Prior to the torrential downpour that greatly affected many parts of Florida, Tampa held the 10^th Annual MetroCon at the Tampa Bay Convention Center from June 15 to June 17. Various events can be found all over the convention- from anime viewings, to gaming, to tea parties, MetroCon has it all.

One of the key features about MetroCon is the aesthetics. Employees in charge of directing line traffic and guarding exits were all dressed as Umbrella Corp security operatives. This adds a very nice touch when walking around and witnessing a member of the Umbrella Corp security stopping someone from entering an “unauthorized area.”

The theme of this year’s MetroCon was Agents vs. Outlaws, in which the main featured events focused on the various agents and outlaws that can be found in various animes from Cowboy Bebop to Ghost in the Shell. Participants would also express their fandom by participating in their own personal staging out on the Riverwalk with tea parties and fan fiction street performances.

MetroCon also has a slew of special events. One of the big events that is held once a year is the Fantasy Masquerade. The Masquerade is a fantasy theatrical styled event as well as an interactive ballroom experience. The story is based around the Cowboy Bebop series.

Another big event returning to MetroCon is the Metro Star Party. The Metro Star Party is a cluster of anime and gaming characters all coming together for one big event. The participants of this event have trained for weeks prior to put on this show stopping spectacle which continues to be a huge hit with MetroCon. The other events include the Anime Chess Match, Metro Fire Show, GGX: Gear Grappling Extreme, and Rhythm City Chronicles.

MetroCon had gathered a big lineup of celebrity voice actors as well as celebrities in other entertainment and Cosplay communities. The four big voice actors at MetroCon were Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Naruto), Richard Epcar (Ghost in the Shell, Robotech, Transformers: Robots in Disguise), Scott McNeil (Beast Wars, Dragon Ball Z, Full Metal Alchemist), and Crispin Freeman (Hellsing, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Wolf’s Rain). Each celebrity guest had their own discussion, but the four of them came together for a Voice Actors Unplugged where the four of them were answering questions, bantering, and McNeil was eating cheese whiz.

Other celebrities that appeared were Takayoshi Tanimoto (Vocal Artist), Robert VanWest, also known as DJ Hellroy (CEO/DJ), David Stanworth (Snafu Comics creator), Pikabellechu (Avid Pokemon fanatic), and many other guests.

But it’s not only about the events, the anime, the games, or the celebrities which people come to see, it’s also about the Cosplay. People from all over the state and country came to check out the sites and events and cosplayers. Ranging from anime, to games, and movies, many people dressed up as their favorite characters ranging from popular anime to the more obscure ones.

MetroCon spans over three days, with many events from afternoon events to ones lasting until early hours into the next morning. With so many vendors to purchase unique and rare items, special events, and special screenings, like Woodstock, there is much that can be done during the three days of peace, music, and cosplaying. MetroCon 2012 was a fun and entertaining experience to meet with old friends and to make new friends.

Image Courtesy of   Anna Fischer

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This past Memorial Day weekend, anime fans from all over came to the International Palms Resort & Conference Center in Orlando, Florida to attend the second annual Florida Anime Experience.

For a convention in its second year, there were many things to do and see. The convention on its second day passed last year’s total attendance and proves that though it’s a small convention its popularity is growing steadfast. Toonari Post had the opportunity to attend the convention on Friday and Saturday.

Day One

As is usual for a convention, the first and last day are slow. Needless to say, there were many convention goers on Friday of all colors, ethnicities, and ages. Some were dressed in their cosplay outfits, others wore wigs of varying colors, while some fans wore geek t-shirts.

The convention had four mainstay rooms that fans could enjoy. For video game enthusiasts, there was the Japanese Game Room where attendees could play old games that were only released in Japan and not released in the U.S. such as Transformers, Sailor Moon and Card Captors.

The convention also featured the Magna Library and Tea Room where fans could sit and read magna or play board games while sitting down on mats Japanese style at a small table as they waited for their order of tea and snacks to be delivered to them. The artist alley room featured local and out-of-town artists who showcased their work for fans to purchase.

The Anime viewing room hosted by the Anime Addict Anonymous Podcast showed anime shows and movies all three days of the convention. Finally, the Vendor room hosted anime merchants and their wares for attendees to buy.

There were many panels for attendees to choose from. We attended the AMV Hour of Power!, which was hosted by fandom guest Daric “Jingoro” Jackson. This panel showcased AMV (Anime Music Videos) created by anime fans. Next up was the Anime Retro: Sailor Moon. From the magna to the anime, to the video games and live action show in Japan, this panel discussed everything Sailor Moon. The Girl’s Guide to Con-Going panel hosted by the women of the A.A.A.

Podcast put their collective 20+ con experiences together in an informative and amusing way to tell con stories from the girl’s perspective. The room was almost full for this panel and there were men in attendance as well. Another interesting event was the Otaku Speed Dating. This was fun, enjoyable and a bit socially awkward for some.

Day Two

Saturday is usually the busiest day for a three day convention and indeed that was the case for Florida Anime. The first panel of the day was the “Traveling to Japan” which was hosted by Chiaki of the Anime Addicts Anonymous Podcast. This panel was funny as well as informative. Chiaki gave out great information to would-be travelers to the land of the rising sun. She had a Power Point presentation with important information which is available on the Anime Addicts Anonymous Podcast site for fans to download.

Later in the day, the convention hosted the Robotech panel with special guests Dan Woren (the voice of Roy Fokker from Robotech ) and Fuzzy. They showed video from the series as well as interviews with the voice actors of the series.

After that, we attended the Voice Actor’s Panel which featured Dan Worren (the voice of Roy Fokker from Robotech), Terri Hawkes (the voice of Sailor Moon from Sailor Moon) and Darrel Guilbeau (the voice of Mikado from Durarara). Panelists answered questions from the audience that were about their experience in the voice acting industry, how to get into voice acting, as well as taking character voice requests from the audience.

Another great panel was the Wasabi Anime Goes to Japan which was a humorous photo slideshow of their visit to Japan and finally, the Crossplay Contest opened. Crossplay is where ladies cosplay as male anime characters and men cosplay as female characters.

Other panels of interest included the Adult Swim Anime Retrospective that was about fans favorite anime shows that aired on the cartoon block; Animusical Idol 2012, Gundam Panel Year 2, The Great Cosplay Dating Game and Otaku Insomnia Dance.

The Florida Anime Experience is a great convention to attend especially if you’re new to the convention scene. The staff is friendly and ready and able to help you and the attendee goers are pretty cool as well. We definitely will attend next year and I hope you will too.

Image Courtesy of   The Florida Anime Experience

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The No Brand Con XI offered a fine selection of wares for attendees looking to add to their collections. Between the Vendor Rooms and the Artist Alley there were a wide range of products to choose from. Whether it was fan art, original art, manga, anime, collectible merchandise, swords or t-shirts it could be found at this year’s No Brand Con.

The Artist Alley was located in the hallways from the gaming rooms to the Vendor Rooms. All traffic between panels and events led past the artists and several artists sat behind tables covered with their work. Each artist had something different to offer as you could see many carrying pieces of fan art. But there was also a good mix of original work.

The wares varied but many tables were filled with stickers, buttons, and books. The books ranged from comic books to graphic novels. Some of the graphic novels had been originally released as web comics and then compiled into graphic novels.

Many artists were taking commissions on work specified by fans. The cost of a commission was dependent on content and style but the con-goer could commission the artist to draw an item of their choosing. Many con-goers have their own characters that they wish to have drawn up for them so some commissions were quick sketches that could be completed immediately and others were more in depth and required the customer to come back later.

Upon entering the first vendor room the con-goer was greeted by tables of merchandise. Directly to the left of the doors were tables of manga, some at clearance prices and in front of the doors were corsets and skirts next to collectibles and a little more manga. On the left side of the room were more collectibles and authentic Japanese kimonos and both the corsets and the kimonos could be tried on before a purchase decision was made.

Through another set of doors was the second vendor room which contained an even wider variety of merchandise. To the right was the No Brand Con table. Here Con-goers could purchase No Brand Con t-shirts, shot glasses, window clings, and the Is My Roommate Dead? Stick.  Other tables contained buttons, anime, t-shirts, fleece hats, wigs, collectibles, swords, books, and tabletop games (such as Magic cards).

The vendor rooms had set hours and closed by 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday (the last day). The artists in the Artist Alley could open and close their tables whenever they wanted and on Friday and Saturday, some artists remained at their tables until almost midnight.

Image Courtesy of   No Brand Con

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Saturday May 5, 2012, the second day of No Brand Con XI, boasted even more panels than the first.  The schedule began at 9 a.m. and ended with a dance that ran from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Sunday morning.  In the world of panels, the final event was Late Night with Chris Cason and Quinton Flynn.  There were also gaming and anime screenings running all day and night.

Panels were hosted by the guests and covered a wide variety of topics ranging from Voice Acting to The History of Sharp, Shiny, Pointy Things.  The Voice actors Chris Cason, Quinton Flynn, and Kyle Hebert gave several panels offering a behind the scenes look at voice acting.  Questions were encouraged, and all aspects of working in anime were covered.

Late Night with Chris Cason and Quinton Flynn was for the 18+ crowd and was open to everything – it ended up a little X-rated.  Nothing was off-limits in this panel, and most of it remained in the realm of all things racy.  Right from the beginning with Quinton Flynn’s story about his Yaoi song, the stage was set.  The topic cue was taken from there, and it never left.  Audience participation was more than encouraged.

Samurai Dan and his wife, Jillian, gave a history of Japanese swords in the panel, The History of Sharp, Shiny, Pointy Things.  This panel was full of history as well as humor.  They also gave classes in Samurai sword fighting.  Some classes used foam swords, while others used the real thing.  In his demonstrations, Samurai Dan used a 700-year-old katana, and the audience could look, but not touch.  Jillian’s sword was 300 years old.  Samurai Dan also offered a panel on the history of ninja weapons on Sunday.

For the gamers, there were three gaming rooms.  One room was for tabletop gaming.  This room was for the fans of games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.  Next to the tabletop room were the video game rooms.  The main room had rows of tables with every current console available.

Connected to the main video game room was a smaller room labeled Classic Gaming.  This room housed the older consoles, such as the original Nintendo.  Here, the tables were set up along the walls and went around the entire small room with a table in the middle holding two consoles.  These rooms were always full.

Two rooms were set aside to screen anime all day and most of the night.  All anime screened in these two rooms were appropriate for ages 13 and up.  There was also the No Mercy Room.  This room was dedicated to more adult anime, movies, and discussions.  ID was required as it was limited to the 18+ crowd.

Whether a gamer, anime fan, or panel participant, there was something for everyone at No Brand Con XI.

Image Courtesy of    No Brand Con

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From Friday, February 17 to Sunday the 19, in Orlando, Florida, Mega Con opened its doors once again to Comic, Sci-fi, and Anime fans for one of Florida’s biggest conventions of the year. People flock from all over, to one of the biggest gatherings of fans for the goal of trying to out nerd each other, and with over an estimated 40,000 attendees, this was one of the busiest years for Mega Con.

Despite the crowd, it is easy to get around the convention and check out all the shops that were set up. There were a vast variety of different shops; Comics, anime, collectables, cosplay costumes, and even weapons (blades). But probably the most impressive thing there were the prices.

Naturally you can find collectable comics that range between $100-$600, but they also sell various comics at a high discounted price. You could purchase a $30 comic set for only $5, and if you’re interested in the Essential or Showcase series, which average $17 a volume, can be picked up for around $9. This is usually the reason why many fans and enthusiasts go to the convention, and it is worth it.

If you were to come to Mega Con without friends, you would have made friends fast within the convention. Thousands of people, with similar interests, gathering together, it is real easy to just go up to someone and reference anything in comics or anime, and you’ll fire an instant connection. Here at Mega Con, you really feel like family.

One issue with Mega Con was that they did not prepare for the crowd that showed up. Employees were pointing people one way and others pointing them another. As for the convention floor, at points, it felt like trying to go downstream against migrating salmon. There were so many people that there was no order on where to go or how to get somewhere.

One solution that Mega Con should do for next year is to set up the convention floor like New York City. Setting the floor up in a grid and having certain paths go in one direction would help with the flow of traffic, rather than having everyone going everywhere which just adds more chaos into a very crowded environment.

Despite the few issues with Mega Con’s crowd, the convention itself was a truly amazing site and one of the best experiences of anyone’s life. If you are a fan of comics or just want to experience something unique, you should check out your local conventions.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/digital_ramapge/

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Considering the recent demise of Bandai’s North American anime licensing branch, and the closure of Tokyopop’s North American manga licensing offices in 2011, that old Western cliche seems still to hold true in America: There ain’t enough room in this town for the both of us.

In place of several publishers, licensors, and distributors that once offered a selection and variety to the translation and quality of the Japanese-imported anime and manga, the landscape now features two sole skyscrapers: Funimation for anime, and Viz Media for manga.

Unlike the North American comics industry, which has a “big two” of DC and Marvel, along with several notable smaller publishers such as Dark Horse and Image, the manga scene has steadily been thinning out since the early 2000s, and today, Viz is really the only big name in the business.

The easy answer is to blame the bad economy, but escapism into a fantasy world never gets old, and that is exactly what manga and anime sell. North American comics are more or less stable, and the video game industry is now even larger than the film industry in North America.

Escapism booms during economically tough times, but manga is busting. And on the anime side of things, Funimation’s nearest competitor, 4Kids, is now in bankruptcy. What have Funimation and Viz done that other companies have not?

For starters, they did not make stupid business decisions like Bandai’s North American wing, and they went with safe and solid titles. Funimation and Viz were both able to acquire several properties during the late ’90s that would each have been flagship titles for lesser companies.

So is it a simple matter of strong-arming the competition into destitution? Selling established North American comics such as Batman or X-Men to North Americans is a much easier task compared to importing Japanese media. A certain level of cultural and linguistic empathy bolsters the potential sales of DC and Marvel’s comics in America. Add a familiar name to that, and by comparison, half the marketing is done before you even start to sell an issue of Spider-Man.

That creates a larger market for those titles. Dragon Ball, on the other hand, had several failed attempts at being introduced here before it caught on like wildfire, because it was a very Japanese title.

Take some characters from the Journey to the West (a story that would be instantly recognizable within Asia), add in a Shaolin monk and ubiquitous references to ladies’ underwear (some of which, such as Bulma’s name, didn’t even carry over), and you have a mixture of nonsense that turns out as popular as green tea in Asia, and as popular as, well… green tea in North America, at least at first.

Companies cannot afford to follow the model of Dragon Ball. They need to create something familiar and established to give it appeal, and that ends up meaning one thing: a lack of innovation.

Viz and Funimation are successful because they play it safe, licensing only the most popular titles and then holding on to them for as long as possible. At the same time, Japanese content creators are realizing the same thing, and putting out nothing but the same familiar archetypes season after season, year after year.

Remember the original GameBoy, with its blocky grey body, its green screen, and its inexplicably purple buttons? Who said the buttons on that thing should be purple? Who knows? It was a weird decision, a silly risk, but it made for one of the most iconic handheld platform designs to this day.

Anime needs purple buttons. Just a few weird, innocuous twists to pull it out of the ordinary, make it interesting, and make it iconic. Dragon Ball would probably be too risky and foreign to introduce into today’s market, but surely something like 2008‘s Kaiba would have been warmly appreciated stateside.

Playing it safe results in diminishing returns at best. Funimation and Viz may be doing well for the moment, but when the mediocrity reaches a fever pitch and fans are aching for something novel, plucky risk-taking little companies will be the ones reaping the rewards.

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Asura’s Wrath may not be the best game you’ll ever play, it certainly won’t be the longest game you’ll play, and it definitely isn’t the most interactive game you’ll play. But it is still worth a play. After hearing the things I’ve already said about the game, you may be asking “Why?” and I don’t think you are crazy to wonder that.

So let me explain. Simply put, the game offers a fun and unique experience unlike any other. In all actuality, Asura’s Wrath is closer to an interactive anime as opposed to an action game, like God of War III.  In fact, I think Dragon Ball Z deserves a place amongst contemporaries just as much as the God of War games.

Asura’s Wrath’s roots as an anime can be seen in the game’s presentation. One thing that the game does to mimic the anime experience is present itself as episodic content, rather than one continuous story. The episodes are even broken up with little manga like segments and a “On the next episode of…” type of transition.  Don’t forget the over-the-top action in both the gameplay and cut scenes, which are a staple of almost every anime.

Then there is the ridiculous, but entertaining storyline which may seem like your cliché tale of betrayal and revenge. Still, it has its own unique flair that separates it from all the other, more mundane plotlines. After all, where else are you going to take on a giant Buddha in space? So now you have a chance to enjoy a piece of visual media that combines all of your favorite aspects of anime/manga, and video games,  in one tight, concise package.

While bursting at the seams with action, the parts where you are actually fully in control seem few and far between the segments of cinematic storytelling and Quick Time Events. Not to mention, the action is quite shallow. Your main source of damage output is the Light attack combo, which involves pressing square with the occasional triangle, which unleashes a heavy attack that changes based on context.

There are also cool counter attacks that change based on which faceless grunt’s skull you are bashing in at that particular moment. Bosses don’t have health bars, which makes these potentially epic duels reminiscent of your favorite anime’s battles. They are little more than a vehicle to get to the next cut scene. You just fill up your “burst” meter by bashing everyone’s face in, and when it’s full, you “burst” into yet another QTE that will shove you along to the next part of the story.

5. Presentation

Asura’s Wrath’s style is by far one of its best traits. The game is also certainly beautiful to look at, and it is both very, very unique and very, very odd. Not to mention it is also incredibly and unashamedly over-the-top.

4. Graphics

Everything looks good and is complemented by a unique art style.

3. Sound

Asura’s Wrath’s music is fantastic and does a great deal in sucking you into the action. The voice actors also do a pretty good job of delivering their lines and making them feel authentic.

2. Gameplay

Think of God of War III. Now think of God of War III with less complex actions and more QTE. Now you have Asura’s Wrath: satisfying gameplay with no “wow factor,” and a heck of a lot of interactive cut scenes. This applies to at least the first two-thirds of the game. The final third takes a page from Panzer Dragoon’s playbook, and turns into a similarly styled shooter.

1. Lasting Appeal

Let’s be honest here, single-player games almost always offer less value than games with multiplayer, and the divide is even greater when the single-player experience only lasts 6 hours. Asura’s Wrath isn’t quite justifiable with its $60 price tag, so either find a friend or two to split the bill with, rent it or wait until it is less than $40 is my personal recommendation.

Final Score: 3.5/5

This game is a great game, but it simply has a hard time justifying you spending your hard earned dollars on it. So while I do think it is worth a play, I think it isn’t worth it at this time. I am also to inclined to note that if you aren’t in it for the spectacle and are more concerned about the gameplay, then chances are that at the very least you will be a little disappointed.

Image Courtesy of    https://www.facebook.com/asuraswrath

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The “Warriors” games have a long and varied history; From its humble start as a fighting game to spawning a multitude of spin-offs. So in addition to the loosely historical offerings of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, people now are able to enjoy “Warriors” games based off some of their favorite anime.

There are warriors games for Gundam fans and then there is the game set in the universe of “Fist of the North Star” while the latest anime infused warrior game offering is based on the extremely popular “One Piece.” So knowing that pairing popular anime with their beloved “Warriors” formula isn’t something Tecmo-Koei is afraid of, their is a question that is every fan of the series head: Whats next?

Here are our take on the top 5 choices:

5. Yu Yu Hakusho

An older anime, but it would be fun none the less, with a decent size cast there would be plenty of different ways to smash, slice and incinerate your not-so-friendly neighborhood demons.

The great thing is, with “Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage”, Omega Force showed that not every ‘beat ‘em up’ game they make has to be the same exact “Dynasty Warriors” clone, allowing a variety in concepts, features and gameplay within their various spin-offs. For this reason, even anime series with less “mass murder” are still very eligible choices for a spin-off.

4. Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin has it all! Interesting story? Check. Colorful cast of characters? Check. Lots of cool weapons, crazy swordplay and intense fights? Check, check and check! While this anime is a little past its prime, there is no doubt fans of the series who are also interested in video games would love a chance to revisiting Meiji era Japan to step in the shoes of some of their favorite protagonists and antagonists.

In addition to this, Samurai Warriors is all about armies clashing on huge battlefields during the Sengoku period of Japan and Rurouni Kenshin’s setting is more so urban environments and takes place during the Meiji period.

3. Cowboy Bebop

Another perfect opportunity for a brawler. This critically acclaimed anime masterpiece saw great success both in Japan and internationally so there is already a pretty large fanbase for it. The anime also features some of the most interesting characters in all of fiction, all with very complicated backgrounds which caught the intrigue of viewers all over.

So it only makes sense that an anime as beloved as Cowboy Bebop deserves to be paired with a game by the masterminds at Omega Force. The game would probably feature a lot of chases and brawls in a variety of environments with gameplay similar to the aforementioned ”Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage,” but could quite possibly become one of the greatest pairing since Oreos and Milk.

2. Naruto

It only makes sense to combine two incredibly popular and amazing things to form something that appeals to a huge audience. This is exactly what a Naruto “Warriors” game would be. The anime probably has one of the largest and most diverse casts on this list so the game would provide a large variety in choices for players.

Not to mention there is plenty of opportunity for a full-on ninja war mode since there are different villages and they could act as different armies such as how it works in “Dynasty Warriors” and “Samurai Warriors.”

1. Bleach

Not only is Bleach insanely popular at the moment, but it features tons of flashy moves and swordplay and that is what “Warriors” games are all about. Bleach is probably the most likely choice for the next spin-off just because of how easily it would translate into a “Warriors” game and how insanely popular it is at the moment.

Also, many Bleach fans were left with a bad taste in their mouth after the mediocre that was the last attempt at a ‘hack-and-slash’ Bleach game. The one big hurdle would be acquiring the rights to such a game, but that is always the problem with licensing.

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It is hard to ignore if you are a fan of anime. Each season, you can expect the same type of shows with the same types of characters to come out, and it seems like they are not even trying to differentiate themselves. Ano Natsu de Matteru bears a striking resemblance in name, character design, and setting to Ano Hana from the summer season. Even tropes as specific as “shy, well-endowed, red-haired girl” show up over and over again. Why is this?

It may have something to do with a fundamental aspect of Japanese culture. Anime is created for and aimed towards the Japanese themselves. Remember, we westerners do not hold much sway over what goes into making an anime and what does not. For the Japanese, and indeed throughout many Asian cultures, copying, imitation, and repetition is highly valued.

Katana are forged by a student imitating the exact process that their master uses.  Also, Chinese characters have one correct way to be written and must be written over and over again to perfect the flow and the form.

This obsession with perfection through repetition bears itself out in many visible ways in Asia. Think of the notorious Chinese copies–fake iPads, fake Louis Vuitton, fake Starbucks, fake Mercedes-Benz, fake everything. The Japanese themselves have rarely invented anything themselves in the course of history, but they have adopted the inventions of other countries and vastly improved upon them.

Whereas in the west, we put a high value on original concepts and are quick to yell plagiarism or copyright infringement. The Japanese seem comfortable with the truth that we all must stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before us. We must learn from the best, and the best way to learn is to copy. The endless parade of slightly tweaked anime, then, is a culturally instinctual pursuit of perfection, even if to us westerners, it can feel exasperating and boring.

Perhaps it is instinctual, rather than intellectual, judging from a poll done by BigGlobe.jp, which asked readers to rank the most important aspects of anime when deciding whether they would watch a show or not.

The top three were story, character, and seiyuu. The next highest ranked were design, music, and cinematography. Considering the popularity of anime based on four-panel comic strips, moe characters, and high school settings, it is curious that story and character are ranked so high.

It is possible that the anime fans responding wanted to appear to have deeper tastes than they do in reality. At any rate, it seems ratings speak louder than polls, as there is no sign of a lull in shallow, moe-driven, and trope-heavy anime for the next season or those to come. Still, if you enjoy that sort of thing, there is plenty to look forward to. For the rest of us, a new season of Kore ha Zombie Desu ka? is also on the horizon, a show that takes all those ubiquitous tropes and turns them into hilarious self-parody.

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