games  anime  toys
Japanator is anime news, community, videos & geeky J-stuff. Updated daily!   Sign up to comment or blog    |    Returning? Login

japanator logo


Does New Anime Suck? Well You See, It's Like Pie...
by EuricaeriS, 03/13/2010
Does New Anime Suck? Well You See, It's Like Pie... photo

[Editors Note: This is a promoted Community Blog, written by one of our readers in response to March's Monthly Musing topic. If you would like to see your own Cblog on the front page, warm up your keyboard and write something awesome! ~Jon Snyder]

We all know already that the answer to the question is going to be an opinion. The opinion of someone you have never met or the opinion of yourself. I took a step backwards, had a look at anime these days and had an epiphany. A conclusion to the ‘does new anime suck’ question can be achieved by grinding the shows down and simply asking yourself, how much do you like pie?

Anime these days is quite alike to a pastry laden with delicious goodness. The problem we face today is that not everyone likes the same things you do. I dislike chocolate ice cream, but that is not to say that everyone hates it. If you do not like a slice of pie, then not everyone dislikes that slice of pie. Unless it’s Akikan flavoured pie. That stuff is nasty. 

I digress. 

You can slice this anime pie into five glorious pieces. A word of warning to you pastry lovers out there: these slices are so potent that you may only have to take a few bites to be fully satisfied. Remember, it is dangerous to go alone. Pie is always enjoyed with your other, pie loving friends.


view full story & comments

  13 comments Latest by undyingstorm
"Can't have pie without cool hwhip! xD but seriously nice article! And now i demand pie!"...read more

Gallery Images:
Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo


Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer titled as such
by Josh Tolentino, 03/13/2010
Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer titled as such photo

Such is the name of the new Gundam 00 movie, scheduled to come out this September.

"Wakening" is apparently a real word, though I don't know why they decided to use "A Wakening" instead of "Awakening," since they mean the same thing. Then again, Gundam naming conventions rarely make sense. Oh, Sunrise!

The movie continues the storyline of Gundam 00's second season, and of course will feature new mobile suits. Those models won't sell themselves, after all. The highlight will be Setsuna's new Gundam 00 QAN[T]. I'm afraid of what the pronunciation for that last word will be.

In any case, from the looks of things the next 00 looks like the Exia, which is a good thing, because Exia was a pretty cool design. The second-season designs struck me as a little too plain. 

Check out a trailer below. 


view full story & comments

  4 comments Latest by Psycho Soldier
"HNNNNNNNNNGH,I really want to see this movie so bad. Also fuck yes, Tieria Erde is back. So glad that they have him as a meister again."...read more

Gallery Images:
Photo


Vexing Videos: Coke Bathtub Edition
by Jon Snyder, 03/13/2010
Vexing Videos: Coke Bathtub Edition photo

Welcome to Vexing Vidoes, where I post stuff that will blast your sanity into oblivion.

I know, that's a bit different from my usual catchphrase, but this week's first video is one of the weirdest things I have ever seen in my admittedly short tenure as Vexing Videos Czar. Perhaps my inability to understand Japanese is what makes this video so confusingly awesome... or maybe it's the fact that it features someone TAKING A BATH IN FROTHING COCA-COLA. See the video for yourself below the break, if you think your feeble mind can handle it.

Also below, you'll find Hugh Jackman drinking beer, a Microsoft Excel Gundam, animal food stacking, and much more. Special thanks to Benjamin, Wyrmidon and Dustin for contributing to this post. As always, if you have a video you'd like to see featured in a future installment, send it to our tip line with the subject line "Vexing Videos".


view full story & comments

  7 comments Latest by Shin_Ra
"How is it that no one made mention of Stacking Food on pets ?_? That shit was so adorable~~! Made my Day."...read more



 Dragon Ball Z: Superior Manga?
by Karen Gellender, 03/13/2010
Dragon Ball Z: Superior Manga? photo

Tim Rogers' rant about everything that's wrong with Japan over at Kotaku has been up for a while now, and I hadn't been sure what to make of it. It's not the kind of article I feel compelled to direct people to read. It's not the kind of article I feel compelled to disagree with passionately- not having lived in Japan, I'm kind of disqualified to take part in the argument anyway. What I've realized is that the real value of the article isn't so much Rogers' commentary as the interesting discussion that it's provoked- both on Kotaku and elsewhere.

