She hasn't shown up, yet. I made a challenge to you, oh taste-making Anime Vice community, in my last column to name the next show I should watch. Metalsnakezero gets the No-Prize, the swell of pride, because he was the first user to rise to that challenge and recommend I check out DARKER THAN BLACK.  I said I’d watch whatever anybody suggested and, true to my word, I viewed the first episode on Hulu.My first comment is that it was a welcome surprise to hear some metal in the show’s opening theme. Among other things, I’m a metal head (why, this very night, I’m going to go see Sevendust and Drowning Pool in concert) and I’ve always heard stories about bands like Mudvayne being “big in Japan.” That is, having even bigger followings there than here. Yet, this was the first time I’d actually seen that potential popularity reflected in anime. I should comment, as well, that I’m always amused by the bi-polar nature of anime show theme songs. I know that there’s a more concentrated effort to appeal to men and women but, sheesh… when you have an aggressive intro - - with lyrics like “He’s a gang bang son of a gun” - - and then a reflective, romantic J-pop outro, it’s kind of like swallowing a hot coal and cold icecube at the same time.  I WANT to fear him, but I don't. Anyway, on to the plot. Truth be told, I was a little concerned about the story for the first third. There was amazing fights and animation (by Studio Bones, I believe, whom I know of now because they did that crazy Heroman for Stan Lee) - - but I was bracing myself for the same kind of “lost in translation” I encountered with Blassreiter. I’m sure suspension of disbelief is a two-way street when it comes to cultural idioms, but I was having a hard time taking a doll-faced “medium” with a painted-on curl of blue emo hair that seriously as a threatening assassin. Plus, the expository, pseudo-hard-boiled narration of the chick in the bureau handling the Contractors was in danger of running too long and obvious. That being said, once the electronic store employee (and electricity-powered Contractor, I presume) was introduced and his fate started entwining with the call girl, I was really starting to dig it. Maybe it was just the choice of angles or general storytelling, but I was able to get into this a lot better than Blassreiter. Normally, I question any cartoon that spends a lot of time trying to duplicate brick-and-mortar reality too closely, but it worked here. I really forgot I was watching animation and just followed it like a good thriller. I almost got the feel that this was like a movie adaption of a more-wild source material, like the first couple X-MEN movies. I can see this being a low-key, more down-to-Earth of a more fantastical manga about the super-powered contractors and the killer-doll-faced mediums.   I’m curious to see more of this, but keep the suggestions coming, everybody! I CHALLENGE you! -- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia Comics.   Watch out for the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover collection this March - - available for pre-order now on Amazon.com.
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Ahhhhh… for better or worse, one thing I appreciate about anime is the frequent absence of exposition - - that is, the information usually woven into a narrative to clue you into the characters and their world. Such is the case with the first episode of Blassreiter, titled “Prelude to Despair.” Now, I’m all for starting a story in media res. It’s a quality I especially enjoy in Frank Miller’s work. It’s a lot more exciting to hit the ground running and get filled in as the story goes along, rather than slow things down for some long-winded title scroll. Butttttt… The episode starts off at pro motorcycle race with some lively cell-shaded 3D animation. I figure I’m going to be watching a Ridge Racer-style show about the perils of life in the fast lane, about the dangers of living at 100mph. Then, there’s randomly a nude girl in an ambulance parked next to the track who happens to be a shape-shifting, machine absorbing amalgam Demoniac (at least I think so). She/it flips out and starts killing bikers until another Demoniac and before I know it, we’re speeding into about a secret organization that tracks down these amalgams. Only the beginning wasn’t just a red herring teaser, because of the surviving bikers, Gerd, remains in the plot. He’s adjusting to life as a parapelegiac and the remedy to his paralysis seems to lie in a single prescription pill that will turn him into a bio-mechanoid as well. And then there’s his old protégé, who’s wrapped in this intelligence group and… In short, like a jump from zero to sixty on an engine filled with octane, this toon gets really complex, really fast. I’ll own up to the fact that it did, indeed, leave my head spinning. I got the gist it before the episode was done, but the integration of the two plots at this point really seem like drawing to squeeze jagged shards together. I do feel it necessary to remark that I got a chuckle out of the scene where that tough guy loner Gerd starts shedding some man tears after he just instructed his protégé about he isn’t “ruthless” enough to be a pro biker. I suppose you’d call him a paper tiger, not the Pale Rider the title of this series translates to in German. Anyway, I’m glad this is different and unpredictable. I’m going to open up the floor, so to speak, to you, the Anime Vice community. What other anime shows online (preferably Hulu) should I check out? Seriously - - I’ll watch whatever you recommend. You have suggestive carte blanche! -- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia Comics.   Watch out for the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover collection this March - - available for pre-order now on Amazon.com .
