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This past Saturday, I was able to attend the ever-glorious New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival (NYCC/NYAF) held in the Jacob Javits Center. This is my 4th year attending the convention and every time I go, I gradually grow more and more impressed with the outcome. As I walked in, it was hard to even fathom how many people attended. The convention center itself is fairly large but the number of people attending was massive. The day passes for Saturday had even sold out. The popularity of the convention is just growing larger with each year.

Starting just last year, NYCC and NYAF had combine both conventions into one. I was definitely surprised with how they handled this situation this year. They moved NYAF upstairs into a larger, more spacious room that had access to the outside area. It was definitely nicely handled. NYCC itself had the largest areas to itself. The amount of vendors and booths there were outrageous. As I first walked in, I noticed the amount of video game booths that had been attending. There was Square Enix, Nintendo, Capcom, and more. Square Enix focused on Final Fantasy XIII-2 (the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII) that will be released early 2012. There were many trailers and figurines that could be bought from the series. Nintendo focused on promoting a select few games for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii. It’s main focus was letting con-goers demo the upcoming Legend of Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Nintendo also pushed the new Nintendo 3DS game, Professor Layton and the Last Spectre (a prequel to the previous Layton games). There was also an exclusive screening of the animated movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. Capcom held tournaments for their hit game Marvel vs. Capcom 3 while promoting their reboot, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The crowd that showed to view and participate was overwhelming but fun.

There was something for everyone at this convention. There was a Sesame Street booth along with various video games, comics, and even K-pop being viewed and sold. Of course the only downfall to any convention is the large crowd but it’s incredibly worth the experience. We even got to see some great costumes worn by con-goers as well as costumes on display. The upcoming movie, The Avengers, had a large promotion and even had a costume contest as well as the costume from the movie Captain America on display (I snagged me an Avengers poster for myself). In another section of the convention, a view of the Dark Knight’s costume could be seen on display.

The amount of shopping, browsing, activities, and more someone could do is just simply astounding. Every year it seems like there’s just more and more to do. The guests that had attended this year are gradually getting more and more exciting and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.

Here are various links you can check out for more information:

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

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It’s been two weeks since Otakon 2011 has come to an end and we still can’t stop talking about it! This year, AMIN writers Melanie Braverman and Joseph Erman, along with myself, attended Otakon and cosplayed together, as we normally do. If you’ve seen our last year’s coverage, you can see that the amount of people who attended was over 29,000 people. How did Otakon fair this year? Of course they topped their record and had a total of 31,348 attendees!

This year’s gust lineup was pretty amazing as well. As I had reported before, musical guest Chemistry performed! Their Friday night concert was amazing as the audience jumped to their feet with excitement. Their setlist comprised of these songs:

Go Alone
TOGETHER
merry-go-round
Wings of words
This Night
Life goes on
Shawty
Period
Independence
Keep your Love

A personal favorite of mine is ‘Shawty.’ Although Chemistry is known for their ballads and amazing duets, they also have an amazing R&B feel to their songs. We’ll have more of these fine young men later since I was able to sit down with them and have an exclusive interview.

Saturday is always the most fun, in my opinion. Tons of cosplayers were out, sweating in the sun or simply hanging out in the convention center. Here at AMIN, we do what we do best: get ready for the masquerade! Our staff was getting ready to perform for the cosplay competition where we cosplayed as doctors from the hit game series Trauma Center. This year, the competition was fun and there were a ton of new people. It was a great experience to be back at the Otakon masquerade. We were afraid of the outcome because of something special happening around the same time. Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos had made it’s American debut (with Japanese audio and English subtitles). Although we missed the first airing, we made it for the Sunday airing.

Before we knew it, Otakon 2011 had come to a close. It’s always a thrilling experience for our staff and we hope to have an even more successful Otakon experience next year! See you in 2012!

