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We have often spoken at great length about the virtues of staying at an official convention hotel when attending an anime convention. You’re usually closer to the con (for smaller cons, the con itself is probably hosted in the hotel itself as a matter of fact – you can’t get any more convenient than that!), you usually get a discount on the rates, you often get free or discounted admission to other events associated with the con (concerts, film screenings, etc.), and you’ll be staying at a place where many other con attendees are also staying, opening up many cool hanging-out-and-socializing opportunities.
Well, good news for those of you even remotely interested in attending Anime Expo (our favorite con, and not just because it’s located practically in our backyard): the Anime Expo hotel blocks have opened up! Yes, folks, that’s right, the online hotel reservation system is now live, meaning you can book your rooms right now, from the comfort of your own desk. And doing so ASAP is a really good idea. Considering how the number of people attending Anime Expo keeps going up and up (61,000 last year!) these hotel spots are bound to fill up fast. And it’s looking like the mad rush has already begun. It has now been a few days since the hotel system went live, and already most of the hotels are starting to show unavailable days (with some of them even being completely sold out). They’ll probably open up some more room blocks in the weeks and months to come, but you never know, so you might want to make yourself a “just in case” reservation – remember, you don’t need to pay anything upfront, and reservations can always be changed or canceled until a few days before the reservation date without penalty. (This policy could vary, so it’s best to check with your prospective hotel just to be sure.) Definitely keep an eye on the hotels page as well as the main Anime Expo site, so that you’ll know when more hotel room blocks have opened up!
Currently, single and double rooms are available at the L.A. Hotel Downtown for $172/night; the Westin Bonaventure for $170/night; the JW Marriott for $194/night; the Millennium Biltmore (recipient of the prestigious Otaku no Podcast Seal of Approval) for $130/night (single) and $150/night (double); and the Sheraton LA Downtown for $160/night.
Yeah, it’s almost half a year before the convention, but it’s never too early to start planning. So get on it already! The guest list has started taking shape and is looking to be pretty impressive. Pretty much the entire English voice cast of Sailor Moon will be in attendance (just in time for its 20th anniversary), plus Kimura U will be the fashion guest of honor. Of course there’s all the usual anime con fare as well: a dealer’s room of epic proportions; an Artists Alley of equally epic proportions; panels and workshops galore; an AMV contest that always impresses us; a masquerade unlike any other; and tons more events equally worthy of hyperbole. Registration is open and will currently run you $60 for a full 4-day adult pass, and $25 for a 4-day child pass. So go register already, but then right after doing so, better get yourself a room pronto!
Well hello there! What? Yes, it has been a while, hasn’t it? Right. So things have been, shall we say, pretty crazy at the start of 2014 for me, and as such, I haven’t had a chance to produce any content for the site. And here, one of my New Years’ resolutions was to try and produce Otaku no Podcast content on a more regular schedule. I’m still going to try and do just that. Of course, podcasts take a lot of time and effort to produce and edit, so don’t expect those very often. Blog posts, on the other hand, are comparatively easy, and I will try and post them on a fairly regular basis. These could include Cool Finds that I stumble across while I wander the internet, or reviews of anime that I’ve just finished watching (yes, I am starting to write more reviews now) or various other random things.
“But how will I know when you have posted something new?” you may be asking yourself. Easy! You can keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook statuses, as every time I post something new, those get automatically updated with information on the new post. And if you have the Otaku no Podcast app, you can choose to have it send you a push notification whenever a new podcast episode or blog post goes up. (And, before you say it, yes, I know, the app needs updating pretty badly, plus there still isn’t an Android app. Those are two things that I hope to fix soon.)
Well, if you happen to be a Mac user running OS X Mavericks and you use the Safari browser, you now have a third option. We have just added support for Safari Push Notifications. The next time you visit otakunopodcast.com you will see a popup (pictured above) asking you if you would like to subscribe to push notifications. Once you click “allow,” nothing else will appear different to you. But, the next time I publish a new podcast episode or blog post, you will receive a push notification announcing that glorious event, either as a banner that appears momentarily, or an alert that waits for you until you acknowledge it. (This setting can be changed in the Notifications panel in System Preferences.) Clicking on the push notification will instantly launch Safari, bringing you straight to the new podcast episode or blog post. Easy peasy.
