With nothing really standing out from the rest, viewers might have to turn to what I call “recycled anime” or in other words, anime that has been done before but has been rewritten with some different characters and maybe something else thrown in. Take for example Sora no Wo to, a group of 5 girls join together to make some music (sound familiar to anyone?), and they’re thrown into a war just to make it different.

Then there’s the anime that just makes you wonder what the writers were smoking when they came up with this stuff. If you read the description for Qwaser of Stigmata, it sounds pretty normal at first, then you get to breast milk. Really now, what kind of person gets special powers from breast milk!? The writers for Chu-Bra must’ve been high on something too, I just don’t see a story about a girl obsessed with underwear becoming successful.

Then again, I guess considering what kind of anime have been successful recently (like Queen’s Blade), it’s not surprising that anime is moving down this path.

1. No Coherent Plot

Every story needs to have a coherent plot to be interesting, otherwise it’s just a bunch of random events that don’t lead up to anything. Ever heard of the anime Akikan? It’s about a boy that drinks a pop can which then turns into a girl. I have no clue where you can go with that, and from what I’ve heard, the writers didn’t have a clue either.

2. Sex Sells

That’s probably what the producers of anime like Princess Lover were thinking when they were coming up with the storyboard. Really now, a single average guy surrounded by beautiful 2D girls that somehow always end up flashing their panties may have worked for the first few anime of this type (ie: Love Hina), but people aren’t going to watch the same thing over and over. It’s only a matter of time before you’ve seen a guy “accidentally” walk in on a girl changing before you can predict when it’s going to happen.

Then again, there are anime that have been really successful despite having no plot or having lots of pretty girls as its main selling point. One just has to take a look at K-ON to see how something with absolutely no story could gather so many fans. If you are looking for something with a good plot, then I would have to point you towards older titles like Evangelion or Nadesico. Otherwise, it looks like anime fans will have to settle for “cute” or “sexy” for now.

The whole anime had a really dark tone except for one part in the series where Zwei spends some time with a little girl and gets a taste of what life was like before he became an assassin. There’s certainly no lack of drama as many characters will do whatever it takes to get to the top and others appear to be mentally unstable, making them and the story unpredictable. The game that the anime was based on had several paths that the story could take so even if you have the game, it’s worth watching the anime because you won’t know what will happen.

Naturally, a story about assassins is sure to have lots of action, and Phantom certainly doesn’t disappoint. From knife fights to gun battles to sniping and large explosions, Phantom has as much action as you can fit into an anime while still having a good plot. Some of my favourite scenes were the knife fight between Ein and Zwei at the beginning of the series, and the sniping operation in episode 15. If you like seeing people run out into the open and kill like a dozen guys without being hit (as unbelievale as that sounds), there’s some of that too.

Besides all the action and backstabbing, there is a bit of romance in the series. Personally, I didn’t think the lovey-dovey stuff going on between Ein and Zwei was all that great. There was one episode where the two of them go on a pretend date to scope out the site of their next assassination, which  thought was a bit overboard. Did they really have to spend so much time making Zwei blush by showcasing Ein in swimsuits and other clothing? I guess it’s really up to the preferences of the viewer.

The music and animation for Phantom were both done really well. Most of the scenes were drawn with quite a bit of detail, and there were some parts which were done in 3D which was a nice touch. The opening and ending sequences were done in a dark, artsy kind of way which I thought fit perfectly with the story.  The music also fit in perfectly with what was happening. My favourite track would be the pimpin’ music at the beginning of episode 12 when Zwei turns all cool and strts assassinating people with style (ie: walking on stage at a play and sniping a guy in the audience with a huge gun).

With lots of action, drama, and a touch of romance, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ is certainly worth a look if you’re trying to find a good anime to watch.

Personally, I think the biggest anime of the upcoming season would have to be Inuyasha: The Final Act. Anyone who has been following the Inuyasha anime will remember how the series ended without any real conclusion. Well, now that the manga is complete (at an impressive 56 volumes over more than 10 years), the anime will finally be given a real ending. This is certainly appreciated for people like me who just don’t have the time to go get the manga and read through it (I’m a slow reader).

Another noteworthy anime this season is A Certain Scientific Railgun, the spin-off series of A Certain Magical Index. This series will star Mikoto Misaka, the popular tsundere character from Index, and I think will be just as popular as the original series.

If you’re looking for something more serious though, a good anime might be Romance of the Three Kingdoms (assuming you don’t already know the story), but if a bunch of old men fighting for their country doesn’t appeal to you, there’s always the romantic animes White Album and Winter Sonata.

Ecchi lovers will also have something to look forward to this season. The controversial anime *cough* hentai *cough* Queen’s Blade will be airing its second season this fall along with ecchi anime Shin Koihimi Musou. There also seems to be a couple of harem anime: Seitokai no Ichizon, and Heaven’s Lost Property.

