Denkyu: Anime Webzine

by Otakuden

Life can’t be all fun and games andcrazy running around. One should always take time to stop and smell the roses, to appreciate the small things in our every day lives – but are they really small? Aren’t the little things that go without notice, or barely a regard, the very fabric that makes up our being? It’s not a common or popular theme in anime, but every now and then an anime comes along with no flashing lights or big guns or dynamic drama. Instead, it lives by breathing life into commonplace; to make every day not just any day.

Sketchbook ~full color’S~ is a new tv series currently showing in Japan and available for download. Currently it is up to episode 11 of 13 which means this wonderfully average anime will soon be at an end. By wonderfully average I mean that Sketchbook makes me appreciate that which i might not normally take notice of during the day as I go about my work, errands, and whatever else I might have to do. What would it mean for me if I started the day off on my left foot instead of my right? Would the usual routes I take seem any different? Sora, the main character of Sketchbook, does this one day and we get to follow Sora as she continues her day doing the unordinary. Out of the every day routine, she sees a side of her quiet little home town she hasn’t seen before. Everything that was commonplace was suddenly an exciting new discovery. I find this to be wonderfully refreshing, exciting, and soothing.

It’s not to say that Sketchbook doesn’t have enough eccentricity to balance out the normalcy. Some of the characters will have you ROTFLOL while others will make you squeal in cuteness. Sora is a huge cat lover, and as such, the main cats in the anime are their own characters – each with their own unique personality. While Sora-tachi can’t understand what they are saying, we as the viewer get to partake in their cat adventures and views on humans. In one episode, we find out that Sora has a tendency to feed the stray cats (which she names) food that has expired and the cats can’t take it anymore. While they appreciate her consideration, the cats are beside themselves in how to make Sora (a human) understand that expired food is bad. Suffice to say, Sora realizes and apologizes by feeding them fresh fish as the cats celebrate their good fortune. Of course, I’m sure it helps that I am also a cat lover, but still, it’s all good ^_^

So why the title, Sketchbook ~full color’S~? Sora and her friends are all members of the school art-club, so you have friends and senpai of varying ages… and weirdness. Seriously.

One even talks with puppets on her hands. Another is dark and sullen, yet has the most awesome dry wit ever, almost on scale with Bill Murray. Another loves bugs and plans to be an entomologist, and her best friend tags along and plays the guitar. The songs she makes up and sings are…different. That, though, is just who they are and Sketchbook celebrates all of their unique qualities and similarities that is just who they are on any given day. Nothing special, and yet, that is what makes them special.

A beautiful sunset.

A falling sakura blossom

The wind as it rustles through the flowers.

The moon shining through your bedroom window.

Beautiful, peaceful, wonderful. An everyday slice of life anime delivered fresh each week. I hope Sketchbook ~full color’S~ is licensed so I can buy it on DVD. In the meantime though, I hope others fans out there will take a little time to step back, relax, and experience the moment with the lively characters of Sketchbook.

Ancient City Con II will be hosting a 60 station LAN event (BYOC) sponsored by www.jaxgamers.com for this year’s convention! More information coming soon regarding open play and game tournaments!

The LAN will run non-stop from 8AM until Midnight on Saturday and from 8AM until 6PM on Sunday. Attendees may pre-register to reserve a seat in the LAN (60 person max.)!

For more info or to pre-register please visit www.ancientcitycon.com !

As has been reported elsewhere, the February 2008 issue of Newtype USA will indeed be our last. We’re sure a lot of you are still wondering just what happened and would like some answers regarding the magazine and your subscriptions, so read on:

What?
That’s right. Newtype USA is done. Kaput. It’s been a lot of fun and taken a lot of hard work to make it all happen, and to everyone who’s picked up an issue and found something new or interesting, we thank you for your support. You’re the reason why we tried to make NTUSA the best magazine we could every month.

When?
We’re ending a nearly five and half year run of publishing Newtype USA with our current February 2008 issue. For those that were just discovering the magazine or renewing a subscription, we can’t apologize enough for how crummy this must be. You’re welcome to write to us and express your sorrow, your anger or even your congrats (should you find reason to celebrate).

Why?
Frankly, as far as the NTUSA staff is concerned, there were circumstances that were beyond our control that led to all of this. It’s probably not best to go into the details, but we can say that it had nothing to do with the magazine we produced, its pricing or its performance. Considering the number of hoops that were set before us each month, we made our way through each one and generated the best magazine we could.

