So now that all of the anime is a good three to four episodes in, I am in “waiting” mode each week on the shows I really enjoy. That being said the anime I have come to love the most this season are Date A Alive, Suisei no Gargantia, Hataraku Maou-sama!, Hentai Ouji (which we never completed the preview of…), and Yahari Ore. Each one has a slightly different element to them that just makes them enjoyable for me. I am torn between Suisei no Gargantia and Hataraku Maou-sama!… similar and different in so many ways. I love the “different world / dimension” anime, especially when it throws characters heavily out of sync to a heavy extent.

Of course I am big slice of life / comedy fan, which both shows carry an element of with some action. I also love magic / fantasy that Maou-sama! carries in quite well. As of now I have not been disappointed with how the anime has played out. I really like the fact that each episode does a pretty good job of revealing a lighter nature in the episode to come no matter how serious the ending looks of the episode you are watching. Maou-sama! has another quality of addressing the emotions of the characters and the changes they are going through as they exist in our world. You can see the serious angles coming, however the enjoyment will be how it all resolves. I love how Maou openly admits to the hero Emi that he “just didn’t know” when it came to the pain and terror he was responsible for in their home world. It brings up the question, can those two truly get along or become friends due to the twisted actions of Maou before or will Emi be able to forgive his atrocities… Even when all is said and done, will they go home or stay here? Everything about this show I love and I can’t wait for each week to release a new one.

So why have we been so slow with our final reviews and finishing the preview of Hentai Ouji? Honestly I’ve been tired and lazy. I’ve also been caught up watching some shows I never really watched or wanted to watch from the past. I’ve been spending the last few weeks watching some oldie but goodies like Pumpkin Scissors (which I still want a second season) and Busou Reken, while also recapping Samurai Girls so that I better understand Samurai Brides. I’m pretty sure there was another show that made its way in there, but sometimes my anime switch turns off and I take a break for a few days. I’ll try to start working on something seeing that I have a full weekend open for once.

Also we’ve been going out every Saturday to screen different anime with NolAnime (the only Anime Shop in New Orleans). Its comes to our attention the concept of “age appropriate” in addition to the fact I hate dubbed anime. Generally I watch everything subbed; So having getting used to the minor nuances that make Japanese VA so amazing, switching to dubbed anime often makes me cringe. I started watching anime back in junior high (granted dubbed at first) and quickly moving to subs to watch several of Sci-Fi’s movies or Ranma 1/2 (for example). I also read a good bit through elementary school, so the concept of having of having to read quickly grew naturally. Most of the people who come to watch our anime nights are younger and are not yet used to watching anime with subtitles. Due to the fact they can’t keep up they don’t even consider watching the subs, which takes away half of the anime experience in my mind (not to mention it will your reading skills!)

The other concept of “age appropriate” is tough to deal with because you are measuring “cultural” and “censorship” concepts of the US vs Japan (or even worldwide). I notice most parents not having an issue with violence or language, the question comes in when there is any nudity. As any anime fan knows, nudity (although its edited or blurred) happens in almost every anime. Add the fact that they almost always have a public bath (which the US does not have) scene, it can cause some uneasiness when talking with parents. My single core issue lies in the fact we seem to be “accepting of violence” (like killing in anime) more so then nudity (its not even sex… granted it can be ecchi depending the show). The other problem lies in the fact that we announce it will be subtitled and for 14+ (by then you know the anatomy of a person and its not super graphic), yet our primary audience remains in the 10 – 15 demographic not able to “read fast enough”. So generally I spend my time there walking around or talking vs watching a show I’ve probably watched several times (or even worse having to watch it in English). I love going out there because the people at NolAnime are really cool, however I wish for a slightly older audience to show up who would want to watch some of the new shows over the standard mainstream fans who believe Dragonball, Soul Eater, and Naruto are the best things in the world.

Finally we have been making plans to visit A-Kon in Dallas this year, one of the oldest running Anime Conventions in the US. Clearly the question is your mind would be “If you don’t like English VA, why would you go?” That is simple, to see the cool cosplay and to check out the dealers room. I also like looking at the fan art area. Usually (like any conference I’ve attended regardless of topic) I can find one or two workshops that interest me and spend most of my time at the bar having a drink or smoking. If anything it will be nice short break from work and a chance to hang out with the NolaAnime team.

Anyway there’s your update! We’ve been busy, but could do better with the site. We’re still working on trying to find some more people as it pretty much is run by only three of us as of now! “Help Wanted!”