My Set at MAGStock

Video Rooms at Anime Expo 2011

Over at my personal journal, I listed everything I watched at AX this year. Here, I’m going to comment a little on what stood out to me about the series, for good or ill.

Karin
Not a brand new series, and not really my cup of tea. People kept telling me I’d like it because I like vampires (yes, I’m one of those types), but Karin is just not… interesting, vampires or no. I only saw a couple episodes, of course, since the AX video rooms are specially made to entice and not satisfy, but I think this special kind of vampire (one that gives blood as opposed to taking it) is a flash in the pan. After all, it doesn’t seem like the trend has caught on with other series or books, soo…

Kore wa Zombie desu ka?
This guy’s a zombie? Seriously? Whaaaaaaaat. I don’t even…

Red Garden
Yager seemed to really like Red Garden when it came out, and I think I can see the appeal, but the first few episodes I watched didn’t hook me. And also, I watched it dubbed, which is automatically a huge turn off for me. I understand that some fans like dubbing because it lets them connect better with the characters, or they can show the series to a young person who can’t yet read English subtitling fast enough to follow along, or whatever. But I’m a snob when it comes to film—live action, animated, or otherwise—it needs to be in its original language.

Welcome to the NHK

Welcome to the NHK
One of the more surprising series I watched. It was dubbed (ugh), but I managed like it anyway. I was… sorely reminded of myself at points. Who knew that the Japanese have a word for hermit that’s even more severe than “hermit”? (Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.)

FLCL
Yes, I know this is a classic (and it’s not even that long), but I’ve never seen it. And now, I’ve seen the two middle episodes. I was even more confused than everyone else in the audience, if that’s even possible with this series. Good job, me. How fitting.

Gundam Unicorn
Booooooring. Maybe if you like other Gundam series, you’ll like this, but the only one I’ve ever liked is Gundam Wing and Unicorn is not GW by a long shot.

Pandora Hearts

Shuffle!
Meh. Nothing to write home about. It’s based on an h-game, though, so it’s like a hentai without any actual hentai. If you want a harem story, just watch Aa! Megami-sama!.

Pandora Hearts
I am most definitely watching the rest of this series. It hooked me from the very first episode. Even though my “to watch” list is way too long already, hopefully I can get this series in before the end of the year. ^_^;;

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Seriously, I’ve probably seen the first three or four episodes of FMA: Brotherhood four or five times by now… and have never gotten any further in the series. (I’ve seen the entire first series.) It’s been on my list to watch for a while, if only to compare it to the first series, but I haven’t managed to find anyone with a legal copy to borrow for long enough to actually watch it.

Rumbling Hearts
Another harem anime? Really? Somebody else should watch these, because—seriously—I think they’re completely… not interesting.

Vampire Hunter D
Yes. Watch this. The original OVA is definitely worth your time, especially if you like vampires. I can see the influence it’s had on more recent vampire anime, like Hellsing, Trinity Blood, and even Vampire Knight.

Ergo Proxy
Pretty sure someone told me this was an effed up show before I watched it, and it didn’t help that I came it after the first couple of episodes had already aired. It looks like it could be worth the time, but I can’t really say without at least reading the back of the DVD case or something.

Blue Submarine No.6
All right, I could get into this one, especially since it’s only four episodes long. Seriously, though, no dubbing. (Hahaha, yes; I’m still a snob.)

Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter
The impression I got was Kenshin x Yu-gi-oh!, honestly. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not because I loved the former and thought the latter was… less-than-stellar. I’d say this one’s a toss-up.

Wagnaria!!
I like the waitress who walks around with a katana. I guess this could be a good show (and, from what I saw, it’s not a bad show), but I didn’t see enough of it to really know. Generally speaking, though, if it takes me more than a couple of episodes to get into it, I’m probably not going to finish it unless I have a damn good reason (usually that means external pressure). Just sayin’.

Revolutionary Girl Utena
The one and only. You have to watch this at least through the first season, even if you don’t like it so you’ll know what the deal with it is. It’s practically a classic.

Corpse Princess Shikabane Hime
I actually wanted to see Hetalia, which was showing at the same time as Corpse Princess, but the video room was over capacity already, so I didn’t get in. Which also meant that I missed the entire first episode and a half of this series, and I didn’t really get what was happening until right before the end of the last episode that was shown. What is it with people thinking that zombies that aren’t actually zombies are interesting? (And it’s not just this show, either. Red Garden and Kore wa Zombie desu ka? both had a similar premise.) Whatever, I’m not a big zombie fan, so…

Kenichi the Strongest Disciple
I thought this was going to be another harem anime (gods, will they never end?) but I was pleasantly surprised. Poor kid needs to toughen up, though, obviously.

Antique Bakery

Antique Bakery
Whaaaaaat how did I not know about this series before? How?

