It has been nearly 11 months since the Tohoku earthquake that shook Japan and damaged the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, but recovery efforts are still ongoing and relief organizations are still seeking donations. Doing their part to help, figure manufacturers Max Factory and Good Smile Company have released a series of “Cheerful Japan” figures, in which a portion of the profits is donated to relief efforts. This line-up of figures include Vocaloid and anime characters dressed up in cheerleader uniforms and are sold directly by the manufacturers. While the “Cheerful Japan” figures have been very successful, out-selling most of the companies’ other products, Max Factory and Good Smile Company seem to be continuing to find ways to raise awareness and promote themselves at the same time.

With the 2012 Winter Wonder Festival coming up this month, the companies have launched a Miku Art Project to be displayed at the event. Miku Hatsune is clearly one of the most popular characters among figure collectors, so Max Factory and Good Smile Company are calling on individuals to submit pictures of their Miku or other Vocaloid figures in order to create a huge mosaic. For each submission, 100 yen will be donated to relief/recovery organizations that are continuing to clean up after the earthquake. You can submit a picture with yourself in it as long as it also contains a Vocaloid figure from either Max Factory or Good Smile Company, and what figure fanatic wouldn’t want their picture shown at the Wonder Festival?

Up to 10,000 submissions will be accepted for the mosaic, and it should be complete by February 12, the first day of the Wonder Festival. Limiting submissions to pictures of their own products may be a bit self-serving, but they are not making any money off of the submissions and they’re donating to a good cause. Anyone who already owns a Max Factory or Good Smile Company Vocaloid figure would only need to take a few minutes to take a picture and upload it to the “Wonderful Hobby Life for You” website. All images will be resized to 200×200 pixels and the final mosaic will be on Mika-tan’s blog for those who can’t make it to the Wonder Festival.

Wish Upon the Pleiades or Houkago no Pleiades in Japanese, is a short 4 episode (6 minutes each) anime sponsored by Japanese carmaker Subaru and produced by Gainax. The anime was created in order to help bring a greater awareness of Subaru’s name to anime fans. The name “Subaru” is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster and is where Subaru, the carmaker, got its name and logo.

You would think that an anime sponsored by a carmaker would be about cars, but strangely enough, it’s about stars and magical girls. The main character, named Subaru, is a regular schoolgirl with an interest in astronomy. The day after she witnesses a magnificent meteor shower, she encounters a magical garden and a boy named Minato. Later, she discovers that one of her best friends and a few others are magical girls and eventually decides to become one too.

Their task is to gather Engine Fragments, which look like shooting stars in the sky, in order to send their alien friend back home. Unfortunately, it seems that Minato is also after the Engine Fragments and they must fight each other in order to claim all of the fragments.

Considering the series is less than half an hour, it’s difficult to get into any sort of real plot. Wish Upon the Pleiades follows a very basic good vs bad premise with some brightly-coloured scenes to please younger audiences. A lack of character development is expected in a series of this length, but all of the characters did have well-defined personalities and weren’t just extras in the background.

Coming from a well-respected studio such as Gainax, the anime naturally had very good animation quality. The battle scenes were action-packed and they did not skimp out on the fine details such as starry backgrounds. The music was somewhat simplistic, utilizing piano solos for most of the BGM and a few more instruments during the battles. In fact, the battle scenes sounded very video game-like.

Wish Upon the Pleiades is nothing special, but if you enjoy watching magical girl anime and want a short and complete series to watch, then it’s certainly worth the time. The anime has been made available to watch for free by Subaru on their Youtube channel. There is both a Japanese version and a version with English subtitles.

Anime is mainly known for its animation, in fact, that’s where the term comes from, but there is another aspect of anime that many people overlook: the music. Unlike western animation, which tends to use music composed by small-time artists, anime aims for the best and sometimes manage to bring in some of the biggest names in the Japanese music industry. Of course, this results in anime with soundtracks that any J-pop or J-rock fan would appreciate. Many of these songs not only make it to the Oricon charts (Japan’s equivalent of America’s Billboard charts), but some manage to make it to the top 10. Below are 10 anime series with music that is sure to please your ears.

Macross Frontier

The Macross franchise has long been known for bringing popular music to the anime industry, beginning with its first series, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross back in 1982. Macross Frontier is the latest installment in the franchise and features the voices of Maaya Sakamoto, Megumi Nakajima, and May’n in its theme songs and insert songs. Below is a list of Macross Frontier’s accomplishments on the Oricon weekly singles chart.

“Triangular” by Maaya Sakamoto peaked at #3.

“Diamond Crevasse” by May’n peaked at #3.

“Lion” by May’n and Megumi Nakajima, and “Northern Cross” by May’n were released together and peaked at #3.

Macross Fontier’s first soundtrack album also peaked at #3 on Oricon’s weekly albums chart.

Angel Beats!

Key is well-known in the anime world for the anime adaptations of Kanon and AIR, both of which were visually and acoustically appealing. It’s no surprise that Angel Beats would have the same qualities with Key joining in the production. What’s interesting about the music in Angel Beats is that the popular in-series band “Girls Dead Monster” released singles in the real world using the voices of Marina and LiSA. Angel Beats also had theme songs sung by Lia and Aoi Tada. Here is how their music performed on Oricon’s singles chart:

“My Soul, Your Beat! / Brave Song” by Lia and Aoi Tada peaked at #3.

“Crow Song” by Girls Dead Monster peaked at #7.

“Thousand Enemies” by Girls Dead Monster peaked at #4.

“Little Braver” by Girls Dead Monster peaked at #2.

“Last Song” by Girls Dead Monster peaked at #2.

“Ichiban no Takaramono (Yui final ver.)” by Girls Dead Monster peaked at #3.

“Keep The Beats!” by Girls Dead Moster peaked at #6 on Oricon’s weekly albums chart.

The Angel Beats original soundtrack peaked at #9 on Oricon’s weekly albums chart.

Girls Dead Monster has proven that even if you are a bunch of anime characters in the afterlife, you can still make it big in the 3D world.

K-ON!

The insanely popular light music and cake anime K-ON proved that you could combine cuteness with random silliness, and then add some music by singers no one had heard of and come out with a huge hit. The main cast of K-ON (consisting of Aki Toyosaki, Yoko Hikasa, Satomi Sato, Minako Kotobuki, and Ayana Taketatsu) actually does sing their own music, and their success on Oricon’s weekly singles chart is highlighted below.

“Cagayake! GIRLS” peaked at #4.

“Don’t Say ‘Lazy’” peaked at #2.

“GO! GO! MANIAC” peaked at #1 (the first strictly anime song to do so).

“Listen!!” peaked at #2.

“Utauyo!!MIRACLE” peaked at #3.

“No, Thank You!” peaked at #2.

It’s amazing to think that a band that premiered in an anime was actually more popular than most other Japanese bands for a time.

Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown might not be the most unique or exciting anime out there, but they deserve some credit for promoting one of the hottest music groups in the anime industry right now: Supercell. Having played a role in Miku Hatsune’s success and the creation of Black Rock Shooter, the members of Supercell were hired to create the character designs for Guilty Crown and write the theme songs as well as the insert songs for the fictional band, Egoist. The first opening song “My Dearest” peaked at #10 on Oricon’s weekly singles chart, while the ending song “Departures” peaked at #8.

Durarara!!

An interesting anime that takes to the streets of Ikebukuro, Durarara takes several characters that couldn’t seem any further apart and drags all of them into a conflict over control of the district. Durarara might have a weak showing when compared to the other titles on this list, but if it can get hordes of fangirls raving about its theme songs, then it certainly deserves a look. Below is how well its music performed on Oricon’s weekly singles chart.

“Uragiri no Yūyake” by Theatre Brook peaked at #12.

