Time of Eve

Time of Eve is a 6 episode anime set in a time where androids are a household commodity. One day, Rikuo discovers his android, Sammy has taken a detour in her daily activities and decides to check the place out. It ends up being a cafe called, Time of Eve, where their only rule is to not discriminate between humans and droids. There are the themes of humanity vs. technology and the discrimination of droids. "Ignorant" youth who treat their androids like people are called "android-holics". But, the best part is the cafe. In the cafe, you really can't tell humans and androids apart. The androids turn off their halos and if someone leaves, you can't open the door for a few minutes so if an android does leave and their halo turns back on, there's no way of knowing. So far, only 2 episodes are being shown on Crunchyroll, but so far so good. Can't wait to see how everything unfolds between Rikuo and his droid and his droid-o-phobic friend.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Loosely based on the novel, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is about a young girl named Konno Makoto who discovers the ability of time leaping. Rather than using it for anything significant or worldly she spends her time making her daily life what she wants it to be by going back in time to do such things like ace a quiz or eat the pudding her sister ate. Later she finds that her choices create a string of events and consequences. She receives advice from her aunt, Aunt Witch, that if she must be going back in time and is happy that there must be someone else that is suffering and this theme sort of plays throughout.

Like any other movie on time travel I was left with questions and analyzing what I thought were loopholes and inconsistencies. In the end, I just decided to let it be what it is, and that is a great movie. It intertwines excitement, comedy, romance, and most importantly, science. It's like the geeky love story of the 21st century. Fortunately, the love story was not sappy at all. It was very raw, delightful, and hopeful. One blatant message to take away from this movie is: Time waits for no one.

They are starting to show this movie in theaters in the US so I recommend catching it if it comes to your area. The animation is amazing. Simplistic people moving in detailed backgrounds.

New Anime! Xam'd: Lost Memories

Don't be fooled by the ecchi poster, this anime is nothing like that (aside from the Captain's scantily clad outfit & her dirty remarks). This was debuted this year by PlayStation at the E3 con and is produced by BONES (Darker Than Black, Eureka7, Fullmetal Alchemist). So far there are 9 episodes of a 26 episode series. I've only watched 3 and I'm already reeled in. This anime has a very intense storyline and is still very mysterious. It has a steampunk feel mixed with elements of Evangelion meets Nausicaa.

So far, from what I understand, a school boy from Sentan Island (neutral territory) becomes a Xam'd, a humanform weapon, after meeting a girl with white hair. Now he is on board a postal airship trying to tame this "thing" with the help of Nakiami.

After seeing Darker Than Black, I was a little skeptical about starting this one. But, once I saw photos of the animation, I couldn't help myself. The art is very simplistic and the colors are lively and bright, not so much vibrant. Although, I'm not sure if it was just the streaming vid I saw, the quick fighting scenes seemed to be poorly drawn. Maybe we're meant to only watch this on blu-ray? If you're looking for an anime that has adventure, action, and is somewhat a thriller in that you don't know what the hell is going on yet, watch this.

Oh and the opening and ending themes are freaking awesome. Catch the trailer HERE.

week off = anime-thon

It hasn't been much fun spending my first week off sick. The nice part, though, is lying in bed all day catching up on anime. I have also limited my internet usage by cutting off aim, twitter, & facebook, and checking email once a day. More like internet communication usage because I still go on to check my reader & imagechan. And 3 more days until I leave for Mexico! It'll be nice to be cut off from the world for a bit. Anyways, here are some reviews on what I watched... I know, they're old, but had to watch them at some point.

1. Full Metal Panic?
Sagara works for a secret mercenary unit, Mithril, and is sent on a mission to act as a high school student in order to protect Chidori. Chidori is a 16-yr-old girl who is a "Whispered," someone that possesses knowledge of black technology useful for the military.

Funny at times and a tad bit ecchi (perverted) with the pantie shots. FMP is nothing special. Everything seemed generic. Not much character depth or growth. Well, maybe a little in Sagara. It was entertaining to say the least.

2. Full Metal Panic Fumoffu
The second series of FMP focusing mainly on the high school life of Sagara and Chidori. This series is less serious and funnier than the first. This had a feel of just silly OVAs. If you're looking for something fun to watch, you should watch this. I definitely thought this was better than the first series since the military aspect of the first one often left things a bit dry.

There is no continuous plot in this series. Just a bunch of random stories that happen to Chidori and Sagara and their classmates.







