If you have any suggestions for what to highlight on an APB drop us a line via email or Twitter.

Hisui’s picks:

• Type Moon News Roundup
  • Comic Market 81 Roundup: All the loveliness you can buy at the Type-Moon table at Comic Market 81.
  • And the secret movie with the limited edition 3rd Season of Carnival Phantasm is Fate/Prototype. There is also the latest version of Melty Blood in there as well.
  • And if you are chilly you can get a Fate/Zero Assassin Hoodie.
  • Mahou Tsukai no Yoru gets some delicious screenshots as well.
• The Toys of Comic Market
  • Wonderful Nendoroids: Sakura Shinguji from Sakura Taisen and the Princess of the Crystal from Penguindrum are getting little plastic versions of themselves soon. The article implied there might be more Sakura Taisen figures on the way. I hope we can get a Gemini Sunrise Nendoroid as well.
  • Figmas as well: Irisviel von Einzbern from Fate/Zero and Princess of the Crystal get some bigger figures as well.
• Speaking of Comic Market
  Crunchyroll News has an interesting article with scans from a Comic Market catalog from 1986. At the same time that was going on I suppose the Ushiromiya family was having a bit of a hard time at the annual family conference.
• Enter the Chaos of the King of the Cave
  Chaos Theater looks at the Gonzo classic (yes that Studio Gonzo) Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. They also look at the sacred cows of adapting materials from one medium to another. And so it is not a total sausage fest they also have Kristina Pino from Tomopop. Oh and for Patz I will also mention their review of the Uncharted series.
• Out With the Old and in With the New
  The mecha men of Gundam celebrate the old year and look forward to the new year when it comes to animated robots from Japan.
• Welcome to Rock and Roll Night! Welcome to Rock and Fight!
  Why has no one licensed Penguindrum? Until that fateful day you can get the Triple H CD. Also for all the fans of classic rock I have the original Rock Over Japan By ARB.

Narutaki’s picks:

• Read an Excerpt from The Winds of Winter (Next Book in A Song of Ice and Fire)
  I think it goes without saying that this chapter is certainly a spoiler for anyone who hasn’t finished A Dance With Dragons. That being the case, I’m not going to say anything beyond I’m excited for the next book. Another excerpt is supposed to be released with the paperback version of A Dance With Dragons.  This also makes me feel good about the schedule of the book.
• New Project from Time of Eve Creator
  As a big fan of Time of Eve this was a great Christmas present. The new work, that doesn’t have many details yet, will be called Sakasama no Patema and see release sometime in 2012. We do know it is a boy-meets-girl story but creator Yoshiura also describes it as very strange. The promo art looks very nice!
• Codename: Kids Next Door One Piece Tribute
  A fun, little unexpected surprise comes with the new digital U.S. version of Weekly Shonen Jump.
• Tintin Technology and the Future of Cinema
  This is a really fascniating article, mainly for learning about how this movie was filmed. Beyond motion capture they created a “virtual studio” which allowed Spielberg to pick and choose props/etc. while also decided on filming angles without the usual restrictions of animation.
• NIS Licenses All Four Seasons of Natsume Yuujinchou
  I’m really starting to love this company.

The red string of fate connects us all:

If you have any suggestions for what to highlight on an APB drop us a line via email or Twitter.

Narutaki’s picks:

• LEGO announces Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Sets
  Do not worry internet, I will be getting these.
• Mamoru Hosoda’s Next Film
  Is about wolf children! Don’t ask me what that means because there is no real information out on the plot side. On the other hand, we do know that the staff from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars will be working together again. YAY!
• Preview New Comic: Saga
  Brian K. Vaughan returns to comics with a new science-fiction story. Everyone including me is looking forward to this epic described by Brian as “Star Wars meets A Game of Thrones.”
• New Studio Ghibli Posters
  Have a clean and simplistic look. I’d love to own these limited-edition prints but that isn’t going to happen as they are sought after collectibles. Still they sure are pretty to look at.
• Build a Custom Robo
  Just heard about this site and am disappointed I didn’t know about it sooner before the holidays. I haven’t experimented too much yet but there are tons of options (of course the also means price, too).

Hisui’s picks:

• Type-Moon New Roundup
  I might as well just gather all the Type-Moon news in one little section .
  • Mahotsukai no Yoru gets a new releaste date. FINALLY. 
  • The latest Type-Moon Ace reveals the first details on the Fate/Apocrypha novel. Sadly they start with Jack the Ripper and her master.
  • They made a full-sized version of Saber’s motorcycle from Fate/Zero.
• Naturally You Would Put These Two Things Together
  The next Pokemon game is a cross over with Nobunaga’s Ambition. Pocket monsters plus historical turn based strategy. I will just place that on the table and let it sink in.
  
