Month: January 2009

Kino’s Journey, The road less traveled.

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Kino’s Journey has a simple structure. Kino is a professional traveler. She goes from town to town and spends no more than three days in any one destination. Each of these towns seems to be considered its own country and has unique peculiarities and customs. She takes in the culture of each country and moves on as quickly as she came. Travelers seem rare but not unheard of and most places seem to make a big production whenever one arrives. She travels on her talking motorcycle named Hermes and protects herself with her professional marksmanship. Her trips to some countries last an episode, other episodes will contain several interconnected stories of her trips to various countries, while other episodes are about what happens in between stops.

Quite literally in the case of Kino, the journey is more important than the destination. Our time with Kino doesn’t start at a specific moment nor does it end in finality. We are merely part of the journey and we only glimpse pieces of it. With the exception of one two-part episode, every piece can be watched on its own without knowing what came before  or what comes after. In fact, we don’t have any way of knowing whether what we are watching is in chronological order to begin with.

Each country is a tool for examining some sort of physiological or societal concept. The world seems to have no set level of technology with near medieval technology in some countries and robots and super computers in others. Most of the stories have an inherently pessimistic view of humanity and society. They usually have a rule or custom that seems logical but is flawed and taken to an extreme. The anime is not just full of inherent pessimism though. Kino just as often will find some beauty or lesson even in the ugliest country. Kino mentions that the world is not beautiful, therefore it is.

At first you are fooled because many of the countries seem peaceful and welcoming, but hide things underneath. Which is a powerful statement about anything, but as the series goes on your naivete wanes. You start to see the darkness earlier; you start to question the smiling towns folk; you start to wonder everything doesn’t have a sinister side. In this way perhaps we are becoming more like Kino as the journey continues. The difference is whether or not you continue on with the knowledge. Some wouldn’t but Kino would and does.

Kino is sort of a valiant stoic cipher almost like a seinen hero. Kino comes off as androgynous and is considered male as often as female by the people she meets. I know that several people were unsure of Kino gender until the 4th episode when it is made perfectly clear. Kino never talks much and never unnecessarily. She will lend a hand to someone in need and even risk her life for another but she does not purposely get involved in the affairs of others. Kino is often cynical and skeptical but you get the feeling deep down she still believes in people and the world. If Kino has one strong driving force and personality trait it seems to be curiosity. She will always investigate something if it seems intriguing and is sometimes the only reason she will interact with anyone.

Depending upon what promotional material you have seen, you can go into this story thinking Kino is either sex. The thinpack cover, in my opinion, makes it very clear from the start. However, Kino acts rather genderless in manner. Her emotions rarely betray what she is thinking or planning. But that isn’t to say Kino has no personality. She certainly sees the world much differently than anyone she meets on her travels. The wonder and curiosity she displays reminds me of a child. No matter what hardships happen on the journey, and they are many, Kino accepts them as a piece of the world she is so anxious to explore. Kino represents the duality of optimism within pessimism. Though we are never privy to Kino’s dreams, I wholly believe she has some.

Hermes is Kino’s sarcastic talking motorcycle. His purpose is three fold. There is the simple fact that he provides transportation to our frequent traveler. The second is to give the otherwise distant Kino someone to react off. Kino is a loner so whoever is her companion has to be someone that she would have to take along. Thirdly, Hermes’ interaction with Kino is the only way to give us an insight into her thought process or emotional state without resorting to out of character monologues or narration. As stated before, Kino is often quiet and stoic. Only someone with a friendly but at the same time playfully antagonistic manner could get any sort of response from Kino.

Hermes is simply essential to the story. In fact there would be no journey without him because he provides the ability to escape. He also drives home the suspension of disbelief as not one person on the journey seems surprised he can talk. Which can also provide some good ice breaks in towns because Hermes is much less inhibited to people. Hermes also goes into hotel rooms, museums, and restaurants without even a second glance from patrons. Hermes is like the audience, along for the ride and taken where ever the whims of Kino dictate.

