Otaku USA
find out about the latest Otaku USA stories as they happen!
Updated: 1 hour 20 min ago
Toonami Anime Block Officially Returns to Adult Swim
It looks like Adult Swim's April Fools' test run paid off, because as of earlier today the revival of the fan-favorite Toonami anime block has officially been announced . The block will make its triumphant return on Saturday, May 26, and Adult Swim will be running Toonami once a week from midnight to 6:00 am ET/PT. What's even more interesting, however, is some information listed in the press release : TOONAMI - Beginning Saturday, May 26, Adult Swim brings back Toonami, the network's popular block of a...
Categories: Otaku Culture
Swiss-Style Cosplay at JapAniManga Night!
It is amazing how international cosplay has become! Otaku Unite! This past weekend was JapAniManga Night in Winterthur, Switzerland, one of two anime conventions in this amazing country. Located in the Swiss and German speaking region of Switzerland, JapAniManga is a rapidly growing convention. In the last three years they have changed their location to handle the growing crowd. This year it was held in an old Swiss Army barrack and they had to turn people away after the 1,600 people capacity was maxed!...
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On The Shelf – May 16, 2012
Dark Horse provides some eye-candy to start out the week with Bride of the Water God (Vol.11). A pretty cover preludes a dark interior, however. Habaek and Soah are finally reunited, but they've got a lot of things to work through before they can find happiness. Events of recent volumes have left heavy physical and emotional tolls on them both and it's unlikely this is the end of the trials they'll face against the gods and their curses. DARK HORSE • Bride of the Water God (Vol.11), ($9.99/US, $10.99/CA...
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Devil May Cry HD Collection
Most reviews of Capcom's Devil May Cry HD Collection should read pretty similarly. Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3 get the majority of the coverage while the borderline putrid Devil May Cry 2 gets swept under the rug. It's the big, blood-drenched elephant in the room that no one is interested in talking about, but there is some merit in discussing its many flaws. As bad as it is, Devil May Cry 2 is a handy mirror that serves to reflect how much fun the rest of the trilogy is, and why the original was,...
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Trailer Previews Horror of Live-Action Another Adaptation
The anime adaptation of Another hit the streaming circuit back in January , but that's not all that's in store for fans of Yukito Ayatsuji's high school horror manga. A trailer recently dropped for Another 's live-action adaptation—directed by Takeshi Furusawa ( Avec Punch , Twilight Syndrome: Dead Cruise ) and set for an August release in Japanese theaters. Get a taste for how the horror translates to film below.
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Michael Sinterniklaas: Making Anime Dubs Time Won’t Forget
Michael Sinterniklaas is no stranger to the world of voice acting. Founder of New York-based recording studio NYAV Post, Sinterniklaas is well-known not just as the voice of American cartoon characters like Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series) and Dean Venture in The Venture Bros , but also as voice actor and director on countless anime titles, playing such characters as Leo in Fullmetal Alchemist, Kenji in Summer Wars , and the Netherlands in Hetalia: Axis Powers . Recently, he’s b...
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Kalafina Holds Event to Celebrate Fate/Zero Single
Popular anime song unit Kalafina held a special event at the LAZONA Kawasaki Plaza to celebrate their newest single, “to the beginning.” This is the second season opening theme of the popular anime series Fate/Zero . Kalafina members Wakana, Keiko, and Hikaru showed up with cute red dresses on stage, and gave a powerful performance. The day of the event was unseasonably cold and cloudy, but once they started singing, the sun came out and shined on the stage! 5,000 fans enjoyed the performance and cheere...
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On The Shelf – May 9, 2012
I'm back from the Toronto Comics Art Festival, which took place this past weekend, and I'm charged for comics! I returned with a stack of manga and an even bigger stack of original works from artists all around the world. It was indeed a great weekend, not to mention being Free Comic Book Day. I should be all unpacked and rested just in time for this week's new manga to hit store shelves too – the perfect comic storm cycle! Dark Horse starts us off by bringing a fan-favorite back to print with their omn...
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FUNimation Streams 6 Minutes of Dragon Age CG Anime
Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker is a unique co-production that puts BioWare's RPG franchise in the hands of studio Oxybot and director Fumihiko Sori ( Ping Pong , To , Vexille ). FUNimation is releasing the CG-animated film on DVD and Blu-ray May 29, and the home video is being promoted with a 6-minute clip that shows off an extended sequence. Dawn of the Seeker is a prologue to Dragon Age II , which was released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac in March, 2011. Check out the lengthy clip and a new...
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The Vault of Error: Wasted XIII
The near future: A cargo plane crashes in Tokyo Bay, scattering debris as it plummets from the sky. Among the wreckage is a ruptured container belonging to a biological research firm—a container that seems to have been torn open from the inside out. Some time later, a string of mysterious murders plagues the shoreline. The late night attacks target construction Labors—heavy-duty humanoid robots designed for industrial work. The police believe these are acts of eco-terrorism or the work of a serial...