“Trust Me” by Yuya Matsushita peaked at #10.

“Complication” by ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D peaked at #11.

“Butterfly” by On/Off peaked at #15.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Mention Madoka to anyone who has seen the anime and they will most likely think of Kyubey or Mami’s unfortunate accident, but it also has pretty good music. Puella Magi Madoka Magica combined the talents of ClariS, Yuki Kajiura, and Kalafina to create a perfect balance of cute girlish-ness that you expect from a magical girl show and of the dark mood from the realization of what it means to sign a contract with Kyubey. Their music ranked on the chart as follows:

“Connect” by ClariS peaked at #5.

“Magia” by Kalafina peaked at #7

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi will probably be most remembered for her craziness, if not for the Endless Eight arc in the second season, but there was another part of the series that made a big impact among fans: the school festival concert. Some fans have even claimed that Angel Beats copied the concert scene in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, but that’s hard to say. All of the anime’s singles were led by Aya Hirano, who was the voice of Haruhi. Considering that Aya’s only single before being cast on Haruhi only reached #79 on the Oricon chart, it’s amazing that her singles as Haruhi reached the positions below.

“Bouken Desho Desho?” peaked at #10.

“Hare Hare Yukai” peaked at #5.

“Suzumiya Haruhi no Tsumeawase” peaked at #5 and remained on the chart for 133 weeks.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha

One of the things that Nanoha is known for is its action-packed battle scenes combined with superb animation quality and cute girls. Another thing that Nanoha and its sequels is known for is having Nana Mizuki perform all of its opening music and Yukari Tamura perform all of its ending music. Both singers are hugely successful in the music industry and voiced that two main characters: Nanoha Takamachi (Yukari Tamura) and Fate Testarossa (Nana Mizuki).

“innocent starter” by Nana Mizuki peaked at #9.

“Little Wish ~lyrical step~” by Yukari Tamura #32.

“ETERNAL BLAZE” by Nana Mizuki peaked at #2.

“Spiritual Garden” by Yukari Tamura peaked at #10.

“SECRET AMBITION” by Nana Mizuki peaked at #2.

“MASSIVE WONDERS” by Nana Mizuki peaked at #4.

“Hoshizora no Spica” by Yukari Tamura peaked at #7.

“Beautiful Amulet” by Yukari Tamura peaked at #11.

Gundam Seed

When you think of the Gundam franchise, you normally don’t associate it with music, but it has some surprisingly popular songs in its lineup. Gundam Seed took this a step further by taking a nod from Macross and introducing a character that sung: Lacus Clyne, voiced by Rie Tanaka. It’s no exaggeration when I say that Gundam Seed has dozens of singles that have made it to the Oricon charts. Below are just some of the higher-ranking ones.

“INVOKE” by T.M.Revolution peaked at #2.

“Realize” by Nami Tamaki peaked at #3.

“Ignited” by T.M.Revolution peaked at #1.

“Pride” by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR peaked at #2.

“Bokutachi no Yukue” by Hitomi Takahashi peaked at #1.

“Wings of Words” by CHEMISTRY peaked at #2.

“Reason” by Nami Tamaki peaked at #2.

“Vestige” by T.M.Revolution peaked at #1.

Inuyasha

For a while, Inuyasha seemed like one of those anime that would never end as Inuyasha and Kagome could never really get ahead of Naraku. The series eventually spanned 10 years between its first and last episode (although non-continuous). That’s not a bad thing though, especially when you consider that the series used some of the best artists in music to perform its opening and ending songs. The list below shows the rankings of the TV series’ top theme songs.

“Change the World” by V6 peaked at #3.

“One Day, One Dream” by Tackey & Tsubasa peaked at #1.

“My Will” by Dream peaked at #6.

“Fukai Mori” by Do As Infinity peaked at #5.

“Dearest” by Ayumi Hamasaki peaked at #1.

“Shinjitsu no Uta” by Do As Infinity peaked at #5.

“With You” by AAA peaked at #2 as part of the single “Hide-Away”.

Others

These are not the only musically inclined anime out there, but I thought they were worth mentioning. If you have more anime titles that you think have great music, feel free to share in the comments or discuss it on our forums.

One of the big titles that graced the anime world last year was Fate/Zero, the prequel to the popular Fate/Stay Night series. Originally created by Nitro+ and produced by ufotable and Aniplex, the anime is split into a 13-episode season which ended in December, and a 12-episode season which will continue this April.

Set 10 years before Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero details the events which took place during the 4th Holy Grail War, a battle between 7 magi and their summoned hero servants for possession of the Holy Grail. A magi is defeated if his summoned hero is killed or if he is killed, and the last one standing gets a wish granted by the Grail. Magi from various walks of life, including assassins, priests, teachers, scholars, and serial killers are all a part of the war and their servants represent the greatest legends in human history.

Unlike Fate/Stay Night, which was mostly focused on action, Fate/Zero exchanges a lot of action scenes for more character development and an in-depth story. That’s not to say that there is no action though. While there isn’t a battle every other episode, when there is one, you can be sure that it’ll have some jaw-dropping moves with brilliant animation and special effects. I would not recommend showing it to a young audience due to extreme violence and sounds that suggest mutilation.

Most of the season is spent introducing the characters and exploring their background. Since there are 7 magi, each with a servant, participating in the war, that makes at least 14 characters with backstories to fill. Some may say that it’s a waste of time and that the series should just get to the good parts, but I think knowing each character’s desires and purpose for seeking the Holy Grail makes it all the more exciting when they’re forced to fight to the death.

One of the plot points that is presented early on is the battle of wits between two of the magi: Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine. Even before any fighting begins, these two characters identify each other as the greatest threat to their success without having ever met. Kiritsugu is a magi assassin hired to win the Holy Grail War for the Einzbern family, but it torn between completing his job and protecting his family. Kirei is a Christian priest who questions his purpose in life. While seemingly devout to God, he shows no remorse when it comes to murder and sacrifice. The skirmishes between these two show that battles do not have to be fought with guns and swords to be good. Other characters have similarly intriguing backgrounds that give each a purpose and puts much more on the line when a battle between servants occurs.

A true war is fought with brains and not just brawn, and Fate/Zero manages to portray that perfectly. It might bore an audience looking for senseless bloodshed, but it will certainly captivate anyone who enjoys the finer aspects of a battle royale.

To say that anime and game characters dominate the PVC figure industry is an understatement. When you consider the amount of time and effort it goes into making figures, it’s usually best to stick with characters that you know are popular. This means that very few original characters ever appear as figures before being tested in other popular media, but Hobby Japan seems set on changing that.

Hobby Japan is a publishing company that produces magazines with illustrations in the anime/manga style. They have been the source of a few successful titles that eventually got their own anime adaptations, including: Queen’s Blade, Hyakka-Ryoran Samurai Girls, and Demon King Daimao. Now, Hobby Japan is working on a new project called “The Seven Deadly Sins”, and like its previous projects, will feature mainly female characters.

Unlike the Queen’s Blade series which gained a number of figure versions of its characters, Hobby Japan will be going ahead with figure production in collaboration with Orchid Seed before testing the popularity of its new series. Naturally, there will be seven figures based on the seven characters which are meant to represent the deadly sins. The characters in this new series are shown below.

Lucifer (Pride)

Leviathan (Envy)

Satan (Wrath)

Belphegor (Sloth)

Mammon (Greed)

Beelzebub (Gluttony)

Asmodeus (Lust)

The character designs for The Seven Deadly Sins were done by illustrator Niθ, who also designed the characters for Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls. There is currently no release dates set for any of the figures, but those interested should keep an eye on the project website. Considering the success of Hobby Japan’s previous projects, we may also expect an anime adaptation of The Seven Deadly Sins sometime in the future.

