or so one might think at this point. the typhoon in myanmar. quakes in china. draught in barcelona. another bird-flu outbreak in S. Korea. tornados in the midwest. wildfires in florida.
depressing -.-
no wonder i rarely visit the news.
i think that sometimes the fortunate really don't appreciate how fortunate they are...

Bandai Visual release date:
# Super Robot Wars: OG - Divine Wars Vol. #8 - 75 minutes - $49.98 - 07/08/2008

Bandai Ent. release dates:
Lucky Star Vol.2 29.98 07.01.2008
**if you aren't watching Lucky Star yet, drop whatever you are doing. go out and buy it and watch it. warning: serious bouts of outrageous laughter may cause you to fall out of your seat/couch/chair
Lucky Star Vol.2 LE 49.98 07.01.2008
Gurren Lagann 29.98 07.08.2008
Gurren Lagann SE 01 with OP CD 39.98 07.08.2008
**usually i dun go for the SE/LE versions of anime releases, but this comes with the OP cd single and i'm an anime music whore so...
Toward The Terra Series Part 1 34.98 7.15.2008
**feck yeah!! i saw a few eps of this and really enjoyed it. i wish someone would also license the movie that came out ages ago on VHS. it needs some 2008 TLC
Toward The Terra Vol.1 19.98 07.15.2008
Toward The Terra Vol.2 19.98 07.15.2008
My Otome Vol.7 24.98 07.15.2008
**yay!! now i just gotta wait for the collection.
Digi Charat Nyo Vol.8 24.98 07.15.2008
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Complete Collection 59.98 07.15.2008

is unfortunately still out there, and sometimes i forget that, but then someone comes along to remind me. i work FT at Great Spirits (see links) and i love working there. toby is da man, and i get to learn more about beer, spirits, wine, etc. i do my own reading, but real world experience is always a good thing.
that aside, it was the afternoon, and i had a gentleman come into the store. gawd, he was tall O_o. it was apparent by the handcuffs and empty holster that he was a police officer who had just come off duty. he did a bit of shopping/cruising around and i helped him where needed. i tried to get him to try the Kurosawa Junmai-Kimotoo sake, but he went for the gekkeikekan instead. bleh! nasty stuff -.- the Kurosawa is sooo much better. it's meant as a cold sake, so u ever see it anywhere, remember that when u buy it ^_^
moving on, i was ringing him up and another nice elderly gentleman who had been in previously stuck his nose inside. he had been in a few mins ago with his wife who wanted to thank me for the single malt scotch recommendation. she had been in the week before looking for a good single malt. her son was coming down to visit. so, i recommended, after a bit of browsing together, the Macallan 10 year fine oak. that is one beautiful, exquisite scotch. it apparently was a hit :D
to finish the story, the gentleman stuck his head inside, looked at me, and mentioned there was a police officer outside if i needed one. at first, i was like "oro? O_o? ... then a few seconds later i realized what he was getting at after he exited again. the very nice off-duty police officer i had been helping was black. oh, wait. did i forget to mention that? good. the officer handled it very well, and just rolled his eyes in an exasperated way. i apologized for the guy's ignorance. we wrapped up and he left. in a very nice way, he was able to catch the elderly gentleman outside and informed him that, just to let him know, he was a police officer too.
i hope that didn't ruin his experience at Great Spirits. i'd love for him to come back, especially so i can try and talk him into the Kurosawa sake. it isn't expensive, imo, and it's really really yummy.

hm... a new movie from bones. out on dvd last month, and up for download now. hopefully it'll get snagged for a US release.
http://www.stranja.jp/

