Noboru Ishiguro, Yukio Kikukawa, Hidenori Matsubara to appear at Otakon

So the title of "largest anime convention on the East Coast" wasn't enough to convince you to attend Otakon? Its reputation as the premier fan-run con just didn't sway you? Well, the Baltimore convention, to be held on the weekend of July 17-19, just might change your mind with a triple-whammy of guests, all announced this evening.

First up is Mr. Noboru Ishiguro, the celebrated anime director whose sparkling resume includes such science fiction classics as Space Battleship Yamato (season one), Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, the 1980's Astro Boy remake, Megazone 23 Part I, and much much more.

On a related note, anime producer Yukio Kikukawa will also be at the convention. While his list of titles is far more humble (only three according to the Anime News Network), he holds the special distinction of having been producer of 1980's science fiction epic Legend of the Galactic Heroes during its 110-episode run.

The third and final guest announcement to come out of Otakon today is that of Hidenori Matsubara, a character designer and animator who worked on character design in Oh My Goddess. In fact, I am particularly interested not just in Matsubara's character design credits (which also include Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo), but also in his work as animation director on none other than Rebuild of Evangelion, Gainax's most recent reboot of the Eva franchise.

Three guest announcements on one day, and one of them is an absolute megaton! To be honest, I'm getting more and more excited about Otakon every day. Ink, Uncle Yo, and I will all be at the show, so we will definitely have some interviews with some folks from the fantastic guest list. If you have any suggestions for who we should speak to, drop us a comment here in this thread or send us an email at evanm [at] anigamers [dot] com.

And if you've decided at the last minute that you want to attend Otakon, you still have a few days left to pre-register!

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Impressions: Cowboy Bebop vol.1&2

I'm finally watching Cowboy Bebop. I know, I know, it's been a long time coming, but I hadn't picked up the DVDs until a recent 50% off sale in the Best Buy anime department spurred me to grab the classic late-90's anime series. And so far, I love it.

The first two volumes serve primarily to introduce viewers to the characters and standard situations that will presumably define much of the rest of the series, which revolves around a crew of misfits and bounty hunters on the spaceship "Bebop." By the end of the second volume, there has been at least one episode devoted to each member of the Bebop's crew – laid-back bounty hunter Spike, his calm, collected partner Jet, beautiful thief Faye, crazy super-hacker girl Ed, and cyber-dog Ein.

What has astounded me so far about Bebop is that Keiko Nobumoto and Shinichiro Watanabe's screenplay does something that I so rarely see in anime: episodic storywriting. The medium is often defined by its linear storylines, but it can be truly refreshing when a show works fully-formed stand-alone episodes into that framework. That's not to say that Bebop is nonlinear – it is certainly building toward something, but each little half-hour vignette also has its own set of characters whose (extremely well-crafted) interactions lead to a satisfying conclusion that stands independent from the central story.

The animation (part cel, part digital) looks incredible for its time, except for a couple moments on the second disc when it looks like some people in both the art and animation departments took a nap for the day. These few scenes are missing shading or lighting, show specks in the cels (characteristic of earlier eras of anime), or have choppy cel transitions, but then again, these are the exceptions to the rule.

Stop by Ani-Gamers again soon for my next four articles, in which I will briefly chronicle my disc-by-disc journey through this classic anime series.

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FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 12

Ani-Gamers staff writer Ink contributes a weekly column in which he examines the differences between the original Fullmetal Alchemist and its re-telling, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. To read previous entries, click here.

Watch Episode 12 - One is All, All is One

A memory of dear ol’ dad starts us off while on the train to Dublith, but don’t expect any exposition other than Ed mentioning “a dream about him” ...yet. And of course, seeing as the Elric brothers were headed toward their teacher’s (Izumi), there’s no hunt by her for them or any subsequent dragging back as in FMA1. There is, however, a wonderful introduction to Izumi’s hubby (Sig) and quite an excellent introduction for herself, showing that she still carries the strictness from FMA1 but is also imbued with a bit of lovey-dovey-ness for Sig.

Turns out that Izumi knew, or at least bumped into, dear Hoenheim, and Ed and Al immediately reveal him as their father. Shortly after, we are finally treated to some backstory on the the brothers' desertion. Hoenheim was never any part of the backstory for Ed & Al in FMA1, for good reason, so it will be interesting to see how (and when) he’s brought in from here.

Returning to Ed & Al, it must be noted that in the recollection of meeting their soon-to-be-teacher, Grandma Rockbell doesn’t speak as the guardian for the brothers. Strange for a series stressing the building of bonds and duty. Also of note, the flashback to Ed & Al’s “provisional training” does not take place between the brothers on the island where they are stranded a second time, but at the dinner table with Izumi. The curious thing about not stranding the brothers on the island a second time is, of course, that we aren't privy to Wrath’s introduction – this episode's defining difference from its FMA1 counterpart.

The events in the flashback are mostly the same, with the exception of the absence of one of Izumi’s assistants scaring them about the island. I’m actually glad about this: the whole “madman on the island” thing always seemed a bit unnecessary, and FMA2 whittles down the island experience to exactly what it needs to be. The reason behind the lesson they were supposed to learn on that island also comes a bit more believably to the young brothers of FMA2, albeit via some classic hokey Warner Bros. Al-into-meat, ants-into-bonbons schtick.

FMA2-exclusive insight into post-provisional training is done really well, with the evolution of Izumi mentioning the words, “the truth,” a sudden flashback to “the gateway,” and a realization by a quick-witted Ed. A resulting confrontation/query brings to light to Izumi the facts about what Ed & Al have done. Her reaction is not as violent as FMA1 and more sensei-ish, almost Zen in its haplessness. Next we are treated to Izumi’s taboo and relevant backstory, which is good for brevity but forsakes all the emotional trauma of Ed & Al discovering how she’s wrecked herself as well as all the anger they had for her keeping it hidden. Instead, Izumi asks “Guess I should have told you sooner, huh?” Bah. No, Izumi, you still shouldn’t have told them. Still, I must admit, the embrace between Izumi, Ed, and Al is one of the best emotional moments so far in FMA2.