We’ll only use this to announce new blog posts or podcast episodes — nothing more. And at any time you can choose to stop receiving these messages by going to Safari Preferences, and in the Notifications tab, click the “Deny” button next to Otaku no Podcast.
In life there are but three certainties: death, taxes and late Otaku no Podcast posts. I tried, really tried, to get this post up in time for the great December 25 Anime Secret Santa reveal, but I just missed it, darn it all. At least it’s not too late!
I have spoken at length about my love of the two Key visual novel based anime, Kanon and Clannad. Give me half a chance and I’ll talk your ear off about the subject, extolling their virtues and emotional impact long into the night. Listening to me prattle on about it, you’d think that Key and/or KyoAni has the lock on tear-jerking, soul-wrenching emotionally-charged romance stories. As it turns out, nothing could be farther from the truth. Perhaps this is the reason why my Anime Secret Santa picked ef – a tale of memories as one of my choices to review. And I am glad that they did.
ef – a tale of memories is a 12-episode series animated by Shaft (they say that anime studio Shaft is a bad mutha – SHUT YO’ MOUTH!) and is based on the visual novel series ef – A Fairy Tale of the Two published by minori, which I honestly have never heard of before. (Then again I’m still a neophyte when it comes to visual novels.) It follows a cast of characters as they struggle through life and as their lives intertwine with each other. Hiro is an aspiring mangaka trying to juggle his work and school lives, and feels that his world is “missing a certain color.” Kei, his childhood friend, longs for Hiro’s affection but is unable to confront him with her feelings. Miyako, a cheerful, somewhat ditzy girl who Hiro runs into one evening, immediately becomes attached to Hiro, but underneath that cheerful exterior she is hiding some past sorrow. Kyosuke, a photographer and cameraman, seeks to capture true emotion in his work, but never feels like he has done this satisfactorily. Renji, a high school upperclassman, is faced with the decision of how he should go forward with his life; he has aspirations to become a novelist but is unsure of himself. Finally, there’s the quiet and mysterious Chihiro, who Renji encounters by chance one day; always cheerful if quiet, but who seems to be a different person every day. As the story progresses we see that these seemingly disconnected individuals’ stories do relate to each other.
So how does ef – a tale of memories stack up against my beloved Key/KyoAni properties? Read on to find out!
Well, once again, it’s holiday time, which means it’s time to hit the malls and get serious about your holiday gift buying. So how’s that going for you? Well, if you, like 99.99999% of the rest of civilization, are either (A) having trouble deciding what to buy someone, (B) procrastinating right up till the end and need to find someone a gift RIGHT NOW!!!!11, (c) are lazy and need someone to help pick gifts for you, or (d) all of the above, well, guess what, we can help youwith that. Because it’s once again time to unleash that wonder of wonders we like to call The 12 Days of Kurisumasu!!!
In case you’ve been living under a rock (or in the desert, or deep in the Himalayas, or on Mars, or in a distant galaxy/another dimension/etc.) for the past year, and haven’t the faintest idea what the heck I’m talking about, here’s the scoop: starting tomorrow, Saturday, December 14 and going through Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, I will be picking a cool new otaku-themed product each day and will be featuring it on our Twitter and Facebook. (They’ll also be posted on the 12 Days of Kurisumasu page here, along with a witty (well, at least I think so) writeup.) And if you’re still clueless as to what the heck I’m talking about, you can also check out the 12 Days of Kurisumasu from years gone by at the 12 Days of Kurisumasu page.
Each product I’ll be featuring will come from one of our affiliate advertisers — Amazon, CDjapan, Right Stuf, J-List, etc. Yeah, I know what you’re saying, you’ve been waiting for the “catch” and it finally came. But as catches go, this isn’t much of one. Remember that purchasing through any of the links here costs you nothing extra but brings us a little much-needed income, which helps keep the lights on and the bits flowing.
