Monday, September 30, 2013

Cartoons are for kids, right?

At least so I thought back when I just started high school and had my first encounter with anime. At that time I had grown tired of all the generic western cartoons due to their lack of a grander plot that stretched several episodes. Scooby Doo and the gang always found themselves in some dodgy place, saw something spooky and in one way or another solved the mystery and caught the bad guy pretending to be a monster. But that was it, no connection between episodes, no grand plot or evil mastermind. All the episodes were small standalone cartoons that quickly got quite boring as there was never anything new to them. This is where anime comes in



During a LAN party in at my local high school, I noticed a group of guys, most of them in their late teens or early twenties, watching cartoons on their computers which all seemed to be plastered with stickers of female cartoon characters in skimpy outfits. Some even sported small plush toys on top of them for decoration. Being a young teen with no knowledge whatsoever about anime, this first encounter with this particular community did not exactly leave me with the best of impressions. It was only later, after some intensive matches in Battlefield, that I went over to the "weird nerds" to find out who the opposing players were. During my little chat with them I also asked about the cartoons they were watching. That question changed my life.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Promote Yourself: Chris Patton to attend AniMinneapolis

Chris Patton to attend AniMinneapolis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Promote Yourself: Anime Midwest gets Frenchy and the Punk, and Chris Patton

Anime Midwest gets Frenchy and the Punk, and Chris Patton Minneapolis, MN - September 27, 2013 - Anime Midwest in Chicago is excited to announce two more guests will be joining them in 2014: steampunk musicians Frenchy and the Punk and voice actor Chris Patton. Frenchy at the Punk will be part of Anime Midwest's epic concert series headlined by Steam Powered Giraffe. Convention attendees can see both FnP and Chris Patton in numerous panels, autograph sessions, and events throughout the weekend convention. Chris Patton is an exceptionally well-known voice actor, particularly for roles such as Sousuke Sagara in Full Metal Panic!. He has has been acting professionally for well over fifteen years, with over twelve of those years dedicated to voice acting and anime, including work for ADV Films, FUNimation Entertainment, Sentai Filmworks, and OkraTron 5000. Some of his other more well-known roles are Greed in Fullmetal Alchemist and Brotherhood, Asura in Soul Eater, Akuto Sai in Demon King Daimao, Keima in The World God Only Knows, Ikki in Air Gear, Sho in Guyver, Fakir in Princess Tutu, Nishi in Gantz, and Turles in Dagonball Z: The Tree of Might. Other Anime credits include: Inu x Boku S.S., Phi-Brain - Puzzle of God, Hajime in Ghost Stories, Ayato in RahXephon, Daley Wong in Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Ranmaru in The Wallflower, Eiji in Gravion and Gravion Zwei, Haruka in Tactics, Graham Spector in Baccano!, Komyo Sanzo in Saiyuki, Gintoki in the Gintama movie, Hiroki in The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and tons and tons more! Chris is also a stage performer, a music freak, a horror film nerd, a roller coaster guru, and a huge fan of Sharon Needles, Freddie Mercury, and Aleister Crowley. When trying to picture Frenchy and the Punk, imagine Django Reinhardt, The White Stripes, Johnny Ramone, Siouxsie Sioux and Edith Piaf jamming together at an event hosted by Deepak Chopra. This is what it might sound like. A sultry French-born singer, percussionist and a fiery punk rock guitarist from the golden days of the hardcore scene blended their diverse talents to form Frenchy and the Punk in 2005. The unlikely pairing has since released 6 full-length CDs and have performed all across the U.S. and in Europe. In May 2012, Yahoo Music called them one of the top 25 duos in the US. Their show is a carnival of two that will take you from Paris to CBGBs and back again. A rollicking flapper folk punk cabaret with cleverly crafted songs, Taiko meets Rio de Janeiro pounding drum instrumentals and true DIY attitude. The duo's music, magnetic stage presence, charm and exhilarating performances have attracted a consistently growing and loyal fan base around the world. The new CD Elephant Uproar released in March 2013 highlights the duo's rabid drumming instrumentals. Be sure to check out their earlier releases, the frenzied fun of the Hey Hey Cabaret CD (2012), and their breakthrough 2010 CD release, Happy Madness. The duo's extended bio can be found at The full guest list can be found at Anime Midwest is happening July 4-6, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare and Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. The convention brings some of the biggest voice actors, concerts, and events together with nearly 10,000 fans to celebrate Japanese animation and nerdy culture. Attendees can buy tickets to attend now at
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Saturday, September 21, 2013

[New Plastic Model] 1/60 ARX-8 Laevatein from Full Metal Panic!

During 's 15th anniversary event held in Akihabara, figure and model kit makers have announced their latest model kit from Full Metal Panic, the ARX-8 Laevatein.



This 1/60 scale plastic model is based on the 4th generation Arm Slave from the highly popular Full Metal Panic! manga and anime series. This bad boy is slated for release in 2014 and be sure that reservations for this plastic model model will be announced soon.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Fall 2013 Anime Season Previews/Thoughts

Full Size



Hey everyone! It's been awhile and I'm still not back to writing full time or anything. Xewleer is still stuck in his own life's troubles and I in mine. I haven't totally abandoned this blog and will at least do these season anime previews for the people that look forward to that. Cheers!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Early Impressions & Diabolik Lovers (Lilac's Impressions: Fall 2013)

So we're coming into the new season of anime! Today, I figured I talk about the series that I picked for my Impressions and also talk about the first episode of one of those shows since it's the only one of the list that has aired as of right now. This doesn't mean this is Week One of my Fall Impressions, but just an early look at what's to come. First, let's take a quick look at Diabolik Lovers.



DIABOLIK LOVERS

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Saki

SAKI NOT SAKE



MIYANAGA SAKI IS A HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN WHO DOESN'T LIKE MAHJONG. EVER SINCE SHEWAS A CHILD, SHE WOULD LOSE HER NEW YEAR'S GIFT MONEY DURING HER FAMILY MAHJONGGAME. IF SHE WON, HER PARENTS WOULD BE UPSET, AND IF SHE LOST, WELL, SHE LOST.AS A RESULT, SHE'S LEARNED TO PLAY IN SUCH A WAY THAT HER SCORE ALWAYS REMAINSPLUS/MINUS ZERO: NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN, BUT NOT BAD ENOUGH TO LOSE. WHEN WEMEET HER, SHE'S BEING DRAGGED TO HER SCHOOL'S MAHJONG CLUB BY AN OLD FRIEND. HOWWILL A GIRL WHO HATES MAHJONG, YET HAS BECOME ADEPT AT THE GAME AS A RESULT OFHER UPBRINGING, SURVIVE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT?

Sunday, September 8, 2013