Rocko's Modern Life

The first season of Rocko's Modern Life, one of the Nicktoons from Nickelodeon's 90's cartoon block, is available for direct download from Amazon.com. They were released about 12 days ago, but I've just learned about this now.
If you're a Rocko fan and have been waiting for this since 1993 (because I know I have), now would be a good time head over and get your copy.

NYAF - Part 1 of Whatever

As a preface, the Shards of Alara prerelease was this weekend, which I had to unfortunately miss to staff and attend the New York Anime Fest. The Shards prerelease was Wizards of the Coast's first attempt at having "local" prereleases, held at individual and localized gaming stores rather than larger event-grounds that sometimes operate as state-wide prereleases (such is the case in New Jersey, where events would usually be held in New Brunswick or Elizabeth; New York had a city event that was usually held at Neutral Ground and "NY State" events were held elsewhere). Because of this, I can't report on how the first local prerelease event went over with my local crowd over at Time Warp Comics and Games. C'est la vie.

This weekend was the New York Anime Fest, a 3-day gathering of anime, video game, manga and various other like-minded nerd cultures at the Jacob Javitz Center. Most prominantly featured at these types of events are the cosplayers, the fans who dress up as their favorite characters. The link will probably be dead in a few days or so, but 4chan's /cgl/ board has a thread up with pictures from the con that has been relatively drama-free here.

Day 0 - The set up day. Volunteers (blue shirts) and Reed Expo staff (red shirts) run about the convention center trying to get everything organized in relative haste and order. Blue shirts mostly spend the day bagging the free swag ("swag bags" for those without a sense of rhyme scheme), though I was "lucky" enough to be enlisted in aiding one of the dealers who was having trouble setting up his booth.
The people at BEST LEFT UNSAID AS I AM ABOUT TO SAY SOME VERY UNKIND THINGS ABOUT THEM::MENTAL EDITORIAL MANDATE asked the chief of the blue shirts to send some blue shirts over to help unpack their van before it started raining (which it never did). When another blue shirt and myself got to the van in question, the person in charge of the booth, another gentleman and three ladies were standing around while the blue shirt and I unpacked ~7' metal grates (which would form the back wall of the booth) from the van onto a handtruck and cart it from outside the con center, through the lower-level doors, to the elevator, downstairs into the main con hall. This was no small task, as each one was large, unwieldy, roughly 30 lbs and one of twenty five or so. This was in addition to large but considerably lighter boxes of manga and anime dvds.
The process involved roughly 4 back-and-forth trips before our supervisor noted the purveyors of the booth were standing around doing NOTHING to help us move thier things free of charge and asked that the foruth trip be our last. With bleeding hands, a thrown back and a decent enough sweat, I was tossed as Last Exile vol. 1 DVD with OST as payment for my work. Thanks ANIME SELLER WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS, I have no idea how you can possibly set up for any other convention with a useless staff and low asthetic for payment.

Seeing the convention floor unestablished and mostly a skeleton of its final form is an almost chilling experience. The center, to dip into the cliche resivoir, literally comes to life once all of the booths, displays and what have you are finally set up and seeing the gargantuan structure of what would be the Bandai stage empty and still incomplete compared to the a/v spectacle it became during the con was startling.

The day ended around 6. Javitz Center staff and dealers were still carting in the building blocks that make the event what it is.

Tomorrow: The beginning of the first day... And hopefully some pictures to go along with everything.

Shards of Alara, Extended Rotation and You

I've just finished up my Shards of Alara set review for Extended, which I suppose I'll link to from here sometime soon. The article rides on the coattails of my previous article from a little over a week ago, here where I explain the format through unassisted eyes. Of course, it was constructed prior to Sensei's Divining Top's banning so, ignoring the fact that I mention the card and removed it from any potential decks, the article's suggested decks are actually all awful aside from possibly Faeries and Next Level Blue.
Shards offers some considerable boons to Extended, primarily Tezzert, Master of Etherium and Wild Nacatl (who is directly beneath the "Topan Ascetic" the link sends you to). The major problem with my evaluation of the set is that I haven't been able to test any of the new cards in "old" decks or "new decks" spawned from old decks, though these three are outright monsters in the new format.

As a whole, Shards is looking to be fairly boring in comparison to the previous two blocks. You have some new Artifact creatures, a schizophrenic White that tries to play to both of White's strengths but does neither well, an overcosted and underwhelming Boring Green Creature theme, Black with a few interesting if not completely useless tricks and a bunch of Red cards that edge on either insane or just merely "very good." I was a big fan of the previous two Limited blocks as well as Standard and Block seasons (when I wasn't only fighting Faerie decks), and Shards of Alara looks like a major deviation from that. I'm waiting to see the details of the Standard Alara review pan out, but right now I'm seeing another 3 months of Lorwyn Block Constructed before we see any major change in the environment.
Expect more reports on Extended as the article gets edited, critiqued and as Extended season approaches and occurs.

Up (Later) Next: Metal Gear Solid 4, Secret Invasion, NYAF LIVE COVERAGE HOLY COW!

"Greetings Toonami faithful."

3/17/97-9/20/08: Goodnight, sweet prince.

For those unaware, outside of the U.S., or just ig-na-ent, Saturday was Toonami's, Cartoon Network's action cartoon/Anime block of programming, final broadcast. I was introduced to the programming amalgam of Eastern and Western animation in 2000, when my half of the town finally got an extended cable package that included Cartoon Network (while my friends in middle school got to brag about finally getting to see new episodes of Dragon Ball Z and learn about, get this, new non-DBZ anime like Gundam Wing, Tenchi Muyo! and the classic anime Ronin Warriors).
For the young to-be otaku of this generation, Toonami was the gateway to the wonderful, dorky world of Japanese animation as well as some truly epic original series like Samurai Jack and Megas XLR. The programming block, in its heyday, featured CG animated shorts starring Toonami host TOM in an ongoing storyline, making the block more than just JAPAN ANIMATION, ADS, ADS- it was a story run alongside other stories. The block also became the precursor to Cartoon Network's successful ADULT SWIM evening programming with the "Mightnight Run" block- more mature anime, such as Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop (both still some of my favorite series of all time), shown after midnight, as the program's title implied. Midnight Run also broke the regular anime schedule for movie nights, nights featuring animated music videos (both mix-ups of TOONAMI house-made techno and bands like Daft Punk and Gorillaz) and other fresh television viewing events.

The generation-defining's final program aired one last plotline for Toonami. Host TOM4, voiced by Steven Blum- voice actor of Cowboy Bebop protagonist Spike Spiegel, concluded the final block with his most memorable line to date, "Bang," appropriately ending the life-changing series, gateway and television block's run on Cartoon Network.

The end of the Toonami block can be viewed here. (caution: manly tears)
See you, Space Cowboy.

Pokemon Platinum reporting in, Javitz Center going-ons

Today was the volunteer meeting day for the New York Anime Festival. Nothing very interesting to report from it aside from there being a Fashion and Web 2.0 conference going on at the same time. The area is roughly the same size as last year's Festival and the same location, though good news for staff members: the volunteer room is huge, meaning bags, jackets and whatever treats the Reed staff picks up for volunteers won't cramp the haven.

In other news, Pokemon Platinum has been released in Japan. It's been out for a little over a week now, but the folks at Serebii.net and Smogon have been working madly to unlock all of the new content, particularly Smogon to start preparing for the post-Platinum competitive metagame. Some important additions to the single player game:
-Expanded post-game content- Diamond and Pearl were hindered by giving you little to do aside from play around with Wifi content and climb Battle Tower to little effect. After the main game in Platinum, you now have a vastly expanded Battle Frontier (similar to Pokemon Emerald).
-Rebattling Gym Leaders and revamped Elite 4- Also similar to Advanced-Gen Pokemon games, you can now rebattle Gym Leaders with higher level and more balanced teams. The Elite 4 now have Pokemon approaching level 80 and less lopsided teams. If you thought the Elite 4 was hard in D/P, you're in a whole new game.
-Skymin, Rotom forms, new Giratina- Skymin is BROKEN. The BL hedgehog of mediocrity gains new resistances, a base 127 speed (making it faster than Weavile, Gengar and Starmie), access to STAB Air Slash (with double Flinch-Hax odds!), 80% double Sp.Defense drop on Seed Flare and special Ground attack from the Move Tutors on its land form. That said, the Rotom forms are neat. They look like appliances and are similar to Deoxys changes... except in what type of move they gain depending on form rather than stat or any other relevant changes. The new forms get slightly slower but gain some Defense and Sp.Attack; I don't really know how to call it. Giratina just has new stat allotment and looks different.
-Move Tutors- It's like the Emerald Move Tutors but with everything I like and nothing I don't. Elemental Punches, some revamped Physical moves and ridiculous attacks like Sucker Punch and Earth Power that were previously available only to a select few (and generally outside of Standard play) Pokemon. The Move Tutors also considerably reduce the need to breed on Emerald, [you can ignore the following if you don't care about competitive battling] which is a godsend as the breed-and-transfer technique as well as increased difficulty in checking IVs is quite a pain, especially with 'Mons like Metagross.[/ignore] The Move Tutors operate on the shards used to acquire Evolution Stones

I haven't really read up on the new Wifi content, but there is a decent number of new additions made. I hear Skymin, new Rotom and Origin-Form Giratina aren't allowed available on Wifi, so that's something to consider.

