Join sisters NinJaSistah and Pandalicious and the rest of the ESH Crew each day as they discuss video games, tech gadgets, anime, manga... pretty much everything within the geek chic lifestyle.
From Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC game reviews, previews, news, and gushings to audience questions and rumor mill seeding galore you'll find it here at ESH!
Pandalicious and NinJaSistah welcome guest host PyroGirl to the show to chat about the anime and manga series Shugo Charawhich former host MagicMysticGrl talk about back in the day. NinJa pretty much just adds the color commentary [sometimes with a really bad "valley" impression] as both Pandalicious and PyroGirl try to impart the seriousness that is Shugo Chara. By seriousness I mean heart of people birthing eggs housing their inner selves... cute, little, chibi selves.
Shugo Chara is a hard series for me to explain so we'll just impart a quick run down: Cat-Boy not-so-bad-baddie, hints of pedophilia, magical girl syndrome, and girls that turn out to be boys. Oh yeah, probably has some incest in there as well, but the anime series is 102 episodes deep keeping Chara from being some fly-by-night series. Need more convincing to listen to the episode? Here are some of the titles we didn't use
All these 80's Movies are Turning Her Into ValleySistah
Ferrets Steal Shiny Things Like Magpies (But Magpies Aren't Shiny)
For Most Eggs, Their Dreams Ends At KFC
I Thought Keybearers Liked Small Locks
and finally
It's a Good They Didn't Mention the Incest Until Last
If you're the type of person who wants to look like one of the cool kids in school and hide your Calculus textbook deep inside an open Manga, you can now come out in the open about your love for Calculus and Manga.
In much the same way that the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup combined chocolate and peanut butter, No Starch Press has brought out an English translation of Mangu de Wakura Bibun Sekibun, or The Manga Guide to Calculus.
The story revolves around Noriko Hikima, a petite aspiring journalist who is starting her first job at a satellite office of the Asagake Times in the small town of Sanda-Cho. Imagine her surprised when she discovers just how small small-town newspapering can get. Instead of a hustling, bustling newsroom, like the one in the movie All the President's Men, the Sanda-Cho office is in a dinky prefab building.
And, instead of the sound of typewriters and teletype machines clacking away in the background, she enters to the snores of Futoshi Masu, the deputy of Kakeru Seki, the editor of the little paper.
You know, I've been a newspaper reporter and editor at publications big and small for many years, but Kakeru is unlike any newspaper editor I've ever known. All he wants to talk about are calculus functions. At one point, he asks Noriko, "Did you know a function is often expressed as y=f(x)?" The closest I ever got to a conversation like that in a real newspaper was when we would discuss the point spread of a pro football game.
Don't get me wrong. I don't want to get off on the wrong foot by inferring that this isn't a good book about calculus. It just makes a lousy journalism primer. I can just imagine that the result would be about the same if it were a Manga about teaching math graduates how to write.
Actually, the closest thing to a real journalist in the story is Futoshi, a fat, slovenly guy who sleeps on the couch and rises only to ask if his lunch delivery has arrived. That, and he keeps a bottle of liquor hidden away in the office. Now, that's a real newspaper guy.
The story is interupted every few pages by some actual calculus instruction, describing the points made by Kakeru to Noriko in the previous few pages. It seems to make learning about calculus as enjoyable as humanly possible.
Along the way, we learn why roller coasters are fast, why bubbles rise to the top of the beer glass, how greenhouse gases cause global warming -- all with the help of calculus!
They don't seem to do much actual reporting, or writing, editing or page layout, for that matter. And where is the online website? Instead, there's a lot of dining at places like one described as "a posh Italian restaurant." I never could afford posh Italian restaurants on my newspaper salary.
The trip to the Italian eatery becomes an adventure as Kakeru has an accident while trying to explain how to calculate the road curves he's trying to maneuver. They're unhurt, but still quite a distance away from the Italian restaurant, so Kakeru uses calculus to show why it would be more adventageous to eat at a Ramen shop instead -- it's closer (It doesn't really take calculus to figure that one out).
The local stories they run in the paper are pretty ordinary -- just like a real small-town paper. But some of the headlines leave a little to be desired. You'd never see a headline like "The Reputation of Sanda-Cho Watermelons Improves in the Prefecture" in a real newspaper.
At one point, Kakeru reduces fashion, drumming and dancing to mere trigonometric functions, which leads Noriku to complain about Futoshi's ambivalence toward the whole thing, saying, "Futoshi! Why does he get to eat Chow Mein while I have to learn about integrals?"
Then Noriku does something called the "Calculus Dance Song," which looks suspiciously like the "Time Warp" -- it's just a jump to the left...
As with most any Manga, Kakeru is hiding a secret that Noriko slowly becomes aware of. Whenever she becomes a little too inquisitive, he changes the subject -- usually by bringing up polynomials.
Then, going through the paper's archives, Noriku discovers the secret. Kakeru had written an expose on the parent newspaper's biggest advertiser, Burnham Chemical Products, explaining why he was shipped off to a tiny satellite paper in the hinterlands.
But when Kakeru's research is proven to be true, Burnham Chemical relents and Kakeru is reinstated at the main paper. The Sanda-Cho office is closed and both Futoshi and Noriku are reassigned to other papers in the chain.
I'm not going to spoil the ending, but you've probably read much more Manga than me, so you can undoubtedly guess.
As a Calculus textbook, it's very entertaining. But it'll never be confused for a journalism text. Never once do they mention writing in "inverted pyramid" style. Pyramid? I guess that would be geometry.
No joking here folks, the heavens themselves moved in order to get Milk-chan from Ultimate Quest on this week's new podcast episode.
Once more, the ladies run this thang and it's funny as hell.
Pandalicious kicks the show off with her impressions of the XBLive community game 1 vs. 100 game and then Milk and NinJa chime in with some comic-con stuff which leads us down the path to COSplay. In case you didn't know, all roads lead to COSplay... and Zelda. Milk chairs the topic of Twilight Princess and adds the fun of Majora's Mask multiplayer.
We let the COSplay get the best of us, but NinJaSistah ends the tangent line by bringing it back to gaming and talking a bit about the upcoming NXE updates due to hit the Xbox dashboard this August, including the upcoming Avatar Marketplace and Netflix Parties. This podcast is chock full of awesome folks, so sit back and enjoy it!
There is something about 1800's France converted into the year 5053 that just screams for attention...and I will gladly give it.
There is something, deep inside me that secretly longs for the flair of romanticism and intrigue. I can't even fully begin to describe where it comes from, but I noticed, as of late, that my favorite things involve places like... you guessed it...Paris. It is always portrayed as the place where you can walk down le rue (the street) and meet not only new people, but possibly yourself. So with this notion in my heart, I indulged the hopeless romantic in me by immersing myself into stories, or movies and even some music that made me think of France. Case in point, my fall back movies of late have been classics like Sabrina[The 1995 remake of the 1954 version. This remake starred Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford.], French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. It also came out in 1995. [Perhaps I just have a thing for movies that came out in 1995.]and lastly No Reservations starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckart[which has more to do with french cuisine than with the culture itself]
Needless to say I am enamored with it, such is so that I've decided to revisit a series that I recall talking about in very little detail, to give it far more credit than I did previously. So with that said I am going to talk about Gankutsuou: The Counte of Monte Cristo.
First let me restate that visually this 24 episode series is eye catching! This animation style opened itself up to a creative use of layering with a splash of 3D background animation. It makes the setting of France if anything surreal to the naked eye. However to fully appreciate this form of art [Completely my opinion!], it is best to know about the origins of The Count of Monte Cristo. It is an adventure novel by written by Alexandre Dumas.
In the original story a man by the name of Edmund Dantes is wrongfully accused of being a traitor and is sentenced to rot in prision. While he is there, he befriends a priest who is also there. Edmund is educated in the ways of high society and the studies of a scholar. As a secret between the two men, the priest tells Edmund of a treasure on an Italian island called Monte Cristo. Eventually Edmund leaves prison and managed to make it to the island. Faking an injury, he stays on the island to collect the riches, makes it back to Marseille with all this fortune and a title. [You guessed it Count] He is eagerly welcomed into high society, and is now free to take revenge on the one who sent him to prison in the first place.
In this Anime, the Count, is a mysterious man. While *this* Edmund Dantes was imprisoned he encountered a cold blooded demon who promised him the means to exact his revenge in exchange for Edmund to become his vessel. This takes its toll on Edmund physical form as he has become like crystal, and can in some instances been seen through. [I believe that this is a foreshadow of the ruse that Edmund put on in the orignal story.]
The Count, in this adaptation befriends a naive 15 year old [Why? 15 years olds get all the adventures is BEYOND me] boy by the name of Albert de Morcerf. Most of this series is told from the point of view of the Gankutsuou [the demon I was telling you about previously] and through Albert. So this does not follow with the original focus of the Count like in Dumas' novel.
Like said, it is loosely based on the the enriched novel, but it still held true to a lot of atmosphere of that 1800's French period had, while creating the world of the future. It allowed for the romanticism, intrigue, the actions of men and the ways to achieve "said" greatness to be showcased.
Geneon was the first to have rights to this anime, but as we all know [due to pirating] Geneon soon fell under. It wasn't until later when FUNimation got its hands on it, that it got aired in 2004. It took about a year for the whole 24 episode series to air, due to [you guessed it] additional complications.
All in all, it is a gateway to a more sophisticated choice in anime genre. It isn't for everyone, but it never hurts to try something new... Right?
I don't know why it is gone, but I want it back! KThnx!
Once a year, I, Pandalicious, become enamored with the hint of anime in the air. It calls me, pulls me with the strength of a lover's embrace. I fall in love all over again with anime. It is a three-day fest of rekindled passion...however this year something seemed amiss. There was an unforeseen distance in anime’s eye. Had it met someone else...had it fallen out of love with me?! Was I...falling out of love with it?
I would say that...the reason for all this stems from a struggling economy. Not that I’m saying that relationships are stable only when there is money mind you. What I'm saying is from the standpoint of a convention...it costs money to make costumes; it costs money to get a hotel room. You need money to eat and money to buy. Essentially you need money to burn, and there was a fire...but no burning....
Convention day grew nearer and nearer and the warmth I’d felt previous felt diminished somehow...as if to warn me of some subtle disenchantment.
Unfortunately, this year I didn't arrive to Anime Boston until Saturday. Which to most is the day that the big events take place. The crowd-getter events are never held on Friday or "first" days because most are standing in lines, checking into hotel rooms, and primarily just scoping out the layout, dealer’s room, artist’s alley and the various colors of cosplay. Unfortunately this year, that alluring pull of zany antics did not seem to hold. Anime Boston was still fun and entertaining; it had just...lost some of that flair, some of its energy even.
Also as an aside, there was no "top dog" in anime this year. Of all my times at this convention, there was always one anime that won the attention of the fandom... I speculated that this year it was going to be Soul Eater. I was wrong. [Which is often the case]
Granted this year did bring out some heavy hitters that needed our attention. But I was saddened by the lack of a "sea of whomever" [Insert Naurto, Sora, Rikus or Bleach characters].
The surprising factor that I cannot neglect is the stronger presence of games at this year's event. There were more people cosplaying as game characters than anime characters. This is undoubtedly linked to the release of some popular game titles like: Halo Wars, Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur 4 and Pokemon Platinum.
This isn't to say that gaming was left untarnished. Attendance was impacted too. It is a sign of the times I guess...
However there were many smiles, laughs and good times had this year. There will be many more to come! As long as the life of the convention comes back….I WANT IT BACK! ☺
Got a piping hot fresh episode of our humble little podcast for your listening pleasure, hit the jump to learn more.
Xenocore from Ultimate Quest joins us on the mic to talk a bit about anime series that drop some knowledge or substantial amount of reality on the viewer as well as those that don't. [yeah Overman King Gainer, I'm looking at you!]Pandalicious chimes in with her opinions on the Nintendo DSi title Rhythm Heaven and how it can be productive while addictive at the same time, and then there is NinJaSistah.
Riding a crazy wave of dual Mt. Dew regular and Mt. Dew Throwback Ninja is all over the place in the episode [causing a lot to be cut out, by the way] and yet somehow manages to get on topic chatting about Sony's recent fiscal earnings announcement and how it may affect creativity and individuality throughout the industry.