After much anticipation, Nisemonogatari, the sequel to Bakemonogatari, has finally been broadcast/streamed. In 2009, Bakemonogatari was lauded as one of the best anime on air so expectations ran high for Nisemonogatari, but will it be able to live up to its predecessor?

The plot for Nisemonogatari has been advertised to focus around Koyomi Araragi’s younger sisters Karen and Tsukihi, but judging from the first episode, Koyomi remains an integral part of the story, playing the protagonist and narrator. In fact, Tsukihi only makes an appearance for about 5 minutes while Karen is nowhere to be seen. Either this series falsely advertised the Araragi sisters’ prominence in the story, or it’s easing viewers into it by using the same format as Bakemonogatari.

The personalities of the cast do not appear to have changed significantly from the first series so far, but there are some notable differences. Hitagi has moved on from teasing her boyfriend to outright torturing him, and Mayoi appears to have stopped calling Araragi “Arararagi”. Everything else seems to remain the same, Koyomi still picks on Mayoi and Nadeko still has her eyes set on “Koyomi onii-chan”. Tsubasa and Suruga don’t make appearances in the first episode.

What I’m sure a lot of people are wondering though, is what SHAFT has done with the animation and inside jokes in Nisemonogatari. I’m glad to say that they’re both the same as they were in Bakemonogatari and as prominent as ever. Sudden scene changes and odd placement of strange objects is ever present in the series, not to mention the unconventional camera angles and points of view. Strange settings for otherwise normal places have also been brought back in Nisemonogatari. The Araragi living room, for example, contains a physically questionable stack of ladders and dozens of studio lights hanging from the ceiling. SHAFT also managed to poke fun at itself in one scene where a reference was made to the huge delays in getting the final episodes of Bakemonogatari released.

In a nutshell, Nisemonogatari looks exactly like what you would expect from the sequel to Bakemonogatari. All of the elements that made Bakemonogatari are still there, but now you can add a couple more characters to the mix. If you enjoyed the first series, then you’ll likely take a liking to the second.

Now that the New Year is upon us, it’s time to take a look at what new anime TV series to expect this month. Considering the huge success of anime titles in 2011, 2012 will have a lot to live up to, but its first season looks promising. Below are some of the titles that will be airing in the coming weeks.

Titles to Keep an Eye on

Ano Natsu de Matteru

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb219nzHrbk

The creators of the popular Please franchise (Please Teacher and Please Twins), Yousuke Kuroda and Taraku Uon, once again join forces to bring us a new romantic comedy in the form of Ano Natsu de Matteru. This new series will be similar to the Please Twins format with 2 female and 1 male leads. A love triangle between them can almost certainly be expected.

Another

One of the most talked-about series pre-season, Another is P.A. Works’ first foray into the horror-mystery genre. Set in a middle school in the late 90’s, a transfer student by the name of Kouichi Sakakibara grows suspicious about the uneasy atmosphere in his new class. A girl named Misaki Mei draws particular interest because she wears an eyepatch and is always drawing by herself. Little does he know what happened to a girl named Misaki 26 years ago. P.A. Works is well-known for their beautiful sceneries in light-hearted anime such as True Tears and Hanasaku Iroha, so curiosity is high over how they will present Another.

Natsume’s Book of Friends Four

Hugely popular with female audiences, the first three seasons of Natsume’s Book of Friends has gained very high ratings despite a lack of interest from male viewers. The fourth season continues Natsume’s journey to free spirits and demons from their contracts.

Nisemonogatari

Bakemonogatari was a hugely popular series back in 2009-2010, and fans wishing to see more supernatural events animated in Shaft’s creative style will get it in the form of Nisemonogatari. A spin-off series, Nisemonogatari will focus on the twins Karen and Tsukihi, the younger sisters of Bakemonogatari’s main hero. As with the first series, they will attempt to resolve supernatural events around the city.

Titles of Interest

Amagami SS+ plus

Those who enjoyed Amagami SS should look forward to Amagami SS+ plus, which will be a direct sequel to the first season.

Black Rock Shooter

No one can deny that BRS is a popular franchise, so it was only a matter of time before it finally got its own TV anime adaptation. The series will continue on from the OVA and see original characters Mato and Yomi return to the screen. Black Gold Saw is also expected to be in the new series.

Bodacious Space Pirates

This is what you get when you combine pirates, spaceships, and schoolgirls. After high school student Mariko’s father dies, she suddenly finds herself the heir to the title of captain of a space pirate ship. So ends her school life and the beginning of her adventures as a space pirate (wearing a skirt no less). The trailers for this series actually don’t look as bad as it sounds. Popular voice actresses including Kana Hanazawa and Yui Horie are part of the cast and it’s directed by Tatsuo Satou.

Daily Lives of High School Boys

Lucky Star was a huge success in 2007, following the daily lives of 4 high school girls. Daily Lives of High School Boys looks like it will follow exactly the same format, but with the opposite gender. It may be worth watching if you’re tired of female overload in anime.

Recorder and Satchel

Life can be tough if you don’t look your age. Atsushi is an 11-year-old boy that towers over his classmates at 180cm, but his older 17-year-old sister, Atsumi, only stands 137cm tall. The obstacles that this odd pair faces are the main feature of this anime. The series has cast the voices of Ryotaro Okiayu and Rie Kugimiya in the two main roles.

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

When monsters called “noise” threaten the Earth, Tsubasa and Kanade, members of “Twei Wing” must fight them in order to keep the peace. Their weapon of choice is a system that’s activated through music. Popular Jpop artist Nana Mizuki will be playing the role of Tsubasa, while Minami Takayama of TWO-MIX will be playing the role of Kanade.

Zero no Tsukaima F

Fans of the Zero no Tsukaima series, or the most tsundere of all tsunderes, will be jubilant to hear that it is returning for one final season. ZnT F is set to wrap up the entire series and hopefully answer any lingering questions.

Other Titles Being Aired

Below is a list of other anime being aired this season:

Aquarion EVOL

Area no Kishi

Brave10

Gokujou

High School DxD

Inu x Boku SS

Kill me Baby

New Prince of Tennis

Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai

Rinne no Lagrange

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes 2

10. Gosick

Set in a fictional post-WWI European country, Gosick combines mystery, adventure, and cuteness into one neat little ball. When Victorique, the main female character, wasn’t being cute and adorable, she played the roles of detective and damsel in distress. The adventures that she drags Kujo (a Japanese exchange student) into are what make this series a joy to watch.

9. Hanasaku Iroha

Take a loud, strong-willed girl out of the city and place her to work in an inn in the remote countryside and you get the Cinderella-like story of Hanasaku Iroha. Seeing as it was P.A. Works’ 10^th anniversary project, they made sure the animation quality is the highest you can find in a TV anime. Besides the beautiful visuals, Hanasaku Iroha provided plenty of drama based around the trials of becoming an adult.

8. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

What do a futon-wrapped alien, a late-night cosplayer, a helmet fetishist, and a super-hot mom have in common? Not much, really. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko is about a teenage boy that ends up moving to a town full of strange people. On the surface, it looks like a completely random comedy, but actually contains some underlying themes on social rejection and acceptance. It was also animated by SHAFT, which makes things interesting to watch.

7. Kimi ni Todoke 2^nd Season

Kimi ni Todoke once again makes it onto the list with the second and final season. As with the first season, it was sweet and beautiful. Any romantics interested in finding out what happens between Sawako and Shouta should definitely check out the ending.

6. I Don’t Have Many Friends

The story follows the daily lives of a high school club for people who don’t have many friends. Admittedly, the plot sounds dull, but I consider this series to be the funniest comedy of the year. Anyone who watches anime will understand the humour and laugh at every episode.

