areaseven

Nope. That's Sonya Van Dam.

A few days ago, I reported that both Miyuu-chan and Keiko-chan were spotted on Friendster.com. Guess what? They both added me to their friends list. According to Keiko-chan's profile, she is currently dating Johji Shibue (Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Kamen). I've sent them both a hello message. Let's see what'll happen next.

Takara/Hasbro should use the Commemorative Edition paint scheme for Tracks.

What does everybody want? RVD's gonna kill me for this...

Not really. The prototype looks like it's using Mach Alert's (RID Prowl) transformation setup.

Yup, Tracks is gonna be a C5 Z06. Hope they make him blue instead of yellow in that prototype. And it looks like he's using a Mach Alert (RID Prowl) transformation sequence. I'm definitely getting one.

Wait a minute...you guys still read the instruction booklets?

Generator Gawl ( ジェネレイター　ガウル ) Tatsunoko/TV Tokyo/Victor Entertainment, 1998 ADV Films, 2001-2002 Directed by Seiji Mizushima (Dai-Guard, ZAION: I Wish You Were Here). Rated 12-Up for violence, mature situations and mild language. Three men from the distant future are sent to modern day Tokyo to save the world from a potential threat to mankind. It won't be an easy task as they only have three months to accomplish this mission. Story: C There are some that like this series and some that don't. Personally, I wasn't too impressed with Generator Gawl as I fell asleep halfway through disc 1. Animation: B- The artwork and animation look pretty weird and are not as groundbreaking as other titles released at the same time it came out. Character designs by Akira Oguro. Generator designs by Yasuhira Moriki. Mechanical designs by Kenji Teraoka (.hack//SIGN, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex). Soundtrack: B- Not good enough to warrant a CD purchase, especially with the sub-par opening theme, "I Want Out" by Yuki Saga. Music by Norimasa Yamanaka (Appleseed, Weiß Kreuz). Sub vs. Dub Generator Gawl features Nobutoshi Canna (Basara in Macross 7, Guts in Berserk) as Gawl, Shinichiro Miki (Takumi in Initial D, Allen in Escaflowne) as Koji, Tsutomu Kashiwakura (McDougal in Outlaw Star) as Ryo, Hideyuki Hori (Kyoji/Schwartz in Mobile Fighter G-Gundam) as Kanae, Satsuki Yukino (Kaname in Full Metal Panic!, Nenene in R.O.D -The TV- as Masami, Yuriko Yamaguchi (Ritsuko in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Reiko in Outlaw Star) as Ryuko, and Konami Yoshida (Metal Fighter Miku, Umi in Magic Knight Rayearth) as Natsume. ADV provided a less-than-stellar English dub. But then again, most of ADV's dubs are like that. DVD Extras: B- Disc 1 has character & mecha sketches and a trailer. The Bottom Line Generator Gawl is not for everyone. Rent it first, then decide whether or not you want to continue the series. Links Tatsunoko's Official Generator Gawl Homepage ADV Films' Generator Gawl Perfect Collection Homepage Reference Anime News Network

The Samurai Suna Kubo/TBS/CBS Sony, 1987 ADV Films, 2003 Directed by Kazuo Yamazaki (Maison Ikkoku, Please Save My Earth). Rated 15+ (should be 17+) for violence, gratuitous T&A, suggestive sexual situations and strong language. Sixteen-year-old high school student Takeshi Chimatsuri has devoted his life to being a master samurai like his father was. Then one day, the Toki twins, two ninja sisters he's known since childhood, transfer to his school and issue him a challenge to take back their family dagger from him. Unfortunately for him, they have discovered his one weakness: the fear of the naked female body. Now, Takeshi must undergo special training from his classmates Atsuko and Torai, and his teacher Miss Ayatsugi to resist the combined brute strength of Akari and the temptation of her sex-crazed twin Kagiri. Class will never be in order with these three constantly fighting each other. Story: C While it's meant to poke fun at the traditional samurai mannerisms, The Samurai suffers from a dull plot and resorts to fan service for most of the entire 45 minutes of the OAV. Aside from that, all the jokes die down after 10 minutes. (Author's Note: Don't ask me what the original Japanese title is. No one on the internet has any information on this. As a matter of fact, I was the one who had to add most of the entries on the Anime News Network's listing of The Samurai.) Animation: A- For an anime that's over 15 years old, The Samurai is surprisingly well-animated to the same level as Project A-Ko and the Urusei Yatsura movies. Soundtrack: A- Renowned anime music composer Kohei Tanaka (Gunbuster, Sakura Wars) uses some traditional Japanese music as an appropriate background to this anime. Sub vs. Dub The Samurai features Toshihiko Seki (Genjo in Saiyuki, Mousse in Ranma 1/2) as Takeshi, Yuko Mizutani (Mihoshi in Tenchi Muyo!, The Great Will of the Macrocosm in Excel Saga) as Atsuko, Chinatsu Sakamoto as Akari, Sakurako Matsuisai as Kagiri, Kazuhiko Inoue (Hatori in Fruits Basket, Eiri in Gravitation) as Torai, and Kazue Komiya (Ran in Urusei Yatsura, Rita and Sandra in The Dirty Pair) as Miss Ayatsugi. I took one listen to the English dub and switched it to Japanese after 10 seconds. DVD Extras: F When ADV dusted off this old anime, they found nothing else to go with it. The Bottom Line As an anime that lacks a cohesive plot and relies solely on T&A, The Samurai is strictly rental material, unless you're an ecchi freak. But then again, if you really are an ecchi freak, you might actually find this disappointing. Reference Anime News Network

After using Kilik and Ivy for a long time, I started practicing with Yunsung. He may not be as skilled with the sword as Hwang, but his tae-kwon-do kicks are highly effective. And you guys are right - the English dub sucks. Wendee Lee (Faye in Cowboy Bebop, Angel in The Big O) has no business voicing Xianghua. I love the Japanese cast, especially since it has a solid lineup: - Souichiro Hoshi (Kira in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Kazuma in s-CRY-ed) as Kilik - Aya Hisakawa (Skuld in Ah! My Goddess, Haruka in RahXephon) as Xianghua - Reiko Takagi (Kaolla Su in Love Hina) as Cassandra - Fujiko Takimoto (Suguru in Mahoromatic, Suguru in Gravitation) as Taki - Yumi Touma (Urd in Ah! My Goddess, Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War) as Ivy - Nobuyuki Hiiyama (Guy in King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Shiro in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team) as Nightmare, Yoshimitsu and Link - Yukari Tamura (Ichigo in Please Teacher! and Onegai Twins, Haruhi and Natsumi in R.O.D -The TV-) as Talim - Nobutoshi Canna (Basara in Macross 7, Guts in Berserk) as Maxi - Yasunori Masutani (Syllibus in Armitage III) as Raphael - Kousuke Toriumi (Hayate in Pretear, Heisenberg in Di Gi Charat) as Yunsung - Michiko Neya (Nancy in Read Or Die and R.O.D -The TV-, Melissa in Full Metal Panic!) as Sophitia - Houko Kuwashima (Kirika in NOIR, Quon in RahXephon) as Seung Mina - Ryuzaburo Otomo (Ivanov in Macross Zero) as Astaroth - Akio Ohtsuka (Gato in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 1-2) as Spawn - Daisuke Gouri (Basque Ohm in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Edmond Honda in Street Fighter II: The Movie) as Heihachi

Assassin, Berserker, or a Charade with no upper body. These guys just piss me off to no end with their cheap shots.

Just finished downloading them. Will check them out tonight. As for A-F & AF, I downloaded episode 2 from them months ago. While the picture and sound quality are outstanding, the translation is a bit off.

Last week on Squared Circle: Talk on Professional Wrestling, we discussed a lot of things concerning the WWE: - Brian "Spanky" Kendrick has left the WWE because he was unhappy with the direction of his character. He should've been grateful to even wrestle on Velocity, unlike Kanyon - a more experienced wrestler with a better persona, yet completely ignored by the WWE. - Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit: two wrestlers who are more deserving of the Championship than the entire WWE roster combined, yet held back for so long. We're thinking that the whole Eddie/Chavo feud will lead to Eddie feuding with Kurt Angle. Have them wrestle before and after WrestleMania and you're guaranteed a score of excellent matches. And if Angle puts Eddie over, have Eddie face Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. As for Benoit, send him to RAW ASAP and have him face Triple-H at WrestleMania. - The WWE is known for churning in new talent. But when is new talent "too new?" Randy Orton and John Cena - two men with skills and personality, but their time hasn't come yet to shine at the top. Especially Orton, who was given the I-C title prematurely. Or could he be the next Rock? Tune in this Friday night at 9:00 (Pacific Time) on the Cable Radio Network (CRN) for the final taping of Squared Circle.

Did anyone catch RAW last night? What a load of crap! Austin's still cutting promos on bringing Mick Foley back. Randy Orton and Mark Henry are getting pushes they don't deserve. And Goldberg's fight was nothing more than a snooze-fest. BTW, it became a triple-threat at the last minute because Scott Steiner refused to job to Goldberg. On the bright side, Triple-H wasn't around. Stay tuned this Sunday for the Royal Rumble recap.

Not to mention the interior, which is a huge improvement over the C5. They should change the Malibu-looking steering wheel, though. BTW, is it me, or does the front end of the new Corvette look like a Honda S2000?

