Long before Tokyopop started pushing the concept of “Original English Language Manga,” or “OEL” for short, something about western attempts at creating “manga” really bothered me, and not for any philosophical reasons. Something always felt off about the artwork, and I just couldn’t pinpoint why. Initially, I thought that it might be because the artists had no idea how to draw “manga characters,” but I realized that couldn’t be the case, because 100 people drawing big eyes and small mouths “incorrectly,” so to speak, should result in 100 different ways to look not-quite-right. No, the thing that bothered me was something more consistent across the idea of “OEL” before it was called OEL. It had to be a shared trait.
Then last year while looking at OEL, something hit me: for some reason I was being bothered by the screentones. Again however, I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. I just knew it was something having to do with screentones. In fact, the initial draft of this post is from May of 2009, where the only contents of it was the title of the post, which read “BAD SCREENTONES.”
Finally though, through the keen of eye of the Reverse Thief Narutaki, my suspicions have been confirmed, and I now fully understand why OEL screentones had been bothering me so. I really recommend you read the article, but for the sake of summary: According to Narutaki, in manga, screentone is generally used for patterns or to pull elements into the background of a panel with shading primarily done in ink, but in OEL screentone is more often used for shading and used to excess, which ends up flattening the image.
I feel so relieved!
But this information brought with it a new question: Why is it, if OEL is trying to be like manga (which we all know it is), that it does something that manga almost never does, i.e. use screentone to shade to excess? There are very few examples from manga that would fuel this mass assumption on the part of these artists, after all.
That lead to another revelation: maybe the source of this trend wasn’t “manga” at all, but something closely related. Anime!
Anime is where you will find manga-style characters with some degree of shading, even if it’s a single tone to show a simple fold in their clothing. I can only conclude that the reason OEL shading looks the way it does is because the artists were influenced by the shading methods seen in animation, and then applied these methods to manga where they are in actuality quite foreign despite the fact that anime and manga are so closely related.
Ogiue Chika RANDOM STRANGER AT A DOUJIN EVENT
This is no surprise to me, as anime and manga are often spoken of in the same breath. Heck, I’m no exception, and you will often see me choosing one word or the other when referring to both, as after a while it gets irritating to write “anime and manga” every time instead of just “anime.” Still, it is a very good reminder that as similar as anime and manga are, they also possess a number of unique differences beyond the fact that one is animated and the other is not.
“The Gathering: Origins” is the first festival of games in Romania and aims active involvement of the main communities of gamers, enthusiasts of comics and science fiction.
”The Gathering: Origins” means meeting people that like fantasy, it means a chance to know us and to enjoy together, it means a beginning. In the Name of the Game!
When?
The event will begin on February 20th and will end on February 21st and this is only possible thanks to Stud Life.
Stud-Life is a magazine for general students, distributed 13,000 free copies every month since March 2009 in Bucharest, and in August 2009 and in Constanta
Where this ideea?
The game gives satisfaction in itself, not only by its results. Whether they are sports games, word, construction, the flair, the skill or strategy, we use them to learn something, because we take pleasure and for that we need to play. The Gathering collect all communities and fantasy gaming enthusiasts ignored until now in Romania, in one festival.
Some of the domains you’ll be able to see at this outstanding event will be:
Gaming
Games merchandising
Comic Books
Manga
Digital Art
Technology
Sci-Fi
If you decide to join us, you’ll also have the oportunity to participate at lots of games with attractive prizez, you’ll be able to see some of the greatest projections about the history of games and gaming, the hottest animes and you’ll have a great show of stand-up comedy and a live concert!
The space is divided into four areas that will place the stands and a hall with stage for screenings and presentations.
Gotham Area – Board Games, Action Figures
Area ElectroCity – Gaming
Battleground Area – Sport Games
Area New Tokyo – Manga, Anime
Area Hall of Fame – Presentations and Projections
The price of the tickets its EXTREMELY LOW!
15 RON/3.7 Euro for 1 day
25 RON/ 6 Euro for both days
I will keep you updated on any news I’ll have in regards to this event and I really hope I’ll see you there guys!
