Animesou.com

Rant-ON

Where The Deals At? ——————————————-

By: Alpha

      Many fans ask me, ‘Where can I buy Anime with the cheapest price’? I say, ‘Online, of course.’ Now, most of us know that online stores are where the deals are at, but do we know which stores give the best service? Or the best out of the best deals? That is why I am here. Let me show you the light to save a few bucks while making your next purchases. First let me say that retail stores are sometimes cheap also, it really depends on the store itself. In New York City there is a store called J and R, when Christmas strikes, the discounts start rolling in. If I recall correctly, two years ago I bought the Saber Marionette J collections with a 25% discount off of the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price). It was considered pretty cheap to me back then, when I had a job and no girlfriend :P.

             4) CD Japan - This is the place to go if you want legit Region 2 DVDs. Not only does CD Japan sell Anime DVDs, they basically sell anything that is Japanese entertainment related, such as, music CDs, movie DVDs and etc. Since CD Japan is a company that is in Japan it takes more time for shipping than if it was in U.S., and of course, the shipping price will also increase. I mainly use the EMS shipping option, that is the fastest shipping option and most secure too. Their packaging is very neat. It comes in a card board box; your order is wrapped with a green piece of paper and then wrapped with those air bubble thingies. They also include a little catalog about the upcoming products; this magazine is brought to you by Pioneer and to me is quite informative. Anyways, I say CD Japan receives a 5/5 stars.  

      So all in all, if you prefer to purchase from eBay, keep what I have said above in mind.   If you do, I guaranteed you that you will never be a victim of a fraud.   As for the online stores, I am sure you will be happy with DVD Planet as that is the store that I recommend most.   If you want more options to consider before purchasing check out DVD Price Search.   They search for you all the online stores that has your desired DVD listed and gives the price and customer ratings of that store.   They are very helpful so try it, it is not like you got anything to lose except a little bit of time.   You may also consider stores directly from the Anime distribution company, such as, Rightstuf, who always have coupons for fans to save a bundle on.   But the difference between Rightstuf and other Anime companies is that they sell other companies’ products.    

Main Idea of this Rant?! - Just giving fellow fans some insights about shopping for Anime online.  

Closing Statement(s) - Shop smart!   The holiday season is coming up in a month or so, get the right Anime gifts without spending your whole life’s savings!   You will be glad you did.   Also, if you are the type that do not trust shopping online, I would ask, “Why?   It is like you are living in a cave if you are not shopping online in this day in age.”   Really, when you can get such good deals, any smart shopper will jump on the bandwagon at once.   Well if you are not convinced, then keep overpaying for your Anime, while others save online!    

Rant-ON

The Life of an Anime Website ————————————-

By: Alpha

      There are many people who want to show their love for the hobbies they adore. Try searching for Anime or Manga in a search engine and you will see numerous amounts of fan pages. As you browse around, you will probably see a few pages that no longer exist. That is the thing about anime websites. They come and go, some having a longer life span than the other. Why do sites die? What are some factors that bring a site to its end? How can a person prevent their site from fading? All those questions could be answered by the person’s determination, creativity and effort.

      An anime site cannot and will not be successful unless the leader puts work into it. When you leave all the work to your team it usually comes out another way or no way at all. That is why it is better to do things yourself. Put yourself in a position where your whole team is gone for personal reasons. What are you going to do? You cannot leave the work to them anymore so you will have to do everything yourself, being a one man team. It is a hard task, to manage time between life and anime, both are time consuming. So it leaves it up to the person’s own ability to do what ever it takes to keep the site going.   

Main Idea of this Rant?! - Exactly what you have just read.

Closing Statement(s) - If you want to have a successful anime website, do not rush anything and always be prepared to be put up with loads of work.   Things do not come easy, with hard work it is only a matter of time before your site becomes successful.

Rant-ON

Things to do to stay awake while watching boring Anime —————-

By: Alpha

      Lets all face it.   There are anime that keep you glued to your seat and there are anime that makes you fall asleep.   As a reviewer and a fan, I know the feeling of falling asleep when watching a certain anime.   It rarely occurs to me though.   All of a sudden I just wanted to type something out to give some tips in which you can use to stay awake while watching boring anime.    

1) The old way, drink coffee.   I would prefer low sugar with less milk.   Note: Starbuck’s bottled frappuccinos don’t work.   I’ve tried it.  

2) This is used by my friend during the SAT I exam.   Buy yourself 1-2 cans of Red Bull.   I guarantee you will stay awake for a long time. *laughs*

3) Corny, but works way.   Stand up while watching.

4) Another beverage way.   Drink a lot of cold water and have your windows opened (applies to regions where it gets cold).

5)  Pitch yourself

6) Get some popcorn, pocky, chips whatever that makes your jaws move.    

7) Do NOT slouch in your seat.  

8) Pause the show, walk around the house for a few seconds then come back and continue.

9) Eat something that is super bitter or sour.   Those Sour Patch Kids or Cry Baby’s should do the job.

10) Go to the bathroom, and wash your face using cold water.

Main Idea of this Rant?! - Sharing my secrets to staying awake while watching boring anime.

Closing Statement(s) - If you have a secret(s) to stay awake to share, send them too me with the subject as tips and I’ll post them up here.

Rant-ON

Photoshop Artworks ———————————————

By: Alpha

      This is where I introduce to you some of my works that I’ve done using Adobe’s Photoshop 7.   Anybody is capable of making “hot” artworks, its all about testing and making errors.   Even errors can give you something you never expected and look crazy “hot,” believe me, I’m a person who tests new filters and stuff, and create effects I never thought I can do.   I’m not an expert in Photoshop, but I can say that creativity plays a big role in making artworks.    

      You never want to copy a certain person’s works, you have to be better, which comes to originality.   Everything nowadays can relate to originality, games, anime, manga, movies and TV shows.   I can go on about originality, but I’m going to go back to creativity.   I make picture signatures for my teammates over at Clan IODINE for the Half-Life Team Fortress Classic mod.    

      Picture signatures are also known as “siggies,” as a process of making “siggies” the artist must combine a suitable background with the person’s name and a font which can express the person’s name best.   Creativity comes into play for that step above, which also is the hardest part.   I can take about 15 minutes just going through all my fonts and finding a couple suitable fonts.   Hey!, that’s me, if you’re an expert or have more talent than me then you might take a shorter amount of time.    

Anyways enough with my babbling here are my works.

  
The background was actually an error that I made, but it looks cool and the owner of the siggie likes it.   You can also see that the fonts some how matches the name.

The background came from a tutorial that I saw (I changed the color though :P).   Using it I made this, I also added the MIRV, it is an explosive from the TFC mod.    

For this siggie, you’ll need some imagination.   On the right you can see a little glowing red spot, which I intended on making it, it’s eyes.   Using your imagination, you can probably make out the image to be a melting monster.

In this siggie, the background was something I did randomly.   I added an EMP, also an explosive from the TFC mod.

This is my favorite siggie out of my whole collection.   Just look at it, the background is a perfect match for the name, and the name is a perfect match for the font.   The background was also a randomly made work.   Using the chrome filter after several other filters and then finally adjusting the hue/saturation.

Main Idea of this Rant?! - Just showing my ill skills for you to envy, just kidding!   I just wanted to show that it doesn’t hurt to try, nor does it hurt to make mistakes. To turn the mistake around and make something good with added creativity (heart) you can do amazing things.  

Animesou staff: Uh oh, Alpha is preaching life values again!

Closing Statement(s) - Ok, maybe my quote doesn’t relate at all to my artworks or for this whole Rant-ON for this matter, but it’s all good, because I really do believe in learning from your own mistakes.

Rant-ON

The Evolution of Animesou ———————————————-

By: Alpha

      You know, Animesou didn’t look so good over night.   My team and I constantly think of new ideas for the viewers of this site.   From day one to present, we still believe in viewers first and will continue to have that belief.   Have you ever wanted to know how Animesou started?   Here it goes.

