Denkyu: Anime Webzine

When pigs fly!
Written by Andromeda

Enter into the world of the Norse gods. Well, on second thought, why don’t we let them enter into our world. What do you think it would be like to have them walk amongst us, or even befriend us? Of course, if they did, we wouldn’t even know. Would we want to know? Would we want to be involved in their struggles?

Mayura is a young high school girl who’s obsessed with the super natural. She has even started a club in school that investigates super natural things. Investigating one of these mysteries, Mayura finds a doll, a doll that has some strange power. Seeing this as an opportunity to uncover a mystery, she takes it home only to have it taken from her by a black cat. Searching for this strange doll and it’s kidnapper, Mayura stumbles upon a detective agency. This is no typical detective agency, but one surrounded by mystery. The detective, Loki, hides his secrets well, but if he’s not careful, he’ll put this young mystery hunter in jeopardy since she’s decided to join his team against his wishes.

Where do the Norse gods come in, you ask? Loki is non other than the trickster god himself, banished from Asgard by his father Odin. Not only banished, but forced to live on Earth as a child. Some how he must find a way to return to his true form and to Asgard without being killed by the other gods sent by Odin. With Mayura now hanging around, he must protect her from those that will harm him and thus they develop a bond between the two of them. While keeping her in the dark about the true reasons behind the supernatural occurrences, Loki must find out why Odin banished him and wants him dead. It’s a hard task and being nearly powerless, will he be able to survive and find out why he’s so hated?

Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok is a dark supernatural comedy. The character Loki is quite serious where as Mayura is very clueless and hyper. The other characters in this series fill in the rest of the spectrum between the two, each one linked to Loki in some way. Their stories of why they are there and their past intertwine into the main plot perfectly, helping to pull the viewer in. The use of dark and bright colors melt perfectly together as the moods change throughout each episode helping to bring out the emotion of the story.

Having watched this series both subtitled and dubbed, I can say that the English voice actors did a good job. Though not being able to watch it dubbed with the subtitles turned on to compare the translation, all I can go by is memory and say that it’s pretty darn close to the original script. The opening and ending sequences are great to watch as well and the themes add the perfect touch, not to mention the rest of the music fits the series completely. The songs are good enough to own the soundtrack for this series.

If you’ve read the graphic novels before seeing this series, you’ll notice right away that there is a difference with the way the two start. I’ve read the first volume of the graphic novel and to me it seems as if it’s assumed that you already know the background and seems to jump right into the story without a beginning. The anime on the other hand seems to have more of a starting point, introducing you to the main characters and the storyline instead of throwing you into things. Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to read farther into the the graphic novels but after having seen how the two open so differently, I’m now curious as to how the rest of it plays out compared to the anime. It also teases my interest of mythology even if it’s not the original stories told through the ages, but based on the gods and goddesses much like Sailor Moon.

This is a series that I will love to add to my collection and will recommend to anyone.

Licenser: ADV
Studio: Studio DEEN
Length: 100mins
Retail: $29.98
Release Date: 10.18.05
       

This sushi, known as Oshi-zushi, dates back almost a thousand years. The earliest forms of sushi were made as a means of preserving fish. The cooked rice was used as a medium to produce lactic acid and was discarded after on year. Only the marinated fish was eaten.

Serves About Twelve

Ingredients
175g/6oz smoked salmon, thickly sliced
15ml/1tbsp sake
15ml/1tbsp water
30ml/2 tbsp shoyu
1 quantity su-meshi
1 lemon, thinly sliced into 6 x 3mm/one-eighth inch rings

1 Lay the smoked salmon on a chopping board and sprinkle with a mixture of the sake, water and shoyu. Leave to marinate for an hour, then wipe dry with kitchen paper.

2 Wet a wooden Japanese sushi mould or line a 25 x 7.5 x 5cm/10 x 3 x 2in plastic container with a large sheet of clear film (cling wrap), allowing the edges to hang over.

3 Spread half the smoked salmon to evenly cover the bottom of the mould or container. Add a quarter of the cooked rice and firmly press down with your hands dampened with rice vinegar until it is 1cm/one-half inch thick. Add the remainder of the salmon, and press the remaining rice on top.

4 Put the wet wooden lid on the mould, or cover the plastic container with the overhanging clear film. Place a weight, such as a heavy dinner plate, on top. Leave in a cool place overnight, or for at least 3 hours. If you keep it in the refrigerator, choose the least cool part.

5 Remove the compressed sushi from the mould or container and unwrap. Cut into 2cm/three-fourths inch slices and serve on a Japanese lacquered tray or a large plate. Quarterr the lemon rings. Garnish with two slices of lemon on top of each piece and serve.

Cook’s Tip
*You can also use smoked haddock instead of smoked salmon, if you like.
*If you don’t have a mould or narrow container, use a container about 15cm/6in square. Cut the pressed sushi in half lengthways, then into 2cm/three-fourths inch slices. Cut the slices in half to make a nice canapé-type snack for a party.    

Written by Andromeda

October is the month for all things that are spooky. It’s a time where a lot of us decorate our houses with cobwebs, bones, graves, witch’s cauldrons, bats, fake blood and whatever else is symbolic for Halloween. Then on that 31st day of the month, we all dress up and either go trick-or-treating or head to a party. This year I’ll be doing both. Of course I’m not old enough to go door to door asking for candy, but my son isn’t.

Another highlight for us anime fans is the chance to wear a costume without having to attend a con. It’s another chance to show off our talent or someone else’s talent by dressing up as our favorite characters. It’s also a good time of the year to look for supplies for this by heading to party supply stores or other places. Just today I was at a party supply store looking through all the wigs, trying to find one that I’d like and could use for a future costume. Walking through the aisles of stuff it made me think about the cons I had attended and the many different costumes I had seen.

This month is also the time for ghosts stories that make our spines tingle and cause us to sleep with the lights on. The other day while researching information on the anime Ghost Stories, I stumbled across as website called The Black Moon. One of the pages is titled Ghosts The Black Moon’s Japanese Ghost Stories. There it has a couple of links to Japanese ghost stories and one to A History of Japanese Ghost Stories So if you are looking for a little late night spine tingler or want to find out about the history of Japanese ghosts, I suggest you check this site out.

I also find another site during that same search. Looking at random websites, I found a link that said, “Anime Pumpkins”. Well, at first I thought it said Animated Pumpkins, thinking it would be a bunch of animated gifs. But I was pleasantly mistaken. Anime Pumpkins is the personal website of a man who’s family, while growing up, would always carve elaborate pumpkins at Halloween. So he carried on the tradition after moving out of his parent’s home and used Anime as inspiration for the designs. He does a terrific job, which you can tell by the pictures on his website. So for all you pumpkin carvers, try something a little new this year instead of the ordinary Jack-o-lantern faces.

For all of those dressing up this year for Halloween, please send Denkyu a picture! We’ll include them in the next issue. You can email them to andromeda@denkyu.com

Happy Halloween!

Written by Andromeda

Anime Weekend Atlanta is one of the biggest anime conventions in the state. It’s done so well that this year marked it’s 11th year. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go, but friends of mine did attend. One friend in particular is new to the con scene and this con marked her 3rd con experience ever. She was overwhelmed by the size of it. I loved getting phone calls from her that weekend. The excitement carried over the airwaves of our cells and infected me. I never wanted to attend a con so bad before until then. It’s now on the list of things to do next year. One thing that was fortunate for me was that my friend video taped some of the con for me so I was able to see the costume contest and a few other things. There were many great costumes done this year by con attendees. I wish I were as talented as some of these people.

So listening to her inspired me to ask some of the people I knew, a few questions about their experience of AWA.

Kit-Yang
What did you like? There were many things to like, but among my favorite was getting the chance to see all the cosplayers. It was mind-blowing because the costumes were well-made and absolutely incredible.