LOL!!! Iron Man continues to kick box-office ass, and subsequently running over the speed-bump known as speed racer at the same time :P good. i knew the SR movie would suck ass. Iron Man though i want to see.
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12552.html

some post-mother's day mushiness

tues anime dvd releases:
05/13/2008 Kanon Vol. #4 (of 6)
05/13/2008 Project Blue Earth SOS Vol. #3 (of 3)
**with vol 3 being released, then hopefully the collection won't be too far behind. a really good anime that i am looking forward to
05/13/2008 Shin-Chan Season 1 Part 1 (of 0)
**a word of warning, this is a dub-only release
05/13/2008 Super Robot Wars: OG - Divine Wars Vol. #6 (of 9)
05/13/2008 Teknoman Complete Collection (of 1)
**this is a collected release of the syndicated US tv release. dub only.
05/13/2008 Welcome to the NHK Vol. #4 (of 6)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOMS OUT THERE!!!!!!!

according to otoosan, yuuko-san is a "pimping animal of a laptop."
i know =^o^=

the jury is in. Vexille won the award for best film at the 17th annual Philadelphia film festival. w00t! phillie and pennsylvania may not have gotten the booze right, but it would seem they at least know a good movie when they see one :D Vexille is licensed by FUNi and will be released on dvd May 30th. will it be Blu...not at the moment it looks like.

rotflmao!!!!

who's your daddy?
4th overlap in One Lap of America 2008.
that be my daddy.
Peter Lier and the incomparable Ian.
fuckyeah! ^_^

the official page with official results:
http://www.onelapofamerica.com/history/2008/results/showResults.shtml?y=2008&res=OVL_CUM

4 22 Porsche GT3 SSGT1 BB 5810
Peter Lier
Ian Stewart

ok, i have to deviate from anime and whatnot for a moment.
Myanmar.
oh. my. gawd. every fiber in my being wants to strangle the military government. thousands and thousands of people are dead, and even more are dying and will die. tragedies like this are about Humanity, not what stupid "line" divides you from everyone else. countries are a human fabrication. ultimately we are all on the same planet - Earth - and we are all of the same species.
so. i get 9/11 and probably one the largest natural disasters and human tragedies of my generation -.- and sadly, part of the blame for the sheer final scope will be because of human folly, selfishness, bigotry, and cruelty.

yoshitaka amano's work Mateki: The Magic Flute which is being translated/published for the US by Radical Publishing. according to RP, amano himself will be directing the anime adaptation of Mateki. shweet! :D amano will also be at Comic con in san diego, signing copies of Mateki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Comics

i now have all my 100% completed anime reviews on Otakuden's Anime Reviews. now i can print out and proof all my other reviews. once that is done, i can then post them. so it's going to be a large influx of reviews in a short amount of time at the moment. once i am all caught up though, it will be one review a week. as always, the reviews will alternate between licensed and unlicensed (though i wish they would be licensed ^o^)

mr D is going to get his bath tonight, and trim his back claws tomorrow. get him all pretty, sweet-smelling, and maybe a lil less shederific :P

no j-chan this weekend makes for a very sad k-chan ;_;

i got two more reviews posted on OtakudenReviews:

Sketchbook ~full color'S~
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind

kitty media release date:
# Night Shift Nurses Karte 10.5 - 30 minutes - $24.99 - 06/17/2008

some more japanese Blu news ^_^ the Tales of Phantasia OVA and Tales of Symphonia OVA will be released on Blu-ray in september. shweet! no detailed specs yet, but the audio will be Solby true HD Stereo along with HD video. what that means is no new DD Surround 5.1/6.1/7.1 mix, but the dvd(s) will still wipe the floor with the regular dvd release.

looks like there will be a third Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series with the subtitle, REI.

well, i finally got my first review posted on my review page (see side link "Otakuden's Anime Reviews"). i only have an accompanying pic at the moment, but hopefully a shot yet sweet slideshow will replace it.

yes, it continues. it will all be worth it in the long run ^_^

while i am not a narutard, there are those who do enjoy the series. so, for them, some news from Viz via icv3 regarding the Naruto movie 2 dvd release:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12520.html

while it isn't official yet, it would seem as if ADV will be outsourcing their online store to TRSI. that's not really a bad thing, imo. TRSI and i go waaay back ^^

the Macross Frontire OP single "Triangular" sung by maaya sakamoto, character song for the idol singerr Sheryl Nome, remains in the top 10 for the 2nd week in a row. ironically, Sheryl Nome also now has her official blog.
http://ameblo.jp/sherylnome/
also on the Macross news front, Toynami and Bandai Japan have joined together to rerelease the original transformable Valkyrie in the US. the limited run of first releases will include the VF1S, VF1J, and VF1A under the name Macross: Do You Remember love.
i am SO there! :D

FUNi release date:
# Shuffle Vol. #6 (also w/box) - 100 minutes - $29.98/39.98 - 09/09/2008
also from FUNi, some more news on the Blu home front.
# Dragon Ball Z Double Feature: Tree of Might/Lord Slug
# Dragon Ball Z Double Feature: Cooler's Revenge/Return of Cooler
# Robotech: Shadow Chronicles
# Afro Samurai
# Vexille

not much else going. just super busy in the world of figuring out and working on all my new LF stuff ^_^ i sent off a bunch of invites to fellow LJ pals for my anime review community. i'd love for y'all to join, lurk, chat - there will be reviews posted soon. i promise.

ze first review is up on my Otakuden's Anime Reviews LJ community page. swing on by and check it. say "HI" if you have a chance :) it's fresh out of the womb, so expect much more tweaking and streamlining in the days to come. at least it isn't empty anymore :P

i'm making further progress in my quest to have my own personal review page, hence the Otakuden's Anime Reviews link on my lj. there are no reviews yet, but there will be very soon. i can at least put up the ones that are completed and ready to go. the rest (around 10) are going to wait on a few tweaks i need to do at home - spell check, grammar, etc.

yay. comcast fixed all my probs ^_^

i am surprised to find out BB sales peeps, specially electronics n computers aren't commisioned. hope they get paid enough...

one could say it was inevitable at least, but i finally broke down and got a full paid account with LJ. i want to be able to do more with my lj, with my otaku posts, and especially with getting my weekly anime reviews posted here (which are also currently available on Wasabi). i haven't quite decided how i am going to do that, but i am thinking of creating another LJ and linking it on mine. it will have my reviews, and only my reviews. otakuden will still be my main lj page of anything and everything anime/otaku/personal. i'll have to start tinkering around with all my new options later. i want to give LJ enough time to get everything changed over.

in the meantime...

Go Comi has licensed the manga 07 Ghost by mangaka Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara. tentative publication will begin january 2009.

bandai is giving The Girl Who Leapt Through Time a theatrical run june through august. intial talk is of both an english language and japanese language run, which is shweet imo. i'm always for anime being shown on the big screen, but i watch my anime in japanese and so far all i've had an opportunity at are english screenings. if TGWLTT comes anywhere near me in japanese, i may just have to make a trip ^_^
also related to bandai, they have hired Toshifumi Yoshida to produce their shows for release here in the US. his first project will be the subbed only release of Gurren Lagann, and will be attending Fanime, his first con with Bandai. we shall see...
screw up GL and i will hurt you :3

review i am currently working on and will finish today:
Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka

and hoo-boy, is she EVER ailing -.-
~patpat~

tues anime dvd releases:
05/06/2008 Black Blood Brothers Vol. #3 (of 3)
**awesome anime!! now hopefully they will release a collected set for otakuden buying pleasure ^^
05/06/2008 Devil May Cry Vol. #2 (also w/box) (of 3)
**i've never played any of the games and prolly never will. that aside, i really enjoy the anime. u dun need any game knowledge or experience to find fun and drama and suspense in DMC.
05/06/2008 Galaxy Angel S (of 1)
05/06/2008 Glass Fleet Vol. #6 (of 6)
05/06/2008 Kirameki Project Collection (of 1)
05/06/2008 Lucky Star Vol. #1 (also w/limited edition) (of 6)
**give me my Lucky Star crack and give it to me NOW! }:D
05/06/2008 Magikano Vol. #3 (of 3)
05/06/2008 Naruto Vol. #23 (of 0)
05/06/2008 Night Shift Nurses: Karte 5.5 (of 1)
05/06/2008 Sexual Pursuit (of 1)
05/06/2008 Shuffle Vol. #3 (of 6)
05/06/2008 Tokyo Majin Vol. #3 (of 6)
05/06/2008 Tweeny Witches Vol. #2 (of 0)
**again, i can't say enough how much i love this anime. in terms of retro/original anime, studio 4*C is where it is at.
05/06/2008 xxxHolic Vol. #2 (of 6)
**mmm... more CLAMP xxxHolic crack. hopefully they'll also license season 2.