      In 1999, Animesou was created (to read more go to history).   I was an average anime fan, I’ve watched anime since the day I can see, hear and know what was going on around me.   But the crave and craze did not hit me until I saw Love Hina.   Sou’s base was on Love Hina, but as I’ve said, new ideas are constantly being made and of course I turned the once going to be Love Hina page to a page that will involve all Anime.   Here I go about looking for a free host and here I read the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Webpages.   It was all fun, but looking for my staff was the best part.   Uhh… lets not waste anymore time, here I introduce to you Animesou site layout version 1:

      This layout was all done in HTML and was all done by me.   Even though it is so ugly, people over at IGN Anime Board still complimented me.   They gave me the energy boost to work harder on this page and then of course my staff did.   Oh and the Staff that joined when this layout debuted were:   Ray (was later kicked out of the inn for not paying rent), Hornet, NiGHTS, and Stikz.

      The only reason Stikz was allowed to join was because he is cool, just kidding.   Stikz joined, because we desperately needed a web designs person.   After the examples he had shown me, I was amazed.   It was totally better than the basic “n00b” HTML that I have put together.   Here is a look at what Stikz did soon after he joined which makes Animesou site layout version 2:

      Version 2 was obviously getting better.   Stikz’s first go at the site layout turned out surprisingly to me.   This layout kept that black background, and this time, characters from a variety of anime series were added to give the site a certain detail and by doing that, the site was much livelier than its older sibling version 1.   The staff consisted of Hornet, Stikz and I.   NiGHTS was kicked out of the inn, for not paying rent and excessive use of the hot springs.   Wow that is 2 people that got kicked out of the Sou.    

      What was missing? A question that I have asked myself numerous of times.   Was it the background?   Or was it just that my dream was impossible to become reality?   Version 2 was definitely missing some elements that a great page should contain and we put our heads to work till it almost literally exploded.   But thankfully, Stikz has saved us with Version 3 and 4 of Animesou:

      Note that the picture shown here is Version 4, Version 3 is basically the same, but with a different colored logo (Orange, Kind of like a sun set).   Also I’ve replaced some original buttons that were suppose to be on the image.   Unfortunately, they were long lost, even Version 3’s banner was lost.   New staff that joined the Sou were, our Anime guru, fourfour44, fine looking thing (uhh.. I meant the building :D), hinatasou, Mr. Critique Alpha’s reviews, ChamberX, Mr. I don’t know much about except he likes Vash-the-Stampede, Ranguvar and the can not seem to spell or get grammar right, Mr. Kriptor aka Alpha’s Secretary!!!      

      I thought this layout was it, it was good but Sou kept on evolving and one day I stumbled upon one of our buddies’ site, weasl.net.   There I noticed the new design they used and was anxious to know who the heck did it.   After all the commotion, I found the name stf and an email address linked to that name.   Then it happens, stf replies and accepts my request.   At first Stikz did not agree, because it’ll take away his work, but then he changed his mind.   I wonder why.   Is it because Version 5 is here to stay until stf wants to get his hands down and dirty to make another super duper Animesou site layout? Here I present to you Version 5:

      Version 5, the Animesou layout that has impressed thousands of people that visited the site.   The banner is random generated.   On this picture it is FLCL, other banners are, Onegai Teacher, X TV, Happy Lesson and another one which I’m not familiar with.   New staff that joined were stf the “Masta Web Designa,” Hero the Spiderman and FFVII freak and Ein, a Japanese female who wants to keep a low profile so shhhh….

      There you have it.   The 5 steps evolution that the Sou has been through.   You might ask, “Wow! 5 layouts?   That took what…, 2 years?”   The answer to that my friends is less than a year.   We still have not have our one year anniversary yet.   I hope we have a party some how.   Anyways, it’s been fun typing this out and we will continue on striving for our one goal.   Which is a himegoto (secret) :P.

