Pale Cocoon

BLOG CLOSED

2006-06-14T08:22:00.000Z

My new anime blog is here: (relocated from animeblogger server lag - R.I.P! *sniffle*)

http://animeinfatuation.blogspot.com/

Black Lagoon ブラックラグーン 2: Mangrove Heaven

2006-06-08T08:58:00.000Z

This is hilarious, Rock so unhappy his company will kill him to destroy the disk, that he flings a gun into the ocean and starts kicking the torpedo can. *^_^*

Again, I love the character design, Dutch with the light glinting off his glasses, and even Benny is individual.

A head on game of chicken against the helicopter! Rock might turn out to be a bit mad and clever :D

Dutch: "We sure picked up one crazy son of a bitch."

Wow, i love the shot where the torpedo has smashed through the glass into the helicopter, the look of surprise ^_^.

Dutch is so happy his sunglasses aren't broken. This is so cool!

I love Rock being polite with the microphone, everyone please duck! (as Revi fires the rock launcher, hehe!)

Black Lagoon ブラックラグーン 1: The Black Lagoon

2006-06-08T07:36:00.000Z

I love Black Lagoon! <3 Some of my favourite images from the first episode are above, no they're not in order.

The intro music is super cool; ending music is a bit poor, atmospheric and mysterious though.
OP - Red Faction by MELL
ED - Don't Look Behind By EDISON

I love the bit where Rokuro hides underneath a Torpedo. Revi/Levi is shaping up to be an ultra cool strong female character, she's got a great attitude and the killings at the bar prove her skill.

Dutch is a good chracter design, especially when he sits on the boat with Rokuro, i like that Dutch is realistically physically bigger than Rokuro.

Benny is the computer hacker type person in the boat, haven't seen much of him yet, maybe his chracter develops later on :)

Poor Rock being dumped by his company, and almost drunk under the table by a girl, just as well all those men burst in to try and kill them all ;)

Wizardry ウィザードリィ 1991: Anime Movie 50mins

2006-06-08T07:32:00.000Z

Oh, yes! This is the single worst anime I have EVER had the misfortune to see, I placed it in the torture category when i rated it on animenewsnetwork.com.

I bunch of guys go into a dungeon, because a bad guy has stolen a powerful amulet. They fight and kill some monsters. Meet a girl who's boyfriend went down there before them and went crazy, so she *spoilers* has to kill him. One of them dies of course it's the old guy who you don't really care about but he was their healer so feel a bit sad. Then they kill the bad guy. Bury the dead guy. THE END.

Aaaaaaargh, did I really watch that? well no...I started skipping through it to get the gist of it.

I think it was based on a computer game, which explains a lot...*dies*

On the plus side, woo I found something worse than fist of the northern star @_@...just.

Reiko the Zombie Shop 1: Rei Mikamoto

2006-06-07T17:09:00.000Z

I've been trying to put my finger on why this manga disappointed me. The storyline is ok, for the little girl murders *spoilers* the older sister gone mad because her little sister was annoying, going on a killing spree, and Reiko redicting her own life to destroy the murderer was pretty cool. the chracter of reiko is better drawn than the annoying magical girl chracters i've been reading of late, but it's still not edgy enough. The rest of the chracter design in cliched and annoying, particularly the rock star and egotistical reporter woman. The girl abused by her father, and girl pregant with her teachers child are such dull ideas, would have been much more fun if the mother had molested her daughter, and the teacher had been murdered by the quite hard working girl. Nothing really surprised me here :(

The above pink picture of Reiko is SO MISLEADING. She's not nearly this cool in the manga, always explaining who she is and using the same boring summoning spell. Might be worth copying that picture though it's awesome! Love the eyes, but overall the composition of the pages just isn't egdy enough for a horror to make it anything special.

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 12/35

2006-06-07T14:23:00.000Z

23 Christmas: haha i liek the short break during the violent bits. Their santa claus sucks, swapping one present for another, at least then i might have got a rich child's present *_* or none at all :S

24 Curing Insomnia:
羊 [ひつじ] - (n) sheep.
クレヨン crayon
Mentaiko (see picture) 明太子: Salted pollack or cod roe, spiced with powdered Chinese red pepper called togarashi (唐辛子). Surrounded by a thin, elastic membrane, mentaiko is usually pink to dark red.
Togarashi: Contains Chinese Chile, Orange peel, Seaweed, Ginger, Poppy seeds, and Sesame seeds.

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 11/35

2006-06-07T13:54:00.000Z

21 Birthday Party: nothing seems to go well for yamanamisan. Ami chan is always 5 years old :S
呪い [のろい] - (n) a curse, a charm.

22 Snowball Fight: I want snow in my bedroom too! :) Wow i love evil kenta with a dragon and fire in his eyes, and kenta with an evil tiger!

Oh WOW the return of the potatoes on the move, Issa's favourite flower, kawai!

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 10/35

2006-06-07T13:04:00.000Z

19 Trading Diaries: average episode running round writing diaries, Issa's bamboo eating life is amusing :)
笹 [ささ] bamboo

20 Mr. Yamanami Murder:
アリバイ alibi
hahahahahahahahahahahha yamanami hug pillow, wow i didn't think it was going to be that!
酷い [ひどい] - (adj) (uk) cruel, awful, severe, very bad, serious, terrible, heavy, violent.
yup, i think that just about sums up Iyo! *^__^*

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 9/35

2006-06-07T12:40:00.000Z

17 Cards: 1502 cards, some edible! >< Poor kenta loses at everything, he's the unluckiest bear alive :'( then he gets stuck in a computer game. Kawai!

18 Fall Of Terror: poor Issa is scared of everything, and his new face is actualy freaky @_@
a kuma: ah bear
akuma: devil

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 4/35

2006-06-07T11:33:00.000Z

7 Catalog Shopping: weird pyjamas! I knight suit as a pyjama?! Only in Aniyoko! One scarf with no 'features'? An exploding alarm clock! I like yamanami -san more now, Uma desu.

8 Cold: haha strange flashback to trainspotting when the animals are on the ceiling when she wakes up! wrap this around your arm and you will be able to flip pancakes with ease! how bizarre @_@

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 3/35

2006-06-07T10:43:00.000Z

5:Puzzle With A Punch: Joya no Kane: new years eve bell tolling. Lol this episode is funny, Ami's despair at the rules or non existent rules of the Aniyoko puzzles that Iyo sets before Kenta can be turned back to normal. Poor issa covered in biting fish for no apparent reason!

6: Mystery Pot Party: May as well learn some vocab while i'm watching this!
ホログラム hologram.
秘密 [ひみつ] secret
人参 [にんじん] carrot
葱 [ねぎ] spring onion
白菜 [はくさい] chinese cabbage
南瓜 [かぼちゃ] Japanese squash
I'm glad they didn't eat Iyo's pet turtle!

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 8: The Sign Of Rebirth

2006-06-07T10:21:00.000Z

Akagi disappeared after that legendary night in 1958. He had a look in his eyes of a child bored with a toy, and Nangou knew after that he would never gamble on Mahjong again, because he could never capture that look/feeling.

Akagi is found again...or so it would seem, but he doesn't possess the same air about him, he can memorise loads of tiles but his play is not Godly. The Akagi is seen fighting 4 guys, and it comes to light that he is known for random assaults on punks, and is working in a toy factory! :(

The guys in the toy factory have a scam where they play mahjong to unfairly screw the younger workers out of their monthly wages. Akagi doesn't rise to the challenge to beat them, nor does he choose to defend a young worker who knows his pay will be lost if Akagi doesn't take his place, it's disappointing, i hope they follow this through in a later episode.

Akagi is confronted by the fake Akagi, who shows his amazing talent of predicted the required number of Shan Ten within seconds, a feat impressive if it was learnt in 5-10 seconds but the speed! Then the real Akagi does something even more impressive, he predicts the number of Sgan Ten without even looking he has worked out the remaining tiles before the fake has even looked at them.

Cool! I can't wait to see the next episode, I'll have to wait for the fan sub though :'( It's frustrating becuase eps up to 26 are on the raw torrent, but my Japanese is inferior, especially with the new Mahjong terms I find equally confusing! ><

There are notably no female chracters in this anime: I really think this was a good choice, since the angualr exaggerated facial features espcially the nose would render themj unattractive to say the least. Although I'd love a female player to have a tile down her bra, and be able to cheat her way out calling people baka and pervert for looking at her there. *giggles*.

Zi li Sou: A Yaku Man hand composed of only word tiles.

