Along with the new Cover Art forum, Chris has dedicated a single forum to the AoD Recommedations section. Forum users can now make suggestions of shows to be "recommended/also recommend" and volunteer to write up the recommendation.

A special reminder to all who wish to join the forums, be sure to check out:

And now, onto the forums...

Anime Central 2003 News & Views
ACen has come and gone, now it is time to count up all the details & celebrate (or be afraid) of who has what titles. Highlights include Pioneer picking up Someday's Dreamers, Synch-Point showing off the Prototype FLCL box & picking up the Pillows music video, and ADV picking up the live action Japanese show "Gun Crazy".

Wai, wai!! FLCL box, banzai!!
The wait may always be long when it comes to Synch-Point, but it’s always been well worth it. In keeping with both this trend and the box craze that’s been sweeping the nation (well, maybe it’s not that huge, exactly), Synch-Point has decided to offer up a limited edition box with volume 3 of fan-favorite FLCL which will hold all three volumes of the series. It’s sturdy, it’s covered in great artwork… what more could a box fan want?

4Kids: Shaman King and Sonic X, or something like them…
Controversy! When it was learned that 4Kids Entertainment had picked up the rights to Shaman King and Sonic X, there was little chance of anything positive being said in response. Content editing, bad dubbing, and the inevitable dub-only release seem to be the likely outcomes. Might there actually a good side to this? If you think so, then by all means discuss (but do so at your own risk!).

What's your favorite .hack//SIGN song?
With each of the soundtracks releasing with the "Limited Edition" US DVD release of .hack//SIGN, it brings up an intresting question. Everyone seems to have a few favorites to suggest. S-Man has been known to play Yuki Kajiura's "In The Land of Twilight, Under The Moon" constantly.

Even a salaryman can defend the peace!
All good things must come to an end, and thusly Dai-Guard’s final volume has hit the shelves and, subsequently, the DVD players of the handful of fans enjoying “The Best Show That No One’s Watching.” A thoroughly entertaining series that outwardly may seem like just another giant robot show but has a lot more going for it than that, and a solid DVD release by ADV is simply icing on the cake.

Neon Genesis Evangelion goes Live Action
The series that definately left an impact on the anime community as large as the "Second Impact" looks to be trying to do it again. Weta Workshop (Lord of the Rings) and ADV Films (US TV series distributor) have joined forces to begin development of an Eva live action film. No doubt this will be a popular discussion for the weeks and months to come.

Best… diorama… ever.
Gundam fan + lots of models + lots of free time = one of the most incredible dioramas ever. Not much discussion to be had, and this was barely even a blip amidst the morass of usual Off Topic threads, but it simply must be seen. And praised. And feared.

RightStuf & Gainax's Circumstances
Let us preface this with: Shawne Kleckner (President & CEO of RightStuf) is looking into the issue. There is no need or reason to start a new thread over this. RightStuf has not done anything other than run with the masters they were sent from Gainax.

It seems some "differences" have been noticed between the Japanese material concerning His & Her Circumstances and what RightStuf has been releasing. This includes a short love scene from episode 18 and an alternate version of Episode 14 & the first half of 15 (both are "recaps" but the Japanese release seems to have been more of a "music video" for the entire sequence).

Distributed computing clients
Forum user Kris Granholm has brought an interesting issue to our attention this past week: distributed computing clients. The idea in a nutshell is that one’s PC’s unused processor cycles can be utilized in order to assist in solving various complex problems. While not a new idea in itself, it may be new to some of the users out there. Questions? Comments? Check out the thread!

Greatest, highest, longest, fastest… or just plain best
Here we have a short list of some poll-like threads that have been going on over the past week. If you ever wanted to let people know who you thought the most oblivious anime character is, or wondered who the AoD community seems to think might make the best anime sibling, or are simply on a bit of a fanservice hunt, then these threads are for you!

Two more dub casts announced
Once again we're back with more casting news from the English Track forum. ADV has given Steam Detectives to their Austin studio Monster Island. ShoPro Entertainment has The Ocean Group dubbing MegaMan NT Warrior which is currently running Saturday mornings on KidsWB.

Jojo's Bizzare Adventure V.1 + Box Comments
While it may not be at all retail locations just yet, the early comments for Super Techno Arts' first release have already come in. The US release comes with two STAND cards inside the dvd case and "thickness" of the box has been said to compare to Central Park Media's "Now and Then, Here & There". The US release is starting with the 2nd OVA series (which actually takes place *before* the first OVA series) and will be available at retail locations with and without the box.

The Matrix: Reloaded *SPOILERS* Thread
It's time to jack in with Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, and the whole city Zion because the second movie of the Matrix trilogy is here. The second movie seems to seriously be twisting people's minds with the deep & cryptic messages told within. Who will be right? Only The Matrix: Revolutions in November can truely answer these question but it's alot of fun trying ahead of time.

Do You PSO?
Phantasy Star Online for the X-Box has brought up a "need to know" question for everyone out there: What's your screenname?

Quote of the Week

"Actually, Chris pays me 25 cents per post and $1.00 each time I don't post." - Kawaii

When not stopping trouble (or starting it) on the AoD Forums, S-Man can be found working on the database project at Crystal Acids and asagiri2040 can be found not updating his Rising Sun Alternative website. This is the first issue finished before 5am on Wednesday. No joke! S-Man is typically working away until the orange ball of flames starts to rise over the horizon. What a nut!