Ziroc's Anime Blog

New Books and a Game

2009-11-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

Last week got a couple new manga, and a PS3 game. Picked up Fruits Basket Ultimate Edition volume 3 which includes volumes 5 and 6 of the manga. Also bought volume 4 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

I found out later that The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya had also came out this month so headed back to Books a Million to see if they had it. They didn't have it in hardcover so I had to put in an order for it. But they had some books marked down to $1.00 on a "Last Chance" table. I got Star Wars: The Clone Wars by R. A. Salvatore, who is a great author even if he did kill Chewbacca. If you haven't read any of his books I suggest The Spearwielder's Trilogy and The Icewind Dale Trilogy. I also bought The Star Wars Super Collector's Wishbook, which is similar to Steve Sansweet's Tomart's Price Guide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles

Last but not least I got Demon's Souls for the PS3. This game is really fun, but it can also be really frustrating because you WILL DIE, and you will die A LOT. It's a semi-online action rpg game. The reason I say semi-online is because the bulk of the game you will be playing mostly by yourself. But under certain circumstances you can summon other players into your game to help you, or let yourself be summoned into their games. Your game can also be invaded by players intent on killing you. Players can also leave messages to help or deceive other players and leave bloodstains which is a short recording of a players death that others can view.

Anyone else playing Demon's Souls? What are your thoughts on the game? My PSN ID is Ziroc.

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Won a Guitar Controller

2009-10-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

Logitech was giving away guitar, drum, and microphone controllers for Guitar Hero/Rockband to random followers of their Facebook fan page, and I was one of the lucky winners. I got the Logitech Wireless Guitar for the XBox 360. It's a really nice controller made from wood and steel like a real guitar. Since I don't have a Guitar Hero or Rockband game for the 360, I rented Rockband: The Beatles to try it out. It works pretty well, but the touch sensitive slide buttons on the neck don't seem to work with Rockband. Other than that it was a pretty sweet win, and one of my biggest wins as far as value ($200). Only other items I've ever won with this high a price value was a year subscription to Netflix, and a .hack// video game prize pack.

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Brutal Legend

2009-10-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Went to Best Buy yesterday to buy Brutal Legend. It's a pretty fun game with a good mix of action, RTS (Real Time Strategy), and driving elements. The majority of the major confrontations are Stage Battles which are the RTS segments. But unlike most RTS games your still in complete control of Eddie and can blast enemies with your guitar, or beat them with your axe. You can also do co-op movies with your units.

I bought the Xbox version and if anyones interested in a stage battle my gamertag is zirocstormkiler.

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New Dakimakura

2009-10-12T23:48:00.001-07:00

Finally got the Ichigo Morino dakimakura I ordered from J-List in. I pre-ordered this back in July just a few days before they sold out. Ichigo is from Please Teacher and Please Twins, and although she was just a secondary character she was one of my favorites. Who was your favorite character from the Please... series?

Since, I don't have a pillow or wall space to display it right now, it will have to stay in the packaging for now.

But for anyone wanting to see what it looks like on both sides here is a stock photo from Toylet.

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Trigun Volume 2

2009-10-11T21:30:00.001-07:00

Picked up Trigun volume 2 a couple days ago. It's been awhile since I bought volume 1 mainly because I never saw volume 2 at Books a Million. But was in Shreveport at the Barnes and Nobel there and they had a copy so I bought it. It's a little different than the anime, but was a really good read. I'm looking forward to starting Trigun Maximum now. Anyone else a Trigun fan?

This is a really awesome Trigun music video set to the song Wanted Dead or Alive.

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Manga and Video Games

2009-10-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Picked up some new manga and video games this week. Got the final volume of Karen (AKA Chibi Vampire). I was a little disappointed in the ending, not because it was a bad ending, but because it wasn't the way I hoped it would end. And that's all I'll say since I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Also picked up Rosario to Vampire volume 5. This is a really good series, and I need to get around to watching the anime soon.

Other manga acquisitions were Negima!? Neo, and Higurashi Cotton Drifiting Arc volume 2. I wasn't a huge fan of the Negima!? anime, but I think they are actually doing a good job with the manga and look forward to reading future volumes. Higurashi was a good read to. The next volume will be the Cotton Drifting Answer Arc, the Eye Opening arc. I can't wait for Manga Gamers release of the visual novels the manga is based from. This is also another series I need to watch the anime of.

