When television isn't enough..youtube makes it all better!

Pandalicious in the hizzie fo rizzie! Have you ever been on your couch flipping through channels wishing the most random things would come on? [You aren't the only one let me tell you] Well I am aiming to remedy this desire for randomness. Over the next few weeks I will be searching the infinite series of tubes to bring forth the most random [BUT INTERESTING] Youtube videos. They will be very random, and will not always fall under the realms of my geek chic forte of anime and manga. I thought to start this whole thing off with a little trip down memory lane. The wonder lane of Anime Boston 2K8

The first one is the best in show of this years convention.
Sadly it wasn't the one I voted for personally. If there is anything people love it's CG and then KH so apparently CG+KH= Best in Show. Enjoy!


Next comes another CG favorite. It got best concept if my memory doesn't fail me. [after seeing it I could definately see why!]


Now here is one of my personal favorites, it was a finalist but it did not take home one of the spots of the "Bests"


This Video got Best Editing. [FOR GOOD REASON] It's so bubbly..and makes me wanna bounce, all day long...


This one was my choice for best comedy....did it win? You tell me?

The last one I think I'll share will be for the ladies...It is too cute to pass up!


At the end of all of this, I can only say that the talents that have been showcased here are uncanny. I only wish I had a fourth of it. I can only imagine how good next years AMVS will be.

So? Did you like these videos? Have a favorite you wanna share with me? Send it to me here at the site! If its UBERLY SHIBBY who knows I might link it and give you props. [Oh Of course I'll give you props... I ain't no thief Geebuz]

Finish What You Start...

Another Monday bears forth another new episode of the ESH podcast, and this one is as entertaining as all the rest.

Today, Pandalicious takes you through the anime series Bus Gamer based on the short series manga of the same name while NinJaSistah [slow on the update, admittedly] talks about her new Portal/OrangeBox experience. Even though MagicMystic was MIA for this recording, the girls were still able to find a way to off on some interesting tangents.

Don't believe me? Here are the rejected episode titles:

• Sitting In The Ooze, Waiting To Respawn
• The Office Was Empty, But It Wasn't The Weekend
• My Companion Cube Was Alone On Valentines Day
• Nobody Ate Anybody In Staying Alive Either
• Somebody Ought To Put That Morality Chip Into Dick Chaney
• That Dude In Portal? He's A Chick
• Dat Cube Gotta Go!
• Hot Man Candy Has A Gooey Center
• Walk Softly and Carry A Big Lead Pipe
• Muppets Singin About Killing Me Scares Me
• I'm Not Comfortable With A Man Having A Baby
• It's An Animated World, And I'm An Animated Girl
• The World Wildlife Fund Has Nothing On Them
• and
• I'd Tell You About The Third Episode, But I've Slept Since Then

So grab another cup o' joe and take a listen to ESH podcast episode 93: You Can't Have Your Cake And Cheat It Too!

Finish What You Start...

I think the title says it all, but just in case. Do not read on if you are too goody-two shoed!

This year's Anime Boston Hentai Dubbings '08 was filled to the brim with dirty humor, shocking video footage, and just plain ole nastiness from start to finish. For this first timer I was quite, um, at awe at some of the things I heard, which leads us to the following list. I will never look at the following things the same way again because of hentai dubbings:

1. Queen - The guys played "Fat Bottomed Girls" before the event began; but I would've rather seen them screen the music video for "Bicycle Race." Nothing makes a good mix like anime porn and naked girls riding bikes ^_^.
2. System of a Down - The guys also played "Violent Pornography" before it began, and we all stood on our seats and sang along. All that was missing was the whimsical bouncing ball!
3. PoKeMoN - Hentai Dubbing host Dick Tripwire said he was an expect at hentai and PoKeMoN; which begs the question: what's the difference?
4. Ham and Cheese Sub Sandwiches - Can you say "phallus symbol?"
5. Tuna Casserole - The video Tripwire showed us had a woman making sex sounds using this delicious treat. Does anyone else here who went get kind of randy eating casserole now?
6. Cottage Cheese - Same as #5, only worse -_-;.
7. Future Demon Tentacled Hell Beasts - Now I am friends with many Future Demon Tentacled Hell Beasts, and they are quite nice creatures. They like ice cream and listening to jazz music; and many of them have wonderful families. I fear that if too many people look at these Future Demon Tentacled Hell Beasts in the wrong light, this species might be considered a danger; when, in fact, they really aren't. I'm just saying...
8. Green Rooms - And I thought just the Green Door was bad enough.
9. Masquerade Hosts - This year's Masquerade host went up onstage and said some C-words that I don't think the Sistas would like me to print.
10. Puppies - From now on "puppies" will be referred to mean "going toilet." Let's practice: "Would you excuse me for a moment? I have to let the puppies out of the kennel." Try it at your next dinner party.
11. Kittens - SURPRISEBUTTSEX!
12. Snickers Candy - They call it "Snickers" 'cause it laughs at your tiny penis.
13. Hard Candy - You can insert your own joke here.
14. Necco Wafers - I don't know what they are, but when I do I'll surely remember this night!
15. Arnold Schwarzenegger - This just in: Schwarzenegger started out as a porn director! I was also going to put what he was filming, but some of you are probably eating right now.
16. Chiyo-chan’s Father from “Azumanga Daioh” - You oughta be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Chiyo-chan's Dad!!!!!
Oh, how can I stay mad at that cute face?
17. Yeah Dudes! - Now whenever we see these human creatures at the bar, we can all laugh and say, "They're gettin' ready for some tazing!" And speaking of that...
18. The “Don’t Taze Me, Bro!” guy - Now whenever we take part in the mating ritual, we can forever call it "Tazing."
19. Anime Boston Pre-Registration - Although we will never forget the Great Wait of '08, those two gals doing the yuri hentai scene will make us never forget all the "groaning" and "moaning" of having to wait in any sort of line.
20. Flowers - They say some flowers look like a woman's ladyparts. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

21. Doctors - Nobody really likes going to the doctors, especially those that like to stick their finger in, well, I should probably stop myself here.
22. The people that I do anime screenings with; a couple, of which, are also ESH members!!! - We are naughty, and we're proud of it!

But these dubbings are a lot of fun, and they allow even the most pure of people to be just a wee bit perverted. It’s all in the spirit of fun, so don’t take it too seriously.

This is King Baby Duck saying "If it ain't made in Japan, it's usually crap!"

Finish What You Start...

Surprise Present!

The one thing that was brought to our attention at this year's Anime Boston 2K8 was that talent has reached OVER 9000! [But no seriously] Not only were the costumes insane and the energy is off the hook but animation took place but that is not all. Music has been written and that is not all...They were put together and this is what it made...Enjoy [As a disclaimer this awesomeness isn't something that I myself made. [[I WISH I HAD HALF THIS TALENT]] However I figured all facets of the geekdom would love this!
Brought from the interwebs of cyberspace....from the hot new band...L33tStr33t Boys!! "YURI THE ONLY ONE FOR ME!"

Finish What You Start...

Monday rears it's ugly face area again and so the ESH Crew gives you a new episode of the podcast to hide behind.

In this episode of the podcast, the regular trio is back at it to talk about the anime series Paranoia Agent the manga Dazzle and the disconnect with animes optioned from manga with a smattering of Fushigi Yugi and a few other things.

To give you an idea of the places we go, here are the titles we didn't use for this episode:

• Dance Moves To Die For
• Then Anime Boston Turned Into The Shining
• No One Told Me About the NinJa Rape
• It's Like The Lion King, Without The Lions
• The Old Lady Pulled a Geraldo
• It's Not Like We've Ever Shied Away From Spoilers Before
• Twisted, Dark and Perverse - That's Entertainment!
• They Don't Sell Kool-Aid At Suicide.com
• We Haven't Talk About Incest In a Long Time
• They Should Have Called Him HeckBoy
• Bitch! Listen To Bruce Willis!
• Coming Next Week: Whatever NinJa Wanted to Talk About
• and
• Inside Joke of The Week: You Just Lost The Game

Yeah, it's going to be that kind of episode. So sit back, relax and enjoy podcast Episode 92: Anime, It's Not Me, It's You!

Finish What You Start...

From the creators of As the school bus turns and The Real World Outland comes....

For all those who are new to the convention world I have one piece of advice for you. MAKE LOTS OF MONEY! I do not say this because you need money for food and your hotel room and your registration. I say this with one place in mind, and that [ladies and gentlemen] is the dealers room.

This room is LARGE and IN CHARGE. It is glittered in rows of merchants selling anime, manga, memorabilia, collectables and things that may relate to the japanese culture but not exactly on anime tip [if you know what I mean] However as excited as Pandalicious was to throw herself into the massive human ocean that was the Dealers Room, she was overcome with confusion and fear. Why? you might ask yourself would our beloved Panda would be confused about and for once... Panda sought out order.