The director, Ryutaro Nakamura, is a competent guy but I question some of the artistic decisions he made when trying to highlight certain themes in the stories. The director has a habit of transitioning between scenes by cutting to screens of text with the sound of a tuning fork or chanting. The text is almost always something that was said earlier in the episode to drive home a point but it’s often only been said a few seconds ago and can get a bit annoying. It is done in such an awkward manner.

Kino’s Journey is a quiet show and the animation reflects that. It is smooth and uses a lot of long shots of environment creating that wondrous feel of traveling to new places. But when action is necessary those moments are loud and exciting. Though I don’t think they got it all perfect, as Hisui mentioned the frames of text. Also for no apparent reason one episode is not told from Kino’s perspective which struck me as odd and not very purposeful. The opening is great with a song that is whimsical and makes you look towards the road ahead. The series moves between encouraging seeing the world and pulling the rug out from under you. While this may seem like every episode is the same, each has a unique voice. Also we do see some changes in Kino by the end of our stint with her, though we don’t know how it will affect her future travels.

The anime is based on a series of light novels by Keiichi Sigsawa. Sigsawa has written 12 Kino books already and show no signs of stopping of writing for Dengeki Bunko Magazine. The light novels were licensed few years back by Tokyopop but they never made it past the first book. Tokyopop reordered the chapters which I have been told not only angered readers but annoyed Sigsawa. The original books were exceptionally entertaining while being thought provoking. There are also two anime movies, two untranslated visual novels, and a drama CD of Kino’s Journey. In addition, there is a spin off series called Gakuen Kino where Kino is a gun toting magical girl. So for those who read Japanese there is a good deal more Kino’s Journey for you to get into. For everyone else there is just my condolences.

Top 5 Coolest Talking Inanimate Objects
5. Kaleido Stick (Fate/Hollow Ataraxia)
4. Towa (D.N.Angel)
3. Sumomo (Chobits)
2. Tachikoma (Ghost in the Shell)
1. Haro (Gundam)

Ongoing Investigations: Case #027

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I started watching Patlabor on my own because I’m pretty sure Narutaki would start watching Akikan before he watches Patlabor. Not that anyone should watch Akikan. I myself have always been curious about Patlabor being one of the important foundations of the real robot genre. It’s about as real as your going to get. The show takes place in the near future where bipedal robots called Labors have advanced to the point where they are commonplace. With robots being so common they need a police force specializing in Patlabor related crimes. The anime revolves around the cases that Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2 have to handle. The main draw of the show is Noa Izumi who is a major mecha otaku and new recruit to Section 2. Most of the cast is entertaining, too. She has an energetic charm and an infectious love of her job. The show is never really fast paced even during many of the action scenes. I would go as far as to say it is almost a healing mecha anime. You are watching Patlabor to get an insight into the lives of the members of Section 2 more than to see robot fighting action. I would even classify the mecha porn as softcore as opposed to the hardcore of Gundam or GaoGaiGar.

Watched Tokyo Marble Chocolate. If you haven’t heard of this film, the gimmick is it’s the same story told twice but one perspective is the girl and one is the guy. So it is split into two 25-or-so-minute segments. They get points for thinking outside the box but it wasn’t executed very effectively. One of the major problems is after watching the first half you have a total grasp of what happened. The story rests on a few misunderstandings and one big coincidence (which is really bizarre) but everything is already explained so seeing the second half is virtually useless. The duality would have been more effective if they were constantly cutting between the two. I liked the artistic style and the actual love story is sweet though.

