Anime Fans Online

Today is your last chance to enter the Conqueror of Shambala giveaway. If you haven’t entered, then head over to the contest page. All you need to do is leave a comment and talk about your favorite character or episode from Fullmetal Alchemist.

There aren’t that many entries, so you have a pretty good chance to win.

Once the contest closes I’ll start picking the winners. I’ll make the announcement sometime next week.

Anime, Contests, Giveaway, Last Chance, Ends Today, Fullmetal Alchemist, Conqueror of Shambala, Comment

I like anime with comedy, action and lots of girls. What I don’t like is Galaxy Angel.

I should like Galaxy Angel. It’s got comedy, action and lots of girls. I like anime with comedy, action and lots of girls. What I don’t like is Galaxy Angel. I am so glad I didn’t buy that anime. Seriously, get an account to rent anime online. You’ll be glad you did when you rent an anime that you’re sure you’ll love, only to find out you can’t stand it.

The setup is simple enough. A group of female special agents protecting the galaxy. Along the way they have adventures, make wacky mistakes and catch the bad guys.

Sounds great right? Nope. Not even close. None of the characters are even likeable.

• Milfeulle Sakuraba. The naive young girl who is extreamly lucky.
• Mint Blancmanche. The rich girl who’s obsessed with cosplay.
• Ranpha Franboise. The egotistical woman who’s only concerned with her looks.
• Forte Stollen. The homicidal amazon who only thinks of money.
• Vanilla H. The child like android who has no personality.

I can’t believe this show is based on a dating sim. Who would want to date any of those girls? The only one even remotely datable is Milfeulle. That relationship wouldn’t last long. She’s so annoying it wouldn’t get past the second date. I wonder if the game gave the player the option of moving to a different planet and changing their name. If you had to pick one of those characters I’d say the game was like the Kobayashi Maru, unwinnable.

It doesn’t stop there though. A lot of the stories make no sense. I don’t mean the way FLCL or Excel Saga make no sense either, those are funny shows. The comedy in Galaxy Angel is weak. The only joke I found even slightly amusing was stretched and dragged out until there wasn’t anything funny about it.

Seriously, don’t buy this anime. If you’re curious about it and you absolutely must check it out then rent it.

Anime, Reviews, Galaxy Angel, Dating Sim, Comedy, Action, Girls

Eyeshiled 21. Monday night anime hosted by John Madden.

Wait! You didn’t click on the wrong site. This is an anime blog. Since anime and manga cover just about every kind of story you can imagine, there are sports anime too. While they’re pretty darn popular in other countries, America has been slow to adopt sports anime. That’s pretty surprising considering how many people seem to be huge sports fans.

I suppose the lack of sports in American licensed anime and manga isn’t because sports aren’t popular. It’s because of the lack of interest in anime and manga. Calm down. I know anime and manga have had a huge boost lately, and I hope the growth continues. It’s still not a household item though.

Mention anime to the average Bears fan see what happens. Once you explain that you’re talking about cartoons from Japan they’ll probably lose interest. I’ve seen it happen. They’re still perceived as “kid’s stuff”. How many ex-high school jocks do you know that watch cartoons? Ok, cartoons other than Spongebob Squarepants. Probably not many. That’s the problem.

There are some great sports titles out there, Slam Dunk and Eyeshield 21 just to name a couple. Strangely there seems to be very little overlap between otaku and sports fans. Weird huh?

Anime, Manga, Sports, Football, Eyeshield 21, Slam Dunk

I love the Negima manga. The anime is pretty good too. Now there’s going to be even more Negima to check out. Yep, live action Negima. It looks like all the characters are going to be there too. It is a good thing though? I’m not so sure.

I’ve got nothing against live action versions of anime or manga. You might remember my write up about the newest Cutey Honey TV show. Live action can be great, or it can be horrible. Just look at some of the comic books movies that have come out of Hollywood in the last few years.

When you decide to do something like this there are some very important decisions that have to be made. Will it try to mimic the visual style of the manga or anime, or will it try to make it look more realistic. What characters and story elements will you focus on? Will you change the sex of the title character?

Wait… what?

These are the questions that makers of the live action Negima may have asked. At least it seems that way looking at the trailer.

That’s the problem. It looks like a cosplay group made this. Most of the casting looks way off. Sure, I can see how Chachamaru would be a problem, but she’s not the only one. C’mon, at least cast a few of the main characters right.

All that said, I’d still watch it. It is Negima after all.

Anime, Manga, TV, Youtube, Videos, Opinion, Negima, Live Action, Live Action Negima, Negi Springfield

Just a little reminder that the Fullmetal Alchemist contest ends on September 28th, that’s this Friday. So if you haven’t entered you need to check out the contest page and leave a comment about your favorite character or episode from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Here’s what you could win.