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Okay, so since I’ve been promising this review for quite a while, I’ll make it short and sweet. Blassreiter is a fairly inventive sci-fi anime stemming from a joint effort from studios Gonzo and Nitro+ (the latter a multimedia company focusing on digital novels and eroge). The series’s story is a bit hard to describe – the back story doesn’t really get fleshed out until the 10th – 12th episodes – but I’ll do my best. The series is what you might get if you put Tron, Tetsuo: The ...
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Hanazawa Kana 花澤香菜 has the moe-est voice in anime.As Shiika in Mushiuta, Sora in Sketchbook (2007), and Sora again in the underrated Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora (2008), Kana-chan took vocal moe to a new level. (click photos to enlarge)But already in 2007 we could hear that there was more to her, in her strangely communicative grunts as the main character in Potemayo. In 2008 she did the quite un-moe Zange in Kannagi, although with uneven results. And in the spring of 2009, she shifted her moe voice to create the fey but powerful ojousama Sharon Rainsworth in Pandora Hearts.Then in the fall of 2009, as Suou in Darker than Black 2, she broke out as a real actress. She is entirely believable as the conflicted Suou, tossed about in a sea of events she does not understand, but gradually adapts to.And although the voice is still that of a young girl, she produces a range of sound, from whispers to screams, that shows more and more technical mastery.Kana-chan broke into voice-acting at 17, in 2006, as the popular character Kaminagi Ryouko in Zegapain. But she had been in show business since at least 2001, when she was a 12-year-old child actress. She was a regular cast member in the TV drama Gakko no Sensei that year. And she had a minor seiyuu role in Last Exile in 2003.Here are images of a few of her important anime roles: (mouseover for captions) After her performance in Zegapain, the highly respected seiyuu agency Osawa Office took her on. Osawa represents such major seiyuu as Kawasumi Ayako and Noto Mamiko. As seiyuu Minagawa Junko said: "Isn't Osawa amazing to have recognized her?" And I agree. Her acting in Zegapain is adequate at best, but she had that voice, and Osawa realized even then that she might have the ability to make the most of it. There is something about her voice that gives presence to her characters.Here is a video showing clips of her roles up to Natsu no Sora, in the summer of 2008:<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y9FViJj4nLE&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y9FViJj4nLE&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Kana-chan (the name she likes to be called by) is rather shy, and comes across in her many radio shows and guest appearances as somewhat out of it, and not too bright. In fact, she is intelligent and capable, just a bit dreamy. She has been a university student since 2007, working and studying at the same time, and will graduate in 2011. And she has hosted her own radio show for over a year. The show is called: Can Hanazawa Kana Do It Alone?Between her drama work when she was 12 and Zegapain when she was 17, Kana-chan didn't get much work, but kept searching for her place in show business. A post on 2channel describes her as having been an "underground idol," and there are photos to prove it: Kana-chan doesn't have a great singing voice, and that may be one reason her idol career never took off. But she did do a great job with the partly-spoken OP4 of Bakemonogatari, "Ren-ai Circulation":<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3VHMA4AcZNs&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3VHMA4AcZNs&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>The