A "Fairy" Nice Surprise! A "Fairy Tail" & 2 "Castle" Stories!

I love days like this! Days where I can just relax and let loose the "anime-niac" within me! This entire day has been very "anime-ted," in spite of the fact that I woke up after 7 a.m. I decided to give "Ah! My Buddha!" one more chance before returning it to Netflix. It's not my cup of tea. Then I was wondering what to do next and realized that I had not watched-had not even opened-Volume 4 of "Fairy Tail!" Across the Fiore kingdom, great wizards join guilds and make their pay by filling magical needs - but there's one guild with a reputation as the roughest, rowdiest, most dangerous of all: Fairy Tail! Forced to face her demons at the Tower of Heaven, Erza is in real danger of becoming a live sacrifice in Jellal's demented plan - which spells disaster for Fairy Tail's strongest team! As the Council prepares to wipe out the island with the Etherion beam, Erza's allies endure a heart wrenching battle to get her back! Big surprises await the comrades as they return for Magnolia's annual Harvest Festival. But the celebrations are cut short when Master Makarov's grandson hotwires a contest to determine who's the fiercest wizard in a supercharged scheme to take over the guild! I think I have forgotten the chain of events that preceded the episodes on this disc. I guess I'll have to go back and watch the first 3 volumes of "Fairy Tail!" Some of the characters had me thinking "Who are you and where did you come from?" There was one sad moment for me--the moment when Erza sacrificed herself to save the others. The anime won't be the same without her!!!!!! The question is: Is Erza really dead, or is something big about to happen? I'm not saying one way or the other, but I find it hard to believe that a central character like Erza would be killed off completely! At any rate, I hope that Funimation decides to release the rest of the series in America. In the meantime, I think I'll finish off today's marathon with a few more of Hayao Miyazaki's movies! After all, January is his birth month (and mine!) What better way to pay homage to such a brilliant director than to watch some of his best movies! (Even though I've already watched and blogged about them on several occasions!) I'm concluding today's anime marathon with "Castle In The Sky" and "Howl's Moving Castle!" HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, MR. MIYAZKI! MAY YOU CONTINUE TO REIGN OVER THE ANIME WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anime Deja Vu

Today's anime viewing is almost a waste of a blog post. Aside from the "Ah! My Buddha" disc that I got courtesy of Netflix, today's anime lineup consisted of a bunch of DVDs I've watched and bloggged about: "Spirited Away," "Grave Of The Fireflies," "Kiki's Delivery Service." Don't get me wrong; they're all great movies; it's just that I've already documented them in this blog!!!!!!!!!!!

Anime-ted Morning!

I didn't purchase a lot of anime at Anime USA 2 weekends ago. I only bought 2 DVDs!!!! I spent most of the following Saturday morning watching "Panda! Go Panda!" and "Sea Prince and the Fire Child." "Panda! Go, Panda!" was written and created by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Isao Takahata, predating Studio Ghibli. This short movie hit Japan at the height of the panda craze, initiated in September 1972, when the government announced the loan of a pair of giant pandas from China to the Ueno Zoo as part of Panda diplomacy. "Panda! Go, Panda!" offers a charming pair of adventures for children. In Panda Family, Mimiko, a cheerful, energetic little girl, adopts a baby panda and is adopted by his father. Her parents are dead and her grandmother is away, so Mimiko is delighted to find a substitute family. They quickly establish a merry menage, although they wreak havoc wherever they go. Mimiko and the Pandas befriend Tiny, a lost baby tiger in Circus in the Rain. Unruffled by a storm that floods her town, Mimiko organizes the rescue of the circus animals, including Tiny’s mother. Like Miyazaki’s Totoro, whom he resembles, Papa Panda embodies the warm, reliable, magical friend children dream of having. I'll say it right off the bat: I can definitely see similarities in the character designs of "Panda! Go Panda!" and "My Neighbor Totoro," another Miyazaki project! Little Mimiko looks a lot like Mei. Unlike the majority of Miyazki's works--which I feel are suitable for all audiences--this one definitely seemed to be aimed more at children and less at families in general. Whether or not I will keep it or give it away is a decision I have yet to make! Yes, even an Anime-niac such as myself doesn't like absolutely every anime out there!!!!!!!!!!!!! As for "Sea Prince and the Fire Child," the story was reminiscent of Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet." (Which was also made into an anime and licensed by Funimation.) "Sea Prince & the Fire Child" tells the story of how The Gods once lived on earth, and two siblings, Oceanus - God of Water, and Hyperia - Goddess of Fire, lived in peace and dearly loved each other. However, the God of Wind, Algaroc, become jealous of the pair's happiness, and spread lies and deceit between them until their hatred for each other brought about war. Finally, Algaroc was imprisoned by the King of Gods, but after that time, the brother and sister still despised each other, so the Children of Fire and Water forever remained apart. But, then Prince Syrius of the Water and Princess Malta of the Fire meet and fall in love. The love of Syrius and Malta may not be enough to surpass their parents' hatred. Whether they can stay together forever may be impossible. As for me, I believe that true love conquers all! Did the anime prove me wrong? That's something you'll have to discover for yourself!!!!!!!!! In the meantime, I'm going to take a break from anime and spend the next few weekends watching holiday movies and grooving to yuletide carols, old and new!!!!!!!