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Ahhh… Who else remembers the golden age of anime in the U.S.? I remember the joy of all the great Toonami shows being ushered in by the calm and reassuring voice of Steve Blum through his robot avatar, Tom. When anime was on throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Those truly were halcyon days. Yet we were never satisfied with what the Cartoon Network scheduling gods deemed worthy enough for us to view. Many of us found other… more affordable ways of acquiring our favorite anime. Always fresh of the Japanese subbing sites. I had become so stuck in my ways that no alternative seemed viable. However, I was shocked by a revelation I had just a few weeks ago. I don’t know about all of out there, but I love being able to physically have the anime I watch in file form on my computer. There is something about the certainty of its existence for my viewing pleasure that I prefer over streaming sites. That being said, I may be readjusting my view on this point a tad.

I was fully aware of the fact that Hulu had begun in the past year or two putting anime on the site for its viewers. But it always seemed that all they were uploading were Shonen-Jump-esc anime like Naruto and Bleach. “Psssshh! Look at that generic mainstream shows they are putting up for the anime-inept masses! Hah I say, HAH,” is more or less how I viewed it. Sure, every so often I would notice a not-so-common anime that I would be surprised to see, but I didn’t think much of it. I still opted towards more lascivious methods of procural. However, after watching through Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood on Hulu (there was no way I was going to take the time to download all fifty odd episodes at that point in time), I came to a startling realization. I had just finished the last episode but still desired to watch more anime. I clicked on the “anime” tag below the show, expecting a few series to come up.

A screenshot of Funimation's page on Hulu

Over 250! From Inuyasha to Mushi-shi.  When the hell did this mass compilation arrive on Hulu! Granted, after a detailed analysis of the anime present, it was lacking in some main titles that any collection should have. That aside, I was impressed by the sheer volume of anime present. For those who need their anime fix as much as I do, Hulu might be the perfect answer to my cavalier “anime fan on the go” lifestyle. No downloads, no fees, no worry of it being taken down due to copyrights. For those who watch the newest and most popular anime out there, our tried and true method will have to continue to be your means of acquisition. But, for those older anime that have migrated to America, via Funimation and what have you, Hulu will be the perfect tool to cut away the slag that plagues your downloading bandwidth. The quality will also far surpass any streaming sites out there.

In the past I have had my doubts about Hulu and streaming sites in general when it came to anime. But, as per what makes us a surviving fanbase, we must adapt. As the Mr. Dylan said, “the times are a changing,” and I think commercialized streaming might be what gets us through. Symbiosis is the name of the game, and I am “lichen” our odds.

So, seeing as I have been behind on my anime viewing as of late, I’ve decided to get a jump start for the Spring 2011 lineup. And just like a person trying to go on a diet, I’m going to convince you all to do it with me! So let’s get started. There is a pretty wide range of anime coming out this Spring. I dare say there will definitely be something for every kind of anime lover, even you fan service addicts! As most of these series are around a month and a half away from release, I won’t go into too much detail about them just yet. I’ll decide at a later date what specifically to review. However, if anyone sees an anime they feel looks intriguing; shoot me a request for a review.

Click for Larger View: Credit to cowboybibimbop

I have just started looking through all the upcoming anime but a few have already caught my eye that are guaranteed to be reviewed. The first being Deadman Wonderland by Manglobe. The anime will be an adaptation of the manga written by Jinsei Kataoka and illustrated by Kazuma Kondou. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t biased towards their work, due to my love of their previous accomplishment: Eureka Seven. Also, I have been happy with Manglobe in the past, with their work on Samurai Champloo. Two other shows that caught my eye on the list were Ao no Exorcist and Maria+Holic: Alive, both of which I’ll get into more detail as their release dates approach. The first about… well an exorcist, and the second about a… lesbian teenager in an all girls high school… yeah… See, I can be diverse!