adult Kana-chan (now 20) is no raving beauty, but she is quite attractive in an old-fashioned sort of way, as well as seeming to be a genuinely nice person: Here are a very recent and the oldest photo here. One of Kana-chan fron an interview this fall about Kobato. One showing her when she was twelve, and just about to begin her entertainment career: Here's a ridiculously cute video interview she did for Voicha magazine in late 2007:<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GwBAs-6qj58&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GwBAs-6qj58&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>Here's another video, from about the same time, with her co-stars in Sketchbook, Nakase Asuka (centre) and Makino Yui. The beginning is Kana-chan at her loopy best:<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nj4bIkd2Ky8&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nj4bIkd2Ky8&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Here's a clip she did with her friend Tomatsu Haruka, talking about strange food combinations that Nagi ate in Kannagi, in which Kana played Zange to Tomatsu's Nagi. Tomatsu puts Italian-style salad dressing on her rice, while Kana-chan puts Bulldog sauce (like HP sauce) on hers. The bubbly Tomatsu thinks the Italian dressing makes the rice taste great, like "Italian cuisine." Kana-chan tries it and says drily: "It's okay."<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eSDFKNw9PF4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eSDFKNw9PF4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>And here they are doing a brief recording session, reversing their roles in Kannagi so that Kana-chan plays Nagi and Tomatsu plays Zange:<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j-lqesYSPBY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j-lqesYSPBY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>Here is a very recent clip of Kana-chan talking about her role as the heroine Sofia in the Wii game Tales of Graces, which was released 10 December 2009:<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PGMzLn_WeQ0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PGMzLn_WeQ0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>Finally, here is a brief clip from the 2006 TV drama Uramiya Honpo, showing the 17-year-old Kana as a girl in hospital first greeting a friend who has come to visit, and then actually dying on screen:<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-4dae9c53deeffe2" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DpgAAAPCZD0ddCGBZjZs6HcCGJYdFx7cOI4aE--qXXKR8WwYKzutq5nvsD8fXM7toJJVPQGB6gK4h4nlvOp9B6Eowcgc3s_q90obL3e2edTzGU4lVWhHVJXMqXw1ORKX_B1xNy0hq_-EmVnmH9k-Mtw-GXc78BKPxOII9zBE4DfSeCpzrIYCXr-WTbkZ5ZlQxgt76lZnFFxlPu_xgzNOyaP3fbSqMD6b51dwHJhJmer3HC9st%26sigh%3D93WQba6rAAH_e26ibdJH8JRKOic%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0&amp;nogvlm=1&amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D4dae9c53deeffe2%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3Do-e40LoujkTXS1m-GAiiBHSSrjA&amp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvp.video.google.com%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0%26secureurl%3DpgAAAPCZD0ddCGBZjZs6HcCGJYdFx7cOI4aE--qXXKR8WwYKzutq5nvsD8fXM7toJJVPQGB6gK4h4nlvOp9B6Eowcgc3s_q90obL3e2edTzGU4lVWhHVJXMqXw1ORKX_B1xNy0hq_-EmVnmH9k-Mtw-GXc78BKPxOII9zBE4DfSeCpzrIYCXr-WTbkZ5ZlQxgt76lZnFFxlPu_xgzNOyaP3fbSqMD6b51dwHJhJmer3HC9st%26sigh%3D93WQba6rAAH_e26ibdJH8JRKOic%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26docid%3D0&amp;nogvlm=1&amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D4dae9c53deeffe2%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3Do-e40LoujkTXS1m-GAiiBHSSrjA&amp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Den" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Data:-- born 