Have a Happy New Years!

よいお年をお迎えください!

Hope you guys are having a Happy New Years. Lack of time has kept me from posting a “12 Days of Anime” countdown like I did last year, but I’m still up to share some of my anime-related highlights of 2013 all in one post.

Fanime 2013 Overall Experience (and the horrors of Yaoi Bingo)

No, we didn’t go to the maid cafe. T_T

Truth be told, I was looking forward to going to Anime Expo 2013 during the earlier parts of the year – going to Fanime again this year was somewhat of a last minute thing. We ended up not having enough funds to afford going to LA and spending our time at the convention as pre-registered members. Fanime’s always fun, so I didn’t mind much. However, it did sour the experience in another way. Since we couldn’t book a room at the Marriott, Hilton, or any other nearby hotels this year (by the time we decided to go to Fanime again, all the reservations were full), we had to book a room at a motel called the “Hotel Elan” (yes, they call themselves a hotel) which was somewhat of a distance away from the San Jose Convention Center. It wasn’t too bad of a place nor was it miles away, but it was still far enough (approximately one mile) that we had to walk over there and take the bus every morning. We never got to the con at the earliest possible time, and since the neighborhood was pretty damn dangerous, we never stayed out too late. From now on, we’re definitely making plans for Fanime every year except when we’re 100% sure we’re going to another con.

Fanime 2013 Haul

I now have a huge Ore Imō wallscroll hanging over my bed.

Hey guys! I’m back from school, and raring to post coverage on my experiences at Fanime 2013. Fortunately (or rather, unfortunately?), Fanime is the time of year where I stop giving a shit about college in favor of catering to the weeb inside of me, so I’ll start posting more often on my own damn blog again and talk about shows I’ve finished and started. At least before Wahfuu gets tired of giving my blog respiratory aid. Ahem.

Anyways, I’ll begin the Fanime coverage by talking about the awesome swag that I acquired during my trip at Fanime. I made a decent amount of money this year, and therefore I bought a lot more merchandize from the Dealer’s Hall compared to last year. Of course, it was limited to stuff I couldn’t find anywhere else otherwise, as Region 2 DVDs and the like tend to be pretty cheap when ordered off of sites like Right Stuf, so I limited myself to buying mostly imports and merchandise that are hard to come by normally.

Beware: Photos were taken from my crappy 3DS camera.

12 Days of Japanese Propaganda, Day 5: Right Stuf is AWESOME!

Being a starving college student and an impulsive buyer of anime-related stuff is not a good combination of qualities to have.

Boys and girls, take it from a victim, save your money for school, food, and maybe a nice car. You’ll probably get through your life smoother than me.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

The Podcast With No Name – Episode 1: Popping the Cherry

On the agenda for our pilot episode, we have the upcoming Little Busters! anime, Spice & Wolf and other light novels, Da Capo III and other untranslated visual novels, Tales of Xillia being localized, and of course, plenty of extra topics because we can’t stop talking.

Intro Music Title: campo de girassol Artist: Shibayan Circle: ShibayanRecords Album: À procura de felicidade

Ending Music Title: グリニッジによる二台のチェロのためのアルマンド Artist: 菊一倖殷×中雑魚酒菜 Circle: 街角麻婆豆 Album: The Catcher in Greenwich

The best way to spend your birthday… giant nostalgia cake!

Today, I become 19. I am no longer barely legal, just… legal. How boring. ):

Well, what better way to spend your birthday than to watch a bunch of Cardcaptor Sakura episodes with you little sister. She seems to be just as in love with the show as I was when I was in grade school. That’s great, knowing that I’m supplying her with wholesome amounts of awesome.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998 Toei Animation) 01 Manga Comparison

This episode was Yu-Gi-Oh!‘s official anime debut, based on chapter one of the manga, “The Puzzle of the Gods.” As you can guess, it shows Yuugi completing the Sennen Puzzle and awakening his other half “Dark Yuugi”, befriending Jonouchi, and starting his spree of mindraping just about anyone that messes with him or his friends/family through Games of Darkness.

Appropriately, the first episode is one of the more faithful episodes of this anime, despite some characterization changes and the Game of Darkness between Yuugi and Ushio (no, not the cute one from CLANNAD xD) being completely different, as well as his Penalty Game.

Fanime 2012 Haul (a.k.a. the coolest SWAG ever)

I bought this art-book bundle that came with a free art bag, wall scroll, and cute card of Sena from Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai. The art was done by a Chinese circle that also included some Japanese artists. The drawings look really nice! Sadly, I can’t find any more stuff from them on Pixiv, since they’re predominately Chinese. Some of the pages are really ecchi, but hey, it was a nice deal for $25. If only I was able to find an artbook of my number one Kobato, everything would have been perfect!

http://blog.sina.com.cn/fromover
http://xixiong.taobao.com/

Along with the art book, I managed to snatch me some Haruhi Playing Cards.

Fanime Con 2012 Recap, Photos, and Cosplays

Being a local to San Jose, it was kind of strange for my friends and I to reserve a hotel room for this year’s Fanime Convention. But hey, sometimes we all need to get away from the house once in a while, right? ^^;; Steven went along too and was, in fact, the brains behind the planning (and photos). What a good guy!

For many of us, it was the first time attending Fanime for the whole weekend. It certainly was for me. And I was looking forward to the event since the beginning of the year, so when the day of college finals were over and the days of endless amounts of cosplay and anime were about to begin, I was absolutely ecstatic.

Mirai Nikki – Final Impressions

Don’t worry… Ahnnnnn~… Readers… I’ll write for you.

The craziest anime series of the Fall 2011 just came to a close, but it left with me with something that didn’t live up to the zany expectations of the middle episodes. Not to say it was disappointing, but it felt that something was missing. No, rather, it felt like something was out of place. It’s been a fun ride, Mirai Nikki, especially not starting off as a reader of the manga, but I must say… why?