5. Bunny Drop

Innocent and naïve, Bunny Drop is the perfect family anime that even grown men would enjoy. Due to certain circumstances, Daikichi, a 30-year-old bachelor, ends up volunteering to adopt the 6-year-old daughter of his late grandfather. Throughout the series, we see a growing bond between parent and child as they both face the challenges of growing up.

4. We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day

The anime with the super-long name, also known as ‘Ano Hana’, is by far one of the most emotional series of the year. When a group of friends loses one of their members in a tragic accident, they go their separate ways until 10 years later, when the ghost of Menma appears before Jinta, the leader of the group. In an attempt to make Menma’s wish come true so that she can pass on, Jinta gathers the rest of the gang. The unresolved feelings of guilt, anger, and jealousy from 10 years ago soon surface and lead to some of the most shocking moments of the year.

3. Steins;Gate

A cellphone and a microwave start Okabe, a self-proclaimed mad scientist, on a timeless (literally) journey of sacrifice and despair as he tries to prevent the demise of his closest friends at the hands of CERN. Few time-travel stories are as captivating as Steins;Gate, and the fact that it could be so complex while taking place within a few square blocks is impressive. Sci-fi lovers would definitely love this anime because of its complexity and dealings with time-travel theories.

2. Mawaru Penduindrum

The plot description of an alien hat appearing and ordering two brothers to obtain the penguindrum in order to save their sisters life is just a disguise to hide what Mawaru Penguindrum really is: a literary scholar’s wet dream. Seriously, if you don’t know your literature, it’ll be impossible to decipher the meaning behind all of the penguins, trains, and apples. If you do figure it out though, you’ll probably be in for more than just a wild ride.

1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The number one anime of the year comes as no surprise when you consider the waves it has made throughout the anime world. Episode 3 of Madoka was like an asteroid impact to anime, obliterating the fundamentals of the magical girl genre. Left in its wake was a desolate world of pain and suffering, all planned out by a cute, furry white critter. Madoka continues to be widely popular 7 months after ending, with a near sweep of the Saimoe Tournament and a swath of merchandise already out on the market.

2011 was definitely a year worth remembering in terms of anime. The top 5 titles on this list are sure to be talked about for years, which is not something you can say every year.

The T08A2 is one of the larger “think tanks” in the GitS universe and, like its cousin the Tachikoma, uses a walker design. It sports two explosives launchers, machine guns, and a manipulator arm. If that’s not enough, it also comes installed with artificial intelligence and active camouflage. This beast has enough power to blast through anything in its way. If you don’t believe me, watch the clip below of the T08A2 in action, taken from the original movie (Warning: violence and nudity are present).

I’m sure many of you would love to have one of these babies, but it’ll take a few years before someone makes walking tanks with AI and camouflage that works. In the meantime, there is something that’ll get you close.

The people at Floating Objects Studios have designed a massive 1/6 scale figure of the T08A2 measuring 12” by 24”. This impressive model will have movable legs and a rotating head, allowing you to pose the figure however you want. The T08A2 would no doubt look impressive alongside any Matoko figures, especially considering its size.

Now here’s the problem, Floating Objects needs your help to make this T08A2 figure a reality. In order to get production underway, they will need to get $10,000 worth of pledges in less than a month. If you’re a GitS fan, and more importantly, a T08A2 fan, then you should definitely consider making a pledge on their project page. It can be as little as $1, which will get you a ‘thank you’ and a mention on their website, or as much as $5,000, which will get you an extremely limited version of the T08A2 with battle damage, a Motoko figure to go along with it, as well as a regular T08A2. If that doesn’t prove that you’re the biggest GitS fan, I don’t know what will.

Revolutionary Girl Utena was one of the greater anime from 1997. Set in a mysterious academy, students duel each other in a king-of-the-hill type tournament in order to become engaged to the Rose Bride and obtain the power to bring world revolution. Utena, a girl that dreams of one day becoming a prince, is dragged into the conflict when she rescues the Rose Bride.

Mawaru Penguindrum is one of the series making waves this year. Two brothers, Kanba and Shoma, are at a loss as to how to save their dying sister, Himari, from an incurable disease. When all seems lost, a mysterious penguin-shaped hat appears and takes over Himari’s body. The hat then orders the brothers to obtain the Penguindrum in order to save Himari’s life.

While the plot and setting for these two series are obviously different, they do have a lot of common themes and elements. This can be attributed to the fact that Mawaru Penguindrum is the first anime that Kunihiko Ikuhara has directed and written the script for since Revolutionary Girl Utena.

One of the most noticeable themes in Utena and Penguindrum is of taboo relationships. In Utena, one of the duelists, Juri, is in love with her closest friend, who’s also a girl. Penguindrum experiences a similar one-sided love with the character Yuri (note the similarity in naming), falling in love with her closest friend. It is also shown that Anthy, the Rose Bride, shares an incestuous relationship with her older brother and possibly sees Utena as more than a friend. Similarly, it is implied that there is something going on between Himari and Kanba when the penguin hat takes over.

Another theme that appears in both series is that of a lost hero. Starting right from the beginning, Utena and Kanba are depicted as the noble, trustworthy character of their respective series. Near the end of each series, however, they both fall victim to the antagonists’ plans and lose sight of their purpose.

A unique aspect about these two anime is their use of something akin to a Greek chorus. If you are unfamiliar with a Greek chorus, you can read up about it on Wikipedia. Every episode of Revolutionary Girl Utena had a short play using shadow characters which described the underlying themes using riddles. Mawaru Penguindrum uses a more visual approach, utilizing video advertisements on trains to play out a small scene involving two characters that foreshadow ominous events.

Perhaps the most notable similarity between Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum are the confounding metaphors that no one seems to be able to figure out. Roses are a large part of the imagery used in Utena, but when watching the series, it’s impossible to decide whether they’re just there for something to look at or if they’re supposed to represent a person’s purity, or perhaps their naivety. On the other hand, penguins are seen in almost every scene in Mawaru Penguindrum. Considering each of the main characters has an invisible “pet” penguin that acts out different scenes in the background, I think it’s safe to say that they’re more like an extension of the Greek chorus and an avatar at the same time.

The final similarity that I want to bring up which defines Kunihiko’s works is the appearance of the characters’ antithesis within themselves. So as not to spoil either series too much, I’ll just use two side characters as examples. Nanami in Revolutionary Girl Utena, is often portrayed as a fool, being the highlight of all of the comedic episodes and unaware of the significance of the events around her. In the last several episodes of the series, she reveals that she is wiser than she seems after figuring out the relationships in the Himemiya household and giving Utena a clear warning. Ringo from Mawaru Penguindrum also sees a total reversal of character near the end of the series. While she was portrayed as a fatal siren when the anime began, she eventually turns into a sweet girl with many motherly attributes.

Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mawaru Penguindrum may have vastly different storylines, but if you liked one, then I’m sure you will like the other. For these two anime, it’s not the story that matters, but how it is told.

Ayumu Aikawa was just an ordinary high school boy, but then one day he was cut down by a crazed serial killer. It was all over for Ayumu and he was about to rest in peace when he woke up and found that he had been revived by a cute necromancer named Eucliwood Hellscythe. Unfortunately, being revived by Eucliwood has some side effects, mainly gaining some zombie-like powers. Ayumu can no longer die, even if he is sliced to bits, but his body will shrivel up in direct sunlight. Another downside is that he and Eucliwood attract other magic users, eventually causing him to become a cross-dressing zombie magical girl wielding a chainsaw.

“Is This a Zombie?”, also known as “Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?” is a ridiculously funny 12-episode anime produced by Studio Deen and directed by Takaomi Kanasaki. While the series is a comedy, keep in mind that it’s intended for an adult audience due to extreme violence. Death is a common occurrence in this anime, sometimes being used as comic relief. Ayumu sometimes acts as a “Kenny” character, dying in one scene and coming back to life in the next.

Random silliness is taken to the extreme in this anime. If you thought a cross-dressing zombie magical girl wielding a chainsaw was crazy, try adding vampire ninjas that play violins and cook ramen, a magical girl vampire ninja, a rival zombie with dark powers, a singing competition between the female characters, and Dyson air multipliers. I really have no idea why air multipliers were all over the anime, but they certainly added to the random silliness.

With all of the craziness involved in Is This a Zombie?, it’s hard to remember what the actual plot is about. The first half of the series was focused on introducing new characters and finding the serial killer that originally killed Ayumu. That eventually led to the introduction of a rival zombie apparently trying to kill himself. Indeed, very little of the story really makes any sense.

Despite the deficiencies in the plot, a good effort was made to try to provide some backstory to each of the main characters. It makes it a lot easier to follow the series when you know why there are so many different types of people living under one roof. The sad part is that since the anime is only 12 episodes long, each character really only got about 2 episodes or less devoted to them.

Is This a Zombie? doesn’t follow the rules of how a story should be, but I still found it enjoyable because of how crazy it was. If you don’t mind an anime missing a real story and think a cross-dressing zombie magical girl wielding a chainsaw is cool, or if you just like Dyson air multipliers, then this is the perfect anime for you.

One of the hottest names in Jpop right now is an all-female group known as AKB48. As their name suggests, they should have 48 members, though this can change as old members “graduate” and younger members are added.

The success of AKB48 in both the music and modeling industries, has spurred on its creator, Akimoto Yasushi, to create SKE48, SDN48, NMB48, JKT48, and HKT48. Each is essentially a copy of AKB48, but based in different locations. All of these “48” groups have theatres in which they perform regularly.

AKB48 gets its name from Akihabara, where it is based. Akihabara is also the Mecca of the anime and IT industries in Japan, which explains Akimoto’s next step after saturating the Japanese music industry with cute young girls: creating an anime.

Of all of the groups, AKB48 is by far the most popular, so it was only natural to create an anime based off of them. The anime will be titled AKB0048, but the strange part is that there will only be nine singers cast in the series. A simple solution is being used to fix this though, all 200+ members of the “48” groups will audition for the 9 spots in the anime. The top 30 will face off with each other in a final audition on December 13 where fans lucky enough to get one of the 100 tickets being sold can watch.

While a little healthy competition between rising stars is all fine and dandy, I am disappointed that one of Akimoto’s groups has been completely left out of the picture. One of the least known groups is OJS48, which takes a different approach to the girls prancing on stage formula. Unlike the other groups whose names are derived from where they are based, “OJS” comes from “oji-san”, meaning “uncle” or “old man” in Japanese.

OJS48 consists of retired detectives and is the only all-male “48” group. Unfortunately, it seems they weren’t popular enough to even be considered for the AKB0048 anime. If you are still interested in the anime, it will begin airing in 2012 with Yoshimasa Hiraike as the director. Based on his previous projects (ie: Aria, Kaleido Star, Working!!) I think it’s a safe bet to say that AKB0048 will be another light-hearted drama-comedy.

Mayo Chiki is a Japanese dish consisting of fried chicken topped with mayonnaise and served with a side of rice; it’s also the title of a 13-episode anime produced by Feel that aired in Summer 2011. Adapted from a light novel series written by Hajime Asano, Mayo Chiki is a typical romantic comedy that will probably only appeal to fans of the genre.

Kinjirou Sakamachi, a male high school student has a problem: he gets a nosebleed whenever he comes into contact with members of the opposite sex. By chance, he discovers that the butler (Subaru Konoe) of fellow student Kanade Suzutsuki is actually a girl, and must keep it a secret for the sake of Subaru’s dignity. Kanade, on the other hand has some plans for Kinjirou and Subaru which get them into some racy situations.

First and foremost, Mayo Chiki is a light comedy with romance taking a back seat. If you start watching the anime expecting more Toradora, then you’re in for a huge letdown. Awkward characters and even more awkward situations are the main driving force making Mayo Chiki an entertaining series to watch. From Kinjirou’s “allergic reaction” to women, to Subaru’s awesome fighting ability, and Kanade’s sadistic match-up schemes, there is plenty of material for the writers to work with, and that’s not even mentioning the side characters. One of the running jokes in the series is that Kinjirou and Subaru are in a gay relationship, which only gets reinforced when they are forced into “intimate” positions in order to hide Subaru’s true gender.

While romance is not a heavy factor in the series, it still plays a large role in the character development of Kinjirou and Subaru. The two of them gradually become closer as each helps the other with their problems. Kinjirou helps Subaru conceal her identity and confront her father, while Subaru helps Kinjirou overcome his reaction to women. Unfortunately, scenes related to romance or character development are limited to just a handful. As with the majority of 13-episode anime, there isn’t enough time to cover everything from the original story. This leaves the relationship between Kinjirou and Subaru underdeveloped and lacking in any sort of closure by the end of the anime.

In terms of animation quality, Mayo Chiki can best be described as average. It certainly doesn’t have high production values, but manages to keep a consistent minimum level of quality throughout the series. This means that there may be a few elongated fingers or articles of clothing that are slightly different in following scenes, but at least I did not notice any deformed faces or distorted limbs. The backgrounds are also nicely drawn with lots of details, but remain largely static with empty hallways, parks, and beaches.

Regular anime fans will probably enjoy a couple of Easter eggs that were dropped into a few episodes. Famed anime blogger Danny Choo shows the extent of his influence here with his mascot character, Mirai, making several appearances in Mayo Chiki. Some people may also recognize twin sisters Ako and Riko from the anime Kiss x Sis working in a café.

I would not recommend Mayo Chiki to anyone looking for a serious story, but the combination of slapstick comedy with its laid-back attitude provides some great weekly entertainment.

Set in post-WWI England, Hugh Anthony Disward, who is more commonly known as Huey and is a former RAF pilot, receives a letter one day indicating that his grandfather had passed away. In his grandfather’s will, he leaves all of his belongings and “Dalian” to Huey. Thinking that Dalian is some kind of pet, he is surprised to find that she’s actually a young girl. What’s more, Dalian is actually the keeper of the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian, a mystical library containing phantom books with forbidden magical powers. The library is sealed in Dalian’s body and only Huey is able to open it using a special key and borrow the powers of the phantom books. Together, Huey and Dantalian seek out phantom books and seal them before they can cause any harm.

Most of the episodes in Dantalian no Shoka are self-contained stories which may be viewed in any order. The stories told in each episode were relatively solid considering the limited amount of time. Each story also focused on a different phantom book, introducing viewers to the types of magic present in the anime. However, this leads to the problem of spending too much time on introductions. The first 3/4 of the anime was so focused on introducing characters that there was no room to create a continuous story arc. Since the anime is only 12 episodes, it’s clear that there was no intention on covering more than the first 1 or 2 volumes of the light novel series. On the other hand, the producers could have spent an episode or two more leading up to the finale, which felt rushed.

In terms of character development, the producers made the right choice in focusing in on Huey. For a short series like Dantalian no Shoka, trying to develop more than a few characters often ends up wasting too much time on each of their pasts and less on story progression. By only developing the main character, the anime did not feel like it strayed too far off course. Other characters largely stayed in static archetypical roles. Dalian, for example, is a slightly spoiled girl that enjoys eating cookies and sweet buns, and she remains unchanged throughout the series.

The animation quality in Dantalian no Shoka was superb, as expected from a studio like Gainax. Everything from the scenery to the style of the buildings looked beautiful. The use of streams of light in many scenes was brilliant. Given the various types of magic that Huey and Dalian encounter while gathering phantom books, there were plenty of special effects that were added in, and they helped improve the visual appeal of the anime.