Ghost Slayers Ayashi
A friend mentioned I should see Advent Children if I hadn’t already (I hadn’t), but the room was full by the time I got there. This series wasn’t a bad replacement. Kinda reminded me of Trigun, actually. In a good way. I’d watch more of it, but I don’t think I’ll have time to actively search for it when I have a bunch of other “must see” stuff on my metaphorical plate.

The Manga Library was also a huge hit with many fans, including me. In fact, I liked it so much that I spent all of the last day there… 8:30 am to 3 pm, when the library closed. I was a little irked that I wasn’t allowed to have my stuff with me, but I understand why. (AX doesn’t want people walking off with their manga, after all.) So many shelves of manga, including an entire bookcase of non-English translated stuff, and a couple bookcases of adults only manga (explicit yaoi, hentai, and otherwise) that I had to show my ID to get to. I thought it was interesting, however, that there were many titles that probably should’ve been in the adult section that weren’t, and there were a few already in that section that didn’t need to be. If you attend a convention that has a manga library, I highly recommend visiting it, if only for a few hours.

X-Men: Curse of the Mutants – Mutants vs. Vampires

X-Men: Curse of the Mutants – Mutants vs. Vampires

Who doesn’t love a good vampire story, right? Even better if it includes any of the seminal X-Men.

One of my coworkers is the ultimate American comics fanboy and he knows that (although I’m not quite as invested as he is) I like comics, too. One day during a free moment (and after I mentioned that Gambit is my favorite member of the X-Men), he said he was reading X-Men: Curse of the Mutants – Mutants vs. Vampires, which features Gambit and Storm in the very first part. When he offered to lend it to me to read after he was done, I jumped at the chance.

Well, it’s a pretty ridiculous read. It turns out that this collection is a set of side stories to a primary plot line that involves Jubilee (my other favorite X-Man) turning rogue (no pun intended) and the other protagonists trying to find her after she disappears. I don’t know much about this main storyline because I haven’t read it, so don’t ask yet. My coworker is lending me that collection next!

Mutants vs. Vampires has everything from finding Dracula’s body (his head is somewhere else, already in X-Men possession) to fighting a vampiric whale complete with giant fangs (I’m not even kidding) to the original comic from the ’80s in which Dracula (still alive at the time, apparently) attacks Storm and briefly makes her his bride.

If you like vampires (and mutants), then this collection of shorts by various authors and artists is a great read, but I recommend reading it only with the primary storyline in hand as well since reading it first left me with questions about Jubilee (who’s only mentioned) and the assumed knowledge all the characters rely upon as they go through their days. Having access to up-to-this-point information on the X-Men doesn’t hurt, either. But really, when it comes down to it, how is more Gambit a bad thing?

What do you think? (Suggestions)

When I was a writer for Amish Otaku (which was Otaku Project before it became said), I had a list of ideas in the “Asian History and Culture” section that I had been meaning to write about and was never able to, for one reason or another. Now that OP is up and running, I have a reason to bring out this list again! Here it is, as it has been for the past couple of years!

deciphering strange commercials/gameshows w/out knowing the language
difference between “Japan” and “the Japanese”
high culture (kimonos, geisha, & tea ceremonies)
annual festivals and their origins
Zen gardens, bonsai, Asian flora
Japanese vs. American cosplaying
Jpop, gothic lolitas, & other oddities
history of sushi/ramen/chopsticks
life, work, and etiquette in Japan
on getting schooled, Japanese style
so who were the samurai/ninja/geisha, really?
VIP places/people/events profiles
history of origami and paper crafts
Shinto, Zen Buddhism, other religions
eras/time periods/currencies
WWII internment camps

My question to you is this: are any of these ideas something you’d like to see in the near future on this site? If so, which ones? I also watch and read (and review!) anime and manga. Would you rather have more of that sooner, instead, and then ease into the Asian culture stuff? (Seriously, I love anime and manga, too, so it won’t be a let down or a chore for me either way.) Do you have any suggestions?

Similarly, do you have any suggestions for the site in general? What do you love about most anime/manga and gaming websites? What would you like to see more of? Comment here, or—if you’re so inclined—drop me a line at iwasborninjune @ gmail . com (without spaces, of course). I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

MAG Sabo Goes Faction-Neutral

After coming home from work today, working out, and finishing my errands I settled down for a little MAG time. While my Sabotage game was loading I noticed that while I was playing as SVER, I was defending a Raven map while playing against Valor. WTF?

Turns out your faction no longer has a role in determining whether you play as attacker or defender on Sabotage maps. While this doesn’t affect the game play at all long-time MAG players will appreciate the change and the fact that no download will be required.

Quote from the MAG blog after the jump.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Midnight movies aren’t usually my thing. I made an exception this time because I knew G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was going to be a visually stunning, action-packed movie. The one thing to keep in mind when seeing this is that it is not art, it is purely entertainment. In other words don’t expect it to earn a Best Picture nomination. The movie doesn’t bring anything new to the table as far as original ideas are concerned either, but it sure looks pretty flaunting what it does have.