What products will you be choosing, you might be asking. No real rhyme or reason to it, really. As long as it’s even tangentially related to anime or other otaku-worthy pursuits, then it’s fair game. That means anime DVDs (and even Blu-rays); calendars; figures; “stuff from Japan” (food, snacks, etc.); plushies; dating-sim games/visual novels; whatever. Hopefully, among this cornucopia of consumer goods, you’ll find something cool and out of the ordinary to give to any otaku-leaning friends/acquaintances you’re looking for gifts for. (Or even yourself…)
So why subject yourself to the hassle, expense and bloodletting of doing battle in the malls and on the streets, and come shop with us instead?
This year has been especially hard for me, thanks to some unexpected bad medical news (and the large medical bills that tend to come with things like that) so your help is gratefully appreciated. If you don’t see anything that strikes your fancy among my picks this year, then perhaps you can find something else among our many affiliates? Donations are also accepted (and are very much appreciated). You can find links to all our affiliates as well as donation links on our How You Can Help page (which, I just noticed, looks really weird/crappy on the iPad. Gotta fix that.). And, as always, you have my thanks. You rock.
One of the many things I find annoying about the holidays is that the Gods of Retail, for whatever reason, seem to want to move Christmas earlier and earlier every year. I mean, c’mon, it isn’t even Halloween yet, it’s still beastly hot in many parts of the country, and the kiddies have only just returned to school, and yet we’re already starting to see holidaypromotions from businesses large and small. The latest entity to join this ungodly trend are none other than our anime blogging compatriots, the Reverse Thieves. But I’m willing to give them a pass on this, because it’s for a good cause. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s Anime Secret Santa time once again!
I can hear it now, some of you are probably staring at your screens yelling “WHAT YOU SAY !!“. Well obviously you must be new around here, because if you’ve been hanging around this blog and podcast for any appreciable length of time, you would know about Anime Secret Santa. After all, I’ve written about it severaltimesbefore, and we’ve even participated in it for the past few years as well.
Basically the Anime Secret Santa project involves a bunch of bloggers (and perhaps podcasters too) who get together and put their names into a virtual hat, which the Reverse Thieves then proceed to mix up. They then pair off bloggers, and ask each of them to recommend an anime for the other to watch. The trick is that they don’t tell them who the recommendation came from. Once you have your anonymous donors’ recommendations in hand, you then proceed to pick an anime off their list, watch it and review it. Yes, exactly like that whole Secret Santa thing, which you are undoubtedly familiar with. (After all it’s probably been used as a plot device in at least a few Christmas-themed anime episodes…) The idea is to get people to step outside their comfort zones if you will, and watch and review shows they may not have considered before. It’s a great way to find out about anime that, maybe you might not have considered before, but ended up liking a lot. (Or maybe you hated it, and then you can write a really scathing review. There have been some pretty hilariously epic ones.) Plus it’s a lot of fun.
Want to participate? It’s pretty simple. First, you’ll need to set yourself up on one of those “keep track of what anime I’ve watched” sites, such as Anime-Planet (my personal favorite) or MyAnimeList. They are all free to join, and are pretty useful in their own right. Then, once you’ve listed all the anime that you’ve seen, e-mail your name, blog/podcast’s URL and the URL to your anime listing site profile page to the Reverse Thieves with the subject line “Secret Santa Participant.” (Also, if for whatever reason you would prefer not to have to watch/review fansubs, be sure and mention that in your email.)
All entries are due by Sunday, October 6th, so you better hurry! Check out the Reverse Thieves blog post for full details and where to send in your entry. Naturally, if the fates allow it, Otaku no Podcast will be participating this year as well. And we hope that you will too!
Greetings. First of all, yes we did go to Anime Expo, and we returned safely, albeit not in perfect health (you guessed it, con crud). That, combined with a metric crapton of work that has suddenly decided to dog pile on me, has prevented me from getting any Anime Expo coverage out. However rest assured that this situation will change soon. We just recorded our Anime Expo wrap-up podcast, which I will be editing this week and hopefully will have out in the feeds by this weekend. I’ve got a few AX-related blog posts in the works, and there’s also pictures and video that I hope to release soon as well. So stay tuned! In the meantime, here’s a Cool Find that I was recently made aware of, and felt I had to share with you.