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 7: Innocent Demon

2006-06-07T10:19:00.000Z

Ichikawa cheats! He knows he will win. Fortunately things turn around when Akagi knows he can win after the luck of the dice, throws away a Haku to force Ichikawa to cheat again, but the cheat is a trick, Akagi has manipulated Ichikawa and wins and Ichikawa is broken (and ever so slightly pised off). Akag's talent is Godly. :)

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 6: The Talent Of The Villian

2006-06-07T10:16:00.000Z

It's so clever how Akagi deals the winning tile breaking up his pattern, to lose less points. Then blufing a bad hand, dealing dangerous tiles to control the table. It's also fun when he calls the wrong tile, then switches a tile when he does this.

Furi Ten: you cannot declare a Ron on a tile you already dealt.

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 5: The Treacherous Tsi li Men

2006-06-07T10:13:00.000Z

Despite Akagi's variety of style and equal wins, his wins are of lesser value so Ichikawa is winning in points with his stable tactics. I like how they omit a suit to make it a battle betwen the two of them and increase the risks. That the side players are playing what they perceive to be safe tiles and Akagi manipulates this and offbalances them, mwahahaha. Great stuff!

Live Tile: no tiles of that kind in the pond.
Straight Through: having one of every tile in a single unit.

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 4: The True Pariah

2006-06-07T07:11:00.000Z

The wager is now 8 million! Equivalent to modern day 80 million. I love seeing Akagi from outside that smokey room, but you sgtill have no idea where he is from, where does he live, what are his motivations? The spinning gun with a blind man is SO COOL! The risk, knowing that in reality there are no risks because it moves 7 times before it shoots and it's going to be empty. Awesome.

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 3: Strategy Of The Maverick

2006-06-06T19:58:00.000Z

caterpillar cheating: sliding tiles over and under, evil man! and then WOW akagi knocks over a tile by accident which is really part of the four that are facing downwards where he's slipped his real last tile. sooooo cooool. *shhh Hazel overenthusiastic*. JUST as he winds and saves nangou's life he makes ANOTHER bet! double! manipulating them into more games so as not to damage their reputaion by refusing, cooooool! The episode ends, and as Akagi wonders into the distance you wonder, just who is Akagi?

Ten Pai: needing only one more tile to win.Hands are shown when noone wins at the end of a round. The one not in Ten Pai pays a 1000 points to the one who is.
Men: to complete your whole hand without calling on any tiles.

If you win with a riichi you can turn over the dora tiles for extra indicators (?)

Bai Man: a hand with 8-10 Han worth 16000-24000 points.
Chin Itsu: to win by having all the tiles of a particular number suit.
Hon Itsu: to win by having only one number suit, and the rest word tiles.
Tan Yao: to win not using 1 or 9 of the number tiles.
No Ten: to be more than 2 tiles away from winning.
Dead Wall: the last 14 tiles in the stacks that are off limits. When all the tiles besides these 14 are drawn, the game ends.
Hell Wait: waiting on a tile when the other three are either in your hand or in the pond.
Yao Chu Tiles: the 1 and 9 of number tiles and all word tiles.
Ren Chan: when the head wins he gets to be the head in the next game too.

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 2: The Awakening Of Talent

2006-06-06T19:48:00.000Z

This is great stuff! Akagi uses great skill to read Ryuuzaki, looking carefully at his discarded tiles and predicted which tiles he needs, which are safe to discard and which are in the danger zones. I love the idea that you have to be certain of your own judgement, and how Yagi tries to undermine Akagi's belief in his decisions, but Akagi knows what he's trying to do and gives as good as he gets, they both end up passing a tile when they could have won it's SO COOL. I LOVE THIS!

...and the shouty end music is actually good/appropriate too, balances the gentle intro <3!

Closed Wait: when you are waiting for a tile in the middle to complete a straight.

Arkham Asylum (batman): Grant Morrison, and batman lego! <3

2006-06-06T15:16:00.000Z

Very dark and twisted; love it.*Spoilers* I love the treatment for duality, from a coin to dice, to tarot cards. The character design is so disgusting but bold, and the story made me laugh out loud:

Batman:"Well, you'll pardon me for saying so, but your techniques don't seem to have had much effect on the joker."

I particularly liked the batman and joker design, with his impossibly long chin and horrific teeth. The bat picture on one page was evil. The joker words are written almost illegibly which is annoying. I love the voices i can hear narrating it, if that doesn't sound too weird.

"and the dolls house. Looks. At. Me" amazing pace, artwork, shock factor!

The picture of martin hawkins when he is fried, all blue, and the expression on his face...the surprise...

when the lightning strikes the coin, and the story seems to feel complete.

Oh, and batman lego, pretty awesome yes?

Pretear 新白雪姫伝説プリーティア 1: Kaori Naruse/Junichi Satou

2006-06-06T14:50:00.000Z

Only picture I liked in this book is the image of the princess of disaster. *spoilers* I thought the storyline was terible until the twist that the last pretear became the princess of disaster and Hayate was responsible. Underaverage magical girl book. Not that I'm really sure what an overaverage magical girl story would be like :S

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 1: Andy Seto

2006-06-06T14:43:00.000Z

This is worth looking at for the artwork, especially the way the water is spiralled around like dragons as an example of the power of the new kung fu, very atmospheric :)

The fight between Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai is enjoyable. I love the spinning leaves, and fight poses in general, like dancing.

Comic Party こみっくパーティー1: Sekihiko Inui

2006-06-06T14:32:00.000Z

Quite a fun read, despite the fact I'm not keen on the artwork. About a guy dragged to a comic convention to realise his potential as a doujinshi artist. Some fun chracters at the convention, but overall a bit uninspiring. I quite liked the girls at the comic party with water guns that looked like real guns giving yellow cardsn to people who misbehave.

To Heart トゥハート 1: Ukyou Takao

2006-06-06T14:24:00.000Z

Terrible. Avoid. 2D chracters, shallow story, terrible artwork.

Akagi 1: The Genius Who Decended Into Darkness

2006-06-06T07:23:00.000Z

I love Mahjong, and the animation style here is edgy and dark. Unusual pointed facial freatures, but it works somehow. *Spoilers* wow, I love how Akagi is a surviver of the chicken cliff race, his car plunging into the ocean becasue neither cars braked and he swam to safety. Cool! Akagi is completely fearless, his confidence exacerbated by Nangou's fear, and the music is cool, and it's a fun way to learn about mahjong, <3 *^_^* I love how Akagi sets it up so the cheat in front of the police, so the yakuza can't get all mad at him! There are so many new words in this anime though :'(

The merchandise for the anime is pretty cool, like the zippo,

I wonder how many people around the UK are familiar with this game as a result of the free PC Mahjong games that came with computer packages, I know I felt addicted for awhile, plus the lady saying 'pong' and 'whatever else i can't remember in chinese' was so cool! I wonder if games like this can increase obsessive compulsive behaviour or help to control it, or make any difference whatsoever :S Totally irrelevant, but felt the need to write this down, had a dream that there were only 335 degrees in a circle, it's interesting how confused I became once they changed this! A pentagon with 67 degree angles stopped me from solving a problem, but then my classroom flooded so I had other issues. I love my weird dreams ^_^ Han chan: a session where each player gets to be 'head' twice.

Hane Man: a hand worth 12000-18000 points.
Riichi: where a player declares they only need one more tile to win, but sacrifices a 1000 points.
Shimo Cha: player that draws right after you
Ten Pai: needing only one more tile to win
San An Kou: getting three separate three of a kinds without calling on another player's tiles
Tsu Mo: means either to draw a tile or to win by drawing from the deck.
Dai San Gen: having three or more of a kind of dragon tiles. One of the most valueable hands.
Chi Toi Zu: winning hand of 7 pairs.
Yaku Hai: bonus tiles, specifically referring to dragon tiles and certain wind tiles.
Su An Kou: 4 three of a kinds.
Yaku Man: A name for special hands worth the most points in Mahjong.

Kill Me Kiss Me 1:Lee Young You

2006-06-05T20:20:00.000Z

Surprisingly enjoyable! Cousins Tae and Jung-Woo who look like identical twins, swap schools so that Tae can get closer to the boy she fancies for a week. Of course it backfires when another boy takes an interest in her, confused that he must be gay *^_^* there's a nice pace to the story, absorbing characters, and it's interesting how Tae is a 'better' boy than her cousin :)

Favourite manga quote: In the history of bad ideas, I am now convinced that most of them involve cross-dressing.

Amazing Agent Luna 1: Defilippis + Weir, Shiei

2006-06-05T20:16:00.000Z

Amazingly dull ><. Avoid!

Full Metal Panic Overload 1

2006-06-05T19:58:00.000Z

Lots of explosions and poor character design. As Sosuke swears to protect Kaname Chidori in a quite spectacular fashion, with no awareness of how 'normal' people behave. Overall underaverage romp.

I'm Late!: holding a piece of toast is a cliche image for a late person in anime/manga
Wakadaisho series, Yuzo Kayamai: an actor and singer in the 1960s, movie star was in aforementioned series.
Koppepan: bread, sometimes with a slit down the middle with cream.
Suikawari: summertime game where you crack open a watermelon with a stick while blindfolded. Funny picture here.
Yukata: clothes worn to a summer festival.
Takoyaki: octopus in batter ball shaped. Sold by street vendors and sit down restaurants in Osaka.

Chobits ちょびっツ 1: CLAMP

2006-06-05T19:46:00.000Z

Enjoyed the issues of owning a persocon, but if falling in love with a persocon is an issue why make them so realistic ><. Finding clothes for her, and her power to destroy other computers she was connected to was funny. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story develops and just what Chi is. Chi is such an adorable chracter, unfortunately she is the only character that stands out.

Yotsuba&! よつばと！1: Kiyohiko Azuma

2006-06-05T19:32:00.000Z

Adorable, curious little girl who is learning about the world around her. Cute and funny, character design is just wonderful. Yotsuba means four leaf clover, the little girl's head resembles a four leaf clover. Suitable for all readers and delightful to read.

Neighbourhood Association: called chonaikai.
Throwing Salt: a mock purification ceremony to rid Fuka of Jumbo and Kaiwai.
Namu: start of the namu amida butsu chant.

Kimi Shiruya-Dost Thou Know: Satoru Ishihara (yaoi)

2006-06-05T18:32:00.000Z

A fairly average yaoi tale of kendo fighting boys coming to terms with their feelings. Not much depth to the chracters.

Ma-ai: proper distance when fighting. There are three basic distances in Kendo: Chika-ma - short distance; To-ma - long distance; and Issoku-Itto-No-Maai - between these two. The latter means, literally, "distance of one step - one blow".
Otoshimen: counterstrike to the helmet
Zashi warashi: protective house spirit
Nonohana: wild flowers
Omamori: protective talismans. Dedicated to Shinto an Buddhist Deities. They enclose papers or pieces of wood with prayers on them. They ward off bad luck.

More yaoi titles can be found here.

Great Teacher Onizuka 1: Tohru Fujisama

2006-06-02T13:34:00.000Z

I love this manga! Onizuka may be a punk with mad hair, who sits next to excalators looking up girl's skirts, and he may go into teaching for all the wrong reasons, but you get the feeling his heart's in the right place, and as the story unravels your feelings are proved right. Favourite moment is where the students from his class who try to blackmail him are dunked in the river, and his resultant promotion. Nanako is a likeable chracter, and again you like her even more for her faults. I really want to read the next manga, and see how Onizuka's character develops :)

There is an anime of this?! Must check that out sometime too *^_^*

The Yellow Jar Volume 1: P. Atangan

2006-06-02T11:35:00.000Z

These really are two delightful tales. Although not as beautiful as ukiyo-e artwork of the time, it captures the atmosphere. I'm not aware of the original tales or how closely they follow traditional tales. Rather than separate stories it would have been nice to intertwine these ideas into one long adventure, rather than separate stories. I guess I just prefer things with character development and flow, but I'll definately be wanting to read the rest. I love how the woman's tears turn into a river, but why didn't she just get upset sooner then ><, and i kind of wanted the younger sister flower to die then come back as a vengeful ghost and put a curse upon the monk and his garden, then he could have become the demon who kidnapped O haru san, and the tales could have been linked, but i guess that's missing the point of the joy of the original stories :)

My favourite picture is Nikotuchi under the moon light, with the grey clouds swirling around him, really captures the emotion of the moment, and there's just somehting about the moon with a flock of birds flying in front of it.

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 8/35

2006-06-02T07:22:00.000Z

15, Art Of Punch Lines: aaw when kenta freezes thinking he'll never be popular. i'd go with hooligan over violent...haha! Kenta flying through space wanting to say the punchline *giggles*. Kenta starts to wither and disappear by not saying punchlines! Oh no! Lets surround him with gags till he can't take it anymore! LOL.

haiku 3 lines, 5,7,5 syllable driven poem (I'd forgotten the ratio)
kuku times table
shukuhai toast...why didn't i learn that in Japanese!?...useful...wonder if marmite is marmite in japanese...i wonder if they eat marmite in Japan? :S
shakuhachi bamboo flute

aaaw Iyo and Kenta in space, I love the way this jumps into another universe.

16, Aniyoko Word Games LOL when Issa's face turns into Yamanami. poor thing, and the word games make no sense to me ><. FIVE THOUSAND word game version?! Aaw Issa with Bamboo! *^_^* Kawai! Legendary beast Iyogon! Poor issa, but wearing a explorers outfit, kawaiiiii! Meteor attack...ok i relaise my note mean nothing to other people, but they'll remind me and make me laugh about the things i liked. Ukulele trio!

I've got that fantasist girl end song in my brain now, kawai! *bounce*

Also, i'd like to point out the fact that we've been evolving from dust to this, for billions of years and i still can't remember what i went upstairs for ><

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 7/35

2006-06-02T07:17:00.000Z

13, Muffler Story: one of the less interesting stories, about Kenta's granny.

14, Iyo Affair: Oh no, I take it back, I love the bunny, when she has a personality change it's boring! How to cure a bunny, boil it...tickle it...drop a washing pan on it's head?! *giggles*

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 6/35

2006-06-02T07:11:00.000Z

11, Fortune Telling Paradise: in aniyoko you are a mat! people walk all over you...poor Ami! I like potatoes on the move, hahahahaha. This is definately me when i was 6 having conversations with my soft toys. The aniyoko chanting freaked me out! Creepy!

12, Big Fight: a bunch of kentas! It's like my nightmare where i have to figure out which teddy bear is mine from the factory where they are all going to be incinerated!...and Iyo...I really want to kill that rabbit! Gah! Evil!

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 5/35

2006-06-02T06:59:00.000Z

Each episode of Animal Yokocho represents two episodes - so episode 5 is actually 9-10/70...not cufusing at all: espicially since I'm also watching them out of order O_O!

9, Secret Diet: It's funny, I prefer Issa, Kenta and Iyo as animals rather than children, if they were children I probably wouldn't watch, or at least it would be more disturbing to see purple Dieto Jiusu coming out of Iyo's ears! Mud wrestling as part of a diet plan...sounds like a plan!

10, Fan Letters: aaaaaaw when kenta dresses up as a mosquitoe(ka) catching(tori) dog(inu) it's soooo cute. I like word plays because it helps improve my Japanese.

Dosukoi:words of encouragement for a sumo wrestler.

The Law Of Ueki うえきの法則 - The Law Of Songs OST

2006-06-02T06:48:00.000Z

Lots of power pop, rock type music. I enjoyed 2:'special ne everyday' because it's catchy and bouncy. 7:MORE is a cute girly song. However...8:give me more?! Sounds like something they'd play at a pop/trance club and i'd only dance around to it if i'd had at least 6 vodka shots @_@. Sure this is a great albumn if you like japanese mainstream music, but not for me.

Books about anime and manga: holiday reading

2006-06-01T18:27:00.000Z

I love libraries! *^_^* Very happy Hazel. Reviews to follow...

Animal Yokocho, online manga and game! <3 Kawai!

2006-05-31T19:41:00.000Z

This website is brilliant! Loving the manga, even though i can't read 90% of it, it's stilll funny, such a cute soundtrack. i wish i was 6 again!

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 4/12 The Doyousei Appeareth

2006-05-31T18:49:00.000Z

poor Rinko. I'm loving her chracter more each episode, after the initial worry she was going to be irritating.

Another Yume Tsukai: Sagawa Satoka *^_^*.

Wow! A wax world full of the same couples, when a man cannot let go of his feelings for a woman who died a year ago. Creepy and so imaginative.

haha..."look into this ring donut"...i think that's homer's fantasy ^_^

Please verify virgin status, well, i think the machine might just laugh at me then ><

The music when they activate the cyclone and destroy the monster is great!

Taisho: 1912-1926, hmm I should really have memoried this by now but i forgot *blushes*

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 3/12 Swelling Love

2006-05-31T17:49:00.000Z

Poor nervous Aomouri Yuuko!