I myself will be watching Inuyasha, A Certain Magical Railgun, 11eyes, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and possible Fairy Tail. Of course, some of the other anime which I haven’t mentioned may turn out to be very good, but we won’t know until it comes out.

Cencoroll is a science fiction film about a white monster-like thing, a boy named Testsu (who apparently looks after one of the white monster things), a girl named Yuki, and their battle against other white monster-like things and the Japanese Self Defense Forces. Unlike most anime nowadays that seem to focus on the “moe” factor, Cencoroll is in a different class which includes famous titles like Spirited Away, Hoshi no Koe, and Pale Cocoon. It’s also cool how the white monster things can transform into whatever they want.

What’s really impressive about this film was that most of it was done entirely by one man, Atsuya Uki. He was the one that wrote, directed, and did the animation for the whole film. Just about the only thing that wasn’t done by Uki were the voices and music. The film stars Kana Hanazawa, Hiro Shimono, Ryōhei Kimura, and Satomi Moriya; and the music is done by the group Supercell. The ending song “Love and Roll” is especilly catchy and is worth a listen to.

Cencoroll was previously shown in Canada on July 28, 2009 at the Fantasia International Film Festival, and made its Japanese debut a month later on August 22. If you missed seeing it in Canada and Japan, New York will be your last chance to see it before having to wait for the DVDs to come out this October.

The trailers for Cencoroll can be found on youtube:

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

OK, so Fireball might not sound that great (especially since there’s no plot), but considering how short each episode is, it isn’t that bad. Some bits are pretty entertaining, like Drossel’s new hairdo and finding out all these little features that she comes installed with. Fireball is at least worth a look during lunch time if there’s nothing better to do, just search up “Disney’s Fireball” on youtube.

So some of you might be wondering what is so special about the Anime House Project, isn’t it just some people copying music and trying to sell it as their own? Well, maybe it is, but the people involved in the project are well known amongst some otaku for their works. Most of the work for this compilation was done by IOSYS, a group which has quickly risen to fame due to the popularity of their Touhou music remixes and flash videos (which I think everyone should check out).

Anyways, if you like the sample music on their main site, there’s a link where you can buy the CD for only 2,000 yen, or you could just loop the sample clips. Of course, for anyone interested, the second volume will be released on November 25.

Late this year, Wave will be releasing the first PVC figure of Seira. It will be 1/7 scale (according to Seira’s fictional size, not the figure) so it stands approximately 15cm high, and it’s partially cast-off-able. The retail price for this figure is 7,429 yen which is about 80USD; a bit expensive, but I’m sure that wouldn’t deter any collectors of pink-haired girls, or figures of figures.

Those of you who have been following this year’s International Saimoe League (ISML) will know that we are now entering the final week of the regular season. If you aren’t familiar with the ISML, it’s an annual competition where people from around the world can vote on which anime girl they think it the most “moe” (pronounced mo-e). The word “moe” is defined on Anime News Network as follows:

Moe is a Japanese term used in connection with manga or anime to describe something precious, usually (but not always) the ideal of youthful and innocent femininity. Written with the kanji for “to bud or sprout” (萌), the concept covers a range of ideal behaviour for youthful female characters in manga or anime. To be moe, a character can be eager or perky, not overly independent, and call forth a desire in the viewer to protect them and nurture them. The term is also used to describe any preciously cute item; there is an animal mascot character store in Tokyo called Moe.

Each year the ISML has 64 contestants battle it out in a number of voting rounds. Each contestant will have the chance to go up against the other 63, and the top 16 go on to the post season where the Saimoe champion is determined. A number of contestants have already been eliminated, but there is still a chance for some characters to make it into the top 16. Currently, Saber from Fate Stay Night sits at 16th place with 126 pts, but Holo from Spice and Wolf at 17th place also has 126 pts, not to mention Furude Rika (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni), Izumi Konata (Lucky Star), Furukawa Nagisa (Clannad), and Ichinose Kotomi (Clannad) who are all possibly 1 win away from making it into the post season.

Personally, I’m rooting for Kotomi, but there’s going to be stiff competition from the like of Shana (1 loss), Sakagami Tomoyo (3 losses), and Suzumiya Haruhi (3 losses) if she makes it into the post season. There’s still time to vote for your favourite moe anime girl on Aug. 24, 26, and 28 before the regular season ends so head on over to the ISML website now.

Here’s a sampling of kick ass wallpapers that will do Osamu Tezuka proud. Of course, they’re in lieu of the Astro Boy CG movie that’s coming in October. The wallpapers are a product of the Tokyo Denki University.

Download Astro Boy wallpapers from the lower right thumbnails. You have an awesome eight to choose from.

