Anime Fans Online

Well, I’ll be heading out soon. I’m really looking forward to the con. I worked my butt off on that Space Ghost outfit. I’m pretty happy with it even though it didn’t quite turn out as I’d hoped. Well more accurately I’ll be Chad Ghostal, Space Ghost’s evil twin.

I did learn a few things about cosplay already. One of the things I learned is that you can make anything out of wonderflex. That stuff is awesome. I might have to take up cosplay just to have an excuse to play around with it.

Don’t worry, I’m not keeping all the fun to myself. I have a few things planed that should make for some good articles for Anime Fans Online. If you’ve read my previous post about Dragon Con, you’ll have a good idea of some of the things I’m hoping to do.

I still have a couple of ideas that I’m keeping to myself for now. So if you want to find out about those, you’ll have to read the con reports.

If you see Space Ghost, come say hi. I’d love to talk to some of the readers.

Cosplay, Dragon Con

This manga is set in college. That means there will be story elements suitable for college age kids. So it’s recommended for older readers. The back of the book says 16+. That sounds about right to me.

A lot of manga and anime stories are centered around the high school or college club system. Genshiken, by Kio Shimoku, uses this and uses it well. Without the club system Kanji Sasahara might have a hard time making any friends. You see, poor Sasahara, like many of us, is an otaku. To make things even harder for him, he’s a college freshman.

What would any of us do in that situation? Join the college anime or manga club. That’s what Sasahara tries to do too. Both clubs are pretty busy during the recruiting drive and he’s fairly shy, so he doesn’t get the chance to sign up. He does find out about another club at the drive though, one that turns out to be better suited to him.

The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture.

The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture is a very wide ranging club. Anime, manga, cosplay and games are all subjects of interest. If it was a planet, the club would be the otaku home world. Seriously, I want to join that club myself.

As you’d expect from such a club, the members are all various kinds of otaku. You have Madarame the “bossy expert” otaku, Kugayama the “shy overweight” otaku, Tanaka the “cosplay dude” otaku, and Kousaka the “clueless, doesn’t think he’s otaku” otaku. Just to make things interesting, there is also Saki Kasukabe. Saki isn’t otaku at all, she’s just there because she has a crush on Kausaka. Once Sasahara passes the entrance test, which I thought was pretty funny, they welcome him to the club. The club members take Sasahara in and teach him some of the finer points of being otaku.

Man, this is a good manga. I loved everything about it. All the characters have their own personalities, which comes through in the art as well as the story. Everyone looks different. There will be no problems telling the characters apart in this manga. The art is great.

I’m hooked, I’ve got to buy the rest of them now. If you haven’t read Genshiken, go buy it. Now. It’s worth every penny of the price.

Manga, Reviews, Manga Review, Genshiken, Genshiken Volume 1, Genshiken The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, Kio Shimoku, Otaku, Rating OT Ages 16+

Today I thought I’d talk about the connections between manga and webcomics. There are some pretty obvious connections. I mean there are tons of manga inspired webcomics. There are even a few webcomics that have made their way into the world of print.

Webcomics, the 21st century doujinshi?

Doujinshi, fan made comics and magazines, have been around for a while. It’s basically fan fiction for the visually inclined. Some very popular, and successful, manga-ka started off making fan comics. With web hosting being as cheap as it is, anyone can make a webcomic. This makes webcomics a great way for otaku to show off their talents or just show their love for their favorite manga or anime.

The 3v1l, it is too much.

A lot of them are, well, bad. Badly drawn, badly written or both. There are a lot of them too. That’s why manga and anime inspired webcomics have developed a bad reputation among webcomic fans.

I have to say, I admire anyone willing to put their work out there for the world to see. Especially when the basis of that work is a heartfelt love of what they’re trying to be a part of. A badly drawn webcomic can improve by leaps and bounds over time. You never know, todays crappy webcomic could wind up as a manga on store shelves in a few years time. It could even inspire others to work on their own comic.