I also got a couple used games from Gamestop. I had been reading about Crackdown 2 in last months Game Informer, and it sounded like it would be a really good game. So I decided to go get the original Crackdown to play it before the sequel comes out. A friend of mine talked me into getting Two Worlds, which from what little I've played so far seems almost like a cross between Oblivion and Diablo. Both games feature co-op play and if anyone's interested my Gamertag is Ziroc Stormkiler.

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New Episodes of Inuyasha

2009-10-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

The final season of the Inuyasha anime begins Oct. 3rd. It will air simultaneously on TV in Japan and steaming online in the US. Kanketshu-hen is currently streaming a trailer for the new season.

I always hated that the anime series ended with absolutely nothing resolved. I'm glad they decided to go ahead and finish the series. I'll be looking forward to the first episode this weekend. Anyone else planning to watch?

News from AnimeNation News Blog
Image from anime.mikomi.org

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Negima! Movie Announced

2009-09-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

In response to the strong sales of the 3 part Negima Ala Alba OVA, and the demand for the 4 parts Negima Another World OVA Kodansha has announced a Negmia! motion picture to be released in 2011.

I just watched the first episode of the Another World OVA, and it was awesome. It follows the Magical World arc from the manga starting with Club Negima arriving in London and then heading to the Magical World via the Gateport near Negi's village.

Picture and news from Animenation News Blog

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Sesame Seed Balls

2009-09-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

I decided to try making some sesame seed balls today. These are Chinese sweets made from rice flour and sweet bean paste. One of the Chinese buffets here, Eastern Empire, sometimes serves these on their buffet. But because they don't serve them all the time I wanted to see how hard they were to make at home. They are actually quite easy. I used this recipe from About.com

More after the jump....

Using the recipe linked above your dough should look something like this. This picture is after I had already made some balls.

Make a ball of dough about this big.

The recipe suggests dipping the ball in water after you've made it and filled it with the bean paste to help the sesame seeds stick. I found it better to wet my fingers before making the ball, because it helped keep the dough from sticking to my hands and sealing the ball around the paste.

Using your thumb make an indention in the dough to put the bean paste in.

Put a level teaspoon of sweet bean paste into the indention, and then form the ball around it.

Roll the ball around in the sesame seeds and then deep fry per the instructions in the recipe. The recipe says turn them for 2 minutes then press them on the side of the pan until golden brown and tripled in size. Altogether I think I cooked mine for about 5-7 minutes 4 at a time. I suggest trying one or two by themselves and then cutting them in half to see if the dough is cooked through in order to get your timing down.

Sweet or Glutenous rice flour and sweet bean paste can be found at most Asian markets. You can also find sesame seeds there.

The bean paste is actually good by itself, and since the beans are sweet and mashed into a paste your kid won't know they are beans. The can even suggest serving the paste on ice cream.

Ronin Japanese Restaurant

2009-09-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Went to a new Japanese restaurant that opened out by the mall in the building that used to be R.J. Gator's. The name of the restaurant is Ronin. It has both a Hibachi grill and a sushi bar. I ate at the sushi bar, and the meal was really good.

More after the jump....

I bought a lobster and filet mignone combo plate, which came with soup and salad. I ordered a similar meal at the Tokyo Steak House in West Monroe. Ronin's serving of soup and salad were much larger than Tokyo Steak House. Both soup and salad were really good.

I had the filet cooked medium, and it was extremely tender. It was very good by itself and did not need any of the sauce they served on the side for it. The lobster was also perfectly cooked, and while good by itself was even better with the sauce. The fried rice was great as well.

From their sushi menu I ordered eel, yellowtail, and king crab. The king crab wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Possibly because it had been frozen and tasted somewhat watery from being only partially thawed. The eel and yellowtail were delicious though.

There are 4 Japanese Restaurants in the Monroe/West Monroe area that I know of, and I've eaten at all at least once. In my opinion Ronin is tops. In terms of entree's I'd probably rank Tokyo Steak House 2nd, Kyoto 3rd, and Samurai 4th.