When you take a gander at some of the titles we didn't use for this episode, you understand why you have to listen to it. We passed on things like:
The Many Degrees of Layitude
I Manga Like a MoFo
Longer, Better, Faster, Harder - Normally, Panda Wouldn't Mind That
If raincoat tasting isn't your cup of joe, you might want to try on this week's episode of the ESH podcast instead. It's up to you really, are you a raincoat licker or podcast enthusiast?
If you aren't, Pandalicious and NinJaSistah are plenty enthusiastic in this episode of the ESH podcast for everyone. The gals answer some of your questions, on both the anime and game tip, talk a bit about Lego Rock Band, the DragonBall movie how easy it is ignore superheroes alter egos, and one of the weirdest anime series I have ever heard of before, "Kyoran Kazoku Nikki." Seriously, it's a weird one only Pandalicious can love.
To give you better picture of this episode, take a peek at some of the titles we didn't use for this episode:
Those Fish Aren't Coy, They're Just Chillin'
The Wolverine Movie Mutated Into Something I Don't Want to See
It Depends On Your Definition of Bad
When You Give a Jellyfish a Name, It's More Than a Jellyfish
and to top it off
If You Can't Put Your Finger On It, You're Not Going to Please Anyone
This episode of the podcast starts with a disclaimer and correction of information by Pandalicious with what's up [and more importantly not up] with her and DPL host DerrickH. Once she gets that off her chest, we get on with the business at hand and first up is the plight of The Pirate Bay copyright infringement lawsuit ruling, which starts off with a Pirates Vs. Ninjas debate. [Ninja's win by the way] We then segue into The Beatles: Rockband gushings, the current surge of western influenced or designed RPG's and even some anime with the multi-WTF-moment-creating series Peach Girl.
We only had a few alternate titles for this episode like, "More Douche Than a Daytime Drama," and "Ace Is the Place for Girls With Low Self Esteem." It was ridiculously fun to record, so grab your morning motivation and enjoy ridiculously ESH Podcast Episode 142: The Truth Burns Like Gin (It Does)
It's Monday once again so that means it's time for a new episode of the ESH podcast, and this episode the gals talk both anime and game as well as recap some previous podcast episode stuff.
We start off answering audience questions, recap some left over comments from the G.I. Joe movie, and then dig into the nuts and bolts that make up the anime series Overman King Gainer
From perception issues with being black, female, and down with the technology stuff to how to best take advantage of when the StayPuft Marshmallow Man finally comes to claim his puffy vengeance. Normally at this time I would hit you with the list of titles we didn't use, but what is most important is getting down to the good stuff.
It's Monday once again, so that means we have to hit you with a new episode of the ESH podcast doesn't it? Yep, sure does, and we're glad to do so.
In this weeks episode of the podcast NinJaSistah and Pandalicious cover a wide range of topics starting with Pandalicious' need of a new job, to video game titles Batman: Arkham Asylum,God of War 3, as well as the Final Fantasy and Tenchu franchises and the manga Pride of Bagdad. Oh yeah, we talk a bit more about the lack of mature and "seasoned gamer" titles on the Wii platform as well.
Did I mention the tangents we go on? Nope? I should have. One of the tangents might involve a limerick, I'm not sure, but for a better idea of what we end up talking about in this episode, check the titles we came up with but didn't use for this episode:
Help Wanted? Have We Got a Panda For You
There Once were Some Ladies From ESH...
Did You Say Talking?
Wii Need Some Excitement, Nintendo
The Monkey Boy In Pandalicious Was Suddenly Unleashed
And Certainly Not Batman: The Bold and The Beautiful
When Revers-Puberty Occurs, This Vehicle Will Be Unmanned
It's Like The Lion King With Guns
Her Hot Pants Have a Bow In The Back - For Modesty
In this episode of the podcast the girls talk about the anime series "SpeedGrapher," mis-steps and corrections that SCEA can make with the PS3 to recapture the bulk of the gamer market, things that make Panda want to punch babies in the face, EA games, PAX, PAX preparations, the fact that Pandalicious is not going to PAX but NinJa is, "Watchmen" the movie versus the graphic novel, and more. Don't believe me, check out the titles we didn't use for the show.
Holes First, Person Second
I'm Anything But Cheap
A Hot Bed of Gamer Geek Sausage
Belching With Joy
Did They Put Pudding In Your Bowling Ball Again?
Suck It Up, Build It In (That Sounds So Dirty)
NinJa Rags On Sony Again
If Sony Was Bachelor No.2, It Would Lose Again
Someone Shot My Smilie Face
Geometry Wars Doesn't Suck Asteroids
It Makes Me Want To Punch Babies
If You Think There Was A Lot of Breaststroking At The Olympics, You Should See SpeedGrapher
Monday is here again, and so is a new episode of the ESH podcast. The girl team is complete on this one so expect randomness galore this hour and change.
The episode kicks off with Pandalicious and MagicMystic discussing how they came to love and specialize on the topics they, well, are experts on here at camp ESH. [In case you are new to the game, Panda shows anime some love while Magic takes us down the dark and [every once and a while] psychotic path of manga. While the girls chat about their passions and influences toward them, Ninja tries to keep up by hanging back in the corner.
When the dust settles, NinJaSistah jumps into the conversation to talk about the resurgence of the Science Fiction genre in mainstream entertainment and the pros and cons of it's new found popularity. It's another weird and wacky episode guys, check out the titles we didn't use for this one:
Off-Topic's the Best Place to Be
if I Had Known, I Would Have Worn Pants @ M4M Night
if It's Good For Your Heart, It's Crap
Fluff Is Not a Milk Substitute
My Blank Is Different From Her Blank
Tales From The Kids Table
This Tiara makes Me Completely Unrecognizable
Your Mom Should Never Ask What That Tentacle Is Doing
Panda's Guide to the Four Stages of Sex
The Pickle Distracted MagicMystic
This Isn't A Filler Episode - Everything Is Meaningful
That's Very Smexy
I Want to Punt Small Children
What Magic Is Tasting is The Combination Blue dye No.1 and Yellow Dye No. 5
The Flintstones Is Not Completely Historically Accurate Either
It's the story about a MagicMystik who wasn't listening, a Ninja making profane T-shirts for children and a Panda who just couldn't wait. You might think of it as the latest episode of the ElectricSistaHood podcast, but we prefer to think of it as just another slice of life.
Magic starts it out by talking about the manga "Pet Shop of Horrors" and Ninja and Panda finish it up by giving their love to the new Soul Caliber IV. In between all that, they present another hour of hilarity for all of you.
Just get a load of the titles that were turned down for this episode:
Just Listen To It and Figure It Out
The Heartbreak of Numb Butt
When Naruto Met a Night Elf Chick
If a Tree Falls In the Woods, Does It Get Turned Into a Manga?
My Favorite Word of the Week Was Circle-Jerk
We Don't Really Have DILLIGAF For Kids
The Day WoW Was Not Played
Let's Not Talk About Boob Brutality
The Soul Caliber Unlockable for Windows? Clippy!
So Many Accessories, They Should Call It Sim Caliber
If Robert E. Lee Had Invisible Naked Chick Army, We'd Be Celebrating His Birthday
Soul Caliber Finally Realized I'm Fat
The T-shirt Has Yoda and Siegfried -- Where's Roy?
I Hate Being Pwned, But I Love the Attention
Maids Prefer To Think Of Their Hats As Tiaras
I Pahked My Cah Then Became a Shirt-Rippah
Mamma Mia, Not Another Musical Episode
Token With the Sistahs (Not, It's Not the New Cheech & Chong Movie)
If you ever sit and ponder on the idea of people of a young-ish age drinking, let this new episode of the ESH podcast be the proof you need to "just say nay!"
This week, MagicMystic returns and brings with her balance to the force while Panda and Ninja enjoy some adult juice before, during, and probably after the episode.
This episode starts with Ninja talking about the new XBLive Arcade title Go! Go! Break Steady that she keep calling "Go! Go! Beat Street" reports on some of the feelings around the industry about E3, and the hopefully triumphant return of the fighting genre on the back of Soul Calibur IV. Magic chimes in with her new found XBox-y goodness and general discovery of "the new" as she shares first impressions of her new XBox 360 Elite as well as latent desires for an XBLive account, and then Panda brings up the rear and talks about the anime and manga series, Full Metal Panic. The gals are back to normal and completely off topic as usual.
Here are some of the random things said during the show that could have been used as titles, but weren't:
Wallmart, Baby Come Back!
The Big "E" Is Big
MagicMystic Is Back, And Out Of The Closet
Jobless Wonder To The Rescue-ish
It's Not The Size of Your GamerScore, But How You Use It
It's hard to explain the title until you listen to the episode, but trust me this new episode of the ESH podcast is quite the piece of work.
In this episode of the podcast, the sistah's run the video game, entertainment and anime gauntlet from the audience choice re-review of the anime series Angel Sanctuary to new games on the E3 horizon. Would it be an ESH podcast if we didn't talk about incest, angst, mentioning Bioshock or complaining about videogames/comic titles being turning into feature length films? I don't think so. To give you a better idea of how the episode turned out, here are the titles we didn't choose:
Sucked Into a Portal of Happiness
God Knows, Even In His Sleep
Again With the Incest
I Love Her, So I Need to Kill Her
The Sex Scenes Are Pretty Cool, Just Pretend They're Not Related
Just Say "No" to Will Smith
Want to Beat Darth Vader? Smack James Earl Jones in the Face
It's Big. It's Black. and It Makes No Noise
My Only Real Complaint Is that It's Short
I Finally Took Out Ghandhi - I'm Not Proud to Say That
In this episode of the podcast the girls talk a bit about nearly every entertainment medium. We gots a bit of manga, a bit of anime, some feature film stuff all topped off with video game shizzole.
Pandalicious kicks off the show talking about the anime series Hell Girl based off of the manga of the same name. She and Magic go back and forth a bit exploring what works and what doesn't in the series. MagicMystic then shares her impressions of the new Hulk movie and NinJaSistah closes out the show talking about E3.
To give you an idea of the kind of show we had, here are the titles we rejected:
NinJa Can't Fly, But She Can Jump to Conclusions
No..Un..com..piled Da-ta EVER!!!
It's The Season For Creepy Flowers
The Cat In The Hat Was Not In The Prestige
Panda Makes A Fight Club Reference Nobody Else Understands
Hulk Smash! Movie Not!
Panda's Comic Book Cred Just Plummeted
Levitating Trumps Hovering
Attention Game Makers: Panda's Up For Payola
Exclusive: NinJa's Guide To Carnal Solicitation
The Love-Hate Relationship With E3 Has Turned Back To Hate
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]
In this episode, Pandalicious discusses the anime Paprika, MagicMysticGrl talks about the manga MeruPuri: Marchen Prince and NinjaSistah brings up the latest videogame news.
The rejected titles for the episode? Right here:
ESH Myths Revealed: Ninja Has Three Boobs
Last Week's New Word Was V'jayhole, This Week It's Omnimpotent
Pam grew up on stories her grandmother told, stories of a kind devil she'd fallen in love with. So, one day after school Pam uses a summoning square her grandmother taught her in the hopes of summoning a kind demon of her own. Unfortunately, she's pulled into the square and sent to another world.
Pam has accidentally landed in the land of the spirits. Almost immediately she is attacked by an angel, Linfa, who looks identical to her best friend back home, but is rescued by a mysterious man by the name of Remi. He tells Pam that there are no humans in the Spirit World, including her. Looking in a mirror, Pam sees that she's grown horns and a tail. Chaos ensues and somehow Pam ends up in a school for devils where everyone thinks she's a bit crazy and a lot dense. Pam doesn't know even the basics about the Spirit World, doesn't have a familiar and is willing to help anybody out, all in all she's a very strange stray devil. In this world where karmic consequences are enforced on devils and angels that work together, Pam works to become a full fledged demon, and to build a relationship with the angel that looks so very much like her best friend. Unfortunately for everyone in the spirit world, Pam also seems to have been summoned for a reason and may hold the key to saving them all from destruction.
This series is something I picked up a while ago in a bookstore, but I finally got my hands on all 5 volumes at AB this year. This is in no way a serious manga. Pam is stupid, klutzy and very socially awkward. She regularly helps Linfa out, only to be hospitalized later for the karmic consequences. Pam is one of those stupid nice girls so common to shoujo manga, and true to form she eventually ends up melting everyone's hearts. I personally hate characters like that, and suspect the real reason I like this manga so much is the abuse that she goes through due to her personality. (Also, the guy she eventually gets as a familiar is hawt) She is regularly dropped off cliffs, has giant rocks dropped on her, kicked with soccer-balls, attacked by animals, dropped out of trees, electrocuted etc. She even falls for a banana peel/ankle rope/water bucket combo trick. The not-so-little sadist in me *Squee*s with glee everytime she does something nice for Linfa, because I know the inevitable follow-up is coming.
If you actually like characters like Pam, or if you enjoy seeing them bite the dirt like I do, I recommend you check this one out. It's only 5 volumes and is a very quick read. Stray Little Devil is by Kotaro Mori and is published by DrMaster.
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
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.
Pandalicious shares some musings about viral video treasure trove YouTube, FUNimation channel getting itself out of the rerun doldrums, and self buttering popcorn. [you'll just have to listen to find out more about that one] Then NinJaSistah jumps in to add the sprinklings of gaming news including some first impressions on Legendary, and MagicMystic rounds out the show with another review of an edgy manga title. This title is hard to describe so I'll just give you the name...Deadman Wonderland.
If you want some help deciding to watch this episode, just check out the rejected title list:
Air Causes Cancer-Didn't You Know?
Popcorn's Coming! And That's Just Sick
Popcorn: Now It Makes It's Own Gravy
Point Me To The Nearest Ghost
Retards Are Special, Too
Crinklebread Must Make Great Toast
Magic's Not A Stuntwoman, But She Plays One In A Videogame
Take magic To Vegas, I'll Knit A Sweater
Kitty Birds Just Don't Look Menacing Enough
101 Things To Do With Your Yang
Blood As A Weapon? The Red Cross Can't Keep Up Now!
An Eye for A What?!
Deadman Wonderland, Great Entertainment For Bulimics
Baseball has never looked so appealing DAMN SCARY...
In the vein of GTO or Gokusen comes Rookies, written by Masanori Morita. Professor Kawato is a bumbling fool of a teacher. His dearest wish is that all of his student's eyes gleam with a dream for the future. Armed only with a hard head and mouthful of inspirational quotes, he attempts to take on the teaching world. At his last teaching job he was fired for nearly killing a student with his 'hands-on' teaching style. Futagotamaga High is his precious second chance and nothing will make him give up. Unfortunately, he finds out that he was hired because of his violent past, not despite it.
The baseball club, filled with thugs and bullies, has gotten out of control. They caused a brawl during an official game and were suspended from playing for 6 months. During that time, the players all lost interest in the game and turned instead to stealing, drinking, smoking, fighting and playing with girls. They are the deadliest gang in the school and they rule with an iron fist. The president has given up on them, but for the pride of the school, he adheres to a strict no expulsion rule. What better way to get rid of unwanted scum than to bring in a teacher guaranteed to either hospitalize the punks or drive them to withdraw from school? Against all bets, Kawato's barely legal and vastly unconventional teaching ways begin to earn him respect among his students and he sets his sights on a new dream, Koshien.
I love this manga. It's probably because I played softball from the ago of 7 through high school. I can understand the frustration in not being able to play it. As I read the manga and now as I sit here typing about it I can hear in my mind the crack of the bat or the solid thump of a glove. I've had to stop typing several times to flex my fingers, which itch for the stinging pain of a caught linedrive. Another reason could be my enduring soft spot for villains and thugs. These guys aren't even hard to love. They are all straight forward honest guys who just need a little guidance. This is not a cute or sweet manga. The guys at Futagotamaga are incapable of normal means of communication and can only 'discuss' things or 'express' their emotions with their fists. Every character gets a few good hits in and it gets to the point where bloodstains and bandages seem to be a permanent fashion accessory. Like it's characters, the storyline is straight forward and easy to predict. If you've ever read another 'school redemption' story before, none of the 'twists' will surprise you, but they will still be damn satisfying.
If you enjoyed this: Gokusen (Manga, anime, 2 seasons live drama), Great Teacher Onizuka (Manga, anime, live-action drama)
Others by Masanori Morita: Rokudenashi Blues (Good-For-Nothing Blues), Beshari Shabari, HELLO BABY (with Takeshi Obata), Fist of the North Star (as assistant)
Monday again people, so you know we have to bring you a new episode of the ESH podcast. Like the many, many episodes that have come before it this one is chock full of goody goodness.
In this weeks episode of the podcast Pandalicious shares her take on the TokyoPop manga King of Thorn while NinJaSistah shares some of the HDTV tech that made an impression on her at this years' CES tradeshow. From the 1.5 inch thick Hitachi TV to Sony's pricey OLED and back round to realistic manga characters, we cover a bit of it all this week.
If you need a better idea of what we cover in this episode, here is the list of the rejected episode titles:
My favorite manga of all time has finally come to America! It is absolutely totally wicked cool! It's a series called King of Thorn and I'll tell ya why it is worth checking out.
It's about a disease that has come to the world. This is no ordinary virus though. Anyone who is exposed to it has a very limited time before they turn to stone. In a desperate attempt to save humanity, a portion of the worlds population is locked into cryogenics so that they can be freed once a cure has been found. The only problem is that when they wake up, things are not exactly what they were expecting.
The art in this series is absolutely awesome. Not only do the people and the locations look amazing, but the fight scenes are done incredibly well too. If you are a fan of action, adventure, and crazy plot twists, check this one out! You definetly won't be sorry.
It's time to give thanks to the Sistahs for their annual advice on what videogames, anime and manga to give for the coming holiday season as they present their gift guide on this week's podcast.
Not only do they tell you what to give, they also tell you what not to give as well. We don't want to give it all away, but surprisingly enough, the PS3 is not on either list this year.
Being Monday and all, we have a new episode of the podcast for you, and this one is a sister-sister episode people.
In this episode of the podcast Pandalicious brings up the anime/manga series Claymore to talk about recurring themes in popular anime series today with NinJaSistah. Then NinJa picks up the M1KT to give you the 411 on game announcements and playable demos available at this year's E For All Expo Oh yeah, then she rants about the damn expo.
It's a passionate conversation at times, with a few of the tangents that you've come to expect from ESH podcasts. Here is the list of rejected podcast titles so you have an idea of what's in this episode:
This Isn't Like That
Seeper Eloot Half-Demon Bitches With Big Swords
Panda Turns On Her Inner Censor In The Nick of Time
Ghost Wad's A Completely Different Game
It's The 15-Hour Plane Ride Keeping NinJaSistah Away From The Tokyo Game Show
First off, it's new podcast episode time again here at Electric Sista Hood, and this one is a doosie. We've always tagged our podcast as "explicit" because it would take more time to edit out crap to make it "clean enough for iTunes" than it's worth. This week's really drives this fact into the ground, so I'm taking this extra opportunity to warn you, that this episode is NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN TO LISTEN TO!
In case you haven't caught on yet, this is episode 69 of the ESH podcast, and we figured it would only be proper to do an all hentai episode of the show. Pandalicious gives you the low down on Please Teacher and admits to a few of her own personal fetishes while MagicMystic talks about the dojinshiAlice in Sexland by Mashumaro Jyuubaori. Closing out the hour, NinJaSistah chimes in with the reasons for her preferences in hentai, and desire for at lease some semblance of plot.
Anyone who has ever studied for the SAT exams is well aware of the dreadful texts they must trudge through in order to expand their vocabulary. Well, now high-schoolers don't have to hide their manga inside their SAT preparation books -- the manga is the SAT preparation book!
Kaplan, the folks who in recent years have converted popular works of literature such as Wuthering Heights into SAT preparation books, have gotten together with manga publisher TOKYOPOP to create SAT prep books based on some of the most popular manga works.
"To beef up the books' SAT quotient, the companies upgraded some of the dialogue. But all the original art and story lines are preserved, says TOKYOPOP CEO Stu Levy. Designed for 14- to 16-year-olds, the books, says Kaplan's McMahon, may also appeal to another expanding market: English-language learners."
The Kaplan manga titles currently available on Amazon.com (the listings include excerpts of each book):
It's Monday, so you know what that means... time for a new episode of the ESH podcast! And this time, we have a doosie of an episode for you.
In this episode, Pandalicious rants about the anime series School Rumble which happens to be a "romantic comedy" shonen while MagicMystic shares her thoughts on the manga series Flame of Recca. And no show would be complete without NinJaSistah ending out the show with some game news and or review, and this episode is no different. This week, NinJaSistah explores the popularity of classic games through online services like the Wii virtual console, XBLive, and the Sony Online Store. Don't forget the tangents. We sure didn't.
And don't forget, these unused titles that we threw out like an unwanted fetus.
Cheerleaders for the Pompom of Truth
It's Not Gonna Suck! Believe It!
The Plot Gets In The Way of the Humor
Nothing's More Pathetic Than A Bully In Love
I'm Not a Real Doctor, But I Play One in an Anime
Rock-Paper-Scissors-Hair-Sounds Like Scorpion
After That, Other Stuff Happens
Panda doesn't Squat in Barnes & Noble
She Ain't Evil, She's Just Mom
The Nerd Glasses Make You Lok Crazy
Staring At This Shirt Freaks me Out
Streets of Rage Makes Me Miss My Sister
You Are Now Sterile - Thank You, Halo!
Only Cinderella Can Play Bioshock
Coming Next Year: Resident Transylvania
I Run Away From Smiling Sausages All the Time
and finally
NinJa Likes It Hard and Chewy
Yeah, read that list and not be curious about the whole episode.
Evermore's been at it again people. It's new podcast day, and this one is, well, special.
A new podcast creation has been assembled by that crazy robot while the ESH podcast crew takes a mini vacay. I would try to describe to you what you are about to hear, but I'm not sure I understand it all myself.
What I will say is enjoy podcast episode #65: Where Do I Buy Manga?
Everyone knows Hellsing Ultimate rocks. The music, the voice acting and most of all the visuals. The OVA is closer to the look of the manga than the original series ever was. But looking around, I haven't seen anyone do an in depth side-by-side comparison to the manga.
So, I started watching episode 3 and flipping through the manga keeping a close eye on panel and frame composition. Not 30 seconds into the episode I was finding frame after frame, page after page, scene after scene all lovingly constructed to duplicate the manga as closely as possible.
You can't tell in this screenshot, but the whole image from the manga is duplicated in a slow pan from Anderson's feet up his body. Le sigh, God I love Anderson. BEST MAGIC/HOLY MACHETE WIELDING CHARACTER EVER!
Although this scene was reproduced almost exactly like it was in the manga, it somehow wasn't as funny in the anime. Now, I say not as funny, but it was still funny as hell. I mean massive violence is about to occur and you're all hyped up to see a showdown of epic proportions, property and personal damage galore, and then Seras preempts it all with a herd of coffin dodgers. Whomsoever can come up with shit like that is a comedic genius. (Also, I find it a little sad that I just went and googled "Derogatory terms for the elderly.")
Why, yes. Maxwell IS as big of a priggish asshat in the anime as he was in the manga. The only thing that makes me happy when I see his shit-eating grin after the decimation of Hellsing is flipping ahead in the manga to see his death scene. Good night, good night! Parting is.. FUCKING GREAT.
Wow, Please pardon my French. Hellsing apparently makes me want to cuss like a sailor. It's just THAT gorram awesome.
It's Monday, so you know we had to put up a new episode of the podcast, right? And so we have... I give you Episode 62 of the ESH podcast!
In this episode of the podcast, the sistahs are all by themselves and spouting off about everything from Manhunt 2 to the PS3 price drop and the hot guy in a little coat manga God Child. We don't lack for tangents here in this episode of the podcast folks, so jump right in and sample the ESH goodness of Episode 62: It's Animated Violence FFS!
Another Monday brings with it another new podcast episode from the land of ESH, and this one is all about Dragon Ball.
Pandalicious kicks off the episode with her thoughts on Dragon Ball. MagicMysticGrl steps up to the plate with her take on Dragon Ball Z witch then descends into a Saiyuki/DBZ compare and contrast tangent... mmm, yummy. Then NinJaSistah jumps into the fray relating her experiences with the Blue Dragon XB360 demo, opinions on the drawing style of Akira Toriyama, and the universe of anime to video game cross-over titles.
