by Elizabeth Chan | staff writer

Japanese American pop-rocker Kylee first garnered attention from music producers after singing the National Anthem at an NBA game at the young age of 11 and has since enjoyed incredible opportunities one after another.   The latest news for this vocal prodigy is the announcement of her first headlining show in Oakland, CA, on June 21st at Yoshi’s Oakland.

After initially releasing through Indie label RX-Records at the age of 14 and releasing her first single “Vacancy” with placement as the ending theme to the anime Xam’d: Lost Memories and one EP release the following year, Kylee was signed to Sony Music Japan’s subsidiary label DefStar Records. She made her major debut on March 24, 2010 with the release of “Kimi ga Iru kara,” which was also the theme song to the Japanese and American collaborative film Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac which starred names like Maki Horikita (Hanazakari Kimitachi e, Kurosagi, Nobuta o Produce), Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Gantz), Yuya Tegoshi (member of the bands NEWS and Tegomass), and Anton Yelchin (best known for portraying Pavel Chekov in the new Star Trek films).  Her following two singles, “Missing” and “Everlasting” were also tied to the Stan Lee anime and manga project Heroman and recent Gundam series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.

Some of her other accomplishments include performing at a Major League Baseball game in front of 50,000 people, performing for President Obama, and appearing on NBC’s “Today Show” for an interview and performance of her fourth single “Never Give Up” on May 13, 2011.  While currently attending the prestigious Stanford University, Kylee’s first album “17″ is scheduled for an upcoming U.S.

This announcement is only the most recent of her accomplishments.  Yoshi’s Oakland is a premier location for live music that is also an integral part of Japanese American history.  Founded in 1972 by three students as a sushi bar in North Berkeley.  After relocating to Oakland in 1977 and making a move to provide live music, Yoshi’s became a venue for some of the best jazz in the area with performances by Betty Carter, Harry Connick Jr., and Oscar Peterson to name a few.  Currently located in Jack London Square after being invited to the area by the Port of Oakland, Kylee will be taking the stage at 10 PM on June 21st and adding her name to the prestigious history of the venue.

For more information on this event and to buy tickets, please visit the Yoshi’s Oakland website.

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Official Website:  http://www.kylee.jp/

Official Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/kyleeofficialfanpage

Official Twitter:  https://twitter.com/kylee_official

Youtube Channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/KyleeSMEJ

Youtube VEVO:  http://www.youtube.com/user/KyleeVEVO

by Marlan Moore | staff editor

Ah, first dates. They can be awkward enough as it is without having to worry about a psycho girl stalking you, making you wear your date’s gym clothes, and forcing her demands on you. But hey, when it’s Flowers of Evil, I guess being stalked and forced to cross dress are par for the course.

Episode 5 is all about Kasuga and Saeki’s date. Other than Nakamura stalkin’ them and giving Kasuga orders to sha-la-la-la-la-la kiss the girl, it goes surprisingly smoothly. Until now, Kasuga’s been playing Nakamura’s perverted game, afraid of the consequences if he didn’t do her bidding. It was a nice change of pace to see Kasuga stand up for himself and put his foot down.

Unfortunately, not doing as he’s told means he gets punished — just when Kasuga and Saeki have decided to get together in a “platonic relationship,” Nakamura takes a bucket of water and dumps it on Kasuga.

As anyone that’s been in an epic water balloon fight can tell you, getting clothes soaked – especially white clothes – makes ‘em see through. And with Kasuga wearing Saeki’s gym clothes under that now soaking, see-through shirt means…he’s in an especially vulnerable spot. Lucky for him, he’s able to cover up a bit and run away like an awkward, shivering child, hoping Saeki doesn’t notice what he’s wearing.

Gotta admit, this was a great change of pace from last episode, which didn’t seem to do anything but set this episode up. The whole date thing would have been boring if not for the constant danger of exposure by Nakamura. And just when you find yourself rooting for Kasuga, and when it seems there’s nothing Nakamura can do but jump out from behind the tree and yell at him…she finds a way to torture poor ol’ Kasuga even further.

There’s also a great will-he-won’t-he moment where he’s thinking about kissing her. I’m just a sucker for those moments where all you hear is Kasuga’s heartbeat.

Oh, yeah. And there’s this guy:

That guy’s mustache deserves its own spinoff.

Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Episode 4 Review
Streaming on Crunchyroll

[NOTE: The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the SPJA.]

by Marlan Moore | staff editor

The Ace Attorney will be returning to North America for a fifth adventure in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies for the Nintendo 3DS. Unlike previous games in the series, this one will be available only as a digital download this coming Fall.

