I know, I know. Two updates in two days. Who would have thought? Enjoy it while it lasts.
I'm going to do some research on my own for this too, but does anyone have a copy of an anime parody trailer for Evil Dead, or know where I could download one? Asmodeus loves that movie and I thought he'd get a huge kick out of it. The parody trailer was absolutely hysterical. "Gimme some sugar, baby!"
Greg from Real Life is celebrating his 23rd birthday (well, technically the date's passed but hey, better late than never) this week, so show him some love. Happy Birthday, Greg!
Per an announcement on their site, Asidian and Beanclam, the ladies of The Castings will be attending at Anime Expo this year! This will be their first time at AX. Although Beanclam didn't specify where they would be, logic says they'll be around the Artist's Alley (though it was in a weird place last year, under the escalator in the convention center if I'm not mistaken) so stop by and say howdy.
When I first browsed the live programming schedule for AX a few weeks ago, my eyes about fell out of my head when I saw "Megatokyo w/Fred Gallagher" on the list. Alas, it was not meant to be, and Fred is taking a much-needed break from convention going for a while. More's the pity, but I'm sure Sarah appreciates the fact that her hubby will be close to home. ^_^ So hopefully I'm (when I say 'I', I mean I will be dragging HotRod along too, heh heh) going to go to the Webcomics panel that they're having instead. Don't know exactly who's going to be there, though.
Speaking of webcomics and conventions, I found a nifty webcomic ABOUT conventions (I think I picked up a flyer for this site last year but just never got the chance to go there)! Courtesy of a webring on The Castings site, I found Is It Con Yet?, a tale of three friends--Trevor, Nathan, and 'Tember--who join in the fun of cosplay, catgirls, and J-pop cuties, all while battling transportation woes, annoying little sisters, and con security. Fun stuff! I think it's updated twice monthly, but don't quote me on that. The coloring job is very nicely done, and it gets extra kudos from me 'cause Trevor likes to cosplay as Breetai from Robotech. ^_^
I'm going to repost links to Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, The Castings, and add one for Is It Con Yet? up at the top of this screen for easy reference. I had gone through some housecleaning before Easter and hadn't gone back and redone things.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Yet Another Thing I Don't Know How I Lived Without
Thank goodness for Anime on DVD. Like most otaku, I have a limited budget to spend on discs, and have fallen prey to the whole "Hey, this looks pretty good/uggh, why did I spend $20-$30 on a single volume I'll never watch again" thing in the past. However, the folks over at AODVD seem to take their job seriously (do they get paid for this?? I'm not really sure; do they get paid in swag? Interesting) and by their own admission, try to keep up as best they can with new releases. What I like is that (also by their own admission on the site) no matter if the companies send them review copies, the staff always goes out and buys their own discs, and the review copies go into a pile for contest giveaways and such.
The reviewers at AODVD seem to use a home theatre-like setup to review, with surround sound and a big TV (most of the on-staff reviewers list what equipment they viewed the title with), and their critiques of the discs sometimes go over my head when it comes to the technical bits. I sort of know what they're talking about though...
Other than that, the reviewers are honest with their opinions and aren't shy with how they feel about the disc, good or bad. If it's good, they'll tell you it's good, even if they don't particularly care for the subject matter (though I would assume that most of the reviewers choose discs to review that look interesting to them). If it's bad, they'll tell you why, rather than just "I hated it, it sux0r". I enjoyed reading the reviews for Big O (both seasons) just because I like seeing what other people's impressions are. For instance, it was nice to confirm that I wasn't crazy when I remarked to LMH that the look of the show had changed a little in Season 2! However, according to Mr. Bainbridge (the reviewer), the changes were positive and just added to his appreciation of the series. I can live with that.
I have a mixed opinion about Newtype USA giving out teaser discs in every issue. On one hand, it's a pretty cool thing to give out a DVD in a magazine. On the other, it's cruel because you see the first episode of something that looks interesting, but you're not really sure you'll like it (see my conundrum above) until you see more episodes. Granted, this is where anime club comes in, but still...
Anyway, my point is this: a while back, I bought an NTUSA and didn't realize until I got it home that someone had swiped the discs out of it. Asmodeus was kind enough to lend me his (figures that it had been a double-disc issue) and I spent a happy evening watching both. One of the series previewed was Figure 17, a sweet series about a Tsubasa, a little girl from Tokyo who moves to Hokkaido with her dad. The series takes a hard left into scifi when an alien crashes not far from her house, and Tsubasa gets swept up in the battle between the alien (who turns out to be an intergalactic policeman) and a truly scary enemy. Anyway, without giving too much away, I thought the series looked interesting, but I want to know if it's going to be worth my hard earned cash. I remembered AODVD! Mr. Bainbridge had also reviewed Figure 17 and gave it a good rating. Hmm. Guess I might think about buying it now...
In contrast, a series that follows a bit of the same line (as in little girl gets caught up in an intergalactic war) is Brigadoon, which is also a manga. AODVD panned this, saying that it was nice to look at but quickly devolved into a PWP (Plot? What Plot?). Hmm. Guess I won't think about buying it (or at least until I see a few eps anyway). Mao-Chan received a similar review: cute to look at but eh.
Not that I'll take AODVDs opinions as gospel truth. It's just a nice tool to use (as well as talking to other otaku) in making up one's mind. Obviously, one watches Happy Lesson and Excel Saga and Neon Genesis Evangelion in different moods and for different reasons. It's all a matter of taste and what you want at that moment. Can I get a witness, Amen?!
In other news, Kitty-chan (AKA Hello Kitty) is celebrating her 30th birthday this year! Yay! =^.^=
AX04 is looming large on the horizon. This time next week I'll be packing my suitcase and preparing to lose myself in complete and utter g33kdom. Ahh.
Yeah, I'm the girl who never updates her blog. Good grief. I'll understand if you guys never ever read my blog again.
Just has been a lot going on in my life (if you want to see some of what I'm talking about, check out my LJ, 'She's an Angel'). Since I'm keeping this blog mainly for my anime, manga and website-centric items, this may see fewer updates this summer. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked!
After a kickin' school year, the anime club I attend is on semi-hiatus until late August. It's hard to believe that the club (as I know it, anyway) is that old! I had a great time last year, and I know that LMH did too. A few weeks ago, we said a fond sayonara to Yuuji, our esteemed Prez. When we last saw him, Yuuji was getting ready to go to Tokyo to see his g/f Marlene before going to a Big University far, far away. He handed over the reins to Berserker, who is getting some practice in at being Club Prez over the summer. The only hitch is that for now, the club is meeting at BZ's house; how he managed to convince his parents that it was cool is anyone's guess. More power to ya, BZ...
The cool thing is that a lot of the shows that are coming out now(Gunslinger Girl!! w00t!), I've seen already >_< Ah, the power of fansubs. Thanks goes out to Jun for keeping me updated on what's been going on and just for being our dedicated librarian. And yes, I plan on getting those videos back to you this century. ^_^
And special thanks goes out to Mr. Wizard for his gift of Interstella 5555. It was unexpected and much appreciated! ^_^
I can't get to anime club tonight; have to work at our graduation ceremony. Hopefully though, LMH and I will get up there sometime soon.
Anime Expo=less than a month away! w00t! HotRod and I are looking forward to it, big time. Then it's obon time!