The plot in Dantalian no Shoka is about as average as you can get for a short series. Having been taken from the beginning of a series of light novels, it was destined for mediocrity. On the other hand, the anime is pleasant to watch if you are looking for something with good visuals and short stories that you can finish in single episodes.

One of the new anime airing this season is Guilty Crown, a series I admire for its ability to take an overused plotline and make it enjoyable. Guilty Crown is set to be 22 episodes and is produced by Production I.G. The story takes place 10 years after the outbreak of a deadly virus in Japan. During the outbreak, the Japanese Government was unable to cope with the situation, forcing the international community to intervene and ‘quarantine’ infected areas. The result is a country divided between the healthy and those that are possibly infected. In order to prevent the government and international forces from killing off anyone suspected of being infected, an underground rebel group called Undertaker is formed.

Caught in the middle of the fighting between Undertaker and the government is Shu Ouma, a regular 17 year old high school boy. As one of Undertaker’s agents (Inori) was delivering a stolen genetic weapon to their leader, she gets caught and passes it along to Shu before being taken away. Shortly after, Shu accidently activates the weapon, giving himself superpowers with which he uses to rescue Inori.

Guilty Crown follows the same basic premise that countless other anime have used: a teenage boy with few or no redeeming qualities suddenly gains special powers and uses them to change the world. Along the way, these ‘heroes’ usually face questions over their purpose, uncertainty over which side is good and bad, and an emotional slump. Guilty Crown seems to be leading into all of these areas, so what has people watching it over other similar anime?

It would be an understatement to say that the main female lead, Inori, has played a part in attracting fans. There are two things that make Inori stand out from any other anime character: she was originally designed by Redjuice and she sings original Supercell songs in the anime. Ardent fans of anime and specifically, Black Rock Shooter, will immediately recognize those two names. Redjuice is an illustrator who has been gaining a lot of attention for his unique character designs. He’s also a member of the music group Supercell, who are famous for releasing the Black Rock Shooter album along with Huke, eventually sparking an entire franchise around it.

Having up-and-coming artists work on the series isn’t the only thing helping Guilty Crown’s popularity. While most anime with mecha tend to focus in on them (giant robots are cool after all), they have largely been ignored in Guilty Crown. Mechas or ‘Endlaves’ as they are known in the anime, are present in most of the action scenes, but otherwise receive little screen time. The larger focus is on Shu and his relationship with the female members of Undertaker. The writers of Guilty Crown know their audience, and what else do teenage boys want more than to be a hero and impress all the teenage girls? Some people might say it’s just pandering to the viewer’s desires, but you can’t argue that it doesn’t work. There is a reason why the “average boy turns into a hero” plotline is used so much, and this is it.

Guilty Crown may not be the next Evangelion, Death Note, or even Code Geass, but with the way it has turned out so far, I’m sure it’ll still be worth watching for many people. Visit the forums to share your thoughts.

Created in 2007, Miku Hatsune was the first Vocaloid to take the internet by storm. With hundreds of fan works created using her voice and character, she soon became not only Japan’s but the world’s most popular virtual pop star. She has since made live concert appearances in Japan and America, an unprecedented achievement for someone who isn’t even real. Riding on Miku’s wave of success, a couple of her predecessors (Kaito and Meiko), and a few of her successors (the Kagamine twins and Luka Megurine) have also enjoyed varying levels of popularity, with some of them appearing on stage along with Miku.
There are, however, more Vocaloids than just the 6 that most people are familiar with. For varying reasons, these Vocaloids have not reached the same levels of success as Miku and friends, and they are what I call the forgotten Vocaloids. Below are 3 of these Vocaloids, and perhaps it’s a good thing that they were forgotten.
Sweet Ann

Released just 2 months before Miku, Sweet Ann is the scariest-looking Vocaloid of the batch. If you look at her neck, that’s not actually a choker, but stitches. I don’t know who thought this was a good idea, but she was based on the bride of Frankenstein, which is why she has those stitches. She is 23 years old and her name is a play on her homeland, Sweden (Swed-en = Sweet Ann).
Ryuto

A relatively recent Vocaloid (released in 2010), Ryuto takes on the look of a buck-toothed 5 year old boy wearing a Gachapin costume. In case you don’t know who Gachapin is, he’s a green dinosaur popular among children in Japan. Ryuto was revealed as the avatar for the Gachapoid Vocaloid software, which is targeted at “young” producers. You have to wonder though, how many 5 year olds are writing their own songs using a synthetic voice that sounds like a duck?
Hiyama Kiyoteru

Arguably one of the dullest Vocaloids, Hiyama does not have many traits that make him stand out. Described as a 22 year old school teacher, he wears a suit and a blue tie, which is rather plain compared to the outfits of all of the other Vocaloids. Contributing to his lack of popularity is the complaint that his voice sounds similar to that of Kaito, an existing Vocaloid. An uninspiring look and voice has left Hiyama as one of the least used Vocaloids in Japan.

If you want to discuss your favourite or least favourite Vocaloids, head on over to the forums.

News of the death of Steve Jobs last week was a major disappointment to the tech industry and people around the world. As people remember how he and Apple changed the world with products such as the iPod and iPhone, I think it would be interesting to take a look at what kind of influence he has had on anime.

One of the unique things about anime is that a lot of “product placement” is inserted freely by the creators. In order to avoid copyright infringement, they alter the names of companies to get brands like “WcDonald’s” and “Sudohbucks”. When it comes to electronics, homegrown tech giants dominate the anime scene with obvious references such as “Pony” for Sony and “Parasonic” for Panasonic. In recent years, Apple products have been appearing in numerous anime. Below are 5 anime series that clearly love Apple.

Ro-Kyu-Bu!

Ro-Kyu-Bu is a short anime about a high school boy who ends up coaching an elementary school female basketball team. One of the members on the team is Maho Misawa, an energetic and outgoing girl that’s afraid of the dark. She uses a “Maq” computer as evidenced by the top left icon on her screen. The logo on her monitor is also very similar to the Apple logo.

God’s Memo Pad

Another series that features a computer resembling a Macintosh is God’s Memo Pad. An anime about a group of NEETs (people not employed, in education, or training) who solve crimes with the help of the internet. The ringleader of this group is Alice, a young girl that lives in a dark room on a bed full of teddy bears and surrounded by monitors. She is clearly seen using a computer that closely resembles an iMac running what appears to be OS X.

Ouran High School Host Club

This is one of the earliest anime I’m aware of that features an Apple computer. Apple’s MacBook was first released in 2006. In the same year, a “Pineapple” MacBook appears in Ouran High School Host Club. The anime is about a poor girl who gets admitted into a prestigious academy, only to be forced into dressing as a boy and attending to female clients as a male host to pay off her debts.

We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day (Ano Hana)

Ano Hana probably has the most infamous Apple product user in anime. The anime is about a group of friends, who after 10 years, reunite after one of them claims to be able to see the ghost of a girl they all loved, Menma. Bitter rivalries and jealousy erupt amongst the group as they realize that Menma had meant more to them than they thought. One of the characters is Yukiatsu, a guy so in love with Menma that he goes as far as pretending to be her. When he’s not cross-dressing, he is often seen whipping out his iPhone in style.

Fractale

Fractale is set in a fictional futuristic world where parents can have avatars eat at the dinner table for them and everything is controlled by a wondrous network called the Fractale system. In this futuristic world, everything is provided for you and everyone can live a life of comfort. Clain, a boy who obsesses over antiques from the past, is no doubt an Apple fan boy. In the first episode you can see him finding parts to upgrade his iPod.

