Moe Can Change! still looks pretty moe to me

25 minutes ago - 12:00 PM on 05.21.2012   |   Bob Muir

For the record, no, I do not think moe can actually change into something palatable to my tastes. Rather, Moe Can Change! is the name of an upcoming OVA from Frontier Works based on Ambition's game of the same name. The original game is a "playful bishoujo Miroid-raising/clothes-changing moe game" in which the player must raise and dress android girls as part of a beta test program. Takeo Takahashi (Spice and Wolf) is directing.

There's a new promo for the character Kanna Moegi (Rina Hidaka), and an older promo below for Chie Kiyan (Emiri Kato). The DVD is coming out on May 25 in Japan, after some "production issues" delayed it from its initial ship date of April 26.

[Via ANN]

Docomo's NERV smartphone captures the Evangelion feel

1 hour ago - 11:00 AM on 05.21.2012   |   Josh Tolentino

And that's both in the "It looks like it could be in the next Rebuild movie," sense, as well as the "Evangelion is merchandising incarnate so why the hell not a sweet phone" sense. That latter sense is the one most likely to ensure that docomo's new Evangelion smartphone (based on Sharp's Aquos SH-06D) will end up conspicuously placed in someone's had during Evangelion 3.0, whenever that hits screens.

Still, I think it looks great. The outer case of the SH-06D NERV (its actual model name) resembles one of the skyscraper-sized weapon lockers that house Eva-scaled guns in the series, and the Android-based interface would not look out of place if it were plastered on a 500-foot-wide holo screen being stared at impassively by Commander Ikari himself.

The stark amber, red, and green color scheme makes the UI stand out from the rest of the mobile world's Metros, iOS's and Ice Cream Sandwiches, and the phone also comes with "Magi", a glasses-free 3D launcher menu. It even displays in that particular font the show uses that made everything seem somehow more dramatic and urgent whenever it was used. The only thing that would make it more Evangelion would be if it had exactly 5 minutes of battery capacity. That, or if it were shaped like Rei and had blue hair and knew your mother.

That is one sweet phone that I will never have, since the damn thing is exclusive to Japan, and limited to thirty thousand units. Well, I'm sure some intrepid souls will at least come up with an Android UI hack that will duplicate the look, at least. I hope.

Type Moon isn't done with Mahou Tsukai no Yoru just yet

2 hour ago - 10:00 AM on 05.21.2012   |   Elliot Gay

I'm only a few hours into Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, Type Moon's latest visual novel for the PC, but it's been a fantastic ride thus far. The production values are above and beyond anything that TM has ever produced, and the whole game just feels classy. English fans should definitely look forward to the eventual fan translation. 

Looks like TM isn't done with Mahou Tsukai just yet either, as they are working on two more games in what is now a trilogy. Some eagle eye'd fans might recall an announcement quite some time ago that they were aiming to make this a series of three games; looks like they weren't kidding.

All you Tsukihime fans can rest easy, as Nasu confirmed that production on the remake is still moving along, even with two more Mahou Tsukai games being developed.

Aoko Aozaki has been an incredibly interesting protagonist to follow thus far so this news fills me with great delight. Here's to hoping it doesn't take forever before we see some of these games.

[via Siliconera]

Pokemon: Black and White! season 2 could be way better

3 hours ago - 9:00 AM on 05.21.2012   |   Bob Muir

Normally, I wouldn't consider posting about the promo for the latest season of the Pokemon anime. But since we were treated to such an awesome promo for Pokemon Black & White 2 last week, it seems only fitting to post the promo for Pokemon: Black and White! season 2, or Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes! season 2 in Japan.

I won't deny that this latest season looks more dynamic than many of the original seasons I watched growing up. Animation aside, this season is set to feature Team Rocket Boss Giovanni, Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, and the return of Dawn from the Pokemon Diamond & Pearl era. Ash and company are traveling to East Unova to fight in the Pokemon World Tournament Junior Cup so that he can challenge Unova Champion Alder. Plus, the legendary pokemon Meloetta will appear before starring in an upcoming short film.

But even with those somewhat interesting elements, I would much rather see an anime adaptation along the lines of Pokemon Black & White 2's promo. I'm not sure the higher-ups at The Pokemon Company would want to ditch Ash, who is probably going to be starring in the Pokemon anime forever. But if we can't get that, can we at least get a mini-series or OVA?

[Via Bulbanews]

Japanator Recommends: FMA: The Sacred Star of Milos

4 hours ago - 8:00 AM on 05.21.2012   |   Elliot Gay

I think it goes without saying that most animated films based off of long running properties often times fall flat on their face. If the source material is an ongoing series, the film can't take too many chances lest it screw up the canon continuity. On the flip side of this, even if the source material has long been completed, the production team has to be extremely careful with how they tackle the characters so as to not leave a bad taste in fans' mouths. An easy way to get around this seems to be simply doing a recap film or telling an alternate story altogether, thus freeing up the filmmakers to do whatever craziness they want. The problem with that is the characters tend to not feel like themselves, meaning the emotional attachment to the story being told isn't as strong as it could be.

It also doesn't help that not every franchise has a world developed well enough to make a random adventure all that interesting; the early Naruto films are especially guilty of this. Franchise films typically fall back on bringing in a film-only character (often a child), who gets very little actual development but still seems to steal the spotlight anyway. 

It's a fine juggling act that more than often doesn't work, which is probably why I came away from Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos so surprised.

It's actually good. I know, I'm still in a state of disbelief too.

A look at the pretty concept art for the next Tales game

14 hours ago - 10:00 PM on 05.20.2012   |   Elliot Gay

With the reveal of Namco Bandai's latest Tales game inching closer and closer, new concept art and interviews have begun to trickle out via Famitsu. According to the site, the game will be a mothership title, though it remains to be seen which console it will be released for. Additionally, it'll take place in a more modern world, which is something of a first for the franchise; Tales of Xillia got very close in some respects but still held back retained its fantasy roots. Finally, we know that the theme of the game is "Are you prepared to destroy the world for a girl?"

