Animesou.com

Quote: ‘OMG! Anime Clubs DO breed F****TS! GOD!!!! THEY’RE ALL FUCKING F****TS! F****TS TO NO END!!!!!!!!!! GOD!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!’

The quote is just too funny for me to pass up. I mean just look at how this person typed out his comment. What is with the caps? It does not take much energy to move your little pinky finger to tap the caps lock off, just so that you do not sound so stupid when you made this statement. I have to agree though. As a member of an anime club, there are quite a few people in which I despise; know-it-alls and Japanese wannabes. There are times where I want to potato sack them, just so they can keep their mouth to themselves (Just kidding).

Anyways, there is no denying that anime clubs are the best ways anime fans can get together and share a common interest. For those who are fortunate to be in a well established anime club is truly a remarkable accomplishment, due to the fact that the United States was and I emphasized on WAS dominated by American animation. Japanese animation is taking over!

One of my online buddies brought up a very controversial topic to the Animesou forums; American animation versus Japanese animation (Anime). He posted a link to another forum where a bunch of Batman or just American animation fans in general lurk. In that particular forum, the topic being discussed was ‘Batman’ the new series. Funny enough, they start comparing another show, ‘Teen Titans’ to this new Batman. Okay, so what if Teen Titans is aimed towards kids? After all it is called “TEEN Titans” and women and children are the number one targets for business right?

Let us start with the anime bashing, first comment up is from an anonymous person, who said, ‘…but let’s face it. The animation (anime) itself is incredibly cheap, unlike any Batman cartoon.’ Take a look at these picture comparisons.

compared to

Look at ‘any Batman cartoon’ and compare it to the any anime. Does not that make whoever said that statement look like a complete idiot? In another comment made by the same person goes like this, ‘… at least most American cartoons feature characters who look like they’re speaking the dialogue rather than just opening and closing their mouths rapidly, or any other of those cheap sequences. I understand really really old animation being like that but for today’s standard, heck, for the 80s’ standards, it’s just pathetic. I’d go bonkers seeing Batman done that way. And I think it’s safe to say he won’t be.’

Sigh… maybe if you would stop watching crappy dubs from broadcasted television you would see that the lip movement and the dialogue are in sync for anime in Japanese. What the heck is the problem with mouths not syncing anyways? If you want them to sync, go watch a live movie. And what is this about anime being cheap? How is it that when something with as much detail as it does in every cel or scene be cheaper than something that almost has no details in the background whatsoever? Here see for yourself, here are two examples of those ‘any other cheap sequences this person was commenting about.’

Ok, it is not fair to use Macross Zero as “cheap sequence” examples. Here is something that is fairer.

So look at the difference. Jackie Chan Adventures which is created way after Urusei Yatsura and still Urusei Yatsura has better quality than Jackie Chan Adventures. Hmm…

I am not writing this to put down American animation or put up Japanese animation, I am merely defending my hobby from the inane comments from ignorant people. I just want to point out that if a person does not watch something in its pure form, how can they possibly make any intellectual comment on it? In this case, that particular Batman fan.

Enough with my opinion, here is what Stikz had to say about this issue (Note: This was a reply post taken from the Animesou forums), ‘Their remarks had no weight to them. They seem to have only seen anime on broadcast TV and have associated it with cartoons for kids, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Batman is a good cartoon but its cheap dark color scheme and decent animation can’t compare to anime at all. And for them to say that the animation of Jackie Chan adventures beats the heck out of anime is just plain insane. I’d like to know what anime they were referring to. I love Jackie Chan adventures but the backgrounds are basically forgotten and the animation is focused on more because of it, but better than most anime, it is not.’

Are you getting my drift? Show me a modern day American animation that looks better than a modern day Japanese animation, please.

Main Idea of this Rant?! - My two cents about the change in times.

Closing Statement(s) - I know backing up something you love is the point of being a fan, but do not force it into anyone who clearly has a separate view from yours. Do not go bashing anime just because you are in favor of American animation, vice versa. Am I American animation bashing? Nope.

Rant-ON

Random Thoughts Part. 2 ————————————-

By: Alpha

1) For everybody’s information there was Pocky in the United States even before ADV started ‘licensing’ it for distribution.

2) Hey ADV if you are reading this, bring over the Calbee potato chips and Pocari Sweat sports drink and I will be your fan for life.

3) Just like the Oakland A’s have the big three, the anime industry has it too. ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment and Geneon, formerly known as Pioneer Animation.

4) Pioneer Animation sounds way better. Geneon sounds like some new Pokemon. Go Geneon I choose you!

5) I admire ADV Films, they know how to work it. From being a scrappy little distribution company in Texas to a distribution company the size of Texas. I tip my cap to you.

6) Is the rumor about Ayumi Hamasaki not writing her own lyrics still around? Well it is true, because artists always can buy lyrics for a reasonable amount of money. This I got from a friend who has a friend who sold lyrics to a singer in Hong Kong. Maybe that is why he forgot his lyrics when he got an award. Yeah sure Mark Lui I am sure you were so excited about the award that you forgot your ‘OWN’ lyrics.

7) Yeah I am angry these days. Maybe I am another Angry Asian Man.

8) Is anime the most expensive hobby or what? No wonder people download. If they do not, they would not be able to eat, be able to pay rent, nor be able to pay bills. Not that I am one of those people though.

9) Hey J Lo will Marc Anthony be your final pimp… I mean pit stop?

10) What is this pregnant rumor… probably not Marc’s child anyways.

11) Why do people vandalize other people’s property? I mean they would not like it if their property was ruined… would they?

12) Kyou Kara Ore Wa needs to get respect!

13) I guess there is no such thing as hoping a girl would not get it in a hentai, because no matter what, they all get it. I really hate that.

14) I have to thank Robyn Mukai of Urban Vision, Ivette Perez of Central Park Media and Rhona Medina formerly with Urban Vision, now with TokyoPOP, for being so kind to me, by helping out Animesou.com with the reviewing materials.

15) The big three needs to stop being snotty and learn from them. *hint-hint*

16) One Piece got licensed! Wow! I do not know jack about it. Yay.

17) Okay maybe I do, there is a crazy boy with pirates right?

18) Sony PSP, Nintendo DS. What next? Microsoft XL? (eXtra Large)

19) ADV trying to be RIAA? What are they trying to prove? If nobody can find a way to stop email spam, then nobody can find a way to stop file sharers. Cannot anybody comprehend that simple concept?

20) The NBA should have a new award. It shall be called the Floppy Award. Derek Fisher and Vlade Divac are the top two contenders.

21) Congratulations to Bernie Williams of the New York Yankees. He has hit his 2000th hit as a Yankee on June 10, 2004, joining a group of elite players of the franchise with names, such as, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly, and Yogi Berra.

22) It is prom month, I hope everyone will have a blast at their prom and get home safe.

23) Hey fans, it is the final stretch from school. Give it your all and do not give up until you get that report card!
  

  

Main Idea of this Rant?! - Random thoughts from me!

  

Closing Statement(s) - Look forward to part three.   :)

Rant-ON

Random Thoughts Part. 1 ————————————-

By: Alpha

1) Old anime is better than new anime.

2) Smarty Jones lost the Belmont not because of his ability, but the jockey’s.

3) It is good that Manga was bought up. I have no idea what direction the previous minds of the company were heading.

4) This craze for Naruto has got to stop; it is getting annoying how everyone is recommending it when I cannot even buy it on DVD in the United States.

5) Hey did Inuyasha end yet? Last time I checked it was around eighty.

6) If only Saki was my personal Steel Angel *drools*.

7) Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life sucks. What happened to the festivals?

8) The whole Anime industry needs some shocking news; nothing reported lately has gotten my attention.

9) Cartoon enthusiasts who hate on Anime… **** you.

10) If ADV Films can pick up the rights to publish Newtype, why has not anyone pick up the rights to publish Animage?

11) Oh wow, Bible Black actually has an interesting story.

12) But the She-males has got to go.

13) Note to who ever is responsible for this. Just do not waste my time and show a hentai if the good stuff will be boxed up. It kills my eyes.

14) I love Chiyo-chan from Azumanga Daioh, one of the best comedies of this year.

15) I need to get some sun light, instead of staying in and watching anime all day.

16) Little twelve year olds are lethal these days, just the other day one of them wrote a hate mail to Max Kellerman and told him that he hoped that he caught SARS… And this was broadcasted over the country in his show I, Max.

17) Sigh… the car shop still has not finished fixing my car after three freaken weeks.   Now I have to get the other side fixed too.   I think I am going bankrupt soon.   Let us see, $600 for the F-150 the person was driving, $425 for fixing my car’s driver’s side and the bumper, with sand polishing and compounding.   And now $225 to fix the whole passenger side.   Yeah… I will never be able to get my performance modifications now.

18) Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien is predictable, but at the same time interesting, as the ending of episode one, latches on to you and will not let go.

19) Did you know that there is a fourth stage for Initial D?   It is about the team Redsuns leader created in the Third Stage and they go around racing other people.   Sounds cool.

20) A good ecchi humor to check out is none other than Steel Angel Kurumi!
  

  

Main Idea of this Rant?! - Random thoughts from me!

  

Closing Statement(s) - This well be a continuing feature, so look forward to part two.   :)

Rant-ON

The Hardships of  a Reviewer ———————————–

By: Alpha

      I recently heard a conversation on a radio sports talk show (the name of the show is not important heh) while I was driving home after taking my finals. Anyways as I was at fifty percent tuning into the show and fifty percent driving and spacing out at the same time, the dude on the show mentioned a great idea for me to write about. He said something about reviewers like myself, get to see everything before everyone. The great, good, bad and the ugly, of course, the great and the good are pleasant things, but when reviewers are put through the bad… not to mention the ugly. Now Houston… we have a problem.

      You will say that I am lying if I told you that every screener I received was ‘the best damn thing ever!’ Of course, I would not oppose you as it is the truth. Indeed I have seen the most atrocious works of anime ever to come around, but can I ask you one question? How in the hell do you review them? I know I asked you about one question, but have you ever seen something so horrible that you do not have any intellectual thoughts about it other than it is a piece of ’stuffing’ that you have just wasted an hour or so on?

      You get the idea, being a reviewer is not as easy as it seems. You try to be too perfect in your writings; people will kill you for it. You try to use too difficult of a vocabulary, people think you are being a little wise ass, and lord do not let your haters spot a mistake in your reviews, because if they do, they are going to try and make you out to be a fool, even though they are the real donkeys for scanning every single word you write just to try and act a bit smarter than they really are.

      I have been there, done that. Guy pounds on me for something I wrote while I was half awake, 5′O Clock in the morning. Just ignore or pound back if you got the ill skills like me ^_^;;. But back to what I was saying. How do you review something that sucks so badly? Better yet, if it was hentai, how do you review that? ‘Oh yeah, this scene and that scene were arousing…’ man that is what hentai is supposed to do most of the time, what the hell is wrong with you! It is truly a difficult task to review a hentai title, because when you are tuned in to the story, a sex scene happens and right after it you just forgot what happened before they went through their business, either that or there was no story to beginning with, only the action.

      So there you have it, the hardships of a reviewer. If you are the person that likes to give reviewers a hard time, can you do it better? Well why do not you write it? I would like to see you try, because then you do not have to read what we have to say. And if you are a reviewer who gives other reviewers a hard time… man… get a life, go write more of your own reviews and stop stealing the review ideas from other reviewers. PUNK!

    

Main Idea of this Rant?! - I have no idea.

  

Closing Statement(s) - I hate haters, did you just noticed?  

Rant-ON

The Difference Between OVA And OAV ———————————–

By: Alpha

      Upon reading this article I bet you have asked or have heard that OAV has a similar meaning to OVA. Now what if I told you that this belief is completely wrong? Will you buy it? Of course at the end of the day… or article, you will be convinced that OAV means Original Animation Video, whereas OVA does not mean Original Video Animation. So Alpha, if OVA does not mean the same thing as OAV then what does it mean? From my research and I am here to prove people wrong… but first are you guys ready for the truth? Get ready, OVA stands for Over View (overview) Animation, it is just a bunch of important stuff from the series jumbled up together to create either a summary of the story for those who have no time to sit through the entire series in a normal run or it could be created because the crew had a few extra dollars in their bank accounts to waste. Check it out, does not it make sense? I know I would not abbreviate one thing with two kinds of abbreviations, and I am sure people are intelligent enough to not do that also. As for OAV or Original Animation Video, it provides the fans with most of the time a sequel, but sometimes a prequel to the certain series. The story is different, the animation quality is usually juiced up and the production staff usually puts more effort in it, because they have time when it comes to OAV compared to a TV series where they have to meet deadlines.

So you have all these opinions, Alpha, where are the facts? Facts I have indeed. For the Gundam fans out there, does Gundam 08th Mobile Suit Team ring a bell? Or how about Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories? Both of these series had an OVA created after they were completed. The OVA for Gundam 08th Mobile Suit Team was called, Miller’s Report, whereas the OVA for Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories was simply called Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories the Movie (yeah sure, the movie heh heh). Anyways, I believe the Stardust Memories OVA is, much more difficult to find than Miller’s Report. If you have seen any of these, what did you see other than a recap of the whole series. Sure a few new scenes might arise but does it change anything? The only new scenes I can remember from Miller’s Report are the scenes with Miller (Miller is female for those who are pondering by the way) and from Stardust Memories the Movie, everything was basically just a compilation of the series itself in other words, an overview of the series.

Now that I have provided two examples can you name a few OVAs that you have watched? I still have two: Vandread: Taidouhen, and The Candidate For Goddess (Pilot Candidate) OVA, both had my hopes up as I assumed they were sequels to the series, but both were big disappointments and a complete waste of good money. Why did I buy them? Well I believed the same thing as everyone did until now. I thought OVA was the same as OAV and hence making the big mistake. You may say, ‘Dude that’s it? You’ve only got four examples to prove your statement?’ Please keep in mind that I am writing this article up at 5:00 in the morning so I cannot remember every OVA that I have came in contact with over the years, but if I see a title’s name I could tell you if there was an OVA for it.

Before I go, there is also another misconception about the regional use of OAV and OVA. Some claim that OAV is the abbreviation used by the Japanese, whereas OVA is the abbreviation used by Americans. As I have stated above, they do not mean the same thing, and hence when you are using OVA you are talking about an Over View Animation and not an OAV; an Original Animation Video, such as, Rurouni Kenshin: Seisouhen (Reflection), Tenchi Muyo OAV series, or Macross Zero.  

    

Main Idea of this Rant?! - There really is a difference between OVA and OAV.   Finally I am here to solve this long existing misconception.  

  

Closing Statement(s) - After reading this article do you still think OVA means the same thing as OAV?   Think about it.   Would not it be easier if there was just OAV?   What is the need for OVA if OAV meant the same thing.   There would be less confusion if only one existed, but there is not one, there are two abbreviations with the same letters, just the last two letters switched around.   Because of that fact and how they are both used to address Anime, some people came to a conclusion that they both meant the same thing.   Could not OAV stand alone?   What was the need to create another abbreviation for the same thing?   If it meant the same then there’s no logical reason to have two different abbreviations. So before you go saying the two mean the same, think about what I have written here.  Heed my words or else feel my wrath hahahaha!   (>’;')>+====> (x_x) Umm… just kidding.      

Rant-ON

Dragon Ball, An Epic? ——————————————-

By: Piro^kun

      The Odyssey, The Iliad, Paradise Lost, Gulliver’s Travels…Dragon Ball Z?!? Yes folks, that’s right. I’m here today to talk about epic literature. After reading that first sentence you may be saying to yourself, ‘What the hell does this guy think he’s saying? Dragon Ball Z can’t compare to those pillars of literature’. You may then feel a sharp prick in the back of your neck as my stealth ninjas shoot you with a drug to make you follow my every command. At least I hope you do…those ninjas are expensive and I don’t pay them to slack off. Anyhoo, back to Dragon Ball Z as a figure in epic literature. Now I can already see the emails coming. They will have subjects like ‘DBZ SUX!!!!111′, ‘YOU ARE STUPID’ or other such lovely, touching sentiments about me. The body of these kind emails will be filled with threats, exclamation points, misspellings (i.e. sux, stoopid, f-*ahem* ediot), comments about the size or beauty of my mother (or other members of my family), and anatomical impossibilities concerning a DBZ DVD and my posterior. Oh how I love the Internet. However one must consider that Dragon Ball Z was one of the first anime (animes? animii?) I have ever watched, and although I know that is truly awful, I have a special attachment to it. I show my affection for this series the same way I show affection for my women, by taunting them mercilessly until they collapse into a crying and screaming mess (Note: Don’t try this on a significant other…you will spend a cold, lonely night in your bed).  

Back to how such literature as Dragon Ball is epic. Tell me, what is more epic than a man with spiked hair that is named after a food, rides a cloud around (when he isn’t flying), attacks people with a pole that can grow to any length (who hasn’t gotten sexual innuendo from that?), and shoots laser beams from his hands? Not much. Unless you consider the green alien that grew from an egg, split into two parts (a yin and yang, of course), regenerates limbs and somehow speaks Japanese even though he came from a planet so very far away. Only one thing can compare to this. That is the purple-haired boy from the future who comes to warn our aforementioned hero that he will die of a fatal heart disease and also to tell him to destroy killer robots that will end all good life on the planet…when he could have just killed the creator of the robots before he made them.  

So much for the characters.

Now…about the worlds in which these characters live. In DBZ the Earth is not exactly how we know it now. In this Earth, people live side by side with green aliens. Aliens who, although they are green, have antennae, claws, and (as I said before) regenerate their limbs, have no clue at all that they are aliens. Amazing. Of course one can’t fault these aliens. It is hard to see yourself as odd when the world in which you live is also inhabited by people who turn into giant monkeys during a full moon, and even simple things like the fact that the chief of police and also many airline pilots are dogs. Another interesting thing about this world is that everything can be (and is) stored in little, pill-like capsules. Now that is a convenience not found in The Odyssey! Boo-ya to you Homer!  

But a requirement for a story to be considered an epic is a decent into the underworld. This is actually accomplished many times, considering our hero is often killed by laser beams shot from people’s hands (Don’t you just hate it when that happens?). He then sees that the fate of the universe’s population when they die is in the fate of one very overworked bureaucrat. He also sees that hell (HFIL?) is nothing but a giant amusement park. If that’s not epic…then I am going to fail my literature class. ^_^

I hope that this little trip through my thoughts has enlightened you to the shining example for today’s aspiring authors, cartoonists, scriptwriters, and idiotic fanboys that is called Dragon Ball Z. I also hope that you can find it in your hearts to not automatically flame someone who likes DBZ, but pause for a minute and think about where they are coming from and how they feel about the series…then flame them (but with a smile).

Signing off…
Piro ‘Not the guy from Megatokyo‘ kun
    

  

Main Idea of this Rant?! - DBZ an epic?   You decide.  

  

Closing Statement(s) - Alpha - I realize this article of Rant-ON was not written by me, it was written by Piro^kun who contributed this rant to me somewhere during his first two weeks when he joined the Sou.   I did not take much of a look at it (mainly because it was about DBZ ^_^;;), and has since then put it aside, up until now, I think this article is pretty funny and since Piro is currently wandering around the world beyond the Sou, I feel this article would bring a sort of existence of him in the site during his absence.   God bless, where ever you are.

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.

      If I asked anyone from a group of let us say about ten, ‘What is the number one place you think of online that you know you could probably find deals’? The first answer would be eBay. eBay, eBay, eBay. eBay is where most people buy things lately. I find it only sometimes a person could actually get a deal purchasing from eBay. Why would I say that? Well if the seller does not get you with the price of the product, he will probably get you with the shipping cost.   Let us say the DVD costs $19, but the shipping costs $5, that comes out to $24.   From what I know, the United States Postal Service charges approximately $3 and under for packages that are the weight of a DVD.   So the seller rips a few bucks from the shipping to earn a little more, although I guarantee that he got the product for way cheaper than $19 in the first place.   Some may argue that the extra few bucks went into buying the packaging stuff, oh please, how much can a bubble package cost?   From my knowledge it costs $5 to get like ten from Staples.   Anyways, you might also want to consider these examples before purchasing through an auction:

             1) Buying from an auction is not safe, if you run into a bad seller, that is, a seller who keeps your money and the product, then you are in a deep pile of poo poo. How do you tell a bad from a good seller?   Well of course check the feedbacks!   If the seller has been receiving a lot of positive feedbacks then of course he is a safe bet, but then there are also sellers with a lot of positive feedbacks but also have negative feedbacks, in that case, I check the date that the negative feedback was given and the severeness of the feedback, if the negative feedback was due to an irresponsible buyer’s revenge and if the feedback given was ages ago and the seller has since then receive positive feedbacks, then he is a safe bet.   eBay does insure products that are under $200 and requests a $25 processing fee. Now people, usually how much do Anime DVDs cost? $20? Now if you go and do file a fraud complaint… you will be actually paying $5 more, so what the hell? And also it is not 100% that they can get the item to you from the bad seller and you sure as hell would not expect any money back as it is stated that to file you need to pay $25.

             2) Bootlegs, I was fooled once. A seller put all the details down, and made it sound like he was selling the legit DVD, but when I received it; it came to me that it was a bootleg DVD copy. The description never mentioned anything about it being a bootleg, it stated, ‘New and never viewed.’ Who would have thought it might have been a bootleg that this person is trying to sell? When the words new and never viewed come across my mind, I have an image of the official DVD that is new, sealed and of course never viewed. So from my experience, I suggest you ask the seller, before bidding or buying!  

             3) Sellers with no feedback. Do not consider buying from zero feedback sellers, it is too much of a risk. I once paid $90 for a pair of Air Jordan XVI and never got anything. I filed a fraud report, and eBay tells me that I cannot get any money back or they cannot do anything, because the seller has zero feedback. Now is not that some shit? They let punks like these sell and when stuff happens they are not taking any responsibility for it. Where is the justice in this?

      Sigh… enough with eBay; I can use my time to do more productive things than argue about eBay’s stupid policies that do not make sense to a normal human being. So anyways, throughout the years, I have purchased from various online DVD stores, such as, DVD Planet, Digital Eyes, Best Prices and CD Japan. There are just way too many online DVD stores out there, so I apologize if I do not cover your favorite store.

             1) DVD Planet - Well what can I say? This is my favorite out of the three U.S. online DVD stores. The packaging is a nice and safe card board box, the prices of the DVDs are dirt cheap, the shipping fee is not a killer, and the average shipping time is three days. One day to process your order and two days to arrive at your door. I have had times where I receive my order in two days! Now that is what I call customer satisfaction. DVD Planet’s prices are usually $3 - $5 cheaper than the MSRP or more if you are purchasing a box set or something. Definitely recommended 5/5 stars.

             2) Digital Eyes - I tried Digital Eyes when Fourfour44 and ChamberX both recommended them to me. They also had the attractive free shipping deal going on for purchases over $40 or so I believe. So yeah, I went cheap and bought a few DVDs and tried out the free shipping. I expected a four days delivery, but surprisingly it took eight or so days. Hey that is what you get for being cheap. The packaging is crappy, I got just a card board paper package with some garbage stuffing to make it super hard heh, well they consider it soft, but really I think it does not protect the DVDs much. Not only that though, my order came in separate packages. It just so happens that when I placed my order for GTO volume something, it just ran out of stock, so damn I had to wait a week later. I give Digital Eyes 3/5 stars.

             3) Best Prices - Best Prices had the best prices until DVD Planet came into my life. It has been too long since I made a purchase from them, so here I will give a brief idea of how Best Prices is. The price was only two dollars off of the MSRP, the shipping was $3.50 which was quite expensive at that time and the package was better Digital Eyes. Do not get me wrong, I mean the package itself, meaning it was not just a card board paper package with some garbage stuffing; it was just a card board paper package with the air bubbles protection. Apparently, this kind of packaging does not work, because when I received my order, one of the DVD’s case was cracked and completely messed up the whole case. Why? Well, because this was a 2 DVD case and the second DVD holder cracked so it does not hold the CD placement thing in place. Kind of complicated when it is explained, much simpler if I could show you. I also give Best Prices a 3/5 stars.

             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.

      I cannot speak for everyone, so I will use my experiences. If you have read the history of the sou, you will know that Animesou did not pick up until last year, the main reason being that I was lazy. Once I got myself together, the results were better than I had imagined.

      Sites die, because the leader’s interests die. Some leaders are bombarded with so much work that they cannot manage things that go on in their own life. It is a decision the person has to make; either to use all their time on their site, manage their time so that they are able to do both things or stop their site and put priority on their life.  

      Life is important, but if you cannot manage a hobby and yourself, then the person should not have started in the first place. I think I am a one man team at times. Look at it, who has the most reviews, news posted, columns and created new features so that Animesou can attract more fans these past two months? I do not see this column as a complaint letter to my staff, so please do not lead your minds there. I am the site owner therefore it is my duty to do those jobs. I cannot really complain about anything. There have been opportunities that I have gained from creating Animesou that I never would have thought I would. Being invited to the Newtype USA launch party, receiving screeners from anime companies and talking to other anime fans; answering their questions that they have or me asking them questions are a few of the opportunities. It is always a pleasure to chat with fans and people that are in the business.  

      Some anime site owners want their site to be number one, the best out of the rest. Well… that is not reality and it is not like it will ever happen. Every site has its’ own uniqueness. Whether a special feature that only that site has or the sites’ ability to attract visitors which then become site regulars, they are all the things that make a good site. It is just like music. Some may dislike an artist and some may like that artist. It is all in the end, the way one perceives it.

      There are impatient site owners who want immediate results. Unless you have the money and connections in the business, I do not think you will be seeing a site being popular during one year of its existence. I usually see sites that lived around three years to be quite successful. Their message board has a lot of members (but how many of those members are actual members who are alive?). Nonetheless, you can see that many people support that site from the amount of members of the message board and from their connections with anime companies.  

      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.