Anime Fans Online

I caught a couple of episodes of Moetan today. I didn’t see enough to do a full review, but I can share my opinion of it with you. It’s a bit odd. It started out as an English study guide for otaku. It used examples from anime and games to help the fanboys learn English words. That alone is entertaining. Check out the wikipedia page for some of the phrases used.

This is my favorite one.

• Bet: “When I fell in love with the her, I thought that the girl was my stepsister. I bet if I had known she was my real sister, I would not have fallen in love with her.”

This is continued in the anime. Ink Nijihara, the star of the show, is tutoring her high school crush in English. It’s more complicated than that, and a bit more fun too. She’s tutoring him as Magical Teacher Pastel Ink, her magical girl identity, along with her talking duck. I didn’t mention the talking duck? Well, he’s a powerful wizard from an alternate dimension, and a pervert.

Moetan is cute and funny. If the rest of the episodes keep up with the first 2, this will be an interesting series.

Anime, Opinion, Moetan, Ink Nijihara, Nijihara Ink, English, study guide, weird, Moe, otaku

Kita Michiru runs into two strange boys at school and her life is changed forever. That’s the simplest way to describe Zombie Loan. The boys in question are Tachibana Shito and Akatsuki Chika, the only survivors of a tragic accident. The only catch is, they didn’t survive. They’re zombies.

Oh, they’re not your typical George Romero zombies. They just happen to be undead. Living or dead, they have a debt to pay. They owe “Mr. Ferryman” for their unusually ambulatory afterlife. To pay him back they hunt other, somewhat more typical, zombies. Lucky for them, their new friend can help.

When her glasses are removed Kita Michiru has the ability to see “death rings”, dark rings around a person’s neck. They’re a sign that someone is a zombie. That’s how she learned Shito and Chika were no longer alive. Since they can’t see the death rings, they need her help. It’s a good thing too, or she would be dead.

That’s how it all starts. It’s a pretty interesting show. Action, humor and decent animation. Throw in a creepy little girl and girl with a split personality who likes to feel up Michiru and you have an anime worth checking out. It’s kind of like a cross between Bleach and Fruits Basket with just a dash of Hellsing. Sounds like a weird combo, but it works.

Anime, Review, Anime Review, Zombie Loan, Tachibana Shito, Shito Tachibana, Akatsuki Chika, Chika Akatsuki, Kita Michiru, Michiru Kita, Bleach, Fruits Basket

Ok, I was trying to figure out what people wanted to read about when I posted the other polls. There wasn’t much of a response to them, so that didn’t help much. I figured I needed to be straight with you. So I’m just flat out asking this time. What do you want to read about on here?

If you read Anime Fans Online please let me know what you want to read about.

Today’s anime review is Lovely Complex. I’ve watched three episodes. Unless there’s a major change to the show later on, I think that should be enough to form an opinion about it.

Lovely Complex is a high school romance. So of course the main characters can’t stand each other. Constantly fighting and denying any relationship between them, Koizumi and Otani are the perfect high school couple. The only people who don’t think so are, well, Koizumi and Otani.

The lovely couple have a lot in common. They both have a height complex. Koizumi because she’s so tall, and Otani because he’s so short. They have the same taste in music as well as other recreational activities.

They spend a lot of time together, thanks to their friends. Their friends are couples. So hanging out with them makes it seem like they’re a couple. Anytime someone mentions that, they scream denial in perfect unison. So perfect, that you just know they’ll wind up together despite the return of an ex-girlfriend of Otani’s and a childhood friend of Koizumi’s.

The animation is nice, but I’m a bit undecided about it. I like the normal animation. Koizumi tends to have very exaggerated expressions that throw me off. I think the problem I have with it is because she is the only character that’s used in that way on a regular basis. Otani did have one scene in the first episode where this was used. I’ve lost count of how much it’s been used with Koizumi. If it was used regularly with everyone, I don’t think it would bother me as much.

Overall I think it’s a very entertaining anime. If you can get used to Koizumi’s facial expressions, I think you might enjoy it.

Anime, Review, Anime Review, Lovely Complex, animation, high school romance, height complex

I thought I’d do something fun today. So we’re gonna try something new. A caption post paying tribute to LOLCats such as the ones on icanhascheezburger. Just leave a comment with a caption for the photo. If it works out, we might do these more often. (^_^)

To get an idea for the kinds of captions, check out icanhascheezburger.com.

Following up on the tip yesterday, I thought I’d ask where you buy anime. If you don’t see your favorite please leave a comment.

