Otaku Debate: Finding an Anime Girlfriend

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Jon

Last week’s debate indicated a fairly split opinion on the quality of the summer anime season. 59% of you said it was either average or horrible, whereas 31% liked it. 12% didn’t even bother watching any shows from this season at all. Based on these results, it think it’s safe to say the summer season received a somewhat negative reception from our readers.

As many of you have already seen, my room is decked out in all manner of otaku merchandise. Upon seeing those photos, one of my friends remarked, “Now that’s the kind of room guaranteed to repel girls. If she doesn’t turn tail and run after seeing that, she’s a keeper!”

That got me thinking. Are girls really turned off by such overt displays of nerdiness, as my friend claimed? The dream of any otaku (or any nerd, for that matter) is to find a significant other who shares their interests. I’m sure we’ve all fantasized about that perfect girl or guy who’s both cute and into K-ON!. The question is, can we turn that fantasy into reality? Is it really viable to meet an anime girlfriend or boyfriend? What would be the best method for finding otaku romance? Or are we all doomed to spend our lives alone, crying ourselves to sleep every night while hugging our catgirl body pillows? That, dear readers, is what this week’s debate is about. Cast your vote in the poll below, and share your thoughts in the comment section!

[poll id=”18″]

Bakacast Briefs – Dude, Where’s My Zombie?

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Dustin

iTunes | Direct Download | RSS

Jon was feeling sick and Chris was out of town, so it’s just Glen, Larry, Jeagle and me on this episode of Bakacast Briefs. Glen and I do most of the talking during the first half, where we review Break Blade, a suprisingly zombie-free episode of HOTD and Occult Academy. Then we turn the podcast over to Larry and Jeagle so they can talk about what is basically the finale of K-ON!!. We end the show with Twitter questions and uncontrollable laughter, just like a cheesy 80s sitcom. Far out!

This episode covers:

Break Blade #2
Highschool of the Dead #11
Occult Academy #11
K-ON!! #24

A list of our Bakacast Affiliates can be found here. Be sure to check out their blogs!

[Music used in this episode is “Game Boy Rock” by Wizwars.]

Project Haruhi Fall Anime Preview, Part 2

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Jon

Send in the clones.

Project Haruhi’s Fall Anime Preview, Part 1

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Jon

You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

We are Project Haruhi. We are not one, but many.

That’s right! Contrary to popular belief, this website actually has several different authors writing for us. And we’re not just a bunch of emotionless clones, either… we each have unique opinions and aesthetic preferences. Despite what some of our readers believe, we’re not all grumpy moe-hating oldfags or fanservice-bashing puritans. Our tastes are as diverse as the colors of the rainbow.

To help emphasize that fact, I’ve asked each of our authors to write up their own short fall anime preview, detailing which shows they’re interested in and why. The first four of these previews are in this post; the rest will come tomorrow. Hopefully, this should give you a good idea of what to expect in our upcoming episode reviews and podcasts. Maybe our opinions will help you decide which shows you want to watch as well. So read on below the break, and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

[OP image by bbmbbf]

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Madhouse Earns My Forgiveness With Epic New Film

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Jon

I have immense respect for the prolific anime studio Madhouse, but their offering this season has been a total disappointment. Highschool of the Dead is one of the worst anime I have ever seen; a veritable ordeal to watch. If it wasn’t for my duties as chief editor of this site, I would have dropped it weeks ago. The K-ON!! finale might have been a wrenching roller-coaster of emotion, but the last episode of HOTD is what brought me to tears… tears of joy, that is. I’m so very happy that I don’t have to watch another episode of that garbage.

So, as you can imagine, I’ve been pretty disappointed in Madhouse lately… that is, until I saw this little trailer for something called Redline.

Freakin’ epic.

Seriously, this is one of the most visually stunning anime projects I have ever seen. I especially love the bits which display an aesthetic I can only describe as “LSD cyberpunk.” I think this film is worth watching for the animation alone. Madhouse, you have redeemed yourself.

You can learn more about Redline at ANN.

Otaku Debate: Did the Summer Anime Season Suck?

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Jon

Surprisingly, last week’s debate didn’t generate the knee-jerk negative reaction towards obesity that I expected. Most of the poll respondents said they preferred their girls anywhere from “meaty” to “slightly chubby,” which could be considered average weight for most people. It’s nice to see our readers have rejected the “thin = sexy” message of pop culture and formed more realistic standards of beauty!

This week’s topic is a bit of a painful one for me. In my humble opinion, this anime season has been a total letdown. Most of the shows, such as Seitokai Yakuindomo and Ookami-san, were just too bland to be worthwhile… and the few that showed promise, like Occult Academy and Highschool of the Dead, turned out to be total duds. The only show that’s marginally entertaining at this point is Mitsudomoe, but the very risque humor makes it appealing to only a small subset of otaku.