3. Neon Genesis Evangelion
Shinji, a 14-yr-old boy, is chosen to be a pilot of Unit 01, an Eva created by the company NERV. NERV's main purpose is to destroy Angels, unknown beings that are destroying the Earth.

I was never really into mecha type anime, but this one, I don't even know if it's considered mecha, is amazing. The intensity, drama, and action is great. There is a lot of character development and growth throughout the series. You see the characters at their weakest. Why do we do the things we do? Is it for ourselves or for others? These types of questions get asked a lot throughout the series. The last two episodes were highly criticized but I think it was a nice end although very confusing. What lies after the storm has passed and how have our decisions affected our reality?

4. The End of Evangelion

Episodes 25-26 and the 2nd Evangelion movie. It continues the story of the anime series. Another amazing continuation. This time dealing with more questions about humanity and reality. I don't want to say too much on what the plot is about because that'd be a spoiler for the series. All I can say is these two episodes were a lot gorier and very graphic. I loved the animation of the Evas and Angels. It had a more artistic feel than the series. But another great ending. Sigh.

Last year they released Rebuild of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. This is the first of four movies to be released in the coming years with new scenes and alternate endings to the original series. I started watching it and so far it looks exactly like the first episode, but we'll see how different it is when I finish it. The 2nd one will be released next year. Can't wait!

sac anime!

pikachu & ash

luigi

mario

friday raffle winner: jenn

saturday raffle winner: jenn again!

sunday raffle winner: xeng (not pictured here)

My buys:
linky-poo tee

fruits basket. don't watch/read it but shirt is cool :D


viz comic mini-series: pineapple army circa 1986

I had a lot of fun this weekend vendoring. Cosplaying was a success. As Pikachu & Ash, we got attacked...well, mainly Ash. She was asked to be humped and told "I love you" several times. I just got a hug. As Mario & Luigi, we got a lot of smirks and weird looks. Overall, a very good weekend :]

Now I have to study. Finals are on Thursday! I know I have been lagging with updating my site with the goodz but I've been busy with school. Once school is out I will be adding more items to the site...and hopefully making new ones as well. Then, I'll be off to Mexico!

If you got a coupon from Sac Anime, please use it :D
Also, the rest of the pix are up on my flickr.

unconventional

I've been watching too much anime lately & wanted to do a little post on the absurd, nontraditional ones that were really mind/eye catching. These three aren't new but I think they definitely take anime to a new level. When everyone thinks anime, they assume kawaii big-eyed schoolgirls and something that involves 1) swords 2) guns 3) ninjitsu of some sort. Just like any medium, especially in animation, there are the little treasures you find that are visually orgasmic and breathtaking.

MIND GAME - written by Robin Nishi; screenplay/directed by Masaaki Yuasa (Samurai Champloo, Cat Soup, Genius Party)

The gist - Nishi, this guy who is completely in love with a childhood friend, Myon, meets up with her. They get into a mishap with the Yakuza and everything just starts snowballing.

The point - In the beginning, there's like 3 min. of fast clips, basically taking you through the lives of the characters and through the story. The events the characters went through were based on the decisions they made. Any story/event can be reinvented just by altering one choice...and that will snowball into new events, new decisions. There are so many options our lives can go. It really is a mind game trying to see all the different possibilities.

The animation is so insane. My imagination can't even work that well. They mix different styles and also use some real-life pictures. Some mindblowing scenes: the "love making" and the dancing scene. Another reason why animation is freaking amazing because there really are no limits.

TEKKON KINKREET - based on Taiyo Matsumoto's Black and White

The gist - Two brothers, Kuro & Shiro, trying to survive in a messed up town. Kuro, the older brother, tries to protect his brother and the town from Yakuza. Things start taking a turn for the worse when Kuro and Shiro get split up.

The point - There's a scene where Shiro talks about how he has all the screws that Kuro is missing. Throughout the entire movie, you can just feel how strong their bond is.

Wobbly-lined anime. Great colors. Music amazing, which was done by Plaid. This movie was intense, sweet, and kind of heartwrenching.



FLCL "Furi Kuri" - created & directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki (Evangelion)

The gist - a 6 ep OVA about an alien, Haruko, and her run-in with Naota. She attempts to use Naota in order to search for Atomsk and go against Medical Mechanica.