What did you dislike? There wasn’t anything to dislike actually since it was my first convention and I was too excited to care.

Who was your favorite con guest? Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention to who the guests were since I was busy chasing down cosplayers.

What event did you like best? Since I missed out on the cosplay contest (stupid me), I occupied myself with the viewing of award winning AMVs that won in the past AWA conventions.

Have you been to AWA before? If so, how would you compare it to previous AWAs? The only AWA I attended was 10 but from that experience, it was kick ass *^.~*v

Luc1fer
(Luc1fer won Best Attention to Detail for her costume.)
What did you like? Hanging out with my friends

What did you dislike? Stairs

Who was your favorite con guest? Gir’s voice, dun know his name

What event did you like best? Costume contest

Have you been to AWA before? Yep, went last year

If so, how would you compare it to previous AWAs? Much more fun then last year

ShamusOddish
What did you like? Hanging with my friends.

What did you dislike? The fact that Daryl’s panel was the same time they were showing Godzilla : Final Wars.

Who was your favorite con guest? Yoko Iishida

What event did you like best? Hmmm…Either the Panel of Doom, the AMV contest, or the premier of AMV Hell 3

Have you been to AWA before? Yes, numbers nine and ten previously.

If so, how would you compare it to previous AWAs? I didn’t get to stay in the con hotel and between the six people i was with at the con we only had one car which meant that if one of us wanted to leave…we for the most part all had to make with the exodus, however. the AMV contest was better then the previous years i had been there and also the environment overall was much nicer.

Shannon’s Sister What did you like? Seeing my friends and sister

What did you dislike? Them thinking a walking cane is a weapon

Who was your favorite con guest? Rikki Simons (voice of Gir)

What event did you like best? Costume contest

Have you been to AWA before? Yes

If so, how would you compare it to previous AWAs? I think I had about the same level experiences as before… if not better this time

AnimeBelle
I loved the way the AMVs were handled. Of all of the rooms at the con, I spent most of my time in the AMV room, between panels, showings, and the Cowboy Bebop Lounge. I also enjoyed the Time Traveler’s Ball, it was a vast improvement over previous years.

As for dislikes, the costume contest bugged me… The entries were all awesome, and I have no problems with the awards that were given. Also, Lauren Goodnight is quite possibly the best costume contest host I’ve seen. My major problem is that the contestants all rushed across the stage so quickly. Many of them ran out, did a quick turn, then ran off… Which made it nearly impossible to get photos. Many of my cosplay photos are blurred, or of someone’s back.

Favorite con guest? Wuaagh, so hard to say! I was disappointed that Steve Bennett wasn’t considered a guest this year, but it was still great seeing him there… Vic Mignogna is always great, and so is Lauren Goodnight. And of course, you know I love Select Start… But darnit, AWA, give them the main room! It stunk that Select Start came all the way up to AWA and ended up having to play in the dealer’s room.

As for favorite event, it’s a tough call. I think the Cowboy Bebop Lounge was bursting with potential, but much of that got killed by being off schedule. I think this could’ve been one of the best events at the con if they had been given their own room, instead of having to shuffle the VAT Room around to turn it into a lounge.

I have been to several AWAs before. While I had fun, I don’t feel as though this year’s AWA quite lived up to last year. I can’t quite place my finger on it, but something just seemed off in the atmosphere… Possibly because it’s been such a rough year for so many people, what with the hurricanes and so on.

Murph
I think AnnaMay hit the nail right on the head. . . it was awesome. . .but there was something in the air that one couldn’t quite make out. . . it could be just last year was the 10 year anniversary so they decided to blow it out hardcore but. . i don’t know. . .

There was a lot of things i wanted to do but I spent my whole weekend side tracked ( 2 hours of talking to greg ayers and two hours of hanging out with steve bennett) so suffice it to say. . .wasn’t a lot that i got done that i wanted to get done. . . bebop lounge was awesome i only wish that it had its own room maybe like that little one that the ball was held in last year. . . they had awesome music and i guess everyone expected the jazz fusion crapola that everyone seems to like so much.