I’m sure every anime fan has pondered the idea of visiting Japan sometime during their lives, but things like time and money usually hold them back. Well, the good news is that now you can see what Japan has to offer for less than $15 and on your own time. Whether you want to stroll down the streets of the anime mecca of Akihabara, visit the temples and palaces of Kyoto, or go up the Tokyo Tower for a breathtaking view of the city, that can all be done at the press of a button.

Thanks to game maker Overdrive and their game Go! Go! Nippon! -My First Trip to Japan-, you can now experience the sights and sounds of Japan from your computer. The title is the first visual novel to be targeted at audiences outside of Japan.

While visual novels largely consist of erotic dating simulators, Go! Go! Nippon! is free of any 18+ material, but it does contain some dating simulator elements. You play the role of a foreigner who decides to visit a couple of Japanese friends he has made online for a week. After arriving in Japan, you discover that these friends are actually two cute sisters and you’ll be staying with them for the next week. What’s more, their parents coincidently happen to be out of town for 2 weeks, leaving the house to just the three of you. If that doesn’t sound like a dating simulator, I don’t know what does.

Besides the whole living with two cute girls aspect, the game is promoted as an educational resource for anyone interested in Japan or planning to visit Japan. Right from the beginning, the game walks you through the basics of visiting Japan like renting a cellphone at the airport and getting a SUICA card. As you tour Japan, the two sisters will describe the history and significance of the places that you visit. Although you would think the game covers most areas of Japan, it is actually limited to the major tourist areas in Tokyo and Kyoto. Perhaps not the best guide to places to visit in Japan, but it’s certainly a nice way of introducing someone to the country.

The game is published in English by MangaGamer and is available for purchase on their website for €9.95 (< $15).

One of the more beloved anime of the last few years, Toradora is finally getting a Blu-ray release which will contain all of the episodes. The anime series only got a DVD release in Japan and North America because it was not produced with high definition in mind. This means that the Blu-ray will be up-scaled, but it promises to have improved animation, as seen in the comparison pictures below.

Originally aired from 2008 to 2009 and produced by J.C. Staff, Toradora is a romantic comedy about high school students Ryuji (the “dragon”) and Taiga (the “palmtop tiger”). The two of them are the most feared students at school, but through some circumstances, they cross paths one day and that leads to Taiga breaking into Ryuji’s apartment in order to assassinate him, or at least silence him. Due to a cold, however, Taiga screws up and she somehow gets served some food by Ryuji. The two of them soon discover that they each have a crush on the other’s closest friend, initially leading to blackmail before they decide to help each other.

The anime was generally well-received and is, in my opinion, one of the best anime of its time. Ending with 25 episodes and a 4 episode short feature called Toradora SOS, the anime was thoroughly entertaining. For such a good series, it might seem that 25 episodes is too short though, and that’s where the good news comes in. While the Blu-ray box will contain the regular goodies like interviews and artwork, the one thing that really stands out is that it will also contain a brand new episode that has never been aired. There are no details on what the new episode will be about, so it can range from a recap episode to an alternate ending.

The Blu-ray box set is now available for preorder in Japan. The retail price is set at ¥39,900 ($520) and the release date is December 21, just in time for Christmas. There is currently no news on an English release, but there is speculation that NIS America, the company which released Toradora DVDs in North America, may pick up the Blu-ray as well.

Since Puella Magi Madoka Magica aired, its mascot character, Kyubey, has been a big hit with anime fans around the world. This little alien cat-thing looks cute and adorable, but he’s actually a devilishly sly dealer of magical girl powers and miracles. Of course, Kyubey doesn’t just give out magical powers and miracles for free; everything comes with a price, and when fans found out what the price was, Kyubey’s status in the anime world was upgraded to one of a demon.
With such a controversial character, it was only a matter of time before companies found a way to sell people their very own Kyubeys. Whether you want one because it’s cute or so you can use it as a punching bag, here are four Kyubeys that you may be tempted to sign a contract with.

Medicom Plush Kyubey

This is probably the plainest Kyubey you can get. Manufactured by Medicom, this plush toy Kyubey is 40cm tall and comes at a price of ¥3800 ($50). The gold rings around the hands that stick out of his ears look a bit flimsy to me, but I’m sure Kyubey would just restore his body if you damaged it somehow. This plush toy was originally release September 2011.

Cube Hugging Pillow Kyubey

This pillow by Cube is probably what you want if you want a punching bag that looks like Kyubey, or something to sleep with and give you nightmares. The hugging pillow Kyubey is probably the largest Kyubey you can get, measuring 90cm in length. It retails for ¥7600 ($100) and will be released in December 2011.

Chara-Ani Cushion Kyubey

Another Kyubey product is this cushion of Kyubey’s face by Chara-Ani. I don’t know anyone who would be able to stand that demonic stare for very long, but you can just sit on it if you get creeped out. This cushion sells for ¥3333 ($43) and was released in August 2011.

Good Smile Company Soft Vinyl Figure Kyubey

Good Smile Company, known for its PVC figures, went with a 1:1 scale reproduction of Kyubey. Standing at 23cm and 35cm long, this thing is massive as far as figures go. Since it’s made out of plastic, it’s much more detailed than a plush toy, but far heavier. This Kyubey retails for ¥10000 ($130) and was originally released in July 2011. Good Smile Company also states that if you display Kyubey somewhere at home, he might grant your wish, very tempting indeed.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

The story takes place in the distant future and revolves around Redline, the deadliest race in the universe. Our main hero, JP, has long dreamed of competing in the event with the help of his partner and mechanic, Frisbee. Throw in fellow racer and love interest, Sonoshee, a whole bunch of alien racers, missiles, lasers, machine guns, and weapons of mass destruction and you’ve got the basic premise of the film.

Redline makes it clear in the first few minutes that it’s a film about speed, adrenaline, gar, and explosions, lots of explosions. Anyone looking forward to a deep plot with character development and intense drama will certainly be disappointed as the stunning visuals are what the production staff spent the majority of their time on.

What sets this movie apart is that unlike the average action film, everything is way over the top. There are no rules in the Redline race, meaning racers are free to equip their vehicles with whatever weapons they can afford. In addition to that, the race is being held on a military-centric planet, across their most guarded military facilities. The sheer number of explosions from racers dodging every weapon imaginable is enough to please any action buff.

The animation style in Redline does not follow that of conventional anime. Rather than going with cute character designs and pleasant settings, the characters of Redline more closely resemble those that you would find in comic books. I found it to be very fitting; after all, if you’re making an anime that’s filled to the brim with mind-blowing action, would you want cute characters or sexy and manly characters?

The movie soundtrack was written and composed by James Shimoji and contains mainly techno music. While the style of music may not sound like a good fit for a racing film, it actually works very well with all of the alien technology shown and custom-made vehicles that look more like spaceships with wheels.

I highly recommend Redline to anyone who’s an action or racing buff. Even if you don’t watch anime, I’m sure most people would appreciate the fluid racing scenes and pure blood-pumping action. To get a glimpse of some of the content, check out the trailer. The movie is due to be released in the UK and US on November 14.

Machinegun Mounted Segways (Aria the Scarlet Ammo)

In the first episode, our hero, Kinji, finds himself bicycling for his life as a bomb strapped to his seat is set to explode if he pedals slower than a certain speed (no, Keanu Reeves does not come to save the day). All the while, he is being chased by a remote-controlled Segway. Not only that, the Segway is mounted with a loudspeaker warning him about the bomb, and a machinegun to take him out if the bomb doesn’t. Now think about this for a second, if you were trying to kill someone, would you really send a machingun mounted Segway when it would be much cheaper to just pay some thugs to gun him down? Not to mention that the average cyclist can out-pedal the Segway’s top speed of 12.5 mph.