Oh wow this gets hilarious, superconducting frisbee(?!), and 'please verify virgin status', out of context it sounds a lot dodgier than it is in reality, finally we see what the computers in the start credits are in aid of, and wow i loved the ending!! She totally ignores all the guys *^_^* haha!

furube, yurayura to furube: ancient Shinto ressurection spell

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 2/12 Kind Footsteps

2006-05-31T17:22:00.000Z

Love the labyrinth effect, and i knew Tachibana Hajime was going to be iritating by the look of his character design, so I was so pleased to see him hit over the head by a chair ^_^. A giant teddy bear monster...not as cool as the one in those who hunt elves, possessed by the spirit of a cat.

I like the 'Tensou' sequence and the giant cyber bear! Aaaaaw, the bit when her mother is outside the door saying sorry brought tears to my eyes, but then i used to be the child overly attached to her teddies, I used to have nightmares bad things happened to them though, they never turned into monsters!

.hack//legend of the twilight 1: Rei Izumi/Tatsuya Hamazaki

2006-05-31T17:08:00.000Z

A fairly enjoyable first manga. i can see how this appeals to teenagers, especially young biys around the globe, there's enough cute girls, weapons, and game world to keep them turning the pages. I liked: Aura (kawai!) the valentines rare items *^_^*, the 'doggie's a babe?!' quote, and indeed she is a babe, and 'get moving panty boy', surely a world full of 20 million game players is just for teenage biys to stare at panties, boobs and experience their first online kiss? Loved the grunty pets, little pigs that grow up to be mounts, I hope this turns into more of a quest series and not a series of special events manipulated by the administrator!

Shutterbox 1 - Ricki Simons and Tavisha. Tokyopop

2006-05-31T15:29:00.000Z

This is a fairly average fantasy manga about a girl who can go to the afterlife world of the Merridiah when she dreams. The facial design is poor, and the only creatures I find innovative and fun are the little 'beebo' rabbit type creatures with wings. Kawai!

I got to read this from my local library, I joined yesterday and found 3 shelves of comics and manga :) They may not have the titles I want to buy, but at least i can review some, discover some I might want to purchase, and get some ideas for artwork.

Karin かりん OST

2006-05-31T14:27:00.000Z

Fairly average soundtrack with music in the main part by Nishida Masara, I'm sure the 'original dramas' would be great if I understood more Japanese. Not very inspiring artwork in the cd booklet. The saxaphones, synth, and nu-metal type things seem a bit dated :S I loved the piano in 20:Choppiri sentimental and quite liked 2:Scarlet - by BRACE;d. Overall disappointing.

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 1/12 The Dream Starts, Rainy Classroom

2006-05-31T13:47:00.000Z

Yume Tsukai literally means: Dream User

Notes for this episode:
Ikai: another world
The 7 Tsukai: are named after 7 stars of the Pleiades Cluster named after the seven days of the week.
Teruteru Bouze: Paper charm hung under the window which is supposed to keep rain away, quite childish.
Tensou: change dress
Asobitatematsuru: play offering, here a toy is put in the broom God.
Ochazuke: rice and green tea
Darjeeling First Flush: during mid march, after the spring rains, the tea harvested make a light yellow/ copper colour.

(see this really is turning into cooking lessons!)

OP - Yume Meikyuu - Yoko - thought this was above average/magical

ED - Kodou - Ayako Kawasumi - enjoyable

Ok so maybe I'll give this a better review because the theme was a lesbian love that a girl couldn't confess *kawai*. The emotions she felt in her dreams were expressed in reality and snatched the girl she fancied away from this realm. Thought the monster was terrible though, a ping pong ball and a blanket? highly imaginative. The Yume Tsukai are quite doll like but I'm not overlykeen on their faces. Chiming eerie magical background music, hopefully a good OST to come then :)

Requiem From The Darkness 京極夏彦巷説百物語3/13: White Fox

2006-05-31T13:38:00.000Z

I love how this shows the trusting and simple chracter of Momosuke. the story of the foxes being hunted to extinction and then one turning into a monk was so imaginative. Yet again you want the punishment of the evil hunter, exaccerbated by his reliving how he murdered his fiancee. Ogin had suitable fun with that one :)

Where are all these mist filled lakes with beautiful women then eh? *^_^*

Requiem From The Darkness 京極夏彦巷説百物語2/13: Willow Woman

2006-05-31T13:33:00.000Z

*Spoilers* Loved the twist in this tale, was half expecting the willow woman to be a woman he'd murdered and buried in the centre of the tree... the multiple personality to justify his actions was great. loving the graphics as always. Especially the movement of the willow branches, eerie as always! Liking the Ogin chracter even more to, she's so cool, she's evil but she cares. <3 And the intro where the woman is kiled with her baby, it's soooo stylish love this anime so much!

Gilgamesh ギルガメッシュ 3/26: Children Of A Lesser God

2006-05-31T13:24:00.000Z

Enjoyed the fighting between the children of the lesser god and the gilgamesh, wish you saw more of it rather than heard it...the background drum music was awesome, i bet the soundtrack's good! The teleportation bit was cool, but you'd think they might have picked up a few weapons...i mean, they are being chased by three groups of people now!

I wait to see more of Tatsuya's powers, I hope his personality evolves with his powers.

Still liking the tuning forks during the end credits, simple yet effective.

Requiem From The Darkness 1/13: Azuki Arai, Azuki Bean Washer

2006-05-30T20:13:00.000Z

I highly recommend checking out Requiem From The Darkness. Very dark stylish artwork. Fantastic individualistic character personalities, very distinct, loving the Mataichi gang! such a unique feel to the unravelling of the mysterious, disturbing tale. You really want to know more about the village where Azuki Arai lived, who killed him and why, you feel his pain and want his revenge and although the conclusion feels inexitable, this is not important since the journey there is so awesome. Really should sit down and sketch some of this over the holidays :) The idea of the trickster, the puppeteer and the morphing guy, awesome! <3

Oh, and there are some great wallpapers on the website ;)

Inukami いぬかみっ1/ ?: Don't Mind Being Naked ^_^

2006-05-30T19:47:00.000Z

Ok, Inukami is officially the weirdest anime I've seen yet. The artwork is terrible, and I was slightly worried from the beginning that it was actually hentai...but it gets worse...all i need to say is naked guy with a moustache, in a long cap, shooting rays out of his nipples, yes nipples, to make all the men in the street naked. Nakedness in abundance, with cute blue elephant cartoons to cover up people's privates. Keita is the single worst draw male character I've ever seen (hence no picture).

OP - not my thing : Hikari - Yui Horie

ED - also not my thing: Yuujou Monogatari - Aice5

Weird! Nevertheless, will probably keep watching this O_O purely for the randomness of the bad guys. Oh, and maybe the 'interesting' poses of Yoko...and to find out why that little girl has a ferret on her head!

Gilgamesh ギルガメッシュ 2/26: The Countess Of Werdenberg

2006-05-30T19:16:00.000Z

I'm really enjoying watching Gilgamesh. I like the character design, and the monsters are pretty cool. Really not keen on their black plastic-like outfits though. The red ones look pretty cool on the women though. The lizards in the jars for pillars was novel, and the soundtrack is pretty cool. I really want to find out why the children are special, but I can't work out who the bad guys are, or if, in fact, everyone is just evil and twisted. ><

come and join our cult @_@...sure but...can i bring my own clothes?!

Kamisama Kaziku 神様家族 episode 2/13: Samatarou's Violent, Epic First Love Battle

2006-05-30T19:02:00.000Z

This was enjoyable because of Tenka's ability to help Samatarou despite the fact she is literally 'steaming' with jealousy. You get the impression the more Tenka tries to help Samatarou the closer they will become. I love how his older sister interfered in the water theme park, and how his father interfered and brainwashed Kumiko into throwing herself at Samatarou. Favourite moment is when Tenka appears in her natural form with little wings, kawai!

Naked aprons though? My parents were never that weird...feels lucky.

Rakugo Tennyo Oyui 落語天女おゆい episode 1/?: In Florrid Edo,Tennyo Dance

2006-05-30T14:00:00.000Z

These are my favourite images from the anime Rakugo Tennyo Oyui. Yay another anime with loasds of notes so i can learn things as i watch.

OP - Sakura Saku - Little NON. Underaverage not keen on art style.

ED - Hana Fubuki. Koi Fubuki - Hiromi Kashima not the voice for me, overly warbling.

