Category: Editorials

L: Consulting Detective and Other Great Anime Spin-offs

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hisuiconA common complaint I hear about series is that the main characters are bland but the side characters are far more interesting and nuanced. It seems almost epidemic in shonen fighting. In fact Shonen Jump just started a spin-off magazine whose whole purpose is to put the spot light on some of the more popular minor characters in their magazine. The announcement of Super Strong Jump was just the catalyst we needed to bring out one of our post ideas from the back burner about our favorite side characters who would do just as good if not better in their own feature title. Remember that Gunsmith Cats’ Rally Vincent is a spin-off from the original Riding Bean series and look how far she has come.

This post has been brewing for a while, and is by no means a complete listing. But before it got totally out of hand, we had to think of which characters could really use their own stories beyond the fact that we just like them a hell of a lot. This is mere sampling of some of the great side characters that we’re pretty sure could hold their own in a series. Eventhough the title of this post mentions L, he already has a spin-off albeit a bad one, so we’ve come up with a list of other great spin-off options! Oh, yeah, 1/3 of our picks are still detectives though!

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The True Main Character of UC Gundam

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hisuiconIf someone were to ask a Gundam fan who was the main character of the Universal Century series of Gundam two names pop into most people’s minds. They would either answer Amuro Ray or Char Aznable. They are both iconic characters of the series and have an enormous influence on the Universal Century time line. But neither character is in Gundam Double Zeta and their deaths in Char’s Counter Attack make it hard (but possibly not impossible) for them to participate in Gundam Unicorn. A more savvy Gundam fan might realize that Bright Noah  has been in every major Universal Century TV series and movie. But he always been a supporting cast member and never rose to prominence as a main character.  In fact there is one character for all of the first leg of the Universal Century time line can be a backdrop for their story. Continue reading →

The Speakeasy: A Reverse Thieves Podcast – Drink #011

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Anime 3000 presents The Speakeasy Podcast:
Drink #011: Absinthe Minded, Under the Influence of Gainax

The new season chart comes out and anime fans rush to blogs, forums, twitter, IRC, clubs, and anywhere and everywhere else otaku go to discuss their hobbies. They talk about what shows will be horrible and which shows hopefully meet their expectations. But it seems that no matter what they make, everyone will always discuss one studio and oddly enough usually in glowing terms. This studio is Gainax. Why does Gainax get this free pass from a fandom known for bitterness and pessimism? Does Gainax deserve this lofty status? Also why does everyone forget they made He Is My Master? Are they repressing painful memories?

(Listen) (Show Notes)

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

Absinthe Minded

Ingredients:
3 oz Bombay Saphire gin
1/2 oz Absinthe Original
1/2 oz Grand Marnier orange liqueur
dry vermouth
1 orange peel

Properly chill 1 cocktail glass. In mixing glass with ice, pour gin and absinthe, and stir. In your cocktail glass, roll 1/2 oz of dry vermouth and throw away the excess. Strain other ingredients into cocktail glass and float 1/2 oz of grand marnier over top. Garnish with orange peel.