In terms of sushi the ranking would be Ronin, and Samurai tied for 1st, Eastern Empire Buffet 2nd. I haven't had the Sushi at Tokyo Steak House so I'll rank it 3rd, and Kyoto dead last. I threw Eastern Empire in the rankings for Sushi because even though they are a buffet their sushi was far superior to what I had at Kyoto.

Anyone else in this area eaten at any of these places? What was your opinion of them?

Exterior photo from Urbanspoon

Beyond Good and Evil/Unlimited Codes

2009-09-12T17:31:00.001-07:00

Went out to Gamestop to pre-order the Assassin's Creed 2 Collector's Edition, and found Beyond Good and Evil in their used section for 5.99. I've always heard how good this game was and how under appreciated it is, so I decided to pick it up and give it a try. I only played up to the first save point so far because I have another games I'd like to finish first, but it seems interesting.

I also bought Fate/Unlimited Codes from the Playstation Store. Played through once with Saber on easy, which is extremely easy. Your opponents pretty much stand there and let you pummel then on that setting. It's a good setting for working on getting used to the special moves. It's to bad the multiplayer is ad-hoc. I wonder why so many PSP games don't support true online multiplayer.

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Miso Soup

2009-09-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

Tried my hand at making some Miso Soup this week. It's really simple provided you can find a store that sells the ingredients. I got the recipe out of the Manga Cookbook I recently bought. If anyone is interested this was the recipe.

2 cup water
1 1/4 tablespoon instant dashi stock
2 tablespoon miso paste
1/3 block tofu
1 green onion
1 sheet nori cut into strips

The dashi and miso paste can be found at asian food stores. If you live in the Monroe, LA area there is one on Desiard called Bao Bao.

Add the dashi to the water and bring to a boil. Next stir in the miso paste until dissolved. Cut the tofu into blocks then add the tofu, nori, and green onions and enjoy.

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Fate/Unlimited Codes Available on PSN

2009-09-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

Fate/Unlimited Codes was released for the PSP this week. The game is available for download from the Playstation Network for $29.99. Been looking forward to this release, and I'm broke. I'll have to wait until next Friday to get it. Anyone purchased it yet? What do you think of the game?

Otaku Yuki Nagato Nedoroid

2009-09-01T00:37:00.000-07:00

My limited edition Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya-chan volume 3 that I ordered from J-List came in. It comes with the manga, of coarse, plus a mini-manga about the past of Itsuki Koizumi, and a petite nendoroid Otaku Yuki Nagato. Just in case anyone doesn't know Haruhi Suzumiya-chan is a parody manga of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. In the manga Yuki Nagato is an Otaku who likes to play dating sims.

More after the jump...

The manga comes with a dust cover.

This is the actual cover of the manga.

Itsuki Koizumi manga

And the reason I bought this, the Otaku Yuki petite nendoroid.

Yuki is holding her laptop which she plays games on, and wearing her bunny earphones. The green balloon dog on her head is Kimidori who lives in her apartment along with chibi-Asakura. They are making a figma version of this character as well that I want to get that comes with Asakura.

Games, Anime, and a Manga Cookbook

2009-08-30T00:58:00.001-07:00

I went to Best Buy and Books A Million yesterday to pick up a few items. The new issue of Negima! (Vol 23) came out, so I picked that up as well as a book I ordered a couple weeks ago, The Manga Cookbook
. I haven't had a chance to really look over the cookbook, but it has recipes ranging from simple how to make a slice of apple look like a rabbit to stuff like okonomiyaki.

Over at Best Buy I picked up the new Metroid Prime Trilogy, and I had a coupon for a free 10.00 gift card when purchasing the game. Though the main reason I went to Best Buy was to pick up Volume 1 of Genshiken 2, which is one of my favorite anime and manga series.

I love the opening song of the series.

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Astroboy trailer at MSN

2009-08-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

MSN is hosting the full trailer for Astroboy. It looks like it might be an ok film. The movie opens in theaters Oct. 23rd 2009.

News from AICNAnime
Image from Firstshowing.net

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Tamaki Kosaka Figure

2009-08-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just got in this new figure of Tamaki Kosaka from To Heart 2. She came with Dengeki G's Festival Deluxe Vol 4 which is still available at J-list.