spiffy pics from our beer tasting at Great Spirits and Craig and my ventures in downtown Melbourne. aka: Mainstreet Pub since we couldn't find the FL Beer Company tasting, though we did find the buiding. or, one of them at least.

( click here for spiff pics )

if it's alcohol related, then Great Spirits can help you. check us out and give us a call ^_^
http://www.greatspiritsflorida.com/

who: Florida Brewing Company
where: melbourne, FL
when: today until 8pm
what: a beer tasting and tour
with: the Craig-meister
fuckyeah ^___^

of course, that is after our beer tasting at work today at 2pm.
where: Great Spirits
we will be tasting Widmer Heffe, Kona Longboard Lager, Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale, Kona Wailua Wheat (limited - it's good. i already brought a 6pack home). Blue Lager, Shock Top, Sun Dog...
http://www.greatspiritsflorida.com/

Afro-Samurai looks like it may be getting a Blu release according to TVonDVD
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Afro-Samurai-Directors-Cut-Bluray/9527

some photos from the first day of the One Lap of America dad is driving in again this year along with Ian.
http://www.onelapofamerica.com/

well, AEN finally has done an encode of Soul Eater ep 3 which i am downloading. ep 4 is up, but in the HD encode which my current player cannot handle. even if i got a player that could handle it, i think az-chan would have a heart-attack. she's getting quite up there in the years -.-

what are you waiting for peeps, go now and preorder ARIA season 1!!!
http://aria.rightstuf.com/

(with thx to aodvd)
a summary of the anime dvd collections for May:
Beast King GoLion Vol. #1
Media Blasters
Price: 34.99
Running Time: 396 minutes
**ohmygawd!!!!! i have waited YEARS for my original Go Lion uncut in japanese with english subtitles, and now it is here. w00t!!!

Dragon Ball Z Season 5
FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.
Price: 49.98
Running Time: minutes

Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid Box Set
FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.
Price: 59.98
Running Time: minutes

Kirameki Project Collection
Media Blasters
Price: 19.99
Running Time: 150 minutes

Mirage of Blaze - World of DVD Collection
Media Blasters
Price: 34.99
Running Time: 415 minutes

Nerima Daikon Brothers Complete Collection
ADV Films
Price: 45.98
Running Time: 300 minutes
**i've been waiting for a collected release of this LoL insane wacked-out anime. glad to see it finally hit the shelves this month.

One Piece: Season 1 Part 1
FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.
Price: 49.98
Running Time: 320 minutes
**uncut and unedited, this is the original tv series in japanese with english subtitles. for any fan of One Piece or the shounen pirate genre, this is a great series to finally get started on.

Pokemon Season 1 Box Set 4: Orange Islands
Viz Media
Price: 39.98
Running Time: 760 minutes

Shin-Chan Season 1 Part 1
FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.
Price: 39.99
Running Time: minutes
**warning: this is a dub only release. too bad, imo, because i would have picked it up otherwise. it's prolly the closest perverted crack to Ebichu in terms of pure japanese insaneness.

Superior Defender Gundam Force Anime Legends Collection
Bandai Entertainment
Price: 49.98
Running Time: 650 minutes

Teknoman Complete Collection
Media Blasters
Price: 19.99
Running Time: 1100 minutes
**warning: dub only. ~sad sighs~ ;_;

rereleases of noted personal interest for May:
Parasite Dolls / AD Police Double Features
ADV Films
Price: 24.98
Running Time: minutes
**yay!! while AD Police may not have been as good as the original BGC, it's an old-school classic and i'm glad i'll be able to finally have it in my collection.