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FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 11

Ani-Gamers staff writer Ink contributes a weekly column in which he examines the differences between the original Fullmetal Alchemist and its re-telling, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. To read previous entries, click here.

Watch Episode 11 - Miracle at Rush Valley

Rush Valley is introduced in a quick flash of stills, one of which alludes to FMA1’s arm wrestling contest. Sly! But what is Rush Valley without its main character anchor, Paninya? By the way, she is introduced in FMA2 as a pickpocket/thief (you know...cause she has dark skin) instead of someone trying to do her automail mechanic/daddy proud. Social implications aside, I can’t complain. The chase that results from Paninya stealing Ed’s watch is an impressive showcase for both Ed’s ferocious use of alchemy as well as Al’s talents as tempered by patience and detail.

Paninya’s story has changed a bit as well. She still lives at a small automail shop with Dominic and was injured in a train accident, but now her parents were killed, paralleling her situation to the Elric’s orphanage. And while FMA1’s portrayal of Paninya’s backstory was infinitely more Romantic in its sorrow, FMA2 chooses to lighten that former burden by developing a humorously scornful Dominic.

The theme of good will is more prominent in FMA2’s Rush Valley, most prominently seen when Winry lectures Paninya about having a sense of karma for the legs she’s been made vs. the nature of her chosen occupation. Also, Winry speaks a line that echoes Ed’s to Rose in FMA1…legs…getting up…using them. It makes sense, is well-used, and perfectly fits the situation.

In a rather excellent transfer of scenes, the State Alchemist’s watch opening is done here, at Paninya and Winry’s hand rather than in Resembool. Afterwards, Winry’s renewed determination to become the best mechanic possible for Ed becomes apparent though a lovely bit of show-don’t-tell, strictly involving a statement of intent and the look on her face. Well done!

Another issue of transfer happens when Ed and Al have to face the delivery of a baby, which harkens back to an omitted story arc from FMA1 (different characters) where Ed learns a positive aspect/use of Alchemy by using it to boil water to aid in the delivery of a baby (you know, for emotional/character development), but in FMA2 they simply boil the water and are out of the room for everything, leaving the focus on Winry’s (albeit stereotypically female) talents. The overly-dramatic delivery scene is worth a couple of chuckles, though, and Ed’s sense of helplessness, coupled with his query to God, are worth noting.

During the confrontation about the pilfered and opened pocket watch, a most confusing flashback shows Winry, Ed (with State Alchmist watch in hand), Al, and Grandma Rockbell watching the Elric Brother’s house burn. It’s confusing because it is hard to place. Al is in armor, and Ed is wearing his red jacket from Izumi-sensei, meaning they’ve already gone through training and then returned? FMA1 had the burning as an all-or-nothing tactic the brothers implemented to further them along with their training before working with their teacher. FMA2’s placement seems odd considering how afraid Ed and Al were that their teacher would find out that they performed human alchemy on their current trip and how astute she is in FMA1.

A nice final touch gives viewers a glimpse of Wanted posters, which link together Scar, Greed (absolutely missing from the series until this point), and Yoki. Overall, this episode was much less about Ed coming to appreciate his mechanic than his mechanic becoming more committed to Ed. This definitely strengthens bonds but does little to grow character (well, Ed’s anyway). For those wondering, the plot in FMA2, at episode 11, is now at episode 26 of FMA2, but with almost nothing to show concerning Scar or the Ishbal Rebellion.

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FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries – Episode 10

Ani-Gamers staff writer Ink contributes a weekly column in which he examines the differences between the original Fullmetal Alchemist and its re-telling, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. To read previous entries, click here.

With the return of FUNimation's video service, Ink has been able to resume his Brotherhood Diaries series once again. The two missing articles will be posted today and tomorrow respectively, leading up to the latest article (12) on Sunday.

Watch Episode 10 - Separate Destinations

At the start of this episode, we get our first prolonged glimpse into FMA2’s depiction of the Ishbalan rebellion. Ishbalan skin is noticeably darker here than in FMA1 (a little more medium brown than medium tan) and the Ishbalan faces seem painted more with a determined military might as opposed to FMA2’s reactionary angst. A voiceover by Mustang soon clues us in to whom this reflection belongs and quickly explains his Fuhrer-ambition as one dedicated to helping all those beneath him – “naive idealism” as Hughes calls it. This is a replacement for one of my favourite scenes in FMA1, one between a sullen, drunken Mustang and apple pie-bearing Hughes, which perfectly shows the bond between them and the maddening effects of war. FMA2’s version seems lacking the emotional (holding true to form for this series so far) while emphasizing duty.

Hughes and Armstrong are still in on the revelation of homunculi/symbols from Ed’s fight in Lab 5, but the Fuhrer bursts in as opposed to the FMA1, where he is visited by Hughes directly pertaining to vague aspects of Ed’s Lab 5 report. Fuhrer-King Bradley also seems less of a threat in FMA2, less commanding (funny seeing how jovial his FMA1 persona was), which I chalk up to the voice acting and animation rather than the script. Also, to great disappointment, the Fuhrer's “secretary” isn’t introduced. Plenty of time for a good introduction though, so I’m not worried.

A major difference is the reason for the Elric's trip to Dublith. In FMA1, it was a lie in order to track down Scar at an Ishbalan refugee camp. In FMA2, Ed & Al earnestly want to visit their teacher because they feel something to be lacking (nice touch, FMA2!). I’m not necessarily complaining though, because never before have I been so enamored of a character enthusiastically crying “take me, take me, take me” than when Winry discovers the Rush Valley stop. And on a backtracking note, the deformation integration has thankfully gotten much better over the last few episodes.