I don’t think I’m all that interesting so yeh… XD lol
why I’m posting somthing I kinda don’t know…but I guess I’ll just talk about what I’m been doing XD lol
1st of all I’ve been getting back on twitter alot :3 so that’s been fun~
also one of my friends started a Buono!-fan-twitter-acount-thingy and I’m apart of it. I’m Momo(Momoko)~~~<3 lol
I resently found out about this game called "Tales of Graces". I'm watching the story on YouTube with my younger sis~~~
there’s a pic (^above^) of it~ :3 it’s a really cool RPG! it’s for Wii, it’s only in Japanese so far, and it just came out in December XD lol
It’s about a young boy named Asbel, and how he goes from rebelious child, to a knight, to a hero! I hope it comes out in english!!!
Aside from Asbel, there’s his younger brother Hubert(don’t get atached to him…), a girl that is the granddaughter of the butler that works for Asbel’s family, Cheria, she is Asbel and Hubert’s childhood friend, & has a crush on Asbel. Also, there’s Asbel’s knight teacher, Malik. Then there’s another girl named Pascal, she’s awesome :3 lol. Then there’s Asbel’s other childhood friend named Richard, Asbel & Richard become best friends along with another girl that Asbel & Hubert find when they are kids. She can’t remember anything about herself or anything at all, so she looks like an airhead. Asbel gives her the name “Sophie”, because she likes a kind flower that is called “Sophie” or somthing…
Anyway, it’s a really great story!! ^w^ I recomend it to all anime/RPG fans!
Another this is that I just finished a whole manga series today! it has 19 chapters so it was an easy finish~ =P lol
The main girl ended up with the guy I didn’t want her to end up with in the end. =/ so that really made me mad…
but this manga is really touching…I cried durring most of the chapters…
Also, turning back to the US, Conan O’ Brian had to leave his show.
BOOOOOOO!!!!!! TT____TT I’m really upset about that….
well I dunno what else to talk about, so bai for naow~! :3
Its been a tough week for my family and me resulting in a lack of Anime news. Word has come through that Max Factory’s Yoko Real version is being delayed to the end of February, which is a little annoying but at this stage a little expected. I suppose the sting of the Yoko delay was tempered by the arrival of Chua Churam probably one of the cutest vampire characters I have seen!
Also I place my order for Max factory’s Kagamine Rin, number 2 in the NuclearFusion Vocaloid range.
"Following Miku in terms of outstanding design"
Now considering that Miku is also due this year, I have to say that I appreciate the direction of the these Vocaloid figures. Given Max Factory’s record of producing outstanding figures, the Rin follows suit by having a stunningly designed base. The coloured discs are a fantastic addition giving a whole myriad of colours to this figure. This one went on the pre-order list last night and if Max Factory continue to raise the bar of direction and design, I am will be sure to buy any others that follow.
Volcaoid Kagamine Rin is available from Playasia.com (see affiliate bar) priced $109.90 and ships August this year.
Desde tiempos inmemoriables, la Tierra siempre ha estado protegida por una gran barrera contra invasores alienigenas. Sin embargo, el poder que resguarda este campo es amenazado por los “Emulators”, criaturas quienes desean destruir nuestro plano. Las personas enviadas a combatirlos son los Night Wizards, guerreros confinados al anonimato que solo se muestran para repeler amenazas del tipo “sobrenatural”.
Titulo: Night Wizard – The Animation
Generos: Accion, Fantasia
Categoria: Serie TV
Idioma: Japones
Subtitulo: Español
Fansub: KSF
Formato: mp4
Resolucion: 720 x 480
Año: 2007
Tamaño: 60mb
Servidor: Rapidshare
At night, the radiator in my room turns into a jet engine. Or, rather, it seems to dream about being one As I lie awake listening to it howl and sputter, I am reminded of distant dreams I can barely recall, of other worlds I know in my sleep, but have never truly encountered.
I ponder the magic of the night, that fantastic tension which drags my soul naked across landscapes foreign and familiar. How often in dreams have I been able to truly be with the one I love, who is as distant a creature as a phantom! Strange that I should long to wake, knowing he will fade from my arms when I arise.
Yet in my magical nocturne jet, I am able to fly to his warm embrace once more, to caress his pale cheek and ruffle his dark hair. For the one I love knows well the flight path the radiator conjures, and he finds me without fail, regardless of the mode or method painting our environs.