Anime USA 2012

I am physically drained, but I am determined to finish this post tonight! I got home from this year's Anime USA a few hours ago. This was the first anime con where I wasn't working on the staff, for the press, or manning a table with Hubby Christopher Wanamaker and the DC Anime Club. I can look at this con solely from the point of view of an attendee. On the whole, the con itself wasn't horrible. Hurricane Sandy prevented some of the guests from attending, which meant that some of the panels had to be rescheduled or cancelled. Friday was pretty good. Chris and I dressed as Mario and Toad from the "Super Mario Bros." video games. We even participatd in a photo shoot! I wanted to check out the first 3 episodes of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," which was being shown in one of the video rooms, but I decided to skip the viewing and check it out via Netflix instead. I spent the rest of Friday evening in the hotel room watching television with Hubby. Saturday was a lot of fun. Chris and I dressed as Rainbow Brite and Krys from the "Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer" movie. Quite a few people asked to snap pictures of us, and we even had some professional photographs taken. Of course, one of the highlights of any con is seeing familiar faces. For me, one of those faces is Kevin Bolk! (Hi, Kevin!) I didn't see the guy who likes to cosplay as Ponyo's father at this con, but I did see several other people I knew: Penny Weir AKA "Moon Mama", her daugthers Rusty and Melissa, and several members of the DC Anime Club, which my Hubby founded and is President of. The last day of the con wasn't bad. Several people made it a point to attend the Feedback Panel. Chris and I cosplayed as Wonder Woman and Wolverine from the DC & Marvel comic book universes. The one thing I missed this year was attending the Masquerade!!!!! I think Chris and I were too tired to attend. However, this is a staple at almost every anime con we've been to, so we'll probably catch it at Katsucon 19, which is scheduled to take place in February 2013 over the President's Day weekend. (Side note: the deadline for Katsucon registration is the end of December!) In the meantime, I have a couple of anime DVDs to keep me occupied: "Panda! Go Panda!" and "Sea Prince and the Fire Child!" I know what I'll be doing this Saturday! (Aside from catching up on sleep, that is!) LOL!!!!!

3 Cheers for Volume 3 of "Fairy Tail!"

I picked up right where I left off with "Fairy Tail." Lucy briefly reunited with her father, revealing her royal roots. I've said before that Happy was annoying, but Lucy's father is a complete asshole! All he could do when Lucy went to visit him was berate her...after ignoring her during her childhood. Lucy's father was the reason she ran away to join the Fairy Tail guild after her mother died! In this third set, the supernatural comedy-adventure Fairy Tail careens along like a skateboard on a steep hill. As the stalwarts of Fairy Tail battle the sinister Phantom Lord Guild, the viewer learns that Lucy belongs to the fabulously wealthy and powerful Heartfilia family. But she's rejected her cold and mercenary father for the warm loyalty of her friends. Natsu goes one-on-one with Jaleel the Iron Dragon, and the viewer gets a hint of the scale of his latent power; Gray inadvertently wins the heart of water wizard Juvia ("drip, drip, drop"). The loyalty Lucy declared in the fight with the Phantom Lord wizards is severely tested when she discovers the shady background of guild lothario Loke, and brings his sad story to a satisfactory conclusion. The series takes a darker turn when Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Juvia learn about Erza's unhappy childhood in a sinister tale that pits the Guild members against their most deadly foe to date: Jellal, the servant of Zeref, a god who is the embodiment of hatred. But even in dire situations, the filmmakers leaven the threats with a healthy dose of slapstick: Natsu fights two of Jellal's minions with his head stuck in a kawaii (ultra-cute) cat mask. In short, these adventures and misadventures deliver everything the rapidly growing cadre of fans expect from Fairy Tail. (Rated TV 14: cartoon violence, minor risqué humor, alcohol use) Yes, Happy is still annoying! However, as I stated in a previous blog post, he is also essential to the story line. Other than him, Lucy's father, and Erza's former friends, the character roster was pretty likeable, and I can't wait to check out Volume 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the meantime, I think I'll give myself an early Halloween and watch some horror movies!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, even an Anime-niac like myself has other interests!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Otakon 2012

