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Imagawa drops out of Sakura-con appearance
by Brad Rice, 03/15/2010
Imagawa drops out of Sakura-con appearance photo

Sorry, Sakura-con fans. Hate to break the news to you, but your 2010 convention has just gotten a little less awesome. Yasuhiro Imagawa, the director of G Gundam, has decided to pull out of the event so that he can get to work on a new project, according to the updated Sakura-con website.

I'm hoping and praying for G Gundam 2, or however they decide to write it. GG Gundam? G Gundam!!? Best Show Ever, Gundam Fans? I'll watch it, whatever it is.

So, we'll have to wait once again for Mr. Imagawa to appear (he dropped out of Anime Weekend Atlanta last year) on the US for all of us to thank him for his glorious work.

[Image via MAHQ]


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 Rock the charts: Japan's box office numbers 3/06 - 3/12
by Brad Rice, 03/15/2010
Rock the charts: Japan's box office numbers 3/06 - 3/12 photo

Welcome to another edition of Rock the Charts, where we check out the latest information in the Japanese box office! This week, Doraemon debuts in the South Sea, meeting up with all sorts of historical and popular characters -- and even gets kidnapped by the crew of the Black Lagoon! It's no surprise that Japan's most lovable cartoon character took the top slot, but what about the rest of the charts?

1. Doraemon: Nobita's South Sea Adventure. 1st week, pulling in $6.12 million.
2. Liar Game: The Final Stage. 1st week, pulling in $4.33 million.
3. Avatar. 11th week, pulling in $3.45 million.
4. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. 2nd week, pulling in $2.04 million.
5. The Princess and the Frog. 1st week, pulling in $1.02 million.
6. Oceans. 7th week, pulling in $619k.
7. Saru Lock the Movie. 2nd week, pulling in $546k.
8. The Hurt Locker. 1st week, pulling in $492k.
9. Younger Brother. 6th week, pulling in $465k.
10. The Fallen Angel. 3rd week, pulling in $415k.

Not surprisingly, The Hurt Locker made its debut in Japan following its win for Best Motion Picture at the Oscars, although it came out with less-than-stellar response. That's most likely due to Japan's lack of interest in the Iraq War, as well as the fact that foreign dramas tend to do poorly in Japan.


  1 comments Latest by nortonantivirus
"No more Haruhi. QQ!"...read more



 Annotated Anime: Winter 2010 Week 10
by Jon Snyder, 03/15/2010
Annotated Anime: Winter 2010 Week 10 photo

Not much to say this time around, except...

WE HAVE A FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD RECAP NOW! Thanks, Ben! Now all we need to do is add Naruto and Bleach recaps, and we'll be set for life!

Anyhoo, you know the drill. Anime recaps below the break, in-depth discussion in our forums, watch out for spoilers, so on and so forth. Enjoy!


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  9 comments Latest by Setre
"Only watched Durarara!! this week don't know if I'll bother watching anything else. We'll see."...read more

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The Hypocrisy of Moe
by The Lost Horizon, 03/14/2010
The Hypocrisy of Moe photo

[Whoa! This Cblog has certainly ignited some passionate debate. Let's promote it to the front page and give all our readers a chance to weigh in on the issue of moe hypocrisy. If you'd like to start a debate of your own, head over to the Cblogs and start writing!]

I present to you the hypocrisy of moe. 

The case? Current Vocal Otaku Fanbase V. Moe

The plaintiff, the Vocal Otaku Fanbase. 

They are claiming that unchecked use of "moe" in the current anime market is destroying said anime market.

The defendant, moe. 

Claims that it has existed since a sentient being first thought that something was "cute" or "charming". 

For the sake of the case we will look at moe in the case of the last 30 years and then within the last decade.


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  41 comments Latest by Heero Yuy
"I'm going to put aside the argument of whether moe is "good or bad" for a moment in favor of something that I think is a more important underlying issue for which this argument is a result of: Is..."...read more

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Does New Anime Suck? A clash of the generations
by Mandril, 03/14/2010
Does New Anime Suck? A clash of the generations 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]



Hey Grandma! How's it hanging?

Have you seen the first episode of Gundam Unicorn? That shit's fucking amazing! Judging from the title, I thought this was going to be some sort of gay ballet show filled with rainbows, explosions of pink smoke and the like. Well, it turns out this show is pretty promising after all. At first I thought: Robots are great, but why does he have such a huge erect penis attached to his head? Doesn't that take the whole "Real Robot" genre a bit too far? But then in the end the unicorn horn turned into his eyebrows, and eyebrows are serious and manly. Also, it features a princess that is actually a capable and strong individual - they don't dwell on that "weak innocent princess that needs protection" shit.
Thanks to this episode I can now safely state that Gundam is totally sweet, without having seen any of the other old and rotten series in the franchise. I'm a big fan!



