Anime Fans Online

I discovered this phenomenon the other day. I went to check out the FUNimation video site to see if it was working yet. It’s not. Then I swung by Hulu to see if they’ve added anything new. They had. I suddenly realized how long it had been since I had watched anything at Hulu. I began to wonder why it’d been so long as I settled in to watch an episode of Negima!?.

Then the commercial started.

I became a bit impatient. After all, I went to watch anime, not ads. Wham! I had an epiphany. I knew why it’d been so long. I’d been spoiled by my Crunchyroll membership.

I haven’t been to Hulu and other ad sponsored streaming sites because I’d been spending my time at Crunchyroll. The reason I’d spent my time at Crunchyroll is because I pay.

I watch more Chrunchyroll because I pay.

I hadn’t even realized that Crunchyroll had become my main source of anime. In fact, the only places I watched video online anymore was Crunchyroll and Netflix. What do they have in common?

1. No Commercials.

2. I Pay.

I don’t mind watching commercials. Well, not much. Not if it supports something I enjoy. So if it isn’t the commercials, then its the money right? Hmmmm…

I’m beginning to think there’s some psychology involved. Six bucks a month isn’t enough to make me avoid other video sites. Not ones I like as much as Hulu anyway. I think some dark corner of my psyche guided me to Crunchyroll in an attempt to get my money’s worth.

If that turns out to be a common behavior, then charging a small fee for membership perks could be a way to surreptitiously encourage people to spend more time on your site and less time on the site belonging to your competition.

Oh yeah… and it’s a good way to make money too.

The subscription/ad model seems to be working for anime online. Could the same model work for manga? I think it could, but there are some serious problems to overcome first. Format, copy protection and public perception are all going to be issues that must be addressed. The biggest problem will be content.

Online Manga

Reading manga on a computer isn’t going to be a major barrier. People are already doing that, be it web comics or illegal scanlations.

Easy access to wi-fi hot spots or even wireless data plans means people are connected all the time. If you’re connected to the net and got 5 or 10 minutes to kill, manga is a good way to spend that time. With the arrival of netbooks, I expect it to become even more common. Netbooks are cheap and extremely portable. Parents might not buy their kids a $1,700 laptop, but a $299 netbook is well within the realm of possibility.

Subscription Pricing

If there are enough manga included in the deal, I’d gladly pay $10 a month for an online manga subscription. That’s more than Crunchyroll charges for their anime membership at it’s most expensive. For manga that’s a steal. It’s less than the cost of 1 manga volume.

It’s bound to happen sooner or later. I’m just curious how it going to happen.

Manga, Opinion, Online, Subscription, Scanlation

Click for full size.

I was looking at the offerings on Hulu the other day when a stray thought passed through my head (as most thoughts do). I’ve been trying to understand the implications since then. There’s a lot more to it than I realize, there’s got to be. The thought that ran through my head was simple, but bodes of far greater things…

The amount of legal anime available online is growing.

Beautiful isn’t it?

Take a moment and think about what that means. The legit sources of anime online must be doing something right. Hopefully they’re even successful.

Something is going their way, because more companies are moving towards it themselves. Either by partnering with the current legal anime sources, or finding a way to do it on their own.

I wish them all the luck in the world.

Crunchyroll Now Edits Anime

I was shocked to learn that Crunchyroll is editing anime now. The updated news post even has this statement from Crunchyroll.

Due to the nature of the original AT-X version, Crunchyroll chose to air the censored version of Charger Girl Ju-den Chan to ensure the protection of our younger audiences and allow all audiences to watch and enjoy Charger Girl Ju-den Chan.

All Audiences?

Really?

Even the edited version contains scenes that need a warning at the very least. Scenes of fetishistic behavior, masochism and urination as well as extremely suggestive art and dialog, all present after the edits, make me wonder who thinks this show is now appropriate for “all audiences”.

