Thursday, July 31, 2008

Kin-Yoobi Con 2008

On Saturday August 9th I'll be doing a panel at a local con.

Kin-Yoobi Con 2008.


I really enjoy the energy of small cons and am looking forward to this one.

Oh yeah, what is my panel?

I'm doing the Older Titles for Newer Fans panel I did for the first time at Fanimecon earlier this year. It was a fun panel that ended with everyone going and have a discussion in another room for about an hour. I'll have video clips from several titles that newer, and many older, fans are likely to not know about and I think should check out.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Little houses, a folding weapon and a shogun

This week I have three items with no direct relation to each other.

hokora (small wayside shrines) 祠

karakuri jitte カラクリ實手

Tokugawa Ienari 徳川家斉


I'm also curious what subject areas or types of material you would like to see more of in the Anime Companion Supplement. Write a reply to these posts and let me know.

I have a very large database of possible entries and am interested in what areas you would like more coverage on.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Yen Plus

I was recently given a copy of the first issue of Yen Plus, a new manga, manhwa and comic anthology magazine from Yen Press.

It is about an inch thick and as it has a mixture of original English works as well as translated Korean manhwa and Japanese manga the lay out is interesting. For the English and manhwa works you start from the part that opens right to left as with American magazines. for the manga you flip the volumes over so it opens left to right as the images are not flipped.

The manga titles are interesting ones. The better known ones include Soul Eater, Bamboo Blade, and Higurashi When They Cry.

The English and Korean titles seem pretty good at first glance, it seems to me that the quality of such works is improving and that Yen Press is getting some good ones.

Yen Press is putting out a nice anthology with Yen Plus, keep an eye out for it. If you local shops don't have it you may want them to consider stocking it.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Edo cop stuff

This week I have 3 new entries. Not that I'm about to increase my output, it just happened that these are inter-link so well I put all four up the same week.

dōshin (lower-grade samurai rank) 同心

jōmawari KANJI STILL NEEDED

kaginawa (hook rope) 鈎縄

Friday, July 11, 2008

Otaku USA August 2008

The new issue of Otaku USA is hitting the news stands. If your local magazine source does not have it ask them to stock it. I'm eagerly awaiting my subscription copy in the mail.

Disclaimer: I now write for Otaku USA, which I thought was a truly cool magazine before I started submitting articles to them.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Another three yōkai

Continuing on my yōkai jag I add three more this week. I haven't run out of yōkai to add, just good secondary sources on the interesting critters so don't expect another such batch soon. I will add new yōkai entries as I find more reputable sources.

bura-bura 不落々々

Hitotsume Kozô (one eyed boy) 一つ目小僧

namahage 生剥