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. Dengeki Love Plus vol. 01 ~ Manaka Takane The dating-simulator everyone is talking about is Love Plus for the Nintendo DS, a game that lets you date three kawaii virtual girls. Now here's a fabulous magazine/artbook for fans that comes with tons of free stuff, incl. a life-sized body pillow. Dengeki Daioh Mar 2010 You know, this is just about the best manga in the world -- it's got it all, from Gunslinger Girl to Shana to Yotsubato, Toradora to Gurren Lagann and more. Cool free shitajiki for you too! Rilakkuma no Kawaii Felt Mascot A beautiful craft book featuring the famous cute bear Rilakkuma, the bear who wants us all to relax more, and amazing crafts you can make with felt. Also: Rilakkuma's Life book restocked today. Hello Kitty x Leopard Large Wallet Be fashionable the Hello Kitty way with the cute leopard-skin style wallet and cosmetic pouch we're posting today. Elegant styling on both. Magazines w/ Omake (Cool Free Stuff) J-List carries dozens of magazines that give you awesome free stuff (called omake, pronounced oh-MAH-kay) with each issue, like Cutie, the fashion magazine that gives you free accessories each issue. Goth-Loli Bible Winter 2009 vol. 35 J-List has many awesome items for fans of EGL / Goth-Loli culture from Japan, including the magazine that started the whole movement, which we sell via our popular "reserve subscription" system. Subscriptions are charged month-to-month and can be quit or changed at any time. Restocked Artbooks from Japan See some fun anime artbooks from Japan, including Sengoku Helm, Girls Girls Girls 4 plus the gorgeous Megami Creators, dedicated to celebrating beautiful 2D art. Queen's Blade Artbooks Restocked We have more Queen's Blade artbooks for you today, including popular titles like Mellona, Reina, Claudette, and Erina. They really make the Queen's Blade anime more fun to watch, too. Restocked PSP and DS Games Whether you enjoy the gorgeous visuals of the Sony PSP or the innovative dual screen on the Nintendo DS, J-List stocks awesome anime games for you. Click to browse our selection. Today's New Snacks from Japan Got a delicious Meiji Almond "Hard Crunch" Chocolate, Ham and Cheese flavored Copan from Meiji, plus a new flavor of Xylish chewing gum from Meiji for spring, ume mint. Pudding (Kobe) ~ Japanese Food Drops Take a virtual trip to Kobe for some delicious custard "pudding" (more accurately called flan), today's new flavor. Also restocked: exotic So-Ki Soba from Okinawa, Monjya-yaki Drops from Tokyo, Sasebo Burger drops from Kyushu, plus natto, garlic and more. Family Size SAKURA JUBAKO Bento Box Jubako are stackable bento boxes which are great to eat out of, and by customer request, we have a really nice new one for you, big enough for your whole family, and great for parties. Restocked Blue Rabbit, Lacquered Bento See fresh stock of the outstanding "Blue Rabbit x Moon" bento set, which is both very traditional and very modern at the same time. Also, we have that DX Simple Men's Genuine Lacquered Bento back in stock. Tomica and Mickey FURIKAKE Bottle These are cute: furikake bottles for bento lovers which feature Mickey Mouse and the classic TOMICA "mini car" which are popular with boys. Large ECO Re-usable Silicon Bento Cups Reduce the trash you generate by using these durable bento cups, which keep your food from running together. Since they last a long time, you can re-use them again and again. Dream Land Egg Shaper Also: for people who really want to make a special bento creation, see fresh stock of this device that lets you make star, diamond and other interesting shapes in your slices eggs. How does it work? Click to see instructions. Food Pencil for Bento Nothing makes a man happier than having a heart drawn on an plate of omrice (omelet over rice) by a woman he loves. You can do that and much more with the Food Pencil set, restocked today. Books on Bento See fresh stock of the popular English book on bento boxes by Kodansha, in stock in San Diego, one of our most popular. Ponyo Plush Toys, Bento Restocked Ponyo, Ponyo Ponyo, he's a little fish, and he's also a cute plush toy that we have restocked today. That Ponyo bento is awfully cool, too. Totoro Nap Pillow, Thermos Restocked Imagine the dreams you will have with the Totoro Nap Pillow that we've restocked today -- it's just perfect for sleeping on. Also restocked, the Totoro Thermos for Bento. iTunes Japan Prepaid Cards Spotted over on the iTunes Japan store: a great selection of J-POP songs about spring and sakura, which are fun to browse. Also check out the Certain Scientific Railgun and Baka Test songs. We Love Lucky Cat Got a bunch of fun Lucky Cat items for you today, including the Lucky Cat Family display items, the awesome Happy message Lucky Cat phone straps for living a more positive life, the Lucky Cat Choco Ball traditional candies, and more. Transformers Shoulder Tote Bags *Preorder* COSPA keeps making cool products for us, and we keep posting them to the site for you, Enjoy the Transformers tote bags we've got on the site now, allowing you to choose between Autobots or Decepticons. Awesome One Piece Cell Phone Cases *Preorder* These are really cool -- cell phone cases featuring the Straw Hat Pirates logo and Chopper Man. Fits standard cell phones and comes with a handy carabiner clip. Final Fantasy Plastic Cup *Preorder* This is cool: a set of three cups for Final Fantasy fans, with Chocobo, Moogle Sabotender (Cactuar). Get +100 nerd points! Revoltech No.90 EVA Type-02 The Beast *Preorder* Oh my, this Evangelion Revoltech is sweet, with 21 different joints allowing yo to make any pose. You could even make a diorama of Eva mecha sitting around a kotatsu table. Sweet Peach! Yuri Manga Tohko Mizuno (author) and Chiyu Senju (illustrator) present a super-cute new yuri series (featuring girl-girl pairings). If sweet female elves in love sounds like a good idea to you, click to read more. Download PC Dating-Sim Games While J-List carries all the awesome English-translated eroge from Japan in shrinkwrapped CD-ROM form, you can also opt to buy your favorite games as Internet Download Editions, which is more convenient for many users. First Insert REI.017 Rearing Plan An amazing stress relief toy for anime fans, a kawaii magical heroine character who will heal you with her amazing magic. Miku Hatsune, Other Hole Toys Restocked See fresh stock of the hugely popular toy that simulates Miku Hatsune's most private place, the ultimate otaku item. Also, the fabulous R1 Starter Set and Feel Mont Blanc by Rends are restocked.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Only one of the five Valentine manga box sets m&c! has planned for this week releases and unless you're a rabid fan of Kawamura Eri-sensei, you'll probably want to give it a miss, enticing IDR 30,000 price tag notwithstanding. Tennis no Oujisama © Konomi Takeshi/Shueisha (Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump) Published in Indonesia as The Prince of Tennis by PT Gramedia/m&c! Most Wanted are (of
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

I had made mention of this back in the December 2009 Month in Review post, but I had watched the first season of the Gunslinger Girl anime and I had a thing or two to say, not only of the anime (which will come in the future), but of the opening theme as well. For [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

I love, love, LOVE dark urban settings. That's a big part of why I love pulp stories and why The Dark Knight is my favorite movie of all time (among other reasons, but not the least of which is a gorgeously-filmed Chicago). It's also the basis of my 'magnum opus in the making,' Dark Dreams at the End of the World, whose tentative introduction is above. Dark Dreams is a story that I came up with in early 2008 when I wanted to create something that featured everything I wanted out of a story and every kind of f*cked-up plot element I could imagine. The biggest influences on the story were anime such as Black Lagoon, Texhnolyze, Gunslinger Girl, and Baccano! as well as movies like Dead or Alive and Gozu. But no doubt, Baccano! was the biggest.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Once again will have to thank Yi. Why? 4 words… Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino. I’ll also be borrowing a few ‘BAMS’ from Glo. -.-“ Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino It took a few episodes, but I finally managed to dwell myself into the anime. By then, the “lower” quality animation no longer has a hold [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Also, Alive, Bleach, and The Prince Who Forgot Tennis da yo! Kaichou wa Maid-sama! © Fujiwara Hiro/Hakusensha (Serialized in LaLa) Shinobi Life © Conami Shoko/Akita Shoten (Serialized in Princess) Published in Indonesia by PT Gramedia/m&c! Gunslinger Girl 9 probably took so long to release because Angelica is hibernating. (How else would you interpret a blurb that goes Under the twilit winter
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

A lot of really fun stuff came out or was licensed in 2009, but not eeeeverything. Here are some items that I feel someone needs to pick up the slack on. In some cases, they could/should have been licensed ages ago...I've also mentioned whether I think it's likely that they'll get picked up, and who might license it. I've got ten each for manga and anime. These aren't all-inclusive or even "top" 10 lists, mind, so be sure to include your own license requests in the comments below. Oh, and these are in alphabetical order, by the way.  Manga  GE ~Good Ending GE ~Good Ending. This shounen romance was recommended to me by a friend and I picked up a few copies of Weekly Shonen Magazine and really enjoyed Kei Sasuga's art. The story is neither particularly unique nor completely boring, but it looks like there's a lot to play with in the characters: a shy young man wants to get close to his crush, and a gorgeous classmate makes it her mission to pick him up and help him out. This is a Kodansha title so it could go to Del Rey, or perhaps Kodansha would publish it themselves...then again, it might stay unlicensed. Who knows? LIKELIHOOD: 5/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Del Rey Manga/ Kodansha.  Gegege no Kitarou Gegege no Kitarou. Credit goes to David Welsh for pointing out that this one is unlicensed, but Kitarou is a classic manga and it's responsible for a lot of Japanese peoples' views on what youkai look and act like-- and that includes uber-popular shows like InuYasha, for example. Having learned some about Shigeru Mizuki's classic manga at the New People Center and from the popularity of its recent movie, I'd really like to get a chance to read the manga myself.  Gurren Lagann Gakuen-hen Gurren Lagann Gakuen-hen. I was impressed that I liked the main Gurren Lagann manga so much, but let's face it: a lot of us are itching for new content, not rehashes of old (even if it's well-done). So how about this version of Gurren Lagann, in which the characters are all Japanese students? It also doubles as a sort of parody of the Shinji Ikari Raising Project (and the Neon Genesis Evangelion episode that inspired it). LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 7/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Bandai Entertainment.  