Type-Moon is a visual novel company that needs little introduction. With numerous celebrated visual novels, anime adaptations, doujins, and figures, Type-Moon has a huge fan base. Fate/stay night, Kara no Kyoukai, and Tsukihime are some of the most well-known titles among anime watchers. The popularity of Type-Moon is clear from the love the various characters [...]
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The merciless, fierce battle called International Saimoe League reached the end of the Preliminary Period and the rest of the Regular Season participants have been decided. The list of all 50 Regular Season contestants is as follows.Aisaka Taiga (Toradora!)Akaba Chizuru (Seitokai no Ichizon)Akiyama Mio (K-ON!)Asahina Mikuru (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu)C.C. (Code Geass)Fate Testarossa (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha)Fujibayashi Kyou (CLANNAD)Fujibayashi Ryou (CLANNAD)Fukuji Mihoko (Saki)Furude Hanyuu (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)Furude Rika (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)Furukawa Nagisa (CLANNAD)Haramura Nodoka (Saki)Hiiragi Kagami (Lucky Star)Hiiragi Tsukasa (Lucky Star)Hirasawa Ui (K-ON!)Hirasawa Yui (K-ON!)Horo (Ookami to Koushinryou)Ibuki Fuuko (CLANNAD)Ichinose Kotomi (CLANNAD)Ikaros (Sora no Otoshimono)Ilyasviel von Einzbern (Fate/stay night)Izumi Konata (Lucky Star)Katsura Hinagiku (Hayate no Gotoku)Kawashima Ami (Toradora!)Konjiki no Yami (To-Love Ru)Kushieda Minori (Toradora!)Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière (Zero no Tsukaima)Maria (Hayate no Gotoku)Minami Chiaki (Minami-ke)Misaka Mikoto (To Aru Kagaku no Railgun)Nagato Yuki (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu)Nakano Azusa (K-ON!)Nymph (Sora no Otoshimono)Okazaki Ushio (CLANNAD)Saber (Fate/stay night)Saginomiya Isumi (Hayate no Gotoku)Sakagami Tomoyo (CLANNAD)Sakurano Kurimu (Seitokai no Ichizon)Sanzenin Nagi (Hayate no Gotoku)Saten Ruiko (To Aru Kagaku no Railgun)Sengoku Nadeko (Bakemonogatari)Senjougahara Hitagi (Bakemonogatari)Shana (Shakugan no Shana)Shiina Mafuyu (Seitokai no Ichizon)Shiina Minatsu (Seitokai no Ichizon)Sunohara Mei (CLANNAD)Suzumiya Haruhi (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu)Takamachi Nanoha (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha)Tousaka Rin (Fate/stay night)Now for some interesting data and figures.18 contestants are KyoAni girls (8 from CLANNAD, 4 from K-ON!, 3 from Lucky Star, and 3 from Haruhi)(btw, no Kanon girls, unfortunately)11 contestants are J.C.Staff girls (4 from Hayate, 3 from Toradora, 2 from Railgun, 1 Shana, and 1 Zero no Tsukaima)9 contestants are Studio DEEN girls (4 from Seizon, 3 from Fate/stay night, 2 from Higurashi)12 girls are from other studios.16% of contestants is from Clannad.Former big aces such as Kinomoto Sakura, Kawasumi Mai, Suigintou or Ryuuguu Rena didn't make it in.Nary Rozen Maiden character advanced to the Regular Season. A bit pitiful.5 pairs of characters bear the same surname. 6 if we count Furukawa as Okazaki. Namely, Hiiragi sisters, Shiina sisters, Fujibayashi sisters, Hirasawa sisters, Okazaki mother and daughter, Furude Rika and Hanyuu.About 20 contestants are from 2009 anime, not counting 2009 aired sequels.
