[Anime of the Week] .hack//Beyond the World (8/19-25/2012)

Image copyright goes out to CC2 Sai

I've always been a pretty hard core .hack fan so seeing a movie that takes place more so outside of the game world seemed, and turned out to be a pretty good concept. This isn't your run of the mill .hack due to the movie taking place more so outside of the game, but we still have some familiar parts such as the return of Aura and Kite. The best part is this movie was released as a hybrid bluray with a VERSES fighting game taking place in the .hack universe but we'll probably never seen a NA release as the PSP game never came here :(

 

Type: game
Rating:Teen

Synopsis:In 2024 almost every teenager plays the online game The World. FMDs (Face Mounted Display) can now connect to your phone and you can play online even on the go. Technology has evolved to incorporate more connectivity via the internet, and even tests are now done on a touch-screen computer. However for 17 years old Sora this matters little. She comes from a strict home and has never played any computer game. That is until she reluctantly tried The World and learns the joys of adventuring in a virtual world with friends. But not all is well in The World: a malicious virus has been spreading around the net and will soon cause a new network crisis. Aura, the omnipotent goddess of The World has devised a plan to stop the virus, and although Sora might not know it yet that plan requires her cooperation.

 

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[Anime of the Week] 5cm Per Second (7/15-21/2012)

Image copyright goes out to CoMix Wave Inc

Being a fan of Japanese animation, it was almost impossible for me not to notice the work of Makoto Shinkai who's first full length animation project was done %100 on his own about a cat. All of his work has this particular "feel" to them- bright pastel colors play a big role in his film as do emotional stories of love and moving on. Now, for those who know of this director you may be asking why I am not featuring his most recent film Children Who Chase Lost Voices but instead I am featuring 5cm Per Second. My answer is simple- Children Who Chase Lost Voices does not feel like a Shinkai film to me but more of a Ghibli film =/ I wanted to feature a Shinkai film and so happen to have stumbled across the manga version of 5cm Per Second at my local Barnes and Noble the other day.

# of "parts": 3

Type: original
Rating:Teen

Synopsis:The Story is set in Japan beginning from the 1990s and ending in modern day, with each segment centered on a boy named Takaki Tōno. It is important to note that the first episode takes place during a time period when cell phones are uncommon and email has not yet reached the general populace.

 

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[Anime of the Week] Mezzo DSA (5/20-26/2012)

Image copyright goes out to Arms Corporation.

Not to be confused with the prequel Mezzo FORTE!

Mezzo DSA is one of those "girls with guns" anime but after watching 10 episodes I can say that this one does not focus solely on that aspect which makes me really, really happy. There are story arcs that last about an episode or so and I'm really liking the characters and voice talent behind the characters. It's a fantastic watch as the animation is crisp... too bad animation is no longer like this.

I tried finding a cool trailer.... but no luck so you're stuck with the opening video for the show.

# of episodes: 13

Type: original
Rating: OT

Synopsis:Mikura, Kurokawa, and Harada are the 3 members of the Danger Service Agency (DSA). Mikura is the brawn of the group, Harada is the brains, and Kurokawa is just a bitter ex-cop who likes to think he's in charge. They'll take on any job as long as it involves lots of danger and, of course, money. Their biggest case, however, could prove to be finding out why someone wants Kurokawa assassinated.

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[Anime of the Week] Qwaser of the Stigmata (4/1-7/2012)

Image copyright goes out to Hoods Entertainment.

Seikon no Qwaser is borderline "why'd I bother material" but there is one redeeming quality about this anime that is keeping me from putting it in that dreaded category- there's a reason for being so much fan service and milk drinking! Now.... this doesn't mean it's a "good" anime to watch, in fact you could watch D.Gray-man and get the same enjoyment without have to endure heaps of over the top fan service, but hey it's all about preference. Oh and btw, this one is NSFW. Don't say I didn't warn you!!!

# of episodes: 24

Type: manga
Rating: Mature
Synopsis:
At St. Mihailov Academy, strange things are happening. Not only did the dean disappear, leaving his daughter Tomo and adopted daughter Mafuyu alone, but girls in the nearby city are being killed by an unknown foe. However, the blades begin to fly when a Russian boy named Sasha arrives. He is a Qwaser, a person able to manipulate the elements after ingesting Soma, breast milk, and he’s not the only one. Soon Tomo and Mafuyu find themselves in the middle of a battle between two groups of Qwasers whose goal is to either protect or steal the Theotokos of Tsarytsin.

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[Anime of the Week] Another (3/25-31/2011) [Why'd I bother]

image copyright goes out to P.A. Works

Lately there have been a fair amount of horror and guro anime being released in Japan, most notable Mirai Nikki (Future Diary) and today's anime of the week Another. For those who know about both of these series are probably wondering why I would choose Another.... well, I haven't done a "why'd I bother" in a while, and between the two Mirai Nikki is actually quite good while Another could be easily passed up and will most likely be forgotten in the years to come. Honestly I had been looking forward to this anime (wanted something that had a horror aspect similar to Kara no Kyoukai). The first few episodes were very slow, and then things took a turn for the violent. I'm 5 episodes in this short anime... things don't seem to be looking up but I have plans to finish it despite my dislike right now.




# of episodes: 12
Type: light novel, manga
Rating: Older Teen (borderline mature)
Synopsis:
26 years ago, in a third-year classroom of a middle school, there was a student named Misaki. As an honors student who was also good at sports, the charming boy was popular with his classmates. When he suddenly died, his classmates decided to carry on as if he was still alive until graduation. Then, in the spring of 1998, a boy named Sakakibara Kouichi transfers to the class, and he grows suspicious of the fearful atmosphere in that classroom. In particular, there is a beautiful, aloof girl named Mei Misaki who wears an eyepatch and is always alone drawing pictures.

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[Anime of the Week] .hack//QUANTUM [3/18-24/2012]

image copyright goes out to Kinema Citrus

.hack// is a HUGE universe comprised of video games, manga, anime, light novels and more. I've played the original games and really want to one day play the PSP one but I'm not sure if it ever came out in the US. Anyways, this anime is actually a 3 episode OVA that is insanely well anime. It takes the main character Kite gender bends and creates a new story. Most of the characters are still their original genders. My good friend Elijah who's a big fan of .hack// Legend of the Twilight Bracelet really likes this one, and it is closely related to that and the original set of games.




# of episodes: 3
Type: manga, video game
Rating: Teen
Synopsis:
The story follows the path of three players: Sakuya, Tobias, and Mary, and their playing of the world's largest MMORPG, "The World R:X" created by CC Corp. As is the case, these players were on a quest in their party of three, when they are caught in a strange circumstance of fate.

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[Anime of the Week] SKET Dance (3/4-10/2012)

image copyright Tatsunoko Animation

Support, Kindness, Encouragement, Troubleshoot- or SKET for short.
I have no idea why this anime fell away from my radar considering it's already past 40 episodes. I remember hearing about it back when it had a green-lit announcement but I guess it never really occurred to me to actually watch yet another longish running comedy anime. Several reviewers on myanimelist have said this anime gets only within 30 episodes... well I'm only on the 5th and it's still fun to watch.

Runtime: 24 min/ep
# of episodes: 51?
Type: Manga
Rating: Teen
Synopsis:
At Kaimei High School, the Living Assistance Club (AKA the Sket Brigade) was organized to help students with problems big or small. Most of the time, though, they hang out in their club room, bored, with only a few trivial problems floating in every once in a while. In spite of this, they still throw all their energy into solving these worries.

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An update from the editor [#1]

Hey Guys! Akia here with some updates regarding what the AugReal crew has been up to and why some of our articles were late this past week. I personally apologize for that and hope you can forgive us!

First order of business is what we've been up to. Mike, Ruben, MAS and I were at the Fellow Anime Lovers Convention this past weekend where we hosted several panels (namely Mike's fanfiction panel, my History/ showcase of anime and manga plus a plethora of trivia panels of all types), helped with registration and other duties as main staff members. It was an enjoyable time of which we were able to get several hours of footage so you can look forward to some coverage to be posted on our YouTube page in the coming weeks. OH, and we did get a "live" podcast recorded, so that should be out soon as well.

Due to preparation for the convention on Wed-Friday of last week, Rich Boy Cy was postponed until today. Again I apologize to any RBCy fans who had been looking forward to last weeks video and had to wait 'till this week. In order to thank y'all for your patience Cy and I are working on a bonus video for his behind the scenes YouTube that will also be posted some time today or tomorrow at the latest in bonus to also getting a full video on Thursday. Cyberpunkish is also working on his Shiro comic which was suppose to be out yesterday but due to me having a recovery day from the convention he focused more on building a real grade Gundam... hey, he has his hobbies too besides being rich and bragging about it you know!

Lastly, I did publish this weeks Anime of the Week but I decided to move it back to it's original location on the reader//watcher[girl] blog. Feel free to view it here. You can also expect a Gundam related article from me this week. I've recently picked up a new tool that'll help with making my Gundam kits look more professional and look forward to sharing a technique to do so.

Thanks again for your patience with us and I look forward to your comments on the several things mentioned in this update.