Dual Destinies takes place 8 years after the last game, starting in the ruins of a destroyed court room where Phoenix Wright and his Wright Anything Agency must search for clues as to what caused the destruction.

This will be the first game in the series to take advantage of the 3DS and its 3D graphics, allowing gamers to change views in their environment as well as zoom-in on areas in search of clues.

Along with returning characters Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies will be introducing Associate Attorney Athena Cykes. Athena brings with her a new gameplay mechanic called Mood Matrix, which allows gamers to tell how the person on the stand is feeling — be it excited, worried, or homicidal. This can come in handy when trying to catch the witness in a lie — if their mood contradicts their statement, it may be a good time to object.

Check out the trailer for Dual Destinies below to see the game – and the new Mood Matrix – in action.

  by Lindo Korchi | staff writer

Attack on Titan Episode 4 quickly starts off with the trainees honing their battle skills, martial arts, and 3DMG as they practice every form of offense and defense that is needed when dealing with the Titans.

Annie’s smooth finish.

Reiner (a physically strong trainee) provokes a female named Annie to spar with Eren. Honestly, I think her father may be Bruce Lee because she has exceptional martial art skills. She effortlessly whoops Eren just as Lee did to Robert Wall in Enter the Dragon. “Annie Lee” then exposed the corruption of the system and stated only the top 10 most skilled trainees will be able to join the Military police – which serve the king, lead the people, and are protected deep within the walls of Wall Sina, far from the Titans.

The statement is unexpected and surprising. You start to wonder why the government would remove the top 10 best trainees off the battle field and turn them into body guards for the king and elite officials. Through indoctrination it’s regarded as a privilege to serve the king. Though, in reality, it’s all about selfish gain, self protection, and deception. Civilians will die in the face of the Titans while government officials remain safe behind Wall Sina. The people are just disposable pawns, only living in order to be sacrificed by the government at anytime. Annie has grasped this reality, and now Eren is forced to accept it.

Potato Girl made it in the top 10!

After three years, 218 trainees made it past graduation. The top 10 most skilled trainees in sequential order were: 1. Mikasa. 2. Reiner. 3. Bertolt. 4. Annie. 5. Eren. 6. Jean. 7. Marco. 8. Connie. 9. Potato Girl. 10. Krista. In the last episode we meet Jean Kirstein (6) who ridiculed Eren when he stated he would annihilate the Titans. After, he started crushing on Mikasa and was devastated to see her and new-found rival Eren, walking side-by-side. Things will only get more interesting now that he’s in the top 10 along with both Eren and Mikasa! They, along with the other graduates, will soon choose which branch of defense they want to be apart of – Garrison, Survey Corps, or Military Police.

As early morning approaches, Eren and a few graduates go on top of Wall Rose to make sure equipment is set correctly. He cheerfully looks at the city he vows to protect, with a content face, and is confident that humans will finally defeat the Titans. Viewers start to see hope, promise, and ambition as he stands above the city.

The Reunion.

However…in the midst of great hope awaits an evil waiting to be unleashed. BOOM!! Lightning strikes right behind Eren! The giant peek-a-boo Titan from episode 1 appears right behind him! You can’t be serious! How many times is this series going to play with my emotions!? The graduates are shocked, and freeze. An abrupt wind suddenly gushes and flings them off Wall Rose! They use their 3DMG to grip onto the wall. A man named Samuel becomes unconscious and starts falling. Potato Girl shows outstanding confidence, skill, and agility as she saves him. You can feel the fear, excitement, adrenaline, and fire!

The Colossal Titan breaches through the wall, reminding Eren of what the Titans did in Zhiganshina, and how they ate his mother. He becomes enraged and tells the team to prepare for combat. He flawlessly uses his 3DMG to go up the wall and smoothly glides in midair! Back on top of the wall, literally face to face with the Titan he says “Hey….its been five years.”

Attack on Titan truly gives justice to the dictionary definition of the word “suspense.” It foreshadowed a happy ending, and instead, gave us a Titan!

You can watch the series on Crunchyroll.

by Victoria Erica | staff writer

More Monster news this week! Guillermo del Toro has announced at the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex Festival event that he intends to have the proposed HBO adaptation follow Naoki Urasawa’s 18-volume manga series faithfully. Del Toro and Steven Thompson have already submitted a script for the pilot to HBO, with Urusawa on board as a creative consultant. The mangaka will be carefully reviewing the outline of each episode for the first season.

No news on potential cast or a release date. Fans have mentioned that Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones) could pull off Johan, the sociopathic antagonist, in his younger years.

Monster is a psychological thriller that follows a young doctor and a sociopath in post-communist Europe.  Who knows, the success of a live action Monster could open doors for a live action 20^th Century Boys.

[via ANN]

by Lindo Korchi | staff writer

Anime Expo has been inviting popular voice actors to the convention since 1992. This year is no exception. After revealing many voice actors for this year’s convention such as Johnny Yong Bosch and Chris Sabat, AX has recently invited a Japanese voice actor – from Japan!

This man has been voice acting since 1973. Voicing over 100 characters such as Gildarts Clive of Fairy Tail, Gamma of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Hatori Sohma of Fruits Basket, and the infamous Kakashi Hatake of Naruto & Naruto Shippuden. His voice also stretches to drama CD’s and even as a narrator for TV shows. He has one voice, yet so many different roles, personalities, and characters. This Guest of Honor for AX2013 is none-other than Kazuhiko Inoue!

Inoue has had experience with sound directing and has a voice acting agency and school named B-Box to help improve voice talent. He possesses a longing for world peace, love, and respect. Inoue has expressed that through his blog and his song “Ai ni Tsuite” in his album Ai, in 2003.

Kazuhiko brings his personality, positive attitude and ‘Raikiri’ to AX2013. He may even inform us on how he ‘got lost on the path of life’. Here is a sample of what to expect from Inoue!

Also, check out the rest of the Guest of Honors for this year.

by Lindo Korchi | staff writer

Anime Expo is proud to announce one of Japan’s most popular illustrators as Guest of Honor for AX 2013. If it wasn’t for this young woman’s talent, skill, and determination to keep pushing through, then the Haruhi Suzumiya and Shakugan Shana characters that you love, collect, and even try to imitate, would not exist today.

Proud to announce Noizi Ito as Guest of Honor

The series would have survived, but with an empty illustration – the thought alone makes us melancholy. We now look beyond the anime series, and beyond the manga volumes, to look at the source who illustrated your favorite characters – Noizi Ito!

Ms. Ito is a Japanese graphic artist, illustrator, and character designer. After middle school, she became interested in creating characters. She played fighting games and started to develop an interest in character design. Later, she started working for Softpal on visual novels.

Ms. Ito or Ito-chan (Japanese-Style!) noticed the first thing that attracted gamers were the graphics, style, and overall art of the game. That mindset is what set her apart from other artists, which also adds something unique to the art world. Ito-chan also reminisces about her high school days, stating “being a high-school girl is probably the best time in a girl’s life,” which is most likely the reason why you see the happy, joyous, graceful, and genuine effect in all of her illustrations. That is why so many people love her work.

In August 2002, Ito-chan was contacted to be the illustrator for Yashichiro Takahashi’s Shakugan no Shana. This was going to be the first time Ito-chan drew illustrations for a book. Little did she know that this would be the first step to a great career. Shana was then published by ASCII Media Works, consisting of 26 volumes, and gained wide popularity. Soon after, it spawned into a manga and anime series. It also showed Ito-chan’s unique art style.

Later, Ito-chan teamed up with respected author Nagaru Tanigawa to illustrate Haruhi Suzumiya. The novel was published by Kadokawa Shoten and currently consists of 11 volumes. It quickly became an instant hit, which also spawned a manga and anime series. Ito-chan became widely popular for her illustrations with Haruhi and Shana. She’s also helped in character designs for games and has several art books which feature her unique artistic talent.

Ito-chan’s latest character designs!

However, prepare yourselves because Ito-chan isn’t planning on settling down just yet! NIS America announced that they will be releasing a new role playing game entitled The Guided Fate Paradox or Kamisama to Unmei Kakumei no Paradox (Japanese-style, of course!) for the PlayStation 3 this fall. Ito-chan was given the task of being the video game’s character designer – with a unique art style different from that of Haruhi & Sasha! I’m glad to see a different approach in her designs; it shows variety and creativity.

The Guided Fate Paradox revolves around a high-school student, Renya Kagurazaka, who is chosen to become a god – simply by winning the lottery at the mall. The lottery was set up by angels in order to choose a new god. He is trained to become a great ruler and must travel between the copy world and original world in order to make peoples’ wishes come true.

The game shows a unique element and is bound to consist of creativity when facing the complications of traveling between two worlds. You can only imagine the multitude of villains that you’ll have to face with Renya. It’s bound to be an adventure!

Take a look at the rest of the Anime Expo 2013 Guests of Honor, which include the voice actor of Ichigo Kurosaki, (or Lelouch Lamperouge!) Johnny Yong Bosch, Danny Choo, Alodia Gosiengfiao, and more!