This year the Dealers' room had no real structure to it. Anime DvDs were being sold next to some Catgirl Loli costume table that was paralell to a hentai table. In all honesty [not that i'm never honest about all things anime related] DvD sellers should be with DvD sellers, Manga sellers w/ Manga sellers...Costumes with Costumes and etc [you get the idea] This uncontrolled room made me feel as a buyer that I would walk out with barely anything. [I did buy a cat tail, ears, bell collar and the anime Paranoia Agent [which i will review in the next coming show!]

Maybe next time Anime Boston will better organize the room that avid anime loves through away money on product. We shall see.

Finish What You Start...

As Panda noted, the lines at AB were made of Epic Fail this year. On the plus side, when you get 10,000 people sitting around in a corridor for 7-9 hours they come up with interesting ways to amuse themselves.

Corridor antics included such things as 'The Game'. The rules of TG aren't unfamiliar to me, but I've never seen it played on such a scale before. TG is one part Pink Elephants one part Fight Club. Playing TG is simple, breaking into the game, not so much. When you hear people hollering down the corridors or across the Artists Alley "I lost The Game!" your first instinct is to ask "What game?" In that moment they have you and they have won. The first rule of TG, don't talk about TG. This leads to many, many people asking what it is and very few people willing to explain it. The second rule is don't think about TG. The moment you think about TG you've lost TG and have to shout out your loss. As an element of mind control, once you mention TG everyone in hearing distance will automatically start thinking about it and will also lose and have to shout out that they lost as well. It's quite a bit like giant radioactive brain spam-mail that automatically forwards itself to everyone in your contacts list.

As always there was lots and lots of bad singing in the hallways as well. The common favorites were Still Alive from Portal and I Know a Song (That Gets on Everybody's Nerves) because they were both included in the AMV finalists this year. A confused few forgot the song that gets on everybody's nerves and instead sang the song that never ends. Other serenades included, Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny (started by yours truly), various theme songs and the ever popular PIRATE! NINJA! and MARCO! POLO! chants.

Every time a P/N chant would flare up I'd calmly bide my time until everything had settled down a bit and then would holler SHINIGAMI! at the top of my lungs. It's very important to me that I always have the last word. Other random 'hall'erings included SO I HEER U LIEK MUDKIPS! and OVER NINE THOUSAND!

So despite the lines having OVER NINE THOUSAND! people in them, AB2K8 reaffirmed my belief that if you get that many (it was actually over 9 thousand) dorks, geeks, nerds and socially unacceptable misfits together you're gonna have fun. Even if you're just waiting in line.

Finish What You Start...

At the beginning there was a convention line....

Howdy from Anime Boston 2008 and first let me just say that this year even though like always the crew enjoyed the festivities that some of us [and by us I mean me] turned off the overly excited fangirl perception and really wanted to look at it from the eyes of a professional.

This year...even though as members of the press MagicMystic and I do get the priviledge to jump lines so we can cover a plethora of things for out audiences' pleasure. However for those who cannot do this, they are subjected to the line. Now I know what you all are thinking.. "So What?" or "There are lines at all conventions what makes this any different?" Well I will tell you. For all the years I've attended AB...the lines were not nearly this long. Each line had a designated ETBP [Estimated Time for Badge Pickup] as I walked around a notice that the normal excited buzz that usually befalls the halls of the Hynes Convention Center. What I did see was...misery...despair...and a lot of people who were probably cursing their shoe choice....[poor things]

On Friday the registration lines opened at 7am and closed at 10pm. The average wait time in the line for preregistration was approximately 4 to 5 hours. So say roughly if a person traveling cross states arrived at the Hynes at 5pm on the nose had a slim chance to get their badge [and thats only if they prereged!] Unlike those of us who are in the habit of buying our place at any AB early enough to save up for the allotment that follows [getting hotel room, buying parts to a last minute costume, having money not only to buy things in the ever awaited dealers room, but to also eat. for the weekend..there are those "One dayers" who come for one day and desire to register that day be in and be out....

[FAT CHANCE THIS YEAR KIDDOS!]

The ETBP for that was sever to eight hours! [You know what that means!] A person who didn't register online who have to have gotten there extremely early to have gotten their badges. If that wasn't enough to sour the first day...the fact that the new system that registration was on was faulty...printers stopped working..it was complete utter madness. Madness did befall the con goers this year.

I have never run a convention before, and I would never actually want to because I know for the fact that I'm a charasmatic leader and people can and do follow me at times doesn't mean that I know how to effectively do it?! But the consensus thought of some suggestions to make things run smoother next year.

A) Send out printed badges to the congoers as soon as they register! [If it is lost they can notifiy the right con official and have another one resent.
OR
B) Have the badges printed already and have stations with people kind of like an index [adhering to the handle the con goers wants to go by] This would give the con goer a little more responsibility.