Rakugo is the traditional Japanese art of storytelling, also called hanashi. The narrators of which are termed rakugoka or hanashika. The building where the stories take place is called the yose.

A rakugo is typically a humourous story with a punchline. Otoshibashi is the eighteenth century term for stories with a punch line. The subjects of rakugo are sometimes dramatic, about everyday people, ghost stories or parodies of kabuki. The history of rakugo lies within buddhist teachings.

Some words that need explaining:
kotodama: chant to focus your will.
Hajaraka Mokuren Kyuuraisu: 'Crush Evil and Spread the Truth Arhat Mokuren of Ages Past.
Mokuren: Japanese name for Maudgalyayana, disciple of Gautama Buddha - title arhata proof of his enlightenment.
Haja Kenshou: the part 'Haja' gives the sense of 'crushing evil and spreading the truth'.
Tekeretsu no Han: command phrase 'Foe Splittling Judgement'.
Tennyo: celestial maiden.
Tennyo no Houji: Celestail maiden jewels.
Youma: spirits uusally evil.
Youkai: monsters, spirits, ghosts from Japanese folklore.
Gongen sama: short for Tosho Dai Gongen, another word for Tokugawa Ieyasu 1st, shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Hijikata-sama: Toshizou Hijikata, leader of Shinsengumi group of swordsmen who fought to defend the Tokugawa Shogunate against the Meiji Restoration.
Kuniyoshi: one of the last creators of the traditional Japanese woodblock printing art Ukiyo-e.
Katsuhara Utamaru: this man is president of the Rakugo Geijutsu Kyoukai or Rakugo Artist Association. The Rakugo Geijutsu Kyoukai backed the creation of Rakugu Tennyo Oyui, and Katsura Utamaru voices his character in the anime.

And by this point, I thought i wasn't going to be able to understand anything in the anime at all, but it was suprisingly simple to follow!

The fight scene with the Youma was entertaing enough, but the chracter design bugged me. Was thinking this was a bit of a let down, till they flash forward in time to modern day, and Miyaba gets paranoid that Yui is having 'personal experiences'. That made me giggle! It was also pretty funny when Yui shrunk the kimono made of habutae silk.

Monjayaki: varient of okonomiyaki, thin savory pancakes widely available in restaurants in the chou-ku district of Tsukishima in Tokyo. Scrapping your food of a grill seems like such a novel way of eating food, that changes taste as you eat more. i must try this when i eventually go to Japan (or set fire to kitchen again trying to do something myself).

Seems my viewing is turning into cooking lessons. I'm enjoying learning from this anime it's just a shame about the character design. I can't wait to see the panda boy though, KAWAI!

Kamisama Kaziku 神様家族 episode 1/13: Do You Believe In God?

2006-05-30T13:09:00.000Z

These are my favourite images from the romantic comedy Kamisama Kazoku and some sukiyaki...explained below!

OP - Brand New Morning - Mai Mizuhashi. Loving this, it's catchy rock, bouncy too. Slightly James bond type graphics :)

ED - Toshokan dewa Oshiete Kurenai, Tenshi no Himitsu - Miraku. So so. Love the graphics of them floating on bubbles in front of the rainbow!

My favourite character design has to be Tenka, she's so adorable especially in the sunset picture, and when she looks at Samatarou with shock as he says Komori Kumiko is beautiful. What a surprise...another love triangle.

Knew I was going to enjoy this as soon as the crossdressing teacher starts yelling his love for bloowers. Hilarious! Enjoying the background music too. Lots of funny opportunities for mad faces and Tenko Bossing Samatarou around which is entertaining, and the little sister Meme is kawai. haha - don't listen to what your parent say. I love the fact that Samatarou's parents are eccentric and ever so slightly mad, I don't think any teenage guy wants to see his mother prancing round in bloomers...at least i hope not.

Samatarou's favourite food is Sukiyaki: beef, tofu, konyaku noodles, leeks, onions, chinese cabbage, enoki mushrooms (other vegetables) soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Someitmes dipped in raw egg (?!) Origins in the Meiji Era (1868-1912). I should try and cook some!...without the beef of course! *^_^*

Gotta love the T-shirt with 'God' written on it. Haha!

This looks promising :)

Witchblade ウィッチブレイド episode 3/26: Resistance

2006-05-30T13:02:00.000Z

*Spoilers* Loved the intro fight sequence with the I-weapon. Who else thought the X-CON machines were perverted? Grosse! Loved the way the character who pickpockets Riko is set up as the creatures victim. Shouldn't be so happy to see a woman's insides microwaved! @_@

Quote: I need to find somebody, then i'll warm them up...nice a warm...

GROSSE!

Witchblade ウィッチブレイド episode 2/26: Invitation

2006-05-30T09:13:00.000Z

Sorry there are no images. I've been struggling to work out how to copy and save the images from my media player. I print screen then save in ifran view but as soon as i close the media player the picture goes black, as if it saves the moving image on the screen at the time, not the print screen >< If anyone can help me with this it would be much apprecaited, thanks!

Anyway...episode two, bit of a pointless episode. The conversation in the helicopter was dragged out, best moment of the episode was Riko clinging to the table leg, adamant she won't go back to the Child Welfare Agency. Kawai! Have to wait till epsiode 3 to see how Masake reacts when 'forced' to use the witchblade... :)

Aria the Natural Soundtrack:Choro Club = Love <3 Kawai!

2006-05-30T07:49:00.000Z

All these pictures are taken from the Aria the Natural OST cd. I love this classical music by Choro Club. So beautiful to listen to and chilled. I have yet to see Aria the Natural, but I adored the previous Aria the Animation so I'm sure it will be lovely. Apart from one song by Kawai Eri this is going on my mp3 player for a while, to chill me out when all the engineering works on the tube trains means it take twice as long to travel anywhere!

After a quick listen to the albumn my favourite song is Yuuniga. Choirs and acoustic guitars <3 style="font-style: italic;">Okashi no Futari is the bounciest happiest thing i've heard in a long time, sound like a few clangers got into the recording studio :) Highly Recommended.

Cybersix, an animation I really want to see

2006-05-28T08:35:00.000Z

Just out in English on video. I made this blog as a reminder to check it out when it finds an English dvd release (or else I'll need to brush up on my GCSE french!). The comics are in spanish/french and italien. *Hmmph*. Website with episode guide here.

Favourite online comic: Patches <3

2006-05-24T11:53:00.000Z

Patches, an adorable cute hamster/gopher creature, with a fear of birds, being trapped in ikea, and a fondness for cookies...Kawai<3

Tekkon Kinkreet Trailers 鉄コン筋クリート

2006-05-23T10:40:00.000Z

These trailers (Trailer 1/Trailer2) look awesome.The first is the trailer for the film. the second is the trailer for the 4 minute short downloadable here. I really want to read the manga it's based on. Film website here. The music is Yoko Kanno, (unreleased ><)

Film release date: December 23 2006.

More info on french website here.

Ooo. I've given into temptation and am buying volume 1 of Black and White by Taiyo Matsumoto *looks overly excited about this fact*. I know it's sad geting excited about spending £8 but my manga collection is miniscule because I'm a poor student! Eep. I should get it in a week! Yay for finding cheap deals on bookbutler.

Black Lagoon Revy/Levi Figurine. Hot!

2006-05-22T18:12:00.000Z

I don't care what her name is, she's awesome! Must go and watch more Black Lagoon. And find the MELL 'red fraction' theme tune, someone's gotta have it somewhere!

Trailer: Time Jam - Valerian and Laureline

2006-05-22T15:26:00.000Z

The trailer for Time Jam - Valerian and Laureline is here. Looks promising, cool music, and if you were wondering about the adorable aardvark like creatures, they are greedy Shingouz, who love Laureline. Kawai! Read more about the french comic 'Valerian' which this 40 episode anime is based here.

...Really want to read the comics now! Adds to the rapidly increasing list!

Funny Otaku Video - Akahibara

2006-05-21T18:08:00.000Z

Watch this it's so funny, a glimpse of the Akahibara district and its otaku, unfortunately they couldn't film in a maid cafe...but they found a self loathing otaku *bless*. Give that man a hug, but the guy with a green maid costume and his powerful 'mop'?...I'm officially scared!!

Yamato Damacy episode 18

Love Get Chu:Episode 1:Momoku Will Be A Voice Actress

2006-05-21T13:27:00.000Z

My favourite images from the new anime 'Love Get Chu ~ Miracle Seiyuu Hukusho'.

OT - 'Nanairo Nadeshiko' by Maki Okada, cute and bouncy but average.

