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Here's yet another batch of amazing cosplay photos by our ace photographer, Ace0fClub5--pun intended. Unlike the previous two posts, this is more of your typical con fare. Don't get me wrong, the photos themselves are still absolutely stunning and definitely show off the finer details on some of these cosplays. The Green Ranger was pretty good, though arguably the one we saw at A-Kon might have had a better costume.
While these might be the last of the photos from the first day, we're looking forward to uploading our haul from day two as soon as we have them ready to go. I'm always blown by the amount of effort people put into their costumes, though some more than others *cough L cough*. I've also thrown in a bonus photo of a MS-14S Gelgoog statue that was sitting in front of one the booths on the show floor. Sadly, I've yet to run into a Char cosplayer I could bribe to pose with it.
Viz is one of the industry panels that we know we'd have to go ahead and check out -- they are the largest manga publisher in the U.S. So, let's just give you a quick rundown of the announcements and big bits of news that's come out of their panel here at Anime Expo.
The first, and arguably biggest announcement is that they are speeding up the One Piece manga's production. No longer will you have to wait forever and ever for the manga to catch up, instead they're going to be giving it the /Naruto/ treatment, and start putting out five volumes a month for the first half of 2010.
In terms of their highlighted titles and new announcements, they brought up Crown of Love by Yun Kouga, the Loveless creator, coming out in February. Also from their shoujo line is Cactus's Secret by Nana Haruta, a story about a girl who turns prickly whenever a boy that she likes tries to talk to her. It sounds cheesy, but in that way that Dale and I will eat up.
They also spent a good amount of time plugging their Viz Signature line, especially Ikki Comix -- they even put together a trailer for Children of the Sea. It's pretty cool, and we'll try to get the trailer to show you what it's like. Also, another bit that was cool is their little "Adopt A Minininja" promotion with the deluxe editions of the uncut Naruto boxsets. Neiji, Gaara, and the Fourth Hokage will be released with volumes 14-16 of the box sets, respectively.
I must say, one of the biggest surprises for me was to see that the Viz panel was completely packed. I'd guess at least 300 people were packed into there, so much that there was a huge line that was waiting outside the panel. We only got in because of our press passes. It's weird to me -- the only time I see a full house is for FUNimation, and that's because they make the show very visual. I guess it's just the power of the titles that Viz has under its belt that allows that.
This should be obvious by the headline, but the above video is Not Safe For Work.
Never in a million years did I expect go get an in-depth demonstration of automated masturbatory tools at Anime Expo. But I'm so glad that I did.
In the video above, you'll get a glimpse at of SOM Japan's line of masturbation machines, displayed in a closed-off area where only age-checked attendees could pass. Buy one of these amazing devices to join in what they call the "hands-free revolution."
The top model, costing over $400, is a height-adjustable soft faux hand on a stand. A remote control lets you control your speed preference. Like to jack it fast? We had the SOM representative set it at top speed to see how crazy things could get. And yikes. You'll want some lube, let's just say that. For the rest, there's also low and slow settings.
In the video above, you'll also see the somewhat boring female version. Or the anal version, depending on your preferences. A portable mini model is also available. It's a hole that can connect to your PC and eroge. The machine...uh, picks up the pace when the action does on screen. Brilliant.
If you're somehow sold on this, be sure to check out the SOM webpage.
And you thought political advertisments in the US were sensationalist or fear-mongering? Try this one by Japan's Happiness Realization Party, the political organization run by the Happy Science religious movement (no relation to the church of Scientology, but I'm reasonably sure they're a happy bunch, too).
Synopsized, the ad reads like a draft pitch for Code Geass or the intro exposition for Gundam 00. The first half of the video shows Tokyo and a bunch of salarymen being nuked, Terminator 2-style, by North Korea. The narrator then calls for the people to wake up and see the truth: that Kim Jong-il has nukes and missiles that can reach Japan, and is being backed up by China, who would obviously advance on Okinawa, and turn all of Glorious Nippon into a communist wasteland and it would only be a little while until all of the homeland were a big Chinese colony. Do you want that?! Do you?! If not, you must vote for the Happiness Realization Party, which aims to drop Japan's pacifist clause and strengthen military ties with America.