The fun stuff about the line stuff was still the same... many of us made line friends and even a little bit more than that. However the newest saving grace to the line was the Tape Line Quotes. [Yes that is what I said!] In the actual room where you could see the registration tables they marked the floor with tape [this is common] However due to the massive...MASSIVE prolonged wait...people did what they do best...MARK SHIT UP [namely the tape previously mentioned] Things that were most common were statements like "That nice man just tickled me" or "The cake is a lie" Some took the liberty of jotting down the time it was at each corner. There was even some pluggage for fellow site owners [ESH.MOBI and ELECTRICSISTAHOOD.COM made their appearances there...and YES I wrote them] Which I'm sure raises the question of...WHY THE FUCK DID YOU STAND IN THE LINE!

My answer is this...
Even if I'm now press...I am first and foremost a con goer. The Line Wait is a rite of passage and I enjoy that. That is why!

The sad thing about this whole slip up is many people missed out on the big event of the evening which was the Cerulean Ball.[Which started at 5:30pm] From the buzz at the line at roughly 6pm the Ball was at capacity already so there was no point in worrying then. If I was to guesstimate the percentage of people who didn't get their badges was probably 50%

Saturdays lines were a lot more controlled and organized but that doesn't excuse the miss of the first day. Many would agree to that so I'm sticking with it!

SHOUT OUT TO THE HARDCORE ANIME LOVERS WHO MADE IT THROUGH THE GREAT WAIT 08!
lets hope that next year isn't "THE NEVERENDING LINE 09' -_-

Finish What You Start...

With Anime Boston coming up this weekend, the Sistahs are excited as they can be. And that excitement shows in this week's episode of the podcast.

In addition to a preview of Anime Boston, the Sistahs discuss all facets of gaming. NinjaSistah talks about EA trying to take over Take Two, makers of the Grand Theft Auto series. And Pandalicious goes on and on about dating sim games -- particularly focusing on the question, "why aren't girls the protagonist in these games?"

In any case, it's well worth your hour and seven minutes to listen in. And in case you were wondering, here are the titles they rejected for this week's episode:

EA's So Rich, Their Cash Is Brown

ET Listens to This Podcast

EA Shows Take Two Who's the Bully

That Sound Emanating From Ninja's Guitar: Shake, Rattle and Roll

Was That Terriers or Derriers?

Boston Winos Will Be Heading for Rehab This Week

A MILF Would Bring a Whole New Dimension to Paperboy

The Discussion Degenerated to Talk About the Roughness of Sticks

The Only Come-On Line a Girl Needs Is "Hi"

So there you go. Let us know what you think about Episode 90: The Best Little Whorehouse On the PS3.

Finish What You Start...

Cherry Blossom Ball Bang? or Bust

Ladies and Gentledorks Pandalicious here to bring you coverage from the first ever Cherry Blossom Ball. Anime Boston decided to try something a little more upscale to appease the burning desire in half of the lady attendees. Imagine if you will classic anime series like Sailor Moon, Utena, or even from a more recent anime Ouran High School Host Club, they all had episodes where there was an overly lavish banquet ballroom dance. Women and in some cases men wearing gorgeous gowns, performing an elegant waltz until something unexpected occurred. [Like a dress malfunction, or Queen Beryl invading the moon kingdom, or Haurhi getting her first lesbian kiss.] I think this was their intention when they decided to do that specialized event.

As an attendee I was thrilled at the idea. However several things did in fact cause some strain. Firstly they were extremely strict in terms of attire. Now, it is understood that for formal events people should be dressed formally, but one bad fabric choice would prohibit entry. Also, they had one panel to teach people how to act at this ball. This panel also taught people how to dance ballroom style dances like, foxtrot, waltz and the very sassy tango. Problem was there was only one panel and NOT NEARLY enough time to learn it properly. [Yours truly was too busy to learn these dances.]

The ball began promptly at 8:30pm and would end two hours later. Granted with my press pass I could gain entry w/o having to stand in lines, however for personal reasons I decided to see how long it would be for a regular convention go-er to get in. It took an hour to get in, which would leave a normal person only and hour to enjoy themselves. Then on top of that if that person didn't attend the panel would have no clue as to how to waltz, foxfrot or tango.[In all honesty no one knew how to do it so it was like watching a one legged man in an ass kicking contest + laughing]

At one point people were just dancing with cameras flashing every few seconds. I enjoyed the hour I spent there. I got to play dress up [I cosplayed as a lower scale Haurhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haurhi Suzumiya anime] and danced around like a fairy princess. I even tried to tango. [Emphasis on TRIED]

Some pictures were taken, and I thank those who allowed me to photograph them!!

