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.

BioWare is teaming with FUNimation Entertainment to create an anime feature film set in the Mass Effect universe. Don’t bother looking for Commander Shepard or any of his crew. This animated movie will tell a story that takes place in the game’s universe, but stars original characters created just for the film.

Production is already underway by animation studio T.O Entertainment, the same company that’s working with BioWare on a Dragon Age anime film. The direct-to-home-video Mass Effect film is expected to be available Summer 2012. BioWare has already partnered with publishers in other mediums to produce a series of novels and several comic books set in Mass Effect‘s universe; the company sees this animated film as another means of revealing more about the vast universe of the game to players.

Meanwhile, work continues on the trilogy-concluding Mass Effect 3, which is set for release this Fall.

If you’ve grown past your teenage years and still watch anime, you’ve probably heard this before, “anime is for kids,” but is it really? Sure, most anime fans seem to be teenagers, but does that mean that they’re the only audience that anime is targeting? Are adults in their twenties and up who still watch anime just all creepy otaku like this guy:

When you think about it, it really does seem like anime is intended for viewers in their teens and younger. Take the current season’s line-up of anime series for example. There are over 30 anime series airing this fall, but how many of them feature main characters that are older than teenagers?

If you count characters with questionable ages, then there are a total of 6 series this season that have adults as main characters: Iron Man, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, Togainu no Chi, Arakawa Under the Bridge 2, Hakuoki Shinsengumu, and Hetalia Axis Powers. That makes up less than 20% of the season’s series. Also notice that 13 titles have characters that are attending school. When you consider that most tv series star characters that are the same age as their target audience, it’s easy to see that most anime is meant for teens or younger.

So what does that leave for those of us that are way past our teens and still watching anime? The comfort in knowing that at least there’s still something for us. While the majority of anime is targeted at an underage audience, some of it isn’t. Panty and Stocking, for instance is by no means anywhere near appropriate for any youth channel at any time. Then you also have anime like the new Mardock Scramble movie, which is about a former prostitute out to get revenge on the people that have wronged her. You can check out the trailer on youtube (NSFW: graphic violence and nudity). Try convincing anyone that anime is for kids after showing them that.