Post-con fatigue has prevented me from posting the details of my weekend at Otakon 2012 until now. July 27-29, 2012 represented the pinnacle of the summer for me. Over the weekend, the city of Baltimore was overflowing with OTAKU! The biggest highlight for me was getting the interview with Peter S. Beagle that I was unable to get last year. I even managed to get someone to videotape it for me! Unfortunately, somebody cancelled the interview I was supposed to have with Jason David Frank, best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the long-running TV show "Power Rangers." Dammit! I had even remembered to bring my VHS copy of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" for him to autograph! Of course, I spent (or rather my Hubby did) a few dollars in the Dealer's Room! My purchases included several DVDs: 1. Season 2 of "Black Butler," 2. Discs 3 & 4 of "Fairy Tail," 3. "Unico In The Island Of Magic," and 4. 2 discs of "Princess 69." (Don't judge me because I like hentai!) And, yes, I did cosplay! Once again, I donned the personas of Toad from the Super Mario Bros. video game franchise, and also Rei Ayanami from "Neon Genesis Evangelion." I also picked up a new cosplay outfit in the Dealer's Room. I plan to debut it at Anime USA this year, which is being held from November 9-11, 2012! As usual, I made it a point to attend the Funimation industry panel on Saturday. I was ecstatic to learn that there would be a second season of "Fairy Tail," as well as a movie based on the series! I also made it a point to attend the Cosplay Masquerade. However, I was not impressed by the entries this year and left before the skits were done. Clearly, I had a good time at Otakon 2012 and can hardly wait for Anime USA to get here. In the meantime, I think I have enough anime to keep me occupied and to keep this blog interesting!

Outrage Over “Truly Outrageous” Series Sends Anime-niac Into Viewing Frenzy

I've been trying to post this since last Saturday (6/2/2012), but for some reason the www.blogger.com website has been acting up! So, here's what happend!
I woke up Saturday morning, expecting to be able to watch the third and final season of “Jem & the Holograms.” However, the first disc would not play (it was scratched), so I decided to watch some random anime. The lineup consisted of “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya,” “Rozen Maiden: Ouverture,” “The Fantastic Adventures of Unico,” “Lupin the 3rd Episode 0: First Contact,” “The Secret World of Arrietty,” and “My Neighbor Totoro.”
The theatrical feature "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" (2010) reunites the characters (and crew and voice cast) of the popular series "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" in an extended and appropriately offbeat adventure. Ignoring the bitter cold, Haruhi charges ahead with plans for the SOS Brigade to hold a Christmas Eve party. But when perpetually put-upon Kyon wakes up on December 18, the tinsel he bought the night before is missing from his backpack. Before class begins at North High, the murderous Asakura takes Haruhi's seat. When Kyon objects, he discovers none of his classmates have any memory of Haruhi. Asahina doesn't know him; Koizumi has transferred to an elite prep school; and an uncharacteristically meek Nagato greets him in the literary club room--where the SOS Brigade met. Apparently a major alteration of the space-time continuum took place early on the 18th. But who commands the staggering power needed to cause it? And how can Kyon, who has no psi abilities, repair the damage before it's too late? The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is darker in tone than the often knock-about silly TV series. Directors Tatsuya Ishihara and Yasuhiro Takemoto build the suspense skillfully, playing on Kyon's (and the viewer's) uncertainties. As Haruhi and the rest of the cast are AWOL through most of the film, the story becomes an internal monologue for Kyon. Voice actor Crispin Freeman does an impressive job of holding the audience's attention and keeping his character sympathetic.
Clocking in at 185 minutes, "Disappearance" is at least 15 minutes too long and suffers from multiple endings. It's a good film that will please fans of the series, but if Ishihara and Takemoto had tightened the story and ended it more surely, it could have been a great one. The many extras include footage of location scouting in Tokyo, a recording session with the pianist who performs the Satie pieces for the soundtrack, and special screening events in Kyoto and Tokyo. I think the worst i can say about any of the characters is that they are spineless, and Haruhi is too bossy! But, then again, I guess that's what makes it interesting. It's not a complaint, just an observation!