• 1 Music CD signed by the artist, Vic Mignogna. Vic played Edward Elric, the title character, in the English version of Fullmetal Alchemist.
• 1 DVD of the Fullmetal Alchemist movie Conqueror of Shambala, also signed by Vic.
• 1 DVD of the Fullmetal Alchemist movie Conqueror of Shambala Special Edition, once again signed by Vic.

You still have a chance to win, but you need to enter the contest this week.

Anime, Contests, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist Movie, Conqueror of Shambala, Conqueror of Shambala Special Edition, Vic Mignogna, Edward Elric

I was looking around Facebook the other night browsing groups. I saw a lot, a lot, of anime groups. There are anime groups devoted to movies, TV shows and even particular characters. I’m sure the same goes for other social networking sites as well. The anime goodness doesn’t end there. There are tons of anime forums. Voice actor fan sites, like the Risembool Rangers. Yahoo even has a fair number of anime groups.

I got to thinking about it. There’s only one real difference between these groups and an anime fan club. Location. The members aren’t physically meeting to watch and discuss anime, but everything else is the same. You get to know other fans. You talk about anime. You even get to know your favorite show better. Shoot, you might even learn something.

The conversations take a little longer on a forum, but that’s not always a bad thing. You have time to think about what other people are saying. People that join next year won’t miss the big debate about “Subs VS Dubs”. You can call Inuyasha lame without getting punched in the face by a crazed fangirl. Well, you can. I live with one.

If you can’t find one that really suits you, build your own. There are free forum sites, like ProBoards.

If you’d prefer to blog, there’s always Wordpress.com or Blogger.

If you start an anime blog, how about putting AFO on your blogroll? I’ll come check it out. < (^_^)>

I guess you could even say Anime Fans Online is like an anime club. I know I’ve learned a lot more about anime since I started. I’ve learned a lot more about being an anime fan too.

Anime, Manga, Online, Fan Club, Anime Fan Club, Facebook, Social Network

I was looking at AMVs on Youtube and came across some pretty good stuff. These stand out because they aren’t set to music. These videos are set to stand up comedy. There are several more, but I picked my favorite AMVs. Not necessarily my favorite comedians, but these are funny.

The anime used is mostly Naruto, though there are others. If you enjoy these I’d highly recommend checking out the rest of them on Youtube.

Comedians posted.

• Dave Chappelle
• Mitch Hedberg

(Ok, so he is one of my favorite comedians.)

• Dane Cook
• Pablo Francisco

Warning: NSFW. These videos contain coarse language.

Do not click this link if comedy offends you.

(more…)

After Sgt. Frog inspired me to write about experimenting with anime, I thought it’d be a good idea to write a small review of the show.

Sgt. Frog, Keroro Gunso in Japan, is about a botched alien invasion of Earth. After Sgt. Frog is discovered and captured by the Hinata family the invasion force pulls out. When they leave, the Sgt and his squad are left behind.

The Sgt. then moves in with the Hinata family. A frog has to fill his free time somehow, right? Well, Sgt. Frog has plenty to fill his time with. He needs to find the rest of his squad, read manga, take over the Earth, vacuum the house, build his Gundam models and make sure he’s not discovered. That’s a lot to get done. I hope he has a talent for time management.

Of course there are mishaps and adventures in every episode. They’re fun too. It’s purely entertainment, no deep philosophical meaning here. The art is ok, but nothing great. It’s a kid’s show and it looks like it. It’s a good kid’s show though, and well worth checking out. Yes, some of the humor is juvenile. Ok, a lot of it is. Lot’s of site gags, mostly consisting of Sgt. Frog getting mangled in some way.

There is some controversy over this show. According to Wikipedia, there are protestors in South Korea who claim the show glorifies militaristic imperialism. Sgt. Frog’s rank in the Japanese version is Gunso, a rank used by Japanese military before and during WWII. The hats worn by the Sgt.’s Squad were also worn by Japanese soldiers in WWII.

If the purpose of the show is to glorify the military, then the makers of Sgt. Frog have screwed up very badly. The Sgt.’s squad are about as effective as Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes.

Anime, Reviews, Anime Review, Sgt. Frog, Keroro Gunso, Keroro Gunsou, Sergeant Frog, Sergeant Keroro

451 Press recently gave us the ability to put links in the sidebar. So far the only thing I’ve added is a link to the FMA contest page to make it easier to find. I’ve thought about adding some other links, but I’m not sure what I should be linking to. That’s where this post comes in.

If you know about a great anime, manga, cosplay or any kind of good otaku site please let me know. I’d like to find out what kind of sites you like, so that I can link to sites you’d enjoy. I thought this would be better than just going through the first couple of pages of a google search. This site is for us, so it should have our favorites. Right?

So dust off those otaku bookmarks and send ‘em in. You can leave a comment, use the contact page or e-mail me at jason DOT wigley AT 451press DOT net.