You're telling me. I placed a bid on Smokescreen for $25 on eBay early last week. Then when I went to Target in North Hollywood, lo and behold - they had one for $19.99. So I bought one, not realizing that I got the final bid on the other. In the end, I spent $35 more than I should have. Ah, what the hell. I owed someone a birthday gift anyway.

Actually, the new Corvette shouldn't be designated as "C6," as it's just a retooled C5. Some car magazines call it "C5.5" or "C5 and 9/10ths."

I was checking all of the previous episodes today. Is it me, or does Naru-chan (Chieko Kawabe) need to have her eyes checked?

Thanks for all the compliments, guys. BTW, which anime titles should I cover on the first taping?

Yeah. I put Ultraman Tiga on MUTE when I first heard it dubbed.

And look who else I found.

You wouldn't believe what I spotted online. It could be a joke, but I added her to my contact list to see if this is the real deal.

I wish. It's like the whole public access deal where you have to pay for your own show (like Wayne's World). Right now, the team's pitching in $30 each. One of my partners already got replies from AnimEigo and DVDPlanet on possible advertising deals. I can't wait for ADV Films to reply and agree to sponsor our show.

On Friday, January 30, at 9:00 p.m. (PST), ReelMarks makes its national premiere on the Cable Radio Network. ReelMarks is a talk show that focuses on today's Hollywood blockbusters, foreign cult hits, and some anime on the side. The show will effectively replace the Squared Circle: Talk on Professional Wrestling show, which I did cameos in the past month. Speaking of foreign cult hits and anime, I will be handling those subjects on my own column in the show. I'm just trying to decide on which anime to talk about first. As for the foreign and non-foreign cult hits, we're scheduled to talk about Six-String Samurai and Shaolin Soccer.

Sukeban Deka ( ƒXƒPƒoƒ“ŒYŽ– ) Hakusensha/J.H. Project, 1991 ADV Films, 1996, 2003 Rated 17+ for graphic violence, nudity, suggestive sexual situations, drug use and strong language. Having spent time at a juvenile corrections facility, teenage delinquent Saki Asamiya is given a chance to redeem herself and delay her mother's possible death sentence by working as an undercover cop. Armed with nothing but a special yo-yo, Saki's assignment is to return to her high school and investigate on the corruption and mysterious deaths among the students. But in order to find the answers to the condition of her school, she must confront the wealthy and powerful Mizuchi sisters, who moved in and have taken control after her previous expulsion. Story: C+ The story could've been good, but it got too derivative of every other school fight anime you could think of. And with only two episodes, there's very little room for character development. The OAV never really focuses on Saki's past experiences with the high school. Very little is known about the Mizuchi sisters, other than their insatiable lust for power. Supporting characters are either useless (namely Sanpei, who shaves his head to try and get a date with Saki) or just wasted (namely Junko, a student who gets sexually assaulted by some drunk Yakuza thugs at the beginning of the OAV. Later in the series, she literally gets wasted.). I've read that this is actually a remake of the live-action Sukeban Deka that was on Japanese TV in the mid-1980s. I'm sure the latter is much better. Animation: B- Sukeban Deka boasts some interesting character designs by Nobuteru Yuki (Escaflowne, Heat Guy J). The artwork is one part shojo, one part Go Nagai. The animation uses a lot of Osamu Dezaki's (Golgo 13, Space Adventure Cobra) direction styles: repeated frames during a heavy attack, scene fade to sketch, etc. However, the quality is about average and it hasn't aged very well. Soundtrack: B- I didn't really pay much attention to the soundtrack. Sub vs. Dub Sukeban Deka features Kazue Ikura (Mora in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, Rezun in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack) as Saki, Akira Kamiya (Roy Focker in Macross and Macross Zero, Kenshiro in Fist of the North Star) as Jin, Masako Katsuki (Deunan in Appleseed, Lucette in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083) as Remi, Hiroshi Takemura (Crusher Joe, Mr. X in Argento Soma) as Sanpei, Saeko Shimazu (Yuri in The Dirty Pair, Four in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam) as Emi, Akio Ohtsuka (Gato in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, Spawn in Soul Calibur II) as Numa, Kenji Utsumi (Millard in Macross Plus, Alex in Fullmetal Alchemist) as Kurayami, and Tomomichi Nishimura (Jamitov in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mardukas in Full Metal Panic!) as Gozo Mizuchi. Knowing that ADV dubbed this title at the same time as Neon Genesis Evangelion, I instinctively ignored the English dub. DVD Extras: F Trailers are not extras. The Bottom Line Sukeban Deka isn't bad; it just needs some improvement on both story and animation. Strictly rental material. Reference Anime News Network