A character-building area where FMA1 was a little slack (but still damned effective) is rectified in FMA2: the bonds between those in the Hughes family. And if you’ve watched FMA1, you know why that’s of grave concern. So the writers had the ability to build character after all! This adds credit to my notion that FMA2 is written knowing full-well that lovers of the old series are watching and helplessly, automatically transferring their character knowledge over to this new series. That said, when the climax to Hughes’ involvement in FMA2 comes, it is with a jerk rather than FMA1’s ballet-like choreography. The impressively convincing portrayal of his initial Lust-inflicted injury makes his getaway seem unbelievable (in a bad way) in comparison, and the fact that we don’t see a transition between indoors and out lends to a disorientation unbecoming such a grandiose moment.

On the flip side, the knife-through-the-forehead paralysis of Lust is wonderfully parallel to what Lust does to Wrath in FMA1. There is a more elegant saving grace, though, which lies in the depiction of Hughes’ hesitation to kill his “wife,” which, as fantastically as it is executed, only lasts for a moment. Hughes' death, however is a mixed bag because it lingers; the parts that involve no dialog are fantastic, but once Hughes is giving his deathbed speech it feel like a corny soap opera. This is not at all unexpected, seeing as FMA1 fangirls everywhere mourned his loss, wore black until the end of the series, and probably called FUNimation for a post-election recount.

Hughes’ funeral is just as beautifully handled as FMA1 (coffin-carrying visuals were actually better in my opinion), but curiously lacking in emotional punch. Watching both series, FMA2 then FMA1, I have to say that there’s just something about pulling heartstrings that FMA1 nails. It might be the weaving. Characters and story lines in FMA1 are almost sporadic, but recurring, and as such form associations and relationships to the viewer, other characters, and the story line that FMA2’s block-ish/rushed story abandons for sake of plot. Not a bad thing, necessarily, unless you find yourself comparing two pieces of art (everyone hates a critic). To FMA2’s credit, however, the post-funeral grave-side chat between Hawkeye and Mustang is brilliant up until Hawkeye isn’t as quick on the pickup as in FMA1. Mustang, however, is just as astute as his FMA1 counterpart and even manages to surpass him in the pontification department by a smidgen.

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Trailer for Ghibli's Ponyo released to Apple website

It's been a long time coming, but Disney has at last provided a dubbed trailer for Ponyo, the newest Hayao Miyaki-directed Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) film released in America by the massive Hollywood studio. Fans who have been paying attention to the movie over the past year will no doubt notice Disney's name change, from "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" or "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" to, simply, "Ponyo." The new name will definitely be easier for mainstream viewers to remember, though I'm sure many fans like myself will still think of it by the original name.

The trailer, available only on the Apple website, showcases the star-studded Hollywood voice cast, which includes such big names as Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, and Tina Fey. And of course, who can forget the contributions of notable relatives-of-famous-yet-insignificant-pop-stars Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas? I'm SO EXCITED!!

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Brotherhood Diaries postponed due to FUNi video problems

We sincerely apologize for the lack of "Brotherhood Diaries" posts in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, though, the FUNimation video portal has been down for weeks as the anime distributor performs "maintenance operations." The site just came back online recently, but the latest Fullmetal Alchemist episode is still Episode 9, so we cannot provide a column about Episode 10 just yet.

(Yes, we realize that the series has been broadcasting on Japanese TV and there are fansubs for it online. However, Ani-Gamers pledges to give our full support to the localized version of any series, as long as is currently licensed and distributed by a North American distributor. A two-week interruption of service does not warrant an abandonment of FUNimation's localization of Fullmetal Alchemist.)

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Review: Cyber City Oedo 808 (Hyb)

Medium: OAV (Original Animated Video)
Number of Episodes: 3
Genres: Action, Cyberpunk, Science Fiction
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Studio: Madhouse
Licensed? Yes, but out of print (Central Park Media)

There's something special about OAVs from the late 80's and early 90's. Their blatant disregard of silly things like coherency and decency have made for some epic flops (M.D. Geist) and some verified classics (Megazone 23), but among the pile of crap and quality is an oft-overlooked anime that deftly skirts the line between being great and just plain stupid: director Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Cyber City Oedo 808.

Our story follows three reluctant heroes from (get this) a "cyber city" called Oedo, set in the year 2808. But these heroes are not out to save the world or anything as silly as that. They are "cyber-criminals," sentenced to hundreds of years in space-jail for presumably cyber-related crimes. These unlikely heroes – hothead Sengoku, hacker Goggles (pronounced Gogol), and mysterious androgynous dude Benten – are hired as cyber-police to do the dirty work that the normal police won't do. If they disobey their warden and boss Hasegawa, the collars around their necks will explode, taking their heads off with them.

Obviously, these guys pretty much have the worst job in the world. Giant space-scraper (like a sky-scraper, but bigger) is being hacked into? They've got it. Psychic cyborg is killing random scientists? Make the call. CYBER-vampire is, um, being a cyber-vampire? Bring in the cyber-police! Each of these stories focuses on one of the three characters, resulting in a sometimes formulaic structure that still manages to give each of them a chance to shine.

It is natural to assume that a show like this would have a really silly, stupid plot. After all, I've just mentioned space-scrapers, psychics, and vampires all in one paragraph, and it seems like every word in this show begins with the word "cyber". However, Kawajiri (Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll), known for his testosterone-addled, nonsensical stories and needless violence, manages to make it all work together in one of his tamest anime ever (by which I mean it is utterly devoid of rape). The character developments and twists in each act are relatively believable, despite their often outrageous circumstances. Beyond that, scriptwriter Akinori Endo (Armitage III, Battle Angel) manages to throw in some human drama and even romance among the robots and explosions. These excursions into deeper narratives, such as Benten's brief and thwarted love for a vampire woman, are limited in length and not always particularly good, but they manage to soften the plot enough to keep it from being too laughable.

But now that we're on the topic of laughs, let's go over what really makes Cyber City Oedo such a fun time. As mentioned before, there are cyber-vampires and psychic robots, but the three stories are also riddled with skeleton-controlled-computers, copious amounts of monofilament wire, and even a team of robot sabertooth-tigers equipped with mouth-lasers. Can nothing else make this anime crazier? Well, as it turns out, the kind people at Manga Entertainment, in their quest to gain a higher age rating for the movie, provided viewers with a dub containing hundreds of swear words and even whole plot changes (a dated technique called fifteening). It's truly amazing what Manga did to this movie. Sengoku comes up with wondrous uses of profanity, such as "fuckin' pisser," while all the characters (magically transmuted into double the assholes that they were in the original Japanese) speak with some variety of a New York accent.

For those worried that this OAV's 1993 release date spells bad animation, don't fear. OAVs were able to use more time for development, and less money for distribution, so the top-notch animation and art quality have aged very well, despite the fact that Cyber City is over a decade old. The art direction, which calls up images of Ridley Scott's classic cyberpunk Blade Runner, is also pretty cool, though the costumes scream 90's like an orange-striped neon green running jacket.

Cyber City is good fun, though it is admittedly far from clean. It might have jettisoned Kawajiri's trademark misogyny, but it retains his fascination with hyper-violence, as people's limbs are torn from their bodies and their heads explode. Still, that violence, combined with its relentless and immediate action, provide just the thrill that its target audience is looking for. Any fan of science fiction and/or cyberpunk anime will find much to love in the dirty cyber-streets of Oedo. Cyber City might not be high art, but who's saying that the Mona Lisa wouldn't have been improved by the addition of a couple cyber-vampires?

Just sayin'!

great.

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Sakura Matsuri: harmony between anime and nature

We realize that this is over a month late. We deeply apologize for the embarrassing lateness.

Anime convention personalities wandered between booths as OEL manga artists showed off their stuff. Uncle Yo performed a comedy routine while hordes of otaku watched, and many more lounged behind them in full cosplay. These unusual occurrences are standard fare for most anime convention-goers. What might have struck most of them as odd, however, was the venue – not a massive indoor convention center, but a long, sunny stretch of grass in the center of the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

The Sakura Matsuri ("cherry blossom festival" in Japanese) has been a tradition of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens since 1982, when the festival was formed as a way of celebrating Japanese culture and showing off the cherry trees in the Gardens, of which there are now 220. The event has since evolved into a two-day spectacle of Japanese culture, ranging from samurai demonstrations to anime and J-pop to origami and art.

This year's festival featured an encouraging amount of pop culture. Granted, there were definitely many very interesting demonstrations of traditional Japanese art, theatre, and more, but there was also an entire field in the park dedicated to anime and manga. Uncle Yo performed on the Osborne Garden, the New York Anime Festival maintained a booth (helmed, of course, by Peter Tatara), and there were even some booths for Del Rey Manga, Abby Denson, and Misako Rocks. Later in the evening, the festival even featured performances from J-pop artists.

The Gardens were filled with all types, from old Japanese couples to local Brooklynites to teenage otaku. One group of the latter seemed to be really reaping the benefits of the Japanese "high culture" at the event, as the girls had attended Origami, and "Gypsy Rock" demonstrations in addition to the anime events, of which one girl thought there were far too few.

As that attendee pointed out, the Festival is nothing like going to a real anime con, where there are dealers everywhere and panels going on all day, but the Sakura Matsuri is a great time for anybody in the area who enjoys small conventions. Not only does the festival have some fun (if limited) pop culture activities, but it also has a plethora of other Japanese culture activities and a beautiful, beautiful venue.

I absolutely cannot stress that enough – the blooming flowers, lush, green trees (of many, many different varieties), and of course, incredible lines of cherry blossom trees are a feast to the senses that easily beat out the dank concrete and glass halls of a convention center. As long as you're not a stereotypical otaku who will burn in sunlight (I know there are some of you...), the beauty of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens merged with the pop culture fun of what amounts to a very small NYAF should be an absolute blast.

And for only $12 a day – half that for students – who could possibly pass up such a wonderful opportunity to witness nature and culture in perfect harmony?

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E3 2009: EA Press Conference Highlights

EA is more than just a game publisher. Their recent forays into revolutionary kinds of game experiences have elevated them to near-equals with the console manufacturers in terms of significance in the industry. Their E3 press conference was no exception.

The most important part of the conference was definitely BioWare's segment, where they showed off Mass Effect 2 (trailer) and Star Wars: The Old Republic (trailer), the MMORPG based on the popular Knights of the Old Republic single-player RPG series. The third game, which was displayed, like the others, in trailer form only, was Dragon Age: Origins, the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate.

Peter Moore and Pete Sampras came on stage to represent EA Sports, and announced a very interesting new mode in Madden 2010 called "Online Franchise." It will allow players to customize their own teams and take them online, then maintain control over their teams from anywhere via Internet accessible devices like the iPhone. Moore also announced an EA mixed martial arts game (probably in response to the recent critical acclaim achieved by UFC Undisputed), titled, with all of the branding genius of a five-year-old, EA Sports MMA.

On the first-person shooter side of things, low-end PC owners will no longer have to worry about their computers being "too wimpy" to run the hyper-realistic Crysis. That's because Crytek announced in a teaser trailer that they would be releasing Crysis 2 (running on the new CryEngine 3) on both PC and consoles (360 and PS3). It is not clear if this will result in a downgrade in visual quality, though I would think that Crytek might have to downscale some pieces of the game for it to run lag-free on a console. (Then again, I'm not a PC gamer, so I'm not familiar with the tech specs required.)