The extent to which Japanese culture has taken a nosedive, if it has at all, is a ridiculous monster of a topic that I won't even attempt to deal with at this time. However, there is a part of this discussion that's immediately relevant to many of us here at Japanator:

Long ago, manga aspired to be like Dragon Ball Z: graphically iconic, with a story more coherent than it probably needed to be. Now there's the ADHD-addled Dragon-Ball-Z-inspired One Piece, a manga for the Twitter age if there ever was one.

                     --Tim Rogers, Kotaku

So the high watermark of Japanese manga was Dragon Ball Z? Of all the things one could have picked, DBZ is now the symbol of a bygone era of artistic superiority? I'm not insulting the works of Akira Toriyama, but really; his standard of reference for superior manga is something that was "more coherent than it probably needed to be?" Does this mean that DBZ was superlative by forfeiting it's genre-derived right to incoherence?

I'm not terribly knowledgeable about this franchise, so I'm going to have to assign some homework for you DBZ scholars out there: How coherent was DBZ? Furthermore, was it more or less coherent than it needed to be, for a given value of coherent? Define your units; show all work.


  17 comments Latest by Mad March Harris
"@ Brett I don't read Kotaku but when I go to a site ostensibly about a specific topic and find frequent posts not even remotely related to that topic then it's a bad thing. I'm not looking for a..."...read more



 Magic Sakura: a cherry blossom party just for your desk
by Karen Gellender, 03/12/2010
Magic Sakura: a cherry blossom party just for your desk photo

Do you like spring? Do you like cherry blossoms? If the answer is no, then why the hell not? I'm trying to think of a reason why anyone wouldn't like cherry blossoms, and I'm drawing a total blank. Therefore, I am going to assume that everyone wants their very own Magic Sakura desktop toy.

With a Magic Sakura, you can get your very own hanami party going on, right next to your computer or your Hatsune Miku dollie, or whatever else you might happen to keep on your desk (that is TOTALLY your business.) Somehow, the "magical" water makes tiny blossoms grow on the miniature tree, simulating the flower-viewing experience. How? It's MAGIC!

Seriously, I don't know if I would go out of my way to buy this sort of thing, but considering the fact that I know I won't be able to go to Japan to see the cherry blossoms bloom this spring, it's nice to know that something like this exists. If you too would like a taste of cherry blossom goodness, Magic Sakura is available for a mere ¥680.

[Via Japan Trends]


  3 comments Latest by Trashed
"Y'know, I think they sell a version of that over here... only it' s christmas tree shaped."...read more



 What's this Railgun doing in my Durarara!!?
by Karen Gellender, 03/12/2010
What's this Railgun doing in my Durarara!!? photo

As the screenshot above demonstrates, this week's episode of Durarara!! (the ensemble drama that's single-handedly raising the average quality of currently airing anime by several points) features a reference to A Certain Scientific Railgun. While the name of the show isn't mentioned, Mikoto is referred to by her nickname, Biribiri, and if you look really closely, you can even see Mikoto on the cover of the manga that Yumisaki is holding.

You may be wondering: Why is this significant? Yumasaki and Karisawa generally drop more anime references per episode than you can shake a Spice and Wolf standee at. It didn't seem particularly worthy of note when they dropped a Shokugan no Shana reference a few episodes back, so why should a Railgun reference stand out?

Unfortunately, those who have actually watched A Certain Scientific Railgun can probably sense it; it's the urban legend, the curse of Biribiri. Everything that comes in contact with anything remotely Railgun-related becomes amazingly well-animated, and ungodly boring. Mikoto's tiny, emaciated frame is like a harbinger for mediocrity. Sure, Durarara!! is interesting now, but any minute now we could get a swimsuit episode featuring an annoyingly overbearing lesbian crush between the headless Celty and the other Celty; laugh now, it could happen.

You might think that a show of Durarara!!'s pedigree should be above falling victim to the Curse of Biribiri, and the show will continue to kick righteous ass; you might think I'm over-reacting. But I ask of you: Where was Shizuo this week?

Not so funny anymore, is it?

  14 comments Latest by Ronin H. Mentalix
"I loved this episode."...read more



 Gasp! Yakuza 3 cut more content than we thought
by Josh Tolentino, 03/12/2010
Gasp! Yakuza 3 cut more content than we thought photo

We already know how Yakuza 3 is blatantly better than Final Fantasy XIII, but it turns out that it could have been even more blatantly better, because some folks have reported that SEGA cut much more content out of the game than was originally revealed.

