|
Anime 2009: Summer Promos
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 28, 2009 in Animation
A user on YouTube did a great job of putting together all of the Anime promos and commercials for the Summer season. The video above features: Bakemonogatari, Blue Flowers and Canaan. Read more… Tentai Senshi Sunred’s Cyborg Bunny Wuvs You!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 20, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
Every character in the Nendoroid series of action figures always picks up that extra bit of moe that makes you want to take it home and adopt it: And in this case this Usakottsu cyborg bunny looks as cute as can be! Our demon clawed rabbit friend is from the light comedy anime series Tentai Senshi Sunred (天体戦士サンレッド). Usakottsu is available from entertainmentearth.com and sports interchangeable parts including demon claws. Here are the opening titles from Tentai Senshi Sunred although sadly our cyborg bunny friend isn’t in them: Read more… Yatterman Themed Stop Motion Origami Battles Promote Toshiba
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 17, 2009 in Animation
Toshiba is sponsoring an interesting series of Yatterman themed animated viral videos on YouTube which feature origami stop motion animation. Each episode of the series feature two two origami that engage in a videogame like battle. Shown above is Toushibakenmeka Dial vs. Queen, below that is Kosumiomeka vs. Densanda, and the third animation is Reizoukomeka vs. Bejitanku: Read more… Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 16, 2009 in Animation, Videogames
Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike (テイルズ オブ ヴェスペリア) is interesting is that it’s a prequel to the videogame Tales of Vesperia, but the twist is that instead of being a game it’s going to be an animated feature film. The film is due out in October this year and is being produced by Production I.G. Read more… Amazing Video of the Full Scale Gundam
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 15, 2009 in Animation
Up until this point I’ve guessed that everybody has seen photos of the full scale Gundam model in Japan which was created for the 30th anniversary of the show. But what I don’t think many folks have seen is a video of this amazing wonder, which gives you a much better feeling for the impressive scale of this wonder. Read more… Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Could This Be Pokémon 2.0?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 10, 2009 in Animation, Videogames
If you came of age in the era of Pokémon prepare to feel like an old timer: Every generation has their entry level show which introduces them to the world of anime and the current hot show with the elementary school set is Bakugan Battle Brawlers (爆丸バトルブローラーズ ). With Bakugan there have already been over 50 episodes of the anime series aired in both Japan and North America with and additional 55 millions toys sold last year. So it’s no surprise that a videogame had to come out of this: Shown above is the trailer for the upcoming Bakugan game which is due out later this year for the Wii and DS. Read more… Astro Boy: An Uninspired Game That Will Perfectly the Film (I Fear)
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 9, 2009 in Animation, Videogames
 Dr. Tezuka: He's smiling in this photo, but I don't think he would be pleased with this game. Attention Star Blazers Fans: Trailer for the New Yamato Film
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 6, 2009 in Animation
I have to say that I’m slightly disappointed with this trailer. This film was the result of a lawsuit that allowed producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki to make a new Yamato film. And frankly there’s nothing wrong with that, but a key ingredient that’s missing here is Leiji Matsumoto who directed the first film and gave really gave the franchise its soul. When that soul is missing you get the above trailer: A slow moving collection of pretty spaceships sporting a tired CGI look (and frankly that Blue Noah reference at the start is just adding insult to injury): Read more… Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Old School Anime Meets Retro Gaming
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 5, 2009 in Animation, Videogames
In the great tradition of Marvel vs. Capcom comes Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars! Old school anime fans will be very familiar with Tatsunoko as the animation studio behind Battle of the Planets, which was a watered down version of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Other Tatsunoko properties featured in this game are characters from beloved classics like Tekkaman and Yatterman and more recent titles like Karas. And of course on the Capcom side you can pick from characters from Street Fighter and Mega Man. This title has already come out in Japan, but I’m very pleased to see that they’ll be bringing it over to North America for the Wii. Read more… How to Get that Haruhi Hairstyle
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 3, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
You go to anime con after anime con and you always see the same thing: Many cosplay artists try so hard to pull off the Suzumiya Haruhi look and so many fail. The sailor outfit part is pretty easy, but the secret to Haruhi success is that her hair has to look just right with the bow perfectly in place. By the way bows are a hard fashion accessory to pull off, the last time I saw it done well was when Madonna was doing it in the mid-80s. But fret not! As of August of this year for a small budget anybody can now purchase an authentic Suzumiya Haruhi Cosplay Wig for about $30. Eden of the East: Anime in Search of the Promised Land
Posted by John Martone on May 31, 2009 in Animation
Plot: In a world where Japan is spiraling out of control, an enigmatic and powerful man gives twelve Japanese citizens 100 million dollars to spend on “saving” Japan. Using the network he lays out for them, they have merely to issue the command, and it is done. Our protagonist, one of these twelve, begins the story stark naked in front the White House, holding a gun. Its at this moment he loses all of his memories, and must begin to unravel the mystery of who he was, and if that will affect who he wants to become. Read more… My Favorite Animated Soviet: Gunbuster’s Jung Freud
Posted by John Martone on May 28, 2009 in Animation
