So there you have it, the details of the Gundam Unicorn ep5 screening. You can bet that I will definitely be there!

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

We at NKDS would like to wish our readers a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year! Since the incoming year is the year of the Dragon, I have taken care to pick an appropriate picture for the occasion. Good luck, and have fun over the festive season!

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

The Messiah has arrived.

A year ago, I made a similar post regarding the best of anime in 2010. At the end of the post, I speculated that Puella Magi Madoka Magica might become the best anime of 2011. Looking back at 2011, Madoka Magica would indeed have dominated if not for the sheer storytelling brilliance of the staff behind Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, better known as AnoHana. These are the two giants of the anime industry in 2011, all other titles fade away in significance when compared to these twin titans.

For the record, I consider anime like Fate/Zero and Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon to be 2012 titles, since we will only know how good the final product is when the second season ends.

So, the top 10 anime of 2011, in my opinion of course. Titles will be listed in alphabetical order.

~~~~~

1. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

Excellent storyline, superior voice-acting and good animation, combined with a tear-jerkingly good ending song makes AnoHana one of the more memorable experiences in 2011. Nearly every episode made tears well up in my eyes, which is no mean feat. The fact that AnoHana was original content that was not based off any existing material only made the overall product even more impressive. As a side note, I never thought much of Tomatsu Haruka’s voice-acting skills, but her performance as Anaru was very well done.

2. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Season 2

It’s like Silverlink hired SHAFT’s animators for certain episodes of BakaTest season 2. The school comedy and crazy antics from Class F are all there, with significantly improved animation as compared to the 1st season. The episode featuring Minami’s experiences when she first arrives in Japan is particularly noteworthy, for its artistic direction and pacing.

3. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT. Did I mention that I love Meat? And Kanae Itou is fast becoming one of my favourite seiyuu, thanks to her role as Sena AKA Meat.

4. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

I can’t pinpoint exactly why I like this show. Is it Erio’s moe factor or is it Meme’s mature sexiness? Or could it be that all the other girls in this show are all equally likeable? As a SHAFT production, Denpa Onna is not extremely high budget nor hard to pull off, but the anime manages to hit all the right buttons without resorting to extreme fanservice. It is just easy to like this title without needing a reason.

5. Hanasaku Iroha

Kanae Itou strikes again, proving her versatility and ability as Ohana. Hanasaku Iroha started out strong but suffered from episode pacing problems around the middle of the series, quickly recovering in time near the end. The animation is consistent, as expected of PA Works. The chemistry between Ohana, Nako and Minko is the main attraction here, with plenty of juicy subplots such as a potential love triangle and declining sales at the inn at which they all work at. My favourite girl in here has to be Nako. She is damn hot in her one-piece swimsuit or her Chinese waitress dress.

6. The Idolmaster

Every Imas fan has been waiting for this for a long time, and let’s not talk about Idolmaster Xenoglossia. Well, Imas has a giant fanbase and A-1 Pictures have managed to make a good anime that features all the girls, leaving no one behind. I must confess that I have not found the time to finish the anime, but I acknowledge the wisdom and difficulty of creating a high quality animation that catered to the entire Imas fanbase while keeping the fans of the individual girls happy. Not an easy thing to do indeed.

7. Mazinkaizer SKL

 This one is personal. You probably won’t find Mazinkaizer SKL on any other top 10 lists for 2011, but no self-respecting Mazinger fan would drop this out from their own lists. I just wish they would man up and make an entire series for this, instead of a mere 3 episode OVA.

8. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

And so we finally get to this. I have done an earlier post about Madoka Magica back in April 2011, where I wondered if Madoka would be able to challenge Nanoha’s dominance of the Magical Girl genre. Fast forward to now, and I would say Madoka is well on her way to doing so. A movie series has already been announced, with a second season possibly in the works. Meanwhile, Madoka Magica merchandise is being churned out on a regular basis, and Mami actually won SaiMoe2011. Last but not least, Madoka Magica will be released in Bushiroad’s Weiss Schwarz TCG in February this year. The media and merchandise machines are in full steam with no signs of stopping.

It’s been a while since we have seen a massive and successful multi-platform marketing blitz such as Madoka Magica, and the anime industry needs more stunts like this to prevent stagnation. Imagine what 2011 would have looked like without the hype that Madoka Magica generated. Could Madoka really prove to be the Messiah of the anime industry, not just in 2011 but in 2012 as well, or will Nanoha and gang strike back with their own 2nd Movie in June? Time will tell.

9. The world God only knows

This was surprisingly good, and one of the best manga to anime adaptations that I have ever seen. It shares the same quality as Denpa Onna… it is easy to like the series without pinpointing any particular reasons. Once again, Kanae Itou provides an entertaining performance as Elsie, the criminally cute partner to Hiro Shimono’s Keima. The rest of the characters are equally lovable, with Haqua also gathering a sizable legion of fans comparable to Elsie’s. In time to come, TWGOK might well be considered as a textbook example of how to do manga-to-anime adaptations right.

10. YuruYuri

I like this for the yuri overtones and the antics of Toshino Kyouko, the smartass leader of the merry band of girls that is the Amusement Club. This is truly one of the underdogs of the year, not much hype was generated by it, yet the shops of Akihabara were busy brainwashing customers with the insanely catchy opening song in the season the anime was being aired. The dynamics of the girls are truly fascinating, forming a complicated web that would take some effort to unravel and explain, yet very enjoyable. At the end of day, YuruYuri scores because the production team knew what they wanted and what the viewers were looking for in a show titled YuruYuri, and they simply delivered in generous helpings with a seasoning of insane humor. A very blunt way to create success, but hey, it worked.