So why do I flee from sleep, from his emerald eyes and supple lips? Is it because I recognize the futility of flight, my heart a pair of wax-melted Icarine wings? Or is it simply that I am unable to bear another morning’s loss of so great a passion?
In the end, the radiator begins its descent, fwapping angstily in its shell like a weakened baby bird, and I am greeted by nothing but a room filled to the ceiling with memories and useless possessions. Perhaps someday I will truly find peace, but never in this darkened museum of futility.
The story begins 2 years after the events of Tales of Symphonia with the main character Emil Castagnier and Marta Lualdi. The world of Tethe’alla and Sylvarant that was separated in the previous game has now been combined into one single unified world due to the actions of the Chosen’s group during the World Regeneration. However, even though the worlds are now combined into one there are strange weather occurrences happening all over the world. As if that was not enough, the Tethe’allans are discriminating against the Sylvaranti due to their lack of technological development. This type of action causes a battle to break out between the religious group called the Church of Martel from the Tethe’alla and the Vanguard, also known as the Sylvaranti Liberation Front.
One day a massacre happens in a city called Palmacosta due to the city’s association with the Vanguard. The Church of Martel uses this opportunity to wipe out the city’s population without mercy; this was called the Blood Purge. In the midst of the slaughter, a young girl named Marta runs through the city hoping to escape with a strange jewel. Unfortunately the girl is cornered by the Church but fortunate enough to be saved by a mysterious yellow haired boy. The boy walks away from the girl and the story continues when they are reunited 6 months later.
Tales of Symphonia had a complex story line for the genre at the time but not enough to dazzle any fans of the genre. Regardless of how gamers criticize Symphonia, the story is something that people remember very well as one of their fan favorites. As a result of this, a direct sequel called Dawn of the New World (or Knight of Ratatosk in Japanese) is created to further develop and tell what happened after Lloyd, the main character of the first game, and his friends finished their journey. Although the story doesn’t match up to the magnificence of Symphonia because of the lack of “epicness” and length, Dawn of the New World does a sufficient job enough to please the fans and satiate some of the RPG hungry gamers on the Wii.
The story’s main strength lies in the interaction between Emil and Marta, the two main characters of the game, and their relationship with each other. The conversations that they hold together and the actions that occur because of their bond is something that holds this game together regardless of how bad certain aspects of the game gets. Emil, the male protagonist, is a fascinating character in that he experiences dynamic change throughout the game and is very evident. Marta, the female protagonist, is Emil’s buffer and support and helps to complicate the story and the situation for the better. With all said and done, or with all things watched and heard, the game does a good job with the story on many portions, and even better than a few RPGs, but it has its shortcomings.
The main shortcoming to this game is that confusion will often occur if the player didn’t play the first game. Because this game is a direct sequel to it, players will need to have prior knowledge of the game in order to grasp certain aspects of the story and the drama that occurs later on, although optional. Even though the players can understand what is going on by browsing through online sources to find out what happened, or by listening in on some of the extra conversations offered throughout the game, this isn’t something that can be easily remedied unless you play the first game. However, this doesn’t mean that the story of the game is bad, the story is quite good and stands on its own feet, but this is a game meant to be played by the fans and understood bythe fans also.
The gameplay in DotNW is very solid, in fact there are few minor errors in the main formula at all, but there are technicalities here and there that ultimately bring DotNW to a second-rate RPG. The game is a very typical RPG with the player controlling a main character in an area and then goes into a battle when he runs into a monster in dungeons. The game utilizes typical RPG mechanics but adds in certain things into the mix to create an identity of its own.
One of the main things that the Tales of franchise has been widely known for is its fun and addicting battle system. They have vastly improved the battle engine from the previous Symphonia game but nothing compared to the new engine that Tales of Vesperia runs. The engine that runs DotNW is called Flex-Range Element Enhanced Linear Motion Battle System or FREE-LMBS in short. When a player runs into a monster in a dungeon, a battle will occur where the player is placed in a battle area with 4 characters. The player controls one character and the other three are run by an AI. The battle area is a very large circle with invisible boundaries. When battling with the character that the player controls there are two types of attack buttons which are normal attacks and Artes. Normal attacks are done by clicking the A-button near an enemy and Artes are accessed by the B-button with a direction on the Nunchuck joystick. The battle is very quick and very fast paced.