It's official and i already have my preorder in. The Right Stuf International will be bringing us the first season of Aria to dvd on Sep 30th. Wait not and go to http://www.trsi.com/ and preorder it NOW! Now i just need them to lisence ssns 2 and 3 and the OVAs.

the Official page:
http://aria.rightstuf.com/

the top 20 according to Book Scan (a program/source that tracks sales by their scans in bookstores and comic stores of all varieties and locales).
Rank

1 NARUTO VOL. 28
2 VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 4
3 FRUITS BASKET VOL. 19
4 BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
5 HANA-KIMI VOL. 23
6 DEATH NOTE VOL. 1
7 VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 1
8 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST VOL. 16
9 DEATH NOTE HOW TO READ VOL. 13
10 NARUTO VOL. 27 W/ STICKER
11 DEATH NOTE VOL. 2
12 NARUTO VOL. 26
13 WATCHMEN
14 VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 3
15 FAIRY TAIL VOL. 1
16 VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 2
17 NARUTO VOL. 1
18 I.O.N.
19 THE BEST OF POKEMON ADVENTURES: RED
20 TAIL OF THE MOON VOL. 10

The Sun has finally recognized something which i already know. Japanese Whiskey is some of the best, rivalling even Scotland in their quality and traditional distillation methods. mm... yum! yum!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/expats/expats_news/article1097534.ece

yes!!! finally, episode 10 of ARIA the Origination has been fansubbed. that was at least a month of tortuous suspense inbetween episodes. *blissful sighs* i'll have to make sure to enjoy it tonight. but, i also have the dilemma of watching it now, and waiting who knows how long for the last 3 episodes to trickle out. OR. wait until i have them all and finish ARIA the Origination in a flourish. the series is building to a doozy of a finish so that too is a tempting option.

viz release dates:
# Bleach Vol. #11 - 100 minutes - $24.98 - 07/22/2008
# Death Note Vol. #6 (also w/Limited Edition) - 100 minutes - $24.98/39.98 - 08/26/2008
# Naruto the Movie 2 - 125 minutes - $29.98 - 07/29/2008
# Naruto Vol. #25 - 88 minutes - $19.98 - 07/01/2008
# Naruto Vol. #26 - 88 minutes - $19.98 - 07/29/2008
# Pokemon All Stars Vol. #11 - 66 minutes - $9.98 - 08/19/2008
# Pokemon All Stars Vol. #12 - 66 minutes - $9.98 - 08/19/2008
# Bleach Box Set 2 (also w/Limited Edition) - 500 minutes - $69.98/89.98 - 08/19/2008
**i still can't find box set 1 anywhere. this may have to be a title that one buys online and not at a B&M store.
# Inu Yasha Season 5 Box Set (also w/Deluxe Edition) - 600 minutes - $99.98/119.98 - 07/29/2008
# Naruto Box Set 09 (also w/special edition) - 340 minutes - $49.98/69.98 - 08/12/2008
# Ranma 1/2: Season 7 Box Set - 600 minutes - $49.98 - 07/29/2008
(and out of all of those, the only thing i want is Bleach, regular edition.)

FUNimation release dates:
# Aquarion Season 1 Box Set 2 - N/A minutes - $59.98 - 07/15/2008
# Beck Complete Collection - N/A minutes - $69.98 - 07/29/2008
# Case Closed Season 1 Collection - N/A minutes - $49.98 - 07/22/2008
**hm... maybe. depends on if it's the complete, uncut, in order first season of Meitante Conan. but then, considering the tv series is up to episode 400+ ... maybe i'll just keep sticking to the movies...
# Desert Punk Complete Collection (Viridian Collection) - N/A minutes - $49.98 - 07/01/2008
# Dragon Ball Z: Bardock/Trunks Double Feature - N/A minutes - $34.98 - 07/15/2008
# Samurai 7 Complete Collection (Viridian Collection) - N/A minutes - $49.98 - 07/01/2008
# Shuffle Vol. #5 - 100 minutes - $29.98 - 07/29/2008
# xxxHolic Vol. #4 - 100 minutes - $29.98 - 07/29/2008
# Yu Yu Hakushuo Season 1 Collection - N/A minutes - $34.98 - 07/08/2008
**yay! classic YYH g00dness with the very first seiyuu role of Ogata Megumi - Kurama. you go girl! ^_^
# YuGiOh! Season 3 Collection - N/A minutes - $49.98 - 07/29/2008

