Archives for category: Japan
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Writers needed

November 30, 09 //
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Fancy writing something for the site?

So far this has been strictly a one man show, but this January I’m off on my travels again – a couple of weeks in Thailand this time – and rather than leaving the site without content for a fortnight I thought I could get a few guest writers on-board. The brief is easy – you should have something to say about anime, manga or some other aspect of J-Culture, and at least *some* previous experience of writing online. This site gets a minimum of 30k visits a month, so it’s potentially a good way of giving your work some exposure.
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The Summer of the Ubume – Natsuhiko Kyogoku (2009)

November 28, 09 //
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The name Natsuhiko Kyogoku is probably unfamiliar to most anime fans, but the novelist has already had one of his works adapted – Madhouse’s 2008 series Mōryō no Hako – with a second, Loups-Garous, being adapted into a movie by Production IG and due for release in 2010. An expert in Japanese folklore tales and yōkai, the supernatural creatures that inhabit them, Kyogoku-san is best known in Japan for his award winning mystery novels. Unfamiliar with his work myself until now, I was intrigued when US publisher Vertical Inc sent me a review copy of his debut novel – and the first to be translated into English – The Summer of The Ubume.
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UK Anime Releases – October 2009

September 23, 09 //
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There’s been a lot of bad news and vibes around the US anime industry recently – with some rather major players taking a hit – but for once here in the UK things seem to be ticking over quite happily. Sure we might be a few months behind our American cousins, but judging by the amount of screeners and press releases that have been jamming up my mailbox over the last month it looks like the UK distributor’s schedules show no easing up at the moment. It’s certainly more than I can review in detail before they hit shops, so in the first of what will be a regular feature here’s a run down of stuff that’s due to drop next month – keep an eye on the site over the next few weeks for more in-depth analysis of the pick of the crop.
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REPOST: Star Fleet/X-Bomber (1980): DVD boxset

September 6, 09 //
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Seeing as it it is Go Nagai’s birthday today, I thought I’d repost this article. Yeah, I’m a lazy opportunist.
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The Cat in the Coffin – Mariko Koike (2009): Review

July 21, 09 //
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Mariko Koike is one of Japan’s best known women writers, having built a reputation on the popularity of her romance and detective novels, short stories and essays. While winning critical and commercial acclaim in Japan, along with a string of award, she has of yet failed to gain popularity outside her home country, mainly due to the obvious language barriers. Which is way I was particularly interested when publishers Vertical Inc sent me a copy of her first novel to be translated into English, The Cat in the Coffin.
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First episodes round up: K-On!, Saki, Ristorante Paradiso, Valkyria Chronicles

May 25, 09 //
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The Spring 2009 anime season marches on, and as always time is my enemy. Trying to keep up with the shows I am interested in is hard enough, let alone taking time out to sample the season’s other offerings. But sample I have, and here I present my findings on the first episodes of four shows that, while I may not follow them, you may want to check out.
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Basquash! 1 – 5 (2009): Review

May 16, 09 //
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With the anime industry facing recession and accused of creative stagnation, a common recent tactic has been to take two well established genres and weld them together, often with questionable results. Satellite Studios‘ Basquash! pulls the same move, merging sports drama and mecha action to depict a futuristic world where basketball is played with giant robots.

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First episodes round up: Kurogane no Linebarrels, Kurokami, Kuroshitsuji, White Album

April 1, 09 //
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It’s the same old story: too much anime, not enough time. The new spring season kicks off in Japan this week, and here I am still trying to catch up with last season’s offerings. Well at least I can save myself – and maybe you – some time; this month’s first episodes round up features two shows I might watch more of and two I’ll shortly be dragging to the trash can. Still, that’s not to say you might not enjoy them.
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Star Fleet/X-Bomber Ｘ (1980): DVD boxset

February 15, 09 //
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I’m not usually someone that indulges too much in nostalgia, especially for the 1980s. But I cannot deny the mounting excitement I’ve been feeling over the last couple of months, knowing that the original Star Fleet/X-Bomber Ｘボンバ TV series was to be finally given an official DVD launch in the UK. One of the reasons I usually avoid nostalgia is the almost inevitable feelings of disappointment that are associated with it – anyone that’s gone back and played a retro video game from around that time only to realise that their rose-tinted spectacles are broken will understand exactly what I mean. The question is does Star Fleet suffer the same fate nearly 30 years later?
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Live-action debut from Tekkon Kinkreet director opens

February 8, 09 //
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…in Japan of course. Although director Michael Arias was born in the US, he’s been living in Tokyo for over 15 years, and Heaven’s Door is again shot completely in Japanese. I was impressed with Arias’ intelligence and attitude after watching the extras on the Tekkon Kinkreet Blu-ray, so look forward to seeing this at some point in the future. The Daily Yomiuri has the details:
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