After the overwhelming success of the article on the Dollife dolls from Volks I decided to add a new weekly feature article highlighting some of the latest news from Volks, this section is being called The Dollhouse and will run once a week. Each week we will post news from the Volks website or other user submitted content, highlighting this especially fascinating aspect of Japanese culture.
This is also a great opportunity for you the reader, as I am just now beginning to learn more about this hobby. I would love to have input from members of the community on what to post and where to get additional news, pictures, etc. so please let me know what we can add and we will get this aspect of the site growing fast as well.
Back later today with the first *official* installment of The Dollhouse.
Until then!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Changes...
Ok, so no matter how many plans I make it seems that something is always conspiring against me, especially when it comes to this blog. Life has been abysmal these last few months, and I have neglected this blog horribly, I honestly had been considering shutting it down for good, but then I looked at the hit numbers and something struck me, I am getting a lot of traffic, not sure why since this isn't the most content heavy Anime site on the net, but obviously someone out there is enjoying what I write.
So first the bad news, I am going to try to get as many reviews as I can done, but since I am only able to review what I am able to buy and right now that isn't much that is going to be a bit of an issue. I will do what I can, just bear with me on how sparse reviews are for the moment. If we can get a real rapport with readers and show how interested people are, then MAYBE we might be able to get on the comp lists for a few companies, will have to see how things go in that vein
The good news, you noticed the word "we" above, I am going to be brining on another member to the staff here soon, right now they are getting up to speed on what I expect and need, but rest assured that once they get going that you will see more and more content hit the site.
The Dollfie article proved to be a hit, apparently there is a huge interest in this, so we are going to be trying to cover that hobby in more detail. Keep watching this site for more and more Dollfie news as we can get it!
Other than that, look for some new content over the next couple of days, and once we have the staff up to speed we will get back on a permanent schedule.
Take care, and thanks for reading!
So first the bad news, I am going to try to get as many reviews as I can done, but since I am only able to review what I am able to buy and right now that isn't much that is going to be a bit of an issue. I will do what I can, just bear with me on how sparse reviews are for the moment. If we can get a real rapport with readers and show how interested people are, then MAYBE we might be able to get on the comp lists for a few companies, will have to see how things go in that vein
The good news, you noticed the word "we" above, I am going to be brining on another member to the staff here soon, right now they are getting up to speed on what I expect and need, but rest assured that once they get going that you will see more and more content hit the site.
The Dollfie article proved to be a hit, apparently there is a huge interest in this, so we are going to be trying to cover that hobby in more detail. Keep watching this site for more and more Dollfie news as we can get it!
Other than that, look for some new content over the next couple of days, and once we have the staff up to speed we will get back on a permanent schedule.
Take care, and thanks for reading!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
UPDATES - 5/19/09 - Life kicks
Ok so the last month hasn't gone too good, my contract with the new company was terminated 6 weeks in, no real notice, actually no notice.
So needless to say I have been busy dealing with those issues, along with keeping my head above water. I am going to be busy on the job hunt front here pretty soon, but I am going to be maintaining the content of the site, so there will be new stuff coming through constantly.
Thanks for your support!
So needless to say I have been busy dealing with those issues, along with keeping my head above water. I am going to be busy on the job hunt front here pretty soon, but I am going to be maintaining the content of the site, so there will be new stuff coming through constantly.
Thanks for your support!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
UPDATES - 04/23/09 - Schedule Update
Ok, so its been awhile since I did an update on the Term of the Week, but FINALLY there is a new one posted!
With that out of the way be looking for a new feature article tommorow, and a new review on Tuesday next week.
With that out of the way be looking for a new feature article tommorow, and a new review on Tuesday next week.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Where do you get your Anime/Manga?
I was busy over on AnimeNewsNetwork.com looking at some articles when I stumbled across a really interesting interview [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/chicks-on-anime/2009-04-07] with the co-owner of a video store in Colorado and her experiences with renters, and some pretty harsh words directed towards users of services like Netflx and those that stream online [legally and otherwise] This evoked a lot of emotion in me and got me thinking about the changes that we have been going through in the community in the last few years, and where we are headed going forward.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years you know that a lot has changed with regards to traditional media, streaming, piracy, scanning, e-books, and of course DVRs have changed how we look at much of what we watch, listen and read.
