all confirmed to appear in the sequel!
Brand new screenshots, including a first-look at some of the new playable characters, with additional info available here.
A second trailer was released last week on the game's official website. You can dowload it from there, or... from the 2 direct links I've provided below:

Disgaea 2nd Trailer (MP4 Format)

Disgaea 2nd Trailer (WMV Format)

Disgaea News - (Regarding the Anime) -

As you can see from the picture above, ALL the seiyuu(s) from the original PS2 game are reprising their roles for the anime adaption!

Kaori Mizuhashi as Laharl
Tomoe Hanba as Etna
Yuko Sasamoto as Flonne
Junji Majima as Prinny
Chihiro Suzuki as Vyers
Interviews with the fellow cast can be found here and here.

Wonder Momo-i DVD Track List!

2005-12-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

Wonder Momo-i Live Tour Final Express DVD:

DISC I

> Motto, Yume, Miyou!!
> Natsuda! Matsurida! Sukumizuda!
> Koi no Recipe
> Let me Love You
> Luminary
> Chuo Line
> Tondoll Baby
> Nihon Break Kogyo
> Tagai no Sutarujii
> Broken World
> My-pace Daiou
> WONDER MOMO‐i ～New recording～
> Friendship
> Hide and Seek
> ONCE UPON A TIME ～Fairy story～

DISC II

> Ai no Medicine
> Game Kiss of 2001
> Mail Me
> LOVE.EXE
> Akihabara
> Life is free ～momo-i live version～
> WONDER MOMO‐i ～New recording～」

must... pre... ORDER!

Source: Nakid

[News] Gundam Seed 3 - ALL GREEN!

2005-12-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

Comic Gum's February issue will be making an official announcement over the 3rd installment of the Gundam SEED anime franchise. (Also note, Gundam SEED DESTINY FINAL PLUS is set to air this Sunday 12:30 AM on MBS.)

Source: Moon Phase

Testing

2005-12-23T05:40:00.000-08:00

Poyoyon Layout is Back! ... for now.

2005-12-23T03:12:00.000-08:00

Okay so this is what's up. I had to go back to the old look b/c it seems their were still a few folks out there that were still having issues with displaying the site correctly on their browser. So until I get this all worked out, I'm going back to the old Poyoyon Rokku layout. But this may not necessarily be a bad thing, since I feel most of our visitors preferred the old look over the new. Btw, the Radio Blog is back!

Firefox Browser Issues

2005-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

It was just brought to my attention that some internet browsers, (including the latest Firefox 1.5), are not allowing the site to be viewed correctly. I personally have been using Firefox 1.0.7 because the latest version of Firefox (1.5) is very unstable. Just take a look at their technical support forum to see what I mean. Here are a few browsers that I tested out myself and know works fine: (I've also provided links to download the following)

Firefox 1.0.7
Internet Explorer 6.0
Netscape 8.0
Opera 8.5

*Please let me know if you are having issues viewing the site. Also be sure to tell me which browser you are using.

New Media Goods

2005-12-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Torrent CD:
> Mai-Otome OST I
Mp3 Rotation:
> BLEACH [OP 3]- Ichirin no Ha
> Kingdom Hearts II [OP] - Passion
> Naruto [ED 11] - Soba ni Iru Kara
> Kamichu! [OP] - Hare nochi Hare!
Wallpaper:
> Jigoku Shoujo
> Kamichu!
> To Heart 2 X-rated
> D.C. Da Capo

On the next update: Moetron's "Top 20 Anime Titles of 2005", followed shortly by, "Top 20 Anime Themes of 2005" (w/ downloadable music of course!)

[PVC] - Etna from Max Factory

2005-12-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Click for Full-Size

Just reserved mine seconds ago for 4,343 yen (about $38.00) on Hobby Search. (It's already sold out on HLJ.com). If interested, go directly to Hobby Search and look under "reserve". Etna PVC [Maxfactory] is scheduled to be shipped by March 2006.

[PV] Utada Hikaru - Passion & Kingdom Hearts II Trailer

2005-12-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

Artist: Utada Hikaru
Song: Passion
Type: Promotional Video
Link: - removed - (Ask by Request)
Series: Kingdom Hearts II Theme Song

==========================================

Download the trailer to the Kingdom Hearts sequel here. (Fansubs provided by Anime-Keep).

Official release date: 12.22.2005

[PV] Makoto Kawamoto - 1/2

2005-12-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

Artist: Makoto Kawamoto
Song: 1/2
Type: Promotional Video
Link: Here
Series: Rurouni Kenshin [OP 2]

News Round Up

2005-12-16T04:25:00.000-08:00

Studio Ghibli's new project Ged Senki: Tales from Earthsea was unveiled ealier this week.
Oh! Great's very own Air Gear to be animated for 2006.
Fate/stay night anime to begin broadcast on January 6th at 1:30 AM on Saitama TV.
Tenchi Muyo spinoff Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club has a long promotional video up for view.
New artscan from the upcoming Disgaea anime available here.
Gundam SEED Destiny special conclusion episode will air late, late night on December 25th.
Hellsing OVA I, which was delayed until January 26, will be extended an extra 15 minutes, making it 50 minutes total instead of the original 35.
A sequel to the Mahou Sensei Negima! anime may be on the way, however nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
May 9, 2006: Mark this date on your calenders because on that day Nintendo plans to reveal ALL they can about their new Revolution.

[Pre-order] Mina Tsukishiro PVC

2005-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

e2046 is now offering a Mina Tsukishiro PVC (not prepainted) for pre-order. This is an extremely rare item and a must-buy for collectors. Chances are this may sell out real fast!

Manga Review: Mark of the Succubus by Coengar2

2005-12-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

I made an interesting observation the other day while browsing through the manga titles at the local bookstore. There are more and more manga these days being made by nonjapanese mangaka.New series are coming out of Korea,Hong Kong and even America in ever growing numbers.It makes this old otaku's heart swell with joy to see that manga is rapidly becoming a global medium.While my favorite manga still come from Japan,there are many nonjapanese ones that have caught my attention,including the one i review here.

Title: Mark of the Succubus
Publisher: Tokyopop
Genre: Fantasy,Action,Romance
Age: Teen 13+
Volumes: 1 out of a projected 3
Violence: 1 slap across the face,a few other mild acts
Sex/Nudity: none really,maybe some light fanservice
Status: New series,just released

Aiden Landis is a high school student at odds with the world around him.His father wants him to become a lawyer.His teachers find him intelligent but unmotivated.His high maintanance,demanding girlfriend treats him like a fashion accessory.And his best friend is a bit of a nut case.All Aiden really wants out of life is to play his guitar and maybe write a good song. His life begins to go in another direction when he meets Maeve,the new transfer student.She is shy,kinda clueless and rather attractive.She has the skill and soul of an artist and seems to understand what Aiden's all about,so of course he finds himself attracted to her,which upsets his girlfriend to no end.However,Maeve has a secret that she is hiding from him,she's not really a human at all.In fact she is really a succubus from the demon realm of Erebus and has come to earth to better understand human behavior and customs while she studies to pass her demonic final exam.Sylne,a former tutor of Maeve's has sent a spy after her,looking for any violation of demonic laws that she can use against Maeve.She seeks to use such a violation as a means to earn favor from her superiors.As the final portion of her test,Maeve must place her mark on a human who she must then seduce and kill.But while the seduction part sounds kind of interesting,Maeve really isnt into the killing portion of the exam.Unwilling to directly pick a victim,she sets it up so that her mark will find a random victim,unfortunatly,it lands on Aiden.Now Maeve must kill the one human she wants to hurt the least.But if she refuses,she breaks demonic law.Now Maeve must make a choice between risking her life for Aiden or to kill him and become the demon she was taught to be.

Good Points:Nice artwork. The characters are developing well.Watching Maeve in action is rather amusing.She is really clueless and out of her element.

Bad Points: Maeve seems a little to naive to be a succubus.If there is such a thing as a virgin succubus,it's Maeve. Not really a bad point all in all really.While the artwork is obviously influenced by the japanese manga style,it's still very western in many places,this might be a distraction for manga purists.The series is published in the western left to right format,another no no for anime purists.

Overall Review:The creators of this series were finalists in Tokyopop's future stars of manga contests,and for being new mangaka this series is a good debut.While not a great manga series,it's good enough to add to your collection.The mixture of eastern and western art styles is interesting and rather pleasant to look at,but it will take a bit to get use to it. All in all,not a bad start for a couple of new mangaka.With only 3 volumes in the series,it's also cheap to collect.

Coengar2 gives this series an opening score of 2 out of 5 but may increase it's final score if the rest of the series is as good as the first volume,and says:CHECK IT OUT!!

[PV] SamboMaster - Sekai wa Sore...

2005-12-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Artist: Sambo Master
Song: Sekai wa Sore o Ai to Yobun da ze
Type: Promotional Video
Link: Here
Series: Densha Otoko TV [ED]

Moetron.net ... explained.

2005-12-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, we know it's blog, somehow anime-related, but sometimes you see music downloads, wallpaper goodies, and videos. So is this a media site? Because when one pictures an anime-blog, they imagine a site filled with reviews of the current shows being broadcast in Japanese homes. And these don't just cover 1 episode, oh no sir, the blogger tends to review each episode as it airs on a weekly basis. (Oh and btw, only a selected few can actually do this right). So why doesn't Moetron try and do the same, since they've got some reviews going? Well, you gotta remember, we don't only just review programs here. We post news as well, a lot of news. In fact, I would say about 70% of the overall content here is just that, news headlines. So we can't cover an entire show like some folks. Let me try to explain this in another way...

Can you please describe this blog of yours?

Okay, it's really simple. It's a blog filled with information on Japanese modern pop-culture, focusing mainly on entertainment. Whether that may be anime, Japanese TV dramas, movies, music, live-action, etc. So what we do here is try to provide info on "what's new" in the entertainment world of Japan.
So what's the main goal you're trying to achieve here?

Heh... Put it this way. When I first started this site, back in March 2005, I wanted to make a blog covering the latest in anime news, hence the original name "pKjd's Anime News Log". But then I started thinking no, I want something more than just plain-old news. So I started adding some free music downloads. After that wallpaper, videos, etc. Then, I believe sometime around the Summer of '05, I asked a few friends to participate with me and become a sort of "small community". I then renamed the blog "Moetron". After that, we've started receiving a lot more hits in a very short time span. We currently have over 22,000 hits which, I must say, isn't that bad for a little blog with not much net exposure.

