Christmas issue 30 November
ALL OTAKU Magazine Digital Crack for the Otaku Generation
We say good bye to the man who changed our world.
Steve Jobs
Gundam A Legend is Born
Hayao Miyazaki
Guilty Crown Arrietty 11eyes Black Rock Shooter
W he re m to or fin et d hi th s e
Featuring Reviews:
Ch be ris st anim tm e an as d !!!
Man of the hour
Editors Letter
Once again another year comes to an end, another year of fun and discovery is over, to be filed in the back of our minds as something that we got through by the hair of our teeth. The festive season stares us in the face and a new stack of anime and manga goodies are ripe for the buying at any of our local stores. That is why we packed this issue with the best gifts to get an otaku and where to get them. For many of us getting real anime is hard and expensive but this Christmas we show you how and where to get all your needs at reasonable prices. We also want to say good luck to all of the cosplay events being held around SA this December, from December A.I Fest to Cosplay Cape Town and the LegionInk gathering on the 4th, we believe that these are the first steps in creating on going events and we know that there are many people who would like that to happen so please support them. Unfortunately none of them are happening here in Durban but do not despair because the FRAG LAN is happening this month in Pinetown KZN. This is one of SA’s longest running gaming event so for those of you stuck here over the Christmas holidays go and check them out. Also this Christmas we would like to remind you that the holiday season is not just for the kids, it is also for you. It’s that time of year again where you get to take time off and do what makes you happy. Whether it is spending time with the family, grabbing your surf board and heading to the beach or killing hookers on your Xbox in the latest Saint’s Row, we encourage everyone to take a break before the New Year. And the first step to relaxing is by reading our magazine. So make yourself a cup of coffee, sit back in your chair and enjoy our Christmas gift to you. Merry Christmas to all And a Fantastic New Year. Love The All Otaku Team
Because everything’s better with tentacles/subtitles/ninjas/pirates/ zombies/monkies/robots/bacon.
Featured Contents Editor Joannah Stewart -Master Ed joannah@all otaku.co.za Marketing Joannah Stewart admin@all-otaku.co.za Contributors Alex Gonçalves E2046 Cresent Sahil Lala (L1ghtn1ng) Ntobeko Mashabane (Tobey) Website http://allotakumagazine.yolasite. com/ Subscription sub@all-otaku.co.za Copyright Information Copyright © 2011 All Otaku Magazine Reserve All Rights To This e-zine. All articles and any content featured here are subject to copyright by either All Otaku Magazine or any respective studios, manufacturers, artists and/or creators. The content within this magazine may not be copied, edited or manipulated in any form without permission.
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Guilty Crown
11
Reviews
18
Secondhand Anime, get the best deals this Christmas
19 Featured Personality: Hayao Miyazaki 23
Planetes
24
Arrietty. Ghibli’s new release.
25
The News Box
29
LARPing Special
31
Artist of the month
34
Top ten anime of 2011
39
SA Anime Directory
43
Featured Game
45
Gaming Corner
47
Figure of the Month
48
Cosplay of the Month
49
Next Years Line-up
5 BEST ANIME CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR ANY OTAKU The Chrismas bug bites again. This year we bring you the best anime gifts around town 15 GUNDAM: THE HISTORY We take a look at the life of an anime legend in the making. 21 SUNRISE INC. The history and story line behind one of the west’s biggest anime endeavours. 36 STEVE JOBS, WE SAY GOOD BYE Today we say good bye to the man who changed our world with just a vision, he ideas inspired us. 45 ASSAULT HORIZON Find out what we think of this latest masterpiece.
49 FIGURE OF THE MONTH Our latest addition to the magazine brings you reviews on the latest figures from the UK.
THE BLOG
Letter of the Month December 2011 From: Zane Atkinson Subject: Words of encouragement
This month I was going to write about how commercialism has taken over and that the fat man in the red suit was not even Christian at all!! Imagine that. But then something happened and I got a call from my dad. Now I am not going to get into it but what I realised was this; we take our families for granted. Even the most caring families will forget about each other while finding their place in the world, it’s natural. But all too often people get caught up in their own little thing too notice that their family is moving on, that their family has problems of it’s own. To me there is nothing more important than family, before I moved out of my parents place they annoyed the living god out of me but then I left and I began my own life and suddenly I saw things from a different perspective and I understood that a family is not just a group of people born of the same parents or married to each other it’s a fully functional entity that lives and breathes as one, celebrates as one and even hurts as one. A family is not just by blood but by love, anyone who loves anyone else enough will know what it is to have family. So this Christmas I urge, no, beg you, if there is anyone out there who means something special to you, be it a parent or a sibling, a lover or even a close friend, then you let them know how much you care, because next year when we celebrate our annual designated family time they may not be there. So this year I would like to say hello to my family, and especially to my two brothers Mathieu and Sebastian, I hope you two know that I love you.
- MAster Ed
Hi there, It has been quite some time since “Otaku Magazine” stopped being published and all the while i have been wishing that someone would pick up where they left off. I have read the first two copies of your mag and found them to be very good, you guys actually seem to provide even more information than your predecessors [with regards to news].... for this i am very grateful! Once again things are looking up for the South African anime community so please keep up the fantastic work! Looking forward to the December issue... Regards Zane p.s. I just finished watching the first ep of Guilty crown ... WOW! It was a visually stunning experience, i usually don’t take a liking to anime that incorporates CG [because it often seems out of place] but they have done it very well in this anime.... Gimme MORE!
A Thousand Words... So last month we had our picture of the month with something that we found on the net that made us go WTF??!! This month we have more of the same. From strangely animated or photoshoped pics to crazy drawings. If it makes us go what the hell then it will be here.
This month we feature our first letter of the month!!!! Yay. We would like to say thank you to Zane and all those who like the magazine. We appreciate the support.
Will review for food. So before the New Year comes in we are looking for people who are willing to Review for food, actually we can’t even give you that but we will give you a nickname and ride you like a horse, so for those of you who would like to work for us as our slaves, mwhahahaha, we would be happy to have you. ;] Just send us an example of your work at admin@allotaku.co.za and we will get back to you.
So if you guys should find anything equally shocking feel free to send it our way and we will put it in this here magazine. You can send said pictures to fanmail@all-otaku.co.za or visit our Facebook page.
Summer 2012
Christmas, A Claus for Celebration Treat yourself this Christmas with the lastest specials and bargins on offer.
The Art of Fullmetal Alchemist, the Anime (Hardcover)
Code Geass Body Pillow
Normally dispatched in 14 21 Working Days www.awx.co.za
R 350.00
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha - Fate Testarossa Normally dispatched in 24 hours www.awx.co.za
R 870.00
R189.00
Author: Eric Searleman 92 pages - save 16% Delivery is free. loot.co.za
This is a great gift for both fans of the anime and collectors of manga.
Cowboy Bebop - The Movie (DVD)
R69.00
Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes Price: Delivery is free.
R444.00
Bleach Plush: Kon Crossed Leg Pose
Normally dispatched in 14 - 21 Working Days www.awx.co.za
R 120.00
224 pages Courier delivery is free to main centres. loot.co.za
ThinkGeek Shirts Let ThinkGeek help you prepare for your anime pilgrimage to Tokyo. They have a shirt to assist. thinkgeek.com
$18.99
loot.co.za
The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (Hardcover)
ALRIGHT!!! It is about time we got to what you have all been waiting for, this year’s Christmas List. This is where we gather all of the best deals into one list and add links. Some of our items are from overseas so the pricing will vary according to the exchange rate but speak to the dealers and maybe you can get a really good price on things. Other ideas for gifts include creating your own anime pictures and framing them, that is only if you can draw, or getting convention tickets for something like rAge, also magazine subscriptions can be a great gift if that person really likes the magazine.
Geek in Japan - Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, ZEN, and the Tea Ceremony (Paperback)
160 pages , June 2011 -save 5% Delivery is free. See delivery options. loot.co.za R244.00 6
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Complete First Gig (DVD, Boxed set)
Running Time: 10 hours, 33 minutes Courier delivery is free to main centres. loot.co.za
R297.00
Ultimate Anime Horror Collection (Japanese, DVD, Boxed set)
Running time: 2 hours, 36 minutes Delivery is free. See delivery options.
Nendoroid Petite: K-ON! (The First) Trading Figures
Virtual Pet. Rocobo is a virtual pet that lives on your desk. Roboco sings songs, flaps its ears, shows emotion (on the LCD screen) and shakes depending on how you treat it. It eats, sleeps, needs attention, poops and gets sick too. Rocobo Dot - Sky Blue, Rocobo Lighty - Dark Blue, Rocobo Nature - Green, Rocobo Rusian – Black & white, Rocobo Funny – Orange, Rocobo Hearty - Pink anytoys.co.uk
£12.95
Normally dispatched in 14 - 21 Working Days www.awx.co.za R 90.00
Studio Ghibli 14 Movies (Dual Audio) Box Set - Region 0
Definitely a great present to get any Otaku. Price is subject to exchange rate. animeunited.co.uk
loot.co.za
£27.99
R138.00
Shunya’s Demon (Pre-painted) ( 25 % OFF ) Stock Status : Pre-order. Parts : 4 Scale : 1/6 e2046.com US$ 139.49
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Supernatural: The Anime Series [November 2011] 8 hours, 4 minutes Courier delivery is free to main centres. 3 Disc 22 Episode set
2012 Calendar -- Evanglion 2.0 **Preorder** Evangelion, the defining anime of the 90s, continues to inspire the imaginations of all those who followed it, and the characters and mecha designs are still much beloved. This year we have another great Neon Genesis Evangelion...
loot.co.za
jlist.com R508.00
$30.00
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Guilty Crown Featured anime
So this year Production I.G decided to release to us, the masses, a package of awe-
some in the form of the long awaited Guilty Crown. And with designs from Redjuice and music buy Supercell this looks like an exciting event. The story opens with a scene set in 2029, Japan is under attack by way of a doomsday virus called “Lost Christmas” which causes wide spread panic and ultimately chaos. Consequently Japan is forced to accept help from GHQ, an evil bureaucracy aiming to enslave the world. Skip ahead 10 years to a young high school boy with few friends and a bad attitude that becomes entangled in the affairs of a rebel group named the “Funeral Parlour”. He is introduced to the terrorists when internet super star Inori (otherwise known as Chelly of Egoist) visits he’s school. Shu soon acquires the ability to draw Voids, weapons based on the personality of that individual, out of other people. This talent is epitomized by a mark on his right hand, called the “Kings Mark”. Funeral Parlour is run by a 17 year old named Gai Tsutsugami, who hopes to push the revolution to success with the help of the “power of kings”. Among his little band of merry men is 16-year old Inori Yuzuriha, her pseudonym is Chelly and her Void is a huge sword. Also among the crew are Ayase Shinomiya; an Endlave pilot who is bound to a wheelchair, her love for their leader makes her loyal to him. Previously, she piloted an older Endlave Jumeau model before it was destroyed by Daryl but later gains Daryl’s Endlave Steiner model. Tsugumi, a 14-year old hacker who is in charge of information warfare. Arugo Tsukishima, a 17-year old member who’s Void is a stun grenade and has mad ninja skills with hand-to-hand combat and knives. He is currently a second-year student at Ryusen High School. Oogumo specializes in the terrorist’s arsenal; he is a big but silent guy who has little to share but his experience. Shinbugi is Gai’s 27-year-old second in command whose annoying catch phrase “As expected of Gai” makes you want to nail him to the wall and throw animated eggs at him. And of course like any great team should, they have a mass murderer and a robot. But the assortment of bazaar and twisted characters continues with complex personas like Yahiro, a seemingly nice guy who is actually a drug dealer named Sugar, or Daryl Yan, a Lieutenant Juvenile officer and son of a General of the GHQ who’s cruel and sadistic nature afford him mysophobia, the fear of being touched by others believing they are infected. His Void is a weapon called “Kaleidoscope”, which enables him to create a myriad of barriers to deflect attacks. While the series obviously lacks common sense ( I mean come one. A 27-year-old following the orders of a 17 year old power hungry twerp. Right!) the one thing that we can all say for it is that it hosts some of the best CGI anime integration I have seen since Appleseed. Quite often you will find series that have mixed CGI scenes into the anime, usually at a moment where some awesome Mecha scene or magical transformation is taking place, but Guilty Crown manages to pull it off very well. All complaints aside I do suggest that you get your hands on this series.
