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

Hisui’s picks:

• As if the Belmont Family Did Not Have Enough Problems
  Dracula is back and this time he is in ASCII form. An amusing little world puzzle game with a bit of Metroidvania thrown in for good measure.
• With All Your Favorite Batman Villains Like Colonel Sulphur and The Penny Plunderer
  An amazing chart with almost every Batman villain on it. Everyone from the majors like the Joker to Johnny Karaoke. They are broken down into connected groups so you can see how many villains with royal titles are also animal themed. Fun for any obsessive DC fan.
• The Return of Kill em’ All Terry Nation’s Sci-Fi Series, Blake’s 7
  As with any reboot I am always apprehensive but I did enjoy the original series. Blake’s 7 is the story of a small band of freedom fighters against a galactic empire that was always a provocative story. I am curious who they cast as Avon. As THE fan favorite character if he is not cast well the show is pretty much doomed to failure. A good Avon does not make a good reboot. But a bad Avon squashes any chances the reboot ever had.
• Otakon 2012 Round Up
  • Popping Your Otakon Cherry: What happens when you take a very casual anime fan (but a general hardcore geek) and throw them into their first Otakon?
  • (Set to the tune of “Make My Day” by Pico) – Otakon is a 0/1 day, 2 day, 3 day, wrap up day con: Omo’s Otakon adventures.
  • The Writer, the Performer, and the Staffer: Three very different interviews from Anime Diet.
  • Mostly Crying Freeman but also some Otakon: Dave, Joel, and Daryl mostly talk about Crying Freeman but they sneak some Otakon talk in there.
  • Listmania®: The lists for Great Anime Openings and Anime’s Craziest Deaths from the AWO panels.
  • Love and Robots: Carl Li interviews Nonaka Ai and Tenjin Hidetaka.
  • More Moe than you can Manage at Otakon: One, two, three, four. five, and six comics that capture the Otakon spirit.
  • Otakon War Stories: Otaku Generation vs. Otakon 2012. Being staff gives you a very different con report.
• Type-Moon Round Up
  
  • I Keep Forgetting to Post This: Pixiv had a 10th anniversary contest for Type-Moon and some of the submission were amazing.
  • Hide Your Shame With Fate/Zero: You can use Madoka or Index as well.
  • Red Saber is the Best Servant:  Unless you are Narutaki and then all you care about is Gilgamesh. But these are some solid previews for Fate/Extra CCC.
  • Return of the King: Not much Type-Moon news out of Wonderfest but they are reissuing the variant Saber Lily ~Golden Caliburn~ from the Good Smile Company.
  • Rin and Luviagelita Help Offset the Loli: More Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya promo art.
  • An Assassin on the Grassy Knoll: Gen Urobuchi is up to some unusual mischief in Washington DC.

Narutaki’s picks:

• My Peoples, the Disney Movie That Almost Was
  This 2D and CG combination production got pretty far along before it was shelved permanently. Romance, folk art, bluegrass music, and the Appalachians looked poised to be Disney’s next masterpiece until they declared “2D is dead.”
  
• Start Talking Video Game Industry!
  Great article about the lack of communication between companies and gamers. Companies are so tight-lipped they are creating nothing but ill-will with gamers but maybe it isn’t too late. The author brings up just how arbitrary some “no comment” answers are as well as emphasizing that transparency would result in less anger when things go wrong with a title. I really like the article because it stays away from sarcasm and cynicism despite how frustrating the topic is.
• Typography & Superheroes
  My graphic design heart really enjoyed these little art pieces.
• Ra’s Al Ghul + Scarecrow + Joker + Two-Face = Bane
  This is a closer look at Bane as the final villain of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, spoilers of course.

In honor of the most unexpected Fate/Apocrypha cosplayer at Otakon:

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

Narutaki’s picks:

• Best News of SDCC: Phineas & Ferb Superhero Crossover
  Disney is finally taking advantage of the Marvel characters being part of their library. There will be a special next year with many Marvel heroes accidentally ending up in Phineas & Ferb’s story. There is a short video so we know what to expect, I know the results will be amazing!
• Batman: The Animated Series Rises
  Amazing trailer of The Dark Knight Rises using footage from Batman: The Animated Series. And the greatest part? It was officially made for a marathon on The Hub.
• Pixar in Concert
  The West Coast gets all kinds of cool goodies like this! I can only hope these Pixar symphonies are so popular they start touring.
• No Black Panther Movie in the Works. Why?
  I was really disappointed that rumors were put to rest about a Black Panther movie when it was finally revealed Marvel is making an Ant-Man movie. This article takes on the reasoning behind their decisions and how their PR spin just doesn’t make sense.