It's madness as usual on this episode our podcast. If you don't believe me, take a gander at the non-selected episode titles:
Pandalets, Poo, and Pink Shirts Dragonball Made a Monkey Out of Me His Rod Was Extended When He Fought I'm Gonna Kick Your Ass If You Eat My Meatbun Mystical Balls That Summon a Dragon? Riiiight New Testament 1.5 - Jesus: The Teen Years Go! Go! Go! How To Name a Dragonball Character We Save The Earth Then Go Bowling on Thursday Night My Name Is Vegeta! My Father Is Vegeta! I Come From Vegeta! I Eat Steak Vegetas
-- And last, but not least --
That Coiled Brown Thing Isn't A Snake, But It's Close
The Sistahs are in agreement about one thing about this week's podcast -- the topic is Naruto. And it's not just the anime series they talk about, but also the manga and the video games.
Downloads of Naruto art are among the most popular things on the ElectricSistaHood website, so it's natural that they finally devote a whole episode to the series. But the things they say! You'll just have to listen to the thing to get all the ESHland goodness as the Sistahs deliver Episode 60: The Topic is Naruto, But I Digress.
And for those of you who were wondering, here are the rejected titles for this week's podcast:
Our Naruto Episode Goes Into a TaleSpin
Naruto Sucks, But the Headband Is Cool
The Vice President Would Never Accidentally Shoot Naruto
Ok, so I got a little distracted by my purdy new gadget [iPhone BITCH!] and sorta kinda forgot to post this weeks podcast episode. My bad homies, my bad.
That damn phone seduced me people. It lured me away from my most treasured responsibilities, and I'm sorry. I am weak in its presence... but here's the new episode of our podcast.
Hello to the wonderful people of the Land of ESH. It is I , the beautiful, the talented Pandalicious. Today is in fact a day of enchantment and prophecy. Yes! I know this sounds far fetched to the "N"th degree but let me share with you just what it is all about...
It was told that one this every day twenty-three years ago. The Chosen One would be born. She would be born to honorable and noble family with the values that we all seek to posess. The prophecy said that she would have the ability to serious ROCK at any game put before her, and she would gain the infinity knowledge that was locked away within anime and manga. It was her job to use these abilities to in fact SAVE THE WORLD!!!
Who was this Chosen Panda.... Would she in fact be able to do as the scripture said she would?
In fact yes, I tell you YES!!! She has in fact been able to do those things for she...is me
LOL! Sorry everyone, I felt like having fun with words today. Those it is true that today is my 23rd birthday. Panda is wracking up the age points as we speak. However she doesn't have nearly as many as Ninjasistah...Ha Ha Ha! However I shouldn't rub that in, because Ninja just got an iPhone [Yes you heard me correctly...an iPhone] So who really lucked out?
Anyone as for me on this lovely July 3rd morning, found myself saying the strangest thing when I woke up. I went...."Ding!" [For all those who don't know that is totally a WoW reference..and yes... I'm that addicted]
Anyway...I'm off to do Secret panda things, w/ secret panda people.
All three regular hosts hop on the cast this week to bring you some info about some cool and not so cool goings on in the worlds of anime and video games. First up at bat is Panda "Stop Saying I Have Herpes" licious who shares with us her experiences with the anime Hare+Guu, which [like many anime series] is very weird.
Magic "I Forgot About the Giant Ball Monster" MysticGrl chimes in at the number two slot to share with us EVEN MORE.Hack// goodness with us by imparting her sort of found wisdom from .Hack//roots.
And bringing up the rear [as usual in this weekly menage] is NinJa "Get a Twinkie, Cuz Yer Gonna Need Brain Food" Sistah dropping her 2cents on the whole Manhunt 2 debacle.
Yeap! Grab yourself a Twinkie and something to drink, Episode 55: Welcome to the Eyefor Towel is up and running!
MMMM, new podcast episode day has once again decided to grace us with it's presence and bring with it Episode 53 of the ESH podcast.
Pandalicious goes all rear entry and shares her insights on Backstage Prince while NinJa laments her FREAKIN' FRAGGIN' XBox 360. I could tell you more, but the jet lag is kicking my ass.
MagicMysticGrl missed this taping, but you shouldn't!
Mmmm, Monday morning new podcast episode freshness coming right at ya folks!
The girls are back after a quick mini vacation with a new podcast episode that covers [among other things] the anime series Peach Girl, the works of Mayu Shinjo [including Akuma Na Eros and Love Celeb, and the XB360 title Bullet Witch.
Tune into this weeks episode to find learn more about all of that stuff plus get the answers to other questions. Questions like, are worms kosher? Does Pandalicious watch hentai with her mom? Can we go an episode without mentioning Bleach
So give Episode 52: The Darkness Tells Me To Hurt Puppies a listen, you'll enjoy it.
It's podcast time once again and the Sistahs have a lively show for you this week. You can get a load of it right here.
Pandalicious takes the Mic of a Thousand Truths (M1KT) and talks about an anime she really hates: Baki the Grappler. In her own words, "It's not a Happy Funtime in Panda's pants," which was almost the name of this podcast.
NinjaSistah reports on a much better property: the anime and manga of Trinity Blood. Although Pandalicious has never seen it, Ninja's description of the anime made Panda anxious to catch the series.
Pandalicious kicks off the proceeding by explaining her fascination with Kodocha, an anime series that started out as a manga and then an OVA. MagicMysticGrl follows up with an examination of the manga Millennium Snow from author Bisco (or is it Crisco? Cisco?) Hatori. Finally, NinJaSistah sees just a little too much in the new video "game" Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, the follow-up to DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
It's got all the Sistah goodness you expect, so enjoy!
This week, the whole gang gets together to chat about [among other things] Yaoi vs. Yuri [wikipedia that stuff if you don't know what it means] MagicMysticGrl shares with us one more example of where the manga version of a title is better than the anime version with her take on Air Gear. Then NinJaSistah brings the show home with her 40 second review of Virtua Fighter 5 for the PS3 and then dives head first into her latest anime obsession, Phantom Memory Kurau.
It's a fun episode. We yell at each other as usual, and maybe have a profund-ish thought or two. But let me assure you, it's not about a chicken.
So grab a fresh cup of joe, and enjoy Episode 47: The Physiology of Donuts.
Our friend, Tim Beedle over at Tokyopop heard the podcast where I raved about how much I loved Priest, and suggested this title to me.
Shinjyurou is an embalmer in Japan where his profession is viewed as taboo and unacceptable but most of all it is seen as unclean. He has accepted this life as an outcast in order to help those who've lost loved ones in the only way he knows. Because of this division from society as well as the nature of his job, Shin understands death, it's result and the psychological impact it has on those who were close to the recently departed. The series is episodic and in each of the highly personal stories he must deal with public prejudice as well as grieving families.
When I first picked up The Embalmer I had this vision in my head that this was going to be a Crypt Keeper type story. Horrifying tales to frighted children, stories of gruesome deaths and lives cut short, but I had it all wrong, or partially wrong anyways. Although the death and pain are still there, the lesson of the manga is that embalming isn't about the dead it's about the living. Making a loved one look beautiful for one final goodbye can set the heart at ease. Before I knew it I was totally charmed. Mitsukazu Mihara provides some amazing insights into grieving and healing emotional wounds without getting all textbook with the Stages of Grief.
The really interesting thing about this series is the division of Shinjyurou's world from everyone else. He intimately understands death and the emotions that stem from it, but he seems to have difficulty with the living. He craves the touch of warm flesh and is an incorrigible womanizer, always bringing home different women, but the person he most wants to be with, he never approaches.
I've read the first three volumes, which encompass Shinjyurou's path to becoming an embalmer, highlight the emotional difficulties of people dealing with death and touch on the funny ways people live their lives. I'm really excited about the next volume because if the 'Next Volume' preview is any indication there will be some light shed on Shinjyurou's relationship with Azuki, the girl next store who could be more.
This is not a series for kids, there is gore, bloody violence, nudity and bad language, but more than that it's very adult subtext is what makes the series so poignant. I give this series a 4.5/5. I can't think of anything that could possibly make The Embalmer any better.
In this episode of the podcast Pandalicious shares her take on the World of Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy manga series by Jae Hwan Kim, and NinJaSistah sheds some light on the Ubisoft game Rayman Raving Rabbids.
It's fun, it's fast, it's Episode 42: WoW, Wii have an addiction!
Dante is the main character in the video game franchise Devil May Cry... and Dante is hot. If you put Dante in another game, I'll play it. If you tell me that lord hotness is going to be in a manga, I'm going to find a way to lay my hands on it... and that's what this article is about.
I've just finished reading volumes 1 and 2 of the Devil May Cry 3 manga and I have a few things I want to share with you.
I usually don't do the manga thing. I leave that to Pandalicious and MagicMysticGrl... they know what they are doing. Whenever I get a new manga novel I always start at the wrong end. Yes, that page that annoys most regular manga readers on how to read the panels and start at the other end of the book... yeah, they make that for me. Sorry. But I'm digressing, I need to talk about the manga. I actually liked this manga. It took me a while to get the hang of following the action [as a newb, I find it difficult to track fighting sequences in manga form on occasion] but once I did, I found many of the things I love about the DMC series to be present in the manga.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the badassedness that is Dante can adequately be conveyed by print alone, but I did appreciate the attempts to include as many Dante-style one-liners in both volumes. There is at least one per page in the manga, but they somehow don't pack the same punch as the one liners in the actual original DMC1 game. If I'm fair, none of the subsequent DMC titles after the first game had Dante dropping the entertainment gold that previously spewed forth from sir I'm-so-hot-I-don't-need-a-shirt. [which is true, he doesn't need a shirt] But Dante was still a rough hero with a vendetta, and I wanted to know more about him.
The two volumes that I read cover some familiar territory: the lore about the legendary knight Sparda, and his twin sons that inherited a great deal of his power... one that embraces his human side, the other his inner demon. The manga traces the storyline set up by the DMC3 game where Vergil seeks out to open the bridge between the world of the demons and humans in order to bring man to his end. Been there done that. What is interesting about the story is the addition of a Madhatter, Alice, and Rabbit character.
The hatter, who speaks in riddles most of the time, is used to set both Vergil and Dante on the path to breaking all the seals needed to bridge together the two worlds of light and dark. The Rabbit ends up being the crutch of Alice, who turns herself over to the dark in order to be older faster. I'm not sure just how Alice will figure in later, but I have an idea. When I get closer to the end I'll tell you what it is and if I was right about it.
My only complaint would have to be the addition of the Enzo character. Enzo is a sidekick for Dante that has been thrown in kind of haphazardly if you ask me. Enzo's job is to set up gigs for Dante. Since when does the Archbishop of Arsewhoop require a middle man? Dante always answered his own phone and was a lone wolf. That's what added to his badassedness in the original game, and made it cool when he teamed up with Trish after defeating Mundis. The only sidekick Dante should ever have is one that is a strong, and bawlzy as he is. Trish and Lady are acceptable partners, a cowardly, sweaty, fat, loser-dude is not. A reaper seriously need to kill Enzo and I'd be happy.
I'm going to give the first two volumes a of the Devil May Cry 3 manga a 2.5/5. The only reason it's not a 3 out of five is that I think the DMC storyline was out there enough without adding the Alice in Wonderland arc to it.
p.s. I found this great DMC themed image while looking for the manga artwork, give this dude props for a neat lil SD version of the DMC3 main characters.
You see, NinJaMom [using amazing stealth abilities that even I do not yet posses] came into town and surprised this NinJa for her b-day. Caught unprepared, I forgot to write up some shizzole for the website. I also forgot to beg the other editors to cover for me whilst I was out of commission. But how was I to know she was heading into town? It's hard to detect Ninja, especially when they don't want to be detected, and you KNOW your mom hates to fly... but I digress.
My bad. I'll catch up on some reading goodies for you here shortly, like my opinion on the AMD/ATI thing, how to build a sweet gaming laptop [pc], and the Devil May Cry manga.
We’re almost one full month into 2007 or “20-O-Savage” as some have been calling it. You know what that means, don’t you? New game reviews from gaming-guru Ninjasistah, new anime and manga reviews courtesy of our very own animanga-mamas MagicMysticGrl and Pandalicious, ever-so-much-more news from Evermore, and internet jewels that are so wild that not even the wild one himself, Douceswild (yours truly), can keep them tamed and well-groomed.
There’s no doubt about it that gaming has been taken to the next level. It’s interactive and addictive but it doesn’t help with the decision that gamers have had to make ever since Frogger tried crossing the road, “Replay or Relationship?”. Do you try to complete Act 1 of Gears of War for the tenth time or do you spend time with your significant other who has been clearly giving you signs of frustration with your constant gaming?