Television series aside there are several fantastic theatrical films I’m going to have to take some time aside to watch as well. Onigamiden, Hoshi wo ou Kodomo, and Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence are definitely three movies you will be seeing me review in the future. However, I’m saddened by the fact I won’t be able to experience the remade Ghost in the Shell S.A.C Solid State Society in 3D. In upcoming weeks I’ll post some articles outlining in more detail what specific shows or films are about, each with a quick bio and trailer. Until then, this anime schedule for Spring 2011!

Schedule by Cowboybibimbop

Ah REC… but first…You want to know the one thing that bugs me about every romance anime you come across out there in that wide, wide world of anime fangirl genres? It’s how every one of them has the same preset understanding that this is going to be a “will they or won’t they!” fest. So, unless you are the amazing masters of anti-romantic endings, thank you to all the people at TNK who made School Days possible, they will always finally express their true feelings for each other at the end of the entire series. An occurrence that I have dubbed the “Inuyasha Kagome” syndrome. I’m not trying to bash on all the Inuyasha, Love Hina and Ah! My Goddess fans out there but SOME diversity can be refreshing. So enters REC.

REC is a less-than-mainstream anime based on an equally aptly named manga. The title comes from the abbreviation for “record,” as one of the leads in a voice actress. The series was adapted in 2006 by Shaft into a convenient nine episode mini-series, with one extra bonus episode released after the shows completion. I came across REC after watching one of Shaft’s previous romance titles, Mahoromatic. Honestly I started watching expecting another copy and paste plot.

BAM Intercourse! One thing REC did not do was start slow. Having both of its awkwardly kind characters share an emotional one night stand in the first episode was an innovative way to kick off the series! Honestly, that was enough to convince this was worth watching. Thus enters our two, apparently easy, main characters, Fumihiko Matsumaru and Aka Onda. He, a struggling snack company marketer and she, an aspiring voice actor obsessed with Audrey Hepburn. Truly a couple whose love was predestined by the gods!

Meeting one night outside a showing of Roman Holiday the two hit it off, parting ways after viewing the film together. Their reunion is sooner and less joyous than either expected, as Fumihiko is awakened by a fire raging within his neighborhood. Upon investigation he finds Aka near the fire. The burning building turning out to be her apartment, Aka now finds herself homeless. Being the gentlemen that Fumihiko is, he invites her back to his home to stay the night. Following their return to his apartment, they become emotional and end up sleeping together. Gotta say from some perspectives it kind of looks like Fumihiko took advantage of the situation, but anyway. They end up living together on and off, with mixed feelings on how they should handle their situation with each other. Aka even acquires a voice acting job with Fumihiko’s company, furthering their social and professional interaction together.

From an outside analysis of the plot I could see someone thinking, “Wait, I thought he said this wasn’t another will they or won’t they?” In some sense REC does do that, but it handles it differently than most romance animes out there. This isn’t an awkward flirty tongue and cheek high school story like Lovely Complex. But it’s also not over the top unrealistic escapade found in Steel Angel Kurumi and Ah! My Goddess. What I respected about REC was its refreshing “actual relationship” feel. No trying to find a way to express your feelings for the other through the whole show. No teenagers weeping over the half demon who won’t love her. Just two people in their twenties trying to make what they already have work, and decide if it’s even worth having in the first place. The series is short but it makes its point well, and I think if you want something new from your romance animes you should check REC out.

Here is a video of the opening for those who want a taste of the show now:

Oh yes… Garzey’s Wing. This will do nicely as the flagship for my anime reviews. Surprisingly, I have chosen a treasure from my own personal library. I don’t normally buy my anime straight up, but being able to obtain a copy of Garzey’s Wing from the Time Square Virgin Record store, before they refurbished it into a lovely Forever 21, was a worthwhile endeavor!

