Anime Vice » Blogs
Plot
Genre: Comedy, School
Touted as a "debate comedy," this series revolves around a junior high school class where students share their viewpoints on unique and bizarre topics.
By Anime News Network
Sorry, I couldn't find a trailer or an opening on Youtube. Yet, I found a link to a video trailer:
http://www.pideo.net/video/himado/ca97242463a3aea7/
Go Anime Vice!
So apparently, enough people tweeted and wrote in, asking every day for Adult Swim to bring back Toonami after its small run on April 1, 2012. Steve Blum's Twitter was ablaze every day, demanding people tweet to bring back Toonami. Finally, we got this announcement today http://ow.ly/i/D8Rj
#Toonamiisbackbitches
#ToonamisBackBitches should be trending sooner than anyone thought.
The Cartoon Network programing known as Adult Swim has always been known for it's rather outlandish April Fools jokes. One year, I remember they played the first episode of FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and added a bunch of fart sound effects throughout the entire episode. They are always short gags that end quickly and are just as soon forgotten. Well, this April 1st it seems this time they struck a nerve with their own audience.
As part of the gag, Adult Swim returned the Toonami anime programming block for one evening. It even had a review for MASS EFFECT 3 in the mix. Ever since, Adult Swim and Cartoon Network have been inundated with messages from the fans to bring back Toonami. The hash tag #BringBackToonami has been trending on Twitter since and even made it into some of the rhythms laid down by the Otaku King Richie Branson in his "Bring Back Toonami Song".
Let it be known that on this day in history that the anime fans have been heard. Adult Swim posted this on Twitter earlier today,
@adultswim: Attention Toonami Faithful: We heard you. On 05.26.12 #ToonamisBackBitches http://ow.ly/i/D8Rj
You asked for it, and they are delivering. It's over a week away, and we have no idea what the programming will be or the time. That's some pretty short notice for a change in the programming lineup. They are making an effort. You have to give them that. I just hope that all the people who have brought about this change are actually going to be there and staying tuned.
They are facing a lot of stiff challengers in the anime market. Back when Toonami first began, there weren't sites such as Crunchyroll, FUNimation Video, VIZ Anime, and HULU that hosts free and legal streaming anime fresh out of Japan. These distributors also hosts many series with very little edits. Toonami was pretty famous for only airing heavily edited version of popular animes such as OUTLAW STAR and the infamous 4KIDS' version of ONE PIECE. One thing that Toonami really excelled at was just in the number of people they were able to reach and interest in seeing more anime.
If they have some new and exciting programs lined up. I think they'll have my interest. If this will be late night, I'm putting some money down on PANTY & STOCKING being in the mix. Are there any programs you're hoping that they add to their lineup?
-Kristoffer Remmell ( FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek.- Follow for news updates: @ AnimeVicers/ @ FoxxFireArt
Okay I have a idea for a youtube parody video about dragonball Z. Of course it will be extremely random but hilarious. My friend an I came up with this in Band class. She will play Mr popo and some other people.. My brain is dead right now from taking finals so i will continue this later! Peace!
Moments after falling against nefarious Newdeath in brutal combat, the King of Fists' lifeless body was ascended to the luminous halls of Asgard by the combined effort and divine will of the All-Father Odin and Thor the legendary God of Thunder. "That was quite reckless of him", a criticizing Thor murmured, holding his beloved son in his strong sculpted arms. "Do not be so critical, after all, you were the same. I cannot recall how many times you lost your life against your past enemies for the greater good. His efforts were valiant my son. Acknowledge that", Odin responded, a serious expression looming over his wrinkled face. Sighing with frustration, mighty Thor remained silent, waiting for his father's word so that they make take their next course of action. "Hand me the boy's body", the mono-eyed sky-father demanded. Once the lifeless body of his deceased grandson was placed on the ground before him, almighty Odin forced his command over the countless divine energies that bend to his will, his intention clear.
Breathing life back into The Greatest, Odin's singular eye pulsated with an enormous amount of blinding white energy, Thor simply observed in silence. Suddenly, the entire process stopped abruptly as wise Odin's eye remained focus on the still lifeless body before him. Instantaneously, the perfectly chiseled body of Raseri abandoned it's grayish tint, signifying the Nordic Tiger's return to the plane of life. The movement of his fingers were followed by his eyes as they opened lamely. "What happened?", the Fighting Guru asked, his voice weak, his icy blue eyes still somewhat pale. "Easy now boy. You were just resurrected. It'll take your body a few hours to properly adjust itself", Thor answered, before Odin interrupted, offering his knowledge on the matter. "Unfortunately, I could not restore you to your full power. And a portion of your powers... you no longer possess. Forgive me for not being able to restore them but it was a strenuous effort on my part. It will take me some time to replenish your forsaken divine energies", Odin explained, an expression of regret and sorrow briefly creeping into his face. A cocky smirk finding solace on Raseri's face, the Nordic Tiger replied as he steadily got to his feet, standing to his full height. "It's all good. All I need is my skill", he winked before performing a flawless spinning heel kick, testing how his combat prowess fared during his journey through death. "And it seems like I'm not lacking in the department".
