KrisZ on Anime, Manga, Cosplay and Video Games

Hyperdimension Neptunia + Mk2 Artbook Review Publisher: Softbank Creative Cost: 2,800 yen (or around $60 USD, including import fees) Released: December 30, 2011 Printed in Japan The Cover of the Artbook There are as few games that are as polarizing as Hyperdimension Neptunia, there are some that chide the racy character design and the juvenile humor, while there are others who appreciate the allusions to the anime and videogame industry and the charming cast. The people who enjoyed the game do enjoy the by the unique, eye-catching character designs of Neptunia. For the American release of Hyperdimension Neptunia, we got a barebones artbook that features scant character art and a few conceptual designs of the characters. The fans demanded more, and the companies listened. Softbank Create recently published an artbook of Hyperdimension Neptunia and Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2. Here are my thoughts in my first of many artbook reviews. Purple Heart, Swimsuit Edition T...

Progressive Animation Works Japanese Animation Studio Founded 2000 Official Site There are many animation studios in Japan that produce and create anime, one of the new rising stars in the anime world is P.A. Works, an Anime company that started in 2000. The company started doing collaborative works with Production I.G., Bones, Nintendo, Gainax and a variety of other companies in doing the animation production and in-between animation. In 2008, the studio started producing its own anime and has become very popular with the work they have produced. True Tears (Winter 2008 season) - True tears was the first animation series where P.A. Works was the main studio involved in the production process. It was influenced by a visual novel of the same name, but it went a completely different route with a very different storyline, set of characters, and character designs. It was licensed by Bandai Entertainment for the United States. Canaan (Summer 2009 season) - Canaan was a sequel to...

Culture is a term that is often confused and interchanged with ethnicity when discussing people. The term culture is more of a descriptive of social norms and behaviors that passes from one generation to another. How people perceive gender is a cultural norm, and it changes from culture to culture. In my incredibly popular article entitled “Gender Bending 101”, I go over the various types of gender bending that authors use in the creation of anime and manga. In your second lesson of gender bending, I will go over historical use of gender bending and how pop culture use gender bending to convey a story. Gender Bending is not a new phenomenon; it is actually a construct that authors used in the past to tell a story. One of the first major examples of gender bending was Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night . William Shakespeare wrote it in 1601-1602, it was a story that focused on mistaken identity, including gender-bending aspects. It was one of the first major works that had gender bending a...

The Secret World of Arrietty By: Studio Ghibli NA Distribution: Disney Studios Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki Directed by: Hiromasa Yonebayashi Length: 94 Minutes Arrietty and her mother Studio Ghibli is a highly revered animation company that stands tall in the animation world. The incredible attention to detail and the amazing scripts are absolute masterpieces that are among some of the most well-crafted anime out there. The anime studio has received critical success with masterpieces like Porco Rosso , Grave of the Fireflies , Princess Mononoke , Ponyo , Kiki’s Delivery Service , Castle in the Sky , Howl’s Moving Castle , and my favorite anime movie of all time Spirited Away . Based on a British a novel by Mary Norton entitled “ The Borrowers ,” the Secret World of Arrietty is an enchanting experience. A major Ghibli film without Miyazaki at the helm succeeds in creating an amazing experience, which makes the mundane and everyday world magical. Disney's poster ...

In the medium of video games, anime, and manga, a strong protagonist and supporting cast of characters shape and transform a story into something memorable. How they interact with each other and the world around them creates a sense of strong connectivity with the audience. What is sometimes forgotten in a great story is creating a great villain character that galvanizes the audience and adds tension, fear, and dread to the events in the storyline. There are many kinds of villains, and making a memorable one can increase the immersion of the audience in the story. I will explore what makes a great villain, the different types of villains, and great examples of villains in anime, manga, and video games. There are many important elements when it comes to creating a great villain that the audience remembers long after the experience ends. The most important element of creating a great villain is making one that is relevant to the overall storyline and narrative. Within the medium of an...

Sena from Boku Wa Tomodachi Ga Sukunai, a creeper Anime conventions are great experiences where people can relax and socialize with fellow anime fans. Occasionally you meet someone who has a level of social awkwardness that makes the socialization experience uncomfortable. These individuals are given the term “creeper” because they are making the people they are trying to mingle with very uncomfortable. Being a creeper is not limited to gender, looks, or personality, anyone can be a creeper if they present themselves in socially awkward way that makes others uncomfortable. As a convention attendee or staffer, how do you deal with these creepers and what do you do so that you do not become one of them? When trying to determine a stereotypical creeper, it is difficult because it is a person could be a male or female or they could be ugly or very beautiful. What defines a creeper is how they interact with other people and the level of comfort the person has with another. In other wo...

There are very few franchises that have endeared itself to me as much as the Soul Calibur franchise. My first experience with the franchise was when it was released alongside the Dreamcast on September 9, 1999. With an incredible soundtrack, amazing graphics for its time, a wonderful cast of characters, fast-paced swordplay and a rich single player mode that kept the player coming back for more it won me over. Ever since then I have been following the franchise with each successive release. As the current generation of consoles head off into the sunset, a new tales of swords is written in the Soul Calibur universe. This tale is the first major advancement of the storyline, taking place 17 years after the events of Soul Calibur IV. Does the new iteration live up to the lofty legacy of its predecessors? Find out in my review of Soul Calibur V. When playing the game for the first time, one of the major impressions that the fifth iteration leaves to the player is that it is fast. It is ...