Finish What You Start...

My favorite event all weekend, and the one I look forward to most is the Anime Cosplay Chess Game. The only thing I get more excited about is the AMV Contest, but that's not really a single event as there are multiple times to view and vote on the videos.


This years Cosplay Chess game didn't disappoint. The theme was Angst vs. Sugar, but the choices for pieces was a little off. Many of the characters chosen for each team didn't really fit my image of Angsty or Sugary, but I wasn't in charge so there was nothing I could do. I also didn't really like the way that each royal court (the King and Queen with their pawns) were all from the same anime. Instead of Angst vs. Sugar this game was more FMA vs Ouran.

*Team Sugar*'s captain and chess player was Sailor Moon, and #Team Angst# was headed by Sephiroth himself. I decided that rather than reporting a list of every move anyone made, I simplified my blow by blow and will only be telling you about the interesting parts.. and it got interesting before it even started.

So here are our teams:



Due to the ban on Pirate hunting at AB Cap'n Jack was not eligible to play in the Anime Cosplay Chess Game, that and the fact that he isn't an anime character. So, Sasuke volunteered to take his place. This is an especially eyebrow raising thing, because it would make Sasuke one of the members of Sugar rather than Angst. Just last year he also volunteered to switch from Team Shounen to Team Shoujo. Methinks perhaps Sasuke has something to tell the rest of the class, 'course first he has to admit it to himself. Remember kids "It's OK to be gay", in all meanings of the term. It seems that Sasuke is both a happy little fucker under that emo guise and apparently also just one of the girls. "YAY! WAY TO BE GAY, SASUKE!" I love rhyming. (^__^)



Poor Aerith didn't have a chance and Kadaj killed her off first thing. Apparently those Jenova boys really have a problem with her flower growing sugary ways. A newly depressed Cloud came and took her body off the board. ::SIGH:: and he'd just gotten over her first death.

Yuna promptly gets sugary revenge by teaming up with Rikku and Paine to take out Winry.

Now the chess game got a little sidetracked here as Renji, Urihara and Ichigo started running up and down the aisles fighting hollows that only those of us with spiritual powers could see.. Yeah, I totally saw the hollows, they weren't swinging wildly at thin air or anything.

The game progressed as Sano killed Chii and Count D killed Sango. Sango's death was particularly poignant as Kohaku came running out and dealt the death blow by decapitation before D got to it. That's sibling love right there folks, but don't worry he'll regret it later when he regains his memory.. again.

Greed and Envy burst onto the scene disrupting the game once again. Angst King Mustang and his Pawn Ed were ready to take them on, but the Chimera waved them aside declaring that they had come only for Angst Queen Hawkeye. Pain ensued and Hawkeye thoroughly whipped the Chimera boys. Pistol whipped.. OUCH!

Meanwhile Tifa poisoned Count D's tea with sweet and low. The poor sugar addict hit the ground writhing in pain, and probably withdrawal. Sugar Bishop Hughes took out Neji with one whack of the photo album upside the head, his Byakugan didn't see that one coming, and Mugen took down Hughes and ripped up his pictures of Alicia. Angst King Mustang faced off with Yuna. Unfortunately for him , Mustang was under strict orders not to use his fire powers as they violated the Hynes Convention Center's fire code. So instead he summoned Scar to blow up Yuna's head. Paine and Rikku had to drag Yuna back to the ship as they'd forgotten to stock up on phoenix downs before the game. Rather than leaving the stage, Scar decided to stick around and play Emcee for a while.



Having apparently learned some of Orochimaru's darker skills, Sasuke summoned Al's dead body to attack Ed, and the alchemist went down without much fight, unable to fight back against his brother. A deeply saddened Hohenheim of Light came and brought the boys back home to rest with their mother.

Pawn Kadaj created a commotion as he reached the far side of the board and tried to evolve himself into Sephiroth. Cloud supplied the other players with ammunition of Pocky with which they pelted Sephiroth off the stage. Instead Kadaj had to settle for being Queened. All Hail Angst Queen Kadaj! (still not as funny as Rose Bride Sasuke.)At this point Aizen-taicho had gotten sick of listening to Scar emcee and he took over the mic. Just at the perfect time too, because who could better narrate a fight between Rukia and Yoruichi. Rukia, unable to defeat former captain Yoruichi on her own called for backup from Ichigo. Without even drawing Zangetsu, Ichigo decked Yoruichi and took her down.

