And now, onto the forums...

What is the Animatrix?
It's an age old question: What makes it 'anime'? With the Animatrix being largely written & looked after by the Wachowski Brothers, does it make this less of an "anime" even though the animation is done by some of Japan's greatest anime directors? Weigh in with that opinion of yours along with some already great replies.

Voices of a Distant Star
Makoto Shinkai’s self-made masterpiece hits stores this week (and some stores last week or the week before) and one question on everyone’s mind is: how does it end? Well, thanks to some translating work done by forum user “Ahjenta” from the novelization, the wonderful end is made known (but be warned that there are some spoilers for the anime contained within):

Now all we need is for ADV (or whomever) to license the novel, translate it, and release it Stateside. It would certainly make a nice serialization for Newtype USA:

Unfortunately however, it seems that there are a couple of problems with the DVD release. The “director’s cut” audio track (featuring vocals by Makoto Shinkai himself, as well as his fiancee) is missing, as well as some subtitles. Visit the Glitch Disc thread to find out just what to look for, and where to look for it:

And then head on over to Studio Feedback and wonder loudly along with Jim Lazar as to whether or not a replacement is in the works:

Risky Safety
In a rather innovative move, AN Entertainment has made the first episode of their upcoming release of Risky Safety available for download on their show-specific website, making it that much easier for fans to get a taste of the show before deciding to commit. The inevitable complaints came up when it turned out that only a dubbed version was available, but the problem was quickly remedied with a subtitled version being made available as well, thanks to Jeff Grose (who has also been graciously participating in the discussion while checking for feedback) and the AN Entertainment staff.

In other news, a response e-mail from AN Entertainment to forum user “Sidhartha” regarding “questionable” language in Risky Safety and the work done to “soften” some of said language in the dub for the purposes of being conscientious of potential younger viewers caused a bit of a stir before Jeff stepped in and clarified things a bit as to the very minor nature of the changes.

The Imperial Fighting Troupe, Flower Division gears up for a US performance
The highly anticipated Sakura Wars: The Movie (Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin) is starting to move forward as Pioneer is putting together a website to celebrate the DVD release this September 9th. Currently posted is a subtitled Japanese trailer which should easily get fans into a frenzy while the rest of the website is being polished for public consumption.

Infinite Ryvius
After a bit of a wait and a bit of a delay, information about Bandai’s impending release of Infinite Ryvius is available. Being a part of Bandai’s Platinum Line, the first volume of the show comes in two flavors: the disc by itself, or a disc with a box and a number of extra items. Fans should expect items such as pencilboards, as well as a plushy (of Rafula, the little ferret perhaps?) to serve as a companion to their Grunty plushy from .hack//SIGN.

Cryptic mention of something called Ryvius Illusion in the extras list led to an inquiry thread about the nature of the extra, whether it would be included on both versions, and whether it was even an on-disc extra. However, forum users “hakootoko” and “mighty_vespa” were able to clarify things by revealing that Ryvius Illusion is a series of short SD flash animations, leading some to hope that most if not all of the R2 extras have been licensed.

And over in the Recommendations forum, a nice little description/recommendation of the show was posted by forum user “rickdoman”. Agree? Disagree? Speak your mind and let us know why we should care about Infinite Ryvius or not!

Blue Submarine No.6 Special Edition
Fans were eagerly anticipating Bandai’s rerelease of Blue Sub No.6, but some disappointment arose when it was learned that the rerelease consisted merely of the original disc content being pressed onto DVD-10s (one episode per side, two discs total for the four episodes), in addition to the extras disc. For some, this was the last straw. Others were simply confused as to why the decision was made. A couple of people didn’t care. In the end, a fair number of people are still buying the set, but the general dislike for flipper discs hasn’t gone away.

And some more discussion on the subject. DVD-10s are okay for space saving. DVD-10s are okay since the price is right. DVD-10s are not okay due to having to flip them. DVD-10s are not okay due to being more easily damaged. Forum user Adam Cederblom does a nice, concise job of wondering why the original discs weren’t simply repackaged in double-Amarays. Just about every opinion is covered, but you might want to add yours if it’s not.

Megami fans, let your voices be heard!
And yet another person joins the "Megami Magazine" fan club. Newtype USA may claim to be geared towards the "hardcore fans" but it's fanservice friendly magazines like Megami, A*Princess, & Dengeki which are all the rage of that "target audience". Pictures & posters, risque & nice. Who would have thought the anime fans would crave such quality magazines in America?