-Ed
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Kamisama Dolls
Anime Reviews Review of the month
Black Rock Shooter
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy Directed by: Shinobu Yoshioka Produced by: Ordet Sanzigen Written by: Mari Okada Release Date: January 2012 – scheduled Episodes: 8
One of the most highly anticipated animes of the year the “Black Rock Shooter” OVA centres on the friendship of two young girls, Mato Kuroi and Yomi Takanashi, who go to school together. Mato joins the basketball club, which motivates Yomi to join the volleyball club as both clubs practice at the same time in the gymnasium. The two spend a lot of time together over the next few months, but when they move into their second year of Junior High Mato is placed in a different class which leads to Yomi’s jealousy of her other friends. The couple start to grow apart and when Yomi disappears Mato is questioned. Her sudden disappearance caused Mato great distress, but when Mato receives a blank message from Yomi’s phone she rushed to their favourite place in town where she retrieves the phone charm she gave to Yomi the year before. The charm begins to glow and she is transported to another world where she soon meets a mysterious girl named Black Rock Shooter. This skilled fighter uses a cannon to defeat her enemies with her blue flaming eye as a trademark, as the two traverse this dark and strange wonderland looking for Yomi they merge into one person to fight the Dead Master After losing his sister seven years prier who has ultimately taken over Yomi’s Satsuki Kakeru is put into foster care body. The battle ends when Yomi is where he meets Minase Yuka who quickly thrown to her death but the Black becomes like his sibling. The two attend Rock Shooter saves and embraces school together and despite the fact that her resulting in Yomi’s freedom. The they live in different places, still manage two friends are then returned home. to stay close. As they make their home one While each piece of media takes place day they find themselves transported to another dimension when the sky turns red in its own universe, they each focus and their reality shatters. Everyone around Kakeru and Yuka disappears and monaround the Black Rock Shooter. From sters start roaming the streets. Luckily they manage to hide until everything goes the manga series, in which the Black back to normal. Relieved, they return home and try not to think about it, but as Rock Shooter and her partner, Ron, they agree to forget about it Kakeru and Yuka are transported into the Red Night roam the world between Heaven and once again. This time they manage to meet up with another schoolmate Kusakabe Earth killing derelict souls, to the Misuzu, a red haired spirit sword fighter. She introduces them to Tachibana Kukuri, video game where Black Rock shoota peculiar mute girl who resembles Kakeru’s dead sister; Tajima Takahisa, a young er awakens in the year 2051 and is pyrokineticist who has a antisocial streak, and Hirohara Yukiko, the lively young plunged into battle in an attempt to girl with a split personality that comes out when she removes her glasses. The group regain her memory. must now fight to survive in this strange world while escaping or killing six shadow beings that wish to destroy them. These “Black Knights” refer to the humans as fragments and seem to be obsessed about protecting a young girl trapped inside a giant red crystal. The girl tells our heroes that her name is Lisette and claims that she is being held captive asking for their help. Each character seems to have a special ability of their own, Kakeru is told that he has “the bearer of the ‘eye of Aeon’.” Which gives him the ability to see what others are about to do. As they go on trying to survive, the six teenagers gradually form bonds and begin to work together in order to defeat the Black Knights, in the hopes that this will end the Red Night once and for all. blackrockshooter.wikia.com
11eyes
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I
t seems that Ireland has officially joined the ranks of animation creators who have had a film nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Their film “The Secret of Kells” was created by a Studio called Celluloid Dreams and with its limited release in America it was quite a surprise to see it receive a nomination, even managing to beat Pixar’s Up at the box office. Although, it’s a well-deserved honour as the film is a breath taking exhibition of Irish history turned fantasy, directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey this story weaves the beautiful tale of the boy apprentice Brendon and his involvement with the Book of Kells. The story begins in the seventh century with the creation of the religious Book of Kells, a book that still resides in Ireland today, the abbot Cellach who is put in charge of the book becomes obsessed with building a colossal wall around the abbey to protect it from the invading force of Vikings. As a scribe in training Brendon has heard of Aidan of Iona a master illuminator who is working on the Book of Iona. Aidan and his cat Pangur Bán later join the abbey after his own is destroyed in a Viking raid. One day Aidan asks Brendon to go out into the forest to collect gall nuts for ink, despite his of being punished by his uncle the boy does it, this leads to he’s meeting a forest spirit named Aisling. The two become friends regardless of being forbade leaving the abbeys confines. Soon Brandon is asked to help complete the Book of Iona but he cannot do it without the Eye of Collum-Cille which he will only obtain from Crom Cruach, a Celtic pagan deity. When Cellach discovers his plan he locks Brendan in his room and exiles Aidan to leave in the Spring, but Aisling frees him and they escape. The two then capture the eye and return only to help Aidan complete the book. Shortly after the abbey is attacked and Brendan and Aidan escape with the book into the forest where they are surrounded by invaders who threaten to kill them ripping up the book. The pair are saved by Aisling and her wolves before she disappears into the forest. Brendan and Aiden continue to travel across Ireland, working on the Book of Iona over the years. As an adult Brendan visits his uncle at the abbey allowing him to see the complete Book of Kells before he dies. The movie showcases the talent the Irish have for story telling along side their ability to create stunning visual art. Thanks to their nomination the movie has become a wide spread favourite for adults and kids alike.
Leaving his archaic hometown Kyouhei Kuga moves to Tokyo in an attempt to escape the rules and traditions of his family. One night, as he and a group of friends make their way home from a party Kuga and Shiba find a bloody corpse in an elevator, they begin to dig into it in an attempt to solve the mystery. In the busy pace of the city Kuga is a simple university student but back home he is known as a seki, a title given to the chosen few who have the ability to control kakashis, mysterious wooden dolls able to perform amazing feats. The seki are considered gods in the small Karakami village, and with his arrival in Tokyo Kuga attracts the attention of a handful of other seki who come to Tokyo in search of him. But he is still haunted by the old ways and the feud between the two major houses in his village, the Kuga and the Hyuga. Now he must fight to stay in Tokyo and build a life for himself.
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The Time of Eve The creation of A.I. and the consequences that would result have long been a hot topic for story tellers since the beginning of time. It is a way for people to continue their legacy through the creation of another being, a way for humanity to play god in a sense. So it was no surprise to me when I stumbled upon a new android series last week called The Time of Eve. The series was not at all what I expected! I started watching this 6 episode series with the impression that it would be full of malfunctioning robots that fight back for all the cruel treatment and suspicion they have had to suffer. The kind you get in Bubblegum Crisis or Appleseed, but instead I was shocked to find that there was a tangible story involved here. Based around the life of a student named Rikuo Sakisaka, he discovers that his android house keeper, Sammy, has been making secret detours to a mysterious cafe while out shopping. He and a friend decide to check it out and discover a small café called The Time of Eve. The café is one of a kind in that it caters to both humans and androids. Here androids are allowed to walk around freely without the burden of their ‘halo’ or act without emotion. Here all are equal as friends. The pair become very attached to their fellow patrons, android or otherwise, and begin to realise that humans have created something special in the robotic community. The animation can be a little stiff sometimes but it makes up for it in concept. This is a touching series that can be finished in one afternoon but that you will remember for a long time to come.
Cencoroll Based on the manga entitled Amon Game written and illustrated by Atsuya Uki, the story revoles around strange whale style creatures start appearing in Japan. It isn’t long before people start making telepathic connections with them and keeping them as pets, one such person is schoolboy Tetsu (Hiro Shimono), who keeps a shape shifting creature named Cenco. At first he tries to keep it a secret that is until one of his school mates, Yuki, (Kana Hanazawa) discovers Cenco at school while it is in the form of a bicycle. While in town one day the trio run into a boy named Shū (Ryōhei Kimura), who controls two of these creatures and wants to confront Tetsu in order to obtain Cenco. Tetsu manages to fend off Shū and he’s shape shifters attacks while protecting Yuki. In order to get Tetsu to fight him Shū kidnaps Yuki and a battle between the two forces ensues. The movie was aired world-wide on July 28, 2009 and while it is somewhat old, we discovered that Cencoroll 2 has been green lit although no release date seems to have been published. “When a huge monster appears on the top of a building in an ordinary provincial town, the local Defense Forces go into action, and the people of the town are in uproar. Yuki happens to know the secret that Tetsu keeps a strange creature called Cenco. Being brave-hearted and naturally inquisitive, she becomes fascinated by Tetsu and his unusual pet, Cenco. A mysterious boy - who has control over the huge monster threatening the town - then appears and an unexpected battle begins.”
- Anime News Network http://www.crunchyroll.com/cencoroll/-cencoroll-cencoroll-trailer-339676
Bring the Spirit of Japan into your home this Christmas with the Studio Ghibli Collection at animeunited. co.uk
GUNDAM: THERE’S A
GIANT ROBOT
IN YOUR BACK YARD
so to do the suits evolve, newer models are made with better tech. The series all centre on the mobile suits and their crew and how they handle being faced with war. Essentially this is a ‘coming of age’ drama disguised as a shounen series, where not only are the morals of the characters tested but ours are as well, both individually and as a society. Gundam makes a point of showing you the virtues and faults in all of its characters while displaying political battles and debates on various philosophical issues and ideals in the significance of war, the ideal of pacifism, and the continuing evolution of humanity that could apply to us as a race in the future. And unlike any anime of its time a lot of effort was put into make its characters real in which the protagonist’s, and sometimes the antagonist’s, personalities, points of view, allegiances, goals, and actions may or may not change radically as events unfold. With such complexities in the
When you think about early anime you picture the chunky 2D graphics of Mecha machines or the Shounen type anime on SABC 2 we used to watch as a kid. Well this month we take a look at one of those very series. In fact this anime was the foundation for most of the robot machine anime we see today; and at the time, though its creators didn’t know it yet, it opened a door way to a whole new way of thinking when it came to plot creation. Many Otaku across the planet owe their fandom to this one series.
