How to Play Hi10P Anime

So, a lot of fansubbers are switching over to a magical new H.264 profile called Hi10P. Basically, 10 bit color is supposed to deliver anime MKVs in smaller filesizes and with less banding. A few fansub groups have already made the switch, and many more are expected to come the fall season.

The problem is, the CCCP is using outdated technology doesn’t support Hi10P yet. The beta tryout does, but it’s glitchy as all hell. So what’s a poor otaku to do? There are several options for PC users, some better than others.

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Scandal: Their Fifth Anniversary

In August 2006 four young ladies: Haruna Ono, Tomomi Ogawa, Mami Sasazaki and Rina Suzuki met in an Osakan vocal and dance school.  As they became friends, they decided to form a band. On the 21st of that month they formed Scandal, and they started performing at Osaka Castle Park.  The rest is becoming history, as they say.

Today we celebrate their fifth anniversary and take a brief look at this self proclaimed “Most Powerful Japanese Girlie Pop Rock Band.”

First let’s introduce the band.

Haruna Ono–guitar and lead vocals, born August 10, 1988–is the leader and oldest member of the group. Her philosophy is to spotlight each member of the group in every song or performance. This way, no one person gets the all the attention. In my opinion it’s worked quite well.

Tomomi Ogawa–bass and vocals, born May 31, 1990–does quite a bit of the song writing for the group and adds her playing expertise along with her stunning vocals to each song.

Mami Sasazaki–vocals and lead guitar, born May 21, 1990–shows extraordinary guitar playing and an intensity on stage that I’ve not seen in ages. Her solos are something to behold.

Rina Suzuki–drums, keyboard and vocals, born August 21, 1991–is the youngest member of the group and the most outspoken in interviews on and off the stage, besides being quite a drummer in her own right.

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Chronicles of an Anime Audiophile: Those Damn FLACs

Any excuse to post Mio fanart.

I’ve always been a bit of a videophile. That’s why I’m unable to abide the terrible video quality on Crunchyroll. However, I recently discovered my anal-retentive pickiness also extends to music. I recently became dissatisfied with the audio quality of my cheap, $10 Walmart earbuds and decided to spring for a fairly inexpensive but high-quality pair of Sennheiser around-ear headphones.

Almost immediately, I began to notice problems with my music collection. A lot of my anime soundtracks, particularly the ones with lower bitrate encoding, now sounded vaguely flat and lifeless. My iPod sounded cheap and tinny. The problem wasn’t in the headphones themselves, since high-bitrate music and videos with FLAC audio sounded absolutely amazing through them. No, the problem lay elsewhere.

Without even realizing it, I was becoming an audiophile.

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Announcing SaiRetro

The International SaiMoe League is a lot of fun, but we here at Project Haruhi noticed that some classic anime girls didn’t make it past the nominations round. This is understandable, as SaiMoe is more focused around the last decade’s worth of anime, but we feel these oldschool beauties deserve some love too. That’s why we’ve decided to set up our very own niche version of the SaiMoe tournament.

Read more at the SaiRetro website.

Gundam AGE – Will it RUIN GUNDAM FOREVER?

Nobody is asking the question that everyone should: WHERE IS HARO?!

Mobile Suit Gundam could be considered one of the most influential anime of all time. It spawned the real robot genre, introduced serious social topics such as politics and war to its audience, and inspired an endless lineup of spin-offs and model kits that one will have to wait four to six weeks to ship to one’s house from Hobby Link Japan. Out of this metaseries, Gundam fans have born witness to the critically acclaimed Zeta Gundam, and wished they never had to endure Sunrise vomiting out SEED Destiny. And now, after a plethora of hit-or-miss alternate universe spin-offs and mountains of model kits, we now see, on the heels of the thirtieth anniversary of the original anime, the debut Mobile Suit Gundam AGE.

And I have not met a damn soul who is happy about this.

Is this the end of Gundam as we know it? Find out, after the break.

SHOOM!

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Old vs. New: Dragon Ball

During my recent re-watching of Lucky Star, I couldn’t help but smile when Konata sang the classic Dragon Ball Z OP “Cha-La Head-Cha-La.” But then I remembered the new Dragon Ball Kai OP “Dragon Soul,” which is sung by one of my favorite GAR artists of all time, Takayoshi Tanimoto. Now I can’t decide which song is better. Help me decide, friend reader, and I’ll stick the winning song in the next episode of Bakacast!

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhJwOx1LXmA’]

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-7pzJRwplk’]

[poll id=”23″]

Heavenly Legs – Which Grade of Zettai Ryouiki Is Best?

 

Natsuru displaying Grade B zettai ryouiki.

As every otaku knows, the true pinnacle of anime fashion (and Japan’s most popular fetish) is that heavenly bit of flesh between the top of a girl’s kneesocks and the bottom of her skirt… the absolute territory, better known as zettai ryouiki. Now, the power of SCIENCE tells us that the ultimate ratio of length of skirt : zettai ryouiki : length of socks above knee is 4:1:2.5 ±25%. However, I say TO HELL WITH SCIENCE! Zettai ryouiki is all about passion, not mere mathematics. The very notion that certain “grades” of kneesock length are superior strikes me as far too absolutist. Each grade has its own strengths, its own appeal!

The question I pose to you, dear readers, is which grade of zettai ryouiki do you find the most appealing? Do you agree with the conventional wisdom that Grade A is the true “golden ratio,” or do you prefer a more exposed leg? Using the chart I’ve provided, cast your vote in the poll below. Don’t hesitate to leave your opinion in the comments below as well. This is one of the most pressing issues facing otakudom today, so now is your chance to let your voice be heard!

Click to expand.

[poll id=”22″]

 

2010 Anime Oscars: Glen’s Picks

 

Apparently Jon rarely watches anything good, so I’m doing my own version of the Anime Oscars. Actually, hardly any of the other Project Haruhi writers have watched most of these shows. A lot of them aired when I was taking a break from anime earlier this year, but I’ve recently dug them up after hearing a lot of positive reviews. There’s a lot from 2010 that I haven’t seen, but I think I’ve picked the best ones to backtrack first. Therefore, I’m confident in awarding Oscars to shows that truly deserve it.

You can look forward to hearing the rest of the gang’s picks and more about mine on next week’s episode of Bakacast.

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2010 Anime Oscars: Jon’s Picks

 

All winners get a free golden statue of Natsuru in a maid outfit.

Well, the 83rd Oscars are over, and once again Japanese animation has been totally overlooked by the Academy. I’ve decided to remedy this by holding my very own totally legitimate Japanese Animation Academy Awards. These Anime Oscars will cover all the shows and OVAs that finished airing in 2010, as well as any films that were released on DVD (and therefore fansubbed) during that year.

Now, keep in mind that these are my personal choices… I’m sure the other writers for this site will have their own picks to share. And if you put together your own list of Anime Oscar winners on your blog, please let us know in the comments! We’d love to read it.

More below the break!

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