Spending months training and conditioning his body for combat due to his current physical limitations. Unfortunately though, the more time the King of Fists spent in the halls and training grounds of Asgard, the more isolated he felt. He never knew how to be a god like the entire population, honestly, he didn't even consider himself or any of them as gods, to him they were simply extra-dimensional beings of great power, no different than any other super-powered individual. Feeling increasingly alone due to his emitted humanity, it came as no surprise to a rather observant Odin when his headstrong grandson requested that he be returned to Earth, known to the All-Father as Midgard. At first mighty Raseri was given no option, his residence in Asgard, particularly Valhalla was to be eternal. It was however, fruitless. Raseri's true friends were all in the mortal plane, he only had admirers in Asgard, not a single person he could confide in. The death of his close friend Harumi came as an utter shock to the Fighting Guru. He watched the events transpire, helpless as he was confined to the halls of Asgard. Accepting his former teammate's death, the Son of Thunder felt increasingly determined to return to his true home to prevent such a disaster from taking place, he could never allow such a thing to happen to close friends Crow and Dahlia. Fortunately for him, Odin noticed his grandson's escalating unhappiness, it was an eventuality really.
Allowing for the return of his grandson to Earth, Odin tore open a radiant dimensional drift, one that would instantly transport Raseri to the streets of Kyoto. "Thanks for everything. I owe you one", Raseri smiled, giving his jolly grandfather a thumbs up as a goodbye. "Hehe you're my grandson, Raseri. You don't owe me anything. Go now, to your true home", Odin smiled warmly, almost as if Raseri's was contagious. Stepping into the pulsating rift, the Nordic Tiger was quickly transported through a rainbow-tinted wormhole before being abruptly dropped into the streets of Kyoto. The Sun's powerful rays warmly pummeled his skin and the fresh air found only on Earth found solace as they traveled into Raseri's nostrils. A content smile on display, the Ultimate Fighting God wondered, "I wonder how Dahlia's doing", his smile grew brighter for a second before he adjusted his black leather jacket with a colossal red-fist design on the back. Tightening his black leather gloves as he zipped up his jacket, the Nordic Tiger pulled out his Ebisu communicator from his jeans' pocket. "I wonder how useful this thing still is", he murmured, "Maybe I should pay Dahlface a visit", Raseri thought, unable to take her along with others off his mind. While he was absent only for several months, to him it felt like an eternity since he had last set foot on Earth.
Plot
Genre: Action, Comedy, Adventure, and Crime
Spring Anime 2012 Trailer - Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
Fujiko Mine, an incredibly beautiful thief and spy whose charms can seduce any man or woman, has been traveling around the world looking for excitement and adventure in stealing rare and valuable items. However, her latest adventures take her to exotic locations where she will run into a handful of interesting characters whose skills might rival her own: the legendary thief Lupin III, the cold-hearted marksman Daisuke Jigen, and the heroic samurai Goemon Ishikawa XIII.
By Shels, DocHaus, Obsidian609, Asian_Pride, and sickVisionz
Go Anime Vice!
Related Topics
- Thoughts on this series? by Auron570
- Watch and Learn Episode 1 by Tom Pinchuk
If you haven't already notice, I never call Urabe and Tsubaki by their first name because they never do. This is more of a Japanese customs where using the first name is somewhat of a passage of a strong bonding, either close friend or couples. with that said, the first part of the episode shows their struggle on such a simple thing. Tsubaki still doesn't have the guts to make move forward, but give him cred for him trying it while Urabe was sleeping and see a cute reaction. Also Urabe was thinking about the idea of first names when Oka brought it up, showing that Tsbaki wasn't the only one thinking about it. I like the fact that Oka really is the secret love adviser that is helping the two see where to progress their relationship.
The next part showcases the return of Tsuabki's old crush, Aika Hayakawa. We know that Tsubaki has decided to leave his past crush behind and have a relationship with Urabe when he confess to her. Now it is time to see how he feels about her now. In Tsubaki position, it must be jarring to have the girl you once had a crush on for a few years show up out of the blue and asking you out. If he didn't already have Urabe, he would have want with her offer. However, he stood his ground and polity said no to her request. The interesting part about this part is the case with Urabe feels about this. Had he did take the offer, Urabe wouldn't had taken it so well. She knows that Tsubaki is with her but the fact that when she transfered her feels of that moment to Tsubaki and it made him cry, shows that their relationship is sorta unbalance and that Tsubaki would easily leave her, but he didn't and so it makes her happy that he's sticking with her through thick and thin. What makes these scenes interesting is that it was shown in the manga much earlier (Chapter 2 I believe) but it works a lot better here as it helps shows the mind set Tsubaki is now after the development he and Urabe's relationship has gone through.
MGX continues to develop the character's relationship and also test it. While Hayakawa time in this episode was short, she has yet to leave the stage as she has more in store for our two strange lovers.
Next episode: track and field.
Highlights
Just dropping in to say hi while waiting for a Zone update :D
First of all, Happy Mother's day everyone!
We celebrate Mother's Day to honor the hard work that our mothers done to raise us and take care of the household. They are our role models who we look up to for guidance and in our time of need.