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hen renowned artist and animator Yoshiyuki Tomino and a group of Sunrise creators all under the collective pseudonym of “Hajime Yatate” first established the Gundam series, it was called Freedom Fighter Gunboy, or simply Gunboy because of its shounen demographic. In the early stages there were multiple references to the word Freedom; the White Base was then Freedom’s Fortress and the core Fighter was the Freedom Wing but as the series evolved they changed the names to the ones we know today. This team had the idea that they wanted a robot series that not only spoke to boys but also to the adult crowd, something that had a bit more meaning in it than just a boy with a remote controlled robot fighting small battles. What they came up with was a complex collection of intertwining stories where realism was a key component. From the design of their robots and weaponry, to energy sources, ammunition and most importantly malfunctions, Gandam’s characters were to act like real people whose opinions and view-points changed when they were faced with new information. In a sense Gundam breathed life into the stiff genre that is shounen. Yatate did not just make up a story line and create circumstances because they said so, there was thought put into every aspect, the technology is practical, either derived from true science or at least well-explained, requiring only a few fictional elements to function. In fact the team did such a great job of putting this universe together that in July 2007 MIT Astronautics Department Professor, Dava Newman, based his design of a space biosuit on those of the Gundam universe, in February of the next year NASA proposed the idea of nuclear thermal rockets, similar to the ones in Gundam.
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2 Series made after the original one are often referred to as “Heisei Gundam”.
The Gundam universe is set in the not-too-distant future where humanity has out grown this planet and we are forced to live in orbiting Space colonies. Inevitably the mass lower classes are pitted against a corrupt government in a battle for their freedom, thus Gundam Mobile Suits are created in an attempt to win the war. Most Gundams are large, bipedal vehicles controlled by human pilots from internal cockpits. As the series unfolds
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“In this groundbreaking series, the traditional giant robots of Japanese anime were for the first time portrayed as realistic war machines instead of invincible superheroes.”
plot it is easy to see why this is such a wellreceived anime by adults the world over.
However it wasn’t always this way, when the series was first released in 1979 it was cut prematurely because it couldn’t attract enough viewers, but when the same material was recut and aired as three theatrical features in 1981 and 1982, the response was so overwhelming. Since then the franchise has grown into an unstoppable empire spawning sequels, prequels, side stories and alternate timelines. So far there are at
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“Like George Lucas’ Galactic Empire or Gene Rodenberry’s Federation, Tomino’s “Gundam” universe allowed its creator to explore politics, mysticism, ecology, and prejudice.”
least seven separate timelines created by Sunrise including the Future Century, After Colony, After War, Correct Century, Cosmic Era, Anno Domini and Advanced Generation. Over thirty years later, there have been 25 television series, 11 feature films, a variety of manga, novels, video games, and an IMAX featurette, making this one of animes most prominent series in Japanese history. In 2009-2010, a 59-foot “life-size” statue of a Gundam Mobile Suit was built in Tokyo and Shizuoka at Sunrise studios to mark the 30th anni-
versary of the release of the first Gundam plastic model kit.
Each separate series has a calendar or time line in which the story runs, the majority of them will occur in the Universal Century (UC) timeline while some later series will be a part of the Future Century (FC), and in a few instances the timeline will be named after the year that the series was released, case in point 1979’s Mobile Suit Gundam taking place in UC 0079, 1995’s Mobile Suit Gundam Wing in After Colony 195, and 2007’sMobile Suit Gundam 00 taking place in 2307.
“It would take more than six weeks of watching eight hours of video a day, seven days a week, to see the more than 345 hours of the “Gundam saga.” “ -Ed
e m i n a d n a h Second your How to get the most for
W
ith the recession happening these last few years and Christmas just around the corner we decided to have a look at where you could get the best quality second hand anime for less. While getting second hand stuff for a Christmas present is a little tacky there are many collectors’ items that are no longer on the market which you can pick up for a pretty penny, in fact you can even find stuff that hasn’t been opened or practically new if you are lucky. Games for example are one of the most common second hand items on the market. Many people will play them and then sell them because they are finished using them. But before we jump into the who to get what from and where to shop we would like to point out a few things that you should look for when browsing the ever accessible web for Christmas goodies. Firstly KNOW WHERE YOU ARE SHOPPING. If you are shopping on some strange looking site where there is no seller/buyer history, or much of a profile for the guy you are buying from then don’t do it. Unless you trust that person you should never just send stuff to some random stranger. That is not to say that it doesn’t happen on professional sites like eBay, but it is less likely. Always check to see if the person you are buying from has a history, and if other people trust them, places like eBay and Bid or Buy will have a place where people will comment on the person and his merchandise. Secondly are you buying second hand from an online store or from a person? If you are buying from a store then you are going to pay more, but at least you are guaranteed that the
money
package will be delivered. If you are buying from an individual then your cost will be less, you will also find that some people want to get rid of a whole collection of stuff and so you can often find great deals that you would miss out on at an e-store. Another great way to save cash this holiday is to find manga and anime graphic novels instead of buying the boxset. Generally second hand manga is cheaper than second hand anime. Know your genres. While this may seem like an odd thing to say it is a valid point. Make sure that you know what you are looking for because if you don’t you may end up with an item you find to be inappropriate, strange, or just not what you like. Also many it’s suggested that those who like both watching anime and saving money should download fansubs (fan-translated anime) from the internet (usually as torrents). Although copyright holders rarely seek prosecution for this popular activity, you should be aware of the relevant copyrights and your potential legal exposure if you choose to engage in it. Such unauthorized distributions also may damage the sales of DVDs in the industry. On a similar note, watch out for pirated DVDs when buying anime online, especially from eBay, etc. Research the seller before you buy from them! Quality. Not only do you want quantity when buying second hand but also quality. Check the products first. Ask the seller to send you some photos of what you are buying. Legally you have every right to look at what you are buying. If they refuse then you know there is something wrong with the product.
There are a few sites where you can find or sell second hand anime:
Gametz http://gametz.com/
eBay
http://stores.ebay.com/UsedAnime-Store
Animeworx
http://www.awx.co.za/shop/ cat/t/Pre-Owned.html
Mighty Ape
http://www.mightyape.co.nz/ Movies/DVDs/Anime/Marketplace/
If you are buying a collector’s item then do a little bit of research. Make sure that you know what you are talking about very often people will try to swindle you out of extra money because you don’t know what an item is worth. Go on line and fine out when the item was made? Is it a collector’s item? When did they stop making it commercially? How much is it worth. Speak to people. Ask them questions. The last thing you want is to give someone something you think is rare only to find out that they have ten of them and it is only worth 20 bucks.
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The Gundam History
-Ed
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Hayao Miyazaki
hata. Unfortunately Pippi was cancelled after the original author, Astrid Lindgren, denied them permission to animate it. Miyazaki then left in 1979 to direct his first feature film The Castle of Cagliostro. His next movie was one of the biggest land marks in anime history, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika) was released in 1984 before its manga counter-part was even finished. The manga featured seven-volumes which he created from 1982 to 1994 and have sold millions of copies worldwide.
The Man Behind The Art
Studio Ghibli
B orn in the year 1941 Hayao Miyazaki has become one of the world’s most well-known anime story tellers in both the East and
Personality of the month
“
The reason I wasn’t here for the Academy Award was because I didn’t want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq,” he said. “At the time, my producer shut me up and did not allow me to say that, but I don’t see him around today. By the way, my producer also shared in that feeling.
“
Born: January 5, 1941 Age: 70 Place of birth: Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan Occupation: Direct Animator Screenwriter Manga Artist Storyboard Artist Years active: 1963–2011 Famous for: Nausicaä Castle in the Sky My Neighbor Totoro Kiki’s Delivery Service Porco Rosso Princess Mononoke Spirited Away Howl’s Moving Castle Ponyo
the West. After releasing the 2001 hit ‘spirited away’ through Disney he has gained world-wide acclaim for him and his studio. Today we shed some light on the history behind the man who has inspired a generation of animators and changed the course of animation history by maintaining the appeal of meaningful movies. Miyazaki is the second of four sons born in the small town of Akebono-cho in Tokyo’s Bunkyō. At the time his father, Katsuji, was director of Miyazaki Airplane, the company made rudders for A6M Zero fighter planes during World War II. It was owned by his brother, Miyazaki’s uncle, and very often Miyazaki was allowed to sit and drew the airplanes. This lead to his lifelong fascination and predilection that later manifested as a recurring theme in his films. As well as his keen sense of structure Miyazaki has a strong sense of moral difference to what society feels is the norm. This it seems, he gets from his mother; she was always an avid reader who like him challenged the social norm. Unfortunately for nearly ten years his mother suffered from Pott disease, she spent the first few years in hospital, until she was eventually able to be nursed from home. As a child Miyazaki was forced to switch schools several times, impacting many of his films and how he told his stories, many a time the main character is moved out of their comfort zone, often feeling a little disorientated as he did. After having to evacuate his home town his family returned and Miyazaki began attending Toyotama High School, after his third year, he saw the film Hakujaden (The Tale of the White Serpent), the first full colour anime of its time. Miyazaki then graduated Gakushuin University in 1963 with degrees in political science and economics, at which point he began to work for Toei Animation as an in-between artist on the anime Watchdog Bow Wow. At first his talents were limited to machinery and architecture; he found it very difficult to draw a human figure. But as time went on Miyazaki reports that he would sit with a sketch pad and watch people in the park. As he watched them he would make rough sketches of the way they moved and their expressions. Soon he was able to grasp the human design. He was influenced by famous manga artists like Osamu Tezuka, Tetsuji Fukushima and Sanpei Shirato, but he consciously developed his own style when he began studying animation. It wasn’t until 1965 that he gained recognition when he pitched an alternate ending for Gulliver’s Travels Beyond the Moon (Garibā no Uchuu Ryokō). In October of the same year he married fellow animator Akemi Ota, the couple had two sons Gorō and Keisuke Miyazaki. 1968 saw Miyazaki taking on lead roles as chief animator, concept artist, and scene designer of Hols: Prince of the Sun with director Isao Takahata. For the next three years Miyazaki dedicated himself to creating masterpieces for Toei, in 1971 he left to work for A Pro where he worked on Lupin III and Pippi Longstockings with Taka-
Miyazaki “fell in love” with the movie’s heroine and it left a strong impression on him. It was after this Miyazaki decided to stop his pursuit of being a manga artist and pursue animation. However, in order to become an animator, he had to learn to draw the human figure, since his prior work had been limited to airplanes and battleships.
Original established in 1985 Studio Ghibli was registered as a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten, until 2005that is when Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki and Isao Takahata generated the new Studio Ghibli in Koganei, procuring all the copyrights of Miyazaki’s works and business rights from Tokuma Shoten. Over the years Miyazaki continued to acquire recognition with films like Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro, 1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992), and 1997’s Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-Hime) which hosted the same ecological disaster warnings of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Despite Princess Mononoke being one of his most violent pictures the film was a huge victory for Japan, where it became the highest grossing film of all time, until Titanic. At this point Miyazaki decided to go into retirement, luckily it proved to only be temporary and he returned to the animation world in 2001 with the award winning Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi). Released in Japan in July 2001, the film earned ¥30.4 billion (approximately $300 million) in gross profit with over 23 million viewings. Studio Ghibli then released Howl’s Moving Castle in the November of 2004, Miyazaki had came out of retirement following the sudden departure of original director Mamoru Hosoda. This film earned ¥1.4 billion in its first two days. Miyazaki received a lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival for it in 2005, but later that year, the Chinese media reported that Miyazaki planned to retire once more after his newest project, I Lost My Little Boy, was released. This turned out to be false. Not a year later Miyazaki’s son, Gorō Miyazaki, released his first film, Tales from Earthsea, it had always been Hayao Miyazaki’s dream to make an anime of this work and had repeatedly asked for permission from the author, Ursula K. Le Guin. But she had repeatedly refused and when she finally did request he produce an anime he refused because he had lost interest. Unfortunately fans of the nearly forty year old books, found the film to be disappointing. Throughout the film’s production, Gorō and his father were not speaking to each other, due to a dispute over whether or not Gorō was ready to direct. This movie was originally to be produced by Hayao Miyazaki, but he declined as he was already in the middle of producing Howl’s Moving Castle. Ghibli decided to make Gorō, who had yet to head any animated films, the producer instead. Then in 2007 Miyazaki was able to regain any popularity he may have lost with the press release for their new film Ponyo, or Gake no ue no Ponyo, literally “Ponyo on a Cliff.” The story is about a five year old boy and a goldfish princess who wishes to be human. The film was done by hand, a tradition Miyazaki and the studio like to maintain in their films as he believes he adds more soul to the piece. Ponyo was released in July 2008 in Japan, then in North America and the UK in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Recently Hayao Miyazaki worked on the films Kokurikozaka kara (From up on Poppy Hill) and Arrietty, based on the Borrowers. From Up On Poppy Hill is based on the 1980 two-volume manga of the same name written by Tetsurō Sayama and drawn by Chizuru Takahashi. The film was a collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki, who wrote the screenplay, and Gorō Miyazaki, who directed the film. This year it was announced on Twitch that both Miyazaki will be working towards not one but two new projects for next year. Miyazaki leaked that he would be working on an autobiography, however it is unclear as to who’s biography it will be or when it will be due for release. However with so many greats under their belt we look forward to anything coming out of Studio Ghibli. -Mimiru
Personality of the month
32 Years of Sunrise
Excellence “O
Industry: Animation and production Genre: Anime Founded: September 1972 Headquarters: Suginami, Tokyo, Japan Area served: Japan Key people: Takayuki Yoshii (Chairman and CEO) Kenji Uchida (President) Employees: 200 (2006) Subsidiaries: Sunrise Music Pub lishing Sunrise In teractive Website: sunrise-inc.co.jp
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ur mission as a team is to create a worldwide movement.” A bold statement made by the company on their website, and they have lived up to every word. One of the longest running and most famous production companies in Japan, their experience speaks for itself. Specializing in mecha and tech anime they have brought us titles like Gundam, Patlabor and Code Geass; these titles are tokens of accomplishments in their life time that live up to the opening statement. Founded by former members of Mushi productions in 1972, under the name Sunrise Studio, Ltd, but is presently known as Sunrise Inc. At its humble beginnings the company set out to be different from the other production companies who were creating anime based on manga adaptations and popular children’s stories, the ventured in to the challenging genre of robot anime. Now they are specialists in the field of mecha and tech related genres, with memorable titles like Gundam and Code Geass being a testament of their hard work and experience. Sunrise has produced many mecha and non-mecha related anime and their consistency makes them the best in mecha genre today, their most famous shows being Gundam, Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3, Patlabor, Zegapain and Code Geass to name but they do not only focus on this market, they are known for producing Sci-fi series that rely on an enthralling plot and characters with deep and realistic characteristics people could relate to. There are shows such as Cowboy Bebop, Crusher Joe, Yakitate!! Japan, Dirty Pair, Infinite Ryvius, Mister Ajikko, Kekkaishi, and Freedom Project that break way from the robotics ice cap. They have also worked with Toei animation to produce shows such as Chōdenji Robo Combattler V , Chōdenji Machine Voltes V , and Tōshō Daimos. Anime created by Sunrise have also been award winners, Code Geass alone has won Best TV anime (Tokyo Anime Awards/ 2007 Tokyo International Fair and numerous awards from Animage Annual Grand Prix, who awarded other Sunrise Inc shows including Mobile Suit Gundam (1979-1980), Space Runway Ideon (1980), Crusher Joe (1983), Dirty Pair (1985), Future GPX Cyber Formula (1991), Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002), and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2006) Sunrise inc is a production studio of note, with staff who left the company to start their own production studios which are now successful, Studio Deen was founded by Hiroshi Hasegawa and Takeshi Mochida, Manglobe was produced by Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama and Bones was founded by Masahiko Minami. A leader in creativity, they have accomplished every aspect of their goals to communicate and fascinate audiences around the world and have kept us the edge of our seats eager to see what great stories and visuals they come up with next as they have done in the past.
Sunrise has been involved in many popular anime television series, including: Mobile Suit Gundam (and all its various spinoffs and sequels since 1979) Mashin Eiyūden Wataru (1988–1997) Yūsha (1990–1997) Eldran (1991–1993) Space Runaway Ideon (1980). They have co-produced a number of series with Toei Animation, including Chōdenji Robo Combattler V (1976), Chōdenji Machine Voltes V (1977), Tōshō Daimos (1978), and Cyborg 009 (1979). Sunrise is especially known for their mecha anime series (including Gundam) such as Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 (1978), Fang of the Sun Dougram (1981), the Armored Trooper Votoms and Aura Battler Dunbine series (1983), Blue Comet SPT Layzner (1985), Patlabor (1989), The Vision of Escaflowne (1996), The Big O (1997), Overman King Gainer (2002), Zegapain (2007), and Code Geass (2006/2008). They even worked alongside Tsuburaya Productions to animated the anime The Ultraman (1979). Sunrise has produced a variety of non-mecha works as well, including Crusher Joe (1983), Dirty Pair (1985), Mister Ajikko (1987), Obatarian (1990), Cowboy Bebop (1998), Infinite Ryvius (1999), Seraphim Call (1999), InuYasha (2000), s-CRY-ed (2001), Yakitate!! Japan (2004), Kekkaishi (2006) and Freedom Project (2006). 22
Planetes Astronauts in their underwear?
Imagine that in 70 years from now we have reached space and managed to populate the moon, orbiting earth are Stations that collect the junk we have littered our atmosphere with over the last two centuries. Spice it with an exuberant young astronaut-in-training who is disappointed to be assigned to clean up, a crew of space miscreants, and a highly eccentric captain and you have the Sunrise series “Planetes”. The manga series was turned into an anime that centres on Ai Tanabe, an awkward teen who finds it frustrat “… they’re often referred ing when she is assigned to the near none existent clean-up crew for Space to as the Half Section; Station ISPV-7. She quickly learns one of Ai’s fellow recruits that the crew she is working with are says it’s because they’re all a bunch of crazies, from the ever fretful Meyers and his magic tricking also “half-trained, half assistant Arvind to their pilot Fee who assed, half-cocked, half takes smoke breaks in the decompres hearted and half-crazy.” sion chamber. The crew is understaffed and untrained and lead by a man named Hachirota Hoshino who walks about in his under wear. Ai immediately begins bickering with Hoshino, when he stumbles in, clad in the upper part of his spacesuit and the diaper he’s required to wear during excursions into space. The ‘idealistic newbie who fights with her jaded but knowledgeable elder” is definitely an overused plot but the characters in this plot are a lot more complex than expected and this blend of rebellious youth and smart arse old guy humour are rather original. The setting also allows for equally original stories and situations, one of which even involves the two space itinerants visiting the moon where they are accosted by a troupe of Ninja wannabes. During the crews escapades the artists of Sunrise manage to use the characters back ground stories to transform a relatively typical cast into a captivating set of individuals. this anime seems like a regular comedy, but as it progresses, you fall in love with it.. 23
Go BIG this December with the AI Fest LAN and Cosplay.
Studio Ghibli Recreates
Childhood Memories
It follows the adventures of the Clock family, who believe they are the last of their kind and must live in a world surrounded by giants. Dangers and the unknown are ever present, and make for a fantastic tale! bigshinyrobot.com
B
Anime Infection (Pty) Ltd www.anime-infection.co.za www.facebook.com/AnimeInfection info@anime-infection.co.za A.I. Tech www.ai-tech.co.za www.facebook.com/AITechZA info@ai-tech.co.za A.I. Fest www.ai-fest.co.za www.facebook.com/AIFestZA info@ai-fest.co.za Plushie Heaven www.facebook.com/PlushieHeaven tazzleigh@gmail.com
ased on Mary Norton’s children’s Novel “The Borrowers,” Studio Ghibli manages to pull off yet another stunning movie with elements from both Western and Eastern cultures. ‘The Secret World of Arrietty’ or ,“Arrietty” in the west, tells the tale of the Clocks family, a family of small people who live in a secret world under the floor boards, they believe themselves to be the only ones left of their kind. But when they are seen by a human boy they believe that they should leave to find a safer place to live. Shawn, the young boy who discovers them secretly befriends their daughter Arrietty but when her mother is taken they have to work together to save her. Fans of the original will be delighted by the fanciful flair of Miyazaki’s Tokyo-based animation company. Something about their animation brings a newly established inspiration to the story that the original Working Title Films make did not. The film is set for release in the west on the 17th of February 2012 and will be available in an English dub and Japanese version. For those of you who would like to see the trailer please see the link below to find it on Youtube. The English version will star Will Arnett, Luke Allen-Gale, Carol Burnett, Amy Poehler, and Saoirse Ronan – this film is definitely another must-see from Miyazaki and his talented crew. -Ed 24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VlMe7PavaRQ
The News Box Steam put on their autumn sale!
Crunchyroll team up with Android.
This April the anime adaptation of Katsura Masakazu’s manga “ZETMAN” will airing In Japan. “ZETMAN” is a Science Fiction story based on the young boy Jin who has the ability to transform into a superhuman “ZET”, and Kouga who is the son of the large enterprise, and has a strong sense of justice. Production will be handled by TMS Entertainment, Ltd, with Nabeshima Osamu taking the reins as director. It was also revealed that the character design will be reserved by Takaya Hirotoshi while Gabriele Roberto will be handling the music, and the anime’s scenario writer will be Tomioka Atsuhiro. -Ed
Anime fans of Andriod will be happy to know that the Asian streaming service Crunchyroll has recently broadcast that its Android app will be supported in the upcoming release of Google TV 2.0. The app will allow users to browse through anime and Asian drama libraries on devices like the Droid X, Galaxy S, Nexus One, and other Android2.1+ phones and tablets. It will be available as a free download through the Logitech Revu or the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Disc Player Powered by Google TV. Viewers will also have access to all of the normal Crunchyroll facilities including being able to sign up for a premium membership which will allow them to watch titles airing one hour after the Japanese airing.
