Anime And Manga

Voice of Rozen Maiden's Suiseiseki took break last month due to treatment

Yo guys, I think Butch Gen might be into liberalism. I first had an inkling of this when Psycho Pass introduced us to a world where a bunch of brains in jars told us whether we would be naughty or nice, but boy did they ever make it super obvious in this episode of Gargantia. I do kinda love that Commie fansubs did this episode. This must be the natural trajectory of Butch Gen’s career. Start by brutally killing people, then slowly move away from that and into denouncing them commie scumbags. Someone needs to come up with a new nickname instead of ‘Butcher Gen’. I’m not very good at puns so I don’t think my version of ‘Gen McCarthyism Urabuchi’ will catch on. Leaving aside the politics for a while, I did think this episode was much better written then some of the previous ones. For one, Pinion came off as something other than just a giant walking dick. He demonstrated a bit of humility and I enjoyed his back and forth with the dark skinned girl. I did find it rather weird that the criteria for whether he was allowed handle futuristic space lasers was whether he poked a future Rubik’s Cube with a stick or not. I wonder what the selection process is for hiring chief of engineering. They probably put the candidate in a room with a banana hanging just out of reach and a stick on the ground. I also liked some of the conversations between Ledo and his new commander and them explaining their various positions on how they approached the natives. The captain probably killed a person or two and demonstrated the awesome power of his godlike robot. Ledo’s first actions upon hopping out of the robot was to kidnap a girl and hit her in the bum with a pistol. All right, so maybe you get one tumblr post about how this is yet another example of misogyny in the postal service, but you don’t get a Stalinist Regime born out of it, no matter what your Reddit-stalking, mens’ rights activist might say. Oh yeah, Stalinist regime. I thought Psycho Pass was a bit overt with its themes, but that’s the king of subtlety next to evil religious group serves ridiculously posh meal to upper class as denoted by their ability to poke a cube with a stick. Somehow Sibyl reading your brain scans to determine what job you should be in came off as way easier to swallow a simple magic puzzle test then throwing luxuries at you. Sibyl presented a weirdly compelling argument why it should and could be implemented next to what we had now, and you had to really get to the core of what was important about self-determination to work out your standings on the subject. The author’s position on the subject was obvious from the get-go, but by making the alternative this psychopathic wannabe vigilante, it made you figure out for yourself what about liberalism was important. Gargantia on the other hand presents the issue in a much more black-and-white manner. I appreciate more anime trying to tackle some of these much broader philosophical and politics concepts. Can’t think of the last one we got that wasn’t Butch Gen and was quite as obvious about this. Probably Eden of the East? That show had someone ‘saving the country’ by packing up all the NEETs, stripping them naked and carting them off to Dubai. That’s practically the famous Jonathan Swift ‘A Modest Proposal – Eat the Poor’ analogy. I just wish Gargantia was better at it. I mean, they end the episode by saying they’re going to destroy the happy wonderful capitalist society? I dunno, maybe this is what happens when you get different people to write every episode.

An easy way to win me over: make your backgrounds look like impressionist hell. It’s really not difficult to please me visually at all. The end result of that ride to the police station is a bit curious to me. I’m surprised the rumors didn’t spread like wildfire afterward. Surely someone who works at the station must have a kid who would have heard something vague about what happened that night? Nobody but Saeki’s friend seemed to have any idea that anything happened. The fact that there’s such a tight lid on Saeki going missing seems kind of crazy to me! It doesn’t exactly make everyone involved feel any better about what happened, but still. Also, it seems that Kasuga and Saeki have broken things off amicably, but I bet that doesn’t last once Saeki gets a whiff of Kasuga warming up more to Nakamura. That jealousy should flare up mighty hard. We all want what we can’t have, right? It seems incredible that Saeki could still be jealous of anyone getting close to Kasuga after the night they had, but people have been jealous about way dumber things. If Saeki hops on the jealousy train, and the rumor mill still doesn’t go batshit bonkers, then I will most definitely call bullshit. Back to Kasuga’s dream. I enjoy the super heavy-handed visualization of all the shit weighing him down. For an adult, the night Kasuga had would be pretty embarrassing. It’s safe to say you didn’t have a hot night out if you get picked up by the cops. But as long as nothing major occurred, the aftermath would mostly be, “Wow, that was really stupid. Hope I don’t do that again!” And they’d go on with their lives because they’re old and experienced enough to keep it in perspective. For Kasuga The Middle Schooler, however, this is basically The Worst Night Ever. Saeki and Nakamura both found out he is a fraud. He made his parents incredibly upset; they’re sad and stuff because of him. And, worst of all, he’s dragged back to the town he hates, more convinced than ever that he’ll never escape its vile clutches. Is it any wonder, then, that the visuals of Kasuga’s dream are so overwrought? He’s literally walking through his town as it morphs into some industrial hell from Hideaki Anno’s nightmares while the flowers of evil sprout and watch him all around. It’s bad, but it’s surely not that bad, right?? Well, it’s technically probably the worst thing to happen to Kasuga in his entire life, so yeah, in that context, it is that bad. He can’t conceive of any context in which things could possibly get worse. Thus . . . this. The sheer moroseness of Kasuga’s dream is almost adorable in its own way. The flowers swirling in the air while Nakamura berates Kasuga one last time in his dream is the cherry on top. So then Kasuga has a change of heart. I’m sure it will go swell. Nakamura will be totally accepting of him and they’ll be friends and stuff and live happily ever after. The end. That’s obviously how Kasuga would prefer it to go, but his play at savior will likely not be that smooth. He’s trying to help himself as much as he’s trying to help her. Nakamura would be able to sniff out that bullshit pretty quickly, I imagine. Would it actually matter to her? I dunno. She’s definitely not going to welcome Kasuga with open arms, though, that’s for damn sure. At least not right away. Maybe it would be different if they had a bit of fun. More worrying: Kasuga has left his beloved Baudelaire broken and betrayed. What despair! What despair!

