Anime, Manga, Video Games & More, For Today's Generation
Archive for February, 2010
Game Review: The Day of Sagittarius III
Feb 28th
In 2006, the anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya aired in Japan. Based on a popular series of light novels by Nagaru Tanigawa, the series was an immediate hit. On June 11, 2006, an episode named “The Day of Sagittarius” was aired. In the episode, Haruhi and her friends (the “SOS Brigade”) are challenged by the Computer Club of the school to face them in a game they created.
From seeing it in the anime, it looked like a fairly standard space battle simulation game. You command ships and have them attack enemies. When I saw this episode, I wondered if such a game actually existed, and thought it would be interesting to play it. Today, iPhone and iPod Touch users can do just that with The Day of Sagittarius III app, available for $1.99 in the App Store.
Otaku in Review Podcast – …And J-List Takes the Fall
Feb 26th
In Episode 3 of the Otaku in Review Podcast, Scott invited manga reviewer extraordinaires Ed Sizemore of mangaworthreading.com and Deb Aoki of manga.about.com to come on the show and discuss the recent controversial Handley case. Scott and I both learned a lot from listening to them, and I’m sure our viewers will too. Have a listen!
Moe For Those Who Don’t Like Moe
Feb 24th
On the recent ANNCast episode I was on, Zac and Justin of ANN asked me to recommend some “moe” anime titles that might be good for those who aren’t so into the moe thing. On the show, I mentioned The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Hayate the Combat Butler, and while those shows don’t focus entirely on moe, they can certainly help bring one to better understand its appeal.
In this blog post, I’m going to go into more detail with the shows I spoke about on the ANNCast and why I think many anime fans, and even non-anime fans, may enjoy them. I’ll also talk about some other “moe shows” that might be worth checking out as a sort of segue into appreciating moe.
Otaku in Review Podcast – Katsucon 16
Feb 20th
I am proud to announce that I will be co-hosting the Otaku in Review Podcast with the main host, Scott Spaziani. It’s both a privilege and an honor to be doing this and I look forward to doing more shows in the future.
In our latest episode, we discuss the ups and downs of Katsucon 16, which I went to and blogged about earlier. We also branch into many other topics as well, so even if you didn’t go to Katsucon, you should still find this episode interesting. Enjoy!
Special Announcement! New Manga Reviewer
Feb 17th
Until now, JanaiBlog has been a one-man operation. I’ve done a bunch of anime and video game reviews by myself, but I never got around to putting any manga reviews up here. I’m proud to announce that my good friend Gina Giannetti will be writing manga reviews for JanaiBlog, starting soon!
Gina Giannetti is an aspiring writer who currently runs and maintains her own blog called Chu★Blog where she discusses many anime-related topics in addition to whatever else may be on her mind. You can follow her on Twitter @TheGinachu.
The ConBlog: Katsucon 16
Feb 16th
From February 12th to the 14th, Katsucon held its annual convention in the Gaylord National (yes, you read that right) Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. With a brand new and much larger venue this year, the surroundings and the inside of the con itself were quite a sight to see. I traveled down to Katsucon with my good friends Ernie from Out-Of-Time Productions and Scott from The Anime Almanac. For more coverage of the convention, be sure to visit their sites.
Rejoice, Toradora Has Been Licensed!
Feb 11th
In case you haven’t noticed from this blog’s banner, my Twitter avatar, my constant ravings, and the reflection post I did on it, I really, really love Toradora! NIS America, a video games company just entering the anime market, has announced the title for a US release. Along with this, they have also picked up Pandora Hearts, Persona -trinity soul-, and Wagaya no Oinarisama.
Needless to say, this is incredible news. I really hope for the best for NIS America. They have done quite well in the past with releasing niche games, so hopefully they can do well with anime as well. As of now, there is no word on how the series will be released, or if there will be a dub. Regardless, I will fully support this series. Why? Because this show totally deserves it.
ANNCast – Viewers Like You
Feb 11th
In the latest ANNCast, Zac Bertschy (@ANNZac) and Justin Sevakis of Anime News Network tried something new: a “call out show.” They had several different guests come on, one at a time, to discuss various topics. Zac and Justin were kind enough to let me be a guest on the show. On the show, I discuss anime viewing habits and a few “moe shows” that might be worth checking out for those who aren’t really into the moe thing.
Anime Genesis Podcast – Con Funk Moe Characters Who Think They're Pikachu
Feb 9th
Benu (@Benu), host of the internationally known podcast Anime Genesis, was kind enough to let me be a guest on the first episode of the new season of his show. On the show, us and the other guests discuss the ever-so-popular topics of moe, things we love and hate about the anime fandom, and anime characters we love and hate.
Anime Genesis – Season 4, Episode 1 – Con Funk Moe Characters Who Think They’re Pikachu
Other guests on the show:
- Dancing Queen (@DancingQueen_DQ) from How a Girl Figures
- Jimmy Blocksom (@djtyrant), a freelance blogger
- Daniel Wong (@ddh4mster) from Ddh4mster’s Blog
Thanks to everyone who was a part of the show, and to the listeners as well.