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IDOLM@STER Animator Shows Off Tablet Painting Skills
It's always fun to see how the pros work, especially when said work is done on a high end Wacom Cintiq 24HD liquid crystal pen tablet. IDOLM@STER animation director Sunao Chikaoka shows off some real skill in a live Wacom painting demonstration, which you can check out in the video below. Source [@vinhnyu]
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Steins;Gate Anime Film Scheduled for Fall in Japan
Fans on Japanese message boards have uncovered more info about the upcoming Steins;Gate anime movie thanks to the June issues of Shōnen Ace and Young Ace magazines. According to those sources, the film will open in Japan this fall. The excitement of the date has been met with a bit of reservation, as staff details have yet to trickle out. Some fan reactions included, "Fall… do they have that much time even though they're making Jormungand right now?" and, "Don't you think the studio will change? Like Wh...
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Opening Up Gainax's Medaka Box
Medaka Box follows the misadventures of the Hakoniwa Academy Student Council, ruled with a power-loaded fist by first-year student and fresh elect Medaka Kurokami. The premise is pretty straightforward: folks pop problems in the suggestion box, and Medaka and her council work to resolve the issues. How they go about it, of course, is the fun of the series, and that's just about the highest praise one can give Medaka Box at this point. It's fun with a capital shrug. This is one of those shows that's actu...
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Special Dictionaries Help You Name Your Characters
Hello, everyone! This is otaku and trend-watcher Yunmao Ayakawa! Today I will introduce you to wonderful dictionaries for anime, game, and manga artists. As a creator myself, it's always a challenge for me to come up with cool names for the characters. I need to do research on history, folklores, science, geography, and more to form ideas and images for the names. Naming Dictionaries for Characters will be helpful to all artists and authors! The dictionaries include lots of characters names, origins of ...
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A Devil and Her Love Song vol. 1
Maria Kawai, the lead character of A Devil and Her Love Song , remains an enigma for the first volume. She’s been expelled from her previous school — for beating someone up, apparently — and at her new high school, she’s quickly the victim of bullying. People think she’s a snob, or worse, a “devil.” But the truth is, while Maria does have an attitude, she’s hardly devilish and she’s getting a lot of flak for nothing. Pretty soon we learn that she also has a beautiful singing voice (angelic, ...
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Virtual Boy 5-3-12: Hangin' Out and Hangin' On
This week's Nintendo update is fairly sparse, but there is one fresh Virtual Console addition to make up for an otherwise barren set of offerings. Arcade sequel Super Hang-On joins the VC lineup courtesy of Sega, and the only thing it's missing is a stationary bike cabinet. Here's Nintendo's spirited description of Super Hang-On , which will run you 900 Wii Points: Gear up for ultimate speed in Super Hang-On. Based on the hit arcade racer originally released in 1987, this sequel to SEGA’s Hang-On will p...
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Atlus Announces Persona 4: The Golden for North America
Persona 4: The Golden puts the much loved PlayStation 2 RPG on PlayStation Vita with a number of enhancements. It hits Japan on June 14, but don't worry about it skipping over us in the process. Atlus sent out a press release this morning announcing Persona 4: The Golden for North America sometime this fall. Here's what Atlus had to say about the enhanced RPG in its release: ...following in the footsteps of Shin Megami Tensei®: Persona®3 Portable™, the second highest rated PSP system game of all time (g...
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On The Shelf – May 2, 2012
It's a two publisher week with Gen Manga and Viz Media starting off our manga this month. And don't forget, once you've sated your manga desire with this week's releases, this upcoming Saturday is Free Comic Book Day! Viz Media and Yen Press each have a free issue out at participating stores this year so be sure you get yourself a copy of those two while you're spelunking through all the other goodies the day has to offer. As for offerings at the stores here and now, GEN Manga is releasing their second ...
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Kino's Journey
As a reviewer, there's something magical about finding a diamond in the rough. It's something a little quirky, maybe something that doesn't quite have mass appeal at first glance. It usually takes a little getting used to, but once you give it a shot, you find that it's a really wonderful experience. Things like that practically beg to be recommended, so writing about them is easy! Kino's Journey , the 2003 anime based on Keiichi Sigsawa's series of light novels, is that kind of show. At first, the plot...
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New Manga from Excel Saga Creator to Premiere Next Month
Rikdo Koshi, creator of over-the-top comedy manga Excel Saga , is set to premiere his next series in the July issue of Young King Ours magazine. Titled Ageha , Koshi's new series is a relationship comedy that explores the gap between fiction and reality. The July issue goes on sale in Japan on May 30, and will also feature new work from Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer 's Satoshi Mizukami. Notable series that previously ran in Young King Ours include Trigun and Hellsing , among others. The mag is also cur...
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