Spring Anime 2018

Spring Anime 2018

Wednesday, April 4, 2018 / No Comments

Hello my nuggets!!!

Spring is finally upon us, and with that comes a whole new season of anime. I took a quick look through and I! AM! SO! EXCITED!! The upcoming list only what I'm planning on watching, and is in no way an expansive list.

First up, the popular ones.

Boku no Hero Academia is up for a third season, thank you; I need more Lord Explosion Murder in my life. I stopped halfway through the second season because I honestly couldn't quite stand Deku, but hopefully season three will motivate me to pick it back up.

Shokugeki no Soma is also up this season, and I'm vibrating with excitement. Animated food is always best food.

I also spotted one: Dorei-ku. The summary looks mad promising, but then again summaries can be deceiving. It's in the psychological + drama genre, and might have some adult themes? Proceed with caution. 

Yowamushi Pedal is still ongoing so that's cool, I kind of stopped for a bit after the 3rd years left because my heart left along with Makishima.. Well, hopefully I'll manage to summon the energy to continue without the senpais.

Hoozuki no Reitetsu season two part two is here!!! This is some real comedy that you should not miss. SHOULD NOT. If you've started from season one, well hello there my friend. If you have not started this at all, I feel bad for you because you are missing out on a lot life has to offer. Go watch this!!

Next up, Nanatsu no Taizai is still running for another 12 episodes, hooray!! This is one of my favorites because of each character has their own distinct personality, not to mention it's full of plot twists and forever love. Like literally forever love. Man, when I got to the part about Meliodas and Elizabeth I almost cried. Almost. Also, Merlin is a huge badass and I just really really want to marry her, like honestly who wouldn't?

I can't even pick a favorite character because I really like them all. I mean, Elizabeth is ranked the lowest, but at least she's still ranked. Also, this might be a little spoiler but I have to let it out of my system. Arthur, I trusted you!! But you went and got yourself utterly destroyed in like a few panels!! What!!!

Now for the ONAs/ OVAs~ This one is in Chinese but guys, this is the best shit I've watched in forever. The King's Avatar (Quan Zhi Gao Shou) is amazing. I cleared all the episodes in one sitting because I couldn't tear myself away from the screen.

Widely regarded as a trailblazer and top-tier professional player in the online multiplayer game Glory, Ye Xiu is dubbed the "Battle God" for his skills and contributions to the game over the years. However, when forced to retire from the team and to leave his gaming career behind, he finds work at a nearby internet café. There, when Glory launches its tenth server, he throws himself into the game once more using a new character named "Lord Grim."

Ye Xiu's early achievements on the new server immediately catch the attention of many players, as well as the big guilds, leaving them to wonder about the identity of this exceptional player. However, while he possesses ten years of experience and in-depth knowledge, starting afresh with neither sponsors nor a team in a game that has changed over the years presents numerous challenges. Along with talented new comrades, Ye Xiu once again dedicates himself to traversing the path to Glory's summit!

There are some reviews that the characters fall flat, the story has a lot of holes, the art isn't that nice but I personally love it. I mean, the protag is a pro gamer, and the best of the best, apparently. Even if he starts off with an entirely new character, the game mechanics are the same and he'll be super OP regardless because it's a mix of skill and equipment stats? Either way I love this to death and I'm so stoked that there's at least an ONA because I was expecting to have to wait til 2019 at least to hear some news about this.

That being said, please come out with a new season soon!!

Speaking about new seasons, Daiya no Ace also needs to get another season because I am in some desperate need for Miyuki. I think Houseki no Kuni is going to get a season two soon, yes, yes, and yes!

For OVAs we have one on Shingeki no Kyojin, a Shokugeki one on Erina, and a Vatican Kiseki one! I'm more interested in the Vatican Kiseki Chousakan than the other two, to be honest. We also have a Servamp Movie, and a Godzilla Movie soon! I've watched the first Godzilla one, and I wasn't too impressed by it. It felt linear and a little too draggy, so hopefully the sequel will be much better.

Let me know what are some of your favorites and recommend me some if you'd like! More anime is better than no anime. That's all from me for now, nerd out!

Written by: ninetylives

Funan Anime Matsuri - Fanmerch

Funan Anime Matsuri - Fanmerch

Monday, June 15, 2015 / No Comments

Hi everyone! It's been a while since my last event (I had to skip out on AFA last year due to travel plans) so I was pretty excited for my Funan Anime Matsuri! I went for FAM last year and had a lot of fun~ My wallet fared a little worse but all in all it was very enjoyable! So this year I had pretty high hopes.

Unfortunately, this year was less exciting since I wasn't very interested in fansigns (last year there was a performance!). Also, while last year I met Hana and Baozi as Shiro and Kojiro, I didn't manage to meet them this year! :( It's a shame because Baozi was dressed up as my favourite character from Touken Ranbu.

I did however, see a Koro Sensei!

