New Literature:

New Manga I think I'm going to start reading.

Its called Tough.

According to MangaReader its been released since 2003.

Is anyone reading this manga? 

I'd love to know what you think of it.

Recent Literature: MANGA

Hey All! I just wanted to share with you a few mangas that I have been reading these past couple months.

*My Thoughts may contain some spoilers, read at your own discretion*

BEELZEBUB

Synopsis:

Tatsumi Oga is a first year student in Ishiyama High School, a school for delinquents, where he is called the "strongest juvenile delinquent". One day while sleeping next to a river, Tatsumi sees a man floating down it. Tatsumi pulls him to shore and the man splits in half, revealing a baby boy. This boy, Beelzebub, is the son of the demon king, and Tatsumi, along with Beelzebub's demon maid Hilda, has been chosen as the one to raise him.

THOUGHTS:

First off I must say baby Beelz is THE cutest baby ever, naked or not. So far I am really enjoying this manga. There is action and humor! Like most lead characters, Oga is the typical silent badass. He wouldn't mess with you if you don't mess with him! Most of the story's characters are likeable and contribute to the plot. The storyline is pretty simple but its crazy fight scenes are very addictive. I mean, who ruins an entire high school by just punching the ground! The story takes us through the chaotic events and problems that arise for high school student Oga ever since he became a father figure to baby Beelz. This manga hasn't disappointed me yet so I will definitely continue reading.

GAMARAN

Synopsis:

Middle Edo Period -- One state becomes the gathering place for sinful martial artists, who believ in nothing other than power, know of no other way of life other than letting oneself go wild in the battle. That state is the Unabara State, the 'Haunt of Demons' Washitzu Naosata, the ruler of the powerful state, Unabara, is looking for his successor. He calls upons all his 31 sons, and tell them to search for whoever they believe to be the strongest martial artist of all. Each of their chosen martial artists then are to fight against each other until only one is left standing. Whoever is the winner, whoever has the strongest martial artist in nation by his side will become his successor . . . Out in the midst of the mountain is the doujo of the 'Daigame Ryuu' (Giant Tortoise Style). There lives Kurogane Gama, the son of the legendary swordsman, Kurogane Jinsuke, who is believed to be able to kill 1000 martial artists in Unabara. There, one of the son of Washitzu Naosata, Washitzu Naoshi, comes in search of the legendary swordsman, only to find that he had gone missing several years ago. After seeing the battle style of Gama, he instead chooses to ask Gama to come with him. Wanting to become stronger, Gama agrees to his offer, and that marks the beginning of Gama's battle to become the strongest of all . . .

THOUGHTS:

 Plot: A dramatic event occurs that encourages the protagonist to train diligently to attain strength and power in order to defeat the antagonist, that has caused him/her pain because of said event.

Sounds familiar?

Yes, but don't let the familiarity stop you from reading this manga.  I saw this manga while I was browsing MangaReader.net, for no particular reason I decided to check it out and thank God I did.
This manga would fall under my category of 'sick ass' manga. I love a martial arts manga that by no means holds back on the fighting scenes. This is not your ordinary happy shonen manga. When these people fight....THEY FIGHT!! The main character, Gama, is not your typical whiny protagonist. He's a skilled swordsman that utilizes his techniques in every aspect especially speed! He trains consistently to obtain a greater goal: Defeating his father, BADASS father I would like to add. We watch Gama mold his martial skills which he clearly inherited from his father. Throughout the story we are introduced to other characters who like Gama have the same goal of defeating Kurogane Jinsuke for their own reasons. All characters are incredibly talented and have their own style of fighting.
The manga exhibits a variety of martial arts styles, while educating the reader on each of them. The diversity of  martial arts styles and weaponry only add to the entertainment and intensity of each fight scene. Because it is manga, I feel as though I don't get to experience the full intensity of these scenes. Nonetheless, every panel draws me in.
Another thing I appreciate about this manga is the fast-paced storyline. The story so far, has been in the 'No Bullshit Zone'. It keeps me wanting more and never slows down for a second.
Ex. A chapter ends with Gama going away to train for 'x' amt of years in preparation for a showdown with another school. The next chapter begins with "X years later"

O_0 What??? Already???? Now this is my kind of manga!!

I have grown to love all plot contributing characters in this manga. I love that the story does not only focus on Gama but the other characters as well, who are also gifted martial artists. Trust me you wouldn't want to miss these fights.
Favorite manga I'm reading by far!

HOLYLAND

Synopsis:

 Yuu is a high school kid who doesn't really fit anywhere. To find a place he can belong, be accepted, he will do anything. However one thing leads to another and he is forced to fight to keep his place, his holyland.

