Category: Editorials

The Speakeasy #024: The Last Word, Looking Back on 2011

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Drink #024: The Last Word,
Looking Back on 2011

Once again the end of the year means the jet setting billionaires Hisui and Narutaki attend their yearly collaboration to muse on what has occurred in the anime and manga industry during the course of 2011. This year finds them looking at the coast Monaco from Narutaki’s private yacht as they open up a bottle of Dom. Romane Conti 1997, dig into Wagyu steaks prepared by Koumei Nakamura, and reflect on some of the biggest events of 2011. As they digest their meal they talk about the quake, the closing of Borders, and the other events that shaped the year and reflect on how these events will reverberate on the year to come. Come, open up a bottle of your finest vintage, and reflect with them on your memories of 2011.

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And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

The Last Word

  • 3/4 oz gin
  • 3/4 oz lime juice
  • 3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
  • 3/4 oz maraschino liqueur

Preparation:

  1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Shake well.
  3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Give Yourself the Gift of Revolutionary Girl Utena

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Looking at the forums thread for the 100th episode of the ANNCast I learned a shocking fact. Apparently there are people in the anime fandom who have never seen Revolutionary Girl Utena. This is a sad state of affairs that must be rectified as soon as possible. With something as unusual as Utena it is clear that not everyone will enjoy the show. Its avant-garde nature, melodramatic style, and odd sexuality can easily turn people away from this show. But all those things make the show at least worth sampling to see if they appeal to you. It is just a show that feels so different that you have to see it just to experience what it brings to the table if you consider yourself any sort of seasoned anime fan. You don’t have to love it and you don’t even have to watch all of it. But is should have at least a passing familiarity with. When the series was out of print this claim was a harder sell but recently Nozomi has re-released the series with remastered audio and video. Plus on they have episodes streaming on their YouTube page. Now is the best time to sample the series legitimately as well as pick it up on disk in a resplendent re-release. But as great as the show is the extras included in the new box sets are just as enticing.

If Nozomi has proven their worth with anything, it is these Revolutionary Girl Utena box sets. Picking up the series with a major remaster of animation and sound is great, but more than anything else is the new life the booklets bring to the show. Many anime titles come with extras but few bring you such knowledge that is packed into these allowing you to walk away with an even better appreciation for Utena (I didn’t know it was possible to love it more).

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Mass Effect: Holding Out for a (Good Female) Hero

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I recently decided to take the plunge and play through the Mass Effect series. I was going to start a while back but my roommate’s 360 decided to retire with a dishonorable red ring discharge. But with the recent black Friday sales a new Xbox has found its way to the apartment again. So I decided it was as good a time as any to see what everyone was talking about. But as anyone who has played the game will tell you when you plunge into Mass Effect you have to make two major choices.

The first is the gender of your character. A simple but important decision. While the game does not play entirely differently depending on your character’s gender there is enough of a change to be distinctly noticeable. The other major choice you have is to choose between a paragon or renegade style. You can play the game as a noble hero or as a loose cannon who gets the job done at any cost. While you can also play more towards the middle of the road the game encourages you mix up those play styles as you see fit but favor one over the other. Also playing someone who is true neutral is just boring.

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