Time for some recommendations!
Wondering about a show that others have been raving about? Can’t decide if an impending release is worth it? Interested to know if a brand-new show is exciting enough to start pestering the R1 companies about it? Then check out these threads!

Past shows:

Present shows:

Future shows:

Getting to know... well.. YOU!
That age old tradition of any forum is back. We have this week some standard Q&A shtick and some that isn't so close. Isn't meeting new people fun? So are you protective of yourself, sleeping on the job, fighting off all those fanboys & fangirls, or just a bishie person posing in your underware?

My mother would be so proud that I said "bishie person posing in your underware". Actually, she'd probably ask what a bishie person is & why they'd be posing in their underware. Come to think of it, do bishie people just pose around in their underware? Wouldn't they get cold at some point?

What’s audio got to do with it?
From the Hardware forum comes some interesting threads having to do with that essential aspect of anime known as audio. Forum user “Schmavid” wonders what the big deal is with DD 5.1 and DTS, while “mamochan” inquires as to whether a ProLogic to DTS upgrade is worth it. “fritz” requests some subwoofer suggestions, and everyone’s favorite rat “GanChan” asks about upgrading audio (for cheap, natch’) and some surround sound adjustments. If it’s giving advice or asking some questions, these are the threads to check out!

Love Hina
As the manga nears its end, some fans start wondering what will take its place in the fanservice department…

…while other fans discuss the most recent graphic novel.

New first graphic novels
TOKYOPOP has several new manga series starting up and VIZ has a number of properties ready to come out s well, and so there are certainly many thoughts and opinions about the first volumes as they begin to hit retailers. Weigh in with your own comments, or check to see if any happen to fit your particular manga leanings.

TOKYOPOP

VIZ

Eva movie concept designs
Fantasy takes one more step closer to reality as the very first concept design artwork by Weta Workshop comes available. It's way too early to tell which direction the movie will end up going but it's still fun to look at and wonder. Some of us keep hoping that ADV Productions will put together a large website in the near future like Star Wars has to show the movie develop from art to production to filming over the next couple of years.

Live Action Transformers
Speaking of "live action" movies, The Transformers have one being loaded into the creation pot to be worked on. Good Vs Evil. Prime Vs Megatron. Toymakers Vs Fan's Wallets. With another Transformers anime series being planned, a very popular series of comic books coming out, and the toys just about everywhere you look... it only makes sense that the Autobots & Decepticons take their battle to the big screen again. Will a live action Prime be as cool as the original hero of the '80s?

Live Action Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Rounding out this week of live action material (just wait, Cowboy Bebop & Ghost in the Shell will go live before you know it), the ladies of Sailor Moon will be going to TV in Japan this fall. Details are scarce at the moment but we're sure more will pop up in the coming weeks as everything gears up for production.

Chris Beveridge says 'Thanks' (Wife reported as saying 'My husband!?')
OK, so really Chris is a nice person (that Darth Sodapop we're a little weary of) but people still like to see his comments of thanks to everyone. With "anime fandom" carrying such a rep of being whiners (some of it earned, some of it not), AoD tries to keep it being a happy & equal place of fun, justice, and the occasional fish attack.

Sexiest thing in a yukata...
Ready, set, drool! Yukatas are everywhere in anime series so it only makes sense to try and name off some of the sexiest who put on the traditional piece of cloth. Aoi-chan may rule many minds but we're sure there are more worthy of a mention.

The Big O like you haven't seen it on TV before
The Big O is coming to Adult Swim, we know. However, what we didn't know before is that Cartoon Network will be running the series uncut unlike the original Toonami broadcasts of last time. Even bigger news is that CN holds the option to pick up an additional 26 episodes of everyone's favorite Negotiator. Big O, it's showtime!

Boston AOD Gathering Rescheduled 6/14 @ 6:00pm
LadyFae would like to remind everyone that the AoD Boston "get together" will be held this Saturday at Harvard Square. All willing and able people should RSVP to the thread no later then June 12th.

Japanese Emoticons
Increasing your knowledge is one goal around here (not really, but this one is fun). "CrazyCelt" has found an intresting site which explains Japanese internet emoticons. Which will you continue to use? One byte or two byte. ^_^

Favorite Male Voice Actors
Sure, we all know people like to talk about the ladies but where are all those pieces of praise for the guys who hop in the booth? Time to make a list & check it twice as we find all the guys who are naughty & nice.

Quote of the Week

"Well, the site was quite nice, until it got AoD'ed..." - Stormfalcon

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. S Man has been saying Melissa Fahn is one of the most talented and beautiful actresses for a very long time. Now, the rest of the world will know. Someone please give her more work.