Month: August 2011

Ongoing Investigations: Case #133

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In my Tsukihime round-up I finally got around to the Tsukihime PLUS+DISC. Mostly a few little stories added to promote previous releases of Tsukihime and Kagetsu Tohya. The Alliance of Illusionary Eyes is the main meat of the content of the disc and is mostly from the point of view of Akira Seo and her first meeting with Tohno Shiki. Her appearances in Kagetsu Tohya make much more sense after reading this. The other three stories are much sillier but sometimes enlightening. Geccha 1 and 2 are little behind the scenes looks at unanswered questions, plot holes, and unused material in a Type-Moon told in a comedic manner. I wonder how many people ship Arcueid and Ciel as they fight like pair that would surely be hooked up in yaoi fanfiction. Sad Birthday Girl fans can see unused Satsuki’s path material. There is also the utterly weird Kinoko’s Masterpiece Experimental Theater. This is mostly weird to be weird. There is no hidden material here. Just uncle Nrvnqsr Chaos. There is nothing vital here other the Alliance but there is a lot to enjoy. Plus I can attest that you can read all of this in just one lunch break if you put your mind to it.

I was so pleased to find Trigun: Badlands Rumble showing at Otakon this year. The movie plays out like an extended TV episode. This is one last hurrah for the fans really so as such it isn’t the place to start for the unfamiliar. Badlands Rumble features Vash’s legendary good-nature as he tries to protect Amelia who is looking for revenge against notorious bandit Gasback who is rumored to be heading for Macca City. Meryl and Milly are dispatched to keep an eye on things since their insurance company has insured a statue in the city for $$5,000,000,00. Wolfwood gets in on the action too, but I won’t say exactly how. I must say it was wonderful to hear the cheers and claps when Wolfwood appeared for the first time. Everything comes together in a spectacular action-packed end. Beyond new animation, there is nothing to say this wasn’t just a part of the show. I saw it dubbed and it didn’t quite have enough force behind it so I’ll be curious to watch it again on DVD. Trigun: Badlands Rumble is good fun with characters that you love.

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Manga of the Month: Penguin Revolution

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Penguin Revolution (ペンギン 革命) by Sakura Tsukaba

It is quite possible that everything, ever, by Sakura Tsukaba will eventually land here on Manga of the Month. Her heroines are a delight and I can’t say enough about her ability to meld romance and comedy with a little supernatural.

In Penguin Revolution, we meet Yukari a peppy, hard-working girl with an odd ability to see others’ potential to be a star which manifests as a pair of wings on their back. One day she runs into beautiful Ryouko whose wings shine brightly one moment but then become small sprouts. Their meeting quickly gets complicated when Yukari realizes Ryouko is actually Ryou, a guy dressed as a girl. Ryou is employed by famous talent agency Peacock which requires its members to disguise themselves so when Yukari discovers his identity he offers her a job as his manager (which actually requires her to dress as a man). Thus begins their journey through the entrainment world, friendships and rivalries, romance, and family drama.

The series is clearly over the top but the emotions resonate as do the characters. Yukari has a positive and infectious optimism, this is balanced out by Ryou who has great potential but is still a fledgling especially compared to many other members of the agency. Their’s is a slow building bond that begins with odd circumstances but becomes a trusting and true romance. This is a tame, fun, and sweet series with plenty of heart that can’t help but leave you with a smile.

Otakon 2011: The Guidebook App

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Anyone who has seen my pre-con schedule, then my con report, will note that my preliminary schedule is filled with nothing but dirty lies and broken promises. That is because I always change my plans at the con. Panel times change, events are canceled, I notice new things, an empty stomach calls, or sexy cosplay ladies need to converse with me (that last one has never happened, and probably never will, but it theoretically could happen). So I usually sit in any room of a con looking over the schedule trying to decide what to do next. This year since I recently obtained an iPod Touch, a new door was opened. I was able to enter the digital age with the Otakon Guidebook App. There was a decent amount of talk about the quality of this new app but the real question is did it live up to the buzz?

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