Anime and Manga has been a lighting rod for this issue, mostly due to the fact what was once a very small niche hobby has gone much more mainstream. For a little bit of backstory, lets do a bit of a retrospective to how we got where we are today.
My first encounter with Anime like many people was with Star Blazers as a child, it was one of the few cartoons that my parents supported me watching because they were impressed with the story and it wasn't a mass toy commercial, unlike most of the others at the time. After this I wandered away onto other more mundane affair, but my love of Star Blazers never ceased. [ask my father about desperately trying to get the antenna pointed in the right direction so I could still watch my favorite show when it was on]
When I was 13 I started playing the ROBOTECH: RPG from Palladium Books, which got me into watching the old show again. We started a ROBOTECH fan club in Jr. High, and one night we were at the local comic store and I picked up a copy of Protoculture Addicts and I saw all these articles on other shows that I had never heard of, there was this whole world of animation geared to the more mature person and I had no inclination it existed.
From here I spent the next two years trying to get access to anything I could of the Anime variety, it was at this point that Viz Comics was getting into stride and I got a hold of my first issue of Ranma 1/2, Crying Freeman [really glad the parentals didn't look at that too closely] I was in love. During this time my father [a commercial airline pilot] worked with a guy who knew of an Anime club near my house, my father at that time found the whole concept fascinating, probably due to the fact this stuff was geared to a much more mature audience, so he was willing to drive me to the club meetings once per month.
The Club meetings were the golden age for me in the mid 1990’s, here were all these series that I had never heard of, everything from giant robot drama's Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory to slice of life shows like Maison Ikkoku. to the magical girl genre of Sailor Moon. What also made this time so interesting was the fact that almost none of what we were watching was commercial releases over here, what we were watching were Anime that had been copied directly off Japanese tv then subtitled on an Amiga computer for fans.
This was an amazing time, Arctic Animation the parent of our club was an North American power when it came to fansubbing, they were one of the only games in town, since at the time the few VHS releases available cost a fortune, it wasn’t uncommon for tapes to cost in the $50+ range, and we certainly didn’t have DVD’s. There wasn’t Netflix, and video stores were terrified of it [I was there when they had to explain to an angry parent that they thought Akira was a childrens cartoon] there was so little in the range of sources it was scary at times.
But the seeds were planted, even though the tapes cost a fortune, Manga Entertainment, Viz, Animego, Central Park Media, US Manga Corps, Central Park Media were the pioneers, they saw the future and jumped on it.
Manga was a slightly different story Viz had been around for some time releasing a few select titles, along with Dark Horse Comics but there was even less selection on this front, and what was available was fairly expensive.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape is much different, we have companies dedicated to bringing out Manga in its original digest form, for far more palatable price, and one only needs to walk into their local Best Buy or FYE to see the selection of Anime available. Even the video stores are getting in on the act with Blockbuster and Hollywood Video renting large selections of Anime.
Going a step further are the legal online services such as Netflix and Crunchyroll [though their background is a little more than dubious] offering on demand streaming, or direct to mail rentals.
Times they have definitely changed…
So my question to you is this, where do you get your Anime/Manga? Tell me where you like to buy, and why, what makes for a great experience, and what makes for a bad one.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years you know that a lot has changed with regards to traditional media, streaming, piracy, scanning, e-books, and of course DVRs have changed how we look at much of what we watch, listen and read.
Anime and Manga has been a lighting rod for this issue, mostly due to the fact what was once a very small niche hobby has gone much more mainstream. For a little bit of backstory, lets do a bit of a retrospective to how we got where we are today.
My first encounter with Anime like many people was with Star Blazers as a child, it was one of the few cartoons that my parents supported me watching because they were impressed with the story and it wasn't a mass toy commercial, unlike most of the others at the time. After this I wandered away onto other more mundane affair, but my love of Star Blazers never ceased. [ask my father about desperately trying to get the antenna pointed in the right direction so I could still watch my favorite show when it was on]
When I was 13 I started playing the ROBOTECH: RPG from Palladium Books, which got me into watching the old show again. We started a ROBOTECH fan club in Jr. High, and one night we were at the local comic store and I picked up a copy of Protoculture Addicts and I saw all these articles on other shows that I had never heard of, there was this whole world of animation geared to the more mature person and I had no inclination it existed.
