“Are you enjoying the Time of Eve?”

That’s the first sign you will see when you enter into this hidden cafe. First time visitors will be informed of rule that states “No discrimination between humans and robots” within the cafe.

Set in the futuristic era of Japan, where robot usage has become an everyday occurrence. The improvement of technology has made it hard to differentiate between robots and human, thus making it compulsory for robots to be identified with glowing rings above their heads.

This time round, I’ll be sharing about the anime: Eve no Jikan (A.k.a Time of Eve). The viewers will follow through the story on the perspective of Rikuo, a high school student that stumbled upon the mysterious cafe after checking on the movement logs of his robot, Sammy.

Why do I like this anime? Aside from the amazing visual and sound quality *laughs*, I always had an interest in stories that features robots and humans, the concept/fear of robots taking over the world (Matrix) and the fact that if robots could become humane over time.

As a big fan of Isaac Asimov’s work I was happy to see the three laws of robotics incorporated the story, it was well placed as it explored the possibility of the future where humans will become afraid of robots due to the reasoning where robots are becoming “better” than humans, with different views (Humans vs Robots P.O.V) where it leaves the viewer to decide if  it could be a good or bad thing.

Are Robots that different from Humans?

Unlike stories of Isaac Asimov, Eve no Jikan mainly features heartwarming stories that picture the robots in a more favorable role, of how they are trying to fit into human society, and perhaps they are not that different from humans after all.

As not to spoil the your experience on Eve no Jikan, I won’t go on about the exact story *evil laugher*, but I’ll say it’s definitely something awesome to watch :)

Nagi says: "Watch Eve no Jikan!"

Invoked your curiosity to watch this? Head down to CrunchyRoll to view the streamed version of Eve no Jikan, fancy a physical copy? You could go to your local anime DVD retailer to grab a copy of ‘Eve no Jikan” DVD.

I hope you enjoyed the Time of Eve.

At last year’s AFA, I purchased a number of figurines – one of which was my very first Revoltech, the Danboard from Yotsuba&!. So let’s take a closer look at everyone’s favourite cardboard robot…

The Danboard (or Danbo) made its first appearance in chapter 28 of the Yotsuba&! manga. Originally made by Ena and Miura for a school project, Danboard (or rather, Miura in a cardboard suit) encountered the manga’s titular character, Yotsuba, and used it to trick her into believing that it was a real robot.

The contents of the package is relatively simple. Besides the usual product information leaflets and adverts, the box contains the Danboard, an alternate head (Miura) and its “revoltech” connector, and a base for the Danboard.

"Off with her head!"

The build quality of the revoltech is pretty solid. It doesn’t have that plastic feel other figurines might have, and with closer inspection, you’ll actually notice the colour gradiation on certain parts of the figure. One of the better made figurines I have in my (albeit somewhat limited) collection.

One of the best (and most surprising) things about the figurine is the ability for the Danboard’s “eyes” to light up. Batteries are included as part of the package as well. This might seem gimicky to some, but I thought it gave the Danboard revoltech a rather exclusive feel (or maybe I just think its cool…).

One drawback of the figurine though, is the “revoltech” connector. While the unique connector does make it feel solid not “loose” like seasoned gunpla parts for example, its stiffness makes it hard twist and turn. The posability of the figurine is also limited by the extent of which the connector is able to turn.

Due to the weight of the Danboard head, certain poses (like the one above) would require the figurine to be attached to the base. The Miura head accessory is pretty well made, though she does look a bit plump and the skin colour is perhaps slightly off.

All in all, a very well designed Revoltech figurine and another firm favourite among photographers (or at least one particular photographer). Price at which I got it though is a little steep. Interested buyers will probably be able to find it online (second-hand) at lower prices. Be warned though that the figurine has since been discontinued (according to HLJ), which might explain the jacked-up prices.

