Anime Excitement....

Eureka Seven...the Seventh Swell Grows

So as Eureka Seven winds closer and closer to it's dramatic (I hope) conclusion (open-ended, I am sure). I am left calculating just how many DVD volumes I'm looking at having to add to my growing collection. I am currently at five...but volume six is coming soon.

Now, do I spring for the standard DVD or the Special Edition Box Set, with manga and T-shirt? Probably the special edition, as the girls got me the first Special Edition and that collector's box only houses about 6 DVD cases. So if I don't then the rest of my E7 DVD's will be unboxed.

See how insidious the marketing is?

Clever. Or is it Evil?

Oh My Goodness! It's more Goddess!

Among the anime titles out entire family delights in together, near the top of the list is Ah! My Goddess.

While I still prefer the charm of the original DVD series run, it didn't stick too closely to the manga (according to Alvis).

The movie was very good, and the animation quality, top-shelf.

Last year, Ah! My Goddess began a new life in re-release under the (TV) series label.

The animation was great, the voicework was smooth and pleasing. The dubbing was OK. Kinda a bit campy, but entertaining.

Alvis says this is keeping much better pace with the manga series.

Lavie and Alvis got me two of the three DVD's for this series that I was missing for Christmas. I got the last one we needed for the first season's run last month by mail-order and it was great.

Now comes word that the second season of Ah! My Goddess! (TV) has been picked up and will soon be issued here in the States this May! Hooray!

This is always a dicey thing for an anime fan. The original runs are usually in Japan on TV. If you are clever or a hard-core fan (something I am not) you can find the episodes floating around on the Net. It's frustrating because as a mid-core fan, I read about new series and favorite old-ones in my Newtype magazine, and have to wait months/years to see if they will get picked up and released here on DVD in the States.

So we were overjoyed to learn that the graceful Belldandy and her crazy goddess sisters would be returning soon.

Joy!

What was that about?

One of the things about being an anime lover is that often, references are made to Japanese events, holidays, festivals or terms that just don't have any context here in the States.

What's an otaku to do?

Consult The Anime Encyclopædia, of course!

Hosted by the folks at the Anime Cafe, it is full of helpful word translations, character information, and anime factoids. Although it doesn't seem to have been updated in many years, it is still quite useful.

Would you like to try some Paprika?

While I was catching up on the graphic arts scene over at the Drawn! blog, they had a gushing post about a new anime feature coming soon called Paprika.

Check out the trailer over at Apple Quicktime.

It shows some amazing animation work.

This isn't your (now standard) Pixar'ish animated fare. Not by a longshot.

Does the illustration style look familiar? It should. It is done by Satoshi Kon, the same director and designer for the anime movies Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and the strangely fascinating anime series Paranoia Agent.

The opening theme song and montage for Paranoia Agent, (Yume no Shima Shinen Kouen)" by Susumu Hirasawa still haunts me. Catchy little bugger.

I hope they will have a Houston screen release.

I haven't been this excited about an anime movie release since Howl's Moving Castle.

And for the Shuttle Fans

Here's a little bit of anime fan service for you Small Form Factor pc admirers.

Akihabaranews.com : The new DECORE Manga Shuttle

Isn't it too cute? (more here)

Probably not a good idea to to haul it into the LAN frag-party, though. You'll no-doubt end up having to go head-to-head against the guy who has got that wicked Battlefield 2 case mod.

Yeah, that wouldn't be pretty.

--Claus