Who?
The good news in all of this is that the team behind Newtype USA is now starting up a new magazine called PiQ. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way people were led to believe that this new magazine is simply a renamed Newtype USA clone or what have you. That’s not the case. PiQ is an entirely new magazine, with a new voice and covering a wider range of entertainment, while still revolving around anime and fan culture. And let’s be clear, PiQ is its own entity, operating outside the bounds of both Newtype publisher Kadokawa Shoten and Newtype USA parent company ADV.

Where?
After all of this, you’re probably totally disheartened over the demise of Newtype USA. We feel your pain, really. But keep your chin up because you’ll be able to get your first glimpse of PiQ when the first issue hits newsstands in March. You can also find the PiQ web site at piqmag.com. It’s still in development, but things are gonna be happening soon over there. If you have questions about your NTUSA subscription and how that’ll switch over to PiQ, please contact us directly at subscriptions@newtype-usa.com.

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We hope that answers some of your questions about Newtype USA and what it means for you as a reader and/or subscriber. Take heart in knowing that we’re still here and still excited to have your attention, and more importantly, things are looking up. All we ask is that you stick with us and see what the future brings. See you on the other side!

by Otakuden

Black Lagoon opens up with a still existent maritime past-time – and that is piracy. Not quite the swashbuckling days of yore, but piracy still happens on the less savory parts of the seas along with anything else shady and black market you can imagine. Black Lagoon is the first anime I have seen that brings this scourge of the seas to life, and very colorfully, too. Geneon and all parties involved in Japan really captured the atmosphere and lush beauty of the untamed tropics full of untamed human spirit. I can’t help but wanna drop it all and take a trip to Jamaica or the Bahamas every time I watch Black Lagoon. Black Lagoon is named for the anti-heroes of our story, the four members of Lagoon Company. They are Revy, Dutch, Benny, and Rock, the newest addition. Rock is the newest member, and acts as the narrator/witness for our stories as they unfold. I found it interesting to watch his struggle with the darkness inside himself while finding his place within Lagoon Company. A classic white-collar Japanese salary man, Rock fits in very well with Lagoon Company. It’s not that he doesn’t belong there, he just has to accept that he does, and it is OK. Surrounding Lagoon Company are Balalaika (love her!!) with her Russian mafia and various other organized groups vying for supremacy. Each character stands on their own. Black Lagoon has some of the most colorful, varied, independent, and deep characters I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

Deep characters in a shoot-em-up, bloody, violent, foul-languaged anime? Yep. A gorgeous musical score, too. In season one, when Roberta makes her appearance at The Yellow Flag, the traditional Colombian music that plays from in the background makes that beginning of the ark. It helps create and introduce us to her character, and to the values she and the family she protects represent – traditional, close-nit, and proud.

Black Lagoon is hilariously funny and moving at the same time, not to mention full of pop references. It seems that each time I watch Black Lagoon, I catch yet another I missed. Roberta’s nun-too-subtle pop reference is one of my favorite though, and the episode titles also get an A+ for originality and amusement. Amidst all the fun and games is an attention to detail that makes Black Lagoon more than just the same old pretty visual recycled crap. While it doesn’t stand out as much in the first season, it becomes apparent in season 2 that while we are listening to the characters speak in Japanese, the most common spoken language in Roanapura is actually English. While in Roanapura, they are speaking English, but when Lagoon Company and Balalaika travel overseas to Japan, Rock has to act as a translator between Balalaika and a Japanese businessman. It’s also hinted at that Rock can speak and understand Russian, and Revy, being Chinese-American, can speak both languages but only ever really speaks English.

It is little touches like that which really made me fall wholly in love with Black Lagoon. The first season is only 13 episodes long and split up amidst 3 dvds. A 100% worthwhile purchase, I guarantee it. Give Balalaike and Revy and the rest of the Roanapura gang a chance. If you don’t they may just have to give you four ass-cheeks ^_-

On a side note…

I picked Black Lagoon for my first review for a couple reasons. Black Lagoon is one of the best new genre breaking, shoot-em-up, violent, intellectual, and intricate series I have seen in quite a few years. It is an anime that can appeal to anime and non-anime fans alike. Secondly, Black Lagoon is no longer available domestically. When Geneon pulled out of the US the end of last year, they took with them the license rights to all their series, which included Black Lagoon season 1 (which had just finished being released) and Black Lagoon season 2 which is now lost. Black Lagoon can be found in stores and online with retailers who still have stock, and I want anyone who is interested in seeing and buying Black Lagoon to still be able to have that opportunity. Hopefully, another US anime company will relicense this series for a domestic rerelease. I know I would be first in line to buy season 2.

AniMonday!  AniMonday!  AniTuesday!  AniTuesday!

Double your anime viewing pleasure!  Beginning this week, anime will now be shown on Monday and Tuesday nights starting at 11pm on the SciFi channel.