ET - 'Cry A Little' by Shoko Fujibayashi, underaverage music with terrible graphics of the bunny keychain and the house.

Music page: here

Quote:"Can it be molestation!"

The Good: This is quite a cute anime, especialy the character Momoko, with her little bunny keychain Usamaru. The bit on the train where she thinks she's being molested made me giggle, and you get the feeling there's going to be lots and lots of awkward moments with the leading male character. The girls she meets at the anime voice acting audition are quite fun and distinctive, especially Sasaki Yurika. The moment with the swimsuits and their naive dreams of modelling was cute, and the best moment was Momoko screaming on the roof followed by a punch in the stomach by her female interviewer from Lambda 8 was both unexpected and funny.

The Bad: The artwork is too symplistic apart from the thick line/exaggerated facial emotions. The girls don't lack charisma/likeability. This anime is based on a cell phone love sim game so no high expectations of plot/character development. I watched the [AnK] version then discovered the translation was confuzzled because it gets translated into Arabic(!) before being translated into English, the [Your-Mum] version is supposed to be better. Also, is Momoko a bit mad because she talks to her bunnyrabbit keyring? How long is that going to go on for? Unfortunately the bunny doesn't reply. The moment when Momoko ran upstairs with Tsubasa watching, knowing the interview was downstairs, making that 'helpless' look...I was yelling at the telly, follow her you idiot, don't just stand there! Unbelieveable!

I'll watch the nest few episodes to see if it improves...or at least fills expectations from the picture on the website!

As for the leg warmers: silly but cute! *^_^*

Hamtaro Intro Music (Italian version)

2006-05-21T09:38:00.000Z

Allow me to be childlike and immature for one moment...

This is so cute! Kawai...I release my inner child (the one that loves 'Inspector Gadget' and 'Bodger and Badger') for 2 minutes to watch this.

Natsuki Kuga: figurine of my favourite characters from Mai-Hime

2006-05-21T09:01:00.000Z

Kawaiiiii <3. Anime chracter i'd most like to morph into today!

Otaku, Maids, ImeCla, Cosplay Cafes, No-Pan, Pink Salons and Soap Land?!

2006-05-21T08:36:00.000Z

[This is another article about otaku and maids that i found interesting, especially all the different types of places created for the 'otaku' ImeCla, no-pan (no panties), Pink Salons and soap land(?!). Japan never ceases to amaze me...and it's great that they mention female otaku who want pictures taken of them in costumes, i really want to cosplay now, recon i should cosplay Natsuki Kuga (see picture)]

Akihabara has long been known for its overwhelming array of electronics stores like Ishimaru Denki, Onoden, Satomusen and many more.

However, the area has undergone something of a makeover recently with posters and figures of animated beautiful girls plastered all over the place and the emergence of cafes and restaurants devoted to "cosplay," featuring girls dressed as animated heroes, maids, etc. Even a public area, such as the floor space of JR Akihabara station, has got into the act, with a 3-meter-round poster of the face of a beautiful girl appearing in an animation video.

Kiichiro Morikawa, a professor at the Kuwasawa Design Research Institute, said, "An increasing number of animation goods and game shops have opened their doors and changed the area into an 'otaku' (geek) Mecca."

Psychologists say these "otaku" or geeks are regressive, have poor social ability, and have never fully matured as adults. "Therefore, they are not good at communicating with others, cannot date real human beings, and instead adore an imaginary character," said one.

Self-confessed "super otaku" Tetsuto Fujiyama says, "There are five different kinds of geeks in Akihabara. The oldest denizens are the electric appliance geeks, who come to purchase electronic parts and other equipment. Next are the PC geeks, who like to build their own original computers that run as fast as possible. Third are TV animation geeks whose brains can't distinguish between reality and the animation. The fourth group are the magazine geeks who have made original animation fantasy stories influenced from TV and game animation and publish them in small magazines circulated among themselves. The last group are those geeks who love to play video games in which erotic animation is used."

WC, who runs an information website on Akihabara called Akiba WC Headline!!, says, "Akihabara is a dream town for men. PCs, digital cameras, geek magazines, electronic gadgets and animated goods, you name it, Akihabara has got everything that men like. That's why almost 90% of the people you see here are men."

Local landmark Radio Hall, located in front of the Denki-gai exit of JR Akihabara station, always carries the most popular products of each generation. Now, they have plastic model figures of beautiful girls from TV animated series and superhero robots for hardcore fans. There is a 380,000 yen life-size Evangelion (video game character) figure, as well as perennial favorites Gozilla, Kamen Rider, Ultra Man and Kikaida. When Tetsujin28 (a famous TV robot character) was released, 12,000 figurines were sold in the first two days.

Simultaneously, video game software is another big hit in Akihabara. When a brand new popular video game is released, the "otaku" line up in front of the store at least a day before the release and camp outside in huge makeshift cardboard shelters. The reason they do this is to get one of a limited number of original gifts which are usually presented to the first customers who purchase the new product. Enthusiasts frequently access each store's homepage and actually visit the shops each week to find out and compare who is giving away the best gift items.

"Sometimes, it might be just an original telephone card, but at other times, it could be a life-size cuddling pillow with a print of a beautiful animated character girl on it," says a video game magazine writer. "They also give away bed sheets with a life-size print of the hottest 'otaku' pin-up on them, so you can see how information research turns out to be a kind of war."

About a month ago, the world's first animation movie theater, "Akihabara Oriental Comic Theater," opened. Not only will it show movies, it will also serve as a forum for fans and creative talent such as animation writers and voice actors.

Comic shops are everywhere, too. "You see a lot of magazines that geeks have drawn and written using their fantasy world. Naturally, the subject matter tends to be erotic, often featuring schoolgirls and maids," said a worker at the comic shop Mess Sano.

Cafe waitresses draw in crowds

When this many "otaku" boys get together in Akihabara, someone must feed them somewhere, so cafes and restaurants, especially for them have opened one after another. At the Cure Maid Cafe, all the waitresses wear maid costumes. "There are seven waitresses at this moment. They've got pretty names such as Pudding and Chocolate," said manager Masato Matsuzaki. "We also have a website on which customers and waitresses can chat. We get nearly 1,000 page visitors a day, which is unbelievable for a restaurant."

The maid's skirts at Cure Maid Cafe aren't as short as other restaurants; they tend to be longer and more elegant. So why are the "otaku" so crazy about ther maids? "It's because of the image that a maid is always supposed to obey a customer. That has a sort of healing or calming effect on a guy," explains Matsuzaki.

On the other hand, waitresses at another "cosplay" cafe, Cafe & Kitchen Cos-Cha, do wear very short skirts. "The waitresses are all in the early 20s," said manager Masahide Kamei. "There are always three or four, whom we call angels, serving customers at all times. Depending on which animation or video game is popular, we change the costumes of the angels to stimulate the interests of customers."

What fascinates customers the most, Kamei added, is the costume change event that is held three times a month. "The most successful event we ever had was the school swimsuit pageant last December. Almost 300 people lined up in front of our cafe before the 6 p.m. opening time. It was impossible to control the situation. Around 8 p.m., an angel came out and tried to call for order. The audience was actually touched by her sincere attitude and applauded. In response to that applause, she took off her coat to reveal her swimsuit, and that brought a bigger cheer."

In addition to all the cafes, there is a "cosplay izakaya" (small Japanese-style bar) called Little BSD (Little Beauty's Satanic Dining). "Waitresses wear different costumes everyday. We have nearly 15 waitress now. Customers like to have their photo taken with the waitresses," said the bar manager.

If you're hungry, try ordering a rice ball. One of the Little Beauty Satans will bring you some rice and seaweed. Using a cutter, the little beauty shapes rice balls into triangles and other shapes, and feeds you by hand.

However, don't get take this as invitation, cautions Morikawa. "They are not ImeCla girls (Image Clubs in which you can act out your fantasy in a situational setting as nurse-patient, teacher-student, commuters in packed train and so on). Nor is it a a 'no-pan' cafe (where mini-skirted waitresses with no panties serve customers). These shops at Akihabara are not in the sex business because for geeks, fantasizing is much more important than actually doing anything with girls."

It should be mentioned that there are also female "otaku" who are into costumes. The adult convenience store M's Akihabara is selling lots of sexy costumes. "When a girl tries one on, often she asks us to take a photo of her. There are too many customers like that, and our walls are plastered with their photos," said a store PR guy.