The anime clothing and merchandise company, Cospa, didn’t disappoint with the announcement of a lunch set which includes Mio’s striped bowl to be released later this year. However, a few lucky fans did manage to get their hands on this item a couple months early at Comiket 76. Unfortunately, Comiket 76 ended on August 16, so anyone still wanting to get thier hands on this special bowl early will likely have to turn to some Japanese auction sites as there probably won’t be any more available until the actual release date.

Image via Akiba Hobby

Yep, you read right, this card game uses cute adorable anime characters to battle with opponents. What’s even better is that although most of the anime decks that Weiβ Schwarz has made are only in Japanese, they’re already being translated into English. Of course, you could always just collect the cards for the artwork rather than to play with.

There’s also an anime out called Weiβ Survive which explains the rules and gameplay, definitely helpful for someone learning how to play.

Although Nyantype seems to be coming out every quarter instead of monthly like Megami Magazine, it’s still a good alternative for someone looking for some variety in their pin-up posters. Unfortunately, as with the first volume of Nyantype, it does not seem like they include any extras (such as B2 size posters or calendars) like Megami Magazine. To make up for the lack of extras, there is something in this volume that will definitely make Strike Witches fans happy:

In case you can’t tell what that is, it’s a neck pillow with a very close resemblance to one of the characters, Miyafuji Yoshika. This special pillow is only offered through Nyantype, and for a little extra yen it could be yours in a matter of weeks. Personally though, I would rather have a free poster.

One of the new anime airing this season is called “Bakemonogatari”, which can be translated as “Ghostory” since bakemono = ghost/monster, and monogatari = story. The anime has different characters that it focuses on for a couple of episodes, and each of those characters has something to do with the supernatural. There is, however, a main character named Koyomi Araragi who is a former vampire and appears to try to help the other characters.

In the first two episodes, the anime focuses on a girl named Hitagi Senjogahara who has had her weight taken away by a crab. Most people have probably never heard of this kind of myth/legend, but it is anime so it’s only natural the stories would include Japanese beliefs rather than western ones. Anyways, although Hitagi looks like a normal girl, she only weighs about 5kg due to the crab. She also carries around a ton (I literally mean a ton) of stationary that she uses as weapons, even going as far as stapling Koyomi’s mouth. Thinking that ordinary items that you’d find at school could be used as weapons in such a way certainly adds to the creepiness factor.

Despite being attacked by Hitagi, Koyomi still approaches her to try to solve her problem by introducing Hitagi to a specialist in the area of the supernatural. I won’t tell you how Hitagi fixes her weight (for those who still haven’t seen it), but all of the wordplay when they were explaining what happened to Hitagi really impressed me.

What I also liked about this anime was the animation style. Instead of the regular black lines you would see in other anime, this one has red ones to outline the characters. The colours are also generally either really bright or dark to put more contrast to things, and there’s also none of that “moe” stuff you’d find in anime like K-ON (no offence to moe lovers).

Bakemonogatari is definitely an anime worth checking out if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, or if you’re really into ghost stories.

For all of you Haruhi fans out there, you’ll be happy to know that the single for the season 2 opening song “Super Driver” by Aya Hirano will be released on July 22. You’ll be even happier to know that the full song has made its way to youtube early for everyone to enjoy.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD3mZlJrsxE

Personally, I liked the songs from the first season better, but Super Driver does have its charms. If you like the song or if you’re just a Haruhi or Aya fan, the single can probably be preordered on amazon, cdjapan, or other sites that sell Japanese goods.

Anime MAD videos are becoming increasingly popular these days and seemingly pop up less than a day after the airing of a new series. Here’s a nice find from youtube (originally posted on nicovideo) of the adorable Maria Ushiromiya from the anime “Umineko no Naku Koro Ni” which just aired in Japan several days ago.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsS0u7rB6Ps

For those of you not in the know, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni is a spin-off series of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, so you can expect a lot of mysterious deaths and paranoia to go around. Maria Ushiromiya is a 9 year old girl with a seemingly abusive mother. She is voiced by the seiyuu Yui Horie, which explains her really high-pitched voice and adorable “uuu~” sounds ^.^

So lets say you were a die-hard Lucky Star fan and you went to Saitama to see the sights. You visit the shrine where Tsukasa and Kagami work in the anime and buy some merchandise, but you feel that something is missing. What is it you ask? The Lucky Star girls of course. This problem may soon be solved as the prefecture may change their school uniforms to match those in the anime. No doubt this would bring in another influx of anime fans and boost tourism in the area once again. One has to wonder if the girls that actually have to wear the uniforms will have any objections to crazed otaku around every corner asking them for a picture. This just goes to show that you never know what the Japanese will make their schoolgirls do for some easy money. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see an entire school perform the Lucky Star dance.