Make More Love & Peace by Takane Yonetani has a shojo art style but josei content. All the stories revolve around women with some sort of complex that makes them doubt themselves and complicates their relationships. The first three chapters deal with an insecure girl named Ayame and her handsome boyfriend Koichi who is a police officer. Their life is complicated by a bratty young girl who wants to steal away Ayame’s boyfriend. The other two stories are stand alone stories that involve and shy librarian and a girl with a horrible scar. I did not read the original Make Love & Peace but I feel you don’t really need to have read it to understand what is going on. Ayame and Koichi relationship is rather easy to understand and if no one had mentioned that there was a book before this I would have assumed that this was a stand alone series. All the guys are easy going nice guys in Make More Love & Peace. They are generally flawless and willing to work with their girlfriends until they can sort out their issues. I liked this story of the girl with the scar the most. I understood why she would be insecure more than the other two girls. I feel Narutaki would have liked the story with the librarian the most because it involved a pretty blonde goofy guy who seems like a playboy but is really dedicated guy. As with any redikomi you are going to have at least one graphic sex scene in every chapter. The more I read redikomi and reviews I feel your enjoyment comes down to one simple fact: Do you enjoy the type of guy the book is about? It seems that every redikomi book I read will have multiple unrelated stories but all of them will have a very similar type of guy in every story. So if you like that sort of guy you will often enjoy the book.

I am continuing my foray into the Brave Story novel, which I haven’t been taking on the train with me because of its enormous size. I am about to embark on the real part of the journey, I think. I am about 115 pages in before anything really starts to happen and while we’ve had hints of goings on, it has been mostly mundane exposition that could have been taken care of in a couple chapters.I am still looking forward to where it is taking me, I just wish I could have gotten there a bit faster. Now onward, “Beyond the Door.”

I was super happy to see that Live Evil and Freelance Fansubs teamed up to work in the Dirty Pair TV series. I have always loved the Dirty Pair but the only fan-sub I have ever found digitally is someone’s rather grainy VHS rip of a 20th generation tape. Seeing the first episode in crisp clear quality reminded me how much I loved the show and how much hard work went into making the Dirty pair look good. We’ll Teach You How To Kill A Computer is the standard premise of Yuri and Kei solving a major problem with as much collateral damage as possible but being too sexy to blame for it. Fun girls with gun action. Also I have to say that Ru-Ru-Ru-Russian Roulette is just an awesome opening. It is such a catchy song. If you are cool and willing to watch a show fan-subbed that is an extreme long shot at being licensed I suggest you try out Dirty Pair. There is a reason I put it on our Best Anime You Have Never Seen panel.

I read the one book BL Take Me to Heaven by Nase Yamato. It is a cute, fluffy, and mostly silly supernatural story about two childhood friends. Fumiya has the ability to see ghosts and they are constantly appearing in his room. Shogo’s family owns a temple and they want him to become a monk someday, to which he resists. Nevertheless he always helps Fumiya out of jam with his own spiritual abilities even if he doesn’t want them. They are always running into crazy ghostly situations thanks to the school’s occult club. These two are major opposites, Fumiya being short, dark-haired, and shy and Shogo being tall, light-haired, and outgoing. Shogo also picks on Fumiya, but while all the girls in school recognize it as love, Fumiya is slower to catch on. There is a constant push and pull between the two of them as Fumiya usual doesn’t see Shogo as serious. As Shogo is mostly coming to Fumiya’s rescue, it was fun in the last story to see the tables turned. Though a little melodrama rears its head near the end, this story is light as air and funny. There is almost no sex in this story and what little there is is brief and ungraphic. A quick read that will make you smile. And luckily for all, there is a preview of it online.

Since I’m watching Patlabor, this is the pick of the week. It is the spirit of Patlabor with both Noa and Alphonse in the same picture:

Narutaki & Hisui VS. 2008

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Ah, our first full year of blogging, blogging, and more blogging. With that year came a face-lift for the site and also a new schedule for posts. I also graduated from college significantly helping my own schedule for this blog and I have attempted to make it a priority. We saw a significant rise in readership in the later half and have since become immersed in the community of anime bloggers. All in all not a bad time indeed, many thanks to all of our readers. Anywho, this is pretty self-explanatory, we are looking at what we loved or hated from our year of blogging in 2008. No matter what state the industry is in, there are always great things to watch, read, and buy! Oh and I’ll just point out that this is what WE have personally encountered in 2008 so everything on this list may not have come out in 2008 specifically.

As opposed to Narutaki the more things change in my life the more they same. The bad economy has been effecting everyone and everything and I am sure that the seeds planted this year will have large ramifications on 2009. I think things are only going to be worse before they get better. I hope all our readers are doing well and anyone who is experiencing some dark times gets through it quickly. But as always this too shall pass. I am glad to see an increase in readership and interest in the blog. Narutaki and I will continue to work hard on making the blog a better place to visit so I hope you all continue to come.