I’ve been giving this a lot of thought since I saw the news article about it on Anime News Network. I just can’t see a good reason for Crunchyroll to do this. Even the edited version isn’t really appropriate for younger viewers. Why not add it as an age restricted title? if that’s not possible, why not skip it all together?

Verification

If they really want to show this kind of thing, there are better options. Institute an age verification process and upload the anime unedited. Editing down an anime to make it appropriate for a younger audience is a mistake. I thought it was a mistake of the past, but it looks like I was wrong about that.

Not only does it not work, it (usually) screws up the anime.

Anime, Online, Opinion, Crunchyroll, Charger Girl Ju-den Chan

The other day my nephew asked me to recommend some good manga. (I’m so proud) He wanted something with action and comedy. Seems simple enough, but I was stumped. Sure there’s plenty of action manga, and tons of comedy manga, but I was having a hard time thinking of something that had action and comedy, but was also appropriate for someone his age.

Reading Tween The Lines

As I thought about what to recommend I found myself rejecting things. Why? They weren’t age appropriate. I began to notice that most of the manga I’ve reviewed has been for older teens. Which makes me wonder where all the Tween manga is hiding.

What I came up with…

• Fairy Tale
• Sgt Frog
• Hollow Fields

I even included one that was for teens with Bleach. Might as well, he’s reading it in Shonen Jump anyway.

We also decided to take him with us the next time we go manga shopping. That way he can find his own darn manga something he likes.

What would you recommend?

If you have any recommendations for younger readers please leave a comment or use the contact form. I’d really love to hear some other opinions on the issue.

Please share your recommendations for tween manga. Even if it’s a recommendation on what to avoid. Anything would help.

I’m sure my nephew would be very grateful.

Manga, Opinion, Age, Tween, Teen, Fairy Tale, Sgt Frog, Hollow Fields, Bleach

Here’s a very interesting piece on the comics industry in America. The growth of manga is compared to the growth of import cars in the U.S.A. in the 70s and 80s.

All around some very good points made.

How MBAs killed Superman (and fundaes behind Modern Retail) « Strat . In.

I grew up reading comics, mostly Marvel with a few occasional DC titles. I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes at the time, but I remember the comics getting worse. You could almost see it happening, good comics deteriorating by the issue.

I hope the major publishers can get back to telling good stories about great characters again. It doesn’t matter if the characters are superheroes, kung-fu aliens or even high school girls. If the stories are compelling and the characters are believable (in context), then people will want to read ‘em. That’s what built the comics industry in the first place.

Online, Opinion, Comics, Manga

Ral Grad Volume 4 Review Coming Soon

The review will be up soon. Before I get to the review I wanted to get this rant out of the way. A couple of things bugged me. Call ‘em pet peeves. These aren’t things that should affect anyone’s choice about reading the manga, but there are a couple of things that I wanted to talk about.

Let’s get to it.

RetCon

I understand the need for retcon (short for retroactive continuity), I grew up a Marvel fan. There is a time and place for retcon. When a character or story is so bogged down in in it’s own history that there is no other option, retcon can be the only way to move forward. When a serial runs what should have been a side story as a main storyline and really screws things up, you might have to retcon it out of existence ( see Spider-Man Clone Saga and Death of Superman).

The power of RetCon should not be taken lightly. It should not be used to make changes just to make changes. When you add computer generated actors to a movie from the 70s for no real reason, you are abusing the power of RetCon. When you change guns to walkie-talkies in a movie, even though the guns make a lot more sense, then you are abusing the power of RetCon.

There are a couple of retcons noted at the end of the last Ral Grad volume. I believe these changes to be unnecessary and an abuse of the power of RetCon. I won’t mention what the changes are, because they’re major spoilers.

Short Story

I didn’t know Ral Grad was going to be short. When I finished reading the last volume I was shocked that it had ended. The ending seemed thrown together just to get the story over with. That’s a real shame. Ral Grad was an interesting story with some great characters, it’s potential was almost limitless.

