Loading ...Us gaijin anime/manga/Japanese culture fans are presented with a problem, in that these works are typically written with the Japanese in mind. In other words, they are written in the Japanese language. And, I don’t know about you, but as far as languages are concerned, I probably know more Klingon than I [...]
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  Evangelion: 1.11 You Are Not Alone ![Image of Evangelion: 1.11 You Are Not Alone [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510oJQfnYSL._SL160_.jpg "Evangelion: 1.11 You Are Not Alone [Blu-ray]") Evangelion: 1.11 You Are Not Alone [Blu-ray]  Cosplay in America  Hetalia: Axis Powers - The Complete First Season  Eden of the East: The Complete Series ![Image of Eden of the East:The Complete Series [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514NgCPs4tL._SL160_.jpg "Eden of the East:The Complete Series [Blu-ray]") Eden of the East:The Complete Series [Blu-ray] |
If you live in or near a city of reasonable size, odds are that it has a fairly sizable Japanese-American population, and that it would have some form of Japantown. Perhaps it’s nothing more than a collection of several Japanese or Asian markets or restaurants along a particular city block, or perhaps it’s [...]
Nico Nico Douga is a sort of Japanese YouTube, and is one of the most popular video sharing sites in Japan. It’s a hotbed of otaku-related video sharing activity, and you can often find fun fan-made anime- or video game-related video content on it. (There’s tons of other weird, wild and wacky Japan-related [...] The anime and manga (and related) industries have always had an uneasy relationship with fansubbers — the people that take their works and release fan-made translations of them in non-Japanese languages. While technically illegal, most companies have traditionally turned a blind eye toward these groups, realizing that their actions help spread the [...] NOTE: This is a 2-part episode. Be sure and download both parts! (In particular, most iTunes installations are set to only download the latest episode if it detects more than one new episode is available.) Here at long last is our Anime Expo 2010 review episode of doom. I bring you but a small sampling of the news that came out of the convention, as well as our famous Panel Discussions of Doom(TM) where we talked about AX, what we liked, what we didn’t like, and our thoughts on the event. We’ve also got an interview with Ejen Chuang of Cosplay in America who recently put out an awesome cosplay photography book. And, as always, we bring you the freshest, coolest anime picks. Continue reading Episode #0013 (Part 2) – Anime Expo 2010 Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:47:03 — 49.1MB) NOTE: This is a 2-part episode. Be sure and download both parts! (In particular, most iTunes installations are set to only download the latest episode if it detects more than one new episode is available.) Here at long last is our Anime Expo 2010 review episode of doom. I bring you but a small sampling of the news that came out of the convention, as well as our famous Panel Discussions of Doom(TM) where we talked about AX, what we liked, what we didn’t like, and our thoughts on the event. We’ve also got an interview with Ejen Chuang of Cosplay in America who recently put out an awesome cosplay photography book. And, as always, we bring you the freshest, coolest anime picks. Continue reading Episode #0013 – Anime Expo 2010 Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:06 — 15.7MB) Trying to update our iTunes album art Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:10 — 1.0MB)
The dating sim game is one of those quintessential staples of otaku culture. Equal parts visual novel, choose-your-own adventure, “sims” style simulation, and harem anime, this style of game basically puts you, the (usually) male protagonist, in various situations with a variety of (usually) females, and your job is to talk to (or otherwise interact with) them as you go through your (virtual) daily life. By making the right conversational/action choices, you can raise a character’s “love meter,” eventually causing them to “date” you (at which point, congratulations! A Winner is You!). If you fail to accomplish this within the proscribed time limit, then… oh well, better luck next time! Many of these titles do in fact include salacious content, but there are many titles that don’t. (Also some games are released in both “explicit” and “tame” versions.) Most of these games are of course produced in Japan, and remain largely unknown to a non-Japanese audience. In recent times however a few companies have arisen that license many of the more popular titles and translate and release them for western audiences. Some of the more well known of these include JAST USA, Aksys, and MangaGamer. And, like the anime and manga worlds, there are quite a few unofficial fan translations out there as well. There are a very few non-Japanese developed games in this category, but the love-sim industry remains largely Japanese-dominated. Well one company is hoping to change that. Okashi Studios, founded in 2005 and based in San Francisco, has been working these past five years to bring to market one of the first full-fledged American-made commercial dating sims — and their efforts are finally available for public viewing. Shira Oka: Second Chances puts you in the role of someone who has been given the chance to go back in time and relive their past. Will you make the most of your life? Will you end up with the girl of your dreams? Only time will tell. The game is, of course, filled with the traditional assortment of female character types, and has the typical anime art style. The game also gives you an interesting mix of traits that you can alter for character customization. And all of this is backed by an impressive roster of American voice talent. Unfortunately the game isn’t complete yet (they’ve been in development since 2005). However, playable demos are now available! Grab ‘em today for Windows (alternate download site) and Mac (alternate download site). (Good on them for supporting Mac right out of the gate!) (UPDATE: The download is also available via BitTorrent.) The company hopes that this will spur on the development and growth of the American bishoujo industry. You can also take a look at the promo video below the cut, and find many other videos (including some gameplay examples) on their YouTube channel.
We here at Otaku no Podcast are committed to openness and transparency. To this end I am starting a new series of periodic reports where we will inform you, the listening/viewing audience, exactly how much we’ve made off this website, and how it’s going to use. This site (and associated podcast) is very much a labor of love for me. (Plus it gives me the excuse to play with geeky things like microphones, web server software, etc.) And, to be brutally honest, it costs me a fair amount to run. The server costs me $60/month (although since I also run my personal email and website, as well as several friends’ websites off of it, it’s not fair to associate that entire cost with Otaku – if I had to divvy it up, I’d say Otaku’s share is maybe $20-30 per month). There’s also domain renewal fees, which are about $30 per year. (ICANN, the domain registrar, is in the process of raising their rates, so I don’t have an exact figure for this) Of course, since this is my personal hobby, I don’t mind paying for it. Still, I’m not the sort to turn away any assistance, and to that end we have two money-making methods in place here. (Although, “money making” is a relative term – as you’ll soon see, we’re not exactly talking gobs of money here…) Read below for the current state of things, and how the funds will be used. Continue reading Report from the Treasurer: Summer 2010 Edition I really, really hate the vuvuzela. The noise that those cursed “instruments” make sounds to me like a cross between a pair of yaks mating, and a pair of yaks dying an excruciatingly painful death. As I wrote previously, those abominations were all over the LA Convention Center during Anime Expo, and [...] |
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