About My Mother
For me, I spent the whole day yesterday hunting through flower shops for a particular flower, Camellia (native to my home country). It's my mother's favorite flower. Ever since I got into college 3 years ago, I never had time to relax because Mother's Day is always before finals. I blame school for being oppressive to their students and mothers. I love my mom and her home cooking which I still have trouble learning her style. When I got into college, she took a job to bring in more cash to support me in my education. I hardly ever see her on the week days or even the weekends because she comes home every 10PM from the factory. Because of how busy my mother and my father are, I end up taking care of my siblings more than ever and taking her role to cook and take care of the household. I'm the second child in the family of 6 children with the oldest being severely autistic. My mother makes a lot of sacrifices to ensure the success of her children. I loved her dearly.
Back to Anime Vice, who are your favorite Anime mothers?
My Favorites
 Bulma Briefs Bulma is my favorite because she is an awesome mother. |
 Tsurara Shirayuki |
 Akane Fujisaki Spoilers: I white this out. It turns out that Akane is not Bossun's biological mother, and she is Bossun's mother's best friend. Akane adopts Bossun as her son to honor her best friend who died shortly after a car crash. It's not about blood because a mother is a woman who takes care of someone like their offspring. |
Have a Happy Mother's Day everyone!
Source of the Banner: http://www.beautychatblog.com/2010/05/mothers-day-surprise-goes-to/
I did not create the banner. Please give credit to the person at this website.
International Dates
Thanks to Supreme Marvel for reminding me that Anime Vice is a diverse community. I'm going in alphabetical order with the 2nd Sunday of May at the bottom. The countries I included below are the ones I seen on the twitter and profile pages of the Anime Vice folks.
- England - April 3
- Egypt - March 21
- Hungary - 1st Sunday of April
- Indonesia - Dec. 22
- Thailand - Aug 12
2nd Sunday of May - Austrailia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Pakistan, Philippines, United States
As if more excitement (or concern) has elevated for Pokemon Black & White's sequel games, It was recently confirmed by AnimeNewsNetwork that there will also be an event added to them called the "Pokemon World Tournament" where many gym leaders and a number of champions from the previous regions and generations will challenge each other. The player character in B&W2 will be involved with the following...
Gym Leaders
- Brock (Takeshi), Kanto's Rock-Type Leader
- Misty (Kasumi), Kanto's Water-Type Leader
- Giovanni (Sakaki), Kanto's Ground-Type Leader (Uh-Oh...)
- Volkner (Denzi), Sinnoh's Electric-Type Leader
Champions
And there will definitely be more where all of that came from! Outside of the tournament, Cheren will return as a Gym Leader of Unova and Bianca (Bell) will become an assistant to Professor Juniper (Araragi) in the games while Cynthia and Dawn (Hikari) are also confirmed for the anime version's second season, which will be unveiled in Japan on June 21st.
Pokemon Black and White 2's Japanese release will be in June and will later be released to North America in Fall 2012.
-Bigheart711 is an regular on Anime Vice and is still the most infamous anime fan of AV's sister site, Screened. (Twitter: @MasterMenos)
Welcome to the Weekly Fairy Tail! It's Mother's Day as I post this blog early in the morning. Hope you guys and gals bought some flowers or gifts for your mothers. Make it a special day for her. Okay, let's get on with this report for this filler episode.
Plot
When the Earthland versions of Coco, Sugarboy, and Hughes come to the Fairy Tail guild and demands to hand over Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu and the Fairy Tail guild fight back the intruders instead of handing over their Nakama. Despite Fairy Tail guild's valiant efforts, the Fairy Tail guild got their butts kicked, and Lucy escapes with Michelle with Mary Hughes group in hot pursuit.
Will Lucy and the gang fend off Mary Hughes's group and Byro?
Verdict
Beware of spoilers!
Good
- This episode is strange with how it breaks the seriousness with random humor. The best, random joke is how Romeo give Natsu, a fire ball with the taste of flatulence (fart ball).
- Even though Fairy Tail had difficulty with Mary Hughes and Sugarboy, it's nice to see Kinana and Michelle making moves to protect Lucy.
- I was expecting Laxus and his Raijinshuu to show at Fairy Tail guild's time of need, but they didn't come. In the next episode preview, Gildartz appears. It's awesome to see him getting some action.
Bad
- Now, I see how the random humor can really ruined the flow of the episode. It definitely makes it less serious when Mary Hughes's group dish out major damage to Natsu's group.
- Damsel in Distress: I'm hoping this arc will not turn into a Lucy rescue arc. They already did it with the Phantom arc.
- Mary Hughes voice is a bit annoying. I think I missed the Edolas Hughes.
Bizarre
- Most of the random humor fits in this category.
- You got Michelle who thinks Sugarboy's green slime looks tasty while Elfman claims to be Lucy. He pretty much contradicts himself in being a man.
- Pantherlily is devastated that Earthland Coco hates cats, and speaking of the Earthland counterparts, Sugarboy likes spicy things not sweet things, ironically.