WANI: Travis Barker. His drumming and performance is outstanding!

Ryo-Hey: Joe Hisashi because I like his song “JIBURI”.

G-YUN: Alanis Morissette. Her vocals have a wide range and a lot of power that I love. I also love ethnic sounds and melodies.

by Marlan Moore | staff editor

Here’s the basic breakdown of this episode [spoilers!]: Kasuga scores a date with Seiki, and Nakamura forces him to wear Seiki’s gym clothes under his outer wear when they go on their date.

That’s pretty much what happened this episode.

I’ve got to admit, I don’t mind slow paced anime. They sometimes wind up being the most surprising and interesting anime out there. Flowers of Evil is no exception, but this episode – this episode right here – started to wear down my patience.

It’s interesting to see how Kasuga freaks out over everything, and the relationships have (mostly) been growing pretty organically, but man…nothing happened in this episode that moved the story forward until the last few minutes. We didn’t learn anything new about the characters, and the plot wasn’t really developed that much further.

Although, to be honest, Seiki agreeing to go out with Kasuga kinda came out of left field. It did, however, make for an interesting development with Nakamura, and gave her the chance to further her plans to expose Kasuga as a complete “hentai” (pervert).

At the very least, Nakamura solidified herself as this worlds’ Joker. Remember in The Dark Knight when Alfred says something like “Some people just want to watch the world burn”? Well, that’s Nakamura here. She’s stated as much before, but here, she’s really starting to show no shame in torturing poor ol’ Kasuga.

Next episode looks like it’ll show Kasuga’s date with Seiki. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles it, what with wearing her gym clothes and all.

Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Streaming on Crunchyroll

[NOTE: The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the SPJA.]

by Lindo Korchi | staff writer

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin before/after the Time Skip

After only two episodes, Attack on Titan has already underwent a two year time lapse since the Titans attacked – sugoi! Eren looks roughly mature and older, but he still has that baby face going on. Mikasa has truly turned into a beauty and looks much wiser. Armin, on the other hand, still looks like he crossed over from Hunter X Hunter.

After being enlisted, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin have finally become trainees. An assigned instructor starts to scream and degrade the trainees in order to force them to abandon who they are, and raise them from nothing to genuine soldiers. In the midst of this, we are introduced to an interesting character, Sasha Blause – or simply, Potato Girl!

She’s bold. I’m interested to know more about this Potato Girl.

For some reason, she decides to eat a potato in front of the instructor, as if she’s at home watching Steins;Gate! The instructor asks why she’s eating a potato. She then states the potato would go to waste if it were to be cold, and gives him half of the potato. After being shocked, he sends her to run until she collapses. 

As evening comes around, Potato Girl finally drops to the floor. A young trainee comes over with bread and PG’s eyes turn red. She attacks the bread like a hyena, eats it, and falls over again. She is really weird, but has a unique, fun, and cute personality. Another female trainee appears and takes PG to her bed so that she can later be indebted to her – no bueno!

The next day arrives and the trainees practice with the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear –a set of gear that allows mobility on the ground and in the air when facing the Titans. The training is meant to force the user to adapt from moving in a flat 2D-plane to a 3D-space. If the user doesn’t remain upright, maintain high endurance, and have nerves of steel while using the 3DMG, then its all over.

Eren, however, cannot remain upright and sustain stability. As evening draws, Eren starts to feel depressed and dismayed. If he doesn’t pass the 3DMG by tomorrow, then he’ll be sent off – separated from Mikasa and Armin.

Eren’s Model Pose!

The day of destiny approaches and it’s filled with eagerness. Eren starts his 3DMG training. You can see the nervous, frightened, and anxious face that Eren is displaying, but he is determined! As he is being pulled up, the trainees and instructor continue to look straight at him. You start to feel the adrenaline, especially with the epic OST building up the moment! Eren then switches his attitude from frightened to confident! He’s in midair and maintains himself upright! The music, animation, excitement, and victory quickly sends chills down your spine while you hop off your chair screaming “YEAAAAH!!!!!!!!”

Then, BOOM! Your emotions are switched! Eren loses his balance and falls over! He refuses to give up. The instructor makes Eren change his belt with another trainee and allows him to redo it. He is then pulled up and maintains himself upright! The instructor then noticed that his previous belt was damaged. The trainees were shocked that he managed to stay upright with a broken belt. After passing the training, Eren was happy and relieved that he didn’t have to be separated from Mikasa and Armin.

The series continues to expand and shows great promise.

You can watch Attack on Titan on Crunchyroll.

Episode 4

[NOTE: The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the SPJA.]