Along with the regular attack buttons players are granted a few more features that they can use in combat. When fighting an enemy the player fights a single monster on a linear plane, however, by holding the Z-button the player has the ability to Free-run wherever he chooses. The battle is very accessible with this feature and is a necessity. Along with the Free-run ability, Unison Attacks make a return in the game. Although, the depth of this feature has gone down it is still a very helpful feature. When attacking or attacked, a bar below the character’s status bars fills up. After the bar has been filled up a certain amount the player can Unison Attack. The last notable feature about DotNW is that monsters can be used on your side when battling. When Emil defeats a
monster in battle, he may have the option to make a pact with it and make it fight on your side. Although this feature feels a little gimmicky, it is a necessity when players are playing on the harder difficulties. The player has the option to evolve the monsters and teach it a variety of skills. The depth that the game offers in monster customization is very well implemented. Eventually, your monsters might even best the human characters that you might recruit later on in the game. When the player isn’t battling, he will control Emil and navigate him around the various areas that you will explore. These locations can range from a snowy city or a hot desert temple. Players can buy new items and restock on healing items in towns, while they may encounter grunt enemies in
dungeons to proceed through the plot. There isn’t much slowdown in the story at all due to its length and the gameplay flow is very consistent throughout. Each town has its own unique identity and the dungeons have a different puzzle that the player must figure out before proceeding to another area. Although veterans of Symphonia might find the rehash of certain areas tedious, the game stays consistent with many places staying the way it used to be. Unfortunately, the game has now World Map travel. To be more precise, traveling from one area to another no longer requires the player’s exploration of the world and instead uses a single button to go from one place to another. This “point and click” system on the world map cuts down major traveling time in the game but removes the fun and exploration of the world that many RPGs have to offer.
The mechanics that DotNW implements are well done and make the game very enjoyable. The battles are very satisfying and the amounts of sidequests or extras are enough to satisfy a game of this magnitude. The overall gameplay portion isn’t something that many previous games of the genre can beat but can be overlooked when compared to Tales of Vesperia or Final Fantasy.
Though there are many things to be praised about in DotNW’s gameplay mechanics there are minor problems that deter the game’s overall playability. There isn’t anything major that brings the quality of the game down but when the minor mistakes are added up, there seems to be a lack of refinement. The first major thing that can be noticed around 2 hours into the game is frame-rate. The game flows very very nicely through the game but there are portions of the game where the frame rate drops and the movements of characters become jagged.
Another problem with the game is the uncontrollable difficulty. The grunt fights are unbelievably easy for the player to complete the boss fights are considerably different. The first problem that the boss fights have is that the players will most likely die to them once or numerous times before actually beating the boss. This is due to immense amount of damage that the boss inflicts upon you. Not only that, but the recovery time given for you to escape chained attacks will not always be sufficient, causing your death. Skill is something that players will need but also patience, and maybe a couple of your friends to help with the boss fights. To only add the difficulty of the fights are the Mystic Artes. Mystic Artes are the ultimate moves granted to each player character in the game, and majority of the bosses. The move is virtually inescapable and will ultimately cause your
characters to fall to 1 HP. This is nearly unacceptable as the players will be harshly punished for the gap of difficulty between fights and definitely noticeable on the harder difficulty modes.
The last major minor problem that the game has is the length and feel for the game. The battles are smooth and addictive but the game feels very arcade-like at times and therefore diminishing the feeling of a console game. This isn’t a bad thing but if a game feels like this then there is something that gives less value to overall experience of the game. Other than that, the battle portion is very well-implemented and executed. The length is acceptable but is very short for an RPG. The flow of the game, as mentioned, is fairly consistent but at times it feels rushed to the point where the player is bombarded with a series of revelations and plot twists. This isn’t anything major and probably adds to the drama that the game offers but one can’t but feel a little lost and overwhelmed at times.
