On Pangya Island you’re not just playing an ordinary round of 18 holes. This hidden treasure offers inter-dimensional golf. Whether you want to play the back 9 on a wave-washed course, or test your skills on ice, Pangya has a course for you.
PSP, 1-8 players, Publisher: TOMY.
On Pangya Island you’re not just playing an ordinary round of 18 holes. This hidden treasure offers inter-dimensional golf. That’s right. Whether you want to play the back 9 on a wave-washed course, or test your skills on ice, Pangya has a course for you. Oh, and let’s not forget the 18 fully customizable, anime-esque characters. As you progress, and if you so choose, you might find yourself chipping balls in Bermuda shorts or even a bikini!
Fantasy is the key word.
Addicting! That’s the simplest way to describe Pangya: Fantasy Golf. And I’m not a golfer.
Here’s the deal. Take away the fantasy-driven course designs, the fluid graphics, and all the cute characters and you come face to face with the most important concept in sports gaming: control and accuracy. If swinging a golf club or bat is a complex process of stick and button manipulation, then the game is often a pain in the ass. Here, Pangya gets it right! With two simple pushes of a button you have control over the power and accuracy of each swing. Thus, for non-golfers especially, the game moves fast, holds your attention, and just taps the pleasure center of your brain. Within one hour you’ll be upset, if you still can’t get a birdie!
Unfortunately there is nothing of great importance to report here. As much as I love Steve Yun and Tommy Yune, who are largely responsible for reinvigorating Robotech and its legacy through the Shadow Chronicles, the panel at Comic-Con 09 was reminiscent of last year’s.
Unfortunately there is nothing of great importance to report here. As much as I love Steve Yun and Tommy Yune, who are largely responsible for reinvigorating Robotech and its legacy through the Shadow Chronicles, the panel at Comic-Con 09 was reminiscent of last year’s.
Besides unveiling the new releases of mecha by Toynami, they reiterated the talent behind the Robotech live action movie project: producers Jason Netter and Toby Maguire (also starring), and writers Akiva Goldsman, Lawrence Kasdan, Alfred Gough, Tom Rob Smith, and Miles Millar.
And Warner Bros is clearly serious about their Robotech project. Robotech: Shadow Rising, the much-anticipated sequel to Shadow Chronicles, let alone new merchandising of Robotech products, will be coordinated with the movie production and its ultimate release.
2009 TV Series (episodes 1-26). Director: Toshiyuki Tsuru. 650 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $49.98. Distributor: Funimation.
Being dead isn’t such a drag for Brandon Heat – and yes, with a name like that you’re either on the street kicking ass or in porn. After all, he has a second chance at one thing: revenge.
After years of working for Milleneon, a mafia outfit with supernatural abilities, Brandon is bent on bringing this house of crime down. There’s just one problem. Milleneon is now run by Harry McDowel, his best friend. Be that as it may, armed with twin guns and a coffin full of big heat, the undead Brandon initiates a chain of killing that cannot be broken. Neither men nor the demons employed by Milleneon can stop him.
Being dead isn’t such a drag for Brandon Heat – and yes, with a name like that you’re either on the street kicking ass or in porn. After all, he has a second chance at one thing: revenge.
2009 Movie. Director: Joji Shimura. 90 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $19.98. Distributor: Funimation
The land of Jushin is all but a memory, fractured into numerous kingdoms run by corrupt tyrants. Once the Amen Osa, magic wielding warriors charged with upholding justice, kept the peace. But when the king was assassinated, they too disappeared. Or did they?
Enter Munsu, a pistolero who wields the power of an Amen Osa. But is he one? His roguish charm and apathetic demeanor say otherwise. Accompanied by the delicate flower Sando, his oddly petite bodyguard, Munsu wanders Jushin’s landscape. Hero or scoundrel, he’s definitely a thorn in the side of authority.
Finally, something different! What I love about Blade of the Phantom Master is its stark departure from the contemporary, and much abused, anime setting. No, there are no high school students fighting ghosts or monsters on the streets of Tokyo. Instead, we’re transported to a world that mirrors feudal Korea. This is a charred, mythical landscape marked by guns, swords, and Asian castles. In fact, the entire story is inspired by Korean folktales and myth.
The land of Jushin is all but a memory, fractured into numerous kingdoms run by corrupt tyrants. Once the Amen Osa, magic wielding warriors charged with upholding justice, kept the peace. But when the king was assassinated, they too disappeared. Or did they?
The transformation from game to animated movie is growing increasingly common. It’s usually driven by a title’s notoriety. Some translate well. Others do not. Enter Halo, one of the most popular franchises in the gaming world.
At this year’s Comic-Con, being largely a writer at play in the fields of anime, I was curiously invited to an Xbox event at the Omni Hotel. Much to my surprise, I found myself sitting across a table from not only Frank O’Connor, Development Director of the Halo Team, but also Shinji Aramaki. Shinji Aramaki, renowned anime mech designer (Bubblegum Crisis, Mospeada, Megazone 23) and director (Megazone 23, Appleseed, Appleseed EX Machina)! I knew this had to be good.
The transformation from game to animated movie is growing increasingly common. It’s usually driven by a title’s notoriety. Some translate well. Others do not. Enter Halo, one of the most popular franchises in the gaming world.
Whether you’re at Anime Expo LA, Comic-Con, or any of the various cons around the country young artists are intrinsic to the landscape; they are the future of the biz. The artist alley is always lined with individuals “hocking their wares” and producing impromptu sketches. These streets are teeming with creative, hungry talent.
Ah Emi! Her work is marked with an ingenious, creative grin! She’s got the chops. And, if you try her, she just may kick you in the balls. Don’t underestimate the maid outfit.
Alright Emi, give me the bio.
“Hi hi! My full name is Emily Hu. I'm nineteen, I was raised in Taiwan but grew up in California. I'm currently majoring in comics at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. I started seriously drawing in the seventh grade and realized I wanted to be an artist after failing miserably at academics, namely math... haha...”
Have you always been an anime fan?
“I've always been into anime because I was raised in Taiwan, so I still remember watching Slam Dunk and Yu Yu Hakusho with my family as a kid. It's only recently that I started getting more into the spectrum of American comics, mostly thanks to Watchmen.”
What anime and/or manga do you love? What are you currently watching/reading?
Whether you’re at Anime Expo LA, Comic-Con, or any of the various cons around the country young artists are intrinsic to the landscape; they are the future of the biz. The artist alley is always lined with individuals “hocking their wares” and producing impromptu sketches. These streets are teeming with creative, hungry talent.
For fans and aspiring artists it’s not only a networking moment, but also a chance to buy original art at a phenomenal price.
Art, anime, and manga go hand in hand. So, at least once a month I’ll try to profile a young artist that catches my eye. At Anime Expo LA, I found two: Emily Hu and Zélie Bérubé.
Okay Zélie, who are you? When did you start drawing?
Hakufu isn’t just any street fighter. She’s one badass cutie in a short skirt that would make Paris Hilton blush. Her goal: to become king of the hill as she unites seven rival schools.
2009 TV Series (episodes 1-13). Director: Takashi Watanabe. 325 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $49.98. Distributor: Funimation
Hakufu isn’t just any street fighter. She’s one badass cutie in a short skirt that would make Paris Hilton blush. Her goal: to become king of the hill as she unites seven rival schools. Her inspiration: a jewel infused with the spirit of an ancient warrior. Oh yes, Hakufu has a destiny. And she’s ready to fight for it, even if her skirt and top gets torn away in the process!
Okay kids, ecchi is the word of the day. This is not the normal fighting scenario. Yes, excellent technique, pure jutsu, is performed with every footstep. But the punch or kick is not the only thing that strikes hard. Panties and bras are just as deadly in this anime! Hakufu and her friends are not afraid to flash a little ass as they kick their way to the top.
Who doesn’t know Afro Samurai? That is the question. The sheer coolness of our afro-enhanced protagonist and his number one headband perhaps even rivals that of Steve McQueen. At least that’s what the ratings of the man channel, i.e. Spike TV, suggest.
Who doesn’t know Afro Samurai? That is the question. The sheer coolness of our afro-enhanced protagonist and his number one headband perhaps even rivals that of Steve McQueen. At least that’s what the ratings of the man channel, i.e.
Spike TV, suggest.
Anime has always had a broad fan base, but suddenly even that stereotypical, testosterone-charged, crooked cap wearin’ bro in the Affliction tank top could speak a little otaku.
Seriously, could that much coolness come out of Japan?
Well, at AnimeExpo LA I stole a few minutes with Takashi Okazaki, creator of Afro Samurai.
Mr. Okazaki you’re obviously most known for Afro Samurai. But do you have any other creations that are especially dear, anything you want fans to know about?
Romeo X Juliet
2009 TV Series (episodes 1-12). Director: Fumitoshi Oizaki. 290 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $59.98. Distributor: Funimation.
Nestled in the clouds above northern Italy, or perhaps even the Thames itself, hangs Neo-Verona. Yes, lovesick Verona. Our star-crossed lovers are back! This time, however, Shakespeare’s parchment is stained not with the quill, but anime ink.
On the cobblestone of this Verona the Montague family reigns oppressively. The Capulets have been driven underground and thought to be extinct. Juliet, forced to conceal her identity, now dons the mask of the Red Whirlwind, a sword-wielding champion of the people. Different? Indeed. But fret not, for this Juliet will still meet her Romeo. And family, love, and duty will unhinge their newly found, heroic lives.
Last Exile: The Complete Series
2009 TV Series (episodes 1-26). Director: Koichi Chigira. 625 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $49.98. Distributor: Funimation.
In a futuristic sky that paradoxically looks back to the scientific imagination of the 19th and early 20th centuries, vanships are on the cutting edge, pushing the envelope in both war and peace. On the planet Prester Claus Valca and his navigator Lavie are intent on crossing the legendary and seemingly impassable air space known as the Grand Stream. Dreams, however, are delayed as the young vanship pilot is pulled into the ongoing war between Anatoray and Disith. His skills will not only be tested, but his life will forever change.