Feel free to suggest anything that you think would fit in with Anime Fans Online. If you have an anime or manga site, send that in too.

Anime, Manga, Cosplay, Otaku, Links, Blogroll, Link Love, Submit Your Site, Submit a Link

Just wanted to let you know that if you leave a comment and it’s not showing up right away, don’t worry. The spam filter, Askimet, probably flagged it. I’m checking every so often to make sure real comments aren’t lost.

However, I’m not checking every few minutes 24/7. So it might be a day or so before your comment shows up on the site if Askimet thinks it’s spam.

Just wanted to let you know what’s going on. I thought it was best since the Fullmetal Alchemist Contest is still going on. If you haven’t entered already go check it out.

Over the weekend I caught a couple of episodes of an anime that I’d normally avoid. It looked like a kid’s anime, and I suppose it is, but it’s very well done. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. So thanks to Keroro Gunso, A.K.A. Sgt. Frog, I’m writing this post.

Sometimes it really pays to check out something different than you’re used to. This is especially true of anime and manga. Sure, a lot of times you will be disappointed. Even then you probably won’t be as disappointed as you are when an anime you’ve been looking forward to turns out to be really bad. Admit it, that happens a lot doesn’t it? Please say yes, I hope it’s not just me.

When I think about it, I’ve found some great stuff where I least expected it. I’m not a big fan of the pretty boy anime, but thanks to my girlfriend I’m now a fan of both Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club.

So the next time you get a chance to check out something different from the stuff you normally like, give it a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Well the contest seems to be going well. It’s only been a few days and we’ve already got some strong competition going. Here are a couple of my favorites so far.

Mark says:
I couldn’t tell you what my favorite episode is, because I love the whole story. It’s one of life and what you’re willing to give up for it. At least, that’s what it is to me, in a sense.

Syldoran said this about Ed:
Then, he’s still tough enough to pull through everything he’s done. All the stuff he’s been put through doesn’t deserve to go on a fifteen-year-old’s shoulders, yet he always manages to buck up and pull through for the sake of his little brother. I’ve always wished I could be just a fraction as tough and caring as he is.

Ally says:
My favorite character would defiantly be Alphonse! We both have many things in common. To name a couple, we are both shy and we adore kittens! (:

Red Daaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!

Looks like we even have a few Risembool Rangers in the running. In the interest of full disclosure I have to say that I signed up for the Rangers. Vic is just that darn cool.

We may even have a member of the Miniskirt Army in the contest. What do you think?

Colleen says:
My favorite FMA character is definetely Roy Mustang! Sure, he can be quite a meanie to Edward and Al, but he has to doesn’t he?

If you don’t see your comment here, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean you haven’t won. I’m just highlighting some of the posts. Seriously, there are some great comments over on the contest page. I think it shows just how much this anime has meant to a lot of people.

There’s still plenty of time to show how much FMA has meant to you. The contest runs until the 28th of September. Head over to the contest page and let us know who your favorite character is. If you can’t pick a favorite character, just write about one of your favorite episodes.

Anime, Fullmetal Alchemist, Contest, Comments, Risembool Rangers, Miniskirt Army

I’ve done a review of the Genshiken manga already. I was happy to see that the anime is pretty much the same. There aren’t any major changes in the first volume anyway. So for a review of the story, check out the manga review.

Here’s a little something I didn’t notice till I started writing the review. With all the special, limited and economy editions of anime being released I thought I’d check to see which edition I have. I have the “Nerd Grade Heavy Edition”. That’s just awesome. These folks know their audience.

Story time.

The first Genshiken anime DVD covers roughly the same amount of the story as the manga does. I think that’s great. That means I can read the manga then watch the anime and there aren’t a lot of spoilers for the next one. Might not be that big of a deal, but I thought it was cool. I haven’t seen that happen very often.

Art style.

The art in the anime is also very faithful to the manga. The only thing different is movement and the addition of color. It’s as if the manga came to life. Personally, I like animes that try to match the manga. I know it isn’t always possible. What looks good in print doesn’t always work well on the TV or movie screen. I think that’s a clue how good the Genshiken manga is.

Hearing voices.

I thought the English voice cast was dead on. All the characters sounded “right”, at least to me. The personality of the characters really came through. Madarame sounds confident, Sasahara sounds hesitant, and Kausaka sounds clueless. I’ve yet to watch it with subtitles, so I can’t comment on the Japanese cast.

DVD Extras.

The extra stuff on this DVD is kind of sparse. Sure, you get a few trailers and clean opening an closing. That’s kind of expected on an anime DVD isn’t it?