25 February 1989-- from Tokyo-- 158cm tall (5'2")-- likes: taking baths-- abilities: mimicry, magic, storytelling-- favorite food: dried taro-- likes: men who have dark hair and look good in a suit and glasses-- likes: Tomatsu Haruka, Kawasumi Ayako, Tsuji Ayumi-- likes: "picopico pop" electronic music like Perfume, Nakata Yasutaka, MOSAIC.WAV. Asian Kung-fu Generation.etc-- the mangaka of Potemayo was a big supporter of hers at auditions for the anime's cast, saying her version of Potemayo's sounds was just right for the character-- in the early years of elementary school, she and her friends used to "see fairies" and play by kicking and punching them-- she tends to daydream and lose focus, and her coworkers rag her about it. Toriumi Kousuke (Gil in Pandora Hearts) called her "Kana on a cliff," referring to the Miyazaki film Ponyo On a Cliff.-- she has one sibling, a brother four years younger, and she shows him her animes-- she has been a regular on twelve radio shows, two of which are still onStaff in:(2007) Sketchbook ~full color'S~ (TV) : Theme Song Performance (ED2)(2008) Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (TV) : Theme Song Performance (ED)(2008) Sekirei (TV) : Theme Song Performance(2009) Bakemonogatari (TV) : Theme Song Performance (OP4)Cast in:(2003) Last Exile (TV) as Holy Madosein(2006) Magical Witch Punie-chan (OVA) as Tanaka Potaru(2006) Zegapain (TV) as Kaminagi Ryoko(2007) Getsumen To Heiki Mina (TV) as Hazemi Nakoru/Minazuki Mina(2007) Mushi-Uta (TV) as Anmoto Shiika(2007) Higurashi no Naku Koroni Kai (TV) as Tomomi (eps 14.15)(2007) Potemayo (TV) as Potemayo(2007) Sketchbook ~full color'S~ (TV) as Kajiwara Sora(2008) Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- (TV) as Angelica(2008) Shina Dark - Kuroki Tsuki no Ō to Sōheki no Tsuki no Himegimi (OAV) as Mapul(2008) To Love-Ru (TV) as Yuuki Mikan(2008) Blassreiter (TV) as Elea(2008) Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (TV) as Midarezaki Yuuka(2008) Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora (TV) as Suzuki Sora(2008) Sekirei (TV) as Kusano(2008) Strike Witches (TV) as Suwa Amaki (ep 12)(2008) Kemeko Deluxe! (TV) as Riko At Androids(2008) Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens (TV) as Suzushiro Hakua; Zange(2008) Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- (OAV) as Angelica(2009) (The) Tower of Druaga: the Sword of Uruk (TV) as Henaro(2009) Asu no Yoichi! (TV) as Ikaruga Kagome(2009) Basquash! (TV) as Coco JD(2009) Pandora Hearts (TV) as Sharon Rainsworth(2009) To Love-Ru (OAV) as Yuuki Mikan(2009) Bakemonogatari (TV) as Sengoku Nadeko(2009) Sora no Manimani (TV) as An Yukie(2009) Cencoroll (movie) as Yuki(2009) Kobato. (TV) as Hanato Kobato(2009) Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini (TV) as Suou Pavlichenko(2010) Seikon no Qwaser (TV) as Mitarai Fumika(2010) Durarara!! (TV) as Sonohara Anri(2010) Bungaku Shoujo (movie) as Amano ToukoLinks:Anime News Network (eng)Wikipedia (eng)ja.Wikipediablog (radio show)live radio show video from TAF last summerpic search (English)pic search (Japanese)video search (English)video search (Japanese)idol photos
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Anime DVDs December 29, 2009 Baccano – Box Set Blassreiter – Part 2 Case Closed: Captured In Her Eyes Case Closed: The Last Wizard Of The Century Dragonaut: The Resonance – Part 2 Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season 2 Box Set Manga December 29, 2009 Crayon Shin-chan – Volume 10 Fairy Tail – Volume 9 Negima!? neo – Volume 4 Ninja Girls – Volume 2 Only One Wish December 31, [...]
