Evangelion 1.01: You Are (Not) Alone

This was one of the new release movies I just picked up today (along with Star Trek, but well, that's not really anime). I don't think any of the regulars for this blog really got all that into Evangelion, but I was excited for this reboot at least. Haven't watched it yet, but I was planning on doing so this evening. Anyone interested in discussing, or at least commenting?

Yu Yu Hakusho

I know this is a kind of old anime, and the blog has been dead lately, but I wanted to see what people think of this show. I recently started watching it, and I'm through the first season, with the Dark Tournament just starting, and I must say that I'm quite amused by it so far. I like Yusuke, and Kuwabara makes me laugh. Kurama, while he's got some kind of scary 80's hair and a slightly lame-sounding attack, is pretty badass in his way, and Hiei is too much fun with his attitude. I also like hearing FUNi voice actors in new roles, since I'm starting to get better at picking them out. Justin Cook sounds very young to me, but I don't know his voice well enough yet to know whether he is younger or whether it's just a character voice. Even Laura Bailey sounds good, and her voice is so reminiscent of Tohru from Fruits Basket that it makes me smile, though often it has a harder edge to it. I've heard Jerry Jewell playing a lot of various enemies, and it's great fun to hear him play a jerk, he does well with those roles.

FMA: Brotherhood English Cast

About two hours ago, FUNi released the beginning of the cast list for Brotherhood. You can find them here, but if you're lazy or just don't want ot load it, here's the list:

Ed Elric - Vic Mignogna
Al Elric - Maxey Whitehead
Scar - J. Michael Tatum
Isaac McDougal - Bryan Massey
Winry Rockbell - Caitlin Glass
Roy Mustang - Travis Willingham
Riza Hawkeye - Colleen Clinkenbeard
Maes Hughes - Sonny Strait
Jean Havoc - Mike McFarland
Fuhrer King Bradley - Ed Blaylock
Lust - Laura Baily
Gluttony - Chris Cason

Apparently Aaron Dismuke does have a role in store for him. Quote FUNi, "...something more suited for his new manly voice." One does have to wonder....Someone from the east, perhaps?

No FMA: Brotherhood This Week

Just a little heads-up to y'all, there won't be a new Brotherhood episode this week. The episode in Japan was knocked out of its place by a...baseball game, I believe it was.

And sorry for being quiet, taking care of life and spent time down in Florida getting sunburnt, heh.

FMA: Brotherhood Ep 19 Discussion

Death of the Undying

I've been looking forward to these events since the story started. Animation was gorgeous in this one.

latest find

I love it when I come across a gem of a story, and Kino's Journey is such a one. Beautifully animated, it is about a traveler visiting various countries, staying only three days at each stop. At times it can be rather cynical, but it is always thought-provoking. The final disc should arrive from netflix in the mail by the weekend. This series might be one we consider adding to our collection one day.

Speaking of netflix, however, my queue is lacking in anime. It's not that I always have to be watching anime, but when I come across something like Kino's Journey, I remember again why I love anime: because when it's good, it's good. Most of what I've watched are from recommendations (like Princess Tutu - thank you again for that recommendation, Combat!), so I'm asking for some more recommendations. Obviously, these recommendations would be for licensed and released series that I can get via netflix. Thanks in advance!!

Follow-up on Haruhi Endless Eight Arc

Not much really for me to say, other than that ANN reports that the Endless Eight arc will finally end this week. I don't know if any of the other episodes in the arc have been made available subbed on Kadokawa's Youtube channel, but the story seemed notable enough to post here at least. In fact, I'm not even sure how many episodes the arc was altogether.

FMA: Brotherhood Episode 17

Well, since no one else has stepped up yet, I'm taking the honor this time. Episode 17 is now up. Haven't watched it myself just yet, but I'll probably get around to it later today.

FMA: Brotherhood Episode 16 Discussion

I can't believe it's Thursday already. Has this week flown by for everyone, or is it just me?

Enjoy: Footsteps of a Comrade-in-Arms

Inuyasha on iTunes

I know, I know, two posts from me in one day. Shocking. Anyway, according to ANN, the first 13 episodes of Inuyasha are available for download from iTunes. If that was it though, this would hardly be worth blogging about. Apparently the first episode of the series is also 100% free to download until August 31st. Not really a gigantic fan of IY here, but still, that's a free, legit digital copy of an anime episode. Just thought that was interesting.

FMA Manga Vol. 19

Did anyone know this was even out yet? I was somewhat pleasantly surprised to walk into Borders yesterday and see it sitting on the manga shelf. It was only about a month or so ago I was reading through #18. Anyway, I suppose the discussion can start in the comments if enough people have picked it up and read it. I'll hold back on mine for now in case not enough people have yet.

And oh yeah, off topic, but I also found Baccano! Vol. 1 on sale at Best Buy for just over $10. Yesterday really was a good day for me anime/manga purchase-wise.

farewell furuba...

The final volume of Fruits Basket was released earlier this month. I know I'm not alone in feeling like this story has an amazing ability to reach into our hearts and help us want to live our own lives a little better. Am I getting a little deep for a manga? I don't think so. Not with this one.

So, brush off your chapters (if it's been ages since you've read the final chapters like me - maybe I'm due for a reread of the entire series come to think of it) or open your new volume from the bookstore (just ordered my final volume last night, sigh), and discuss what about this series that you loved.

FMA: Brotherhood Episode 15

It's 10am Central, and Episode 15: Envoy from the East is online.

Haruhi Suzumiya "New" Episodes - What the hell is going on?

I'm going to actually contain my thoughts on this in the comments, as this deals with spoilers. But I don't want that to turn you (if you don't want Haruhi spoilers) away, though. This is...well, whenever you do get to see episode 13+, you'll see what I'm ranting about.

FMA: Brotherhood Episode 14

Now online, Episode 14, Those Who Lurk Underground.

Haruhi Suzumiya 9 - 12

More eps of The Melancholy Haruhi Suzumiya are on youtube through July 12 - this time 9 through 12 with 12 being yet another new one (source: ANN). Brian and I watched the other 'new' ep, "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody", this past weekend and remembered all over again why we loved this series.

So, question: does anyone know exactly what is going on with these new episodes? This isn't a second season, right? From what I've read, these new episodes run chronologically in the middle of the others. Of course, I didn't watch the series in chronological order to begin with, and it doesn't seem to really matter with this series. It's crazy just as it is (and I like it that way). Anyway, I would love to know if there is any word on a real second season. I am already planning on buying the Complete Collection, but if there's more in store for the future, that's even better.

FMA: Brotherhood Episode 13

Let's see if I do this right... Episode 13, Beasts of Dublith is available on Funi's website now.

New Haruhi episode officially available in English, sort of

According to ANN, the first eight episodes of the recent renewed airing of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya have officially been posted on Youtube by Kadokawa Pictures. And yes, that eighth episode is the brand new one. The only catch seems to be that the episodes will be taken down on July 5th, so you only have until the end of the week if you want to catch them. Still, if you're interested, or even if you haven't seen the series yet and want to watch the first few episodes, this is probably the best way to do it yet without spending money or resorting to fansubs.

Man, I feel like I only ever come on here to talk about Haruhi anymore. I have caught up on the FMA: Brotherhood streams up to episode 10, so at least I should be able to post in the most up to date threads for those in fairly short order.

FMA: Brotherhood Returns

I'll admit, I had begun to worry a bit. FUNi hadn't said a thing about what they were going to do for Brotherhood. Would they continue with one episode a week and just continue being two weeks behind schedule? Or would they upload the backlog they had and get back up to speed?

Thankfully, they went with the latter.

Episodes 10, 11, and 12 are up. Marathon time!

FMA: Brotherhood Episode 9

http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=video&v=2245 Ok, so I suck at posting links. Anyway, here's ep 9. On with the discussion.

Book Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel

Well, I just finished reading the recently released English version of the first Haruhi Suzumiya light novel that I borrowed from my sister. Haruhi has been one of my favorite anime series from the past few years, so of course when I heard they would be releasing these original books stateside, I was interested. That said, this book covers familiar ground, namely the first six chronological episodes of the anime. That means I can't say it was that much more interesting from the series, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since the series was plenty interesting to begin with. The printed format also gives you more of Kyon's internal monologue, which is so much fun to read, and some of the more complicated parts of the anime's plot are a little easier to understand, particularly the technobabble-laden parts of the dialogue.

