Durarara!!!! taking awesomeness to a whole nother level

So what do you do when you are finishing off the first edit of your book and your editor rings you up wanting to know the title of the book you’re working on and you have yet to name it? A) You tell your editor the truth: Dude I 'm not even finished writing the damn thing. I'll get back to you in a week or three. B) Say the first thing that pops into your head because you're a week over due handing the first draft in and you don't want to piss your editor off further.

Yeah no-brainer you go with B.  That is exactly what Ryohgo Narita did and he had the cujones to admit this in the first volume of the light novel.

Durarara!! started out in 2004 as a light novel by Ryohgo Narita (he is also responsible for creating gems like Baccano! and Bow Wow! Two Dog Night) there are currently 12 volumes out and it is ongoing.  In 2009 Durarara!! was adapted into manga and is illustrated by Akiyo Satorigi.  Finally in 2010 it was adapted into anime, it ran for 26 episodes: well 24 episodes and 2 OAV to be precise.

 Durarara!! is set in Tokyo in the district of Ikebukaro or Bukuro for short.  Mikado Ryugamine longs to spice up his dull life in the country and decides to go to high school in the urban jungle that is Ikebukuro.  There he meets up with his elementary school friend Masaomi Kida;who has been living in Bukuro for the past 4 years.  

On their way to Mikado's flat Masaomi tells Mikado about the people he should never piss off while in Bukuro.

1) Shizuo Heiwajima: to an outsider he is an ultra-violent man with super human strength. In reality he is a nice guy with a big heart who gets pissed off easily and has rage control issues.  2) Izaya Orihara: he looks like a harmless NEET but he is a mischievous ass, who is deadly with a knife and gets bored easily.  Oh and he loves to piss Shizuo off.  He is the type of person that loves to bring situations and people to boiling point and watch things boil over from the side lines, just for kicks.   3) The Dollars, a mysterious gang. 4) The Black Rider, a headless biker chick.  Inevitably Mikado's life gets tangled up in each of these people’s lives pretty much from the start.

With every character in Durarara!! looks can be deceiving and they all have a secret side that they don't show to others and secrets they are keeping to themselves for one reason or another.                             

This is one of those anime that just works and I would put it the same league as Samuri Champloo and Cowboy Bebop.  This is another anime that has a main plot line running thought it, but it is loose.  Instead of feeling like you’re watching events proceed in order towards an ending, Durarara!! takes you on a kick ass pub crawl though the crazy city of Bukro with your even crazier friends (you know the ones I'm talking about) in tow.   You just know you are going to end up with your head shaved and a wild tattoo on your rear when you wake up in the morning, but it will be one of the best nights you have ever had.  I love this anime. For a super otaku like me I totally flipped out when they started referencing other anime and they even had a life size cardboard cut out of Holo from Spice and Wolf.  This is one have me pissing myself with laughter the whole way though.  I even have the opening song as my ring tone.

Tip though: I did try to watch this in Japanese but the talking was crazy fast so I had a hard time understanding it and an even harder time with the subtitles.   If you want to enjoy this anime to its fullest I would recommend watching it in your native language.             

Because I am a nerdlit I thought I would add a little trivia... I love the play on words in Japanese language. I also love the meaning of Japanese names and the way a name is said and the kanji used to write it can make it mean something complete different.  When you watch Durarara!! you will note how everyone comments on how odd Mikado Ryugamine's name is. The short version is it sounds like a name from feudal Japan. If you want the long version follow the link on his name.   Shizuo Heiwajima name means: serene man or peaceful island.  Izaya's name is the combo of Isaiah from the bible and the Japanese meaning for: the one who looks over the crowd, which is very fitting. Then there is the exit signs in the subway,   “around the station are the Seibu and Tōbu department stores. Seibu, written with the characters for "West" and "Musashi (province)" 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for "East" and "Musashi" 東武, is on the west end” (wikipedia.org).   If you want to know more insights to the other names and quirky things then fallow these links: without-spoilers and with-spoilers.          

    
Subway info via wikipedia video clips via youtube  

Spice and Wolf Anime Review

Spice and Wolf: a very spicy anime

Spice and Wolf started out as a series of light novels (there are 17 in all) written by Isuna Hasekura and illustrated by Ju Ayakura from 2006-2011. In 2007 the books were adapted into a manga illustrated by Keito Koume and in 2008 it was finally turned into an anime that ran for 2 series (26 episodes long) and was directed by Takeo Takahashi.  It is not your typical anime and all things considered, because economics and commerce heavily run through this series, you would think it would be one big yawn fest. But you would be mistaken because this anime is truly a gem.  