Besides the obvious Lucky Star spots, the “Anime Land” Engrish website also lists other attractions in the area that may be of interest to anime fans (especially those of Crayon Shin-chan and My Neighbour Totoro).

Source: ANN

The first movie, entitled “The King of Eden,” will be released later this year on November 28. The second movie is titled “Paradise Lost” and will most likely be released in 2010.

For those of you unfamiliar with Eden of the East, it’s a psychological anime with some comedy and a touch of romance. The story mainly focuses on a young man named Akira Takizawa, who has no memories of his past and the only link he has to it is a cellphone with the ability to carry out any request with a simple phone call. He soon discovers that he had erased his own memories, and his cellphone was given to him as part of a “game” to save Japan from social/economic decline using whatever means necessary. There are also eleven other people with the same cellphone and conflict between them and Akira really make the anime worth watching.

The comedy factor isn’t too high in this show, but there are some notable scenes. Any anime fans out there old enough to remember the mass naked child events in Ghost in the Shell will find this scene entertaining (it seems they’ve all grown up):

If you’re tired of watching anime with cute little girls playing guitars, I recommend taking a look at Eden of the East. Although, people who aren’t fans of cliffhangers may want to wait until the movies come out first.

The life-sized Gundam that Bandai had been constructing for the past few months was finally completed this week, and it’s mighty impressive. The RX78 Gundam was built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Gundam series and stands 18 metres tall. It is currently on display in Odaiba, Japan.

Although there have been some claims of life-sized gundams being built in the past, as far as I know they’ve all just been hoaxes like the one below:

This makes the Odaiba Gundam the first life-sized Gundam in the world. For those of you wondering if it can move, I’m sorry to disappoint but it doesn’t look like it can walk or fly, although the head can move from side to side as seen in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykamCJsKFBI

For all the hardcore Gundam fans out there, I suggest you go visit Odaiba before the Gundam is taken away :)

Odaiba Gundam image courtesy of punynari

Although there is only one song in this release, Gurren Lagann and Yoko fans should be more than happy with the extras that it comes with. When you purchase the single, you also get a booklet containing some new images of Yoko and a DVD with a music video for the song. The song itself is cute, but I thought the music video was a real treat since all of the scenes are completely new (nothing is taken from the anime), and Yoko fans get to see their favourite character cosplaying in a variety of outfits. This is definitely worth more than the attention it was given (the only ads I knew of were from Nyantype magazine and the Gainax website), and if you don’t believe me you can always take a look at the music video and listen to the song on youtube:

(Warning: this video contains large amounts of fanservice and may be NSFW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5RyKfgOYPI

Although anime adapted from Key’s games have been rather successful, it remains to be seen if an anime not based on a visual novel will do as well. There’s also the matter of Key already working on a visual novel, Rewrite, meaning they will have to split their resources between the two. Many fans have already pointed out that Yuri, one of the main characters of Angel Beats (shown on the left) bears a striking resemblance to Haruhi Suzumiya, with the only major difference between the two being the colours used. An intentional attempt at parody, or perhaps the first signs of laziness? Only way to find out is to wait for the anime to be released.

For anyone interested, there are some promotional clips of the anime on youtube (in Japanese):

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifu99LvL_Vo

For the true-blue and hardcore geek no other country in the world would be the destination for a pilgrimage more than Japan and when in Japan, the geek will naturally gravitate towards Akihabara, like a pigeon sensing magnetic north.

Akihabara is the flashiest district in Tokyo and covers practically everything the geek will have any interest in. Akihabara is considered the technological district of Tokyo and with good reason. It is located in the eastern part of Tokyo and just a two stops away from the northern section of the main Tokyo Station. For the uninitiated, Akihabara is commonly known as Electric Town — a throwback from its earlier reputation as the center of electronics and home appliance retailers. But even though the area is littered with a wide range of shops that offer all of the gadgets and electronics you can think of, it has also acquired a new, much deserved, reputation as the place where geeks can go see the things that interest them.

Name the geek pursuit and Akihabara will most probably have it. What makes Akihabara a geek paradise is that it actually caters to all the kinds of geeks out there. Oh yes, there are many types of geeks and they have different pursuits, passions and obsessions.

One of the most common type of geeks are the gadget freaks that absolutely must have the latest and greatest gadget out there. Akihabara is the perfect place for these geeks because it enjoys a “pioneer” reputation for getting technologies and gadgetry fads way before it becomes popular or even hits the rest of the world. You will often see gadgets and electronic equipment there that will only catch the world’s attention after a few years. Just the thought of getting a gadget before everyone else boosts your bragging rights and makes you the ubergeek of your neighborhood.