So basically my main goal is this. I want to make a site where everyone who visits, can get quickly updated with all the latest in Japanese entertainment, (primarily focusing on anime.) I in no way wanted to make another typical anime-blog full of just weekly reviews on all the current shows. Blah! That's been done to death. I wanted to distance Moetron as from away from that mediocrity. That's why I added some media downloads and asked a few friends to join. I mean who doesn't like free stuff, right? Also, since the site has all this content, spread from here to there, you never know what to expect. It's that level of unpredictability that, I believe, keeps visitors coming back for more.
Why do you sometimes refer to yourself as "we"?

Like I said, there are others who work on this blog as well, believe it or not. You can find their profiles in the top-left sidebar if you're interested. Some choose to work in the background, while others choose to post directly onto the site. They're very much my support for this project.
One final question, just who the heck are you?

Me? Well, first off my real name is Dennis, but I much rather prefer to be called by my pen-name "pKjd", (and if you're wondering just what the heck that means. Well... let's just say the "Kjd" is just my way of writing the word "kid". As far as the "p" goes, well... I'll leave that to you guys (´ー｀)

Let's see what else, I've been a fan of anime for as long as I can remember. I would say about 8 years now. I have a decent collection of DVDs, posters, wallscrolls, figures, etc., that I wish to share with you guys sometime in the near future. Um, what else. I'm in my early twenties, in college, single (as if that wasn't obvious enough already), live in Southern California, born and raised in the valley, and oh yeah, love Japanese culture, (actually I love cultures from all over the world as well).

Well, I hope that helped. I hope now everything will become a lot clearer of just what exactly Moetron is all about.

[Moetron.net] - New Look, Same Great Taste

2005-12-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

So glad today was the last day of finals. Still, sucks I won't know what my grades were until 2 weeks for now. Blah. Rather not think about it. I've got all this vacation time with me for the winter. And I plan to make the best of it, even with the little money I have left over from X-mas shopping.

Getting back on track, you may of notice the new backdrop I have out. Yes? Also tried to get a new tagboard going on as well. Oh and before I forget, I recently registered the domain name "moetron.net". I advise everyone to please update their bookmarks with the new address since I may change web hosts at anytime in the future.

Certainly he wouldn't call this an update without including some new media goods, right?:

Torrent CD:
> Katamari Damacy + We Love Katamari Damacy OSTs
Mp3 Rotation:
> Karin [OP]- Scarlet
> Black Cat [ED] - Namidaboshi
> Solty Rei [ED] - Float ~Sora no Kanata de~
> Pani Poni Dash [OP 3] - Shoujo Q
> Mai Otome [ED] - Otome wa DO MY BEST deshou
Wallpaper:
> Another World
> Winter Theme
> Honey & Clover

One final note, on my next entry, I'm going to attempt to try my best to describe what this blog is all about, why I do it, what I hope to accomplish from doing it and so on... so til then, I bid you adieu.

Miina from Densha Otoko to be Fully Animated!

2005-12-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

The fictional series "Getsumen Usagi Heiki Miina" seen on the very popular live-action drama "Densha Otoko" will have it's own OVA sometime next year. (No word yet on the production team that will be responsible). As you may already know, GONZO Digimation originally did the opening sequence that you see in the Densha drama. So that's your most-likely candidate at the moment.

Source: Comic Gum Magazine

Disgaea 2 Opening Screens

2005-12-02T22:07:00.000-08:00

Screenshots of the opening sequence from the upcoming Disgaea 2 PS2 game is now available. Just head over to the official site and click on the word "SPECIAL". Disgaea 2, the game, hits stores 02.23.06.

Manga Review: Saikano (UPDATE) (Coengar2)

2005-11-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has read my past reviews knows that i am a sucker for a good romantic comedy,i cant get enough of the things.My anime/manga collection overflows with the stuff.All of which makes my liking of the following series even more amazing...

Title: Saikano
Publisher: Viz Media
Genre: Drama
Age: Mature 18+
Volumes: 7 that i know of,6 currently published,#7 to be released soon
Violence: Yes,military combat style
Sex/Nudity: fanservice, bare breast shots, adult content and themes
Status: Still being published

Shuji and Chise are high school seniors nervously working thier way through the opening stages of their new relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.Shuji is unsure how to act as a boyfriend and can often seem gruff and even a bit mean towards Chise.Chise is slow,not a great student,clumsy,unsure of herself and has a tendancy to apologize way to much.As if starting a new relationship wasnt difficult enough,thier home country of Japan soon finds itself in a state of war.It is during an air raid that Shuji learns that Chise has been hiding a terrible secret from him.She has been altered by the Japanese defense force and her body has been cybernetically enhanced turning this shy school girl into the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.Shuji accepts that his girlfriend turns into a warmachine and does his best to try and help her live as normal a life as she can.They struggle to act as a normal couple in love,even though Chise is often suddenly called away to take part in military operations.Even though Chise's heart no longer beats and her skin is often cold to the touch,she still posses the soul and spirit of a high school girl,a girl who struggles to accept that she is now a killing machine that can level an entire city into the ground.She wants no more than to love and be loved,to have a normal life again and to be forgiven for the lives she has had to take in the defense of Japan.Shuji works hard to help Chise cope with her role as a weapon of war,while he tries to accept that they will never be able to have a normal life together.All the while,thier love for each other grows,however,Chise is also growing ever more powerful as a weapon and may soon be forced to chose between her love for Shuji and her duty as a weapon for the defense of Japan.

Good Points:I love the story.The artwork is good.The main characters are well developed and you can really find yourself starting to feel for them.

Bad Points:Sometimes the artwork gets a little too cartoony for a panel or two,tends to break up the over all tone of the story (which is probably why the artists draws it that way)

Overall Review:Ok,this series is a lot more serious in tone than i usually like to read,but oh lordy is it a good series.I personally found myself being drawn into the story and i couldnt help but feel angry at what was done to Chise.This girl really didnt deserve the fate that she got,and watching her trying to deal with the horror of war and the guilt she feels about killing people while trying to keep up the appearqnce of being normal is some pretty strong reading.Chise and Shuji deserve to be happy with each other but you can tell that if they even get the chance to be so,they're going to have to go through hell to get it.I cant wait for the next volume to come out and i'm pretty sure that by the end of the series,i'm gonna have to get out the kleenex at least once.This series promises to be one very emotional ride,i'm looking forward to it

UPDATE:I had originally listed the age rating for this series as Older Teen,allow me to apologize for my mistake.This series is definatly rated Mature and well deservedly so.With it's strong bloody violence and sexual content,this is not a series for younger readers.To be honest,it's the most depressing and emotionally exhausting series i've read in a long time,but Lord oh Lord,i cant get enough of this series.It's a gripping rollercoaster of emotions with a good mix of humour and emotions to keep you turning the pages.I CAN NOT recommend this series strong enough. Be warned,people die in this series,and not only nameless mooks,but many known characters and that makes the series all the more intense.

Note:There is also an anime series of the same name.Anime Insider listed it as one of the 50 DVDs every anime otaku should own.They also recommended you have a large supply of kleenex on hand when you watch it

Coengar2 gives this series a 4 out of 5 and says:YOU REALLY GOTTA CHECK THIS ONE OUT!!!!! (final score could go up depending on the quality of the final volume)

Ah! My Goddess TV - Season 2

2005-11-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Moonphase now has "Ah! My Goddess" TV listed on their site for 2006.

Thanks, 20,000 Hits!

2005-11-23T15:55:00.000-08:00

moetron.net

Quick Sidebar Updates

2005-11-22T23:41:00.000-08:00

// media stuff

Full Album Downloads:

Fate/hollow ataraxia OST
Music Downloads:

Fate/hollow ataraxia - [OP] Hollow
Mai Otome - [OP] Dream Wing
Rozen Maiden - [ED] Hikari no Rasenritsu
Shakugen no Shana - [OP] Hishoku no Sora
Wallpaper Goods:

Phantom Kingdom
Shakugen no Shana
iPod Theme Wall
Rozen Maiden

Fate/stay night DVD Promo

2005-11-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

You see, it's moments like this when I have no choice but to say "THANKS" to whomever is keeping my alive and well... ^_^

Saber, Rin, Rider, Shirou, Archer, Lancer, Illya, ... even Caster! They all made an astonshing animated debut in the newly released DVD Promo "Fate/stay night: Curtain Raiser" which hit stores today. As a major fan of the game from Type-Moon I have to say yes, .... this is how an eroge to anime adaptation should be, going way beyond my expectations. Smooth animation mixed with a very chilling opening score, not to mention the wonderous voice track. To those of you who don't know, "Fate/stay night" the game had no voice-overs whatsoever, (hence why it is known as a "visual novel"). That's why it is just insanely weird to hear Saber, (and the rest of the cast), with an actual voice, (whom I might add is done by the very talented Ayako Kawasumi). You can download the promo in its RAW format here. The anime is set to premiere sometime this upcoming January.

[PS2] - Disgaea 2 Official Trailer

2005-11-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

Here it is! The official NIS trailer for Disgaea 2! The PS2 game is set to be released in Japanese stores everywhere on 02/23/06. Pre-orders are NOW available:

[Lik-Sang] - Disgaea 2 ($64.90) *Free Shipping*
[PlayAsia] - Disgaea 2 Limited Edition ($89.90) *Includes art/sketch book and soundtrack*

Now for the trailer, (two different formats for your choosing):

MP4 Format (Recommended)
WMV Format

[PV] The Pillows - Nonfiction & Third Eye

2005-11-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

...once again by popular demand...

Artist: The Pillows
Song: Nonfiction
Type: Promotional Video
Link: Here

Artist: The Pillows
Song: Third Eye
Type: Promotional Video
Link: Here

Karin OP/ED Video

2005-11-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

Karin OP
[WMV Format]

Karin ED
[WMV Format]

Check out the anime from WeSuck_Fansubs < -- thanks you two.

[PV] Kawada Mami - Hishoku no Sora

2005-11-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Artist: Kawada Mami
Song: Hishoku no Sora
Type: Promotional Video
Link: Here
Anime: Shakugan no Shana [OP]

You're Gonna Get Ra-

2005-11-12T00:33:00.000-08:00

From ANS:

The Japanese Maid industry has taken another turn. Hiroshima-based www.cosp-life.jp is now offering their "Maid Takuhai" service which litteraly brings cosplay maids into your own house to serve you. They will play games with you, tell you a story, help with housework and more. But the move has generated alot of controversy since these young cosplay girls are already the object of lust from the hard moe and naughty tentacles otaku crowd just by doing their thing safe in the trappings of a maid cafe. The website mentions the maids will not perform sexual services.