In an immediate turn of fate, Angst Queen Hawkeye summoned her newly whipped chimera Greed and Envy to take Rukia down. However, as Rukia so elequently states "You can't kill me, nobody dies in Bleach." So, instead, she is escorted off of the board.

Kauru calls upon Kenshin to kill Presea, K (the official chess emcee) manages to bribe Aizen-taicho to give up the mic in exchange for a brand new Wii and Sano kills Sora. Misa Misa calls upon Light to kill Kadaj with his Deathnote, but it causes a bit of trouble when Watari and L show up to investigate.

When Kyouya attacks Tifa, Reno shows up to rescue her, but they are both taken down by the elite Ootori private army. Beware the rich kids and their personal armies. The Ouran action hour continues as Nekozawa kills Haruhi. Sugar King Tamaki desperately tries to save her, but he is restrained by his own teammates and the rules, so he sits and cries forlornly on his square instead. Tamaki is further distressed when Riku kills Hunny and Hawkeye kills Kyouya. With the whole Host Club consecutively defeated Tamaki calls out Sephiroth to duel, but can do nothing but cry on his square when he is ignored.

Misa Misa defeats Ni Jianyi and is then taken down by Angst Queen Hawkeye. Misa Misa desperately calls for Light's help, but he just shrugs and leaves her to her fate. Hawkeye then goes on to kill Sakura, despite the summoning of the "Clow Card Meowth"... don't ask. There's something cruel about a military sharp shooter taking down a teen idol and a 4th grader.

Riku, Mustang, Renji and Hawkeye all have a part in checkmating Tamaki, and the game proceeds to the Quick Fire Elimination Round.. or excuse me the Quick WATER Elimination Round, forgot about the fire code thing.



Everything goes quickly as Riku beats Nekozawa, Lacus beats Riku with her singing.. Sasuke beats Lacus, Mugen gets Sasuke, Renji defeats Mugen, Sano defeats Renji, Kenshin beats Sano for Kauru and Mustang and Hawkeye defeat Kenshin. ##ANGST WINS##

But wait... King Tamaki comes back and seduces Hawkeye, causing Mustang to take off the skirt part of his uniform and wield it like a whip, Sephiroth kills Usagi and then Tamaki invites Mustang to be a Host and tempts him with all the women on the Sugar team. Mustang immediately surrenders and in a surprise turn around **SUGAR WINS**

Finish What You Start...

You won't guess what happened? I finally got some picks from Anime Boston in from the gals that went to the damn thing, and I thought I'd share a few with you as I've been HOUNDED by ya'll for them. [Which in turn made me dog the gal to get them to me, and they did!]

Well, to be honest Panda gave me a couple of pics while Magic came through big time with a plethora of cosplay goodness. I got so many in fact that I'm having to break them up into three categories: Naruto, Bleach, & Miscellaneous. The Bleach and Misc. groups aren't up yet, but I figured that Naruto would be a good place to start. So hit the link and enjoy bitches!

Finish What You Start...

Do I even need to tell you it's new podcast episode day? I didn't think so, but I did it anyways, because that's the way I roll here at the sistahood. This weeks episode just happens to be titled, "Episode 48: I French Fried When I Should Have Pizza'd" and is ready for a listen.

In this episode of the podcast Pandalicious tackles the tricky subject of Jesus in anime as discussed by a panel she went to at AB2k7 while MagicMysticGrl shares some cosplay "Do's & Don'ts" with you lovely folks in hopes of making your con experiences [and ours] better. And bringing up the rear as always is NinjaSistah with her take on the Wii game SSX Blur by EA Big. The conversation is deep at times, and for the other sixty minutes it's the usual laugh riot that you're used to.

All in all it's just another funMONday here in the hood, so grab your morning cup o' joe and enjoy the show.

Finish What You Start...

The sights unseen by unpress eyes...

This year Magic Mystic and I were able to walk Anime Boston not just as obsessive fangirls but as fangirls on a mission. We got to walk AB07 as members of the press. We were indeed the rookies this year. [We had no frickin' clue what to do.] So I did what I do best, looked for hot people or REALLY COOL costumes and hounded the person for a photo, while plugging the site.

Magic and I also didn't fully understand the power that press holds and learned one very important concept...outside of murder and drug use, on convention grounds we are SUPER ELITE PEOPLE, VIP BABY!!!!!!!!!!!]