Overall, this episode is great with the random humor, yet the seriousness can be watered down. I'm hoping this arc would not turn out to a Lucy rescue arc and that the next episode has some serious action.
Gallery
Please enjoy the image gallery.
Fairy Tail Wikia GIFs
I have been working in the Wikia communities since February but more in Sket Dance Wikia than Fairy Tail (see journal). The folks at Fairy Tail Wikia have awesome GIFs. Give them props for their work.
Thanks
Thank you guys for reading my team's weekly reports and please give them some recognition for their hard work on the wiki pages. If you like a manga or anime here, don't hesitate to comment, blog, review, or even do some wiki on it. The more we get involved, the more better this community.
Wiki Progress
- I created Mary Hughes, Sugarboy (Earthland), and Coco (Earthland)'s pages and added their general info, creation, and enemies. There's a glitch today that I can't add them to the episode or any new pages as associations. Found a new wiki editor, claudia854, working on Coco and Byro's pages.
- Episode 130's wiki page is done and Lucy's whip: Fleuve d'etoiles is created.
- Please check out our wiki project and list.
This Week's Blogs
- Sket Dance Ep. 57 by Taka
- Upotte! Trailer
- Jormungand Trailer
- RE: Cyborg 009 Movie Trailer
- Manga Debut 4 Tutorial by UsaChanMan
- Is it better? Legend of Korra by Elfenlied1012
Last Week's Blogs
- Fairy Tail Ep. 129 by Taka
- Sket Dance Ep. 56 by Taka
- Mysterious Girlfriend X Ep. 5 by MetalSnakeZero
- Neji and Tenten's Cross Dressing Days by Taka
- The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki movie Trailer
- Hiiro Kakera, JewelPets, Ginga e Kickoff trailers
Takashichea
Team Fairy Tail
I’m doing a project in school about “what you’re at war with”. I chose to be at war with myself and to creatively express this, I’m doing a short comic about Jekyll and Hyde. Now I was wondering if my premise was too dark for grade 11 English. (Keep in mind, this year we’ve read Macbeth, Lord of the Flies, All Quiet on The Western Front, and Catcher in the Rye).
Basically what happens is Jekyll is going insane (like he does in the book), and he becomes schizophrenic and starts ‘seeing’ Hyde. Hyde is basically telling him to do horrible things and Jekyll tries to fight his pull.
In the end, the pain is too much for Jekyll and Poole (his butler) finds him with a bloody knife and cuts on his wrist.
Basically I made a fan-fic comic.
Now is this too dark for my Grade 11 English class? I really don’t want to get in trouble or have to go to the school councillor or anything. I just think this is a fantastic way to express a war of man vs self.
M: Korra vs Last air bender the evolution of the best not really anime anime out there. To those that are unaware of recent I finished for the first time the original nickelodeon hit Avatar the last air bender as seen in my review ((http://www.animevice.com/avatar-the-last-airbender/11-5475/user-reviews/?review_id=1143)) And so I decided to jump into watching the shows sequel the legend of korra, off the bat the two shows struck me as incredibly different in almost every respect aside from the key components of the world. This shocking difference drove me to do something I’ve never done, actually compare and contrast the series without it even being finished.
To explain the story in a nut shell and I warn you this will technically spoil the last air bender, but if you haven’t seen that then this blog post has no point to you anyways the legend of korra is about the new avatar who is a prodigy in all elements besides air as opposed to Aang who knew only air who has traveled to the new “Republic city” ((Fire lord Zuko’s and Avatar Aang’s dream city) a homogenized capitol for all nations and benders, this already a huge thematic change from the short story/traveler theme that the original is based on, seeing as Korra is about one set city. The city is basically New VancouverYork complete with the statue of liberty I mean Aang set to a new 1920s theme.
This time jump is the core of this being a new age of tech replacing the need for benders and causing a social schism between the now near pointless benders and the more prominent nonbenders. Nonbenders being lead by Amon a masked man with the power to bend bending (get rid of bending powers) However this schism of old vs knew is even more apparent, the avatar is more a relic and tradition then a practical peace keeper, most bending is now basically kickboxing and the culture has begun to blend into a single identity, oddly American of all things.
Well with that established where has the show benefited?
Well first of Korra is herself better then Aang, she is likeable, funny, real, much older and thus much more serious. She comes off as a fantastic character and possibly the best in the show which is rather hard to pull off, the most enjoyable characters rarely are the main protagonist I.E. Iroh being the best from the one before. Even her design is perfect, she comes off as very attractive without being sexualized or made to look weak, she is tall confident and independent without it being forced and preachy, most important of all she seems complete and natural, she seems like someone I would like to know and COULD know. The supporting cast while not as memorable have very natural dialogue and often are funny without being “zany” AKA annoying. The series seems to have a more natural high quality with no poor or out of place performances and the frames per second as well as the visual quality have improved. The maturity is better and even more prevalent than most dramas and people simply act like people in a very real way that just doesn’t seem to happen in almost any media and again I can’t stretch this enough Korra is one of the best characters I have ever seen be the lead.
But where did it fail?