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Just for funFor the quarter million (imaginary) dollars: In the anime series Blassreiter, which human character survived the longest (counting from the start of the series)?A) HermannB) XarginC) JosephD) Gerd----------------------If you answered any of the above, you are wrong. Only Amanda and Malek survived at the end of the show.Dumb questions aside, as of today A Product of Wasted Time is a member of the 250,000 club (in terms of unique visits). It took this blog about a year and four months to reach this mark, and in the same time the blog has generated about 400,000 page views. These days my humble little blog averages about 800 unique visits and 1400 page views per day, which of course isn't all that much, but I can't really claim that nobody visits here anymore. When I started this blog, I'd never have guessed that this many visitors will come through here in 16 months, and once again I want to thank all of you who bothered to visit, comment, and/or link to this boring, poorly written summary blog (unless you're a spammer). This blog wouldn't have come this far without everyone's support. Of course, I have to thank the Google Gods as well, because whether we like it or not, our websites are at the mercy of Google (especially mine since it's on Blogger). Getting my FMA:B posts high in the search results is really helping with the hits.Now that this blog has made it past 250,000, it's onwards to 500,000!!!
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FUNimation has just informed us on their official blog that there are a metric ton of new anime waiting to be watched on their many different streaming services. Check out how awesome Nabari no Ou english dub is, or how crappy Black Blood Brothers happens to be; get a sneak peek before you have to spend any of your hard earned cash. Here is a list of new video’s on their sites. FUNimation.com/Video Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood JPN 35 Big Windup! JPN 17-19 Black Blood Brothers ENG 1-6 Casshern Sins JPN 9-10 Fruits Basket ENG 1-4 Heat Guy J ENG 9-10 Le Chevalier D’Eon ENG 3-4 Magikano ENG 11-13 Nabari no Ou ENG 11-13 Sgt. Frog ENG 11-13 Sgt. Frog JPN 39-40 Shakugan no Shana ENG 7-8 Slayers EVOLUTION-R JPN 9-10 Solty Rei ENG 3-4 Soul Eater JPN 37-40 Tokyo Majin ENG 1-4 Vexille: 2077 Isolation of Japan JPN When They Cry ENG 23-24 YouTube.com/FUNimation Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood JPN 33 Ah! My Goddess ENG 7-13 Bamboo Blade JPN 17-20 Blassreiter ENG 7-8 Burst Angel ENG 5-7 Casshern Sins JPN 1-2 Full Metal Panic! TSR ENG 5-6 Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino ENG 11-13 Heroic Age ENG 19-20 Kurau Phantom Memory ENG 1-4 Murder Princess ENG 3-6 Ragnarok JPN 11-14 Save Me! Lollipop ENG 9-10 Slayers EVOLUTION-R JPN 1-2 Spice and Wolf JPN 5-6 The Count of Monte Cristo ENG 11-13 Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk JPN 3-12 Tower of Druaga: The Sword of Uruk JPN 3-12 When They Cry ENG 5-7 Hulu Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood JPN 33
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Amie Grand is going to release the Amanda Werner ( アマンダ・ウェルナー )1/6 Polystone GK from the anime “Blassreiter” ( ブラスレイター ). Will be released in February 2010. Around 180mm tall, 14,800 yen. Kit is prepainted & completed. Finally Amie Grand painted their Amanda Werner. The non-paint one... **This is a content summary only. Please visit Nekomagic for full content!**
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Amie Grand is going to release the Amada Werner ( アマンダ・ウェルナー )1/6 Polystone GK from the anime “Blassreiter” ( ブラスレイター ). Will be released in February 2010. Around 180mm tall, 14,800 yen. Kit will be prepainted & completed. After the who-are-you Amada Werner by Yamato that we saw... **This is a content summary only. Please visit Nekomagic for full content!**