These businesses are secretly run by the Yakuza! （　ﾟДﾟ）

Honda and Takahashi

2005-11-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

This week we have seen 2 very well-known popular Japanese artists suddenly pass away. Both have really made a mark in the entertainment industry during much of the 80's and early 90's:

Minako Honda :

Japan Today News Article
Popular Actress/Singer
Passed away on 11/06/2005 @ age 38 (leukemia).
Sang Rayearth 2 Closing
Sang Ashita no Nadja Opening
Sang Hunter x Hunter Closing

Hiro Takahashi :

Official Site BBS
Singer
Passed away on 11/04/2005 @ age 41 (organ failure/tumor).
Sang Yu Yu Hakusho Closing 3
Sand Yu Yu Hakusho Closing 4

Official Disgaea Anime Website...

2005-11-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

It's now open...

check out the podcast...

Evangelion AMV

2005-11-11T05:19:00.000-08:00

Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Song: Engel
Artist: Rammstein
Type: Streaming Video

Found this during my search for info on Rammstein's latest album "Rosenrot", which just came out last week. I thought the Asuka AMV was alright, especially since I haven't heard the song Engel since the good old highschool days. Anyway, if you happen to like the song and would like to hear other such German hard rock/metal groups, you should check out In Extremo and Tanzwut, (just wish someone would create an AMV using their material as well... (`ヘ´)

Samples:
Wind
Vollmond
Omnia Sol Temperat
Como Poden

New Pretty Sammy Spin-off?

2005-11-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

VAP has announced yet another Tenchi Muyo spin-off titled "Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club". Here's the site. 10 episodes have already been produced and the series is set to premiere January 2006. As the TM!R fanboy that I so proudly am, I will be watching this series, despite the very odd character designs. Besides, the original Pretty Sammy OVA was actually pretty entertaining (´ー｀) .

[Loose Translated Bios]

Washu:
She's a teacher at the School which Sasami attends and is the advisor of the Cooking Club (which is in actuality the Magic Girls Club!). In reality she is the special representative of the Magic World. Three things that describe her character are "violent, sporadic, and extreme".

Mihoshi:
Sasami's homeroom teacher. Three things that describe her character are "scatter brained, very airheaded, and easy going."

Shinohara Misao:
She entered Sasami's class last year, but she is still a very unfamiliar girl. In reality she is like Sasami and was born a Magic Girl. She entered the cooking club with Sasami but...

Sasami:
Sasami was born with the ability to use magic, but when she was a little girl in her 5th year at Elementary School her parents made her promise to use it only in secret. She has a bright personality and takes pride in her cooking. She entered the Cooking Club (in reality the Magic Girls Club), with her classmate Misao and that greatly changed her fate.

[PV] The Pillows - Ride on Shooting Star

2005-11-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

By request...

Artist: The Pillows
Song: Ride on Shooting Star
Type: Promotional Video
Link: Here
Anime: FLCL [ED]

Side Bar Updates...

2005-11-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

Full Album Downloads:

Gundam SEED Destiny COMPLETE Best
Music Downloads:

Canvas 2 - [OP] Plastic Smile
Kodocha [OP 1] 19 o' Clock News
Kodocha [OP 2] Ultra Relax
K.O.R. [OP 1] Night Of Summer Side
K.O.R. [OP 2] Orange Mystery
K.O.R. [OP 3] Kagami no Naka no Actress
K.O.R. [ED 1] Natsu no Mirage
K.O.R. [ED 2] Kanashii Heart wa Moete-iru
K.O.R. [ED 3] Dance in the Memories
Nanoha A's [OP] Spiritual Garden
Nanoha A's [ED] ETERNAL BLAZE
Shakugen no Shana [ED] Yowake Umare Kuru Shoujo
Wallpaper Goods:

Shakugen no Shana
Tsukuyomi
Inuyasha
Ichigo 100%

[PV] Nami Tamaki - Realize

2005-11-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

Artist: Nami Tamaki
Song: Realize
Type: Promotional Video
Link: Here
Anime: Gundam SEED [OP4]

Media Update this Weekend...

2005-11-02T23:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been waiting patiently for the next media update, (and I know that's a whole lot of you 'cause why else would you keep coming back ┐('～`；)┌ ...,) there will be a mass number of updates this weekends. So all requests that's been pending since forever will finally be answered then. So for now I leave you with this:

iTunes: "hollow" by KATE Number 201 feat. rhu

"Seishoujo Ryouiki" by ALI PROJECT"

"Plastic Smile" by Honey Bee

Trick or Treat?

2005-10-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

"Click for Full Size"

Fate/hollow ataraxia

2005-10-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

// eroge side

Okay, so I'm a little late... but midterms are next week and I had to make use of this weekend to prepare. Anyway, it's finally here, the sequel/spinoff (or "fun" disc like Type-Moon wants to call it) to Fate/stay night entitled "Fate/hollow ataraxia". The game was officially released last Thursday... and just look at the long (and I mean LONG) lines of Akihabarans just waiting to get their hands on a copy.

I only just got started on the game last night... and with midterm week approaching, I won't really be able to enjoy the game until next weekend...

"Click for Full Size"

So far it's amazingly sweet. There's so many different modes to unlock that it's not even funny. I'll keep posting my progress on and off whenever I have time. So yes, please be aware that there will be spoilers. But I'll give clear warning before I post anything.

Also, the opening single to Fate/hollow ataraxia has ranked #7 on the Oricon charts last week. Unfortunately, it's now down to #13. Still, it's rare for a song from an eroge to debut so high.

Here's the song in case you want to hear it. (*Note require APE plugin for winamp which you can download here.

// additional notes

Current POWER Ranking:

10. ARIA The ANIMATION
09. Ramune ~Glass Bin ni Utsuru Umi~
08. Canvas2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~
07. SHUFFLE! (Just recently got the game and I'm halfway done. A definite must GET!... Also, don't forget to check out the games' sequel Tick! Tack!)
06. Paniponi Dash! (Haven't met anyone yet who doesn't like this).
05. Mai Otome (Sequel/Spinoff to Mai HiME)
04. Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's (Shoujo for guys... Lot more fighting scenes than most Shounen programs currently airing. Requires first season familiarity).
03. Shakugan no SHANA (Could very soon rank #1. It's that good).
02. Ichigo Mashimaro (Barasui's moe character designs come to life!)
01. Rozen Maiden ~Träumend~ (Probably my most anticipated program of the 2005 Fall season. First series was awesome... and who's doesn't love Suigintou?)

Karin Anime Promo Subbed...

2005-10-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

*courtesy of a.f.k. fansubs:

Karin Promo

Plus a Karin figure for those who are interested.

Info: "Karin is an ordinary high school girl who turns out to be a daughter in a family of vampires. Shamefully for a vampire, she doesn't take blood from her victims when she bites, she gives it, making her victims happy and energetic. The manga follows her relationships with her family, with a certain boy who has recently transferred to her school, with her friends, and at her part-time waitressing jobs (the vampire family has a nice old house but not much money)."

Genre: Comedy-romance-horror-slice of life...

Broadcast Date: November 3

Old Movies, New Shows

2005-10-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

*by AnimeDreamer36

// movie sector

Every Thursday in January 2006, Turner Classic Movies is going to air two Studio Ghibli films(three on the 19th.) Here's a list of the dates and the movies:

Thursday, January 5
8:00 PM Spirited Away
10:15 PM Princess Mononoke
1:00 AM Spirited Away
3:15 AM Princess Mononoke

Thursday, January 12
8:00 PM Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
10:00 PM Castle in the Sky
12:15 AM Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
2:15 AM Castle in the Sky

Thursday, January 19
8:00 PM My Neighbor Totoro
9:30 PM Porco Rosso
11:15 PM Whisper of the Heart
1:15 AM My Neighbor Totoro
2:45 AM Porco Rosso
4:30 AM Whisper of the Heart

Thursday, January 26
8:00 PM Only Yesterday
10:15 PM Pom Poko
12:30 AM Only Yesterday
2:45 AM Pom Poko

From what I know, I think all the movies are going to be in their English dubbed versions, except for Only Yesterday, which may be aired in its Japanese version(since only the Japanese cast is listed on the TCM web site.)

// tv sector

Evangelion is currently airing on Adult Swim. ANN had a review of the first episode, and it looks there were no edits! Let's hope it stays that way ^^
IGPX, the first Cartoon Network show animated in Japan, will air on November 5th on Toonami.
And finally, also on November 5th, Kids'WB will begin airing Viewtiful Joe.

[Live] KOTOKO - Shooting Star

2005-10-29T03:01:00.000-07:00

Artist: KOTOKO
Song: Shooting Star
Type: Live Performance
Download: Here

Tsukuyomi Licensed by FUNimation

2005-10-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

ABSOLUTE SHOCKER!

But will they dub the "Neko Mimi Mode" opening???

Wonder MOMO-i

2005-10-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

ワワワワンダー　モモモモーイ
これぞファンタジーなななふしぎ

Proving once and for all that there is life after UNDER17. Check out Momoi's return to the music scene with these two freshly released tracks:

> WONDER MOMO-i ~New Recording~

> ONCE UPON A TIME ~Fairy Story-

Keepin' the 萌え-可愛い-ロリ-core alive once again!

Anime Review:World of Narue by Coengar2

2005-10-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here in the Northwest the leaves are changing colors,there's a chill in the air and the rain is beginning to fall on an almost daily basis.All this can mean only one thing.....yep....it's the flu season here in Seattle.In a very ironic twist of faith,for once i'm not the one in the house to catch the stupid thing.This time it was my loving, but always bragging how she never gets sick,wife.So i have spent the whole evening,and most of the afternoon,playing nurse to my wife.Now,i try to be as comforting as i can but let's be honest,this flu is doing quite the number on her and to be honest,i dont want her to share the love so i've spent a lot of time in the living room.Now i'm not really a big fan of television so i decided to search through my anime collection and check out a title i havent watched in a while,so here is a little gem that i rediscovered and thought i'd share with you:

Title: The World of Narue
Format: Perfect collection of the TV series
Episodes: 13
Age: Teen 13+
Violence: Not much but some
Sex/Nudity: Fanservice,bra and panty shots occassionaly
Swearing: Mild

Narue Nanase is a 14 year old girl with a big secret,she's really an alien.Often teased by classmates who dont believe her and hounded by Hajime Yagi,a classmate determined to prove that Narue is just pretending to be an alien to be popular,Narue tries to live as normal a life as she can.However,there are aliens who dont want Narue and her father to be on Earth and they sometimes send assassins to kill them,it doesnt help that the Galactic Federation,of whom Narue's father is a member,also wants them to leave the Earth.One day Narue comes to the rescue of Kazuto,a boy in the same grade as her,and saves him from an alien shapeshifter.Not only does she make a new friend,but Kazuto soon becomes her boyfriend and learns of her secret.The series follows them as they and thier friends have wild adventures and as thier relationship grows.

