Azure Flame Reloaded

Zhuge Liang waits for Lu Xun.

Zhuge Liang: Come, Lu Xun, show me that there is at least one man in this land worthy of being my partner. In the meantime, I shall randomly burn everything, just as any good final boss should do!

Whilst the other Pleasure Rangers fight off the burning meteors that are falling on China, Lu Xun (who is back to being Ranger Red) heads for Zhuge Liang.

Sun Quan: I’m about as useful in battle as that guy in Captain Planet who had the Heart power, so I’ll just stay here and pray for everyone.

Zhuge Liang: This world is corrupt, and must be destroyed! Continue Reading »

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 6, Clannad 17, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 5, Kaiji 17-18, Koutetsu Sangokushi 23-5, Minami-ke Okawari 6, Mnemosyne 1, Mokke 15, SaiMono II 35, Shigofumi 5, Shion no Ou 15, Sketchbook 12, Spice and Wolf 6

…and in manga: Loveless 9.3-5, Moyashimon 1, Shion no Ou 1-12, Spice and Wolf 5, Twin Spica 6-7

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Ah, Valentine’s Day- that period when smug couples exchange material goods whilst depressed singles either jealously dream of the day when someone will give them red roses or pretend not to notice and care. As perhaps one of the cruellest celebrations after Christmas (that time when a jolly old fatso breaks into children’s bedrooms), Valentine’s Day could surely not help but appeal to the sadistic minds at Azure Flame; so whilst Karura nips out to steal chocolates from oblivious lovers, those of you with nothing better to do can stay in and read about anime’s contribution to the world of romance. Continue Reading »

Zhuge Liang talks to the Lord’s Cube.

Zhuge Liang: Lord’s Cube, please tell me the name of the one worthy to see my might weapon- is it Lu Xun or Liu Bei?

Meanwhile, the Liu Bei dragon attacks Lu Xun and Sun Quan.

Liu Bei: Die, and let me become the main character! All Iever wanted was love and peace- that’s why I’ve just wiped out half of China with my mighty dragon!

Lu Xun: Wait- I’m sure we can work things out!

Liu Bei: Never! Give me back my precious flowers! Frozen Breath!

Liu Bei starts freezing Lu Xun, which takes much longer than usual due to the latter’s main character status. Continue Reading »

In the floating city of Neo Verona, the Capulet family ruled peacefully- until the night Lord Montague massacred them and took control of the city for himself. Unbeknownst to him, however, the surviving friends and retainers of the family take it upon themselves to rescue Capulet’s daughter Juliet and raise her in secret, all the while keeping her unaware of her true heritage. Now, fourteen years later, Juliet has finally come of age, and so the time has come for her to learn the truth- and hopefully lead an uprising against Montague’s increasingly cruel regime. Juliet, however, has other concerns, for she has just met a young man named Romeo- and it is only after she starts falling in love with him that she learns he is the son of her enemy Montague.

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E-card: the new gaming phenomenon that’s taking over the nation
Forget Pokemon, move aside Yu-Gi-Oh!- a new card game is in town! The kids will just love E-card, a high stakes gambling game brought to you by your good friends in the yakuza! In each E-card starter set, you get a deck of cards containing Citizens, an Emperor and a Slave card, as well as special accessories to affix to your eye and ear! Gamble too much, and the pin in the accessory will penetrate the eyeball or eardrum, permanently damaging the organ. Bet against fellow players for big money, and remember- what’s a sensory organ or two amongst friends? You can play again and again and again with our special E-card sets!*

*Please wash eye and ear needles between use. Note that we cannot accept returns on used E-card sets.

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Lu Xun has a Flashback Mode to the time when he first met Zhuge Liang in a black, featureless void.

Zhuge Liang: Poor little boy, all alone without even a backdrop, Come to me, and I will show you the ways of men- it will hurt at first, but in time I’m sure you’ll come to enjoy it.

Meanwhile, Liu Bei plays alone in the frozen wasteland.

Liu Bei: Playing with the frozen men, having so much fun- wait a minute, Lu Xun isn’t here! I can’t become the main character until I get rid of him!

Meanwhile, Lu Xun has run off with Sun Quan. Continue Reading »

Somewhere out there, if you look hard enough, you can find a game for everything. For example, on the Wii rip-off console Vii, you can indulge in what must be a fascinating and absorbing little number named “Fry Egg”. If your taste runs more to fireworks, however, you can indulge yourself more officially with early Playstation2 game Fantavision- a sure way to beat any withdrawal you might feel after Letterbomb Fireworks night and New Year celebrations.

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I’m not being lazy by posting this late; I just haven’t been able to get on the internet all weekend.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 5, Clannad 15-16, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 4, Koutetsu Sangokushi 21-2, Minami-ke Okawari 5, Mokke 14, Persona 5, SaiMono II 34, Shigofumi 4, Shion no Ou 14, Spice and Wolf 5

…and in manga: Claymore 77, REC 37, Spiral 67-8, Tsubasa 182 Continue Reading »

Youko Nakajima has always tried to maintain a low profile and do everything that was expected of her, but while her ‘good girl’ image may work in Japan, when she gets taken to another world, she soon realises that she will have to grow up fast. For Youko is the queen of the kingdom of Kei, and although there are many obstacles in her path, she must find the strength to take up the mantle of one of the rulers of the Twelve Kingdoms.

Back when I wrote my Sixty Anime recommendations, one of the titles I lamented not being able to include was Twelve Kingdoms, because whilst everything I had heard about it was positive, my DVD boxsets were still making their way to me from America. Continue Reading »