-Ed
Twi-Hards confused over anime legend Late last month director Jaume Collet-Serra’s announced that they may have found a female lead for the new live action remake of anime legend Akira. Twitch reported that the Twilight sweetheart, Kristen Stewart, has been offered the role of Kei, a young medium who becomes the love interest for Kaneda the role already offered to Garrett Hedlund. This led to many a WTF???!!! status updates on twitter and Facebook from Twihards and anime fans alike. While this may seems like a drastic move on Serra’s part this is not the only shocker involved in the remaking of one of Japans greatest movies, it is also believed that the film will be set in New York instead of Tokyo and that it will feature a PG13 age restriction. So either the age restriction rules have changed in America or the story has been wiped of all violence and inappropriate material. And as far as I can remember almost all of it was inappropriate, which is what gave the movie so much impact. This restriction would lead to the cutting of important scenes in the plot development. However choosing Stewart may not be such a failing on the director’s part as she is a widely known name that may be able to boost the movies status. As anime fans we can only cross our fingers and prey that Hollywood does do to the anime industry what they did with comic industry. -Ed
Japan Invites Tourists To Their Shores This coming year the Tourism Ministry has announced that it intends to invite 10,000 foreigners to Japan, travel expenses paid!!! That’s right, if you are chosen the Japanese government will PAY for you to visit their country. The idea is that the chosen tourists will then publish accounts of their travels on the web and fill out questionnaires on how to improve things after the earthquake at the beginning of this year. The Tourism Ministry has requested $150 million in funding for this program but they are still waiting on the Governments approval. According to reports if the idea becomes a reality the initiative will begin in April 2012. Prospective tourists will apply mainly through an Internet application at http:// www.jnto.go.jp/eng/.
-Ed
It’s that time of year again and Steam is having an Autumn Sale to celebrate! In honour of Thanksgiving Steam is hacking the prices on hundreds of games. Everyday heralds new deals and exciting prices. If there is a game you are looking for or any early Christmas shopping you need doing then this is the place to go. The sale ends on November 27th, so neglect your family and buy, buy, buy! Visit them at: http://store.steampowered.com/
Japan to train the rest of the world in the art of Anime This year the anime mogul Studio Gonzo announced their partnership with Singapore’s ArtFusion Media School in an effort to create a new anime-style animation school. Their goal is to expand the anime style and begin training courses over-seas in foreign countries but at the same time retaining Asia as a central point. The rising demand for anime and its international popularity has inspired the two companies to take the opportunity to create a course that will enable many to get involved in something they are passionate about. While ArtFusion already offers animation and 3D modelling courses they have agreed to take on Japanese anime courses intended for foreign fans of anime, Gonzo believes that it is time that they reached out to the large number of fans and animators in places like Singapore. The partners also hope to create international licensing agreements to accommodate other countries’ desires for education in anime creation. With that goal in mind, Gonzo and ArtFusion Media School plan to offer long-term courses in their anime education program in the future. They recognise that while there are many passionate fans out there not all of them can afford to go to Japan to learn the style and so Gonzo plans to start full time courses soon. -Ed
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It seems that America is really jumping on the anime band-waggon this year. First the Akira movie and now Dark Horse Manga on iPad. Dark Horse Comics has begun offering a small selection of manga titles in digital format through a free iOS app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad last month. It seems that Dark Horse will be preserving the Japanese right-to-left reading format in its digital manga releases. The releases include: Trigun Maximum (Volumes 1 - 3) Hellsing (Volumes 1 - 3) Lady Snowblood (Volume 1) Crying Freeman (Volumes 1 - 2) Lone Wolf and Cub (Volumes 1 - 10) Old Boy (Volume 2) Path of the Assassin (Volume 1) Samurai Executioner (Volumes 1 - 5)
Pokemon for live action movie??
A
Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling ported for PSP in 2012 The love-comedy spin off of Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling originally came out on Xbox 360 in Japan this summer. Now Mages has announced plans to port the title to PSP, with a release scheduled for 2012. Hiyoku Renri no Darling features dating-sim aspects like getting closer to the female cast through e-mail, offering a different side to their personalities. -Ed 27
nd now for this week’s something old. It would seem that last year a trailer was released for the new live action Pokémon movie set in a future reality where Pokémon fights are on the verge of being outlawed and the world is ruled by Team Rocket. Ash and gang have grown up in a twisted version of the Pokémon reality where everything takes on a gritty feel. From the polluted cities to the grimy dungeon bars that the Pokémon have to fight in, we see a very different view on the Pokémon world. But despite the fact that this trailer is a fake, yes a fake, it is extremely well done. It was in fact a crazy idea baked up by a group of bored college students. When the trailer hit the internet it spread like wild fire and soon everyone knew about it but shortly after its creators announced its fraudulence. However if you should like to see it follow the link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C49 Q0gmVgBY&feature=related -Ed
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N O I T C A E V LI . . . ? T A H W
W
hile on our travels across the vast scape that is the internet searching for the beast that is useful and exciting information for our viewers, we came upon a site about SA LARPing. And apparently there is a heavy emphasis on roleplaying in this country. In the single evening events this means that there is little use of non-player characters, costumes are the norm, and simple game mechanics are used. The standard conflict-resolution systems are symbolic, usually involving dice and very simplified character proficiency statistics. Special abilities are generally handled using cards that the player using the ability shows to those affected by it.
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In the once-off events, players are usually given detailed character sheets, sometimes of up to eight pages. These included background, goals and knowledge of other characters. This information gives structure to the game, as various characters and sub-plots interact to form a story.
F
or the time are tots in diapers we have the urge to play a role other than our own, as children we pretend to be cowboys or doctors, we make up our own games and play them in the back yard with pride, but when we get older we are told that it is silly to pretend to be something else and we quickly discard our activities to suit the fickle procedures of our ever changing society. However, you will be happy to know that a select group of rebels choose to turn a blind eye on society and do it any way. This group of play-acting hooligans are known as Live Action Role Players and there is way more of them than you would think. Every year thousands of people across the globe gather together at various fields to act out their favourite scenarios, from fantasy fighters and D&D fans to history buffs re-enacting wars, these people are passionate about their roles, each acting out their parts with enthusiasm. As early as the 1800’s, role playing has captivated adult devotion in the form of mystery murders in which party goers followed clues to solve the mystery of who killed the victim.
For a long time nothing changed and LARPing remained a rudimentary, that is until the 1920’s when live action role-playing was used for psychotherapeutic purposes by helping people act out their issues. It was championed in the US by Jacob L. Moreno and was not thought of as a game but rather as a tool. Then in the 1960’s came the creation of Fantasy LARPs, it’s believed that this form of LARPing was initiated by the Society for Creative Anachronism in Berkeley. In1969 a similar group was started (Markland Medieval Mercenary Militia), which held events on the University of Maryland College Park. These groups were largely dedicated to accurately recreating medieval history and culture, however, with only mild fantasy elements, and were probably mostly influenced by historical re-enactment. Then, in the early 1970’s the first table top role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, was born, spawning generations of roleplay archetype games, from LARPing to tabletop, and even computer RPGs. It wasn’t until recently, however, that LARPing hit our shores, starting with SA’s LARPing capital Cape Town.
“Hold on Boys, you can’t all die at once”
Often LARPing involves armour of some kind. With this in mind you can find anything from leather outfits to real metal armour and accessories.
Infact sites like Epic Armoury will stock just about all you need to role play
SA also hosts a variety LARPing clubs like MEAD, 3owls, Smithinn and Nero LARP.
While the most common events are single evening events often less than four hours long, larger and longer campaigns are held intermittently, most using a World of Darkness: Vampire base line. There is a large archive of LARPs written by Capetownian designers like CLAWS, a roleplaying society based at the University of Cape Town. A few years later in 2008 a campaign based on the SOLAR model was set up in Gauteng, it is called Medieval Adventures, better known as MEAD, in which full combat stats and boffing weapons are used. In July 2011 a second boffer larp setting was created, Tales of Teana which also runs in Johannesburg, Guateng. Tales of Teana is affiliated with MEAD, however the LARP has a completely separate organization team and runs under the NERO system in a world called Teana. Game-play takes place in the human kingdom of Arnhelm with the rest of the world largely inhabited by non-human races. The first Teana game is scheduled for April 2012.
-Ed
Artist of the Month
Clarence Musson Speaks his mind.
Name: Clarence Musson Age: 28 Home Town: Port Elizabeth Art is: Hobbie Hobbies: Playing Piano and Breakdancing High School: Grey High School
“In the end though, it’s about what YOU enjoy doing.”
most accurate anatomy and perspective, perfect colouring, neatest lines etc. but essentially will fall flat if it has no dynamic or vigour. It should tell the viewer a story and not just be a static figure on a piece of paper. Before I start drawing a piece I always draw a couple of quick thumbnails, nothing fancy and pick the best one of the bunch. I love to play with poses, try difficult perspective add in background and foreground elements and make the piece almost alive and in motion to the viewer.
Ed) What is your biggest source of inspiration?
Artist of the month
CM) Stanley Lau aka Artgerm on Deviantart. Stanley has always been a huge inspiration to me because of his astounding rate of improvement and boundless creativity. Ever since the Pepper Project was started I would always be amazed at the various styles he experimented with through his career. He’s always been someone I would hope to catch up to one day in terms of skill.
Ed) If you could have any other talent other than art what would it be? CM) Skateboarding, I love extreme sports :)
Ed) Where can we find more of your art work?
“I’ve always loved the simplicity, engaging and emotional stories and creative potential of manga, as well as the Japanese culture that comes with it.” Ed) Something I always love to know about fellow artist, what is your favourite anime and why?
CM) My favourite anime would have to be One Piece by Eichiro Oda. It’s the only anime I watch, from which I also read the manga. When I first read One Piece, its art style was not the best to say the least and I thought to myself “What is this crap?!” But as I read on, I saw that with the rich storyline, outrageous humour and thrilling fight scenes that Oda produced with such simple black and white art, that I was very much mistaken. I’m still following his on-going series till today and I never get bored of it.
Ed) What has influenced you most in your life?
CM) I would have to say that video games have also influenced me a lot if not the most since school days even. Fighter games such as Street Fighter and Marvel vs Capcom have always been a much loved past time of mine. Playing games in a games arcade (a dying culture in South Africa) is a very much missed activity of mine. Shounen and battle manga would most probably be my later influence. But I would be lying if I didn’t say that DC and Marvel comics didn’t play a part in my influence toward comic art. The likes of Spider-man and Batman have also been a great
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part of my comic reading history. When it comes down to pure excitement and thrilling action scenes, I would have to give Shounen manga and anime the thumbs up though. Manga such as Eyeshield 21, Slam Dunk, Full Metal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z etc. always had me on the edge of my seat.
Ed) If you were stuck on a desert island who would be the one person you would take with you? CM) Megan Fox, nuff said ;)
Ed) What does creating art mean to you?
CM) Art and drawing has always just been a serious hobby to me. I did consider it as a career path, but my parents would have nothing of it because of the school and education they had put me through. I am grateful though for that, but I will always have a place for expressing myself through art. It always makes me happy to start a drawing/painting/comic and eventually see the end product of something that I, and not one of my favourite artists has done.
Ed) When you start a piece what do you think is the most important thing to consider while you are working? CM) Creativity hands down. I believe an artwork can have the
CM) Hmm, DeviantArt is about the only place where you would find my art. There are a few doodles of mine on LegionInk.com as well. It’s just more convenient for me to post from one place on the internet though. I have had my traditional art shown at a few exhibitions in Port Elizabeth (I do a little fine art as well). I may however switch to creating a blog/tumblr for my art soon.
Ed) What would you say to aspiring anime artists out there, especially in the South African community?
CM) Go for it, by all means. There can be a lot of hate for the manga/anime art style in some places, which can be understandable in some circumstances. In the end though, it’s about what YOU enjoy doing. Anime/manga is an established art style, that is a fact. There is always room for diversity later on as well; you aren’t confined to this style only. And practice, a lot and even more. Tutorials and “How to...” books are a guide but are no replacement/alternative for practice. That is the golden standard to improving your art. Don’t do the same thing over and over again; don’t rest on your laurels. Always try to make the next piece better than the last. Use reference, get advice/opinion online or from friends, don’t only accept compliments, listen to constructive criticism, and your hand holding the pencil/pen/stylus will do the rest.
Ed) Who is your biggest hero and why?
CM) Lol I’m a bit past the age to have a hero :P, but just to play the game I would have to say Nelson Mandela. He’s one of the only humans I know of who was released from prison ready to forgive the people who put him there for life.
-Ed
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Top Ten Best Anime of 2011
The end is nigh! And we made a list of it. Another year has come to a close and we are looking at what has come of it. With anime popularity on the rise, Japanese anime studios are working overtime to produce new and better anime. And all that’s left is to coun down the top shows of the year. I’ll readily admit that creating such a listing causes one to compare apples to oranges, but we tried to find the best anime out of a few genres, so our list is mixed. So on that note, let’s head to the countdown and discover which who we think should be on the top ten.
Deadman Wonderland After a massive earthquake ravages the shores of Japan the city of Tokyo is evacuated. Now ten years on a young boy sits in class talking to his friends about a new theme park known as Deadman Wonderland in the ruined city. This seemingly ordinary student, Ganta, recalls that he does not remember what happened the day of the great earthquake, but when a man covered in blood bursts through the class room his life changes dramatically. Grinning madly, the Red Man massacres everyone except Ganta, whom he embeds a red crystal into. When Ganta comes to he is arrested and sentenced to death at Deadman Wonderland, still in shock he finds himself being fitted with a Wonderland collar that injects poison into his blood stream. The poison can be neutralized for a little while by eating Candy every three days; to gain this candy the prisoners must earn money and to earn money they have to play brutal games in front of the huge audiences that visit the prison arena every day and win. Fortunately Ganta has the help of the mysterious Shiro and together they search for the Redman to get revenge.
Beelzubub When Oga Tatsumi, a first year student at Ishiyama High School for delinquents, sees a man floating in the river where he was doing “washing” he pulls the man ashore. Unexpectedly the man splits in two and Oga finds a baby boy inside it. The child is the son of a great demon king who attaches himself to Oga, along with the babies nurse maid Hilda he is charged with taking care of the child. At first Oga tries to get rid of the kid, rightly named Beel, by pawning him off on other students, but he always returns. He then discovers that Beel is attracted to his evilness, so he goes in search of someone more evil and stronger than him, this leads to his discovery of the Touhoushinki (Ishiyama’s strongest four), the first of which is Hajime Kanzaki, the closest to dominating the school and is stronger than Oga. Somehow Oga defeats Kanzaki and impresses Beel even more, revealing a symbol on the back of his hand that ties him to Beel, the more evil he commits the more intricate the design gets until it covers his whole arm. Now he must find and deteat all the Touhoushinki.
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Top Ten Best Anime of 2011 Steins;Gate
The World Only God Knows 2
Set in the summer of 2010 Steins;Gate revolves around a group of students who discover that they can send messages back in time to change the future, the members of the Future Gadgets lab then begin taking turns in sending messages back to change things in their lives that they wish never happened. Little by little the entire world starts to change but the only person who remembers is Rintarō Okabe, self-proclaimed mad scientist and leader of the Future Gadgets Lab. When Okarin is given an IBN computer, he uses it to decipher a code the team find in emails sent from a company called SERN. It turns out that SERN is an evil organisation trying to achieve physical time travel. Now the Lab must try and stop them without getting caught. With the quirky craziness of this series we would say that this is not just one of the top ten anime of this year but of the past decade. A truly awesome series that will be made into a full length anime film due for release in 2012. We will have more on this next month.
After its first anime TV release last year The World Only God Knows is back. In the first season we were introduced to Keima Katsuragi, The God of Conquests!! Or so his is called on the internet where he is able to capture any 2D girls heart almost instantly, but in real life he is actually a geeky second-year high school student who has never even spoken to a girl. As the series unfolds Keima is contacted via e-mail by a woman who asks him to help her capture that hearts of young women. Thinking it’s just a game invitation he agrees and the hell demon Elsie appears requesting his help in catching runaway spirits that conceal themselves in the hearts of girls. She informs him that these spirits fill the gaps the girl’s hearts and that he can to fill those spaces by making these girls fall in love with him. Keima tries to refuse but Elsie tells him that it is too late as the deal has already been made and should they try and break the deal both of them will be beheaded. This series is chock full of dating sim clichés and anime character stereotypes. In the second season the pair are joined by Elsie’s friend and fellow Demon, Haqua.
Fairy Tail
An no excorsist
Based around a world where Wizards, dragons and magic are common place this story begins with A 17-year-old wizard named Lucy Heartfilia who escapes her home to join the wizard’s guild Fairy Tail, the swashbuckling guild is famous for their excessively destructive antics. On her travels Lucy meets Natsu Dragneel, a young man traveling the land of Fiore in search of his foster parent, the dragon Igneel, with him is his talking feline Happy. According to Natsu Igneel disappeared without a trace seven years prior. Soon after their meeting Lucy is kidnapped by a wizard masquerading as the famous Salamander of Fairy Tail, but Natsu rescues her and reveals that he is in fact the real Salamander and a Dragon Slayer, a wizard with the abilities of a dragon. Lucy is then offered membership into the Fairy Tail guild and becomes a team together with Natsu, Happy, Gray Fullbuster, a stripping ice wizard, and Erza Scarlet, an armored female wizard. Collectively the five fight to defeat the many evils of the land including other dark guilds spearheaded by the Baram Alliance, and an organisation of demons created by a primeval wizard named Zeref called the Phanton Lord.
When the orphan kid, Rin Okumura, discovers that he is the son of Satan it leads to the death of his adopted father and exorcist Father Shiro Fujimoto. Rin’s new found abilities attract the attention of the True Cross Order, a powerful group of exorcists with in the Vatican who fight the Devil. The order owns schools across the world that secretly teaches exorcism, a school which Rin’s twin brother, Yukio, has secretly been attending for many years now. At the Father’s funeral Rin is approached by Mephisto Pheles, the Head master of the prestigious True Cross Academy, who asks him to study with them, he points out that with Rin’s new physical appearance, the long fangs and pointy ears, he will not be able to make it in the world and that if he learned to control his powers he could help the church destroy Satan. Rin agrees and begins taking classes at the academy, where he discovers that his brother is in fact a teacher and veteran exorcist. Now with the help of his class mates and his brother he must train to use his demon-slaying blade Kurikara to kill his father, the Devil.
Top Ten Best Anime of 2011 Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko When Makoto Niwa movies in with his aunt he is surprised to find his first cousin Erio Tōwa at the door dressed in a futon. It seems that she had gone missing the year before for six months and when she returned she could not remember a thing, she claims that aliens took her. Her rather eccentric mother Meme Tōwa, Niwa’s aunt, allows her daughter to stay at home while he attends school. While sshe seems to be giving into her daughters craziness it becomes apparent that she is far smarter than she looks, while we never actually see much in the line of crazy alieness it is implied that this young girl is involved in a much bigger picture. Erio is joined in her beliefs by a young girl named Yashiro Hoshimiya, a white haired girl who believes that she is an alien esper who often wears a space suit and acts strangely. Typically this seems like a coming of age anime but it has a few twists that will have you in stiches.
My Ordinary Life Following the lives of a group of high school teens this “coming-of-age” anime is a complete contradiction to its title. The story is a mix of widespread oddities and everyday life, one minute you will see a boy riding a goat to school and the next students are stressing about a test they didn’t study for. The story takes the ordinary and adds a little bit of that nonsensical Japanese anime humour we all love. The characters often find themselves in bazaar but humorous situations, often involving things like a robotic girl made by an eight-year-old scientist, a boy who rides a goat to school, a girl who can procure various guns out of thin air, a cat that can speak and a principal who has wrestles deer; Despite its bizarre settings and characters, the students still lead normal lives. This series will have you in stitches, and since laughter is the best medicine we definitely think this deserves a spot in this year’s top ten.
Tiger and Bunny Set in a future version of New York City called Sternbild, the year is NC 1978 and the world has been introduced to a new kind of superhero. It started 45 years prior when superhuman individuals known as “NEXT” began to appear; now some of the most famous of these heroes work for sponsor companies and their uniforms are decorated with advertising for real-life companies. The Heroes also feature on a film called “Hero TV” in which they are able to rack up points for ever heroic act they perform, the hero with the most points at the end of every season is crowned “King of Heroes”. The Series focuses mainly on the long-time hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi better known as Wild Tiger and the young man named Barnaby Brooks Jr. The two often but heads while working together to solve the mystery of why Barnaby’s parents were murdered, at the same time they are confronted with the appearance of a homicidal NEXT aptly named “Lunatic”.
The Money of Soul and Possibility Control I must say that this is one of the most innovative and imaginative anime series of the year. This 11 episode instalment begins with Kimimaro, a young man living in a version of Japan that has seen near bankruptcy, it’s citizens are unemployed while the country runs rampant with crime, suicide, and despair. Brought up by his aunt, all he dreams about is having a normal stable life but when he meets a man who gives him a large sum of money in exchange for his future Kimimaro is suddenly pulled into the enigmatic world known as “The Financial District”. From then on he is destined to complete weekly tournaments called “Deals” where he and his “Asset”, a card character who holds power over money, must fight to keep his money and his future. These deals last 666 seconds (11 minutes, 6 seconds) and dealers must use their money to summon their Asset’s attacks or perform their own attacks on their opponent. Every player is required to play once a week but they can avoid it by paying half of their futures worth.
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“As individuals, people are inherently good. I have a somewhat more pessimistic view of people in groups. And I remain extremely concerned when I see what’s happening in our country, which is in many ways the luckiest place in the world. We don’t seem to be excited about making our country a better place for our kids.”
And one more thing... Steve Jobs. A Man of a Thousand Quotes.
Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.