As most fans of the series will tell you, there’s just something magical about Gunbuster. Also known as Aim for the Ace!, Gunbuster was a six episode OVA released by the mostly unknown Gainax in 1988. The show also marked the directorial debut of Hideaki Anno, who’d go on to create other fascinating shows like Evangelion. True to that form, Gunbuster is also a series where the robots and monsters are merely the pretense to show kids growing up/dealing with their problems. Among them, is Jung Freud, my favorite Soviet. Read more… Full Metal Alchemist Coin Bank: For Penny Pinching Anime Fans
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 24, 2009 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
What makes this pair of Full Metal Alchemist Coin Banks so interesting is that when you put a coin in, it will trigger a cute low resolution digital animation on the front panel. One coin bank features Edward Elric while the other is themed with Roy Mustang. Here’s a full description: Read more… A Kinetic Combo of K-ON! and Kirby
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 23, 2009 in Animation, Videogames
This ultra-moe fan video from Japan combines footage from the anime series K-ON! with a soundtrack from an old Kirby video game. I hate to admit it, but once I started watching this loop I couldn’t stop (there’s something so addictive about videogame soundtracks). By the way for comparison here’s the original beats from Kirby’s Dreamland 3 for the SNES from 1997: Read more… Suzumiya Haruhi Animated with Lucky Star Characters
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 21, 2009 in Animation
This amazing fan made video from Japan recreates the opening titles to The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi using the cast of Lucky Star. I’m quite blown away by the quality of this! Anime 3000 Panel: What’s Hot on Anime Blogs
I just wanted to thank Anime 3000 for having me as a guest on their recent podcast which had a theme of What’s Hot on Anime Blogs. You can listen to the episode here or download it here. The topics covered include the demise of Central Park Media, the upcoming Hollywood Death Note film, and a debate on Moe versus Lolicon. Read more… Please Make Them Stop Making Anime Shows About Cute Sea Creatures!
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 2, 2009 in Animation
Don’t get me wrong Hayao Miyazaki is a genius, but the theme song from Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea made me want to scream after a while! But sadly the success of this film has encouraged TMS to turn the Mamegoma (まめゴマ) bean seal toys into an anime series: Read more… Basquash! Proof That with Anime You Can Mix Sports and Sci Fi
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 1, 2009 in Animation
Basquash! (バスカッシュ! ) is a sports/sci fi anime title of sorts — it’s not too often you see those two genres mixed up so you get characters playing basketball with their giant robots. Although I like what little I’ve seen of this show so far which was created by French animator Thomas Romain and Shoji Kawamori (who worked on one of my favorite anime films Crusher Joe): Read more… Nico Nico Douga: Getting Started with the YouTube of JapanIf you’re any sort of anime fanboy (or fangurl) you’re going to want to sign up for Nico Nico Douga which is almost like a Japanese version of YouTube (in fact the first version of Nico Nico Douga used YouTube as a source). However most fans get turned off as you need to register to see any videos and the entire interface is in Japanese (although there are Spanish and German interfaces available if you know those languages). The other nice thing about the site is that it encourages users to post high quality video. To make it easy to get started I put together the first three steps to get you to he right spot. This is where you click on the homepage: Read more… What’s It Like to Work at a Japanese Interactive Fiction Studio?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 22, 2009 in Videogames
Interactive fiction does quite well in Japan and one the more successful studios is Key which has created Kanon, Air and Clannad — all of which have made the transition from games into anime series. Shown here is a behind the scenes tour of their studio, what’s really cool is that each workstation is surrounded by various otaku goodies. Currently the next game coming out from Key will be Rewrite: Read more… Haruhi Suzumiya-chan: DVD Promo
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 21, 2009 in Animation
This promo for the upcoming The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya-chan looks like it contains a few scenes that haven’t been seen before. Volume 1 goes on sale on Friday May 29th for 5040 yen. The first run will include a special soundtrack CD and other otaku goodies. Two More Dragonball Sequels? Please Make Them Stop!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 14, 2009 in Animation
In this ReelzChannel interview the stars of the new Dragonball film reveal that not only have they been signed up for a sequel — but that there may be two in the works! By the way I’ve never seen actors work so hard in an interview to unsell me on the film, you get the feeling right away that they put no energy into learning their kung fu moves (to be fair showing the strings doesn’t help). And no where in the interview do they even fake having seen the anime series and loving it. But you be the judge! Does this shot look like “the actress” engaging in intense combat or casual jazzercise: Read more… The Next Film from the Director of The Girl That Leapt Through Time
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 8, 2009 in Animation
The Girl That Leapt Through Time really put director Mamoru Hosoda on the map for many Americans — his next film will be Summer Wars which is a light hearted action-adventure film about a modern day Japanese family. Found via Tim Maughan Books. Cosplay Singer Reni Conquers NYC with Her Lucky Star Rendition
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 6, 2009 in Fandom
This past evening Japanese cosplay singer Reni gave her second performance here in NYC and from all accounts the audience loved every minute of it! Shown above is some video footage of Reni performing the theme from Lucky Star. Mind you she did this as a request from the audience, but I’m especially impressed that she had her dance moves down so well for he song. To check out Reni’s English blog go here. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 2024 Fanboy.com All rights reserved. Theme by Laptop Geek.
