Don’t you wish you had some of the toys the anime characters play with? Some people already pretend they do have some of the same props as anime. Take the death note for example. Anime fans are writing names of enemies in notebooks, just like Light in the Death Note manga. That’s just creepy and not quite right, especially in today’s society, when doing something like that can get you suspended or worse.

Me, I’d want something happy and cheery from anime to be a reality. Like maybe an amulet that leads me to another world, like in Escaflowne. Or the Net from Ghost In the Shell. Something that’s exciting but not too profound or life changing. Props which are profound and life changing have a nasty habit of backfiring.

What’s a fantasy or sci-fi anime prop you’d like to see in the real world? A giant robot to do your yard work? A magic wand so you can have all sorts of fun magical girl powers? Or is something simple, like say a trans-dimensional teleporter? Which anime prop would you like to see a reality?

Share what you’d like to see a reality in the comments below! You never know, maybe if there’s more than one person who wants a Gundam, you can all chip in and buy one together!

But what about the violent people who also actively do me no harm? What about the criminals who shoot an innocent for their wallet and leave them to die? What about the child abusers and the mass murderers, some of which are still walking the streets and living their lives? If given the opportunity to cleanse the world of such distasteful people, would I be willing to kill them? What if I didn’t need to get my hands dirty to rid the planet of them, but only had to put pen to paper, could I do so then? What would the cost to me be? Would I be able to stop my hand there, or would I start knocking off the “little” people, like the guy at the gym who never wipes down the equipment?

Thankfully, I don’t need to answer these questions, but Light, the anti-hero of Death Note does, and he has answers in spades:

plot summary

Boredom can be deadly, at least that’s how it turns out when a shinigami decides he needs a little excitement in his life. The shinigami in question, Ryuk, casually drops his death note into the human world, with instructions on its use scrawled in English on the inside cover:

• The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
• This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
• If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject’s name, it will happen.
• If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.
• After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The human who picks up Ryuk’s death note, Light, also happens to be bored. Light, a gifted student, is bored with the way the world is and bored with the never changing rottenness he’s surrounded by. He sees the death note as his opportunity to change the world and make it a better place- and to rule it.

Light first puts the death note to the test, and then begins to cut down the world’s most violent criminals. These mass executions don’t go unnoticed and are making the police concerned. Who’s killing so many criminals and how?

The police call on “L“, a mysterious detective who always solves his case, to catch the mass murderer responsible for the recent deaths. L and Light face off in a battle of wits and both vow to find and dispose of the other if it’s the last thing they do!

review

Story
The story for Death Note progressed pretty quickly in this first volume. From the time Ryuk “lost” his death note, to the time Light decides upon and implements his program of “cleansing”, was only about forty pages. Volume One plows ahead from there, relentlessly developing an ever more convoluted plot and introducing L to readers in short order.

The pace is fast, but not overly so. Development in Volume One is speedy, yet is not too much to soak in at once. There are thoughtful breaks in the action, which makes for good flow, and let’s the reader soak in info before ramping the story back up to high gear.

The overall feel of Death Note has a heavy touch of realism. As in the realistic way Light scoffs at the scribbled words on the Death Note and believes it’s a joke. Realistic in the way the Japanese police are suspicious of L and realistic in how Light interacts with Ryuk. Given Light’s personality thus far, all his reactions to situations feel real to the world of Death Note.

The concept for Death Note is heavy with themes of right and wrong, good and evil; bored death god gives his power to twisted mortal and watches as twisted mortal commits mass murder to make the world a happy place. But there isn’t a tone of preachiness thus far. The mangaka, Tsugumi Ohba, doesn’t even let on what he thinks of Light’s rampage, he just tells the story.

It’s actually pretty creepy to have this squeaky clean teenager commit remote mass murder with a righteous smile on his face. But who can really be that squeaky clean when all it takes for them to go on a killing spree is a notebook and a pen?

Character Development

An amazing amount of information is freely given in the volume, about Light’s motives, his connection with the police, and his twisted sense of righteousness. L is still a mystery, but there’s enough given to keep up his interest as a character. Light’s interactions with his family are a nice touch and add an even more sinister feel to his doings. It’s made clear Light will do whatever it takes to make the world a place he deems worthy, no matter the cost. So what does Light really want? A world free of crime and wrong doing or a world where he can rule supreme? Where are his priorities in regards to human interaction and how did this kid get this overblown god-complex?

Those questions aren’t addressed this volume, but the promise of more background and further insight into Light’s personality has been readily made in how much this manga has given so far. If every volume follows in Volume One’s path, I can only wonder what will be left to explore in the next eleven manga.

Character Design

Ryuk is a really interesting critter. He looks like a rock star/biker demon with a perpetual clown grin inked on his bug-eyed face. Light is scary in his own right. Anyone who can grin as he talks to a death god, casually comment on killing people he’s never met, but still look like the man you’d take home to momma, is downright terrifying. The contrast of his true personality with his appearance is stark. Light’s facial expressions as he devises ways to stump L and execute criminals is disturbing to say the least. He’s dead inside the part which makes him human, and it shows in his design.

Everything else in the world of Death Note is designed with an eye to realism. The setting is in Japan and reflects that culture well, down to the policemen in business suits and the Japanese high schoolers’ uniforms.

Art

The art, by Takeshi Obata, is superb and clean. It’s an absolute perfect match for the feel of the story, which is realistic with a touch of fantasy. There aren’t many heavy lines in the manga, and the shading was done with a light touch as well; except for Ryuk. That guy walks around like an incarnated black hole.

Aside from the shinigami, the manga is airy and clean, and easy to read. There are some highly detailed panels, and there are plenty of moderately detailed pages as well. The panel layout is fairly standard for manga, and not many pages are devoted to a single scene.

Production

I’m a fan of well designed manga covers (they are the first page you see of a manga after all) and Death Note has a well designed cover. It’s all about the contrast of matte and glossy, dark and light and good use of color. Death Note, Volume One has a great balance of all three.

I was immediately drawn into the world of Death Note. The story is compelling and the characters elicit strong reactions, both positive and negative. I’m able to connect with a few already, and although I don’t agree with Light, I’m eager to see how far this kid gets in remaking the world.

Rating

Death Note, Volume One gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Viz Media LLC
• Release Date: October 10, 2005
• Retail Price: $7.99
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421501686
• ISBN-13: 978-1421501680

In a bizarre twist, Volume Four in the Witchblade anime manages to turn the series on its head by being thoughtful, engaging, and good. Weird.

plot summary

Masane has recently learned Rihoko is not her biological daughter. The Cloneblade known as Lady is the woman who gave birth to Masane’s charge, and Lady wants Rihoko back.

Riko and Masane, however, want to stick together and run away, yet again, with some help from their neighbors. But Father sends one of his Cloneblades to collect Rihoko for his own sinister purposes. Lady’s maternal instincts kick into overdrive and she intercepts the would-be kidnapper, saving her offspring from a mysterious fate.

Masane now sees she isn’t fit to raise Riko, and reluctantly gives her over to her true mother. Lady’s reunion with Riko doesn’t go as expected, though, as another of her brood shows up unannounced and unwanted.

Now, Reiji is faced with the prospect of having a defunct Witchblade, since Masane is too depressed to fight the X-cons. In an attempt to cheer her, he takes her on a tour of her past.

In the fleeting moments of her past, Masane learns to relish the present, and becomes determined to fight for her daughter for their future together.

review

Is this the same anime? Is this the same sexually charged, softcore porn-ish series which started off on the absolutely wrong foot? I couldn’t believe this was the same series after watching this volume. If I hadn’t put the DVD in the player myself, I’d of sworn this wasn’t the same Witchblade.

I’ve so loathed this series so far, I couldn’t stand the prospect of watching another episode filled with boobs and white stuff. But this volume didn’t have a ton of fanservice. Instead, each episode actually built on the former to create sympathy for Masane and the Cloneblades.

Character Development

Masane’s character is finally given some insight as to why she acts the way she does. Reina, aka, Lady is also fleshed out and defined. The psychotic, but extremely interesting Maria, has some backstory and explanation of motives as well. Almost every character, except for a few of the minor ones, are given a fair amount of attention in this volume and it’s about time!

The entire focus of the series has finally shifted away from Masane’s boobs and onto the story of the Cloneblades. The Cloneblades are the main thrust in this volume, even though they’re nothing more than inferior copies of the Witchblade. So far, there’s still no explanation of what the Witchblade really is or where it came from. The Cloneblades, however, are given some background and are explained as to how they exist, if not exactly why.

Witchblade also has a different tone and feel to go with the different focus. It’s no longer as sexual or gratuitously violent. The series has seemingly morphed from a jiggly tit-fest into an anime about priorities, family ties, and the bonds we artificially create for ourselves.

Music

Everything about Witchblade is different this Volume, including the OP and ED. The new OP, “Dear Bob” is actually way better than the former one. Even the graphics for the OP are better. “Kutsuhimo” is the new ED, but the bad English interjected in the lyrics makes the ED worse than the former ED.

Production

This volume’s artwork is inked by Stejepan Sejic. It’s interesting, to say the least, but I don’t think I like this cover as much as some of the previous ones.

I’m confused as to why this massive sea change took three volumes to kick in. I have a theory that there’s only three volumes worth of actual story in the series and the three volumes prior to this one were fanservice fluff meant to extend the series. I am glad this change did finally take place; the anime now has its direction and drive and feels as if the promise of a good plot is finally coming to the light.

Rating

Witchblade, Volume Four gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: January 29, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes: 13-16
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Geneon’s US demise this past October left a bad taste in my mouth. I figured a monopoly was the worse that could happen, but also that other unsavory outcomes were possible. Some fans had the opinion Geneon’s tanking was no biggie, while others who’ve seen this sort of thing before took a “wait and see” approach to the episode.

As ADV started laying off employees, the bad taste in my mouth went from slightly sour to icky. When I read ADV was closing their wallet to anime clubs and shutting down Newtype, I think I became ill. And then when unofficial news surfaced about ADV’s discontinuation of titles, I had to rethink what I originally thought of the US anime landscape.

What would happen if little by little, anime in America, as we know it now, began to disappear? What if, instead of recent anime being released on DVD, any “new” anime was solely available on cable? And what if those titles were nothing but shows like Bleach and Naruto?

Sure, fansubs would gain new fans and a bigger audience, but wouldn’t anime crawl back under the rock it came from in terms of its popularity and mainstream appeal (I use “popular” in a relative context and a loose one at that)? What would happen to manga? Would manga keep the anime culture in America afloat? Or is this a minor setback, one we’ll bounce right back from?

These questions and more are the ones I ask myself and other anime fans whenever there’s some disturbances with the distribution companies. Some questions I toss out to get the dialog going but some I honestly want to know. The biggest, ultimate question, however, would be: What if anime in America were no more…Period.

No fansubs, no new Adult Swim, no video on demand, no YouTube, nothing. Zip. No more anime. Just the series and movies already in your and your buddies collections. All the cool new super awesome shows you hear are being released in Japan would be nothing more than wishful thinking in America.

Reruns would rule supreme (imagine Cowboy Bebop back on Cartoon Network in an endless loop- forever!) Fans would start to further pick apart old series, looking for some fresh nuance to keep discussions alive. Anime conventions would slowly devolve into burnt out shrines of anime past, with no new cosplays, no announcements, just a bunch of fans reliving the Golden Years. It’d be like a Star Wars convention…

And what would you do? Would you give up the medium? Or buy an $80 bootleg DVD of crappy anime from China and Europe? Would you still cosplay? What would your room look like with no new plushies to brighten it? How would you get your fix? What would you do if anime were no more in America?

Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds like I’m being all doom and gloom (it’s only a hypothetical discussion), but please comment below on what you’re anime disaster plan would be!

I’ve wanted to try the pumpkin Pocky ever since I discovered it on the Pocky Gallery two years ago. I silently craved to try this Pocky, only voicing my desire twice. But apparently, someone was listening, and that someone was David. He found “Lovely Halloween” at our local Chinese grocery, of all places. The expiration date isn’t for another year, so I’m not minding this late Halloween treat!

Those unfamiliar with Pocky need only know this: Pocky are cracker sticks dipped in a wide variety of sweet flavorings. These coatings range from authentic Japanese flavors such as kinako, to “odd” flavors such as honeydew, to international ones such as chocolate mousse.

There’s nothing exceptionally spectacular about Pocky besides the interesting variety it comes in. The Decorer varieties are a real treat, however, as this line of Pocky is loaded with thick layers of creamy goodness, and look like cupcakes on sticks.

Trying each variety to taste how well Glico captured the essence of the flavor is the real reason I eat Pocky. Plus the crunch from the cookie/ cracker gives me my texture fix.

Packaging

What clever marketing! Glico took flavors already in their Pocky lineup, and with some creative packaging, transformed them into seasonal sellers! “Lovely Halloween” is what this variety pack was dubbed. The graphics are attractive and beautifully rendered with appealing shades. The strawberry Pocky sports an ichigo jack o’ lantern wearing a witch’s hat, the milk Pocky has a weird marshmallow-o’-lantern-ghost thing, and the pumpkin displays a standard American jack o’ lantern.

Pumpkins, stars, and bats adorn the box on all sides. On the back, there’s even an instant costume in the way of an ichigo o’ lantern mask for kids. Kawaii! Score: A

Appearance

Most Pocky look underwhelming; they resemble edible sparklers or incense. The Decorer (which this particular line-up isn’t) are impressive looking things.

Lovely Halloween is made up of pale orange, white covered, and pink coated cracker sticks. Whoop-de doo. Score: B+

Texture

Pocky has a satisfying crunch tempered by a sweet, creamy coating. They’re fun to eat on the go and are a real pleaser in the texture department. Score: A

Flavor

Pumpkin: What a gyp! Here I was all set to experience pumpkin goodness, but all I got was caramel! Not even kabocha, caramel. Weak. I keep waiting for some hint of pumpkin, or even pumpkin pie spice, but all that’s coming through is caramel. It’s not an unpleasant flavor, but it sure as hell isn’t pumpkin.

Why advertise this as pumpkin then??! There’s a frick’n jack o’ lantern on the box with the word “pumpkin” over it. Am I wrong to expect pumpkin? Maybe the makers of pumpkin Pocky believe American pumpkins (especially Halloween pumpkins) taste like caramel. I can’t think of a better reason for why I was so painfully cheated outta actual pumpkin flavor!!!

However, as a flavor in itself, the caramel for “pumpkin” is smooth without a bite and is not overly sweet. It’s actually tasty, but the bitterness of my pumpkin let-down makes the caramel taste like ashes in my mouth. Score: B

Milk: “Milk” reminds me of “Werther’s” toffee for some reason. It’s good and has a rich creamy taste. Score: A

Strawberry: Strawberry has a full, creamy taste and tastes like a strawberry milkshake. Strawberry milkshakes on sticks; the way of the future? Score: A

Verdict

The packaging for this variety pack makes this a visually appealing product, and at $3.60 for four packs of Pocky, this is a steal. But, don’t expect to be wowed by the flavors, all of which are available as individual flavors year round. If anything, buy “Lovely Halloween” for its aesthetics and the free strawberry witch jack o’ lantern mask.

Maybe it’s because some of the movies I love are so simplistic and so fun, they don’t require much effort on my part. I tend to not re-watch movies with themes that are too heavy or too depressing. I take those types of films in once and let the messages slowly titrate into my skull.

I find some anime lend themselves to being highly re-watchable. Anime with light, disconnected themes are the top ones on my re-watch list. I love Cromartie High, and haven’t grown tired of it yet. It still makes me laugh and I still think the gags are great. Azumanga Daioh is another highly re-watchable series, probably for the same reason Cromartie High is. Both series are disconnected, random and funny.

I also like to re-watch action anime. That stuff never gets old. But it’s gotta be good action like say, Cowboy Bebop. That’s a damn fine anime with a fast pace, lots of action and plenty of intrigue.

What qualities do you like in a re-watchable anime and which anime has what it takes to be re-watchable to you? Does it need to be an action, comedy, sci-fi, or romance anime? Should it be funny, fast-paced, or should it be something you need to ponder over? Which anime has the best re-watchability?

Share your most re-watchable anime in the comments below! We all wanna know which anime gives you the most entertainment for your dollar!

Gaah! I spoke too soon! It’s Glass Fleet, Volume 3!! I didn’t mean “Do your worst,” literally! Noooooo!!

In volume three of this craptacular downward-spiral of a series, Vetti proves he really is a mother-humper, golden showers rain down on Cleo, and Michel proves “he” has what it takes it make Vetti go gaga over “him”.

plot summary

The People’s Army takes the fight for freedom straight to Vetti and his armada. With the help of the Baroness, Bebe, Michel and his army decimate the opposing fleet.

Cleo lends a hand with his powerful glass ship, but he has an ulterior motive for helping Michel; a fight to the death with Vetti. In a last minute twist, everything Michel had worked for his torn from his grasp. Now he must fight a wholly different battle, as does Cleo.

Will the two survive their upcoming trials to triumph over tyranny?

review

If I could scrub my eyes right now I would. If I had the capability of popping these traumatized orbs outta my skull and sticking them in bleach to wash away the taint of this Volume, I’d do it in a heartbeat. This stunk so bad, it has an actual aroma of failure. But enough about what I felt.

Character Development

We’re given much more insight into Vetti, this volume ’round. The tyrant had a wretched childhood, and it shaped him into the bastard he is today. We’re shown in flashbacks how Vetti was abused and in turn became an abuser. The scene was sick, but didn’t feel attached to the anime. Since nothing is consistent in the series, I’m not surprised that the scene was thrown in for shock value. The ploy of demonizing Vetti’s foster father seemed stuck onto the episode. Then again, everything about Glass Fleet feels like someone took a bucket of random garbage and tossed it on the screen.

Rachel turned out be someone I shouldn’t have put my money on. The way she folded and became weak was disappointing in a sea of disappointments. She was the only character I showed any interest in as she always managed to insult Vetti in clever, subtle ways. Damn, now what am I going to look forward to in Volume Four?

The sick shotacon-ness between Vetti and Ralph was thankfully played down, but nonetheless there.

Cleo is about as interesting as a cinder block, and just as smart. I don’t care about any of these characters and wish, fervently and often that the Glass Fleet universe gets sucked into a black hole. Now that I’d watch.

Unfortunately, the Glass Fleet universe has a “Black Hole Negate Button“, just like they have a “Vacuum On/Off Switch“. The laws of physics were voted down in this anime, during a filibuster of bad taste.

Character Design

Good. Lord. There are now no longer any bad character designs left in the world; Glass Fleet has officially used them all up. I couldn’t believe the character designs could get any worse, but whaddya know, they managed to up the crappiness!

I don’t know where to start critiquing the garish designs Gonzo churned out for Glass Fleet. I can’t fathom who or what inspired the studio to create such blatant ugliness, but I wouldn’t want to meet it in a dark alley, that’s for sure.

Animation

Amazingly, the animation is in a holding pattern of “bad”, whereas everything else has gotten worse, impossible though I thought that was.

Gonzo, Gonzo, what’re we gonna do with you after everyone’s seen this? How can anyone ever look you in the eye again? You’re like the hot co-worker who gets drunk at the company Christmas party and makes a complete ass of herself, and everyone has video of it-on YouTube.

I had predicted this series would keep going down, and it didn’t disappoint. Wow, the one thing Glass Fleet has lived up to so far is its own badness…

Rating

Glass Fleet, Volume Three gets 0 outta 4 Hammies!

Neon Genesis Evangelion was the first anime series which left me screeching at the TV and going “WTF?!”, due to it’s sensationally crappy ending. Why Eva? Didn’t we have a good thing? I thought you enjoyed what we shared. How could you take all the time we had together and flush it down the toilet? I want answers!

I invest many things in anime: Time, money and emotion. I expect a payoff in the way of either answers or a satisfactory ending. And by satisfactory, I don’t mean “happy” or even comprehensive. I mean a proper ending apropos to the general flow, feel, and direction of an anime. If it’s a flighty, random anime, I’ll be satisfied with a flighty, random ending. If I’m watching a mystery-themed anime, I expect the ending to either answer riddles or remain a mystery. On the other hand, if I’m watching a happy, bright anime with rainbows and unicorns, I sure as hell do not want an ending showcasing chainsaws and glue factories.

Considering there’s no way in hell we’ll ever get any good answers outta the fine folks who wrote and developed Eva (puh-lease, one series and two movies later, I’m not holding out any hope), I’ve added Eva to my mental list of “I wish they’d re-write this” anime. Gantz is the only other anime on that list, though. Every other anime with a crappy ending was a crappy series overall and needs to be tossed, not have its ending re-written.

Who else has suffered the pain of feeling gypped out of a satisfactory ending to an otherwise good anime? How many were the times you wished you could re-do the finale so it made more sense? Which anime’s ending would you re-write if you could?

Please share your painful finale experiences and re-write wish lists below!

The Major and her crew are back again in this compressed, movie version of 2nd Gig; the second season of Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. This second movie is much like the first in that it highlights a main theme of the second season.

The case of the Individual Eleven was the main focus of 2nd Gig, with additional side and back stories thrown into the mix. The movie, Individual Eleven, cuts out the side stories and puts all the emphasis on the Individual Eleven, a case involving many subtleties and the Major’s past.

plot summary

In the future of 2030, WW IV has concluded six years prior. Japan has become home to many thousands of refugees displaced in the war. These refugees live a repressed existence and have become targets for a terrorist group known as the Individual Eleven.

The Individual Eleven have also been targeting foreign ambassadors and the Prime Minister of Japan. Their aim is a total breakdown of the governing system.

A leader has arisen within the refugee camps whose charismatic demeanor inspires the oppressed to rise up against their attacker, no matter the odds.

Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 are put on the case to solve both the riddle of the Individual Eleven and the rebel leader’s identity.

But the true identity of the masterminds behind the mayhem will cause more problems for Section 9 than mere anarchy ever could.

review

Ghost In the Shell is a “thinking man’s” anime. It’s one of those series/ movies that requires a certain amount of undivided attention and some grasp of philosophy, politics, and the art of subterfuge to appreciate the anime to its fullest. I’m never disappointed with the paths this anime has led me down. The “aha!” and “I get it!” moments empower me to feel a slight smugness that other anime don’t.

However, even if one isn’t a fan of undivided attention, philosophy, politics, and the art of subterfuge, there’s still much to be appreciated in the way of thoughtful technology, well choreographed fight scenes, awesome animation, and character development.

Character Development

Fans of the anime will already be well familiar with the Major and her group of special ops. If not, someone new to the anime will be able to watch the movie and still feel as if everyone has enough development to make the OVA self-explanatory.

There are a few instances which may leave one who hasn’t watched the 1rst Gig or the Laughing Man Movie a bit disoriented, but some well placed comments by the characters will give the viewer enough info to infer what’s going on. It’s not much of a stretch to say that a complete noob to GIts will be able get a fairly solid grasp of who’s who within the first 30 minutes of the movie.

Motoko’s past is peeked into in the latter part of the movie, and we’re given a chance to see how she pulled through the difficulties which made her who she is today. She’s given a bit of humanity in contrast to her machine-enabled existence.

Character Design

The Net, aka, internet of the future is a vast configuration able to process all manner of data in micro seconds. Its portrayal in the anime is impressive. GIts has a way of showcasing its unique technology without making it seem like something unattainable; it makes everything look like a damn good possibility.

The colors used for GIts are also a reflection of the possible instead of the improbable. The improbable being more common, as can be seen in other futuristic anime.

Animation

High end is how the animation, by Production I.G., is rendered. It’s smooth flow and lack of hiccups create a sense of realism. The facial expressions are highly emotive and the detailed shading add much appreciated depth to the animation.

Music

Music from Yoko Kanno is always a good thing, and the soundtrack from the original series by Kanno accompanies the movie throughout. The soundtrack gives an edge to the anime apropos to the subject matter. Those unfamiliar with Yakko Kanno’s work on the series should find the techno beats and electronic tones a perfect accompaniment to this high tech movie.

Production

Like the Laughing Man movie, this DVD comes in a simplistic DVD sleeve. Two DVDs contain the movie and extras. The disc with the extras has an image archive from 2nd Gig and a mini movie with the Tachikoma.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast for the Individual Eleven movie was different from the cast of 2nd Gig. But the actors used in the movie were the same ones used in the Laughing Man OVA. This is a great voice cast and I have zero complaints about how they portrayed their characters.

The Japanese voice cast in the series remained the same for both the series and the movie. The Japanese seiyuu were also exemplary in their roles.

Rating

Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Individual Eleven gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Bandai
• Release Date:December 18, 2007
• Retail Price: $21.99
• Number of discs: 2
• Run Time: 161 minutes
• Rating: Unrated
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

If you read this blog, you know how I feel about Japanese food as a healthy addition to any diet, and by diet I mean types of food we consume. I follow a pescetarian diet. You may follow an omnivore, vegetarian, or even vegan diet. The beauty of traditional Japanese cuisine is it can be added to any diet and add diversity and nutrition to it.

So, why do I love Japanese food and culture so much? How has it touched me so I proselytize about it repeatedly on the site? Why do I have such a grudge against hamburgers and ho-hos?

Well, long story short: I lost almost 200 pounds eating like the traditional Japanese people have, i.e., tofu, veggies, fish, and little to zero added fat. For some reason, people who hear that statement get excited. They want to know how I lost all the weight. I keep giving them the same answers, for free and with all my undivided attention, yet they keep asking for more.

Finally, I caved in and promised them I’d write a book, someday. Big mistake. “When are you writing it? When, huh?” Someday must have seemed like a transparent put-off (it was). So I started a blog to chronicle the last few pounds I need to lose (I have no idea how much- I’ve transcended the scale, the body fat meter and the tape measure), my experiences in dealing with the real issues of my weight gain and loss, and how, in a roundabout way, anime inspired me to lose the pounds.

I bet that sounds weak: How I lost 200 pounds because of anime. If people read between the lines of what I’m saying, they should be able to figure what I really mean by: How to build a better you through anime. Think of it like the “magic eye” pictures; what I’m saying needs to be viewed in a certain manner to be understood.

I won’t spoon feed what I did to anyone; I can’t help you lose weight. Nor will I say that what I did is the only way to healthily lose weight. However, I’d like to extend an invite to you, my readers, to see why I started The Anime Blog, why I write what I write and how anime has affected me. It’s an utterly personal glimpse into my life which I never go into on The Anime Blog.

Feel free to visit my new blog and check out how I built a better me through anime!!!