This month we sat in the Otaku Cave feeling ashamed that
in our effort to get the magazine up and running we forgot to pay tribute to the man who made it possible. In the course of our history there have been few who have stepped up and changed the way we function, and even less that have been mourned the way that Steve Jobs has. The co-founder of Apple died this October at the age of 56 from cancer. Less than a day later any who had ever seen the Apple logo knew about it and posted their condolences for the world to see. Artists the world over created images, songs and videos in his honour and the internet was abuzz with his name. For weeks no-one could do anything without hearing the name of one of our finest inventors since Einstein. Jobs was a passionate, overly charismatic man who saw the potential life had to offer, not just for himself but for all of us. He was a visionary and an artist, who shaped the way we think, work, communicate, and play; defining our lives in ways we don’t even understand.
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Steven Paul Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco to Joanne Simpson and Abdulfattah Jandali; later that same year he was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs who moved to Mountain View, California, five months later. Steve was an intelligent child with a lot of charm who at the age of 14 was offered a job Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) by William Hewlett. At 16 he met Steve Wozniak, co-founder and things creator of Apple, the two were both interested in technology at the time and made a fast friendship not even realising that they would change the computer industry in a few years’ time. In 1972 Jobs graduated High School and began attending Reed College in Portland where he studied for a semester and dropped out. The only class he continued with was a calligraphy class, during his stay at collage he would sleep on the floor of friend’s dorms and collect coke cans to make money for food. When Steve returned to California he and Wozniak would
attend meetings for the “Homebrew Computer Club”. Jobs decided that they could sell their inventions and so began gathering funding for the first Apple computer. At the time computers were big machines used by a multitude of people, what Jobs wanted was a personal computer, one that you could leave on your desk at home. The pair collected US$1,750 in total and built the Apple I, making the first of many historic landmarks for Apple. In 1979 Steve Jobs goes to visit Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre where he is inspired but their prototype of a mouse, but it was not until 1983, nearly a decade after the creation of Apple, that they perfected and released this new concept. It was called Lisa and it was engineered by Ken Rothmuller and John Couch, but unfortunately it was not hugely successful, at the time. Then the Apple Macintosh was released in 1984; just a year before Jobs is fired/retires from Apple due to conflicts with co-partner Sculley. Jobs left, taking five other key members with him including Wozniak. The Macintosh was a big hit at the time. The small team then started NeXT Inc., a computer company specialising in high-end machines for higher-education and business markets, Jobs also bought Lucasfilm Ltd in 1986 which was then renamed Pixar Animation Studios. (One of my favourite western animation studios next to Rainmaker Animation.)The studio went on to claim multiple awards for movies like Toy Story, Monsters Inc., A Bugs Life, the Incredibles and Shrek. He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50.1 percent until its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company in 2006. He was Disney’s largest individual shareholder at seven percent and a member of Disney’s Board of Directors. Over the next decade Jobs and Wozniak released The Cube (and fail), and Apple and IBM partner up to create new PC microprocessors and software. Next releases NEXTSTEP OS and shuts down hardware division to focus on software while Microsoft release Windows 95, the first of the Mac clones. By 1997-1998 Jobs is back at Apple as CEO and
Chairman where he brings out the iMac which sells millions and brings Apple back from the grave. In 2001 Apple launches their next-generation operating system – the Unix-based OS X, with subsequent upgrades over the years. The first iPod goes on sale, as do computers with OS X, the modern Mac operating system based on Next software and the Apple iPod. Apple was heading for the top once more, their innovation sky rocketing
with the help of their charismatic leader. But while all was looking up for the company Jobs was battling his own demons, in 2004 he announced that he would be going into surgery for a rare but curable type of pancreatic cancer. The battle lasted 8 years in which he built his empire, but in October of this year he passed away. With jobs gone the Apple team is set on continuing his dream of changing the world.
“Three apples changed the world. The first one tempted Eve, the second inspired Newton and the third was for Steve Jobs.”
1977: Apple is legally know as Apple Computer Inc., the new company buys out the original partnership and launches Apple II, the world’s first widely used PC. 1978: Jobs’ daughter Lisa is born to girlfriend Chrisann Brennan. 1979: Jobs visits Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre, or PARC, and is inspired by a computer with a graphical user interface. 1980: Apple III launched as a commercial failure because of faulty construction. 1982: Annual sales climb to $1 billion. 1983: Apple launched the Lisa. It was the first personal computer controlled by on-screen icons activated at the click of a mouse. However, it fails in the marketplace. 1984: Apple launches Macintosh with a splashy ad campaign on Super Bowl Sunday. 1985: Jobs was fired from Apple after boardroom struggle with Sculley. Jobs resigns and takes five Apple employees with him, including Wozniak. 1986: Jobs starts Next Inc., a new computer company making high-end machines for universities. He also acquires Pixar from “Star Wars” for $10 million, which was later renamed Pixar Animation Studios. 1989: First Next computer goes on sale with a $6,500 price tag, also known as The Cube. It also fail in the marketplace. 1991: Apple and IBM Corp. announce an partnership to develop new PC microprocessors and software. Apple unveils PowerBook portable Macintoshes. In the same year he marries Laurene Powell. 1992: Next releases NEXTSTEP operating system for Intel Corp. 486 processors. It fails in the wake of competition from Microsoft Corp.’s Windows and IBM Corp.’s OS/2. 1993: Next shuts hardware division, shifts focus to software. 1994: Apple introduces Power Macintosh computers based on the PowerPC chip it developed with IBM and Motorola. 1995: The first Mac clone goes on sale, and Microsoft releases Windows 95, which is more like the Mac system. 1996: Apple acquires Next Computers for $427 million in cash. Steve Jobs becomes the advisor to Apple Chairman Gilbert F. Amelio. 1997: Jobs becomes interim CEO and chairman of Apple Computer Inc., after Amelio is ousted. Jobs’ salary is $1. He also puts an end to Mac clones. 1998: Apple releases the all-in-one iMac computer, which sells millions of units, and discontinues the Newton.
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FRAG LAN is Back This Year with More. H
olding their first event on 18 May 2007 with only 25 attendees FRAG LAN has grown into a 500 person event that takes place once a year in Pinetown Durban. The FRAG LAN team originally started out with two people, but the more events they held the bigger the team grew, each person with their own skills, and eventually they were able to gain sponsorship for the LAN. Now, nearly 5 year on, the guys at FRAG LAN invite you to join them this 09 December 2011 to 11 December 2011 in one of this year’s most exciting battles. They are also running a special, spend R2000 or more at NGR Computers, and receive a FREE ticket to FRAG!! Once you have placed your order, simply email them your order number - and they will send you confirmation of your ticket.
Contact Us http://www.frag.co.za James 072 811 8031 bookings@frag.co.za 21 Daphne Nell Road, Padfield Park, PINTETOWN • Durban, KZN 3061
EVENTS PROFILE FRAG LAN GAMING • 21 Daphne Nell Road, Padfield Park, PINTETOWN • Durban, KZN 3061 Tickets are R220 for online bookings, and R250 at the door. MONDAY, 03 OCTOBER 2011 08:40 SHOWCASE 2011 DATE: TIME: Start @ 10:00am end time @ 10:00am VENUE: Edgewood College
COMPETITIONS
Bookings will only be accepted upon payment for the seats. No reservations will be made until payment has been received.
StarCraft2 1 vs1 Cod4 5 vs 5 CS 3 vs 3 maybe 5vs5 Dota 5vs5 Guitar hero Fighting games + 1 other xbox game Each person is allowed to take part in two competitions at each event.
A.I. December Fest A.I’s biggest event is near! It’s their Christmas open LAN, gaming and anime event Next week Saturday to be exact. A.I. Fest (December) Date: Saturday 10 December 2011 Time: 09:00AM – 09:00PM Address: Lala Palm Hall Klipriviersberg Recreation Centre Cnr Peggy Vera Road and Sunningdale Road Kibler Park Entry: LAN: R50 (Online booking available) Walk in: Free Cosplay: R30( Theme-Christmas, Registration09:00AM till 02:30PM and Judging@03:00PM) Gaming Tournaments: R15 a tournament Magic the Gathering: R40 for Legacy format starting at 02:00PM, R270 for Sealed format starting at 05:30PM.
Cosplay Cape Town Just 2 more days until the Otaku of Cape Town ransack Kirstenbosch gardens. So saw up your costumes and fix on your wigs ‘cause CT is going to play cosplay style. This all SA event will take place at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town from 10:30AM – 1:30PM. While Cosplay Cape Town is free you will have to pay R40 to get into the gardens, beyond that joining the cosplayers will cost you nothing more than a little bit of energy and a sense of fun. Attendees will be required to bring themselves, their outfit, a camera, sun block and food for the pic-nic. After the picnic there will be some studio shoots as well, and all the cosplayers are invited to take part. Feel free to visit the official event page on Facebook, and join in the discussion on the Cape Town Cosplay group on Facebook. h t t p : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / groups/197153890339204/
SA Anime Directory
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SA Anime Directory
SA Starts to Support Fellow Artists
Legion was started by four members of the Comicworx team who felt the need to create a more holistically encompassing forum and community for artists and creators of a wider spectrum. The concept was to open a new chapter and move forward with ideas and projects under a new banner. Growth equals change and after a long and successful run of four years, the current group of admins and mods decided a new image was needed. Thus LegionInk. was born. The move happened on the weekend of 2-4 Oct 2009 at the rAge Expo in Joburg. We had great reception and a successful event. The new forum was launched with new features and sections in the works. Many forumers moved over and many more new people joined. Our forum has been a buzzing community since despite many of it features still in production. The original CWX forums were to be archived as a part of Legion’s history and for people to be able to browse. Rather than archive the forum, it was recently decided to keep the CWX forums going in a new light as CWS (Comic Works Studios). As such LegionInk is glad to be associated with its place of birth, Comicworx, and will always be grateful for the experience and passion garnered from there. Striving to promote, build and expand on the pop culture mediums, LegionInk is a platform for up-and-coming artists, writers, designers, photographers and creators as well as those already well established.
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This year you can join the LegionInk. team either at Cosplay Cape Town on the 3rd or at the Legion Ink’s Epic End of Year Party (JHB) on Sunday, December 4 at 4:00pm until 11:30pm. All details are up on Facebook, to view more go to https:// www.facebook. com/%5C#!/event.