Let’s look at things from the opposite point of view. How do you get him or her to put that controller down and spend a little “quality time” with you? You’ve tried skimpy outfits and even no outfits at all, but it doesn’t seem to work. No matter how strong your advances are they’d rather zerg a ZG instance than zerg the bedroom. I’ll be the first to admit that when I’m surrounded by elite half dragon/half man creatures and I start swinging my axe and dropping bodies left and right, the last thing on my mind is hours (or minutes, depending on when my next raid starts) of mind-numbing hanky panky.
It’s been said that one of the keys to a successful relationship is compromise. For my first jewel of 20-O-Savage, I bring to you proof of that being true. Share this one with a loved one. You won’t regret it.
This week the ESH gals focus in on a theme of angst... in anime, manga, and video games. Angst in anime, manga, and video games... imagine that? From the bad depiction of angst in the anime series Marmalade Boy to MagicMysticGrl's recount of angst in .Hack//G.U. and then finally NinJaSistah's take on the PS3 & Wii ebay shenanigans, the girls really cover the spread on this topic.
Well, it's not the final "buy me stuff" edition as we will undoubtedly have a few more of these types of shows between now and New Years Day, but it's a good way to start off the holiday shopping season.
Pandalicious pimps Angel Sanctuary and Final Fantasy XII while MagicMysticGrl shines the "perfect gift" light on the works of Sang Sun Park with special emphasis on texture in manga. [Or Manwha if you are a purist] Le Oro gets in the mix as well, then NinJaSistah rounds out the show with a spotlight on the movie Boiler Room, the PS2 video game God of War, and the XB360 title Viva Piñata. Grab a cup of egg nog and enjoy Episode 27: Gift Guide-O-Rama!
If you know what a guy smells like who has just been out fishing, doing construction work or playing football then you can guess why women might fantasize about something else. Perhaps a meticulously and metrosexually groomed vampire who elegantly sweeps up to her balcony. Or a deadly but lovely demon who promises her his forbidden world. Or maybe women are just thinking about pretty animé men with long hair.
The anime games and DVD's that are coming to the U.S. recently are a myopic look into the animé subculture of Manga in Japan. There are many animé influenced games in both RPG's and in the fighting genre. This artform is getting very huge over here too. Because animé comes from another culture it reflects a different sort of attitude. It effects the roles of sportsmanship, and sexuality in the future of video games. Animé characters are favorered by women and girls.
Women like males with long hair. Perhaps even before Sampson and Delilah long hair symbolized virility. From back in the 60's when I can remember women saying "he's so beautiful, he looks like Jesus", to today when we have Fabio's famous mane and the sexy Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice, chicks (and some guys) still dig long hair. Guys that work at Rennaissance faires sport long locks from the mideval ages and get descreet double takes from women patrons. Fantasy novels feature wizardly straight and gay men with long hair in various colors. These fictional story books are very popular with women.
In Inuyahsa (yes it is my fav) in the animé and the games, the main character has long white hair and cute dog ears. He is powerful and weilds an over sized magic sword and is in the process of discovering his sensitive human side and love. His brother Seshomaru has even more fantasticly long white hair. He plays the part of a full demon in a stunning white kimono. He seems deep and troubled by "important things in the past". He is the typical brooding unknowable character. Then Miroku the lecherous monk has long black hair that is worn in a ponytail. He wears several gold earrings. He is the most approachable of the three male lead characters, he is funny and sensitive. He makes long insightful speeches about the troubles that arise for the female characters and is often correct.
There are three very different male personalities in the game. All of them are strong and carry several weapons. But they are so cute that many people comment that they can't tell the boys from the girls on Inuysha. That is common with many anime´characters. Inuyasha is wildly popular with women and girls. It has got to be something to do with all the long haired males.
Unlike the animation industry in the U.S. where all the programming is largely aimed at young boys a good deal of Japanese animation also includes marketing to little girls. The teen girls and young adult women are given plenty of eye candy to ooh and ahh over also. Women helplessly find themselves sighing over bishonen with pink hair like Shon Gojo in Saiyuki. There are some Japanese animations that are thought to cater specifically to female tastes.
"Ren'ai" is a Japanese word meaning "romance" novel, and it can be a Japanese adventure game that is mainly point and click. They are mixed-media novels. Minimal player interaction is required. Some but not all ren'ai games contain erotic content. Adult oriented animé dating games are sometimes called a bishoujo game. Those are Japanese video games with sensual anime girls. Some of them contain romance and sexual content.
Animé both ways
Women like to read about sensitive long haired males in complex, dramatic relationship dilemas. The controversial American TV show Queer as Folk which is an adult series on the cable channel Showtime is about gay men and it is said to have had its highest viewership among presumably straight women. Ever enterprising and unabashed, animé capitalizes on this naughty voyuer side to female erotic interests too.
Even though entirely different dynamics are involved in real Japanese society and culture than what is reflected in animé, some obvious patterns of behaviour could be identified as distinctly Japanese. There are values such as conformity, marriage and loyalty that are plain to see. The Harvest Moon series notably added a female character to the recently released new RPG title. But the game guides the female player to marriage as a foregone conclusion in that simulation of life.
Subtle themes crop up in characters that are uniquely Japanese which turn the tables and reverse the roles of exploitation as Americans know it. Animé objectifies men. Male manga artists offer themselves up for the derision. They portray themselves as dogged, nose bleeding, worshipers of the truly oversexed female demi - goddesses that they have created. The men unashamedly admit that they are whipped. Is it a vicious cirle or a happy medium? Then they reinforce the pattern of the implausible by drawing males with gorgeous long hair in fantastic styles and who wear amazing costumes. All of which only a dedicated cosplayer can emulate. They make images of men that are just as impossible to attain as the air brushed silicon female pin ups that are the complaint of western women.
Many animé that are available in the U.S.A. now have some sexual under tones. Saiyuki has an ambiguous homoerotic subtext. Descendants into Darkness does so openly. Colorful and the Excel Saga are a raucious funny lampoon of animé that have very adult content. The males in Colorful are the typical nosebleeding, obsessed male stereo types who will endure anything to get a glimpse up a girl's skirt at her panties.
Sony and Mocrosoft have banned adult games from their consoles. Which I think is a shame. In my own improptu study I went shopping retail for a newly released game rated "E". I rarely do that, but my partner wanted it. We went to Kmart, Walmart, EB Games, and finally Kaybee Toys on our search. These stores have had the games kept behind glass in as long as I can remember. At all four of these retailers we adults were unable to access games without a key and an attending store employee. I don't see how adult titles are "getting into the hands of children" as some have claimed. I don't see why adult games would be so hard to integrate into a system that all ready is under lock and key.
If the right wing was worried about the Sims which is a game that is engineered to be bland (to inspire imagination) and it's sort of the Lego building blocks or Webils of video gaming, wait until they get a load of animé. I was reading an ebay story about how a Christian Mom took away the Yu-Gi-Oh collectible cards that her daughter had in her purse. The woman went through the daughter's purse regularly. Yu- Gi-Oh animé is very tame there is no sexual content in the games or shows. It teaches a litle ancient Egyptian mythology. All the Japanese animé card games, either on cardboard or for Gameboys, most noteably Pokémon teach children about competition, following rules, and being poilite and how to loose like a good sport. They are completly benign. Pokémon has no references to "magic" or spells of any kind. Yu -Gi - Oh and many others do. Magic and Wizards in animé may raise some eyebrows the way it has with Harry Potter.
Another twist that shows up often in animé are characters of unknown gender. In Cowboy Bebop "Edward" is a girl. We don't know this for sure until the plot unfolds more. In .hack//sign tv series and PS 2 games Tsukasa the wave master is permanently logged into "the world" as a male player. But again gradually as the series goes one we discover many secrets about Tsukasa are revealed. Eventually it leads to a very moving and unexpected ending.
A funny game with adult content that reminds me of Leisure Suit Larry, is the Lupin the Third Games for Game Cube. Those have the sort of slapstick funny approach to sexuality. The artstyle exagerates the female figure of the characters.
One of the most visible ways that animé characters have come to be loved by a large American audience is in the Dead or Alive series. Kasumi is a very well known and favored character. Her background story and a search for her brother are part of the game's back story. Granted Kasumi's character and background story is underdeveloped in the games. The game is infamous for the jiggliness and not the seriousness of her character. In game play her moves are great and she is a tough character to play with and to beat. But there is no doubt what her assets are. The graphics in Dead or Alive 2 are good. The characters are depicted in a fair amount of detail. The facial expressions look realistic. The characters' movements and clothes flows realistically, except for the pronounced bounce.
Animé is popular because it is bringing fresh artwork and ideas to a tired jaded American entertainment market. Women like it because it offers a variety of roles to play and exciting personas to get to know in a fantasy world. Males like it because there is more lassitude in the appearance of the female fantasy characters. Puritanical America can use to loosen up and enjoy themsleves. There are worse things than a little risque art and pass times like games.
Poor Pandalicious and MagicMysticGrl had to deal with NinJaSistah after she had downed an Amp tall boy and a can of Coke... pray for them y'all!
Seriously though, this week the ladies cover everything [and I do mean everything] from the latest Candy Bitch, to an introduction to American manga in the form of Death At Deaths Door, first findings on Final Fantasy XII and the evolution of gaming through console input devices. I won't even mention the Care Bear references, the WoWalicious sweepstakes winner, or why caffeine is good for you.
Just try and figure out where you stand on the punny vs. birate debate.
This is one of our longer podcast episodes folks, but it's funny as hell. Just listen to it already.
Oh yeah, before I forget, congrats to our latest Candy Bitch TimboSteve!
Bandai Games has finally scored big with the RPG "Inuyasha: Feudal Combat" for the PlayStation 2. The game is based on Inuyasha, the top-rated TV series from VIZ Media that airs on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. "Feudal Combat" the game has undergone an engine overhaul. It is now a genuine fighting game with a variety of moves and combos. You can play as Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango. The story mode has actual resemblance to the game. Thankfully the new battle system includes the ability to play along with a friend as a partner character in the cooperative mode.
Game play commences as you choose which team that you want to play as. In this way it becomes a two player game, or you can even choose a female lead character almost all the way through the game -- Inuyasha and Kagome or Miroku and Sango. Kagome has her bow and sacred arrows that purify negative energy. Sango has her heracos and Ki La La by her side. They all have special bonus moves that you have to let charge up, much like many RPG games of the past have.
The loading screens are a little slow but the artwork makes up for it. The graphics are much better this time with 3D renderings of the 2-D manga characters. The environments look pretty, and they are well drawn. Environments that have been on the TV series appear in the game. You play against familiar enemies such as Kikiyo, Koga, Kohaku, and Naraku.
The game takes place in ancient Japan. It is set in a fairy tale-like setting where demon oni and magic priestesses practice their sparkling skills in feudal Japan. It features 12 playable characters. Inuyahsa is a half-human, half-dog demon. Naraku is an evil shape-shifter. The combat system is new and original and a big improvement from Inuyasha: the Cursed Mask.
The environments are interactive which can give players an advantage in battle depending on what element or spells they can cast. There are three different game-play modes, including the mission, story, and two-player versus modes, which create a variety of ways to play the game. The game advances as characters are given the chance to develop more upgraded, Increased compatibility with partners to improves attacks.
The game is beautiful -- the backgrounds and other screens are nice watercolors. The characters themselves look much better in the updated 3D format. The whole game seems more in keeping with the style of the artwork and level of production that the DVD Inyusha movies have. The music and sound effects are good.
Inuyasha is my favorite animé. This game has it all down, the supernatural story line, the romances and the tragedies. The gameplay has been improved to match the show's exemplary art style and deep plot line. I am satisfied. I give Inuyasha Feudal Combat a long awaited 4.5 out of 5.
When most people think of American comicbooks they think of individual issues that are only 20 or so pages long and superheroes dressed up in tights with their underwear on the outside. That's like thinking manga only comes in the monthly magazines and characters only dress in sailor uniforms. Comics are also released in graphic novel form and depending on the story can be hundreds of pages long on any and all topics. Comics are where I got into sequential art, they were my gateway drug to the addiction that is manga. It's high time I got back to my roots.
Comics are completely different from manga, and not just in the art style. Manga tends to be a minimalized art form, often with little or no background, colored only with screentone; comics have more detail in the characters and background and are usually published in full color. The way the story flows is also different. Manga have a story that contains a beginning, middle and end, the series are often fully planned out and have a specific number of volumes. Comics don't.