Hataraki Man Hataraki Man. I hear a lot of debates about Moyoco Anno's works, and having enjoyed a few episodes of the Hataraki Man anime back in the day, I'd really like a chance to see that work first-hand myself-- I'm much more interested in the trials and tribulations of a workaholic female journalist (ahem) than in the cuties of Sugar Sugar Rune or the love life of the young woman in Happy Mania (though I'm sure they're strong works too). LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 4/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Del Rey Manga/Kodansha.  Hetalia Axis Powers Hetalia Axis Powers . A zany comedy featuring countries personafied, generally with a vaguely World War II aesthetic. With its own cult fandom-within-a-fandom, I can't help but be curious about this manga, whose anime has turned into such a popular item as well. Published by Gentosha in Japan, who I believe has worked mostly with TOKYOPOP (Rozen Maiden, Gravitation). LIKELIHOOD: 9/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: TOKYOPOP.  Suzumiya Haruhi-chan no Yuuutsu (The) Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan. See what I said above about Gurren Lagann: this manga is selling WAY better than the manga based on the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya novel/anime is. Why? Because it's cute, funny, and new material! So let's get this one out here too. It'd probably be a great tie-in with the second season and movie, cough cough...LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 7/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Yen Press  Ookiku Furikabutte Ookiku Furikabutte (Big Windup). I really enjoyed FUNimation's release of the anime, about a young man who would be pitcher but, while he has perfect control of the ball, has no idea what pitch to pick when and lacks a bit of speed and power...until he meets the catcher of his dreams. I'd really like to read the original manga as well! Yet another Kodansha title, so...LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 6/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Del Rey Manga/Kodansha  Princess Knight Princess Knight. A perennial entry on these lists, Princess Knight is one of Osamu Tezuka's most well-loved works and one of the hardest to find in English, although Kodansha International did release a bilingual edition in 2001-- out of print and hard to find now. VIZ published a "preview" in the July 2007 Shojo Beat, but since it's owned by Kodansha, competitor to VIZ owners Shogakukan and Shueisha, it's unclear whether VIZ would be given the opportunity to do a full release. Honestly, I'd bank on this on coming out as a Kodansha Comics release someday, but if Kodansha doesn't plan to do that, I hope Vertical gets it.. LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 4/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Kodansha  Saint Oniisan Saint Oniisan. I've talked ab out this manga before, several times: Jesus and Buddha take a vacation after the turn of the millennium and become roommates in modern Japan for a bit. A surreal but very sweet comedy, for some reason readers assume it's too "risky" to license in the US. I think it's just too hotly contested...LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 9/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Del Rey Manga/Kodansha, with a possible surprise from Vertical.  Urusei Yatsura Urusei Yatsura. This is another more classic manga: Rumiko Takahashi's first series of length, and in many peoples' opinion her best. (In mine: definitely a favorite.) VIZ released some of it a while back under the title LUM but never finished it, and I know I'm not the only person who would REALLY like to see some more of it come out, or at least reprints of the original English releases-- especially with all the Rumiko Takahashi blitzing of Rinne and InuYasha the Final Act. Technically it is "licensed," however, so we'll say LIKELIHOOD OF RELEASE: 5/10 LIKELY RELEASER: VIZ Media. Honorable Mention: Rose of Versailles. I just ran out of room, honestly, but let's face it, anyone with any interest in shoujo manga probably wants to read Rose of Versailles, or perhaps should. It's a Shueisha title, so LIKELIHOOD OF RELEASE: 2/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: VIZ Media. Anime Aoi Bungaku Series. Look, this retelling of four works of Japanese literature is animated by Madhouse and features some of anime's greatest directors and designers, include Death Note's Takeshi Obata, Bleach's Tite Kubo, and Gunslinger Girl's Morio Asaka, to name only a few. Why wouldn't we want it? That said, it may not be very accessible to the mainstream anime fan, so I'm betting it'll go to one of the studios that aims more niche. LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 5/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Media Blasters or Nozomi Entertainment.  Bakemonogatari Bakemonogatari. Immensely popular. Brought to you buy Shaft and Akiyuki Shinbo a la Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and others. And it's based on a NisiOisiN light novel series? Sold. Done. Let's do this. And unlike Zetsubou I don't think it's QUITE as intensive in dialogue and background text and whatnot, so it's probably actually dub-able. Section23 picked up MariaHolic and the last rumor was that Media Blasters might have Zetsubou, so let's see...LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 9/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Free-for-all. Could be anyone.  Bokurano Bokurano. In the tradition-- if you can call it a tradition --of Ender's Game, Bokurano takes the idea of kids taking on the responsibility of saving the world and takes it to its natural-- and dark, and cruel --conclusion. VIZ is releasing the manga, so now let's get into the anime, which has a somewhat different ending as I understand it. LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 7/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: VIZ, but if they decide not to go for it, FUNimation will take it.  Dragon Ball Kai Dragon Ball Kai. Dragon Ball Z, minus all the filler episodes and minus all the filler junk within episodes? The only mystery is why FUNimation isn't already printing this; it's like solid gold bricks to them. But perhaps they're waiting for the current Dragon Ball Z release first? LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 9/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: FUNimation.  Kaiba Kaiba. I hate to throw around terms like "absurdist" and "surreal" in the same sentence, but both can be used to describe this futuristic take on the human condition and our views of our identities, set in a world where people who can afford to will upload and download memories into the bodies of their choosing. Might do better with the art house crowd than the mainstream anime viewers though...LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 3/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: ...  Minamike Minamike. A cute, goofy comedy about three orphaned sisters makin' it on their own. It's more about their wacky selves than about them being orphans or loving each other, and that's what makes it a great comedy. I'd love to see someone pick this one up, even though I'm sure it's more of a B- or perhaps even C-tier title to anime licensors...LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 6/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: I could see this going to Section23, unless it goes to FUNimation as part of a larger package. If they pass it up, perhaps Media Blasters or Nozomi will run with it.  Revolutionary Girl Utena Revolutionary Girl Utena (TV). FUNimation rescued the license of the movie from Central Park Media, but there have been so many different releases-- and some of them are hard to find and really expensive to boot. How about a nice affordable slimpack for those of us who'd like to (finally) get around to watching? LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 4/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: FUNimation.  Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Rumor has it that Media Blasters picked up this title, but we haven't heard any word lately, so I still want it to get picked up. Unfortunately the sheer speed of the dialogue combined with all that stuff in the background means that companies that rely heavily on dubs (FUNimation, VIZ) seem unlikely to expend the effort. LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 8/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Media Blasters, but Nozomi, Section23, and Bandai are all candidates as well.  Taishou Yakyuu Musume Taishou Yakyuu Musume. This was a title I was really excited about for the summer '09 season, and then I heard absolutely nothing about it. At the time I was in a big baseball phase (thank you San Francisco Giants and Big Windup), plus the music in the trailer was super cool and jazzy. So, how about someone taking this one on? LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 4/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: FUNimation, licensor-of-all, or perhaps Section23, although with this one I can also picture Nozomi snatching it. Valkyria Chronicles. Maybe it's just lingering guilt over never playing more than a couple of hours of the game, but it was so pretty! And I love Marina Inoue! And it's sort of AU historical fiction, which is also awesome. I'm kind of surprised no one's picked this one up yet. LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 7/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Could go to anyone. HONORABLE MENTION: K-On!. I feel obligated to point out that K-On! is still completely unlicensed, though it's easy to forget considering how many people have watched the show in its entirety (cough, cough). LIKELIHOOD OF LICENSE: 9/10 LIKELY LICENSOR: Bandai did well with Kadokawa's Haruhi property, but Lucky Star didn't sell quite as well, so it could go to BEI, but they could shift to someone else instead. Whew! Hope you guys enjoyed the list, and be sure to share your own license requests in the comments!
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

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
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

2003 was all about schoolkids doing shit they shouldn’t be doing. That phrase describes most anime series, but the exception here is that they were doing bad stuff in genuinely good ways. Honorable Mentions Gunslinger Girl Gunslinger Girl is one of the few “little girls doing stuff adults normally do” series that works. The logic is a bit convoluted, [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

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
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)