TV anime with original story based on Compile Heart's game franchise premieres on July 12

“That’s what you get for looking at other women” Summary: Team Valvrave discuss how to choreograph their intro dance before every battle The physics teacher Kibukawa decides to reveal more to L-Elf. Due to it’s neutral stance JIOR decided to put all of it’s military resources into developing the Valvraves, a technology that they mastered thanks to mysterious ‘Runes’ which taught them what they needed to know. Apperently Haruto’s unit 01 is special in that it is the only one with the harakiri 666 attack, and also the only one with an eccentric control program. Back at school, the four members of Team Valvrave decide to work together to figure out the limits of their abilities, while Thunder proposes the guys use their powers for eechi instead. “Vote for me, I’m a tool” As Module 77 nears the moon, the current representative teacher Rion realizes that while she is the second eldest, she really does not have the authority to be the representative and proposes elections for Prime Minister. Everyone moves to run including the student council president Satomi and Thunder, while L-Elf decides to oversee the elections. Who knew? L-Elf was a Mac user. Either that or he stole someone’s Macbook Air Back in the Dorssian fleet, the colonel decides to head out the next battle, stating that ‘if we don’t capture a Valvrave, my life will be in danger’ to which everyone is astounded considering he’s the Fuhrer’s right hand man. “Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!” (bonus points if you get this) Meanwhile Shoko decides to stay on the sidelines even as her fellow students urge her to run. Sensing something is wrong, Haruto decides to talk to her in private as he discovers that her father, the JIOR president is missing and likely dead. Pledging to find her father, Haruto manages to cheer Shoko up enough so that she finally decides to run in the election. WHAT THE… …HECK?! As the students listen to everyone’s speeches, Saki approaches Haruto and urges him to give up on Shoko. While Shoko starts her speech on a platform of making sure the school festival goes on in the midst of a war, Haruto loses control of his hunger and attacks Saki. At first Saki lets him, but Haruto soon overwhelms her and proceeds to rape her to satisfy his lust. A while after it is done, Haruto wakes up confused to see a half naked Saki tell her that Shoko has just won the elections. Reaction: Well, I guess there’s a new name for this show… VALVRAPE THE LIBERATOR. That was ridiculously unexpected, both in terms of plot and… IT HAPPENED IN AN “A++ production value” ANIME. I haven’t been this surprised since School Days. Wait, so if Haruto’s hunger manifested while he was with a guy would he have raped the guy? Uh-oh, I can only imagine the yaoi fanfics… wait actually I’d rather not. The rest of the episode was not that interesting. We find out a little bit more about the Valvraves. Since they were created from the runes, theoretically anyone could create one if they found the runes, and perhaps that could explain why the Dorssian colonel knows about it. It’s pretty obvious that when the colonel tells his soldiers that ‘his life will be in danger’ if he doesn’t capture a Valvrave it probably has more to do with his needed the Valvrave to re-energize him or something like that rather than danger from Dorsia. Finally there was the election. Considering it was Shoko’s idea to create an independent nation in the first place, and given her father’s former position there was never any doubt that she’d win. It would have made for a more interesting episode if there were actual doubts, but hey this show is not that deep… it’s ABOUT RAPE. Original article: Valvrave the Liberator 10©2013 Sea Slugs! Anime Blog. All Rights R