Hisui’s picks:

• EVOLving Taste
  The best review is one that gets you to watch a show you only had marginal interest in before. Andrew and Carl’s review of Aquarion EVOL convinced me to actually sit down and watch the show. While it is a sequel to the original Genesis of Aquarion you do not have to see the first series to enjoy this one.
  
• Marvelous Mechanical Mischief
  Pixiv can have some unusual pictures. Some are works of beauty and others are more likely to invoke your vomit reflex. But one artist on Pixiv has a collection of collages that attempt to show the evolution of mecha through the decades. Consider it either a history lesson or a challenge to see what he missed.
• Jojo’s News Roundup
  • Mr Fantastic was Bitten by a Vampire:A most unusual Santana toy comes out of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
  • Prelude to Madness: The first key visual art for the new Jojo’s anime has been revealed.
  • Adapting Manga to Video Games: Some bold talk about the new Jojo’s game. It will be interesting to see how much of it is real and how much is hype.
• Type-Moon News Roundup:
  • Misty, Water-Colored Memories: Nitroplus exhibit at Kotobukiya Museum Akihabara has a whole slew of items but if you jump to the bottom you will see all the Fate/Zero goodies.
  • Exploitation Now!: Lily Saber joins the Beach Queens line.
  • Master and Commander:  More alternative Masters and Servant combinations from Fate/Zero: Next Encounter.
  • Tales of Dance Fever: An unusual setting for the characters of Tales and Fate/Zero to commingle.

More mash-up fun!

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

Hisui’s picks:

• ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA
  The classic Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure fighting is game is getting a HD remaster with online play. It was sort of a hit back in the day even spawned a classic meme. I wonder if that means we might get the new game in English if this does well enough.
• Believing a Sign of Zeta
  The new trailer for the up coming One Piece movie seems pretty promising. The rouge formal admiral Z looks formidable. I don’t expect it to be a ground breaking film but if it is as enjoyable and well produced as Strong World then it will be fairly entertaining.
• A Difference in Terms
  Japanese fans on Biglobe listed their favorite science fiction and fantasy anime series. There are some really bizarre choices in both categories. I was very amused that A Certain Magical Index was the #1 fantasy title and the #2 science fiction title. Japan does love its Index.
• Kicking it into Mona Lisa Overdrive
  Chaos Theater looks at Brave and the Sprawl trilogy. The Brave review is a follow up on their recent Pixar podcast. The Sprawl trilogy is William Gibson’s novels that essentially defined the cyberpunk genre. A concise little round up of the books and their impact on science fiction.
• Living in the ’80s
  The Veef Show examines the music of the Macross franchise from the 80s. But at the same time is is also a pretty detailed look at pop music and the idol boom of Japan at the same time.
• Type-Moon Round Up
  
  • The Song of the 5th Holy Grail War: Earthmind’s “ARCADIA” will be song used for the new ufotable opening PS Vita version of Fate/Stay Night: Réalta Nua.
  • Gao Gao!: Another chance for you to get Saber Lion!
  • Nothing More than a Popularity Contest: The lists of the most popular male and female Type-Moon characters from the recent Type-Moon Fes. As usual the Fate franchise dominates the list.

Narutaki’s picks:

• Not Just Another Princess Movie
  This essay is brilliantly written and touches on every point of criticism (some warranted, most not) about Brave being predictable: “It’s a well-worn genre, the Spunky-Princess-Who-Doesn’t-Get-Married-(Or-Experience-Any-Attraction-To-Anyone)-And-Her-Mother story.”
  
• Super Mario – World 9: Westeros
  Totally awesome.
  
• Simple Rules for Asking Question at a Convention
  Everyone of us can get flustered when asking a question to a guest at a convention, but here is a guide to help make the experience easier for yourself and everyone else involved. I know I’m a culprit of asking about older work when a panel was highlighting a new project. 
  
• OUYA May be JUST a Big Dream
  This article is really good about laying down the facts about this ambitious project. It isn’t a project that I’m personally invested in, but I’ve been following its progress and am curious about the outcome.
• Your Surreal Superhero Moment of the Week
  Brought to you by this Golden Girls/Super Friends mash-up.

I sometimes just pick pictures that I know Narutaki will enjoy: