Noir
- Shades of Darkness (Vol. 1) Girls
with guns and a respectable plot! It takes a few
episodes to really get started, but don't let Noir pass
you by -- it's much better than you'll expect! True
to it's name, the series is dark, and we don't mean
it's just shot dimly - there's none of the usual comedy
relief, gratuitous
panty shots, or overdoses
of blood. Instead, it's played very much like the
enigmatic and gripping storyline itself, with well developed
characters and a soundtrack that will haunt you.
As the bodies start piling up, the mystery deepens. Powerful forces
are at work to keep the twin maidens of death from learning the secret
of their past. The pocket watch is their only clue. Noir will surprise
you on every level -- not just for how the story develops, but how
the atmosphere of each scene is planned to create the most impact,
keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Ai
Yori Aoshi - Faithfully Yours
East meets West in a culture clash comedy! An excellent romantic-comedy that
explores the clash between Japan's modern and traditional values.
An arranged marriage gone wrong, as the groom-to-be doesn't want
to return to the clan that caused him emotional and physical pain,
yet his bride-to-be is completely devoted to him.
The
series is so skillfully directed and executed that at the end of
each episode, we found ourselves scanning through the closing and
opening credits so we could see what happens next! Even the dialog
is handled appropriately -- she speaks in complete, ultra-polite
sentences, he uses contractions and slang. When she moves in with
him, despite his objections, can he remain a gentleman?
Getter
Robo Power Pack (DVD)
Getter Robo was the original Transformer,
airing in Japan in 1974. It was three different robots
that could combine in various combinations to make one of several
larger robots. The original series came to the US as Starvengers
in 1980 (part of Force Five). A number of sequels were produced over
the years, including the 1998 Change Getter Robo, which A.D. Vision
is releasing as Getter Robo Armageddon.
If
you're into retro-robots featuring stunningly slick animation (Big
O and Giant
Robo come to mind), then add this to your collection. Be warned
there is considerable violence, although of the monster/fantasy variety,
lots of chopping up of beasties, exploding heads and so forth....
It's great fun with tons of heavy-metal action!
Ping
Pong Club (boxed set) (DVD) And
now for something completely different. Toilet humor, body
odors, and putting ping pong balls in places they should never
go makes for some of the most hilarious antics since Beavis
and Butthead. Ping Pong Club is about a bunch of losers, but
oh my, is it ever funny. We're embarrassed to say just how funny
it is. It's disgustingly funny. You will pee-in-your-pants kind
of funny. You'll wonder how humor can sink this low and still be
funny.
You
should grab this DVD set before there are laws passed preventing
us from watching this kind of trash. It's too good to even describe.
Just don't tell your friends or relatives that you've watched this
if you want to retain any kind of dignity or respect -- but you'll
love it like junk food.
Schoolhouse
Rock! Special 30th Edition DVD
Conjunction Junction, what's your function? In the 70's and 80's,
the catchy Schoolhouse Rock tunes taught millions of children the
fundamentals of math, grammar,
science, history and more.
We could have never gotten through elementary school without knowing "Nouns",
or "I'm just a Bill". To this day, the music for "Figure
Eight" remains one of the most beautiful pieces ever written,
and "Little Twelve Toes" one of the most eerie.
And
who can forget "Naughty Number Nine" or the hilarious "Interjections!".
Schoolhouse rock is the coolest, catchiest, most beloved set of animations
ever produced by man. It simply doesn't get any better than this.
Relive your childhood, or introduce someone else younger to these
amazing short films. With this DVD You're treated to all 46 three-minute
shorts plus some additional bonus features, but it's worth the price
alone for "I Got Six".
Dead
or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
It should be obvious to anyone with a libido (or just anyone breathing)
what the attraction of this game is. Eye
candy extreme as the bodacious babes of the hit fighter game
Dead or Alive make it to the beach for an all out assault on the
game of Volleyball, and yes, they just happen to be wearing
as little as possible. However, the volleyball itself isn't really
the point of the game, it's about treating your volleyball partner
correctly.
The
game lets you compete in two different modes, the main mode or the
versus mode, which accommodates up to four players at one time. It's
time to get physical with the ladies as they set, spike, and kill
their way to the championship title on the tropical beach resort,
Zack Island. The more points you receive on the court, the more you
can customize your characters with over 100 swimsuits and accessories.
This is a game where less is more. Digital
babes... hubba hubba! Let the games commence!
If you practice Karate-do,
Judo, Jiu-Jitsu,
Iaido, Aikido, Kendo,
or any other Martial Art, including western ones influenced
by Japanese culture, this book is a must. Even if you are simply
interested in Japanese
warrior culture and are an armchair warrior yourself, this
is *the* book on the subject.
Japanese
Etiquette & Ethics in Business
To an outsider, Tokyo and Times Square don't seem all that
different. These similarities will seduce nearly every American
who seeks to do business in Japan into thinking that the business
practices of the country will be the same as in the US.
The truth is that the cultural
differences are so vast and subtle that they are often
beyond the comprehension of the majority Americans. In Japan,
there is a high expectation of a certain standard of business
etiquette and failure to achieve this standard could doom any
hopes of doing business in that country.
This book seeks to redress this failure of Americans who do
not know how to negotiate with the Japanese. The Japanese language
is rich with expressions that conceptualize certain feelings
or attitudes that are literally very foreign to Westerners
but are key to the Japanese way of doing business. If you're
planning on starting
your own company to bring over anime, then you'll absolutely,
positively, need to read this book.
With
a sly combination of electric guitar and brassy orchestral
compositions, heart-tugging violins and everything else under
the sun, Hiroshi Miyagawa created an eclectic blend of music
that went on to become the most well-known since the theme
to Tetsuwan
Atomu. His orchestrations legitimized anime
music, and created a slew
of followers that copied but never equaled his brilliance.
Macross
- Complete Soundtrack Set (1984 Japan Anime Film) [IMPORT]
[SOUNDTRACK] [BOX SET]
In 1983, a TV
series premiered in Japan that almost equaled the punch
of Starblazers, and that series was Macross - and then they
topped themselves with the 1984 movie. Once again, what attracted
many fans to Macross was the incredible music - you can't not
drive fast while listening to the battle music, nor be taken
to tears with the tender melodies. And Pop-SingerLynn
Minmei's tunes are dance-o-rific!
This
CD set is the entire soundtrack to the 1984 Movie, and it just
rocks. You'll listen to it over and over again, wishing you
owned an actual Valkyrie Fighter. It's particularly impressive
is that the music for the Zhentraedi forces
actually sound ... *big*. There's no way to describe it with
mere words. You just have to hear it.
Ai
Yori Aoshi
The official website (cute opening movie).
How
to Draw Manga Tutorials
While we always recommend that a beginner manga artist take
a local life drawing course, this little website had a few
handy tips that would be worth checking out.
CG
Art Tutorials
A nice fan website on how to paint anime characters on your
computer.