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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. Afternoon Jan 2010 If you're looking for a really outstanding manga filled with the most awesome stories from Ah! My Goddess to Vinland Saga and more, check the new Afternoon out. 1000+ pages! NARUTO Shippuden ORIGAMI & Sticker This is a fun item: official Naruto origami folding paper (18 sheets) and stickers that come in the package. Make awesome creations out of folded paper. K-ON! Anthology Comic vol. 1 Here's a great official anthology for fans K-On!, the cute manga and anime about five girls who try to make the best high school band they can. Great art and new 4-koma manga stories. Mio Akiyama Tote Bag Take the super cute Mio-chan anywhere with you with this excellent tote bag from COSPA which is printed with a great image of the bass player and the K-On! logo. Gothic & Lolita Ensemble vol. 1 Here's a great special issue of the new GothLoli Ensemble, which celebrates 10 years of awesome gothic cosplay fashion with the best pictures, the most frilly outfits, and the most awesome information ever. LUCIDO-L Designing Pot Hair Wax For fans of Japan's high quality hair-care products from Japan, we've got a new series of excellent products, this time from Lucido, a sister brand to Gatsby made by Mandom. Five types of hair wax. Alphard, Ein Nendoroid Figures In Stock We love the Nendoroid figures from Good Smile Company because of the many ways you can display each. We've gotten i n the Alphard figure from the Canaan Type-Moon game and anime, and Ein from Phantom of Inferno. Love them both! CROSS CHANNEL ~ To all people A superb game by Yamada Hajime -- who created Family Project and YUME MIRU KUSURI that we sell in English, now available for both the PSP and PC! Awesome Restocked Artbooks We think the high-quality artbooks published in Japan are just awesome, and we've restocked several today, including the Pixiv Girls Collection 2010, the Japanese Sword Girls book, and Tony Taka's epic new release. My Melody Pencil Case, Pen From Sanrio we have a fabulous soft My Melody pencil case that's awesome to hold in your hand. There's also a matching My Melody pen for writing cute lines with. Yamanote Bath Towel -- Harajuku The Yamanote (yama-no-teh) line is the train line that runs around Tokyo, and all the most famous parts of the city have stations there. Wrap yourself in the awesomeness of this Yamanote-themed towel, restocked today. Totoro Catbus Plush Studio Ghibli fans know that J-List has tons of really cute Totoro items. Today we're restocking that fabulous Fuka Fuka Cat Bus Plush, one of my favorites. Meiji Village of Bamboo Shoot -- Green Tea Milk Awesome new snacks from Japan for you today: Village of the Bamboo Shoots chocolate covered cookies in matcha flavor, Chelsea Peach Milk "Butterscotch" and for fans of Calorie Mate, the very nice BalanceUp Fiber Bars w/ cream inside, which my mother loves. Ningyo Yaki (Tokyo Limited) ~ Japanese Food Drops See fresh stock of our fun traditional "food drops" candies, including ningyo-yaki from Tokyo's famous Asakusa sightseeing spot, Miso Ramen from Hokkaido, Strawberry from Tochigi Prefecture, plus the amazing Potato Chips Drops (from America?). EDO Style Wooden Lacquered 2-Tier Bento Box Set Once again, Hakoya has made me stop what I was doing and rave over their new bento box for several minutes. This lacquered wood bento box is large to accommodate hungrier eaters, and looks awesome. Restocked Bento Boxes, Too We have fresh stock of other popular bento boxes, too, including "Hiragana Man" (which is known as "HENOHENOMOHEJI" to the Japanese), plus the fabulous Silver Press Style Bento. Easy Bread Shaper ~ 4 shapes Turn boring sandwiches into fun shapes for kids with the new Easy Bread Shapers we're posting. Hearts, cats, trains, fire engines, this series is great! Wiener Shaper -- Crab, Penguin, More We've restocked several cute Wiener Cutters which turn boring sausages into cute flowers, penguins and other shapes, which are so much fun. These are among the most popular bento products we've ever carried. Other Fun Restocked Products Then, here's a really awesome way to bring hard boiled eggs with your bento. Just pop open the cute smiling egg case and put your boiled egg inside, and it'll be ready for you to eat at lunchtime! Mousse-chan Fuwa-Fuwa Paper Clay DECO Tool Set You can make the most amazing creations with the Mousse-chan Paper Clay mold toys that J-List sells if you use this set of tools that have just been released. A really great idea! 