Good points:The series is cute,not in a chibi or kawaii kind of cute,but in a pleasant to watch style of cute.Narue and Kazuto make a great couple.The stories are enjoyable and the supporting cast of characters are well developed and add much to the series.

Bad points:The series can at times be that "sugary" kind of cute.There are a few story points that really arent well explained,like why are the aliens upset with Narue and her father being on Earth in the first place?

Overall review:In an ever growing anime market filled with bloody violence,graphic nudity and sexual innuendos,this series is a refreshing change of pace.It's one that you can feel comfortable with letting the younger kids watch without being afraid of having to answer any embarassing questions afterward. It's a nice series to just kick back and relax with and has a nice mix of comedy and serious moments.All in all,it's a fine addition to any manga collection

Coengar2 gives this series a 3 out of 5 and says:CHECK IT OUT!!!

Orange Range's New Album

2005-10-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Orange Range - "Natural"

Yumekaze
Yumehito
Onegai! Senorita
Winter Winner
Crazy Band
Ame
GOD69
Hysteric Taxi
Pe Nyom Pong
Sakazuki Jammer
~Asterisk~
Sunrise
U topia
Between
Re-Cycle
Kizuna
Love Parade
Natural PoP
Kirikirimai~fantastic four remix~

(*Get it now b/c once it's gone, IT'S GONE!... yeah)

New Disgaea Manga in the Works + US Date

2005-10-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

With the release of the upcoming Disgaea 2 game looming in the background, publisher Game Comic Novel Dengeki will begin serialization of a new Disgaea manga. This piece of work will most likely focus on the events that transpired between Disgaea and it's sequel, Disgaea 2.

Rough sketches have been made public, so take a sneek peek of what's to come in 2006...

- edit -

More on Disgaea:

"In a bit of news that could be looked upon as "expected," it has been announced that Disgaea 2 will be coming to North America. The game is currently scheduled to be released in August 2006 for America, while the Japanese version has only been given a generalized 2006 release schedule.

Compared to the original titile, many familiar characters as well as many other things, such as combos, grid-pattern fields, and the Dark Assembly, make their return in Disgaea 2. The two main characters of this quest are Adel, a young man who decides to become a hero, and Rosalinde, a spoiled 17-year-old demon girl who is completely naive about the world. The two meet when Adel accidentally summons Rosalinde instead of her father, Overlord Xenon. After this mess up, it is now up to Adel to return her unharmed back to Xenon."

And this From the NISA website.

"DISGAEA ANIME
Popular strategy RPG turns Anime

Santa Ana, Calif. (October 17, 2005) - Strategy role playing game publisher NIS America Inc. is pleased to announce that a TV anime series based off Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is in the works by D-Rights, Inc., Geneon, Inc., and Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. The animated series will be broadcasted in Japan in the spring of 2006.

About Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
The Netherworld - a place darker than a pitch-black cave, located deeper than the depths of the seas. It is a cursed land where evil reigns and foul beings dwell. Nobody knows its whereabouts, but everybody fears its existence...

The story takes place two years after the death of King Krichevskoy, the ruler of the Netherworld. His son Laharl slept for two whole years, unaware of his father's death, while demons fought for supremacy over the Netherworld. With the help of his vassal, Etna and her underlings, the egocentric, megalomaniac Prince Laharl fights his way to become the next overlord."

Tsukuyomi ~Moonphase~ - Finally Some Answers!

2005-10-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

The following is from someone who actually knows what he/she is talking about. Read as this AnimeSuki forum member tries to make sense of what may of happened during the infamous "still-cuts" of episodes #12 and #24 of Tsukuyomi. Best theory I've heard yet...

Btw, wish I could provide some actual video of the said subject matter, (threw away my old fansubs on account that the DVD release will contain never-before-seen footage of the show!)

Momoi Halko's Latest Single

2005-10-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

WONDER MOMO‐i～New recording～」
＜コロムビアミュージックエンタテインメント＞

1.WONDER MOMO‐i～New recording～
2.Once Upon A Time
3.WONDER MOMO‐i (オリジナル・カラオケ)
4.Once Upon A Time (オリジナル・カラオケ)

This is Momoi Halko's first "real" single since the breakup of her former group UNDER17. The tracks include a collaboration with Manzo of Nihon Break Kougyou and of Genshinken OP fame. But what is up with this new look. She's either paying homage to the classic 1987 PC game "Wonder Momo", or has re-established herself with yet another new identity (j/k!). Either way, I love it!

エエｴｴェェェｪ(゜Д゜；)ｪェェェｴｴエエ

Tenchi Family Tree

2005-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Saw this on the net a few times... don't know who the original designer was, but thought of updating it a little to reflect all the recent revelations that have occured in OVA III and GXP. (*Beware of spoilers)

Rozen Maiden ~Träumend~ OP/ED Video

2005-10-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Rozen Maiden ~Träumend~ OP
[WMV Format]

Rozen Maiden ~Träumend~ ED
[WMV Format]

*Ripped by yours truly...

Trigun Movie?

2005-10-20T22:37:00.001-07:00

// anime headlines

Credit goes out to ANN this time for reporting a story straight from the October issue of Neo UK Magazine on the announcement of an upcoming Trigun movie project.

...interview with Studio Madhouse's founder, Masao Maruyama. In it he says the studio is working on a Trigun Movie that should be released in a "couple of years". The November issue of Anime Insider also confirms this news."

Rozen Maiden ~Träumend~ - Ep.1

2005-10-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

[RAW Torrent]

I think I ｷﾀ━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━!! about 7 times while watching this, (one for each maiden). Jun wasn't that bad either. Seems like he finally grew out of his hikikomori phase and got himself an actual life outside of home. Shinku, Hina Ichigo, Suiseiseki, Souseiseki, they're all back!, (even detective Kun-Kun) ... and wow, what an awesome intro for the 7th maiden Barasuishou. Not only that, but Shinku is starting to blame herself for Suigintou's fate in turning into "junk". Could she be somehow involved in Suigintou's comeback?

Overall Grade: A+

Rozen Maiden ~Träumend~ Countdown

2005-10-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Countdown 'till premiere: 4h47m

Manga Review: Confidential Confessions by Coengar2

2005-10-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

As anyone who has read my previous reviews know,i like manga that makes me laugh.I have a real weakness for romantic comedies,i just cant but help feel sorry for the poor guys making fools of themselves in the name of love (been there,done that) However,lurking in my anime/manga collections are a few secrets. I like the anime series Gantz,it's raw and gorey but it stirs my emotions.For the manga version of this effect,i offer the following:

Title: Confedential Confessions
Publisher: Tokyopop
Genre: Drama
Volumes: 6
Age: Older Teen 16+ definatly
Violence: on occasion
Sex/Nudity: on occasion
Status: Finished series,all volumes published (i think)

Confidential Confessions is an anthology series,each volume contains one or two stories.Each story has multilayered characters and well developed storylines that are very realistic. What makes this series so good is that the stories deal with important issues such as teen prostitution,drug abuse,stalkers and sexual harrassment,and they do so with emotions that reach out to the reader and draw them in.

Good points:The art work is very good.The storylines are intense and give the reader a "real world" feel of the story.The characters are well developed.

Bad points: the subject matter definatly makes this a series NOT for the tiny tots.However,you may want to let your older teens read the series,it could give you a way to discuss touchy subjects with them.

Overall review: this is a good series!! The stories are believable and so are the reactions of the characters in them.They hit on important issues and portray them in stark but enjoyable ways.I'm not going to keep bringing up the point. Just go out and try the series for yourself. You just might enjoy it,or at least perhaps see a different side to an important issue.Like i said before,it's also a great way to bring up such topics to your older teens and to be able to discuss them with them.

Coengar2 gives this series a 4 out of 5 and says:YOU GOTTA CHECK THIS OUT!!!

ARIA - Ep. 1

2005-10-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

[Torrent]

Akari Mizunashi, wearing a nekomimi cap of all things, wakes up every morning next to the president of ARIA Company, (who happens to be some odd cat-like creature). Just what the hell is this thing suppose to be exactly?

Sure it maybe cute, but looks can be deceiving.

Oh and what's this..., a young girl has snuck onto one of their gondolas. You know she's just asking for trouble.

(*Note - In the original manga, an old man sneaks on instead of Ai-chan. No complaints here.)

No big plot development or action-packed scenes to be found here. Just stories of discovering the joys in the little things of life that we take for granted.

Overall Grade: B-

Tsubasa Chronicle - Series 2 in '06

2005-10-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

// anime headlines

Just in: A second Tsubasa Chronicle series has been officially announced for next Spring 2006 and will air on NHK.
If you haven't heard the news already, xxxHolic will have a full-animated TV series starting Spring 2006, (also on NHK). The two shows, Tsubasa and xxxHolic, may most likely play back-to-back but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Source: CLAMP

Anime review: Super Gals by Coengar2

2005-10-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

One of the things you discover when you watch/read a lot of anime/manga is that you begin to pick up a few japanese words and phrases,you just cant help it. Often it's pretty easy to figure out the meaning to a new phrase or word,but sometimes it's not easy.Recently,i was trying to discover the meaning to the term "kogal" also seen as "ko-gal" i've run across it a few times in manga but could never quite grasp it's meaning.I knew it had some thing to do with girls. a web search of the term turned up a few suggested meanings,not to mention more than a few "interesting"websites the general definition of Kogal is a young,midteens,girl who is into the current trends,fashion conscious,status aware and more interested in enjoying the now than worrying about the future. An American equivalent would be the term "Mallrat". ok,got that? good. Now the other day i was searching the anime selects section on cable on demand and i came across the following series which fully explained Kogal to me. allow me to introduce you to..

Title: Super Gals
Released by: ADV Anime
Violence: some fighting
Sex/Nudity: None
Swearing: yep,nothing too graphic though

The series follows the adventures of Ran Kotobuki,the self proclaimed queen of the Shubuya Gals and her friends,Miyu who is slightly scatterbrained and totally in love with Ran's older brother Yamato and shy Kogal in training Aya the class genius.Together these girls hang out and have a good time while dealing with the trials of love and life,of insecurity in love and obsessive wanna be boyfriends.They live life by thier own rules but also try to keep up with the latest trends and what's hot. At Shubuya they run into and become friends with two of the local teen boy idols,Rei and Yuya. Rei is amused by the girls antics in a standoffish kind of way while Yuya finds himself falling for the wildly energetic Ran.

