Anime

Again, no change to the random stuff on my desktop. Except one might assume I was working for Stark Industries?

=.=” that was a horrible horrible lame attempt at making a joke by postulating you readers’ thoughts. I am ashamed.

Instead of making a separate post for Macross II: Lover’s Again, I’ll probably write up something quick here.

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I’m not sure if this post is necessary, seeing as most anime viewers would already have a general idea of what to watch, but let’s look at what’s coming up after K-ON! finishes.

Wait.

Mugi expressing the desire of thousands of K-ON! fans.

What will I do without K-ON!? But that’s a bit premature. First let me deal with some K-ON! news:

• The main “plot” (K-ON!! didn’t really have one, did it?) of K-ON! will end at episode 24, while episode 25 and 26 are extra episodes, presumably like episode 14 of the first season.
• Potential spoiler/rumour, but apparently the girls end up at the same university. Season 3? SEASON 3?

Anyway, let’s begin with Chartfag’s excellent seasonal chart of upcoming anime (despite the title of the website, it is safe for viewing), after the conveniently placed Read More link.

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I see a mix mash of Tengen Toppa, Xam’d, Eureka Seven, and general fabulousness.

Oh BONES…

… or perhaps it IS English!

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Ayahi Takagaki here sang the ED for Occult Academy, which is probably the best paced show this season.

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Yes, this is such a nerdy/geeky/sad thing to do, but in my down time I did some research about real-life locations in Japan that are portrayed in anime. I still need to finish Beck and watch Die/Gunbuster. But anyway, it’s time to consolidate this research and present it in a picture heavy format for your perusal. Also included are some locations related to anime though not portrayed in it. You could pretty much use this as a travel guide.

"Boys, Be Ambitious!"

We start with the statue of American professor William S. Clark, whose contribution to Japan’s modern tertiary system, agriculture and economy is almost unmatched in Japanese history. After serving in the American Civil War and taking part in the development of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, Clark was invited by the Japanese government to help set up an agricultural college on the then-frontier island of Hokkaido in 1876. Despite spending only 8 months in Japan he essentially jump-started the development of Hokkaido. On the day he left to return to America, he turned to his students and told them: “Boys, be ambitious!” His words are known throughout Japan and are printed inside the covers of most Japanese textbooks, as well as being inscribed below his statue.

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Perhaps.

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I just finished watching Kara no Kyoukai: The Garden of Sinners, and it was brilliant (as I shall talk about below). Which is fortunate as some interesting news came out today. A Kara no Kyoukai Blu-ray boxset is being released in Japan, and it will have english subtitles included. It will also include the new 30 minute epilogue OVA, featuring the child of Shiki and Mikiya, as well as a recap OVA Gate of seventh heaven.

Shiki is one of my favourite anime characters ever.

So, you may want to head over to Play-Asia right now. Well stop right there. This Blu-ray disc box costs 52,500 yen. That’s AU$700! Admittedly, at AU$100 a movie, that doesn’t sound too off the mark with the individual prices of each movie. Well, you could buy the epilogue OVA itself on DVD for 4,410 yen instead.
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Had a watch of this last night, nicely done movie. Fantastical and full of dream logic, but just coherent enough to enjoy. After reading the synopsis I was reminded of Inception but this movie is very different. It’s not based around spectacle, nor puzzles, but instead the psyches of several characters. It addresses it really well. The way shots were used and reused was really so enjoyable. There were points where I just had a dumb smile on my face, and other points where I just laughed. I can’t stress how well done this movie was, it just had the right tone. Animation, as per Madhouse standard, was AMAZING. Also, there’s this HUGE fat guy who has the same voice as AMURO. This movie was such a fangasm on the part of the writer/director, I intend to watch the other Satoshi Kon movies.

I make this dire warning, because this first video features K-ON! Which you may have surmised I like a lot. But fear not, this post is about games, and this video features the K-ON! PSP game coming out September 30 and available for approximately AU$75 from Play Asia, alongside a K-ON! PSP accessories pack that no would be embarrassing to take out in public which is priced at AU$56. Which is all very pricy considering Valkyria Chronicles 2 will only be AU$51.

Anyway, disregard that diatribe, because Yui sings the Sega jingle and it is kawaii!

(Note: the author was promptly shot after writing this. We have replaced him with a clone. Your scheduled post will not be interrupted).
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