Tetsuma Yamada, who writes about the sex industry, said: "First of all, the Akihabara area isn't authorized to have sex businesses. Therefore, there are no Pink Salons (hostess clubs in which a hostess sits next to a customer and sexually stimulates him with her hand and mouth. Since no one gets naked, the salons are legally defined as bars). Nor are they a Soap Land (where women give customers a bath and aesthetic massage)."

Another unique shop in Akihabara is the so-called video box that features gorgeous rooms and a big collection of animation and adult video tapes. "Even diehard fans will never get bored," said a salesperson for one such place, Hanataro.

In this constantly changing world, you never know what comes next. Will "otaku" rule the world? Stay tuned.

For a dictionary of adult entertainment, check out Erodas at http://www.nukinavi.com/jiten/index.html

Source

Interesting website: Sake Drenched Postcards

2006-05-21T08:19:00.000Z

Loads of interesting articles archived here.

Another article about maids...I'm not obsessed just intrigued!

2006-05-21T08:14:00.000Z

Though the event sounded like a wet t-shirt contest - billed as having young girls, skimpy clothing, and water - the Captain, perhaps sadly, discovered another world unto its own. Join him this week as he takes a peek at Akihabara’s latest fad through a tradition of the past.

Frilly black dresses with curvy tails. White aprons with matching headpieces. Wooden buckets. Hot pavement. Lots of free-flowing water.

An unlikely combination for sure, but that was the recipe that blended culture past and present in a promotional event at Tokyo’s electronic paradise of Akihabara last Sunday.

To the uproarious approval of a gathering of five hundred mostly young male otaku, or extreme fanatic, female employees of Akihabara’s now trendy maid cafes (a generic expression given to a variety of shops staffed by pretty young girls outfitted in alluring costumes) assisted in the performance of uchimizu - the summer ritual of tossing water on to hot pavement in an effort to create a cooling sensation.

Though the name may imply otherwise, a maid café is not a place to find a woman busily working a vacuum, nor even an ambiguous shroud for yet another type of Japanese sex establishment. With menus, written in deliberately unique Japanese, offering everything from “little devil” cocktails (600 yen) to full-body massages (4,000 yen for thirty minutes), these establishments allow customers to partake in a faux master-and-servant relationship with a young lady sporting a Victorian outfit or other seductive wear, perhaps a uniform based on a popular manga, anime, or video game. Conversations often include such honorific titles as "my lord" or "my lady."

Akihabara is hardly known as a place for person-to-person contact. Rather, it is the Tokyo district famous for shops peddling the latest in consumer electronics and gadgetry. The maid café then is a chance for a little interactive fantasy.

Uchimizu, however, is not a trend. The custom dates back hundreds of years. Doorways and garden entrances often received a dousing of water on hot summer days in hopes of taking advantage of the however brief effect of evaporative cooling. (For skeptics, the official uchimizu Web page claims that the execution of uchimizu can drop the temperature nearly two degrees centigrade.)

For the one-and-a-half-hour event, held in the open plaza in front of JR Akihabara Station and promoted by colorful posters featuring three female animation characters (one toting a wooden bucket with a handle), small groups of a dozen or so otaku took turns moving out onto a designated asphalt area where they emptied buckets of water (and their hearts) as a single row of smiling attendant ladies dutifully did the same nearby. Small photo opportunities and brief chat sessions were possible before and after the ceremonial tosses.

Female music trios opened and closed the festivities with songs sung over pre-recorded dance music. With some wearing thick-soled basketball shoes, jeans, and t-shirts, teams of otaku spun, threw their arms in the air, and sang along with the lyrics of the head-tilting threesomes.

“This is the strange otaku world,” said one male observer standing in the back of the crowd.

Strange, maybe. But cool.

Source

Hello Kitty Vibrator...for your...aching shoulders...

2006-05-20T18:41:00.000Z

So this is what a Hello Kitty Vibrator looks like. A few years back someone told me they existed and I giggled quite a bit...

Witchblade ウィッチブレイド episode 1/26 beginning

2006-05-20T16:00:00.000Z

These are some of my favourite pictures of the new anime Witchblade. I'll be following this series to see how the story and characters develop, but it seems quite average in terms of plot so far.

OT - 'XTC' by Psychic Lover: Pretty average rockability here.

ET - 'Ashita no te' by Mamiko noto: Above average chilled out music. You Tube video here

Quote: "She stole a police car. What a bad mother."

Impressions: The Good... loved the haunting voice of a girl in the background at the beginning. The relationship between Rihoku Amaha and her mother Masake are what made this enjoyable to watch. Did anyone else think of Speed Grapher when they saw Yusuke Tozawa with his camera? (and yeah he's a bit 'Mmm'). Rihoku is so cute, when she pets the dog, or hides in Yusuke's car and clutches her pink bag! Masake's transformation sequence was very cool, but a bit too fast to appreciate the cool artwork! >< The Bad...the police car chase was over the top, she risked the life of her child. Surely she'd just follow them till they were trapped then jump out of the car and grab her daughter back? Ok maybe rational thought had gone out the window. Also, does the baddy really have to be a heap of unbelievable metal, I mean, it would be more enjoyable if he was a threatening human with realistic cyber-atached body weapons.

...and why are people latching onto the MILF thing, or suggesting there's a magic girl sequence? i don't care if the breasts of these characters have a life of their own that's not why i watch anime! *dies*

How much do i want a Witchblade T-shirt...a lot...wonder if i can find them on ebay or something? i'd love to read the witchblade comics/graphic novel too one day...when i eventually graduate and you know...actually have money...:'(

More info on the Witchblade website here.

Maid Cafes - vs. sex appeal and Freeters...

2006-05-20T15:35:00.000Z

[Benjamin Secher wrote this article for the Daily Telegraph...the rise of the otaku is here...forget withdrawal think 'maids'...and hell if i went it would be about sexiness and novelty value. These girls are just cute idols? Cute=sexy...]

The busy café, above a computer shop in central Tokyo, is called Diana du Cupid; the girl who opens the door is dressed as a Victorian maid. In her frilly lace hat and immaculate white apron, she's pretty convincing, although the thigh-high skirt and black leather boots are a little incongruous.

"Welcome home, sir!" she says, with a smile - even though I've never been here before - then ushers me into a room filled with more maids, serving tea and chat to a mainly male, adult clientele. It looks like a scene from a cartoon come to life and, in a way, that's exactly what it is.

Maid cafés, which are springing up across Japan, are just one sign of the latest cultural boom to grip the nation: the rise of the otaku. A largely invisible subsection of Japanese society, otaku are the legions of agoraphobic technophiles who, from the obscurity of their bedrooms, fuel the country's multi-million-pound markets for video games, anime (animated cartoons) and manga (comic books). They have long been demonised by the media, their self-centred, anti-social approach to life blamed for everything from the declining economy to the disintegration of the family unit. But, two years ago, along came a book that changed everything.

First published in 2004, Densha Otoko ("Train Man") is the "real love story" of a painfully shy computer programmer and a sophisticated woman whom he meets on a train. A peculiarly Japanese twist on the beauty and the beast myth, it was written in the style of an internet chatroom exchange - the postings of a hapless nerd negotiating his first romance, running alongside the encouraging responses of an anonymous community of online "friends".

Although it feels a little like Bridget Jones's Diary as written by a jargon-obsessed IT student, it became one of the year's best-sellers, shifting 1.5 million copies in nine months. A smash-hit film adaptation and prime-time TV series followed. In each reincarnation, the spluttering otaku hero was treated not with the disdain that has been traditionally heaped on his sort, but with affection.

The phenomenal success of the book and its spin-offs rocketed otaku culture into the mainstream, making it acceptable, even desirable, to be openly nerdish. Discerning Tokyo youths have started swapping their designer shades for bottle-bottom spectacles, taking their girls for dates in Akihabara, a neighbourhood lined with electronic emporia.

Businesses rooted in the otaku aesthetic are duly claiming their place on the high street: none with more fanfare than the maid café. The concept is a simple, if strange, one. Customers go to these cafés to be mollycoddled, to drink tea and play children's games with one of the maids. It's not about sex, but about escapism: the maid outfits are inspired by a standard cutesy cartoon character; the customer gets to play the fictional hero.

It would be tempting to dismiss the otaku boom as just another of those oddities that come and go in modern Japan, but the enduring popularity of Densha Otoko suggests that it runs deeper. Shy, sensitive, unfeasibly knowledgeable about microchips, the otaku male may yet become as potent and curious an icon of noughties Japan as the overworked salaryman was in the 1980s.