Good points: the series is very funny.The girls are very enjoyable to watch in action.The series is filled will Kogal phrases which are explained with cut in scenes. A nice touch to the series is that instead of making a bunch of "cookie cutter" characters,differentiated by hair color and clothes only,each one has a background story that occasionally works it's way into the storyline.
Ran's family for at least the last 5 generations has been police officers and they are determined that Ran will be one too despite Ran's repeated and very loud declarations that she has no intention of becoming a "Blue Suit"
Miyu was a former gang leader with a nasty reputation for violence and great skill in fighting,both armed and unarmed.She was turned from her violent ways by Yamato and has become totally devoted to him.Ran often calls her his wife,to Yamato's embarassment and Miyu's delight.
Aya chafes under the severe rules imposed on her by her controlling and strict parents.Because they wouldnt let her get a job she began to secretly work as a paid escort and was almost about to become a prostitute when Ran literally slapped the idea from her head.Ran has decided that Aya needs to come out of her shell and has begun to teach her in the ways of being a Gal.
Yamato loves Miyu but is concerned not only that she is an exgang leader and he is a police officer,but also about the fact that he is several years older than her.He is also rather inexperianced in romance and when Miyu acts a little forward towards him it often sends him into a panic.

Bad Points:lots of swearing makes this not really one to let the tiny tots watch,but the language is nothing you wouldnt hear at any junior high school.

Overall review: This is a funny series.i like the various storylines and the fact that the girls are a great team and yet each is developed as individuals makes it all the better.To be honest,i didnt think that this series would by my cup of tea,but i did find myself enjoying it.I like that they explain all the Kogal phrases and that the characters pretty much stay true to themselves. all in all,this is a great series to watch when you need a laugh or even just want to relax,which is pretty much what you want from a series like this.It's worth a look.

Coengar2 gives this series a solid 3 out of 5 and says: CHECK IT OUT!!!!

More Updates...

2005-10-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

// media updates

Full Album Downloads

* Madlax OST I & II
MP3 Download [Pass: benoist]

* Densha Otoko - Romantic ga Tomaranai
* Angela - You Get to Burning
* BLEACH - [ED 4]
* FMP! TSR - [OP]
* FMP! TSR - [ED]
* Pani Poni Dash! [OP 1]
* Pani Poni Dash! [OP 2]
* Pani Poni Dash! [ED]
* Fate/stay night [OP]
* Fate/stay night [ED]
Wallpaper Goods

* Firefox-ko
* Ichigo Mashimaro
* Tsubasa Chronicle
* Dokuro-chan

M.I.A.

2005-10-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

Just to let you all know that I've been really busy w/ UCLA and all, (I'm really close to graduating from college finally), but I will try to update the blog whenever I have the free time. I'll probably post an update to the media portion of the site sometime this week. (Don't worry, I'll have plenty of rare goods to share). Also I've been finding myself more immensed in the world of eroge sims than usual, (i.e. AIR, Shuffle!, To Heart 2). I know I sometimes do post an entry on new bishoujo games every now and then, but I'm actually playing a lot more of them compared to before. Maybe b/c I recently discovered OTH... hmmm. This nifty program allows one to translate any eroge story in real time, (of course, not in complete sentences... but still it's better than nothing.) Anyway, here's a few titles I've managed to get pretty far in:

- Click Image for Full Result -

Also, make sure to check out "Densha Otoko - Another Finale" if you haven't already.

As for me, I got some new shows to check out... like Mai-Otome and Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's 2... and of course, more Miu, er I mean, Ichigo Mashimaro!

Another DJ Sharpnel release!

Nothing Much...

2005-10-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

(*from AnimeDreamer36)

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. I've just had a lot of other things to do, and there hasn't really been much local anime news lately. But I found time to do a little post today, so here it is ^^,,,

// TV sector

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is set to premiere on CN's Miguzi this coming Monday, October 10th at 5pm. And just a side note that the last season of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters is currently airing on Kids' WB.
The new episodes of Inuyasha that are being shown every Saturday night on Adult Swim are set to go until episode 126. After that, new episodes probably won't continue until sometime in 2006(they're currently on episode 122.) As for the new episodes of Full Metal Alchemist, those will probably continue until the last episode, episode 51, but I'm not positive.

Manga Review:Happy Hustle High by Coengar2

2005-10-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

One of the dubious joys of living in Seattle is that throughout the fall and into late spring there are a whole lot of gray,gloomy rainy days.The kind of gloomy days that answer the question why does Seattle have such a high suicide rate? And why do so many serial killers come from the NorthWest? To avoid joining either group i tend to deal with such days by reading manga that i find very funny. Here's one that really helps me through the gloom:

Title: Happy Hustle High
Publisher: Viz Media
Genre: Comedy,Romance
Volumes: 3 so far,Volume 4 due in December
Age: Older Teen 16+
Violence: not much,mostly slapstick,although Hanabi kicks butt a time or two
Sex/Nudity: Some fanservice,not much though. Some content
Status: Ongoing Series,still being published

When Uchino High,an all girls school runs into financial trouble,it merges with Meibi High,an all boys school.The trouble is that Meibi has a very strict code of student conduct which includes a no dating clause.The girls representatives to the student council are too much in awe and love struck with the boys reps to do anything to get the code changed,so they go to the one girl who can get resist the boys good looks. Hanabi Ozora is the energetic,opinionated,butt kicking girl for the job and in exchange for a months worth of free lunches soon finds herself locking horns with the boys reps over the conduct code.Student president Yoshitomo Kuon says he'll change the code if she can get the other two reps to agree.Tokishia Aido is easily bought off with free food,however,student vicepresident Yasuaki Garaku is a tougher nut to crack.In fact he seems to hate girls in general and Hanabi most of all.Hanabi swears not to give up and makes such a pest of herself that Yasuaki gives in just to get rid of her.in truth however,Yasuaki doesnt hate girls,he just grew up in an all male household and has no real experiance with girls so he's very shy.Yasuaki soon discovers that he has fallen in love with Hanabi,not knowing that she too has fallen for him.

Good points: The artwork is pretty good,but can get rather cartoony,however it tends to do this at appropriate moments in the story and can be pretty cute. the story is pretty good although is familiar to any readers familiar with the shojo style of manga.The best point lies with the main character,Hanabi,she is such a free spirit and watching her in action is pretty cool (just dont make fun of her thick uncontroled mane of hair) Watching her relationship with Yasuaki grow is fun too.

Bad points:Yasuaki can be rather gloomy and brooding which makes Hanabi's puppydog like fixation to him a tad hard to understand.

Overall review:To be honest,H3 probably wont become a manga classic,it's pretty much standard shojo.However,the series runs best when it just let's Hanabi be herself,which is a lot of fun to watch.You cant help but fall for the girl yourself.It definatly packs a lot of laughs and i quite often find myself going back to it for a reread on those gloomy Seattle days. To be honest,i doubt that i can explain this series and do it justice,it's one that you have to experiance first hand. Go on and give it a look,i think you just might like it.Oh yeah,there are several more serious moments in the story,mostly dealing with Hanabi and Yasuaki's relationship that add much to the series,it's not all slapstick you know LOL

Coengar2 gives this series a 3.5 out of 5 (and says that it might go higher if it can keep being funny) and says:CHECK IT OUT!!!!

Visual Novel News

2005-10-04T00:58:00.000-07:00

// eroge sims

Tsukihime translation screens.
To Heart like you've never seen it before. Just what was Leaf/Aquaplus thinking...

Disgaea 2 Game Scans

2005-10-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

-- Click For Bigger Image --

Disgaea 2 Website

2005-10-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

Disgaea 2 Official Website

Check it out!

Good deal? You tell me...

2005-09-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Series: Rurouni Kenshin
# of DVDs: 22 (entire TV collection)
Condition: Brand New
Type: Official US Release
Price: Just under $300
Good Deal? : I sure hope so

[Ebay Auction]

Disgaea 2: Meet Our New Hero Adel...

2005-09-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

"The main character in Disgaea 2 is Adel, a red-haired, hot-tempered 17-year-old. All the people in Adel's world were turned to devils 15 years ago, when the dark lord Xenon appeared and cursed the populace. For unexplained reasons, Adel is the only person unaffected by the curse, and he sets out to fight Xenon and turn his family back into humans. Despite the demonic setting, though, Disgaea 2 stays true to the series' comedic tradition, often employing dark humor."

So far I've heard everything from, "OMG there IS a God!!" to, "why bother calling it Disgaea 2 if it's not starring Laharl & co? That's just going to piss people off."

Anyway, more from Gamespot:

"Disgaea 2 takes place three years after the original, and it plays with new main characters. Producer Souhei Shinwaka told Dengeki PlayStation that he originally planned to make the characters from the first game Disgaea 2's heroes. Instead, he created a new world and cast for Disgaea 2, and gave the characters from the original Disgaea, including heroine Ethna and the Prinny penguins, supporting roles."

Click for bigger image:

Either way, I'm excited beyond words!! *runs out the house nekkid*

Manga Review: Cheeky Angel by Coengar2

2005-09-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

ok,anyone who has read my review of W.Juliet knows,and if you havent read it,than please go do so or better yet just read the series,it's that good. I am not a big fan of gender bending series,to be honest until W.Juliet came out,Ranma 1/2 was the only such type series that interested me. Now has come along Cheeky Angel,which has not only caught my interest,but has joined my "Must go out and buy all of series as fast as i can" list. with so many manga titles out there,that's not an easy list to make.

