Animesou.com

My Own Little Hedgehog’s Dilemma

‘You have two hours for the final…and…BEGIN!’. With these words, I started my Biology II final on the last day of my stay in Iowa City. Now, rewind time two to three weeks before any finals even started…

It was around the end of April, near the beginning of May when I decided to check up on information regarding Fanimecon 2006. Initially, I had thought I missed the early registration and uncertain of whether I would even make it back from school to attend the convention. When I found out I did not miss early registeration my dilemma was realized: should I do early registration or consider not going due to how unsettle I would be right when I get back home? I thought about it for a bit and decided to see what happens when I get home. So I put that thought over my shoulders and began studying for my classes. Now fastfoward time two or three weeks to when I was taking my Biology II final…

‘Five more minutes. Please finish up and bring your ID to your TA’. I stood up, handed in my exam, and left the room.

Pre-Fanimecon

Back home in California, half of my time was spent outside in the sun and half of the time inside. It was during my time inside where I did my investigation on Fanimecon and the different events taking place. After a bit more searching, I got in contact with a staff member working at Fanimecon who told me a few more things which convinced me to go. It was funny because I decided on going only three days before the start of the event. Anyways, with that decided, I reached into my pocket for whatever money I had left ($60) and pulled out my debit card to withdraw $80 of my $100 I had. I remember going to Fanimecon 2004 and having at least $400 after the badge fee. This year, I had less than $150 and I am without a badge. Luckily, my dad told me he was going to give me $50 on that day for whatever. In addition, there was a bucket full of coins so I took advantage of that as well. The question of taking pictures also came up but soon solved when my dad allowed me to use his $1000 camera. With that, I was able to take a bunch of great pictures which I will show later on. The night before the convention was nerve wreaking and I was supposed to wake up at 7:00AM and get there at 8:00AM. So I told myself to get at least 6 hours of sleep. However, It turned out I got about only three.

Friday: Day One at Fanimecon

At 7:10AM, I was rudely woken up by my cell phone alarm. After I few moans and groans, I got dressed and packed my camera into my bag along with a few bottles of water. Water and food was apparently really expensive at this convention so I took the necessary precautions and brought own. At around 7:30AM, my dad came back and told me to hurry because he had to get to work soon (my car was back in Iowa). So without a minute to waste, I hopped into the car and we were off. On the way, my dad gave me the money he promised and told me to get something to eat outside. I arrived in San Jose and the convention center at around 8:30AM.

Helping Out For the Better Good

Inside the lobby, there were two lines: one for the pre-registered and one for the not. So there I stood in the line for the not and waited for almost an hour. For some reason, the line went slower than I had anticipated. But maybe it was because of my excitement. After I purchased a badge for only Friday, I took one last glace at the registration booth and went inside. But to my surprise *drum roll*… nothing was happening. No dealer room, no e-gaming room, no nothing! I ran to the counter and picked up a schedule and saw that everything except for video rooms were closed until noon or 2:00PM. Now, what on earth am I going to do for 4-5 hours before everything was opened? A few nights before Fanimecon, I was told that volunteers were needed and that people who helped for 5 hours were refunded their badge money. Since I had nothing to do for hours and figured I needed a bit more money for this event, I headed towards the volunteer room on the third floor of the Marriot where I signed up and picked up my volunteer badge. With my trusty pink sheet of paper to give to the staff in charge, I headed towards Video Room 1 for whatever awaited me for 5 none stop hours.

It was now almost 10:45AM and my job was to stand outside the door checking other people’s badge. Sounds fun doesn’t it? Well, as it turned out, Video Room 1 was the panel room where guest speakers came. The first guest speaker was Asami who turned out to be the voice actress of Chizuko in Mahoromatic! I had the pleasure of serving her water and listening to her impersonations of various Anime characters. Basically all morning was a blast and even the executive producer of Gainax came to speak during a Q/A. Before I knew it, it was 3:15PM and my 5 hours of service was done. I headed back to the Staff room and was told I had to come back on Monday to receive my money back. The thought of coming back for $25 is not even worth the gas money so I made a proposition to the head staff: instead of me coming back for my money, why don’t I just come back on Saturday and pay no entrance fee? He accepted. Whether I had planned it or not, I was coming back the next day for free!

Registration early in the morning. What a line.

With my badge and volunteer stuff, I was off.

See this room? Pretty boring no? It was all mine to look at for 5 hours.

Oh my God! It’s Asami and some Gainax representatives!


Exploration and the Cost of Hunger

Now with both the dealers and e-gaming room opened, I was ready to make my move. It was a tough choice but hell, I’m here for the Anime and off to the dealers room I went. The room was bigger than I had anticipated and there were dozens of dealers. And even though I was tempted to buy everything, I knew I only had $175 in my pocket. Sounds like a lot of money, but if you’ve been to an Anime convention before, you know that that amount is insignificant. A lot of the things at Anime conventions are extremely overpriced. For example, DVDs were $20 and Manga was about $8 each. I was convinced that buying DVDs and Manga was not a good idea. Soon did I realize how much I contradict myself. As I walked around the huge room, I took pictures of many cosplayers and some ‘interesting’ things being sold. In addition to dealers, there were also various company booths such as ‘Red vs Blue’, ‘Gaia’, ‘International Group Inc.’, ‘Janime’ (which is a new Anime magazine coming out), and many more. For about 2 hours, I walked around taking pictures and shifting through some of the merchandise until hunger struck me. First thing that came up in my head was ‘uh…oh’ followed by my worried fingers running through the wad of cash in my pocket. As I approached the food stand, nothing I saw was a surprise. With that said, I bought some Nachos, sat down to cool my head, and headed into the E-gaming room (Hooray!)

Look how pretty…

Manga Manga everywhere…but not a single to buy.

Look at all the good stuff there is..

Anime cels anyone? But make sure your wallet isn’t beat up.

I wish I could have spun that wheel. I had to buy something though…

Dinner time! Let’s see what’s on the menu…

$2 for milk? Those cows must be from a royal blood line…

Hahahah…*punches stomach*… you stop growling at me.

Yeah….no. But I couldn’t just starve.

Quarters of Fun at E-Gaming

The E-gaming area was also extremely huge with more room than anyone can possibily want. Even with the arcades, PCs, and consoles hooked up to about 30+ TV sets, there was still about 2/3 of empty space. They had every game you can possibily think of from GGXX to DDR to Megaman on the PS2. There was even a Naruto fighting which was quite popular among the Naruto fans. From about 6:00PM to 8:00PM, I camped out around the consoles and arcades and played both free games and arcade games. The one game which I really looked forward to playing was Marvel vs Capcom 2. Fortunately, they had it with new buttons and a huge screen. I felt like I was in heaven all except the people there were really good. So what basically happened was I spent $10 getting my ass whooped and vice-versa to everyone else. Also, I played Halo on the console against this little kid and man… it was not pretty. I almost made him cry so I decided to ‘lose’ to him because I’m just that nice of a guy..^__^..that and I’m also probably 8+ years older than him. Anywho, little did I know I was going to get some deals that happen only so rarely.

Smash Bros: Melee anyone?

Not too big of an arcade place but had all the right games.

Halo…*cracks knuckles*…maybe not today.

Me on the right with the 16 game winning streak and still going…

A picture after I lost my 17 game winning streak to the guy on the left..lol……bastard.

Cheap as Toilet Paper?

It was around 9:00PM when I noticed some activities going on around the empty space in the room. I decided to check out what all the comotion was about. If I had only read the schedule I would have realized it was a swap meet! Of all the things one can hope for, swap meet is one of them. Basically, Anime fans or just people with Anime or Manga bring their own stuff to sell. Unlike dealers, the price of items are low. Just how low you ask? How about 3 Manga for $5? Or how about DVDs for $5 each? No joke. This was what I was waiting for. As an Ebay obessionist ( I know it’s not a word), I am shocked with some cheap things I found. In the end, I bought 16 Manga for $27 and 19 DVDs for $80 to a total of $107! A little crazy I know but for all the stuff I got, it was worth it. By 10:30PM, I felt the fatigue kicking in and realized that I have not sat down for more than 14 hours so I decided to call it a day. My ride came at around 11:00PM and with even better prospects for the day to come, I left for home.

3 Manga for $5? Wait a minute? Whaaa?!?!?

$5 a DVD? Am I in a dream?

Here was all the stuff I bought…

Evangelion vols 1-6 for $10… nice deal.

Steam Detectives vols 1-6 and Nausicaa vols 1-4 for $17….heh.

Stellvia vols 1-8 with all the stuffings for $40.

Whatever else I got. All these DVDs cost me $40. The guy gave me Scrapped Princess and Saiyuki for free after negotiations.

There is Always Another Day…Seriously

Lying in bed the same night (actually now 2:00AM), I realized I isolated myself to only the dealer’s room and the E-gaming room. So tomorrow I was determined to dedicate myself in finding all the free stuff like posters and postcards and look into other events that I have been missing. With that, I dozed off and slept like I was in a coma.

It was pretty late at night. Sheeps are jumping over everyones’ head by now.

Saturday: Day Two at Fanimecon

At 10:30AM, my cell phone alarm once again screamed through my ears as I slowly crawled out and got dressed, half ready for the day to come. Today was somewhat of a better day because for one, I got about 8 hours of sleep. In addition to that, I was also going to be able to get a badge for free because of the volunteer hours I did. After a quick breakfast, I was on my way again and arrived at around 12:00PM where things were just getting underway.

The Mission Impossible!

As mentioned, Friday night was Swap Meet night and I picked up a load of things for an unbelievable discount. However, I took a gamble with 2 DVDs I bought. They were Koi Kaze vols 2 and 3. The guy didn’t have vol 1 so this mission (should I choose to accept), will be to look for Koi Kaze vol 1 in the DEALERS room for a cheap price. See why the mission that was so impossible? Anyways to start off, there were not too many DVD dealers to begin with. I saw maybe about 4 or 5 major DVD sellers if that. Sadly, only one of those booth had Koi Kaze vol 1 for an amazing price of…$25? I gave the guy a look and moved on with my search. About another 30 minutes, I was about to give up until I caught the color of the DVD case that looked smiliar to Koi Kaze from the corner of my eye at a $10 DVD table. I spun around and picked it up. What did you know… it was Koi Kaze vol 1, the only vol there was in that box of random DVDs!

Mission Status: Success

My precious…*hugs DVD*

Be Proud of Freeloading

After this, I thought it would be a good idea to look for some free stuff while I am here since I did pay $25 for a badge the day before. As I walked around, I snapped a few more pictures here and there. In the end, I did grab a few free postcards and posters and even a little fan for my cooling pleasures. Nearing 3:00PM, I decided to call being at the dealers room off and began exploring other sections that I missed. The first stop I made was to the Karaoke room.

Freeloading never felt any better especially when it comes to Anime.

‘American Idol’ Meets Anime Fans

The Karaoke room was a big room composed of a stage platform and a few hundred chairs. When I was nearing the entrance, I knew they were already starting as I heard voices coming through. To be honest, this was probably one of the worst part of the convention so far. You might be thinking ‘There must have been cute Japanese vocalist up there performing with speaker sounds crescendoing along the walls and flashing lights’. Now, try to imagine American Idol tryouts and there you go. There were a lot of mediocre voices, some decent voices, and few good sounding voices. But then again, people were there just having fun and despite the agony of hearing some of the off tempo notes, I still ended up enjoying and clapping along to a song or two. By now, it was about 5:30PM and hunger was creeping up on me again. However, I was prepared.

All it Takes is a Brain and $5

After learning my lesson the hard way on Friday about the expenses of food, I bought food at a Burger King before I went to the convention. The fries were cold and so was my Whopper. But at least my wallet was happy for the time being and so was I. I swallowed my last piece of cold meat and bun and headed in the direction of the fashion show.

Lady in Red….and White…and Green

The fashion show was spectacular with people dressed up in enough colors and variety to make even the most conceited looking peacocks jealous. For about an hour, people walked along the stage and showed off their thing. I don’t know what real fashion shows look like but this was pretty interesting to see happen. Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures.

Video Rooms and Beyond…

As I left the fashion show room, Akira was just beginning to show in Video Room 2 so I decided to just watch the movie for the time being and see if there was another Swap Meet at 9:00PM. Suprisingly, there were quite a number of people watching too since I assumed every Anime fan had seen it at one time or another. But when I began to watch, I found myself drawn to finish watching it even though I’ve seen it before. I didn’t think too much of the movie when I watched it 6 years ago. I guess maybe nostalgia was a factor.

Before the movie finished, I realized it was 9:00Pm so I rushed back to see if Swap Meet was going on again. As it turned out, Swap Meet was only Thursday and Friday. With the dissapointing news, I headed back to the arcades to finish off my night at around 10:00PM

Lastly, cosplay pictures!!

I hope those swords weren’t too sharp.

Question: Guy or Girl? Answer: We will never know.

Bat boy…errr…make it girl..

I actually have no idea who she is supposed to be. Still great cosplayer nevertheless.

Here we have a picture of the mascot of Janime, a new Anime magazine coming out in Japan. I approve!

So cute… and I’m a guy saying this. *Slaps self in the face*..

In case anyone is wondering what that says: ‘ Will hack for beer: fear 807′…lol

Pocky never looked any better…

Funny little Excel Saga cosplayer. Poor Menchi...*eats a Menchi dog*...Grade A.

Vash on the left looks like he stuck his head out during the plane ride to Fanimecon.

At this rate, Kingdom Hearts will be the new Anime with fans like these.

Captain Planet! He’s Our Hero!…

Afterthoughts and Prospects for Next Year

While I did enjoy this year’s Fanimecon, there were a few things missing and problems I felt I should point out. First of all, there were no Anime companies representing themselves this year. I remember Fanimecon 2004 had Central Park Media, FUNImation, and ADV handing out posters and doing raffles and taking comments from Anime fan. As Anime is becoming increasingly popular in America, one would imagine the companies licensing those Anime would do what they can to promote them and reach out to people who are interested but just need a push in the right direction. My hopes for next year would be for more Anime company representatives to be present and promote their products. When I think about it, there was a booth handing out America movie posters such as ‘Silent Hill’ and ‘Da Vinci Code’. Not saying was not a considerate thing to do but this is an Anime convention. So where are the Anime representatives? We have representatives promoting Hollywood movies but not Anime? Kind of pathetic if you think about it. Beside the lack of Anime company reps was also the lack of organization which I noticed.

When I was a volunteer on Friday, I remember the first hour or two going really smoothly with not too many problems at hand. However, things started to change as the day progressed starting with the cancelation of the band ‘Up Hold’ due to problems with their equipment. So I ended up just sitting in the empty room for about 30 minutes doing nothing. As if things can not get any worse, another band called ‘Goofy Style’ came in with only ONE person waiting to meet them. How sad was it to see the number of band members out number the number of fans? They were shortly excused and so I sat there for another hour chatting with a tech staff member. He told me a few things about how corrupted some of the staff members were and how some just sign up for staff in order to get in for free were they never take care of the responsiblities given to them. Also, the dealers room was supposed to be opened at noon but got held back to 2:00PM and Saturday when I came back, no one had any information on the Swap Meet.. Not even the information booth! It was pretty suprising but I am not trying to point fingers here and but the blame on anyone. I’m more of just trying to see what can be done to make things go as smoothly as possible to accommodate the people coming since they are paying a lot of money for this once in a year event. On the contrary, all of the staffs I met and talked to displayed a sense of duty and responsibility. For example, the tech staff of Video Room one told me how he worked from 8:00AM to 9:00PM none stop helping set up equipments. Also, the person in charge of the volunteer room was extremely courteous towards me as I see him go back and forth trying to organize everything. As of now, I am thinking of either applying for staff next year or a media reporter for animesou.com. Only time will tell I guess. With that said, there is also a few things I want to comment about the Anime fans at the convention.

When you go to an event as big as Fanimecon where over 10,000 people show up, you expect a little bit of diversity in the types of cosplayers you would see. For the most part, I saw One Piece, FMA, Trigun, and a lot of Naruto cosplayers. So where was the Gankutsou cosplayer? The Stellvia cosplayer? The Infinite Ryvius cosplayer? Of course I’m not saying the only cosplayers I saw was One Piece and Naruto. I’m trying to say why can’t one of those Naruto cosplayers decide to cosplay as something else and something different that can make another wonder who he is supposed to be? What I like doing most is seeing cosplayers which I have no idea who they are then asking them which character they are supposed to be. When you can be unique and make someone wonder about your identity, you are successful in making yourself ‘original’ and unique. But people can dress up whatever way they want because obviously they have a passion for whatever it may be. But don’t forget you are an Anime fan. If you choose to isolate yourself to a single Anime then where is the diversity? The meaning of Anime should not hold in one show. So even though Naruto might be your favorite show, cosplaying as something new and unique to diversify Anime can be benefical to future fans. I may sound ignorant saying all of this because I myself have never cosplayed so I don’t know the mind set of a cosplayer. But as a Anime fan, I feel like I can relate to this subject and talk about it. Last but not least, I want to talk about the Anime they showed in the screening room.

This year, half of the Anime that was shown was licensed and half fansubs. I didn’t have a problem with that. However, I wish they would have squeezed Monster or Gankutsou in the fansub screening part. I was extremely happy to see a Honey and Clover marathon. You have no idea how much deciding to show that made my day. All in all, I was pleased with what they decided to screen this year. I just hope next year those Anime which deserves attention would get some. For example Princess Tutu, Junkers Come Here, The Cat Returns, Voices of a Distant Star, The Promised Place Beyond the Cloud, and even She and Her Cat. These last three works mentioned are all by Makoto Shinkai who is working his way up in the food chain in the Anime industry. I wanted to take this time to acknowledge his success and works up to now.

Overall though, I had a great time. I met some people which I knew in high school and some other interesting people to talk to. So yeah, I would say Fanimecon 2006 was a huge success besides the little minor things that happened. I looked forward to next year where I hope to see even more Anime fans turn out. Next time if you know of an Anime con coming up, be sure to check it out if not the the merchandise then for the experience of just being there. It’s a feeling you don’t feel anywhere else. Till next year~

Rx-78 2 Gundam Ver 1.5
Designer/Modeler: Ray

Manufacture: Bandai
Scale: 1/100 Master Grade

Release date: June 2000

Status: Finished on March 27, 2006

  

  

Review:

Skill Level: 4/10 - For a Master Grade model this was pretty easy, mainly because the engineering of it isn’t as advance as the current MGs. You can complete this model without any glue, but since it’s a MG and is more complex then a 1/144 model, I give it a 4.

Painting: 2/10 - Master Grades are usually molded in color, sometimes even their tiny parts are molded in color. So if you’re fine with not painting you model, then this is for you! But, I like to paint my models and this was very easy to paint, no masking was required. Just paint the color the part was molded in, it’s very straight forward.
Quality: 8/10 - The Quality on this model is great, no flaws or problems, but could be better, since it is a Master Grade.
Design: 8/10 - No problems here either, the design of the model was great, everything is proportional. It even comes with it’s full armor! and looks very cool in it.

Engineering: 8/10 - This MG is a new version release of the Rx-78, thus the Ver. 1.5, The engineering of the legs on this is just like the perfect grade Rx-78! it’s amazing!

Overall: 8/10 - You can’t go wrong with a Master Grade model, they’re just amazing.

  

  

Background Information:   

       The Gundam is one of three prototype mobile suits secretly developed by the embattled Earth Federation. After suffering tremendous losses to Zeon’s mobile suits earlier in the war, the Federation set out to create its own, using the very latest advanced technology. The Gundam is the most successful of these prototypes, a close-combat mobile suit protected by tough Luna Titanium armor, and armed with both lethal beam sabers and a devastating beam rifle as powerful as a battleship cannon. It’s also equipped with an advanced computer which learns from its pilot, ultimately enabling it to operate the Gundam automatically. In the hands of accidental pilot Amuro Ray, this one prototype mobile suit proves to be the equal of any Zeon weapon.
Source: Gundam Official
  

Specs:

Pilot: Amuro Ray

Head height: 18.0 meters

Base weight: 43.4 tons

Full weight: 60.0 tons

Generator: 1380 kW

Thrusters: 55,500 kg

180 ° turn: 1.5 seconds

Sensor radius: 5700 meters

Armor materials: Luna Titanium alloy

Armament:

60mm vulcan gun x 2
Beam saber x 2
Beam rifle
Hyper bazooka
beam javelin
Gundam hammer
Hyper hammer

  

Production Notes:

       I got this model when I was in Hong Kong, in 2000. I was bored as hell at my Grandmother’s place and since there was no internet, I had nothing to do. The cartoons weren’t even on yet either. So I went down to the mall to pick up some models for myself. Then I ran into this! I looked at the side of the box, and I was amazed, I was like “WOW! this comes with mad weapons!” It came with the javelin, Bazooka and the chain and ball thing (Hyper hammer). The last time I check on the Rx-78 MG, I don’t remember it having so many weapons, but one thing I didn’t know was, they released a Ver 1.5. Since I had no access to the internet, I had no idea what was going on.

       The only problem I had with the model, was it’s shield. the only way for it to hold the shield up was by making it’s hand hold the shield handle. Over time, the hands would get loose and the shield would get loose. So I made a little mod for the shield.

  

- This is how it looked before I painted it. Ok, I know it’s a bad picture, but it’s all I have for a before pic.

  

- The Internals of the legs.

  

- Flexing the sexy legs.

  

- Showing off the legs again.

  

- The Base colors full painted.

  

- A picture of how I sometimes mask my parts. I used Play-dough.

  

- Everything’s finished, Ready for decals.

  

- I like to use scotch tape for my decals, because they’re clear and it allows me to position my decals better.

- They’re also easy to peel off without damaging the paint and don’t leave a sticky residue.

  

- Don’t put tape over already decaled area, because the tape will rip them right off.

  

- All decals complete.

  

  

  

Finalized pictures:

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

- The model is now placed on my desk at work

  

The worlds of humans and demons have overlapped since time immemorial, and a young woman named Yurine and her servant, Karas, have long maintained order and balance between the worlds. But humans have finally lost their fears of the denizens of darkness. Disgusted by human arrogance, Karas turns his back on the laws he helped uphold for so long, taking the name Eko and leading a group of mechanized demons in an attack against the human race.

Meanwhile, a detective named Kure who works at the police division in charge of demon-related incidents opens a case involving a series of bizarre murders that look like the work of a water demon. Elsewhere, the demon Nue, who came to town to fight Eko, spots a water demon disguised as a famous warrior and then Yurine shows up with a new Karas. This new guardian of the city is determined to stop Eko’s evil ambitions, but he has a fierce fight ahead of him.

http://karas-movie.com/ - U.S. Official Site
http://www.thekaras.net/ - Japanese Official Site

Licensed by Manga Entertainment

DVD release date April 25, 2006

Staff
Director: Keiichi Satou
Script:
Masaya Honda
Shin Yoshida
Storyboard: Kenji Nakamura
Music: Yoshihiro Ike (Composer)
Original Concept: Keiichi Satou
Character Design: Kenji Hayama
Art director: Hajime Satou
Animation director: Kenji Hayama
Mechanical design: Kenji Andou (Monster & Mecha)
Chief Writer: Shin Yoshida
Editing: Hirofumi Okuda
Executive producer: Keiichi Satou
Monster Design: Kenji Andou
Planning: Keiichi Satou
Sound director: Jin Aketagawa
Sound Effects: Yasuyuki Konno

Credit to ANN for the staff list.

Thoughts:

Stikz: I can see why Karas is one of this years most anticipated titles. Manga Entertainment presents, Tatsunoko Productions (The creators of Speed Racer) 40th anniversary feature animation. Having viewed the promo DVD containing only a sneak peek of the feature, I can tell you this, the production and presentation are stellar! I’ve seen 2D and CG together but there was almost always a sense that the two never meshed together completely seamless. That’s where Karas comes in. It looks amazing!

I think the reason it succeeds while others don’t is because the 3D scenes are still animated by hand. Motion capture was not used. So since the same style of movement is used, you’re never taken out of the film. The fights are a kinetically energized spectacle! With the epic soundtrack and the comic book superhero feel, comparisons to ‘Batman’ and ‘The Crow’ aren’t far off at all. From what I’ve seen, Karas deserves all the hype it’s been getting.

I do hope that in the full length feature, they kick up the character development. If that comes to be then this will be in every anime fans top five this year. April 25th is when Karas: The Prophecy hits the stores. I’ll be right there picking up my copy. The second feature, Karas: The Revelation hits this fall on DVD. (A fun side note: Tatsunoko Productions also made the anime ‘Zillion’. That was the first anime that I bought and it’s what got me hooked. Thanks guys!)

Kefkasou: From my experience with opinions regarding Karas, I’ve discovered that some people see it as an Anime revolutionize by its spectacular CG animation overshadowing all over aspects to what makes an Anime, Anime. With that said, there are others who harshly criticize it as having a dull plot and generic characters so horribly constructed that no CG graphics on earth can save this. So what is there to check out about Karas you ask? Well, regardless to what anyone says, every Anime excels in some area and indulges in a certain spotlight. In Karas case, we are talking about the animation. If certain people think characters are too dull and undeveloped, why is Azumanga Daioh liked so much? If Karas excels in CG animation, then watch it for the CG animation if that is what interests you. Who knows, maybe Karas could set up an example of what certain animation should evolve into? Anyways, I would definitely check out Karas for an experience. I don’t see why the negatives should negate the good qualities (whatever these “negatives” may be). Look forward to this piece of work. Who knows, maybe you will see the qualities of Karas that others can’t.

Dark Wind: Let’s get the formalities out of the way. Karas is a 6-episode OVA, a 40th anniversary title by the famous Tatsunoko Productions. Anniversary titles, if nothing else, have immense animation budgets and a lot of time to make and create. Last Exile, a 10th anniversary Gonzo title, is an example of this. So hearing it’s an anniversary title is promising. For the US, the release is being handled by the almost inconsequential Manga Entertainment, who have released almost nothing in the last few years and somehow still manage to screw up their DVD’s. In this case, they are releasing Karas over 2 DVD’s, 3 episode’s on each. Hopefully they won’t muck up the menus or anything this time around, as they have in the past. As for the actual show…well, it certainly looks nice. The two trailers I’ve seen indicate the animation, quality and fluidity alike, look really really nice. The story seems simple, which is perfect considering the length of the OVA, and the action looks to get the heart-pumping, just as it should. It should be a real blast to watch, I think. Let’s hope so.

Alpha:
I knew there was something about Karas that is different from the other shows that have been coming out lately. Its awesome action sequences can make any mouth water. Just watching the sneak peek DVD was enough to make me sweat profusely in the palms of my hands and when the full feature DVD came to my front door, you cannot imagine my reaction after watching the whole first volume. The blending of 2D and 3D animation is jaw dropping and when you take that and combine it with the sword fights, and other sequences you get a show that is going to be the next big feature. A super hero for Japan huh? It is certainly looking as bright as the moon shots in the show. Look forward to the release! Both manga and anime!

Karas Screen Caps:

MS-05 Zaku I
Designer/Modeler: Ray
Manufacture: Bandai
Scale: 1/100
Release date: 1982
Status: Finished on March 17, 2006

  

Review:
Skill Level: 9/10 - This model kit requires painting and gluing, because it’s an old model kit, they didn’t have the technology to make everything snap together.

Painting: 5/10 - For an old kit, it’s actually molded in color! but the quality of the plastic doesn’t look so good, so painting is required.
Quality: 2/10 - The Quality of this model is horrible, but it’s expected from an old kit.
Design: 2/10 - Lots of the parts are un-proportional.

Engineering: 1/10 - There is nothing special about the engineering of this model.

Overall: 2/10 - The model may have a bad rating, but it’s always fun to work on an old model once in awhile. They’re also cheap.

  

Background Information:    
      The Zaku I is the original incarnation of the Zaku II, produced a few years before the start of the war. Now considered obsolete, it’s used only by non-combat units like the supply corps. One of these primitive Zakus is assigned to Lieutenant Gadem’s Papua-class supply ship, and the old veteran recklessly takes it into battle against the Gundam.
Source: Gundam Official       

Specs:

Head height: 17.5 meters

Base weight: 50.3 tons

Full weight: 65.0 tons

Generator: 899 kW

Thrusters: 40,700 kg

180 ° turn: 2.9 seconds

Sensor radius: 2900 meters

Armament:

105mm Machine gun
280mm Bazooka (option)
Heat hawk (option)

  

Production Notes:

       It’s a funny story how I found this model. I was sitting at home on a Saturday Morning, working on my MG Rx-78 Ver 1.5 and all of the sudden, I get a phone call from my friend, he tells me he found some cheap vintage models at some store on 8ave (Brooklyn’s Chinatown). I got all excited and was like, “where!? which models!” he names them, but isn’t sure what they were, so he picks me up and drove over to the store. Once we got there, I saw the models in this wooden cart in street and the boxes were in the worse condition, it looks been through the worst rain and snow in the winter. But that didn’t stop me, I was drooling over the vintage models with ideas running through my mind. I quickly bought them all before anyone else bought them. “Wow Ray, looks like you saved those models, I bet no one bought but you, the store owner was probably saving it just for you. Maybe you should go ask them for a discount.” I asked them for a discount and I got one! I complained how the boxes were worn out and messed up etc.. LOL I wish I could’ve saved the boxes, but they were too dirty and worn out to keep.

       Once I got home, I totally forgot about my Rx-78 and went straight to work on the 1/100 Vintage Zaku. Took me 6 days to complete!

  

- The Box, If only the model looked like the box art.

- This is how it would look if I built it stock.

  

I haven’t got time to write an in-depth walkthrough on the production, but here are the pictures of the stages of development.

  

  

- I extended the Forearms and made Knee joints.

  

- Extended the legs, remade the skirts and extended the chests.

  

- Added armor to the legs.

  

- Added a shield, and puttied the parts.

  

- I raised the snout of the Zaku.

  

- Almost ready for painting.

  

  

- Base coat painted and weathering below.

  

  

  

Finished Pictures!

  

- The armaments

  

- The Zaku head and the shield holder.

  

- Added new boosters and bazooka rack.

  

- Remade the Heat hawk holder.

  

- Added new Knee joints

  

- The new redesigned Legs.

  

- The helmet can be removed to move the mono eye.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Size comparison after modifications.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Name: Dj Jinnai
Talents: Dj, Remixer, Producer
Music Genre: Drum & Bass, J-pop, Electronica, Hip Hop
Location: Originally from Sunnyvale, CA, now living in Las Vegas, NV
DJ Crew: Team AnimE’xcalibur
Label Affiliation: Nemesis Records

Let’s be honest. Most Anime music is embarrassing. No one would be caught dead blasting the theme to Sailor Moon out of their car with the windows down. Despite this, many of us love Anime music anyway. We close the door to our bedrooms, crank up the volume and rock out to the sound of singers whose voices are impossibly high pitched. Dj Jinnai is one of us. With one amazing exception: Jinnai has the ability to take an Anime song and transform it into a bangin’ dance track that you would roll down your car window and blast.

Djing for 5 years and producing music for over a decade, Dj Jinnai interprets J-pop from a western music perspective without losing the sugar that makes J-pop pop. His remixes are a heavy handed blend of J-pop, Hip Hop, Drum & Bass, video game music, Electronica and 80s synth. Djing for years at Anime conventions and spinning sets on popular internet radio stations like Keiichi.net and Japan-A-Radio, Jinnai has built a loyal fan following while making a name for himself as a pioneer remixer.

A chance meeting with Kristine Sa and Nemesis Records CEO Kingmin at 2003’s Fanime convention in Santa Clara dramatically changed the course of Jinnai’s career. The Dj was only interested in remixing Kristine Sa for fun, but when the label heard his CD, he was offered a full contract as an artist, remixer and producer. Jinnai has since remixed many Kristine Sa songs - 3 of which will appear on her new album ‘reBIRTH’. He will also be remixing a number of Japanese pop projects to debut in 2005.

As Dj Jinnai’s fame grows, more and more of us will be able to roll down our car windows and open our bedroom doors as our favorite high pitched singer blasts through our speakers.

(*info taken from DJ Jinnai.com)

 

Interview conducted by: Alpha

Animesou.com: So, Jinnai, how and when did you started DJing?

Jinnai: 2000, Mostly learning how to produce. I used CD mixers to learn the basics on mixing efficiently.

Animesou.com: What or who inspired you to become THE DJ Jinnai?

Jinnai: My predecessors were Otaku Tribe/S.N.M. Productions in Bay Area California, mainly learning from DJs like DJ, M.O.D., DJ Muteki, and DJ Socket. I got my name from the bad guy in the anime ‘El-Hazard.’ Katsuhiko Jinnai. He always called himself a pure evil genius.

Animesou.com: How did you got acquainted with Nemesis Records, was it Kristine, Kingmin or something else :)?

Jinnai: After Fanimecon 2003, I was able to briefly meet them and I gave them a mix CD. Several months later they found it in a pile of demos, and gave it a listen… and they emailed me shortly after.

Animesou.com: Your latest project with Kristine Sa, AnimeToonz3 was hot man; I’ve checked out a few pieces here and there when Bsyde sent me the email about it. What do you feel was the most challenging part or parts of the project? Were there any fun things that happened during the creation of AT3 that would give us a laugh?

Jinnai: Finishing my part in 3 months. 7 tracks in 3 months. And I had to please more than one boss. Learning new software and introducing MIDI was the challenge. I’ve always used WAV files for my tracks. After the learning curve, it became much more effective using MIDI.

Animesou.com: Now down to the anime business. I know you’re an anime fan at heart when we first chatted a couple of months ago (yes a couple :D). When and what was your first anime experience? Was it good or bad? Is it something you would still pop into the player?

Jinnai: My first was in 1992, reading about it in a gaming magazine… Ys for the
Turbografx-16. It was an anime being turned into a game. I was amazed at the art and I would stare at it for hours. I upgraded with my first VHS copy of Fatal Fury the Movie. I was hooked and I need to replace it with a DVD version!

Animesou.com: What are your favorite series and genres?

Jinnai: I like comedy, sci-fi, romance, adventure and reality anime. My favorite series/movies are Naruto, El-Hazard, Ranma  ½, Tenchi Muyo, Any Miyazaki Movie, [Hare +] Guu, Azumanga Daioh, Ah! My Goddess, Vampire Hunter D, Project A-KO, Genshiken, etc.

Animesou.com: Do you read manga? If so, what are you reading now? How is it coming along?

Jinnai: Genshiken, Gals!, Instant Teen, are what I’m currently reading. I wish I had more time to read manga!

Animesou.com: What kind or whose music do you like listening to on your free time?

Jinnai: I like Anime Music, JPop/Jrock/JRap, Latin Freestyle, 70’s 80’s and 90’s music, UK Hardcore, Classic Rap from the 80’s to Mid-90’s, New Jack Swing, House, Trance, Happy Hardcore, Jungle, Drum N’ Bass, Crunk, and some other stuff that I can’t think of right now…

Animesou.com: How’s that white PSP of yours? Cause I’m coming with Aiya to get it :). Anyways, what game(s) are you playing now overall?

Jinnai: PSP… I really haven’t been playing it… LOL. The DS has gained a lot of gaming time of mine… I’ve been getting into Mario Kart DS, and Metroid Prime Hunters.

Animesou.com: If you are not a DJ, what do you see yourself doing?

Jinnai: Computer geeking it for life. Or attempt at being a voice actor.

Animesou.com: What is one thing you cannot live without, other than Pocari Sweat (a Japanese energy drink)?

Jinnai: Pocky.

Animesou.com: Hey man, thanks for your time, would you like to drop a line or two for your fans out there?

Jinnai: I like Anime, and I don’t live in a Casino. LOL.

 

Closing Statement(s) - Big thanks to Brian “Bsyde” Lee of Nemesis Records for allowing the interview to go through nice and smoothly. Another thank you to Jinnai who has been real cool. If you have yet to check out AnimeToonz3: Kristine Sa, then you really do not know what the hell you are missing. Hit up this website for some previews of it. Welp, hope you enjoyed the interview, time for me to watch some anime. See ya!

The art that are posted here are done by your fellow Anime lovers. If you have something that you would liked displayed in the fan art section, send them to fan-art[at]animesou.com with the subject as the subject (character etc. of an anime) that you drew.

Artist: Parfait
Character: Kasumi
From: Dead Or Alive

Artist: Vio
Character: Dorugamon and Deax-Dorugamon
From: Digimon

Artist: Vio
Character: Greymon
From: Digimon

Artist: Parfait
Character: SoufflƩ
From: Original Character Sketch

Artist: Viviane
Character: Chii
From: Chobits

Artist: Viviane
Character: Kamui
From: X

Artist: Viviane
Character: Deedlit
From: Record of Lodoss War

Artist: Viviane
Character: Count Cain
From: God Child

Artist: Viviane
Character: Aiko
From: Original Character Sketch

Artist: Viviane
Character: Japan Springtime
From: Original Character Sketch

Artist: Viviane
Character: Autumn
From: Original Character Sketch

Artist: Viviane
Character: Terror
From: Original Character Sketch

Artist: Viviane
Character: Trixie
From: Anipike.com

Dear History Log,
Date: December 2004

The year is now 2004, two years after I have written the first part of the history. Dark Wind begged me to update it so now I am doing just that. I actually never thought of updating the history page, because I thought that I have mentioned everything already. I could not be anymore wrong. During these past two years Animesou.com has undergone a tremendous growth. Our features have gone from a few to a lot. The most important part to these features is that they are not pointless. They mean something and are not a waste of your time to read them. That is the philosophy we use around here. We know you do not have much time, so we do not want you to read a four page review on how something sucks. Heck if I was allowed to wrap up some reviews with one word, I will. But that is not the case here. We write what is enough to get our point across.

The anime industry and world has changed a lot in two years. In 2003 we were still digging for anime on the DVD shelves. Now, in 2004, you can almost find a new release daily. Rapid licensing has slowed down the fansubbers, but has yet to terminate it. Okay let us get back on track.

Animesou has expanded and will continue to expand. My only regret about the site is that our message board community consists of only a few active members. I would like for a well discussed forum, but as long as I (meaning the whole Sou staff) do my job, I can live with the small forum. Most of the times, large forums are large because of the experience they give to fans. I can easily make an active community by resorting to fansubbing and/or bootlegging, but that goes against my ethical values. I want to succeed by being ethical. Hopefully everyone will understand how this page functions and hopefully you guys will start being a part of the Animesou.com community. :)

Staff, heh. The Animesou staff started fairly large, but has been narrowed down to the best of the best. There were staffs who rode the Sou train for two to three weeks and hopped off. There were staff members who rode it for a year. I miss none of them. If I cannot remember them, they do not mean or contributed much to the site anyways. Therefore, they do not deserve any appreciation from me or the rest of the Animesou staff. My most awkward experience with staff members is how they will turn against you all of a sudden. I mean, as I discuss on the message board, they post things like they are 100% correct. I am by no means ‘perfect’ and so are they, but them hating me for minding my business and doing my job as the webmaster is quite astonishing and strange. Oh wells, I guess my open personality has gotten them to think that they can just diss anyone and get away from it. Well, one little fact, ‘You cannot outsmart a smart ass.’ And I can be a smartass when I want to :P.

Well let us change the topic; talking about other people is not my thing. Animesou.com is still and will always be nonprofit. We no longer have the advertising program (although I did not delete the page yet) and the affiliates do not provide enough to pay the site. I pay for my own site, I do not need to beg or rely on some affiliation program money. Another reason advertising is not a good thing is that it limits to what you can say. Let us say I got sponsored by Company A, and Company A deserves to be blasted for something bad they did. If I depended on their money and blasted them, most likely they will terminate their sponsorship. Hence, not committing to advertising is a very beneficial thing to do, not to mention having advertising also means pissing off a lot of people for the added load times and annoying ads.

As I conclude this history piece, I would like to give a notable mention to the support Urban Vision, Central Park Media and AnimEigo has given Animesou.com for the past two years and counting. I would also like to give ADV Films a mention for recently supporting Animesou. I must thank all of the marketing managers I have been dealing with for being so kind and helpful. I look forward to continue working with them, and creating new opportunities with other companies as well. I will update this section every one to two years, depending on the activities of the year. I hope you will be riding on the Sou train for a long time, because big things will be happening here. ^_^ Ja ne.

-Alpha- 2004

__________________________________________________________________

Dear History Log,
Date: December 2002

In the beginning, Animesou was named Anime Otaku, which was waaay back in the year 2000. An ex-staff member named Ray and I wanted to start an Anime club at our school. Which came up to be Anime Otaku. It was unsuccessful because of Ray constantly leaving all the updates to me. It was more like my page than our’s. The whole work load was left for me and only me (Alpha). After a half a year, I gave up on my beloved site…Anime Otaku.

Just about the time I thought there was not anymore good anime out. My friend got me interested in Love Hina. That was when I felt I saw the light (hehe).

While I was getting information about Love Hina, I met a good Internet friend named Snrub (Daniel Tebow, we started to get to know each other better and I asked if he wanted to make an anime site. He said, “What kind? One all about Love Hina? Or just Anime in general?” I told him, “Anime in general.” We both agreed. And he told me to come up with a name for the site.

It took me a while, but I wanted a name that would just roll off the tongue. I thought and thought, and the little light bulb flashed above my head (A really bright one, lol). Since Love Hina was still on my mind. I combined Anime with the Japanese word SOU, meaning Inn. Just like Hinata-sou in Love Hina.
After a week, I totally lost contact with Snrub and still I can’t contact him till this day. (Hope he’s OK). Then, yet again, Animesou was left there at Topcities to rot.

Now it was the year 2001. It was looking good for anime. I got to watch a few new titles and broadened my horizons. I felt I was ready to test my luck and start Animesou again. So I went and got some web space at Tripod. In my mind, I was like “Oh well, I’ll do this page myself if I have to, but I must accomplish something and not leave it collecting dust.” I was doing okay for about 3 weeks then again I tried my luck on the anime message boards at IGN.com. It was kind of a staff hire topic.

I got responses from NiGHTS, Hornet and then Stikz. (”ummm…you mean that superstar that I see on TV all the time Stikz? That awesome guy who does everything from Web design to editing Stikz? Wow that guy is great! Everyone on Animesou is my idol!!! Woooo Whooo!!!”) (Ed. - calms screaming fanatic down and gives him a signed Animesou DVD. Man some people can’t get enough. - Stikz)
As of 2002 I’ve gotten ourselves a domain name and a real web host (Aplus.Net). What a way to start off the new year!!! We couldn’t be here with out you. Thanks so much.

About what we do and how you can help us:

We are striving for your support and we are your average Anime fans, doing everything we can to get you news, reviews, and just about anything about Anime. Hopefully people will enjoy our site and visit often so they can see the time and hard work we put into Animesou every week. At times I might feel we’re not making a clear statement for you Anime fanatics out there, but I’ve gone through a lot for Animesou. And we will not leave it to rot ever again. Animesou is part of my life, my heart and soul, it’s my thoughts straight to yours. I’m sure my staff has the same feelings as me. (Ed. - We do! We’ve only just begun!- Animesou)
No matter what, we are here for you and we will do anything for you (Anime related of course.) We do have a request column in our message boards if you want us to hear your thoughts).

Please support us by:
(1) Registering in our Message Boards.
(2) Tell your friends, and save us in your favorites or bookmark us.
(3) Link to us if you have an Anime page, we will do the favor back.
(4) Email us or write to us in the message boards if you want answers to your questions about Anime.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your time and until next time. Have a nice day filled with Anime!!!!

From: ~Alpha~ (Ed- and the staff) - 2002

Hello fans! Here I am, introducing you to Animesou.com’s newest contest, “Your most memorable experience at the doctor’s office.” Give us any weird or funny experiences you might have had over the years of not eating enough of your apples. Hehe. The prize will be a copy of Central Park Media’s Black Jack Vol. 7: Biohazard. Now is your chance to find out exactly why I rave about this title constantly! Please send your entires to: Animesou Contest.

Entries need not to be long, it will be the content that will ultimately decide the winner. A big thanks goes to Central Park Media for providing this DVD as a prize of the contest and of course, a big thanks goes to you, whether you decide to participate or not. Hehe. I cannot wait to read the entries.

Contest has ended.

Fine Print: All entries will become the property of Animesou.com. Winners are selected by staff votes. Only 1 entry per person. There will only be 1 winner for this DVD. Your entry may be used by Animesou.com in any promotional way. Your email address will not be given out to anyone. Please include your name and address along with your entry or else it will be discarded. GOOD LUCK!