Price: S$80 at the Roborobo booth at AFA11 (rather pricey)

Rating: 9/10

New Year, new anime season, less HDD space. The winter season has brought not just cool weather, but a slew of new anime series as well. Some of my faves from last season include Fate/Zero and Un-Go. While the current crop of anime will not need to compete with one of Type Moon’s most popular series (the creators, wisely, splitting the series into two seasons), they will still have to go against other series like Last Exile – Fam the Silver Wing, Guilty Crown and Persona 4. So let us check out the series’ which I think will stand out from the pack this season…

As usual, all information in this preview is taken from AniDB.net / Anime News Network.

Anthony’s winter selection

Rinne no Lagrange – Kamogawa is a seaside city in the Chiba prefecture. There lives Kyouno Madoka, a student at Kamogawa Girl’s High School, and the only member of the Jersey Club. Madoka prides herself on being bright and energetic, and spends much of her time helping people. However, her life changes one day when the mysterious girl Ran asks her to “pilot a robot”. In order to protect the citizens of Kamogawa, Madoka agrees and engages in battle against extraterrestrial invaders. (Japan broadcast date: 01/08/2012)

Thoughts: My personal choice for mecha anime this season. At first glance, it does seem to be an all-female version of Eureka 7, which I personally enjoyed very much. The trailer seems to indicate that its a school life/mecha anime. Animation duties belong to XEBEC, which generally do a good job when it comes to animating robots (eg: Fafner). Mecha designs, interestingly, have been done by Nissan.

Senki Zesshou Symphogear – Since the dawn of time, humanity has been threatened by the disaster called “Noise”. When it occurs, people die, and there are no countermeasures. Except one. The top-secret Symphogear System, capable of eliminating Noise, has been deployed in Japan. Unknown to the general public, a pair of girls wielding Symphogears strive relentless to protect society from the ravages of Noise. It would surprise people even more to know that their protectors are none other than chart-topping singing duo “Zwei Wing”, Amou Kanade and Kazanari Tsubasa. (Japan broadcast date: 01/06/2012)

Thoughts: Having previously assisted with OreImo and Ika Musume, Symphogear will be Encourage Films’ first full anime production. With a certain Nana Mizuki playing one of the lead roles, Symphogear is sure to get a lot of attention and could possibly “make of break” Encourage Films. Aoi Yuuki, whose stock has risen since voicing a certain magical girl, plays Hibiki Tachibana, a student who encounters the singers at a concert and is eventually drawn into the battle against the Noise.

Amagami SS+ – The sequel to 2010′s Amagami SS will once again feature high school student Junichi Tachibana and his relationships with seven of his schoolmates. (Japan broadcast date: 01/06/2012)

Thoughts: I really enjoyed the omnibus format of the show, which featured each girl getting her own “route” (Nanasaki Ai FTW!). My pick for romance anime for this season.

Kill Me Baby – Kill Me Baby follows the comedic life of a typical school girl Yasuna and her assassin classmate Sonya. Sonya’s attempt to fit in often fails when her natural assassin instincts kick in and Yasuna’s attempt to be more friendly with Sonya often gets her hurt or intimidated. (Japan broadcast date: 01/06/2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRmpmU92rAA

Thoughts: A hilarious and refreshing spin on the “child/teenage assassin” concept. First came across it while looking for some 4-koma manga to read online. The manga is pretty good and should probably translate well onto the small screen. My pick for comedy anime this season.

Zero no Tsukaima F – After successfully rescuing Tabitha, Saito and gang return to the Magic Academy and their normal, everyday life. However, a secret order from Henrietta sends Saito and Louise to Romalia, with Tiffania also tagging along. (Japan broadcast date: 01/07/2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIQYf6k1SJk

Thoughts: By the end of the 2012 winter season, the two anime roles (namely Louise from Zero no Tsukaima and the titular character of Shakuga no Shana) which established (and/or typecast, depending on how you look at it) Rie Kugimiya’s seiyuu career would come to an end with the finales for their respective series. While Zero no Tsukaima night not have been a particularly good anime series, I’ll still be watching this final season as I had followed the previous seasons. With the author of the original light novel, Noboru Yamaguchi, taking charge of scripting duties, this will likely provide some form of closure for fans of both the novel and anime.

Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku – Marika is a first year high school student living in a far away galaxy known as Uminoakeboshi. One day she finds out that her recently deceased father was once the captain of the space pirate ship called the Bentenmaru. More importantly, the only one to inherit the captain’s title has to be a direct descendant – meaning that Marika is next in line to become the captain of a pirate ship! (Japan broadcast date: 01/08/2012)

Thoughts: Looks like a fun, sci-fi adventure series – hopefully something in the vein of Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo, but with a more straight-forward plot. There’s a good mix of both big-name and upcoming seiyuus in the anime as well. Female lead Marika is voiced by Mikako Komatsu (Heroman’s Joey), with Kana Hanazawa, Yui Horie, Shizuka Itou and Haruka Tomatsu playing various roles. My personal favourite for this season.

Nisemonogatari – The sequel to Bakemonogatari. A black swindler Kaiki Deishu, who once deceived Hitagi, returns to the town and spreads the same spell which cursed Nadeko before. Koyomi’s sisters Karen and Tsukihi try to capture Deishu but… (Japan broadcast date: 01/08/2012)

Thoughts: While Bakemonogatari had a lot of potential, it was somewhat affected by the anime’s budget and animation studio SHAFT being understaffed. SHAFT’s recent works (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica) seem to indicate that they have overcome these issues, so Nisemonogatari will likely have higher production values as compared with its prequel. Shinichiro Miki and Maaya Sakamoto join the cast, playing the roles of Kaiki Deishu and Shinobu Oshino respectively.

Another - Recently transferred to Yomiyama Kita Middle School, Kouichi Sakakibara gets the feeling something isn’t quite right with his class, who all seem to be afraid of something. He finds himself attracted to the strange yet beautiful Mei Misaki, but his efforts to get closer to her only confound things further. Then there is a horrible accident… What on earth is happening in this place? (Japan broadcast date: 01/10/2012)

Thoughts: Earlier previewed by Sheng Yang, Another is directed by xxxHolic and Blood-C director, Tsutomu Mizushima. This looks to be the only outlet for fans of the horror/thriller genre this season, so enjoy it while it lasts (Hopefully, we will get to see the Umineko sequel in anime form in the near future). This is also P.A. Works’ latest project after Hanasaku Iroha, which in my humble opinion is one of the best animated series in 2011. THe OP theme will be performed by Ali Project.

Inu x Boku SS – The high class mansion, Maison de Ayakashi, is better known by the name “Demon Mansion (Ayakashi-kan).” It’s said to boast the world’s greatest security system. Rumors about it abound, ranging from “nothing but weirdos live there,” to “It’s a haunted house inside,” but the truth is that the people who live in this mysterious mansion are all descendants of demons! (Japan broadcast date: 01/13/2012)

Thoughts: While I like the supernatural concept of the show, with all the different spirits and demons, that really is the only drawing point for me. The trailer doesn’t seem to indicate what kind of anime it will be, but Sentai Filmworks does list it as a “supernaturally-charged suspense drama”. I’ll at least give it an episode or two before deciding whether I’ll stick with it or not.

Black Rock Shooter (TV series) - Kuroi Mato just got into junior high school, and on the first day, someone catches her eye; her classmate Takanashi Yomi. While seemingly opposites, the time they spend together only strengthens a growing friendship. But as they go into their second year at the school, they get placed in separate classes, and they begin to grow apart. But somewhere simultaneously… in another world, a young girl, blue fire residing in her eyes, Black Rock Shooter faces another young girl; this one holding a jet-black scythe, Dead Master, and a battle to the death begins to unfold. (Original BRS synopsis)

Thoughts: For some inexplicable reason, I still have not got around to watching the original OVA yet. Nonetheless, it does look pretty exciting and it is being broadcast in the Noitamina (if it counts for anything nowadays). One can also look forward to the avalanche of new BRS merchandise flooding the market in the near future.

Considering: Area no Kishi, Ano Natsu de Matteru, Aquarion Evol

Got any other suggestions or comments? Feel free to drop a comment below!

Makoto Shinkai’s latest effort once again shines through with its fantastic animation and art direction, but perhaps for the first time, comparisons with a certain Studio Ghibli director start to make sense as Shinkai makes his first foray into the fantasy-adventure genre.

High school teenager Asuna Watase (voiced by Hisako Kanemoto), who spends her days listening to music through a crystal radio her father left her, encounters the mysterious Shun, who saves her from a monster attack. Shun claims to be from a faraway world called Agartha. When he is discovered dead a few days later, Asuna, together with her teacher Ryuuji Morisaki (Kazuhiko Inoue), encounters Shun’s twin brother, Shin (Miyu Irino voices the twins), and is soon swept into a journey to Agartha in an attempt to find some answers. It is soon revealed that Asuna might be more closely connected to the world of Agartha than she thinks…

Makoto Shinkai, director/writer/producer of films like Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days and 5 Centimetres Per Second, is well-known for the gorgeous animation in his films and Children Who Chase Lost Voices certainly doesn’t disappoint. Shinkai and the production team from Comix Wave once again outdo themselves with the film’s awesome background art and great animation. Notable scenes include the rural Japanese mountain landscape where protagonist Asuna regularly spends her time in, a fight scene early on in the film, as well as the entrance to the “The Gate of Life and Death” in Agartha, Finis Terra.

Regular Shinkai collaborator, Tenmon, once again takes charge of the film’s music. While he does a decent job in setting the tone for the film, none of the tracks are particularly memorable (or at any rate, overwhelmed by the visual eye-candy that is the film).

For any successful anime film director, it is perhaps inevitable that they will eventually be compared with Studio Ghibli co-founder/director Hayao Miyazaki, who seems to be the standard for which anime film (or any sort of animated film, for that matter) directors should aspire to. With Shinkai’s first foray into the fantasy-adventure genre, it now becomes unavoidable. Whether purposefully or not, the film seems Ghibli-esque or at the very least, Ghibli-inspired. This is especially so when looking at the design for the world of Agartha and its creatures.

The world of Agartha might be Ghibli-inspired but the characters in the film are certainly something more unique to Shinkai. Shinkai’s films typically deal with romance, relationships and loss, and Children Who Chase is certainly no different. The motivations behind Morisaki-sensei’s obsession with the afterlife, as well as his desire to travel to Agartha is revealed early on in the film to be his desire to revive his dead wife. For Shin, it seems he is the typical “younger sibling trying to escape from older sibling(s) shadow”-type character.  Considering this, the film’s Japanese title “Hoshi o Ou Kodomo”, which translates to Children Who Chase Stars, actually makes more sense considering the theme and feel of the movie (with stars in the film being representative of people’s lives).

Female lead Asuna unfortunately doesn’t seem to be able to establish herself as a lead character (not an assertive one at any rate), at times seemingly only playing the role of the typical damsel in distress (albeit one who is trying to get over her own experiences of losing someone dear to her, as per the theme of the movie). This is, perhaps unintentionally, one of the weaknesses of Shinkai’s films. The females in most of Shinkai’s films tend not to go beyond serving as plot devices or side characters.

While the film’s plot may be somewhat predictable, it is very well executed. Shinkai deftly weaves the emotions and motivations of the three lead characters into a moving story which explores the concepts of love, loss, grief and moving on from the loss. Those looking for a tearjerker won’t find one here though, as the film’s characters, especially Asuna, provide enough optimism into the film to prevent if from falling totally into kleenex-grabbing territory.