If you saw and enjoyed the anime, you'll probably also enjoy this light novel since it's easy to read and provides a little more insight to familiar events from the series. And even if you haven't picked up the anime yet, this seems to be a good, cost effective way of getting into the franchise as a whole. The novels were the original source material after all, not the anime, so it's not like anything in this book will fly over the head of anyone not familiar with the series. The next book in the series comes out in October, so I'll be picking that one up as well. Should be more than enough while we're waiting for them to create and license a proper second season of the anime.

Some potential bad news for the FMA stream...

So I was browsing ANN today and found this. I sincerely hope this is a temporary thing, although apparently the episodes are still available on Hulu and Funimation's Youtube channel. It doesn't help that I've let myself fall behind on these streams yet again...

FMA: Brotherhood - Ep. 8: The Fifth Laboratory

Link, as usual

FMA: Brotherhood - Ep. 7: Hidden Truths

Its Thursday, so that means a new FMA:B is up. Enjoy!

FMA Brotherhood ep. 6: A Home With a Family Waiting

Here it is. I just need to remark... don't you think they were pushing it a little on the title? Why not just use "House of the Waiting Family" again? It sounds better. Ha...

As a housekeeping matter, I probably won't be able to post these discussion things for a while, and I'll actually be lucky if I am able to watch period over the next couple months. Time to study for a certain exam again.

Good news for Moribito fans...

Taking a break from the regularly scheduled FMA postings (I really will catch up soon, I promise!), Anime News Network says that Moribito will be back on Adult Swim this summer. Just thought that was worthwhile enough to post in here as well as my new Twitter page (twitter.com/combatc122 ).

And while I'm in off topic shameless plug mode, I've been considering reviving my blog on this site too if I can get some more people following it. Sorry if it seems like I'm indulging myself a little too much, but I originally wanted to start one so I'd have a place to muse about stuff unrelated to anime and people in here could follow it. Just mention in the comments if anyone's interested, or want to accuse me of being totally out of line :P.

FMA: Brotherhood - Ep. 5: Rain of Sorrows

Well, it's up. Give it a watch when y'all can.

Hope I can fit it in before my final today...

FMA Brotherhood ep 4: An Alchemist's Anguish

video link in case you want it

Grab some tissues and get discussin'!!

FMA: Brotherhood ep. 3, City of Heresy

Here is the link.

Discuss, discuss. I will be back in here some time this weekend after I watch it.

FMA: Brotherhood, ep. 2: The First Day

So here it is.

I let mine "load" for a while before I watched, so I can't really attest to the speed and/or any buffering problems, but they did have some note on the site about how they were addressing the problem.

And, uh, I just realized I didn't need to watch it before I linked it, but I'm sure you guys all know where to get it anyway. Ha.

This one was quite good, and stirred up a lot of old questions. I'm gonna mention them in the comments.

FMA: Brotherhood ep 1 "Fullmetal Alchemist"

Watch

Now, discuss! :)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Now that it's official that FUNimation is going to stream subtitled episodes of the latest anime adaption of Fullmetal Alchemist, who's planning to watch it?

I know that a lot of you frequent the ASMB still, but would you be interested in a discussion here on this blog as well?

I am planning to watch the video streams. My only concern is how available the show really will be. Will these video streams be like on [as] where the videos are left up for at least a week at a time? Or will these video streams be only available at one time? My inclination is to think that they videos will be available for some time, (which would make sense to maximize profits - not all the viewership is going to be available on a Thursday morning each week) but the news almost seems too good to be true that I'm afraid that somehow I'll still miss it.

Anyway, pretty exciting! I'm glad to see more and more anime treated this way, and I hope it continues in the future. With the poor treatment that anime's had on [as] at least, it's nice to see other legit options opening up.

Special thanks to Maenos for letting me in on the news - I had been watching for this kind of info after I saw that Australia was going to get video streams, but somehow I missed FUNi's news release and probably still wouldn't know if it hadn't been for Maenos! Thank you!!

Anime that Made You Cry?

Has there ever been an anime (or manga) that made you cry? I'm talking more out of sadness than happiness or laughter, but you could mention those too if you want.

I've been going through a particularly rough period in my life. I've tried to be rather stoic, trying to keep things together for fear of everything breaking. For the most part, I've succeeded.

But...well, I mentioned previously, I'm a fan of the anime Clannad. Right now Clannad ~After Story~ is airing in Japan (one episode left). One episode of it, episode 18 I think it was, left a mark on me. I won't delve into the story too much in case any of y'all want to follow the series, but the main character and his daughter go on a trip. There, Tomoya, the main lead, runs into his grandmother and comes to terms with the many issues he had with his father (he has had a rough life, to say the least).