Twenty minutes into the movie is all it takes to get a good idea about what the rest of the movie is like. Everything revolves around four nanotechnology based warheads developed by international arms maker MARS which is run by Destro. The Joes want the city-destroying nanobombs in their hands while Cobra aims to terrorize the world with them. The rest of the movie is essentially a big game of tug-of-war with the warheads in the middle.

The plot is formulaic and uninspired but the execution of its parts is both explosive and exciting. The high point of this explosive action is a chase scene in downtown Paris involving a tanked up Hummer, Duke and Ripcord in powered armor suits, and Scarlett on a motorcycle. The damage done to the City of Lights in this scene is massive and irreparable and highlights a conspicuous absence of consequences in the movie. So many people are killed, both combatants and civilians, that I’m surprised the movie managed a PG-13 rating.

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Absolution #1
Avatar

I’m not really a super hero kind of guy but I love what Avatar does with the quintessential comic book trope. Instead of the torch bearers of morality that is the traditional portrayal of these characters, we get flawed and imperfect humans in a struggle to rectify their ideals with reality. John Dusk is a super hero who’s sick of seeing the same scum regurgitated by the system to continue their violent ways. When Dusk kills a perp his whole outlook changes. There’s nothing really outstanding about this title, I just love the dystopic super hero story.

The Boys #33
Dynamite

The Boys never gets boring, it just keeps getting better. If things keep going the way they are, there won’t be any supes left for The Boys to take care of. Not much story development in this issue but the action that does occur more than makes up for it. If you’re not reading The Boys, you’re missing out

Chew #3
Image

Most of you probably missed this title when it first came out due to the limited printing and high demand. By this point however, you should be well caught up considering they’re already on their second printing of the first issue. I love the top-heavy character designs by Rob Guillory and John Layman’s quirky premise is handled with expert comedic timing. This five issue mini-series should definitely be on your pull list.

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Air #10
Vertigo

By about the sixth issue of G. Willow Wilson’s and M.K. Perker’s Air I thought I had a pretty good handle on just what in the hell was going on. Amelia Earhart showed up in a floating city in the clouds and made everything clear to me. Now I’m in Mexico before the French conquered England and I feel like I’m just starting over again. While I may have lost the path of the story the comic continues to be fresh, crisp and smart. This series is definitely worth your time but this isn’t the time to jump in.

The Dark Tower: Fall of Gilead #2
Marvel

To tell you the truth, I’m just slogging through most of these tragic bits until I can leave the tales of Roland’s adolescence and move on to the parts of the stories where he’s a bad-ass ninja with cowboy boots and a revolver. Much like watching Titanic, we know Gilead will fall, we know Roland will live and his father will likely die. All that happens later though. For now Stephen King fans will have to make do with Roland going to jail. I get the feeling this is just leading up to a mountain of tragedy in the next four issues.

Executive Assistant Iris #1
Aspen

This comic is a steaming plate of bad-ass. While most of the issue is turned over to the task of demonstrating just how epically bad-ass it is, there is a kernel of a story in there. David Wohl seems to have an interesting story going for him but so far it’s obfuscated by a lot of business speak and ass kicking. Eduardo Francisco’s art lives up to the high standards set by Aspen’s other works and John Starr’s colors are visceral and vibrant. This isn’t a must have but you definitely need to take a look because there won’t be very many copies of these laying around.

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Anna Mercury 2 #1
Avatar

Hooray! Anna Mercury is back! In this new series one of the constellation worlds has sent something into our world and it’s Anna Mercury’s job to recon this previously unexplored world that inhabits a dimension next to ours. The hottest red head in comics since Mary Jane Watson is in it up to her neck almost as soon as she hits the ground. I’ve got nothing but wonderful things to say about this comic. Buy this comic. Subscribe to it. You’ll thank me.

Berserker #0
Top Cow

Okay Milo Ventimiglia, thanks for the new comic series and all but weren’t you supposed to be working on Rest. Did that series ever finish? I don’t think so. Essentially Berserker is exactly what I thought it would be: a dude going crazy from blood lust killing anyone he meets. The surprise is that I enjoy the setup to what I know is coming. If Top Cow can keep that up, I’ll stick with the series.

The Beatles Rock Band

I honestly never thought the day would come when we could look forward to playing a Beatles song in Guitar Hero or Rock Band. The rights to the songs are wrapped up tighter than a Gordian Knot and not even iTunes has Beatles songs available for download. However, on September 9^th that day will finally be here.

The game will have 45 tracks on the disc when it ships. While that’s slightly more than half of what Rock Band 2 shipped with, this game promises to be a much more immersive experience. The buzz word that’s being tossed around is “experiential.”

Only 10 songs have been announced so far: I Saw Her Standing There, I Want To Hold Your Hand,I Feel Fine,Taxman,Day Tripper, Back In The USSR,I Am The Walrus,Octopus‘s Garden,Here Comes The Sun,and Get Back.