How Not to Buy Manga

My spending habit's gotten me into a bit of a problem again... I have an issue of routine, leading to me not being able to drop a series once I've starting buying it no matter what. Also, I like to pre-order things WAY in advance, so my latest amazon order was gigantic.
Bakuman vol 9
Bakuman vol 10
Bakuman vol 11
Bakuman vol 12
Bakuman vol 13
Bakuman vol 14
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan vol 9
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan vol 10
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan vol 11
Kobato vol 6
Sailor Moon vol 3
Sailor Moon vol 4
Sailor Moon vol 5
Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus 3
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya vol 11
The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya
=$153.12
Goddamn, Mitsu!
I still haven't even finished reading my manga from months and months ago.
I'm really stupid.
NEVER buy manga in bulk like this. My only savior is that since it's pre-order the payments only go through after it comes out. But when you order manga in bulk, just as anything else, you never, ever, get around to actually reading them all.

Currently Reading
Hetalia vol 2
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus vol 2
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Flatterland by Ian Stewart
Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime by Mizuki Nomura
Hunger Games (again, review for the movie)

My Favorite Deviants~

Lesser Known Favorites
00Candy-Addict00 (<-most definitely recommended for fujoshi) (Spanish)
Inma Published artist, I buy all her English work :) (Spanish/English)
belialchan MIA but still worth a look
Chanberry My friend~ Best artist I know, watching her work is AMAZING
j00k1m110
ecko-kun
Logimac I still haven't figured out if that's their real art but...  .-.
DAV-19
matakorn Amazing manga coloring skills (Spanish)

Better Known Artists
Akimiya
captainosaka (omgilovedoubleksomuch.)
bleedman
ChuuStar
gofu-web
emperpep
meru-chan
Nanohikakou
sureya
Mikeinel

And for obvious reasons;
ryoheihuke
redjuice999
If you are unaware or new anime or for whatever reason you don't know who these two guys are, here's a short explanation. Huke drew a series of drawings entitled BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER, which inspired Ryo to write the Miku Hatsune song; Black★Rock Shooter. Also has an OVA and a currently running anime.
Redjuice did many illustrations for Ryo, such as the cover of World is Mine and Last Night, Good Night. He also did the character designs for Guilty Crown.


So anyways. Any other good artists I should check out?

Anime I Haven't Dropped Yet (Winter 2012)

As we enter roughly the 5th week of the winter 2012 anime season, the boys are separated from the men and we decide which anime are worth our time. Some bombed on the first day and some have won over my heart.

Inu x Boku SS
I was reading the manga version before this anime came out and the anime version hasn't let me down. I've seen a lot of bad reviews of this, and I don't understand whats not to like.

Mirai Nikki
Hanging on by a thread, I'm one episode behind but hopefully that will be fixed soon. I'm getting a little peeved because according to the summary my friend gave me of the manga the anime's not going anywhere. I don't really see how they're going to match this up to the manga with only seven episodes left, but I've been surprised before (i.e. Dantalian no Shouka)

Moretsu Pirates
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The only thing I'd heard of it was that it was postponed, which raised some red flags for me (and the fact it's name Bodacious Space Pirates). But there wasn't a panty in sight, and the animation is amazing. The only thing I dislike is the character design, and even that isn't so bad.

Poyopoyo & Recorder to Ransell
I know these shouldn't really count, but the all happiness they bring me packaged into 3 min had to be included in the list. Probably my second or third favorite series this season.

AnoNatsu
Unexpectedly good. The alien thing really tripped me up. Of course whats to expect from the writer of AnoHana?

Another
I've been in the mood for horror for quite a while now and this satiated that desire. Not for the faint of heart.

Dropped (ongoing)
Listen to me Girls, I'm your Father!
Dropped first episode. Sorry.
Guilty Crown
I'm told its getting better, and who knows? I might pick it back up. But for now it's in the trash can.
Beelzebub
I love the manga to death, and seeing them butcher it was too much... (after 55 episodes...)
Bakuman
I also love the manga for Bakuman, but anime is really boring. I've already seen the same thing three times... (Scanlation release->English release->anime)
Chihafuya
First episode as well. Sorry.
Hunter x Hunter
Kill me Baby
Episode 3, I want to continue, but my pride won't let me...


Maybe it's just because (almost) all my dropped series are from last season, but it seems like this season is really amazing.

Mawaru Cosplay

Mawaru Penguindrum-Princess of the Crystal Cosplay

Everything about this cosplay was annoyingly ridiculous to make, but the skirt was SO much fun. I had to roll up the petticoat and it makes me look a little fat though T-T

I gunna make a few changes before the next con, and I'll have much better pictures from that, but until then you can settle with these. :)

Under-Appreciated Manga

Since this is technically an anime/manga blog, I figured I'd talk about my current favorite anime and manga as we go into the 2011 Winter season.


I read a lot of obscure manga. So I want to take this time to highlight some of my most favorite manga that you've probably never heard of. In no particular

ARAGO
My favorite manga. EVER. And unfortunately no one's EVER heard of it. Or will take the time to read it. The ending wasn't the best, but the journey is always better than the destination.