We both attended opening ceremonies which for me was the first time I've managed to a.) wake up on time b.) get to the convention on time c.) get my pass on time to make it to opening ceremonies. Upon arriving there prompt we proceeded to sit in the first two seats first row. [ZOMG!] At the opening ceremonies they pretty much introduce all the guests that will be there, so we all get some exposure to them. As usual, many of the attendees cooed and hollered when Greg Ayres came on stage. [I'll admit I did it too -_-;] The voice actor who [in my opinion] got the most applause was Travis Willingham [for those who don't know, he did the voice of Roy Mustang from FMA] The reason being was they showed the clip from FMA where Mustang is all pumped up about SHORT MINI SKIRTS [in that scene he is standing like a Greek muscle man statue] and then Travis the actual guy comes out and does the same thing, followed by Luci Christian, Greg Ayres and some others to fawn all over him ^^.

Another thing that they do at opening ceremonies is throw free t-shirts out into the crowd causing a MASSIVE MOSH PIT OF PAIN! Yours truly was donkey kicked in the left hand as a mosher passing by reached for a t-shirt. [BAKA!] He didn't even apologize, but Magic told me to get over it and grow up. [Which is funny since I'm several years older than she is. ^^]

FUN WAS HAD BY ALL!

Finish What You Start...

Hello adoring fans. Sorry this AB (Anime Boston) info has taken so long to get to you, but there was no wireless in my hotel and I've been sleeping off the weekend ever since I got home.


So this weekend I had delirious amounts of fun, going to panels, watching AMVs and actually cosplaying for the first time ever. I took 13 pages of notes, so please forgive me if I get a bit too long winded.

The weekend started out on a high note. Panda and I were eligible for press passes due to our phenomenal efforts as ESH members. We were allowed to pass by the whole reg/pre-reg line and get our passes almost immediately. On a sad side note, at AB our press passes didn't get us all kinds of cool extra swag the way Ninja's did at E3. We got the typical schedule and program of events, just like everyone else. This swag bag was actually where we got our WoW demo disks last year... and you all know how that turned out.

Our first event was the Opening Ceremonies. I'd never bothered to go before, expecting to be totally bored outta my skull, but it wasn't half bad. They introduced the guests and declared the theme of the convention. The theme was officially Japanese Festivals, but I will always remember it for the Pirate/Ninja drama. So, Panda and I traded on our press passes and got ourselves front row center seating without waiting in line, and when they were tossing free t-shirts at the crowd, I caught 2, one for each of us. All in all, it was a good start to the weekend.

Now, I didn't go to the Anime Dating Game where everything started but I caught the other segments of the whole Pirate/Ninja episode. Apparently something happened during the dating game that caused the need for a Pirate/Ninja truce, complete with peace treaty. So, on Saturday night during the Masquerade, Captain Jack Sparrow and the Akatsuki members got together to ratify the treaty, witnessed by Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Colonel Roy Mustang. However, when the Captain signed his name, the treacherous ninja revealed that it wasn't a peace treaty at all, but that all the pirate signees had just sworn themselves over as ninja.

So, since all the pirates were now officially ninja, AB official Hawkeye declared that pirates were an endangered species and it was hereby outlawed that they be attacked by ninja. The warloving ninja weren't happy with this development and demanded that they be allowed to fight someone. Mustang volunteered the alchemists for the position of official rivals of the ninja. Unfortunately, the ninja far outnumber the alchemists and remaining pirates. So, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed the Ouran Host Club volunteered to hire private bodyguards for everyone to protect against ninja attacks. Everyone went home thinking that the matter was settled, but it was to be continued the next day at the Anime Chess Game.

At the chess game, Soifon, Captain of the second squad in the Gotei 13 and Commander of the special forces and Executive Militia within Seireitei stepped forward with a complaint that the alchemists were the ninjas new rivals. Shinigami, she argued, were far better suited to the position due to their numbers and organization. Alchemists couldn't fight ninja head on because they didn't wield weapons, but every Shinigami is equipped with a zanpakuto and additionally it was within Soul Society's power to set up spirit shields to minimize the damages caused to the real world during battle. Alchemists on the other hand must deconstruct their surroundings in order to fight, causing unnecessary damage.

Before Captain Soifon and Colonel Mustang could start a battle right then and there, it was decided that since several shinigami and alchemists were participating in the chess game, the audience would be allowed to vote on who would become the next rival to the ninja based on perforamance in the game. The winners would become rivals with the ninja and the losers would have to declare their rivalry with the Ouran High School Host Club. Needless to say, we shinigami won and are now officially the rivals of the ninja. I say we because I was cosplaying as 10th Squad Vice Captain Matsumoto Rangiku. Of course this official announcement caused a problem between myself and one of my best friends who was cosplaying as Sexy no Jitsu Naruto. Luckily I'm only a part time shinigami and she's only a part time ninja, so our relationship hasn't suffered. I do however pity Panda who's boyfriend is a pirate and sister is a ninja.