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Here are today's "really cool products" that I've picked out for you, out of the 30+ new items we've added to the J-List and JBOX.com sites today. Note that some products may be "not safe for work" but that all links will allow you to redirect yourself either to the J-List or JBOX.com websites. To see all the J-List products, check out J-List or the JBOX.com updated products link. Japanese T-Shirt - Tsundere Tribute A super T-shirt that's a tribute to the best tsundere voice actress of them all, Rie Kugimiya, who gave life to such characters as Louise from Zero no Tsukaima, Shana from Shakugan no Shana and Taiga from Toradora. The shirt features phrases, including "Baka! Baka! Baka!" (Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!) and "Shut up! And go rot!" On the back of the shirt is printed, in extremely difficult kanji characters, "Kugimiya Virus Hypersensitive Cerebral Corticalitis," which describes the odd state all tsundere fans are in when she verbally abuses us (ah...). Standard black T-shirt, available in S, M, L and XL. Hello Kitty Christmas Ornament Chocolate Next, we've got even more awesome Hello Kitty Christmas items for you: a Christmas Tree and Wreath shaped collection of chocolates! Give as gifts, or Christmas cards. Get an automatic discount for buying 3 or more, too. Touhou 3 ~ Strange and Bright Nature Deity 3 It's yet another awesome official Touhou manga by ZUN himself, printed on very high quality paper and featuring a music CD from the popular line of indies games. Yu Yu Shiki 1 ~ Yuyushiki 1 A super Japanese comic from Komata Mikami, this is a fun 4-koma (4-panel) manga that follows three high school girls: Yuzuko, Yui and Yukari. Cute and fun to read. Restocked Hell Girl, Shana Cosplay Sets Cosplay is getting more and more popular at J-List, and today we're restocking the Hell Girl and Shana of the Blazing Eyes complete costume sets -- enjoy! Also see fresh stock of the shimapan bag for otaku girls. Cosplay for Guys, Too J-List has tons of awesome complete cosplay outfits and accessories for guys, too, including Naruto, Bleach, Ouran High School, Lelouch of the Rebellion and more. Browse our affordable offerings now. Spice and Wolf Perfect Guide Spice and Wolf is an enigmatic anime about a harvest goddess in the form of a wolf-girl, and the adventures she has with a trader. This is the perfect guide book for fans of the series, and we've restocked it today. Shirow Masamune Artbooks Shirow Masamune's popular artbook Pieces vol. 1 has come in stock again, and we highly recommend it for fans of his art. He is the creator of the Ghost in the Shell original manga, and thus a source of inspiration for The Matrix. Moyashimon e hon ~ Itadakimasu Moyashimon is the cutest manga about microbes you will ever find, and this is a great picture book for fans and collectors alike. Purisaga! Portable It's great to be able to experience the best dating-sim games and visual novels on a platform that's got a gorgeous screen like the PSP. This is a new dating sim called Purisaga!, which is short for Pretty Wife wo Sagase! or "Search for a Pretty Wife." Amazing Snacks from Japan Next see some amazing snack items from Japan, including the brand-new Japan Kit Kat in Chocolate & Yaki-imo, or baked sweet potato flavor -- yum! Also, FritoLay Japan has spicy snacks for us, made with real wasabi from Nagano Pref. Sauce Katsu (Aizu Limited) ~ Japanese Food Drops Sauce Katsudon is one of my favorite foods. It's a cutlet (katsu) of pork that's breaded and fried then simmered in a sauce and served on white rice (making it s don or rice bowl). Enjoy this great flavor in the form of traditional Food Drops candy! Shiso Pepsi, Evangelion UCC Coffee That delicious (?) shiso (a Japanese herb similar to basil) Pepsi is back in stock, but for the LAST time, so pick up a bottle or three if you're a fan of rare Pepsi products from the other side of the world. Browse our newly-created Japanese drinks page to see more! Hamburger-shaped Bento Boxes You know that J-List won't rest until we've delighted you with new bento box offerings every day. Today we've got two different bento boxes that look like delicious hamburgers and square sandwitches, but which are highly functional lunch-delivery systems. Restocked Nikyoro Bento Boxes Then: we've gotten in more wacky creations from Prime Nakamura, including one of my favorites, the Bread Shaped 2-tier Bento Box, plus the Nikyoro