Other than that, EA also showed some trailers for some of their previously announced games: Dante's Inferno (and its second trailer), Sabateur, Brutal Legend, and Need For Speed: Shift.

It seems like EA has cobbled together a nice bunch of IPs both new and old after their low holiday sales numbers frightened many into thinking that they would abandon unique and/or experimental games like Mirror's Edge and Dead Space. The lineup is still strong, so hopefully they will be able to ultimately see success with their unique titles.

[via MTV Multiplayer]

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FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 9

Ani-Gamers staff writer Ink contributes a weekly column in which he examines the differences between the original Fullmetal Alchemist and its re-telling, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. To read previous entries, click here.

The FUNimation video portal is down at the moment, so no image just yet. Sorry!

Watch Episode 9 - Created Feelings

Initially the most noticeable difference between this episode and its FMA1 counterpart is that we start off with a much less sulky/belligerent Al and an awesome visual involving a little girl and her wind-up automaton bouncing against his hollow legs. There’s also some beautiful animation in a bathroom involving three mirrors, Al, and Number 66.

Once Al does find his inner tantrum, there’s some impressive animation during his tirade about being a false/constructed soul. But aside from that bit of animation, the little bit of deviation from FMA1 here hinders the depth of Al’s inner conflict. Up until now, there’s been some good reiteration of Number 66’s suggestions, but any effect has yet to be truly represented...until this outburst, where Ed is not impaired at all and hasn’t been. (So why hasn’t he split paths with his brother sooner?)

FMA1 was much more slyly written. It had Al waiting for his brother to fix him, so he sat there, forced to stew in his own insecurity and said nothing until he had a chance to escape. Much more desperate, much more believable...much more like a child/teen. An interesting twist, though, is that Al does not run away after he delivers his accusations to his brother...Ed does! With a smirk on his face, Ed walks out of the hospital room and leaves Al to Winry’s wrench-like fury. It’s also Winry who relays how Ed feels concerning Al’s disembodiment, asking the question he wanted to ask but never could. Albeit different, this was quite a touching scene.

After Winry’s inspirational beating, Al heads out on the hospital roof for a sparring match with his brother, and a memory sharing session follows fast. This cures all between the two brothers and completely negates FMA1’s plot device used to find the hidden Ishbalan refugee camp and dig into their side of the so-called “rebellion.”

Most of this episode follows FMA1, with little differences here and there, like the age (and duly noted behavior) of the Hughes’ daughter – 3 instead of 4 – and the forcing of a complete stranger to buy a gift for her. Also missing is Ed filling in Hughes on the Homunculi and his experience at Lab 5, which would set off the final Hughes episode, which, by the preview is next episode.

But before we close out of this Brotherhood Diary: one final note. As mentioned before, there is no secret Ishbalan camp discovered as of yet; instead, we go back a couple FMA1 episodes to the slums just outside Eastern, the camp where displaced Ishbalans are caring for a Scar freshly washed up from the sewers from his fight with Lust and Gluttony.

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E3 2009: Sony Press Conference Highlights

Ah Sony. The former industry leader, now reduced to a lumbering giant with the technical brute force to be the best, but apparently without the marketing know-how. Their E3 press conference was, at long last, not really about hardware. The PS3 has long been criticized for being too expensive and too hard to develop for, but most importantly, its game lineup has been... disappointing at best. Sure, there were some hardware announcements, but Sony really wanted to tout their exclusive franchises, as if to remind us all that the Playstation is still holding strong against market adversity.

The biggest announcement of the conference by far was, of course, Final Fantasy XIV Online, announced merely a day after Microsoft rubbed into Sony's face the fact that FFXIII would no longer be a Playstation exclusive. Not to be outdone, Sony announced Final Fantasy XIV (trailer here), an MMO sequel to XI, also an MMO. The game will be a PS3 exclusive when it releases in 2010. That all sounds well and good for Sony, except... wasn't FFXIII a "PS3 exclusive" for a while? Well, that's not the case anymore, as of last E3's announcement. Who is to say that E3 2010 won't bring an announcement of FFXIV's move to 360? Then what? Sony's key franchise will have been utterly usurped!

Speaking of usurping key products, Microsoft announced their own motion control technology the day before Sony's conference, meaning that the functionality is now present in two of the three major consoles. Sony's answer? A modified version of the Playstation Eye camera, paired with a "wand" of sorts with a glowing tip that changes colors based on context. The motion detection in the Eye senses the wand's tip, creating one-to-one movement. Even more than Project Natal, this new "wand" seems to be a direct stab at Nintendo. The idea of a "magic wand" is sure to resonate with casual players, but I think that it has neither the originality of the Wii nor the technical evolution of Natal. Still, the technology looks like it works pretty well, if the tech demos are to be believed. And Anton, the rep demoing the wand, voiced one of my concerns with Natal when he took a small stab at Microsoft's product: "There's really no way to do this without a trigger. It just wouldn't feel right." A valid argument for the wand, which seems at first glance might seem like a step back from Natal.

If there are three franchises that can maintain the Playstation 3, they are undoubtedly Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and ICO. Sony already showed off Final Fantasy XIV, and the Metal Gear news is mentioned below, but they also trotted out some new footage from The Last Guardian, the latest game out of "Team ICO." The in-house studio behind ICO and Shadow of the Colossus unveiled their newest game, which fans called "Trico," a few weeks ago, but Sony didn't hesitate to bring out new footage at E3, and make it clear that the Playstation 3 is the only place to experience the game.

Kaz Hirai called it "the worst-kept secret of E3," which is quite honestly not something to brag about, but that's beside the point. The PSP Go is... well, go! The second redesign of the console will differ from the PSP 3000 just as everybody thought it would – it has no UMD port. The console will run only downloadable games, meaning that Sony is now planning on offering all of its games through digital distribution. (Not exclusively, though. They promise to promote PSP Go and PSP 3000 as equals, just like Nintendo did with the DS and... Gameboy. Oh. Right.) Other major features include 16 gigabytes of memory, slide-out controls, and a price tag of $249.99. The new portable will be out on October 1 in North America, and November 1 in Japan.