~~~~~

The absolute best of 2011 would be a contest between Madoka Magica and AnoHana, no questions asked. As always, opinions will vary but I will have to vote for Puella Magi Madoka Magica as the best anime of 2011. While AnoHana was good and caused much tears to be shed, Madoka Magica was good, caused some tears to be shed AND kept the fans emptying their wallets even at the time of writing this article. Figmas, Nendroids and figurines of Madoka Magica are being released at a breakneck pace to insatiable demand, as compared to AnoHana’s own lackluster merchandising since the anime was aired.

If all goes according to plan, Puella Magi Madoka Magica stands a much better chance of being remembered and loved 3 years from now, as compared to AnoHana which would no doubt have faded to obscurity by then. And that is the difference between an exceptional anime versus a merely great anime… a constant generation of content and the ability to stay in public memory, long after the last episode has aired.

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

Fate wishes you a happy new year too!

It’s been an exciting year, for all of us at NKDS. Xak and I have graduated from our respective universities and found satisfying jobs that cater to our anime fandom. Bjorn, Dodgethis and Mycstea have also made their respective marks and significant contributions to our local anime industry. We are busy and you can tell; we have not been able to post on the blog as often as compared to last year. Rest assured that we are still watching anime though, and we are very much updated on the latest anime trend.

So, what are the highlights of this year, in my opinion? For me, entertainment-wise it has to be the Kalafina concert at AFA11. Being able to listen to Kalafina live is the fulfillment of one of my life’s goals. I will attend their concert again in 2012, in Japan if possible. Its a promise that I’ve made to myself.

Another personal highlight would have to be the founding of Metronome. It’s one of those cases where we thought, “Hey, it would be cool if we could do some crazy stuff and pull it off, nevermind the chances of success.” And next thing we knew, we really went out and got the group up and running. Our thanks to Mycstea, Xeph, Sharon and everyone who helped us along the way. Sentinel011 and Bjorn, we have got our work cut out for us next year!

What else… okay. Let’s talk about graduation. This blog was started while all of us were still schooling, back in the old innocent days of 2008. Three years later, the blog is still around, but members have graduated from their studies. For me, the evolution from a student to a working adult is complete. I honestly did not feel smarter even after I graduated from university, so I am not likely to go for Masters or any higher education qualification because I am probably not going to get smarter after graduating from those. Damn am I glad this part of my life is behind me.

Last but certainly not least would be finding meaningful employment as soon as I graduated. I cannot give too much details, but suffice to say that I am very, very lucky and very glad to be able to work for my current company and bosses. Working life is so much more fun and satisfying than studying, which makes me wonder as I’ve often heard that its supposed to be the other way round. I am guessing its the nature of my work, but I still have a long working life ahead, so who knows what the future might bring?

Anyways, back to NKDS. Longtime readers might recall that we posted quite a lot of sexy topics in the distant past back when the blog was first founded, before mysteriously stopping all ecchi content for a long, long time. I won’t explain why the ecchi and hentai content stopped, but I am glad to announce that the sex, drugs and rock and roll has returned! That’s right, we are back to the decadent ways of 2008, starting from 1st Jan 2012. I would like to start off with an article about the science of NTR in doujins, but yeah. Please look forward to the decadence that is coming(heh) right up!

