Forum Buzz
By da Original S Man & asagiri2040

7/16/03 Edition

Important News

System Update: Manga for One
Kiss those dreams of being "Cyberlocked" and whipped by a Cybermatrix goodbye. Cyber_3, not to be confused with show Cybersix or the often looked up Cyberse.. err... well, this is a family show (Ed. note: Since when!?). Anyway, Cyber_3 has stepped down from her position as a forum moderator to enjoy reality more and locking less. She's still around but for now on the manga fans will be looking to Kiril to moderate. Manga reps can rest assure that Cyber_3 will still pester you quite often. ;-)

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

And now, onto the forums...

Five Star Stories Licensed?
San Diego will be home to Comic-Con in just a day and already something of the "news" type has popped up. Comic-Con is a convention which only runs licensed anime provided by the US anime studios for showings in their video room. With that said, Thursday in room 25B at 9:55pm is going to be very intresting because "Five Star Story" is on the video list. Now why would they run something unlicensed unless...

Pioneer’s weekly ups and downs
Copies of CardCaptor Sakura volume 16 have been making their way into the hands of fans eager to see the next handful of episodes as the show nears its end, and predictably, Pioneer’s chosen limited pack-in extra for each disc of this series (a postcard) is rather absent from most copies.

However, Pioneer’s Stephen Tang was kind enough to post details about how to acquire a limited slipcover for X volume 5 from Pioneer, a bit of a necessity since their box for the series was sized to comfortably fit all 8 series discs as long as they all had slipcovers (i.e., the box fits 9 normal keepcases). Be aware that there’s a deadline of October 10 for the offer!

Pioneer’s Chad Kime also popped in for a bit to report that a replacement for Sugar volume 2 was in the works, and that details would be announced in several weeks. (The initial run of discs came with a mono Japanese audio track, rather than a regular stereo mix.)

And finally, via The Right Stuf’s site, it has become known that Pioneer will also be issuing a statement regarding a bad batch of discs in their recently-released collection of El-Hazard: The Wanderers. People have been finding that episodes 18-20 (on volume 3) of the set are unplayable. This problem was not present on the original release.

P.J. opens up the UK
The first batch of UK R2 reviews by Paul Jacques are in. If you can prey yourself away from "Neighbours" long enough to read a few, you just might know what's good at your local Virgin Megastore very soon.

Shinkai Makoto's Egao
Egao is a bargin and a gem of an item in Japan right now. Egao is a music video animated by Shinkai Makoto (Voices of a Distant Star creator) with four different versions + extras (interviews, making of) on the DVD for only 1500 yen. It is a must have for R2 fans.

Pioneer confirms Ai Yori Aoshi and Haibane-Renmei extras
Pioneer has been an active member of the forum this week and Stephen Tang being the center of much joy. First off, we have confirmation that we will get Ai Yori Aoshi "Episode 0". This is a five minute video piece which was only available in Japan in the limited Tokuhou DVD box and has the "gang" discussing what they wanted to be when they grew up. Secondly, we have confirmation that the Haibane-Renmei video promo will be coming at some point during HR's release. They are currently trying to get the license for both audio versions (a non-spoilerish audio track which was sold at Komiket and then a spoilerish audio track which came during the later series release). If they get limited to just one version, they plan to get the spoilerish version of the promo.

Preemptive fix for s-CRY-ed glitch
When screener copies of s-CRY-ed volume 1 began making their way to reviewers, it was noted that the English audio for the prologue to episode 5 was missing. Fans panicked, Bandai was contacted, and then… not much else happened. Now that the official release has hit stores, fans are finding that the audio is now present. Bandai’s Jerry Chu also confirmed that there was indeed a problem with the screener copies, but that the problem has been fixed for the official release.

Panties, and associated nonsense
Forum user “fan service junky”, after reading the AoD review for Agent Aika, brought up the possibility that ADV had gotten the idea for the free panties to be packaged with the vol.1 + box edition of Najica Blitz Tactics from Chris. The reality is that an ADV sales department staffer came up with the idea herself, and that Chris is merely prophetic. Then things quickly degenerated into silly discussions about how to clearly explain to family members where the panties came from, where to hide the panties in order to avoid having to explain, and just what to do with the panties. Imagine what sort of threads we’ll have once they actually arrive.