Plenty. Mostly due to its core thematic principle of old vs new, the problem being, the new sucks. I hate the setting and the homogenization. No longer is the exploration through multiple philosophies and cultural identity the core, because in republic city we are all one, and no longer is the martial arts the visually old and beautiful ancient arts, no it’s the streamlined and simple boxing to me the most offensive switch of all, Bending was about the art the style each perfectly reflecting the culture of it now it’s all one and its cold. The next massive issue is simply the complete lack of scope. In the last air bender the world was at stake and the all the nations were the battle ground, this is just fights between benders and non benders with really nothing riding on the winner, I mean the biggest threat the villain brings to the table is that republic cities benders might if they fight him lose their powers. When all your enemies are just chi blockers the enemy seems silly when fighting fire shooting supermen, and so far the single biggest event has just be the main villain telling Korra that they might fight later. Without anything riding on the good guys you become more interested in her day to day life than anything to do with the actual conflict. Lastly and this is nitpicking but in the last air bender we established it was Tophs blindness that made her capable of metal bending and that lighting bending was a rare trait only the best fire benders can do ((Hell fire lord Zuko couldn’t even lightning bend)) yet the most average Joe bender can do them now?
In the end is Korra the better show? To sum it up not yet, it’s only five episodes in and either A. The story speeds up and brings something exciting to the table or B it will be an okay short series that was in a good universe that was worst of all a waste of a excellent character.
Welcome to the weekly Sket Dance report! I'm Taka, a member of Team W.I.K.I. Nation, and I'm proud to update you guys on the anime and my team's wiki progress. Last week's episode (May I Come Backstage?) was interesting because it explores Switch and Momoka's relationship. Plus, Switch is mute for the first time. This week, we get one whole story again.
Plot
Shinzo gets Bossun hooked on cell phones when Bossun agrees to help him respond to the manager of a Sengoku fan website as Samurai. With each e-mail, Bossun (as Samurai - pen name) gets smitten by his pen pal, Pudding. Unaware of who is Pudding, Koma asks Hime to help her exchange e-mails with Samurai. Hime gets hooked on, too. When Switch realizes that Bossun and Hime are each other's pen pals, he pressures them to meet their pen pals.
Will Bossun and Hime's date go well or not?
Verdict
Beware of spoilers!
Good
- Bossun and Hime's reactions are hilarious such as when they get giddy and depressed with each e-mail. It reminds me of my friends and myself. It just shows how we get so addicted to our phones, and how we feel naked without them.
Bossun and Hime are really clueless - Don't underestimate Switch. He does these things to Bossun and Hime for his entertainment.
- Saaya had an interesting role. Like Jin, she does not understand Bossun and Hime's relationship. She looks cute when she's jealous and curious.
Bad
- I find it a bit predictable how Hime and Bossun refuse to go out with each other.
Bizarre
- Bossun shows his perverted side for the first time. His nostrils steamed when he thinks about Pudding's body. I thought he didn't like tsundere girls. Does he have a thing for megane (girls with glasses)?
- Another first time, Hime dyes her hair black. I preferred her blonde, old self. It's interesting to see her with that color.
Overall, this episode is great and reveals the hysteria behind Hime and Bossun's relationship. They will keep teasing the fans who support Bossun X Hime.
Gallery
Please enjoy the snapshots my team uploaded. I finally made a stitched cap for Anime Vice and Sket Dance Wikia. It looks great, right? I'll double check for seams.
Thanks
Thank you everyone for reading my team's weekly report. Please give my teammates some prop for doing a great job while juggling school.
Wiki Progress: I was working on Bossun's story arcs and finished this episode's wiki page. For Sket Dance Wikia, I was working on the screenshots gallery pages. Please check our wiki project and list. Don't forget check out the blog and learn more about the members!
This Week's Reports
- Anime Trailer: Jormungand by Taka
- Fairy Tail Ep. 130 by Taka
- Anime Trailer: Upotte! by Taka
Last Week's Blogs
- Fairy Tail Ep. 129 by Taka
- Sket Dance Ep. 56 by Taka
- Neji and Tenten's Cross Dressing days by Taka
- Mysterious Girlfriend X Ep. 4 by MetalSnakeZero
Takashichea
Team W.I.K.I. Nation
M: well even with nearly a year leave of absence I am still one of the top reviews on the site, now that I am proud of, however I hope I can make up for that however by pissing off all the anime purest and reviewing Avatar the last air bender. I decided to watch it due to pressure from my friends and the fact that I had never seen it during its popularity due to my general distaste for nickelodeon.
M:Avatar as a production is in of itself a complete left field move for Nickelodeon at the time, if I was to stipulate, which I will, I would say Avatar itself is a reaction to nickelodeons biggest competitor, Cartoon networks insanely successful Toonami broadcast that capitalized on the action cartoon market by bringing forth the highest quality ones available, the ones being made in Japan. Hoping to break into this Avatar was released with the idea of matching the quality and depth of its competitor while remaining original and in spirit still nickelodeon. Although not as successful as Toonami being so influential it changed the entire social outlook towards visual media for an entire generation, avatar was still an instant hit a sparked the one of the biggest debates in anime over simply, what is anime? Is it a style or a piece of national identity that could only belong to the Japanese?