Anime and manga geeks will also find their Shangri-la in Akihabara. The Tokyo Anime Fair is held near the area and there are many merchandising shops in the district that sell anime stuff — from OAVs, plush toys, replica weapons and action figures. Beware though, the hentai anime figures are also quite ubiquitous in the area so be vigilant if you’re going to visit with youngsters.

Of course, for geeks from the West, Akihabara has become synonymous with a particular geek pursuit — gaming. Electric Town is where you can find shops that sell all manner of gaming consoles (you can even get lucky and find the discontinued console you’ve been looking for). You’ll also find a dizzying array of games for sale for absolutely all kinds of platforms. Even games from discontinued platforms (even those that’s more than a decade old) will usually be available there. And the most insane thing is that they’re housed in huge places. You’ll find stocks in stores that are contained in several floors. All manner of games are represented in Akihabara. You’ll be amazed at the sheer number of games that have been developed in Japan that never got to see the light of day in the West — from RPGs to shooters to hentai type sex games.

Geeks that love music and movies will also find many interesting places to visit and shop in at Akihabara. Shops that sell second hand and brand new CDs and DVDs proliferate around the area. For non-music loving geeks here’s an interesting piece of information — Japan-pressed CDs have gained a reputation among audiophiles for having the best audio quality. Additionally, Japan-pressed albums usually contain additional tracks that are not usually available in CDs pressed in the US or the EU. These are the factors that make buying CDs in Japan a very interesting proposition.

Cinephiles will go nuts over the selection of Japanese movies that are the rage among movie lovers. From the wide array of horror movies to thought provoking dramas and in-your-face action — Japan offers films that are worth watching and collecting.

Akihabara is a wonderful place to explore. If you’re a geek there is just so many things to do and explore there that you’ll get lost in your own mind just looking at the dizzying array of products and things that cater to your every desire. But non geeks will love it too because Akihabara is the perfect reflection of what Japan is — a place steeped in history and culture that is not afraid to embrace the new. Go book hotels in Japan and don’t forget to visit Akihabara.

With eight episodes of K-ON having been aired in Japan, the amount of cosplay in this series has already surpassed what you would find in most anime. In this short amount of time, K-ON has already managed to cover maid uniforms, swimsuits, normal clothing, a nurse outfit, santa costume, winter clothing, and others including the ever-popular school uniform.

Having so many types of cosplay covered already, one has to wonder what kind of outfits the girls from the light music club will be made to wear next. Some cosplay outfits that are commonly shown in anime but haven’t made an appearance yet are: miko , cheerleader, chinese dress, and wedding dress (a bit far-fetched, but KyoAni did do farm animals…). There are probably a lot of types of cosplay I haven’t mentioned, but lets just see which one of these end up being shown in K-ON for now.

As with previous seasons, Chartfag and Denizen have already begun composing their list of all the new anime being aired. On the list so far are familiar anime like Spice and Wolf, and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei returning as sequels, as well as many new titles. One of the more anticipated series this season would have to be Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, but there are other good titles to look forward to like Umineko no Naku Koro ni and CANAAN. Other anime which I think can go either way are: Bakemonogatari, Sora no Manimani, and Taishou Yakyuu Musume. Of course, for those looking for generic anime, Umi Monogatari looks like a typical transforming-girls-fighting-evil anime. There’s also some harem anime in the form of Princess Lover! and Seitokai no Ichizon, with the latter seemingly more on the cute side.

Trailers for some of the series are already out and you can see them on youtube:

Aoi Hana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbtZ2NZMTLM

Element Hunters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOAguY05Xgo

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTjpjnrhSp4

CANAAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZMZbUAXnAc

Taishou Yakyuu Musume
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsR9h2VLzdc

Bakemonogatari
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPgwOt0Q_98

Sora no Manimani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPSfPl9Rrmo

Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8mI4GGqUA0

Umi Monogatari
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmtzWyVaPzQ

Princess Lover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M1aQeNLx_s

In a fashion very similar to Megami Magazine, Nyan Type features all of the popular bishoujo series and includes a number of pin-up posters of bishoujo characters. Besides the posters, Nyan Type also has information regarding new and upcoming bishoujo anime, something Megami Magazine also focuses on. I haven’t gotten the chance to look through the magazine myself yet, but from some of the?images that have recently made their way onto the internet, it certainly looks promising.

It’ll be interesting to see what actions Megami Magazine will take (if any) to snuff out its new rival, more freebies perhaps?

Earlier this week Variety reported that the popular series “Death Note” may be adapted into a Hollywood film by Warner Bros. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Death Note, it was a widely popular manga which was adapted into an anime and 2 Japanese live-action films, all of which turned out very successful.