'Let's Make Eraser with Microwave' Restocked Also: see a general restocking of the eraser molds that let you create your own amazing erasers using your microwave oven. Sushi, doughnuts, cake and chocolates have all been restocked. Beautiful JAPAN Bell Strap ~ Lucky Cat This is one of the coolest phone straps I've ever seen. Featuring classic imagery of Lucky Cat, it's a large netsuke strap that can be attached to your camera, DS/PSP, or even iPhone. It has a bell inside, which will help keep you from losing stuff! Restocked Phone Straps Speaking of cool phone straps, we've restocked several others, including the soft Fresh Baked Bread straps, the popular Rice Bowl Strap, and more. Lucky Cat Toilet Paper, Kompeito Candies Lucky Cat is one of the most famous symbols of Japan, and we love to find fun products to find for our customers. Today we've got the Lucky Cat Toilet Paper and Kompeito traditional candies for you. Sheena Figure Swimsuits ver. Shining Wind *Preorder* Awesome figure of Sheena from the Shining Wind PS2 game, rendered in beautiful 1/7 scale for our enjoyment. Preorder her now and we'll send her to you in July. Evangelion iPhone Battery **Preorder** Next, the Evangelion iPhone cases have been a huge hit with J-List fans, and now there's something even better: a backup battery case for the iPhone 3G and 3GS that's Evangelion themed! Click to view both of them now. EvaFuda (Evangelion Hanafuda) **Preorder** Another really cool item: Evangelion Hanafuda cards, based on a classic game enjoyed for over 1000 years. I love the art on these cards. Nozomi Sasaki in Tenshi no Koi (Angel's Love) Got more love for Nozomi Sasaki, the popular fashion model who has gone mainstream with her sexy gravure photos that are so pretty, everyone in Japan is going ga-ga over her. Dengeki Moeoh Apr 2010 Dengeki Moeoh is the awesome moe magazine filled with art and comics for you to enjoy, with posters and other good presents for you. Tons of information on the newest anime series, plus a free mouse pad right in the magazine! Restocked Visual Novels See the 18+ version of Cross Channel, created by one of the best scenario writers ever. Also, the legendary game Fate/stay night (full DVD-ROM version with extras) is restocked. QUEEN'S BLADE Blu-Ray Discs Got the first two volumes of Queen's Blade Second Season for you on Blu-Ray, which are a real treat to watch in high 1080p resolution. These are fully compatible with Blu-Ray players in North America, including PS3.
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 Kodomo no Jikan, drawn by a woman. But is it really pervier than stuff drawn by men? So, the other day there was this really interesting piece on blog Anime Almanac (found via Simon Jones, sometimes NSFW) that posited that female mangaka draw at least as many ecchi series as men these days. Of course, that's hardly news to anyone who's ever opened up a copy of Shogakukan's popular shoujo manga anthology Sho-Comi, which can definitely hold its own against all the moe fanservice mags out there.  Screencap from the BokuImo OVA (Seriously, look at some of their biggest titles-- Boku wa Imouto ni Koi wo Suru, aka "I'm In Love With My Little Sister," is about a dude in love with his younger twin, who starts out as a creepy stalker. It becomes "okay" when she decides she loves him back. Anyone who tells you that women aren't every bit as perverted as men on average is kidding themselves.) But that's not the main point of AA's article: author Scott VonSchilling suggests that female-written ecchi works stand out more due to their "feminine touch," that "when you have a woman writing the story, you tend to get a much deeper and more dramatic plot" to keep the fanservice together. I can understand the temptation for someone-- particularly someone who may not have picked up Sho-Comi, and has made his un-fondness for yaoi well-known --to instinctively think that way. But speaking as someone who reads through a LOT of shoujo manga, including those not cherry-picked for US release, and who has also read an awful lot of yaoi, I can tell you right now-- women are perfectly capable of writing shallow fanservicey crap. And some of it is still hiiiighly attractive. I promise.  