Anime Reviews: Toriko Episode 01 - The Undiscovered Giant Beast! Toriko, Capture a Gararagator!

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And here I thought it was just One Piece that had those weird titles.  Looks like it's actually just Toei's trademark. Also, I would like to point out that I think this series is making me fatter.  And I haven't even read or watched it yet!  Just hearing all the hype about it has made me start to make food bigger, and better.

Manga Reviews: Blue Exorcist Volume 1

If you have read any reviews for this manga, then you are well aware that the first chapter is universally recognized as poor manga at best.  Anyone with any taste in manga says exactly this, so when I went into reading this I almost felt like it was my duty to hate the first chapter.  But after seeing the first episode of the anime, and liking it, I didn't see how the manga could possibly be all that bad.

Anime Reviews: Fairy Tail Episode 75 - The 24-Hour Endurance Road Race

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There isn't much I can say about Fairy Tail filler other than repeating that I surprisingly like it.  I'd much rather see the manga episodes animated, but original material is just as enjoyable when it's well put together.

Book Reviews: I Don't Want To Kill You

After meeting Dan Wells in person, I determined that the title of his current book is telling the truth.  Maybe.

Sometimes you run across a series that you never would have read in a million years, if not for extenuating circumstances.  But once you do read it, you find a place in your heart for it that you didn't know was open.  That's what the John Cleaver series is like for me.  I was first introduced to Dan Wells through the Writing Excuses podcast, which I was listening to because I was taking Brandon Sanderson's creative writing class at the time.  Who I happened to know about because I picked up a copy of his first book, Elantris, from the campus bookstore bargain bin.  It must have been some kind of fate (corny as that sounds), because I normally don't buy books on a whim like that, even bargain bin books, but the blurb on the jacket cover interested me that much.  Then I later found out that he was finishing The Wheel of Time series, one of my all-time favorites, and the sole reason I had no social life during high school (have you seen the size of some of those books?  It took four years of dedicated reading to get through them).  So one thing led to another, and the moral of the story is: If you want your books published, then be on a podcast with a bestselling author.

Anime Reviews: Beelzebub Episode 14 - Is There a Special Move?

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You know, I can understand the reasoning behind taking advantage of the lack of any real overarching story early on in the manga.  But if all this filler padding gets this anime canceled, I'm going to be pissed!

Fantasy Casting: Fairy Tail

Since Funimation has announced that they have acquired the license for Fairy Tail, and have only announced Todd Haberkorn as Natsu, I think it would be fun to finish something I started a while back. Namely my fantasy casting for the then hypothetical Fairy Tail dub.  What is fantasy casting you ask?  It's kind of like fantasy football, only more conventionally nerdy.  Basically I draw from a pool of voice actors, in this case those that regularly work with Funimation, and assign them roles in an undubbed anime.

Given the news of the upcoming release of the Funimation dub of Fairy Tail, now seems as good a time as any to release my very first fantasy cast list.  That and if I don't post it now there won't be any point in posting it ever, after the rest of the cast is announced that is.

I'll be focusing on the main characters, and assign them voice actors that I think have the right voice for the role.  Obviously I won't bother casting Natsu since...he's already been cast.  But with all the rest of the cast unannounced I can still have my say on who I think would do the best job.

And so, let's see how close I get to guessing who plays who.

Anime Reviews: Blue Exorcist Episode 01 - Demons Live in the Human Soul

 

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Or Here!

I first heard about Blue Exorcist from Katherin Dacey's quick look at the manga, and then from the preview printed in Shonen Jump.  Shortly afterward I found out that not only was an anime adaptation of the series in the works, but that it was being simulcasted on Hulu and Crunchyroll.  It took me a moment to get around to watching it, but my intention was to give it a shot.  What I knew so far told me it should be worth a look, but it wasn't until I read the full review of the first volume that I decided to go ahead and make this one a priority.

News Updates: Fairy Tail Licensed by Funimation

I absolutely love Twitter.  People can make fun of it all they want, but when I find out about something like THIS because of Twitter, then it has my love forever. If it were legal I would marry Twitter.  But since that is impossible, I proposed to Funimation instead.  I have yet to hear back from them.