The original story revolves around a student named Light Yagami who one day finds a notebook on the ground labelled “Death Note”. Inside, he finds instructions that explain that the Death Note is a special book that has the power to kill anyone if you write down their real name and picture their face in your mind. After testing the Death Note’s powers, Light decides to use it to rid the world of all evil and corrupt people, leaving behind only those he judges to be worthy. With criminals around the world suddenly meeting their demise, the police suspect that this isn’t just coincidence and hire the world’s top detective, whose alias is the letter “L”. Light and L face off in the rest of the series as Light tries to uncover L’s real name to escape suspicion, and L tries to figure out how a killer can kill with just a name and image.

It’s not every day that an anime gets adapted into a Hollywood film. In fact, the only two movies from anime that I can think of are Speed Racer and Dragonball Evolution, both of which didn’t do so well in theatres. Other anime titles that are being adapted into Hollywood films include Akira, The Last Airbender (which is actually an anime-like cartoon), Ghost In The Shell, and possible Full Metal Panic. Seeing how poorly Speed Racer and Dragonball Evolution turned out, it’s questionable whether a Death Note movie will be any better. I guess we’ll just have to wait for a few more anime movies to come out before we get our hopes up with Death Note.

So what is Training with Hinako? To put it simply, it’s a workout video for out-of-shape anime fans with a twist. Unlike most workout videos which focus on proper technique, most of the Training with Hinako video zooms in on Hinako’s rather large assets (you know what I mean, just take a look at the cover).

The exercises that Hinako covers are: push-ups, sit-ups, squats, counting on the bed, and something I can only describe as chest bouncing with special sound effects included. The first three exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, and squats) are a major part of any workout, but counting on the bed and chest bounces are completely new to me. Although this anime is a so-called “workout video”, only about two-thirds of it is actually of Hinako performing her exercises. The rest of the anime includes Hinako talking about how she’s actually a real human who was pulled into the world of anime (through the tv of course) and is now acting in a new anime series, strange indeed.

Training With Hinako certainly isn’t meant for younger audiences, and it’s pretty clear that the working out part is just a cover for its main selling point. If you are interested in this anime, it’s now on sale in Japan so you can get it shipped to you, or you could just find a clip on youtube and loop it several times (trust me, you wouldn’t miss much).

In January of 2009, Kurokami – The Animation became the first ever anime to be simultaneously broadcast (within a couple days) in three different countries and in three different languages. It aired in Japan and the United States on the 8th while it aired in Korea on the 9th. The Kurokami anime was produced by Bandai and is part of their effort to bring anime to fans outside of Japan (and make some more profit). Personally, I think it’s a great idea since fans don’t have to wait a year for someone to license an anime and translate it anymore. Whether or not other anime companies will follow suit or if Bandai will do this with other titles remains to be seen considering Kurokami’s popularity (it barely seems to register on radar in the anime community).

Another relatively new form of anime distribution which seems to be gaining acceptance among anime fans is the online streaming of subtitled anime the day after their airing in Japan. Some of you are probably thinking that this sounds the same as pirating anime, but in fact it’s the anime companies themselves that provide the episodes. Last year popular streaming site CrunchyRoll signed a contract with anime production company Gonzo to stream their anime with English subtitles. When I first heard about this, I thought it was a last-ditch effort by Gonzo to make some money. In recent years Gonzo had lost favor among anime fans due to a series of unsuccessful anime titles, but they seem to be doing better now. TV Tokyo also signed on to have their anime subtitled and streamed on CrunchyRoll after seeing the success of the deal made with Gonzo. Now the longest that fans have to wait to see their favourite anime is 1-7 days after being broadcast in Japan, I’m particularly glad that they have several new titles including Natsu no Arashi, Saki, Shangri-la, and Hayate no Gotoku 2.

Right now streamed anime looks to be doing better than the simultaneous broadcasts of Kurokami, but I think that’s just due to a poor choice in anime on Bandai’s part. Hopefully more anime companies will follow suit in the next few years and find ways to get their anime to non-Japanese fans. If a high-quality anime production company like Kyoto Animation ever did simultaneous broadcasts, I would be very happy :)

Those of you not familiar with anime figures might wonder what’s so special about this one. Although the popularity of the character does play a big role in selling anime figures, the quality of the figure is also taken into consideration. Unlike dolls or action figures, a lot of detail is put into anime figures. I think this is obvious when looking at how Fate’s hair has been sculpted to look like it’s blowing in the wind. Her body proportions also seem to match what is shown in the anime, which is (from what I’ve seen) harder to achieve with characters wearing tight clothing. From the sample images, Alter also seems to have done a good job with the paint. Some figures don?t have many layers of paint on them so the colours look uniform, making the figure look bland. On the other hand, figures that have been painted well will have different shades of a colour (you can see this clearly on the black stocking on Fate?s leg).

With so much attention to detail put into this figure of Fate, it’s no wonder that her starting retail price is a whopping 12,800 yen (~130USD), double the cost of the average figure, but I’m sure that won’t stop devoted anime collectors and Fate fans (speaking of which, are there any here?).