Hideo Kojima had another new Metal Gear game to announce, after having teased 360 players with the new Raiden game Metal Gear Solid: Rising just a day before. This time he was announcing a PSP game, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, the account of Big Boss's creation of "Outer Heaven." The somewhat tongue-in-cheek trailer shows four Snakes, leading me to believe that the game might contain four-player co-op (or just a crazy, clone-ridden plotline). And to satisfy Final Fantasy fans on the PSP, Sony finally announced that FFVII would be available for download, starting at the moment of the announcement.

In terms of other games, Sam Houser from Rockstar Games got up on stage during the presentation to announce what he calls "the ultimate action game," an action-adventure set in the 1970's called Agent. The game is exclusive to the PS3, but no other information was given. Sony also announced Gran Turismo Mobile will hit stores on October 1 to tie in with the PSP Go launch, and Gran Turismo 5 was announced but not dated. Finally, Mod Nation Racers, a LittleBigPlanet-esque customizable racing game, was announced alongside its less casual racing brother.

[via 1UP]

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FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 8

Ani-Gamers staff writer Ink contributes a weekly column in which he examines the differences between the original Fullmetal Alchemist and its re-telling, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. To read previous entries, click here.

Our apologies for the late article this week. FUNimation's video portal went down temporarily, leaving Ink without an episode to review. The next article is already written, and will be published on Sunday.

Watch Episode 8 - Research Laboratory 5

My fears proved simultaneously correct and exaggerated concerning the Al vs. Number 66 battle. Much of the initial dialog is in the same vein as FMA1, though I still prefer FMA1’s dub (probably because witty banter doesn’t translate well – “Just relax and scream!”).

Meanwhile, inside Lab 5, I approve of the sand-colored room in which the Ed vs. Number 48 battle takes place. It looks altar-ish, with a touch of old-testament gore for good measure, compared to the castle dungeon quality of the room in FMA1. Another favorable difference is in Ed’s uncovering of Number 48’s hollow nature. Whereas in FMA1, Ed flips over and open his helmet (why, Lord knows), FMA2 shows Ed’s quick analytical thought processes. He feels his foot resound off of Number 48’s metal shell and notices the distance he is pushed aback thereafter. Similar, however, is the dialogue’s progression, with an elaboration and overly selfless expository back story on the hollow guard. FMA1 made Ed fight for that privileged info, or at the very least have to put up with a lot more stonewalling before getting any clear answers. Also, unlike the guards of FMA1, FMA2’s tin soldiers are self-aware of their alchemic bonds and how they serve as weak points - kind of disappointing as that’s what made the FMA1 guards so strikingly tragic.

Back to Lab 5's exterior, where frame-by-frame the animation (and dialogue) is spot-on to FMA1 until the fabulous exception that is Barry the Chopper’s back-story. Animated in storybook fashion, Barry’s exposition replaces an FMA1 episode with an amusing 2 or 3 minute reflection on why and what it was that Barry used to chop. After this brief interlude, the dialogue resumes as per FMA1, with Barry hacking away at Al’s insecurity over his fading memories.

Returning to the Lab 5 interior would be nothing of interest (in a compare/contrast sense) if it weren’t for the absolutely wicked introduction of Lust and Envy, who end the Ed vs. Number 48 fight. Vicious. Absolutely, gorgeously vicious!

Just as jolting is what happens outside of Lab 5, where Ed wins against Number 66 not upon Scar’s entrance...but upon that of Ross and Bloch, and thanks to a nicely aimed gunshot. Also, the initial explosion in FMA2 (there was only one in FMA1) happens from within, not resulting from Barry’s escape trick but from some unknown cause. And who crawls out of the crippled building that is Lab 5, but Envy with Ed over her shoulder (returning him to his brother)? Another explosion turns Lab 5 into dust, which sends Al and company running in near-theatrical style!

With the episode near over (only a bit of Kimbly and Hughes/Mustang interaction remains), this is where supposition gets interesting. There is no more Lab 5, so are we to assume that there is no Ed being forced to assemble a Philosopher’s stone for the Homunculi? There’s certainly no chance for Scar to gain any sympathy for Ed Elric’s situation. Also, since the guardians are dead, slain by Lust, who is going to take Ed to meet the chimeras and Nina clones made by Tucker? Oh wait, FMA2 killed him off in front of our eyes! That aside, is the time in-between Lab 5 explosions in FMA2 meant to infer that the events of FMA1 happened (minus the run-in with Tucker and Al’s capture), and that THAT was the cause of the second explosion? Ooooh, this is getting fun!

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E3 2009: Nintendo Press Conference Highlights

The Nintendo Press Conference was not quite as action-packed as the Microsoft one, since they've already used up their quotient for earth-shattering motion control announcements. Instead of motion control, however, the console manufacturer and game publisher announced a new "Wii Vitality Sensor," which will attach to players' index fingers and track their pulses. Why? Well... nobody's really sure, though Nintendo President Satoru Iwata suggested that "games have been used for stimulation, but maybe it won't be long until games are used for relaxation and even to fall asleep." So Mr. Iwata, your console's game library is practically putting me to sleep as-is, but NOW IT CAN DO IT FOR REAL?! The peripheral, which attaches to the Wiimote, has no release date (or purpose, for that matter) just yet.