There are examples of this happening. Two great manga inspired webcomics that I know of have made it into the world of publishing.

MegaTokyo is not only in print in English, it’s being translated to be released in Japan. A pretty big achievement.

Van Von Hunter is being published in book form and is syndicated to newspapers across America. Syndication is a dream of a lot of webcomic artists. That’s also an achievement to be proud of.

But…you don’t have to take my word for it.

I’d recommend checking out webcomics to any manga fan. You could be reading something for free today, that you’ll have to pay $10 for later.

Manga, Online, Opinion, Comics, Webcomics, Web Comics, MegaTokyo, Van Von Hunter, Doujinshi

I’m trying to prepare for covering Dragon Con for the blog. I bought a digital recorder. Hopefully it will allow me to record a couple of the panels. I don’t know if the quality will be good enough to make a podcast from it or not. We’ll just have to see.

I also stocked up on batteries. I’ll need ‘em for the new recorder and for the camera. Don’t expect any great shots from me though. I’m terrible with a camera. I will do my best to get some photos. I plan on getting to the cosplay contest early to get a good seat. If I can do that I should be able to get a few decent pictures. I certainly hope so. There are some great entries every year.

All in all I have high hopes for the con. I’ll do my best to find some cool stuff to share with you when I get back. If it goes well, maybe I’ll look for a couple of other anime cons to cover.

Conventions, Dragon Con, Anime, Cosplay, Coverage

I just got done reading volume 1 of Princess Resurrection. Princess Resurrection is the story of Hiro Hiyorimi. Hiro is a fairly normal guy who winds up in a very unusual situation. See, he’s dead but he’s been brought back to life by Hime. Hime is a daughter of “the king who stands above all monsters”. There’s my first, and maybe only, complaint.

The translation is a bit choppy in the beginning. There are a some phrasings that seem a bit odd. I’m not sure if it was the translation of the book that cause this though. Hime isn’t from our world, so it’s possible that some of it was meant to be odd. Subtle reminders that she is different. With all the weird stuff happening in the book, I just can’t tell right now.

So far the monsters have been classics from old black and white movies. There are werewolves, vampires, invisible men, and fish folk who look a lot like the creature from the black lagoon. Being a fan of the old horror movies I’m really enjoying the monster art.

The good art isn’t limited to the monsters either. The whole book is very well drawn. The flow of action on a couple of pages was a bit confusing, but that happens from time to time. Maybe it’s just me. It wasn’t bad enough to really throw me out of the story. I spent less time wondering which frame was next than I did looking at the art because I liked it.

You may notice that this review is very light on story information. That’s intentional. It’s good and I don’t want to give anything away because you should be reading it.

I’d highly recommend picking up volume 1 of Princess Resurrection. The art is great, the story is good and the monsters are cool. What more could you want?

Manga, Reviews, Manga Review, Princess Resurrection, Monsters, Werewolf, Werewolves, Invisible Man, Vampires, Creature from the Black Lagoon

Check out the review of the English Dub.

There are certain types of anime I’m not too crazy about. We all have our own preferences after all. Every so often I’ll watch an anime that I’d normally avoid. Even more rarely I’ll be surprised and find something good when I do that. That’s what happened when I finally gave in and watched Ouran High School Host Club.

The guys are pretty boys of several different types found in shojo anime, manga and games.

Ouran High School Host Club is a reverse harem pretty boy anime. Not something I’d normally watch. It’s also a bit more than that. The guys are pretty boys of several different types found in shojo anime, manga and games. I won’t bother listing the different types. They’re pretty much explained in the show when you meet them.
You also have the typical “girl who looks like a guy because she has short hair”. Yeah, that’s kind of a stretch, but it works because of the tone of the show.

It’s quite often played for laughs, as most good harem shows are. That’s really the appeal of the show. It’s downright funny. It’s almost a parody of some of the more serious pretty boy shows, and maybe even of the fans. They all play the part of whatever type of pretty boy they’re supposed to be when entertaining their customers. The reactions of the girls they entertain are pretty darn funny. I’ll give you a short summary of the show to explain.