But before we get into the details of this three part brilliant OVA flop, a brief history, roll cameras!… Released in 1996, Garzey’s Wing was the brain child of Yoshiyuki Tomino. For those who don’t drool over shiny mechs, he is the creator of the Gundam franchise. I was always more a Zoids kinda guy but I digress. I can only guess his wish was to branch off away from his mech-based successes for a different genre to work with, Garzey’s Wing was the result. Sadly the mainstream media didn’t share in his vision, and the film tanked. Now onto the main event!

His attempt at a serious action film was reminiscent of the drama and brilliance that was Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. One thing Tomino does do is keep an air of mystery going, because I promise you that you will have no idea what is going on from beginning to end. Garzey’s Wing’s plot, or lack thereof, is so loosely strung together that it’s pointless to even try to follow along. Through our cinematic adventure we follow our protagonist Chris, the most appropriately named Japanese college student around. As a protagonist Chris is totally relatable if you like oblivious condescending main characters, shout out to you DBZ fans! To be fair though, Chris has it rough being as he is randomly pulled from his body (so I guess his spirit?) and is transported to a land of fairies, dinosaurs, and terrible dubs. The method by which he is transported to this realm falls into the category of “magic giant duck from the sky,” which if you watch you’ll understand. Upon arriving in the world of Byston Well, Chris discovers he has the ability to sprout wings from his feet, as he lands in the middle of a slave uprising. These enslaved villagers seem to recognize the wings and refer to them as, ah hah, Garzey’s Wing (despite the fact that there are two). After the battle we cut away from Byston Wells Chris to his equally dashing counterpart, Present Day Chris. The OVA seems to want to imply that when the magic duck teleported part of Chris away, another Chris went about his regular business. The dynamic duo seems to be able to communicate to each other through their matching magic necklaces. Tomino doesn’t really address the fact that no one else can hear the conversations so it ends up that they both appear to be having continuous mental breakdowns as they talk to seemingly no one. In all honesty, the existence of Present Day Chris is an irrelevant part of the actual story, as he has no role in “plot” development. The whole length of the OVA all the viewer does is watch him go to a party and perform everyday tasks, while his counterpart is fighting knights who ride on dinosaur mounts.

I have been able to sit through the entirety of Chris’s journey a few times, but honestly the first viewing will always be the best. Garzey’s Wing’s horrific dubbing and writing make up some of the greatest quotable one-liners of any anime I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Granted Tomino never actually concludes the story in the end. Perhaps he was trying to make a deep metaphor for our own personal journey’s never ending, or maybe he thought he could hold out for a sequel. Who knows. Regardless I recommend that any of you out there who like cheesy hilarious cult classic animes pick up a copy of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s dirty little secret. But just so you don’t have to take my word for it, here is a little preview.

We’re back from Otakon 2010 and we have so much to tell you all! Otakon definitely is the convention of the otaku generation. AMIN writers Melanie Braverman, Jessica Dawson, Christina Jacildo, and myself all attended Otakon this year. For some of us, it was our first year attending and we were definitely impressed with the outcome.

I’ve been to several anime conventions in the past and none of them have lived up to this. Otakon, one of the biggest anime conventions in the USA, was once again stationed in Baltimore, Maryland. With a turn out of 29,274 we know this convention had everything going right. Otakon had a large variety of guests from manga-ka, voice actors, musical artists, and more. There were large lines for guests such as the always popular voice actor Vic Mignogna, An Cafe’s bassist and video game producer kanon, and the famous Yoshida Brothers. Although there were four of us, we didn’t know what to do first!

The first thing Otakon did right was open badge pick-up on Thursday before the convention. The staff was friendly, some a little lost, but for the most part helpful. The fun began Friday morning where movies and anime had already began to show. Also, many of the people had the Otakurave to look forward to on Friday and Saturday night. Friday night’s Otakurave was a lot slower than Saturday’s Otakurave but it was just fine. Bassist for the band An Cafe and video game designer kanon had been DJing that night and got the party going with some anime music such as music from K-ON! and the vocaloid Hatsune Miku.