Title: Cheeky Angel
Publisher: Viz
Genre: Action,Shojo
Volumes: 8 so far
Age: Older teen 16+
Violence: Some,mostly fighting
Sex/Nudity: Not really, but some adult style content in conversations
Status: Ongoing series,Still being published

Megumi Amatsuka is a 9 year old martial arts expert with plenty of attitude and a strong dislike of bullies,thugs and punks.One day he and his best gal pal Miki Kabanain are walking along the river when they see an old man wearing a hooded robe about to be jumped by a gang of punks. grabbing a big stick,Megumi leaps to the old man's rescue and soon chases off the would be attackers.The old man claims to be a wizard and gives Megumi a magic book as a reward,than wanders off while Megumi and Miki check out the book.Despite Miki's appreahensions,Megumi opens the book and a genie (of sorts) appears and tells him that he will grant Megumi one wish.Before Miki can stop him,Megumi wishes to become the "Manliest of Men",and so his wish is granted (sort of). the genie instead of making him the manliest of men,has instead made him the womanliest of women.the genies says that he simply misunderstood Megumi's request and would be happy to turn him back to a boy for the small price of 10years of Megumi's lifespan.Angered with being scammed,Megumi throws the book into the river and storms off. Fast forward 6 years,Megumi has grown up to be the hottest girl in school with deep brown eyes,waist length silky brown hair,long legs and with an angel's face and grace of movements.However,no matter how good she looks on the outside,inside he's still the same butt kicking,thug hating guy he always was,despite miki's constant attempts to convince him to just stop fighting it and accept being a girl.Megumi still searches for the magic book in the hopes that she can get the genie to change her back. There are two problems though..... 1)the longer Meg is under the effects of the curse,the more in touch with her feminine side she gets and the more she begins to consider herself a SHE and not a HE. 2) There is Megumi's Musketeers ,a small group of 4 boys from her high school who are totally smitten by her and have teamed up to protect thier "angel" from the evils of high school life,not to mention to find ways to get close to her,she considers them to be big pains and pests at first,but thier loyalty to her begins to win her over. However,one of them,named Genzo Soga,is the biggest,meanest thug in school.His first meeting with Meg ends with him getting a swift kick in the hurty bits.Their second meeting ends with him receiving a spinning back kick to the chin.From then on,he's madly in love with Meg and vows that he will marry her one day,or die trying (my money is on option #2 LOL) Meg's biggest problem however is that when problem # 1 and problem #2 combine,she finds herself dealing with thoughts and emotions that she's never had before.

Good Points: The characters are great and develop nicely through the series.there is enough action,comedy,drama and yes even some romantic tension to make every reader able to find something they'll enjoy in this series.

Bad Points:the quality of the art work varies at times.It's not bad most of the time but occassionally becomes a bit too cartoony at the wrong moments (especially early in the series). But that's really only a small complaint given how good the characters are. Several parts of the story have (to me at least) a kind of "that's nice but why was it in there?" feel to them.I like all of the series,there were just a few places where the story didnt quite seem to fit. Megumi's dad is creepy in a bad hentai movie kind of way,often looking at Meg and Miki with rather unfatherly desires and intent at times,but it is fun watching Meg lay the smack down on him.

Overall review: ok,it's not the perfect manga,there are several awkward pieces to it,but when you look instead at the whole,this is a really fun series that makes for a great kick back on a lazy day read.I'm sure any reader will find something that they enjoy about the series,and that alone covers up a lot of flaws.I personally enjoy this series and buy each volume as soon as i can.It's not yet on my "Manga every Otaku needs to own list" but if the characters and storylines keep developing as well as they have been,it soon will be

Coengar2 gives this series a 4 out of 5 and says: CHECK IT OUT,YOU JUST MIGHT LIKE IT!!!

see you next week when i review Happy Hustle High

Moonphase BBS now CONFIRMS!!

2005-09-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Disgaea 2 confirmed!!

You want a source, here's your source!

(Holy %#$@, who the hell are those two new characters? No Laharl!!?? Bad Ending?)

- edit -

Cameos from Makai Kingdom!

Disgaea 2: Possible News Leak?

2005-09-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

From German site GameFront

"Disgaea 2 in Arbeit

28.09.05 - Nippon Ichi arbeitet laut der Famitsu und Dengeki PS2 an dem Strategiespiel Disgaea 2, das im Dezember 2005 in Japan auf den Markt kommen soll; die Plattform ist noch unklar. Der Vorgänger Disgaea: Hour of Darkness wurde am 30.01.03 in Japan für PlayStation2 ausgeliefert."

Loose Translation:

"Disgaea 2 in the Works

28.09.05 - According to Famitsu and Dengeki PS2, Nippon Ichi is working on the strategy game Disgaea 2, which is to be released in Japan in December 2005; the platform is still not known. Its predecessor, Disgaea: Hour OF Darkness, was released in Japan on 1/30/03 for the PlayStation2."

[*Special thanks to one of our visitors for bringing this to my attention]

Angela & Sue: Genshiken's newest members...

2005-09-28T02:57:00.000-07:00

... and they're American!

[Pic 1]
[Pic 2]

Nippon Ichi Game for the PS3, but not Makai Wars...

2005-09-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

Now there are new reports coming in that Nippon Ichi's upcoming PS3 title will NOT be Makai Wars as earlier reported, but instead some "unknown" project. Also, NIS is expected to make some kind of "special" announcement sometime next week. No one knows for sure what they plan on revealing, however, rumors have been circulating for quite sometime across the net of a possible sequel to Disgaea, (considering the anime adaptation debut for 2006 already set).

- edit -

It appears Sony was the one who ~~lied~~ made the mistake. NIS never even had a booth at Tokyo Game Show 2005! (where the PS3 Makai Wars announcement was made.)

Apple iPod Nano (Black)

2005-09-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Just bought mine!

Manga review: Hot Gimmick by Coengar2

2005-09-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have been a long time fan of manga/anime for way longer than i care to remember,i remember when Speed Racer and Starblazers first aired on U.S. television (which probably makes me one of the oldest posters on this site LOL) Anyway,in all that time only a handful of series have caught my interest with such an intensity that i had to rush out and buy all the volumes that i could get my hands on. Love Hina and Chobits are on the list,as is Ai Yori Aoshi and Kare Kano.I am pleased to announce that Hot Gimmick has made the list as well....

Title: Hot Gimmick
Publisher: Viz
Genre: Drama,romance
Age: Older teen 16+ (definatly)
Volumes: 9 so far
Violence: some
Sex/Nudity: some fanservice (not much) adult content and themes
Status: On going series,still being published

17 year old high school girl Hatsumi Narita lives in a corporate owned apartment complex with her parents,older brother Shinogu (19),kid sister Akane (15) and youngest brother Hikaru (5). Dad is a midlevel corporate drone who is often sent on assignments that take him away from home for long periods of time. Shinogu works a lot of part time jobs and studies for his college entrance exams. Akane is very popular with the guys around the neighborhood and is known as an easy lay.Hatsumi is rather shy and quiet,struggling to just get through high school without drawing too much attention to herself.She shares classes with her good friend (and super otaku) Subaru Yagi.Because she is shy,Hatsumi is still a virgin,having never even had a boyfriend,something Akane enjoys teasing her about. one day Akane confesses to Hatsumi that she may be pregnant and convinces her to go buy her a pregnancy test to make sure.After finally getting up the nerve to buy the test,she is almost home when she collides into Ryoki Tachibana,a boy who bullied Hatsumi throughout elementary school until he went to a private school.He still scares her.Ryoki finds the pregnancy test and Hatsumi accidently blurts out that it's for Akane not her.She begs Ryoki not to tell anyone,especially not his parents.Ryoki's dad is the boss of Hatsumi's father and Ryoki's mother is the sharp tongued manipulative landlady of the complex.Ryoki agrees not to tell,but only if Hatsumi becomes his slave,willing to do anything he commands her to do.with much fearful hesitation she reluctanly agrees,hoping that by doing so he wont tell her secret and cause her family to suffer a shameful humiliation.Ryoki is mean spirited and still bullies Hatsumi and tells her that he's only going to use her to practice having sex.However,Hatsumi is soon saved by the sudden arrival of Azusa,her childhood friend and the only one who ever dared to stand up to Ryoki.Azusa has become a popular teen model and is living with his father and they are moving back into the building.Azusa soon sweeps Hatsumi off her feet much to the displeasure of Ryoki who wont let Hatsumi forget that she is still his slave,unless, of course,she wants him to tell everyone her secret. But Azusa has a secret of his own and his plans for Hatsumi might not be as noble as she thinks they are

Good points:the artwork is good.the storyline is a great example of shojo style manga,with well developed characters and is well mixed with humour and drama and more than a few unexpected plot twists

Bad points:The story sometimes feels a little to soap opera at times,especially since evertone seems to have some hidden secret.a few of the plot twists can be seen coming a mile away

BEST POINTS: Many of the main characters are not cut and dry good guy/bad guy types.they often have a duality to their personalities. for example....

Hatsumi is very good natured and kind hearted,however,it is her low self esteem,lack of self confidence a unwillingness to stand up for herself that gets her into many of the bad situations that she finds herself in.

Ryoki is mean spirited,egotistical,self centered and treats Hatsumi in a very domineering and controlling manner.But as the series progresses you begin to understand that he has deep feelings for her and it is the fact that he is inexperianced with romance and that these feelings are forcing him to step out of his self centered comfort zone that you can begin to see why he acts the way he does.

WARNING:SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD!!!
One of the best points is watching Akane,who has always considered love and relationships as a game and sex to be just something you do,fall in real love for the first time (with Subaru of all people).Subaru has few skills in dealing with people (Hatsumi and Ryoki being his only real friends) and is very shy,so the outgoing and very sure of herself Akane scares the begeezus out of him.Watching their awkward relationship grow is great fun to watch

Overall review:This is a great series,it can be a bit deep and even disturbing at times,but is well worth adding to any otaku's manga collection. Viz has hyped this series up as one of japans most talked about series.Normally,i dont listen to all the hype,but this time i feel it is warrented.

Coengar2 gives this series a big thumbs up and a 4 out of 5 and says:YOU REALLY GOTTA CHECK THIS ONE OUT!!!!

Densha Otoko TV Special Announced

2005-09-22T03:07:00.000-07:00

In less than 3 hours from now (3:10am PST), the final 90 minute episode of the TV drama "Densha Otoko" will go on air. Although it's sad to see this great series come to an end, an "extra" episode has been set to premiere sometime in October:

Tentative Title: Densha Otoko - Another Story (focused on Matsunaga's character)
Premiere Date: October 6th
News Source: Sanspo.com online article.

[PV] Hitomi Takahashi - Bokutachi no Yukue

2005-09-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Artist(s): Hitomi Takahashi
Song: Bokutachi no Yukue
Type: Promotional Video
Download: [Here]
Comments: a.k.a. Gundam SEED Destiny OP3

[PV] ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION - Rewrite

2005-09-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Artist(s): ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
Song: Rewrite
Type: Promotional Video
Download: [Here]
Comments: a.k.a. Fullmetal Alchemist OP4

Disgaea Staff + NIS for the PS3! + Moetron's Future

2005-09-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

// anime headlines

The staff for the upcoming Disgaea anime has been revealed. Now allow me to translate.