Luckily, they still had Creators Hub this year! Creators Hub is where all the booths selling fan-made merchandise are. While there are a lot of figurines and official merchandise shops around, I usually buy those online and so prefer to browse the fanmerch.

Last year, it was all about Yowamushi Pedal fever and those were the bulk of merchandise I purchased. This year, I put myself on a tighter budget! The only Yowapeda item I bought was this print.

Onoda is so cute! I wouldn't call myself a full-blown otaku, but I can relate to his love for 2D characters! This print where he gets distracted by Love Hime gacha is perfect because it's funny, adorable and relatable!

As you might know from my numerous loot posts, I really like Kuroko no Basuke. However I already have a lot of KnB merchandise, both official and fan-made, so I only got this really cute set of mini stickers!

The recent Naruto: Live Spectacle made me crazy for Kakashi all over again. I got this A5 print! While Kakashi is popular, I don't see a lot of fanmerch featuring only him so it was an instant buy.

Finally, I bought a lot of Touken Ranbu fanmerch! (The little Godzilla button is a random one I thought was too adorable to pass up.) I got more prints~ I try not to overlap my characters, however I have a soft spot for Mitsu and Kogi, so I ended up getting theirs too...

Initially I really wanted to get a Mutsu print as well, however I got a Mutsu keychain instead in the end! He's not the only keychain; I bought a Honebami/Namazuo one from a different artist!

There was also these three buttons. It was meant to be a gacha, but the artist allowed me to pick the ones I want! Mitsu is too cute, and since there was a special price for three buttons, I got the Tarou/Jirou brothers as well!

I wanted to commission a drawing of Guren from Owari no Seraph (I find the story too cliche for my liking, but I like Guren a lot), but the artist had too many commissions so I didn't get him in the end... She did tell me she'll open commissions again in the near future so hopefully I can get one next time!

I also met some friends there yesterday and had a short chat! As someone who isn't a part of the cosplay community it's fun to talk about it with friends who are. Since I mostly stayed upstairs where the merchandise were, I did not take photos of the events on stage nor cosplayers (those upstairs were all busy looking at merch and I didn't want to bother them). Well~ Even though I felt last year's FAM was more fun, I still enjoyed the shopping!

Overall damage done: < $50. For so many things, not bad I'd say!

Written by Nana

What happens when tokusatsu meets marvel?

What happens when tokusatsu meets marvel?

Monday, January 18, 2016 / No Comments

Tokusatsu. From the classic, recently revived Godzilla to Power Rangers, which somehow became a craze in America decades after it ended in Japan, the lovable guy in rubber suits running around fighting fantastic space monsters in the streets are now well known around the world. In the west , we still have Doctor Who continuing the rubber loving craze. In Japan however, tokusatsu has evolved to a completely different level. 

Classic tokusatsu. How many can you remember?

Mention tokusatsu, and people will become nostalgic. But say you are a tokusatsu fan, and their reaction changes. Tokusatsu has traditionally been geared towards young kids. So its all good clean fun. Usually shown in the morning, there is no blood, gore or complex adult themes to get in the way of children enjoying the show. But an adult continuing to be heavy involved in tokusatsu, now that is just creepy. But in the recent years there have been several tokusatsu geared towards adults.

It is quite obvious that GARO was not for kids from the start

Helmed by that famous tokusatsu veteran Amemiya Keita, of Kamen Rider and Zeiram fame, since 2005, GARO, meaning fanged wolf in Japanese, was renowned for its stylish fight scenes and fantastic CGI sequences, became a cult hit and shook the tokusatsu scene in a good way. Fighting different demons every year, it even features human devouring scenes and nudity. The late night slot alone symbolises a huge shift in target audience. Even normal tokusatsu started to change their approach as opposed to the classic good versus evil model.  

The classic Ultraman that everyone remembers

Ultraman was created in 1966 by Tsuburaya Productions for Tokyo Broadcasting System. The show was so successful it has spawned dozens of sequels, spin-offs and remakes. But throughout the decades, it has largely stuck to the same formula with some modernisation now and then. Till Shimizu Eiichi and Shimoguchi Tomohiro.

The duo originally met while making the mecha manga Linebarrels of Iron, in 2005. It later became a hit anime and both became famous. Fans loved the mecha design in the series, a breath of fresh air at the time.

 

Even the monsters look cool in the Ultraman Manga

The new Ultraman manga takes place years after the original. The original Ultraman, Hayata Shin, called the Giant of Light, is an old man and he has returned back to Earth after finally defeating all his enemies. Earth has become a complex place with aliens living amongst humans in peace. 

However, Shin gets injured by an old enemy, and his son, Shinjiro, takes over. Things become more complicated when other Ultraman appears. One wants to kill all aliens, while the other is actually on their side. 

Heavily inspired by the new Ironman, the suits are simply gorgeous. Take a look at the limited edition of the latest volume 7. The figure is fantastic. Even the enemies are beautiful to look at. What a way to revive the franchise. I am no Ultraman fan, and even I started to read the manga.