Losers don’t like 70’s manga. You don’t want to be a loser do you? or Favorite Classic Manga Release:

Black Jack
What can I say, Tezuka is great enough to make me like a medical based drama! Though I am eternally grateful for the black and white imagery. All of these short stories are odd but loosely based on something you wouldn’t be too surprised about happening. The release by Vertical is wonderfully cared for and is in the same order as the current Japanes release. My favorites from the first volume include the talented woman doctor in Black Queen, the sushi chef in Two Loves, and the ill computer in U-18 Knew. Black Jack is super cool under pressure, almost completely self-sufficient, and totally bad-ass. Rock on Tezuka.

Dororo
Dororo is one of Osamu Tezuka’s classic series and an inspiration for countless series including Fullmetal Alchemist. Dororo starts when Hyakkimaru’s father sells his son’s body parts to demons for power. Hyakkimaru is barely born alive and taken in by a doctor who gives him artificial organs. When Hyakkimaru becomes of age he sets out to defeat the demons who have his organs to gain his original body back. Along the way he meets a young thief named Dororo who accompanies him on his journey.  It’s a shame that Dororo was wrapped up so quickly and some what incompletely. Still it is a classic adventure manga that will delight readers of all ages.

The Boring, Incestuous, Lesbian, Pedo Hour or Worst Thing I Watched:

World Destruction
Anime based on video games are almost always universally bad. World Destruction is an anime that shows just how bad video games based anime can be. The characters are unappealing and downright moronic at times; the plot is muddled, cliche, and boring; and the first episode has horrible inconsistent animation. At one point Narutaki did not realize that one of the characters on the screen was not a new character but a poorly drawn version of the main character. Since the first episode is usually the best animated episode I would hate to see what the middle episodes look like. Shame on you Production I.G. I am very disappointed in you.

Minami-ke
Let me just say up front that I don’t like slice-of-life shows in general, but I am always looking for another Azumanga Daioh. A show that really goes nowhere but that is too hilarious to pass up. That was not this show. I kept hoping this show would be good, I made it through 3 episodes because I couldn’t decide how I felt about it. But frankly I found most of the jokes to fall flat, like it was trying too hard to be wacky. And the whole episode of one of the sisters trying to kiss the other…no. Though I did like the littlest sister and her classmates, that wasn’t exactly the whole show. It does nothing to really separate itself from its genre so I was bored.

Fate/Zero the TV series or Best News of the Year:

D.N.Angel manga back from hiatus
Thank the lords! This series had been on hiatus since 2005. 2005! And the series stopped in the middle of a storyline. I, along with a great deal of fans, are more than ready to see this series wrapped up soon.

One Piece is re-licensed by Funimation
4kids was infamous for it’s edits to One Piece while it held the license. Marines with water guns, Sanji’s bizarre accent, vital arcs removed, and of course the One Piece Rap all contributed to anime fans hate for their localization. When when most people had given up all hope, Funimation picked up the One Piece license and so far has done a stellar job with it. I love my 13 episode box sets which are thankfully unedited and have a far superior dub. I really hope they can keep putting out One Piece despite the troubled anime market.

World Destruction Season 2 or Worst News of the Year:

ADV going onto life support
When Geneon left the US anime market everyone was speculating who was the next to go. ADV seemed untouchable as the company that competed with Funimation for #1 anime company in North America. There were warning signs that ADV was not doing great but most people felt like the deal with Sojitz was going to save them. After it fell through it was one of the clearest signs of impeding doom. Then Sojitz took back all their licenses and people have been speculating when exactly ADV was going to die. So far they are still hanging in with a fresh new deal with Sentai Filmworks that might signal a turn around for the company. But ADV is still in danger in many peoples minds and is almost assuredly not in any position to regain it’s former glory any time soon.

