Hey guys it’s Benu here. I’m writing to let you all know that I will be speaking at the Blogworld & New Media Expo this coming weekend which runs November 3-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. I will be speaking Saturday, November 5th at 3:30 PM in Room 406 A. My session is titled: Podcasting Moe: Lessons From An Anime Podcaster. If you liked my podcasting talks I’ve done at Anime Expo, this one is the biggest one yet. I’ll be summing up my six years of knowledge all in this one talk and teaching you how I got to where I am today. I’ll be talking about why passion is important, how to make people passionate about your podcast, and how to grow your podcast. If you want to take your podcast to the next level this is one talk you don’t want to miss.

So all of you fellow anime podcasters and bloggers out there that really want to succeed you need to be at the Blogworld & New Media Expo this weekend! You will learn so many amazing things and reach success that you never thought possible. If you miss this event, you miss out on a wealth of knowledge that you won’t find anywhere else. If your really serious about taking things to the next level then you need to attend Blogworld. Fellow podcasters if you get an Expo Pass you get access to all the Podcamp conference sessions held on Friday and Saturday which includes my session! Don’t miss out!

I have a special offer – 20% OFF registration pricing. Simply use the code BWEVIP20 when you check out and you’ll receive the 20% discount.

So get your pass here right now!

Also I need your help. I was planning on bringing my Hatsune Miku along with me to Blogworld and to be my co-presenter on stage as I feel Miku represents a true ground breaking new media movement and she is moe as well. But what version of Miku should come along with me? And should I also bring Hinagiku along as well so she doesn’t feel left out? Look at the choices below then vote on which version of Miku should join me at Blogworld.

Regular Miku

Open Mouth Miku

Cheerleader Miku

Hachune Miku

Neko Hina

At Anime Expo 2011 Benu had the chance to sit down and talk with Fred Gallagher of the popular webcomic Megatokyo. Benu chats with Fred about what he is most proud of with Megatokyo, how he keeps the story going while avoiding burn out, his plans for other projects, influences on Megatokyo, and the current state of fandom today.

Recorded live at Anime Expo 2011 it’s Anime Genesis Live: Benu’s Violent Torpedo Of Moe! If you missed it you can now listen to the whole show in all it’s awesome glory! With special guests Mark Allen Jr. and Alex Leavitt! Benu talked with voice actor Mark Allen Jr. about voice acting, dubs, and how to break into voice acting. Benu then chatted with Internet and media PhD researcher Alex Leavitt about Hatsune Miku and the Vocaloid phenomenon and just what is the true definition of the word “Otaku”. Thanks to all who came out to the show! It was awesome to see all of you that showed up!

It’s that wonderful time of the year again, Anime Expo! Me your favorite host Benu is on the scene to cover the best that anime expo has to offer! I’ll also be hosting two panels! Check out the schedule below and stop by and say hi!

Anime Genesis Live: Benu’s Violent Torpedo Of Moe

Come to Benu’s first-ever live solo show! Will there be guests? Will there be squirrels? Will there be moe… wait, squirrels? With special guests, Mark Allen Jr. and Alex Leavitt.

Friday, July 1, 2011

9:00 pm LP 3 (LACC 515A)

Anime Genesis Presents: How To Fail At Anime Podcasting

Join Benu from Anime Genesis in a follow up to “Habits of Successful Anime Podcasting & Blogging” from last year, with talks about failure, why you shouldn’t be afraid to “fail” at podcasting, and how to handle criticism.

Monday, July 4, 2011

12:45 pm LP4 (LACC 411 Theater)

Otaku been like yo Benu, where you been? Where you been the past couple of months? I’m like, I haven’t gone nowhere. I’ve just been watching all the cool moe shows. So their like, hey Benu where’s Anime Gen going? I’m like, I don’t know but I’m here to take the show back, the show is officially mine, it’s officially mine!

Show Notes

Spring 2011 Anime Season

Nichijou – My Ordinary Life

We, Without Wings – Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai

A Bridge to the Starry Skies – Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi

Toriko

News

3rd season of Hayate after movie.

Hayate and Negima films double-billed.

Hatsune Miku to perform at Anime Expo.

Kalafina to perform at Anime Expo.

Video game developer Sohei Niikawa announced as guest for Anime Expo.

Reviews

Eden of the East

Final Verdict: A – Masterpiece

Trigun

Final Verdict: A – Masterpiece

Send any comments or questions to animegen@gmail.com, you can follow anime gen on twitter at twitter.com/animegen, also check out our facebook page at facebook.com/animegen.

Disclaimer: The DVDs reviewed on this podcast were sent to Anime Genesis by Funimation Entertainment for review purposes.

It’s spring and that means an all brand new season of anime. I’m going to start off my season preview with my thoughts on We, Without Wings – Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai which is based off a visual novel by NAVEL who were the creators behind Shuffle!. The show is being produced by Nomad, with Blessing of the Campanella and Omamori Himari director Shinji Ushiro as director. Takmitsu Kouno is handling the series composition.

It’s really hard to write about this show simply because I don’t know what it’s about. Two episodes in and it’s nothing but confusion with no sign of a coherent story or plot. It’s just not clear who the main characters are in this show. It’s really disjointed switching between different groups of characters with no real explanation about what’s happening. These characters do have names but it’s hard to keep track of them since you forget about them when the show switches to another group of characters. There are also some very odd and random fanservice scenes.

So far I don’t know what to think about this show. It’s confusing and I still don’t know what is going on. I don’t know if I will continue to watch the show though because I don’t like the fact that it really has no coherent story or plot at this point.

What do you think about We, Without Wings – Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai? Let me know by leaving a comment down below!

*We, Without Wings – Ore-tachi no Tsubasa wa Nai is currently streaming on Crunchyroll

As you all know by now, Japan has been hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami. Japan still needs a lot of help as they recover from this horrible disaster. There are many ways you can donate and help Japan. I am giving my support to Anime and Manga Bloggers for Japan and encourage you to donate. There has been quite a bit of money raised already. Anything you can donate will help. Dancing Queen also has a great post on How A Girl Figures about all the other ways you can donate and help as well. So donate and help Japan however you can!

In honor of Hinagiku’s birthday I thought I would write about why I love her so much. If you’ve listened to the podcast or follow me on twitter you know that I’m totally in love Hinagiku Katsura. If you don’t know Hinagiku is from the anime and manga Hayate no Gotoku or as it’s called in English Hayate the Combat Butler. Trying to think about why I love Hinagiku is hard to explain. I never really finished the first season of the Hayate no Gotoku anime, and just recently started reading the manga.

Most of my experience with Hinagiku has been based on the second season of the anime. So I have to ask myself the question “Benu, why do you like Hinagiku so much?”. I’m not really sure how to answer the question myself. I plan to write a more in depth look at the subject another time analyzing the second season and the specific things that brought me to love her. Hinagiku is an interesting character in that when I saw the first season of Hayate I didn’t really notice her from the start although I do remember liking her a bit.

Then came along the second season of Hayate which I didn’t really plan to watch. I just watched a couple episodes just because. I don’t know really what happened but around episode 4 something changed. Instead of the silly parody anime the last season was, the characters in the show started to become real characters and not characters purely just to be comical, which is what the first season felt like. So to get to the point and stop rambling I think I like Hinagiku as much as I do because she very much reminds me of myself or rather qualities of character that I aspire to have and improve on.

Hina always shows herself to be very responsible and honest and always has the courage to do the right thing and thinks of others before herself. She shows herself to be a strong, confident, and mature person yet at times deep down inside she is struggling with the same feelings and emotions everyone else feels yet she always tries to show herself as a strong woman no matter what. Her true feelings are deep down inside but she is too embarrassed to express her true self and feelings. I don’t think this even really explains everything about my love for Hina but I think it may give you a better understanding about why I like her.

If you like Hinagiku, what is it about her that makes you like her? For those that don’t like Hinagiku, what is it about your favorite character from Hayate that makes you like them? If you don’t have a favorite Hayate character, what is it about your favorite anime character that makes you like them?

On February 18th, 6 years ago, the first episode of Anime Genesis was recorded. It was know as Benu’s Podcast at the time, the Anime Genesis name didn’t come along till 10 episodes later. A lot has happened in these six years. It has been a long, long road traveled with many successes and failures. I have learned a lot in these six years and I think I still have much to learn. I never would have thought that six years ago Anime Genesis would still be here after all this time. I’m proud to say that Anime Gen is still here and still going strong. Its been an amazing and fantastic journey thus far. I would sincerely like to thank everyone that has been with me on this wonderful journey. I would like to thank those that have had a profound impact on me and the show over the years and a big, big thanks to everyone that has helped me and stood with me these six years. Everyone’s love and support means a lot to me. The podcast and the site would have never got to where it is now without everyone that has helped and contributed to the site and podcast and of course each and every reader, listener, and fan thank you so much! Without everyone that has helped Anime Genesis become what it is today, it would just be another anime podcast and blog that would have already faded out of existence within the first year. There are so many of you to thank so thank you all very much! I love you all! Where does Anime Genesis go from here? It’s going the only place it can go, up to higher places in 2011!

Some of the most notable events in the history of Anime Genesis over the course of six years:

February 18th, 2005 – The first episode of Benu’s Podcast is recorded.

February 13th, 2006 – The first episode bearing the Anime Genesis name is released.

July 2006 – Anime Genesis covers Anime Expo 2006 as press for the first time.

February 18th, 2007 – Anime Genesis hits the two year mark.

July 2007 – Anime Genesis hosts it’s first panel ever at Anime Expo 2007.

May 17th, 2008 – Benu is a guest and guest hosts on the Ramen Revolution TV show making it Benu’s first ever TV appearance.

July 2008 – Benu interviews David Hayter, Shoko Nakagawa, and Jyukai. Also, Anime Genesis has it’s first live show with Anime Diet at Anime Expo 2008.

January 2009 – Anime Genesis has it’s first live show with How A Girl Figures at Anime Los Angeles 2009.

February 18th, 2009 – Anime Genesis hits the four year mark.

July 2009 – Benu interviews Kari Wahlgren, Yosuke Kuroda, Seiji Mizushima, Yun Kouga, Hiroyuki Imaishi, Atsushi Nishigori, and Benu is also one of the hosts for The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour at Anime Expo 2009.

February 18th, 2010 – Anime Genesis hits the five year mark.

July 2010 – Benu interviews Danny Choo, also, Benu and Dancing Queen host The Indecent Otaku Comedy Show with special guest Danny Choo at Anime Expo 2010.

February 18th, 2011 – Anime Genesis hits the six year mark.

Benu is back with a brand new podcast! Can you believe it? Well believe it! In episode 3 for season four, Benu reviews Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai or My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute and does a DVD review of Girls Bravo: The Complete Series!

Show Notes

(00:00-02:32) – Intro

(02:32-06:35) - Anime Pacific’s response to New Year’s Resolutions For The Otaku

Reviews

(06:35-12:47) – Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai

Final Verdict: A – Masterpiece

(12:47-17:49) – DVD Review – Girls Bravo: The Complete Series

Final Verdict: C – Average

(17:49-18:59) – Twitter Shout Outs

@otakureview at otakureview.net and ani.me

@ssaapodcast at ssaapodcast.com

(18:59-20:37) – Outtro

(20:37-22:09) – Outtakes

Send any comments or questions to animegen@gmail.com, you can follow anime gen on twitter at twitter.com/animegen, also check out our facebook page at facebook.com/animegen. Send your twitter shout outs by sending your url to @animegen on twitter. Your site must be anime, japan, or geek culture related.

Disclaimer: A copy of the DVD reviewed on this podcast was sent to Anime Genesis by Funimation Entertainment for review purposes.

Benu reviews the awesome and extremely cute Nendoroid Hinagiku Katsura and lets you know all you need to know about this awesome nendoroid!

Check out the online stores below if you want to pick her up for yourself!

J-list
beNippon
Hobby Link Japan
Hobby Search
Kid Nemo Company
Otaku Fuel
Play Asia
Toylet
AmiAmi

I just got my Hinagiku Nendoroid in yesterday and she is so cute, adorable, and moe! I am working on a video review of her that will be up on the site soon but I’m so excited about her I had to post some pics here on the site! This is one of the best Hinagiku figures to come out and I’m so happy I was able to get this one especially because I’m such and huge fan of Hinagiku. I got mine from AmiAmi and they still have her in stock! So if you want her I recommend that you pick her up while you still can.

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Happy New Year everyone! It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything. As we are now in 2011 and the new year is upon us here are some resolutions for this year so that we all can become friendly productive members of anime fandom, not unproductive hate mongering otaku.

Stop Making Fun Of People Who Watch Dubs

Look your not any better or superior to anyone else just because you watch anime with “subtitles” only. Dubs have gotten much better then they were in the past anyway. If you prefer watching your anime subtitled then so be it, just don’t be a jerk about it. There was a time before DVDs and the internet when I watched anime on VHS, it was dub only. I watched it and I liked it!

Who Cares If Someone Calls Themselves An “Otaku”

Really if someone calls themselves an otaku and you have a problem with it then that’s your problem! If you don’t like the word otaku then don’t use it but please don’t be a jerk about it. What does it matter if someone else calls themselves something you don’t like it has nothing to do with you. Also I still haven’t been able to get a real true straight story on whether or not “otaku” is the dirty of dirtiest words in Japan that some seem to claim that it is.

Stop Thinking Your Better Then Everyone Else Just Because You Watch Old School Anime

You like anime from the 80′s and abhor any recent anime. That is all fine and dandy till you have to make it a point by being a big huge obnoxious jerk about it. I get it that you don’t like the K-ON’s and the Haruhi’s of late but that doesn’t give you the license to put down everyone who doesn’t watch and like what you watch and like.

Moe Isn’t Going Anywhere So Get Over It

It’s time to stop your useless crusades against the “The Dark Spectre of Moe” because it’s not going anywhere. If you don’t like a show don’t watch it! It’s that plain and simple.

Stop Being A Jerk

I guess that all the other points could be summed up with this last one. Don’t be a jerk! Be nice to your fellow fans and treat each other with respect. Let’s all make this year a great year for anime fandom. Let’s all put aside our differences and come closer together.

So with that I wish you all a Happy New Year! Let’s make 2011 the best year ever!

I went to the awesomely hilarious Mega 64 panel at AX this year. If you don’t already know who or what Mega 64 is they do hilarious comedy skits based around video games. What some may not know though is that Mega 64 is actually an episodic show released only on DVD with their video games skits interwoven into the story of the show. They are hilarious and a must see if your any kind of video game fan. Their panels are also hilarious and a ton of fun! If they ever come to a con in your area and do a panel definitely check them out! Take a look at the video below that Mega 64 took of their panel at Anime Expo this year and also check out some pics of me with the Mega 64 crew and the hilarity that ensued after the panel!

One of the Mega 64 guys grabbed the camera and snapped these pics below.

Derrick also grabbed the camera and took a pic of me and everyone standing next to me at the time randomly.

Is it just me or is there something odd about this picture….

Benu sat down for a chat at Anime Expo 2010 with Danny Choo of dannychoo.com. Benu asked Danny about otaku, Japan, moe and what his most important piece of advice for bloggers would be.

As much as some of us may love anime there are characters we will find annoying. There are characters that just annoy us every time we see them on screen to no end! It may be just a little catch phrase the character constantly spouts that you find annoying, it may be a little personality quirk you find annoying, or it may be everything about the character in general that you find annoying. What ever it might be there are all anime characters that we love to hate and hate to love. Love them or hate them I’m counting down my top five most annoying anime characters of all time!

5. Mikuru Asahina (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

I will be honest I have a bit of a soft spot for Mikuru deep down in my heart. That still doesn’t change the fact that I thought she was an annoying character in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I just felt like she didn’t serve any purpose in the show other then being the moe bait character that got abused by Haruhi all the time and didn’t do anything to defend herself. I’m annoyed by characters like Mikuru that act helpless and don’t do anything when something they don’t like is happening to them when it’s in a situation where they can easily do something about what is going on. Mikuru does have her moments where bits of her good character shine through, unfortunately these moments are few and far in between.

4. Fuuko Ibuki (Clannad)

I think I can pretty much say that any anime based off a Key property has at least one character I just can’t stand. For Clannad that character is Fuuko Ibuki. Everything about her was annoying. Being and acting stupid isn’t cute it’s annoying. She really didn’t serve any purpose at all in the show and her story arc was annoying as well. Fuuko was just plain annoying!

3. Makoto Sawatari (Kanon 2006)

I really, really disliked Makoto in Kanon. She was a bit annoying in the show but what really made her annoying was the end of her story arc in the anime. It was one of the most annoying and stupidest stories ever! The end of her story arc in the anime was horrible and painful to watch part of it was the story and the other part was how she acted and what she became at the end of her story arc. I really did enjoy Kanon quite a bit but Makoto’s story arc in the show was just horrible.

2.Hazuki (MoonPhase)

Possibly one of the reasons why I was never able to finish watching MoonPhase was it’s main character Hazuki. She is pretty much all the annoying traits of the above characters mixed together making Hazuki annoying on epic levels. Hazuki is selfish, annoying, and her constant screams of “onii-chan!” just drive me insane! She is nothing more than an annoying little sister and I don’t know how that can even be considered moe or be an attractive trait for a character.

1. Nagi Sanzenin (Hayate the Combat Butler)

I love Hayate the Combat Butler, I really do, but I unfortunately have to express my extreme dislike for one of it’s characters. Yes I know this character is one of the main characters and yes she is a huge part of what makes the show what it is. With that said Nagi Sanzenin is the big numero uno on my list of the five most annoying anime characters. Nagi is similar to Hazuki but she is a spoiled rich brat which doubles her annoyance level. Much like Hazuki she is nothing more then an annoying little sister. Even her being an otaku can’t save her from being annoying.

So who are your top five most annoying anime characters?

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Megumi Nakajima & May’n rocked the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles during Anime Expo 2010! Check out a video excerpt below of May’n performing live! Also check out the pictures below the video of May’n, Megumi Nakajima, and special surprise guest the legendary composer Yoko Kanno! It was one amazing show!

May’n is the singing voice of Sheryl Nome and Megumi Nakajima is the singing voice and voice actress of Ranka Lee both in the anime series Macross Frontier.

*Photography and Video by Benu

Didn’t make it to Anime Expo this year? No problem! Anime Genesis was there! We are bringing AX 2010 straight to you! This is just a little taste of what is in store! Anime Gen is bringing you the concerts, the guests, the panels, the excitement!

I’m not one for anything “horror” anime or otherwise. I just think a lot of things labeled as “horror” are quite silly and not scary at all. From what I knew about High School Of The Dead and the previews I had seen it looked to be like a badly done excuse for blood, gore, and fanservice. It seemed like that from the opening of the first episode as well. But it turns into much more and I was pleasantly surprised. From the opening scene it’s high school students fighting off a wave of zombies that are overtaking their school. Then the events that lead up to the opening scene are played out. First the male lead Takashi is seen being bummed out about being dumped by his childhood freind Rei that is going out with someone else. Takashi is then berated by a pink haired girl by the name of Tagaki telling him how pathetic he is being by moping around feeling sorry for himself. Then the zombies come and start biting teachers and suddenly zombies are everywhere.

It’s nice to see that it seems that there is a reason for this sudden zombie infestation that has suddenly taken over the whole city and the school. I do hope this reason is explained later on in the show. That is one of the things I hate about horror is that often times there is never a good reason for anything that happens. So I hope that there is at least a good reason for the zombies. I am very optimistic about this show for many reasons though and it looks like there is going to be some great character development but even more then that Tetsuro Araki of Death Note fame is in the directors chair along with a master in series composition, script, and screenplay writing, Yousuke Kuroda who is taking on the series composition duties. The well known studio Madhouse is behind the animation production as well.

Also we have some great voice talent as well with Marina Inoue who has played many popular roles such as Yoko in Gurren Lagann. Eri Kitamura is also in the show as well. Inoue voices Rei and Kitamura voices Tagaki.  High School Of The Dead has quite a bit of blood and gore and fanservice. So if you don’t like blood, gore, and fanservice, stay away. If there was a show this season that has the potential to be a huge hit High School Of The Dead is it.

How do you feel about High School Of The Dead?

*High School Of The Dead is currently streaming at The Anime Network

Wasn’t really sure what to expect from Seitokai Yakuindomo. It’s about Tsuda Takatoshi a high school boy who goes to an all girls high school that is turning co-ed and suddenly is on the student council as vice president. The first episode follows the activities of the male vice president Tsuda and the rest of the all girl student council Amakusa Shino, Shikijyou Aria, and Hagimura Suzu. The first episode is somewhat interesting. There isn’t much fanservice but there is tons of innuendo and dirty jokes in fact a lot more then I was expecting for a show like this. So far it’s hard to tell just where this show is going to go. It’s being directed by Hiromitsu Kanazawa who has only directed one other show by the name of “Princess Lover!”. Also the animation studio producing the show is GoHands who have only produced one other show “Princess Lover!”. So it’s still too early to tell if this show is going to be any good since the studio and director doesn’t have much of a track record.

How do you feel about Seitokai Yakuindomo?

If you loved The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour at Anime Expo last year, it returns to Anime Expo 2010 as The Indecent Otaku Comedy Show! You do not want to miss this! Benu and Dancing Queen return to host once again! Our special guest for this year will be none other then Danny Choo! We will also have live music, brand new video segments, a cosplay contest brought to you by Cosplay Cute, and prizes, prizes, prizes! We will also have special prizes for those who come in cosplay! Don’t miss the show everyone couldn’t stop talking about last year!

When: Saturday, July 3rd
Where: Anime Expo 2010 at the Nokia Plaza
Hosts: Benu of Anime Genesis, Dancing Queen of How A Girl Figures
Special Guest: Danny Choo
Time: Seating starts at 12:30 pm, Show starts at 1:00 pm

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It’s time to get “Benu” or get the hell out! It’s Anime Genesis episode two for season four! This episode is over eight thousand as Benu and Dancing Queen respond to a voicemail sent by Phillip from Eeepers Choice, talk about their experience at the DELICIOUS BUMP SHOW!! at which the pillows played, and Benu does his review of Dragon Ball Z Kai Part One! Benu and Dancing Queen also make some special announcements for Anime Expo 2010!

Show Notes

DVD Review: Dragon Ball Z Kai Part One

Final Verdict: B – Excellent!

Check Out Some Screen Caps From DBZ Kai!

Check Out Dancing Queen’s Video Of The Pillows On Her Site Here!

Announcements For Anime Expo 2010!

The Indecent Otaku Comedy Show With Special Guest Danny Choo!

New Time And Place!

When: Saturday, July 3rd 2010 – Day 3

Where: Nokia Plaza

Seating Starts at 12:30 pm

Show Starts at 1:00 pm

The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour returns to Anime Expo 2010 as The Indecent Otaku Comedy Show with special guest Danny Choo! Please note the place and time change above! We hope to see you there!

Habits Of Successful Anime Podcasting & Blogging

Benu will also be speaking at Anime Expo 2010 on the Habits Of Successful Anime Podcasting & Blogging. If you want to learn how to take your podcast and/or blog to the next level and learn it from Benu himself don’t miss it!

When: Sunday, July 4 2010 – Day 4

Where: LP3 – LACC 515A

Time: 11:00 am

Stay tuned to the Anime Expo website for the latest info!

Music Played During The Show

Supergene – Big In Japan

UNISON SQUARE GARDEN – about water and rain

MC Gold Lightan – Benu Sensation (As heard on the Anime Pacific Podcast: Episode 89)

Special thanks to Dancing Queen and Danny Choo for the opening show bumper!

Remember to leave your comments below on this post or e-mail the show at: animegen(at)gmail(dot)com

Also send your voice mail mp3’s to: animegen(at)gmail(dot)com

Disclaimer: A copy of the anime reviewed on this podcast was sent to Anime Genesis by Funimation Entertainment for review purposes.

It’s that time of year again and Anime Expo 2010 is almost here with only 62 more days till the biggest anime and manga convention around! It looks to be another huge year for AX as they are bringing in some monumental guests this year. AX just announced that AKB48 the hugely popular Japanese pop supergroup with be guests of honor and this year’s convention. They will be performing at the Nokia Theater as well as taking part in panels, meet and greets, and autograph sessions. You can check out the full press release here.

AKB48 is not the only huge guest coming to AX this year. Check out the list of names below of all the guests that have been announced so far.

AKB48
Yuu Asakawa
Kyle Hebert
Tomohiko Ishii
Kenji Kamiyama
Toshihiro Kawamoto
Katsuyuki Konishi
Satoru Nakamura
SOPHIA
Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe

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Just recently the president of Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Eric P. Sherman, wrote a post on the AnimeTV blog warning of the impending doom of “the death of anime” if people don’t stop illegal downloading. Anime Vice today also posted a link to an Australian news site that has a story on the problems the anime industry in Japan is having right now. The story on the Australian news site SBS brings up some interesting points from the Japanese side of things and it’s quite interesting. In the SBS story the owner of the A-Line anime studio, Kazumori Hashimoto was interviewed. He says he is worried about the current trend of having to make anime for the obsessive fans rather then the general populace. This is often a point brought up by those that complain that there is to much “moe” anime and it’s “destroying the industry”.