Despite the atypical characters and predictable plot, the gorgeous animation and beautiful background scenes more than make up for these weaknesses. This might not be Shinkai’s best film, but it certainly is the best looking one so far. Highly recommended for fans of the fantasy-adventure genre, and for fans of Studio Ghibli, this film is something to tide you over till the next Ghibli epic comes along (which at this point, looks to be Isao Takahata’s adaptation of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter).

Rating: 8.0/10

Note: I watched the movie at last month’s Comic Fiesta 2011 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Here are the obligatory shots of the audience…

If you like suspense and mystery, this upcoming anime series “Another”, premiering January 9, 2012 will definitely be a treat for you! (Yes, Higurashi fans I’m talking about you guys >,<)

“Another” is a novel turned Anime (It’s just the trend lately isn’t it ) by Ayatsuji Yukito. The story follows the protagonist, Koichi Sakakibara as a transfer student to Yomiyama’ North Middle School, who slowly come to understand the “curse” in that particular school is not exactly just a harmless urban legend…

The part that really got me hooked when I was reading the manga (Yup, the manga is also based on the novel as well) is the curse the school or rather the class (3-3) suffers from:

It is said 26 years ago, a popular and honour student named Misaki died suddenly when she just became a third year. The shock of her death greatly affected the students and the teachers in class, everyone was sad, some even crying. It wasn’t sure who but someone pointed out “Hey, Misaki didn’t die. Look, isn’t she just sitting at her desk now?”

Although they knew deep down that she was gone, but they could not accept Misaki’s death, so they went on with the façade of Misaki was still alive. Like talking to her desk, or even going home together…

And finally on the graduation day when everyone gathered for a graduation photo, Misaki…

was in that photo as well.

From then on, whenever the incident was brought up, something bad will happen…

Throw in a mysterious girl also named Misaki, which Koichi meets on his first day of school, whom no-one in class seems to be able to see, and the ball starts rolling…

Here’s a trailer to tempt you further :)

A life action movie is also in the works as well. January 9, I can’t wait >.<

The official website for Another: http://www.another-anime.jp/

Interested? Leave your comments below!

Most of Animenauts local readers (I think) would probably have gone for the recent Anime Festival Asia 2011 last weekend. Not only did I manage to go for all three days, I also acquired a media pass thanks to the wonderful people at AsiaPRWerkz. So as I slowly recover (physically, financially or otherwise) from the epic event that is Anime Festival Asia 2011, I shall let you guys take a peek at what happened there from my perspective… (I know its a little late but hey, I got it up anyway, right?)

Day 1 (11/11/2011)

Of course, day one of AFA11 all begins with the press preview at Suntec. Beyond the usual event adverts and Danny Choo being Danny Choo, the various guests and anisong singers made an appearance as well, which of course, led to lots of pictures being taken.

I also hung out for some of the Cool Japan Forum talks. I thought the presentation on the Japanese music industry was particularly educational. The rest of the talks though were a little dry, especially if you aren’t interested in the topic itself.

Day 2 (12/11/2011)

Its the festival opening day and its packed. Unfortunately, my alarm clock had the brilliant timing to stop working on the day when I had an interview with Ume from Teru-Teru fixed at 8.00am. Woke up at 7.50am and made it there by 8.30am thanks to my dad

After a short interview and photoshoot, I decided to take a couple of “mob” shots, then joined a few of my friends to properly explore the festival grounds. Checked out the Fate/Zero showcase (with the audience not-so-surprisingly treated to a free performance by LiSA) and later on, the Chiwa Saito live dub as well. Also interviewed Komicer from Collateral Damage Studios.

My loot for day two consisted of a Mawaru Penguindrum Survival Strategy set from Teru-Teru, a Fate/Zero materials book (which you will see in the day three loot picture later), a Chiwa Saito tribute poster from CDS, as well as a Kalafina tee-shirt and lanyard, for a total damage of S$113.

Day Three (13/11/2011)

I actually made most of my purchases on day three. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of purchasing the figurines 15 minutes BEFORE they decided to start a store-wide sale. While that did put a damper on my mood, it was also the day of the last Anisong concert at AFA11, featuring Milky Holmes, Kanako Itou, May’n, angela and this year’s concert headliner, Kalafina.

Kanako Itou was the opening act for the day 3 concert and I have to admit, I did not know ANY of her songs. There was a pretty upbeat, electronic-dance feel to her songs though, which did pique my interest into the Steins;Gate anime, especially since Willis and Sheng Yang are big fans.

Next up was Milky Holmes. Frankly, most of the concert-goers were not really interested in their performance (save for a couple of die-hard fans from Japan and Singapore) and I think quite a few were probably happy to see them go.

Next up however, was angela. Both “atsuko-sensei” and “KATSU-oniichan” managed to whip the crowd up to a frenzy, singing a number of their hit songs, like Soukyuu no Fafner’s opening theme Shangri-La, as well as Beautiful Fighter, the opening song for Shikabane Hime. angela also greeted fans who were watching the concert on NicoNico, with Katsu waving his own scrolling message across the stage. There were also various anime references in between performances, including but not restricted to Mobile Suit Gundam (“Sieg Zeon!”) and Mawaru Penguindrum (“Seizon senyaku!”). The awesome moments for me however, was when angela surprised the audience with their cover of Zankoku na Tenshi no Teze (a.k.a Cruel Angel’s Thesis), the opening theme from the Evangelion TV series and their encore piece, which was my favourite angela song, Asu e no brilliant road (Opening theme for Stellvia).

Then of course, came the concert’s lead act, Kalafina, which got the loudest cheers from the audience. Starting from their opening song of Magia (Madoka Magica’s ending theme) and Oblivious (ending theme for the first Kara no Kyoukai movie) till their final song, Hikari no Senritsu (opening for Sora no Woto), Kalafina literally entranced their audience with their singing (interspersed with wild cheers between songs). Was really surprised when one of the three vocalists from Kalafina, Hikaru, started to introduce herself in English (not heavily-accented broken English, but honest-to-goodness proper English).

The only complaint really that one could say about the Kalafina segment was that it was too short. Animenauts’ resident Type-Moon fanboy, Edward Pang, was a little disappointed that they did not sing Aria (Kara no Kyoukai fourth movie ending theme). For myself, wished I could have heard Kizuato (Kara no Kyoukai third movie theme) but getting to hear them sing Magia and Hikari no Senritsu live more than made up for it. The Kalafina segment was probably the high point of the concert, with the atmosphere being (for lack of a better word) totally electric the entire time they were on stage. Needless to say, everyone in the audience (myself included, of course) would gladly have them back for the next AFA.

Alas all good things must come to an end and it was time for the final performer, May’n to take the stage. While she did get (some of) the crowd going with a couple of fan-favourites like Iteza gogo kuji Don’t be Late!, Kindan no Elixir (both Macross Frontier insert songs) and her new single, Brain Diver (opening theme for Phi Brain), the reality was most of the crowd were already a little too tired after the Kalafina frenzy just before that (The person in front of me actually left right after Kalafina left the stage…). So despite the best efforts of May’n and her backup dancers, it was kind of a lacklustre ending to the concert.

Day three loot consists of a Madoka Magica poster and Akemi Homura tee-shirt, a Danboard Revoltech, Nagato Yuki (Disappearance ver.) Nendoroid and a Professor Layton Revoltech (on hold for WM). Total day three damage was S$230. Total AFA damage is S$343, way over my original budget of S$200.

All in all, I had a great time at AFA 2011. I was happy that I also got the opportunity to expand my “otaku” circle, getting to know people like Zach and Ume from Teru-Teru, Komicer from CDS and Willis’ army camp mate Terence. I also significantly expanded my anime merchandise collection, thanks to AFA. Look out for reviews of Revoltech Danbo and Nendoroid Yuki Nagato (Disappearance ver.) in the near future!

According to Anime News Network, the new Rurouni Kenshin anime (better known to certain western and southeast asian audiences as “Samurai X”) will have a limited theatrical release in Japan on November 17.