Your OreImo web radio efforts have paid off in the form of this kinda-heart-warming message from the producer of the show, Shinichiro Kashiwada. The full message can be read on the JP home page for OreImo S2 but here’s the key excerpt: Every staff and cast member who has been involved in this series has put their hearts and souls into these last 3 episodes of “Oreimo 2,” and we have all been hoping to share these final episodes with as many fans as possible. When we saw so many dedicated fan submissions to the “Oreimo 2 Web Radio Show” from our international fans who watch every week through various streaming services, we knew we had to provide an environment where every fan can watch and experience these final episodes simultaneously. And yeah, it was written bilingually in English and Japanese. Oh, of course, the bigger news is that OreImo OAV streaming for everyone without the time lag. I don’t know, does this obvious acknowledgment of the episodic bubble, the “watch every week” water cooler-style chatter (except it happens mostly online) in which drives this particular niche fandom, mean something after all? And of course, last Thursday was when the latest OreImo S2 radio came up and the hosts did mention the large volume of English-language submissions. I think during the foreign mail segment, there was a letter from Singapore who pretty much dissed Ayachi outright (but he did apologize). There was definitely some internet-tard-y guy who referenced Hanazawa as “Hanakana-chan.” It’s kind of funny I GUESS? There was some Californian-tiger dude with an unique greeting. There was a letter from a Canadian sisters doing real talk about the difference between fujoshi and otaku-ko. Finally (or initially?) there’s this pretty much incomprehensible letter that makes no sense? Can TKTT pronounce “Commander Riker?” The world will never know. Kind of like this simulcast announcement, I think people realize foreign otaku knows their stuff as much as slick Aniplex-types know about the foreign market. At ~5 hours post-tweet, there are about ~1000 RTs for the ep16-18 tweet announcement in Japanese, and about a quarter that for the English version of the same tweet. Does this mean we’re about 1/5? Should I check back in a day? Is it fair to assume our oversea comrades not in Japan would rather RT in Japanese? Does pointless speculations make any sense? But yeah, throw us a bone, even if it’s full of crap like this, we’ll slurp it up gladly. Regardless, it’s always a good time with Hanazawa and Taketatsu. Hopefully next week they will do more foreign viewer mail! Read more about it here and listen to it here! PS. We should all submit tongue twisters in English or something. You know. PPS. Updated count on RT at time of publish is still about the same, 284 to 1180 On 8/18 1PM Japan time, "Oreimo 2" will see a worldwide simulcast for episodes 14-16. http://t.co/oR0GlFI40z pic.twitter.com/YcrnMjsyB7 — ???????????????? (@oreimo_anime) June 18, 2013 ????????????????8/18?13??????????????????????????????????d???????????????????????????http://t.co/eP4F5E2lmB pic.twitter.com/BQHp0DIhfg — ???????????????? (@oreimo_anime) June 18, 2013

The following 2 new entries by Alter are now ready for reservations ^^ Name: Kirigaya Suguha Scale: 1/8 (16cm) Series: Sword Art Online Release Date: November 2013 Retail Price: 7,800 Yen Name: Tanigawa Kanna Scale: 1/8 (23cm) Series: Ano Natsu de Matteru Release Date: November 2013 Retail Price: 8,000 Yen Hobby Search is taking reservations for both as of now. Hmmm~

  I received a press release for Debbie Macomber’s Fan Retreat, and because it sounds like fun, I wanted to share all of the deets.  Check it out: Looking for an easy summer getaway? Grab your girlfriends and head to Nashville for a special weekend with fellow book lovers in one of the South’s most vibrant cities! Held at the exquisite Opryland Resort from August 9–11, Debbie Macomber Fan Retreat offers the perfect way to experience the tastes, sounds and Southern charms of Nashville. Enjoy a weekend of fun without planning a thing Book your hotel room and your Fan Retreat ticket covers the rest! Get ready for an all-inclusive weekend of entertainment: listen to a country music band under the Tennessee stars; hop on a bus tour of Nashville’s landmarks and celebrity homes; dance the night away with friends at the Sock Hop Dinner; and spend time with one of America’s favorite authors, Debbie Macomber. Experience the famed Opryland Resort for less Fan Retreat guests will enjoy Opryland Resort‘s many amenities—luxurious guest rooms, acres of beautiful indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls, three pools to lounge by—all at an exclusive discount, making this the perfect weekend escape. Exclusive perks at Fan Retreat At Fan Retreat you’ll also walk away with tons of swag: early access to Debbie Macomber’s new novel, Rose Harbor in Bloom; and special giveaways from event partners including FitBit, Celestial Seasonings and local favorite, GooGoo Clusters. Plus a one year subscription to ALL YOU. To lighten the load, we’re including a Debbie Macomber tote bag to help bring everything home! Win a Consultation with Publishing Professionals Are you an aspiring writer? Sign up for the Fan Retreat between now and June 30th and your entered to win a consultation with a member from Debbie’s Random House publishing team. Meet with someone from editorial, marketing, or publicity to get an in-depth look at what goes on at a major publishing house and tips on how to navigate it all. For more information on Debbie Macomber Fan Retreat and tickets, go to MacomberRetreat.com.

Despite the strangely immense popularity, I'll freely admit I never quite understood the internet's obsession with Steins;Gate's Makise Kurisu. While I have my own misgivings, I'm sure fans will be jumping to grab her upcoming figma, and at least my love for girls in long coats--lab or otherwise--makes her a little appealing. That said, if you know Makise, you know this figma. She's pretty standard, as her design doesn't tend to vary much, and her typical less-than-girly getup and plain brown hair are unmistakable. It doesn't seem that she comes with any accessories unfortunately, so all you'll get are a few extra facial expressions--including a rather off-putting smile. While she may be on the simple side, you'll still be waiting until November to cough up her ¥3,030 asking price. [ Pre-order at HobbyLink Japan | Hobby Search | AmiAmi | CD Japan | J-List ] Read more...

Takanori Aki, Hiroaki Matsuura, Max Watanabe to appear on panel with huke