From here I spent the next two years trying to get access to anything I could of the Anime variety, it was at this point that Viz Comics was getting into stride and I got a hold of my first issue of Ranma 1/2, Crying Freeman [really glad the parentals didn't look at that too closely] I was in love. During this time my father [a commercial airline pilot] worked with a guy who knew of an Anime club near my house, my father at that time found the whole concept fascinating, probably due to the fact this stuff was geared to a much more mature audience, so he was willing to drive me to the club meetings once per month.
The Club meetings were the golden age for me in the mid 1990’s, here were all these series that I had never heard of, everything from giant robot drama's Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory to slice of life shows like Maison Ikkoku. to the magical girl genre of Sailor Moon. What also made this time so interesting was the fact that almost none of what we were watching was commercial releases over here, what we were watching were Anime that had been copied directly off Japanese tv then subtitled on an Amiga computer for fans.
This was an amazing time, Arctic Animation the parent of our club was an North American power when it came to fansubbing, they were one of the only games in town, since at the time the few VHS releases available cost a fortune, it wasn’t uncommon for tapes to cost in the $50+ range, and we certainly didn’t have DVD’s. There wasn’t Netflix, and video stores were terrified of it [I was there when they had to explain to an angry parent that they thought Akira was a childrens cartoon] there was so little in the range of sources it was scary at times.
But the seeds were planted, even though the tapes cost a fortune, Manga Entertainment, Viz, Animego, Central Park Media, US Manga Corps, Central Park Media were the pioneers, they saw the future and jumped on it.
Manga was a slightly different story Viz had been around for some time releasing a few select titles, along with Dark Horse Comics but there was even less selection on this front, and what was available was fairly expensive.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape is much different, we have companies dedicated to bringing out Manga in its original digest form, for far more palatable price, and one only needs to walk into their local Best Buy or FYE to see the selection of Anime available. Even the video stores are getting in on the act with Blockbuster and Hollywood Video renting large selections of Anime.
Going a step further are the legal online services such as Netflix and Crunchyroll [though their background is a little more than dubious] offering on demand streaming, or direct to mail rentals.
Times they have definitely changed…
So my question to you is this, where do you get your Anime/Manga? Tell me where you like to buy, and why, what makes for a great experience, and what makes for a bad one.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Ooops! Sorry our bad!
Ok, sorry that we gaffed on the schedule the end of last week and the beginning of this one. We have some REALLY neat changes coming through in the next couple of weeks that are going to hopefully allow for a lot more content, and getting there is taking longer than expected.
There will be a feature article posted for tommorow, and there will likely be some extra content added over the weekend.
Again, sorry for the delays!
PS: The "WE" should give you a hint to the upcoming changes
There will be a feature article posted for tommorow, and there will likely be some extra content added over the weekend.
Again, sorry for the delays!
PS: The "WE" should give you a hint to the upcoming changes
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
NEWS: Bandai Streaming on Youtube!
This might not be big news, but with Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion going on hiatus from Cartoon Network it might interest folks to know that Bandai is offering the episodes as streaming content through their Youtube! channel.
Currently they are offering 25 episodes with English subtitles, I have embedded the player here into the blog so that you readers can watch the series from the comfort of Blossom of the Sakura
NEWS: Mandalay Pictures Options Full Metal Panic Movie!
Ok I am REALLY hoping this was a very late April fools joke! From Anime News Network:The Mandalay Pictures production studio has licensed the film rights to Shoji Gatoh's Full Metal Panic! high school action comedy light novels. The story centers around a brusque young sergeant named Sousuke Sagara who must protect an assertive high school girl named Chidori Kaname by masquerading (somewhat unsuccessfully) as a high school student himself. Actor Zac Efron (High School Musical, Hairspray, 17 Again) is reportedly discussing the project.
Shikidouji illustrated the original novels, and Retsu Tateo adapted them into manga form. Three television anime series, several spinoff manga, and a video special have since released. ADV Manga released both the first manga series and the Full Metal Panic: Overload! manga spinoff in North America. ADV Films and Funimation have split the North American DVD releases of the different anime series between the two of them.
This is more than a little scary, once again Hollywood gets an idea to remake a popular Anime series, and well, Speed Racer shows how that can go.
We will see what we shall see on this one I guess.