The first part of the two-part OVA will run for one week in two theatres, Tokyo’s Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro theatre and Osaka’s Cine-Libre Umeda theatre.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyoto-hen will be a remake of the manga’s Kyoto arc.

Thoughts: Get ready for really horrible cam-rips….

Tatsuya Fujiwara of Death Note and Battle Royale fame will be in Singapore on November 11 for the gala premiere of his latest film, Kaiji 2.

He will be at NEX shopping mall event plaza (B2) at 6.30pm for a meet-the-fans session before going down to The Cathay for the gala premiere’s red carpet event at 8.30pm. The gala premiere will start screening the film at 9.30pm. Tickets are required for the gala premiere.

Kaiji 2, the sequel to Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler, will see the titular character Kaiji (played by Tatsuya Fujiwara) taking on the mother of all pachinko machines named “Numa” – a machine having the top jackpot of over 1 billion yen. Meanwhile, Seiya Ichizo (Yusuke Iseya) controls the machine from a remote location to ensure the machine never pays out the jackpot . The two men soon find themselves facing off in a high stakes game.

Kaiji 2 will open in Singapore theatres on November 17.

Thoughts: I personally enjoyed the first Kaiji movie quite a bit. Tatsuya Fujiwara played his role of a slacker getting unexpectedly caught up in someone else’s debt pretty well. The general consensus of the movie seems to be generally positive as well. Looking forward to the upcoming movie.

We’re about one month away from what is probably the biggest anime convention in Singapore (if not the Southeast Asian region), Anime Festival Asia 2011. Now into its fourth edition, lets take a look at what AFA’s organisers have in store for us this coming November.
First up, we have the RCC 2011, a.k.a the Regional Cosplay Championships 2011. A team of two players from each country in the region (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand) will be selected from local auditions in each country to participate in RCC 2011, where prize money, a trip for two to Japan and the title of Regional Cosplay Champion are at stake.

This year’s AFA Anime Theatre features some of this year’s hit anime movies, like Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, Sora no Otoshimono: A Clockword Angeloid and Naruto Shippuden – Blood Prison. AFA will also have the “same-day as Japan” premier of Gundam Unicorn: Episode 4 and the Singapore premier of Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion. More details on the movie screenings will be announced later.

I ♥ Anisong: Rock Your Soul Super Anisong Concert will have some of this season’s hottest anisong singers, with the concert spread out over three days. Hatsune Miku takes centre stage on November 11th.

J-Rock band FLOW, anisong legend Ichiro Mizuki, up-and-coming singer LiSA and the home-grown girl group SEA☆A will be performing on November 12th.

Finally on November 13th, J-Pop band angela, the Yuki Kajiura-produced Japanese band Kalafina, J-Pop singer Kanako Itou, anisong diva May’n and seiyuu unit Milky Holmes will take the stage.

Anime fans can also expect to leave AFA with significantly thinner wallets after passing through the AFA Akiba Town, where a wide selection of anime/manga/game-related merchandise will be available for sale. While the actual retailers who will be there at AFA are not confirmed as yet, Akiba Town is expected to be larger in size compared to last year.

LiSA with some of the AFA maids and butlers

For those looking to chil-lax, head down to the Moe Moe Kyun Maid Cafe and/or the Atelier Royale butler cafe, where a selection of food and drinks will be served by you favourite maid or butler. While I am not able to confirm the maid/butler lineup (as I was not at the press con), expect to see some new faces since four of MMK’s original maids have since become SEA☆A.

AFA 2011 has also included a stellar lineup of special guests. We have Japanese pop culture blogger Danny Choo, celebrity cosplayers Kaname and Usagi, anime producer Nakanishi Gou and seiyuu Chiwa Saitou. Danny Choo will be the official host of the AFA11 stage activities while Kaname and Usagi will be two of the judges for RCC 2011. Anime fans can look forward to Nakanishi Gou presenting the latest Mardock Scramble movie and Homuhomu Chiwa Saitou’s live dubbing session.