While this is all information that's been floating around for a few weeks now, we do get a beautiful series of concept images, showing various locations and things that might find their way into the final game. I like the idea of a railroad system; I imagine it'd be a cool way to get around the inevitably massive game world. I'm also fascinated by the idea of exploring a huge HD Tales city. Here's to hoping they're able to actually make that a reality.

Check out the images below and let us know what you think!

[via Famitsu]

Shonen Showdown 5-20-2012

15 hours ago - 9:00 PM on 05.20.2012   |   Josh Tolentino

Is that a gigantic snake-man head growing out of your torso, or are we just happy to see you? Does it matter? This is Shonen Showdown!

We're fully endowed with hot n' heavy recaps from the week's latest and greatest in fighting anime and manga, including Fairy Tail, Bleach, One Piece, Naruto, and Hunter x Hunter! So get on to reading up on what happened in 2D people beating up other 2D people and/or monsters.

Final Impressions: OZMA

20 hours ago - 4:00 PM on 05.20.2012   |   Salvador G-Rodiles

As most of you have already noticed, OZMA was intended to be released as a six episode series. Six episodes sure go by really fast when you think about it, and the spring anime season hasn't even ended yet. 

Before I ramble any further, let's get ready to dive into the sands of OZMA's world as we find out if the series manages to deliver the proper closure to Leiji Matsumoto's newest creation. 

Persona 4's Naoto gets a spinoff novel, new hairdo

12:00 PM on 05.20.2012   |   Josh Tolentino

In the years since it hit the PS2, Persona 4 made quite the rounds. There's been a Persona 4 anime, a Persona 4 manga, a Persona 4 fighting game, and soon a Persona 4  portable remake. Now you can add "novel" to that list, as Atlus have started the presses on a new spin-off Persona light novel series.

It's called "Persona 4 x Detective Naoto" and stars ace detective Naoto Shirogane, the only member of the original Investigation Team with actual detective experience (and a gun license). Taking place a year after the events of Persona 4 (and six months after the events of Persona 4 Arena, assuming that's canon), the story will feature Naoto at a new school in a new town, investigating a rash of mysterious disappearances, as well as sporting a haircut that cannot have been grown in just a year. Besides those tidbits and a release window of next Spring, few other details are available. Check out a shot of Naoto's new design and Kamen Rider-sized motorcycle in the gallery. Forgive the resizing, as the image currently available is at a resolution friendly only to Japanese cellphones.

Now, there's good reason to be suspicious of most game "tie-in" properties, but at least with this one it's not going to be yet another retelling of the main story.

Thanks to Jonathan for the tip!

Dr. Hell beware, Aniki is searching for missing Pilder

4:00 PM on 05.19.2012   |   Salvador G-Rodiles

So you thought that you could get away with stealing Mazinger's Pilder, Dr. Hell? Little did you know, Kouji Kabuto has allies all over Japan, and they are pushing hard to ensure that Mazinger will be back in action. 

Back to reality, there was a replica of Kouji's Hover Pilder that was created in 1997 for the Robonation Super Live event, which gets borrowed by fans through a lottery that takes place after the event. So we can assume that one of the fans either had the Pilder robbed, lost in some sort of incident, or decided to keep it to themselves. 

The "aniki" of anime music aka Ichiro Mizuki is on the case and his goal is to make sure that the Hover Pilder is returned on time for the 40th anniversary of Mazinger Z -- it's moments like these that make me proud to be a fan of Ichiro Mizuki. 

If any of you that live in Japan manage to come across any information related to the Pilder's whereabouts, you can email the people of Toei at mazingerZ40th@toei-video.co.jp. There is also a reward for those who succeed in fulfilling Toei's goal. 

[via ANN]

Live in London? Rock out with ShiftyLook and Tim Sheehy

1:00 PM on 05.19.2012   |   Brad Rice

Londonites! Intrepid Europeans! Are you going to MCM next weekend? If so, we've got a bit of a surprise for you:

The one and only Tim Sheehy will be there.

That's right. Tim Sheehy. The one and only slurper. He's a part of the ShiftyLook team, and they're hosting a Live Chat Show on Saturday, May 26th with music, guests, the whole shebang. Specifically, they have the band Area 11, which bills themselves as "gaijin rock."

That's right. Tim Sheehy and gaijin rock.

What more could you ask for in a show? Nothing. So go ahead and sign up for the free event, already. You will not regret it. And bring some vodka for Tim, if you can.

Go West! Week Fifteen: Tales of eternal punishment

10:00 AM on 05.19.2012   |   Elliot Gay

Long time no see, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to Go West!, your weekly update on the latest import games out of Japan. Where the hell have I been these past two weeks you ask? Fair question! If you follow my twitter, you'll probably have noticed that I was tweeting a lot about Golden Week a few weeks ago. Well, Golden Week is a series of Japanese holidays that result in children buying lots of video games and stores making lots of money. Unfortunately for all of us, there are no new releases that week, rendering Go West! a moot point. Likewise, last week saw absolutely nothing hit store shelves, so I figured it'd be best to wait until now. So on that note, sorry to keep you waiting!

Unfortunately, this week isn't exactly packed with awesome releases but there is a single ray of light in the darkness. Atlus swoops in to save the day, while other publishers are content with pushing out more visual novel ports than you can shake a flaming pretzel at.

Everyone's favorite 'Overlooked Gem of the Week' makes a return with a title that I'm sure nobody here was expecting to see. Probably. Maybe?

Follow me after the break as we reach out to the truth together.