KrisZ on Anime, Manga, Cosplay and Video Games

When K-On came out, there were only a handful of people who expected this series to be as popular as it is. The anime (both season 1 and 2) are based off a 4 panel manga. The anime embellished on the source material and is considered one of the rare examples of where the anime exceeds the manga experience. It was very popular because it was a good series that had a great cast of characters that had a interesting character dynamic along with high production values. Of the cast, one of the most popular characters was the Bass player, Mio Akiyama. Mio won over many fans because of her shy personality, long hair, and general likable nature. Mio Akiyama, Anime Version PVC figure company Alter made a figure of Mio that was so popular that they had to have a second production run of figures. The figure of Mio Akiyama is very well done. As seen on the left, here is here anime iteration. The PVC figure of Mio is very similar to the anime design, it is quite possibly one of the best ones t...

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. It is not about the presents, it is all about the memories we create and being with family and friends who care.

Richard is the Manager for Manga Lounge for Anime Expo, in the first part of the interview he was talking about his convention experiences and thoughts about cosplay. In the following part, Richard talks about his love of Sailor Moon and gives some of his two cents about Kaleido Star. Kris: Switching gears a little bit, I want to know more about you and Anime and Manga. What got you into the hobby and when did it happen? Richard : I've been watching anime before I even knew what anime was. I just noticed that these show actually had plots and better animation. I'd have to say that Sailor Moon was what did it for me.  Kris: What did you think of the art style when you first saw anime? Richard : Just that is wasn't the typical style you would see for children shows , not as crude Kris: Let's delve into Sailor Moon in depth . How often did you watch Sailor Moon as a child? Richard : I use to watch it every time it was on . Usually before school early in the...

In a new regular part of my blog, I will be interviewing the people behind the Anime Conventions we love. Richard Phon is currently the manager of Anime Expo's Manga Lounge. Anime Expo 2011 marks his sixth year as a volunteer staffer. This is a transcript of my interview with him. Kris: Why did you start working for Anime Conventions? Richard: It has been so long now. let me check my facebook to see.... I believe it started back in 2006 in Anaheim. Where I staffed for workshops Kris: What do you remember about Anime Expo in Anaheim? Richard: It wasn't anything glamorous, but it was still lots of fun. It really depends on the people you attend with. Kris: What is your best Memories of Anime Expo when it was in Anaheim? Richard: How easy the parking was and how short the distance was. Mostly the horrible cosplayers, it brings joy to me seeing bad cosplay Kris: How would you define "bad cosplay?" Richard: Basically anything I don't like. You could hav...

Fudanshism Artist: Morishige Magazine: Young Gangan Volumes: 7 (but the storyline continues under Fudanshi Full) Licensed? Fat chance Amane, Nozomi, Tamatan, and Sohara Morishige is a well known manga artist who has a reputation for having a male lead surrounded by a bevy of beautiful girls. His previous works, Koi Koi 7 and Hanakuyo Maid Tai are fairly dirty harem manga. Which is why when his new project was announced, it was shocking to his fans because it was not a harem series and it was a Seinen manga (manga for male adults) aimed towards a much older audience than his previous works. It also delved into the Fujoshi culture (referring to female Yaoi fans) in a level of depth that is not really explored by manga artists. On the left is Amata, on the right is "Amane" To explain the franchise in a nutshell, the manga centers on the "perfect prince" Amata Miyano. He has good looks, grace, style, charisma, athletic, and is very intelligent. Even a...

Anime Conventions are very hectic, I know this from personal experience running conventions and from an attendee's perspective. In these conventions, there are people who wear amazing outfits from anime, manga, video games, goth lolita and a variety of other styles. The amount of people over in an  Anime Convention wearing such amazing outfits means that the cosplay photographer is always in a rush, here are some basic tips to make your photograph looks better. Tip #1: Fill the frame with your subject As you can see in the shot in the left of a Kanon cosplayer from Anime Los Angeles, it is best to fill the shot your subject. Depending on the cosplayers outfit, it would be a good idea to do a shot of the upper body to emphasize the upper body and the waist. It also makes it harder for the person who is viewing the image to wander off the cosplayer to the background. The cosplayer put a lot of time and effort into making the outfit, the least you can do is to fill your picture...

This is my second foray into blogging, I used to publish under my old name Full Moon a homage to one of my favorite Shojo anime series. I also used to have a personal blog that was actually fairly popular, unfortunately it ended in disaster and I relinquished my blog. Unfortunately it was hijacked by spammers I have been doing stuff to remove it. This is my blog to provide some of my insight and personal views on three main topics, Anime, Manga, and Cosplay. I have a Bachelor of Arts in History and I am currently getting my Master's Degree in Business. In the Anime world I have been staffing Anime Expo for quite some time. Right now I am currently in the Board of Directors of this organization, so I assure you that his blog will be anything but controversial.