Thoughts: While there’s still no sign of my fave anisong artistes like Maaya Sakamoto, Yui or L’Arc~en~Ciel (arguably, the latter two are more mainstream than anisong…), FLOW, LiSA, Kanako Itou and Kalafina will be coming down for their maiden AFA appearance (though FLOW performed in Singapore earlier this year at JPLEX Vol. 1) which in any case, makes this year’s AFA more awesome as last year (at least in terms of invited artistes). The anime movie selection for this year is pretty decent as well, though I’ve already watched the Fullmetal Alchemist movie already (and I still haven’t gotten around to writing the review yet…). At any rate, there is plenty to look forward to for anime/manga Japanese pop culture fans at AFA, so do make it a point to at least drop by AFA to check out the action (or the cat hat that I’ll be wearing at AFA).

Yup, Chobits (TV) based on the manga under the same name.

Yeah, I read the manga before, so I already know the ending and stuff… But since all the last time I read the manga was like years ago, I can only vaguely remember how it really happened.

Ok, now for a story summary from www.animenewsnetwork.com

In the future, personal computers have developped into “Persocons”, mobile computers that look like human beings. Hideki Motosuwa, a prep school student, desperately wants to buy a Persocon but cannot afford to. One day he finds a Persocon that has been thrown away and decides to keep it. When he turns on the Persocon, all she can say is “Chii” so he decides to name her that. After a while it starts to become apparent that Chii is more than an average Persocon. Having much better performance, it seems that Chii might be a “Chobit”, a type of advanced Persocon rumoured to have independent thought.

Visual? The characters are drawn nicely, very detailed and very kawaii (I mean the girls ^_^).

Music is… Very cheerily, calming… I say that it suits the scenes in the anime nicely, well my ears seems to enjoy listening to it :) Most of the music is suitable when you want to go to sleep, guess I will try playing them when I can’t sleep (Haha… Joking) I like the opening song ~Let me be with you~, it fits so well with the opening animation, especially the part where the lyric says “I want to embrace only you”, Chi looks so cute then :)

Story-wise, I think the author did a great job! Who ever thought one day humans might fall in love with computers? That is if we can ever develop computers like that. Actually I don’t mind falling in love with a cute persocom like Chi.

Read more on my thoughts below (Spoilers included! Highlight to read)

I think the anime is funnier then the manga at certain points, like showing Hideki as a countryside boy feeding cows, haha…But the anime skipped certain parts like how the name “Chobits” came about…

It was really funny seeing Hideki saying “… Why can’t there be a really, really cute one lying around” next thing you know, he passed by a garbage collection point with Chi lying there, then he goes “Someone’s dead!” being panicky and all :)

OMG! Someone put the non-burnable... No, Its a dead... computer?

Not to mention Hideki has this real bad habit to talking to himself real loud, especially in inappropriate places.

Haha… When he tries to start up Chi, he has no idea where to push the start button! He said he tried all the places that can be pressed (Except there, Haha…) He then sweats and finally boots up Chi.

When Chi refers Hideki’s ero-magazines as “Yummies”, I was laughing so loud

Not forgetting Hideki getting spooked by the ghost story he heard, and starts to imagining stuff… Very LOL-ish material :)

But it’s not all laughs for this anime, the author(s) Clamp mixed in the right amount of serious stuff too… About how people might one day isolate themselves to their persocoms and never come into contact with other humans (Shimizu-sensei’s husband was such an example). It also touches on the possibility of persocoms falling in love with humans.

But all ends well, with Chi finding the “The one for her” (Hideki of course *Awww*) Shinbu ends up with Shimizu-sensei, Minoru with Yuzuki, Yumi with Ueda … Guess we can say it has an happy ending :)

Happy Ending? You decide :)

A great anime! Get this ASAP, if possible, get the manga too!

P.S. I watched the this series the second time with the English dub, it’s surprising okay. LOL.