 I bought this and I can tell you, its worth every cent

The manga Ultraman has seven volumes out now. Lets hope that it becomes a hit and redefines the entire Ultraman franchise. The glorious figures alone will certainly please lots of figurine otakus for years to come.

Written by Don

A Letter To Tomoko Yua - Coffee Genie

A Letter To Tomoko Yua - Coffee Genie

Sunday, August 20, 2017 / No Comments

Dear Genie,

Abracadabra! Hocus Pocus! Open Sesame (?)...my apologies, I have no idea what I am doing here, though there is word that a certain genie has been appearing out of coffee cups around different coffee houses recently, and I am somewhat intrigued by that. While I am not sure how I would react if something like you ever appeared from my coffee, I hope it isn't anything that would send me to the emergency ward. But then, do you grant three wishes? Sorry for being blunt though! 

Do you only appear out of cappuccinos? I don't dislike cappuccino, but I am more of a latte person. Even that is easily taken over by something else also known as my terrible weakness. You see, I am a complete gone case against anything with matcha. Do you do matcha? I mean, tea isn't awful...in fact, it is way healthier! Anyway, for a genie or non-human, you look way too fantastic I must say. 1961...that makes you the oldest presence around here. Just curious, are you older than Godzilla?

Do genies have past lives? Oddly, you don't remind me of anybody Japanese. You look like you had lived inside a jungle or something. Pardon that remark though! I mean, you could pass off as a tribal woman. Maybe Tarzan would fancy you! Oh, I don't think he takes coffee. Snake soup with a side of bananas I think? Anyway, I am sure your blessings to all coffee lovers would continue to intrigue the world out there! I hope to see you someday as well! Meanwhile, stay genki!

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪

5 Facts: Shingeki no Kyojin Live Action Movie

5 Facts: Shingeki no Kyojin Live Action Movie

Wednesday, April 8, 2015 / No Comments

The poster looks awesome!

5 interesting and fast facts to get you up to speed about what’s going on about the film~ 

    1. The Official Trailer is released!

I’m sure many already know that the Shingeki no Kyojin Live Action Movie was in the works in Japan, and finally the official trailer and the releases dates are out! 

Take a peek at the trailer here.

The short bit of commentary before the trailer just mentions a bit about the series starting from a manga and being very successful as an anime and the last part was about the director himself that is leading this project, Higuchi Shinji. He has directed a few other Japanese movies in recent years and is also a master in special effects, and has done works such as Godzilla (the Japanese versions). So I guess coming from a background of doing special effects of huge monsters destroying cities, he should be in a pretty good position to direct and make Shingeki look good, especially in bringing the titans to life.

According to the commentary of Japanese during the trailer itself, there is confirmation of the appearances of two titans, of which one would be the colossal titan (stating the obvious…I know…).

    2. The movie will be released in two parts!

So yep the movie will be released in two parts (like almost every other movie out there that came from another entertainment medium like books…sighz). The release date in Japan is 1^st August for part one and 19^th September for part two this year. But of course what you’re interested in, is knowing that the release date for part one of the movie in Singapore is 13^th August. So get ready! Mark your calendars! The walls are coming down!

    3. There is no Levi…

  
Our beloved heichou is not going to be in the movie it seems, boy did that create some waves in the fandom. But the spirit of him will apparently live on in the form of a new original character called Shikishima played by Hiroki Hasegawa, he is dubbed as the ‘strongest man’ in the movie, so I guess that points to our Levi. As to why Levi is not in the film. Well, remember that it IS an adaptation, so story lines and even characters may not run true to canon. I’d say while it may be a bummer to some for Levi to not be in the movie, I think we should give Shikishima a chance, if the back story and scripting is good he may turn out to be a nice surprise. Besides, he’s pretty good to look at (ah haha~!). Did you also know that the name Shikishima and Mikasa has a special historical relationship in Japan? I’ll leave that for you to find out though~^^

    4. Armin is NOT blond.

Hmm… It’s an important point if you really want to nit-pick at the details of the movie matching the manga/anime as closely as possible. Armin will be played by Kanata Hongo. Which is weird for me to see him the Armin hairstyle since I remember him from the 2006 Prince of Tennis movie as Ryoma Echizen…_. Him not being blond though as in the manga and anime I personally have no issues with~ so long as he is able to channel Armin in his acting that would be good enough for me.

    5. One of the filming locations for the film was Hashima  Island.

What’s so great about an island you might ask? Well, it’s actually one of many uninhabited island off the shore in the Nagasaki Prefecture. Take a look at some of the pictures of the island below.



A pretty small island~



So rustic!



Can you imagine this as the backdrop!

From the pictures alone I thought it was a great choice of filming location! An introduction to a side of Japan you don’t really see (you can actually go there if you wish though). It gives off a good vibe of the Shingeki no Kyojin like architecture of the city and buildings.

That’s the five interesting things you should know about the up and coming Shingeki no Kyojin movie~!

P.S. Miura Haruma is playing Eren…>< yay!
 

Written by Neko :3