The problem I have with Kazumori Hashimoto’s statements are that his studio A-Line seems to be doing mostly grunt work looking at what they have worked on from ANN’s encyclopedia page for the studio. I’m not expert on how the industry works in Japan but of course a studio that does nothing but grunt work would be complaining that they are hurting right now. It’s no shocking revelation that anime is hurting on both sides of the pond but what industry isn’t hurting in these tough economic times right now. The SBS story also mentions competition from China’s animation industry which I keep hearing a lot about but I don’t think it’s a threat as everyone keeps saying. Most of the stuff from China looks like it’s badly done CG and kids stuff which is vastly different from the anime everyone knows and loves so as of now it’s not correct to even call it a huge threat to the anime industry in Japan. When China makes the next Bleach, Naruto, or Dragon Ball then I think you should be worried otherwise China isn’t a threat at all at this point.

I think everyone should stop being chicken little and screaming “THE SKY IS FALLING!” when what the industry needs to be doing is trying to find new exciting ways to use this shift in entertainment media to their advantage. I think it’s an exciting time for anime and entertainment media in general as I do think there are a lot of new and exciting possibility’s that are opening up with a lot of new technology. It’s just up to the industry to stop continuing to stubbornly keep hanging on to the old models of distribution and start to think of new and exciting creative models of distribution.

[polldaddy poll=3119163]

The band behind the music of the hit Gainax anime FLCL (Fooly Cooly) are coming to California for two shows in May! The pillows will also be bringing along three Japanese bands from their own record label “DELICIOUS LABEL” that will be opening for them. It’s going to be a great night of Japanese music with the pillows, noodles, monokuro, and POP CHOCOLAT! This mini California tour has been named ” DELICIOUS BUMP SHOW!! In California”. On May 21st the tour will be in San Francisco at Slim’s and on May 23rd in Pomona at the Glasshouse. I will be going to the show at the Glasshouse on May 23rd. This looks to be the only trip the pillows will be making to the US this year so far, so if your in California don’t miss it! For more info and where to buy tickets check out the flyer above or check out the tour website here. I also have included four videos of the bands that you can check out below.

???????? Lo-Fi Tech -short ver. -

POP CHOCOLAT | MySpace Music Videos


noodles / Bond

noodles | MySpace Music Videos

If you do not know or didn’t realize it, the post I made yesterday, “Five Phrases Highly Offensive To Many Anime Fans” was not real. It was an April Fools joke. So those of you that took it seriously, please don’t, it was only a joke. To those that actually agreed with it, you have some serious issues!

So if you are new to anime or are already a seasoned fan here are five phrases that are sure to stir up controversy no matter what anime fans you talk to on the internet. If you are looking to avoid controversy, hate mail, or just plain drama pay attention to this list.

5.”I’m an Otaku!”

Believe it or not there are many out there who totally snap if you dare call yourself an otaku or even try to call them one. This is another never ending debate. Because otaku has had a bad connotation in Japan many believe fans shouldn’t be referring to themselves by such a derogatory term as they see it. If you call yourself an otaku you are in for a world of hurt. So please just say no to calling yourself or others an otaku.

4.”I like dubs!”

Be prepared to be railed on by everyone and anyone if you happen to like dubs. If you don’t know the majority of anime fans are stuck up snobs who prefer the original Japanese voice track with English subtitles over anything else. Some may even go to the point of watching anime with the original Japanese voice track without English subtitles even though they don’t know Japanese! Those that take it to that extreme feel that even the English subtitles are localized and edited so much that it’s better to watch it the way it was meant to be watched, even if they can’t understand what is going on. Everyone knows real anime fans watch anime raw and uncut with no dubs or English subtitles!

3. “I watch fansubs!”

If you even mention that you have watched one fansub in your entire life prepared to be taken out back, beaten, and tarred and feathered! Then you will become El Pollo Diablo!!!!! Then you will be hauled off to the worst prison of all…NERD PRISON!!!

2. “I like moe!”

Do not under any circumstances make your opinion known to the masses that you like moe! You will be labeled as a creepy pedophile who can’t deal with real girls! Either that or you will just be labeled as just plain weird, then everyone will tell you that moe is killing the anime industry and your kind is not welcome around real anime fans. Then they will chase you into the town square with shotguns, torches, and pitchforks where they will tie you to a plank and set you on fire!

1.”I disagree with your opinion.”

If you want to really be controversial just disagree with everyone and anyone’s opinion. You will get so much hate mail, people will block you on twitter, they will leave nasty blog comments on your blog, and they will throw rocks through your window!

I need your help! I am preparing for an article I am working on about moe and I have two surveys I would like you to take. I am trying to get some info on what people’s thoughts are on moe to incorporate into my article and would appreciate it if you would take the two surveys linked below and give your honest opinion. Follow the links below and take the surveys! Thanks!

[polldaddy survey="F9B18AACFC186A0D" link_text="Survey Part 1"]

[polldaddy survey="E850520C1B87D0CF" link_text="Survey Part 2"]

Benu got the chance at Anime Expo 2009 to interview Yosuke Kuroda, Seiji Mizushima, and Yun Kouga. They are the creative minds behind Gundam 00.

The Anime Gen podcast is back to kick off season four of the show! On this episode we have Dancing Queen of How A Girl Figures, Freelance Blogger Jimmy Blocksom, Jon Ingoglia of JanaiBlog, and Daniel Wong. We take on the topics of “moe” friend or foe, things we hate and/or love about fandom, and characters we love and/or hate.

Anime Gen is celebrating its 5th anniversary on Feb. 18th! If you want to send in a sound clip to play on the show send an mp3 to animegen@gmail.com before Feb. 17th!

Crunchyroll finally has released an Iphone/Ipod Touch app! Is it everything you could ever hope for? Is it nothing but pure anime watching bliss? Is it the best anime watching experience on the Iphone/Ipod Touch? Read on to find out!

I have been waiting the longest time for Crunchyroll to finally release an app for watching anime from the site on my Ipod Touch and it finally happened! I just found out about the new Crunchyroll app today and quickly downloaded it to check it out. When you first boot up the app you are greeted with a login screen to login if you have a Crunchyroll account. After you login you will see a summary of your profile and a guestbook tab to the right. Logging in doesn’t really give you any advantages even if you have a Crunchyroll subscription which I will explain later.

So after the profile tab if you click on the “Videos” tab you have two choices to pick either Anime or Drama. Pick Anime and you will be presented with a list of shows that you can pick from.

Pick the show you want and you will see a summary of the show and scroll down to see episodes of the show that are available to watch. Click on the episode you want and then you will see a summary of the episode and a play button. Hit play to watch the episode.

Before the episode starts playing a notice pops up that tells you how to turn on the subtitles. I found it odd that the subtitles aren’t automatically enabled as most of the shows on Crunchyroll are sub only. I hope they fix this in future updates but it isn’t a big deal as the subtitles are very easy to turn on. All you need to do to is just click the icon that looks like a speech bubble on the bottom bar. Then click English and press done and that is all!

The picture quality is great shows look clear and sharp as can be. I also like how the subtitles are on a light black background on the bottom. The subtitles are easy to read they are clear and sharp as well. You can also watch the video in wide-screen or you can zoom in so the picture fills the whole screen and it doesn’t effect the subtitles at all.

Were you thinking I was going to write this whole post without sneaking in some pictures of Hinagiku?

There are some things about the app that I think should be improved upon. Mainly logging in doesn’t really give you any advantages unless you have a subscription and even then the only advantage you have if you have a subscription is that you won’t see any ads before an episode starts. Even if you have a subscription you don’t have any access to subscriber only episodes which I do hope gets fixed in future updates. Also from what I know it only works over WiFi even on the Iphone. All in all the Crunchyroll app is great and I think it’s the best experience you can have watching streaming anime on the Iphone/Ipod touch. Download it now!

