Okay, I did not actually have breakfast with Makoto Shinkai nor am I auctioning off a meal with this anime director. But I did attend a press conference with Makoto Shinkai on the last morning of Otakon 2011 and recorded all the questions that various members of the press asked. Erin and Noah from the Ninja Consultant podcast edited my audio if you wanted to listen to the questions we asked and more importantly hear the answers we got. If you can’t attend NYAF this year than this worth a listen because Makoto Shinkai is definitely a director to keep your eye on. Anime Diet and ANN also wrote up transcripts of the event if you want to read those as well.
Ongoing Investigations: Case #139
I finished the last 4 episodes (9-12) of Sacred Seven today and I feel pretty good about the series. There are some series you watch that make you want to run out and tell everyone how wonderful they are. Then there are series that you enjoy and would recommend but are not that earth shattering. Sacred Seven is distinctly in that second category. But I had a fun time and that is always the most important thing for me. The fights were always vibrant, energetic, and well choreographed. We got a love story, a save my sister in a coma story, and a revenge turned to redemption story. We defeated a bad guy and there were some sad deaths but most everyone made it through. There was even a nice bit of falling action. In refection a bit of the mythology of the Sacred Seven world goes totally unexplained but it is mostly there to set up the story and the fights scenes. It is not like it leaves you with all these unanswered mysteries. It is just that it concentrates more on telling the current story than giving you all the mechanics of how the powers in this world work. With a 12 episode show that is probably for the best. I enjoyed my time with Alma and Ruri and would recommend the show to anyone who wants a bit of light self-contained fun that does not do anything original but does it in an entertaining fashion.
I read one of CMX’s last releases, Stolen Hearts vol. 2, which just made me miss them a lot and lament that this cute series will never be finished. Here we continue the story of Shinobu and Koguma as they further their relationship. Shinobu meets the rest of his family including three handsome brothers with less crazy hair. I really enjoyed her getting to know everyone more and there is a lot of humor thanks to it (the grandmother cracks me up!). I wasn’t crazy about the oldest brother crushing on her and messing with Koguma. But all is made well again when they go on a trip together and experience their first kiss. Stays fun and cute, plus it is nice to see a pair in a relationship.
Otaku NYC: Duet 35 & 48
I never went to karaoke because I have stage fright quite honestly. But I always liked the idea of going to a place you’d see in anime, in a booth with your friends. Well, luckily you can have a Japanese karaoke experience right in NYC!
There are actually quite a number of places in the city that allow you this sort of leisure activity, but the one I frequent is Duet. There are two locations, one at 48th street and 2nd Ave. and one near K-Town and the Jacob Javits Center at 35th street and 6th Ave. Warning: Duet 35 is easy to miss since it is on the second floor.
Duet has the right balance between song selection, atmosphere, and price. There are various room sizes from small booths that hold 2-4 people to big party rooms that easily hold 20+. If you are thinking of coming on the weekend, it is a good idea to make a reservation. But you can save a bundle and sing a ton by coming during the week or early in the daytime. They even have “karaoke marathon” specials which means you can sing all you want from open to 8PM for just $12 per person Monday-Thursday and $14 per person on the weekends. Be aware you can’t bring drinks because there is a bar, but you can bring food and they also have menus from local places so you can order food to be brought right to Duet.
If you are going to attempt anime songs, you’ll need to ask specifically for the Japanese song book. Also if you aren’t adept at the Japanese language bring a list of the titles in kanji/kana since the book will of course not be in romanji. Same thing goes for song lyrics, you should bring a print out of the song in romanji if you can’t read Japanese characters. I tend to stick to the English songs, everything from new hits to broadway tunes can be found. Both their English and Japanese song list are constantly being updated, too.
While you are singing your heart out you and your friends can delight in the hilarious videos that play in the background which usually have little to do with the song. If you’ve never done karaoke, this is a great way to start!
Reverse Thieves 