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. Megami Magazine Mar. 2008. Megami Magazine is the #1 reserve subscription magazine at J-List because of all the beautiful free stuff they give you in each issue, like the *15* double sided anime posters you get in this issue. the free Strikers book inside, and more. Lucky Star, To LOVE-ru, Clannad, Bamboo Blade, True Tears, My-Hime, Gunslinger Girl. Fantastic! We only have a few copies of this issue, but remember that subscriptions are available. Char Rhousemann 1/8 Figure ~ Shuraki Trinity Box 03. A really fantastic figure from Good Smile Company, it's got it all: beautiful styling, detailed anime hair, a base to display proudly. Plus it's a "cast off" figure, so you can reconfigure her clothes in many ways, including full dress, ripped dress (let's that "battle damage"), or no dress at all. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Tabris and Zeruel. Amazing artist Yoshizaki Mine (creator of Keroro Gunsou) has created this re-mix of two angels from the Evangelion universe. Fantastic styling on both figures, you will treasure them for years! Unazukin Birth Stone. The fun Unazukin series continues, with more birthstone-inspired designs, including Pearl and Peridot. These are unavailable for restocking, and we recommend you pick up any designs you like the colors of before they disappear. Anime Pop Star: YOKO ISHIDA Live in Concert DVD (Live Action). I'm a big fan of Yoko Ishida's "Anime Para Para" tracks, super fast and dance-able versions of famous anime themes, and I often fire them up for entertainment when working late at night. Here's Yoko's live concert on DVD! When They Cry - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni ~ Kai Official Character and Summary Book. One of the most popular anime series in Japan right now, the eerily beautiful When They Cry (or When The Cicadas Cry, to translate the Japanese title). Here's the art book from the 2nd series. Caiman Figure ~ Dorohedoro *Preorder*. Here's a really amazing figure from a fascinating manga called Dorohedoro in which mutants fight each other for survival. This awesome figure is in stock now, although the figure sold so well as a preorder stock is very limited. Beautiful Kanji Training for Nintendo DS. This one is special: a Nintendo DS game that comes with a writing brush stylus and has many activities that teach you how to write beautiful kanji. This thing is like a real teacher, refusing to accept characters written with the wrong stroke order or that are sloppy. An amazing tool for students of the language! B's Log Apr 2008. Another issue of B's Log, the magazine for fans of both "BL" games (aesthetically pleasing guy/guy stories) as well as "otome" games (girl-centric dating-sim games). This new issue is filled with interesting content, and lots of free stuff inside, too. Myojo Apr 2008. Then dig on a new issue of Myojo, the magazine dedicated to the popular male and female (but mostly male) faces in Japan, from Kat-Tun to Hey! Say! Jump and more. Available as a subscription, but we've gotten in some extra copies of this issue for you. Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go. A great new book from Kodansha with tons of information on bento, Japan's amazing boxed lunches. All in English, with lots of good meal ideas in here. Authentic Japanese Loose Socks. Yasu would like me to tell you that loose socks, those extra-baggy socks that Japanese high school girls wear, have been restocked, too (both 70 and 120 cm socks). 'Modern+' DX Aluminum Bento Box, Chopsticks Case. Bento enthusiasts, we've restocked the super-popular modern style bento box that has so many lovely compartments and interesting features, it will be your favorite lunch box. The separate chopstick case is also restocked. WA Pattern Bento KINCHAKU Bag. Raise the "WA" potential of your bento with this stylish bento bag that looks like a "Kinchaku" handbag carried by kimono-clad ladies in Kyoto. Fits many standard bento boxes. Nail Clipper Key Chain ~ UKIYOE / Three Beauties. Here's a cool item: a keychain with fingernail clippers featuring art from old Japan. Fantastic. Square Wooden Geta w/ Blue Stripe Strap ~ Jumbo size. Fans of Japanese traditional wooden sandals (geta) will love these gorgeous new sandals we've gotten in today, large lacquered wooden shoes with rubber bottoms to make walking easy. Good large size for big gaijin feet. Sanrio Rice Bowls: My Melody, Cinnamoroll. Two fantastic ceramic rice bowls only available in Japan, featuring the super cute My Melody and Cinnamoroll. The perfect size for enjoying rice, miso soup or anything. Hello Kitty ECO My Own Shopping Bag with Small Case. Go "eco" with Hello Kitty, with this handy take-anywhere nylon shopping bag that folds up nice and neat into a small case with handle when not in use. Two cool retro versions, back in stock now! Restocked Studio Ghibli Items. Got some really rare Hayao Miyazaki products back on the site today, including two "Matchbook" style wooden music boxes, a plush Sleeping Totoro Music Box, and the out-of-production Nausicaa Gun Ship keychain. Other Restocked Photobooks. Find some other rare photobooks back on the site, including Rio Tsuyuhara's Poaching Diary, the issue of More and More dedicated to Sola Aoi, and Ura Karami. These books are totally out of print and we recommend you snap them up before they're gone forever. Newly Posted "H" Manga. Enjoy a great new issue of Chousuke Nagashima's Seku-Hara Man, the story of a man who has free reign to do anything he wants with all the beautiful women at the company he works at, and the bold Door of Pleasure, a collection of 11 stories of fascinating ero. Nonstop Miyu Hoshino 4 Hours. Enjoy 4 hours of the cute-as-a-button Miyu Hoshino in this new release from TMA. Features all kinds of enjoyable performances, including costumes (like Vocaloid Miku Hoshino, where her name comes from), school uniform, tall boots, swimsuit and more. Highly recommended. JAV Actress of the Month: Io Asuka. The JAV Star for this month is the lovely Io Asuka, the pure AV starlet who debuted on the Deep's label last year. (Her first name is pronounced "EE-oh.") Born in Tokyo on December 10, 1988, her hobbies include collecting DVDs, playing with her dog and making different kinds of pasta. We're big fans of Io-chan's work, and recommend her to all JAV fans.
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I've been listening to the Macross Frontier soundtrack, and it's every bit as wonderful as I hoped it'd be. I'm loving the tracks What 'bout my star (both versions), Big Boys (reminds me a lot of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme), and Innocent green. Oh and the Nyan Nyan song is as cute as ever. It's going to be hard at the end of the year deciding whether this OST is better or the true tears one is - probably this because of all the vocal music (which isn't to say that Yoko Kanno's instrumentals aren't great too). And that's assuming the next Macross Frontier OST won't be better. I also managed to scrape together some time this weekend to watch a few episodes of the currently-running drama Zettai Kareshi. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's about a girl who gets a robot as her ideal boyfriend, and the love triangle and troubles that this leads to. That might sound silly, but it's actually really entertaining. I was curious about this adaptation because I read the manga a long time ago, and though a lot of things have changed in the story, it's still very very good. It has that same spark that I found in the Hana Yori Dango and Yamada Tarou Monogatari dramas - the perfect mix of comedy and romance drama. It can be very funny at times (especially the actor who plays Namikiri), and the romance and drama elements are slightly over the top - just the way I like it. I wish I were blogging it, but sadly I just can't make the time commitment for a drama series right now (though I may try to next season or the season after that). On a side note, I had the theme song of this series, Okaeri by ayaka in my head all the way until today...when I started listening to the Macross Frontier soundtrack. Also in the news, the official Mai-HiME/Otome website announced a new project. No details about it other than the name and character design of the new heroine, Mao (see the link). While I do wish Sunrise would develop more new original properties, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious what this one will be like, especially since S.ifr's first episode was better than expected. Speaking of which, the second volume of S.ifr is due out July 25th.
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These are blogging reactions which I was going to admire, debate and mock upon the completion of true tears. Since I’m obviously not going to start now, might as well dump the list. This goes on top of what I posted previously. Jeff Lawson, first impression: [T]he CG work in True Tears is damn near perfect. It [...]
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This show ended while I was gone so I didn’t have the chance to write some kind of a final impressions post for it. But now that there’s nobody who cares about this series that much anymore, I might as well write everything I didn’t feel like saying when this show was all popular and [...]
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After watching True Tears there is still that bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps because I’ve been watching a lot of shows lately that were moderate to very good and then to stumble upon something I didn’t really like leaves a bad aftertaste. Although, I suppose for every bad show I watch there is someone [...]
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4/1/2008 – 4/30/2008 I’m sure I’m not the only one who still remembers where he was when Pizza-Raptor first graced the Baka-Raptor homepage: Pizza-Raptor’s month-long tenure left us with many unforgettable memories: A Tale of Lesbians My interview with The King of Anime Yuko’s attempt to seduce me My failed ABA campaign My successful BRA campaign Bingo! Twins and Boobs Advantage: True Tears The birth of [...]
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1. Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) Very good 69: Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) Good 72: Last Exile (TV) So-so 115: Chrono Crusade (TV) Bad 125: Serial Experiments Lain (TV) So-so 135: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (TV) Good 168: Lucky Star (TV) So-so 177: FLCL (OAV) So-so 189: Dennō Coil (TV) Decent 198: Clannad (TV) Good 202: true tears (TV) So-so True story. I think these shows would be [...]
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I wish I were following this show during its run so I could see what everyone else’s opinions were as time went on, but what are you gonna do? I don’t know if it’s because it seems like True Tears is trying to hard to be as dramatic as it can be or maybe it’s [...]
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Okay, we're three episodes into the spring anime season and I have to declare myself. At least I have to stop watching some shows so anime doesn't take all my time.My favorites? Nijuumensou no Musume, Kurenai, and Macross Frontier. None of these are reaching the level of True Tears, Ef, or Blue Drop for me, but they have a chance.I find myself especially eager to see each episode of Nijuumensou no Musume, and not just for Hirano Aya at her best. The pacing is perfect so far, never so fast that it loses emotional sense, nor so slow that I start looking at the slider. All the characters seem to have something inside them: they are people, not just images of people.I like the way secrets are revealed gradually, but without making a fetish of them. There is always something more to be revealed. And quick moments tell a lot, such as the The animation here is actually stellar, although at first it looks quite plain. Chiko's movements in episode 4 when she is cleaning the floor and a window are really something, as is the way her body sways as she gets up onto the seawall carrying a heavy basket. A poster on 2channel said that it looks like a rerun of an old show, and it does. But someone else pointed out that it uses modern techniques to give it this retro feel. Retro plus.The two groups subbing this in English give it two different names: Live-Evil calls it The Daughter of Twenty-Faces, which is a translation of the Japanese title. Sudo calls it Chiko, Heiress of the Phantom Thief, as Anime News Network does.Kurenai captivated me from the start. A seven-year-old girl who has been a virtual prisoner in her aristocratic family's home is rescued by her minder and hidden in the apartment of a young bodyguard called Kurenai, who has a killing blade implanted in his arm. The bold tsundere character of the little girl and the walk-on-eggs caution of her new roommate continue to make for a fascinating relationship.Once again, the direction and the portrayal of character and relationship are what make this show tick. And the voice-acting is continually excellent, especially that of Sawashiro Miyuki as the 16-year-old bodyguard and that of former child actress Yuuki Aoi -- who is actually 16 -- as the little girl.The show is directed by the director of Red Garden, and appears to use the same unusual technique of recording the voices before finalizing the animation. This allows for some very natural conversations, with voices running parallel or interrupting each other. Great effect.I had never seen any Macross show, and I went into Macross Frontier thinking it would be mainly mecha. Instead of that, I get some interesting characters and even romantic relationships, as well as space battles and friendly and unfriendly aliens.I am a total sucker for the shoujo staple of the apparently incompetent girl who will show her strengths as we go on. And newcomer Nakajima Megumi as Ranka's VA intensifies the effect. Endou Aya (Miyuki in Lucky Star, Angie in Neo-Angelique) is suddenly blossoming this year and makes the big singing star Sheryl into another fascinating character.You can add Nakamura Yuuichi's Alto to the list of good performances in this show. Alto was trained to play women's roles in kabuki, and is still called "Princess" by his friends. But his ambition is to be a fighter pilot, defending the Macross space colony. So we get complexities of romance, relationship, and gender. And a huge colony-city in space, making its way from Earth toward the centre of the galaxy.I am also enjoying Vampire Knight, which is a top-notch vampire show, in the league of Tsukihime and Tsukuyomi, and maybe even approaching Hitsuji no Uta, but with a shoujo tinge. It's wonderful to hear Horie Yui playing the young girl protagonist. But equally good to hear Miyano Mamoru as her (unrelated) elder brother and Kishio Daisuke as the aristocratic vampire who once saved her from another vampire.The animation here is not as detailed as in the first three shows, but it is very stylish. And I find the angst of the story quite persuasive. Hocchan's Yuki is strong, good, daring, and an attractive personality all round. Mamo-chan's Zero is a young vampire hunter with a secret.Kyouran Kazoku Nikki is my surprise hit. Its combination of madcap humor and sweet relationships is entrancing. And there is some great character-creating voice-acting by