The figure is scheduled for release at the end of August 2009.

From the recent TAF 2009 (Tokyo Anime Fair 2009) comes news of a new 3D anime called “Cat Shit One – The Animated Series” based on a manga by the same title. The Cat Shit One manga was about a group of American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam war during the 1970’s. Uninteresting? well, that’s because I didn’t tell you that all of the characters are cute furry little animals. In the manga, all of the Americans were bunnies while the Vietnamese were cats, not what you would normally picture when you think of war. If anyone is interested in reading the manga, it’s also known as “Apocalypse Meow” in North America.

Although the Cat Shit One manga takes place in Vietnam, Anima (the production studio for Cat Shit One – The Animated Series) has decided to modernize the story. The animated series appears to take place somewhere in the middle east and the main characters are also mercenaries rather than American soldiers (but they’re still bunnies). The cats that were supposed to represent Vietnamese soldiers in the manga have also been replaced by not-so-cute camels which I assume are supposed to be terrorists. If you haven’t done so already, you should take a look at the trailer above. The NSFW tag is for animated violence.

I usually don’t watch war movies, but the fact that you have fluffy killer bunnies sniping camels and rescuing hostages definitely puts this series on my watch list. The series is scheduled to air at the end of the year and will be 12 episodes long.

Clannad After Story continues where the first season left off with player Tomoya dumping his harem in order to go out with the dango-obsessed Nagisa. The beginning of After Story has the same feel as the first season of Clannad where everyone is enjoying their high school lives playing baseball and getting into gang wars (yep, a gang war in a romantic comedy). I’m not saying this part was particularly bad, but after an entire season of school life, I was really hoping that the second season wouldn’t be all like this. The fact that this part of After Story only focused on the minor characters also made it less interesting since they have nothing to do with the main plot. The only really memorable parts were when Kotomi calculated (on the spot no less) exactly where the pitcher was going to throw the ball while playing baseball, and when Nagisa combined her mother’s bread with (what we assume to be) Akiko’s jam from Kanon to make a super-deadly rainbow combo that knocked everyone out.

After 9 episodes of insights into all the minor characters, all the 3rd year students finally graduate from high school (except for Nagisa due to her illness). At this point I was relieved that they weren’t going to make the whole season a repeat of the first but with a larger focus on the minor characters, but the series just went downhill even more. I’ve always wondered why anime never continued beyond the end of high school and now I know. People who don’t continue their education after high school usually end up looking for work and a place to stay after they graduate, and that’s exactly what happened in After Story with Tomoya. I’m sure most people out there have experienced what it’s like to look for a job or a cheap place to live, now imagine watching someone do this and adjusting to his new way of life (sounds boring, I know). The only things that made this bearable were Akio’s (Nagisa?s father) crazy antics and those random scenes with a little girl and robot in an empty world. In every episode there’s a 1-2 minute scene where they show a girl in a white dress and a robot with no means of communication except for hand gestures. Over the course of a few episodes, we learn that the world in which they live has no other inhabitants and that the girl will no longer be able to move when winter approaches. I thought having the girl and robot was? a really effective way for the writers to keep viewers watching the series through all the boring parts and minor character fillers, since you’re always wondering what will happen to the girl once winter arrives and what it has to do with the main story.

The story continues on after Tomoya settles in to his new life working as an electrician with him proposing to Nagisa and the two of them eventually getting married and having a baby daughter, Ushio. The part between Tomoya and Nagisa’s marriage and the end of the series was surprisingly much better than the rest of the series, focusing on Tomoya?s relationship with his family and how he copes when tragedy strikes. This part was very emotional and more like what you would expect from the creators of AIR and Kanon (it even has a surprise ending).

Overall, I thought After Story was way too long for the main plot. Instead of having a dozen or so episodes of fillers about all the minor characters, they should have gone straight to graduation and moved on to Tomoya and Nagisa’s marriage and Tomoya’s relationship with Ushio. If you’re looking for an anime to blow you away, Clannad After Story probably won’t do that, but if you’re looking for something slow and serious with superb animation and relaxing music, then Clannad After Story is a perfect fit.

For my first post I thought I’d review the first episode of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Rei (a.k.a. When They Cry or When Cicadas Cry), which was released on DVD at the end of February. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei is the OVA (original video animation) for the Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni series, meaning that one episode will be released on DVD every 1-2 months. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni series, it’s about a group of children (Keiichi, Rena, Mion, Shion, Rika, Satoko, and Hanyuu) living in a secluded town in Japan during the 1980s. During the month of June in 1983, strange events begin to occur such as people disappearing, finding dead bodies, suicide, and mass paranoia. All of this eventually leads up to the night of a local festival at the end of the month where everyone dies or goes insane. After that, Hanyuu, who is actually a goddess in human form (albeit with limited power) turns back time in the hopes that the slaughter at the end of the month doesn’t occur again. Of course, life never goes the way you want and the events repeat over and over again. Besides Hanyuu, the only other person that knows about the turning back of time is Rika, a young preistess. Being a priestess, Rika has some spiritual powers and is able to remember what happens before Hanyuu turns back time (which sucks because she always gets killed at the end of the month). Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni focuses on several different arcs where the main characters try to solve the mysteries surrounding the town and survive past June 1983.