Striking back like the empire, it’s the long awaited 7th episode in the epic season 3 saga of the Anime Genesis Podcast! We have a great line up of co-hosts for this episode which include Jimmy Blocksom freelance blogger at GosuGamers, Anime Vice, Orange Lounge Radio, and Project Lore, Johnny (a.k.a. Hontaiyo), Sean Russell of Anime 3000, and last but not least your host as always Benu! We run through some news and we take on the topics of Anime Music Being A Novelty, The Use Of The Word Otaku, and Hayate no Gotoku!

Benu got the chance at Anime Expo 2009 this year to chat with the talented Kari Wahlgren! Best known for her role as the English voice of Haruko Haruhara in FLCL.

Anime Genesis has 5 copies of the Suguri Perfect Edition DVD-ROM’s to giveaway! What do you have to do to win a copy of this fantastic doujin game? All you have to do is comment on this post! Yes it’s that easy! I will pick 5 commenters at random. The contest starts now until Friday, August 7th when I will announce the winners! Only one comment per person will count! So get to commenting!

For more info on Suguri check out Rockin’ Android.

The contest is now over! Thanks to all who entered! Now to announce the winners! I assigned a number to each of the names that entered and used a random number generator to pick five random numbers. Congrats to those who won!

Winners

1. Jesus159159159

2. Ecks

3. Reactive

4. Luna

5. Math

If you won, please contact me at animegen@gmail.com with your address and I will ship out the game to you as soon as I can! Thanks to all who participated, and thanks to Rockin’ Android for providing the copies of Suguri! When you get your copy of Suguri please let me know what you think of the game.

So with the last podcast officially kicking off the Anime Expo 2009 coverage, here is the panel everyone that went to AX can’t stop talking about! The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour in it’s full HD glory with Benu from Anime Genesis, Dancing Queen from How A Girl Figures, and Mike, Jeremy, and Ray from Anime Diet! You can now see the panel that was so full people had to be turned away at the door! See what you missed!

The long awaited Anime Expo episode is here! Benu and Dancing Queen from How A Girl Figures disscuss the epic happenings of the biggest con of the season! They talk about all the crazy things that happened, the guests, the panels, the excitement and more!

Here’s a video of Dancing Queen Singing at the Macross Frontier Cosplay Gathering!

Here is a report on The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour from The Fan’s POV!

You can also now see The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour in it’s entirety!

Remember that we do want to hear from you! So leave your comments below or send your comments to animegen@gmail.com

In this hillarious video Conan O’Brien visits Bang Zoom Studios and dubs some scenes from Ghost In The Shell. If you haven’t seen it yet watch it! I would love to see Conan and Andy do some real dubbing for anime though.

Should Conan O’Brien Dub Anime For Real?

Anime Gen was able to get an interview with HYDE and K.A.Z.’s new band VAMPS who are currently touring the US. HYDE is best know for being the vocalist of L’Arc~en~Ciel and K.A.Z. is best know for being the lead guitarist of Oblivion Dust. Anime Gen was able to ask them a couple questions about the band, their musical influences and styles, and what they are looking forward to on the US tour.

Anime Gen: How did you come to choose the name VAMPS?

HYDE: It’s from vampire. I like mysterious women, too [laugh]. I love vampires. I’m intrigued by its never-ending life. I like horror.

Anime Gen: Do you think that VAMPS differs musically from anything else you have done before?

HYDE: I think I am making the music that I used to dream of making in my teens. When I started the band, I liked hard-core bands with some horror taste. I feel like I am expressing the stuff I felt back then—maybe not really hard core.

Anime Gen: Who are some of your musical influences?

HYDE: Probably, Mötley Crüe.

K.A.Z.: I used to watch and got inspired by King Crimson, Cheap Trick, and TOTO.

Anime Gen: What message do you want people to take away from your music?

HYDE: We made the album that includes songs used effectively in our lives—many songs that create excitement in lives and a couple of songs that the audience can listen to rest a little bit.

Anime Gen: Do you compose the music first or do you write the lyrics first or a little of both when you write songs?

HYDE: K.A.Z. plays the guitar and I do the singing.

Anime Gen: Hyde, I read an interview with you awhile back when you released your solo album Faith, that you were trying to do spiritual rock. Will there be elements of this in any VAMPS music?

HYDE: There is not much difference from my solo album “FAITH,” in terms of musical pieces, but we created music especially for cool lives as VAMPS, so we have a lineup of good live songs.

Anime Gen: What is your biggest inspiration for writing songs?

HYDE: We consider how to involve the audience into our songs.

K.A.Z.: We both went through the golden age of Rock n’ Roll in the 80s and 90s, so we have absorbed various tastes. I think we created our own mixture by going though that era.

Anime Gen: What are you looking forward to the most during the American tour?

HYDE: I’m excited to visit cites for the first time and try new things. First of all, I look forward to lives in front of the American audience. Our objective is to show that we have such a cool band in Japan, even more amazing band than American ones. There is no point of doing the same things that American bands are doing. I believe our band will be appreciated—judging from my own sensibility.

Anime Gen: Do you have anything you would like to say to the American fans?

HYDE: Can’t wait to see you. Wait for a little bit more; I will bite your neck!

K.A.Z.: Let’s have a fun party!

Check out the offical website for VAMPS here for more info on the US tour and where you can see them live!

Anime Gen returns to give you the low down on Anime Expo 2009! Benu and Dancing Queen of How A Girl Figures ramble on about Anime Expo 2009 and what they are looking forward to this year, the amazing guests, and The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour! They also talk about some news and why you should go to The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour! Ok to be honest this whole show is really about why you should go to The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour! Grab your Ipods or other portable media device because Anime Gen is back!

Here is the video promo for The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour coming up at Anime Expo! Go here for more info on the panel. Also if you would be so kind as to post this promo and make mention of the panel on your site  it would be much appreciated. If you post it on your site let me know! Thanks, and see you at the panel!

If you have downloaded Queen’s Blade recently using Bit Torrent, you might be getting a Cease & Desist from your ISP. Anime News reports that people in the US have been getting Cease & Desist letters from their ISP’s from BayTSP acting on behalf of Media Factory, Inc. This is not the first time this has happened as not long ago, BayTSP was also acting on behalf of Aniplex and had ISP’s sending out Cease & Desist as well. BayTSP was also involved in the whole Odex situation awhile back as well. This is interesting because it seems like it’s a new company every time this happens, and these are the Japanese companies taking action against fansub downloaders.

This seems to be happening more and more recently. More companies in Japan may also jump on the BayTSP bandwagon and start taking action as well. While no one is being sued like Odex was doing or the RIAA, ISP’s are threatening to shut off your connection if they receive more then one of these Cease & Desist letters from BayTSP. As more legal alternatives and simulcasts become more frequent, and the more Japanese companies become active in protecting their content, the more likely it is that the days of fansubs are numbered.

Have you got a Cease & Desist from BayTSP? Are you worried about getting a Cease & Desist now? Do you think the days of fansubs are finally numbered?

Source: Anime News

If you missed Anime Genesis & Anime Diet Live and Anime Genesis & How A Girl Figures Live don’t miss out this year as Anime Gen, Anime Diet, and How A Girl Figures join forces to bring you The Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour! Featuring Benu, Dancing Queen, Mike, Jeremy, and Ray! With special musical guests Makenai! It’s all taking place at Anime Expo 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center! The panel begins at 9am in LP3 on Saturday, July 4th! We also have tons of awesome prizes to give away. I have some awesome prizes if your into Transformers, Star Wars, and even Indiana Jones! There are also other awesome anime and gaming related prizes up for grabs! Mark this down on your Anime Expo schedules now! This is one panel you don’t want to miss! Tell all your freinds!

Sponsored In Part By:

Toylet

Hobby Search

HobbyLink Japan


Watch [MAD]Kinetic Typography. in Anime  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Yes K-On fever has hit Anime Gen! This time it’s the K-On OP given the Kinetic Typography treatment. Kinetic Typography is a really cool effect and there have already been a couple of anime OP’s that have been given the treatment such as Haruhi and ToraDora. I also love the K-On OP song but I like the ED song much more!

Are you absolutly sick of everyone talking about K-On?

Love or hate K-ON, I came across this cool 8-bit rendition of the K-ON ED. I wish the song was actually an 8-bit cover of the ED as well. I can imagine that an actual 8-bit cover of the ED is not too far off though. This 8-bit animation is still pretty cool though. This ED song has been one of my favorites recently as I’ve been playing it non-stop almost since last week! As for the actual show I’ve been loving it so far!

Are you loving or hating K-ON?