Male-drawn Yubisaki Milk Tea-- That is ALMOST a Nipple on the Cover Which is not to say that the manga showcased, such as Kodomo no Jikan, doesn't have a strong story, even with its more questionable (underage) fanservice. Sex-heavy Chobits, by all-female team CLAMP, also has a darker plot below its chipper, pantyful exterior, too. But it's not as though men haven't been able to draw heavy-fanservice or outright pornographic series with interesting stories: Fate/Stay Night was an eroge with a remarkably complex story. Black Lagoon and Yubisaki Milk Tea are also male-written tales with their fair share of babes, panties, nipples, etc, as well as more in-depth characterizations and stories. And quite frankly, if you read through enough hentai manga, you'll find quite a few storylines more creative than your average mainstream manga amidst all the sex scenes (as well as plenty of plain-ol' storyless smut), written by both men and women. In other words, men and women can all draw pervy content, and some of them can do so while also creating complex, layered stories and characters.  Really? Chu-Bra's anime was pretty bad, but the MOST perverted/female-degrading out there?Now, as a regular hentai manga browser who has also flipped through the 2008 Queen's Blade manga, I'm not sure I can agree with VonSchilling classifying Kodomo no Jikan, DearS, Chu-Bra, and Ichigo 100% as the MOST "offensive, perverted, fanservice-laden, otaku-pandering, female-degrading manga of the past few years." But I'm sure some people wonder why women would WANT to draw manga that depict other women in such smutty ways. First, the obvious reasons: that content sells. Erotic doujinshi makes up a laaaaarge chunk of the sales at Comiket and I would imagine this carries over into the professional manga world as well. And I would bet that men buy more smutty manga than women (if only due to societal pressure-- I can tell you right now that as a woman I didn't even feel welcome in porn shops in Japan). And then, of course, there's another obvious reason: some women like being submissive, or like seeing other women being submissive.   Like men, why wouldn't these women draw what's attractive to them?   Moving into less obvious reasons, I'd suggest that some of the thought process behind it stems from similar reasoning behind yaoi manga: you can explore all kinds of things in fiction that you can't, or wouldn't want to, in reality. The most obvious example is something that shows up constantly in the mostly female-drawn world of yaoi, as well as plenty of shoujo: molestation, coersion, and rape. From there we move into a level of psychological theory I'm not entirely comfortable making sweeping generalizations on the matter, but it's clear that there are many women who enjoy men who are aggressive towards the objects of their affection-- in their FICTION. Surely this carries over in manga as well as in prose (see also: bodice-ripper novels, most yaoi fanfiction, and western counterpart slash fanfiction as well). So, what do you guys think? Do women write and draw better perverted manga than men? Why or why not? Do you think it's empowering or damaging to women in general, or neither or both?
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 After word came out that Yuu Asakawa was a Guest of Honor at Anime Expo this year, I saw a lot of people asking "who?"  So, I was planning to write an article on why you should be excited for Asakawa's appearance-- listing out some of her best roles, including Priss from Bubblegum Crisis and Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh --but AX has done most of my work for me with ths promotional video discusing those roles and a few others by Asakawa.   <object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iwle33NEMHM&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iwle33NEMHM&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;rel=0&amp;hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505" wmode="transparent"></embed></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param></object>   Of course, that's just a brief highlights reel with the biggest names, so here are a few of Asakawa's other voice roles: Chou'un Shiryuu Luka Megurine in Vocaloid2Mizuki in GravionChou'un Shiryuu in IkkitousenItoko Osakabe in School RumbleJura Basil Elden in Vandread So now that you've been introduced to Asakawa-- or if you knew her already --are you interested in hearing what she has to say at Expo? I'm also curious as to whether she's promoting anything in particular, like the Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works film...or maybe something new?   PRESS RELEASE: Japanese Voice Actress YUU ASAKAWA Will Attend Anime Expo 2010 As An Official Guest of Honor
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It is no secret that I love Fate/Stay Night but there is one thing that gets my goat (to say it politely without swearing like a sailor who broke his arm.) I cannot stand people in the Type-Moon fan base who call Sakura Matou a slut. I know that it has mostly grown into a [...]