M:Perhaps I’ll get into that debate later but for now the question is still a much defined one, is it even good? Well to start that we need to see what its core components are and whether that would even interest whoever reads this drabble of mine. Condensed into a paragraph the world is basically divided into 4 cultures and four spiritual and martial disciplines called bending, The Water tribes (Inuit peoples) who do water bending (power to control water a move for move identical martial art to Wing Chun),The Earth kingdoms (feudal china) Who do earth bending (power to control earth move for move is iron fist and iron chest) The Fire nation (steam punk Japan) who do fire bending (Thai Chi and Muay Thai) and lastly the Air Nomads (Tibetan monks who do air bending…I have no personal experience with the martial art they perform) And well all these nations are kept in peace by the avatar who can do all four styles and is reborn in a pattern so he’s always present, well 100 years before the show takes place the Avatar disappeared and the fire nation invaded everyone and f’d up most of the other nations. Now a hundred years in the future some water bender (katara and her none bending brother sokka) find this avatar (Aang) frozen in ice that happens to have been 12 and only knows air bending, so basically he’s got to learn the other three and then fight the fire nation while they are being hunted by the banished prince of the fire nation (Zuko).
M:Well that’s shockingly well thought out and mature for a nickelodeon show, but still is it good? Well the answer is unsurprisingly yes as its popularity suggests, but now why is it good and why is it not great? Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten my job yet.
M:Well normally I go bad then good but as time goes on I feel like that set up doesn’t play as well, so in that I’m going to flip it and start with where Avatar proves its worth. I feel the biggest and most memorable element of Avatar is the perfect application of real world martial art, their philosophies and cultures with unreal superpowers in such a way that it felt just right at every moment. The moves do what they should all seem natural and performable while all being familiar human and different, such attention to detail makes each wonderfully choreographed scene seem just well beautiful, this is especially true with the fire benders leaving me to personally believe the director has more than a little experience with the martial arts. It’s this master of knowing what to be fast and what slow and more so what movements should bring about the elements that make it kind of breathtaking, I actually was taken aback during the final fight between Zuko and Azula (his sister) by simply how perfect the martial arts were, but perhaps this is do to my own experience with the thai martial arts that is the primary arts in fire bending. The world and story has established and strong rule sets as well as cultural and political ideas that show a interesting re-imagination of established cultures. The format makes each bending art have their own time to be explored and are the given entire seasons devoted to them. These make the exploration meaningful and give the world and the events of it scope. The characters are at best fun and loveable and at worst are just mediocre, the voice acting goes from okay to actually really good and while the main three characters are just okay important side characters like Toph and the oh so wonderful Iroh make for some of my all time favorite characters to date. The fact that one scene of a nickelodeon show actually made me tear up is something that kind of goes as far as disturbs me. While the show is American it captures the spirit and quality of a anime very well and I would argue is the one memorable thing that nickelodeon has brought to the fray that wasn’t just okay at best, and again uncle Iroh is the shit and I cannot begin to explain how much better he makes it.
M:However Avatar is not ANYWHERE near perfect, some issues are just there, the main three characters are far from the best, Aang is often annoying more than fun but his age helps explain that, and plot points constantly are started and then kind of just left In the wind I.E. zukos mom, Irohs connection to the spirit world, the blue spirit, the hunt for Toph, The white lotus, The face stealer, blood bending, and Aangs propensity to be a total wuss…wait never mind. watching it through to the end however I noticed every issue aside from a few scattered ones could be blamed almost exclusively on the fact that it’s nickelodeon and OF COURSE they would chose to do some idiotic kid friendly bull. The humor is just as childlike and completely stupid half the time as it is funny and clever mostly due to fantastic blind jokes from the blind air bender Toph. Its attempts to be silly and zany are weak and out of place causing the sense of seriousness to become cracked and fragile. While the fighting is good it pulls the G.I.Joe thing of not letting death on screen happen unless its magic, but the fact that nickelodeon let death on at all is a shocker, it gives this impression of a continues struggle for the show to break the bonds of its network and be something bigger and more impressive. This forces it to remain childlike instead of evolving into something mature that could have possibly even maybe get kind of close to something like Full metal without changing any of the Characters personalities or views, just allowing things like death on screen. The fact that a broad sword user fights near 100 men and only breaks their weapons is stupid, the fact that people get out of tanks before they explode is ridiculous. I don’t want gore everywhere or cursing, I just want sense, I want the humor to be cleverer and less zany, I want fire to burn and blood bending to kill. I want war to seem like war not a arm wrestling competition. I want concepts to be fully explored like the white lotus and the blue spirit then just blatantly shown and dropped to avoid complexity I suppose this is greed but I want this amazing idea and very talented writers to not be wasted on a nickelodeon show.
M: This hold back is the main sticking point and for the series and keeps it from really investing me in the world as much as it should be, this shattering of my suspension of disbelief and pulling me away from the experience. Maybe this just shows that I’m too old for the series to be as effective, or perhaps they are real issues. Either way my gut gives it a very generous 4 platypusbears out of 5. Well now I’m off again I hope you enjoy it, I might post a review of something else later if times allow it and sorry if I’m rusty.