Rant-ON

Common terms used in the Anime world —————————-

By: Alpha

Have you ever seen a term used to address something that’s Anime related and you’re not so sure what it means?   Well have no fear, because Da Man Wit Da Planz is here.    

Anime - this word came from a French term for Animation and now it is commonly used to address Japanese Animation.

Manga - this word can be either relating to the company Manga, or Japanese comic books.

Hentai - the word defines as pervert in Japanese, but when applied to an Anime, hentai is an adult Anime.   In other words, ONLY suitable for persons ages 18 or over.    

Ecchi Humor - this is a genre that pretty much contains sexual scenes or comedy that is suitable for persons ages 13 and up.  

OAV/OVA - this abbreviation stands for Original Animation Video.   OAV are either sequels or prequels of a specific series.   Everything for an OAV is usually upgraded from the TV series.   OAV is also often mixed up with OVA, which stands for Over View Animation.   OVAs are a quick recap of the entire series, usually done in two hours or less.

Shoujo - the term means little girl, but when applied to Anime, this term is used to describe a certain type of Anime.   Such as, Fushigi Yuugi, where there is a female character with a lot of male characters surrounding her.

Shounen - the term means little boy, but when applied to Anime, this term is used to describe Anime. Such as, Love Hina, where there is a male character surrounded by a few female characters.  

Doujinshi - is a fan created work of an existing Anime/Manga.

Seiyuu - voice actor or actress.

Otaku - used to address an Anime Fanatic.  

Super-Deformed - also known as SD.   SD’s are well… deformed characters.   They are usually cute, such as in Magic Knight Rayearth or the end sideshows in Record of Lodoss War:   Chronicles of the Heroic Knight.

Kawaii - used to say something is cute in Japanese

Ribon - When properly translated Ribon is Ribbon.   Ribbon is a huge magazine that contains many manga series. It is released once a month. The magazine is aimed for young girls. The stories ranges from middle-school to high school themes.  

Tankubon - When enough chapters are produced, the manga ka (manga artist) usually puts them into paperback form, or a tankubon of the chapters.

Main Idea of this Rant?! - What rant?   I didn’t type any rant. *laughs*

Closing Statement(s) - Well there you have it.   I might have missed a few, but hey no one is perfect.   If I missed some, please email me with the definition and I’ll gladly add it.

Rant-ON

My 2 Cents on Newtype USA —————————————-

By: Alpha

Upon reading this Septermber issue of Newtype Japan I bought from my local Japanese Bookstore Kinokuniya I’ve noticed the price differences compared to the soon to be released USA version. First of all this might sound stupid, but the Japanese version is 550 yen which is $7.80 (I think) in U.S. The U.S. version is $9.95, I guess the only things why anybody would prefer the USA version is, because it’s in English and is available for subscription, other than that I think all the inserts and stuff are the same.  

Note: I do know it costs ADV a lot of money to bring Newtype to the states so I can understand why they charge a little more than the Japanese price. I’m just happy it isn’t $12.95 but $9.95 after the price drop.

Now comes to the decision, should I buy the Japanese version? or buy the USA version? or maybe even subscribe to it.   Well that’s your decision, to clear it up for you, really I think the Japanese version is good enough for me.   I read it, although not every word, but most likely I hope I won’t miss much hehe.   Newtype has a lot of pictures too so it isn’t all about reading, the only times you might want to read is the new titles that will be coming out such as “Kiddy Grade” in the September issue which is my cup of tea, because its a GONZO work :P (Gotta love em) and “Gundam SEED”, the newest Gundam and probably the best looking Gundam yet (Strike Gundam all the way!!).   Of course there are a lot more news inside this 250+ pages of Anime goods. Such as postcards, posters, in my issue, it came with a   Newtype Heroines 161 booklet.   Guess what that’s about.   The heroines of the latest anime of course.   Aoi-chan and the “Ai Yori Aoshi” gang is on the cover.   A lot of details are included in that little booklet, such as another poster of Mahoro and Mizawa of “Mahoromatic.”   I even found out Sister Princess is having second run (that’s cool).   I can go on and on about the benefits of having a Newtype magazine, but I’ll stop now.

Main Idea of this Rant?! - Uh…, the main idea of this rant is to compare and contrast between the two versions of Newtype.   The main comparisons of the two versions are, Language, Price and the ability to subscribe to the USA version.   Not saying subscription is not available for the Japanese version, but that’s for Japan only I think.

Closing Statement(s) - I love GONZO, I love Newtype, both USA and Japan versions, and I’m looking forward to all the titles I’ve listed above.   I’d also like to say how fun it is to just type out what I feel in this anime world for you (the readers) to read.   I won’t say this Rant-ON has helped out much, but it kind of gives you an idea of what I think.   And who cares what I think. *Laughs*   Good luck in making your own decision on whether to buy the USA version or Japan version.

[GTO] Great Teacher Onizuka V.3 Manga Review ————————

By: Alpha

Synopsis:
      Off the streets and on the job, Eikichi Onizuka has ascended to the exalted ranks of schoolteacher only to discover he’s now got to learn how to teach.   And the student’s are not going to make it easy for him.   A gaggle of seemingly placid young pupils who have already driven three teachers into psychotic fits now set their sites on the Great Teacher.   But they could very well have underestimated Onizuka’s unusually high threshold for punishment.

Review:  
      In this volume, the plan to kill Onizuka as begun.   After their failure in the first attempt, Murai goes all out and of course, this results in humor to the extreme.   We are also introduced to the smokin’ hot school nurse, Naoko Moritaka (Still can’t compare to Ms. Fuyutsuki though).   Going back to Murai’s plans.   How’s a cockroach in your lunch?   (I’ve always thought that school lunch had a certain funny funk to it.   Now I know it is for real.   Note: I do not eat school lunch :P).   Well this plan fails then leaves to another try in which Murai almost got a taste of his own medicine.   Battles after battles, then all of a sudden we are introduced to Murai’s young mother.   The upcoming parts just shows off Onizuka’s character a little more.   At the end of this volume, Noboru attempts to suicide again, but Onizuka gets there just in time to save him.   But he could not save the Cresta.   After Onizuka, Kikuchi and Noboru sets out for revenge.   Anko Uehara (one of the girls who abused Noboru), tells her mother, the head of the PTA and she starts a big ruckus out of the whole situation.       

Recommend Value - A+, This volume is the funniest yet.   You just can’t get bored of GTO.   The humor comes back to you every time you read it.   Upon reviewing this volume, I have at least read this volume five times.   I will still be cracking up on the comedic scenes in the near future reads.    

Closing Statement(s) - Time to go on to volume four.  

[GTO] Great Teacher Onizuka V.2 Manga Review ————————

By: Alpha

Synopsis:
      Former gangster Onizuka is ready to put aside his punkish outlaw ways and join the working world as a teacher. All that stands between him and a regular paycheck - and dozens of hot girls to flirt with - is the big teaching exam …which, of course, he proceeds to flub. Now, without credentials, the only place he can land a job is as a student teacher at the Holy Forest Academy where he only barely gets hired after humiliating the Vice Principal. He’ll have to use his street smarts to deal with students and faculty alike if he’s ever going to become a Great Teacher.

Review:  
      After being hung up so high by TokyoPOP at the end of volume one, we finally go to volume two and the action continues.   Onizuka shows what he thinks teaching is about.   He tries to fix a family problem, that one of his female students was having.   At the end, of course, his help works and the family finally begins to come back as a whole.   (Ya know? a good old sledge hammer does come in handy at times ^_^)  