Summary: If you love Pokemon and haven't yet gave in to the beacon that is Diamond and Pearl, hop on it with Platinum. If you already have Diamond and Pearl but want new and refined content or have any ties to the competitive battling world, you NEED Platinum. If you have some interest in trying out Pokemon, Platinum might be a good place to start. If you don't care overall, I don't think the new game will change your opinion of the series, as it's a much refined "more of the same" experience.

Up Next: Article on catering to the cosplay community, MGS4 review (want to get a little farther in my second playthrough before I put this up), Secret Invasion Marvel Midsection and possibly something about Magical Cards and the upcoming Shards of Alara expansion.

Greatest Blog in the Universe and Photopost

The Kid's Comic Book Reviews is a work of literary genius and possibly The Only Good Blog I've Ever Read. In case you're too scared to click the link, a 7 year-old orates reviews of comic books he reads weekly to his father, who dictates them onto a Blogspot blog. For example, "Batman is Batman because he wants revenge because someone killed his father. He has to let someone else be Batman if his father is still alive. I think Batman is going to kick Dr Hurt’s butt real bad for lying about that. You can’t lie to Batman." If you are neither entertained nor informed by an innocent child's reviews of the comics he's read, you have a black and cancerous soul and are not invited to my next birthday party.

In other news, the trip to Kinokuniya Bookstore yesterday allowed me some moderate shots of the event with my phone:
Aisles of manga (Japanese comics, for those unaware) on the second floor were filled with a number of characters dressed up in outfits from Death Note, Gothic Lolita fashion, or plainclothes, which are unnecessary to link to.
The girl right center is dressed as the protagonist of Death Note, Light Yagami, a high school and later college student who obtains the power of the grim reaper through a magic notebook and develops a god complex. While it looks as though she's merely wearing a button up shirt and tie, a number of the character designs in the series are fairly grounded in the real world; it's the grim reapers, called "shinigami," that you need to look out for. Unfortunately, none of the participants were dressed up as any of the death gods at the event.

Standing outside of the Cafe Zaiya in Kinokuniya in his trademark sports jacket and jeans is Conference Manager for New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival, Peter Tatara. Peter is the brains behind this and many other events hosted at the Bryant Park Kinokuniya, including a general Cosplay Day, with American World Cosplay Summit 2008 team as special guests, a Gothic Lolita day and a promotional event for the American theater release of the anime film Bleach: Memories of Nobody. Peter gave me a rough estimate that anywhere from one to two hundred plus people show up to these events.

This is a clearer shot of the crowd in Zaiya. The two people standing in the center of the shot are dressed as Matt (left, facing backwards) and L (right). Farther to the right is a young woman dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion, though my awful camera skills won't really give you any idea what she really looks like. The Cafe and area immediately surrounding the manga aisles were the most crowded in the store throughout the event, even causing fairly dense congestion during the radio interview segment of the afternoon.

Just prior to Megumi and the Samurai Beat Radio crew setting up for their broadcast, the anime viewing area became slightly less crowded. The young man standing in front of the television is also dressed as Light. Most people use apples as props because, according to the Shinigami Ryuuk, "Apples are like cigarettes to death gods," making it a simple, yet effective, item to include as part of a Death Noter's costume. Other props vary from an over-sized and stylized scythe in one of the series promotional posters to a 4'-long chain handcuffs. In the foreground, a supporter of L's enjoys the Death Note anime.

Coming Soon: Pokemon Platinum, Metal Gear Solid 4 and half-time on Marvel's Secret Invasion.

Set sail for Blogging.

This is the inaugural post on my blog, eh tries to be substantive and doesn't afraid of anything.

My upcoming piece is on a gathering today at the Kinokuniya Bookstore, a "Death Note Day," in Byrant Park. The event was a combination NY cosplay/congoing community gathering, promotion for VIZ (the liscencees for the American distribution of the Death Note live action movie) and plug for the New York Anime Festival. The second floor gathering had an audience filling the cafe/manga alcove, where people in and out of cosplay swarmed the shelves and seats around the television screen showing episodes of the Death Note anime and the "Making Of" documentary for the movie.

Samurai Beat Radio host Megumi was there with a small crew to interview "the best Death Note fans," of which I was randomly selected to be a part of despite my extremely "just for lulz" application to appear on the show and be interviewed. Once the podcast is made available, you can hear me prattle on about how "sugoi" L is and my belief that Misa is "so kawaii" as well as a 2 minute discussion on Death Note erotic fanfiction.

Next post/s: photos and details from Death Note Day, Pokemon Platinum and a Slowpoke.jpg review of Metal Gear Solid 4.