MANGA REVIEW: Tetragrammaton Labyrinth Vol: 1
From the Back Cover:When darkness falls on the foggy streets of London, demons and monsters emerge to prey on human life. But demons aren’t the only ones prowling the streets. Two women have picked up the fight as humanity’s front line defense against the darkness--a young gun-toting nun named Sister Meg and her mysterious, eternally youthful partner Angela. Together, they have made it their life’s work to spend their nights hunting the vile demons that stalk mankind.
Introduction
I am not going to lie here, I have a soft spot for occult/religious Manga, especially when it involves cute girls with guns, and even more so when they are nuns. So it should come as no shock that when I first saw Tetragrammaton Labyrinth that I immediately picked up a copy. The cover art alone had me giddy with anticipation, as did the description on the back of the book, if only the rest of it lived up to these expectations.
Story - 4/10
Tetragrammaton Labyrinth is the story of sister Meg, a nun, and her supernatural partner Angela. The story is based is London England during the first part of the 20th Century, where apparently demons are running rampant and the Catholic church is obviously needing to train their clergy in the use of high powered weapons.
During the first volume we see them take on a pair of cases relating to the underworld and what looks like it may be the beginning of a larger overriding story arc, that's about it, and therein lies the problem.
The story, is at the same time interesting and frustrating. There is no back story given until near the end of the first volume, and even then you are left with far more questions than answers, which wouldn't be a problem if the characters were more interesting, or more well fleshed out, but sadly they aren't. Meg is the Anime stereotype nun-with-guns nothing new here it seems in the first volume, Angela on the other hand, looks like she belongs at a Goth Lolita convention and runs around cutting demons to bit with a giant scythe, sadly they just aren't that interesting.
Another point of distaste is that to this point a lot of the story [and in one glaring case character design] seems to have been lifted directly from Chrono Crusade, I would like to see something a little more original and not so overtly plagiarized.
Story takes a bigger role near the end, where we get a hint that somehow the two protagonists are linked in some way, with Angela kept alive by Meg's need for her, and I can only hope that the slow and somewhat boring pace of this first volume, along with the main story arc pick up in volume 2.
Art - 7/10
The Art in the first volume fairs better than the story, with the characters being drawn very well. I have to say its nice to see a nun who is actually dressed like a nun for the most part, rather than with cleavage exposing clothing no clergy member would be caught wearing. I found Angela a bit oddly clothed in that she would stick out like a sore thumb in any society, let alone London of the early 20th century, but these are minor nit pickings on the character designs as a whole.
I do have an issue with some of the action scenes which are framed a bit oddly at times which can lead to a "what the heck is...Oh! Its a dismembered arm!" moments. Also I found that some of the backgrounds could have been better detailed, but these are minor nitpicks overall.
Parental warning, there is a substantial amount of blood and gore in this series so far, its definitely not one for the kiddies.
There isn't an exceptional level of innovation with the art in the series, its nice to look at, but nothing ground breaking either.
Final Conclusions overall - 6/10 [Not an average]
I want to like this series, it has a lot going for it in terms of setting and possible storyline, but as of volume one its hard to recommend it as anything above an average Manga release.
+ some nice artwork, interesting setting, and
- Story is more than a little flat, some of the artwork is oddly framed, story seems to have been lifted directly from Chrono Crusade
Publisher: Seven Seas/gomanga.com
Cost USD: $11.99
Rating: 16+
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A couple of thoughts on Anime Blogs in general...
During the last couple of days while I have been busy reinvigorating this blog I got to looking around the net at other Anime/Manga blogs out there, and I noticed one trend, almost all of them had the same information.
What I found was that they all had information about new releases in Japan and what was being picked up for release in the west, with very little variation. For me thats a bit of a downer, as much as I am looking for news, I am looking for opinions and articles as well, its making me realize how I want to make this blog different and cater to another side of fandom.
That begs the question, how will it be different?
I am going to try and focus more on reviews and articles, and opinion pieces than I am news. Of course I am going to get news out to my loyal readers, but there will be a greater emphasis on homegrown content than stuff that can be gleaned just anywhere. Its going to be a challenge, but I believe that in the long run its going to make for a better experience for my readers.
Have thoughts or comments? Please leave them below, I promise that I will try to repsond to as many as I can.
Later!
What I found was that they all had information about new releases in Japan and what was being picked up for release in the west, with very little variation. For me thats a bit of a downer, as much as I am looking for news, I am looking for opinions and articles as well, its making me realize how I want to make this blog different and cater to another side of fandom.