To be honest, Happy Science seems relatively benign for all of its talk. Their teachings look on the surface like the sort of religious mashup that inspired the sort of symbolisms you'd see in Evangelion or RahXephon. They do have some pretty wild predictions for the 25th century, though, with America sinking and causing Atlantis to rise again.
Hit the gallery for a picture I found, which I think is a much more realistic (and cuter) depiction of interational relations at the present.
If anime, manga, videogames and countless other works of fiction have taught us anything, it is that love conquers all. None can deny its power, or resist its clarion call. Love cannot be stopped. That goes for its hotels too, apparently. Love hotels, the home of Japanese lust and the way to spend a day (or just a few hours) are doing quite well. So well, in that some chains are considering expansion.
CNN interviewed Steve Mansfield, owner and operator of Isawa's Bonita Hotel, speaks of a 257 percent occupancy rate. That means that the average Bonita Hotel room is rented two-and-a-half times per day. And they aren't cheap, either. Some of the higher-end rooms can cost roughly $200 a night (though rates run from just 3 to 24 hours), boasting jacuzzis, built-in saunas, TVs, video games and karaoke bars.
It's hardly surprising. No matter the economic status, people still have needs to be met, and a love hotel can provide a taste of luxury, if even for just a few hours. Plus, some folks just use the hotels to, y'know, sleep in, a temporary place to stay if you're too drunk to get home or missed the last train.
Hit the jump for the full video, and then resent the American motel industry for being so sleazy. I mean look at those places. I'd sleep there, as long as the sheets are fresh.
We're back with another round of cosplay from Anime Expo 2009. The focus this time is on the girls of anime (as well as a few bonus ones), photographed on the first day of the Expo by our amazing photographer, Ace0fClub5. My favorite so far? The one above, where you can see the back of a lovely Hatsune Miku, as plenty of congoes pull out their hardware [*cough*] to get one off.
For fun, we also threw in some Atlus booth babes and Lelouch, because you know how girly Lelouch is. Also, hot Left 4 Dead witch. Moan.
Enjoy as we go out in the trenches to find more for you. Look for our galleries of cosplay this whole weekend.
Miku madness is rising to a fever pitch with the recent release of Project Diva, a PSP rhythm game starring the blue haired pop star, and it seems to celebrate the event, Miku decided to go on tour. Well, virtual tour, since she technically doesn't exist. It's pretty incredible to remember every once in a while that one of the most frequently played artists on my iPod isn't real. Reality checks are totally overrated.
Anyway, if you were lucky enough to be hanging out in the Playstation Home central plaza, you could have caught a very special concert performance: Miku herself. The video above shows that off, and if you stuck around for the whole show you earned a virtual leek for your character that you can carry around in-game to brag that you actually saw it.
I'm grumpy I missed this awesome moment, so I'm going to go back to playing Project Diva to ease my pain. Anyone get their hands on it yet, and if so, do you think it lives up what the digital goddess deserves?
You know Ramune, right? That silly Japanese drink, that diabetes in a bottle sealed with a marble. Fun, messy, delicious. The glass marble is held in place by the pressure or the carbonation. The chub is held onto your waistline by the sugar. This anime convention staple has sprayed the clothing of many drinkers, but the classic drink may need to step aside for a new successor, called Marble Pop.
As you'd expect, the design is inspired by Ramune, with the same glass bottle and the same stopper and marble holding your drink in place. This American version comes in Green Apple, Strawberry, Blueberry and Original, a citrus flavor. Just as with its predecessor, you need only to push the stopper/stopper down onto the marble to release the flavor-y goodness.
So how does it compare to Ramune? I think it's better. While there is a sugar content, it's a lighter feel and you don't feel like you'll need to brush your teeth after. The Strawberry flavor was light and refreshing. For those watching their waistlines, know that while it has 20g of sugar, it's only 110 calories for the whole bottle. The original flavor is only 90 calories! And while this isn't a plus for everyone, it's caffiene-free.