I leave you with the comedic styles of a blind girl
What up guys? (a moment of self-reflection)
So, summer break started for me about a week and a half ago. I've managed to avoid needing to take summer courses again. But I have not managed to get a summer job yet. =\ Trust me, I'm trying. >.> I have finished watching some anime series and also started watching some new ones. Overall though, I'm watching fewer anime series at once than previous summers (I'm watching 8 series right now). I'm really enjoying them, but ehh what can I say. Having a break from school is great and all, but it also gives me time to think about myself.
The impending thought of post-undergraduate life is always in the back of my mind, along with all the other life challenges that await. Grad school? Law school? Writing? Teaching? Getting a car? A house? Getting a wife? Raising children? Fulfilling my dreams and potentials (whatever those might be)? Lately though, I have thought a bit about my hobbies, and how much time I spend with them. Right now I have about 3 clear hobbies: anime, piano and video games. How would I maintain these hobbies if I really tried to get into grad school and became a professor? or if I started working full time? Or if I had a wife and kids? There's also the worry that I should be spending my time doing something more "productive" than spending time on my hobbies.
So now that the depressing part of this blog is out of the way, let's move on to some ANIME! *YEAH*
One Piece (ep 130): The great adventure continues!
I just finished watching episode 130 of One Piece (okay maybe about half an hour ago now) and DAMMMN. Alabasta, Vivi, you will be missed. I almost wanted to cry... almost. Not that making-someone-want-to-cry was ever a measure of how good anything was, but again I am impressed by the writing and story of One Piece.
About a year ago I wrote a blog about watching One Piece from duty of being an anime fan and watching one of the "Big 3". You can read my full blog here. I had just started watching One Piece and was on episode 22. So, I did some quick calculations, and that means I have watched roughly 108 episodes of One Piece in a year. Which evens out to roughly 2 episodes a week. Which means, if I keep at this rate of 108 episodes a year, then in 4 years I will be on episode 562 (One Piece is currently at episode 546). But at that point, One Piece will be airing episode 754! (assuming 1 episode is released a week). *dizzy face*
Sometimes I look at screenshots of recently aired One Piece episodes and I think, "what the heck is that?" No seriously, why is Chopper wearing that goofy hat? Who's the dude with Popeye arms? What the heck's with these giant female snakes? If you're following One Piece, please don't answer those questions. I'm sure the series will let me know about it when it becomes relevant, and I'm sure it'll do a damn good job making me feel that it's relevant.
Right now I'm more interested in Nico Robin and where the Straw Hats are going to go now that they have left Alabasta.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors (GET HYPE): Also for those that don't know One Piece: Pirate Warriors for the PS3 has been released in Japan and it is quote "selling like hotcakes over there," (Crunchyroll). I can hardly believe that I am excited about a game based off of an anime. Games-based-off-anime usually fall into the same category of "games-based-off-movies", which are usually terrible. But I'm genuinely excited to see the Luffy and the gang in 3D! I hope it really delivers the same story punch as the anime.
Legal Streaming: One Piece is available to watch for free at Funimation.com. If you're thinking about checking out One Piece, don't be intimidated by the episode numbers. One Piece has a great sense of adventure and knows how to build up and tell it's story. Watch at your own pace and enjoy the world of One Piece.
Kids on the Slope (ep 4): Jazz piano, love and life
"Sometimes jazz music takes an unexpected turn." Was a quote from this episode. And that's what makes playing jazz so much fun. You can screw up and still make the best of it (you still have to know what you're doing though). Since I play piano, this series story which already has amazing characters and soundtrack, has hit me in a big way. Only recently have I discovered how fun it is to improvise on the piano.
Kids on the Slope starts off with Kaoru, a male, a glasses-wearing, classical-piano-playing, high school transfer student from a rich family. He has trouble making friends, and it doesn't help that some of his classmates tease him for being rich. However he soon grows a crush for the female class rep, Ritsuko. Upon learning that Kaoru plays piano, Ritsuko introduces him to Sentaro. Sentaro has a reputation for getting into fights, but Ritsuko, who is Sentaro's childhood friend, assures Kaoru that Sentaro is okay. Soon enough his feelings for Ritsuko, and some other jazz-like incidences with him and Sentaro, lead Kaoru to start playing jazz piano. Yes.. I know that sounded very vague, but the anime speaks for itself, and I'd rather everyone watch it first hand.
There is some great plot development in this series, and it all feels very authentic. Maybe it's the jazz style of improv that makes it feel the way it does. At this point we have a variety of possible ways that various relationships could turn out. And I wouldn't be surprised if Kaoru never gets to go out with Ritsuko, but I guess that's jazz.
Legal Streaming: If you have not checked out Kids on the Slope yet, I highly recommend it to everyone to go check it out. You can watch full episodes with great quality and subs for free at crunchyroll.com. Here, just watch the trailer and tell me you're not sold! I DARE YOU, no just kidding, but seriously this anime is a real treat.