Anime Reviews: Fairy Tail Episode 74 - Wendy's First Big Job

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And we once again dive into filler, this time with another completely original story.  Wendy has been getting a lot of focus the past few episodes, what with her being the newest character.  But this is the first time that she's had an episode centered around her.

An Otaku's Usage Dictionary - First Edition

One of the classes I took this semester was English Language 322 - American Usage.  During that class I was familiarized with usage dictionaries and when the time came to choose a class project, one of which was creating a usage dictionary, I decided to make one for a certain niche I was convinced never had anyone create a usage dictionary for it.  Thus I present to you, An Otaku's Usage Dictionary - First Edition. 

Basically the purpose behind this usage dictionary is to provide a place of reference for terms that get thrown around the anime community.  I know you could pretty much look anything up on wikipedia, but this is a specific reference material with quick, simple definitions and suggestions for how to use specific terms. 

It's short for now, I'll be working on it some more as I find more material to include, and eventually I wouldn't mind putting it up for sale as an ebook.  This of course depends entirely on how popular it is.  And since it's more of a side project that I'm doing for fun, I can't make any promises about how long it will take for the next edition to come out. 

Until then, I hope you enjoy it, and if you find something off about one of my definitions, feel free to let me know.  Constructively if you will, while I do not mind if anyone wants to waste their time posting an impolite comment, chances are I will simply dismiss you as an angry twit if I decide your comment was solely posted to spite me.  I don't mind criticism, but I do require that all criticism be made with civility.

Download it Here!

Anime Reviews: Beelzebub Episode 13 - Baby Beel's Assessment Test/Dear Great Demon Lord

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For those of you who were wondering what happened to the episode that was going to be the tenth, wonder no more, for here it is, in all its unorthodox formatting glory!  The last time we got a half episode it was half great, and half the reason why only half the fanbase of this show remains.  So let's see if this episode is as bad, and if changing the airing schedule was the right thing to do!

Anime Reviews: Fairy Tail Episode 73 - Rainbow Sakura

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A single omake chapter doth not an episode make.  Which is why we are sometimes faced with canon filler episodes like this one, where part of the episode is taken from an omake chapter that occurs in times unspecified of the manga, and the other part is filler created by the studio writers.  While some were peeved by the four episode mini-filler arc, I for one enjoyed it.  The question is now, is the filler half of this half-canon episode good enough to not ruin the entirety of the next almost-half-hour?

Anime Reviews: Beelzebub Episode 12 - I Won't Let You Sleep Tonight

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I would like to note that I'm finding it a bit annoying that two of the anime series I follow are currently stuck in filler.  Then again, if I followed Bleach and Naruto I'd be stuck in filler all the time.  Though, out of all the filler episodes I think this one had not only the best story, but also scored points because of a small little moment that really helped define Oga's character just a little bit more.  That's not easy for filler to do.

Anime Reviews: Bakuman Episode 25 - Yes and No

Well, here it is, the last episode of the first season.  I sincerely apologize that it took me so long to get around to posting this review, the date tag notwithstanding.  I only just recently finally finished the semester, and don't have to worry about any more papers, or studying.  You'll be seeing a rush of old reviews, as the week that follows when I write this is also the start of my one review a day marathon.

Anime Reviews: Fairy Tail Episode 72 - Fairy Tail Wizards

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Reviews Now With Ninety Percent Less Giants Breasts!

Well, with this episode we finally get to find out why Gray betrayed his guild and lured Natsu into Daphne's trap.  Given how much I've enjoyed this arc I can only imagine that the writers came up with an especially good reason for the betrayal.

Anime Reviews: Beelzebub Episode 11 - There Was Something Money Could Not Buy

 

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I've decided that I've been looking at the filler for this show the wrong way.  Instead of comparing it to the obviously superior manga, I'm going to be looking at any anime original material by its own merits.  Hopefully this will allow me to judge the anime filler with a more fair eye.

Anime Reviews: Fairy Tail Episode 71 - Friendship Will Overcome the Dead

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In my review of last episode I said that things were looking good for this episode.  Little did I know at the time how wrong my predictions were.