An Interview with Justin Cook
"Celsius" recently did an all day interview with VA/ADR Director Justin Cook (Yu Yu Hakusho, Fruits Basket) during Anime Expo 2003. It's originally ment for San Fernando Valley's "Reverse Magazine" so just consider this a "sneak peak" for those local to the mag and a glimpse of what you could have missed if you're not in the valley.

The Cover List Grows
Once again we return with a list of the covers you will soon be seeing on those DVD racks (and hopefully your own shelves). Some are inspired.. some leave alot to be desired.

Usagi or Sakura… why not both?
A tough call for some, and easy one for others. User “Matt” asks whether Sailor Moon or CardCaptor Sakura is more deserving of a purchase. Some nice pros and cons for both shows are brought up, as well as some heated discussion regarding a particular aspect that the two shows (may or may not) have in common…

.read//MANGA
Gee, CPM has "Alien Nine: Emulators". Sort of funny that the news was broken on the AoD forums on the 7th and then mentioned again in July 9th issue of Forum Buzz. I guess some people just need to pay more attention. ;-)

Central Park Media

I.C. Entertainment

Raijin Comics

TOKYOPOP

Viz

Too much hype for Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door?
Maybe not. It seems people are leaning more towards “overrated” than “overhyped”. For some, the Cowboy Bebop movie fits right in with the TV series, while for others, it clashes a bit in several different ways. A couple of side-discussions also popped up, including a mini sub/dub discussion (which was civil, if you can believe it) and some comments about subtitle accuracy.

But what about the show?
User “Milliardo_Peacecraft” had some simple questions about Sailor Moon. Fellow users, glad that the thread wasn’t bout missing episode previews and audio quality, responded. More questions came up, and more answers were given, along with some tidbits about Sailor Stars. People can be so helpful!

Onegai Twins: Episode 1+2 preview online
For those that like to be on the "cutting edge" of what's new in Japan, we have links for the first two episode previews for the Please Teacher spin-off sequel "Onegai Twins". Here's a fun game, let's see if the series gets its license announced before it even finishes airing in Japan.

Speaking of new anime...
Rod Su has posted some thoughts on two brand new series he's had a chance to look at. Umm, "Monkey Punch doing Ranma 1/2?" Well, I'm curious at this point. But can she hold a candle to the female Ranma of Ranma 1/2? ;-)

Q & A Round Up for the week
I know.. the tradition continues. As usual, "SkinnyCat" brings home that special kind of question to put to the boarders. Boy I tell ya, if I had a nickel for every thread I plugged... I just might be able to afford the Najica box. Of course, I'd be buying it because of the show and not the free cotton panties... umm.. Hey! Stop looking at me like that! It could be true.

So, we've got your typical qs. Your "off the wall" qs. We have even dug up some which actually put together an intresting thought or three. Why the hell are you reading this still and not joining in the fun right now?

Non-USA AoD'ers assemble!
Since many forum members live outside the US, just what is the anime scene like in your neck of the woods? "GyBaNO" and the rest of us want to know.

NewType USA: to Renew or Not to Renew
Those who subscribe to NTUSA should be getting their renewal form in the mail. Fandom seems fairly split on whether to buy another 12 issues or take their money elsewhere.

Weebl and Bob do Hentai
It is not what you think... or maybe it is. ;-)

Enter the Ping Pong
Just when you thought "bullet time" had been used every way one could think of... leave it to a group to contestants to prove us wrong.

Spidey gone MTV
MainFrame Entertainment (ReBoot, Beast Wars) has their newest CG/cel-shaded work on the network know for... well, it used to be music videos. College student Peter Parker has taken up for more mature storyline with the new MTV series and a cast of "stars" (we use the term loosely) to voice the cast. Will fans enjoy the new one or wish for one of the older tv versions of the webslinger to make its way back to air?

Quote of the Week

"Has anyone seen the Utena boxsets yet? I just got the second one and it looks like there's an orgy warming up on every side of the box." - Theory

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. tick. tock. tick. tock. tick. tock. pop. bam. kablaam. bahbam. thwap. tap. tap. ratta tat tat. What? You're still reading this? Ok. And now, our impression of Chii.. Najica-style. Panties. Panties. Panties. Panties. Panties. Panties. Panties. Panties. Panties. Panties.