I’d have to say I rent most of the anime I watch. There are a couple of stores online I really like though.

Ok, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is waiting for me to read it so I have to keep today’s post short. So I’m going to let you in on a little tip. We all know how expensive anime can be. The cost can sometimes keep anime fans from finding new anime to watch. Who wants to waste $30 buying an anime if you have no idea if you’ll like it? I sure don’t. There is a way to check out new anime and pad your collection without dropping a ton of money. Big Lots.

Great anime at great prices.

Yep, closeout stores. If you live near a Big Lots or other closeout store you have to check it out. You can find some very cool anime at closeout stores. You won’t always strike gold shopping there, but it has happened to me. I found a Love Hina volume 1 DVD at Big Lots. I loved the manga and I was more than happy to snap up the DVD for five bucks. Yep, five bucks.

Price is one of the advantages of shopping for anime there. Everything is dirt cheap. Closeout stores operate by buying from other stores. They buy all the crap that the bigger stores couldn’t sell. Larger stores have to get rid of stuff to make room for newly arriving inventory, so they sell to closeout stores to avoid losing too much money. Closeout stores buy it cheap and sell it cheap. If a big name department store can’t sell their anime, then it winds up at places like Big Lots.

Shop closeout stores. You can check out new anime, and if you don’t like it you’re only out five bucks or so. If it’s really bad sell it on eBay for ten.

anime, shopping, tip, anime shopping, closeout store, Big Lots, save money

I’ve been doing this blog for a couple of months now. In an anime that would mean it’s time for a clip show. So that’s what I’m going to do. Stick around, you might find a cool post you missed.

• Otaku Lessons.

When I started writing this blog I wasn’t sure what I’d do. I figured I’d write reviews, give my opinions and that’d be it. Then I had the idea for the Otaku Lessons category. I’m glad I did. Those have been fun to write. I get to help new anime fans and I get to take a look at what it means to be Otaku. Here are a couple of my favorites from that category.

1. What is Cosplay?

I really liked writing this one. Not only did I get a chance to introduce cosplay to people who might not have heard of it, I found some good photos thanks to Flickr’s Creative Commons search.

2. What is kaiju?

This one was fun. I got a chance to talk about one of fandoms that overlaps with anime and manga. Who doesn’t love giant monster movies?

• Reviews.

Can’t have an anime blog without reviews right? Nope, didn’t think so. This is a great category for me, because it makes me look for more anime. Here are a couple I might have missed without this category.

1. Anime Review: Claymore.

A good old fashioned demon slaying show. Plenty of blood and action.

2. You must be my Lucky Star

I’m not the only one that fell in love with this one. It’s hugely popular in Japan. It’s even broken records.

• YouTube videos.

This one is fun for obvious reasons. We all get to see some cool videos. It’s usually combined with another category, like Reviews or News. Not many people can pull off a pure YouTube blog post.

1. Made to hit in America.

I had to include this video in the review. I love this song. I’m gonna have to look for the soundtrack to Beck.

2. Hikaru Utada to sing theme for new Rebuild of Evangelion.

This news item let me post 3 different versions of the best song ever in a game. Simple and Clean.

• Opinion.

Opinions are what blogs are all about. So I had to include something from this catagory.

1. Anime Poll: What is your favorite type of anime?

It’s not just my opinions in this catagory, yours are included to. Pick your favorite type of anime and I might write up more posts about it. Don’t see your favorite? Post a comment. Think of it as a write in vote.

Thank you for reading Anime Fans Online.

Check out some of the older posts, there are some good ones there. Leave a comment if there was a post you liked that wasn’t included here. I’d also be very happy to hear any thoughts on how I’ve done so far.

anime, manga, fandom, Anime Fans Online, Otaku Lessons, Reviews, YouTube videos, Opinion, older posts, clip show

Today I’d like to talk about otaku accessories. You know, things that you start to acquire once you get into the fandom. The same way goths find themselves with a collection of mascara and black lace. I’m not talking about anime DVDs or books of manga. I’m talking about the other stuff. The boxes of pocky, the hats with ears, the pens, the sketchbooks and the Myth bags we keep all that stuff in.

Left holding the bag.

Some of the stuff is pretty useful. The bags for instance. Between my girlfriend and myself, we have a pretty good collection of bags. Myth bags especially, every time we go to Dragon Con we wind up buying at least a couple more. She tends to rotate hers, switching the stuff around and using different ones. I’m still using the first one I bought. A mega-bag that says “Anime- Crack is cheaper”.

“Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?” - Velma Dinkly.

I suppose you could say that the snacks are useful too. It’s always a good idea to carry some with you when at a convention. After walking to all those panels, events and shopping in the dealers room you get hungry. Sometimes the panel schedule means you don’t have time to stop for lunch, unless you want to miss something. A box of pocky or some gummies can really help you wait until there’s a break.

“The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with.” - Marty Feldman

I mentioned fan art in a previous post. That’s where my pens come from. I like to draw and seeing all the comic and manga artists talking about the tools of their trade, I had to get a set of Microns. They are very good pens, too good for me. I find myself using the same old stuff and saving them for “something good”. I didn’t get any of the really good sketchbooks though. Mostly for the same reason, I just don’t think I draw well enough to bother. I do like those pens though.

Catgirls a go go .

The hats with ears. This one kind of confuses me. Yeah they’re cute. Yeah I can see where they come from in the anime and manga. I’m just not sure what the appeal is. I admit, I’ve even crocheted a few of ‘em. The first couple didn’t turn out too well, I can’t follow a pattern and have to figure things out on my own. I don’t wear them, but if I see them online at one of the anime stores I want to buy them. That makes no sense, even to me.

That’s the kind of stuff I’ve collected as an otaku. What about you? Is there anything you find yourself buying because of your love of anime or manga?

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As an anime fan in the US the biggest problem is finding anime. Sure we all have our favorite little shops, but the small local stores usually don’t have much selection. Where do you go to find a large selection of anime? Online. You don’t have to download fansubs, you can rent anime online. Here are 4 places to rent anime online, with a few pros and cons for each.

1. Netflix.

Netflix is one of, if not the, oldest online movie rental company. A lot of people already have accounts and are very happy renting movies from them. They have a pretty good selection. They carry classic anime, popular titles and some lesser known stuff.

• Pros

Around 1,500 animated titles to choose from.

You can rent non-anime movies too.

Established. They’ve been around for a while.

They offer a free trial.

• Cons

Not all of their 1,500 animated titles are anime. Anime is mixed in with other animated titles.

No brick and mortar stores. It’s online only.

2. Blockbuster.

You may be more familiar with their local stores. They’ve been offering online rental for a couple of years now. Lately they’ve been promoting their online rentals a bit more. They’ve been renting movies for a while now, so they know what they’re doing.

• Pros

Brick and mortar stores. You can take your online rentals back to a Blockbuster store and get another one there.

Lots of anime titles. They have new and old anime. The oldest anime I found was Gigantor, from 1963.

Like Netflix, you can rent non-anime. Just in case you need a break.

Free trial available.

• Cons

The biggest con is the web site. It’s been vastly improved, but it’s still a bit tough to negotiate.

Family oriented. If you’re looking for hentai, you won’t find it here. Even some ecchi titles can’t be found at Blockbuster.

Even though they rent games, they’re not included in the movie rental. You have to sign up for game rental and pay more.

3. Rent Anime.

If you only want to rent anime, this is a good choice. They’re run by AnimeNation, a reputable anime store and distributor.

• Pros

Huge selection since they only rent anime. You should be able to find just about any anime title you want.

Adult anime fans can find ecchi and hentai there.

The online rental site for AnimeNation, an established and trusted online anime store. AnimeNation has been around since 1995.

Free Trial.

• Cons

Online only, no brick and mortar stores.

The site looks good, but it can be hard to find the information you’re looking for.

4. Anime Takeout.

I’m not very familiar with Anime Takeout. I’ve included them here for one reason. The also offer manga rental for an extra fee. Manga can be expensive, so a manga rental option could save you some money.

For a better idea of Anime Takeout check the customer reviews at DVD Rental Review.

• Pros

You can rent anime and manga.

Lots of titles.

• Cons

Renting manga almost doubles the subscription price.

No matter what plan you sign up for, you can only have 2 manga out at a time. The only way to rent more than 2 manga at a time is to sign up for another account.

Slow shipping and returns.

No hentai for adult anime fans.

No free trial.

Poor to non-existent customer service.

The winner is…

I’d have to say for anime only rentals, RentAnime is the clear choice. If you want to rent some non-anime from time to time, I’d go with Blockbuster for the ability to return DVDs to the store instead of mailing them in.

It might be worth keeping an eye on AnimeTakeout. If they get their act together, then having manga rentals could be a very strong selling point

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There comes a time in every anime or manga fan’s life when they decide to try doing some fan art. I’ve drawn quite a bit myself. It was mostly Marvel characters for me when I was younger. Unless you’re already pretty darn good at drawing, you might need some tips. There are lots of tutorials on the net.