Egg Case for storing your hard boiled eggs. Hello Kitty Ice Cube Tray Also for fans of J-List's interesting Sanrio products: fresh stock of the legendary Hello Kitty Ice Cube Maker, which makes great 3D Sanrio-shaped ice cubes for you instead of boring square ice cubes. Hello Kitty Bento Items Also, see some great bento accessories restocked, including the Hello Kitty DECO Bento Set which makes cute Sanrio-shaped onigiri and furikake images, one of our most popular Sanrio products. Totoro Plush Items, More Restocked Since Totoro is at the top of a lot of fans' Christmas lists, we're stocking up on some delightful items, from the Giant Totoro and Cat Bus plush toys to the Ghibli Storage Box and more. Don't forget to browse our Totoro blankets, too! My Neighbor Totoro Wrist Watches Then, we've restocked the elegant My Neighbor Totoro watch, which sports an elegant design featuring Totoro with his umbrella, plus a real leather strap and matching box. WIRELESS SCOPE NODE -- Black ~ Elecom The SCOPE NODE USB mouse is so cool, we write its name in ALL CAPS. But seriously, this mouse has really gotten praise from J-List customers, which makes us happy. See fresh stock of the wireless version today. Based on a design by Shirow Masamune. Hello Kitty Portable Toothbrush Set Brush your teeth while maintaining your inner cuteness with these Hello Kitty portable toothbrush sets, which come with everything you need to keep your smile bright. If you like, why not browse our new Hello Kitty & Sanrio product page? Magical Spot Stick for Beautiful Skin An interesting Japanese beauty product that's popular with women, it's a special scraper for removing spots on the skin and unclogging pores. Two tips for different kinds of skin problems. Restocked today. Egg Dec 2008 Egg is the premier magazine of street fashion culture from hip areas of Tokyo like Shibuya and Harajuku, and a new issue is in stock. Stock of these issues is always limited, so why not consider a revolving subscription so you never miss an issue? Solar Powered Japanese Chirimen Cat Lucky Cat is popular on J-List, and solar powered toys are also popular. Why not combine the two? Restocked Netsuke Phone Straps & More J-List has a huge selection of netsuke, the traditional charms hung from money bags in Old Edo, now repurposed as cell phone straps. See the Lucky Cat, Lucky Owl and Lucky Rabbit Pair Netsuke, as well as our Handmade Ninja Sword and wooden Kokeshi doll for winter. Hello! New Baby Unazukin Set Also: the super Unazukin nodding electronic toy is fun to play with -- ask it a question and it nods yes, or shakes his head no, to answer you. This set comes with a cute Unazukin toy with a space to put a picture of a cute baby. Great gift idea? Amanda Werner Figure *Preorder* Here's a really nice figure that's just begging to be taken home by you: Amanda Werner from Blassreiter, which is so hot and juicy it makes us wish we were 1/8 scale too. Restocked Snacks & Gum Finally, a big restocking of some of our best snack items, including Glico Pocky in Milk Coffee flavor, Uranaikko Gum that tells you fortune and looks like the sticks you pull out of a box at a Shinto shrine, Meiji Mini Assortment, Hi-Chew, Watering Kiss Mint Gum and more. Naked Love -- Yoko Kumada Veteran idol Yoko Kumada is on top again with her latest hardcover photobook, regrouping more than a hundred full page pictures for you. Also: fresh stock of the sweet hardcover photobook of Ami Tokito. Dengeki Moeoh Dec 2009 Dengeki Moeoh is the awesome moe magazine filled with art and comics for you to enjoy, with posters and other good presents for you. Enjoy the brand-new issue on the site now. Restocked Artbooks We've got the awesome Dendrobium artbook by Nishieda back in stock, which is simply the most incredible "H" artbook I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Plus the incredible collection of oppai themed art by Ryota Magaaki. Al Azif 1/7 Figure ~ Demonbane *Preorder* This is fascinating twist on the character of Al Azif from our upcoming game Demonbane, with the lithe character redesigned to be a gorgeous buxom woman. Features super "cast off" action, too.
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