The first 3 volumes set up a story that could have easily spanned 20+ volumes and still seemed short. You had the potential for huge battles, intense drama and a twisting story that would surprise and delight for a long time to come. All of that gets squeezed into one last volume with an ending that seems extremely rushed.

Then there are notes that let you know how the ending had been retcon-ed.

AAAARGH!

Manga, Opinion, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Mature Content, Ral Grad, Volume 4, Tsuneo Takano, Takeshi Obata, Rant, RetCon, Retroactive Continuity

In my previous posts about Bleach casting I usually went with Jason Statham for Ikkaku. He’s an actor who can do some physically demanding stuff on screen. Something about it made sense.

I’ve changed my mind.

I don’t remember what happened in my brain to make this connection. My new choice may seem a bit odd. Doesn’t matter though. Odd or not, I think I’ve found the perfect guy to cast as Division 11’s third seat Ikkaku Madarame.

Jo Koy

Comedian Jo Koy is my new #1 choice for a live action version of Ikkaku Madarame. Check out the Official Jo Koy Web Site if you’re not familiar with him. Check it out even if you are familiar with him, the guy is funny.

My Reasons

I do have a couple of reasons why I’d put him in that role. Not that I need any, it’s not like Hollywood is gonna be reading this blog looking for casting advice. (But they should.)

He’s Funny. Outside of the fight scenes, and the occasional serious flashback, Ikkaku is used as comedy relief. Jo Koy is funny. He does comedy for a living. I think he’d be able to do justice to the lighter side of Ikkaku.

He Looks Right. This is completely superficial, but it’s pretty important. There may not be a perfect resemblance between Ikkaku Madarame and Jo Koy, but they’re a lot more similar than Ikkaku and Jason Statham.

The Fights Don’t Matter. Whoa! Calm down. Let me explain.

In a live action movie of Bleach there are likely to be a few big fight scenes and several smaller ones. For the smaller fights that he’s involved in, choreography and some training will take care of everything. The larger fights are likely to be crammed with CGI anyway, so his physical prowess doesn’t matter.

What do you think?

Do you think Jo Koy has what it takes to be in Squad 11? Leave a comment with your thoughts. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Fun Stuff, Opinion, Casting, Bleach, Division 11, Ikkaku Madarame, Jason Statham, Jo Koy

I’ve had a lot of fun reading the casting choices for Bleach characters on the Bleach Casting Call post. If you’re not familiar with it, I asked for reader’s ideas about who to cast in a, non-existant, live action Bleach movie. I’d recommend reading some of the casting lists. there are some pretty wild suggestions.

My New Bleach Casting Choices

Since I made that post I’ve had a few more ideas for people I’d like to see in a live action bleach movie. A lot of those choices are small parts, or roles I keep changing my mind about, like casting Josh Holloway (perfect name BTW) as Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. There are 2 parts that I’ve been sure of from the moment I’ve seen the actors. Those parts are Kenpachi Zaraki and Byakuya Kuchiki.

Ray Stevenson as Kenpachi Zaraki

The reason that I’d like to see Ray Stevenson play Zaraki isn’t just the way he looked in Punisher: War Zone, it’s also the intensity with which he played the role of Frank Castle. Ray Stevenson played a Punisher that was focused on his goal and carried out his mission with a grim determination. This was a Punisher that wouldn’t let anything or anyone stand in his way.

Kenpachi Zaraki would need to be played differently. Zaraki enjoys the fight itself, how the fight ends hardly seems to matter. I fully believe that Ray Stevenson can not only capture that exhilaration, but make the fights believable.

Kim Jae Wook as Byakuya Kuchiki

From the moment I got a good look at Kim Jae Wook in The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince on Crunchyroll, I knew he’d be perfect for Byakuya Kuchiki. The character Kim jae Wook plays on that show bears some strong similarities to Byakuya. He’s cool and reserved, but underneath is a heart that loves strong and deeply. If anyone can make the Captain of Division 6 come alive on screen, it’s Kim Jae Wook

Who Would You Cast in Bleach?