• Fourze is the new Furby
  While it is no surprise that they a making a toy of Kamen Rider Fourze’s Belt (which is totally awesome) it might be surprising how popular they are. Apparently even after upping the number of belts built they are still going to have to hold online lotteries. By the way you can also buy additional switches to plug into the belt as time goes on.
• The WORLD of Jojo’s Merchandise!
  25 years of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is quite an accomplishment and for the big anniversary there is even more wonder swag than ever before. Get your own ancient invincible Mesoamerican vampire named after a New Wave band figure today!
  
• See What the Gundam Fans are Currently Hating.
  Enter the world of unhappiness as the guys from Gundamn look at the latest episodes of Gundam Age and Unicorn. Also Andrew shows his distaste for Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team on the Veef show. I like all three of those but I guess I just am easily amused.

Merry Merry Christmas!

If you have any suggestions for what to highlight on an APB drop us a line via email or Twitter.

Hisui’s picks:

• Christmas has Come Early!
  Sai-zen-sen delivered a Christmas gift I did not even know I wanted. But man it is nice. Gen Urobuchi, Kinoko Nasu, Izuki Kougyoku, Simadoriru, and Ryohgo Narita played a table top RPG for 6 nights under Makoto Sanda as the Game Master. Now they are compiling transcripts of the role-playing sessions in January. I can’t say how hyped I am for that. That is a pretty amazing writing team and as someone who can still converse and table top RPGs I have played years ago I would love to see these transcripts turned into and anime. I will probably talk more about this during the week as a little post. There is just too much to say in a little APB.
• Everything You Were Afraid to Ask about Macross Video Games and More!
  The invaluable interfering Andrew and Renato look at almost every Macross video game ever made with its merits, flaws, and how fits into Macross history. I am sure they missed some obscure WonderSwan release that some uber-nerd will complain about but it is the most complete guide you will get.
• Why Can’t Narutaki Have More Brave Police J-Decker Toys?
  Also Andrew and Arshad look at the Brave series and its curious lack of toys. While there are a good deal of merchandise for GaoGaiGar it seems the rest of the Brave series goes without.
• I’m Only Buying These to Help Japan. Really.
  The Good Smile Company is making cheerleader versions of Saber and Rin with part of the sales of each figure going to disaster relief in Japan. There is also a cute Waver figure in the fan made figure world and they plan to make a Rider figure as well.
• Archer is Bringing Sexy Back
  They also unveiled the character costumes for Fate/Extra CCC. I am ever exited to see what they do with this game. I am pleased with the … pleasantness of Caster’s new outfit. Hopefully the game itself will be just as good.
• Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened
  Shout! Factory is releasing the three series in the Transformers franchise that were only broadcast in Japan. These are “slightly”  controversial in the English-speaking Transformers fandom but I would like you to point me to the series that is not. I am curious to see how The Headmasters, Super-God Masterforce, and Victory are received now that they are in an easy to purchase from.
  

Narutaki’s picks:

• Manga Awards in France
  As you probably know, the French consume a hefty portion of the international manga market. They also get some wildly different titles from us in the U.S. These nominees for the Festival International de la Bande Dessinee will give you a good idea. And of course it once again shoves in our faces how they get Saint Young Men and we never will.
  
• Interview with Brave’s Brenda Chapman
  Brenda is the original creator of Brave and helmed the project as director but was replaced because of “creative differences.” You don’t get any better answers on that question but you do get backstory for the film. There is also a Part 1 of the interview where she talks about her time at Disney and other projects.
• Gunpla Builders World Cup in Japan
  I’m sure it will come as no surprise that the representatives for Japan in the World Cup are freakin’ ridiculous. The sets they build for the mecha are an added bonus of amazing. 
  
• Twin Earth Found!
  Well, kinda, it the planet discovered that is most like our own (so far). It is 600 light years away! There are still many unknowns about the planet like whether it is mostly rock, gas, or liquid but it is still one of those cool finds that gets you giddy with science-fiction possibilities.
  
• The X-Men is the Next Logical Step
  Brain Michael Bendis has announced he is exiting as writer for Avengers/New Avengers in the summer. I can’t imagine anyone else writing New Avengers, which he formed, probably because no one else has. This Op-Ed is about speculating that he will move over to writing X-Men which he has yet to do. I am really excited about this possibility thanks to the article and it softens the blow about New Avengers a bit. Now let’s just hope this article was predicting the future!
  
• Behind the Scenes of Arthur Christmas
  This in-depth talk with the creators went a long way in making me want to see this film. From visual technique to the life of the story, everything is touched upon. This might be my next favorite holiday film!
  

Let us not forget that Japan is still rebuilding and readjusting after earthquake: