Otaku no Podcast

Episode #0034 – The Japan Travel Extravaganza, Part 2

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:22:05 +0000

Our Japan Travel Extravaganza continues! In today’s episode, myself, co-host Danny Barer and the fine folks from TJX: The Japan Xperience talk about our suggestions for places to see and things to do while in Japan.

Sponsor: GoToMeeting with HD Faces makes it easy to collaborate online anytime. Try it Free! Use the promo code “PODCAST”

Today’s Theme: “I am a Love Beginner (T_T)” (恋のビギナーなんです（T_T） Koi no Beginā Nan Desu (T_T)?) by Rie Yamaguchi; ED to the second season of Is this a Zombie? (aka Kore wa zombie desu ka?). Watch Season 1 on FUNimation’s website (season 2 will start streaming later this spring)

Links:

FanimeCon, May 25-28, San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, CA
AM2, June 15-17, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA
Anime Five Cities (website, Twitter), date and location TBA
Anime Expo, June 29-July 2, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
Otakon, July 27-29, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
AnimeNEXT, June 8-10, Garden State Exhibit Center, Somerset NJ
Anime North, May 25-27, Toronto Congress Center, Toronto ON CA
Anime Central, April 27-29, Hyatt Regency O’Hare/Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL
San Diego Comic-Con International, July 12-15, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA

More upcoming anime cons

Pop Japan Travel
Pop Japan Travel makes its grand return with the Amazing All-Japan Alpha+Omega Adventure Tour!

TJX: The Japan Xperience

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Pop Japan Travel makes its grand return with the Amazing All-Japan Alpha+Omega Adventure Tour!

Donald Burr — Sat, 05 May 2012 21:07:49 +0000

Are we prophetic or what?

Just one week after our episode where we interviewed the fine folks at Pop Japan Travel (last year), in which I predicted that they would make their triumphant return soon… and they up and did exactly that!

So I say again: are we prophetic or what?!

(Rare is the opportunity when we are actually ahead of the curve; so you’ll have to excuse us a bit of boasting here…)

Anyhoo, yes indeedy, Pop Japan Travel is BACK! And they’ve pulled out all the stops. For their grand return, they will be offering the mother of all tours, the Amazing All-Japan Alpha+Omega Adventure Tour!.

Now, after listening to last week’s episode, you’re probably both really excited and really indecisive at the same time. After all, PJT’s offerings are many and varied. Which one to choose? Well, if you fall into this category, then the Alpha+Omega tour might be just the ticket (heh, pun) — because in this one tour, PJT has combined bits and pieces of all of their offerings! Spanning many facets of otaku culture, including anime and manga, Japanese fashion, theatre, food and traditional culture, the Alpha+Omega tour includes visits to anime and manga studios (where you can meet and interact with real manga and anime artists); a visit to the COMITIA independent manga exhibition (where you can even sell your own works at the Pop Japan Travel booth!); visits to top J-fashion hot spots including Shibuya 109 and La Foret (as well as an opportunity to work with professional photographers and produce your own J-fashion magazine); a tour of Akihabara, famed electronics mecca and now hotbed of otaku culture; an opportunity to see the famed Takarazuka Revue all-female theater troupe; a tour of Kyoto, center of Japanese traditional culture; dining experiences of all shapes and sizes, from the traditional and to the exotic; and oh so much more!

This tour is slated to run between August 29 – September 7. Unfortunately pricing details have not yet been announced. For more information, or to get on the “I’m interested” list, contact PJT today!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

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Episode #0033 – The Japan Travel Extravaganza, Part 1

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:53:51 +0000

Today we begin a series of episodes which I am calling “The Japan Travel Extravaganza!” And as its name implies, we will be talking about travel to Japan, and the various things you can see and do while there. You’ll find out that it’s alot easier and cheaper to do than you might have thought.

Newsflash: Pop Japan Travel (whom we interviewed in this episode) are back and have announced their latest tour!

Sponsor: GoToMeeting with HD Faces makes it easy to collaborate online anytime. Try it Free! Use the promo code “PODCAST”

Today’s Theme: “***Passionate” (***パショナート ***Pashonāto?) by Iori Nomizu; OP to the second season of Is this a Zombie? (aka Kore wa zombie desu ka?). Watch Season 1 on FUNimation’s website (season 2 will start streaming later this spring).

Links:

Our Picks:

Urusei Yatsura (sadly AnimEigo lost the license and it is now out of print)
Planetes
One Piece

Planetes
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No related posts.

Cool Find: The Black Blood of the Earth

Donald Burr — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:14:42 +0000

Still having trouble editing the episode I spoke of earlier. Between that and a work project that just reared its ugly head, my “me time” activities have been severely curtailed lately. In the meantime, here’s a Cool Find to tide you over.

Like most geeks, I am a caffeine-based life form. If I don’t have my caffeine dose in the (time of day at which I awaken, unspecified here because it is highly variable) I’m either cranky as all get out and extremely unpleasant to be around, or so out of it that, at least once or twice, I’ve been mistaken for a whacked out drug addict. Or both, which can be truly terrifying. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll verify this. So yeah, I needs me my caffeine.

Now my usual method of caffeine consumption is the ubiquitous soda drink — Coke™ being the preferred brand in my case. Which has caused some questioning looks from friends, waitresses and passers-by, especially during those rare moments when I am awake during the morning hours. “Wouldn’t you like a nice cup of coffee?” is what’s probably on their minds, or so I imagine anyway.

I don’t dislike coffee. It’s just not really the first thing I usually ask for. For one thing, the temperature at which it’s typically served (usually a few shades lower than the core temperature of your average nuclear reactor) does not agree with me, which results in me usually having to order a glass of ice along with my coffee on those very few occasions in which I’ve ordered it (which usually leads to puzzled looks and declarations of insanity). Then there’s the nasty bitter taste, which I usually must counter by dumping over 9,000 teaspoons of sugar in it (which results in a beverage my mom sarcastically referred to as “sugar water”). And of course there’s “coffee stain” to consider, that lovely brownish stain that develops on coffee drinkers’ teeth. (And yes, I know, Coke™ stains teeth in a similar manner as well. My oral hygienists are none too happy about that. Believe me, if Coke™ came in a non-staining variant that still resembled its stain-inducing counterpart in terms of taste and caffeination level, I’d be all over that.)

So, on second thought, I guess I really do dislike coffee after all.

Even with my dislike of it, however, I will concede that coffee offers a superior caffeination level than soda. I will also concede, even without firsthand experience, that coffee offers a wide variety of flavors. (Of course, your typical mass market supermarket/restaurant/coffee house coffee is pretty low on the flavor scale; and also, by the time I’ve surgically altered it so as to agree with my tastes, I’ve pretty much blown any taste it had out of the water.)

If only there were a way to get the intense flavor and caffeination level of coffee without the nasty bitterness…

Well, Science™ has come to the rescue, thanks to a lovely concoction created by the mad scientists over at Funranium Labs — The Black Blood of the Earth. In short, The Black Blood of the Earth (or BBotE as I will refer to it from here on out) is a cold vacuum extraction of various single varietals of coffee. Single varietal meaning only one type of bean is used, rather than the usual mishmash of several different bean types you get in commercial coffee. So you get to experience the vastly differing flavors produced by the various growing regions around the planet. And one discovers that coffee has a rather subtle but nice sweetness to it. (Interesting factoid: the creator of BBotE was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic, and he created BBotE so that he could enjoy the flavors of coffee without needing to add sugar or cream to it to make it palatable.) And cold vacuum extraction basically extracts all the flavor out of the bean, while leaving behind most of the nasty acids that cause bitterness and teeth staining. And, guess what, as a nifty side benefit of this extraction process, the caffeine concentration of BBotE is significantly increased compared to regular ol’ coffee. Win!

And by the way folks, when I say “increased caffeine concentration,” I mean it. Funranium cautions that one should not consume more than 100 mL a day. Fortunately this isn’t difficult, as the standard mode of consumption of BBotE is to mix it with other beverages of choice (because it’s concentrated, duh). Common combinations include:

4 parts cream to 1 part BBotE makes a rather nice iced latte-style drink.
3 parts hot water to 1 part BBotE will get you something akin to your typical morning cup of coffee, only with way, way better flavor. (The fancy-pants name for this is an Americano)
3 parts vodka to 1 part BBotE purportedly yields a “strangely sweet, delicious drink.” (I have yet to experience this firsthand, though I plan to soon. Also, I’m sure that it has many other creative uses when it comes to mixing drinks and cocktails. Mixologists will have a field day with this stuff no doubt.)
You can of course drink it straight. It is recommended that, if you do this, that it be chilled. I tried this, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually, truly enjoyed its taste, even without any additions. They’re really onto something here!

Fortunately, rather than keeping BBotE a closely guarded secret available only to a select few, the Funranium Labs crew have seen fit to share it with the world! The cost might seem somewhat high, until you consider that (A) this ain’t your typical Starbucks vente latte here; (B) the guy (Funranium Labs actually consists of one man, a radiation scientist at Lawrence Berkeley Labs) makes it by hand (his production is normally about 9 L per day.); and (C) because of its highly concentrated nature, your standard 750 mL bottle of BBotE equates to about a month’s worth of caffeination by Starbucks standards.

BBotE is available for sale in various sizes. The 375 mL is probably the best starting point for a BBotE neophyte. The 750 mL is probably the most common size. He also offers a 1000 mL, as well as multi-packs of all three sizes. And if you are truly insane (or you want to stock up in case World War III/the zombie apocalypse/complete destruction of the world by evil aliens bent on galactic conquest/etc. happens), there’s the 4 L (!!!) Jug of Madness.

BBotE is available in several varietals, including Kona, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malabar, Panama and Sumatra. There are also occasional “special” varietals which change from time to time (basically whatever he can get his hands on at the coffee roasting place). And if you’re the adventurous sort, or just can’t decide on what varietal you want, he offers two Samplers (Sampler I, Sampler II).

You can order all of the above, and much more, from his online Store; or, if you’re lucky, you can obtain your BBotE fix in person from a local “dealer” if you’re lucky enough to live in a city that has one. Fortunately, no secret cash drops or meetings in dark alleys are involved. Unless you want it that way, of course; I’m sure they’d be willing to oblige you if you did.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go bounce around the room for a bit…

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

How to Subscribe to Otaku no Podcast Directly on your iOS or Android device (Updated)

Donald Burr — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:34:37 +0000

Most people, when they listen to podcasts, download them on their computer (using a program like iTunes, Winamp or similar) and sync them to their portable device when they plug it in. The main disadvantage of this is that you are tethered to your computer; if you are away from your computer you are unable to download the latest episodes of your favorite podcasts.

Fortunately there are now apps for both iOS and Android devices that make it easy to subscribe to and listen to podcasts without the need to sync with your computer. These apps work really well, and are very inexpensive (some are even free).

I’ve put together a short video on how to subscribe to Otaku no Podcast using four of the most popular of these type of apps on the iOS platform (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad). If you’re an Android user, I’m sure there are equivalent programs available for Android; search the marketplace for “podcatcher” or “podcast client” and you’re bound to find a few of them.

Watch the video on YouTube or in the embedded player below the cut.

Update: I’ve created a supplemental video, showing the same four programs I demonstrated, only this time on the iPhone/iPod touch. Watch it on YouTube or in the embedded player below the cut.

Otaku no Podcast is now on eBay!

Donald Burr — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:24:51 +0000

So you’re probably wondering why there wasn’t a new episode this week, after my recent bold promise of a more-or-less regular release schedule. Actually, I did spend the weekend editing a conversation I had with the boys over at TJX last year (which I still hope to release within the next week or so; due to a really crappy Skype connection, this is turning out to be a rather difficult edit). Unfortunately, I was interrupted in my editing when things reached critical mass in my totally cluttered office (avalanches are supposed to happen on snowy mountains, NOT in offices in suburban housing projects) and I was forced to deal with it (i.e. clean up my crap).

As I was digging through the muck, however, an idea hit me: I probably have a lot of anime that I don’t really watch any more that I wouldn’t mind getting rid of. (Indeed, when I finally excavated my DVD shelf and started scanning through the titles on it, I came up with quite a few I wouldn’t mind parting with.) Getting rid of these would end up killing two birds with one stone for me: (A) help me de-clutter, and (B) help fund the podcast. Brilliant! So I set up an account on eBay.

Since this is Otaku no Podcast we’re talking about here, you will mostly find old/used anime for sale here. But you’ll occasionally find other stuff, mostly computer/podcasting gear that I no longer have a use for.

Everything I plan on putting up for sale will be in perfect working condition. In the case of anime DVDs/Blu-rays, that means that all discs are included (in the case of box sets), discs are unscratched and perfectly playable, and all DVD boxes/cases/inserts are included, etc. (In the rare occasion when I did mange to lose something, I’ll note it in the auction description. Similarly, if, for example, I am selling a box set in which I didn’t complete the collection, I’ll note that as well.)

All proceeds from these sales will go towards funding the podcast, and are (of course) greatly appreciated. This means:

buying new podcasting gear (or replacing gear that died)
paying for bandwidth/server bills
buying new anime titles for review (unfortunately, we still aren’t “cool” enough for anime companies to start sending us review screeners…)
helping us pay for anime convention coverage (transportation, hotel, food, any needed equipment rentals, etc.)
and so on

So why not come on by and check us out? Nothing up there right now, but I’ll be putting stuff up over the next few days, so check back often!

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Episode #0032 – Lost Treasures I – A Chat with Lauren Landa

The Ghost in the Machine — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:37:16 +0000

Introducing a new segment on Otaku no Podcast, “Lost Treasures,” where we unearth audio and/or video that I just plain forgot I had. (Or, more likely, never got around to editing thanks to my legendary inertia.)

In this first installment of "Lost Treasures," we bring you a random but fun chat we had with voice actress Lauren Landa at last year's Anime Five Cities.

Sponsor: GoToMeeting with HD Faces makes it easy to collaborate online anytime. Try it Free! Use the promo code "PODCAST"

Today's Theme: "XTC," Lyrics/Composed by YOFFY, Arranged by Kenichiro Oishi, Performed by PSYCHIC LOVER. 1st OP to the anime Witchblade.

Links:
Pray for Japan: The Charity Screening
AnimeConji March 16-18 at the Town & Country Resort, San Diego, CA
SakuraCon, April 6-8 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, WA
The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, April 14-15 and 21-22 at San Francisco JapanTown
FanimeCon, May 25-28 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, CA
More upcoming anime convention listed here

Click for J-List now!

No related posts.

Episode #0031 – 2011 Year in Review (Finally!), Part 2

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:22:40 +0000

By now you are no doubt aware of our prime directive here at Otaku no Podcast: "Better late than never." In that spirit, we bring you (finally!) our 2011 Year in Review episode. (Part 2 of 2. Be sure and listen to/download Part 1 as well.)

Sponsor: GoToMeeting with HD Faces makes it easy to collaborate online anytime. Try it Free! Use the promo code "PODCAST"

Music: "Noruniru" (ノルニル?). Lyrics, composition: Tika･α / Arrangement: Naoko Etō / Singing: Etsuko Yakushimaru Metro Orchestra. 1st OP to the 2011 anime Mawaru Penguindrum.

News:
Otaku Call to Action: Help us raise our search rankings and stuff
Pray for Japan: The Charity Screening
Bandai Entertainment to Stop Releasing New DVDs, BDs, Manga
Funimation Sues A.D. Vision, Sentai, Others for US$8 Million
AnimeConji, March 16-18, 2012 at the Town & Country Resort, San Diego, CA

Deaths:
RIP Steve Jobs
NTV Chair/Anime Film Producer Seiichiro Ujiie Passes Away (Updated)
‘Utena’ voice actress Kawakami Tomoko passes away
Anime Director Osamu Dezaki Passes Away
Cosplay Queen Saya Passes Away
Anime Director/Designer Toyoo Ashida Passes Away
Anime Director Kazuyoshi Yokota Passes Away
Voice Actor/Narrator Junpei Takiguchi Passes Away
Steve Rutt, an Inventor Behind Early Video Animation, Dies at 66
Gene Colan, R.I.P.
Voice Actress Cassandra Hodges Passes Away

The implosion of Borders:
Borders Delays Payments as Execs Depart; B&N Sales Up
3 More Executives at Borders Store Chain Resign
Borders Negotiates Credit Line, Delays More Payments
U.S. Borders Store Chain Reprieves 5 More Outlets
Borders Chain Seeking Deal to Avoid Store Closures
Direct Brands Parent Agrees to Make Bid for Borders
Books without Borders (a really great article written by a former Borders front liner)
Viz Media, B&N Team Up

The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami:
Our coverage of the earthquake, tsunami and aftermath
Radio Kaikan building
Culture Japan writeup on the Radio Kaikan building

Bill 156:
Comic Market Sets Winter Attendance Record of 520,000
Tokyo Manga Ban Now In Effect
How will the entertainment industry in Japan be affected by Tokyo's "Anti-Otaku" Bill 156?
LDP Petition: Japan's Child Porn Laws Should Apply to Manga/Anime/Games
SOFT POWER HARD TRUTHS / Can fansites help industry's digital survival?
Akamatsu's J-Comi Site Posts Adult Manga Restricted by Tokyo Law

The move to digital distribution:
Netflix's Reed Hastings Expects DVD Rental Decline in Four Years
Netflix Raises Price of DVD and Online Movies Package by 60%
Netflix raising prices as much as 60%
Breaking: Netflix Splits DVD And Streaming Businesses; Creates Qwikster For DVDs
Netflix: Qwikster is No More
Sony Movies Pulled From Netflix Streaming Service Over Starz Contract Issue
Yuji Kamosawa's Japanese Xie Manga Added to Kindle
Yen Press Launches iPad Storefront Application
Animate Puts Play Boy Blues Boys-Love Prologue on Kindle
JManga
JManga Site Lists 12 New Titles
JManga Site Launches with Works Never Printed in U.S.
Akamatsu's J-Comi Site Starts English Beta, iOS App (Updated)
FLCL, Vampire Knight Guilty Put on iTunes Before DVD/BD

AX vs. AM2:
The Battle of the Cons: AX vs. AM2
AM2 Site Hacked

Notable new licenses/releases:
Madoka Magica Sets New 2ch Record!
Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica Discussions
Garden of Sinners' U.S. Debut in San Francisco February 5
1st Live-Action Gantz Film to Get Hollywood Premiere
Gantz Stars to Attend Screenings in Japan, U.S. on Same Day

Our Picks:
Donald – Fruits Basket; Firefly (DVD, Blu-ray); Serenity (DVD, Blu-ray)
Michelle – Hugo (DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray)
Danny – Chihayafuru (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!); Last Exile – Fam, the Silver Wing; Guilty Crown

Fruits Basket
-

Firefly (DVD)
-

Firefly (Blu-ray)
-

Serenity (DVD)
-

Serenity (Blu-ray)
-

Hugo (DVD)
-

Hugo (Blu-ray)
-

Hugo (3D Blu-ray)
-

No related posts.

Download the Otaku no Podcast iOS app and you could win $10,000

Donald Burr — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:21:29 +0000

Got an iOS device (iPhone, iPod touch or iPad)? Have you downloaded the Otaku no Podcast app yet? No? Well why not?! It’s free, it’s cool, and it lets you keep in touch with the goings-on over here at Otaku no Podcast HQ. And did I mention it’s free?

Well you now have one more reason to go grab the app – and a pretty damn good one if you ask me. Apple is running a contest to see who downloads the 25 billionth app. If you are said lucky winner, you get yourself a $10,000 iTunes App Store gift card. That’ll buy you a hell of a lot of Angry Birds…

At the time I am writing this, the count stands at 24,793,722,846 and is rising VERY quickly. So what are you waiting for? Go grab the app today! (And by the way, did I mention that it’s free?)

(Oh, one more thing: mind rating and/or reviewing the app while you’re at it? Pretty please, with sugar on top?)

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Otaku Call to Action: Help us raise our search rankings and stuff

Donald Burr — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:13:19 +0000

OK, it’s time once again for me to implore you, our listeners, to help us ~~take over the world, bwahahaahha!!!~~ improve our search rankings, get better publicity for the podcast, and make me very very happy in the process. It’s very simple to do, will only take you about 5 minutes tops, and is 100% free.

Review us in iTunes

Every time I look at our podcast page in iTunes, I get rather depressed because of the distinct lack of ratings/reviews. If you could rate the show, that would make me really happy, and would also increase our search rankings in iTunes. You don’t need to write a full-blown review; just a “star” rating is sufficient. (And I’m not even going to ask for a 5-star rating. Please be honest; I respect your honesty.) All you need is a free iTunes account

Remember that we actually have three podcast feeds: the main (combined video and audio) feed, as well as the audio-only and video-only feeds. If you can rate/review all three of them, fantastic! But if you can’t/don’t want to/are too lazy to rate all three feeds, then at the very least, please rate the main feed.

Main feed (combined video and audio)
Audio-only feed
Video-only feed

Review our app

The same applies whenever I look at the page for our app on the App Store. If you could rate and/or review the app, that would be great too, and would increase our search rankings, blah blah blah. You’ll need a free iTunes account, but you also will need to download the app (it’s free) before you can rate it.

Otaku no Podcast app page on the iOS App Store

Link to us from your blog/website

One of the factors that Google takes into account when determining search results is the number of other sites that link to you. So, if you have a blog or website, why not put a link to Otaku no Podcast somewhere on it? Either link to the main site (otakunopodcast.com), or if you have a particular episode or blog post or whatever that’s your favorite, link to that.

Give us some YouTube lovin’

By this, we mean subscribing to our YouTube channel (it’s free) and “liking” and/or commenting on our various videos.

Friend us on Facebook

“Liking” our Otaku no Podcast Facebook page helps as well.

And finally…

Fill out our listener survey

OK, this one isn’t about increasing our search ranking; this one is to help me keep this show afloat financially speaking. Listener surveys such as this are used by ad agencies to help determine where to place their advertising. As you are no doubt aware we have begun to receive sponsorship opportunities, and I am really working on making them as unobtrusive and interesting as possible. One way this helps is if advertisers have accurate information on the types of people who listen to this show; that way we get more relevant ads sent to us.

Note that you will never be tracked or identified individually, only in aggregate (i.e. as a sample group). The survey is being handled by our content distribution service RawVoice. If you are concerned, please read their privacy statement. I think it’s pretty clear cut.

If you are able to help out at all with any of this, you have my deepest and undying thanks. With your help, my ~~evil minions~~ fellow listeners, I shall soon be able to ~~take over the universe!!!~~ increase our visibility on the Internets.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Episode #0030 – 2011 Year in Review (Finally!), Part 1

The Ghost in the Machine — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:52:36 +0000

By now you are no doubt aware of our prime directive here at Otaku no Podcast: "Better late than never." In that spirit, we bring you (finally!) our 2011 Year in Review episode. (Part 1 of 2)

Sponsor: GoToMeeting with HD Faces makes it easy to collaborate online anytime. Try it Free! Use the promo code "PODCAST"

Music: "Boys, Come Back to Me" (少年よ我に帰れ Shōnen yo Ware ni Kaere?). Lyrics, composition: Tika･α / Arrangement: Kenji Kondō / Singing: Etsuko Yakushimaru Metro Orchestra. 2nd OP to the 2011 anime Mawaru Penguindrum.

News:
Pray for Japan: The Charity Screening
Bandai Entertainment to Stop Releasing New DVDs, BDs, Manga
Funimation Sues A.D. Vision, Sentai, Others for US$8 Million
AnimeConji, March 16-18, 2012 at the Town & Country Resort, San Diego, CA

Deaths:
RIP Steve Jobs
NTV Chair/Anime Film Producer Seiichiro Ujiie Passes Away (Updated)
‘Utena’ voice actress Kawakami Tomoko passes away Anime Director Osamu Dezaki Passes Away
Cosplay Queen Saya Passes Away
Anime Director/Designer Toyoo Ashida Passes Away
Anime Director Kazuyoshi Yokota Passes Away
Voice Actor/Narrator Junpei Takiguchi Passes Away
Steve Rutt, an Inventor Behind Early Video Animation, Dies at 66
Gene Colan, R.I.P.
Voice Actress Cassandra Hodges Passes Away

The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami:
Our coverage of the earthquake, tsunami and aftermath
Radio Kaikan building
Culture Japan writeup on the Radio Kaikan building

AX vs. AM2:
The Battle of the Cons: AX vs. AM2
AM2 Site Hacked

Fruits Basket
-

Firefly (DVD)
-

Firefly (Blu-ray)
-

Serenity (DVD)
-

Serenity (Blu-ray)
-

Hugo (DVD)
-

Hugo (Blu-ray)
-

Hugo (3D Blu-ray)
-

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Pray for Japan: The Charity Screening

Donald Burr — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:25:51 +0000

We’ve talked before about Pray for Japan, the film chronicling last year’s disastrous Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and its effects on the populace of Ishinomaki, Miyagi, the largest coastal city in the Tohoku region. Well, good news – the film is finally set for its North American theatrical debut!

Mark your calendars folks – Pray for Japan: The Film will be premiering on March 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the following theaters:

ATLANTA
BOSTON
CHIGAGO
DALLAS
HAWAII (Maui)
HOUSTON
KANSAS CITY
LOS ANGELES (Torrance)
LOS ANGELES (O.C.)
MONTREAL
NEW YORK CITY
SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO (Bay Area)
SEATTLE
TORONTO
WASHINGTON, DC

AMC Phipps Plaza 14
AMC Boston Commons 19
AMC River East 20
AMC Firewheel 18
Maui Mall Megaplex Cinema
AMC Loews Fountains 18
AMC Main Street 6
AMC Del Amo 18
AMC Orange at the Block 30
AMC Forum 22
AMC Empire 25
AMC Mission Valley 20
AMC Cupertino 16
AMC Pacific Place 11
AMC Yonge & Dundas 24
AMC Loews Georgetown 14

You can check showtimes and/or order tickets online. Be sure and get your tickets early before they sell out! All proceeds will go towards the JEN NPO, a relief organization that has been on the ground in the Tohoku area since day 1 providing aid and relief, and in fact are still there to this day.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Episode #0029 – SOPA and PIPA in a Nutshell

The Ghost in the Machine — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:53:27 +0000

In light of last week’s mass protest against SOPA and PIPA, two destructive pieces of legislation winding their way through Congress, I thought it would be a good idea to examine in closer detail the issues that are at stake. There is a lot of good information out there; but there is also a lot of FUD, rumors, and just plain nonsense. One of my favorite podcasts recently discussed this issue in great detail, but framed in easy to understand language, and they have graciously allowed me to rebroadcast this segment on the Otaku no Podcast feed. I believe it deserves a listen.

In this segment Nosillacast host Allison Sheridan and her co-host Bart dissect the technical ramifications of SOPA and PIPA, discuss the issues at stake, and explain why we must continue to remain vigilant.

Today’s Theme: “Sky Clad Observer,” by Kanako Itō, OP to the 2011 anime Steins;gate. Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!

Sponsor: MozyPro Online Backup: Simple, Automatic & Secure Backup: http://mozy.com/pro

Links:

Otaku no Podcast has its first sponsor!
Nosillacast #349 iBooks Author, Omnifocus, LIST!, iHandy Level, Silicone iPhone Cases, SOPA/PIPA
Threat of “Son of SOPA” Legislation Still Looms Despite Huge Protest
Son of SOPA/PIPA – HR1981 attacking internet privacy – heads toward House vote
Stop American Censorship
Video: PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

We did it!

Donald Burr — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:41:01 +0000

You took down your sites. You overwhelmed your elected officials with messages of opposition. Some of you even took to the streets. And, by golly, you did it: SOPA and PIPA are starting to lose support on Capitol Hill. Whereas last week only 5 lawmakers were in opposition, after today’s actions, that number has swelled to an impressive 35 opposing. And the thing only needs 41 “no” votes to effectively be stalled.

So does this mean we can relax, that we can declare “Mission accomplished” ? Not on your life. The powers of evil behind will not rest until their goals are achieved. There is still so much that can happen between now and January 24, when voting is set to begin on these bills. Bribes can be circulated. Lawmakers can sneak loopholes and other tools in at the 11th hour. And even if SOPA and PIPA go down, you know they’ll be back with something else. And it might even seem reasonable. But, believe you me, it isn’t. (It’s a trap!). We must remain ever vigilant, and continue to educate and inform our elected officials. Please keep on your Congress critters’ backs — give them something to think about come voting day.

But not right this minute. Take a few minutes and give yourself a hearty pat on the back. Go hoist up an icy cold beer (or any other beverage of choice). You — we — made history today.

I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank our listeners and website viewers for answering the call and for putting up with a little website downtime. You guys all rock. Seriously.

Click for J-List now!

No related posts.

ChibiCast #0025 – Stop American Censorship

Donald Burr — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:00:05 +0000

Stop American Censorship

Click for J-List now!

Moving to a new server; there may be some podcast/website issues over the next week or so (Updated)

Donald Burr — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:51:38 +0000

Update, early Saturday morning, January 14: If you are reading this message, then that means that the worst of it is over: the site is up and running on the new server, and all the data was moved over successfully. All that’s left now is tweaking things to get everything working “just right” and tuning for performance. Things may go down here and there for brief periods during the weekend, but the worst of it is behind us.

When I started this blog and podcast several years ago, I really had no idea where this would all be going. And, for the first year or two, our numbers (podcast subscribers as well as web site visitors) were pretty dismal. But lately I have watched those numbers climb ever so slowly as the days, weeks and months flew by, and they’re now at a pretty respectable level. Not quite OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAND, but getting there. So, yeah, we’re movie’ on up in the world. Unfortunately these larger numbers have begun to strain our resources, namely server capacity, as can be evidenced by the increasingly slow and sluggish Otaku no Podcast website. Clearly it’s high time to make some changes around here.

Actually, the first of these changes happened several weeks ago. As some of you may know, we’ve had our domain name registered through Go Daddy. I was reasonably happy with their service, and was willing to give them a “pass” on some of their more controversial aspects (their “sexy” advertising, etc.). But all that changed when it came to light that they supported the destructive legislation known as SOPA, a very disturbing piece of legislation that, if passed, could pave the way to loss of Internet freedoms and privacy. They have since backed down (somewhat – their language is still very wishy-washy); however this has eroded their credibility in my eyes to the point where I wanted to stop giving them my business. As of several weeks ago, all Otaku no Podcast-related domains are now off of Go Daddy and are registered through Hover.com, an excellent registrar who opposes SOPA. Over the next few weeks I will be moving my other domains (those used for personal means as well as other projects I’m involved in) to Hover. (Note: the Otaku no Podcast website has been hosted for quite some time at 1and1, who are on the record as opposing SOPA.)

Anyway, the real change will be coming over the next week or two, in that we’ll be moving the website onto a new server with significantly larger capacity (but still hosted at 1and1 – I’m quite pleased with their service so have no inclination to switch). At the same time, I’ll be doing some “behind the scenes” work, restructuring the code that runs everything, to make it run smoother and better (things that I’ve been meaning to do for a while now).

So, over the next week or so, as I migrate the site’s code and data over to the new server, you may start to see some strange things happen around here: silly “test” posts, missing pages, missing audio/video files, or perhaps even the dreaded “404 Not Found.” I’ll try and keep this to a minimum, but, in a move as large-scale as this, there are a thousand and one ways that things could go horribly wrong; so let this serve as fair warning.

(Of course, I’ve managed to say in 1,000 words what really only needed about 10. Such is the way with me. Oh well.)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Heads up: Anime Los Angeles starts tomorrow!

Donald Burr — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:28:46 +0000

Heads up, people – Anime Los Angeles is coming tomorrow to the LAX Airport Marriott

5855 W. Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
1-800-228-9290

Guests include Chris Carson, Stan Sakai, Dave Merrilll, Kyle Hebert, Jon Allen, Lauren Landa, Stephen Weese, Panda Cubed, Jonathan “Jake” Tarbox, Kaiji Tang, Julie Rei Goldstein, Jessica Straus, Danielle McRae, Derek Stephen Prince, Craig Miller, and Mark Allen Jr. And of course there’ll be the usual anime con fare, including a rather nice dealer’s room, artist’s alley, musical guests, cosplay masquerade (and tons of hall cosplay too), dances, gaming (both tabletop and console), and oh so much more.

Pre-reg is sadly closed, so you’ll have to register at the door. Prices are $25 for Friday, $35 for Saturday, or $20 for Sunday. And with their “Parent-in-Tow” program, any attendee 14 years or younger can bring a grown up for free. (It doesn’t have to be a parent; it can be a sibling, other relative, teacher, guardian, etc.)

For more information, you can check out their website; however the latest and greatest information can be found in their awesome downloadable schedule, which you can get using the free Guidebook app (available for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry devices).

Unfortunately, through a strange twist of fate, none of the Otaku no Podcast regulars will be able to make it to con (contrary to what I said in our most recent ChibiCast). I may be able to attend one day (most likely Saturday) but that is still unknown. So con coverage this year may be, erm, somewhat lacking. Gomen nasai.

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Otaku no Podcast has its first sponsor!

Donald Burr — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:02:09 +0000

Greetings, and Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a great (insert name of particular holiday variant you celebrate), and we wish you all the best for a happy, safe, prosperous and fun-filled 2012!

In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve just published our first episode of the year. And you probably noticed something different about it: we now have a sponsor! The various podcast networks we publish through have begun offering advertiser opportunities to us.

But, before you get the wrong ideas and think we’ve gone all commercial and sold out on you, let me (hopefully) reassure you with the following three promises. Whenever I decide to put an ad in an episode, I promise that…

It will be short and sweet.
If you’ve listened to other tech podcasts, such as those on Leo Laporte’s TWiT network, they’ll operate similar to the ads he does: a brief “This podcast sponsored by X” message during the intro, and a short ad read sometime during the middle of the episode. By “short,” I mean 1-2 minute tops. And there may be an extra ad banner on the website. But that’s it. No ginormous background image plastered all over the home page, no over 9,000 hour long testimonials, none of that.
There will be only one ad per episode.
Unlike some of Leo’s podcasts (which sometimes have 2, 3 or even more ads per episode) I’ve decided to only put out 1 ad per episode. MAYBE, if the episode is really really long, I might put a second ad in it. But absolutely, positively no more than 2 ads per episode, and in 99% of the cases, there’ll be just 1 ad.
I will only accept advertisements from companies and products that I believe in, and that I believe offer a product or service of interest to you, the listener.
Ideally I’d love to offer ads from anime-related businesses (stores that sell DVDs/Blu-rays, figures, etc.); if you happen to work at such a company and are looking for a place to advertise, please get in touch . But until such a glorious occasion presents itself, you’ll probably be seeing and hearing ads for various tech related products and services, since most anime fans I know fall rather squarely in the geek/tech enthusiast mold.

Finally, lest you get the wrong idea that I’ll suddenly be “rolling in it” and buying yachts and taking trips to Tahiti or something like that, we’re not talking about a whole lot of money here. Again it’ll basically amount to just a little extra “something” to help keep the bills paid around here. (Besides if I were to take a trip, it would be to Japan, and not Tahiti or anywhere boring like that. )

Anyway, if you have any comments or concerns about all of this, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Video #0013 – Japanese Classic Cuisine: Curry with Rice

The Ghost in the Machine — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:20:28 +0000

In today’s episode we show you how to make another classic Japanese dish, one you’ve no doubt seen at one time or another: Curry with Rice.

Sponsor: MozyPro Online Backup: Simple, Automatic & Secure Backup: http://mozy.com/pro

Watch this video on YouTube

INGREDIENTS:

For the roux:

3 tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp. garam masala (or curry powder)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, add to taste
black pepper, add to taste
1 tbsp. ketchup or tomato paste
1 tbsp. tonkatsu sauce or worcestershire sauce

For the curry:

2 tsp. Oil
2 Onions, sliced thin
2 lb. chicken thighs, cleaned and cut into chunks
2 carrots, cut into chunks
4 cups water
2 yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks
1 apple, peeled, cored and pureed
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. garam masala
1/2 cup peas

METHOD:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the onions. Saute the onions until they are golden brown and caramelized (about 30 minutes). Turn up the heat to high, add the chicken and brown.
Add the carrots, and the water then bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or oil that accumulates at the surface then lower heat to medium and add the potatoes, pureed apple, salt and garam masala. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until you can pass a fork through the carrots and potatoes and the meat is tender.
For the roux, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and garam masala, stirring until you have a thick paste. Add the cayenne pepper and some fresh ground black pepper and incorporate into the roux. Add the ketchup and tonkatsu sauce and combine. Continue to cook until the paste starts crumbling. Remove from heat and set aside until the meat and veggies are ready.
To make the curry, just ladle about 2 cups of liquid into the roux then whisk until it’s smooth. Pour this mixture back into the other pot and gently stir until thickened. Add the peas and heat through.
Serve over rice or noodles.

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

ChibiCast #0024 – We can has advertisers!

Donald Burr — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:15:05 +0000

We can has advertisers! PC dating-sim games @ J-ListRelated posts: Episode #0024 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Taliesin Jaffe ChibiCast #0022 – The Otaku no Podcast (almost) Labor Day Telethon of Doom! ChibiCast #0022 – Nominate us for the 2011 Podcast Awards!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Anime Secret Santa Review: Le Chevalier d’Eon

Donald Burr — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:30:59 +0000

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Here, at long last, is my Anime Secret Santa review of Le Chevalier d’Eon. I’d like to apologize for the extreme delay in getting this up.

Let me start off by saying that I’m not the kind of guy who goes for historical/period pieces. I don’t actively hate them; they’re just not my first choice when I find myself in need of entertainment, anime or otherwise. So, when my friend raved about Le Chevalier d’Eon (which from now on I will abbreviate as LCdE to ease the burden on my poor fingers) I took one look at it, went “Eh, that’s nice, I’ll have to check that out,” then promptly moved on to whatever was next in my queue. Fast-forward to the 2011 Anime Secret Santa contest, wherein one of the three series picked for me was LCdE. Something made me think “aw, what the heck?” and watch it. And I’m glad that I did.

LCdE tells the tale of Eon d’Beaumont, a knight in the service of King Louis XV of France, who discovers, to his horror, that his beloved sister Lia was murdered in the line of duty. Determined to find her killers and bring them to justice, he journeys into a shadow world of shifting alliances and strange and powerful spiritual energies.

Story:

The story of LCdE is based on a historical figure. That is to say, there were actual people that existed named Eon de Beaumont, King Louis XV, etc. And that’s about it. However, the story portrays the milieu of pre-Revolution France rather well, at least to a layperson like myself. (Disclaimer: I am not a history major. I’m not even close to a history major. In fact, I could be way off.)

There is a fairly balanced mix of action, political intrigue and the supernatural, although it perhaps leans a bit more towards the political intrigue side of things. There’s a lot of intrigue, backstabbing, maneuvering and general skullduggery going on, and sometimes it’s a bit hard to keep track of it all. This is one that will probably require more than one viewing before you “get it.” However there was still enough action to break things up and keep them interesting. The pacing felt, for the post part, adequate; however it did seem to drag in places, especially toward the middle of the series.

Characters:

The characters were, for the most part, believable, in that their reasonings and motivations actually made sense. When D’Eon was made aware of his “special power,” he obviously struggled to come to terms with it, rather than accepting his situation straight away as happens so often in situations like this. There were no incongruously “cutesy” characters: even the plucky sidekick Robin was depicted in a realistic manner. The core characters of D’Eon, Durand, Robin and Teillagory have a good camaraderie about them, a sort of Three Musketeers vibe. (The anime in fact acknowledges this, with one episode titled “The Four Musketeers.”) Unfortunately, with the exception of D’Eon himself, there isn’t as much character development as I would have liked to see. There are also an awful lot of side characters, and keeping track of Lord So-and-so and Duke Such-and-such, and what their various machinations are, can be challenging. It might take you more than one watching to finally get things straight. I would’ve liked to have seen some backstory for some of these as well.

Animation:

The artwork and animation of this series really stands out, although it is not without its faults. The opulence of aristocratic life is captured well in the palace interiors and exteriors; however the level of detail is somewhat inconsistent.

It is obvious that the animators gave extra attention to the action/fight scenes. Not only are they well-animated, they are also well-choreographed. We even see characters using some fancy footwork, which is very important in fencing.

The clothing and costumes really stand out and are very well done. Perhaps too well done, in fact – so much detail was focused on the characters’ costumes that their faces were somewhat neglected, resulting in sort of flat, bland countenances.

Sound/Music:

Note: I watched this series dubbed, so my script/VA related comments apply to the English dub. I will update this review once I’ve had a chance to listen to the Japanese audio.

The dub was, on the whole, adequate. Definitely not one of the better dubs I’ve listened to, but neither was it the worst. I did rather like the voice of the older D’Eon, who narrates the story; it has a haggard, world-weary quality that’s appropriate to the character.

I did have a slight beef with the language. For the most part they spoke in formal language that felt appropriate to the situation (“thees and thous”); however they often broke into slang and colloquialisms (usually when the main characters are talking amongst themselves). But maybe this is the way they really talked, or it could be a case of something getting lost in translation, so I could be completely off base here.

Music, on the other hand, was well done. The grand operatic pieces appropriate for the ballrooms and palaces of aristocracy, and the fight scene scores had an appropriate level of tension to them. Sound effects were also appropriate to the situation depicted and well done.

Bottom Line:

LCdE was definitely enjoyable, and I am glad that I decided to watch it for Anime Secret Santa. The stunning visuals were a feast for the senses, and the interesting, if somewhat confusing story held my attention enough to keep on watching. As other reviews have pointed out, if you enjoyed LCdE, there are other, perhaps better executed period pieces that you might also enjoy, two often-cited examples being Rose of Versailles and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (both of which have also been recommended to me in the past; I’ll have to put them on my list as well). But I’m glad that I watched LCdE and consider it time well spent.

Characters: ★★★½☆

Story: ★★★★☆

Animation: ★★★★½

Sound: ★★★★☆

Overall: ★★★★☆

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

The 12 Days of Kurisumasu returns for Christmas 2011!

Donald Burr — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:30:52 +0000

Greetings, fellow humanoids. I hope your holiday shopping is going well. Wait a minute, you’re saying it’s not going so well for you at all? How unfortunate. Well I’ve got just the thing that might help: the return of the 12 Days of Kurisumasu!

In case you weren’t around for it last year (where have you been?!), here’s the scoop: starting on Wednesday, December 14 and going through Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25, I will be picking a cool new otaku-themed product each day and will be featuring it on our Twitter and Facebook. (They’ll also be posted on the 12 Days of Kurisumasu page here, along with a witty (well, at least I think so) writeup.)