It wasn't just the hostess bars and the obscure history trivia minigame that were cut out, it seems that the mahjong, shogi, "loser song" minigames were axed, as well as dozens of side quests. Estimates are placed at about 13% of the content available in the game's first 6 chapters were absent from the English version of Yakuza 3.

And it's not just a problem of most players not knowing what they'll miss. Many of those sidequests were worth experience points and cash used to buy upgrades and items, potentially making the game more difficult or grind-heavy.

I don't really understand why they had to go and do this. Why were they concerned about releasing the game ASAP? Were they in that much of a hurry to get steamrolled by Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III? And it's not as if cutting content suddenly makes an already very Japanese game more appealing to western audiences. After all, it was the constant whining by Japanophiles like myself that convinced them to bring the game over in the first place. Sega's continuing inability to properly gauge its audience is maddening.

All that said, I'm just glad Yakuza 3 is happening at all. There's plenty more content available to play, even with the cuts, and I encourage everyone who's interested to take the plunge. If nothing else, you'll get a good game, and Sega might be convinced to bring Yakuza 4 over in a more complete state.


  20 comments Latest by ikiryou
"Yep, time to break out the Durian attack on Sega. Smell my Durian rage, Sega. "...read more



 Download the new Japan Nite compliation for free!
by Colette Bennett, 03/12/2010
Download the new Japan Nite compliation for free! photo

Japan Nite? Oh yeah, we've gone to that. And taken some photos of the whole shebang. In fact, we plan to go again, as in two weeks it'll all be going down at the annual Japan Nite in Los Angeles, CA this March 27th at the Viper Room. You can catch Tim, Jake and I hanging out that night at the show, so if you live in the area and want to come hang out with some Japanator peeps, come by!

If you're nowhere near the area though, I've got a second option for you: download the Hear Japan compilation of Japan Nite artists for absolutely no cost whatsoever. Eight free tracks are yours for the taking right here. It may not be as good as hanging out with us and rocking out live, but you really can't beat free. Enjoy!


view full story & comments

  2 comments Latest by gakufu
"I love HearJapan's Japan Nite downloads. I always find one band that blows my mind. I really like the riddim saunter mp3 (not the video on the link)."...read more



 Watch carefully: How to be a true manga artist
by Colette Bennett, 03/12/2010
Watch carefully: How to be a true manga artist photo

Do you know what it takes to be a true mangaka? Do you emulate the master artists that draw such fine series as Naruto and Inuyasha? Do you know the pains of drawing boys (and how much harder they are to draw than girls)?

This video is what you need. I promise you, you will be forever changed by watching it.

Hit the video and you will learn the true meaning of a magical phrase like "Do you know how difficult it would be to just draw a bunch of snakes in human form?"


view full story & comments

  36 comments Latest by The Kohn
"We have Cowboy Bebop for crying out loud! This woman has totally captured the feeling of Japan in the American format. By glowing hideously like many a man's hair."...read more



 Viz is hiring for a Financial Analyst!
by Brad Rice, 03/12/2010
Viz is hiring for a Financial Analyst! photo

The financial industry is one that's probably the hardest hit out of all of them in this economy. I know lots of people who used to earn high-paying salaries or do seriously complicated work in the finance world, only to have the rug pulled out from under them. Well, if you're one of them, and are willing to pick up and move to San Francisco, then Viz has the job for you.

They're looking for someone with serious chops -- 7+ years in financial planning, and ideally another 2-4 years as an accountant -- in order to pore over the financial dealings of Viz and help them figure out their budget, profitability and all those other things that require you to develop "complex financial models."

I don't have a great head for math -- that's my father's business -- but I encourage all of you who do to take a look at the listing here, and let us know if you decide to apply! We'll be cheering for you.


post a comment






« OLDER POSTS
« Older posts - Headlines Only


 
Anime news got news? tips@japanator.com



New episode: Japanator Radio 125 GET!

Loading
Loading Videos


    Community Blogs   + post a blog   view all




    TEAM

    Editor-in-Chief
    Brad Rice

    Managing Editor
    Dale North


    Associate Editors
    Chelsea Thompson
    Colette Bennett
    Edward Baylon
    Eva Duenas
    Rio McCarthy
    Tim Sheehy
    Topher Cantler
    Zac Bentz

    Made by

    ModernMethod













    about us and privacy policy