areaseven

Any pics?

For those wondering if the limited edition DVD is worth buying over the standard edition, it really depends on what you really want out of it other than the Boomerang 50 patch. Yukikaze DVD 1 Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1, English 2.0 Stereo, Japanese 2.0 Stereo Extras: Making of Yukikaze segment, mission briefing, technical data files, glossary, trailers Yukikaze DVD 2 Audio: English DTS Surround, Japanese DTS Surround, English 2.0 Stereo Extras: NONE In short, if you don't have a DTS-capable stereo system, it's not worth getting the Limited Edition.

So, um, where's the Playmobil Red Light District playset?

Good news: Uchuu no Stellvia has found a home in the U.S. At the Anime Boston convention today, Geneon Entertainment USA, Inc. announced that it has licensed the 26-episode series.

How about this car as Gears?

Right now, HLJ lists the 1/144 FRX-00 Mave as to be released this month. 1/144 FRX-00 Mave Yukikaze Flying Type 1/144 FRX-00 Mave Yukikaze Landing Type

Awesome job, LTSO. It looks better than in the anime.

Hey, LTSO, any shots of the finished model? EDIT: Never mind. Found them http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...489&hl=yukikaze

Here's my take on the soundtrack. Sentou Yousei Yukikaze: Original Soundtrack( 戦闘妖精雪風 ) Victor Entertainment, 2003 U.S. Distributor Pending Composed by Satoshi Mishiba and Dougen Shiono Produced by Shiro Sasaki Track Listing 1. Lynn Jackson 2. Rei's Theme - Prologue 3. Rei's Theme 4. Forest of Antenna 5. Suspicion 6. Light Trap 7. Rei's Theme - Congestion 8. Into the Deep 9. Adrenalin 10. Web 11. Monologue and Stimulation 12. Fairy 13. Ready to Fight 14. Rei's Theme - Piano Ballad 15. Tail Spin Lowdown Sentou Yousei Yukikaze - since its video debut in 2002, it has caught the attention of anime fans and aviation enthusiasts with its excellent animation and some of the best dogfights since 1994's Macross Plus. And with any anime title, a soundtrack comes with it. But how good is the soundtrack? Instead of using orchestral music like Macross Plus, Yukikaze uses techno and synthesizer music by Satoshi Mishiba and Dougen Shiono. The CD's first track "Lynn Jackson" perfectly blends heavy drums with a calm piano tune. Many of the other tracks such as "Ready to Fight" go well with the action that occurs in the series, even though majority of the dogfights don't use BGMs. Of course, the soundtrack's not perfect. Some of the tracks like "Into the Deep" are rather depressing, while a couple of the "Rei Theme" variations are flat. "Fairy," on the other hand, has a very eerie feel to it (which is actually pretty cool). The track starts with a mellow piano piece and transitions into the dark synthesizer/guitar tune played on the episode previews. It would also help if the CD included the ending theme "RTB" by Monsieur Kamayatsu (which is currently available as a single). The Yukikaze soundtrack is good, but it just doesn't rank up there with the works of Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop). Mostly for diehard Yukikaze fans only. Rating: B+ Currently Available At CDJapan Reference Anime News Network

Operation:4 was broadcast in advance in Japan on the AT-X channel.

I was wondering about that. Guess HLJ was wrong with the name.

Well, Geneon USA did co-produce it, so it's not a question on whether or not it will be released. It's a question on when it will be released.

Hanaukyo Maid-tai La Verite ( 花右京メイド隊 La Verite ) Kitty Film/Geneon Entertainment, 2004 Geneon Entertainment, 2005 Directed by Takuya Nonaka (Dokkoida!?) Not Rated (Suggested 16-Up). Contains gratuitous T&A, HLA, S&M and suggestive sex with a minor. Remake of the 2001 Hanaukyo Maid-tai series. After his mother passes away, Taro Hanaukyo is invited to his grandfather's home. There, he meets a beautiful maid named Mariel and finds out that his grandfather has given him ownership of his estate. Taro also discovers that not only is the estate a colossal mansion, it has hundreds of gorgeous maids ready to serve him 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Story: B+ Unlike the first TV series, Hanaukyo Maid-tai La Verite has considerably less T&A (but still a lot, though) and much more character emphasis. Instead of the squinty-eyed 12-year-old who turns purple when he touches a girl, Taro is a normal 15-year-old boy, which is much closer to the manga character. Sanae Yashima, a character originally from the manga, is added to the series. Ichigo, Ringo and Sango are replaced by a new set of triplets: Lemon, Maron and Melon. And it looks like we'll see more of Taro's rival Ryuka than in the first series. Animation: B Perhaps the only disadvantage over the first series is the animation quality. There's less CG effects and the animation is not as clean, but the artwork appears to be more faithful to the manga. No live-action cosplay on the ending credits, though... Soundtrack: A- Michiru Oshima (Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Fancy Lala) supplies an excellent score that's down-to-earth and much better than that of the first series. All that and a great opening theme - "Voice of Heart" by Rie Tanaka. Cast Reprising their roles are Yuki Kaida (Kurapika in Hunter X Hunter, Suu in Twin Spica) as Taro, Rie Tanaka (Lacus in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Yomi in Azumanga Daioh) as Mariel, Tomoko Kaneda (Bonta-kun in Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, Renge in Air Master) as Cynthia/Grace, Moyu Arishima (Misty in Vandread) as Ikuyo, Akiko Hiramatsu (Nene in Bubblegum Crisis, Ibuki in Dai-Guard) as Konoe, and Rieko Takahashi (Dianna in Turn-A Gundam) as Ryuka. Joining the cast are Akeno Watanabe (Witch Hunter Robin, Angela in Someday's Dreamers) as Sanae, Kozue Yoshizumi (Naomi in Magic User's Club, Koro-chan in Photon) as Lemon, Mai Kadowaki (Mare in Popotan) as Maron, and Yuya Yoshikawa (Misora in Mao-chan) as Melon. The Bottom Line The Hanaukyo franchise finally goes on the right direction with this new series. Look for Hanaukyo Maid-tai La Verite to be released domestically by Geneon Entertainment in the near future. Links Official Hanaukyo Maid-tai Homepage (Japanese) Reference Anime News Network

SPOILER ALERT!!! Do not read further unless you've reached episode 26. Usagi-chan realizes that she is the long-lost Princess Serenity, but she has no memory of her past life. Neither do Rei-chan nor Mako-chan. Minako-chan once again walks away from the Sailor Senshi. Artemis tells Luna to watch over the Princess while he gathers some gifts. Meanwhile, Zoicite pays a visit to Mamoru, telling him to stay away from the Princess. Back at Crown Karaoke, Luna tells the story of the romance between the Earth Prince and Moon Princess. Like your typical Romeo & Juliet story, both kingdoms waged war with each other and both lovers died in the end. However, the only ones who know the whole truth would be the Prince and Princess themselves. In the meantime, Usagi-chan is warned to stay away from Mamoru. At the Dark Kingdom palace, Zoicite's piano music triggers some lost memories within Kunzite. He recalls a toppled palace with his comrades fallen before him. When Usagi-chan returns to Crown Karaoke, she notices some star-shaped tambourines. Mako-chan runs in and brings her out to a cab, telling her that Mamoru is leaving for London today and this is her last chance to say goodbye to him. At the airport, Mamoru notices that Hina doesn't have any luggage. She tears her plane ticket apart, telling him he's better off without her. She then walks away and leaves the airport. On another part of the airport, Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter battle a Yoma. Mako-chan tells Usagi-chan to go to Mamoru, but Nephrite suddenly appears in front of her. Motoki arrives at the departure terminal to say goodbye to Mamoru when he learns about what just happened between him and Hina. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon uses her Moon Stick while Sailor Jupiter uses the tambourine to amplify her power into a Jupiter Thunderbolt, destroying the Yoma. Nephrite makes a quick retreat afterwards. And so Mamoru is off to London, and Usagi-chan didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. Guess we won't be seeing Tuxedo Kamen for a while. Evil Sailor Mercury is on a building, looking at the Tokyo landscape when she senses a presence behind her. She turns around and sees...well, you guessed it - Sailor Luna. Unfortunately, episode 27 won't be out until April 17 due to a golf championship airing this Saturday in Japan. At least that gives me time to review other titles.

I know Toei is cutting corners when it comes to production costs, but it gets ridiculous on episode 3: - The Dekaranger target practice area is the exact same place where Kamen Rider Chalice battles an Undead in episode 2 of Kamen Rider Blade. - At the ballroom party, Erika is wearing the exact same dress Usagi-chan wore in episode 1 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. EDIT: Didn't realize it was Chalice, not Karris.

Good question. Personally, I'd stay away from TOKYOPOP's CD releases. When I heard that they had the rights to the Trigun soundtrack, I thought they'd release Trigun: The First Donuts and Trigun: Second Donut Happy Pack. Instead, they released Spicy Stewed Donut, a rearranged version of the first soundtrack with a lot of missing tracks. On the other hand, you have to take all of TOKYOPOP's products with a grain of salt.