The graphics of the game isn’t something that will dazzle many players of the genre but is something that can be tolerated. The whole entire game is graphically consistent as the cutscenes and animations are all done seamlessly. There isn’t any change of graphical style other than the anime opening in the beginning of the game. The character models look great, more realistically than Symphonia, and the artistic direction of the game looks better than before also. The only problem that the game has visually is its lack of detail. This graphics engine could probably be used on the Gamecube but somehow Namco-Bandai decided that it was okay to use an “okay”
graphical engine. The graphics aren’t something that players will be puking over, but it’s certainly not the best that it can do on the system. The colors are vibrant but at the same time seem bland. The flashy lights still glow when using certain Artes but other than that, extreme colors are non-existent. Overall, people can’t complain about the direction that the game went graphically but one can always advise Namco-Bandai to use a better engine next time.
The sound in the game is exceptional and has come a long way especially when someone compares it to the original Symphonia. Music ranges from rehashes of Symphonia to new mixes from DotNW. The music that plays when
you explore a dungeon from the previous Symphonia can definitely be a remix of the original tune or the original tune itself. Regardless of the reusing of the same tune, the quality of the tunes is still great. Music doesn’t play a major emphasis on the players but is still something nice for them to hear time to time.
Character voices are done exceptionally well for this game and stands out as one of the strong points. Unfortunately people will compare the previous voice actors to the current voice actors and how the new actors are not good but when this difference is set aside the voices are good. Emil has two different personalities and both of them are portrayed very well. The other human casts have voices that fit their personality and their emotions are presented effectively. The major difference between this game and the previous game is the voiced skits. Skits are fun side-conversations that can be accessed throughout the game. The characters are very emotional in these conversations and the sounds of their hearts are excellently presented. Nothing bad can be said about the sound quality or the overall sound of the game other than the lack of emphasis
and supreme excellence.
The game is currently priced at $40 out of the $50 dollars for a full-priced Wii game. DotNW is very short in length only lasting about 20-30 hours on your first playthrough if you rush it. However, the game’s playability truly shines when the player plays through it a second time using the GRADE shop. GRADE is something that is earned throughout the game and with it players can use it to buy perks for the next playthrough such as inherit skills, inherits titles, and such. The game is worth playing multiple times and is very amusing for a quick run through such as reading a novel. For not being a full-priced game, DotNW is quite a grab.
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is an excellent RPG with its own merits. The game is very amusing to go through and is very funny at times. DotNW offers something that not many RPGs can do right due to its own separate identity that it holds even though it is an RPG. The game’s battle system is very fun and action packed that can easily have a player addicted to it. The story is heartwarming, dramatic, and somewhat suspenseful. The graphics and animations are amazing to look at, especially during cutscene fights. The sound is outstanding due to the great work put by the voice actors. Last but not least, the value that the game has with only $40 is quite a deal. With nearly everything said, Tales of Symphonia does more rights than it does wrongs and the wrongs that it has can be easily overlooked when you enjoy the game. Tales of
Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is an adventure that fans of the series will not forget
I’m not an anime guy by any means. I watch Initial D and Wangan Midnight, but what JDM freak doesn’t? There’s only one other anime I’ve watched and been a really big fan of, Black Lagoon. My old roommate Alex got me hooked on Black Lagoon and few years back and recently I’ve been re-watching it. Black Lagoon follows the lives of a band of mercenaries and their exploits in the South China Sea, it’s only 2 seasons and very violent. Alex was also telling me it didn’t do the greatest in Japan because it’s too “western”. Meaning the characters and story lines are more tailored to a non-Japanese audience. I’ve heard rumors of a 3rd season of Black Lagoon in the making. I really hope that’s true cause it’s a great series.
Anime used to be more of my thing in high school, but in recent years, I haven’t really been able to find any that have appealed to me. My interests have simply wheeled off in other directions, and for the longest time, all I was finding in anime was a slew of poorly conceived and executed plots, mindless, singular personality characters, as well as those funky hairstyles that seem to have become a cultural obsession (I blame you, Final Fantasy—but don’t worry, I still love ya). Then I picked up “The Sky Crawlers.”
The movie opens on an alternate history where, though the world is at relative peace, mankind has come to the conclusion that it cannot live without war and aggression. As such, private corporations have been contracted to continue war in the skies—but more as stage shows for the public. Kildren—teens that have been genetically designed to live in eternal adolescence—have been designed and are used to fly the planes that constitute these mock-battles, in an endless series of mindless combats. They die so no one else has to, while satisfying man’s eternal thirst for blood.