THOUGHTS:

I began reading this manga solely because of the illustration. It reminded me of a manga I had just finished reading at the time; Ichi the Killer. It perked my curiosity and I began reading.
Yuu, the main character, represents the weak and the timid. He's quiet and susceptible to being bullied, which causes him to seek his place of sanctuary,  his 'HOLYLAND'. This manga portrays a more realistic style of fighting. The author goes on to explain in great detail each fighting style, along w/ their pros and cons, as they are used by a character. I greatly appreciate this because it gives me a better understanding of what is going on. Though, at times I have caught myself skipping these pages if the fighting scene is just too addictive.
As you begin to read, you immediately notice how depressed Yuu is which in turn makes you depressed; at least in my case. He is desperately fighting so hard to fit in but yet he is so anti-social, literally running away from encounters. Despite, his cowardly and weak demeanor, he finds himself in brawls which he surprisingly walks away victorious.
The manga is not only about fighting, it follows Yuu as he breaks through barriers, not only physically but mentally, that have been preventing him from being happy. I enjoy the psychological aspect because at times it does have a detrimental effect in his fighting abilities.
 Beware, at times his whiny depressing mood will drive you insane.

 EDEN NO ORI: CAGE OF EDEN

Synopsis:

 Akira and his classmates are traveling on a plane when it crashes onto an island inhabited by species thought to have been extinct. The situation becomes increasingly desperate as some of Akira's classmates are eaten alive, while some kill others in desperation. Now Akira and a few other survivors are trying to survive what seems to be a horrible nightmare.

THOUGHTS:

Recommended by a friend, I decided to give this a try. A couple kids and other passengers on the plane get stranded onto this unknown island that is occupied w/ all sorts of instinct animals. People are dying as they are struggling to survive, determined to find a way back home, to Japan.

I'm enjoying this manga. Sometimes the storyline becomes extremely slow but then it picks up the pace and perks my attention. There are several mysteries on this island which we have yet to figure out. Earlier in the story, we are introduced to some masked person who eventually captures our main character, Akira. We have no idea who he is. He has made some comments that made me think that he could've been on the plane w/ everybody else. We see him for a brief moment, Akira escapes and then our masked friend disappears. Crazy thing is no one has reiterated this event.

At times I get bored watching these kids miraculously survive these unpredictable yet predictable encounters w/ extinct animals.

How do I know they are extinct? 

Because of our friend, Mariya of course. He is a classmate of Akira, who astonishingly has prior knowledge about these extinct creatures. When he doesn't know; have no fear; he pulls out his handy dandy laptop, which stores an encyclopedia, and does some research. His handy dandy laptop is kept charged by a foot pump, which he has to pump for several hours to obtain a full battery. 

O_0 Yeaa....No comment.

As some people would in this situation, we see some characters develop a savage mental outlook, as the term 'survival of the fitness'  becomes relevant to their circumstance.

As if survival isn't enough to keep the brain occupied, there are still panty shots and luscious bouncing boobs (I assume that they are bouncing) that dominates the panel at times. We even have our friendly neighborhood lolicons that make an appearance. I guess when one assumes they are going to die, its only natural for sex to be on the mind, right?

All in all its an okay manga, it won't blow your mind but its still a good read. Akira is a pretty good leader that is determined to save all his classmates, and anyone he adopts into his group along the way. You somehow find yourself rooting for them.

*Sources: AnimeNewsNetwork, MangaReader, MangaFox

Saboten-Con 2009

Saboten-Con was amazing!!! This was my very first anime convention. As much as I watch anime, everytime I planned to go to a convention something has always happened. I either have no ride, or had a ride and they bailed out last minute, once I planned to go with a group of people and everyone decided to bail. There is always something that prevented me from going, BUT NOT THIS YEAR!

Saboten-Con is relatively new, I believe this it's second year. It was held at the Hilton Hotel in Mesa, AZ. It was so funny walking in there seeing all the beautiful cosplay costumes while people are checking into the hotel. Just imagine having no idea what anime or cosplay is and you decide to stay at the hotel on that particular weekend, and seeing all these cosplay costume everywhere you turn, lol. I guess the fact that it was Halloween probably helped them feel less uncomfortable.

So here is the run down on my experience.

Friday
This was the first day of the event. It began at noon but I go there at 1pm. I became so excited when I pulled in the parking lot and saw all these wonderful costumes, my heart was beating out of control. One of the first cosplayers I saw was Kakashi from Naruto, and he was a mighty fine Kakashi too.

Sorry the pic isn't super clear but from what you could see, he was totally into character. He even had Pakkun with him on the ground so cute. I was totally impressed with the Rasengan and the Sharigan Eye. Kudos to him!!!!

There were so much cool stuff going on along with some sick ass costumes I didn't know what to do first. I was literally walking around in circles, confused and excited all at once. Okay so let me start off by telling you the guests that they had.