Each product I’ll be featuring will come from one of our affiliate advertisers — Amazon, CDjapan, Right Stuf, J-List, etc. Yeah, I know what you’re saying, you’ve been waiting for the “catch” and it finally came. But as catches go, this isn’t much of one. Remember that purchasing through any of the links here costs you nothing extra but brings us a little much-needed income, which helps keep the lights on and the bits flowing.

What products will you be choosing, you might be asking. No real rhyme or reason to it, really. As long as it’s even tangentially related to anime or other otaku-worthy pursuits, then it’s fair game. That means anime DVDs (and even Blu-rays); calendars; figures; “things from Japan” (food, snacks, etc.); plashes; whatever. Hopefully, among this cornucopia of consumer goods, you’ll find something cool and out of the ordinary to give to any otaku-leaning friends/acquaintances you’re looking for gifts for. (Or even yourself…)

One last note: it has come to my attention that there are actually multiple interpretations of the “12 Days of Christmas.” There are some who believe, like I do, that they start on the 14th of December and end on Christmas Day; however there are some who believe that they actually start on Christmas Day, December 25, and go through the first week of January. Well, which one is technically correct or not doesn’t really matter anyway, because I make the rules around here, and I hereby decree that the “starts on the 14th and ends on the 25th” version is the right and proper version.

The 12 Days of Kurisumasu

Cool Find: Square Credit Card Processing System

Donald Burr — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:18:44 +0000

Are you an artist that sells regularly in your friendly neighborhood anime convention’s Artist Alley? Or are you a small to mid sized dealer in anime/manga related goods looking to sell your wares at your favorite anime convention’s dealer’s room? Maybe you’re a cosplay photographer looking for a way to monetize your photography skills. Or perhaps your anime club or anime convention has an anime swap meet, where people can go sell their used stuff that’s cluttering up space in their room, and you’d like to give that a shot sometime?

Odds are, you’ve probably had the burning frustration of not being to accept payment from a potential customer. Either they, ahem, don’t happen to have enough cash on them (if they even have any at all), or they try and foist a check off on you – and you know how risky that can be these days!

But what if none of the above applies to you? No no, don’t stop reading yet. I’m sure that you’ve had something like this happen to you: you’re out having lunch/dinner/snacks or bar hopping with friends, but when it’s time to pay the piper, your “friends” conveniently are unable to pay you… “…oh, oops, looks like I don’t have enough cash on me. Can I pay you back next Tuesday?” Or what if you’re going to an anime con with friends and sharing a hotel room? You want to get their money as soon as possible from them, before they “accidentally” go blow it all in the dealer’s room…

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could accept credit cards? Just about everybody has either a credit card or a debit card (one that’s linked to a bank account) these days. Unfortunately, accepting credit card payments has, until now, been reserved for the big time business person. You’d have to set up a special merchant’s account with your bank (that costs money). You’d need to buy or rent one of those big clunky credit card processing machines (that also costs money). And you’d have to pay monthly fees to maintain your merchant status (and yes, that also costs money).

But now there’s Square.

Co-created by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey (who are famous for another technology they created that’s gone big time, a little service called Twitter, Square is, to put it simply, credit card processing for the rest of us. You don’t need any special merchant account. You do need a bank account (this is how they send your payments to you), but it can be a regular old checking account at any US bank.

After you create your Square account and add your banking info, they will ship you — for free — a small device that plugs into your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Android smartphone’s headphone jack. This little gem is a real credit card swiper. Download their free app (for iOS or Android). When you’re ready to take a payment from someone, you fire up the app, type in the amount of money you’re charging them (you can even add a picture and/or description of whatever it is you’re selling, assuming you’re selling something), and swipe their card (they accept the big 4 credit card companies: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover). Then hand your phone (or iPod touch, or iPad) to the buyer. They sign their name on your device’s screen, and enter either a phone number or an e-mail address. The Square software automatically sends them their receipt (either by SMS or e-mail). And you’re all done!

There are no monthly fees, and the Square reader is free. They charge a 2.75% fee per transaction (so, if you sell something for $20, their “cut” is 55 cents). This is actually fairly competitive with what regular credit card merchants pay, and is actually cheaper than PayPal’s fees. And there are no hidden fees or other funny business. Every few days, the money you’ve accumulated (minus Square’s cut) gets automatically deposited into your bank account. Easy peasy. And at any time you can log in to your Square account and get an up-to-the-minute accounting of your sales history, and can even download it in a form that you can easily import into a spreadsheet so you can perform all sorts of weird data analysis on it.

More and more, I’m seeing these devices in use at conventions, either by artists doing business in artist’s alley; smaller dealers/vendors; and average schmucks like you and me. (Why, one of our co-hosts used it at a convention recently to accept payments at their dealer’s room table even!)

Set up an account today and they’ll ship your reader right away. In the meantime, download the app for iOS devices or Android devices. Check out the videos below the cut to see Square in action.

Episode #0028 – PMX 2011

Donald Burr — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:28:55 +0000

In this episode, the Otaku no Podcast crew get together and give their impressions and review of Pacific Media Expo (aka PMX) 2011. And, of course, we also bust out the anime picks.

Sorry for the delay in getting this episode out (as well as the delay in getting out our other PMX coverage in general). Blame it on a combination of a rather nasty case of Con Plague, an extra busy month of work, and the Thanksgiving holiday.

Today’s Theme: “Oath Sign,” by LiSA, OP to the 2011 anime Fate/zero. Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!

Links to stuff that we talked about:

Otaku no Podcast YouTube channel (PMX videos are finally starting to go up)
Photo Gallery (PMX photos will be going up as well)
Notes, slides and video from our podcasting and photography panels
Doing some holiday shopping? Let us help you with that…
The 12 Days of Kurisumasu (last year’s post, but the link is the same)
Otaku no Podcast app updated to version 2.1
SongTweeter
Pray for Japan (watch the trailer)
Allegiance – A New American Musical
We Heart Japan
Comikaze Expo
Codenamed: Epic
Guidebook App for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry
PMX Charity Roast of Sir Richard Epcar to benefit Lupus LA
Video #0012 – A First Look at ComiPo! (Updated)
Google SketchUp

Our Picks:

Me – Clannad (DVD, Blu-ray); STEINS;GATE (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!); Mawaru Penguindrum; Ready Player One (book, audiobook)
Michelle – Culture Japan and Otaku-Verse Zero (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!); Canon Vixia HF R20 Full HD Camcorder; Zoom H2 Handy Recorder; Acer Aspire One AO722-0473 11.6-Inch HD Netbook
Avi – Chihayafuru (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!), Mirai Nikki (aka Future Diary)

Clannad (DVD)
-

Clannad (Blu-ray)
-

Ready Player One
-

Ready Player One (Audiobook)
-

Canon VIXIA HFR20 Camcorder
-

Zoom H2 Handy Recorder
-

Acer Aspire One Netbook
-

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Doing some holiday shopping? Let us help you with that…

Donald Burr — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:42:52 +0000

Yep, folks, it’s that time again. The holidays. Time to brave the elements, hunt for a parking space at your local mega mall, battle armies of crazed shoppers, spill some blood, only to find, after all that trouble, that the Super Whiz Bang Gadget (or toy, or whatever) your (insert name of whiny child, relative, etc.) wants is all out of stock. Lovely.

Hey, here’s an idea: instead of sharpening your swords and suiting up in your battle armor, why not make it easy on yourself and do all your shopping online? And, whaddaya know, we can help you with that!

We are enrolled in a number of affiliate programs that offer a wide variety of items for sale (not just anime). For every purchase you make through an affiliate, we get a small percentage. And it costs you nothing extra.

Probably the most well known is Amazon, whose selection of goods for sale is truly awe-inspiring. Books; DVDs and Blu-rays (yes, even anime ones); audiobooks; household goods; computers, cell phones, and other electronics; clothing; sporting goods; shoes; you name it, they sell it. Shipping is fast (and you can even have them gift wrap and ship a gift directly to its recipient — handy!), and their prices are surprisingly reasonable. Simply use the Amazon search box on the right hand sidebar (it’s called the AnimeFinder™ but it allows you to search all of Amazon’s catalog), search for something, and click buy, it’s as simple as that.

Not your cup of tea? No problem. We’ve got quite a few other affiliates to choose from, including:

The Right Stuf, who sell anime as well as related items (character goods, wall scrolls, manga, etc.);
CDjapan, your source for those hard-to-find import CDs, including Jpop/Jrock/visual kei, anime and video game soundtracks, etc. — and they also sell some anime related goods (figurines, etc.);
J-List, “your friend in Japan,” who sell a mind-boggling array of anime-related goods; anime DVDs and Blu-rays, manga, figurines, calendars, and more; Japanese cultural items including bento boxes, chopsticks, kitchen gadgets, and more; items to help you learn Japanese; visual novel and dating-sim games for computers and game consoles; Japanese snacks and drinks; and, ahem, “that” kind of stuff as well;
and Crunchyroll, in our opinion, the best deal in town when it comes to watching all-you-can-eat high quality streaming anime while supporting the companies who produce it.

So if you are in need of doing gift shopping this year — if nothing else, perhaps a gift for yourself even — yet the thought of holiday shopping gives you the screaming heebie jeebies, relax, we’re here to help. (And in return you’ll be helping us as well )

Announcing my new app, SongTweeter

Donald Burr — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:29:47 +0000

I hope you’ll excuse me this little bit of blatant self-promotion, but I wanted to advertise my latest and greatest iOS app, SongTweeter!

One common thing on Twitter is to share whatever music, podcast, etc. you’re currently listening to, usually using the “#NowPlaying” hash tag. I was looking for an easy way to do this, and so decided to write an app. This app is small, and it does only one thing: lets you tweet whatever song/podcast/etc. you’re currently listening to. You can optionally add any text of your choice (e.g. the aforementioned #nowplaying hashtag) before and/or after the song title; and you can even optionally include album artwork.

Go download it for free in the App Store today! It’s compatible with any iOS device running iOS 5 or later, and is a Universal Binary (works natively on both iPhone/iPod touch and iPad).

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Otaku no Podcast app updated to version 2.1

Donald Burr — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:57:01 +0000

We are pleased to announce the availability of Version 2.1 Build 63 of the Otaku no Podcast app, available now in the iTunes App Store. This release includes some bug fixes as well as quite a few new features.

FIXED: Improved loading performance.
FIXED: Some screens weren’t being properly resized when an ad appeared or disappeared.
FIXED: Ads now disappear immediately when you purchase ad removal.
FIXED: Improved the speed of scrolling in the Tweets tab, and added graphical indicators showing tweet type (standard, @reply and retweet).
NEW: Improved accessibility for VoiceOver users.
NEW: Added support for localization. We need translators! If you’re willing to help us translate the app into your native language, please contact us (use the “Support” link).
NEW: Added support for AirPlay for audio and video podcasts.
NEW: Audio playback position indicator now shows elapsed time and total track length.
NEW: Episode title and album artwork are now displayed on the lock screen and the multitasking audio controller. (iOS 5 only)
NEW: Added support for AirPrint. You can now print blog posts or podcast show notes of interest.
NEW: Calendar Detail View. Tap on any event on the Convention Calendar to get more information, including location and URL.
NEW: Tapping on a tweet now allows you to e-mail it, @reply to it or retweet it.
NEW: Added an About dialog box.
NEW: Added settings dialog with an option to include chibicasts when displaying latest audio podcast.

Download it now for free from the iTunes App Store

Click for J-List now!

No related posts.

The PMX 2011 Meta-Post of Doom!

Donald Burr — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:16:35 +0000

You’re probably wondering “gee, where the hell has the Otaku no Podcast crew been?! Surely they must be back from PMX by now!” Yes, in fact we have been back for a few days; however one of us is more or less incommunicado while she’s helping to housesit for a relative…. and I have contracted the Dreaded Con Plague of Doom. (Remember, people: Emergen-C. LOTS of Emergen-C.)

I hope to be in a well enough shape to record our inevitable PMX wrap-up podcast episode this weekend. And I’ve started finally ingesting the video and photos we took while at the show, and hope to have those posted over the next week or so as well. But in the meantime, I’ve started gathering up other peoples’ PMX-related postings, in particular photos and videos, and present them here for your enjoyment.

(Note: I will be constantly updating this post as I find more peoples’ photos and videos, so check back often! And if you know of any PMX 2011 photo and/or video posts that I don’t, please let us know so we can update this post.)

ChillyWillyTube’s PMX cosplay video
Mike Rollerson’s PMX 2011 Photos (Facebook) (Flickr)
Ani.me PMX Photo Studio photos (Facebook) (Flickr)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Going to PMX? Got a smartphone? Get the PMX schedule on it with Guidebook!

Donald Burr — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:45:36 +0000

One of the benefits of today’s modern smartphones is easy, instant access to the data you need wherever and whenever you are. As anime fans and con-goers, this is especially desirable for us. Not having to fuss around with clunky paper-based schedules is something we’ve dreamed of for quite some time. And thankfully, a company has risen to the occasion and has created a solution for us – Guidebook.

The Guidebook app, available for free on both iOS and Android, is beautifully and elegantly designed. With it you can access convention schedules, exhibitor info (dealer’s room), main event info, maps and more. As you browse through the list of events, you can mark events you’re interested in and add them to your own personal schedule list. And, best of all, you can configure the program to warn you before an event starts!

If you’re part of a group organizing an anime convention, you might want to contact then about getting a guide made up for your event. From what I hear the rates are quite reasonable. In fact, at one point they were making guides for smaller organizations for free.

Speaking of guides (yes, I’m finally coming to the point), PMX, which is coming up in just a few days now, now has a guide in Guidebook! If you’re at all interested in going, and own an iOS (iPhone, iPod touch or iPad) or Android smartphone or tablet, you’ll definitely want to go grab the shiny new PMX Guidebook guide!

Download the free GuideBook app today for iOS or Android. Once you have the app installed, run it, click the “Download guides” button and search for the “Pacific Media Expo” guide (also free).

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Reminder: PMX is this coming weekend!

Donald Burr — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:19:50 +0000

This is just a heads-up – PMX is coming up this weekend – Friday through Sunday, November 11-13, at the LAX Hilton:

Hilton Los Angeles Airport
5711 West Century Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90045
1-310-410-4000

Check out the PMX website for full details on the guests of honor and the various events that will be going on (there are a lot of ‘em!). Also, the schedules are now online and can be downloaded in PDF format as a print-ready black and white or color version.

And, as I mentioned earlier, we will be running three panels/workshops!

“Otaku Podcasting for the Complete n00b,” Friday November 11 at 5 PM in LP2 (Los Angeles B) is basically the same old podcasting talk we gave at AX, Fanime, and Anime LA. If you’ve seen it already, you don’t need to come, but why not do so anyway to show your support? And if you don’t know what in blazes I’m talking about, then please come on by! If you’ve ever wanted to know how we run this dog and pony show called Otaku no Podcast, we will show you how it’s done, and you’ll learn that it is not only easy to do, but cheap as well. (which is why even weirdos like us can do it).

“Con Photography 101,” Saturday November 12 at 12 noon in LP2 (Los Angeles B) is for all you costly photographers out there. Ever come home from a day of shooting at con only to be met with pain and disappointment when you load up your pictures and look at them? Well, we’re here to help! If you’ve seen this talk before, you may still want to come anyway, because we’ve reorganized it somewhat. We’ll be focusing in (heh, pun) on tips and techniques for point and shoot camera owners first, but we’ll also cover what you DSLR owners can do as well (and why you point and shooters might want to upgrade). Besides, there will be swag!

And finally, Otaku no Podcast co-host and noted doll enthuses Michelle “Ms. Geek” Klein-Hass will be putting on a Dollfie Dream/Obitsu Doll Panel on Sunday November 13 at 2 PM in Workshops (Marina).

Online pre-registration is still open as well, and will be open throughout the con (trust me, folks, it’s a real time-saver). Prices are $50 for a full 3-day adult membership; $20 for a single-day adult membership (Friday or Sunday) or $35 for Saturday; $15 for children 12 and under; and children 5 and under get in for free. (Children must be accompanied by a paying adult). A 20% group discount is also available for groups of 5 or more who register together.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

ChibiCast #0023 – Shoutout on Mac OS Ken Live

Donald Burr — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:45:07 +0000

Shoutout on Mac OS Ken Live Click for J-List now!Related posts: ChibiCast #0003 – This is M-M-Ma-Max Headroom ChibiCast #0004 – last test message. yesrly. ChibiCast #0009 – pre-FanimeCon test

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Another way to help Otaku no Podcast – Buy Me Stuff!

Donald Burr — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:22:22 +0000

I have come up with yet another way to help the podcast! If buying stuff from our affiliates, or donating, is not to your tastes, then why not buy me some stuff?! (Why you would be willing to do this instead of buying stuff for yourself, I have no idea, but a guy can dream, right?)

I’ve put up a public wish list on Amazon and will be filling it with things.

Here are my promises to you:

Every item you see is on this list because I need it for something relating to the podcast. Either it’s an anime or video game I want to review, or it’s something I need, for example, a new shock mount to replace the one that I have right now that’s on its last legs; or supplies that I need for giving a panel or workshop at an anime convention (e.g. office supplies, printer ink/toner, etc.). You get the idea.
For all anime/video game type products, I promise to put up a review of it, either as a blog post/article or as part of a podcast episode. (This of course only applies to anime, video games, etc.; I don’t think you’d want to see a review of the latest HP LaserJet toner cartridge or something like that.)

Either way, whatever (if anything) people are willing to get me off this list means less money I need to spend out of pocket, which I can use instead towards paying for other things that the blog/podcast needs (equipment, servers, bandwidth, web hosting, etc.). And, of course, you will have my undying and eternal gratitude, not to mention the continuation of this blog and podcast.

View the wish list here or by clicking on the “Otaku no Podcast Wish List of Doom!” link on the right sidebar, just below the AnimeFinder™ (patent pending).

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

PMX 2011 preliminary schedules are now up!

Donald Burr — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:37:08 +0000

Good news everyone – the PMX preliminary schedules are now up! They’re available in PDF form as a print-ready black and white or color version.

I would like to point your attention at 3 panels in particular. (Yes, as you might have guessed, we will be running some panels of our own!)

“Con Photography 101,” Saturday November 12 at 12 noon in LP2 (Los Angeles B) is for all you costly photographers out there. Ever come home from a day of shooting at con only to be met with pain and disappointment when you load up your pictures and look at them? Well, we’re here to help! If you’ve seen this talk before (yes, we’ve given this one before as well), you may still want to come anyway, because we’ve reorganized it somewhat. We’ll be focusing in (heh, pun) on tips and techniques for point and shoot camera owners first, but we’ll also cover what you DSLR owners can do as well (and why you point and shooters might want to upgrade). Besides, there will be swag!

And finally, Otaku no Podcast co-host and noted doll enthusiast Michelle “Ms. Geek” Klein-Hass will be putting on a Dollfie Dream/Obitsu Doll Panel on Sunday November 13 at 2 PM in Workshops (Marina).

For more information on PMX, including guests of honor and other events, check out the PMX website. Online pre-registration is still open as well. Prices are $40 for an Adult Full (Fri-Sun) membership (before Nov 5th) or $50 (after November 5); $20 for a single-day adult membership (Friday or Sunday) or $35 for Saturday; $15 for children 12 and under; and children 5 and under get in for free. (Children must be accompanied by a paying adult). A 20% group discount is also available for groups of 5 or more who register together.

Cool Find: ProPlayer Video Player for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Donald Burr — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:56:00 +0000

Those of us that have collections of anime videos on our hard drives (unlicensed only, please; and please support the creators by buying the title when it becomes officially licensed in your region, blah blah blah) are presented with a problem when we want to enjoy said content in places other than sitting right in front of your computer. I’ve been on a quest of sorts over the past few years to find tools to help with this scenario, which I’ve written about before. And, indeed, products like Air Video, Meridian Media Player and the WD TV Live work beautifully and allow us to free ourselves from the confines of our computer monitors.

But what if you want to enjoy your content when you’re out and about, away from home, and on the go? The WD TV Live isn’t an option for obvious reasons, and Air Video doesn’t work either, because you’re not within range of your WiFi network and your home computer. If you’ve got an Android phone, Meridian works well. And, indeed, it worked quite well for me, while I had an Android phone. But then, in January (or was it February? I forget) Apple announced that the iPhone was coming to Verizon.

Now I don’t want to get into any smartphone/OS holy wars here. Suffice it to say that, much as I liked my Android experience, I still prefer iOS devices and iPhones. The UI is more refined, the phone performs better and the battery lasts much longer. But, alas, there is no Meridian player for iOS. Yes, I could use something like the excellent (not to mention free) HandBrake to convert my video files and load them into iTunes, but that is a clunky extra step to have to go through. What I liked about Meridian was that all I had to do was mount my phone’s SD card and drag my video files onto it.

Well, I’ve finally found something comparable in the iOS world: ProPlayer. It can play just about every video file format under the sun, including those oh-so-pesky MKV files, and it supports one of the most common subtitle file formats (SRT). You can load your video content onto your device using iTunes’ app file sharing mechanism — not as easy as Meridian/Android’s drag-and-drop, but not too bad. And once the files are on the device, you can use the ProPlayer app to organize them in folders. You can even password protect certain folders of your choosing, for, ahem, “those” certain types of files that you’d rather your mother or girlfriend not see.

Now for the bad news. Unfortunately it doesn’t support the other most common subtitle file format, SSA/ASS. You can work around this by loading up said subtitles in an external subtitle editor program such as Jubler (really good, and it’s free too) and save them out in SRT format. It doesn’t support FLAC (lossless) audio tracks (but fortunately those are fairly rare, and can be down converted to AC3 or MP3 if needed). And it doesn’t support multiple audio tracks, which you don’t see very often “in the wild”; however if you’ve made rips of your own anime DVDs and preserved both the English and Japanese audio, it will only play the “first” audio track that it finds.

It is compatible with the iPhone 3GS and above (including the new iPhone 4S), iPod touch (3rd generation or later), and iPad, and can be purchased on the App Store for $2.99, a fantastic price for such a capable piece of software. Go grab it today on the App Store.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

No related posts.

The Reverse Thieves announce the 2011 Anime Secret Santa project!

Donald Burr — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:45:04 +0000

The Reverse Thieves have just announced their 2011 Anime Secret Santa project!

If you don’t know what in blazes I’m talking about, go back and read our post about it a couple years ago. But, for the lazy, here’s the Reader’s Digest version: basically, you e-mail your name, blog title and url, and a link to the list of anime you’ve watched (from sites such as MyAnimeList or Anime-Planet (both are free)), and the Reverse Thieves will randomly pair you up with another participant. You then look thorugh that participant’s list of anime and then suggest to them three anime that they might enjoy. Only — your identities are kept secret until the very end. The whole idea is to help get some inter-blog anime review participation going on, as well as broadening peoples’ horizons and getting them to maybe step out of their comfort zones and try something different.

We had a great deal of fun participating in years past, and with any luck we will be participating once again this year.

Unfortunately this almost slipped under my radar, and so I missed this when they announced it over a week ago. Which means that you have until the end of today (Wednesday, October 12) to respond if you’re interested in participating. Just e-mail your name, your blog’s name and url, and the link to your anime list, to secretsanta.rt@gmail.com with the subject “Secret Santa Participant” But remember, you only have until the end of today, so you better hurry!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Otaku no Podcast App v2.0 is out; Android app coming soon

Donald Burr — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:21:07 +0000

We are pleased to announce that a brand new version of the Otaku no Podcast app is now available in the app store!

New features include:

Completely rewritten from scratch. Faster performance, and follows the iOS user interface design more closely.
No longer asks for your location. (Note: The location prompt was due to a mistake on my part when creating the first version of the app. No actual location data was ever collected or stored.)
Supports Push Notifications – get notified instantly when new podcasts or blog posts are published
Lets you listen to and/or watch the latest audio and video podcasts, as well as previous podcasts
Supports background audio and remote audio control
Option to let you view blog posts in Mobile Safari
You can now share interesting blog posts and/or podcasts with others via e-mail or Twitter (Twitter sharing requires iOS 5)
New Con Calendar – check out our upcoming anime convention schedule
Contact Us now lets you send us e-mail as well as call our voice mail line (requires an iPhone) or via Skype (requires the free Skype app be installed, available for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad)
The app is now ad-supported, using Apple’s iAd ad network. We feel that these ads are reasonably unobtrusive — they don’t bog down your phone, or jump out at you and annoy you like many other ads do. However, if you wish to show your support for Otaku no Podcast directly, there is an option that will allow you to remove all ads from the program for a small one-time fee.

Of course, with a rewrite of this magnitude, there are bound to be a few bugs still. If you run into one, we’d appreciate it if you could let us know about it.

Go grab the app today (it’s free). You can also check out a video (also embedded below the cut) on how the app works.

Finally, for all you Android users out there, don’t fret; my friend is hard at work on an Android version of the app, which should be out in the Android marketplace soon.

No related posts.

RIP Steve Jobs

Donald Burr — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:51:18 +0000

I hope you’ll forgive me this non-anime-related post. But I feel that we have to acknowledge the loss of a true visionary. In a statement released late today by the Apple board of directors, they announced that Steve Jobs has passed away.

I won’t say very much, because not only am I still in shock, but I really have nothing to add to what has already been said – there are far better bloggers and news outlets out there that are doing that, and I’ll link to some of them at the end of this article.

Even so, I can’t help but voice a few thoughts myself. (Because that’s the way I roll)

Love him or hate him, agree with him or disagree with him, I don’t think there’s a single person on this planet who would deny that he made a significant impact on the computing landscape. He brought the user friendly to computing. And let’s not forget his impact on the music industry. Before the iPod came out, MP3 players (those few that existed) were big, clunky, complicated, and had battery lives measured in minutes. Now, with each successive generation of iPod and the inevitable copycats, we end up with better products — both the iPods as well as the copycats have improved. And the iTunes Music Store finally dragged the recording industry kicking and screaming into the age of digital music. Only Steve could have got them to agree to drop DRM. And his creations have directly affected many other industries — desktop publishing, digital video, telecommunications… I could go on and on.

Many people have asked me why I use Macs and Apple products. My more frugal friends ask me why I insist on paying 2-3x of what the “other guys” charge for their tech. My Open Source advocate friends ask me why I persist in using a closed system. Well my answer is simple: Apple products do what I want and need them to do, and they do it well. I’m not necessarily saying that the other tools are bad — they serve the needs of many people just fine. But for my particular mindset, I just couldn’t think of doing it on anything other than a Mac. Apple kicked off the whole digital video revolution with products like iMovie and Final Cut, and while there are now some competitors in the space, I still think the Apple tools work better. The same goes for audio editing and digital photo editing. Yes they are more expensive than their PC alternatives. But they are built to last. I’m notoriously hard on technology, and I have managed to turn lesser (PC) laptops into nonfunctional, broken pieces of crap. (Just about the only laptop I haven’t managed to thoroughly destroy is the classic IBM Thinkpad.) Whereas my poor MacBook Pro has been dropped God knows how many times (trust me, it has the battle scars to prove it), yet still performs just as well as it did on day 1. It goes even farther than that. There are many people out there — including a certain Otaku no Podcast co-host — that still have more aged Macs that still perform beautifully (albeit a bit slowly by comparison), and these people use them every day.

And there is one thing I cannot help but respect him for: he had the — well, there’s no other word for it, “balls” — to tell us “You’re gonna do things my way.” This can be summed up brilliantly in the “Think Different” ad campaign. He wasn’t always right — Apple has certainly had its share of titanic failures — but even still, out of the ashes of those failures came the seeds for later successes. Take the Lisa, for example. A technologically revolutionary machine, yet a commercial failure — but it formed the core (if you’ll pardon the pun) of the Macintosh. Or his NeXT machines — again, a failure in the marketplace, yet the operating system at their core went on to become today’s Mac OS X.

Either way, the world has lost a truly remarkable individual. Our hearts and prayers go out to Steve’s family

Important note I have decided to donate all affiliate income earned during the months of October and November to cancer charities.

Some stories from around the net:

Page announcing his passing on the Apple website
Apple press release
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s note to employees
Statement from Steve’s family
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech
Kind words from his technological rival Bill Gates
A really touching eulogy from, of all people, Gizmodo (Gizmodo and Apple have had a very antagonistic relationship. Way to show some class, guys.)
Reflections from Brian Lam (he’s the guy at Gizmodo who was responsible for the whole iPhone 4 scandal)
A tribute video by Gizmodo
A very fitting tribute on the front page of BoingBoing
Picture of Steve leaving the keynote stage for the last time at this year’s WWDC
LA Times article
A touching eulogy from technology columnist Andy Ihnatko
Words from President Barack Obama
A picture of Steve doing what he loved to do
Article on Steve’s passing from Crunchyroll News (There, I made this post anime related! Take THAT, on-topic post police!)
Tributes to Steve Jobs from Pixiv artists (Pixiv is sort of like Japan’s answer to deviantART. And, oh yeah, +1 to making this post anime-related! )
Libsyn’s tribute to Steve Jobs (Libsyn is a file hosting service used by many podcasters, including us!)
Tribute image by designer jonathan mak
Steve Jobs tribute page from ScreenCastsOnline
Tribute article written by TUAW blogger Michael Rose
Tribute articles and videos from Wired
Steve’s friend and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak reminisces (The last 3 seconds really choked me up)

No related posts.

Otaku no Podcast is once again an Amazon affiliate

Donald Burr — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:23:40 +0000

Earlier this year, we wrote about Amazon’s decision to terminate its California affiliates (of which we were one) due to the new CA sales tax law. This, of course, spurred me on to search for more affiliate programs, resulting in the new affiliate links you may have seen from various places such as Right Stuf, Crunchyroll, Best Buy, CDjapan (still pending, cross your fingers), and others.

Well, apparently Amazon reached a compromise with the state, and Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law that requires Amazon and other out-of-state retailers to start collecting sales tax starting in September of next year. And, hot on the heels of that news, Amazon announced it has officially reinstated its California affiliates. So you should once again start seeing Amazon links popping up across the site. (Fortunately I have been too busy/lazy to remove all Amazon links when they terminated us. Now I don’t have to. Win!)

But that doesn’t mean we’ll be dropping our new affiliates. For one thing, some of them carry stuff that Amazon doesn’t. (Such as import CDs in the case of CDjapan, Crunchyroll memberships, etc.) But also, whenever I post a product, I’ll do my best to find you the best deal on it.

So, what are you waiting for? Come forth and consume! (Moichandising! Moichandising!)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Otaku Call to Action: Please Take our Listener Survey!

Donald Burr — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:38:31 +0000

Listen up, folks – I need your help here. We need information on YOU, the people who listen to our podcast and view our website. I’m gonna level with you: the purpose of this survey is to help position this podcast in various ad networks. As I’ve mentioned before, I run this whole dog and pony show out of my own pocket, and, with the economy being the way it is, any source of income to help me in this is greatly appreciated.

The survey is pretty much standard demographics collection fare: highest level of education completed, average household income, types of podcasts you are interested in. Pretty standard stuff. However, we WILL NOT ask you for any personally identifiable information (name, social security number, etc.) So in other words we’re only collecting statistics in aggregate (i.e. our listening audience in general), NOT on a specific person by person basis. And the information you provide will NOT be sold. (Check out the privacy statement for more information)

If, having read all of the above, you’re still willing to help out, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Seriously. You rock. Just click on the survey link in this post, or on the Otaku no Podcast website, and fill it out. It’ll only take a few minutes of your time (it took me only about 2 minutes).

Click for J-List now!

Mikunopolis CD, DVD and Blu-ray releases are coming soon; pre-order today!

Donald Burr — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:05:35 +0000

Those of you that missed Mikunopolis, the awesome Vocaloid concert that took place at this year’s Anime Expo, listen up! The release dates for the concert videos have been set!

But first, the bad news. These are only going to be released in Japan. Why they chose to do this, I have no idea. If rumors are to be believed, Sega is doing this deliberately to punish those who illegally uploaded video from the concert. (Please note that we attended Anime Expo as official members of the press and that our videos were shot from the press area with permission.) Actually, the first rumors indicated that they would not be releasing the concert footage at all. Whether these rumors are true or not, we don’t know; but the reality of the situation is that if you want ‘em, you’re gonna have to import ‘em.

And now, the good news. This is going to be a multi-media release – it’s coming out in CD, DVD and Blu-ray! Each will include all of the songs performed at the concert. In addition, the DVD and Blu-ray releases will feature some extras, including a special booklet, photo of Hatsune Miku, and a “making-of” video.

The CD will be released on November 30, at a price of ¥3,150 (about US$40) and the Blu-ray and DVD will follow on December 21, at ¥6,300 (about US$80) for the DVD and ¥7,350 (about US$95) for the Blu-ray. (Welcome to the world of Japanese media pricing.)

(Important note: the Blu-rays are region free (meaning that they will play in any Blu-ray player anywhere in the world); however the DVD release is Region 2, meaning that, unless you live in Japan, you will need a “region-free” DVD player (or a “region free” hack for your computer-based DVD player) in order to play it. Fortunately region-free DVD players can be easily obtained.)

You can pre-order them today from Play-asia (CD, DVD, Blu-ray) and CDjapan (CD, DVD, Blu-ray).

Note: We have applied to become a CDjapan affiliate. So please use the CDjapan links

Click for J-List now!

Winter 2011 anime at a glance

Donald Burr — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:55:11 +0000

Yes, it’s true! @cowboybibimbop strikes again! (You may remember him from the Autumn 2011 anime guide we wrote about a while ago.) Well he’s back with a new guide, this time showcasing the Winter 2011/2012 anime lineup.

Go take a look at it here or below the cut.

(Note that he’s actually created a separate Twitter account, @animucharts, specifically for news and discussion relating to the charts. So if you’re on Twitter, you might want to follow it for the latest and greatest.)

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

ChibiCast #0022 – Nominate us for the 2011 Podcast Awards!

Donald Burr — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:45:06 +0000

Nominate us for the 2011 Podcast Awards! Related posts: Nominate us for the 2011 Podcast Awards! ChibiCast #0022 – The Otaku no Podcast (almost) Labor Day Telethon of Doom! Episode #0022 – Anime Expo 2011 (Part 2)

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Nominate us for the 2011 Podcast Awards!

Donald Burr — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:49:05 +0000

I wasn’t gonna do this, but then I figured: Why not?

Every year the People’s Choice Podcast Awards asks you, the podcast listening audience, to vote on your favorite podcasts in various categories. And, just for the halibut, I thought, why not have everybody vote for Otaku no Podcast? I do need your help for this though.

OK, so here’s what you do. Head on over to http://podcastawards.com/. Scroll down to the “Cultural/Arts” section, and fill in our name (Otaku no Podcast) and URL (http://otakunopodcast.com/). Scroll down to the bottom of the form, and enter your name and e-mail address (I really doubt they’ll spam you, but if you’re paranoid, you can always create a free Gmail account). And hit the “submit” button. That’s it.

You only have 5 days to do this (until September 30) so hurry up!!

We probably have more of a chance of winning the lottery or being visited by intelligent aliens from another planet than winning this, but we might as well try, right?

Now, go forth, my armies of evil minions, and vote! Your Supreme Leader commands you!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

ChibiCast #0022 – Nominate us for the 2011 Podcast Awards!

Episode #0027 – Otakuthon 2011 – Stu Levy talks about “Pray for Japan”

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:24:07 +0000

Otakuthon 2011 has come to an end. Thanks to everyone who participated! It went very well IMHO, and we will definitely be doing something like this again.

In this, our first excerpt from the Otakuthon, we sit down with Stu Levy to talk about his latest project, the documentary film Pray for Japan.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting more excerpts from the Otakuthon.

Today’s Theme: “Asunaro,” by Ken’ichi Suzumura. ED to the Summer 2011 anime Heaven’s Memo Pad (Kamisama no Memocho). Watch it on The Anime Network.

Links:
New Audio-only and Video-only Podcast Feeds are now available
Video #0012 – A First Look at ComiPo! (Updated)
New York Anime Festival, October 13-16, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001
Anime Vegas, November 11-13, at the Alexis Park Hotel, 375 E. Harmon Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169
Pacific Media Expo, November 11-13, at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 5711 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Pray for Japan on Facebook
Pray for Japan on Twitter
Pray for Japan on Kickstarter
Pray for Japan official trailer

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

No related posts.

Video #0012 – A First Look at ComiPo! (Updated)

The Ghost in the Machine — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:29:41 +0000

In today’s video, we take a first look at an exciting new manga creation software program, ComiPo!. This program, originally released in Japan in December of last year, has gained popularity thanks to the Internet, and so the company that created it made an English version, which is set to be released on September 15.

Updated: ComiPo! is now on sale via digital download from the following retailers for US$49.95:

Comradz – https://store1.esellerate.net/store/checkout/CustomLayout.aspx?s=STR1349875028
Crunchyroll – http://www.crunchyroll.com/comipo
ComiPo! Info – http://comipo.biz/

For more information and to find out how to purchase ComiPo!, check out the ComiPo! website. Be sure and also check them out on Twitter and Facebook!

ComiPo! website: http://www.comipo.com/en/
ComiPo! on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ComiPo_Info_en
ComiPo! on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Manga.Maker.ComiPo

Many thanks to Web Technology Com Corp, the makers of ComiPo!, for giving us the opportunity to test it!

Watch this video in HD on YouTube (in case the embedded player doesn’t work; also it’s higher quality)

Cool Find: Alice in Musicland – A Vocaloid Musical

Donald Burr — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:52:09 +0000

Happy Monday, everyone! (Sighs and groans of protest emanate from the audience) Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: it’s a Monday, what can be good about that? Well, I’ve found something that will put a smile on your face, especially if you’re a Vocaloid fan. Hell, I think you’ll get a kick out of it even if you aren’t into Vocaloids. So grab yourself a bottle of MORNING RESCUE!!!! and read on!

I know, I know, a lot of you are probably yelling at your screens “Vocaloids AGAIN??!” Vocaloid fever has certainly swept the world, and there are quite a few people who just Don’t Get It™. I know a few of my friends fall into this camp, same with certain podcasters out there. I think what a lot of these naysayers are getting hung up on is that they are thinking of Hatsune Miku & friends as replacements for human singers. After all, when you look at events such as Mikunopolis (which was AWESOME!!! by the way), us anime fans can’t help but draw parallels to those famous virtual idols of anime such as Eve from Megazone 23 and Sharon Apple from Macross Plus.

Well, I think people who are thinking like this are missing the point. The way I see it, the Vocaloid characters are, to put it bluntly, window dressing. The real win here is the Vocaloid software itself, which, when you think about it, is an amazing technological achievement. And it’s the final component in the amateur song creator’s toolbox. Think about it. We now have computers on our desks (and in our backpacks and book bags) that are powerful enough to allow us to create music. High quality microphones are inexpensive and easy to set up, and with technologies such as MIDI, it’s easier than ever to bring music into the digital realm. But even if you’ve never touched an instrument in your life, you can still create great-sounding music thanks to “loop” and musical instrument synthesis software such as GarageBand, Reason, Acid, etc.

But the one thing that’s been missing is the human voice. Because, let’s face it, not all of us have the best voice out there. (And only Bob Dylan has the chops to pull off the whole “singing with a less than perfect voice” schtick.) So yeah, you might be able to create an awesome song, but you weren’t able to give it a voice. (It’s not like you could call up Hikaru Utada or something and ask her to record your song for you.) But now that Vocaloid is out there, your musical toolbox is complete. And there’s quite a selection of voices to choose from, one to suit every mood — Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Len and Rin, MEIKO, KAITO, etc., not to mention their APPEND versions, etc., and more planned for the future.

In fact, Vocaloid has spearheaded a huge upsurge in doujin music. If you look on places like YouTube and NicoNicoDouga, you’ll find all sorts of people using it in new and interesting ways. (And, yes, old and derivative ways as well.)

OSTER Project is one such person. She has a wide ranging body of work, both original and cover songs/arrangements, and has worked on non-Vocaloid projects as well, including themes for net games and other material meant for actual human singers. And she has recently released a truly amazing work. Taking songs from her fourth album Cinnamon Philosophy, and borrowing heavily from classic Disneyesque musicals, she released a truly amazing video, “Alice in Musicland,” that takes our favorite Vocaloids and mashes them up with Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland.” The result: A truly amazing work that (IMHO) will appeal to even non-Vocaloid fans, because it appeals to one of our core ideals, the happiness and unity that music can bring to the world.

Watch it on YouTube or via the embedded player below the cut.

Bravo!!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

No related posts.

Autumn 2011 Anime at a Glance

Donald Burr — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:35:17 +0000

Twitter follower @cowboybibimbop has put together a really sweet (and well done) graphical overview of the Autumn 2011 anime lineup.

Go check it out now or take a look below the cut.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

“We Heart Performing for Japan” Charity Event to benefit Japanese disaster relief set for October 1

Donald Burr — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:21:53 +0000

We Heart Japan, a charity organized by several individuals including anime voice actress Stephanie Sheh, will be holding another charity event next month in Southern California.

We Heart Japan made news earlier this year when, less than 1 week after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, they organized an event that, in spite of its hastily put together nature, managed to raise a very impressive $13,000. (OK, fine, I’ll say it…)

Well, they’re back for another go. We Heart Performing for Japan is coming to the Theatre of Arts Arena Stage, 1625 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, CA 90028, for one night only, Saturday, October 1, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Headliners include Mari Iijima, known as both the acting and singing voice of Lynn Minmay from the classic Super Dimension Fortress Macross (and its American adaptation Robotech); also, the English cast of an “unannounced classic anime series” will be reuniting to perform a live reading of an episode (a little birdie landed on my shoulder and whispered in my ear that it might be Cowboy Bebop). Other guests include Beau Billingslea (BLEACH, FRANKLIN & BASH, NARUTO); Steve Blum (COWBOY BEBOP, FINAL FANTASY VII, GURREN LAGANN); Melissa Fahn (DIGIMON, FLCL, BLUE DRAGON); and Wendee Lee (BLEACH, THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA, MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH). Prizes will be raffled off throughout the evening as well.

Tickets are $40 for general admission and $60 for premium/reserved seating (which includes an exclusive gift bag) and must be purchased online. All proceeds will go towards the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, a joint venture between the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) and JCIE/Japan dedicated to supporting relief efforts in Japan.

Come out and show your support!

It’s time for the Otaku no Podcast Live Call-in Show of Doom!

Donald Burr — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:11:04 +0000

Edit 2011-09-08: Thanks to everyone who participated! Everyone had a good time, and we’ll definitely be doing something like this again. Keep an eye on the website for an announcement of when the next one will be. I’m editing the recording I made of this event and I’ll be putting it out as a series of podcast episodes over the next few weeks.

Well, September 1 has finally come, meaning that this upcoming weekend is Labor Day. Time to kick back and relax, fire up the grill, enjoy the last dog days of summer… and, oh yeah, take part in the Otaku no Podcast Live Call-in Show of Doom!

As I mentioned before, this is something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time. Basically, I am envisioning a sort of live group call-in show where hosts, co-hosts and guests can drop in and out at will. What will we talk about? Whatever you want, and whatever strikes our fancy. The summer 2011 anime season, anime conventions you’ve been to, your favorite (and not so favorite) anime/character, whatever…

We will be “on the air” through the afternoon and evening, starting at, let’s say, around 4 PM Pacific time, and going on until either we have nothing left to talk about, everybody else has left the call, or we’ve all passed out. (These times may change – I’m still waiting to hear back from some potential participants to see what times work for them. If I have to change the times, I’ll update this post.)

Now, it should go without saying that for something like this to really work, we need your help! Call in and join the discussion, won’t you? Now’s your chance to tell the world about why (insert name of anime) is the greatest in the world (or sucks worse than a sack of wet gym socks), or what your latest doll or figma acquisition is… anything goes, providing that it’s even vaguely related to anime (or manga – this is something I don’t know that much about, but would like to learn more)

Here’s how you can participate.

Via Skype:

If you have Skype installed on your computer, in most cases, clicking this handy link will launch Skype and automatically dial in for you.
If that doesn’t work, just open Skype’s “dial pad” and dial in this number: +9900827047586112 This is a free Skype call and you don’t need to be subscribed to SkypeOut for it to work.

Via phone:

(201) 793-9022 (long distance)
(888) 350-0075 (toll free)

Please use the long distance number if possible. This shouldn’t be a problem for most people — most cell phone plans these days have free weekend calling as well as free long distance, and for those using landline phones, reasonably priced “phone cards” (MCI, Sprint, etc.) can be purchased at many grocery/drug stores as well as Costco. If this is not doable for you, then you can use the toll-free number, but since this service costs us extra, we’d prefer it if you didn’t.

Once you’ve joined the conference:

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are asked for the Conference Room Number, it is 7586112.

You will be asked to speak your name. It doesn’t have to be your real name – feel free to use whatever you go by when on the Internets.

If, once you join, all you hear is cheesy elevator muzak, that means you are the only person in the call. Congratulations. You can either wait around for someone to join you, or better yet, keep an eye on our Twitter; we will tweet when we start and stop the live call.

If all you hear is silence, then either we are all off doing something else, or we’ve all passed out, or there is something wrong with the conference call. Be patient, and again, keep an eye on our twitter to find out what’s going on.

If you just want to listen in…

If all you want to do is listen in, we’ve got you covered there as well. Our streaming Internet radio station Otaku no Radio will be interrupting its usual broadcasting to bring a live simulcast of this event.

If you already have a program capable of playing Shoutcast radio streams (iTunes and Winamp are two popular free ones), this link should launch your player and tune in to the stream. (If you’re a Google Chrome user, you might need to use this link instead.) Otherwise you can listen in directly on your web browser (assuming your computer, tablet, or other listening device of choice supports Flash) by loading up the Flash based stream player.

Click for J-List now!

New Audio-only and Video-only Podcast Feeds are now available

Donald Burr — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:10:48 +0000

When I started putting out video podcasts a few years ago, I was worried that this decision might meet with some controversy. After all, video files are large and consume lots of bandwidth, which some people just can’t or won’t want to download. (Especially these days, when many internet service providers are imposing data caps.) However, I was pleasantly surprised when I failed to receive one single complaint. Still, in the back of my mind I fear that someone is secretly plotting my assassination in retaliation for the heinous crime of forcing them to download my (admittedly cheesy) video podcasts. Well, in an effort to head that admittedly far-fetched problem off at the pass, and to provide an extra bit of convenience and choice for you, our audience, I have implemented separate audio-only and video-only podcast feeds! Now YOU get to choose what content you get!

If you want to continue receiving both audio and video podcasts, you don’t need to do anything. (Truly the lazy man’s solution, which is why it’s my favorite. ) The “default” podcast feed that you’re currently subscribed to will continue to carry both audio and video episodes.
If you want to receive only the audio podcasts, then you can subscribe to the audio-only feed (iTunes link). (Useful if you use a podcast client on your smartphone, since most people don’t watch video on those tiny screens. Also useful for those standalone Internet radio gizmos that are popular with some people out there)
If you want to receive only the video podcasts, then you can subscribe to the video-only feed (iTunes link). (Handy if, for example, you want to watch them on your iPad or big-screen TV, say using an Apple TV or Roku box for example, since playing audio-only stuff on large screens like that doesn’t really make much sense.)

The combined (main) feed will remain available on iTunes as well as the various other podcast directories where we’re listed. I’ll be submitting the separate audio- and video-only feeds as well, so they should start appearing in search results soon.

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Announcing the Labor Day Weekend Otaku-thon of Doom!

Donald Burr — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:32:44 +0000

Summer is coming to an end, which for many people unfortunately means it’s Back to School time. (I feel your pain) It also means that it’s time once again for the infamous MDA Labor Day Telethon. I remember watching this with my parents for years when I was a kid, groaning at the lame jokes, and watching the various performers.

Thinking about this gave me an idea — how about we hold our own Labor Day event — a Labor Day Otakuthon, if you will? No, I won’t be crass and ask for your donations (though if you do I certainly wouldn’t mind). Instead, I am envisioning a sort of live group call-in show where hosts, co-hosts and guests can drop in and out at will, and we can talk about anything that strikes our fancy. (This is actually something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.)

We can talk about what we think of the Summer 2011 anime season so far. We can talk about the various anime conventions we’ve been to this year. We can sing the praises of our all-time favorite anime, or lampoon and ridicule the worst anime in the history of mankind. Whatever!

I was thinking that we could do this on Labor Day weekend, which is Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd and 4th this year. No, we won’t be going all weekend long – I don’t want to completely emulate the MDA telethon (which in its heyday lasted as long as 21-1/2 hours!). I was thinking of doing this for a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday (to give as many people as possible on both the east and west coasts an opportunity to join in).

I’ve already lined up a few co-hosts who will be joining us. But for this to really succeed, we need you! If you’ve got a reasonably good computer and Internet connection, and a decent mic or USB headset, you can participate using Skype (which can be downloaded for free). Or you can join in by dialing a (toll free, in the US or Canada) telephone number.

If you’re interested in participating, drop us a line letting us know around what time(s) you might be available that weekend. I’ve also set up an editable web page where anyone who is interested can suggest topics of discussion; also please list the days/times that you might be able to join in there.

Look for another blog post closer to the weekend in question (sometime next week) that will detail the specific time(s) we’ll be operational, as well as instructions on how to join us by Skype or phone.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Episode #0026 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Maki-san of Obitsu

The Ghost in the Machine — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:25:53 +0000

We conclude our Anime Expo 2011 interviews with a chat with Maki-san from the doll maker Obitsu. We talk about Obitsu’s products as well as their plans for the future.

This concludes our series of Anime Expo 2011 interviews, but is not the end of our AX 2011 coverage. There are still some videos that we’ll be putting up, as well as photos, so keep an eye on our YouTube channel as well as our photo gallery.

Today’s Theme: “Kawaru Mirai,” by Choucho. OP to the Summer 2011 anime Heaven’s Memo Pad (Kamisama no Memochou), now streaming on the Anime Network.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

ChibiCast #0022 – The Otaku no Podcast (almost) Labor Day Telethon of Doom!

Donald Burr — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:00:08 +0000

The Otaku no Podcast (almost) Labor Day Telethon of Doom! Related posts: Announcing the Labor Day Weekend Otaku-thon of Doom! ChibiCast #0022 – Nominate us for the 2011 Podcast Awards! It’s time for the Otaku no Podcast Live Call-in Show of Doom!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Video #0011 – Asian Classic Cuisine: Mapo Tofu

The Ghost in the Machine — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:10:29 +0000

Last week, one of my favorite recent-vintage anime, Angel Beats!, was released on DVD and Blu-ray. In honor of this release, we return to the Otaku no Podcast test kitchens where I show you how to make “Tenshi” Tachibana Kanade’s favorite dish, Mapo Tofu.

Watch this video on YouTube (in case the embedded player below doesn’t work)

Buy Angel Beats on iTunes:

Watch Angel Beats! online at The Anime Network

Ingredients:

15 -16 ounces tofu, regular
1/2 teaspoon salt
water, for parboiling tofu
3 ounces ground pork
1/2 cup green garlic chives, chopped in 1/2 inches (nira)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chinese chili bean sauce (toubanjan or doubanjiang)
1 tablespoon chinese brown bean sauce (tenmienjan, tenmenjan, or tenmenjiang)
2 teaspoons fermented black beans, chopped finely
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ichimi togarashi pepper or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon japanese dried red chili pepper, minced
1 teaspoon chili oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon sake or 1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon szechuan peppercorn (optional)

For the cornstarch paste:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes. Heat enough water in a large saucepan, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and tofu pieces. Bring to boil and cook tofu on medium high heat for 8 to 10 minutes and remove from heat. Precooking tofu in water prevents tofu from breaking apart easily later. Set aside.
While tofu is cooking, make cornstarch paste by mixing 1 T cornstarch and 1 T water. Set aside.
Set wok on high heat for 1 minute until hot. Add 2 T vegetable oil and swirl the pan, then add ground pork, stirring to separate
When ground pork is browned, add Chinese brown bean sauce ie tenmenjan, tenmienjan, or tenmenjiang, Chinese chili bean sauce ie toubanjan or doubanjiang, fermented black beans, and ichimi tougarashi or minced dried red chili pepper. Continue to cook for 1 minute.
Add chili oil, drained tofu pieces, chicken stock, garlic chives, soy sauce, and sake. Stir fry gently for 1-2 minutes.
Add cornstarch paste to thicken and add sesame oil. Swirl gently and cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium high heat. Sprinkle Szechuan peppercorn on top.
Serve with steamed white rice.

Episode #0025 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Peter Payne of J-List

The Ghost in the Machine — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:39:52 +0000

Our Anime Expo 2011 interviews continue! Today we interview Peter Payne, founder and head honcho of one of my favorite online sellers of stuff, J-List. Be sure and check out their incredible catalog over at J-List (includes adult/NSFW products) or J-Box (just the PG-rated ones).

Today’s Theme: “Sweet Drop,” by Puffy AmiYumi, OP to the Summer 2011 anime Usagi Drop (Bunny Drop). Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership today!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

No related posts.

Announcing the Otaku no Podcast Tumblr blog

Donald Burr — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:59:42 +0000

We here at Otaku no Podcast pride ourselves on always being at the trailing edge of technology and trendiness. So, in that vein, we are pleased to announce that we have finally set up our own Tumblr.

Tumblr, in case you’re unaware, is a sort of microblogging platform that lets you post quick little snippets of text, images, videos, links, quotes, and audio. Think of it as a short-form blog: something that kind of sits in between a full-on blog posting here at otakunopodcast.com, and a really short tweet or Facebook post. Basically, this will be used for things that are kind of cool (well, at least I think so), but aren’t deserving of a full-on blog post at Otaku no Podcast (I wouldn’t want to clutter up the home page even worse than it already is…) Fun screenshots from anime I’m watching, cool or funny YouTube videos I run into, etc.

You can follow it via RSS feed or just follow our Twitter since I’ve set up Tumblr to post to Twitter whenever I put up a new entry.

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Episode #0024 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Taliesin Jaffe

The Ghost in the Machine — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:33:38 +0000

Our Anime Expo 2011 interviews continue! Today we interview the multitalented Taliesin Jaffe, where we talk about some of his various projects, as well as a road trip of epic proportions. Related posts: Episode #0025 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Peter Payne of J-List Episode #0026 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Maki-san of Obitsu Episode #0023 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Fred Gallagher of MegaTokyo

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Episode #0023 – Anime Expo 2011 Interviews – Fred Gallagher of MegaTokyo

The Ghost in the Machine — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:05:18 +0000

We begin our Anime Expo 2011 interviews with a chat with webcomic artist Fred Gallagher of MegaTokyo.

I recently made a guest appearance on the Nigorimasen podcast. Go listen to it today!

Today’s Theme: “Stone Cold” by FictionJunction. OP for the Summer 2011 anime Sacred Seven. Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

No related posts.

Listen to my guest appearance on the Nigorimasen podcast!

Donald Burr — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:16:29 +0000

It’s been a while since my last guest appearance on another podcast (glances meaningfully at the Cartoon Geeks), so when Tom Langston of the Nigorimasen blog and podcast sent out a call for guest co-hosts, I was more than happy to respond. And that is how I found myself sitting around the virtual Skype roundtable on an uncomfortably warm Sunday afternoon along with Tom, Hisui of the Reverse Thieves and Patz from Insert-Disc. We talked about the Summer 2010 anime season and what shows we’re watching (or not) as well as Otakon, which I really do want to make it out to one of these days. (It’s just that pesky lack of money/time thing…) Go listen to it today!

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Cool Find: My Anime Girlfriend

Donald Burr — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:53:58 +0000

C’mon, admit it. I’m sure that, at least once or twice in your life, you’ve wondered what it would be like if you could date your favorite anime character. Well, as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for, because you might get it, and it might not be quite what you’d imagined it to be…

My Anime Girlfriend is a fun series of web shorts that details the life and adventures of Sid, your plain old everyman, who’s been extremely unlucky in love. One day his well-meaning colleague sets him up with Yuruki, a cheerful and very animated girl. And thus begin their misadventures in life and love, while taking on various anime tropes and stereotypes along the way.

This fun series is brought to you by the writer & executive Producer of Comedy Central’s Ugly Americans, and features Patrick Shepherd, John Gemberling, and the voice of SNL’s Abby Elliott.

Unfortunately there are only 4 episodes made so far. This is a really neat idea and I sincerely hope that the creators will continue with it; there is certainly no shortage of anime tropes and stereotypes that can be explored in any number of doubtlessly entertaining ways.

Go check it out today! Video of Episode 1 below the cut.

(Thanks to Twitter follower @predederva for this most excellent Cool Find!)

My Anime Girlfriend Channel
Get More: Atom.com | Funny Videos | Tournament | Upload

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Episode #0022 – Anime Expo 2011 (Part 2)

The Ghost in the Machine — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 17:56:09 +0000

We conclude our coverage of Anime Expo 2011 with part 2 of our usual panel-style review/wrapup of doom. Anime Expo 2011 coverage will be coming out over the next few weeks, as I have tons and tons of audio, video and photos to go through, not to mention all of the news and announcements that came out at the con!

Today’s Theme: “Magia,” by Kalafina, the ED of the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Links to things we talked about:

Stitcher SmartRadio app
Otaku no Podcast YouTube channel
California Conventions Blog
AM2 Con Blog Hacked, Con Still On
The Battle of the Cons: Anime Expo vs. AM2
AM2 Sets a Record in 1st Year Convention Attendance and Celebrates the End of Its 2011 Event with the All Girl J-Rock Band Scandal
Convention Report: AM2
So How Did AM2 Fare on the Same Weekend as AX 2011?
Virgin Mobile MiFi 2200 Mobile Hotspot
Pray for Japan (Facebook, Trailer on YouTube, Kickstarter)
Japan fundraiser brings kids into the fold
PIAPRO
Mikubook
Mikunopolis
Otaku no Podcast YouTube channel with video from Mikunopolis
OtakuVerse Zero
Culture Japan on Crunchyroll (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!)
NicoNico
Crunchyroll (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!)
Win MsGeek’s NicoNico T-shirt
Crunchyroll Dance Party
Gallery of Fantastic Art (GoFA)
Guidebook (get the free app on iTunes or Android Marketplace)
SCHED
AX Live (view past episodes on YouTube)
AMV contest winners
Masquerade Winners

Our Picks:

Donald – K-ON! Volume 1 ( DVD, Blu-ray); Volume 2 ( DVD, Blu-ray); Volume 3 due to be released sometime later this year; Highschool of the Dead (on DVD, Blu-ray and ); Midori Days; Haruhi AniPoke App for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (free on the ); Nagato AniPoke app ; Mikuru AniPoke app ; Ramen Fighter Miki on Crunchyroll (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!); Square
Avi – Puella Magi Madoka Magica (license announced at Aniplex’s AX panel; due out sometime in October)
Michelle – Pray for Japan (Facebook, Trailer on YouTube, Kickstarter); Apple iPod touch 8GB MP3 Player (4th Generation – Latest Model) – Black; Otaku USA Magazine
Danny – The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya; Trigun: Badlands Rumble

Click for J-List now!

No related posts.

We are now a Crunchyroll affiliate!

Donald Burr — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 01:06:28 +0000

We are pleased to announce that we are now a Crunchyroll affiliate!

Crunchyroll is quite possibly the best thing to come around for us anime fans, and is the easiest and cheapest way of enjoying 100% legal streaming anime while supporting the companies that create it. They actively go after the latest and greatest anime titles, as well as maintain a back catalog of over 200 titles.

You can access most of the site for free. But if you pay for a Premium membership, not only do you help support the people and companies that create anime, you also get access to some cool extras. For one thing, you get access to the full back catalog (only a subset of the older titles are available for free). You also get — and this is the big one — same-day simulcast. Yes, on the same day that any given anime episode comes out in Japan, you can watch it on Crunchyroll, complete with English subtitles. You also get access to high-quality HD (720p and 1080p) streams. And not only can you watch Crunchyroll on your computer, but with a Premium membership, you also can use their apps for iOS (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad), Android, as well as set-top boxes by Boxee and Roku. And finally, if you’re a fan of live-action Japanese or Korean dramas (“dorama”) they’ve got those too.

What will all of this cost you? Very little. For an anime- or drama-only Premium membership, you pay the low low price of just $6.95 per month. Or if you want both anime and drama, that’ll run you $11.95/month. Better still, if you’re willing to pay for multiple months in advance, the price drops to as low as $4.99/month!

So what are you waiting for? Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership today! If you sign up through any of the CR links/banners on our site, we’ll get a little cut (it doesn’t cost you anything extra), which goes towards keeping the website up, paying for server and bandwidth, equipment for the studio, etc.

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Did you miss Mikunopolis? We’ve got you covered!

Donald Burr — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:37:30 +0000

Are you sad that you missed out on what was quite possibly THE event of the new millennium? Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. We’ve uploaded our video from the Mikunopolis concert to our YouTube channel. Go check ‘em out today!

But first, the bad news. Unfortunately, the press weren’t exactly given the best seats in the house — I suspect they saved the best angles/camera positions for their own use. Also, due to the nature of on-camera microphones, the sound quality isn’t exactly world-class. (I did use a shotgun mic so the quality is probably a bit better than your garden variety camcorder.) Also, they only let us record the first 6 songs (the first 7 if you count Project DIVA desu), and while these first few songs were awesome, the ones that came later were even more spectacular.

And the good news? These videos will still give you a taste of how incredible this show was to behold. You’ll get to see and hear how terrific Miku and friends (and especially their backing band) were.

If you really wanted to see the live show in person and are bummed that you missed it, don’t fret! I have a feeling that Miku and friends will be returning to the States before too long. Keep an eye on the Mikunopolis site as I’m sure they’ll announce future concert dates and locations there. (Of course, as soon as we hear about any possible future Mikunopolis dates, we’ll be sure and tell you as well.)

Also, I understand that they will be releasing an official concert DVD (and Blu-Ray too, hopefully) later this year. We’ll definitely let you know about it when it goes on sale, so keep an eye on the Otaku no Podcast website as well as our Twitter and Facebook accounts. (Or, if you’re the impatient sort, you can get the Blu-ray of the Japanese concert today, thanks to our good friends at J-List/J-Box.)

Finally, this is by no means the end of our AX coverage; there is still tons more to come. Besides the second half of our recap/review podcast episode of Doom (which should be going up tonight), there are tons more interviews, video and photos, which will be going up over the next few weeks to come. So stay tuned!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Episode #0021 – Anime Expo 2011 (Part 1)

The Ghost in the Machine — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:48:20 +0000

We begin our coverage of Anime Expo 2011 with part 1 of our usual panel-style review/wrapup of doom. Anime Expo 2011 coverage will be coming out over the next few weeks, as I have tons and tons of audio, video and photos to go through, not to mention all of the news and announcements that came out at the con!

Today’s Theme: “Cagayake! GIRLS,” the theme to K-ON! Season 1, as performed by the Vocaloids. Be sure and check out the super-cool VOCA-ON! remake of the K-ON! opening animation with Vocaloid characters instead of the usual K-ON! girls!

Links to things we talked about:

Our Picks:

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

No related posts.

Video #0010 – How to PROPERLY enable Japanese language support in Windows

The Ghost in the Machine — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:33:07 +0000

While attempting to play with the free ComiPo! trial recently, I discovered that I apparently didn’t fully and properly enable Japanese language support in Windows. This video shows you how to correctly set up Japanese language in Windows.

Watch this video on YouTube (in case the embedded player below doesn’t work for you)

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Cool Find: ComiPo!

Donald Burr — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:56:55 +0000

“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Or so the old saying goes. And if the act of “teaching” includes blogging and podcasting, then it’s especially true in my case. You see, I can’t draw worth a darn. And that explains why I write about anime and manga rather than actually create it. But, as is true for many people I’m sure, there are still stories bouncing around in my head that I wish I could either animate or draw. (Or maybe I just want to make a cheap rip-off or parody of some already existing property.) Luckily, for people like us, technology is here to help, at least as far as “drawing” manga is concerned, thanks to a new program called ComiPo!.

This software lets you place 3D models of various manga-y characters in various standard outfits (school uniforms, etc.) in various poses, add speech bubbles or action text, and place them on a variety of backgrounds. And because the models are 3D, you can easily pose them any which way you want. It really has an impressive list of features. The software is currently still under development, but they have released a free trial version that’s good through November 30, 2011 which can be downloaded from their website. (Look for the big red download button about halfway down the page.) The software should run on almost any fairly modern PC, and appears to work with Windows XP and later versions. (Mac users – sorry, there doesn’t appear to be a Mac version; but it runs beautifully under emulation software such as Parallels, VMware Fusion and VirtualBox.)

You’ll need to enable Japanese language support in Windows. I previously showed you how to do this in my Kanon installation video, but it turns out the steps I showed there were incomplete. I’ve made a new video that shows you how to properly enable Japanese language support.

Unfortunately the software is in Japanese (duh) and no English translation (or tutorial) has yet been put forth; ~~I’m sure that there are groups working on this~~ Newsflash! The creators of ComiPo! have announced that they are working on an English language version of the software!! For now you’ll have to resort to the tried-and-true technique of “click on something and see what it does.” You also might want to check out the official demo video to get an idea of what you can do with the software, as well as episode 8 of Patrick Macias’ and Yuu Asakawa’s (English language) show Otaku-verse Zero, who also showed off ComiPo!; the segment starts in at around 03:00. Japanese culture blogger Danny Choo also wrote about it and you might find some useful tidbits in his post (as well as in the comments to his post). He also featured ComiPo! in episode 11 of his show Culture Japan. (The segment starts in at about 26 minutes.) There’s also a community site (in English, fortunately). And, the makers of ComiPo! have set up an English language Facebook page where Facebook users have helpfully posted their own English language tutorials on how to use the software. Sugoi ne!!

Demo videos below the cut.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

ChibiCast #0021 – Random-Updates-a-Gogo

Donald Burr — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:00:11 +0000

Random-Updates-a-Gogo PC dating-sim games @ J-ListRelated posts: Possible trouble with AudioBoo and social media updates ChibiCast #0020 – The between episodes episode ChibiCast #0022 – The Otaku no Podcast (almost) Labor Day Telethon of Doom!

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

You can now listen to Otaku no Podcast on Stitcher Radio!

Donald Burr — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:31:23 +0000

In our continuing efforts to ~~take over the world, bwahahahh!!!!~~ bring Otaku no Podcast to the widest possible listening audience, we are pleased to announce that we are now available on the Stitcher SmartRadio app.

Stitcher is an award-winning provider of news and talk radio for your mobile phone. With the free Stitcher SmartRadio app (available for devices running iOS, Android, BlackBerry OS, and HP/Palm webOS), you can listen to your favorite radio programs and podcasts – anytime and anywhere you want.

Stitcher has a truly wide variety of programming available, from the media industry’s premier content providers — tech news, sports, talk radio, business, entertainment, and much more. It’s the easiest way to stay connected to your world while on-the-go. You can easily create your own personalized audio stream, with only the content that you want, and listen to it anytime, anywhere. With over 5,000 shows available on Stitcher, you’re bound to find something of interest to you. And if you’re having trouble finding something to listen to, Stitcher’s recommendation feature can help you out.

So go download the free app today!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

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Anime Expo 2011 videos are hitting the Otaku no Podcast YouTube channel

Donald Burr — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:10:11 +0000

First of all, yes, I am well aware that there are no Anime Expo Day 2-4 updates. I’m sorry, but I just wasn’t able to get them done. By the time we got back to our hotel room each night, it was too late and we were way too tired to write anything even remotely coherent. Besides, bandwidth was pretty much crap, so even if I did write something, it would be next to impossible to post it. This weekend we’re planning on getting together to record our Anime Expo review/recap episode of doom, panel-style as usual, so that will serve as our final AX update of doom.

But the AX coverage doesn’t stop there! Besides recapping the veritable cornucopia of new anime licenses, releases and other news to come out of AX, we will also be posting, over the next few weeks, audio, photos, and videos that we took while at Anime Expo. The first such fruits of our convention-going labor are now up on our YouTube channel. We were able to sit down and chat with MegaTokyo webcomic creator Fred “Piro” Gallagher and voice actor, director, script adapter, former child actor, and all-around multitalented guy Taliesin Jaffe about their various projects and other sundry topics.

Go check them out now!

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Anime Expo 2011 Day 0 & 1 Report

Donald Burr — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 19:12:20 +0000

Anime Expo 2011 Day 1 has drawn to a close. Actually we’ve been here since Thursday, aka Day 0. So at long last here is our writeup!

Day 0 was spent mostly getting here, followed by press interviews. We had the great honor of interviewing Fred Gallagher of MegaTokyo fame, as well as the multi-talented Taliesin Jaffe. Those should be hitting the podcast feeds along with our inevitable panel discussion recap episode of doom.

We then trekked over to the LA Convention Center for press badge pick-up. We had a bit of difficulty finding it, but were eventually able to get there. Fortunately there was only a short line, not like the line of gargantuan proportions that was the pre-reg badge pickup line. Press badge pickup went pretty smoothly.

We were in a rather unique situation in that we are both press, as well as disabled. They weren’t really expecting this odd twist, and it took us a while to get referred to the proper people. Coordinating badge pickup, ticketing, etc. for the disabled is still one of their weak points; there was an awful lot of walking back and forth involved. However we can’t fault the staff, as everyone was friendly and willing to go the extra mile to help out. The AX staff is making a conscious effort to educate their staff and volunteers on good customer relations.

Unfortunately the same can’t be said for convention center staff. For one thing there is still a definite shortage of them. Last year this lack of personnel led to a rather disastrous accident suffered by one of our panelists; fortunately, so far, knock on wood, we’ve escaped unscathed this year. However one run-in with con center staff left a decidedly sour taste in our mouth. Due to physical disability we had to take a taxi to the convention center, and as the driver was pulling up to the hall we wanted to exit at, a con center staffer rushed up and accosted us saying that we couldn’t even pull up there. This greatly angered our driver, so much so that he even offered to give us a reduced fare if we called him when we needed to return to the hotel.

We didn’t make it to the con until late afternoon, and as a result we missed a few industry panels, at which some rather interesting announcements were made.

First up, the NIS America panel, NIS America is a company better known for its English localizations of popular Japanese tactical role playing titles such as Disgaea and Phantom Brave. What many people don’t know (well, at least what I didn’t know until now) is that they also license some anime titles. And they came out with two rather interesting announcements in that vein. They announced that they have licensed Kimi ni Todoke and Dororon Enma-kun for North American distribution. Kimi ni Todoke came as a welcome surprise, and I so called this one in our 2010 wrap-up episode. KnT is an absolutely sweet, endearing story and one that anyone, not just shoujo fans, will heartily enjoy. Expect it to come out in two sets of 13 episodes each, with the first box shipping sometime in October, and the second one shipping at some unspecified later date. However, it’s the licensing of Emma-kun, a strange and rather poorly rated horror-comedy, and a rather old one at that (originally aired in 1973), that has the anime blogosphere flummoxed. Ain’t it Cool Anime News remarked, rather incredulously, that “that’s about the least expected anime license ever,” while Narutaki of the Reverse Thieves quips, “This might be the most poorly thought out license of the year.” There’s no news about release dates, only that they hope to have more information by next year’s Anime Expo. So don’t expect this one anytime soon.

Next up is Right Stuf/Nozomi Entertainment, who announced that it has acquired the license for more of the (original) Dirty Pair as well as Dirty Pair Flash, Gasaraki, and Martian Successor Nadesico, along with the Gekigangar 3 video. This is welcome news for us old school anime fans. I’m particularly looking forward to the re-release of Nadesico, as this is a great title for relative newcomers to the genre which I have been unable to recommend since it’s been out of print for a while.

At the Aniplex USA panel, we learned the exciting (but not terribly surprising, at least IMHO) news that Puella Magi Madoka Magica has been licensed. (Although this was suspected for a while now, since they registered the domain for an apparent US Madoka Magica website late last month, and the site went live early this morning and was noticed by sharp-eyed net stalkers.) This series has been generating quite a bit of controversy on the intarwebs, and has turned the whole magical girl genre on its ear, and it’s no surprise (at least to us) that it was snapped up — the only surprise was that it took them this long to do so. They also announced that they picked up the license for Blue Exorcist; the first of four DVD volumes will ship in October, with the remaining volumes tentatively scheduled for January, April and July of next year.

Viz announced that they will be releasing Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva as well as Bleach: Fade to Black – Kimi no Na o Yobu, joining the over 9,000 other Bleach properties out there. Bleach is due out on November 15 on both DVD and Blu-ray, while no details of the Professor Layton release have been announced yet.

Finally, FUNimation announced a veritable cornucopia of releases, including Deadman Wonderland, Steins;Gate, Baka to Test, B Gata H Kei (to be known as “Yamada’s First Time”), and Asobi no Iku yo! (previously known as “Bombshells from the Sky,” but apparently now to be called “Cat Planet Cuties.”) They also added DVD, Blu-ray, digital and broadcast distribution rights for the anime “C.” B Gata H Kei, in particular, is a fun and funny story about a girl, Yamada, and her quest to garner 100, ahem, “sex partners” before she graduates. Scandalous as this plot may sound, IMHO there is comparatively little hanky panky in the actual show — yes, maybe some mildly suggestive scenes, but nothing compared to a certain other infamous title. It plays out as more of a saucy and funny romantic comedy. Hopefully its US release won’t generate the same controversy it did back in Japan.

The one panel we did make it to was the Hatsune Miku Keynote, hosted by Hiroyuki Itoh and Wataru Sasaki of Crypton Future Media, the creators of Hatsune Miku and other Vocaloids, and the #1 music software distributor in Japan. To say that Crypton, et al created Vocaloid is somewhat of a misnomer; Vocaloid is a software speech synthesis engine developed by Yamaha, who licenses it to other companies (such as Crypton) who then take it and marry it with voice data to create a unique singing software. (Hatsune Miku was created based on voice data sampled from voice actress Saki Fujita.) Vocaloid, the software, is neither an anime, nor a character. In fact, Crypton’s earlier Vocaloid-based products were sold as plain old software, with no Hatsune Miku-like character. Hatsune Miku, in fact, was created as a marketing tool to make the software appeal to a wider audience. And boy, did it work. Hatsune Miku and friends now enjoy worldwide popularity thanks to events such as the Hatsune Miku concerts. This year’s Anime Expo marks the North American debut of the “Mikunopolis” concert; previously only highlights of this show were shown at the New York Anime Festival.

To be completely honest, they also owe their popularity to the Internet and the creative people that take these tools and make cool new things based on them. And they know this very well. In fact, in a move that’s completely counter to how agencies here in the west handle things (I’m looking at you, Hollywood, MPAA and RIAA!), Crypton freely encourages fans to take their works and make derivative works based on them. They directly attribute Hatsune Miku’s popularity to video sharing sites such as YouTube and NicoNicoDouga, which bridge the gap between those people who create and listen to music, normally independent and isolated. These sites facilitate what they call the “chain of creation” – where someone creates something, posts it for others to see, and then people see it and create their own derivative works – truly an example of the long tail philosophy at work. They’ve created a website, Piapro, to facilitate this sharing of music, lyrics, and video. There is only one hard and fast rule to this site: if you post something, you must let others derive from it; And if you modify something, you must acknowledge the original creator. A brilliant example of the Creative Commons license at work. Crypton themselves provide the original permission for people to derive from their content. (Not only do they tolerate people deriving from their work, they actively ENCOURAGE it.) Take, for example, MikuMikuDance, which we’ve written about before; a really powerful 3D animation program that could be sold for real money, yet is freely given away, to encourage fan creativity. They realize that increasing popularity leads to merchandising opportunities such as CDs, books, and even cookies(!). Of course there is the famous Sega Project Diva games, where they consciously made every effort to use user-generated content in the game — costumes, character designs, even loading screens. Compared to Hollywood’s top-down creation process, the Hatsune Miku universe demonstrates a more bottom-up approach, a new way to create work. And Crypton is very conscious of remaining sensitive to the creative community’s needs. Case in point: their newly-created social networking site Mikubook, a social networking site that allows users to recommend videos, illustrations and music to their followers, with emphasis on Vocaloid-related products. Users can also connect with other people easily, and can log in to the site using their existing Twitter or Facebook credentials. Although this site is still in an early beta phase (it was birthed only one month ago), work on it is progressing rapidly.

And finally, the highlight of our evening: the Anime Music Video contest. I say this all the time, but the entries just keep getting better and better. Unfortunately there were once again a few (in our opinion) mis-categorizations: some videos in drama that felt more like comedy, which, we think, is rather unfair to the rest of the competition in that category. And there was one video in particular that pretty much nailed it in terms of emotional content and matching the music’s mood with the anime content, but I just couldn’t vote for it because of a glaring technical error, a field order problem that caused all motion to appear strangely stuttery. This year also marked the debut of a new category, “Fun,” that is basically a catch-all for anything that doesn’t really fit anywhere else. Being a new category, however, its entrants were ineligible for the “Best of Show” prize. However (again in our opinion) some of the best (certainly the more funny) of the videos were in this category. There were also some, shall we say, not entirely safe for work entrants, especially in comedy. This has been a concern for some of our co-hosts in years past, in that exposing children to these type of videos might not be such a good idea. The AMV staff have finally acknowledged this, and are apparently going to make the AMV event an “18+” event starting next year.

That about does it for this update. Busy schedule tomorrow, including what could quite possibly be the highlight of the entire con, the Mikunopolis concert!

Otaku no Podcast is now affiliated with The Right Stuf; get your anime and manga fix here!

Donald Burr — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:51:45 +0000

By now you all know that, for many years, we have been a happy member of the Amazon Affiliates program – that is what powered our wonderful AnimeFinder(TM) search box, as well as the product links in the various podcasts and other articles here (such as when we review an anime, or choose one as one of our Picks, etc.). This has been (IMHO) a great relationship for both you the audience and us the podcasters: you get to acquire anime (and other products) at a decent price (their selection is pretty good and their prices are not too shabby), and we get a little “something” for your business. And, while small, these little “something”s really do add up. (Example: our most recent affiliate payment helped me put together a cheap, but pretty sweet mobile studio rig for the interviews we’ll be doing at Anime Expo.)

Sadly, as the man said, all good things must come to an end. Recently my home state of California signed a new budget, one of the more controversial parts of which institutes a sales tax on all online purchases, even if the business in question doesn’t maintain facilities in California. As a result, Amazon has decided to terminate all California-based associates’ contracts. (Apparently, at least according to Amazon, Governor Brown has signed this new legislation, though I can’t find any news articles confirming this.) It’s thought by many that Amazon is doing this just so that they can raise a ruckus, make a statement, whatever. Still, this is bad news for us, as we are now left without a small, but reasonably steady income stream.

Fortunately, however, not all affiliates programs are “wussing out” or grandstanding like Amazon is, and so I am pleased to announce that we are now an affiliate of The Right Stuf. The Right Stuf, aside from being an anime distributor in their own right, runs a truly awesome store that sells a huge variety of anime, manga and related goods (and not only titles that they own the rights to either). They regularly have some pretty amazing sales, and of course there’s always the by-now-infamous Shawne’s Deal of the Day. They’ve been in the business of feeding the otaku need for many years, and are second to none when it comes to customer service. They’re good people.

So please click through to the Otaku no Podcast Anime Store of Doom! and buy something, won’tcha?

In the meantime, we ask that you please don’t make any purchases through any of the links in our past postings until I’ve had a chance to go through and update them to point to Right Stuf. Seeing as how I’m busy with Anime Expo this weekend, that probably won’t happen for another 2 weeks or so. We’ll update this article, as well as post announcements to Twitter and Facebook when that has been completed.

Remember, too, that we are a Friend of J-List, and we will get a small “something” thanks to any purchases you make from their simply awe-inspiring collection of anime figures, t-shirts, calendars, snack foods, traditional Japanese culture items, and ahem “those” kind of products too (this does not cost you anything extra). Check out all that J-List (includes some NSFW products) and J-Box (100% work-safe) have to offer, and be amazed. Also, remember that clicking on our Google ads helps as well.

Click for J-List now!

Got questions for the AX Guests of Honor?

Donald Burr — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:12:52 +0000

Yes, it’s that time again, time for another Anime Expo. This time we’re actually going to try and bring you some actual coverage. To that end we have set up our new liveblog, which, after hours of experimentation, I have determined to be much easier (and much less vomit-inducing) than live video streaming.

And this is your opportunity to ask a question of one of the Guests of Honor. We’ll be in one-on-one interviews with Fred Gallagher of MegaTokyo and Taliesin Jaffe, who’s been involved in one way or another with more anime projects than I can count; and we’re gonna try to get interviews with Danny Choo and Hiroyuki Itoh and Wataru Sasaki of Crypton Future Media (yes, the Vocaloid people). However there may be other opportunities to ask questions of the other Guests of Honor too.

So, got anything you want us to ask? Then post them in the comments here. We make no promises, but will do our best to get your questions answered.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Announcing the new Liveblog of Doom!

Donald Burr — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:17:14 +0000

As you may (or may not) know, for a while we have been experimenting with livestreaming video from various anime conventions. And after hours of experimentation, I have come to one inescapable conclusion:

Livestreaming video is hard.

For one thing, it’s almost impossible to hold a cameraphone steady, which is painfully evident if you’ve managed to sit through any of our livestream trials. (Contrary to what it may seem, it is not our intention to induce nausea and vomiting in our audience.) I suppose I could put together some sort of eXtreme steadicam type rig, but (A) I don’t have the money to do so, and (B) I’m lazy. There’s also the fact that all cameraphones have really crappy sound. Which means that, most of the time, it’s almost impossible to understand what the speaker/panelist/GoH/whatever is saying; it usually ends up sounding something like this: “Mmfffrrf mrrrfff mrr mfff mff mrrrrfff.” And, of course, unless you happen to travel with a backpack-mounted studio lighting kit (which I don’t), the only thing you have to work with lighting-wise is the (often lousy) lighting found in most convention center rooms; so even if I could manage to get a rock-steady shot, the video would most likely be of inferior quality as well.

So, yeah, livestreaming video is hard. So how am I to achieve my goal of bringing you live on-the-spot convention coverage? One word: Liveblogging.

Yes, the very same technique that many tech bloggers have successfully employed to bring coverage of tech conference keynotes and so forth will now be put to use to bring you the latest and greatest anime news from whatever con we happen to be attending. This is being brought to you thanks to the excellent free liveblogging service CoverItLive. If you head to our livestream page you will now see a lovely new “Liveblog of Doom!” widget. When we are at an event and are liveblogging it, you will see our pearls of wisdom scroll by just as fast as my fingers can type them. And there’s no need to obsessively hit your browser’s “reload” button either; the CoverItLive widget does all of that hard work for you, so all you have to do is sit back and watch. Unfortunately the service is ad-supported, so you’ll have to sit through the occasional advertisement video. But in general I’ve found the service to work pretty well.

How will you know when we are liveblogging an event? For one thing, you can take a look at our con calendar. This will list the events that we are interested in. However that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll be at each and every event listed here (the usual disclaimer about the fickle nature of convention scheduling, plus my unpredictable stamina level at any given moment applies). However when we do decide to livestream, we will of course update our Twitter.

We hope you enjoy this new method of convention coverage. If you have any comments, or are having trouble getting the CoverItLive widget to work for you, please drop us a line.

Cool Find: Western Digital WD TV Live

Donald Burr — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:11:58 +0000

This is sort of a half-Cool Find, half-review type article.

For the last few years I have been on a quest — a quest to free my anime from the confines of my computer screen.

Many others out there have shared this quest, I’m sure. After all, although watching anime on your computer is nice (especially with the mega-HD resolution monitors of today), it’s still nice to get away from the computer every now and then. Maybe we want to consume our anime while out and about; fortunately there are devices and software that make it relatively easy to do so, such as iPods, iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones/tablets and the Archos 5, and software such as Meridian, Air Video, and Crunchyroll for iPhone or Android.

But what if we want to enjoy anime on the big screen, using your home theater system?

This is particularly desirable nowadays, when more and more anime are being made in HD quality with multi-channel surround sound. The problem however is getting your anime to the big screen. You could hook your computer up to your home theater system, but that’s a rather clumsy and complicated solution, and most computer interfaces aren’t well suited to the “lean back experience” you get in a home theater setting. With some special software, you can use most current-gen game consoles as media streaming devices. However I’ve found that setting up this software can be tricky at best, and downright impossible at worst. Or you could get one of a variety of media center set-top boxes. Unfortunately picking the right set-top box is challenging, mostly due to the wide variety of formats that downloaded anime comes in these days. Add to that the complexity of multiple audio tracks and subtitles, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for pain and disappointment.

Well, I have tried just about every set top out there and have found one that is just about perfect — the Western Digital WD TV Live.

It’s a pretty small thing, about the size and weight of a small paperback book, and will easily fit in even the most crowded A/V shelf. It doesn’t give off a lot of heat either. With connections for component and composite video, digital optical audio and HDMI, the WD TV Live will easily hook in to your other devices. It also has a USB port, which is used for expansion (more on that later) as well as storage — the idea being that you can plug in a USB hard drive full of media and play that. But that’s not what we’re really interested in: we want to be able to stream our media off of our home network. For that, the WD TV Live has a built-in Ethernet port. The WD TV Live is also capable of accessing WiFi, but that requires a USB WiFi adapter, sold separately. You can access your files off of your network using the Windows file sharing protocol, which fortunately pretty much every other OS speaks.