There is one cool extra. There is an episode of Kujibiki Unbalance included. It gets even better. When you select that extra the DVD menu changes. It’s like you have a Kujibiki Unbalance DVD too. The extras on that menu are for Kujibiki Unbalance, not Genshiken. Well, the anime specific ones, like clean opening and closing, are. They both have the same trailers for other anime. That’s the only way I can think of that the hidden DVD could have been cooler. Have trailers for stuff like Genshiken on the Genshiken extras, but have stuff like Kujibiki Unbalance on it’s trailers.

The bonus episode itself is ok. Kujibiki Unbalance may even be a good show, after you get to know the characters. One episode just isn’t enough to do that, so it’s not that impressive on it’s own.

Is it worth it?

Oh yeah, and then some. This is one anime worth checking out. If you liked the manga, you’ll like the anime. If you’re not into manga, it’s still worth it. This is one show that every otaku should see.

Anime, Review, DVD Review, Genshiken, The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, Genshiken Volume 1, Nerd Grade Heavy Edition, DVD Extras, Extra Features

I’m going to review the anime version of Genshiken. Before I do that though, I need to make a slightly different post. This is just a rant about the differences between anime and manga versions of a story. I’m sure you’ve heard ‘em before and I’m sure you’ll hear ‘em again.

My problem isn’t with the anime itself. I’m not bothered by much of the translation from manga to anime. Even the translation from Japanese to English is blameless. It’s probably not even a big deal, but for some reason it bugs me. It has to do with packaging and labels.

If you read my review of the manga you might remember a little forward to the article. If you haven’t read it, well, here it is.

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.

That’s all well and good, so what’s the problem? Well, the anime that I’ve seen so far is pretty much the same as the manga. However, the age recommendation is different. According to the back of the DVD cover for Genshiken volume 1, the recommended age range is 13 and up.

Wha-huh?

The gap between 13 and 16 years old can be pretty wide. That’s why I find it hard to believe that kids who watch DVDs are so much better equipped to understand the humor in Genshiken than 13 year olds who read the manga.

Seriously, who decided the age to put on the back of the DVD? Did they watch any of it? Do sexual references not count if it’s not a graphic depiction?

Sure I can understand “13 and older” if there are only a couple of jokes about porn. There are way more sex jokes than that. Half of the humor in Genshiken is in some way sex related. This is a story set in college after all. I wonder, would they rate Animal House as a 13 and older DVD?

Anime, Manga, Opinion, Genshiken, Rant, Sex, Animal House

Those of you who don’t want to hear any more about Dragon Con 2007 will be happy to know that this should be the last post on it. I’ve saved this one for last to give myself some time to think things over. To get a little bit of distance between myself and the con. I want to be able to give my opinion, but I also want it to be helpful should anyone from Dragon Con read this.

Dragon Con’s growing pains.

Dragon Con is huge, and seems to still be growing. This year it encompassed 3 major hotels in downtown Atlanta. When we arrived the Hyatt informed us that they had overbooked, again. They offered to pay for a couple of nights if we stayed at a Sherriden. Tempting, but the Sherriden wasn’t one of the con hotels. We’d booked a room months in advance because we wanted a room in the hotel with 24 hour programming. We stayed at the Hyatt. I know this isn’t in any way the fault of Dragon Con, I just thought it deserved mentioning as an example of the problems faced by the con as it grows.

It doesn’t help that the Marriott is undergoing construction. The dealer’s room, exhibition hall and the walk of fame were all in the Hilton this year. I have to wonder if the dealer’s profits were hurt by the move from the Marriott’s central location. I know that I didn’t visit any of them nearly as much as I had in the past. Of course that was partially caused by how difficult it was to get to the Hilton. The construction taking place in the Marriott also impeded traffic to the Hilton. I couldn’t even find the shuttles that were supposed to be running.

My biggest concern with the growth of the convention has to do with the programming tracks. I really have to wonder how they decide what rooms to put the different tracks in. The anime track had consistently long lines and packed rooms. I did everything I could to get to the panels early, so I don’t know if the people that got there “on time” were even able to get in. I’m pretty doubtful about that when I think of the voice acting panel I attended. The line stretched across the hall, outside of the hotel and down the street. It wasn’t the only line to do that either. I saw at least 3 other lines that weekend that did the same thing.

Those were the biggest problems I saw this year. When you think about how large the con has become and all the things outside of the con’s control, they did an incredible job. I don’t envy the people in charge. This has become a massive undertaking, and every year they manage to pull it off.

Survey the attendees.

I do believe Dragon Con needs to implement a survey. Both on the web site, and a mail in version to hand out with the badges. I think it would greatly help them to organize the con if they had information on how many people were interested in the various programming tracks. Especially useful would be information on if, and how many, people were turned away from panels because the rooms were full. Even if the con doesn’t do it as a whole, the different tracks would benefit from it. I’m positive the anime track would benefit.

Opinion, Dragon Con, Dragon Con 2007