KrisZ on Anime, Manga, Cosplay and Video Games

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.

  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 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...

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...

One guy surrounded by multiple girls, the ultimate male dream. In 1992 an OVA series was started in Japan that starred a boy named Tenchi Masaki and his various misadventures. It was the quintessential harem anime that had the indecisive male lead surrounded by girls who liked him. The Tenchi franchise holds a special place in my heart because it wasn't just a harem franchise, it was an all encompassing space opera that had a richly developed universe that would require a massive dissertation to examine it all. Is it complicated? Heck yeah it is. This spawned a massive franchise with two main universes released under the same banner. The first is the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki series, also known as the Tenchi OVA's. Tenchi Muyo Mihoshi Special (1 episode) - 1994 Tenchi Muyo OVA series 1 (6 episodes) - 1992-1993 Tenchi Muyo! Daughter of Darkness (movie) - 1997 Tenchi Muyo OVA series 2 (7 episodes)- 1994-1995 Tenchi Muyo OVA series 3 (7 episodes)- 2003-2005 Tenchi Muyo G...

When Sailor Moon came out I liked the series. Unlike my other friends like Richard and Allen I never watched it religiously, but whenever it came on I watched it with all my attention. Sailor Mars, my favorite senshi Fast Forward 12 years later in 2005 and I buy the uncut boxsets for the first 3 seasons of the anime (for the uninitiated, that is around 120 episodes of sailor moon goodness). I watch most of the boxsets and what shocked me was how TIMELESS sailor moon is. Sure it is almost 18 years old now but the anime is very timeless. The story is a classic and is very well done, and the filler is just so damn creative in how they attempt to expand the Sailor Moon universe beyond the manga. The anime is the monster of the week syndrome, but it was pretty good for what it was. Of the cast of characters, my two main favorites were Sailor Mars and Sailor Saturn. Rei Hino aka "Sailor Mars" was a tsundere long before the word even existed. She loved being around he...

I started writing this a while ago, here is my journey to Anime Expo. Introduction It was a warm August night, in a crowded room filled with nicely dressed people. The people who started shuffling inside gathered on tables. It was not a business meeting, nor was it a wedding reception, it was dinner for the staff of the largest Anime Convention in the United States. The day was a day of celebration. It was honor the staff who put so much time, sweat and tears into making the convention be the best it can be. As I looked across the table, my staff assembled in smiles. I was taking pictures of people I saw as recently as a week ago, and some I haven't seen since the end of Anime Expo 2009. As the staff slide show went about, I gave a sad look to my assistant manager, Richard Phon, since only one of dozens of pictures I submitted was actually used as part of the slide slow. As the dinner went along, the Division Manager started announcing awards, to my complete shock, our divisi...