Several times in the past I’ve written about my quest to watch my downloaded anime on the go (only unlicensed works from fansub groups that follow the fansubber’s code of course). I had eventually settled on the program HD Player which, while far from perfect in the user interface department, did such an amazingly good job at rendering complex subtitles that I was willing to overlook its clunky user interface and occasional crashiness. And, while ostensibly free, the developer was charging a $1.99 fee to unlock some necessary video format decoding capabilities without which the program was basically useless. Well I have found a new solution for iOS users (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad) that is completely free – VLC!
For the probably 2 or 3 people in the world who do not know, VLC is pretty much THE go-to program for watching any form of video on desktop computers. It decodes and plays pretty much all of the video formats, and it can even work around damaged or malformed video files — it’s successfully played video files for me that the standard tools (Windows Media Player, Quicktime, etc.) totally choke up on. On top of all that, VLC is an open-source project, meaning that a large group of software developers around the world are all working on VLC and constantly improving it, so it just keeps getting better and better. Available for Windows, Mac and Linux, it is a definite must-have — and is completely free.
Well, a while back some VLC developers decided to take VLC and create a mobile version of it, and thus the VLC iOS app was born. Unfortunately it was short-lived; one of the VLC developers got all high and mighty, believing that the VLC license was violated by the App Store’s license, got on his high horse, and got Apple to remove VLC from the App Store. But, just like your typical action movie hero, you can’t keep a good guy down, and the Mobile VLC developers went on the warpath, eventually (somehow) re-licensing all of the VLC code into a more App Store-friendly form. And finally we get to see the fruits of their labors: VLC for iOS is BACK, baby!
VLC operates much like any of the other over 9,000 video players. You can load video files into it using iTunes’ file sharing panel, or you can turn your iOS device into a temporary Web server, browse to it from one of the computers on your home network, and upload files to it that way. But VLC adds a few new methods to the mix. With its built-in web browser, you can download video files directly off of a website, or you could link to your Dropbox account and grab any videos stored there.
Once you’ve gotten files into it, VLC displays your list of files in a nice format, including the filename, length of the video, resolution, and a nice graphical preview. Unfortunately there is no support at all for organizing these videos — there’s no folders or playlists, and there isn’t even a search button. So if you have a ton of videos loaded onto your device, you’ll have to scroll through them all to find the one you want to watch. Hopefully the developers will add some sort of file organization mechanism in a future release.
However, once you tap on a video and start playing it, that’s when the magic starts. You can play back the video on your device’s screen; but you can also use AirPlay to playback the video on any AirPlay-compatible device, for example the Apple TV hooked up to my giant living room TV and home theater sound system. This is absolutely fantastic. You can even configure VLC to continue playing a video’s audio track while you’re out of the app, so if you need to switch to Mail to answer a quick email, or to Tweetbot to post a quick tweet, you can still hear what’s going on in your video. Speaking of audio, if your video file has multiple audio tracks, you can easily switch between them using the on-screen controls. (When I rip my own DVDs, I like to create dual-language rips, that way I can choose whether I want dub or sub) And VLC for iOS supports the same variety of file formats as does VLC for desktops. I’ve thrown quite a variety of files at it and it plays them back beautifully.
All of this versatility does require some power, however. VLC needs some processing power to do what it does. I was able to play a 1080p normal H.264 video on my iPhone 5 with perfect quality, as well as a 720p Hi10p video. However my iPad mini could not play a 1080p normal H.264 video; it was pretty stuttery and jerky. Interestingly enough, the iPad mini was “sort of” able to play a 720p Hi10p file, albeit with a fair amount of stuttering. Fortunately the app warns you if it thinks that it won’t be able to play a certain file. However I’ve found that its warning threshold is a bit on the conservative side; some files that it has warned me about play back just fine.
Finally, let’s get to the question that I’m sure everybody has on the tip of their tongue. How does VLC score in the subtitle rendering department? Well I’m happy to report that VLC’s handling of subtitles is as good, if not better, than HD Player’s, which I consider to be the “gold standard.” I’ve thrown a wide variety of fansubs with some very complex subtitles, and it displayed them perfectly.