Haruhi Fujioka is a poor student attending the very, very, wealthy school of Ouran Academy on a scholarship. She can’t even afford the uniform, and since she dresses like a boy people think she is a boy. After an incident puts her eight million yen in debt to the Host Club, she has to work for them to pay it off. The Host Club entertains, talks with and flirts with female students who are their customers. Nothing inappropriate happens, it’s just tea and flattery. Somewhat like a group of, male, modern day geishas. Since they believe she is a guy, they believe her to be the girlish type of boy. That means she goes from being the Host’s servant to being a Host herself. When they all figure out that she is a she they take great pains to try and keep her gender a secret. She is a very popular Host after all.

As they used to say in TV Guide, madcap hijinks ensue.

I’d recommend this show. I’ll even go out on a limb and recommend checking out the manga because I’m going to be looking for it myself.

Anime, Review, Anime Review, Ouran High School Host Club, Shojo, Pretty Boys, Reverse Harem, Parody, Comedy, High School

Just a few items I thought were interesting.

Another version of Grave of the Fireflies to be made.

While most of us will be familiar with the Miyazaki work, there has already been a live action version made for TV. The movie has been beset with problems, such as the death of the original director earlier this year. It’s scheduled for 2008 release.

It’s an incredible, though very sad, story. If you haven’t seen the Studio Ghibli version, you really should. Prepare yourself though, it’s a heartbreakingly sad film.

It’s official, Gunslinger Girl second season on it’s way.

I’m very happy to hear about this. I loved the first season of this show. I saw the manga at the store, but decided to postpone my purchase in favor of something entirely new to me. After hearing about this, I wish I’d gotten it.

If you haven’t seen Gunslinger Girl, do so A.S.A.P.. It’s completely and totally worth it. You will thank me.

Bleach DS game coming this fall.

According to N-Philes, the Nintendo DS game Bleach: The Blade of Fate will be timed to release with the new season of Bleach on Cartoon Network. Sounds pretty cool to me. Check their site, they have video of the game in action. The video of the game reminds me of some really good old school 2d fighters. I can’t wait to try that one out.

Anime, News, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Bleach, Bleach: The Blade of Fate, Grave of the Fireflies, Gunslinger Girl, Gunslinger Girl Second Season

I had an idea last week, then I saw pretty much the same idea on ProBlogger. Weird. Anyway, here tis.

Since the site is called Anime Fans Online, I thought “Hey, maybe I should get to know the fans“. So I’m thinking about interviewing a few of the readers. Find out what makes you otaku. What kind of stuff you like. Maybe ask you for a few of your favorite otaku links to share with the rest of us. This can give you a chance to voice your opinion on some otaku issues.

If you’re interested, let me know. Leave a comment on this post or use the contact form.

By e-mail.

I’ll e-mail you some questions, just reply and fill in your answers.

Or by instant messenger.

I can do the interview with an IM program. AIM, Windows Messenger, ICQ or pretty much anything else. If you have a favorite, I can install it too. Just let me know which one you’d prefer.

Who’s eligible?

Anyone. You don’t need to be a long time reader. We don’t really have long time readers yet because we haven’t been around a long time. If you’re new to the blog, welcome aboard. This could be a great way to get to know your fellow readers.

That’s what it’s all about after all. I don’t think of AFO as a news blog, or even an infoblog. I think of it as a community. I try to write about things I think you’d like. I try to help new otaku with the Otaku Lessons. I’ve learned a lot about anime and manga by writing here, and I’d like to pass on what I’ve learned.

I hope you feel the same.