[Source]: Japanator

Sort of a follow up to the Gurren Lagann Goes Jazz post, now it’s Touhou that goes jazz this time around. Sent to me by Moritheil over at Anime Diet and The Mortheil Review. This Touhou jazz/swing song and animation is done by the masters of flash animation and doujin music themselves IOSYS. It’s quite amusing and the song will get stuck in your head after awhile. >_< People get drunk and there is dancing and singing and that’s about all I understand about the crazy animation. I don’t know much about Touhou though only that I played one of the games before and that’s about it. Click Here to see the high quality original flash animation in all it’s high res glory!

Are you a fan of Touhou and if so why?

Benu reviews Max Factory’s Figma Mikuru Asahina School Uniform Version.

Check out the following online stores to find Figma Mikuru and Figma Yuki.

J-list
beNippon
Hobby Link Japan
Hobby Search
Kid Nemo Company
Otaku Fuel
Play Asia
Toylet

It’s finally here the epic first part of the Anime Genesis Fourth Anniversary Special! Clocking in at over two hours, Benu takes you on a trip down memory lane to relive some of the greatest moments of Anime Genesis in it’s early years. Featuring special messages from Mike Dent of R5 Central, Mike of Anime Diet, Sean and Andrew of Anime 3000, Meson of Toon Radio, Nam of Anime Pulp, BakaTanuki of The Gaming Dungeon, and Rangiku of Anime Pulse. Also Featuring many more special celebrity guests!

If you didn’t get a submission in for this part of the anniversary special I am now accepting submissions for the second part! Please send your mp3 submissions to: animegen@gmail.com

Valentines Day will mostly likely be over by the time you read this but enjoy this video of Pamela-chan of Makenai singing an original song of hers in Spanish! Hope you had a great Valentines Day whether you have a special someone or not.

This was posted on twitter and I though it was too funny. Enjoy the Zatch Bell Very Melon song en Español! See the English and Japanese versions after the jump!

The English and Japanese versions are quite different as well. This is also a pretty good example of how things are edited and how translation differs between languages.

What do you think of the differences between the different versions of the clip?

This video made me laugh so hard. In this video Viral can’t stop dreaming about Kamina and hillarity ensues! If your a Gurren Lagann fan this will make you laugh!

Do you have sweet dreams? Does Kamina show up in your dreams?

Via: Japanator

Anime Gen is back with an all new episode! Dancing Queen joins Benu to talk about the news, the Anime Genesis & How A Girl Figures Panel at Anime LA, and all the happenings that went down at the first con of the year! It’s a jam packed episode so grab your Ipod and throw on those earbuds because Anime Gen is back and ready to rock!

News

Gainax Animates Video For CES

Is Shoko-tan Done For?

Crunchyroll Simucasts Shugo Chara and Other Anime

And if you still haven’t seen it yet here is our panel from Anime LA in it’s full glory!

Click here to see it in HD!

Here is my exclusive interview with American voice actor Marianne Miller. She has voiced Qoo from “Teeny Witches”, Yuuno in “Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha”, Kazuki in “Zebraman”, Kyohei in “Moribito”, and well as Malicolne and Flame in “Familiar of Zero’. Thanks to Marianne Miller for the interview!

I was shocked to see today that ADV’s The Anime Network had a twitter account. I wasn’t shocked because they just had a twitter account. I was shocked by some of the tweets that were written on the account. I really do hope that this is a fake account by someone pretending to be an ADV employee, or someone hacked the account. If this is really an ADV employee writing these tweets, ADV has some explaning to do!

Do you think the twitter account is legit or fake? If it happens to be legit what do you think of ADV for having an employee that would write stuff like that?

This is a hillarious live action Mario parody from Japanese TV. I thought it was hillarious and random. Why does President Obama come out of nowhere and why are they in New York? It reminds me of the Japanese ping pong matrix video that came out awhile back. This is a similar concept except its Super Mario.

Do you think its hillarious?

Well after Funimation and alot of other American distributors started laying off staff and restructuring it seems Bandai has finally followed suit as well. Unlike Funimation’s cutbacks which will not affect production, Bandai’s cutbacks will. With Bandai only having a staff of 19 people this doesn’t look good. They say even though production will be affected there will be no release delays in anything they are working on at the current moment. They even look to keep licensing titles but they say it looks like it will be alot fewer. I can’t believe I missed the Bandai panel at Anime LA. I wanted to tell them how it was a huge mistake to not release Kurokami online. Come on Bandai, do the right thing, digital distribution! If you don’t jump on the digital distribution wagon, nothing will save you, not even Haruhi!

What do you think? Is it over for Bandai?

[Source]: ANN

I never thought I would hear a voice actor do something like this, let alone tell the story at his panel. Let this be a warning to everyone though, don’t get Johnny Yong Bosh ticked! After watching the above video though I’m not so sure that Johnny’s actions were justified. I’m not saying that the staff members actions were justified either, I just think Johnny went a bit overboard here. He should have just took the bagel.

What do you think? Did Johnny go overboard?

Anime Genesis & How A Girl Figures comes to you live from the first anime convention of the year Anime LA 2009! Benu & Dancing Queen host the first live show of the year and disscuss various topics of fandom with input from the audience!

Click here to see the panel in full HD on You Tube!

Thanks to DJ Tama for doing a great job on the video and everyone who came out to the live show! Me and Dancing Queen can’t thank you enough! Also a huge thanks goes out to Anime LA staff for giving us the panel space and making sure all the tech was working!

Anime Genesis & How A Girl Figures are going to be kicking off the new year at Anime LA 2009 with a live podcast! Benu and Dancing Queen will be hosting the first live recording of the year! We will even be giving away some awesome prizes! If you missed Anime Genesis & Anime Diet Live at Anime Expo 2008, you don’t want to miss this one! You never know what could happen live! So come on out to Anime LA 2009 and we will see you at the show! The show takes place on Saturday Jan. 3rd, at 4pm in LP2, at the LAX Marriott.

Anime Genesis kicks off season 3 with guest co-host Andrew Choi of Anime 3000! Brace yourselves for one heck of an episode, as Benu and Andrew disscuss narutards effect on the anime industry and why you should be scared silly! We also open up the phones for the first time ever and talk with an angry narutard who is more concerned about the karaoke subtitles in the fansubs then the actual shows.

NEWS

• TV Tokyo To Stream Naruto On Crunchyroll
• Dattebayo Finally Agrees To Stop Fansubbing Naruto
• Broccoli International USA Shuts Down
• Anime Studios Go After Heavy Downloaders

PROMOS

Weeaboobies

If you want your promo played on the show send an e-mail to: animegen@gmail.com

Give us feedback by leaving a comment below or by sending an e-mail to: animegen@gmail.com

Here is Anime Genesis’s exclusive interview with Shoko Nakagawa! Watch as Benu gives Shokotan an oversized AG T-shirt, and asks probably the most random question she was ever asked at AX!

Crunchyroll and Gonzo have just put out a press release for the Linebarrels Of Iron premiere. Linebarrels Of Iron will premiere this afternoon October 3rd at 12:45pm PST on Crunchyroll. Linebarrels Of Iron is the latest production by Gonzo and Pokemon director Masumitsu Hidaka. This is another Gonzo show on Crunchyroll that will be simulcast in the US and Japan. It will be streaming on Crunchyroll for free or you can download a DRM free episode for $1.99 or $2.99 if you want versions for your ipod or PSP.

More shows on Crunchyroll for download and free streaming recently are Time Of Eve and Catblue Dynamite. I actully checked out Catblue Dynamite last night. I thought it was ok. There were some cool action scenes but there was not much else that got my attention.

Will you be checking out Linebarrels Of Iron on Crunchyroll?

What’s this? A new episode of Anime Genesis, two hours long? This can’t be true! But it is! We are back with an all star line up of guest co-hosts. Dancing Queen, Hontaiyo, Miu, and Hayate join Benu and disscuss the latest anime news and have some interesting disscussions along the way. Benu also explains why the site has been dead for the past couple of weeks. So sit tight and hold on for possibly the longest Anime Genesis episode yet!

The Nokia Theater In LA

Anime Expo 2008 started a day early for me this year. I woke up early and took the train down to LA to attend Day Zero of Anime Expo 2008.  Day Zero was for pre-registered attendees to pick up their badges, but for the press it was the day the press junket was held. I got to the convention center a bit early so I waited around the Nokia Theater where the press junket was to be held. I met and chatted with some people from Henshin TV while waiting around for the press check in to open. The press check in finally opened and after I checked in I was escorted to a room somewhere inside the theater where the press were being held. I put my name down for the guests I wanted to interview and sat down and waited around till they called me to interviews the guests.

Shortly after my name was called for my first interview of the day with Jyukai.

Jyukai

I was the first in line to interview Jyukai and they seemed to be very happy about it. They were so happy that they personally gave me their newest CD/DVD that I also got them to sign at their signing during the con. I thought it was awesome that they personally handed me their CD. I gave them both Anime Genesis T-shirts in return. I would like to thank Geneon and Jyukai for letting me interview them and for being so incredibly kind and nice. After interviewing Jyukai I went back to wait in the press room till I was called for the next guest I was in line for. After interviewing Jyukai I ran into Stephanie Yanez in the press room and next thing you know I was being filmed for her show Anime Pop. Later my name was called again for the next guest I was to interview. That was none other then the legend Mr. David Hayter.

David Hayter

David Hayter was also an incredibly nice and down to earth guy. It was a bit nerve-wracking to interview him one on one like I did to be honest. The interview went really well though and it was fun. Thanks to Mr. Hayter for the interview and being a really cool guy. After that I hung out with Mike and crew from Anime Diet while waiting to be called for the last and final interview of the day. I was also interview by Mike which you can see the video here. The interview I was waiting for was the big one. It was the interview with the lovely, one and only, Miss Shoko Nakagawa.

Shoko Nakagawa

This was the big interview I was really excited about. I could hardly believe I got the chance to interview and meet Shokotan. I even gave her an Anime Genesis T-shirt and I shook her hand. A picture of her holding up the Anime Genesis T-shirt showed up on her blog later that night which totally shocked and blew me away. Thank you giza much Shokotan! I must have thanked her like a million times when I talked with her again during her signing. I also ran into Dale and Tim From Japanator. After that I headed to pick up my press badge and met up with Dancing Queen and Jenag on my way over to registration. After picking up my press badge I headed back home on the train. So much happened and the con really had not even started yet. What would Day 1 hold in store for me? You have to wait for the Day 1 post to find out.

Check out this episode of Anime Pop with Stephanie Yanez and keep your eye out for a familiar looking guy. More Anime Expo coverage coming!

This is the Anime Genesis/Anime Diet Live panel from Anime Expo 2008! Experience the madness in audio and video! Pay no attention to me saying this is Episode 5, it is Episode 4. Also it’s anime-gen.com not anime-gen.net. More Interviews, an Anime Expo wrap up episode, and pictures, as well as a day by day recap of AX coming soon!

Anime Genesis was lucky enough to sit down and chat with voice acting legend David Hayter at Anime Expo 2008. David Hayter is most well know for his role as Solid Snake in the popular Metal Gear Solid video game series.

http://blog.excite.co.jp/shokotan/2860475/

Today was amazing, that link pretty much sums it all up. Got some amazing interviews! See you all tomorrow at the first day of the con!

I mentioned on the last podcast if any of you out there had questions for any of the guests at AX to let me know. No one has taken me up on that offer still. If you have any questions for any of the guests of honor at this years AX please put your questions for any of the guests that you would like to have answered in the comments below. The guests at AX this year are as follows.

• David Hayter
• Shoko Nakagawa
• Hiromi Kato
• Jyukai
• Masahiro Ando
• Masamitsu Hidaka
• Toshihiko Seki
• Akemi Takada

Please put any questions you may have for any of the guests below in the comments and I will try to get them answered. I need all questions in today! If you are going to AX I hope to see you there! Don’t forget to come to our panel on Friday!

Here is a reminder for all of you in the LA area. My interview on Ramen Revolution will be airing tonight on channel LA 18 KSCI-TV at 12:30 tonight! Make sure to watch to see my first ever TV appearance!

That’s right! Anime Genesis and Anime Diet will be rocking AX this year with the most amazing panel you are ever going to attend at AX! Come and see Benu, Mike, Jeremy, and Ray (will be there somehow…) live on stage! It’s all going to be on July 4th 2008 at 7pm in LP 4 (LACC 411), that’s the theater in the LA Convention Center. Check out the schedule on the Anime Expo website for more details. The panel is listed as Anime Genesis Live! on the schedule.

Feel free to play the promo on your podcast.

I Benu, am announcing my entry into the 2008 presidential race. Gendo “Mike” Ikari may offer a change you will believe in, but I offer change that will actually happen. I am very honored to be the chosen candidate for the Haruhiist party.

There has been a lot of talk and controversy over the recent killings that happened in Akihabara. Seven were killed and 11 were injured. I’m not going to go into all the details as there are many other sites that have already done so. These killings have a lot of people worried as evidenced by the many blog posts here, here, here, and here. At first everyone thought it was just a random killing and it would not be connected to anime or otaku in any way. Patrick Macias had a totally different view from the beginning on how this would play out.

This guy just killed Akihabara the way Charles Manson killed the sixties. And we’re all under arrest now…

Patrick thinks this was the worst time for something like this to happen: there was already alot of tension over recent events in Akihabara as it is. But he also said he didn’t think the media would “peg this as a return of the Murdering Otaku archetype.” They recently found out, though, that the killer in fact liked anime, and his only possessions were some doujin manga they found in his apartment. Now many are scared that the killer will be pegged as a crazy otaku murderer and the media will start blaming anime and manga as the reason for the crime. Some even are claiming that this could be the end of anime, manga, and the otaku culture as we know it in Japan and the US and even suggest that it will lead to an eventual collapse of the industries on both sides of the globe.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those that were hurt by this horrible act of violence.

Do you think this is it for otaku culture? Or are people overreacting?

One Lucky Winner Will Experience the Ultimate Japan Trip

Anaheim, California (June 9, 2008) ‹ Love Jyukai? Fans of Yoko Ishida?  Want
to experience Kyoto?  Get wild in Osaka? See the all that is anime/manga in
Tokyo?  Attend the Tokyo Anime Fair?  Be part of the Tokyo Game Show?  Anime
Expo® 2008 and Intermixi Japan Tours will be giving away an ultimate trip to
Japan to a Jyukai Concert premium ticket holder at the Jyukai Concert with
special guest Yoko Ishida at Anime Expo® 2008!  The lucky winner will be
announced at the Jyukai Concert held at Anime Expo® 2008.  Anime Expo® 2008
will be held from July 3-6, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los
Angeles, CA.  More information can be found on the website
www.anime-expo.org.

One (1) lucky Jyukai Concert premium ticket attendee will win an all expense
paid trip (including roundtrip airfare, hotel, excursions, some meals and
much more) courtesy of Intermixi Japan Tours.  Winners will be able to
choose from the following seasonal tours (as available):

·     Kame Hame Kansai Tour
·     Neo Tokyo Tour
·     Tokyo Game Show Tour

For full description of tours, please go to www.intermixi.com.

Current list of official Guests of Honor include up and coming director
Masahiro Ando, legendary American voice actor David Hayter, famed POKEMON
director Masamitsu Hidaka, the dynamic duo known as Jyukai, renowned
animator Hiromi Kato, celebrated veteran voice actor Toshihiko Seki, the new
Japanese ³It-Girl² Shokotan and the legendary character designer Takada
Akemi in Anime Expo® 2008¹s amazing line up of Guests of Honor.

Attendees that have pre-registered can also update their information and add
on orders for main event tickets via the Anime Expo® 2008 Online
Registration Area at www.anime-expo.org.

Free shuttle services for all hotel attendees will be provided. Regular
non-hotel attendees will have access to utilize the free shuttle services
during designated hours as well. All schedules and routes will be posted in
the lobby of each shuttle hotel. Frequency of service is pending local
traffic, road conditions and can change without notice.  Also, no shuttle
service provided to the Holiday Inn City Center and the Figueroa Hotel (both
are within walking distance of the Los Angeles Convention Center).

Attendees, Press and Industry Members are also encouraged to view the video
coverage site of the 2007 convention at www.AXBackstage.org.

This year¹s Red & Black Sponsors are FUNimation and ImaginAsian Television.
Platinum Sponsor is Imagi Studios.  Gold Sponsor is Digital Manga
Publishing.  Silver Sponsor is Gaia Online.  Patron Sponsors are Central
Park Media and COPIC Markers.

About Anime Expo®
Located in Los Angeles, California – Anime Expo®, the nation¹s largest
anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests
of the general public and animation/ comics industry.  This event serves as
a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and
explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the
industry to conduct business. AX 2008 will be held July 3 ­ July 6, 2008 at
the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California. More information
can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit
organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public
about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate
communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more
popularly known by its entertainment property ­ Anime Expo®.  More
information can be found at its website (www.spja.org).

About Intermixi Japan Tours
Intermixi Japan Tours have been established to provide both the casual and
intermediate traveler an alternative, pop cultured look at the ³land of the
rising sun². While not ignoring the cultural history of Japan, Intermixi
Japan Tours shows you the side you will never see anywhere else. Intermixi
Japan Tours current yearly schedule will be the summer, fall and winter
season. Please contact for special tour inquiries. More information can be
found at its website (www.intermixi.com)

The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are
“forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements are based on
current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and
uncertainties. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a
number of important factors could cause Anime Expo®/SPJA¹s actual future
results to differ materially from those expressed in any such
forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation,
product delays, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and
industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of
relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers,
international economic and political conditions. The Company may change its
intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon
any changes in such factors, in the Company’s assumptions or otherwise. The
Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date
hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

June 5, 2008 (Cypress, CA) – Bandai Entertainment and American Cosplay
Paradise are proud to celebrate the US release of LUCKY STAR and GURREN
LAGANN at Anime Expo® 2008 in Los Angeles (July 3 ­ 6, 2008; Los Angeles
Convention Center; www.anime-expo.org) Stop by Bandai’s booth on Friday and
Saturday in the exhibit hall, where you will be treated to various games
testing your otaku knowledge, singing, and random prize giveaways! The
highlight will be a performance from the LUCKY STAR Cheerleading Squad,
featuring members of American Cosplay Paradise (ACP) as the cast. Whether
you’re a diehard fan of the show, someone who has no idea what LUCKY STAR
is, or just someone that likes cheerleader outfits, there’s a little bit of
something for everyone, so don’t miss out!

For something a little more “manly”, be sure to check out the GURREN LAGANN,
also at the Bandai booth! Kicking off its US debut, Cosplayers from ACP will
be representing the cast of GURREN LAGANN and offering promotional goods to
attendees, as well as posing for pictures. There may also be “unexpected
surprises” in store for attendees, so be sure to show up! If you have a
GURREN LAGANN costume, ACP encourages you to show up for what is to be a
gathering of epic proportions.

About Lucky Star
LUCKY STAR is a 24 episode television series from Kyoto Animation, the same
anime production company that created the anime series for HARUHI. LUCKY
STAR¹s main character is Konata Izumi, a lazy high school girl who isn’t
interested in anything besides anime and video games. The series is
described as the ultimate “otaku anime” — it pays tribute to anime culture
and other series with in-jokes and hilarious references.

About Gurren Lagann
The 27-episode science fiction, comedy action series centers on Simon,
Kamina, and Yoko, youths who live in an underground village on a future
earth.  They become embroiled in a conflict with surface “Beastmen” who
pilot mech known as Gunmen, one of which they take for themselves and name
GURREN, and lead the battle against the Beastmen.  Recently the series won
“best television series” and “best character design’ at the 2008 Tokyo
Animation Fair (TAF)

About Bandai Entertainment
Bandai Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA)
Inc. and the premier distributor of Japanese animation on DVD and
programming for television broadcast in North America. Titles include THE
MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA, COWBOY BEBOP, OUTLAW STAR, ESCAFLOWNE, GHOST
IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX, GUNDAM SEED DESTINY, MY HIME and many
more.

About American Cosplay Paradise
Founded in 2000, American Cosplay Paradise (ACP) serves as an extensive
database for cosplayers, people who dress up in costumes. Members contribute
pictures of their costumes, which are sorted by series and character for
easy searching. With live photo and video coverage of the various anime
conventions in the US, ACP is one of the leading resources for finding
costumes of your favorite anime, manga, and videogame characters. For more
information can be found at its website (www.acparadise.com)

About Anime Expo®
Located in Los Angeles, California – Anime Expo®, the nation¹s largest
anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests
of the general public and animation/ comics industry. This event serves as a
key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and
explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the
industry to conduct business. AX 2008 will be held July 3 ­ July 6, 2008 at
the Los Angeles Convention center in Southern California. More information
can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit
organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public
about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate
communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more
popularly known by its entertainment property ­ Anime Expo®. More
information can be found at its website (www.spja.org).

I just saw this so called documentary on fansubs. I was expecting this to be something on the history of fansubs but instead it’s just an excuse to complain about how horrible modern fansubs are as opposed to fansubs back then. The host “Otaking”, apparently a professional translator, takes us through why he thinks modern fansubs are horrible by trying to point out how the translations are horrible and far from anything of professional quality. He does this by taking clips from various fansubs and trys to point out mistakes and things that fansubbers do that distract your eyes, such as drop down translation notes. Some of the points he makes about translation are also highly debatable but is right on with some of the things he says about them.

He makes some good points overall, but I don’t think we need a 30 min. video trying to tell us what most of us already know.

What do you think about subtitles in fansubs compared to professional ones?

[Via Japanator]

I never really got the point of these automatic Super Mario World videos. These are made by hacking a rom of the game and placing things in the exact place so Mario bounces, lands, and hits things exactly. Akasha posted this awesome video set to Nico Nico Douga on the fan site today. It reminded me that someone showed this to me the other day and I was going to post it here but I forgot. This video was so well done and awesome that I couldn’t ignore it.

Do you like these automatic Mario videos or do you think they are stupid and pointless?

The Ramen Revolution video report is finally here! Watch as I take you backstage before I go live! I also throw in some clips and pictures from some of the other awesome stuff that happened at the show! A huge thanks to the whole Ramen Revolution crew! I had alot of fun being a guest and hanging out with you all! Remember to watch Ramen Revolution Saturday nights at 12:30 on LA 18 KSCI-TV.

Just a reminder, I will be a guest as well as guest hosting at Ramen Revolution tonight! The show starts at 6pm. Come to the show and say hi! Hope to see you there!

http://www.ramenrevolution.com/ 

A forty year veteran of the anime industry, notable for titles such as Astro Boy, Space Battleship Yamato, and Superdimensional Fortress Macross

ORLANDO, FL, May 15, 2008 – The Anime World Order podcast is proud to present an audio interview with Noboru Ishiguro – the President of Japanese animation studio Artland, Inc. As a veteran of the Japanese animation industry for over 45 years, in this exclusive interview Mr. Ishiguro discusses some of his most famous science fiction works such as “Superdimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?”, “Megazone 23 Part One,” “Legend of the Galactic Heroes,” and “Space Battleship Yamato” which was adapted in the US as “Star Blazers.” Also, he talks about his creative influences, modern digital production techniques, the possibility of additional “Yamato” sequels, how Japanese animation has affected American animation and film, and the validity of animation as a medium for science fiction.

Visit http://animeworldorder.blogspot.com/2008/05/bonus-interview-with-noboru-ishiguro.html to download a podcast of this episode, Archives of all previous Anime World Order episodes and show notes are available at http://www.animeworldorder.com. Listeners may also choose to subscribe to the Anime World Order podcast via the iTunes Music Store, Podcast Pickle, Digg, or any RSS feed aggregator.

ABOUT ANIME WORLD ORDER
Anime World Order is one of the longest-running and most popular fan-produced podcasts targeted at dedicated enthusiasts of Japanese animation (“anime”) and comicbooks (“manga”), having received favorable mentions on websites such as Ain’t It Cool News and Anime News Network as well as print publications such as Otaku USA and the Japanese language publication Weekly ASCII.  Currently in its third year, each episode features listener feedback, news, reviews, and roundtable style discussion of titles both classic and contemporary. Additional material related to anime and manga fandom is also provided in the form of convention reports and interviews.

“Anime World Order is extremely informative and entertaining. The hosts are not only knowledgeable, they display a true love for good anime which is infectious to the listener.”
- User review on iTunes

Due to subject matter and language, the Anime World Order podcast is for mature audiences and is labeled as Explicit on iTunes.

It seems that someone over at Kyoto Animation heard me when I complained about the change of director for the second season of Haruhi. The offical Haruhi site has been updated with a change of staff for the upcoming sequel. Tatsuya Ishihara has been named as the “brigade chief representative” and the former confirmed director Yasuhiro Takemoto has been named “brigade chief assistant”. This is so awesome! Haruhi is now going to be just as awesome if not more awesome as the first series.

Source: ANN