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The two 1-hour long Fate/stay night TV Reproduction OVAs have been released and subbed. The first noticeable difference is the newly redone OP and ED. You can view them here at one of my previous posts. Each OVA summarizes 12 episodes of the 24-episode TV series that aired back in 2006. It has been awhile since I’ve [...]
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Following up on a previous report, the official Twitter feed for the currently screening Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works film has [Full Article]
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So, no one doubted that Love+, the manga, would happen; but that they would make five of them was a bit shocking. However, as I dwell on it, I realized that the evolution of these games was not only profitable, buy maybe even good for the viewer.  So, step by step I wanted to look at how this genre, of flipping interactive to non-interactive stories can both frustrate and excite the user, creating a more powerful experience. Okay, so maybe I'm the last person to pull back the wizard's curtain, but it suddenly just clicked...   Step 1: Open it up Medium of Story: Video Game Approachability: +++++   Control: +++ Plot: +++ Complexity: ++   Make a game. The characters are a little contrived, but hey... its a brand new video game, and the player is "in control." The game is highly approachable, since the players can regulate who they explore, and when they absorb it.   Step 2: Focus it down Medium of Story: Manga/Video Game/TV Series  Approachability: +++  Control: +  Plot: +++++ Complexity: ++++    Plot goes through the roof, but control goes to squat as the creator literally tells the player how the story goes. Characters will get left in supporting roles, but that'll only further fuel obsession with them. Fan reception will probably be overwhelmingly critical, yet it will be amazingly popular.    In the case of Love+, the manga, the player will have to read 5 different stories, develop a favorite, and then wait for an OVA or animated series to tie them all together. Adding an additional layer.  Step 3: Open it up, again   Medium of Story: Video Game  Approachability: ++  Control: ++++  Plot: +++ Complexity: +++   Approachability goes further down, since the work is now being built on layers, but fans don't care. Fired up from how the "official" interpretation varied from, or matched, their expectations, the viewer rushes out to procure the game where they can once again have control over the experience again. Here, they A) Joyously use their control to explore the nuances and new details.  B) Joyously use their control to focus on the characters they felt were too ignored previously.   Conclusion I'd complain, yet all they've done is exploit the formula to create an indepth, complex experiences. From Fate/Stay Night to Fire Emblem, Higurashi to Halo Legends, constant shift from interactive to non-interactive medium leaves an engaging struggle and frustration that ultimately ends up with more complex works. Well, that and empty wallets. I'd complain, but, well, its kind of Brilliant. (Outro note: Almost every somewhat generic (and some not so generic) high school romance series is based off a dating sim game.  Air Ef: A Fairy Tale of Two Kanon Myself, Yourself Night WizardSchool Days Shuffle  Tokimeki Memorial True Tears Triangle Heart To Heart Welcome to Pia Carrot White AlbumHow many more can you name?
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Max Factory graces us with an awesome Rider figma from the series Fate/Stay Night.   Description:   The cunning servant with mystic eyes.   From "Fate/stay Night" comes a figma of the cavalry of the night, Rider!   Using the smooth yet poseable joints of figma, you can act out various scenes. Two facial expressions are included: a standard face as well as a shouting face. Her mask that conceals her mystic eyes can be removed to reveal a different side of Rider. Her Noble Phantasm, the Rider Dagger is included connected to a long chain, just as it was seen in the series. Rider's defining long hair is made using both soft and hard plastics, allowing all sorts of poses. A poseable figma stand is included, which allows various poses to be taken. Details:   Product Name: figma Rider Series: Fate/Stay Night Manufacturer: Max Factory Category: figma Release Date: 2010/05 Specifications: Painted ABS&PVC posable figure not to scale approximately 150mm in height Sculptor: Masaki Asai - Max Factory   Pre-Order is available at Otaku Mitsukai. Inside Scoop: Aniverse has been told that there will be very limited quantities of this figma shipped to the US for all US retailers. Pre-Order now! Additional Images:  
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