YouTube is a good place to find information on visual mediums such as drawing and painting. There are lot’s of drawing tutorials on youtube. I’m not saying these are the best ones, but they’re pretty good.

If you liked those, click the links and check out some more tutorials. There’s some good stuff on youtube along with the crap.

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Thanks to AnimeNewsNetwork I found something cool to share with you. Thanks to Google I can share it in English, I hope.

I wish I could show you a picture, but from what I can make out on the site they don’t want anyone using the pictures. The Gundam action figure pictured to the right is the same model. The Gundam RX-78-2.

What makes this new one so different? It’s made of wood. It’s is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while. It’s beautiful. It’s hard to imagine the work that goes into making something like that.

To see pictures, head over to LaLaBit Market. For our readers who don’t know Japanese, try this Google translation of LaLaBit Market.

Anime, Bandai, LaLaBit Market, Fun Stuff, Gundam, Gundam RX-78-2, model, Gunpla, toys, action figure, wooden toys,

It’s easy to focus on the visuals in anime. They’re pretty darn important. If they’re a little bit off, it could ruin the whole thing. The same often applies to the soundtrack. With the right music an anime can go from good to great.

The obvious example of this is Cowboy Beebop. Music is a heavy influence on the anime. All the episode titles are song titles. It’s not just the themes, even the incidental music carries a lot of weight. Think about it, would Cowboy Beebop be the same without the harmonica? I don’t think so. The harmonica sets a very important tone. It brings up images of old westerns, of savage and lawless frontiers.

Then of course we have themes. The right theme can really help an anime take off. Shoot, just look at Lucky Star. The opening to that show will hook you as soon as you hear it. The theme’s CD single sold out in record time when it was released in Japan. The closing theme is a bit different. They use karaoke, sometimes even using music from other anime shows. It’s not as rockin’ as the opening, but it does add to the show’s appeal.

I could go on and on about this. There are lots of anime that use music to their advantage. FLCL, Beck, and pretty much anything by Miyazaki all use music in such a way that it’s almost a second layer of visuals. Watch ‘em without the music and you only get half the story.

The next time you watch an anime, listen to it. What kind of music are they using? How does it influence the show?

What do you think? Is there an anime you love that just wouldn’t be the same without it’s music?

anime, soundtrack, anime soundtrack, anime music, music, Cowboy Beebop, themes, Lucky Star, opening, closing, opening theme, closing theme, FLCL, Beck

From AnimeNewsNetwork, adult swim will be running 2 Inuyasha movies online. The third movie goes online July 27th, and the fourth goes online August 3rd. They’ll play for a week.

Inuyasha, The Movie 3 -
Swords of an Honorable Ruler

That’s pretty cool. I like Inuyasha ok, so I might watch. What I’m more excited about is that they’re showing movies. Adult Swim is pretty hit and miss with their online streaming. Sometimes they have great stuff, other times it’s all crap. If they start showing anime movies then there may be hope for ‘em yet.

It’ll probably just be movies of the shows they play on the Cartoon Network. Still, they have some good shows on there between Adult Swim and Toonami. Naruto, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist and Ghost in the Shell would all be good choices to put online.

If they expanded to movies that don’t tie in to the shows on TV, that’d be even better. There are tons of anime movies that’d draw people in.

What do you think? Would you sit at your computer and watch a full length movie?

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Yep, it’s gonna happen. MegaTokyo visits the motherland. So I guess this will answer once and for all the question of calling Non-Japanese works manga. If it’s published in Japan, and if they call it manga, what could be the argument against it? For the sane report, check out AnimeNewsNetwork. For the insane report, keep reading.

MegaTokyo is probably near the top of the list when it comes to big name web comics. It’s also probably the most sneered at. Fred Gallagher doesn’t fancy up his work with fripperies like color or ink, not often anyway. If pencil is good enough for him to draw it in then it’s good enough for us to read it in dagnabbit!

Read it, digest it, know it. Knowing is half the battle, and a battle it will be. Piro, as the creator is (sometimes)affectionately called, will be the Disney of the 21st century. He’s halfway there already. Half of his fans read it in secret and bitch about it in public.

Will you be ready when the ph34rbots come for you?

megatokyo, M3g4Tokyo, Fred Gallagher, manga, ph34rbot, Japanese, non-Japanese, webcomic, web comic