A comic is created around a basic concept and it is designed to continue perpetually until something happens to end it; readers loose interest, the writer decides to end it, the publisher goes bankrupt or an apocalypse destroys the world. Even then it is usually dusted off a few years later and revamped for a new generation's entertainment. Over the course of it's life a comic will usually have many writers and artists associated with it. Comics are arranged around story arcs that are often entirly self contained stories with only the characters linking them together. New villians or problems arise in each arc. A reader can jump in at the beginning of any arc and get most of the information they need to understand what is going on. You can start to see these same traits in some of the longer running manga, such as Inuyasha and Naruto.
for instance. He's one of the oldest and most famous superheroes out there. He was created in 1932 and has had a littany of writers and artists working on his story since then. The character has been reinvented again and again, and placed in every concievable situation. He has had tv shows, movies, radio serials, video games and all manner of memorabilia designed and based on him. Comics trade on the fact that people want to read stories about familiar characters, not accustom themselves to new characters every time they want to read something. A comic called Witchblade had an anime based on it. Imagine if you could continue to read new stories about your favorite manga character for the next 74 years, rather than having to come to terms with the fact that their story is over and you will never see them again.
So, starting on Monday, in the podcast, I will be reviewing American graphic novels. I'll be bridging the gap between manga and comics with Death: At Death's Door a manga based on the Sandman comic series.
I was rereading one of my favorite manga for the hundred and second time today, and I decided that you all should enjoy it as much as I have.
The manga is RE:Play by Christy Lijewski, the creator of the runner-up story 'Doors' from Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga Vol 3. If you are looking for something great to read, this is it. RE:Play has bands, vampires, homeless guys, cross-dressers, amnesiacs, angry exes, more 'haute couture' than Rail can shake his fork at and it's funny too.
Izsak is your regular everyday homeless amnesiac, which is to say that he's a bit on the strange side. He plays guitar in subway stations for chump change, until one day Cree shows up and drags him home with her. Cree wants Izsak to join her band, Faust, and promises him a home and a bed to sleep in if he agrees. Having nothing better to do Izsak joins up. Char the cross-dressing fashonista drummer takes to Izsak immediately, but not all the band members are quite so accepting. Rail, Cree's adoptive older brother is distrustful of this random bum Cree has brought in off the streets, and he vows to stay close so that Izsak doesn't do anything creepy. Unfortunately, Izsak may not be able to help the fact that he's creepy, considering the fact that he's a vampire. (Maybe, there are strong hints) Add Cree's ex, Ed, the former guitarist and Char's twin brother, some mysterious people following Izsak and some fairly normal band drama and you have an awesome book.
I really love Christy's work, of the Rising Stars of Manga stories I have read 'Doors' is by far my favorite. She has the ability to make all of her characters lifelike and cool beyond belief, as I read RE:Play I find myself wishing that I was friends with the band. The storyline is tight, with even amounts fun, drama, character development and flashbacks of sordid pasts. The art is amazing as well. Each character has a distinct style and a variety of outfits are seen for each of them. Christy designs her own clothing and her personal style and design sense comes through loud and clear with the outfits she has put together for the book. There are no school uniform cop-outs or characters that have closets full of one single outfit. Cree, Izsak and company are living breathing Laundromat visiting people.
I give RE:Play a 5/5. It's awesome every time you read it, even the hundred and second time. 2 silver MMs for a band full of piercings and clothed in some cool ass shit, black for dark undertones and vampires, aqua green for some great one liners and jokes, and a dark pink for drama.
It was three whole months ago now that I got my fall issue of Takuhai from Tokyopop. It detailed a whole list of releases for each month. After this November list there will only be one more left, December.
November Releases: 12 Days Blame! 6 Boys Be... 11 Dears 8 Devil May Cry, Novel 2 !The Dreaming 2 *Elemental Gelade 2 Gatcha Gatcha 3 !GetBackers 16 Gundam Seed X Astray Happy Feet Cine-manga !ID_ENTITY 8 !*Immortal Rain 7 Initial D 24 Kat & Mouse 2 The Kindachi Case Files 14 King of Hell 14 Last Fantasy 3 Le Portrait De Petite Cossette 2 !Mark of the Succubus 2 My-Hime Neck and Neck 6 !Never Give Up 3 Off*Beat 2 One 10 !Otogi Zoshi 2 Peppermint 2 Queens Recast Redrum 237 2 (of 3) Remote 10 (of 10) Rose Hip Rose Samurai Deeper Kyo 20 (of 31) !*Shutterbox 4 (of 6) *Strawberry Marshmallow 2 (of 4) Telpathic Wanderers 4 (of 4) !Satisfaction Garanteed 2 (of 9) Trinity Blood The manga I plan to check out in November are Queens and Recast.
Queens is the story about Pil-Hyun Jun, a feminine bishonen trying to learn to be a manly man in order to win over the heart of his crush, Song-Ah Che. Pil-Hyun finds a comicbook "Escape from Being a Pretty-Boy" that reads as an account of his life. He seeks out the author, hoping to learn a thing or two, but the author turns out to be a SHE with sexually over-zealous roommates. Somehow he ends up moving in with the girls in order to learn the art of comicbooks and being a man. Meanwhile his crush is falling in love with a manly jerk.
Recast is about JD, a young boy raised an groomed by his grandfather to become the last hope for the world. He's a terrible student and is far more interested in the newest and most popular magical items than in conflict between good and evil. So when bounty hunters from the Fourth World come after JD and his grandfather will he grow into his powers or die trying?
I seem to have a Demon Diary Dilemma, AKA The Case of the Mysterious Bunny Girl. In August of 2000 writer Lee Chi Hyong and artist(s) Kara, an art duo, teamed up and started publishing a manwha series called "Mawang Ilgi," released in the US as Demon Diary. Several years later in March of 2002 Kara finished the 7th book with another writer, Lee Yun Hee. The question is did Lee Yun Hee finish the same story Lee Chi Hyong started?
Chi Hyong only completed the first of the 7 volumes, the rest were written by Yun Hee. Kara has a brief artists' note at the beginning of the second volume that explains the transition. In short, the note said Chi Hyong left the book to study for his high school exams and the rest of the story was in Yun Hee's capable hands.
There isn't much to indicate where Chi Hyong wanted the book to go. Most manga and manwha graphic novels are 200 pages or more, Volume 1 was only 144 pages of actual Demon Diary content with two additional stories, Crystal Heart and Terra. Three of the main characters, Raenef, Erutis and Eclipse are introduced and that's about it. I wasn't there for the transition so I don't know how much guidance Yun Hee got from Chi Hyong. He may have had an outline of the story for her, or he may have left it entirely up to her to decide the future of the characters.
The story itself transitions beautifully. If it weren't for the artists' note from Kara and the change of the writers name on the cover of the book I never would have guessed that the series was any different. I was initially going to write a simple review of the Demon Diary series and talk about how cool it was, but when I picked up the first volume to start re-reading it, I realized that there was one last loose end that Yun Hee missed. At the very beginning of the first chapter there is a scene that is never explained.
It looks like it is supposed to take place far in the future of the events in the series. The chapter title is My Time Remaining, a mature and older Raenef is leaning up against a busted concrete wall, his chest is bandaged and he's wearing what looks like space age clothing. The only text is Raenef speaking and he says, "I wonder what he's doing right now? It's been almost a year... You know, I can't wait any longer... I'm going to go find him. Hey... are you listening? Don't worry... you're coming too." It's only a 4 page scene and it's mostly shots of Raenef or the wreckage of the building he's sitting in/near, but the last image shows who he's talking to and it's this cute little girl with bunny ears and wires sticking out all over her body. She's got those Chobits eyes, the ones with the information streaking across them, so I think she's a robot. But that's it. There is no further information and when you get into the story there are no electronics and it's the usual fantasy story set in 'medieval' times.
So here's the question, what the heck did Lee Chi Hyong have in mind when he wrote that first scene, and do you think the Demon Diary Yun Hee finished and Tokyopop published is the Demon Diary Chi Hyong imagined?
Oh, by the way, Demon Diary is an awesome manwha and you should all read it. I'll give you the whole plotline in one sentence...
Demon lords are powerful, evil beings of chaos and destruction, so what happens when the newest of the Demon lords is a fluffy airheaded pacifist.
Pure fun, that's what. Kara is a great artist, and the Lees are great writers.
A WARNING: This episode contains an abundance of swearing, cursing, and screaming. It is SERIOUSLY NSFW, NSFK, hell... it's NSFA really, but we had a ball doing it.
In this episode the girls get you ready for Halloween by sharing with you some of the scariest games they've played, and why they scared them so badly. For Pandalicious it was Silent Hill 2, for NinJaSistah, it was Eternal Darkness... but MagicMysticGrl saves the day by sharing her take on the movie Labyrinth and the new Return to the Labyrinth manga. Oh yeah, they also briefly touch on being scared fuckless, proper zombies in your room protocol, Bowser in real life, and Jim Henson.
Congrats to our latest candy bitch, WonkeyDonkey. Hit Us Up with your mailing addy so we can send you your prize.
WoW expansion pack misses holiday selling season: Testing on the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion pack got started only this month, and as a result the package won't be available for sale until after the first of the year. According to an Associated Press story, "Gamers will instead have to wait until January to plumb the depths of Outland in The Burning Crusade..."
It's 3-for-2 time at Toys"R"Us: Through Saturday Oct. 28 at Toys"R"Us, buy two in-stock video games, get the third one free! Here are the weasel words: Free video game must be of equal or lesser value to the lowest priced item purchased. Limited quantities available. Sorry, no rain checks. Here are the online promotion rules.
Some gamers putting warp drive in reverse: In an age where a new video game system is close to breaking the $600 mark, some gamers are reliving the good ol' days, buying old game machines in pawn shops for a $20 bill and buying old games for a five-spot. "Maybe it's because they grew up on them," Jim McCauley, owner of JimmyJams Comics and Games in Winona, Minn., told the Winona Daily News. "A lot of college-age guys look at all the new games, but also the old Nintendo games. I see a lot of that. There's a lot of nostalgia going on." The big sellers? Games with Mario and Luigi. One customer says, "They're chick magnets."
Is the Sony Portable Reader squint-worthy? That's the question answered by Tony Salvaggio for Comic Book Resources in his review of the new portable device. Specifically, Salvaggio checked out the Reader for its ability to display manga titles. "Tokyopop has committed to releasing a collection of their Global Manga lineup for release at the launch of the Sony Reader (in fact, an excerpt of 'Peach Fuzz' should come pre-loaded with the Reader)," Salvaggio writes, "and I was able to take a sneak peak at the results."
Tactics, Vol. 2: Supernatural detective Kantaro Ichinomiya and his band of monsters and demons are back! This time, the team travels to Bride Island, Suzuku Temple and Asakusa in search of adventures, monsters and interesting journal articles. Sounds... like... fun.
Want a Wii or PS3 before Christmas? Forget about it: "This is going to be the mother of all shortages," said Larry Haverty, associate portfolio manager of Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust. He and others have told Reuters that purchasing this year's new consoles at the regular retail price before Christmas might be impossible.
The 10,000 most important gamers in the world: Are you part of the Nielsen 10,000? If you are, you're one of the most important gamers in the world. Nielsen, the folks who measure TV viewership, will be measuring videogame usage in its Nielsen GamePlay Metrics. Some 10,000 gamers have been chosen to represent the worldwide audience of videogame fans. "We are not targeting homes of gamers specifically," said Jeff Hermann, VP of Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services. "The panel represents the media consumption habits of the US consumer. Since the panel is statistically representative of all U.S. consumers, the gaming population is a subset of the overall panel and statistically projectable to represent game title and duration of play of the entire gaming population."
Noise of "The Lamb": Tokyopop's animated production of its long-running manga series "Lament of the Lamb" will be spotlighted at the 2006 Tokyo International Film Festival next week. Described in Tokyopop's press release as "a gut-wrenching horror story of a young man who shockingly discovers he may be the last in a bloodline of vampires," the manga version was created by Kei Toume and originally published in Japan by Gentosha. While TOKYOPOP'S popular manga properties, "Priest" and "Pet Shop of Horrors", have been recently acquired for film adaptation by Sony Screen Gems and Focus Features, respectively, "Lament of the Lamb" signals the company's first move into theatrical feature film production.