- Director: Kiyotaka Isako (Mizuiro OVA)
- Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka (Samurai 7)
- Character Designs: Akira Kano (Initial D: Fourth Stage)
Fate/stay night the anime. Hearing about it is not enough. Seeing it in full-motion would be a dream come true. Well, on November 23rd, you'll get to do just that, with this release of Fate/stay night the promotional DVD.
Animation Kobe Fair recently gave the Gonzo Digimation series Gankutsuou the award for "Best TV Series".
To Heart 2 official anime website debut! So far we have info on characters, staff members, and other related goods.
Upcoming Hellsing Ultimate OVA now has a trailer available for your viewing pleasure. [Image] (Geneon: pronounced "Jenny-on")
Production IG's King of Fighters: Another Day is scheduled for December. Slated for four episodes.
I'm sure you're all aware of the upcoming I's OVA

// on japanese shores

Tokyo Game Show 2005 complete coverage can be found at GameWatch and IGN, (thanks to nerdcoreprincess for this item.)
Well folks, in case you haven't heard, next week's Final episode of Densha Otoko will in fact be 90 minutes, (1 hour and a half). Damn, that's as long as the movie isn't it?

// gaming news (console)

From within the doors of Tokyo Game Show 2005 comes the unveiling of Nintendo's best "little" well-kept secret...

Characteristics include:

- 3D Pointing: Directional motion sensors.

- Tilt Sensitive: Rotate 180' or rolled from side-to-side.

- Trigger Buttons: Triggers found on back surface w/ the obvious face buttons on the front and D-Pad.

- Multifunctional: Expansion port which allows for different types of controller peripherals. (Ex: Analog joystick w/ two trigger buttons)

- Wireless: Just like all the other next-gen consoles ;p

- Rumble Built-in: As expected.

Surprised? Big time. Excited? Very. Also you MUST check out this awesome trailer for the new Revolution controller.
Nippon Ichi's Makai Wars, which was originally intended for the PSP, will instead be released for the PS3 next year! (Freakin' sweet)
Namco's official website for Xenosaga Episode III now up.

// figure collecting

Megahouse and their release of Lisianthus and Nerine (Shuffle!) PVCs. Impressive yes?
Good Smile Company has unveiled their release of Natsuki (My-HiME) and Nao (Mabinogi) PVCs. Expected to hit store shelves sometime in December.
B/C you can never get enough of these moe figures, here comes Tsukuyomi ~Furu Furu Furu Muun BOX~ and 1/8 scale Becky and Mesousa (PaniPoni Dash!). December release.
1/8 KOS-MOS (Xenosaga Ep.1) and 1/6 Tousaka Rin (Fate/stay night) swimsuit.
Chari-ani.com and their Ren (DearS) PVC.
Magna Carta Collection Figures. Released sometime this month at about ¥4,000.
Aries PVC. Good stuff.

// random notes

I'm sure many of you remember an entry I posted not too long ago regarding Taiwanese artist Shaun Yu and his obvious attempt at plagiarizing the AIR TV theme "Tori no Uta". Well Key has finally decided to respond to this incident on their website. They show no ill-feelings towards Sony BMG Taiwan or Mr. Yu, but do seek an public apology from both parties. If their wishes are met, then any chance of a lawsuit will be dropped. (I'll keep you updated on all the latest developments.)
ANN interview with the infamous crossplayer Man-Faye.
Brand new Guilty Gear Soundtrack Collection Box (8 discs).

// media updates

Full Album Downloads:

> Orange Range's discography
Promotional Video:

> UNDER17 - Tenbatsu Angel Rabbie
Wallpaper Goods:

> Shining Tears
> Ichigo Mashimaro
> Keroro Gunsou

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA III - Episode 19.5

2005-09-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

// anime reviews

Review coming soon...

[Update] - Do As Infinity, not so infinite afterall

2005-09-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

// music headlines

Do As Infinity, one of AVEX's most successful rock/pop music bands, has reportedly called it quits. This letter from the official DAI fan club confirms all the details, including the date (November 25th) as the day for all activity within the group to cease.

Details:

- Lead vocalist Van Tomiko will continue on as a solo artist.
- Guitarist/Vocalist Owatari Ryo will pursue a career as the leader of his group, Missle Innovation.
- Composer/Guitarist Nagao Dai will act as producer and song writer for another group known as Amasia Landscape.
- AVEX has already started preparations on their website for Van Tomiko's future solo career.
- Reason for the breakup? The letter describes it as a "natural result" of each member wanting to "move up" in their music career.
- The DAI official website also has confirmation of the split.
- Final single is set out for September 28th.
- Final concert is expected to be held at Budokan, Tokyo on November 25th.

As I am sad to see one of my most beloved groups end their run, I am at the same time relieved that all the former members will in some way continue to entertain us with their musical talents. The band, which first debuted on September 29, 1999, has released 6 albums, 20+singles, 4 compilation cds, and 3 Live DVD sets. Their music has also been used for animated programs such as Vampire Hunter D, Zoids Genesis, and Inuyasha. If you never heard their original style of music before, you can check out this torrent with an "almost" complete DISCOGRAPHY of all their work, (about 2 gigs worth).

[Torrent] - DAI discography.

D(ubbed)-Day for Naruto

2005-09-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

by Animedreamer36

First off, sorry I haven't been able to do any posts for a while. I just recently started school and work at the same time and I've been really busy. The only time I'll probably have time to do posts from now on is on the weekends, but I'll try as much as I can ^_^
Anyway, as you all probably know by now, last night Toonami premiered the first two dubbed episodes of Naruto. After watching them both, I'm happy to report that they were not bad at all. I'm sure some die-hard Naruto fans would seriously disagree with me, but from the point of view of someone who watches both subbed and dubbed anime, it was definitely far from being a bad dub. We should all be grateful that Viz got the rights to dub Naruto and not 4Kids.

First of all, the sound: aside from changing the opening and ending songs, all of the original background music was kept intact. Also, Viz didn't add any music or new dialogue during moments of silence either(4Kids probably would have.)

Second, edits: I couldn't spot any major edits at all. All the characters kept their original names and not only did they keep Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu and even his Harem no Jutsu, but even though they had to tone down the nosebleeds and blood, they still showed a little bit(after Iruka was attacked by Mizuki you could still see a little blood on his back and his leg.) They even allowed Hokage to smoke his pipe! And I'd also like to point out that they actually allowed characters to say "kill" and "killed." If this was a 4kids dub, they would get rid of every speck of blood and you could forget about the Sexy and Harem Jutsus and Hokage's pipe(they would probably make his pipe a jaw breaker or something, LOL.) And considering 4Kids won't allow any character on One Piece or Yu-Gi-Oh! to say "killed" or "died," I doubt they would give Naruto that liberty(they would probably say "got sent to the ninja shadow realm" or something instead.) So yeah, Viz definitely gets points for all that ^_^

And third, the voices: I wouldn't say they're spectacular, but they're not bad. Naruto's voice is pretty okay...it's no Junko Takeuchi, but it's decent(at least he sounds his age.) The only other characters we really heard in these first couple of episodes were Iruka, Hokage, and Konohamaru, and they all sounded fine. We only got to hear a little bit from some of the other characters like Ino and Shikamaru, but they sounded okay too. I'm not so sure I like Sakura or Kakashi's voices that much, but I'll give it time. I know it takes a while for voice actors to really get into their characters, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now ^^,,,

So in conclusion, I would have to say the dub is not a bad one. The only thing that really sucked was the opening song(I'd hardly call it a "song"...it was more like wanna-be rap music with some guy yelling something incoherent in the background. It even made the dubbed One Piece and Zatch Bell opening songs look good XP) But for a long series with a lot of characters and story arcs like Naruto it's hard to judge the dub from just two episodes, but so far I'm satisfied. Like I said, I'm sure there are a lot of fans who would think any dub of Naruto is bad, but I think Viz deserves at least some credit for actually trying to translate Naruto as opposed to rewriting and bastardizing it as 4Kids would have done.

Moe Chat + Media Updates

2005-09-09T02:21:00.000-07:00

// internet findings

Moe Chat, in case you never heard of it, is a japanese real-time chatroom that allows you to talk to a wide selection of 'moelicious' characters. When entering, you'll end up talking to whatever available seiyuu is inside, (yes this site is actually paying some actress to do this 24/7), plus some other ~~lonely~~ otakus who've also stumbled upon the room. However, an issue that comes up a lot is the case where you jump into a room and there's a male actor voicing your moe character pick... Shocking at first, but funny nevertheless. The goal? Trying to find a seiyuu with a moe worthy voice of course. The price? Free registration is available for purely text based chat. However, prepare to throw down some quick cash for the real-time voice chat option. Any advice? Well if interested, try to go for the chatrooms with the most people inside. That way you know you'll most likely end up with a female seiyuu instead of some of middle-aged hentai XP ... [Sample Pic] (*Thanks to Edge for this item.)

// media updates

Radio Blog:

> UNDER17 - "SHE.KNOW.BE"
> UNDER17 - "Popotan Hatake de Tsukamae"
> UNDER17 - "Love Slave"
> UNDER17 - "Kujibiki Unblance"
> UNDER17 - "Koko da yo"
> UNDER17 - "Koi no Milyway"
> UNDER17 - "Icchae! Poptan"
Promotional Videos:

> Hirasawa Susumu - "Forces" [Berserk insert theme] - (*Not really a PV, but more like a live mini-concert performance).

> The Penpals - "Tell Me Why" [Berserk OP]

Anime Fall 2005 Titles

2005-09-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

// anime headlines

I thought why not start off by mentioning a few titles first that will be premiering soon on various Japanese networks...

Anime Fall 2005 Titles (w/ web links I might add) :

> Noein ~ Mou Hitori no Kimi E
> Rozen Maiden Traumend (my god I can't wait...)
> Mushishi
> Cluster Edge
> Blood+ (meh...)
> Paradise Kiss
> Aria the Animation
> Shakugan no Shana
> Animal Yokomachi
> Solty Rei
> Jigoku Shoujo
> Karin
> Black Cat
> My-Otome (another new series that I have high hopes for...)
> Ginban Kaleidoscope
> Ginga Densetsu Weed
> Rockman EXE Beast
> Idaten Jump
> Capeta
> Akagi (based on mahjong manga with the same title)
> Kotenkotenko
> To Heart 2 (PK approves whole-heartedly^^)
> Happy Seven The TV Manga
> Angel Heart
> Kashimashi
> Gunparade Orchestra (guess I could give this a chance)
> Black Lagoon
> Canvas 2
> Nanoha A's
> Ramune
I's OVA 2 is now in production, with a release date set for the upcoming month of December. The news first appeared on Masakazu Katsura's offical website. It's slated for six brand new episodes, with Mamoru Kanbe directing of course.
10 years. Yes, 10 years since Shin Seiki Evangelion first premiered and Gainax is letting you, the consumer, know by releasing a wave of new ads focusing on merchandise such as the new 10th Anniversary Vocal Album. Also, take a look at this Eva slot machine. (Why not check this site out also since we're on the subject.)
From the people who brought us City Hunter comes a new anime-adapted series titled Angel Heart, (first reported by Hobby Channel).

