The Anime Blog

I’ve never warmed up to fan fiction. In fact, I hate it with every ounce of my being. As a Star Wars fan, I’ve read my fair share of fan fiction, both professionally written and not so professionally written. In horror, I’ve watched as “The Fett” (aka, Boba Fett) lost all semblance of cool and get knocked down from the height of mysterious bad guy to regurgitated, spineless Sarlacc snack, thanks to a fan written short story.... Continue Reading...

Elfen Lied is based off a manga series of the same name. Released in a 3 disk DVD thinpack ‘perfect collection’ by ADV, the 13-episode anime series is really worth watching as many episodes at a time as possible. Rachel, Chikashi, Tomonori and I watched the series in two screenings over the course of a week - which was a lot of fun. We all have differing views of the series, but I stepped forward to review this one! ... Continue Reading...

This was another find at the Mitsuwa Market in Chicago. This ao nori karinto is a much, much prettier version of the original karinto I first reviewed. I honestly didn’t know that there were more than one varieties of this deep fried snack. There is apparently a goma (sesame) version of karintou as well.... Continue Reading...

Not very often (translation: never) does an opening act impress me as much as the headliners. By definition, the opening acts are supposed to be a warm-up to the main event. However, at the end of The Pillows “People and Music” show in Shinjuku’s Loft last summer, I found myself shelling out the yen for Waiting For My Food, the first album release from VOLA & THE ORIENTAL MACHINE.... Continue Reading...

I haven’t seen too much news related to this in the anime blog world, but Vexille is a new CG anime film from director Fumihiko Sori, who also directed Ping Pong and produced Appleseed. Here’s a brief plot summary, courtesy of Shochiku Films:... Continue Reading...

The latest ToyFare magazine is out! The big topic this month is Toy Fair , which features everything from the latest Star Wars and Transformers to Afro Samurai and others. Of particular interest is their page on Toy Fair 2007upcoming manga-styled DC Statues from DC Direct. Featuring Supergirl, Batgirl and Catwoman in manga-style, these statues look incredible!... Continue Reading...

I’ve read on forums and other blogs how annoyed some folks get with the fans who speak (or try to speak) Japanese with other non-Japanese fans. One person was down right evil in their expression of distaste on the matter. While it might be annoying to a few who don’t like to hear, “Ohayo, Sara-chan!” who really gives a crap? I find it annoying when anyone shouts across a room and squeals but why should two (usually many more) people sharing their meager knowledge of a language annoy me any worse? ... Continue Reading...

How much time do you spend reading anime blogs, visiting forums, or chatting on 2channel? Do you have enough time after socializing on line to do a little of the same with real people? Or maybe you consider gossiping with the store clerk about a recent risqué resin cast model to be plenty?... Continue Reading...