The dance in the main room that greg ayers died. . . lets just say he is one of the best D n B dj’s i have heard in a LOOOOONG time. Also, A very friendly and cool guy. . . i cant wait to see him at the florida cons next year. . gonna be awesome.

In conclusion. . . i really loved awa. . everything was good with only some minor. . . .burps so to speak. . . but all in all. . it was still the best time i have had so far this con season. . . of course i’ve only been to anime express, afo, and awa this year. . so i missed one of the ones i wanted to go to, metro. . dag burnit anyways. . that was my time at awa

MFDOOM
AWA 11 for us living on the Gulf Coast can be summed up in one word… AWESOME

For us peeps at Miso it was a HUGE relief to be somewhere and not worry about MREs or water or evacuations. Hurricane Katrina was reality for many of us who made the trek to Atlanta, but as soon as we got there; from thursday to sunday was complete bliss.

One of the highlights for me …I got to play pie plate with Peelander Z. Those guys were totally awesome.

AWA 11 was just what many Miso members needed during these post Hurricane Katrina times…come to think of it Hurricane Rita was hitting the coast that weekend. So many of us, in the middle of anime heaven, had one eye on the weather channel and the other eye and hands on anime goods!

Edward Elric Jacket & Automail Arm
Written by Fabric Alchemist

As the titular hero of Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric is constantly finding himself in one mishap or another. After a terrible alchemy accident, he and his brother Alphonse set out into the world of Amestris to find a way to set things right. As an unfortunate effect of the alchemy accident, Edward’s right arm is now an automail prosthetic–which he covers with his flame-red jacket. Throughout all of Ed’s adventures, he manages to look stylish doing so–and here’s a look at how you can steal his style!

Jacket

First of all, choosing the right fabric is very important for Ed’s jacket. I’ve seen far too many cosplayers make their Ed jacket out of shiny satin. Ed lives in an alternate universes’ northern Europe, so the jacket is most likely warm. It also looks matte, not shiny, so satin really isn’t the right choice (unless maybe you were making a female version!). I suggest using a fleece, or maybe even a heavy canvas.

Ed’s red jacket can be easily duplicated by using a bathrobe pattern, or lengthening a hooded jacket pattern. Something you might want to take into consideration is oversizing the jacket–make it a little bigger than you normally would. This way, it creates the illusion that you are smaller. One might even go so far as to say “small like a bean”…

Finally, the flamel pattern on the back. This is pretty easy to get right, but did you know? It’s an alchemical symbol called the “crucified serpent” that “represent[s] the ‘fixing of the volatile,’ or, making the elixir of mercury, a legendary curative, by removing the ‘volatile’ or poisonous element.” (altreligion.about.com).

Automail

You could stop with the jacket, but if you really want to impress, go all the way and make yourself some automail! You can use a wide range of materials to make a convincing metal arm. Cardboard is the easiest and cheapest. Craft foam is a bit trickier, but can also make very nice “metal”. Even more elaborate, you could use aluminum (I’ve seen it made out of beer cans, for the “Fullmetal Alchey-mist”). If you decide to use aluminum, be very careful to sand down all the sharp edges!

Here’s a couple of links to help you get started:

This site has a very good guide to making armor out of craft foam.
http://www.entropyhouse.com/penwiper/costumes/helmsdeep.html

Good Automail, totally unusual approach.
http://www.geocities.com/jenisteencantrell/Automail.html

Jan Chan’s has a pattern for Edward’s coat! The catch? You have to scale it up and be able to read Japanese.
http://www.cosplay.janchan.com/patterns/edcoat.htm

Amethyst has absolutely the best props I’ve ever seen. I think she may even have a pattern up on the site for the arm.
http://amethyst-angel.com/armormaking_automail.html

Grab your blonde wig, and a pair of white gloves — good luck!