If you have someone you think would be great in a live action version of Bleach, then head on over to the Bleach Casting post and let us know. Check out the other comments while you’re there, you might see someone you think would be perfect.

Anime, Opinions, Fun Stuff, Manga, Live Action Anime, Casting, Bleach, Josh Holloway, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Kenpachi Zaraki, Ray Stevenson, Byakuya Kuchiki, Kim Jae Wook

I found a new manga magazine, new to me at least, last time I went manga shopping. It’s called Yen Plus by Yen Press and contains some of the titles that they publish.

It’s more along the lines of Shonen Jump (published by Viz Media) than Otaku U.S.A. or Anime Insider. It’s a collection of comics, not articles. This is something I’m glad to see. More manga publishers should do this.

Manga, Manhwa (Korean comics), and even O.E.L. (Original English Language) are all represented in Yen Plus. Including different types is so important it influenced how the magazine is printed. Start from the right for manga from Japan, or the left for O.E.L. and manhwa.

I was surprised when I sat down and started going through the manga included in the issue I picked up. there is some really good stuff in there, including a new manga by the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa.

More about the individual manga later on. For now, lets takew a look at the pros and cons of Yen+Plus.

Pros

Size. I like to read manga printed on a larger page. You can get a better look at the art that way.

Number of Manga. There are 9 different manga in the issue I bought. That’s a lot of manga for around $9.

Variety. Not only are there a lot of different titles in each issue, there are different kinds.

Cons

Color Pages. In issue 2, the first one I bought, they make a big deal out of including the original color pages for a title introduced in that issue. Hero Tales by Jin Zhou Huang & Hiromu Arakawa. It seems like it wouldn’t have gotten color if Hiromu Arakawa hadn’t been involved. That’s a bad sign in my book. If they don’t mind cutting out the original color pages of a manga, what else would they change?

Is it worth it?

Shoot yeah. Yen Plus is worth the $10 it costs to at least check it out. Check your local bookstores and comic shops. If you can’t find it there, give Amazon a try.

Manga, Opinion, Magazine, Otaku U.S.A., Anime Insider, Paperback, TPB, Yen Plus, Yen Press, Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, Viz, Viz Media, Hero Tales, Jin Zhou Huang, Hiromu Arakawa, Fullmetal Alchemist

I’d like to ask you a question that kind of goes along with the last post. It’s along the same lines, but slightly different. More of a parallel line of thought.

What anime would you like to see made into a live action movie? (Casting opinions are optional)

I thought about asking what anime you’d like to see Keanu Reeves star in the live action version of, but he’s had 2 consecutive posts already. It’s time to share the spotlight a little bit. If you would like to cast Keanu, that’s cool too, just let us know which part.

You know my vote, I’d go with Voltron. What anime do you think has the best shot at being completely awesome if brought to life? Shoot, why stop there? What anime do you think would be entertaining in live action simply because it would be so horrifyingly awful?

Oh, and don’t say Ghost in the Shell, it’s been done. They called it The Matrix.

Woah.

Anime, Opinion, Live Action, Casting, Keanu Reeves, Voltron, Ghost in the Shell, The Matrix

The time is right for a live action Voltron: Defender of the Universe movie. We have the technology to make Transformers come to life. How hard could believable robot lions be?

This is a movie that needs backing by a big name Hollywood star. A star like… Keanu Reeves? Maybe. I think he’d make a better space explorer than a space cowboy (Even if he does speak of the pompitous of love).

I’ve been doin’ a little thinking about this very unlikely movie lately. I’m positive that it would be a huge success if the lions were given the right look. I think it’d be better to err on the side of Go-Lion as far as the story goes though. It’s a little darker and more likely to make a good action movie.

Just go through the first couple of episodes for the story.