Fujimura Ayumi and Hirohashi Ryou, among others.My guilty pleasure is Kanokon, which may be the most outrageously sexual fanservice show I have ever seen. Even people who like fanservice are saying it goes too far. And Kawasumi Ayako shows yet another side of her multifaceted talent. The other main fanservice show of the seaon, ToLoveRu, doesn't interest me as much, but the wonderful Yahagi Sayuri is at her best as the hero's real love-interest, Haruna.I expected Neo-Angelique Abyss to be another guilty pleasure, but it is in fact more than that. The new staff (largely from Corda D'Oro) that is producing this iteration of Angelique is giving it better animation, better dialogue, and a plot that is working so far, despite the monsters. Endou Aya is making this her big season, with another sharp performance as the sweet girl who is the strongest mage around, and ends every battle emitting powerful light that flushes away the monsters. And the character design is terrific, including Angie's outfits and zettai ryouiki, and her bevy of real bishounen. Like Vampire Knight, this show gets its bishounen fanservice right, perhaps because the main staff people in both cases are women.Many people would consider any Da Capo show to be a guilty pleasure, but I don't. This second season of Da Capo 2 is starting off much better than season one, with romantic complexity and glimpses into the feelings of the participants. And Yoshiyuki's denseness has not yet gotten out of hand. Add Takagaki Ayahi (Noe in True Tears) as Otome, and you really have something.Real Drive is yet another Production IG/Shirow Masamune tale that I can't help enjoying even when I don't understand what is going on. Production IG's surrender to the commercial usefulness of fanservice has produced some interesting panty shots of the unusually plump heroine. Great animation and character design, as usual.Naisho no Tsubomi has captured my attention, too. It is based on a health education manga for girls, but has been made into an enjoyable slice-of-life anime. The first episode showed the travails of our young heroine as she had her first period, completely unaware of what was going on. The relationships with friends and family are beautiful, and so is the voice-acting, especially by Nazuka Kaori and Koshimizu Ami as the two main girls. Even if this show weren't such good slice-of-life, I might be watching it just for the beauty of those two voices.Allison and Lillia started well, but has become less interesting for me as it goes on. It is seeming too far-fetched and rushes through things that should take longer. We'll see how ep5 shapes up. The character and relationship of the protagonists are what count.Library Wars seemed to have some of the relationship goodness of Planetes at first, and may still, but ep3 was a bit meh for me -- except for the cliffhanger ending.My enjoyment of Itazura na Kiss waxes and wanes. Not a great show, but a great story -- which is the reason why it has come to anime after having already been a manga and two dramas. Maybe the fact that I saw one of the dramas makes this less interesting to me.Net Ghost PiPoPa is another surprise hit for me. It and the new season of Blue Dragon appear to be the most-watched new shows on Japanese TV. The clean look and good adventure story for young kids both remind me of Otogijushi Akazukin. Not something I'll watch every week, but enjoyable for what it is.There are lots of other good shows this spring. Almost everything is watchable. Soul Eater is visually wonderful, but the surface brilliance and humor aren't enough for me -- especially since monsters generally turn me off. I've never been a fan of Code Geass, despite its great cast. And Zettai Karen Children is just finding its feet. More of the emotion behind the characters and less of the stereotypical battles might please me.Wagaya no Oinari-sama has two good things going for it: the characters played by Yukana and Hayami Saori (Momoka in Touka Gettan). Yukana is the female aspect of the fox god who is brought in to protect the household. Hayamin is the clumsy but powerful young priestess who is there to help her and keep her under control. Hayamin, at 16, is growing fast as a seiyuu. Her singing of the ED is already top professional quality. But the story and writing are limping.Golgo 13 has real masculinity: a square-built sniper hero who shows zero emotion as he takes out the bad guys in a show whose dark colors and deliberate direction make it feel classic. Mnemosyne continues to combine atrocious violence with yuri in an over-rich but tasty soup. And Noto Mamiko and Kugimiya Rie sound great.Crystal Blaze, Himitsu: Top Secret, Monochrome, and Tower of Druaga all have strengths, too. Despite the fact I haven't had time to watch more than one episode, I suspect that Amatsuki could develop into something, as well. And Junjo Romantika is true yaoi, with strong fanservice and relationships. Kyou Kara Maou and Nabari no Ou just didn't do it for me after one episode, so I haven't had a chance to watch more.This season may not have the overwhelming excellence at the top that some other seasons had, but it is deeper in good shows than any season I can recall.
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