So someone does Ramnune and makes it better? Great. And seeing how it's made in our nation, it'll likely be cheaper. We like it. Japanator recommends Marble Pop soda. Want to try it for yourself? Amazon has it available now.
Done with our first day at Anime Expo, here we have our first batch of cosplay photos, courtesy of our amazing cameraman, Ace0fClub5. It'll be clear which photos he took, and which ones were taken by our point-and-shoot cameras. He really puts us to shame, but in that good sort of way.
And so, here's the first of many cosplay shots that you'll be seeing here over the weekend. Some of the ones that I wanted to highlight here in this videogame batch are the Street Fighter cosplayers that were going around together. You can see in Ace's photos just how much detail they put into it, and it really caught the eyes of everyone passing by.
The other big one which you'll see down there is the consummate professional Pyramid Head, who, like the white rabbit, is always late to his raping appointments. There are plenty of pictures to go check out in the gallery, and more will be coming all throughout the weekend. So check them out and enjoy!
Amongst the endless waves of items at the Dealer's Room, we wanted to pick up something special for the readers. So, we trekked our way over the FUNimation booth, because they regularly have con-exclusive items. After perusing for a few minutes, we settled on the complete series of Gungrave.
From Trigun creator Yasuhiro Nightow, Gungrave is the story of a man who returns from beyond the grave to seek revenge. You know how it goes. This series is a far cry from /Trigun/, as it's all about gratuitious violence as done by Madhouse -- the people behind Black Lagoon, the first season of Gunslinger Girl, and Death Note.
So how can you get this title? It's pretty simple, actually: leave a comment about zombies. That's essentially what the main character is, after all, except he's wielding his coffin, along with a couple of pistols. The 300th commenter will get this box shipped to him!
Anime Expo is a big con -- the biggest in the US, with some 35,000 people attending -- and so it can be a little overwhelming to go to for the first time. So, in going through it myself for the first time, I'll walk you through some of the do's and don'ts as the con progresses.
First up is where we spent a lot of our time: the Dealer's Room and the Artist's Alley. This is the area where you'll lose all that money you were planning on saving for things like parking, food, or your significant other. This is the black abyss from which a strong will is the only thing that will save you.
Have you ever wanted to just get away from it all? To be able to put your worries aside and envelope yourself in the persona of some other, much happier and carefree person? Or thing?
Well, now you can! In Taiwan, at least, and what better place to travel to in order to get away from all that stress? Why Taiwan, you ask? Well, because that's where the Hello Kitty Castles are, of course!
Yes, it would seem as though there are a number of color-coded Hello Kitty "castles" no in operation (they look more like small-ish two story cottages to me, but then again I am a large and successful part-time American blogger who owns a mansion and a yacht, so my idea of a "castle" may be a bit more grand and involve a few other things like bloody moats, corpse filled dungeons, several impossibly structured towers and at least one portcullis packed tight with the skewered skulls of the heathen masses.)
Anyway, um, where was I? Oh, yes, Hello Kitty. Um, cute, isn't it?
So far, Anime Expo has taken a toll on our wallets, and while I admit a good portion of that has been my hotel parking and beer, nothing drains wallets faster than the show floor. For example Brad spent nearly $200 on various games, music, and copious amounts of Anime. That's not to say that we're not bargain hunters, and while most products are over-priced at these conventions, we sometimes find some amazing deals. Below are some awesome pictures of our haul from the first day, and we decided to include pictures of our snacks we picked up at Little Tokyo before the con on Wednesday.
If you read this fine website, you probably know that Central Park Media filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy after nearly 20 years of releasing anime and manga to US fans. If you didn't know this and were attending Anime Expo this weekend, you may have come across their self-obituary in the program guide. Here's some of the letter to fans below:
It has been a wonderful twenty years working to find great anime and manga to bring to the attention of American fandom.
As the Bible says:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
Right, guys. There was a time and season for Night Shift Nurses as well, right? Oh, and La Blue Girl. God bless you for that, CPM. Anyway, you will be missed, Central Park Media.
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