Off the top of my head I remember:
Steve Blum - American voice actor for Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. He also played Kazuma from S-CRY-ED ( I loved the manga). He played Wolverine in the X-Men tv series, and the list goes on and on. From what I recall he talked a little about his career and he was signing autographs. I didn't get one because the line was tooo stinking long. There was no way I was standing there waiting for one autograph when there was so much to do and see!! :-D

Yaya Han - She is an amazingly talented costume designer and cosplay entertainer. I must add she is also stunningly beautiful. I literally stared at her for a good 10 mins like a freak. I got (well not got because it wasn't free), I bought a photo from her which she nicely autographed for me. I felt so special lol. Seriously, though she creates some amazing costumes. Please goggle her or click here go to her website and see for yourself.

Here is a pic I took of her. Isn't she beautiful!

There were many more guests but I'm to lazy to go through every single one but you can go HERE for a rundown of all the guests that attended the event!

Some cool events they had throughout the weekend were the Cosplay Prom, Gaming, J-Fashion Show, Karaoke, Cosplay Photography, Maid Cafe (this is were girls dress up as cute maids and serve you, lol, its really cute), Q&A w/ the guests, Cosplay RPG and the lists literally go on.

I really wanted to sit in on the "How to Spot a Fake Asian" lecture, lol, I know you're probably like what the hell?? That's what I said too, I wanted to know what the hell they were talking about. It started around 3pm on Friday and I honestly have no idea where I was or what I was doing at that time. I was probably running around like a weirdo begging for pics. Either way, that discussion had to be interesting. If you want to see the programming schedule its on their website, Sabotencon.com.

So, I'm gonna post some of the photos that I took on Friday, but before I do I must apologize for my crappy picture quality. I took it using my cell phone and its obvious to see that the camera isn't all that great so please bare with me. (You could always double click the image for a larger view). Needless to say, the costumes were great and I'm sorry you couldn't see it in person. Anyway here are some of my Friday pics, :-D Can you guess who some of them are??

 Friday Pics

Sasori!!!!, when I took this pic, some girls in Japanese school girl uniforms came running and freaking out "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh you're Sasori!, AAHHHH!!" They literally ran away screaming. You must admit he does make a good Sasori!!

She made this costume, I was impressed! Don't you just love when you're taking someone's pic they just get into character automatically halol, you'll notice that theme with all these pics. True anime lovers!!!!!

PIKA PIKA, PIKACHU!!!!!!

I loved this costume! Lolita is so hott!!

I got to hug him!!! :-P

Domo!!!

They were such a cute couple! I think they were speaking Japanese too, or it could have been in my head.

 

Lol, Pervy Sage!

Aren't they gorgeous? Met them a long time ago, what are the odds I see them here. So cute!

 

I believe all those people leaned up on the wall were in line for Steve Blum's autograph, not to sure

 

Kallen/Karen Code Geass!!!

Haha, Deadpool! I know a secret about him.......

HE WAS KAKASHI!! Lol, this was the same dude that played Kakashi in the pics I did earlier. He snuck out and changed. I won't have known but he came up to me and whispered in my ear...

"Kakashi has left the building"

Halol, he's cool!

FF!! So wished I had a better pic of them they all looked so good

He really made a pretty good Ichigo

There was one of costume that really stood out to me. It was actually one of my favorites but....I'll save it for last halol

There were numerous people with little booths selling their art. I thought that was a genius idea, wish I was talented enough to draw, I would so have a booth there.

This is Glady's booth. She is such an amazing artist. Everything you see on the table she created!! I had to buy a couple of drawings from her. I also stole a couple of her business cards.

 If anyone wants to see more of her artwork go to:

gladyfaith.deviantart.com

OR

risako.mangabullet.com

If you fall in love with her work like I did and I know you will, you can contact her at:

gladyfaith@gmail.com

             

I thought this dude was so cool and adorable. Aint he cute? His name is T.J. Geisen. He did about half of the art on the table and the other half he worked with his partner. For the love of me, I cannot remember her name nor do I have a picture of her because she wasn't at the booth when I passed by. Either way from what I've seen they are both amazing artist, so I obviously had to buy a couple of their drawings. (Don't you just love the Naruto and Sasuke yaoi on the top left corner of his picture, lol, I DO!!!)