Why I don't live in Alabama anymore: James Wilson and Lance Borchert, both of Athens, Ala., were playing their favorite teams in a Playstation college football game Sept. 30 -- a game that became a little too serious. With Borchert's Tennessee team leading Wilson's Auburn team, Wilson became upset when Borchert quit the game and went to bed. Wilson, Borchert's wife's cousin, allegedly entered the Borchert's bedroom and stabbed Borchert in the back with a butcher knife. Although the knife punctured Borchert's lung, it did not kill him. Wilson ran from the Borchert home into the nearby woods and was tracked down by dogs from the Limestone Correctional Facility.
Exploding Skyscrapers? Don't Blame Godzilla: The city is in the grip of a crazed bomber in Case Closed: The Time Bombed Skyscraper - The Movie and nobody is safe as a crushing wave of terror washes over the innocent citizens. Planes, trains and massive towers all threaten to light up the night sky -- the sick whims of a brutal lunatic played out in sudden balls of fire. Conan Edogawa finds himself in a desperate race against the clock, an explosive game of cat and mouse with a deviant madman, and every second counts. Can he unravel the maniacal malcontent's scheme before the next timer reaches zero? Awww, probably, but you should check it out anyway.
Vote early, vote often: November's issue of Playboy magazine features the winners of the 2006 Women of Video Games contest, so it's too late to vote. But you can still catch a glimpse of the contestants here. There's also a link to the Amp'd Mobile sweepstakes to win the ability to play video games in the Playboy mansion's game room with two Playmates.
Vaio Con Dios: Sony laptop owners became the latest victims of the Sony computer battery scandal as the company recalled 90,000 batteries from Vaio laptops sold in Japan and Korea, with news about the recall of U.S. batteries still to be announced. Here's the latest tally, as of Oct. 17:
Nintendo making life easier for programmers: If the early users are right, the Nintendo Wii Remote is a hit. And now Nintendo and AiLive are making it easier for programmers to incorporate the remote in their games. Using a new artificial intelligence product called LiveMove, developers no longer have to hand-code remote movements into their games. Instead, the developers can directly train the remote by example. "LiveMove will allow the game industry to move away from indirect digital control to more natural analog control for the first time," said Dr. Wei Yen, chairman of AiLive.
Anime Network reach grows: If you get your cable TV from RCN, Insight or Cogeco Cable, you're could start getting Anime Network. The company announced the new carriage deals Monday for its popular subscription-based video-on-demand service. "Anime has a very passionate following and is exactly the kind of on demand content we believe will be successful and will attract new viewers," said Melani Griffith, vice president of programming at Insight.
New Manga creates Trekkie Otaku wet dream: It's the Starship Enterprise against Gundam-style mobile suits in "Star Trek: Shinsei Shinsei," the first Manga version of Star Trek officially sanctioned by Paramount. No need to know more about it. Here's how to get it.
Am I the only person who gets really upset whenever they see the novels in the manga section? I get all excited that I found something new and then I pick it up and it's a book not a graphic novel/manga. I don't care if the storyline is based on a manga, the novel itself is not manga and should not be put in the manga section. More and more I see these novels on the shelves of my local bookstores taking up space that could be used for real manga. I have never and will never read these books, if I want to read a book I'll look in the sci-fi or fantasy section, where these books should be. What do you guys think?
There's a new .hack game coming out, aren't you excited? I can hear you sighing and shaking your head as I write this. Now I know, just as well as the next person that .hack is getting a little old, what with 4 PS games, 3 novels (and a novel series), 2 anime, 3 OVAs, 2 manga, an online roleplaying game and a collectible card game, but I'm confident that .hack//G.U. will be different from .hack//SIGN, .hack//INFECTION, .hack//MUTATION, .hack//OUTBREAK, .hack//QUARANTINE, .hack//Liminality, .hack//Legend of the Twilight, .hack//DUSK, .hack//AI buster, .hack//AI buster 2, .hack//Another Birth, .hack//GIFT, .hack//ZERO, .hack//ENEMY, .hack//fragment and .hack//XXXX.
I'll start with a little introduction for those of you who are reclusive, blind, deaf hermits who live under rocks in a remote area of the moon and have managed to avoid encountering any of the .hack franchise. The basic plot is that due to a worldwide computer virus epidemic, there is only one OS that anyone uses, Altima OS. Altima has created the largest MMORPG in history, creatively called 'The World.' The game is hugely popular, with over 4 million users signing up at its launch. Each of the .Hack titles focuses on a series of bizarre events known as the Twilight Incident, in which players actually sustained RL (real life) damage when their characters were hurt. Multiple users are put into comas while playing the game. Most of the .hack storylines focus on a group of anomalous AI including Aura, Morganna and Aura's daughter Zefie as well as the system errors and bizarre occurrences in "The World".
In the original 4 title game series, you play Kite and Black Rose, two typical snot-nosed school kids as they investigate the net. Kite accidentally dies when a data error causes a high level monster to spawn in a low level area. Aura appears, revives him and when he wakes up he is wearing a bracelet that allows him to 'Data Drain' enemies (basically hacking the program to reset the level of the enemy.) Kite and Black Rose run around trying to find Aura, figure out what has happened to the unconscious players and defeat what I call 'glitch monsters' or monsters that have infinite HP and can only be defeated with the data drain. That is also what most of the other .hack titles involve, little kids trying to save 'the world.' Urg, Retch! Uh, that is... I mean, yay!
The game .hack//G.U. is much darker, and from what I've read, it sounds awesome. Basically it's 2017, 7 years have passed since the end of the original .hack games. ALTIMIT OS has been replaced by ALTIMIT MINE OS and The World is now The World R:2 (WHOO, now those are some Big Changes.) After a group of players set off a Cataclysm (oops) the game lost most of its data and was shut down, until R:2 came along. Because the original "The World" accounts couldn't be recovered the RPG lost many of its origional players, and a new population took over. Ok, in order to understand R:2 here's a reference: Take WoW (which was recently recorded as having 6.6 million paying subscribers) and double it, make all the servers PVP without the aid of alliance and horde groupings, and you've got The World R:2.
It is a bit post apocalyptic, think Mad Max. Instead of players helping each other explore the endless litany of dungeons, the players are busy killing each other and competing to survive. PK (player killers) abound and it's damn hard for an honest gamer to survive. The worst of all is Tri-Edge, a notorious PK who will unhesitatingly and wordlessly destroy any player that crosses his path. However, one day one of his victims falls into a RL coma just after getting PKed, and Tri-Edge draws the attention of Haseo, a famous PKK (Player killer killer.) Unfortunately, not even Haseo can't defeat Tri-Edge and his level 133 character is data drained to level 1 and stripped of all equipment. You heard me right, the bad guy, who looks like an evil twin of Kite, is the one who wields the all powerful Data Drain. Bit of a turn around from the original. So what does it mean to The World that Kite, Shugo and Tri-Edge all have the same character design and all three are chosen to wield the data draining bracelet?
What G.U. stands for is never officially and definitively declared, but supposedly there are 12 or more refrences to things that could be G.U. within the game. True to .hack form //G.U. will not be a single game, but is a trilogy that will be completed over the course of 2007. Also true to form there will be an accompanying anime. According to Newtype
"...the entire experience is more online RPG-like with more action-focused battles, a more robust skills set, and group attacks that get your entire party involved... just pop into a town area or designated battle area out in the field and you'll find scads of PKs for Haseo to hunt down... not to mention an almost startling graphical upgrade."
The first volume is being released this October from Namco Bandai Games for the PS2. If you are too lazy to play the game you can still get to know the characters by watching .hack//Roots an anime currently airing in Japan that covers Haseo's exploits prior to being downgraded.
Here's October, the second month of Tokyopop's fall release schedule.
Note: ! - Means that I have read a previous volume in this series and I liked it (the more "!" the more I liked it) * - Means that there is a review somewhere in the archives.
October Releases: .Hack//Another Birth 2 Ai Yori Aoishi 14 !Angel Cup 2 Avatar: The Last Airbender Cine-manga Beyond the Beyond 2 Blood Sucker 2 Boys of Summer 2 !Broken Angels 3 Daphne in the Brilliant Blue Dragon Head 4 Dragon Voice 7 !!!!DramaCon 2 Earthlight Et Cetera 8 Good Witch of the West GTO: The Early Years - Shonen Junai-Gumi 2 I Luv Halloween 3 Judas !Kamichama Karin 5 Kami-Kaze 3 Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Lights Out 5 !Liling-Po 5 Loveless 3 Mitsuki Mihara's: Haunted House !!!!PHD: Phantasy Degree 7 Planet Blood 5 !Platinum Garden 2 !!The Queen's Knight 7 RA-I !RG Veda 7 Snow !Sorcerer Hunters 7 Steady Beat 2 !Threads of Time 8 Tramps Like Us 10 !Ultra Cute 4 Welcome to the NHK
The manga I'm going to check out in October are Snow, DramaCon, PhD: Phantasy Degree, The Good Witch of the West, Earthlight, Queen's Knight and RA-I.
I have already read previous volumes of DramaCon, PhD and Queen's Knight. I am super really excited that they are all being released this month. I will be checking the shelves of the nearest bookstores at least once a week for these mangas.
From what I can tell, Snow is a tounge and cheek sci-fi comedy about planetary domination and decimation. The Good Witch of the West seems to be a manga style fairy tale, Earthlight is a school drama on the moon and RA-I is about a detective who finds a boy with paranormal powers. I'll have to get back to you later in October with reviews of each of these manga and what I thought.
Although none of you know this, because the ‘cast hasn’t been posted yet, Ninja and I had a conversation yesterday about anime hair colors and the personalities typically associated with each color. We also argued about which color, purple or red, is better. Ninja loves purple haired anime men, and I go for the redheads.
So I started taking Quizilla “What Color is Your Anime Hair?” online quizzes like crazy to see the descriptions for each hair color. Did you know that there are literally hundreds of versions of that test? It was not easy, and I got a whole lot of totally wrong or made up personality descriptions. I’ve edited it down to the basic colors and the personality traits I’ve seen them display. I’ll start with the typical “normal” colors and then get into the more bizarre shades. I’ve had to divide the post into two parts because it ended up being a two page word document. I don’t know about all of you guys, but my eyes glaze over if I try to read a page with that much text. I’ll post the second part tomorrow, so stay tuned.
Black/Brunette: The basic colors. These colors are the default setting for Japanese characters, indicating traditional everyday characters. Usually, if the main character has black or brown hair they are an everyman, someone the typical Japanese person can relate to. These colors indicate a proper and polite character, someone who is honest and straightforward. These characters usually show great physical or moral strength and intense dedication to loved ones. (Tomoyo Cardcaptor Sakura, Yuri Kyo Kara Maoh, Ryu Argentosoma) Note: Ryu was in a horrible accident and now half of his hair is silver, he is also no longer mentally stable and some of his actions could be considered villainous. His personality is literally half black and half silver.
Blonde: As I mentioned black and brown are the default settings for Japanese characters, but as anime becomes more of a global phenomenon blonde has been showing up more and more as well. Unsurprisingly blondes are usually of foreign descent, or if they are Japanese they are a delinquent kogal. There are several blonde archetypes, what’s important to remember is that blondes ALWAYS mean trouble. In general blonde characters are elegant, beautiful and are associated with nobility or aristocratic manners, but have flawed personalities. The two typical blonde types are the airhead and the conniving bitch. The air-headed blonde is playful and ditzy, but clumsy to the extreme. The conniving bitch is vain, scheming and manipulative. Either way they mean trouble. Blonde also means that the character is the focus of chaos and trouble follows him/her. It is possible for a character’s hair to transform to blonde with a great influx of power, usually this is accompanied by a change of eye color. In these cases their personalities are still the same as before. (Vash Trigun, Rosette Chrono Crusade, Chi Chobits, Serena Sailor Moon, All the Sayans DB/DBZ/DBGT)
White/Silver: Ok, here’s a shocker occasionally white hair indicates that the character is old. Yeah, that one surprised me too. On younger characters white or silver hair indicates dignity and skill, usually with hidden spiritual power of immense strength. Spiritual power is traditionally purported to prematurely bleach hair. These characters are very self-controlled and because of emotional difficulties can come off as distant and cold. Although they are incredibly strong these characters avoid fighting. If a character is a white or silver haired bishounen he is typically a villain. White is a stereotypical color for evil in anime and manga. It makes sense to me, blood shows up so much better on white clothing. (Muraki Descendents of Darkness, Sephiroth FF7, Rosiel Angel Sanctuary, Nataku X, Sesshoumaru Inuyasha)
Sorry, I know you're all excited to read about the exotic colors. You're gonna have to wait until tomorrow for that.