But let's get down to the news that gamers (at least those who enjoy staying awake) are interested in hearing about, namely the brand new Metroid game. The Wii title will be called Metroid: Other M, and will be developed by – of all people – Tecmo's Team Ninja, creators of Ninja Gaiden. Known for their arcade-y gameplay and hyper-violent animations, the development studio will likely bring a darker touch to the Metroid franchise. The debut trailer shows a 3D, third-person sidescroller that seems to merge the first-person puzzle-solving of Prime with the third-person action of the original franchise. Team Ninja seems to have also taken this chance to develop a much more character-driven story, since Samus is no longer a mute character controlled in first-person. The game is due out sometime in 2010.

As if to tell Nintendo fanboys that they haven't been abandoned, Iwata also announced not one, but TWO new Mario games on the Wii. The first is New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which could have also been called New New Super Mario Bros., though that doesn't have the same ring to it. The game will feature essentially the same gameplay as its DS predecessor, but will also allow for coop play with up to four players when it drops this holiday season. (Check out the debut trailer)

The next game on Nintendo's plate was an even bigger announcement: Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to 2007's bestselling, critically-acclaimed Wii game. The trailer shows more awesome gravity-bending, planet-hopping action, but this time, Mario's bringing along a friend: Yoshi, who seems to work very much like the Sunshine version of his character. I'm personally a little disappointed that we're not seeing a new reinvention of Mario, but that's hard to ask for in such a short time. Galaxy was a fantastic game, so more of it is certainly welcome, even if it's really not anything new. No release date was mentioned.

Finally, Iwata dropped a few non-megaton announcements: Wii Fit Plus, featuring six new strength and yoga activities and 15 new mini-games, is due out in the fall for a whopping $50...yawn. In addition, portable gamers will finally play their beloved Gameboy Advance franchise again with Golden Sun DS. I'm not too familiar with the Golden Sun series, but the trailer shows what looks like a sharp, competent Phantom Hourglass-style revisiting of the RPG franchise.

[via 1UP]

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E3 2009: Microsoft Press Conference Highlights

Video Games | Project Natal | E3 09: Project Natal Intro

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

While Ani-Gamers does not have reporters present at E3 this year, we are nonethesless striving to bring you up-to-date coverage from and opinions on the show through the reporting of other websites. Without further ado, here's what went down at the Microsoft Press Conference.

Corporate Vice President of LIVE, Software and Services John Schappert began by setting a countdown of sorts: There would be ten games shown off during the presentation that featured never-before-seen footage or features, or were entirely new announcements. The first big reveal was not a game announcement, but details for The Beatles: Rock Band, which boasted three microphones at a time for a total of six players during the demo of "Day Tripper." The songs currently confirmed for the game are "I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine," "Day Tripper," "Taxman," "I Am The Walrus," "Back in the U.S.S.R.," "Octopus's Garden," "Here Comes The Sun," and "Get Back," and the entire Abbey Road album will be available for download not long after the game drops on September 9th. Let me just say right now that this game looks like one of the coolest things in recent years. If it permits four-part harmonies, then I'm so going to rock "Paperback Writer" like there's no tomorrow. (Check out the game's debut trailer from E3)

Surprisingly, Microsoft announced Crackdown 2, the sequel to the Xbox 360 open-world action game that achieved mild critical acclaim, but was widely seen as nothing more than a ticket for the Halo 3 beta. Apparently Microsoft thought it was a strong enough franchise on its own to get a sequel. After that came one of the biggest new game announcement of the conference: Left 4 Dead 2 (which totally should have been called Left 5 Dead). Few details are confirmed just yet, but we do know that it will be an Xbox 360/PC exclusive, and will hit stores (and Steam) on November 17, 2009. The CG teaser trailer shows a new cast of characters, and a new setting – New Orleans. That's quite an interesting choice, especially considering the scenes of devastation and urban unrest that occurred there in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

It's not a Microsoft press conference without Halo, and Bungie was in full swing yet again this year, despite no longer being owned by Microsoft. They presented details (and a trailer) for Halo: ODST, which takes place in New Mombassa, "weeks before the start of Halo 3." Included in ODST will be a multiplayer beta invite for Bungie's other game, Halo: Reach. Presumably the game will follow the plot of one of the Halo novels, which details the "Fall of Reach," but I'm not personally familiar with the story's particulars. The only piece of information that Bungie provided was a teaser trailer (featuring no gameplay footage), with the words "Drops 2010."

The conference also boasted showings from the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII, which will eventually see its release in 2010 and the Chair Entertainment/Epic Games-developed sidescroller Shadow Complex (formerly Empire: Alpha Complex), which is based on the Orson Scott Card novel Empire. Splinter Cell: Conviction was present with a rather impressive demo video boasting some gameplay reminiscent of Assassin's Creed. Of course, there was also a trailer and gameplay footage from Alan Wake (releases in 2010) and the announcement of Forza 3, which ships in October.

Finally, Schappert announced Joy Ride (trailer here), a new free-to-play XBLA kart racing game that uses Avatars as characters – a clear attempt to grab some of the success of Nintendo's Mario Kart Wii.

The biggest announcement of all came from the hardware side though. Sure, Microsoft announced the ability to edit your Netflix queue on your 360 (a feature lacking in previous versions of Netflix on 360) and a partnership with Facebook and Twitter that will make it possible for you to never ever get up from your Xbox in your entire life. But what has everybody talking are two simple words: Project Natal.

According to the videos and demos shown by Microsoft, "Natal" (named after the word for "birth") seems to be, in essence, a motion controller, sans the controller. It is a camera that captures the player's movements and translates them into game actions by (presumably) fitting the person to a virtual ball-and-rod structure. Other features include facial recognition, object scans for things like skateboard designs, voice recognition, and AI interaction. The trailer (shown above) is full of Wii-level silliness, which actually highlights the true reason why Microsoft is trying to implement such a revolutionary change – they are losing to Nintendo, and they are looking to change that. While I'm generally opposed to playing a game without something physical involved (since there's no physical feedback), I'll admit that the idea might be just crazy enough to work. The question is, can it actually cut into the Wii's market?