      One problem is solved and another comes running in.   Onizuka finishes his teacher in training program, and is looking for a school who would hire him, being a lazy person that he is and thinking that things will come knocking on your door without yourself giving any effort, (By the way, that quote has some meaning to it, FYI) Onizuka doesn’t make it to the exam that all teachers had to take if they were to teach at a public school.   As he is sulking, his best friend Ryuji, shows him the light!   That’s where the funniest part out of this volume comes in; Onizuka meets Azusa Fuyutsuki (A soon to be teacher) and vice principal, Uchiyamada.   After a hilarious scene on the bus, both Onizuka and Fuyutsuki goes to Holy Forest Academy for their interviews.   Oh my god!   Funny scenes come one after another, and all of a sudden you see Uchiyamada on the floor with white foam over his mouth. :D  then…

      GTO changes to GDO (Great Driver Onizuka) and as he drives, Ryuji rings him up and tells Onizuka some great news.   He makes a U-turn on the Tokaido interstate and drives recklessly back to the academy.   He is later on hired and will be living on campus.   A lot of weird things go on at night on the campus and as Onizuka uncovers them, he finds another, soon to be problem.                                   

Recommend Value - A+,GTO is one of the best manga / anime series that ever appeared on the face of the Earth.   With comedy, ecchi humor, and life values this piece of work contains.   It’s no wonder why Tohru Fujisawa named this work GREAT Teacher Onizuka and I’m sure a lot of readers and viewers agree too.

Closing Statement(s) - Need.. to… calm… the… cravings… for…. more… scenes… of… Ms….. Fuyutsuki.  

Mikuni Shimokawa - Kimi no Uta Album Review——————————

By: Alpha

Tracklistings:  
01 - Kimi ni fuku kaze (Ending theme of Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu)
02 - Monozuki
03 - Kanashimi ni makenaide (Ending theme of Grenadier)
04 - all the way     
05 - Toihoshi
06 - Kimi no yume -Kanzenban-
07 - Itsu demo yume wo
08 - Remember
09 - Missing
10 - KOHAKU -Album Mix- (Opening theme of Grenadier)
11 - Sorega ai deshou (Opening theme of Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu)
12 - Arekara ~Soshite, Ima~
13 - Love song on the radio -Live in Shindoru-

      Alpha and Mikuni Shimokawa strikes back!!! Whew, one of my favorite J-Pop artists comes swinging at me at full force with her newest album, Kimi no Uta. At a price of 3000 yen, plus shipping equals $35 or so, minus my 300 bonus points that I attained from earlier purchases from CDJapan totaling to about $32 and change… some will say, ‘That is some expensive shiznit!’ While I will say, ‘This is one of my best investments in music lately.’ Some songs that might attract some attention are Grenadier’s and Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu theme songs. I was so excited when I got this order in the mail and quickly proceeded to strip the box of its contents and spun the CD in the player.

      Before I made this purchase, I was super hooked on Mikuni Shimokawa’s Arekara, which was the closing theme of the final episode of Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu. When I saw that Arekara was on this album I quickly jumped on it… only to find out later after listening that it was a remix version (~Soshite, Ima~). I very much dislike remixes, since I am an ‘original’ man. I guess I will have to buy her other album; Sorega Aideshou / Kimi ni Fuku Kaze now. ^_^.

        What I adore with Mikuni Shimokawa is her melodic voice; it just charms the soul.   She is definitely one of the few voices in this world that I can stand listening to forever.   Okay, maybe I am starting to sound like a stalker ^_^;;.   But I cannot deny the fact that I do think of her that highly.   You J-Pop loving people should put this album or any of her albums for that matter on your prioritized music to get list!      
          

Recommend Value - B+, while I love a lot of these songs, I do not think those who do not know her or do not know her music will like her works. A shame, but that is how music is. Mikuni Shimokawa has made her mark on me as one of the best out there. I will continue to look forward to her stuff. It is always a joy when I listen to her lovely voice :P. Too bad I lost her 392 Sellections CD, it was the first press edition too!!! Oh wells, I think I will have to buy another one along with the Sorega Aideshou / Kimi ni Fuku Kaze album. Sigh… $40+.

Closing Statement(s) - Fact of the day:   Alpha was crazy enough to buy the Olympus Trip 35 camera after seeing that Mikuni has one in the 392 Sellections album.   Now that is what I call obsessed :P.