Jubei Ninpucho: Ryuhogyoku-Hen ( 獣兵衛忍風帖「龍宝玉篇」 ) Madhouse/Filmlink International/WOWOW/Amuse Video, 2003 Urban Vision Entertainment, 2003-2004 Directed by Tatsuo Sato (Martian Successor Nadesico, Uchuu no Stellvia) Not Rated. Contains extreme violence & gore, slight nudity, mature situations and strong language. Fourteen years after defeating the immortal warrior Himuro Genma and thwarting the Shogun of the Dark's evil plans, Kibagami Jubei continues to roam all over Japan as a masterless swordsman. During his journey, he meets Shigure, a priestess who has never seen the world outside her village. But when a group of demons destroys the village and kills everyone, Jubei becomes a prime target after acquiring the Dragon Jewel - a stone with an unknown origin. Meanwhile, Shigure - along with the monk Dakuan and a young thief named Tsubude - travels to the village of Yagyu. And with two demon clans now hunting down Shigure, Dakuan must once again acquire the services of Jubei to protect the Priestess of Light. Story: C+ After watching the critically-acclaimed movie, you'd be expecting the same storytelling and action in the new TV series. Well, something's just wrong with it. First off, what are these demons doing with high-tech gadgetry during this era? Stuff like audio-recording robot birds have no place in Feudal Japan. As for the story itself, it's very slow-paced with nothing much happening on the first two episodes. Maybe the rest of the story will kick in after episode 3. Animation: C+ In many ways, the artwork and animation are not very impressive. The character designs by Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Trigun, Jubei-chan) look too cartoonish and the fight scenes are pretty boring. And these demons aren't as interesting as those in the movie. Soundtrack: B+ Legendary new age musician Kitaro, along with Peter McEvilley, supplies a blend of traditional Japanese folk and rock music to the musical score. While I highly respect his works, his compositions somehow don't go together with the anime that well. Sub vs. Dub Jubei Ninpucho: Ryuhogyoku-Hen features Rikiya Koyama as Jubei, Houko Kuwashima (Quon in RahXephon, Kirika in NOIR) as Shigure, Romi Paku (Maki in Air Master, Katie in Macross Zero) as Tsubute, Yuzuru Fujimoto (Kojima in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team) as Dakuan, Rica Matsumoto (Jim in Outlaw Star, Rumi in Perfect Blue) as Nekobe, Hideyuki Tanaka (Riding Bean, Fujitaka in Cardcaptor Sakura) as Mufu, and Seizou Kato as Yamidoro. I've only seen this series in fansub form. So far, I haven't decided on whether or not to rent the DVD and check out the dub. Featured voices include David Rasner as Jubei, Daisy Torme as Shigure, Scott Menville as Tsubute, and Dwight Schultz (Murdock in The A-Team, Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Dakuan. DVD Extras Undecided. The Bottom Line The series is okay, but it just doesn't feel like Ninja Scroll. As a matter of fact, it feels a bit like Samurai Deeper Kyo. I'll wait until Ninja Scroll 2 comes out. Links Official Ninja Scroll Homepage (Japanese) Urban Vision's Official Ninja Scroll Homepage Reference Anime News Network

We saw that coming 100 miles away. BTW, it seems that the WWE is actually listening to our radio program. My colleague mentioned that the only way Booker T. will get over as a heel is to turn against RVD. And that's just what he did on tonight's episode. Meanwhile, could the return of ECW be near?

Already discussed here: Japanese Engrish

Especially this one. Parental Advisory: Explicit Engrish

Sacre bleu! I remember seeing this when we still had the old forums.

Wow. Old school. A lot of fond memories even before I joined the forums.

Let's talk about soundtracks. After all, what is an anime without a soundtrack to go with it? Here's my first review on this thread. Jubei Ninpucho (Ninja Scroll): Original Soundtrack ( 獣兵衛忍風帖 ) Victor Entertainment, 1993 ADV Music, 2004 Composed by Kaoru Wada (Battle Angel, Inu-Yasha) Produced by Tatsuo Oba Track Listing 1. Prologue 2. Jubei 3. Eight Warriors of the Demon Clan 4. Blood Wind 5. Kagerou 6. Visions 7. Devil Shadow 8. To Those Who Face the Wind* 9. Pursuit 10. Devil Swordsman 11. Strategy 12. Reincarnation 13. Struggle to the Death 14. Epilogue 15. Somewhere, Faraway, Everyone is Listening to a Ballad* *Performed by Ryouhei Yamanashi Lowdown Nine years ago, I was introduced to an anime movie called Jubei Ninpucho (known by everyone else as Ninja Scroll). The story was good, but what got me hooked were the animation quality and intense sword fights. Another major factor that made this film one of my favorites was Kaoru Wada's amazing music. I've enjoyed most traditional Japanese music, especially those focusing on the instruments koto and shakuhachi. Wada uses those two instruments and blends them perfectly with heavy drums and a serious orchestra to back them up. The CD's slow tracks are relaxing while the faster tracks are intense, as they give you vivid memories of the movie's battle scenes. My only complaint is the image song "To Those Who Face the Wind," as it sounds more Latino than Japanese; therefore it doesn't belong anywhere in this CD. Otherwise, pick up this CD today and feel the experience of one of the most important anime movies of the 1990s. Rating: A Currently Available At Amazon.com AnimeNation The Right Stuf International Sam Goody Reference Anime News Network

Forget TRU. I get my MG kits in Chinatown or through HLJ.com.