I'm going to say no, at least for this generation. The Wii has already grabbed mainstream attention by "doing it first," and the name "Wii" has a much better ring to it than "Project Natal." The technology being pioneered here by Microsoft is revolutionary, certainly, and I would love to see it work, but I'm afraid that it will be just as wonky as the Wii. If Microsoft has a product of equal quality but with inferior marketing, they simply cannot hope to win the fight for the casuals.

But let's just get this straight: Natal is similar to things like the Wii and OnLive in that it's crazy and unlikely, but if it works, it will completely and utterly change the landscape upon which video games are played. I applaud Microsoft for taking such a major leap, whether it ends up working out for them or not.

[via 1UP]

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Ani-Gamers Podcast #016 - Pinoko Is A Creepy Stalker

Hosts: Evan "Vampt Vo" Minto, Mitchell Dyer, Elliot Page
Topic: Black Jack (Manga: JP-1970, NA-2008)

In this episode, Mitchy reappears to talk about Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack manga, which we've wanted to review since last fall when it began its English language publication courtesy of Vertical, Inc. Our second guest, Elliot from Luke and Elliot's Bearfighting Extravaganza, was invited onto the podcast between the first segment and the review, so he joins us for the remainder of the episode.

This episode was recorded the weekend after the last episode was released, which seems like a fairly reasonable schedule for the podcast going into the future. Maybe we'll end up doing that.

Or maybe I'll just end up not having enough time and the episodes will come out weeks late like usual. Which would be terrible. So, look forward to an attempt at a regular, every-other-week schedule from now on, but don't be surprised if we have to skip a week sometimes.

Show notes and links can be found after the break.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD - RSS Feed - iTunes - Send us Feedback! - More episodes


(Runtime: 53 minutes, 58 seconds)

[0:00:00] Intro: Time to sync up our claps!

[0:00:09] Opening Song: "R.O.D Theme" by Taku Iwasaki (R.O.D. OVA opener)

[0:00:25] Evan begins the show by shamelessly pimping his appearances on the Anime3000 Panel. He was on both parts of the Gaming episode: part 1 and part 2.

[0:01:30] What'cha Been Doing? Evan has been watching the 1980 Astro Boy anime remake, reading volume 3 of the Astro Boy manga in preparation for reading Naoki Urasawa's Pluto, and playing more Far Cry 2. Mitchy has been playing UFC Undisputed and Red Faction: Guerrilla.

[0:14:16] Promo: The Big Bald Broadcast

[0:15:35] Discussion: Elliot of Luke and Elliot's Bearfighting Extravaganza podcast makes a surprise appearance, and joins Evan and Mitchy for their Black Jack volume 1 review. But since he has read into the later volumes, Elliot provides some much-needed temperance to some of the generalizations (and Pinoko-hating) that come up. Highlights of this segment include: Having sex with 12-year-old elves, operating on a self-aware computer, and a child constructed out of jumbled human organs. One of those things doesn't happen in Black Jack. We'll let you be the judge of which one.

[0:42:41] Break: SushiTV pilot

[0:43:23] Links of the Day: Elliot stays on for this segment, where Evan begins with the pilot for the failed anime TV block SushiTV (provided to the Internet by Justin Sevakis). Then Mitchy suggests a Wired article about Catan. And finally, Elliot has the announcement of, and video footage from, the new Team ICO project, dubbed "Trico." An argument between Mitchy and Evan about Shadow of the Colossus ensues. They once recorded a similar argument about the game that never made it to the podcast due to technical problems.

[0:48:54] Mitchy was writing one-paragraph reviews last month over at DownWriteFierce, and Luke and Elliot have been talking about silly things like Angels and Demons and Star Trek over at their podcast. Here at Ani-Gamers, Ink is continuing his column, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Brotherhood Diaries.

[0:52:05] This ending is SO GAY. And we're all good with that.

[0:53:30] Ending Song: "WORLD END Instrumental" by FLOW (Code Geass R2 second opener)

[0:53:46] Outro: Protip - It's always Evan's fault.

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Notice: Brotherhood Diaries postponed for this week

Unforseen circumstances have postponed Ink's newest entry in the "Brotherhood Diaries" column. We would like to sincerely apologize to all of our readers for the inconvenience. Rest assured, we will publish his newest article as soon as it is written.

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This Month in Ani-Gamers ~ May 2009

To subscribe to these posts through our email newsletter, click here.

We are releasing this post about a month late, so there's no real need for an editorial message here. This post is really just here for posterity's sake.

Read all of May's posts after the break.

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News:
Kanon Wakeshima to appear at Otakon 2009
Sony denies PS3 redesign despite rumors, photos
Surprise! Tatsunoko vs. Capcom to see the light of day in North America
Guin Saga creator Kaoru Kurimoto, 56, passes away

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Reviews:
Schoolgirl Milky Crisis - Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade
Shikabane Hime - Corpse Princess, Season 2 (Sub)

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Features:
Exiled Hardcore: Can SEGA tap Nintendo's lost demographic?

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Columns:
FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 3
FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 4
FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 5
FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 6
FMA: The Brotherhood Diaries - Episode 7

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Podcasts:
Ani-Gamers Podcast #015 - The Weak Lose and the Strong Survive

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Notices:
New Staff Welcome: Ra1don (and a promotion!)
Winning entries for our Schoolgirl Milky Crisis contest

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On Deck:
[Review] Cyber City Oedo 808 (Hyb) - Vampt Vo
[Review] Paranoia Agent (Hyb) - Uncle Yo
[Review] Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (Hyb) - Vampt Vo
[Column] Otakudemia: Beck - Ink
[Con Report] Sakura Matsuri 2009 - Vampt Vo & Ink
[Review] Seirei no Moribito (Sub) - Uncle Yo
[Review] White Album (Sub) - Uncle Yo

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Thanks for reading. See you next week!

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