AMV Creator - Frezio

Spice and Wolf centers around Kraft Lawrence: who is a traveling merchant in his 20's and Holo: who is a 600 year old wolf deity that takes on the appearance of a 15 year old girl with wolf ears and a tail.  It is set in a fictional world that is reminiscent of Europe in the middle ages, at the time when the church is the dominating force stamping out the old pagan ways and religions.  

After Holo decided to travel from her homeland in Yoitsu (way up in the north) down to the south, she made a promise with a young boy that she would become the goddess of the harvest for the town of Pasloe.  So that the town would always have a good harvest and in return the towns people would worship Holo.  Centuries later the towns people have all but forgotten about Holo and she feels that she has fulfilled her duty to Pasloe and it is time to return home.  The only problem is she has no idea how to get home. Luckily for Holo, Lawrence passes through Pasloe and she stows away in his cart.  After Lawrence gets over his annoyance and shock he agrees to take Holo back to her homeland, and so the story begins.   

AMV Creator - snegov1k

 I fell in love with the anime from the start and I can say that the majority of the people that have seen the anime and/or read the books and/or the manga love it as well. The story lines are good and the dynamic between Holo and Lawrence is great. You can tell that they have feelings for each other but they are both stubborn  fools so can't admit their feelings.  The first season of the anime covers books 1 & 2 and the second season covers 3 & 5.  Spice and Wolf is such a great anime but the one major downfall is: I doubt there will be a third season which I desperately want; but what I have found with anime if they don't make another season with a year or two of the last one, then more often then not there wont be any more.  I would also like to recommend reading the books and you can get the English versions (as well as the manga) through Yen press , the only annoying part is they have only translated up to 7(and are slowly working on the rest) so you will have a bit of a wait until you can read all 17. 

On a different note: In my search for good AMV's I have come across some really good ones and therefor have put a link to them because they are some of the best I have seen (and believe me I have seen a lot).  In fact I have stumbled onto a bunch of gems via BestAMVs0  and I may even post something on them, but until then please check these out. 

photos via Photobucket  info via Wikipedia 

A Real Life Anime Girl

Anastasiya Shpagina, 19, models herself on characters from Japanese anime films. The Ukrainian teenager spends hours painstakingly applying make-up to achieve her extreme look. Shpagina is reported to be considering surgery on her eyes to further resemble her anime idols....wtf

\

[VIA]

Inspirational Animations

I've been a big fan of more left field animation since Finger Mouse in the 80's. Since then there have been a ton  of seriously under rated animations released by independent studios ranging from the charming to the bizarre. Here is a selection of what I consider to be some of the best and most inspiring for their originality, approach and depth, some you may have seen others I'm confident you won't. Make sure to look up other work from these animators, you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

Le Grand Sommeil - Dir. Pic Pic André / Belgium / 2003

My Bloody Lad - Dead Walter - Wizzprod

My Bloody Lad - Dead Walter - WIZZprod° from WIZZprod° on Vimeo.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack - Van Orman - Cartoon Network

Bevis and Butthead 2011 - Mike Judge - Mtv

Blade The Anime

Madhouse have brought a group of Marvel‘s characters to the anime world, Wolverine, Iron Man, and X-Men, and they have announced that the newest anime franchise will be the vampire-killer Blade series, which will debut in Japan on July 1st. Blade will be teaming up with a young vampire hunter from Japan, plus Noah Van Helsing (of the Helsings!) & his dog Razor, against the evil Deacon Frost and his minions in Asia....

10 Best Posts Of 2010

10. Sowat Typographic Graffiti

9. Mecha Musume WWII x Cute Anime Girls

8. Polly Morgan Taxidermy Art

7. The Most Awesome Video Controller

6. Paludariums Are Incredible

5. Michael Hussar

4. Nike Air Max Infrared 90's Re-Release

3. 3D Graffiti Technica

2. ESPV Interview Skinner

1. Paul Booth Dark Tattoos- Once again, a tattoo post rules in 2010! Lets see if there will be any change for 2011.

Oono Tutomu

Nice anime illustrations by Oono Tutomu....







[VIA]

Akira Bike

This is pretty old but I've just come across it. Japanese bike customisers BSU made a prototype of the bike from AKIRA! Unfortunately it's only a model so you can't ride it, but it's still pretty neat!

Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo was written and directed by Shinichiro Watanabe (who also directed Cowboy Bebop). It aired in Japan in 2004 and is 26 episodes long. This anime blends action and comedy as well as some kick ass Samurai fighting and its all set during Japans Edo period.
Now Samurai Champloo would have you believe that we have the Edo period to thank for today’s hip hop culture, Graffiti, hippies and the flower power movement, beat-boxing just to name a few. And who am I to say otherwise, ok sure those pesky school text books and historians would have you believe otherwise, but come on what do they know.


This anime is set around 3 main characters: Mugen, a 19 year old, outlaw who will fight anyone that looks like they might be a bad ass and has never lost a fight. Jin, a 20 year old, ronin who is very reserved but can kick ass when needed and has also never lost a fight. And Fuu, a 15 year old girl, who decides to look for “a samurai who smells of sunflowers” (her dad), after Mugen and Jin get the tea house she was working in burnt down. The 3 of them set out on this adventure after Fuu springs Mugan and Jin from Prison in exchange for them promising her that they will help her. They are always broke ass broke and wonder around Japan getting into trouble wherever they go.


I know I say this about a lot of anime but I loved it, sure there were a few episodes that I could have skipped, but all of them had me laughing my ass off. To top it off I loved the ending as well it was a well rounded anime and it had something for everyone. I had put off watching this anime for some time as it didn’t sound like it was my thing, but I was happily proven wrong. And if it hadn’t been for the fact that I had to give up the TV half the way through (so someone could play PS3 games) I would have watched it in a day. The animation is very good, the music is kicking, the jokes run right the way through, and there is a bit of a storyline hidden in there as well.

Zain7 Art

Zain7 is an illustrator from Japan who specialises in traditional manga-style art with a mystic/psychedelic twist....





[VIA]

Death Note

This anime started out as a manga series by Tsugumi Ohba, artwork by Takeshi Obata and ran from 2003 to 2006. It was then turned into an anime series in October of 2006 and finally in 2007 it was turned into 2 live action movies. The anime series has 37 episodes and was directed by Tetsuro Arake and was produced by Madhouse in Japan and licensed by Vis Media for the English language conversion. Death Note has had a lot of praise from various critics for its story line and use of violence making the anime very entertaining. It has also been banned in China because kids were altering their notebooks to look like a Death Note.

So what happens when a Shinigami (or Death God) gets bored? The result is this series. Death Note focuses on Light Yagami a very intelligent high school student and Ryuk a bored Shinigami. Ryuk manages to get his hands on an extra Death Note, and as the world of the Shinigami is so boring he tosses the extra Death Note down to Earth to see if he can get a little entertainment. Light is disillusioned with the up rise of crime and the lack of justice in the justice system in Japan. One day he finds the Death Note and after thinking that the notebook is some kind of a lame joke he decides to try it out. When it works Light's whole life changes; he meets Ryuk who explains that he is only along for the ride and Light can do what he likes with the Death Note. Light decides to exact his own justice on those he sees as evil, as well as those who get in his way. He is dubbed Kira by the public because no one knows who is killing the worlds worst criminals. At this point crime in the world is virtually non-existent and the worlds law enforcements agencies get together to try and bring down Kira. At this point L the worlds best detective is brought in to try and find Kira. No one knows what L looks or sounds like or his real name.

Now you have two world class geniuses pitted at one another. We the viewer know who all the players are and it's this game of cat and mouse, and just how far Light is willing to go that makes this anime work so well. Just when you think Light is going to get found out something else happens and he is able to go on. What would you do if you had a Death Note: Me, well after I took care of all of the people on my s*@t list (you know who you are) I might be tempted to do the same as Light.

I loved this series from the start it has everything that turns a good anime into a cult sensation. The story line has been thought out with precision to hook you in from start to end. The artwork is top of the line and the soundtrack is also good. I was able to get the first 24 episodes very quickly when it first came over to the UK and made the mistake of thinking that it was only 24 episodes long. Needless to say I was tearing my hair out when I found out that it was 37 episodes and there was a hell of a long wait to get the rest. Luckily I was able to get the rest fairly quickly from the states. With is anime series I really can't see anyone not liking it, it is that good. Please note that I am talking about the series and not the so called anime films (Death Note R and Death Note R2) these are just the condensed versions of the whole series and you miss out on so much that it ruins the whole feeling of that anime.

photos via photobucket

Treasure Festa 3 Dimension Diver Figures

OK...so I have a thing about robotic girls....These garage kits from HERE are pretty cool. (lots more pics after the jump)





[VIA]

Akira 12inch Kaneda and Die Cast Bike

Toy makers, Bandai & Medicom have joined forces to create Project BM. With their first release being a 12" of Kaneda+ Die-cast model bike from the seminal anime, "Akira". The cool thing is that the bike actually lights up! The HUD, Satnav & Wheels all glow for you in true geek style.








[VIA]

Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society

Ghost in the Shell (GITS) Stand Alone Complex (SAC): Solid State Society was released in 2006 and is the anime film based on the Stand Alone Complex series. It was directed by Kenji Kamiyama and produced by Production I.G.; the film had a huge production budget of 360 million yen or 3.2 million dollars. And for all of you GITS fans it was announced at the 2006 Anime Expo that this film will not be the last in the SAC series.


Solid State Society takes place 2 years after 2nd GIG in the year 2034 in the 2 years prior to 2034. The Major has resigned from Section 9, Togusa has stepped into the Major's role as field leader, and Section 9 has now expanded its team to 20 members. The film starts out with Section 9 investigating the mysterious suicides of 13 operatives of the former Siak Republic. Section 9 manages to get a lead from Ka Gael (one of the operatives) when he says the Puppeteer is coming before he kills himself. When Batou is sent to Ma Shaba’s labs to intercept a suspect he runs into the Major who tells him that she is investigating on her own. Before the Major leaves she warns Batou to stay away from the Solid State Society. When Togusa discovers 16 kidnapped kids at Ma Shaba’s Labs and investigates into these kidnappings further he is also warned to stay away from the Solid State Society. And towards the end we see the Major join forces with Section 9, again to kick some ass.

Ok, as I am a big fan of GITS I was over the moon when I saw this latest instalment and yes I did, and still do like it. But I thought as SAC it such a big thing in itself this movie could have been better and longer. It never really goes into any depth and the story line is a bit jumpy. Yes, this due to the fact that this is a movie and not a series but still I think it could have been better and I was left feeling a bit disappointed. You will probably like this film if you like GITS and I am sorry to say that if you have not seen any of the series then you may not get the movie because it is not a stand alone movie so it would probably be best if you watch the series first. Also it is my duty to inform you that yes, Hollywood is making a live action version of GITS (No I am not lying). I don’t know if I will watch it in the cinema when it comes out but I will be watching it. Fingers crossed it doesn’t totally suck because it could bring in new fans to the anime and fuel lots more investment into making more of the series.

anime reviews to resume soon

Ok so I know it has been quite some time since my last review. I do apologise for that I took a trip to India and when I got back I was very sick for some time. So I spent a lot of time hiding under a rock. And then I went and had a baby in December so I have not had much time to watch anime let alone review it. But as half term is coming up and my other little one loves to watch anime I will jump back on the horse and give you guys more reviews.

So in the mean time here is some news in the anime world.... For all you Fullmetal Alchemist fans happy days they are making a new series. For all you Evangelion fans they are making a new series. For those of you that love Death Note if you have bought the full series then don't buy Death Note R it's just a rehash (trust me I bought it). And lastly I have the sad news that Hollywood is making a live action of GITS (we shall see if it will be good or the smelly stuff you avoid). So I am sorry it's been so long but I will start to review again.

Studio Ghibli New Film

Studio Ghibli have made the official announcement of their new full length feature film titled Karigurashi no Arrietty (The Borrower Arrietty). The film will be an adaptation of Mary Norton's Carnegie Medal winning novel The Borrowers and will be directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi.
Unlike the original novel, which tells a story about tiny people who "borrow" things from normal humans during the 1950's in England, Studio Ghibli have transferred their version to Tokyo Koganei in 2010 (Koganei is where Studio Ghibli is settled)
Yonebayashi earlier worked as a key animator on previous Ghibli works like Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo and Spirited Away and was animation director for Miyazaki Goro's Gedo Senki.
It will be released Summer 2010.

[VIA]

Tekkonkincreet

If you haven't seen the anime adaptation to Taiyo Matsumoto’s graphic novel Tekkonkincreet, I suggest you find it as soon as possible and do just that. Brought to the screen by Studio 4C, this version of the popular graphic novel is on of the most beautiful pieces of animation I have seen since....well just since (I'm not a super anime geek, so I'm no authority on this subject).


There is an interview with the CEO of 4C as well as some of the team that worked on the film on the PingMag site available here. Although there is no mention of another anime called Mind Game by the same team, that is also well worth a watch for it's rather leftfield style and story.


So, if like me, you are struggling to come to terms with the recession and have no money to go out and piss your measly earnings up a wall, go and search these gems out. You'll probably find them free on the web, but I strongly suggest buying them as they may well change your life forever (let's just hope they don't try and make a live action version and kill them like they seem to be doing with so many other classics).