The point - Was there a point? HAHA. This anime was absolutely ridiculous. Amazing animation. Although the basic drawings are pretty traditional, they use some nontraditional formats with the timing and particular scenes are pretty random... like the South Park one. They even did some manga scenes and had some chibi moments. I think every anime needs a chibi scene!

All three are pretty crazy and worth watching more than once.

AX = SUGOI!

Having expo withdrawals already.

Quick highlights:
-revolving bar @ the top of our hotel
-yummy yummy korean food in our hotel
-sleeping sardine style on a king-sized bed
-gin & tonics + suede
-mistakenly communicating w/ people across the way via soap on window
-getting high off spraying the ukyo spatula
-cosplaying ranma + ukyo.... berrrrrr breath.... rave.... photographer
-working the table...very funny & cute customers...makin' that cash
-last comic standing...mitch hedberg imitator...too many racial jokes...soap
-jyukai + yoko ishida concert
-shopping!

pix are on my flickr

I feel like I'm finally finding my niche for my business. I had such an amazing time at the table...seriously, THIS is what I want to do.

Getting Ready + Anime

So it's crunch time until AX. Working on 3 customes... my friend is going to be Ukyo and I'll be Ranma...too bad I cut my hair because now I won't have a tail but I might get a cheap extension from the mall. I'm super excited but so much to do. I'll be updating this as I progress. I'll be doing the Ranma ones first since they'll be the easiest.





















Still have to make all my warez and do all the table preparation. So far, just created 4 new button images. Waaaah! So much to do...luckily I have no school this week :]



























Oh and I just finished watching Blood+. I really liked it...it's violent with a great story and character depth. I laughed, cried, everything. haha. I REALLY want to try making that jacket...maybe for Fanime09? I just need to find my Haji. HAHA.

Also started watching Fullmetal Alchemist. Too bad I never watched it sooner... it's freaking hilarious.

Alright, time to work.

DEATH NOTE

Twisted. Dark. Entriguing. What happens when a person is given the power of passing ultimate judgment on others?

A high school student, Light, picks up a shinigami's (death god) notebook (death note) and when a person's name is written in that book he/she will die. Light uses the death note to extinguish criminals. At first, the public praises "Kira" (Light's given alias) for getting rid of criminals. But then, Light strays from his work of justice and starts killing others who are trying to get in his way. Although the world's crime rate has dramatically decreased and wars have stopped, the world is filled with fear, not peace. He gets so obsessed with trying to not get caught that he's no longer using his powers with his original intention. Total snowball effect.

Death Note does a great job of depicting humans' lust for power and godliness. The question of whether or not Kira is evil is constantly asked. The moment that Kira began being selfish and not controlling his killings is when he turned from vigilante to murderer. There are only 37 episodes and it supposedly stayed very close to the manga. The first 15 episodes are intense, then it slows down, picks up, slows down, then gets very intense at the end. They actually turned it into 2 live action films... I wonder how that was. If you have it, hook it up! Anyways, pretty interesting if you have time to sit and watch anime all weekend.

BEST ANIME MOVIE, EVER

BATTLE
ANGEL
(too bad it's the dubbed version. everything sounds so much better in japanese)

Let's see if James Cameron can live up to this film & the manga with his own rendition, scheduled to be released in 2009.

Darker Than Black

Just started watching this anime, Darker Than Black. It premiered April of this year and there have only been about 20 episodes. Synopsis: 10 years ago, Hell's Gate appeared which caused real stars to vanish and these fake stars appeared: the source of a Contractor's powers. Contractors are basically assasins. They also have Dolls, hm.. not quite like the dolls in Bleach, but they are like spiritual mediums that show no emotion.

I'm only on ep. 3 and it's already interesting. It's a more serious, darker, more violent anime. The animation is done really well and the story line is pretty interesting. I'm still trying to understand the whole contractor thing and Hei's role in everything, he's the main character. When I first saw that pic above and another pic with Hei wearing his mask, I thought it was for Bleach because it looked like Ichigo w/ a reformed Hollow's mask on. And that cat looks like Yourichi-san. HAHA.. but it's definitely not.

As far as my other anime nerdiness, Naruto Ch. 367 is quite interesting.. they do some name dropping regarding Naruto's parent(s).. however you want to interpret the dialogue. Has a theory been confirmed? I think so. Ep. 26 wasn't so lame because it didn't drag out as much. The anime is upsettingly slow. Bleach Ep. 37 came out this week, too. Too bad I accidentally read some spoilers on Wiki so it kind of kills what's going to be coming up.

The End.