Archive for the 'Features' Category

Music Monday

Published on September 6, 2010 in Features. By Sebby

For this week’s Music Monday, I decided to take a look at one of my favourite anime: Rurouni Kenshin. If I had to choose one anime that had the most impact on me, it would be this one. It started my interest in Japanese culture (especially my interest on Samurais) as well as my growing interest on music.

Set in early Meiji Period, it tells the story of Kenshin, a vagabond swordman trying to repent for his past sins as a ‘hitokiri’. Rurouni Kenshin was one of the most popular series of the late 90s, and helped launch the careers of a few well known singers and bands, such as T.M.Revolution and Siam Shade.

T.M.Revolution’s career was launch when their song, Heart of Sword ~Yoake Mae~, was chosen as the third ending theme for the series. I believe the song suits the series quite well – or at the very least, its title does, as Kenshin’s name literally means Heart of Sword. Either way, it’s a nice song that was very popular at the time.

Siam Shade burst into the mainstream when their single 1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou became the sixth ending theme of the series. As well as my favourite anime theme song of all time.

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Music Monday

Published on August 22, 2010 in Features. By j0kk

Trawling through youtube to come up with a “decent” addition to the Music Monday, I wondered what I was actually looking for. Apart from posting the obvious clip, I decided to search for a clip that I liked from an anime. And here it is:

Upon watching that clip I suddenly found another clip that was a cover of that song.Usually, I immediately exit those but this was kinda good. Among the OP, ED and insert songs of recent anime there are an increasing number of musical covers. This means that there are a lot of covers that are really bad, though there are a surprising few gems. I assume that the main cause of this is the advent and wide availability of high-speed internet and the wide-spread distribution of digital cameras. Though the majority of these “covers” come from everybody’s favourite website for procrastination, youtube.

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MUSIC MONDAY

Published on August 9, 2010 in Features. By Wonk

In celebration and commemoration of Yuko Miyamura and Tiffany Grant’s awe-inspiring appearance at Smash! last Saturday, the natural thing to do would be to feature the famous ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’. However, following in the same vein of what Gainax is doing with Rebuild of Evangelion nowadays, I also thought that it would also be appropriate to present an alternative version – a retelling, if you will – of an old classic.

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SMASH! Survival Guide Pt. 1

Published on July 26, 2010 in Features. By Sleet

(Or how to have a smashing time at SMASH!)

Its that time of year again. We’re in convention season and coming up quickly is SMASH!, which is less than two weeks away. SMASH! has always been our favourite convention and this year it looks to be just as good, especially with the sleuth of Evangelion guests. This year SMASH! has changed venue for the first time, leaving the round Roundhouse and migrating to the halls of Town Hall, giving it a bigger venue at a convenient location in the city (it was always a pain to go to the Roundhouse). Having been to many, many conventions in the past, we decided to offer our advice on how to make the most of this year’s SMASH!:

  • Dress appropriately

Tight pants are bad.

Its winter and it can get a tad chilly in the city, particularly in the morning or if there’s a bit of a breeze. So if you’re going to be waking up and braving the lines at the start of the convention, be sure to dress to keep warm. With that said, conventions at Town Hall have a habit of getting real hot and stuffy real quick (and that’s not the good kind of hot and stuffy). Its also a good idea to wear your comfy shoes rather than your fancy shoes, because you’ll be walking around and standing much of the day.

If you’re a cosplayer, it might be an idea to bring another set of normal clothes to change into, especially if your costume is a bit revealing or a uncomfortable. We suggest you bring loose clothing too. And also so you don’t look like weird walking around the city.

  • Plan Ahead

Town Hall in all its glory.

Town Hall can be a bit of a maze to those who haven’t been before, so its best to take a look at the map before hand. Similarly, time tends to warp and distort while in a convention, so it pays to know when the panels/events you want to go to are on. The map and the schedule are now both available at the SMASH! website, so you’ll have no excuse for not knowing that the Shoujo/BL Panel is in the Panel Room (which is out back on the main floor) at 4pm…not that I’m planning on going to that…

  • Expect lines and crowds

The lines.

The crowds.

Expect them.

  • There will be Yaoi

Just don’t expect it to be between guys.

Yaoi without guys is...wha?

  • Take a break

Seats are always nice.

In the hustle and bustle of a convention, with all the running down hallways, avoiding screaming fangirls and fighting back the hordes to get to a stall to buy that kawaii or moe figurine, you can sometimes forget to slow down for a little and take it all in. So when you have a few minutes to spare, grab a seat, take a look at what stuff you’ve bought or the pictures you taken or just take in that wonderful atmosphere of a convention.

  • Visit the Anime Clubs!

We're friendly!

We do like it when people say hi. We’re not all bad people. Really.

We also get bored.

When the convention starts to die down (like during cosplay comp or toward the end of the day), the anime clubs are always around chatting away. And sometimes we get really bored. And that’s when the weird stuff happens. Really weird stuff, even for an anime convention.

Check back later for the next installment!

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Music Monday

Published on July 26, 2010 in Features. By susanne

Music Monday has been around for a fair few weeks, but now it’s time to shake things up a little. Besides anime, there are a few other things that manage to catch our attention, those being TF2 and of course, JB, and it’s about time we paid tribute to both of them!

Introducing Heavy Bieber and slap-chopping rap sensation Scoutacris! Previously known for their outstanding work in infomercials, lady killer (KABOOM!) Heavy Bieber and Scoutacris have joined like forces of nature to create a hit single you won’t be wanting to put down. The video producer has specially selected sound clips from our favourite stars and masterfully mixed them so that the flow and beat stay true to the original tune of Baby.

If HB and Scouta were to win a crazy Grammy, then developers Valve would be high up on their thank-you list. I’m sure that none of this would have been possible without the constant support and hard work that Valve have put in over the years.

So now that our history and culture lesson is over, I’m sure you’re all dying to stick in your earphones and blast some Bieber. Last one alive, lock the door!

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