Now, I don’t think this means anime is doomed or anything silly like that. We’ve had bad seasons before, particularly in the early nineties after the last economic crash. Still, that doesn’t make it any less depressing to slog through such mediocrity. Has this season left you in a similar state of despair? Or do you think that I’m being overly negative? Are there any anime this season you did enjoy, or are you taking refuge in old classics like Dirty Pair and Gundam while this storm blows over? Vote in the poll below, and share your thoughts in the comment section!

(Just FYI: I consider K-ON!! to be a spring season show, so it doesn’t figure into this debate.)

[poll id=”17″]

Bakacast Briefs – May The Quartz Be With You

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Dustin

iTunes | Direct Download | RSS

Despite the allure of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, I managed to get this podcast out in a somewhat timely fashion. See? Sometimes miracles really do happen.

Anyway, in this episode we skip the news in favor of two extra reviews: Chris and Larry talk about Working!!,and everyone debates the strengths and weaknesses of Broken Blade (or Break Blade, if you want to be a title purist). We keep our griping about Highschool of the Dead to a bare (Haha! Get it?) minimum so we can quickly move on to more interesting things. Like how awesome it would be to live like a Pokemon trainer.

Anime covered in this episode:

Working!! (entire series)
Broken Blade #1
Highschool of the Dead #10
Occult Academy #10
K-ON!! #22 and #23

A list of our Bakacast Affiliates can be found here. Be sure to check out their blogs!

[Music used in this episode is “Broken Machine” by Trace Dragon XVI K.]

Need More K-ON! Music? Try These Seiyuu Solos!

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Shamisen

With the second season of K-ON!! in the can, many of us are already starved for more peppy after-school music. Aki Toyosaki, who is the voice artist of the character Yui Hirasawa, has released two singles over the past year, which is old news. However, Minako Kotobuki who plays Tsumugi is releasing a solo of her own. This I find rather surprising. Since I don’t think Minako’s done a solo, in the series that is, it will be interesting to hear what she sounds like without the other four members of H.T.T. The links listed below the photos will take you to CD Japan where you can hear forty-five second previews of the songs that Aki and Minako are releasing.

More after the break.

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Otaku Debate: Can Fat Girls Be Sexy?

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Jon

You cannot unsee this.

Last week’s sexy hair poll was so popular, I decided to make a weekly poll-oriented debate column. Welcome to the inaugural edition of Otaku Debate! Here, we will discuss the hard-hitting issues facing the otaku community today, while oogling as many sexy ladies as we can. Let’s begin!

When I posted this image to Twitter last night, I was surprised when many of my followers expressing support for fat fetishism. Quite a few people thought that pictures such as this one (VERY NSFW) and the one above were sexy, often repeating the catchphrase “Big girls need love too.” This got me thinking… last week’s poll seemed to indicate a certain sense of conformity with regard to hairstyle preferences, with twintails and waist-length hair being the most popular. Are there a significant number of otaku who go against the norm and enjoy a nice, fat anime girl? Or is this particular fetish relegated to fringe status, supported by a small but vocal minority? Vote in the poll below, then let me know your thoughts on the matter in the comments!

[poll id=”16″]

Yen Plus adds K-ON! and Yotsuba&!

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Jon

Yotsuba doesn't like being upstaged.

The launch of Yen Press’ online magazine Yen Plus went unnoticed by most otaku, mainly because the titles it included were exclusively Korean manhwa instead of manga. However, this month’s issue remedies that by adding two very well-known manga titles to the roster; the ever-popular slice-of-life series K-ON! and Kiyohiko Azuma’s beloved Yotsuba&!. But are these two manga really worth the subscription price?

Well, I decided to check out this month’s issue for myself. After hassling with the Yen Plus online reader’s annoying lag for a bit, I jumped straight to the first chapter of K-ON!. I must say, I find the manga to be much better than the anime, if only because they ditched the psuedo-character development and focused purely on the personality-driven gags, especially those involving Yui. The 4-koma manga essentially distills the plot, cutting out all the fluff and making for a much more lighthearted and enjoyable experience. As for Yotsuba&!, it remains one of the best manga of this decade. If you’ve never heard of it, this excellent article explains exactly why it’s so awesome. Frankly, I think the inclusion of Yotsuba&! chapters alone makes this magazine well worth the price of subscription.

At only $2.99 a month, subscribing to Yen Plus is a good way for even the poorest manga enthusiasts to support the series and artists they love. With two great new titles, I definitely think it’s worth your time and money. One Manga may be gone, but the phenomenon of online manga has a bright future.