i started watching Ragnorak last night, and wow O_O
1)i love it!!!
2)talk about each episode having major RPG gamer geek goodness. it's obvious that whomever was responsible for creating the anime adaptation, were major fans of the game. ah, it makes the RPGer in me ache for a PS2 ;_;

( J-chan meets the Sebastion Inlet )

happy birthday to me... =^_^=
fuck yeah!!!

apparently i never got to finish this lj entry. so, from the magic of saved drafts, i rise again like a well fermented belgian lambic :D

one of these days, they'll release a completed CC/PVC of these two lovebirds from Mai-Hime and Otome. w00t! :D (and of mai&mikoto)




shweet. a 6 episode OVA for Mahou Shoujo-tai Alice: The Adventure was made while the tv series was in production, but never released. they are coming out on dvd in japan, and the first OVA has been fansubbed. sweet sweet, download g00dness. now, if someone (media blasters) would license it, that would be nice. in the meantime, i highly encourage everyone to buy the tv series on dvd. it's really good, and i'm a huge fan of Studio 4*C.
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=3308

further details on the japanese Blu release of GiTS: Innocence. some very nice stats, though i dun like the GiTS movies so i won't be buying it. but it's still nice to see the current hard-core movie-phile Blu loving the japanese have been giving out ^_^
some more info/tidbits on Bandai Japan's very potentially real plans for Blu and worldwide releases. yum! :3
http://www.animeondvd.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1299034&postcount=37

tues anime dvd releases:
04/29/2008 Buso Renkin Box Set 1 (of 2)
**FUCK YES!!! tokiko-san {glomp}
04/29/2008 Champion Joe (Ashita no Joe) (of 1)
04/29/2008 Death Note Vol. #4 (also w/Deluxe Edition) (of 9)
04/29/2008 Kujibiki Unbalance Vol. #1 (also w/box) (of 0)
**meh. i couldn't get into it. the Kijibiki Unbalance from Genshiken is sooo much better. i also really don't like the art style and character designs.
04/29/2008 Sleazy Family (of 1)
04/29/2008 Variable Geo Neo Vol. #2 (of 3)
04/29/2008 Witchblade Vol. #6 (of 6)
**Yes! now hopefully they will release a box set version ^_^

kitty media release dates:
# Crimson Spell Vol. #1 - 40 minutes - $14.99 - 07/22/2008
# Seiryo Vol. #1 - 40 minutes - $14.9 - 07/22/2008
# Angel Collection - 144 minutes - $29.99 - 07/08/2008
# Blackmail - 90 minutes - $29.99 - 07/15/2008
# Class Reunion: Yesterday Once More Vol. #1 - 120 minutes - $29.99 - 07/08/2008
# Maiden Collection - 180 minutes - $32.99 - 07/29/2008
(better get the tissue ready :P)

it's official. Megumi Hayashibara has confirmed she will be singing all the theme songs for Slayers Revolution. as it durn well should be :D
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-04-28/megumi-hayashibara-to-sing-slayers-revolution-themes

Macross Frontier and Pizza Hut Japan team up for pizza box and price goodness. effing sweet! why can't we get this shit in america ;_;
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-04-28/macross-frontier-pizza-hut-join-forces-in-new-campaign
the seafood pizza sounds good, actually. i'll take mine thin crust with no cheese pleez ^^

ok. that just sucks ass -.-
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24343893