Having recently reread my entire manga collection, which is huge, I have decided what my favorite theme is for manga. Unfortunately for me it isn't a very common one.
Alright here it is. I love "demon love" manga. Not "Oh, woe is me. I'm a misunderstood demon who would never actually hurt anyone." but "I AM SATAN, LORD OF DARKNESS PHEAR ME!" I love seeing men who squish souls for a living get all lovvey-dovvey and syrupy.
The typical demon man just doesn't get it. "I love you. I want you. I would do anything for you, but I'm still gonna destroy your town and kill all your friends and anyone else you ever loved." Then he doesn't understand when the girl of his dreams is horrified, terrified and now hates him. "But I did it for you..?" just doesn't seem to cut it.
I have two such series in my collection, three if you count "The Forbidden Game" a trilogy of young adult books by LJ Smith that I've sworn to keep forever. "Seimaden" by Higuri You and "Bride of Deimos" by Etsuko Ikeda and Yuuho Ashibe.
"Seimaden" features Laures and Hilda. In a past life Laures sacrificed himself to the demons to save his love Elis, but the only way to save her from evil was for her to die. Now years later he has found Elis reborn in Hilda, and he loves her as much as he ever did, but he is now a monster that has spent the last few hundred years at war with other demons in order to claim the throne of hell. Unfortunately, by the time Laures found her, Hilda had fallen in love with Rodderick, the last of the Azeilles. So Laures seals Hilda's memories and takes advantage of her amnesia to earn her love.
"Bride of Deimos" is an older manga originally published in 1975, so the art is of an older style. It is about Deimos a young god who fell in love with his twin sister Venus. In punishment for their sins the king of all gods, Jupiter, turns Deimos into a demon and gives him the title God of Fear while Venus is consigned to rot in the land of the dead. The only chance has Venus is for Deimos to find her reincarnation. Enter Minako. Only problem is Deimos starts to fall in love with Minako and refuses to forcefully take her to hell. Instead he sets out to make her accept that she is his destined bride.
I highly recommend both manga, but out of the two I prefer "Seimaden". It is more modern and less of a horror manga. "Seimaden" is a lot less gory than "Bride of Deimos." It has genuinely cute parts, whereas "Bride of Deimos" is most definitely a horror manga and by no means cute. Laures spends his time showing his softer side, but Deimos chooses to convince Minako by threatening her and showing her all the horrors of the world. "Bride of Deimos" reads like a graphic novel of "Are You Afraid of the Dark" crossed with "The Twilight Zone." It is much more of an episodic manga where "Seimaden" has story flow from one chapter to the next.
"Bride of Deimos" is published by ComicsONE and has 17 volumes. I don't believe it has been entirely published in English yet, although the series has been completed.
"Seimaden" is published by CMX Manga, the manga section of DC Comics. Seven volumes have been published as of right now, but the series isn't finished yet.
Actually, I basically just heart vampires, so when I saw that Trinity Blood was going to be on Adult Swim Fix [the AS video streaming stuff that they do each Friday with new items being posted at 6pm EST] I about bit through my own lip. I have never seen this series, only read about it online and tried tracking it down via the naughty naughty way with absolutely no luck. =/
But yet again, AS has come to my rescue and is about to start airing episodes of Trinity Blood via the web starting today! If I needed another thing to help me kick off the weekend this sure would be it.
I'm not trying to hype this up ok, [not intentionally anyways] but it's just nice to see some new anime appearing in places that I can get a hold of it. I mean, Magic and Panda have all kinds of exposure to all things anime and have seen so many different things in the anime genre, but it's still all really new to me. I don't know diddly about mangas, haven't been to an anime con yet, never cosplayed, don't have a subscription to New-Type, hell I've never seen all of Miyasaki-san's movies...so I tend to get really excited when series that I've barely [or never] heard of that Panda or Magic haven't mentioned around me before show up somewhere that I get to watch them.
The basic line of the series focuses around the Vatican's secret weapon against vampires: a man named Abel Nightroad who's no mere human. [hint, hint] If you bounce over to the AS Trinity Blood page you can get the low down on what's going down, but the characters look great so I'm in. I'll try anything once.
I have no idea if Trinity is going to be good or not, but I'm looking forward to the experience.
The other day I was watching one of those crime shows, I dunno which one I've forgotten, and one of the characters said "You can tell a lot about a person by their car." I think everyone here at ESH should get to know each other better. So here's the deal go out to the garage or driveway and see what's in or on your car that says something about you. Give us a brief list of the items and describe how they give a peek into your life and personality.
I'll start:
In my '95 Toyota Camry: - Handful of Manga (Can't Lose You 1,2 - Magical Miracle 2) What can I say I need my fix, whenever and wherever I can even goin' 60 MPH in traffic. I have manga stashed everywhere.
- July Issue of Imagine FX(awesome graphic design mag. from the UK)I don't have the software/hardware or skill to do this stuff but I can dream.
- Mercedes Lackey's Burning Brightly (Book) My current favorite author. Check her oouuwwt!
- Twix/York/Beef Jerky/TicTac Packages I have very unhealthy eating habits and I'm fixated on certain foods. (I am eating a York peppermint patty as I type this.)
- Various School Stuff I am currently a student at North Shore Community College, other parking stickers indicate former studentship at UMass Amherst and Salem State College. A plethora of folders strewn around the back seat indicates that I enjoy organizing and appearing organized, but am in fact a slob.
- Bookstore Bags I spend more money than is healthy on books, and my parents don't like it. I have learned that if I don't come home with a shopping bag my parents assume I had the stuff with me when I left the house. ::Sneakedy Sneak goes Magic::
What does your car, moped or tricked out bicycle say about you?
Ok, this has nothing to do with anime, manga or video games, but I wanted to share it anyways because I have a rant to go along with it and you are the only people willing to listen to me rant...
Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray barb to the heart. To see the full story click here.
Everyone's all oh, my what a tragedy, that poor man, what a horrible way to die etc. I just want to say WHAT IN THE HELL DID YOU THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN?!?!?!?! The guy made money by habitually pissing off dangerous wild animals. That's not a career where you can retire at the ripe old age of 65, it's a career that kills you. I will honestly admit that I watched a few of his shows and sat there rooting for the irked animals, cheering them on and hoping that they'd take off a finger or hand. Steve was making a documentary of the Worlds Most Dangerous Animals. If he had been making a living filming the worlds fluffiest domesticated animals this wouldn't have happened. I highly doubt you could possibly get into a profession this dangerous without knowing that it was going to kill you. The only people who do this kind of stuff are masochistic, suicidal, or incredibly stupid. I suspect Steve Irwin was a person who wanted to die young and be famous for his death.
If you're the type of person who wants to look like one of the cool kids in school and hide your Calculus textbook deep inside an open Manga, you can now come out in the open about your love for Calculus and Manga.
Don't get me wrong. I don't want to get off on the wrong foot by inferring that this isn't a good book about calculus. It just makes a lousy journalism primer. I can just imagine that the result would be about the same if it were a Manga about teaching math graduates how to write.
No joking here folks, the heavens themselves moved in order to get Milk-chan from Ultimate Quest on 
The ladies aren't playing around in 
It's Monday once again so that means it's time for a new episode of the ESH podcast, and this episode the gals talk both anime and game as well as recap some previous podcast episode stuff.
From perception issues with being black, female, and down with the technology stuff to how to best take advantage of when the StayPuft Marshmallow Man finally comes to claim his puffy vengeance. Normally at this time I would hit you with the list of titles we didn't use, but what is most important is getting down to the good stuff. 
It's the story about a MagicMystik who wasn't listening, a Ninja making profane T-shirts for children and a Panda who just couldn't wait. You might think of it as 
Baseball has never looked so 
This is no ordinary virus though. Anyone who is exposed to it has a very limited time before they turn to stone. In a desperate attempt to save humanity, a portion of the worlds population is locked into cryogenics so that they can be freed once a cure has been found. The only problem is that when they wake up, things are not exactly what they were expecting.
First off, it's 
Our friend, Tim Beedle over at Tokyopop heard the podcast where I raved about how much I loved Priest, and suggested this title to me.
The really interesting thing about this series is the division of Shinjyurou's world from everyone else. He intimately understands death and the emotions that stem from it, but he seems to have difficulty with the living. He craves the touch of warm flesh and is an incorrigible womanizer, always bringing home different women, but the person he most wants to be with, he never approaches.
Poor Pandalicious and MagicMysticGrl had to deal with NinJaSistah after she had downed an 
When most people think of American comicbooks they think of individual issues that are only 20 or so pages long and superheroes dressed up in tights with their underwear on the outside. That's like thinking manga only comes in the monthly magazines and characters only dress in sailor uniforms. Comics are also released in graphic novel form and depending on the story can be hundreds of pages long on any and all topics. Comics are where I got into sequential art, they were my gateway drug to the addiction that is manga. It's high time I got back to my roots. 
for instance. He's one of the oldest and most famous superheroes out there. He was created in 1932 and has had a littany of writers and artists working on his story since then. The character has been reinvented again and again, and placed in every concievable situation. He has had tv shows, movies, radio serials, video games and all manner of memorabilia designed and based on him. Comics trade on the fact that people want to read stories about familiar characters, not accustom themselves to new characters every time they want to read something. A comic called Witchblade had an anime based on it. Imagine if you could continue to read new stories about your favorite manga character for the next 74 years, rather than having to come to terms with the fact that their story is over and you will never see them again.
So, starting on Monday, in the podcast, I will be reviewing American graphic novels. I'll be bridging the gap between manga and comics with Death: At Death's Door a manga based on the Sandman comic series.
The manga is RE:Play by Christy Lijewski, the creator of the runner-up story 'Doors' from Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga Vol 3. If you are looking for something great to read, this is it. RE:Play has bands, vampires, homeless guys, cross-dressers, amnesiacs, angry exes, more 'haute couture' than Rail can shake his fork at and it's funny too. 
I really love Christy's work, of the Rising Stars of Manga stories I have read 'Doors' is by far my favorite. She has the ability to make all of her characters lifelike and cool beyond belief, as I read RE:Play I find myself wishing that I was friends with the band. The storyline is tight, with even amounts fun, drama, character development and flashbacks of sordid pasts. The art is amazing as well. Each character has a distinct style and a variety of outfits are seen for each of them. Christy designs her own clothing and her personal style and design sense comes through loud and clear with the outfits she has put together for the book. There are no school uniform cop-outs or characters that have closets full of one single outfit. Cree, Izsak and company are living breathing Laundromat visiting people.
The story itself transitions beautifully. If it weren't for the artists' note from Kara and the change of the writers name on the cover of the book I never would have guessed that the series was any different. I was initially going to write a simple review of the Demon Diary series and talk about how cool it was, but when I picked up the first volume to start re-reading it, I realized that there was one last loose end that Yun Hee missed. At the very beginning of the first chapter there is a scene that is never explained. 
In today's news:
The manga I'm going to check out in October are Snow, DramaCon, PhD: Phantasy Degree, The Good Witch of the West, Earthlight, Queen's Knight and RA-I.
"Seimaden" features Laures and Hilda. In a past life Laures sacrificed himself to the demons to save his love Elis, but the only way to save her from evil was for her to die. Now years later he has found Elis reborn in Hilda, and he loves her as much as he ever did, but he is now a monster that has spent the last few hundred years at war with other demons in order to claim the throne of hell. Unfortunately, by the time Laures found her, Hilda had fallen in love with Rodderick, the last of the Azeilles. So Laures seals Hilda's memories and takes advantage of her amnesia to earn her love. 
I highly recommend both manga, but out of the two I prefer "Seimaden". It is more modern and less of a horror manga. "Seimaden" is a lot less gory than "Bride of Deimos." It has genuinely cute parts, whereas "Bride of Deimos" is most definitely a horror manga and by no means cute. Laures spends his time showing his softer side, but Deimos chooses to convince Minako by threatening her and showing her all the horrors of the world. "Bride of Deimos" reads like a graphic novel of "Are You Afraid of the Dark" crossed with "The Twilight Zone." It is much more of an episodic manga where "Seimaden" has story flow from one chapter to the next. 
MMM vampire anime. I heart vampire anime.