I’d seen ads heralding it and it had the recommendations of a few friends, so I decided to break my usual taboo and have a look. It also helped that its director was none other than Mamoru Oshii, the genius behind the original Ghost in the Shell.
What struck me first was how far Japanese animation has come. The movie was exquisite to look at, a seamless blend of the soft, smoothly drawn scenes of the 2d world, and the engaging, in-depth vision of 3d. The movie did not suffer from the same condition that turns many away from the genre: it was not flat, it had depth. Aerial combat was a real beauty to behold, the elegance of planes diving in and out, weaving between the clouds of a full 3d plane, explosions scorching the skies as bullets tore the hapless battlers to bits. The choreographing was excellent and everything moved naturally.
Symbolism marked the entire film. The distance between people—the loneliness of being. Wide, open spaces and silence, mingled with dark and grey atmospheres—an almost nonexistent outside world. You see newspapers heralding events, monotone news reports on a TV—but the people, the real people of the world are seen hovering in their corners, talking, but rarely heard. Repetition—the endless cycle of the world. Images repeat. Scenes seem to go through the motions, foreshadowing the great theme and twist of the film. Everything is hazed. The atmosphere is brilliant at drawing you in, leaving you wondering. It makes you think.
Characters have personality. They move and they act like real humans, and, in the case of the main characters, like teenagers. Everyone moves through their roles with a sort of single-minded haze, but when they begin to question their reality, what they want, what they need, what they think—you feel it, and the movie is brilliant for it.
Though peppered with scenes of beautiful, elegant destruction in the skies, this movie is not about the action, and the first half can feel somewhat slow because of it, but it picks up quick, and by the end, you’re hooked, eager to see how the building revelations play out. I wish there had been more action sequences because when they are done they are a real thing to behold, but they are often quick, as with real dog-fighting. Some questions also remain unanswered in the end, however, which I wish had been addressed with a little more depth. Some things feel without conclusion, others like they could have been fleshed out a bit.
Nevertheless, it is a good movie, and definitely one I’d recommend. It’s a good mystery film and it makes you think, as Mamoru tends to make you do. It doesn’t strike me as a group film, though. It’s more like a good book, so rent it for a night, grab a bucket of popcorn, and settle in for a good watch.
*Warning forgive my grammar. I don’t like to check my grammar sometimes*
Today I went to Robinsons galleria to finish some trade deals. After robinsons galleria, I went to Megamall to look at Otakuzine. We were suppose to meet at 12, but mike and kenley were late. So I decided to check the event area.
When I first entered the hall, the first thing I notice was this ….
This was definitely better than looking at maids.
After a quick picture, I took a look at the left side of the hall. It was filled with the usual shops. There were lots of felt hat accessories, goth clothes, figurines. And there was also a very large guy wearing a yellow pikachu costume.
( Sorry, I dont want to picture someting that doesn’t look good).
The event doesn’t really have much actitivites for me. I checked out the maid cafe at the right side of the hall. There was a long line of people wanting to go in the cafe. I looked at the menu, maid pictures and the rules. It was crap! Customers can only stay for 10 mins! They get an additional 10 minutes for a minimum of 60 peso purchase of something. And from the maid pictures, one of the maid seems to be a guy?!
WTF!
After walking inside the hall for an hour, I decided to get some sweets and rest my feet. ( hey it rhymes haha ) Then suddenly, kenley called. So we meet up, and they (kenley and mike) had lunch. After that, we went to the event hall. This time I took a picture with the “Luna priestess” since I have a cameraman now haha
Note to myself: Need to pose better!!!!!!!!! (Natapon kasi ng ice cream yun shirt ko sa front argh )
So after that, we looked around …. and around and ……………..untill we were bored……….
Then when we looked at the Luna online area again, and we noticed there are 2 priestess now.
Yey
so what I did was ……………..
Note: Still need to work on my poses. Need to pose better next time….
After that I went home because I was tired. I didn’t get enough sleep because of playing FF13 last night. Overall It was a good day haha
I hope it comes out in english!!!
Its been a tough week for my family and me resulting in a lack of Anime news. Word has come through that Max Factory’s Yoko Real version is being delayed to the end of February, which is a little annoying but at this stage a little expected. I suppose the sting of the Yoko delay was tempered by the arrival of Chua Churam probably one of the cutest vampire characters I have seen!