What now?! You mean you watched even MORE ANIME? - Conclusion
Yes I've been watching more anime than just these two, but I decided to just blog on the two above... FOR NOW *dramatic pose*. But, along with Kids on the Slope, I'm also watching and can recommend Space Brothers. It is also available on Crunchyroll. ;P
Thanks for reading, be sure to post any comments below. Anyone else excited for One Piece: Pirate Warriors, One Piece or Kids on the Slope? Finding it hard to manage your anime-watching habits? Maybe sometimes we just have to treat life like jazz, or an adventure, and give it our all.
All the best.
Intro
Hello Anime Vice! :D It's been a while since I blogged, so tadaaa~ !
Well, as the title of the blog says, I'll be doing a brief tutorial on how to create your own manga page using the Manga Studio Debut 4 program, by Smith Micro.
Enjoy! (I'm still a beginner at this, so bear with me :D)
*please note that the character(s) and ideas that I include in this tutorial are original (i.e. my own work). Please don't use it without referencing me, and dont remove my initials (NA) on the right-hand bottom corner of the pages. Thank you!
Tutorial
NB: BEFORE STARTING, MAKE SURE YOU'VE OUTLINED, PLANNED, OR BRAINSTORMED HOW YOUR PAGE WILL LOOK LIKE! I usually sketch out a rough outline in my pocket sketchpad before I begin my work.
Not much action is going on in this page, since its one of the opening pages of my comic, its mainly just an intro to one of the secondary characters :P
Oh yes, and please excuse my crappy handwriting XD
Step 1
Sketch the page using the "pencil" tool found in the right-hand tool box:
*Note, the reason why the cat is in a different color is because I imported it from my own documents. You can do that by hitting "File" > "Import" > "Image File...". Also, I chose to sketch in light blue, you can choose whichever color you want. I find it handy to sketch in a color other than black since it wont get confusing when you trace over your sketch in Step 3.
Step 2
Time to PANEL! The next tab over (after "Sketch" tab) is the panel tab. The program provides you with various kinds of panels and layouts. I believe you can also draw out your own panels, but I'm still not quite sure how to do it.
For this image, I want there to be 3 panels, 1 big one on the right to get the man's entire sitting figure, and 2 small panels on the left for the close up of the man's face and the cat.
Step 3
Time to OUTLINE! Ok, so its time to outline the sketch, and that`s the next tab over, called "Draw". For outlining, I usually use the kabura pen setting
(Aside: I moved the cat from the ground to the character's lap in the first panel)
Step 4
Patterns
Under the same "Draw" tab, the program has loads of brush types under the pattern brush option. I'll start adding patterns and such on the images in the panels (the button to the left of the eraser option). After clicking that, you get a menu full of different pattern options.
It'll be tedious for me to screencap every step of what I've done, so I'll just show you a picture of each panel, and tell you the brushes I used.
Panel 1 -
Couch : For the couch, I used the "Flower Gradation Airbrush" under the Pattern Brush option. I shaded the folds at the bottom of the couch, the cat's shadow, as well as behind the character's head with the marker option on the left of the Pattern Brush option.
Ground: For the ground, I used the "Lace" pattern under the Pattern Brush. I shaded underneath the couch using the "Cross-hatching" pattern.
Cat: For the cat, I used the airbrush pattern at various shades of gray.
Man: For the man, I used the marker option for his hair and for the shading of his shirt and book. For his skin, I used the airbrush pattern.
Panel 2 -
Man: For his hair, I used the marker option. After that, I topped it with the airbrush option. I then used the kabura pen and added the white highlights. For his skin, I used the airbrush option, and shaded him using the airbrush using a darker shade of gray.
Panel 3 -
Couch : For the couch, I used the "Flower Gradation Airbrush" under the Pattern Brush option. I shaded the cat's shadow with the marker option on the left of the airbrush option and also with the marker option.
Cat: For the cat, I first colored him with the marker, then I used the airbrush pattern at various shades of gray.
Man's arm: For the man's arms I used the airbrush option for the shading
Book: For the book, I used the marker option to shade it.
Step 5
Time to TONE! Ok, so this program comes with loads if screen tones that you can use as a background. For this page, the background I used it called "Vertical Lines Fem". Basically, you drag the tone from the menu and place it on top of the panel. Then you trim it to the areas that you want it to appear. (in my case, I trimmed it so that it appears only in the background and not on the characters or the couch).
Step 6
Time to add some SPEECH BUBBLES!! So now we go to the next tab over, and that's "Character". You get a wide array of dialogue bubbles, and you can choose whichever kind you want.
Now you can add text into the bubbles by using the dialogue box that appears when you double click on the speech bubble. See the image below for instructions:
So following the above steps, you can add the text you want in the speech bubbles, and you're good to go!
Final:
So when you`re done, save and once saved check your documents, and under the file that you saved this project in, you`ll find a finished image of your page:
The End!
So we reached the end of the tutorial! Hope you found it helpful!! XD If you want to check out more of my art, I've uploaded some on my Usachan's Artist Corner thread.
If you`ve got any questions don`t hesitate to post them here and I`ll be sure to answer them as best I can!
UsachanMan over and out!