I had to pause the episode as this happened, and cried.

Maybe it just helped me to get it out. I don't know.

Has anything like this happened for you?

princess tutu discussion

A couple of people have expressed interest in discussing Princess Tutu. I have watched the first 5 episodes and have really enjoyed the anime so far. It certainly has a story-book feel to it and reminds me at times of Kodocha (both the animation and the cute, yet silly, heroines). While the ballet theme is somewhat central to the story, it's not overwhelming. I think what I've enjoyed the most about Princess Tutu thus far is how light-hearted and innocent it is. While I also enjoy the darker, heavier anime, it's fun to change it up with something so light and airey (maybe it's the ballet that makes it feel that way).

As for a discussion, if anyone else would be interested in starting this anime up, let us know in the comment section. We can pace our discussion on who is closest to the beginning. I know this series is available via netflix (that is how I am watching it), and while I've never seen it in stores, I have seen it online at amazon.

Ranma 1/2

I recently got a chance to check out this long runner at my anime club's Valentine's Day party last week, and I liked it enough to check out more of it myself since it's available in relatively cheap thinpak box sets. Chances are, even if you haven't seen an episode of Ranma yourself, you've probably at least heard of it as an anime fan. It was Rumiko Takahashi's big thing before she created Inuyasha and also one of the first series to establish those initial waves of popularity in the US in the mid 90's alongside stuff like DBZ and Sailor Moon. Sure, it still features some of that will they or won't they romantic drama that Inuyasha seems to enjoy so much, but the thing I like about this series as opposed to IY is that it definitely doesn't take itself nearly so seriously. Yeah, you've got the male lead Ranma and the female lead Akane acting like they hate each other most of the time even though it's obvious they'll end up together in the end, but then you've got all these crazy martial art rivalries and love triangles, which become even crazier when Ranma transforms into a girl thanks to the weird curse that's the whole point of the series. Admittedly, it seems like the whole formula has the potential to get somewhat stale in later seasons, but hey, it's enjoyable to me for now, if a bit dated.

A Respite From Dead Blogs

Not that I really have much to say, but the fact that not much has gone on in here for a while is frustrating.

I did acquire some new stuff, and am in the process of watching them as I can. I got the Shin Chan season 2 first box, One Piece's third voyage, and the first disc of Baccano! which I'd been looking forward to in particular. Also in the middle of watching Princess Tutu, and finally getting started on the One Piece manga (I have the first two volumes) while I wait for the next Fruits Basket.

Also, other good news, my friend watched Spirited Away and is now looking for more anime and asking for recommendations to suit her tastes. She likes horror movies, so I suggested something like Hellsing, which is about as horror as I go, to start. Any other recommendations would be appreciated so I can pass them along to her.

Mushishi discussion

I'm not real sure how we're doing this so that people don't get spoiled. I just saw the first 4 episodes and would really like to discuss it. Several of us are watching it together in a chat on Thursday nights (2 episodes at a time, starting at midnight eastern). When I'm done watching I would love to chat about it but I'm too tired by then. I've been holding off on watching it because I wanted to be able to discuss it. No one in the Tuesday night chats wanted to do this one and I still don't understand why.

In general I'd just like to say that it's an absolutely gorgeous show. The color palettes used in each episode are so vivid. Even the music is beautiful. I already feel like I need to watch these 4 episodes again. I guess I'll put more thoughts in the comments.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00

I've been trying to watch Gundam 00 on Sci-Fi, but I've really only been able to watch one episode.

Truth be told, I was a little leery of getting into the show because the last Gundam series, Gundam Seed Destiny, left a really bad taste in my mouth (the series could've been decent, but it just trainwrecked. New characters were tossed aside for the old ones [I don't mind that, if it makes sense], the entire "Good" faction had plot armor [basically, they were invulnerable due to the plot wanting it to be so. Hell, the entire last battle, they didn't get SCRATCHED], so many recaps for a 50 episode show [including one in the home stretch, 41-50!], etc).

However, Gundam 00 did have one BIG thing going for it. The director they hired for it was Seji Mizushima, the director for Fullmetal Alchemist. Also, the story would be set more in "our" world instead of a different one (its set a good 300 years in the future and deals with how we overcame the oil crisis).