Staplers (Bakemonogatari)

While children can probably pull off threatening each other with staplers, how likely is someone to back down if a high school girl threatened to staple him? In Bakemonogatari, staplers are Hitagi Senjougahara’s weapon of choice, and surprisingly, she can use them to force her manservant into submission.

Neko Neko Knuckles (Ookamisan and Seven Companions)

High school students can come up with some crazy and cute inventions. In Ookamisan, one such invention are the neko neko knuckles. They are essentially boxing gloves shaped like cat heads and electrified. I am mystified as to how it can stun multiple times without changing batteries, but it manages to paralyze opponents and leave a cute cat imprint on them.

Boomerang (Various)

Anime such as Inuyasha and Shangri-La feature a large boomerang as a weapon. It can be used to attack opponents from a distance and always returns to the user. Anyone who has played with a boomerang in real life will know that once it hits something, it’s not coming back, so its practical use as a weapon is limited.

Reverse Blade Katana (Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X)

I don’t know anyone who thinks that katanas (samurai swords) aren’t cool, but to put the blade on the opposite side is just dumb. First of all, katanas are curved, so you would not be able to attack an opponent while unsheathing the sword. Secondly, it would be difficult to slice something with the opposite side of the sword. Kenshin states that the blade is on the reverse side to prevent him from killing again, but I think it would be more practical to get rid of the sword entirely and use a wooden one.

Rose (Sailor Moon)

Tuxedo Mask and his red rose have saved Sailor Moon plenty of times while she was in a bind, but I doubt it would work in real life. The rose stem would have to be very hard and heavy in order for it to cut people by flying through the air.

Rocket Hammer (Battle Angel Alita)

Hammers can be used as deadly blunt weapons, but installing a rocket booster in one just seems like a bad idea. Unlike in anime, I doubt many people would be able to hold onto a rocket, much less move it around to hit a target.

Paper (Read or Die)

I admit that paper is some pretty amazing stuff. Besides being able to write on it, it can be used to stop bullets and protect you from explosions if you had enough of it. Unfortunately, paper would probably not make an effective weapon. Even if you were able to shoot sheets of paper through the air at high speed, it’s not going to do much, especially against modern weapons. You might give some people some paper cuts though.

Breast Missile (Mahoromantic)

The name speaks for itself.

Giant Steel Penis (Dororon Enma-kun Meramera)

OK, so it might not actually be a giant penis, but when a steel rod shoots out of a monster’s crotch, it’s difficult imagining what else it could be. No matter how hard it is, using this tool to try to fight your opponents is just a bad idea, especially if they have a sharp and/or heavy weapon.

Fans of the Black Rock Shooter (BRS) franchise will no doubt be happy to hear that it is finally getting its own TV series. Considering how popular BRS is, having already spawned an OVA, game, and an overwhelming amount of merchandise, this was only inevitable.

The series will begin airing in January 2012, but what’s surprising is that it will be broadcast on Fuji TV’s noitaminA timeslot. If you are unfamiliar with noitaminA, it is a timeslot created in 2005 to showcase anime targeted at female young adults and audiences other than the male teenager. Popular titles that have aired on noitaminA  include: Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Eden of the East, We Still Don’t Know The Name of The Flower We Saw That Day, and Bunny Drop. Despite being known for airing some highly regarded anime series, there have been a number of unsuccessful anime in the timeslot. When you consider that BRS is geared towards teenage males and isn’t what would be considered an emotional or thought-provoking franchise, questions arise about whether Fuji TV is changing direction with noitaminA or if they’re planning on making BRS appeal to a wider audience.

Little is known at the moment about who will be working on BRS or even what the series will be about. Unlike most series that find their way on noitaminA, BRS does not have an official story set out in a manga or novel. The official website has nothing more than an illustration showing Black Rock Shooter, Dead Master, Black Gold Saw, and what appears to be SZZU from the Black Rock Shooter PSP game. If the fourth character in the illustration is indeed SZZU, that would
indicate that the series would follow the same or a similar plot to the game, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. I’m sure that would be a welcome change for anyone who was disappointed with the school setting in the OVA.

An animation studio has not yet been announced for the anime, but it has been announced that Fuji TV’s Koji Yamamoto will be in charge of production. There’s a possibility that Ordet, the animation studio behind the BRS OVA, may be working on the series, but Yutaka Yamamoto, the founder of Ordet, has indicated that he will not be in charge.

Avid BRS fans will probably enjoy the series no matter which studio gets the job, especially now that characters other than Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master will be animated.

Comic Market, or Comiket is a bi-annual event held in Tokyo that allows artists and creators to show off and/or share their works and ideas with like-minded people. As the name of the event would suggest, the vast majority of works found at Comiket are self-published comic books. There are, however, still a number of groups (or circles) that publish their own video games, music, and anime.
A popular series of games that originated from past Comikets is Touhou Project, more commonly referred to Touhou and mainly consists of bullet-hell scrolling shooters. Created single-handedly by a man that goes by the name of ZUN, Touhou came to fame as fans created derivative works based around the characters and it eventually spread throughout the internet.
The Touhou series gained another big boost last week during Comiket 80 when ZUN released the 13th Touhou game. News of a new Touhou release may have overshadowed another big Touhou release. For nearly a year now, some fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of a new indie Touhou anime from Manpuku Shrine, a group of Touhou fans that decided to make their own anime. They are by no means the first group of fans to attempt to make an anime, but they’ve done a wonderful job on production, as you can see in this Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l6P4eKWFTI
The original anime that they produced did not have any voices, but thanks to the viewers on Nico Nico Douga (a Japanese video sharing site) who decided to lend their own voices for the anime, there is now something to listen to.
Unlike many derivative Touhou works, Manpuku Shrine did not decide to create their own story for their Touhou anime. The anime is actually based on the 7th Touhou game, Perfect Cherry Blossom. In the story, the heroines realize something is wrong when spring has not arrived and set off to investigate. It’s revealed that the ghost Yuyuko Saigyouji, with the help of her servant, Youmu Konpaku, are stealing spring in order to make a demon cherry blossom tree in the netherworld bloom. The story is rather straightforward and simple, so it’s nothing amazing, but I’m sure any Touhou fan would appreciate seeing some of the attacks and spell cards finally get animated.

Two years ago, to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the Gundam series, Sunrise erected a life-sized RX-78-2 Gundam on the island of Odaiba in Tokyo. The Gundam was on display for two months before it was dismantled and moved to Shizuoka the next year and displayed next to the Bandai factory. While it was the same Gundam that was at Odaiba, a beam saber was added to encourage more people to come see it. Again, the Gundam was only displayed for a few months before being dismantled again.

There was some speculation about what would happen to the Gundam after the second dismantling. Some people thought that the pieces might eventually be scrapped, others thought that it would be continually erected and dismantled at different sites in Japan. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like the Gundam has been tossed away, as it has returned to Odaiba this summer (sort of).

Many people had realized beforehand that it would be too costly to keep up and maintain a life-sized Gundam and let tourists view it for free. To solve that problem, Sunrise is once again displaying the Gundam, but in pieces rather than fully constructed. For a small fee, visitors are able to get up close and personal with the Gundam and marvel at all the small details they put into it.

While a dismantled Gundam is nowhere near as awesome as a fully constructed one, there are a couple of perks to visiting the Gundam pieces. First of all, you can actually get close enough to the different parts to see the writing on them. Secondly, you can actually sit on one of the Gundam’s hands and take a picture. Third, you can actually control the lights in the head using your own power (pedaling power). It’s not as cool as lighting up the whole Gundam, but who here didn’t enjoy trying to turn on as many devices as they could by pedaling at a science center as a child?

If you’re a Gundam fan and just happen to be in Tokyo for the next week, then you should definitely visit the Gundam display in Odaiba. For those of you living further away, you might want to book your flights soon as the display will only be around until August 21.