To see more of his work go to:

sketchoboy.deviantart.com

You can also contact T.J. at:

sketchoboy@yahoo.com

 

These three had one of the many costumes that I loved. In this picture there is Kris, Kym and Songja respectfully, though after going to their website I believe there is one more person that belongs in this group, and I think her name is Hazel. I really really wish I had a better photo of them because their costumes really are amazing. Kym, the one in the middle even had a burnt scar on her face, she was totally in character. At their table they were selling the cutest little accessories and gift items in the shape of cupcakes, teddy bears, flowers, strawberries basically anything that's adorable. Their store is called the Cake Shop! Honestly how cute is that? I bought a cute bronze flower ring from them

If you would like to see their designs and the accessories they sell at the Cake Shop go to:

myspace.com/CakeShopDesigns

If you would like to contact them or buy some of their stuff, just shoot them a myspace msg and

they will definitely get back to you!

This is Allyson Boeckman. From what I understand she's an amazing artist that has created a couple of her own manga series! Isn't that cool? She's very dedicated to her work and was even sketching a few things when I took this picture.

If you want to know more about Ms. Allyson or want to check out her manga go to:

allysonboechman.com

OR

hoam.deviantart.com

to see some more of her art

OR

Just shoot her an email at:

allysonboeckman@yahoo.com

This is Jennifer Skarupa, another cool artist I met at Saboten-Con. Her shop is called Zombie Milkshake! I really love that name I think its soo cool and unique. I also bought some of her artwork.

If you want to check them out go to:

zombiemilkshake.deviantart.com

OR

Email her at:

zombie_milkshake@yahoo.com 

Saturday

I came super late like around 3pm! I know I was so mad, because I probably missed out on some really great costumes. For most of the time I was there I actually sat in on some of the viewing they had.
My first one was J-pop vs. K-pop. They basically just played music videos of girl and boy bands in J-pop and K-pop. J-pop girl bands were so cutesy and K-pop girl bands were sexii and sassii!
After the viewing I walked around an harassed cosplayers for more pics. Then I spotted a AMV, Yaoi and Hentai viewing room and just couldn't resist. Everyone was carded so I thank God that I brought my i.d. with me. There were 3 AMV's we had to vote on which were the best. They were actuallly all pretty cool. My favorite one was "Gruno". Halol yes someone took audio clips from the movie "Bruno" and used scenes from the anime "Gravition". If you dont know, Gravitation is a yaoi manga. Its actually pretty good. I read it a long time ago, was my very first yaoi manga I ever read. Anyway, the AMV was really good and funny. I have no idea what the others were.
After the voting, they began showing the Yaoi anime. I only saw the beginning because it was already 9:30 and I had to leave. It didn't have that much people anymore because some people left to go trick or treating....well it was Halloween. So I didn't get to see the yaoi or the hentai that proceeded it. I did write down the anime titles so I could view them on my own time.
In case you want to check them out yourself:

Yaoi Title

• Ikoku Irokoi Romantan
• Kirepapa
  

Hentai title

• Angel Blade
• Crimson Climax
  

So here are some photos I took on Saturday. Some are still going to be crappy quality but some are going to look great. One of my friends had an amazing camera and he sent me some awesome photos he took. Trust you'll really be able to tell which pictures were taken by crappy cell camera and his, lol. Hope you like!

Saturday Pics

Doesn't he make a great Cloud!

Yes, the M.J. were there

I really wanted to steal their costumes!

 

 

Full Metal Alchemist

Brings back soo many childhood memories!

 

 

Is he Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop?? Has to be huh lol

 

Look at Inyuyasha to the left, lol so funny

 

This was the maid cafe. Don't they look so cute!!

CAPTAINNN AMERICAA!!!!!!!!!!

 

Too freaking cool!!! She said she started making her costume last year.. Kudos to her!!

HOLLOW

 

HALOL NO COMMENT!!!

Well I didn't attend the Sunday events so I have no idea what happened. I did buy a shit load of stuff like a bleach backpack, walls scrolls, bleach pillow and the list goes on. Here is some of the stuff I bought.

My Bleach Backpack

My Code Geass Wall Scroll

My Naruto Wall Scroll

My Bleach Pillow halol

My autograph photo of Yaya Han

 
Anyway, before I wrap this up I did promise to show you what was my favorite costume.

And the Winner Is..

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The Naruto Kyuubi!!!

I loved this costume. I was so amazed. I even hugged her. (Yes it is a girl)

What makes this costume even more amazing is that she made it herself! I didn't find this out until a couple days after Saboten-Con; to be honest I found her on accident. I was on youtube and actually stumbled upon her videos. She has videos dating back from last year, going through the process of making this kyuubi costume. Isn't that amazing! I have so much respect for her. I could never ever make something like this in a million years.

If you want to see the videos yourself here's her youtube channel.

Ino89777

I also found her on deviant art:

Ino's deviantART Profile

Well, I can honestly say from my experience I'm definitely going back to Saboten-Con next year and also hitting up other ones. I must say we "anime lovers" are the coolest people on earth halol.

So, untill next time Saboten-Con....Mata Ne!!

Cherimi <3