Seiyuu-Ka!
So~~ Great! The genre list kinda tripped me up because it's a little slow to get to the main plot, but it's worth the wait. A cute story with adorable art to match, but still not really shoujo.

Ratman
I watched Tiger & Bunny before reading this, so I'm a little biased, but think Tiger & Bunny without sponsership but more AWESOMEINTENSEFIGHTPOW! Very shounen-y, despite the art style.

O/A
The first couple chapters are a little dra~~~wl, but after that it picks up with toliet humor so funny it rivals Nichijou. A definite must for any comedy or gag fan.

Nana Maru San Batsu
To me, this manga is really awesome. Like the awesomeness of Bleach + Quizzes. A very unlikely combo.

Binbougami-ga!
Funny. SO FUNNY. Slightly higher brow than O/A, but still teenage giggle level. The only shounen manga I've ever ever found with only girls a lead(without yuri of course). I really truely wish they would license this so I could read more T_T

How to Judge an Anime at First Glance

There are so many anime every season. An otaku can't be expected to watch every single one of them!!
So here's my method:

Step One: Buzz
What have I read about this?
Are others excited about?

I get all my buzz off the Crunchyroll news reels

Step Two: Title
What's it called?
Does the title tell the story?
Is the title vague and alluring?

A lot of the time I'll watch an anime just because it has the same word as another series I liked. (i.e. Nichijou -> Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou, AnoHana -> AnoNatsu)

Step Three: Screenshot
Woo! First episode released!
Do I like the animation style, just based on the small icon provided?
How about the character designs?

I will refuse to watch a series because I don't like the animation style or character designs. :P

Step Four: Genre
Does this have a genre I don't like?
Is it yaoi/yuri/ecchi?

I HATE HISTORICAL. Other than that I'll watch just about anything.


I'm picky about really weird things, but when you are only focusing on the anime coming out at the start of seasons you can't be too picky about plot. If you're looking for an anime with a specific kind of plot, it probably already exists! So go look for it!

Top Ten Anime of 2011

An assignment I did for class :)

1. Mawaru Penguindrum
This anime’s use of themes and symbolism combined with it’s masterful art and style rockets it into the number one slot not only for 2011, but of all time. In fact, the style itself makes it seem simple on the surface just from color schemes and background designs but under that simplicity there's dark concepts and symbolism that you really need to think through to understand fully.

2. Steins; Gate
Steins Gate portrays time travel and its consequences/effects in a convincingly entertaining way, without being too confusing with parallel world lines. It has the perfect blend of sci-fi, thriller, drama, romance, and even manages to throw in lots of laughs along the way. The characters are developed well, with each of them getting backstory that adds depth to the overall plot.

3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
In anime, it is very common to have little girls in cute costumes fighting against evil using magic, however, this one is a little different. Puella Madoka is a deconstruction of the magical girl genre, but it doesn't reveal itself as such at first glance. The show's specialty is its ability to elicit emotion from it’s viewers with its dark themes and plot twists, all while looking cute and lovable.
4. Tiger & Bunny
Most anime follow very strict cliches that can either make, or break them, the charm of Tiger & Bunny is that it doesn’t follow a single one. The main character is “old” (at least by anime standards), it’s set in a pseudo future America, and it’s about superheros (Okay, the last one is still cliche, but they usually don’t have capes)m all while keeping a connection to it’s target audience of Japanese teenagers.

5. Dantalian no Shouka (The Mystic Archives of Dantalian)

This show is the whole package, with stunning art and story to match, it blew me away. I really didn’t think they could wrap up such an amazing story in only an episode, having not exactly established a plot, but they did, and it left me craving for more.

6. Nichijou (My Ordinary Life)
This show embodies hilarity. Usually comedy anime isn’t funny to western audiences because of the abuse of puns the authors usually employ. Luckly, this anime uses themes everyone can laugh at.

7. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day)

A heart-warming tale of five friends coping with the death of their childhood friend after 10 years. Each of them deals with it differently, having never really gotten over it. This anime made me cry, a lot.

8. Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows)
This is also one of those anime that breaks cliches, being that an anime like this would usually either become perverted (like A LOT of anime) or too serious. It manages to do neither and still hold your interest, while the nerdy, jerk of a main character gains your love and respect just by how awesome he is.

9. Yumekui Merry (Dream-eater Merry)
This show is probably the generic kind of plot someone thinks of when they think about comic books and the like, but it’s the best of them. The character designs were personally my favorite part, who wouldn’t want to run around with those awesome tail-things flowing behind them?

10. Guilty Crown
Considering that this anime is only halfway through we still don’t know for sure, but so far the story’s plot still hasn’t solidified, which is why it sits neatly at the bottom of the list. In fact the, sole reason it even made it to the list was it’s incredible art and music, made by the extremely popular Redjuice (artist) and Ryo (composer), made famous through their work posted on the internet.