Inside AX

First Two Higurashi Arcs Available on iTunes App Store

JasonY — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:22:40 +0000

An English version of 07th Expansion’s Higurashi no Naku Koro ni has been released by SEAMS on Apple’s iTunes App Store compatible for anyone using an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad. The first arc is currently a free download, with the second costing no more than $3.99. Both titles are currently listed as “books” under the App Store and are direct ports of MangaGamer’s English release of the two titles.

The idea for the port was made by HOBIBOX Japan, who handled the licensing for Higurashi and was previously only available on Japan’s iTunes store. For those unfamiliar with the title, here’s a synopsis courtesy of VNDB.org:

“Higurashi no Naku Koro ni takes place during June 1983, at a fictional rural village called Hinamizawa, which has a population of approximately 2000. The main character, Keiichi Maebara, moves to Hinamizawa and befriends his new classmates Rena Ryugu, Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude, and Satoko Hojo. Keiichi joins their after-school club activities, which consist mostly of card and board games (and punishment games for the loser, usually him.) Hinamizawa appears to be a normal, peaceful, rural village to Keiichi. However, the tranquility abruptly ends after the annual Watanagashi Festival, a celebration to commemorate and give thanks to the local god, Oyashiro-sama. Keiichi learns that every year for the past four years, one person has been murdered and another has gone missing on the day of the Watanagashi Festival. Keiichi himself soon becomes drawn into the strange events surrounding the Watanagashi Festival and Oyashiro-sama. In each story arc, he or one of his friends become paranoid, and a crime is committed. Usually, the crime involves the murder of one of their own friends. While it seems impossible to tell their delusions apart from the mystery of Hinamizawa, slowly the truth is revealed.”

The game currently has an aggregate score of 8.6/10, and can also be purchased for the PC from MangaGamer’s official website at $48.29.

Via Apple iTunes Store.

FUNimation News, 7/30/10

JasonY — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:13:25 +0000

FUNimation has decided to get into the Otakon act a little bit early this year, as it’s been revealed that the first episode of harem anime Girls Bravo can be seen streaming via their YouTube page. Although the banner is up, the series page is not up yet as of this time. Other announcements includes their casting for the English versions of Black Butler, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ and Oh! Edo Rockets (which can be found here) and a new trailer for their upcoming anime Corpse Princess: Shikabane Hime; you know, their other anime not named Hetalia.

Street Fighter x Tekken

Nox Kreiker — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:19 +0000

Great Odin’s Raven! Are you serious right now? The golden age of cross-overs just keeps gettin’ more and more sweet! ComicCon’s Announcement Roster has made quite a few revelations, but this… whew, I think this takes the cake in terms of “Least Expected”!

Nice…

That is freakin’ affirmative fighting game fans, the two titans of the genre are finally clashing. Street Fighter and Tekken! And me, well, you can bet your overweight butt I’m excited! Seriously, a personal trainer couldn’t hurt. Now, we have confirmation of Kazuya and Nina making it into the game but that’s all we have for now. However, rest assured that more will be unveiled as production continues.

Ouch…

U.S. Kinokuniya to Stop Carrying Bishoujo Magazines

JasonY — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:05:35 +0000

According to several sources, the seven American branches of Kinokuniya have confirmed with Inside AX that they have stopped carrying bishoujo magazines as of this month due to “inappropriate content.” The five magazines? Gakken’s Megami Magazine and Megami Magazine Deluxe, Kadokawa Shoten’s Nyantype and ASCII Media Work’s Degenki Moeoh and Dengeki Hime. In addition, they have canceled the subscriptions of active subscribers, providing them with this following letter:

July 7th, 2010

(subscriber name/address removed)

Dear Subscriber,

Thank you very much for using the Kinokuniya magazine subscription services.

We are writing this letter to inform you that we no longer handle subscriptions to Megami magazine since it has recently come to our attention that the magazine may contain inappropriate contents which may not comply with applicable local, state, and/or federal regulations.

It is our policy to take a cautious approach in conducting our business in full compliance with any applicable local, state, and/or federal regulations. In keeping with this policy, we will cancel your subscription to this publication.

Please accept the enclosed refund check for the portion of the subscription remaining.

Thanks again for your continuous patronage to our business.

Should you have any questions or concern regarding this matter, please contact me below.

Sincerely,

(name removed)
Kinokuniya Bookstores of America Co., LTD.

As a buyer of these magazines, I have to say is….where exactly is the problem? There’s nothing that’s inappropriate in them and I can attribute all of this to the ever-increasing growing problem of social paranoia made by a few circles. According to a telephone representative, some of the magazines may be mistaken as having inappropriate content or sexual content, although based on my experience with them; they contain nothing of the sort. They can be purchased by anyone under 18 in Japan and are not classified as a “harmful publication.” Which to the uninitiated is our American equivalent of a mature-magazine. What’s next? Barnes and Noble banning Manga due to “inappropriate content”? I fear where this may be headed…

[source: Sankaku Complex]

XBox 360/PC Visual Novel “Steins;Gate” to Get Anime Adaptation

JasonY — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:38:40 +0000

[courtesy: GameZone]

These days, it seems as though 5pb has been involved with a many new projects. From working with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima on his newest adventure game to getting caught amidst voice actress scandals, the popular 5pb CEO Chiyomaru Shikura is one busy man. His company’s newest announcement? That the award-winning visual novel Steins;Gate will be getting an anime adaptation, as per their official company Twitter.

Although the production company has yet to be announced, the game has sold over 50,000 copies on the Xbox 360 in Japan and is currently scheduled for a August 28 PC release. The company has also had several visual novel anime adaptations in the past, including the more recently released Chaos; Head which was recently picked up by FUNimation in North America and was animated by Studio Madhouse in Japan.

AKB48’s Team Dragon Single Soars as a Success

JasonY — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:00:58 +0000

Fresh off of their appearance at Anime Expo and their last release of Ponytail with Chouchou, AKB48’s newest single Wings of the Heart represents a new direction for the group as it’s their first time singing a theme song for an anime. While I’m far from the largest Dragon Ball fan, when I heard that AKB48 would be performing the ending theme I just had to go out and purchase the CD, Goku and all. My verdict? It’s great!

Distributed by Columbia Music, the release is divided up into seven different variations, each one featuring a different girl from AKB48’s Team Dragon. For those lucky enough to order the Special Edition, not only does it come packaged with a nicely wrapped AKB48 poster, but it also has a DVD, a card and an alternative slip cover for the back.

Although the DVD is region-2 encoded, it’s extremely entertaining and features three different parts. Number one, is the PV for Wings of the Heart (心の羽根). Inspired by the Capsule Corporation in the Dragon Ball Universe, the video takes place in a cyberpunk world where the girls are living normal lives as factory workers until they begin to meet up and essentially fly into the sky. Inter-spliced are a series of minuets where the girls are performing their choreographed dance to the song. The second part features a live performance at Japan’s JCB Hall, but it is the third part that was the most interesting and entertaining piece, in my opinion. The girls visit Toei Studios and try their hand at basic voice acting! Each of the DVDs are unique as each girl presents her own variation of the scene.

Musically, I personally find this single to be slightly more enjoyable than Ponytail with Chouchou. Both of the offerings here are enjoyable and Rain Throughout the World (世界中の雨) provides a nice contrast to the otherwise perky theme of Wings of the Heart. Kamehameha!

Pros:

The amount of offerings and bonus items in the limited edition is outstanding!
Two solid tracks, with a nice contrast of styles.
The DVD is loaded heavily with a plethora of content.

Cons:

No PV for Sekaijuu no Ame (世界中の雨).

Catching Up with Okashi Studios

JasonY — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:09:12 +0000

Although I’m a fan of nearly every video game genre, I would be lying if I didn’t state that the Japanese bishoujo/visual novel wasn’t my favorite. Not only does the genre excel in the story department, which is a huge plus for any game in my book, but I’m a huge fan of anything that’s bittersweet; and the genre has nakiges (crying games) in droves. As a fan of bishoujo games and dating sims, I was ecstatic when I discovered that an American-based video game development studio was going to try and create a full commercial dating sim. Not only was the project extremely ambitious, but if they were able to actually execute the darn thing properly, then it could very well open the doors up to even more of these types of games in the West. I recently traveled down to Hayward, California to catch up with the founders of Okashi Studios, Andrew and Colleen Chew, to talk about their upcoming game and recently-released demo.

First things first though – I needed to ask them something that has been on my mind ever since the demo; what the deal was with the penguins! Their answer? The penguins from the opening cinematic in the demo represent the flightless struggles that the main character is experiencing… Eh, who are we kidding? They’re adorable and that’s all that matters!

Okashi Studios features a team of roughly eight core members including artists, composers, writers and the two CEOs. The company’s first project, Shira Oka, has been in production for the past five years due to a wide variety of reasons; mostly that the game is a by-product of love for the genre; much like a lot of other heavy independent game developers. “I was inspired by Princess Maker and to a lesser extent, Tokimeki Memorial,” exclaimed Andrew after I asked him about how the concept for the game came about. “I was looking for an English translation of the series, and when I couldn’t find one I decided to make something that would be better than the dating sims that could be found on sites like Newgrounds.”

Not only were the two paying out-of-pocket for much of the development phase, but due to the nature of the beast, the two game designers wanted to give their team as much creative freedom as possible. This not only gave their team a satisfying creative outlook, but attracted outside attention as well. Prolific American voice actress Stephanie Sheh approached the two at GDC in 2007 to chat about the project, among others. Much to the surprise of the two developers, their game has also gained support by people in Japan who are interested to see how a foreign company would create a dating sim; especially after the mega-disaster known as Brooktown High (49.11% aggregate on GameRankings.)

Coded in C++, with the engine created from scratch by Andrew Chew, the game currently runs in a 1024 x 640 resolution with the ability to downscale to 640 x 480 for both PCs and Macs. Although this is your standard visual novel/bishoujo fair, Andrew has promised to his fans that the game’s complex storytelling will be something that’s not only innovative, but entertaining as well; and based on things that the two shared with me, I can guarantee you that the game’s premise is extremely fresh and organic. In other words, if you’re a fan of dating sims or strong storylines in general… buy it.

What do the two have to say to the people who have supported the project for the past several years? “Thank you for your support and being patient.” With the recently released demo, and most of the artwork close to completion, Okashi is currently shopping out their product to find a producer. We at AX wish them the best of luck in their pursuit.

Where to Find Discounts on Anime

TaylorL — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:00:46 +0000

Buy anime at discounted prices and save money to buy even more anime!

Let’s face it, for us otaku, buying anime can become very expensive at times. However, there are ways to buy the anime you want and still save money. I will help provide you with some helpful tips on how to search for deals on anime, as well as provide you with my list of the places where I buy my anime for discounted prices far below retail. Just because we’re in a tough economic time, who says you can’t enjoy some discounted Japanese anime goodness?

Tips for Savings:

Newsletters
One of the best ways to be kept informed of sales is to sign up for newsletters on the sites that you shop at. Almost every website that you can buy stuff from will have a newsletter to help promote sales and products. A great example is the Right Stuf newsletter, which informs its readers about sales on tons of anime every month.

Google
A great way to find deals on anime is by simply searching for it on Google. Sometimes you may come across a site that is selling anime at a very reasonable price. You can also utilize Google’s Product Search to help find places that are selling the anime your looking for and also compare the prices. Just be extremely careful when using Google; You will almost always run into bootlegs when searching for anime, so be sure to read the article: How to Recognize Bootleg Anime.

Buy the Cheaper Box Sets
You can get anime box sets around $20 to $40 cheaper by simply buying the cheaper versions of the series if it’s available. Bandai’s Anime Legends and Funimation’s Viridian Collection are both great ways to save money when buying anime. Just because it’s the cheaper version doesn’t mean it has less content or quality, it’s the same as the more expensive version.

Where to Shop:

Right Stuf
Right Stuf is by far my favorite place to shop for anime and other “otaku-goods”, their prices are below retail price and they have a bargain bin filled with cheap goods. Best of all, Right Stuf has amazing sales each month which can help you buy those last two box sets that you need to complete your collection for a discounted price. I highly recommend shopping at Right Stuf for all your anime & otaku needs, their staff is extremely friendly and they take pride in selling anime. Sign up for their Got Anime? membership to get even more additional discounts.

eBay
You can find lots of anime for sell on eBay that is well below retail price (I bought seasons 1 through 6 of Inuyasha slightly used on eBay for only $120), however, eBay does come with some risks. You could be lied to by the seller, or even buy a bootleg anime for the price that you could have bought the legit versions for. Be sure to read our article on How to Recognize Bootleg Anime to protect yourself from such things. One cool thing about eBay is that you can earn ‘eBay Bucks’ with each purchase which you can then use in place of real money to help you save more.

Amazon
Much like eBay, you can actually find many good deals on Amazon, just without the larger risks of getting ripped off. Amazon will also have a sale on anime or on dvds in general from time to time, so it’s always good to watch out for those sales. The only downside to Amazon? Processing and shipping sometimes takes forever.

I hope that these tips and suggestions will help save you some money while still making your anime collection grow. It’s always a good feeling to look over at a large anime collection that you created over the years, but it’s an even greater feeling knowing just how little you spent on all of it.

Sengoku Basara: Motonari Mori Gameplay Trailer

Nox Kreiker — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:00:58 +0000

Capcom’s late response to KOEI’s “should’ve stopped making them years ago” Dynasty Warriors series is finally here in the form of Sengoku Basara! But will it really match up to the, pardon this pun, dynasty that is the Dynasty Warriors saga? Personally, I couldn’t care less, but hey, I’ll let you be the judge. In the meantime, here’s your preview gameplay of the Ring Blade Samurai, Motonari Mori. Enjoy!

Anime Expo in the News

JasonY — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:18:24 +0000

Can’t get enough of Anime Expo? Then check out a small selection of what we consider to be the best articles covering Anime Expo 2010. And there’s plenty more! So keep checking back as we’ll be updating again soon.

General Coverage

- Anime!Anime!: Anime Expo LA ripple effect of 100 million dollars to the city to hold a three-year extension

- Anime Diet: A Case of Pre-Anime Expo Sickness

- Anime Diet: Anime Expo 2010 Coverage

- Blog Downtown: Anime Expo 2010 Opens at the Convention Center

- Comic Book Resources: Anime Expo Look Back With Hindsight

- The Examiner: A Brief Look at Anime Expo 2010 and Anime-Related Films

- KTLA: Character Fashion Show to Preview the Anime Expo

- Los Angeles Times: Anime Expo will animate downtown Los Angeles this Weekend

- Los Angeles Times: Anime Expo to Stay in Los Angeles Three More Years

- Los Angeles Times: Anime Expo 2010- A Guide to the Action

- Los Angeles Weekly: Antonio Villaraigosa Visits Anime Expo, Fans Ask Why