// gaming news (console)

Rozen Maiden's official site states that yes, there will be a PS2 game coming out soon. More Shinku FTW!!

// on japanese shores

How many of you remember me mentioning an idol by the name of Irie Saaya that dwellers of 2ch obsessed over for the longest time? Well, guess what. She just made her first TV appearance! [Pic 1] , [Pic 2], [Pic 3]. Anyway, the whole shock came by in a TV commercial with her group Sweet Kiss for a game by Epoch Company. (*Side note: the ad aired during the latest episode of the ever-so popular Gundam SEED Destiny anime series). "Saaya KITA--!" the 2ch fanatics would all chant as they welcomed back their lovable net idol. It also seems that Irie and her group Sweet Kiss have officially been invited to the game's release event.

// eroge pc gaming (mature content)

Game: School Love～そよ風のハーモニー～
Developer: DisAbel
Latest Trailer: [Download]
New opening themes ready for download:

> Maturi Kikaku's Kura

> Light's Gunjou no Sora wo Koete

> Tomato's Himemusha
Type Moon has released a playable demo of the Fate/hollow ataraxia, (available through BitTorrent, which is surprising to say the least). If you're not familiar with what exactly this is, then allow me to quickly explain. Fate/hollow ataraxia is a Fate/stay night "fan disc" which consists of minigames, guest artist wallpaper, and visual novel subplots... along with a few other extras.

Anime Review: Midori Days by Coengar2

2005-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings Everyone

Well,if anyone has read my last posting,then they will recall that i spent most of August in and out of doctor offices and diagnostic clinics.They didnt find anything to serious and i did manage to catch up on my back log of manga to read.which did leave me with the problem of what to do now that i'm out of manga to read.I was at the local mall checking out manga at the bookstore when i decided to wander next door to the video store and see if there was any anime worth looking into. You ever see something that at first glance made you think "Geez,how stupid is that??" but then it grows on you the more you check it out? well that's exactly what this series did to me,so allow me to introduce you to the following:

Title: Midori Days
released by: Anime works
Volumes in series: 3
Price per volume: $29.99
Violence: Street fighting
Sex/Nudity: mostly a few bare breasts shots,some sexual innuendos

in his younger days,Seiji Sawamura was a favorite target of the local bullies.But after several months of hardcore training by his tough as nails (and psycho) older sister Rin,Seiji has grown up to be the baddest streetfighter in town.With his "Demon right hand" Seiji can punch through walls and take out whole gangs of punks by himself.However such major street cred comes at a high price. All the girls at school are scared stiff of him,so for all his 17 years of life,he's never had a girlfriend.What Seiji doesnt know is that there is one girl who is not afraid of him.Her name is Midori Kasugano and she watches him quietly from afar every day.She is very shy and cant get up the nerve to even say helllo to him let alone tell him her true feelings for him.One fateful night,she makes a very heartfelt wish apon a lucky star that she could always be by Seiji's side.Her wish is granted,but not in a way that she could have imagined.When Seiji wakes up the next day he is amazed to discover that his Demon right hand has been replaced by a real live miniature girl,who happens to be naked.After calming him down,the girl introduces herself as Midori and explains about her feelings for him and about her wish,Seiji of course simply belives that he's lost his mind. But the facts are that his right hand is gone and in it's place is a living breathing girl who claims to be in love with him.She even proclaims it on the front of her handmade dress "I "Heart" Seiji".
Soon Seiji learns that there's a lot of problems with having a girl for a hand. There's all the punks out there looking to take him down,not easy to defend yourself with only one hand.There is also the fact that having a living girl for a hand would probably freak people out,so he has to keep her wrapped up in bandages.The junior high school girl down the road has a major crush on him and even the prim and proper class president has decided that Seiji would make good boyfriend material,which infuriates the jealous Midori to no end.And to make matters worse,Midori's body is back at her house in a deep coma and she has no idea how to reunite with it,and isnt even sure that she wants to.

Good points: The series is very very funny,from watching class president Ayase trying to ask Seiji out (he's to dense to notice) to watching Seiji trying to act cool in a doll shop while Midori tries on various doll sized outfits and accessories,it's all fun to watch.

Bad Points:The series can be pretty silly.Seiji can be a real jerk at times

Overall review: Ok,guy wakes up with a girl for a hand,the Freudian implications alone can make your head spin (at least her name is Midori and not Rosie) But for all of that this series is just fun. It's great to watch,especially when you are in the mood for something light hearted. With a few shots of bare breasts,one of nudity and the fact the Seiji swears a lot means that you probably dont want to let the tiny tots watch this one,but it's fine for the teenage crowd.All in all,it's a great series and with only 3 volumes in the set,it's cheap to collect

Coengar2 gives this series a 4 out of 5 and says:CHECK IT OUT!!!

[Torrent] - DJ Sharpnel & V.A. "Almost" Complete CD Collection

2005-09-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

// downloadable goods

[Torrent]

This is probably one of the best torrent shares out there right now. Includes the following albums:

> sharpnel vs Project Gabbangelion
> From.The.Heart (Hell Compilation)
> Attack.The.Sharp Flannel
> RAVE SPECTOR
> Endless Summer
> Neon Genesis Gabbangelion - Genesis0
> S.E.X. - Sound of EXtreme
> p2p. peer to peer!
> X-rated
> EARLY STYLE OF OTAKUSPEEDVIBE 1996-1998
> PPPH - Phat, Pinky, Powerful & Hard!!
> Anime Gabba It!
> NO STYLE, NO POLICY!
> SHARPNELSOUND COLLECTION -One-
> Nousatsu! Hard Break
> UG PSYCLONE
> MAD BREAKS
> LIFE IS GAME

Artist that are featured:

> DJ Sharpnel
> Society Suckers
> Killingscum
> The Speedfreak
> DJ C-Type
> Mugenjou Project
> Gabba-Eater
> DJ Strife
> DJ Jea
> BHP
> Jabbawock
> m1dy <-- one of the best out there
> plus many more...

Yeah, the batch even includes DJ Sharpnel's latest MAD BREAKS, which made an appearance at last month's C68. Anyway, if you're not familiar with the Sharpnel Sound label, or just find hardcore music 'annoying', then don't even bother downloading this set. However, if any of the above doesn't apply to you, then by all means check this out! Over 17 hours of pulsating hardcore/speedcore music, some of which are mixed-in with easily recognizable anime/videogame themes.

Try before you ~~buy~~ download:

> DJ Sharpnel - Flower Forever (Ai Yori Aoshi OP)

> DJ Sharpnel - Blue Noah (Nadia OP)

> DJ Sharpnel - 4-12+1 (Fruits Basket OP)

> DJ Sharpnel - SF-C (Streetfighter 2 Voice-overs)

> The Speedfreak - Tori no Uta (AIR TV OP)

> M-Project - Castle in the Sky 2003 (Laputa theme)

> DJ Sharpnel - Zenon (RahXephon OP)

> DJ Sharpnel - Lonely Lonely

> DJ Sharpnel - Hot Pepperz (Fav. track off the new album. Sounds like Galaxy Angel voice-overs but not sure.)

// media updates

Wallpaper Goods:

> Densha Otoko TV (Mina and friends)
> D.C. Da Capo
> Ichigo Mashimaro

10,000 Hits!!shift+1

2005-09-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Click for Full Size

Catching Up on the News...

2005-09-02T23:19:00.000-07:00

// anime headlines

Rozen Maiden ~traumend~ trailer now available from TBS. ( ^_^)b

Also, Ali Project will once again be providing their talents on the show's opening theme.
TBS is also hosting a downloadable trailer for the upcoming Gonzo produced series Black Cat. The show is scheduled to air on October 6th.
Paradise Kiss official site.
It's coming... closer... with each passing day...
Kamichu! Volume 1 R2.

// manga publishing

Peach-Pit sensei's DearS manga will finally come to an end in the November issue of Dengeki Gao. On sale September 27.

// on japanese shores

Our very own nerdcoreprincess submitted a news story regarding last week's Wonder Festival Summer 2005. On Temporary Feeling has a small gallery of some of the figures that were showcased at the event. HK-DMZ Plus also has their gallery up as well.
This one goes out to all the Itoh Misaki and Shiraishi Miho (of Densha Otoko fame) fans out there:

Miho Shiraishi - "Transit" Photo Book

Miho Shiraishi - "1st DVD LONDON CALLING"

Misaki Ito - "Mii" Photo Book
Here's a little something to add to your otaku collection. That is, if you were a serious hardcore ~~psycho~~ fan. Not to mention rich. >_>
Bishoujo Figure Convention Tokyo Guide. Cover art by ロリ-expert Poyoyon Rokku XP ...
Speaking of Rokku, MOSIAC.WAV (of We Love AKIBA-POP!! fame) have a new single coming out, [キミは何テラバイト？]. It is scheduled for 09.17. Cover art is done by the great Rokku. A sample of the title track is available here, (music performed by ex-UNDER17 guitarist Masaya Koike.

// console gaming

Namco's Soul Calibur III official US website is now up. Game is scheduled for 10.25.
Capcom's Resident Evil: Deadly Silence website is also up, though with not much content at the moment, (RE:DS is a remake of the original Resident Evil for the Nintendo DS).
Dead or Alive fans, click here and I'll guarantee you'll like what you see.
Dokuro-chan in her very own PS2 game! ぴぴるぴるぴるぴぴるぴ～
Trailer for the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex PSP game now up. Scheduled for September 15.

// eroge pc gaming

The official Fate/hollow ataraxia website is now online.
OMG! Tsukihime translation project now in beta testing.
Early I reported of possible rumors surrounding a To Heart 2 translation project. *clears throat* Rumor now confirmed.

// random notes

HOLY %$#!

// media updates

Promotional Video:

By request, KOTOKO - "Re-Sublimity" PV now up, (check the sidebar).