Saturday is where the convention really hyped up! A majority of the convention center was in cosplay with many bystanders asking what this convention was for. All of our writers who attended the convention had even dressed up for the occasion and got a few pictures taken here and there. But what was it that really got us on Saturday? The masquerade at the 1st Mariner Arena! Since 2008, Melanie Braverman, Jessica Dawson, and myself have been entering masquerades. This year, we thought we would challenge ourselves at a larger venue. The competition was tough. We were only mere novices and we were a bit intimidated but we did our best to dominate. We were up against many amazing skits such as the group of Hatsune Miku’s and the Street Fighter IV martial artists. With the 1,000+ people there, we knew why they appeared in the first place. X Japan’s Yoshiki and Sugizo had appeared! They performed a few songs with only piano and violin and conducted a short Q&A afterward. The crowd went wild for the pair as they performed. It was definitely a memorable night.

Sunday is usually the slow day at conventions but Otakon knows how to keep the people there! Japanese hip hop trio HOME MADE KAZOKU had performed their first American performance. That day, we were welcomed into their Home Made Family.

Otakon 2010 has been an amazing experience! For anyone who has an inner otaku, please join us next year as we go back to Baltimore, Maryland all over again July 29-31 for Otakon 2011!

Take a peek at our Otakon 2010 montage!

AMIN writers Melanie Braverman, Jessica Dawson, Christina Jacildo, and myself have been hard at work for the past few weeks. Why? Because Otakon 2010 is this weekend! The four of us will be attending this large anime convention to bring you all coverage of the guests and other events. Some of the guests that will be appearing are kanon from the popular J-Rock band An Cafe, Home Made Kazoku, fashion designer h.naoto, The Yoshida Brothers, Yoshiki & Sugizo of X Japan and more. The four of us (going under the name of the Straight Line Association) will also be participating in the masquerade, a  where Yoshiki & Sugizo of X Japan will also be performing. kanon of An Cafe will also be DJing during Otakon’s nightly rave, the Otakurave.

Come to Otakon July 30 – April 1 at the Baltimore Convention Center and join us for a whole weekend of fun!

Source: Otakon

We all know DeAndre Cortez Way as Soulja Boy Tell Em’, the 19-year old who became famous with songs such as “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” and “Kiss Me Thru the Phone.” With Soulja Boy’s newest album titled “Dre” just released, some songs have made their way onto the internet before it’s release. Two of these songs are titled “Anime” and “Goku.”

In the past, Soulja Boy has shown that he indeed does love anime. He previously released a mixtape that has been inspired by Death Note. Even one of the tracks on the mixtape samples from the Death Note soundtrack. Soulja Boy also has an account with the popular art site, DeviantArt. On the site, he wrote in his journal:

I had an idea of me in the year 3054 flying cars, floating cities, underwater civilizations. And there is an evil dude thats controlling the world through fear and power. And then I come in and murk his ass and save the day and become the youngest hero lol…. How does that sound? Quite an imagination huh? Think about it though futuristic effects, bullet time, fights, shootouts, the whole 9 lol im just brainstorming!

But mark my words ONE DAY I will complete my vision.. ha ha. Ok back to work I’m going to go in the studio and finishing mixing the pro tools sessions to my hard drive.

That journal entry was written in late May. Two months later, we get these two songs. These songs instantly became popular with lyrics such as “Bitch, I look like Goku” and “I look like Gohan, smoking marijuana.” Many netizens agree that the best part of both these songs is when it ended.

Well Soulja Boy, I think you have another hit on your hands with that “Super Saiyan swagger” of yours.

Take a listen to Soulja Boy’s “Anime” and “Goku!”

Credit: Otakon

Popular anime convention, Otakon, has just recently announced that Yoshiki and Sugizo of Japanese rock band X Japan will be appearing at the masquerade and perform a quick acoustic piece and do a quick Q&A. The masquerade takes place on Saturday, July 31st.

Keep checking back with AMIN as we will be covering the events at Otakon!

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