The Plot

The last survivors of Earth, 5 brave space explorers escape from the slave pits of the evil Zarkon, conqueror of worlds. Led by Keith, played by Keanu Reeves, they make their way to planet Aeris where they discover the legendary robot lions that combine to form Voltron. End the movie with the first successful forming of Voltron and an inspiring win against a fleet of slave ships. There you have it, a movie people will be talking about. If it makes money, you’re set up for a series. If it doesn’t make money, it stands on it’s own.

The question is… Who’d make up the rest of the cast?

Who would you cast?

I can’t make up my mind. Who would you like to see in a live action Voltron movie?

Anime, Opinion, Live Action, Voltron, Go Lion, Transformers, Space Cowboy, Space Explorer, Keanu Reeves

I was hoping that I would never have to write the title of this post. The official announcement has been made though, so it looks like it’s going to happen. Check out the post over at ANN.

I have some small shred of hope until filming starts. There’s still time for some changes to be made, or for Keanu to change his mind. That’s what I’m gonna have to hold on to.

Now I don’t intend to bash Keanu Reeves, I think he’s a pretty good actor. I don’t think he’s right for the role of Spike. I’ve seen some people saying that they hope he’ll decide to play Vicious instead. That’s an idea I can get behind. I think he’s much better suited to that part.

I’ll post another anime role later that I think he’d be great for. It’s an anime I’ve been casting for live action in my head for the past couple of weeks and I think it’s well suited for the big screen.

Anime, News, Opinion, Cowboy Bebop, Spike Spiegel, Keanu Reeves, Live Action

I’m writing about this again thanks in part to some of the very opinionated posts I’ve read about the upcoming subscriptions over at Crunchyroll. Along with the supportive comments there are a lot of folks that don’t want a chance to support anime.

I was shocked to see people saying that they would never pay for anime. Would. Never. Pay. For. Anime. In a perfect world they’d never get to watch anime either, but we don’t live in anything even close to a perfect world.

This is why those of us that are willing to support anime are paying such high prices. It’s the result of widespread digital copyright infringement. Kids get used to downloading fansubs and somewhere deep down start to think that anime is supposed to be free.

Then there are those who think that just because it was on TV that it should be free. I’ve heard this before… “They make their money from commercials” or “People in Japan watch it for free, it’s on TV”.

It seems that some people just don’t understand how things like this work. I’ll take a second to point out a reason why this kind of logic wrong.

TV Isn’t Always Free

Do you get all of your TV channels free? If you get a lot of channels, then probably not. If you get any premium channels, definitely not. Whether satellite or cable, most people pay for their TV service. Some countries even charge a tax or license just to own a TV, I’m not sure if this applies to Japan though. Does anyone believe that all the anime is shown only on free over the air channels? Then how can it be free?

Would you pay for anime? Take our poll and let us know…

Anime, Opinion, Poll

This post was supposed to be a manga review for Get Backers Volume 1. I’ll still be posting that review, but I have a few things I want to get out of the way first. Since some of it isn’t specific to that manga, I decided to write up a short rant. Lucky you.

I sat down and began reading GetBackers, and everything was cool. Had my coffee, had my manga and everything was right with the world. After a little while I began to think that there might be a little something wrong after all. The flow of action in the story was horrible. Jumping around with no explanation of what was happening. When I ran into the contents page around page 54 or so, I figured it out.

Misprint

The pages looked fine, they were just in the wrong order. Yep, somewhere along the way someone forgot to make sure the pages were properly collated. The book was bound wrong. I looked online for a scanlation to verify my theory, as I’ve done for translation questions in the past, but I couldn’t find GetBackers.

I finished reading the book, trying to mentally jump from story to story as I came across misplaced pages. I gotta say, the impression I got of this manga was not helped at all by this mistake.

My impression of TokyoPop has suffered somewhat as well. This sort of thing is much larger than a typo. Shoot, it’s even larger than a bad translation call. This is the type of thing that can get a company a bad reputation. This should have been caught before it made it to a retail outlet.

Update: More news about the misprint.

Manga, GetBackers, Get Backers, TokyoPop, Misprint