VLC for iOS definitely deserves a look, and it is now my preferred video player on iOS. If they just fix the file management issue, then it would be perfect. However it’s definitely worth a download, especially considering that it’s absolutely free. Go grab it now on the App Store or on Google Play.
A few days ago, when I wrote about the availability of the Anime Expo schedules, I did my usual moaning and groaning about how Anime Expo should join the 21st century and start making their schedules available on smartphones and tablets, which more and more of us are carrying around these days — and I don’t mean using that crappy web app they had the past few years. I expressed a wish that I’ve expressed countless times before: wouldn’t it be great if Anime Expo made their schedule available through a well-designed, slick, and very functional mobile app — such as Guidebook? (Disclaimer: we are in no way related to the folks who put out Guidebook. We do not benefit in any way, financial or otherwise, by mentioning them. We just really love their app.)
Well boy did that turn out to be a prophetic statement, because that’s exactly what they just did! (Maybe I should try playing the lotto or something…) Simply download the free Guidebook app, available for iOS (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad) and Android, and using the app’s search feature, search for Anime Expo, and download the guide. That’s it. The guide doesn’t need an internet connection to function, which is great, since (A) phone data connections are pricy; (B) hotel/convention center WiFi (when available) is either pricy or horribly slow (or both); and (C) most convention centers, being ginormous structures made of steel and concrete, tend to eat radio signals for breakfast. However, if you do get connectivity, the guide will automatically check whether an update is available (and they often are), and will update itself. Within the guide you can search through the available programming, including live events, panels, main events and video screenings; check out info on the various Guests of Honor; look through the various exhibitors in the dealers’ room; and much more. Once you’ve found an event you’re interested in, you can add it to your own personal schedule or “to do” list, and can even set an alarm to remind you X minutes before the event starts. This is a really slick app, and as mentioned earlier, it is one of our favorites. So go grab it today! (Remember folks, it’s free.)
By the way pre-reg is still open, and unless you like standing in Xbox huge lines for over 9,000 hours, is highly recommended. And if you STILL haven’t made your hotel reservations (you damn slackers!) then you better hurry – vacancies are still available at the Sheraton LA Downtown and Millennium Biltmore, but they won’t be for long!
Can’t make it to AX this year? That’s too bad. With an impressive guest roster and a huge lineup of panels and other con events, AX 2013 is shaping up to be a pretty happening event.
Well, if you can’t make it, here’s something that may take a little of the sting out of that disappointment. A newcomer to the streaming video scene, and one that I honestly hadn’t heard of before now, SimulTV, will be livestreaming some of the key AX events, including opening and closing ceremonies, fashion shows, some of the industry panels as well as the Cell, Kaya and Moonstream concerts.
They’re also taking the opportunity to announce their new streaming anime-on-demand service, which lets you watch episodes from many popular shows at $0.99-2.99 a pop. You can get a free 14-day trial by signing up for a SimulTV subscription during AX, either online or by scanning the QR code available at the SimulTV screening room, which is room 405.
SimulTV is available on most computers and mobile devices and offers on-demand streaming of a variety of titles, both anime and non-anime. They bring a unique social aspect to the table as well, allowing you to add social features such as voice/video chat, twitter, Facebook, and search, all right within the video playback window.
Check out more info here or at the SimulTV website. You can also sign up there.
Updated 06/29/13: New version of the schedule has been released. See the end of this post for a summary of the changes.
Good news if you’re planning on attending this year’s Anime Expo: the program schedule is now up! Go grab it now (in PDF format) and plan away! With a huge guest roster, not to mention the myriad of traditional (and even quite a few not-so-traditional) events that you typically find at anime cons, there’ll be lots to do and see.