The user interface is functional, but a bit on the klunky side. Accessing some functions requires you to scroll through several levels of menu items. But it’s not too bad. It doesn’t have the elegant simplicity of an Apple product, but it isn’t the worst I’ve seen either. You’ll get used to it in no time.

Now here’s the good news: the WD TV Live plays just about every video format under the sun. H.264, XviD, DivX, MPEG 1/2/4, WMV… it plays ‘em all. I threw every oddball file I had at it and it played them beautifully. The only file it was unable to play was one particularly large (over 8 GB) MPEG-4; but that could have been because it was a bad file (I have problems playing that file on my computer too). And, best of all, it supports those pesky Matroska (MKV) files! Files with multiple audio tracks are supported. And subtitles are supported as well, in all the common formats (SSA, ASS, SRT, SUB, and SMI), both in “sidecar” files (subtitles in their own file) as well as embedded as part of the MKV file. Unfortunately some more advanced subtitle functions don’t appear to be supported (different fonts, colors, on-screen positioning, etc.) but the subtitle support is good enough to where I’m happy. (A press of a button during playback will bring up a menu where you can easily switch between audio and subtitle tracks.)

The WD TV Live also supports playback of audio and photos, but I don’t really see that as this device’s real strength. (I suppose you could use it to show off your latest anime con pics, or listen to your favorite anime OST’s or whatever.) However it also supports streaming content from several online sources, including Blockbuster, Netflix, Pandora, Flickr, YouTube and several others. Netflix, in particular, is of interest to us anime fans, as they now have a rather impressive collection of anime available for online streaming, and that collection is growing every day.

Finally, let’s talk price. At $80, I think this is a really good deal for what you get.

Overall I am quite happy with the WD TV Live. My quest to unleash my anime from the confines of my computer, and bring it to the big screen, is now complete.

Pros:

Supports just about every video format under the sun (including MKV containers)
Supports subtitles, both as separate “sidecar” files (SSA/ASS/SRT) as well as embedded in MKV’s
Supports most of the popular Internet streaming video sources.

Cons:

User interface is a bit clunky, not as elegant as an Apple product
WiFi support only with purchase of a separate WiFi adapter
only supports Windows networking (SMB)
does not support some advanced subtitle attributes (fonts, color, etc.)

Overall Rating:

Rating: ★★★★½

WD TV Live
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WD TV Live Plus 1080p HD
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WD TV Live Hub with 1 TB Hard Disk
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J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Anime Expo 2011 programming schedules are now live!

Donald Burr — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:40:22 +0000

As Murphy’s Law would have it, mere hours after we released our latest episode, the fine folks at Anime Expo go and release their preliminary schedule. Would’ve loved to talk about it on the podcast, but what can you do? shrug Anyway, go forth and peruse the schedules for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. (You’ll need the free Acrobat Reader, as these are PDF files. Or Mac and iOS users can use their device’s built-in PDF support.)

Speaking of iOS devices, the AX staff are planning on releasing an updated app for the iPhone, and are also working on an app for Android devices as well. Keep an eye on the Anime Expo website as well as their Twitter for an announcement when those are ready.

We here at Otaku no Podcast have begun going through the schedules and have started filling out our convention schedule with events we are interested in. You can look at our convention schedule on the brand-new Con Calendar page.

Only 17 more days to go…!

Episode #0020 – Convention Survival Guide, 2011 Edition

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:43:40 +0000

Well, the summer con season is in full swing, and as usual, we’re late to the party This week we give an update to our famous convention survival tips, which should hopefully help you have a more enjoyable con-going experience. And of course we bust out our favorite anime picks as well.

Today’s Theme Song: “FIGHT OR FLIGHT,” by Yū Kobayashi. Second ED to the anime Dragonaut: The Resonance.

Our Picks:

Michelle:
- There is a ton of anime available to watch online, completely legally and (oftentimes) for free. Some of our favorites include Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Crackle. Also, many anime distributors run their own streams.
- Animation Runner Kuromi
Me:
- K-ON!
- Clannad and Clannad: After Story
- Royal Space Force – Wings of Honneamise

Clannad: After Story – Complete Collection [4 Discs] -

Includes:Clannad After Story: Episode 11 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 10 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 9 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 8 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 6 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 4 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 18 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 17 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 16 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 15 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 14 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 13 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 12 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 1 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 3 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 2 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 24 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 23 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 22 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 21 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 20 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 19 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 5 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 7 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 11 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 10 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 9 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 8 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 6 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 4 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 18 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 17 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 16 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 15 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 14 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 13 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 12 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 1 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 3 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 2 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 24 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 23 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 22 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 21 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 20 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 19 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 5 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 7 No synopsis available.

TEST LINK: Clannad Complete Collection

Click for J-List now!

ChibiCast #0020 – The between episodes episode

Donald Burr — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:00:07 +0000

The between episodes episode J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for youRelated posts: Episode #0020 – Convention Survival Guide, 2011 Edition ChibiCast #0021 – Random-Updates-a-Gogo ChibiCast #0004 – last test message. yesrly.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Announcing the new Otaku News Central website!

Donald Burr — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:51:28 +0000

We are pleased to announce a brand new service in the Otaku no Podcast universe: Otaku News Central!

You’ve no doubt heard of social news sites such as Digg or Reddit. These sites allow users to submit news stories, and people can vote them up (digg them) or down (bury them). This “social curation” lets the really interesting, timely and/or cool news items bubble up to the top, while the less interesting or boring stuff sinks to the bottom.

Well, since (to my knowledge) there is no such site dedicated specifically to topics that we otaku would find interesting (i.e. anime, manga, Japan, etc.), I decided to take it upon myself to start one! (OK, actually it was just an excuse to play with a new bit of server software.)

The site is still a bit bare right now; that’s because, well, we need people to submit stuff!! So go ahead and register yourself an account and submit a story or three, and vote up/down other peoples’ submissions already!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

FanimeCon 2011 Day 2 Report

Donald Burr — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:13:02 +0000

Editor’s note: Unfortunately, I was not able to complete my daily reports while at-con due to a very nasty hard drive crash on my laptop. The good news is that no data was lost. The bad news is that this has delayed my reports until I could come home and fix things. I’ll post the final Day 3 report (sadly we didn’t make it to Day 4) shortly, and we will of course be getting together, probably this weekend, to record a FanimeCon recap and review podcast episode.

Day 2 of FanimeCon got off to a bit of a shaky start as I didn’t make it on site until early afternoon. However it got busier from there.

Unfortunately it also started on a bit of a sour note, as once again the SJCC was being heckled to death by a group of fundamentalist Christians. This year they were equipped with a megaphone and, to be brutally honest, were really annoying. The crowd was putting them in their place though: if, for example, they would proclaim that we would all burn in Hell, the crowd would shout in unison “YEAH!! PARTY TIME!!!” or something like that. Apparently they are standing just beyond the edge of convention center property and so are avoiding legal prosecution. Or something like that. Personally, my instinct is to go up there and argue with them, but then I realize that that is exactly what they want. I think what would really get these guys is if we completely and utterly ignored them. Don’t answer them, don’t look at them, just pretend that they just don’t exist.

FanimeCon does a really commendable job of giving plenty of “face time” with the Guests of Honor. Each GoH had at least one focus panel, with many guests hosting two or more panels, focused on different areas of their work. In addition there were plenty of autograph opportunities (many GoHs had two or more autograph sessions as well). Also I saw many guests wandering around the con in general, and they were almost always willing to stop and chat with their fans, pose for pictures, etc. This can only happen at less corporate, more fan-oriented cons such as this.

Most of the following updates are a bit short on details. Blame that on me not taking any notes (ie: Notetaking FAIL). I did however record the panels so as soon as I get home I’ll be able to review the panels, and will summarize them when I record our inevitable FanimeCon 2011 recap podcast episode.

Our first panel of the day was Mamoru Yokota, an illustrator, character designer and producer who worked on several projects including Air (movie), Kanon, and Death Note, among others. He amazed the audience with his drawing skills, and also spoke of what it’s like working in his field.

We next caught Tohru Furuya’s panel. Mr. Furuya is a veteran voice actor and is probably best known as the voice of Amuro Ray in the original Gundam. In addition he has provided voices for Pegasus Seiya (Saint Seiya), Yamcha (Dragonball Z), Kyosuke Kasuga (Kimagure Orange Road), and Tuxedo Mask (Sailor Moon). He was really energetic and totally “clicked” with the audience, and entertained us with voices from his various roles, as well as tales of what it’s like working in the industry alongside other notable figures. The fans really loved him – the line to ask him questions was really impressively long. One fan in particular wanted to express her love of his works by offering him a hug, which he bemusedly accepted.

Seiji Mizushima’s panel was next. He directed several notable works, including Slayers Next, Shaman King, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Mobile Suit Gundam 00. He seemed a bit more reserved than the other panelists we saw today, but still informed the audience with tales of what it’s like working in the anime industry.

Then came the highlight of my evening (and I’m sure it was also the highlight of quite a few FanimeCon attendees’ evenings as well) – Momoi Halko’s panel. She is a prolific idol singer, voice actress, and self-proclaimed otaku and “Queen of Akihabara.” To see someone not only acknowledge her otaku status, but positively revel in it, is refreshing indeed. She is cheerful and energetic, and is truly grateful to her fans and makes every effort to stay in touch with her fan base, and it shows. She made every effort to answer everyones’ questions, and seemed genuinely apologetic when she had to cut peoples’ questions short on account of time.

Apparently, recently she attended a San Francisco Giants game, and they have been doing fairly good as of late. (whether those two events are related or not, I’ll leave to the audience to work out). In any case, one fan took it upon himself to give her a gift of a SF Giants jersey, which she gratefully accepted, even modeling it for the camera. (unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a shot of this – Photographer FAIL.)

When asked about her observations on the differences between anime fandom in Japan vs. here in the US, she commented that the anime convention scene between the two countries is quite different, and that in Japan, they don’t have the proliferation of fan-run events we enjoy here in the west (such as FanimeCon). This really impressed her.

We were going to try and make it to MusicFest, the big music event at FanimeCon, but weren’t able to. MusicFest was held at the San Jose Civic Center to a sellout crowd — lines to get in to the event were out the door. Musical guests FLOW and Yuya Matsushita rocked the house. I was worried that Momoi Halko would also be performing at MusicFest and that I would miss her. Fortunately my worries were unfounded, as it turned out that she would be performing in her own concert the following day.

One of the reasons why we decided not to stick around for MusicFest was that the weather had suddenly turned ugly. San Jose got hit with a sudden off-again-on-again rainstorm. Unfortunately this caught people during the busy dinner hour, and tons of cosplayers were hurriedly scrambling for the nearest awning or overhang. Sadly quite a few costumes and props were damaged in this freak phenomenon. The only consolation was that this didn’t happen on Masquerade night, so people had a chance to fix their costumes. Word to the wise cosplayer: come prepared. If you don’t have an umbrella, then at least bring something that you can use as an umbrella (large fan, shield, I dunno), as well as backup cosplay items, costume repair supplies, etc. Anime Los Angeles definitely wins in this category, as they have a staffed Costume Repair Station open during con hours where people can effect repairs in times of need.

One thing I noticed as we left the downtown San Jose area is the sheer number of congoers still out and about even at such a late hour. FanimeCon is truly a 24-hour convention: there is literally something going on at each and every hour of the day. This is one really good reason why you should really consider staying at a con hotel — the public transportation system shuts down after about 9 or 10. There were some events I really wanted to attend but the only way I could have done so would be to stay all night and beocme a con zombie (which, trust me, you really don’t want to do).

Speaking of zombies, one of the late-night events I had to miss was the “Anime Convention of the Dead.” This fan-run event is based on the highly popular manga (and now anime) Highschool of the Dead. They asked for volunteers to come get “zombified”, which consisted of receiving (free) zombie makeup as well as “Training of the Dead” – how to be an effective zombie. The zombie hordes were then turned loose on an unsuspecting convention center. Really a cool idea. If anyone was able to get pictures and/or video of this, we’d really love to link to it. Get in touch with us!

That about does it for this update. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day – not only is it the day of Momoi Halko’s concert, but it is also masquerade night. Stay tuned!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

FanimeCon 2011 Day 1 Report

Donald Burr — Sat, 28 May 2011 07:17:10 +0000

Day 1 of FanimeCon has drawn to a close. Unfortunately this day was spent mostly getting things set up logistically speaking – laying in supplies, picking up badges, etc. Our actual at-con time consisted mostly of watching the excellent Fanime Music Video (AMV) contest. (More on that later.)

Before we go any further, I’d like to take the opportunity to commend the FanimeCon staff on their refreshingly open press policy. Their policy allows even smaller organizations such as school anime clubs and smaller, lesser known anime websites (ahem, not to mention podcasts) to gain press credentials. My feeling is that the more voices a community has, the better off it is, especially if many of those voices are from smaller, less mainstream sources.

One thing I stress constantly is that when attending an anime convention, you should definitely stay at a con hotel if at al possible. This is especially true here at FanimeCon. This is a 24/7 convention, meaning that there’s always something going on, day and night. And the hotels are set up perfectly for this. The two official con hotels, the Hilton and Marriott, are directly connected to the convention center – no need to walk outside. If you must stay off-site, there are several reasonable choices in accommodation not too far away.

But, if you must stay even farther off-site, FanimeCon is probably the best con to do so at, thanks to the excellent Bay Area public transportation system. The San Jose Convention Center is directly situated on the San Jose light rail system, just two stops away from the San Jose Caltrain and Amtrak stations. Between the light rail, Caltrain, Amtrak, BART, and a handful of buses, you can easily get here from just about anywhere in the bay area. I can’t help but compare this to certain conventions I go to in the southern California area; things are getting better there, but aren’t nearly at the level as they are in northern California.

The AMV contest this year was, in a word, epic. The number and variety of videos was really impressive. Videos were organized into four categories: Action, Comedy, Drama and Experimental (similar to the “Pro” or “AMTV” categories at other conventions). Trite as it sounds, it still holds true: the creativity and technical skill of the AMV creators just keeps getting better year after year, and continues to impress me. Alot of this is thanks to the lowering cost and ready availability of high-quality digital video editing tools.

The variety of this year’s videos was really refreshing — it wasn’t the same 5 clips from Naruto set to the same 5 Linkin Park songs. This year there was a pretty good variety, not just in the types of music used, but also in the anime that was used. There were quite a few newer/less mainstream series (Angel Beats!, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Macross Frontier, NANA), as well as some old-school classics (Sailor Moon, Tenchi, etc.). This year there were some particularly touching entries. One video in particular that tugged at my heartstrings was a very touching tribute to the late Satoshi Kon, done by prolific AMV author (and Anime Expo Masquerade host extraordinaire) Brad deMoss. I’ll make a post as more of them start going up on the org. Winners will be announced on Sunday at 2 PM on Stage Zero in the SJCC.

Tomorrow is looking to be a busy day. Not only are most of the GoH panels scheduled for that day, but the always-excellent FanimeCon MusicFest is also happening Saturday evening. Tomorrow is also traditionally the busiest day of con, and is sure to be chock full of cosplayers as well. We’ll do our best to bring you as many pictures and audio/video as possible. For now, it’s way past bedtime.

Video #0009 – Japanese Classic Cuisine: Shabu-Shabu

The Ghost in the Machine — Sat, 28 May 2011 06:31:12 +0000

Yep, we’re back in the kitchen for our latest video episode. In this episode, I show you how to make a classic Japanese hot pot dish that’s perfect for cold nights and get-togethers with family and friends — and the best part is, your guests do most of the actual cooking for you! Yes, today we’ll be learning how to make the Japanese classic, Shabu-Shabu.

Watch this video on YouTube (in case the embedded player below doesn’t work for you)

Ingredients for dashi:
5 cups water
8 in. long piece konbu kelp, cut in half

Ingredients for shabu-shabu:
1 lb. hakusai (Chinese cabbage), chopped
1/4 lb. long green onions (negi), diagonally and thinly sliced
1 block cotton tofu, cut into bite-size pieces
1 bundle enoki mushrooms
8 shiitake mushrooms
1/4 lb. carrot, cut into thin round slices
1 1/2 lb. sirloin beef, very thinly sliced
1 package instant Udon

Ingredients for sesame sauce:
6 Tbsp white sesame seeds
3 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
2 and 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp grated garlic
1/2 cup dashi

Ingredients for ponzu sauce:
1 Lime (or 3 tbsp lime juice)
3 tbsp Soy sauce
1/4 lb. Daikon radish, grated
2 long green onions (negi)

Ingredients for zosui:
Left over steamed rice
Chopped negi
1 egg, well beaten
Pinch of salt
Dash of soy sauce

Equipment:

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Announcing a new anime convention for the Central California area

Donald Burr — Fri, 27 May 2011 16:47:59 +0000

It’s no small secret that Otaku no Podcast is very California-centric when it comes to anime convention coverage. Unfortunately, financial reality being what it is, I can’t really afford a trip to any of the non-California conventions, both in terms of money (or the lack of it) and in terms of time. I’m even not able to make it to many of the ones in our home state, thanks to the generally sucktacular (and virtually nonexistent) intercity public transportation system. (Life sucks when you live in California and can’t drive.) If not for what little public transportation we have, such as the wonderful Bay Area system, or the LA Metro system, I wouldn’t even be able to make it to the few cons we do go to. Which is why, when I heard about a fairly new (only in its 2nd year) convention starting up fairly close to us, my ears perked up.

Anime Five Cities (which, as mentioned before, is only in its 2nd year) is a small fan-run convention in the San Luis Obispo area. They claim to be the central coast’s first anime convention, and I believe them. It’s being held at the Ludwick Community Center in downtown San Luis Obispo, CA on Saturday, June 18, 2011, from 11 AM till 7 PM. (Hey, I told you it’s a small convention…)

Guests of Honor include voice actress Lauren Landa, illustrator Irene Flores, and the fine guys and gals of the AniMaid Cafe. Also, even though it’s a small con, they’ll also have some traditional con favorites: some live programming, dealer’s room, artist’s alley, video screenings, and even a cosplay competition.

Pre-registration is open until June 4 and will run you $11; after that, tickets will cost you $14 at the door. Attendance is capped at 400, so don’t delay.

Some of you might blow off smaller conventions, thinking that the only cons worth going to are the big ones. And some people I know (perhaps certain Otaku no Podcast cohosts) have the exact opposite view, that the big cons are way too much trouble and the only ones worth attending are the smaller, fan-run events. Me, I see merit in both, and I have this “discussion” with that co-host in question at least two or three times every year. What I’ve said to her time and time again still stands: each has its merits, and I will continue to frequent both large and small cons. You can’t beat the large cons for the sheer star power they can attract (in terms of guests of honor, etc.), as well as the sheer awesomeness of their dealer’s room and breadth of live programming. At the same time, the smaller cons are great because you get to meet and hear from some of the lesser-known (but just as interesting) figures in the industry, and get to know your fellow fan in a more intimate setting. And you should definitely support the smaller cons too, because, well, even the big guys had to start somewhere…

ChibiCast #0019 – Post server migration test boo

Donald Burr — Thu, 26 May 2011 06:03:02 +0000

Post server migration test boo Related posts: ChibiCast #0009 – pre-FanimeCon test ChibiCast #0004 – last test message. yesrly. ChibiCast #0006 – final Anime LA prelaunch systems test

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

An Update from the Otaku no Podcast IT Department

Donald Burr — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:37:08 +0000

You’ve probably noticed that things have been a little rough and tumble around here in terms of the website and podcast. Several times over the past few months we’ve had inexplicable server outages, where the thing would suddenly stop responding for no apparent reason. (Naturally this would usually happen either when I can’t really get to a keyboard and fix things — I’m out of town, at work, etc.) Finally, things came to a head this past weekend when the server went down again, only this time it was accompanied by a call from my hosting company saying that my server had been compromised and was being used to send denial-of-service attacks. Whether these events are related is still unknown (I suspect that they are). In any case, it meant that I needed to take some action. So, this week I completely wiped the machine, restored from backups, and re-installed the software that runs the site in a (hopefully) more secure and less haphazard manner than before. (We also moved to a new server with more capacity.) I’m hoping that these changes will result in a smoother running, better performing, and more reliable website and podcast.

First of all, my apologies for the downtime.

Now, in an ideal world, you (the listener) would have no idea that anything has changed. Unfortunately this is not an ideal world. So odds are that some of you may have had some trouble getting to the website. Some of you may still be having trouble as I write this. Fortunately this should all settle out over the next day or three.

We also changed the way we serve out the podcast episode files (the MP3s and videos themselves). We are no longer hosting the podcast files ourselves, but instead are serving these out through a third party service called Libsyn. I’m still in the process of copying over all our episodes. All of the audio episodes should be up by now; however most of the older video episodes haven’t yet been posted. So if you’ve just subscribed to the podcast, or you’re going through our back catalog, and are wondeing why none of the videos are there, well, that’s why. I’ll be uploading the rest of our videos over the next few weeks, but in the meantime, if you, for whatever reason, have some burning desire to see some of our older video content, then please feel free to check out our YouTube channel.

Click for J-List now!

Heads up! FanimeCon is this coming weekend!

Donald Burr — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:36:43 +0000

Well, Memorial Day weekend will soon be upon us, and you know what that means… it’s FanimeCon time once again!! Yes, that’s right, FanimeCon will once again be returning to the San Jose Convention Center for four days of fun-filled anime goodness, this coming weekend, Friday-Monday, May 27-30. This is a terrific convention, and very fan-friendly (they are, after all, billing themselves as a convention run “by fans, for fans”) and is set in a perfect location — two hotels directly attached, easy access via public transportation for those not staying on-site, and plenty of food of all types and prices within easy walking distance.

This year’s Guests of Honor include anime book author Gilles Poitras; author and martial artist Ric Meyers; actor and singer Yuya Matsushita; manga artist Ryusuke Hamamoto; anime director Seiji Mizushima; animation director and character designer Takahiro Yoshimatsu; voice actor Tohru Furuya; Hangry & Angry character and fashion designer GASHICON; singer and voice actress Halko Momoi; Hiroyuki Yamaga, one of the co-founders of GAINAX and an anime industry veteran; animation director Fumio Iida; illustrator Mamoru Yokota; and musicians FLOW and Yoshiki.

Besides that rather impressive guest roster, there is of course all the usual trappings of an anime convention: a rather impressive dealer’s room and Artist’s Alley; panels and workshops galore; cosplay competition; music; gaming; martial arts (!!); and of course tons of anime being screened in the multiple video rooms.

Unfortunately pre-registration is closed, so you’ll have to register at-con. A full weekend badge will run you $60; single-day badges can be purchased for $30 (Friday), $35 (Saturday and Sunday), and $25 (Monday). For more information check out the FanimeCon website.

We will be at-con and I’ll do my best to get you as much coverage as possible. (I won’t make any more promises beyond that (wouldn’t want to jinx myself now would I? ) Definitely keep an eye on the Otaku no Podcast website as well as our livestream page and our Twitter stream. Also, we will shortly be posting the schedule of events we are interested in on our brand-new Con Calendar page.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Cool Find: Ren’Py

Donald Burr — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:33:07 +0000

During my recent flirtation with visual novels, a question popped into my head: is there such a thing as a game mod for visual novel/dating sim type games? “Modding” a game is when you take the game’s engine and modify or otherwise hack it to add your own content into the game, fundamentally changing its gameplay. One of the most famous examples of this is Counter-strike, which was originally developed as a mod for the popular first-person shooter Half-life. The PC gaming culture has a rich tradition of game modding, where inventive folks take popular games such as Quake, Unreal Tournament and others and make their own unique creations out of them. Well, when I put the question of whether or not dating-sim mods exist to Google, I found something even better – Ren’py.

Ren’Py is a fully Open Source visual novel game engine. With it you can create anything from a simple story with pictures and sound that you “read” by clicking through it, with no decision points (called a kinetic novel), all the way up to a full-blown dating-sim, with multiple characters and decision points. Its scripting language is really easy to use, making it easy for even a novice to create a kinetic novel or simple dating-sim. However it leverages the full power of the Python scripting language, allowing you to create extremely complex character interactions and scenarios. Its extremely powerful graphics and audio engine lets you composite multiple character images over a background, with transitions, transforms, animations, background music and sound effects. In short, it provides all the tools necessary to create even the most complex games of this genre. But best of all, it’s completely free and open source, and the authors allow you to freely distribute the games you create with it, even allowing you to sell them commercially. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux and Android smartphones/tablets.

To learn more, and to download your own copy so you can start playing with it, visit the Ren’py home page. Or if you’re just in the mood to play someone else’s games (or you want to see the power and variety of games you can create using this fantastic tool), check out the Ren’py games list, a comprehensive list of Ren’py titles.

This is a fantastic toolbox and our hope is that the many creative people out there in the community can take this and run with it, and help create our own doujin software industry.

No related posts.

Want to go to Japan? Delta’s got a fare for you!

Donald Burr — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:26:05 +0000

Psst – want to travel to Japan, but don’t have a lot of money? Well, if you act quickly, you can take advantage of a nice error on the part of Delta and fly to Japan’s Haneda International Airport for around $500! The poster of the article got quoted $589 for a round trip JFK < -> HND ticket, and I myself just looked up LAX < -> JFK and got $515!

Better hurry though, errors like these tend to be caught and fixed rather quickly…

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

No related posts.

Video #0008 – How to install Kanon with English patch

The Ghost in the Machine — Sun, 15 May 2011 06:03:43 +0000

Kanon is one of my all-time favorite anime, and in my opinion a perfect example of “never judge a book by its cover,” as well as the value of every now and then stepping outside your “anime comfort zone.” Kanon is based on a visual novel, which I have for years been wanting to play. And now I can, thanks to Non-Directional Translation’s unofficial Kanon English patch. Getting this all installed and configured is a bit tricky, and in this video, I show you how to get up and running.

Watch this video episode on YouTube (in case the embedded player doesn’t work for you)

Links to products/software mentioned:

Purchase Kanon Memorial Edition on J-Box
Download Kanon Standard Edition
Download Kanon English Patch
Download Kanon voice files
Download WinRAR
Download uTorrent
Download Transmission
Download Daemon Tools (only needed if you downloaded Kanon and don’t want to burn it to disk first)
Buy Kanon (the anime) on Amazon
Watch Kanon (the anime) on FUNimation.com

Click for J-List now!

Poll: How many anime conventions do you usually go to in a year?

Donald Burr — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:25:24 +0000

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from JapanRelated posts: Poll: What is the thing you most enjoy doing at anime conventions? Poll: Who is your favorite K-ON! character? Poll: What do you think of anime figurines, Figma, etc.?

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

How to donate to the Japan disaster relief effort — and make it count

Donald Burr — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:21:41 +0000

It has now been almost two months since the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, and the country is still feeling its effects — frequent (and quite strong) aftershocks, a serious (though by no means dire) situation at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, a continuously mounting death toll, and incalculable losses in property and business, to name a few. Help is still very much needed. But before you go off and donate, you might want to carefully consider exactly who you’re donating to. We here at Otaku no Podcast have put together this list of pointers that will hopefully help you do just that. We will continue to update this post as we become aware of new donation methods, so come back often!

First and foremost, be very wary of any e-mails that you receive soliciting donations. Unfortunately, trying times such as these tend to bring out the best in us — but also the worst in us. The Internet is rife with con artists and tricksters trying to make a quick buck off your charity. “Phishing” emails attempting to solicit funds are quite common. They are carefully crafted to look exactly like an e-mail that, say, the Red Cross or some other legitimate organization would send you. Be VERY wary of any e-mails you may receive soliciting a donation. In particular, do NOT click on any links contained in these e-mails; instead, go to your web browser and manually type in the business’s URL (e.g. www.redcross.org) into the address bar.
It may seem obvious, but donations made to the Japanese Red Cross go directly to Japan. (Yeah, I know, big duh.) Conversely, donating to your local country’s Red Cross organization may not be the quickest or most efficient way of getting your money to where it’s needed the most. In fact, many Red Cross organizations worldwide are being criticized for delays in sending disaster relief funds. The “send a text message to donate” services that all cell phone providers have set up are convenient, but unfortunately the carriers are also being criticized for delaying donation payouts. Also many Red Cross chapters take a rather hefty cut of donations for “administrative fees.” Fortunately, Google has set up a webpage that will let you donate directly to the Japanese Red Cross. They also have donations links for other worthy organizations, as well as other useful information on the disaster.
This tragedy has really shown us that, contrary to popular stereotypes, the anime community is full of really decent, caring folks. There has been a tremendous groundswell of support coming from the anime community, both from fans as well as staff, voice actors/actresses, merchandisers, etc. If you’re heading to an anime convention, odds are that there will be somebody, either in the dealer’s room, or at registration, etc., taking donations. Or that they will have some other sort of fundraising event. (For example, Anime Expo recently announced that all proceeds from its yearly charity auction will go directly to the Japanese Red Cross.) Grassroots and/or local events such as the recently-held We Heart Japan are popping up left and right. Definitely keep an eye on anime news sites such as ANN and Anime-Cons as well as any other place where anime fans tend to congregate online (forums, comic/game shops, anime clubs, etc.) for announcements of these. Twitter is also a great place to look. (We will retweet any legitimate donation links, charity event announcements, etc. that we come across, so be sure and check the Otaku no Podcast twitter feed.) As with other donation methods, however, you should check to ensure that the funds will reach Japan in the most efficient manner possible (e.g. make sure that any event that you attend/donate to/etc. are sending their funds directly to the Japanese Red Cross, etc.).
Companies such as J-List (and its work-safe sibling J-Box) are donating part of their proceeds to relief organizations. (So you can get the warm fuzzies of helping out with the relief effort while still getting the latest cool anime goods. Epic win!)
If you’re a fan of (Western) pop music and have an iTunes account, “Songs for Japan” is a collaborative effort between many top pop artists, with all proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross. This mega-collection features some of the hottest songs from today’s top artists, including Katy Perry, Madonna, Lady Gaga, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Eminen, and more. With 38 songs in all, and costing only $9.99, this is one epic collection.
The disaster has had a tremendous effect on the Japanese tourism industry. Traditional tourist destinations such as Asakusa are experiencing a drastic slump in tourism. Now might be a good time to take that Japan trip you’ve always dreamed of. (And before you ask, there is absolutely no danger whatsoever of radiation.) Not only would they appreciate the income from your visit, but I’m sure they would love to see a friendly face as well. It’s not as hard or as expensive as you may think. There are many tour companies out there that have pretty decent tour packages.

Graphic courtesy of J-List, used with permission. Arigatou gozaimasu!

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Cool Find: Good Smile Nendoroid, K-ON! and Hatsune Miku Themes for Google Chrome

Donald Burr — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:54:56 +0000

Your web browser. You stare at it every day for hours at a time. I bet you that by now it looks pretty drab and boring to you. So why not dress it up with a theme? And, if you are a Google Chrome user, I’ve got just the themes for you!

Are you a fan of nendoroids – those amazingly cute chibi renditions of your favorite anime characters, created by Good Smile? Well then check out the Good Smile theme! (pictured here)

If you just can’t get enough K-ON! – after all, the DVDs and Blu-rays are right around the corner – then by all means check out the K-ON! theme. (yes, you know that some sort of K-ON! related item would be involved…)

And finally, if, like pretty much the rest of the world, you’ve caught a bad case of Vocaloid fever – then the Hatsune Miku theme will be right up your alley.

All of these themes are of course completely free and work on any computer/OS that Google Chrome works on (which means pretty much all of them).

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

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Cool Find: Meridian Media Player for Android

Donald Burr — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 22:52:11 +0000

Those of us with large digital anime collections, either ripped from DVDs that we own or acquired from, ahem, other sources (we’re not here to judge, let your own moral compass be your guide), are faced with a problem when we want to consume this content while out and about — or even just kicking back in your easy chair or in bed. Sure, you could go out and buy a dedicated video player such as the Archos 5; but why spend extra money when the odds are that you already have a device in your possession that’s perfectly capable of performing this function — your smartphone.

If that phone happens to be an iPhone (or its phone-less sibling, the iPod touch, or even an iPad), then you could either re-encode your anime (using a free tool such as HandBrake and stuff it into iTunes) or use the excellent Air Video player, which we’ve written about before. But what if you are a card-carrying member of the Android Army? Unfortunately Android is (in this author’s humble opinion) still behind the iOS in terms of video playback capability.

Fortunately, there’s an app for that — the Meridian Media Player app, to be precise. This app does a pretty good job of playing back any media format supported by your device’s version of the Android operating system. And the best part is that it supports all the standard subtitle formats that you tend to find out there (which of course is very important for us anime fans). (Pro tip: if you’re looking for subtitles, AllSubs is a pretty good source.)

Unfortunately, since Android is still kind of picky in terms of what video formats/codecs/bit rates that it supports, odds are you’ll need to re-encode any anime files that you have, ahem, acquired, in order to play them back on your device. HandBrake is an excellent, and free, tool that helps you do this. (HandBrake is also a pretty servicable DVD ripper, so you can use it to digitize your anime collection. Please, only for disks that you actually own. Don’t be a tool.) I’ve found that the “iPod” pre-set offers a reasonable compromise between small file size and decent video quality, that plays on all variants of Android (at least all the different devices/OS versions I’ve tried it on). Just fire up HandBrake, select your file, click the start button, and once your files are done re-encoding, just drag them onto your phone’s memory card, fire up Meridian Player, and you’re off to the races.

Meridian Media Player itself is free, but you’ll need the $2.99 Meridian Player Pro Verifier to unlock extra functionality, including subtitle support. (But hey, $2.99 is IMHO a reasonable price to pay for this functionality) Go download Meridian Media Player and the Meridian Player Pro Verifier from the Android Marketplace today!

Episode #0019 – Japan Disaster News Recap

The Ghost in the Machine — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:01:46 +0000

In this episode of Otaku no Podcast, we briefly review and talk about the news surrounding the horrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan two weeks ago.

Show notes coming soon; please check the Otaku no Podcast website in a day or 2.

Today’s Theme Song: “M/elody” by Shion Tsuji, ending theme of the anime Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Help with the recovery effort by donating

Errata: I had incorrectly stated that the “We Heart Japan” event raised $75,000 for the relief effort. They actually raised $7,500. I was off by a magnitude of 10. Still, for such a hastily-organized event (3 days!), this is quite an achievement. They have other events planned as well, so keep an eye on the “We Heart Japan” website (as well as Otaku no Podcast) for details as they come out.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Air Video adds AirPlay support: now you can watch your anime on your Apple TV on the big screen!

Donald Burr — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:58:49 +0000

The Apple TV is a decent little media center streaming box. It improves in every way over its predecessor – smaller, lighter, faster, and doesn’t give off over 9000 BTU of heat energy.

With it, you can rent and stream any of the (pretty large) anime collection that’s now available on iTunes, as well as Netflix, and you can stream any of the iTunes content that’s loaded on your PC or Mac. The problem with the latter is that you would have to transcode most of your anime collection so that it plays on iTunes — a fairly technically involved process — and you lose such niceties as subtitle support and multiple language audio tracks. Which means it isn’t really useful at all. But at only $99, it isn’t too bad price-wise.

Well, if don’t own one, you just might have a reason to buy one after reading this post. And if you already own one, you can stop tearing your hair out in frustration. Because the Apple TV is now a lot more useful to us anime fans, thanks to the wonderful piece of software I’m about to describe.

Air Video, which we’ve written about before, is an awesome video player app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It will let you stream your video files from your computer (such as that anime that you have, ahem, acquired from various sources) and play it on your iOS device. The “secret sauce” that makes this so unique is that it will automatically transcode your files in a format that your iDevice can play natively. So you don’t have to go through all that video transcoding voodoo yourself. Plus it supports all the standard subtitle formats (SRT/SSA/ASS), either as separate files or “baked in” to an MKV file. Which is really great news for us anime fans. And it’s reasonably priced as well (just $2.99).

Well, Air Video just recently added AirPlay support in its latest version. AirPlay is a new technology from Apple that will let you stream content — audio and/or video — between your devices, including iOS devices and the new Apple TV 2. So what does this mean to you? It now means that you can, using the Air Video app, stream all of your anime, including subtitles, and watch it on your Apple TV that is (presumably) hooked up to your large screen HDTV. To get this kind of functionality (streaming content from your computer) would ordinarily require a more costly and complex to set up media center box such as the Boxee Box or WD TV Live; the problem with those devices is that they tend to be kind of dodgy, and they don’t “plug in” to the iTunes ecosystem as tightly as the Apple TV does. So now you get the best of both worlds!

I’ve tested this extensively and it works wonderfully.

So what are you waiting for? Go get Air Video on the App Store today! Note that for the new AirPlay functionality, you will also need to install the latest beta version of the Air Video server – versions are available for both Windows and Mac.

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

Want the latest in anime news and commentary? There’s an app for that!

Donald Burr — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:04:37 +0000

Do you own an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? Then go check out the shiny new Otaku no Podcast app on the iTunes app store! With our fine new app you can listen to and watch our latest audio and video episodes; read our latest blog posts; see what we’ve been up to on Twitter; and contact us by phone or email.

The app is compatible with any device (iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad) running iOS 3.1 or later. Unfortunately it isn’t yet optimized for the iPad (though it does work just fine in iPhone emulation mode); I’m working on adding iPad optimizations for the next version, as well as some other miscellaneous fixes and additional features.

So go check it out! It’s free in the App Store.

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

ChibiCast #0018 – We Heart Japan event TONIGHT to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami

Donald Burr — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:45:10 +0000

We Heart Japan event TONIGHT to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami PC dating-sim games @ J-ListRelated posts: “We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami “We Heart Performing for Japan” Charity Event to benefit Japanese disaster relief set for October 1 ChibiCast #0017 – 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan

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“We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami

Donald Burr — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:35:19 +0000

If you live in the Los Angeles area, you’ll want to get yourself over to Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046. We Heart Japan, organized by voice actress Stephanie Sheh and comic artist Pinguino Kolb, is holding an event TOMORROW (that’s Thursday, March 17) at Meltdown Comics to benefit the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, a fund set up by the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) in partnership with the Center for Public Resources Development (CPRD) to benefit relief organizations providing disaster relief in Japan.

Events include a silent auction featuring art from Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe, Sweet Streets LA, Cathy Clark, Zane DeGaine, Kevissimo, Dekker Dreyer, Aaron Bjork, Shibuya Girls Pop, Sam Randazzo, Sawdust Bear, Sasha Palacio, Sara Tea, Patrick Smith, Eron Rauch, Pinguino, Jason Leung, Geoffrey Golden, David Mertl, Jane Dope, and more. In addition, prizes will be raffled off over the course of the night. There will be a variety of special guests in attendance including Stephanie Sheh herself, Richard Epcar, Wendee Lee, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Michelle Ruff, Crispin Freeman, and more. There will be autograph sessions. Music will be provided by Count Ninjula. There will be several food trucks on site, including Papas Tapas, Jogasaki Burrito, and The Boba Truck. And free drinks will be provided by Arta Tequila, Comikaze Expo and H2om Water.

Sponsors include Harmony Gold, Geneon Entertainment, Pacific Media Expo, Cosplay in America, Bandai Entertainment, Am22m, Crunchyroll, Nan Desu Kan, Sweet Streets LA, Love the Truth Clothing, and more. All proceeds will go to the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund which provides support to organizations in Japan that are taking part in the relief effort, as well as to ensure longer-term support for local organizations working hard to rebuild their communities.

For more information check out the We Heart Japan website. A printable flyer is also available, which you are encouraged to print out and distribute to friends, co-workers, anime clubs, etc.

DATE: Thursday, March 17, 2011
TIME: 8:00pm 11:00pm
LOCATION: Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046

Come out and show your support!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Otaku no Podcast now supports HTML5

Donald Burr — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:45:17 +0000

The world is increasingly moving toward mobile devices to consume content with. Whether it be an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android based smartphone or tablet, Palm webOS device, BlackBerry, or what have you, we are increasingly turning to these mobile companions to get our fix of news and entertainment while out and about.

Now, we’re not the type to shy away from a trend; and so we here at Otaku no Podcast are taking steps to make ourselves available on these mobile devices. Right now, if you browse to otakunopodcast.com on most mobile devices, you should be presented with a mobile-optimized version of our website, perfect for smaller-screened devices such as your smartphone.

Unfortunately that leaves the problem of actually playing back our media content (i.e. the podcasts themselves). Many devices out there do not support Adobe Flash, which is what we (as well as pretty much every other website out there) use for our web-based audio/video player widgets. The good news is that there is a new standard gaining widespread adoption to fix this. HTML 5 adds built-in support for audio and video playback, doing away with the need for Flash or Silverlight or any other such plugin. Most of the latest web browsers, including the latest versions of Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer for both Mac and Windows support this standard. Most mobile phone and tablets support this as well. And now so does Otaku no Podcast. When you browse to any audio or video podcast episode, you will now be able to play said episode on any HTML 5 compliant browser or device. (If your browser isn’t fully HTML 5 compliant, the site will automatically fall back to the traditional Flash-based audio/video player.)

Of course if you have any questions or (we hope not!) problems with this player, please do let us know about it.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

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Reach out and touch someone: Otaku no Podcast has a new voice call-in line!

Donald Burr — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:32:10 +0000

In our continuing effort to (A) make ourselves available to you, the fans, so that you can send us your thoughts, comments and whatnot, while at the same time (B) reducing costs, we now have a new voicemail call-in line!

The new number is: 949-OTAKU-09 (949-682-5809).

You can either call from your home or cell phone, which unfortunately is a long-distance call for most people; or if you use the handy dandy widget on our Contact Us page, then we’ll pick up the tab by calling you ourselves. (or rather, Google will pick up the tab, since we are using their free Google Voice service for this). Either way, you’ll be given the opportunity to leave a voice message. Try and keep it short (no more than 2-3 minutes) and clean, and we may just use it on our next episode!

This line is also capable of receiving live calls, which we may explore somewhere down the line when I start exploring livestreaming our episodes.

Anyway, give us a ring, why don’tcha?

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

ChibiCast #0017 – 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan

Donald Burr — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:00:13 +0000

8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for youRelated posts: 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan ChibiCast #0018 – We Heart Japan event TONIGHT to benefit victims of the earthquake and tsunami “We Heart Japan” event TOMORROW to benefit victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami

PC dating-sim games @ J-List