Archives for January 2010

How long will Pokemon overcome transience?

The other day it was announced that new additions to the main series of Pokemon games are slated for a late 2010 release. These new games will feature the long-awaited 5th generation of new pokemon. Being the big fan that I am, I was very pleased with the news, but it also got me thinking – how many more new pokemon will the games, or the franchise in general, be able to handle? Will the Pokemon series be able to deliver “newness” at the rate it has been for the past 12+ years, or will the day ever come when it simply overloads?

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Finally decided on my 50 favorite anime of all

Even though I’ve been an anime fan for roughly ten years, I never actually made a concrete list of my favorite titles, not even a top ten list. I’ve always had a handful I would consider favorites, which would change slightly over the years, but I never put them in any order or gave it much thought. So recently, to celebrate my decade’s worth of anime fandom, I finally put together a list of my 50 favorite anime…

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Why are characters in Japanese and American children’s cartoons so different?

In addition to watching niche anime marketed towards fans, I also enjoy a number of children/family series that are marketed for the general Japanese public, from the massive, long-running hits like One Piece, Pokemon, and Naruto, to shorter and newer shows like Tegami Bachi and Kobato. Since I started watching kids anime over a decade ago, it never ceases to amaze me how vastly different the characters are compared to American cartoons…

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Anime preferences divided within gender

The pretty boys or the cool mecha?

I’m sure many of us who have been anime fans for a while have noticed that male and female fans usually like different genres of anime for different reasons. But within each of the two genders, I’ve noticed two contrasting preferences in anime…

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Condensed version of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie now available

A PV that’s more or less a “condensed” version of the upcoming “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya” movie is now streaming on YouTube via Lantis, the company producing the movie’s soundtrack. The five minute video features a slide-show of screen shots from the movie in chronological order, with background music from the soundtrack playing. The animation and everything else about the movie now seems more awesome than ever XD

UPDATE 01/22/10: Lantis removed the original PV and replaced it with a less spoiler-filled one (which also has some images not in the original). The video above is the new PV. The old one can currently be found on an unofficial YouTube channel. I’ve posted it below after the jump…

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My most favorite non-Japanese cartoon

Although anime makes up about 90% of the shows I’ve been watching since the early 2000s, I’m a big fan of animation in general. However, while I still follow and enjoy American animated movies, I’ve been disappointed with American TV cartoons in recent years. But there is at least one non-anime cartoon show that holds a special place in my heart. So today I’m gonna take a little break from anime and discuss my most favorite non-Japanese cartoon of all…

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The universality of Hanamaru Kindergarten

After producing many action/mecha/horror series like Gurren Lagann and Shikabane Hime, I was surprised that GAINAX was releasing a cute, light, slice-of-life series like Hanamaru Kindergarten. Two episodes into Hanamaru, and it got me thinking that this is a show with a wide range of appeal despite any initial impressions…

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Is being obsessed with anime good or bad?

The word “obsession” usually gets a negative connotation. Being obsessed with anything, at least in most societies, isn’t viewed favorably. But is being obsessed with something, anime or otherwise, a bad thing, or can it in fact, be a good thing?

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Durarara!! and Dance in the Vampire Bund first impressions

Just my quick thoughts on the first two episodes of two other winter ’10 series I started watching (besides Sora no Woto)…

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Sora no Woto first impressions

Two episodes into Sora no Woto and it’s pretty much what I expected…

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