That begs the question, how will it be different?
I am going to try and focus more on reviews and articles, and opinion pieces than I am news. Of course I am going to get news out to my loyal readers, but there will be a greater emphasis on homegrown content than stuff that can be gleaned just anywhere. Its going to be a challenge, but I believe that in the long run its going to make for a better experience for my readers.
Have thoughts or comments? Please leave them below, I promise that I will try to repsond to as many as I can.
Later!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Haruhi Suzumiya Dollfie
On the heels of the article yesterday about the Dollfie's, I thought I would post a picture of one of 
Isn't she beautiful? Like all of the Dollfie Dream line, Haruhi is 60 cm tall, made of soft vinyl and is fully poseable.
the more sought after limited edition Dollfies that has been made.
Isn't she beautiful? Like all of the Dollfie Dream line, Haruhi is 60 cm tall, made of soft vinyl and is fully poseable.UPDATES - 04/06/09 - Schedule Update
Ok, I hope you all liked the Dollfie mini article last night, I am going to be striving for more of these types of articles going forward, short quick articles about something fun in fandom that I run across in my travels on the net.
I am back to work full time now, so I am going to try and get back to a regular posting schedule here on the blog. I am looking at the following going forward:
Monday: Term of the Week change
Weds: Review [DVD/Bluray/Manga]
Friday: Article
Other days I will be posting news and other stuff as it comes along, but those for right now are the scheduled posting days.
In addition I am going to be adding google adsense to the site, it has the potential to make this blog start paying for itself, and that can only be a good thing right? ^_~
Out for now!
I am back to work full time now, so I am going to try and get back to a regular posting schedule here on the blog. I am looking at the following going forward:
Monday: Term of the Week change
Weds: Review [DVD/Bluray/Manga]
Friday: Article
Other days I will be posting news and other stuff as it comes along, but those for right now are the scheduled posting days.
In addition I am going to be adding google adsense to the site, it has the potential to make this blog start paying for itself, and that can only be a good thing right? ^_~
Out for now!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Dollfie: Figure Collecting at its extreme
So browsing around the net the other day and I stumbled upon http://www.dannychoo.com/ and noticed a section for something called Dollfie, they looked like regular anime figures with actual hair, so I figured I would take a quick peek to see what this was all about.
Dollfies are Japanese fashion dolls, not unlike Barbie's, that range in size from 22 - 60 cm and use ball joints that allow for an amazing level of articulation and posability. They are produced by Volks in Japan, and available through their USA site http://www.volksusa.com/
Dollfie dolls generally come blank, ie, their heads are not painted. When an artist paints a Dollfie, the technique is referred to as a "face-up" or "make-up". This is usually done using acrylic paints and special sealer to keep the color from coming off with play.Volks has multiple lines, everything from realistic looking people to the far more stylized Anime inspired ones. Super Dollfies are also available, 60 cm tall and made of resin they are considered to be some of the most collectable.
Looking through their site you will see that the Dollfies don't come cheap, they are most definately a premium product! Volks from time to time does what they call Dolpa's [Doll Parties] where limited edition figures and accessories become available. I saw a limited edition Mikuru from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya listed for $598! [I saw this same figure on the secondary market for nearly $1500!] Add into this the price of clothes and accessories that can rival the prices of major brand label clothing and its not impossible for a single Dollfie to cost over $1000!
I have to be honest, if one day I have the funds I am going to try and get my hands on one of these for a mascot for the site, they are wonderful pieces of art, and a definate crown jewel in any Anime/Manga collectors collection.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Starting up again
So here I was sitting here wondering what to do with this blog, ironically, I have a lot of material that I could post reviews for, I just haven't wanted to do much with the computer for awhile.
I was laid off on the 9th of Feburary, and I just haven't had the passion for much recently, the thing that I have realized is that writing is one thing that I can do with joy still, I just need to do it...
Here goes, I am going to try and get this going again, it might be a challenge but it is one that I am up to I believe.
Give me some time, and you will see this back to how it started.
I was laid off on the 9th of Feburary, and I just haven't had the passion for much recently, the thing that I have realized is that writing is one thing that I can do with joy still, I just need to do it...
Here goes, I am going to try and get this going again, it might be a challenge but it is one that I am up to I believe.
Give me some time, and you will see this back to how it started.
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