Tonari no 801-chan anime plans canceled
I was really looking forward to this funny and satirical story about a BL loving girl and her otaku boyfriend. Plus the studio that animated Haruhi Suzumiya was going to be creating it. However, just two weeks after its announcement the plans were dropped without much of an explanation.

Did I tell you about my venereal disease? or Thing I Wish People Would Stop Talking About:

CLANNAD
And how it is the greatest show ever, ever, evers.

The Shonen conspiracy
There is this pervasive conspiracy theory on the Internet that shonen manga and Shonen Jump in particular has become nothing more than a magazine for fujoshi. Some seem to think that all the modern shonen manga have decided to forget their primary audience and cater specifically to BL fans. That is madness pure and simple. Everyone knows all true fujoshi are delusional and don’t need to be catered to in the least. Plus adding a few pretty boys does not make a manga “gay.” We at Reverse Thieves have our own tin foil hat theory in regards to what has caused this conspiracy theory but that is for another article.

Maple Bacon Cupcakes or Anime/Manga I Unexpectedly Liked:

Karin
I assumed that Karin was a horrible fan-service anime with vampires and boobies. Then I learned that the Karin manga under the title of Chibi Vampire was one of Tokyopop’s best-selling titles I decided to give the anime a chance. It turned out to be a rather cute little romantic comedy with a misleadingly fan service filled opening. Karin herself is quite the sweater girl as the opening is quite quick to point out but they don’t play up the fact to any abnormal degree for a shonen anime.

Dear Myself
This was a book that was handed to me at Yaoi Reading Day (which you can read all about in our article). I can’t say exactly what I was expecting but it pleasantly surprised me and made me stand up and say, I would read more like this! It is a one book story about a boy who loses his memory and then finds out about his relationship with another boy who he can’t remember. So he is trying to learn who this person is all over again while simultaneous falling in love. It was a cute story that only went as far as kissing.

“Play it again, Sam” or Favorite Opening:

“BORN” by Miwako Okuda (Le Chevalier D’eon)
Can’t. Stop. Listening. For about a week I just listened to this song over and over because no matter what I did I couldn’t get it out of my head anyway. And the opening itself is beautifully animated and does a good job of syncing with the music. It also has spoilers that you don’t realize till later! A close second was “endscape” by UVERworld (Toward the Terra). Also with spoilers everywhere!

Yuusha-oh Tanjou! (GaoGaiGar: King of Braves)
GaoGaoGar is a show were a manly cyborg fights along side manly robots who use courage and guts to defeat their enemies. A show like that needs an equally manly opening filled with courage and guts as well. Oh and since it is a giant robot show it also needs to have the name of the main robot in the opening show as many times as humanly possible. The King of Braves is Born! delivers all of this this in spades. Try and get the catchy repetitive theme out of your head. It’s impossible. The fact that the song is performed by the Masaaki Endoh of the Jam Project should come as a surprise to no one. The animation also syncs well with the song as is periodically updated to incorporate plot developments and revelations.

If 2D love is wrong I don’t want to be right or Hottest Character:

Balsa (Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit)
Strong warrior women are just plain sexy. You can keep your moe waifs who need their big strong men (and their milquetoast men in harem manga) to protect them. Give me a lady who wield a spear and has a bonny boom boom body. I think I am getting to the age where I am more and more attracted to the older characters in series. A mature women who can take care of herself and others, be a realistically capable fighter while still remaining sexy, and have a interesting but agreeable personality in all right by me.

Tamaki (Ouran High School Host Club)
On the surface this seems exceedingly obvious, especially if you know me. Tamaki is tall, lean, and blond. But funnily enough, there is a greater depth to my love for this character. Yes, he is charming but he is also incredibly goofy, loyal, and optimistic despite his family situations. Being an optimist myself, I see it often equated with naivete about the world, but it is really about being positive despite your past. And that very optimism that Tamaki exhibits puts him over the top for me. Oh, and he plays the piano. HOT.

I slap you with money so give me my DVD or Best License Announcement:

Relicense of Story of Saiunkoku
At the Funimation panel that recently ran at NYAF, I almost dropped down on my knees and thanked them for picking up this series from the ashes of Geneon. Even though it will probably sell very few copies. It is just a plain good show that I am desperate to own and watch over again.

