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Showing posts from February, 2011

Quick Video Review: Mio Akiyama (K-On)

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Here is my first video review for the figure of Mio Akiyama, you can read the full review right here . I will probably have a more thorough review in the future once I get the hang of using DSLR video. If you couldn't tell, I was quite nervous. It is one thing to prepare yourself, but once the camera starts rolling it is really easy to mess up. I have to practice my voice over skills so that I don't mess it up on video.

Tsundere: "It is not like I wanted to write this article or anything."

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  Have you ever wanted to tell someone your feelings, but had a hard time telling them your feelings? Only to deny it vehemently when someone presses you for an answer. Congratulations, you are a tsundere, a very popular anime personality archetype. Tsundere is a combination of Japanese words "tsuntsun" (irritable) and "deredere" (lovestruck). A character with this personality type normally starts off harsh, but as the story goes along they become nicer and more affectionate. This personality type can apply to both male and females, with prominent examples coming from them. I will explore the different ways that tsundere develops in an anime and why this personality type tends to be popular. There are mainly two variations of this personality type, with each variation focusing on which part of tsundere dominates. There is a variation that is more tsuntsun, which has character who is aggressive or mean, but they have glimpses of kindness and happiness. Eventually t...

Candid Photography in Conventions

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Candid photography elicits strong emotion. In CosCom there was a heated debate on the subject of candid shots of cosplay photography. The strong emotion from both sides of the argument gets people really riled up, which is why I really avoid the subject with a ten foot pole. I will not lie, I enjoy doing candid photography in busy public areas like Las Vegas and Hollywood, but I stay away from candid photography in Anime Conventions unless it is large crowd shots or cosplay gatherings. Candid photography can be really awesome if done right I don't do candid photography in Anime Conventions for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that a cosplayer dresses up like a character and when they pose they try to be like the character. Doing a candid shot of a person who is not aware of getting photographed is when they break character and be themselves. By doing a candid shot, you as a photographer are doing them a disservice because they spent lots of time making a costume to pr...

Underappreciated Anime - Kaleido Star

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Kaleido Star Director: Junichi Sato Animation Studio: Gonzo Co-produced by: ADV Films USA Distributor: Funimation Original run: 2003-2004 Episodes: 51 Ending OVA: Legend of Phoenix ~Layla Hamilton Monogatari~ You can buy the amazing two seasons here: Season 1 Season 2 Layla Hamilton and Sora Naegino Have you ever had dreams that you thought were impossible to attain? Dreams and ambition cannot be attained without hard work and persistence. This universal theme is explored in Kaleido Star through the eyes of Sora Naegino in one of my favorite anime series of all time, Kaleido Star. It is a shoujo anime made by legendary Anime Director Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon, Princess Tutu, Magic User’s Club, ARIA). It is an epic 51 episode anime and a couple of OVA’s about Sora Naegino and her journey to reach the top of the circus. Kaleido Star has a rich cast of characters, great production values, an amazing musical score, frenzied pacing, along with lessons of hard work and persist...