Rozen Maiden: Ouverture Deserves Ovation
I fell in love with “Rozen Maiden” after seeing a picture of a cosplayer dressed as Shinku, the main character, while flipping through the book Everybody Cosplay by Jan Kurotaki. After watching both seasons of the anime—“Rozen Maiden” and “Rozen Maiden: Traumend”—on DVD, I was excited when the “Rozen Maiden: Ouverture” OVA came out on DVD last December!
Journey back to 19th century London and the birth of the Rozen Maidens to witness the cruel and tragic origin of Rozen's first doll, and how, even when left abandoned and unfinished , she still fought her own way to the Rosa Mystica and the Alice Game! But leave what you think you know behind, for this is Souseiseki's story, and what she has to say may surprise you! Prepare for an all new tale of Rozen Genesis in Rozen Maiden: Ouverture!
I know that based on what I’ve seen in the anime, that Hina Ichigo is annoying and that Shinku is bossy and spoiled. However, the Rozen Maiden series as a whole is quite enjoyable. I may have to go back and watch the entire series!

Unico: The Fantastic Adventures of Unico
I used to love "Unico" as a child, but usually had to wait until I was with my cousins before I could watch it...I didn't own the movie! Thanks to my wonderful Hubby, that changed recently! "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico" in English, and simply "Unico" in Japan, was released in Japan on March 14, 1981. This musical film, narrated by Iruka, directed by Toshio Hirata, written by Masaki Tsuji, and with animation by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, presents the back story of Unico's banishment and his subsequent travels, as well as his friendships with Beezle (to whom he grants his own horn) and Chao/Katy (to whom he grants the wish of becoming a human girl).
Beezle (known as "Akuma-kun," or "Little Devil," in the original version) initially rejects Unico's overtures of friendship, but comes around when he realizes how lonely he really is. After Beezle saves Unico from drowning, the two begin their friendship in earnest, but then the West Wind comes to take Unico away.
The next creature Unico encounters is Chao (Katy), a black-and-white cat who dreams of becoming a witch. Katy and Unico befriend a lonely old woman, whom Katy mistakenly believes is a witch and will teach her some magic as well as transform her into a human girl. When Unico changes Katy into a girl, Katy at first believes that the old woman did it, until Unico proves it was his doing by changing her back into a cat; but Unico, seeing how selfish Katy has become, refuses to change Katy back to a girl, until one day when Katy saves the old woman from drowning. Katy then becomes entranced by a man posing as a lord (Danshaku in Japanese, Baron de Ghost in English). He invites her to his castle, gets her drunk and attempts to seduce her. Unico follows, rescuing Katy (with help from Beezle) after transforming into a majestic white winged unicorn and destroying the monster that the "lord" had transformed into. Afterwards, West Wind comes to take Unico away again, and Katy moves in with the old woman.
This movie includes several songs, most of which were performed in the original Japanese version by the movie's narrator, singer/songwriter Iruka; however, Chao/Katy's recurring theme song, Chao no Kuroneko no Uta (The Song of Black Cat Chao), was sung by Chao's seiyū, Kazuko Sugiyama. The movie's other songs include Unico no Teemu (Unico's Theme), Hontou wa Subishikute (Beezle/Akuma-kun's image song), and Majo Neko Chao (Witch Cat Chao), all sung by Iruka. For the U.S. release, all of the songs were dubbed into English along with the spoken dialogue, except for the ending song over the closing credits, which is an instrumental in the English version. Unico was voiced by Barbara Goodson in the English dub.

Lupin the 3rd Episode 0: First Contact
Lupin is after mafia boss Galvez's single most precious treasure: a treasure within a treasure. Jigen is Galvez's hired gun who fails to kill cat-burglar Lupin in his first attempt on the treasure and seeks revenge. Fujiko is the girlfriend of Lupin's rival, Brad. Zenigata travels from Japan to America to find and arrest Fujiko. Goemon seeks the almighty sword that cuts steel, Zantetsuken. This sword is mysteriously connected to the treasure in Galvez's vault.... After a series of twists and turns, these complete strangers become acquainted in their "First Contact," an epic adventure! I’ve come to love the Lupin the 3rd movies, and this one is no different, aside from the fact that I had to watch it subtitled. The DVD offered no dub option! As for the characters: Galvez was a fat, horny SOB, but other than that, not detestable. For Lupin’s first movie, he was pretty cool. Fujiko was a sex kitten. (Big surprise!)I hope to collect more Lupin the III movies in the future. I've heard about a few via online sources that I'm not certain are available yet in the United States. (Green vs. Red & The Legend of the Gold of Babylon). Maybe I'll find them when I attend Otakon this summer! But anywho...On with the blogging! To finish up my marathon, I watched 2 movies I've previously blogged about: "The Secret World of Arrietty" and "My Neighbor Totoro." All in all, not a bad day! (But I still would have preferred to watch Season 3 of Jem!) I may be an "Anime-niac," but that doesn't mean I have no respect for the animated world in which I was brought up!!!!!!!!!!!!!