Really interesting opinion from the animenewsnetwork discussion:

This article and others like it seem to give too much credit to the maid cafe phenomenon as something that impacts on daily life here. Articles on maid cafes may serve as human interest stories but I'm going to disagree with the writer's conclusion that the otaku is going to become an icon for the 00s in the same way that the tired salary man was for the 80s.

I believe that when people look back upon the current decade, it's not going to be characterized by the otaku boom (which will probably be a footnote), but by more serious changes to the economic and social pillars of urban society. Just to name a few: the rapid growth of the Freeter, the spread of the 99 yen grocery store, and the development of major complexes such as Akiba's Yodobashi Camera.

Freeter generally refers to people who do part time work available at the thousands of convenience stores (and other positions) around the country, which don't require the employee to place a strong commitment to their work as would other jobs. Employees of Family Mart don't have to work long hours or go drinking with their work buddies each night. Many people of all age groups, but particularly high school graduates, find the freedom of the Freeter lifestyle appealing and join their ranks (with encouragement from Freeter magazines and other such publications that help people to find Freeter jobs and live the Freeter lifestyle); the problem is that while working as a Freeter offers leeway, it doesn't allow for future savings, and many of these people may find it difficult to support families in the future. I've seen far more television news programs on Freeter here than I have on Maid Cafes.

Then there are 99 yen stores that sell more than just the flimsy goods you would expect. Stores such as Q are major on the urban scene here. I have two within a five minute walking radius of my apartment, one of which is two floors, and more are being built every day. They sell everything from fresh chicken breast to grapefruits imported from Jaffa (Israel), and offer many of the same products available at other stores for a third of the price. The lines at these stores are often considerable but the choices are vast and the prices unheard of. This is a complete revolution not only in the cost of basic foods, but in the elimination of the traditional middle men which cause food prices here to jack up (as otherwise 99 yen for chicken breast just couldn't be done), as well as the fact that the possibility of such cheap living helps to bolster the Freeter system (some of whom in turn work for Q).

And then there's the building of major complexes such as Akiba's Yodobashi Camera, whose gracious point card system and low prices compared to other shops mean this store- which has a spacious, western-style design that is unlike that of many other cramped Japanese electronic marts- is always full. The mega complex has spread from Akiba to Osaka, indeed the mega Yodobashi Camera I saw there is built next to Osaka station. The popularity of Akiba's Yodobashi camera, which opened only a few years back, means its highly likely other companies will give the megamart a go.

This is just a sample of all the major changes that have happened in this country. The otaku boom and made cafes are interesting, but I'm suggesting that they are ultimately less important than made out to be.

Strawberry Panic 7 - Yuri/Shoujo-ai shots

2006-05-20T13:28:00.000Z

I don't think i need to explain why i'm posting these images...Strawberry panic, it's erotic in a cute innocent way and i love it so much!

Maid Cafes...

2006-05-20T09:35:00.000Z

There's a maid cafe opened in Thailand... (see lower picture) but if you compare the costumes to one of the 30 maid cafes in Tokyo’s Akihabara district (see middle picture) they're a bit dull :o(

I'm guessing the cafe has an anime/manga theme too...otherwise it's just...well...maids!

What makes an anime maid different to dressing up in a normal maids uniform? I'd love to cosplay as an anime maid, or work in an anime cafe in London, employ meeee *^_^*

Anyone know where i can buy a maids/anime maid uniform...camden maybe...i should learn how to make my own clothes...

Not sure about this kneeling down and spoon feeding the customer bit (kawai?)...and some cafes they offer ear cleaning services?!!

Why do I think dressing up as a maid would be fun? The anime 'He is my master' i guess:
http://www.gosyujinsama.com/

Blogging

2006-05-20T07:44:00.000Z

testing testing, konnichiwa, kawai ;).

Pale Cocoon

**BLOG CLOSED**

Black Lagoon ブラックラグーン 2: Mangrove Heaven

Black Lagoon ブラックラグーン 1: The Black Lagoon

Wizardry ウィザードリィ 1991: Anime Movie 50mins

Reiko the Zombie Shop 1: Rei Mikamoto

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 12/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 11/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 10/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 9/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 4/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 3/35

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ 闇に舞い降りた天才 8: The Sign Of Rebirth

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ 闇に舞い降りた天才 7: Innocent Demon

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ 闇に舞い降りた天才 6: The Talent Of The Villian

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ 闇に舞い降りた天才 5: The Treacherous Tsi li Men

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ 闇に舞い降りた天才 4: The True Pariah

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ 闇に舞い降りた天才 3: Strategy Of The Maverick

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ 闇に舞い降りた天才 2: The Awakening Of Talent

Arkham Asylum (batman): Grant Morrison, and batman lego! <3

Pretear 新白雪姫伝説プリーティア 1: Kaori Naruse/Junichi Satou

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 1: Andy Seto

Comic Party こみっくパーティー1: Sekihiko Inui

To Heart トゥハート 1: Ukyou Takao

Akagi 1: The Genius Who Decended Into Darkness

Kill Me Kiss Me 1:Lee Young You

Amazing Agent Luna 1: Defilippis + Weir, Shiei

Full Metal Panic Overload 1

Chobits ちょびっツ 1: CLAMP

Yotsuba&! よつばと！1: Kiyohiko Azuma

Kimi Shiruya-Dost Thou Know: Satoru Ishihara (yaoi)

Great Teacher Onizuka 1: Tohru Fujisama

The Yellow Jar Volume 1: P. Atangan

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 8/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 7/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 6/35

Animal Yokocho アニマル横町: 5/35

The Law Of Ueki うえきの法則 - The Law Of Songs OST

Books about anime and manga: holiday reading

Animal Yokocho, online manga and game! <3 Kawai!

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 4/12 The Doyousei Appeareth

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 3/12 Swelling Love

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 2/12 Kind Footsteps

.hack//legend of the twilight 1: Rei Izumi/Tatsuya Hamazaki

Shutterbox 1 - Ricki Simons and Tavisha. Tokyopop

Karin かりん OST

Yume Tsukai 夢使い 1/12 The Dream Starts, Rainy Classroom

Requiem From The Darkness 京極夏彦 巷説百物語3/13: White Fox

Requiem From The Darkness 京極夏彦 巷説百物語2/13: Willow Woman

Gilgamesh ギルガメッシュ 3/26: Children Of A Lesser God

Requiem From The Darkness 1/13: Azuki Arai, Azuki Bean Washer

Inukami いぬかみっ1/ ?: Don't Mind Being Naked ^_^

Gilgamesh ギルガメッシュ 2/26: The Countess Of Werdenberg

Kamisama Kaziku 神様家族 episode 2/13: Samatarou's Violent, Epic First Love Battle

Rakugo Tennyo Oyui 落語天女おゆい episode 1/?: In Florrid Edo,Tennyo Dance

Kamisama Kaziku 神様家族 episode 1/13: Do You Believe In God?

Witchblade ウィッチブレイド episode 3/26: Resistance

Witchblade ウィッチブレイド episode 2/26: Invitation

Aria the Natural Soundtrack:Choro Club = Love <3 Kawai!

Cybersix, an animation I really want to see

Favourite online comic: Patches <3

Tekkon Kinkreet Trailers 鉄コン筋クリート

Black Lagoon Revy/Levi Figurine. Hot!

Trailer: Time Jam - Valerian and Laureline

Funny Otaku Video - Akahibara

Love Get Chu:Episode 1:Momoku Will Be A Voice Actress

Hamtaro Intro Music (Italian version)

Natsuki Kuga: figurine of my favourite characters from Mai-Hime

Otaku, Maids, ImeCla, Cosplay Cafes, No-Pan, Pink Salons and Soap Land?!

Interesting website: Sake Drenched Postcards

Another article about maids...I'm not obsessed just intrigued!

Hello Kitty Vibrator...for your...aching shoulders...

Witchblade ウィッチブレイド episode 1/26 beginning

Maid Cafes - vs. sex appeal and Freeters...

Strawberry Panic 7 - Yuri/Shoujo-ai shots

Maid Cafes...

Blogging

BLOG CLOSED

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 8: The Sign Of Rebirth

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 7: Innocent Demon

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 6: The Talent Of The Villian

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 5: The Treacherous Tsi li Men

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 4: The True Pariah

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 3: Strategy Of The Maverick

Akagi (Legend Of Mahjong) 闘牌伝説アカギ闇に舞い降りた天才 2: The Awakening Of Talent

Requiem From The Darkness 京極夏彦巷説百物語3/13: White Fox

Requiem From The Darkness 京極夏彦巷説百物語2/13: Willow Woman