One of my friends loves the series, and so based on his suggestion (he, like me, loathes Gundam Seed Destiny. He and I will curse that series until our dying day, I'm sure), I started to watch Gundam 00. If you like mecha, I highly suggest this series. I felt it started out a little slow, but once it got in gear it was great. I also liked it because just when you start to get the feeling some character is invulnerable, they get their butts kicked.

Anyone else following it? (either on Sci-Fi or other means) What do you think?

Sonny Strait's Webcomic

Just a fun little note for anyone who is a fan of Sonny Strait. He has just started a webcomic! www.carbombscomic.com. The first panel is amusing, as is the accompanying note. Not that it has a lot to do with anime, but he being a VA, I still consider it worthwhile to post in here for his fans.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

We finished it up last night! We're going to buy it in June (or at least, some time soon), and we don't buy just any anime we come across. If you haven't seen this one yet, you are missing out on something unique, hilarious, random, and addicting.

For those who have seen it, I remember Combat mentioning that this story might be fun to discuss. I'll leave that to the comment section.

Finally, I read up a little online after completing the series. There is really too much information for me to sort through with any sort of efficiency, so I thought I'd ask if anyone knows anything about future seasons, the light novels, or the manga. If you do, please let me know!

release schedule update

I'm behind on Fruits Basket and Bleach, so I found myself looking up their releases online. Since I was at it, I looked up a few other series. And then since I like writing these down, I though, hm, maybe time for an update on the blog. So, here we are. I don't know what everyone here follows (I know, I'm probably the only one that's dying for each new volume...I like being pathetically obsessed, though; it's fun), so if you'd like me to add more series, just say the word.

Fullmetal Alchemist
Volume 18 - May 19
Volume 19 - July 21 (that's right, baby! only 2 month wait for this one!!)

Fruits Basket
Volume 22 - March 17
Volume 23/FINAL - July 14

Bleach
Volume 26 - March 3

Trinity Blood
Volume 9 - February 10
Volume 10 - May 12
Volume 11 - August 4
ROM 3 - May 12
RAM 4 - July 6

Vampire Knight
Volume 6 - March 10

My husband wants to start buying Naruto. We have been following it in SJ, but it looks like viz is going to go crazy again and release like 11 volumes in just a handful of months...so, for those of you who read ahead, is it worth it?? We'll probably do it anyway because I buy more manga series than Brian but still, 11 volumes?! My poor budget...and here I am saving for a major anime purchase this summer...

Rightstuf Sale

For anyone who has any cash left or wants to splurge on FUNi merchandise after the holidays, Rightstuf has a sale on their merchandise and DVDs through January 18th. Now I'm wishing I had a bit more to spend, personally, because this includes pre-orders, and some good stuff is coming out this month. I want to get the next boxes of One Piece and Shin Chan, disc one of Baccano! + the artbook, and vol. 4 of Hellsing Ultimate, since I've missed out on it recently. Mushishi would be nice too, though I dunno if it's done by FUNi, it just looks interesting and I'd like to pick it up to check it out. Anyway, just wanted to let people know who aren't on the boards as much.

Gurren Lagann

I know probably not everyone has gotten around to seeing GL all the way through yet, if at all, so I won't go into its plot in too much detail here in this blog post, but I finally finished it and enjoyed it enough to be willing to discuss it a bit in the comments section. I'm not going to kick it off right now since I can't think of anything specific to discuss at the moment, but if something strikes my fancy later, I may go ahead and do it tomorrow morning or something. If not, anyone else is welcome to get the ball rolling too.

Sometimes I wonder why I got into anime and manga; I wonder why I couldn't find something a little more mainstream to attach my fanatical self to. Why can't I love (read: obsess over) Twilight just like everyone else instead of a silly vampire manga? Twilight's going to be around forever (sadly), but my vampire manga might not be. How depressing.

Such a not-cheerful topic to open the new year with, but after reading news report upon news report of large retailers closing their doors and then reading smaller articles on more obscure sites about manga diminishing, anime already struggling (one such article), it makes me worry about the future of this form of entertainment . I think both anime and manga will be always available and accessible. What I worry about is the variety we'll be presented with here in the U.S. I worry about some of the less popular titles that I read or want to read being cut. Of course, I could always learn to read Japanese.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the industry is going to be able to weather the economic storms, or do you think there will be some casualties? Do you think we'll see less variety, maybe less quality? Or am I just being pessimistic and worrying too much?