Along with the return to our roots, I would like to make a solemn and personal promise to post more often on NKDS. Yes, I understand that Facebook is so much more tempting and so much more convenient. but a blog is still superior for communicating to readers who may not personally know us and are thus not in our list of friends on Facebook. Just do not be surprised to see articles with wildly differing interests popping up on NKDS, since at this point of time I am simply going to post anything that I feel like posting about.

Also, I will not make an effort to post about every single anime-related news from Japan, so readers who want the latest up-to-date news should visit websites like Anime News Network and Sankaku Complex. NKDS is not going to turn into yet another news aggregator, and it probably never will.

Time will tell if I am able to keep to the promise of blogging more often, but hey, at least I am making the effort, right?

And that’s all I have for now. May everyone have a good 2012 ahead of them. The Emperor protects.

Julius Firefocht, signing off.

]]> http://nk-ds.org/2011/12/the-nkds-annual-end-of-year-address-hello-2012/feed/ 0 http://nk-ds.org/2011/11/where-to-buy-your-anime-merchandise-in-afa11/ http://nk-ds.org/2011/11/where-to-buy-your-anime-merchandise-in-afa11/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:25:49 +0000 Julius_Firefocht http://nk-ds.org/?p=6081

Here it is, Genesis Frontier’s booth layout in AFA11. Genesis Frontier (GF) is the distributor of major anime brands such as Bushiroad and Cospa in South-East Asia, and they have lined up a whole bunch of goodies for us to purchase. Many Botans died to bring us this information, so use it wisely and plan your purchase routes ahead of time!

From this map alone, you can see that anime merchandise from the following titles are available:

- Hatsune Miku (technically not an anime, but still…)

- Touhou (Also technically not an anime, but… yeah.)

- Fate/Zero

- Puella Magi Madoka Magica

- Cardfight! Vanguard

- AnoHana

- Shakugan no Shana

- K-ON!

- Angel Beats!

- Steins;Gate

This is a pretty impressive list, especially since the merchandise for Shana, K-On, Vanguard and Madoka Magica are original and new creations that are officially produced under license from their respective license owners. Which means that you can only buy these items for the first time at AFA11 itself and nowhere else, making the items truly exclusive to the event!

So, pad up your wallet in preparation for AFA11 and Genesis Frontier’s merchandise. You will need it.

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

There are lots of content to report about this time, but we are going to summarize everything into a quick-and-easy factsheet that is easy to digest. Basically, AFA2011 is going to rock.

~~~~~

Pricing

Regular Pricing: $8 for a single day pass, $18 for single day pass plus stage access

I Love Anison Pricing: $48 for a single day standing pass, $148 for a single day VIP pass, $368 for a 3 day VIP pass. VIP Passes get access to stage events as well.

Expensive? I can assure you that you will get your money’s worth, and more. Let me show you why…

I Love Anisong Concerts

Day 1, 11/11/11: Miku. And not just any Miku, but the full 3D deal complete with live band. Any Miku fan worth his/her salt cannot miss this, as this is THE definitive Miku experience brought over from Japan and replicated here in its full glory. Look out for appearances by other Vocaloids as well!

Day 2, 12/11/11: FLOW, Ichirou Mizuki, LiSA, SEA*A. Yes, you read that right. LiSA. Yui-nyan herself is descending upon our little island to grace us with her songs. Angel Beats fans, go wild!

Day 3, 13/11/11: Kalafina, Kanako Itou + Shikura Chiyomaru, May’N, Milky Holmes. Let me set the record straight. I like Kalafina. I rank them up there along with JAM Project when it comes to anison groups that I like. So when I heard about Kalafina coming to AFA2011, my first reaction was FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRKYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I haven’t been this high about an anison performance since JAM Project in last year’s AFA!

A strong lineup, arguably the strongest of all AFAs so far even with the lack of JAM Project. Just the chance of seeing and hearing Kalafina LIVE is worth the price of entry. Add in rising stars like LiSA and veterans such as Aniki and May’N, and we have a strong combination that will appeal to both new and old anison fans.

Akiba Town

The usual suspects are all there. Bandai, Bushiroad, Cospa, Nitroplus, Kotobukiya, Good Smile Company, and more to come. Bandai will bring in some event exclusive Gundam Unicorn merchandise, and Bushiroad is set to debut the English version of their wildly popular Cardfight!! Vanguard trading card game, while holding one of their mega-tournaments in AFA. No lack of things to do in Akiba Town, eh?

AFA2011 Anime Theater

Featuring Sora no Otoshimono movie (!!!), FMA: The Star of Milos, Gundam Unicorn Ep 4: At the bottom of the Gravity Well,  Naruto: The Blood Prison, to be played continuously in the Theater itself.  As an unrepentant SoraOto fan, I am zooming in on the Sora no Otoshimono movie. Nymph for the win!

Stage activities

Main stage events:

- Special guest: Saito Chiwa, aka Homura from Madoka Magica, among many, many other roles in many, many other anime. Homuhomu fans ought to be pleased! There will be a live dubbing session, and Atsuhiro Iwakami aka the producer of Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero will be on stage to share his experiences. Homuhomu!

- Character designer Masayoshi Tanaka and anime producer Shunsuke Saitou will share their insights into how they crafted the tearjerking anime Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi ha mada Shiranai, better known as Anohana. If you have not watched AnoHana, you need to go watch it. AnoHana is definitely one of the most emotionally powerful anime that I ever had the pleasure of watching.

- Atsuhiro Iwakami will be back on stage for talks regarding Fate/Zero, and LiSA will give an exclusive performance of Fate/Zero’s opening song! This could very well be the first time the song was ever performed live, so fans should seize the chance to be a part of that special moment!

- Other guests include Danny Choo, who requires no introductions, celebrity cosplayer Kaname and Go Nakanishi, better known as the producer of Asura Crying and Uchuu no Stellvia.

Maid Cafe and Butler Cafe

Moe Moe Kyun Maid Cafe and Atelier Royale Butler Cafe are back! This section would be better served with pictures, which I am unfortunately unable to provide. A quick search in Google will show more about the new members of the respective Cafes though.

Cool Japan Forum

Lineup featuring:

- Takaaki Kitani, President of Bushiroad Inc

- Sampei Yamaguchi, Character designer of Macross. As in the original Macross. Lynn Minmay was designed by him!

- Hirano Keichiro, author of L’Eclipse and Conte de la première lune.

The entrance fee of the Cool Japan Forum has been reduced to $85, to make it more accessible. Don’t miss this chance to observe the exchange of ideas and concepts from the highest level of the Japanese animation industry!

~~~~~

If this is not a formidable spread of content, then I don’t know what is. Long story short, go get your tickets, and we will see you at AFA2011!

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

Featuring my favourite cosplayer in this post, just because I can.

A bit late on our part, but the details for the Regional Cosplay Championship in AFA11 are now available. Here’s the link to a SGcafe post, detailing everything that you might need to know in order to participate in the competition:

Regional Cosplay Championship 2011

In any case, we believe that more details about AFA 2011 will be revealed very soon, so remember to come back for more updates!

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

As mentioned in our previous post, here’s a picture of Metronome’s Hinagiku T-shirt, to be sold at A.C.M.E III. This is our most ambitious project to date, with a much larger print size and more daring colour coordination.

We will be at Booth 11 at A.C.M.E III. Do drop by to say hi and support us!

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

A.C.M.E III is a few short days away, and we have just received these updates in our mailbox. You gotta prepare for the sheer amount of anime merchandise that is going to be at the event!

~~~~~

KKnM Chara Fest list of products:
http://www.theanimehouse.com/ACME%20Release%202011/KKnMacme2011b.htm

List of goods from doujin artists: http://www.acme.sg/doujinlist.php

Touhou Elysium Goods: http://www.acme.sg/projectelysium.php

We also have the prices for the Touhou Elysium products:

T-shirts: $25, Phone Strap: $9, Tapestry: $35, Badges: $3

~~~~~

On the gaming front, the ACME Committee has made it known that this year’s Touhou Tournament will have 56 players fighting it out using their favorite Touhou characters. Expect to see some fierce competition in the tournament!

On a side note, you might notice that our group, Metronome, is featured among the doujin artist listed for A.C.M.E III. We will be officially debuting our Anaru, Menma and Hinagiku t-shirts there, so please do drop by to say hi and support A.C.M.E and us!

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.

]]> http://nk-ds.org/2011/08/more-updates-on-a-c-m-e-iii/feed/ 0 http://nk-ds.org/2011/08/maaya-sakamoto-and-kenichi-suzumura-finally-come-out-and-announce-their-marriage/ http://nk-ds.org/2011/08/maaya-sakamoto-and-kenichi-suzumura-finally-come-out-and-announce-their-marriage/#comments Sat, 13 Aug 2011 01:15:50 +0000 dodgethis http://nk-ds.org/?p=6059
 

That is all. Only surprise I got was that it took them this long. So who’se next, Nana Mizuki and Takahiro Sakurai? Yuuichi Nakamura and Tomokazu Sugita?