And now for my yearly “Why the hell aren’t more cons using smartphone/tablet scheduling apps?!” rant. More and more people have ’em these days, and they make excellent companions while you’re at con. So why aren’t more cons putting out their schedules as smartphone/tablet apps?! Sure, you can load up the PDF schedule in a PDF reader, but that’s clunky compared to an actual schedule app. You can do so much more in an app — searching and marking favorite/want-to-watch events (and setting reminder alarms to automatically notify you X minutes before said events) being the two most important benefits of app-based schedules. In years past AX has put out an iOS schedule app which, while quirky and non-standard, still worked reasonably well. More recently, they’ve gone with a web app (an “app” that runs within your device’s web browser.) Not only does this require a data connection (expensive, and doesn’t work too well (if at all) in most convention centers, aka giant steel and concrete structures that eat radio signals for breakfast), it was also slow, buggy and a pain to work with. Why oh why can’t they go with a well-established scheduling app that well over 9,000 other anime conventions (not to mention a lot of other conventions) have used, such as our favorites, Guidebook? OK, end of rant. (disclaimer: we have no connection with Guidebook, nor do we benefit in any way, financial or otherwise, by mentioning them. We just really love their app.)Guess what, the schedule is now available in the Guidebook app too!
By the way, pre-registration is still open (and is highly recommended; it really helps cut down on linecon) and will run you $70 for a full 4-day adult pass, $60 for a 2-day pass, $40 for a single day pass, and $20 for an expo hall only pass; child (6-12) passes are $25. And if you haven’t made your hotel arrangements yet (shame on you!) as of the time I am writing this, there are still rooms available at the Sheraton LA Downtown and the Millennium Biltmore; better book ’em now(Danno) while they’re still available.
Updated 06/29/13: New version of the schedule has been released. Here is a summary of the changes:
Red Carpet Removed (Now Press Only Event)
Open Ceremonies Moved to 10:00 AM
Wolf Children Changed from Dubbed to Subbed
Crunchyroll Presents: Wandering Son 1-3 Added to Day 2 @ 9:15 AM
Buso Renkin Removed from Day 2
The Everyday Tales of a Cat God 1-3 added to day 2 @ 9:45 AM
Crunchyroll Presents: Saint Seiya Omega 1-3 Added to Day 2 @ 9:00 AM
Gosick 1 added to Day 2 @ 11:30 PM
Dark Horse: Celebrating 25 Years of Manga moved to 10:00 AM
Gintama: The Movie removed from Day 3
Starchild Special Premiere and Trailers! added to Day 3 @ 10:30 PM
NISA Exclusive Anime Movie Premiere! added to Day 3 @ 12:30 AM
Nyarko-san 1-2 [S/16+] Added to Day 3 @ 9:00 AM
Hellsing Ultimate OAV 1-3 extended to 12:30 PM on Day 3
SPJA Charity Auction moved to 12:30 PM on Day 4
Crypton Future Media Inc Presents: Hatsune Miku added to Day 4 at 3:30 PM
Crunchyroll Presents: Muromi-san 1-2 [S/13+] added to Day 4 @ 9:15 AM
Crunchyroll Presents: Arata the Legend 1-2 [S/13+] Added to Day 4 @ 9:00 AM
Crunchyroll Presents: Nichijou 1-2 [S/13+] Added to Day 4 @ 9:00 AM
GIRLS und PANZER 1-2 [S/14+] Added to Day 4 @ 9:00 AM
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We have often spoken at great length about the virtues of staying at an official convention hotel when attending an anime convention. You’re usually closer to the con (for smaller cons, the con itself is probably hosted in the hotel itself as a matter of fact – you can’t get any more convenient than that!), you usually get a discount on the rates, you often get free or discounted admission to other events associated with the con (concerts, film screenings, etc.), and you’ll be staying at a place where many other con attendees are also staying, opening up many cool hanging-out-and-socializing opportunities.
Well hello there! What? Yes, it has 
In life there are but three certainties: death, taxes and late Otaku no Podcast posts. I tried, really tried, to get this post up in time for the great December 25 Anime Secret Santa reveal, but I just missed it, darn it all. At least it’s not too late!
Well, once again, it’s holiday time, which means it’s time to hit the malls and get serious about your holiday gift buying. 
One of the many things I find annoying about the holidays is that the Gods of Retail, for whatever reason, seem to want to 
Update: 
A few days ago, when I 
Can’t make it to 
Updated 07/01/13: Guess what, my wishes have come true! 