Featured Game
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is by far the best looking Ace Combat game and this is a major plus point for the game as it truly immerses you in its world. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (PS3 and 360), from NamcoBandai’s Project Aces studio, thrusts players into the heart of an air superiority battle and wastes no time in getting things started. AC:AH is set in the real world as opposed to the fictional planet the Project Aces team have used in the past. The game also features a host of new gameplay features and mechanics that fans will either love or hate. And for the first time in an Ace Combat game, it is possible to fly a helicopter. Players assume the role of Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop, A.K.A WarWolf 1, a U.S Airforce pilot as well his some of his comrades throughout the game. The story revolves around air superiority battles and a super weapon being used by a terrorist organisation as revenge for events that transpired in the past. Sounds cliché but it gets the job done. I was however quite disappointed by the lack of the EPIC story telling of previous Ace Combat games. This time around the story seemed to have taken a backseat almost, with action and gameplay being a major focus instead. Gameplay in Ace Combat:Assault Horizon is similar to that of the previous Ace Combat games. The player controls an aircraft in first person or third person view and can do all sorts of fancy manoeuvres reminiscent of movies such as Top Gun thanks to the new “Dogfight” mode. “Dogfight” mode essentially locks you onto a target and allows you to pursue it at high speed while being directed by the game itself. A sort of “On-Rails” segment in other words. While this is fun the first few times, it can get a bit repetitive later on in the game. New to the Ace Combat series is the ability to fly a helicopter, assume the role of a gunner in an attack chopper, pilot a bomber aircraft and attack from a gunship. These additions to the series are really well done and their slower pace is a welcome break from the frantic fast paced air battles that take place in a fighter aircraft. One gripe I have with this game is the fact that one does not need to land
to restock ammo as players are given an excessive amount of missiles and an infinite supply of bullets to use against the enemy. This takes away some of the realism established in previous Ace Combat games. Overall though the gameplay is fun and that’s all that matters. Ace Combat looks beautiful! The game world is a lot better than previous Ace Combat games due to the fact that real life locations have been used instead of fictional ones. The game is rather short lived and can easily be completed within 10-12 hours depending on a player’s skill level. Finishing the game however does unlock a mission select mode and this adds quite a bit of longevity to the game if one wants to unlock more aircraft colours etc. The real lasting appeal of this game lies in the online mode. Players can play co-op missions online or play a variety of other game modes competitively against others. Players rank up on completion of online missions and unlock bonuses to be used in the free mission mode and online modes. Playing the game online is also really fun! Human players are a lot more challenging to face off against than the Ai and the sense of victory you feel after successfully pwning someone online is rather awesome. Overall Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is a welcome addition to the long line of Ace Combat games. While it may not be as deep as the other Ace Combat games in terms of storyline, it makes up for this with fun gameplay, cinematic “on-rails” segments and a host of new features that have been pulled off pretty well. I was a bit let down by the shortness of the game’s campaign but the online mode and free mission mode more than made up for that in the end. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed and will feel right at home playing this game. Most newcomers will enjoy themselves too especially due to the arcade-like feel to the game. This game gets a 7.9/10 from me with points being deducted for being rather short, a tad repetitive at times and lacking a storyline worthy of the Ace Combat games of old.
-L1ghtn1ng
Coming 2012 43
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“But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts benighted walks under the midday sun; Himself is his own dungeon..”
R
ight... So before I get into the nitty gritty of reviewing this game I’d just like to state one thing. Dark Souls is NOT for the faint of heart. YOU. WILL. DIE! Dark Souls is an unforgiving game. Much like its predecessor, Demon’s Souls, one assumes the role of a nameless character that has been tasked with saving the world from the forces of evil. (No pressure huh ? :P) The game doesn’t really put storyline as its main focus as this is only revealed to the player after playing through the game for a considerable amount of time. However, the opening cinematic reveals to the player the setting and events that have transpired in the world of Lordran before thrusting them into the deep end. This is where you come in. The player assumes the role of an undead character that has retained their humanity. At the start of the game your character is fully customizable, one can then choose from the usual preset character classes to begin the game as (Wanderer, Knight, Pyromancer, Sorcerer etc.) or take a walk on the wild side and choose to be a “Deprived” (A character class that starts off with equal stats in all areas and the most basic of equipment). This character begins the game in a prison of sorts and eventually learns of a prophecy regarding an undead warrior that has to fulfil certain tasks. I’m going to leave the rest of the storyline up to the players of the game to find out because things get
Deus Ex: Next gen Gaming
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really interesting much later on. The game is played in a third person view that is easily manageable and the controls are very responsive. Depending on the armour that you wear, your character actually “feels” heavier or lighter/faster and this is quite a nice touch from the developers of the game. As you play and defeat enemies, you will accumulate “Souls” over time that can be used to level up your character at safe resting points known as “Bonfires”. You will learn to befriend the bonfires scattered throughout the game as they are the only truly safe havens in the world. It should be noted that you cannot Pause the game. I found this to be quite an effective tool implemented by the developers to instil a sense of fear in players.
Dying, however, is quite an important thing in Dark Souls. When one dies, you lose all souls and humanity that you have gathered from enemies. If you’re able to make it back to the place where you died though, you can touch your “Bloodstain” and recover all lost souls and humanity. This may or may not be used by players to their advantage to double up the total amount of souls they have by effectively “farming” an area’s enemies. The incredible thing about this game is its ability to suck you in and never let go. Dying is a part of this. If you’re able to survive for one hour of gameplay without dying, the enormous sense of achievement that you feel is amazingly euphoric. The game is balanced enough to help players through areas. If enemies are
too tough for you to face in a certain area, chances are you aren’t supposed to be there and should try exploring elsewhere. In a way, this guides the player towards their objectives. This however means nothing as a properly skilled player would have no problems taking on tougher foes if they applied the right strategies. The graphics are visually stunning. Areas are pretty large and the views from the mountainous regions are spectacular. I found Dark Souls to be on par with current graphics in games of its calibre. Enemy designs are appropriate and the game is by no means ugly or disappointing in terms of graphics. Lighting also plays a really important role in this game and it has been used effectively in the darker areas delivering a truly eerie feel to them. Dark Souls is a true masterpiece of a game that will appeal to most gamers and fans of the RPG and adventure genres. If you have the patience and the commitment to invest a lot of your time to this game, you will be adequately rewarded with a truly amazing gaming experience. This game is addictive and should at least be given a try by any serious gamer out there. It gets a 9.5/10 from me. -L1ghtn1ng
Thatgamecompany Give Us Something New To Do Online This month playstation.blog announced that the creators of the games Fl0w and Fl0wer are designing a new game for Sony’s PlayStation Network on PlayStation 3. The trailer shows that they have gone with the same peaceful style of gaming that they are famous for, but surprisingly the game will be an onliner. Yes that is right you will be able to explore this strange world and its contents online with friends. The game drops its players into an unknown world where there sole purpose is to explore and learn about their surroundings; from time to time players will cross paths and will be allowed to work together to achieve their goals. According to thatgamecompany, the idea behind Journey is “creating authentic moments players will remember and discuss with others.” So what is the point of the game… well according to thatgamecompany it is a game in which you journey. In the game you are a character made of cloth who travel across a land that is made entirely of sand, as you navigate this place you can pick up objects that will make you travel faster or help you find a bridge to other sections of the game. So what do we think about this escapade? Well we will have to wait and see, the game looks rather mundane from the outside but looks can be deceiving.
“We didn’t try to redefine multiplayer, we just wanted to create a more intuitive experience.” -Ed
hat if we could become more than human ? Would you want to ? Would you choose to sacrifice your humanity in the process to enhance your abilities ? Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC, 360 and PS3) asks these questions of the player. Developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a prequel to the critically acclaimed, and often hailed “Best PC game of all time”, Deus Ex. The game is set in the year 2027 in a futuristic version of Earth where Governments have all but collapsed and large multi-national companies pervade the world. Players take control of Adam Jensen, the current head of security at Sarif Industries. Sarif industries is a large biotechnology firm concerned with research and development into human augmentation technology and its application in daily life. This however is just one aspect of the company as the player soon learns that Sarif Industries also develops technology for the military as a sideline business to keep themselves financially sound and afloat. The game begins on the eve of a massive announcement from Sarif Industries regarding human augmentation technology and the debilitating problems it faces. Problems such as augmentation rejection in humans and the stern anti-augmentation resistance spearheaded by opposition group The Humanity Front. The beauty of this game lies in its gameplay and storyline. There are multiple pathways to completing objectives, not a fan of run and gun gameplay ? No problem. Violence is not always the answer in DE:HR and Stealth lovers will LOVE the fact that
one can actually complete the game without killing a single person (Boss enemies excluded). If however you do fancy shooting every living person in the game, you can do that too with a variety of futuristic and normal weaponry. As an augmented person, Adam can purchase Praxis kits to upgrade his abilities via a tech tree. Players can also gain experience throughout the game by means of exploring hidden areas, performing stealth kills or takedowns and completing missions. Once enough experience points are obtained, the player will “level up” in a way and unlock a Praxis point. This is explained quite cleverly in the game and I found it to be quite a nice touch. The game looks great. Cinematics look absolutely gorgeous while gameplay is a tad less impressive. The game world is believable and there is a LOT of attention to detail. NPC faces are animated decently showing human emotions and expressions during conversations quite well. Deus Ex:HR is like art. Overall Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of the best games I have ever played. There are very few games that speak to me on a deeper profound philosophical level like the way this game did. The storyline is amazing. The gameplay is amazing. The soundtrack is amazing. For fans of psychological thrillers and games that make you think, this game is perfect. It gets a 9.7/10 from me with points only being deducted for minor glitches and the fact that that Adam Jensen can’t run for more than a few meters without getting tired and having to wait for his stamina to recover. lol
-L1ghtn1ng
Figure of the Month This month we start our new fiure of the month page in which we’ll be featuring a figure from E2046,we highly recommend that you take a look at their site, with hand painted figures you know that you are getting the best quality, so why don’t we let them tell you what they have in sall for this month...
“Sekai de Ichiban Ohimesama Series: Vocaloid Scale: 1/7 Features: Fans of Hatsume Miku will definitely recognise this figure. Being the most successful virtual singer worldwide since the launching of Vocaloid 2 (a singing synthesizer programme) in 2007, Miku had captured the attention of millions of fans world wide. All sorts of fan-dub PV, figures, Manga evolved. She even had several live concerts with other Vocaloid buddies. Perhaps Miku is really the princess of this world! This cute teenage girl had an add-on named Miku Append released on 30th April 2010. Not only six new voice databases, but also a new outfit were presented. This inevitably leads to another trend of new Miku figures. And here it is! Gathering had offered one of the best Miku Append kit. Her remarkable turquoise colour was the main tone of this hand-painted figure. Another highlight is that, the design of this Append version tends to be more cyber than the original, some clear
Have a look at E2046’s selection of Figures at e2046.com
parts were used in order to enhance that feeling: see the petals around her waist? Miku not have a microphone? That’s why a Gathering Surprise Exchangeable Right Hand was included.
Cosplay Of The Month
This months cosplay is Amane Misa ,played by Arisa Mizuhara. This spritely cosplayer makes all of her own costumes and entertains at parties in Japan.
Cosplay Profile Costume Name: Arisa Mizuhara (ArisaMizuhara) Height: 164cm Date of birth: November 22 (Scorpio) Blood type: ABFavorite food: Chocolate, cookies, cheese Favorite Drink: Orange juice and coffee Favorite cartoon: Initial D Gintama Yugioh Favorite game: Resident Evil, Night of the FF series Kamaitachi (Hama and free sound even mystery novel game system and Tsu v) Hobby: Writing a painting recently to update the computer is fun HP is Costume History: Komi winter began in December 1999 for the first time ^ ^ Cosplay is Dejiko
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This years
January New Years Issue 2012 We bring you all of this years Favourite anime and more.
1st Issue October 2011
November 2011
December Issue 2011
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January Issue 2012 Our first ever New years issue and the first of 2012. Stay tuned for a
New Year issue!!! 56
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