Hayate the Combat Butler
I was a little worried that Hayate’s size and sometimes rather obscure otaku humor would destined it to be the title everyone talks about but never gets licensed. Hayate and Nagi’s story would be forever trapped on fan-sub. But Bandai stepped up to the plate and saw the amusing comedy series that has potential. I for one hope people go out there and buy the DVDs so I can get merchandise and the second season as well. Who knows. Maybe sales of the manga will pick up, too.

Small isn’t bad at all or Best Short Manga:

Sexy Voice and Robo
Sexy Voice and Robo is closest in tone and style to that of an American Indy comic in manga form. It stars Nico Hayashi as a 14 year girl who can imitate any voice. She usually uses her ability to mess with and observe men over telephone dating services.  One  day an old man observes her activities and begins to hire to perform various missions for him including saving kidnapped children and stopping assassins. Along the way Nico ropes in Iichiro Sudo a robot otaku to join her in her escapades. The stories are story of quirky and the art while still in a recognizably manga style is still very unique.

Two Flowers for the Dragon
It makes me so happy to see Nari Kusakawa’s manga being licensed left and right by CMX. I always enjoy her romance stories that are crafted with a little magic and a world outside of the love aspect. This one is no exception as a princess who possess the soul of a water dragon must deal with her kingdom, her family issues, and two suitors vying for her attention. Just a short 4 books for this delightful tale.

It belongs in a museum! or Favorite Piece of Merchandise:

Exclusive Convention Only Ouran High School Host Club pencilboard
I love pencilboards and have a very minor collection of them. When I saw this exclusive I just couldn’t pass it up. Large with the entire cast and shiny foil title treatment! I am really hoping for more Host Club merchandise as the DVDs come out with significant fanfare.

One Piece – 1/8 Usopp PVC Figure
On the Sniper Island
Where I was born
100 shots, 100 hits
Lu lu la la lu

Even on a mouse’s eye
LOCK ON!!
Even on your heart
LOCK ON!!
The man that came from Sharpshooter Island
Lu lu lu lu lu la la
You better run and hide
Sogege Sogesoge
SOGEKINGU!!!

Please put your signature anywhere on my body or Favorite Convention Guest:
Ryu Moto
I have to say I finally feel that Reverse Thieves became I was proud of when we first interviewed our first Japanese guest. I don’t think Ryu Moto is an extremely influential or world shattering guest like Tite Kubo, Noboru Ishiguro, or Rie Tanaka but he was a fascinating and talented man. He was very gracious in granting us an interview and I think Narutaki and I learned a little bit more about the anime and manga industry thanks to him. I hope that our readers enjoyed learning about him as much as we did.

T.M.Revolution
Thank you, New York Comic Con, thank you forever! While his panel and radio interview left me with disappointment, his shear presence on stage did not. The concert was really well run and there were no major delays or horrible people ruining the fun. He also performed for a good amount of time. I thought the sound was pretty good in the theater and hope that NYCC and NYAF decide to keep/bring back concerts there!

“Vestis virum reddit” or Best Packaging:

Death Note: Another Note
I am addicted to books so when I see a really nice one I always take note (no pun intended!) of it. I grabbed up this title as soon as I saw it on the shelf at Kinokuniya. It has a black cloth cover with silver ink stamping, then a white bellyband, inside is a semi transparent page that leads into a full color piece, the paper is high quality and smooth, and top it all off with a cloth book marker. Sweet! What a treasure. Though with such expense it makes me wonder if they made any money on it.

Code Geass Part 1 Collectors Edition
Bandai decided to go all out when the released the Collectors edition of Code Geass. They threw as much as they could that was awesome while not throwing in Pizza Hut coupons and a fully functional Zero mask. With the first 2 DVDs, the first OST, the 1st drama CD, and the first manga all in one gloriously designed box. The DVDs themselves also have gorgeous booklets, the picture drama episodes, and Japanese commentary tracks as well. Everything in there is designed to make sure that you throw away your fansubs and buy the legitimate version. Nice Job!