 


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  15 comments Latest by Heero Yuy
"An amusing presentation between the two extremes with some good humor. Nice job!"...read more



 Featured Fan Art: Banjoo
by Josh Tolentino, 03/14/2010
Featured Fan Art: Banjoo photo

Welcome to Featured Fan Art, the weekly spotlight that adds to your ever-growing repository of "Images to Reproportion for Wallpaper-size".

Today's featured fan artist is known as "Banjoo." Banjoo's body of work is not particularly large or hugely remarkable but for the fact that he (or she) is one of a relative minority of Pixiv illustrators making Halo fan art, with one incredible exception.

The true soul of Banjoo's illustrating career lies in a parody series titled Harusona 4. As you might infer from the title, it's probably a Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi and Persona 4 mashup, but it's more than that. The Haruhi cast's personae blend together voice-actor jokes, cosplay, mythological references, puns, and visual signs from all across anime culture. It's a challenge just to examine the images and try to dissect which bits refer to what series or meme, and may someday be a reasonably accurate barometer of just how much of an otaku one is.

Can you spot the in-jokes?

Oh, and there are some mecha drawings in there, too. 


  8 comments Latest by Yaku
"Ryoko's and Kyon's are my favourites! (meganekko Kyon FTW!)"...read more

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Masters of Japanese film: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
by Colette Bennett, 03/14/2010
Masters of Japanese film: Kiyoshi Kurosawa photo

Everyone's seen a Japanese film or two in their day that isn't animated, but as a fan of Japanese culture, you may not know where to begin. It can be a little overwhelming, after all -- do you start with American horror remakes and trace it back to the source film? Or do you rent every Akira Kurosawa film ever made and educate yourself on that?

I'd like an opportunity to introduce you to the Japanese films you should be watching, and Masters of Japanese Film will allow me to do just that. There are many directors making films that are not to be missed, and this will present you with a guide to who they are, what films you need to check out, and even the films to skip!

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is best known for his j-horror offerings, but if you kept watching after that time period, his work offers an even more riveting experience for the viewer. Hit the jump to learn a bit more about the man behind films such as Cure, Kairo and Tokyo Sonata.


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  4 comments Latest by Violet Gray
"As much as I could love the plot and storyline of japanese movies I can't watch most of them as I get motion sickness from the shaky cameras. Off topic: happy that the past 6 months of studying ..."...read more

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College students, go on tour with TokyoPOP this summer
by Josh Tolentino, 03/14/2010
College students, go on tour with TokyoPOP this summer photo

If you're in college and don't have anything better to do this summer, why not shack up with TokyoPOP?

The company's holding a big ol' summer internship tour, and you might get the chance to go on the road with 'em.

Check out this page to learn more about the Digital Media Production and Marketing Internship, which will be taking place from May 28th to September 6th. If you get it, you'll be going on tour with TokyoPOP, planning, shooting, and editing video, hosting events and other such things.

Anyone thinking of applying? It could be a pretty great experience, and certainly would help if you're looking to join the industry.


  6 comments Latest by DGX Goggles
"I'll see if they take me. Could go towards a useful minor, I suppose."...read more



 NHK weather service predicts high chance of moe
by Karen Gellender, 03/14/2010
NHK weather service predicts high chance of moe photo

If I were to create anthropomorphic representations the seasons, I would absolutely make Spring the cutest, so NHK and I are on the same page here. Recently, they've started using cute anime-styled characters to represent seasonal weather during forecasts, and Haru-chan (or Spring-chan) is even more moe than Nia from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Winter looks a little scary, but to tell you the truth, based on the amount of snow I had to shovel this winter, he should be.

Oh, and keep in mind that they did not stop at the four seasons- no, even quasi-seasons like "early summer" got their own munchkins. Quite thorough.

I don't mind this sort of thing, but I'm afraid that this group of characters might become so popular that they'll get their own anime- which I will then have to recap for Annotated Anime, in all likelihood. Can you imagine? "This week, Spring-chan and Fall-chan got into a fight over which season was better for playing catch, but old man Winter-dono had other ideas!"....Oh my God, I think this is a prophecy. I think I have become psychic, and this is honestly going to happen. I'm scared. I apologize for every bad thing I ever said about Ladies vs. Butlers.

If you doubt the allure of the Weather-chans, you can go here and here for some lovely images and fanart. Perhaps ironically, whoever did that "NHK-ON!!" image was inspired.


  4 comments Latest by FhnuZoag
"I liked it better when every weather condition was the Laughing Man."...read more



 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.


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  32 comments Latest by EpcotServo
"Wonderful Article. I love the diversity of Today's Anime Pies. And if sitting around talking about them is wrong, they heyIdon'twannaberight!"...read more

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