More pictures after the jump...

The swimsuit can be completely removed allowing you display her completely in the nude.

All you have to do is take off her head and then slip the suit off her.

Both legs have these really noticeable seam lines since her lower legs are detachable. But you can really only see them when viewing from this angle. I doubt many people will display her at this angle, so they aren't a huge issue. There is however a seam on her right arm at the elbow that can't be covered up.

This is my first Tamaki figure, but probably won't be my last. There are at least 2 or 3 other figures of her that I really want to get.

You can see pictures of her cast off at Figure.fm or my Flickr account.

G4's American Ninja Applications Open

2009-08-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

G4 is currently taking applications for their next American Ninja Challenge. You have until Aug. 9th to create a video showing off your ninja skills, and submitting it for consideration.

G4's American Ninja

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Admiral Adama addresses the United Nations

2009-08-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

Battlestar Galactica actors James Edward Olmos (Admiral Adama) and Mary McDonald (President Roslin) were invited to speak at the United Nations. While there James Edward Olmos took issue with their use of the word race as a cultural determinate, stating that there is only one race, the human race.

Image from The Feed

Queen's Blade Season 2 Preview

2009-08-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Media Factory will be releasing“Queen’s Blade: Gyokuza no Tsugumono Episode 0″ promotional DVD at Comic Market 76. The DVD will cost 1,000 yen, and a trailer for it has been uploaded to YouTube.

Image from Minitokyo
News from Animenation News Blog

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My First HDTV

2009-08-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

Went and bought my very first HDTV Friday at Best Buy. It's an Insignia 32" 1080p which is Best Buy's in house brand. It cost 499.99, but they put it on sale Sunday for 469.99. Don't you hate when that happens? Luckily they offer a price guarantee that if you find the product cheaper somewhere else, or in their store during the return/exchange period they will refund the difference to you. I know the pictures are kind of dark, but that was the best I could do and have the screen show up clear.

I used the $30.00 refund to purchase a cable to hook my PC up to the TV. Now I can surf DannyChoo.com in High-Def!

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Halo Anime Announced

2009-07-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

A trailer for an anime based on the Halo game franchise was shown at Comic-Con last week. The anime is called Halo Legends, and will be a collection of short stories similar to The Animatrix and Batman Gotham Knight. Microsoft will be showing previews on XBox Live this fall with the full DVD and Digital download release coming in 2010.

You can view the trailer at Game Trailers

Anyone looking forward to this? If it does well it might rekindle the live action movie project.

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Viz Shonen Sunday Site Up

2009-07-25T23:02:00.001-07:00

Viz Media launched the website for their new Shonen Sunday imprint. The site will feature the following manga to read for free online Arata: The Legend, Hyde and Closer, Kekkaishi, Maoh: Juvenile Remix, and RIN-NE. More titles will be added later.

From the Shonen Sunday website,

This website will be providing you with free official online serializations of several series from Weekly Shonen Sunday in Japan (in English, of course) as well as other nifty extra stuff. There should be something new for you to read every week

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New DVD and Manga Purchases

2009-07-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Right Stuf had a 40% off sale on Bandai Entertainment products. Took the opportunity to pick up Lucky Star DVD vol 6 and the first volume of the manga. I really liked the cover of the DVD with Konata and her Dad on an outing being watched over by Kanata.

Also picked up Kanon volumes 3, 4, and 6 which they currently have for 7.00 each.

Went to Wal-mart Tuesday and got the Watchmen Blu-ray. This was a really good movie. If you haven't seen it then I highly recommend it.

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I won $100

2009-07-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

I just won $100.00 from Blingo! Blingo is a search engine that gives out prizes just for doing searches. The search results aren't as good as Google, and this is the first win I've had in over a year using it. But it's worth using every now and then just to see if you might win something. Plus every day you search gets you 1 entry into a drawing to win 100,000 a week for a year. Another nice feature of Blingo is if you refer someone and they win one of the instant win prizes by searching then you win the same prize. That means Brent from OLS also won $100.00

Now I can defiantly afford that Ichigo Morino Dakimakura I was eyeing at J-List.

Image from I'm not alone

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