Show me the funny! or Funniest Manga:

One Piece
One Piece has just been an excellent blend of action, story, and comedy this year. The Thriller Bark arc had some hysterical moments every chapter while still providing plenty of action and important plot revelations. Sanji’s fight with Absalom, Usopp and Perona, and anything with Brook actually made me laugh out loud at work and that is quite the accomplishment. Giant Robot Warrior: Big Emperor! Duval and the iron mask took quite a bit of setting up but the punch line was priceless. The current arc with Luffy and the Amazons has been pure comedy gold (golden balls in fact) as well. Well done Mr Oda. Well done.

Gakuen Alice
Oh the hilarity that is Gakuen Alice. I think I previously described it as Kodomo no Omocha but with super powers. Mikan certainly isn’t the brightest bulb but she has a fiece spirit and a true dedication to friendship! Everyone in her class has their own hilarious quirks from her best friend who invents some very strange objects, to a boy who attracts animals through pheromones, to their teacher who puts his spells of love to good use. There is very much a sad under story and many mysteries surrounding the school but it is so hilarious that it is balanced out nicely. 

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend or Best Light Novel

Gosick
We reviewed this so clearly we thought it was good. As more and more light novels hit the selves, one still needs to be discerning. Gosick is quite a well-plotted mystery and was able to surprise me and to trick me. Victorique and her charming Sherlockian style combined with Kozuya’s naivete makes them fun and engaging to follow. It is extremely sad to think we may never seem more of their exploits stateside.

Boogiepop at Dawn
After a hiatus Seven Seas Entertainment has restarted the Boogiepop book series. After several months I finally tracked down a copy of Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 2 and I was worried that they were going to end the series there. But recently Seven Seas has announced it’s revamped novel line with Boogiepop being one of it’s first relaunched titles. Boogiepop at Dawn is an excellent explanation for many of the events and mysteries that take place during the Boogiepop Phantom anime while still being it’s own well told story. We get insights into all the regular cast and explanations and introductions to some of the movers and shakers in the Boogiepop universe.

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? or Manga I Like but Wish Would End

Bleach
Bleach is a generally fun shonen manga and I still enjoy it but I Narutaki and I both feel that the whole Hecto Mundo arc seems tacked on to the story. Our theory is that Bleach was doing so well they had him throw this arc on to keep the best selling series running. Think about it. Did anything truly significant actually happen in Hecto Mundo? It seem more like a filler arc than actually story. When we finally got back into the real plot aka the Urahara flash back arc it noticeably picked up. I feel like the sooner we finish up this current arc the sooner we can get into the final arc. The shonen jump editors could easily throw in several more arcs to keep this going but I would hope they will let Tite Kubo tie up loose ends in Bleach and move onto his next manga.

Berserk
Oh I do love you Berserk, I do. Especially now that your art has gotten somewhere near the realm of good. I have a feeling I won’t see the end of your until a book somewhere in the 60’s and that is really too much since that is like 20 more years of writing. All things take forever to happen after the first arc wrapped up. There is a lot of random wondering around that could easily be condensed. Heck Casca still has yet to become herself again though they are getting close. I’m not saying Berserk has these horribly dull moments but it could be shorter. This what we get from a guy who was influenced by Guin Saga.

That plushie looks so nice on top of my computer or Best Mascot Character

Tachikoma
How can one resist the juxtaposition of the Tachikoma’s cuteness with their bad-assness? They want love and attention, they are loyal and excitable, they are like dogs that have machine guns. Except, ya know, a lot bigger. I know one certainly wouldn’t fit in my apartment but it could live on the roof and follow me around in stealth mode.

Ai-kun
Ai-Kun is Ranka Lee’s little alien pet from Macross Frontier. He (?) is an adorable little green squiggle with the potential to be the cutest line of plush toys. Also as the following mathematical forumla [Ranka cute X Ai-Kun cute = Mega Omega Cute] clearly shows the Ranka/Ai-kun team-up is unstoppable. Plus he takes down a paper airplanes like nobody’s business.