The start of each arc in Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni always begins with a carefree episode a few weeks before the end of June. Rei is no different in this respect as it starts things off with everyone enjoying their time at the pool. As always, Keiichi is running late and halfway to the pool he realizes he forgot his swimming trunks at home. Mion’s uncle, who owns a store in town, just happens to see Keiichi fretting outside over what kind of punishment Mion and company will have waiting for him if he’s late. In desperation, Keiichi borrows these “magical” trunks (it’s actually a green speedo with white swirls) which are said to make the wearer popular with girls after he writes his name on the trunks and wears them for 3 hours. Keiichi makes it to the pool on time and all is fine and dandy until Mion gets a call from her uncle telling her that he mis-read the instructions for Keiichi’s trunks (this is the first time I’ve ever heard of swimwear coming with instructions) and that Keiichi will become a narcissist if he doesn’t take off his trunks in 3 hours. This is where things start to go crazy for Keiichi.

Normally, if you’re a guy and a group of girls is chasing after you, that’s a good thing, but not if they’re trying to snatch your swimwear at a public pool. Mion and company chase after Keiichi in order to save him from becoming a narcissist, but Keiichi proves to be too good of a swimmer to catch, even with the help of Hanyuu’s time-controlling abilities.

This is when the girls decide they need backup and enlist the help of nurse Takano, Mion’s sister Shion, and their teacher Chie-sensei (you can’t have a pool/beach episode in anime without all of the female cast present). Seeing as this is supposed to be a horror/murder-mystery, you’ve got to have some murder weapons present and we are not disappointed. Takano, Shion, and Chie pull out their “weapons” in classic anime fashion (out of thin air) and proceed to hunt down Keiichi. I just loved the weapon choices in this part, Takano pulls out some syringes (remember, she’s a nurse), Chie pulls out some T-squares (who knew a ruler-like object could be so dangerous), and Shion pulls out a taser (at a pool no less).

Just as things couldn’t seem to get any worse for Keiichi, he finds himself cornered by a large group of perverts that Rika bribed with one of her swimsuits (which is just wrong on so many levels). At that moment, the “Soul Brothers” come to Keiichi’s rescue riding?surfboards (this is how all heroes should make an entrance).

The episode just gets even weirder from here on out with Takano’s secret spies popping out of the water, the riot police charging into the pool, and my favourite part of the episode: Tomitake blocking a bullet with pure muscle!

With the 3 hours almost up before Keiichi turns into a narcissist and being unable to defeat the Soul Brothers, Mion, Rena, and Satoko turn to their womanly charms (girlish charms in Satoko’s case) to lead the Brothers away from each other.

They then convince each of the Sould Brothers that they need to steal Keiichi’s trunks for themselves. Now that the Soul Brothers have switched sides, Keiichi has nowhere to run and it’s mission accomplished for Mion and company.

This episode was drastically different from the usual dark setting that viewers of Higurashi have become accustomed to. It was more of a parody of the regular series and anime in general with parts like Takano’s spies abandoning her and battle poses you’d normally find in fighting anime. Seeing as this was a “fanservice” episode, a few things were a bit farfetched (actually, everything seemed too farfetched), but they did include everything one would expect to find in a fanservice episode: the entire female cast in swimsuits (including a nurse and teacher), a strange but funny objective, each character saying their “line”, and random battles to fill the time. Although episodes like this one are fun to watch every once in a while, a whole bunch of them wouldn’t make a very good series. Thankfully, according to the next episode preview, it looks like the remaining four episodes will take place after the end of season 2 and once again involve some kind of mystery. The DVD for the second episode comes out on March 25 and I hope it turns out as well as the tv series.

If you’d like to read more of my anime reviews, visit my blog.

The first trailer of Alan Moore’s Tales of the ‘Black Freighter’ has been exclusively released at MTV.com.
Set for a release on March 24th on DVD, the Watchmen subplot “Under The Hood” is the recreation of the autobiographical film about the Original Night Owl, Hollis Mason.

‘Tales of the Black Freighter’ is written by Alan Moore, author of The Watchmen.
Watch the trailer below the jump.

This week, promo shots from the movie have started to leak out. I’m posting the solo picture of Goku, played by Justin Chatwin. Love the costume, that’s about it.