Along with the developing news at the main events, there was also a secret competition going on behind the scenes for the pirate/ninja/shinigami/alchemist cosplayers. Those of you who went to AB2K6 might remember the ninja barrel that was being passed around, well this year there were 4 of them, one for each faction. Any cosplayer belonging to one of the factions had the right to challenge the holder of the barrel to a game of Ro-Sham-Bo (Rock-Paper-Scissors) and the winner then got to carry the barrel, until they loose it to another challenger. People were walking around the halls with the barrels and would be mobbed by members of the opposing factions. In the end the results were clear, the shinigami really were the best choice of opponents for the ninja. The Barrel capture results were Pirates (27), Alchemists (127), Shinigami (311) and Ninja (323). I'm proud to say that 2 of the Shinigami wins were mine, but ashamed to admit that 5 of the Ninja wins were my friend kicking my arse.

This whole gang war took place all weekend. There were photo shoots scheduled for all the major cosplaying favorites, but unfortunately the Bleach and Naruto shoots were scheduled at the same time on different floors. Basically the Naruto fans were at the bottom of the escalator and the Bleach fans were at the top. The big mistake here was that they were in full view of each other, so as a cohesive mob the Bleach fans decided to crash the Naruto photo shoot. Seeing as I was wearing a Bleach costume it was impossible for me to remain an impartial spectator, but I feared for my life for a few minutes as this real life West Side Story played out right in front of me (and behind me and to both sides, it was kinda scary..) Luckily, it was nowhere as bad as being at UMass Amherst when the Red Sox won the World Series. Although fascinating to watch it was also damn scary to be in the middle of it all. However, anime fans aren't nearly as rabid as Red Sox fans, so although post traumatic stress scared the crap outta me, I was never in any danger.

I must declare as a veteran of these things that the occasional riot is exhilarating and refreshing. It really gets the heart pumping and circulates large amounts of adrenaline for a great rush without the need of drugs. So, next time your friends ask you to go out on Friday night and have a friendly riot with them, say yes, it will be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.

On another note I actually went to some panels this year. Last year I managed to spend all weekend in artists alley and the dealer's room. I went to the "Creating Your First Webcomic" and "Inside Manga" panels on Friday and "Character Creation" on Saturday. Although the Baby's First Webcomic panel had some great advice and it was really interesting to hear about how Bettina Kurkoski works behind the scenes, my favorite of the three was Character Creation. I mean how could you not love a panel where you spend the whole time talking about your example characters Raven McAngst and Twinkle McFancyPants. It was basically a panel where we discussed what works and what doesn't with each character, and how it's OK to work with stereotypes as long as you try to do something new with them.

Your basic character stereotypes are:
The Master - The old hermit on the mountain who knows the answer to life, the universe and everything (it's not actually 42) and is the guy who sends the main characters on their quest/sets their task.

The Student - Still learning, full of questions and is a master in training. As the reader, the questions they ask usually end up helping you to understand the world your characters are living in. The student drives exposition.

The Hero/Heroine - Your main character, they are the most well thought out and have the most depth

The Sidekick - Always hanging around to help the hero, surprisingly enough they have the most potential of all the stereotypes

The Villain - This is the character who's actions most move the storyline, most heroes can only react to the actions of the villain

Villain's Lackey - Nameless red shirted characters who exist only to be brutally defeated by the main character, or in the case of Star Wars, brutally defeated by Darth Vader in desperate need of anger management classes, or at least someone needs to get him a rubber band he can snap on his wrist.

Villain's Minions - Unlike a lackey a minion is irreplaceable to the villain. They are often the only one the villain trusts, and are responsible for how smoothly things run behind the scenes. Unfortunately for the villain, minions are in the perfect place to screw the villain over.

In order to create an interesting character it's important to mix stereotypes, give all the characters depth and to make sure they have flaws. NO ONE likes a Mary Sue who can do everything perfectly and has no problems at all, it's just too unrealistic. Another important point that was made is that an Anti Hero has a purpose, while random angst is pointless. Along with this vital information there was an incredible amount of geeking out and referencing characters and titles that many a part-time otaku/comicbook dork wouldn't get. We even spent some time discussing why Superman wasn't a Mary Sue.

I'll be writing up details of the Masquerade, Anime Human Chess Game, Cherry Blossom Ball and AMV Contest within the next few days.

Finish What You Start...