Readers, Reader Interview, Anime Fans Online, Otaku, Community

In honor of the Naruto Hundo, which I thoroughly enjoyed last weekend, I thought I’d post some AMVs featuring Naruto. Ok, it’s only partially because of the Hundo. My girlfriend was watching a bunch of AMVs on youtube and I saw some I really liked, so I got her to bookmark ‘em for me. Now you can get a glimpse of how awesome it is to be me with such a great girlfriend. Yay!

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a real ninja? Just watch this one and find out.

Probably the best video containing Sifl and Olly. That’s including The Sifl and Olly Show. Their take on what ninjas are like.

A great Naruto AMV made up of lots of very short snippets.

Cool song from a band who’s singer looks like Naruto, The Offspring.

Anime, AMV, Videos, Youtube, Fun Stuff, Naruto, The Offspring, Sifl and Olly, Ninjas, Real Ninjas

After watching the Naruto Hundo on Cartoon Network this weekend I think I learned something. How you watch anime can change your perception of the anime. I’ve been watching Naruto on a weekly basis for a while now and I’ve been enjoying it. After watching the weekend long marathon I found that I enjoy it even more now. Let me explain what I mean.

When watching one or two episodes a week, I got to know the main characters pretty well. I have my favorites, just like with any other anime. The secondary characters kinda faded into the background though. I even had a little trouble remember who was who. Now that I’ve watched a few story arcs all at once I have a better understanding of the show. I also have a better idea of the secondary characters, and even a few more favorites.

That got me to thinking about how I watch anime. When I watch anime on TV, like the shows on Cartoon Network, I usually only see an episode at a time. When I rent DVDs I can see several at a time. If I manage to get a whole set I can see an entire story arch or even the whole thing all at once. All these ways to watch anime have their own pros and cons.

Watching an episode or two per week gives you something to look forward to, it stretches out the enjoyment of the show. You can miss things though. Sometimes references to past events, or foreshadowing of future events, can slip past you. It’s also more difficult to get to know characters who aren’t in every episode.

Watching an entire story line at once, or even a couple DVDs at a time, means things that happened three to ten episodes back are fresher in your mind. You’ll have a better chance of catching the more subtle references to earlier episodes. You’ll also get to know people other than the main characters a lot better.

After watching the Naruto Hundo I thinks I know the show better than I used to. Shikamaru and Rock Lee are a couple of my favorite characters now. I no longer see Ino as a pale clone of Sakura, she has her own unique personality and history. I’ve gotten to know the village hidden in the leaves. I can understand why Naruto wants to become Hokage. I can understand why he loves his village and wants to protect his home. All this because I sat down and watched a few story arcs in one weekend. I’m glad I did.


So, how do you prefer to watch anime?

Anime, Opinion, Naruto, Naruto Hundo, Naruto Marathon, Cartoon Network, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Hokage, Hidden Leaf Village

I’ll be going to Dragon Con again this year. Since I’m now writing for AFO I plan to see more of the anime programming so I can write up some articles.

I’ll try to take pictures of some of the great costumes. There are great costumes there. I’ve seen some amazing stuff at Dragon Con before.

If I can manage it, I’ll try to record some of the anime panels. I might even try my hand at posting a podcast of a couple of ‘em if I can. I believe recording is allowed, I’m not so sure about the podcasting part. If not, I’ll make sure to take some notes.

I’m posting about it now because it’s only 13 days away and I’d like to get some feedback on what you’d like to read about. I’ll be heading out on Friday the 31st, so if you have any suggestions please comment on this post or send me an e-mail before then. You can also use the contact form.

I’d really appreciate any ideas you might have on this. What portions of the convention do you want me to report on? Should I limit the photos to anime, manga and game costumes or would you like to see others as well?

Anime, Cosplay, Otaku, Conventions, Dragon Con, Fun Stuff, Opinion

Just a little reminder that the Naruto Hundo on Cartoon network is this weekend. All the episodes so far will be on, ending with the 100th episode.

I’m missing a few episodes trying to get an article written just for you. I hope your happy.

Anime, TV, Cartoon Network, Naruto, Naruto Marathon

Anime magazines are expensive. I bought 2 yesterday, OtakuUSA and Newtype USA. I’m really considering getting subscriptions and trying to write them off as a business expense. What makes them so pricey? Let’s take a look at what we get for our money.

As a comparison I checked an issue of Maxim.

A Maxim magazine clocks in at 49 full page ads in a 140 page magazine, giving you about 91 pages of content. That doesn’t include the Maxim Style section which is basically a section of fashion ads. That would drop the content count even further.

NewType USA

Price. US $12.98

Page count. 160 numbered pages.

Ad Page count. 50 full page ads. That’s including the inside covers and 1 fold out ad, 46 without.

Total pages of content. 114.

So Newtype isn’t doing too badly delivering content. On top of that, Newtype gives you a DVD with 2 episodes of anime and some trailers. When I say give I mean sell. You know the DVD isn’t free, it’s probably what pushes it over $10 an issue.

OtakuUSA

Price. US $9.99

Page count. 156 numbered pages.

Ad Page count. 10. Yes, including the inside covers, only 10 full page ads. Not counting the inside covers 8 full page ads.

Total pages of content. 148.

OtakuUSA also has a DVD. It contains 3 anime episodes, 1 trailer, some music and game demos.

All in all I’d say that if you can only afford to pick up 1 otaku magazine, then OtakuUSA is gonna give you the most bang for your buck. So don’t be fooled when it feels a bit thinner than other anime mags, the missing pages are apparently ads.

Anime, Manga, Opinion, Magazine, Comparison, Newtype USA, OtakuUSA

PerthNow recently printed an article that said anime is porn. Not hentai, anime.

“Anime” is a Japanese form of animated pornography.

Those are the words used in the article. As a blogger who writes about anime I’m outraged that something so obviously false was printed by a news organization. As an anime fan I’m extremely angry that the article wasn’t corrected immediately.

The author of that article owes anime fans an apology. More importantly the author and the newspaper owe their readers an apology.

With so many sources of information answering the question “what is anime?“, the statement made in that article is inexcusable.

If you feel the same way, visit the article and demand a retraction of that statement. If you live in Australia visit their contact page, and let them know that you won’t stand for for such poor reporting.

Update: It looks like the article has been moved or removed. I tried to post a link to it on a forum and I keep getting a 404 error.

Anime, Opinion, Hentai, Australia, Porn, PerthNow, PerthNow.com, anime is porn

Dragon Con is getting closer. I’m looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. Why? I’m gonna dress up this year. Nothing elaborate like a Soul Reaper costume, just something fun.

It something a friend and I discussed at Dragon Con last year. We were having a drink and looking at some of the costumes. He had the idea to dress as Batman. I thought I’d go as Space Ghost. Not the full suit, just the cowl and power bands. Sounds like fun right?

Here’s why I’m dreading it. I decided to make the Space Ghost stuff myself, while he was smart enough to just order the mask and gloves. So now I need to make a cowl and power bands. I’ve got most of the stuff I think I’ll need. Just need to pick up a couple more things.

Stuff I have.

• Wonderflex.

I plan to make the cowl and power band structure with this. I want the cowl to have the right shape, instead of just a piece of fabric.

• 2 jumbo squirting flowers.

I’m going to try to make the power bands “work”.

Stuff I still need.

• Heat gun or iron.

I’ll need to heat up the wonderflex to work with it.

• Materials to make a form.

I’ll need to make a form for the wonderflex. I think I can use cardboard for the power bands. I’m gonna need a large styrofoam ball and some stuff for paper mache for the cowl form.

• Fabric.

I’m planning on covering the cowl with felt or another fabric. The wonderflex is just to give the top the right rounded shape.

• Paint.

I’ll need some red and yellow paint for the power bands.

So if you see Batman and Space Ghost hanging out together at Dragon Con, stop by and say hi.

Cosplay, Dragon Con, Dragon Con 2007, Batman, Space Ghost