Archive for the Series Category


Hayate x Blade Ultra Drama CD Niban Hoshi! Tokkuntsumeawase!

April 8th, 2011

We’ve arrived at the 2nd of the new Hayate x Blade Drama CDs, Hayate x Blade Ultra Drama CD Niban Hoshi! Tokkuntsumeawase! (はやて×ブレード ウルトラドラマCD にばん星！ 特訓つめあわせ！)

Like the first of the series, this second Drama CD contains 4 short, funny, occasionally touching vignettes, following one of three shinyuu pairs at Tenchi.

Tokkun is “special training” and, as the title implies, each scenario is centered around some idiotic thing for which a character needs “special training.”

In the first scenario, Momoka comes across Isuzu practicing jumping over the tobibako, the vaulting horse commonly used in Japanese schools as a part of their physical education curriculum. Isuzu tries to get by on Momoka’s “guts” training, but does way better when Michi comes along and teachers her the right technique.

Michi then wanders over to her own shinyuu, Otoha, who is having a crisis. She is, apparently, an ojou-chan who, despite her promise to learn to cook, has never really bothered. With her parents arrival imminent, Michi tries to coach her into being able to make the world’s best meat and potato dish. Now that Michi has suddenly become awesome, she’s really pulled out the stops. Otoha does managed to cobble something edible together, but her parents change their plans and never get to experience it.

The third scenario will make absolutely no sense if you’re not completely caught up on the manga. After her defeat En-Suu has shifted her focus away from kicking ass to…eating. She obsesses about fish, specifically. In this vignette, En-Suu importunes Meiko to help her get better at Japanese. Mei, annoyed at being interrupted while reading tells En-Suu to go figure it out for herself. Which she does. A teacher asks where her cousin has gone, but Meiko doesn’t, honestly know. After weeks, En-Suu returns suddenly. Apparently while she was out looking for practice, she got a job at a sushi shop and now speaks fluent fish with a thick “old guy shopkeeper” accent. This all has to be heard to be believed. ^_^

The final scenario is a revisit of all of the players in various little dribs and drabs.

Once again, not something you’re gonna grab if you’re not already besotted, but if you are – hurry up and grab it while it’s hot.

Ratings:

Overall – 8

The third of the Ultra Drama CDs is already available and features Sid and Nancy, Hitsugi and Shizuku and Akira and Sae. If you are a Hayate x Blade fan and do not get the third Drama CD, I’m revoking your fan club membership. ^_^





Hayate x Blade Ultra Drama CD! Ichiban Hoshi! Zekkyoutsumeawase!

March 25th, 2011

Hayate x Blade Ultra Drama CD! Ichiban Hoshi! Zekkyoutsumeawase! (はやて×ブレード ウルトラドラマCD いちばん星！ 絶叫つめあわせ！) is a series of 4 short character pieces that aren’t tied into any one particular arc, but are in and of themselves really funny and, in the case of the final track, touching.

The title, for what it’s worth, appears to mean something like: First Star! An Assortment of Outcries!

The first track follows Hayate and Ayana as they patrol the school at night. Hayate gets to scream at just about every shadow and Ayana is allowed to trot out any number of grumpy, rude replies – just the way we like her.

The second track follows Jun and Yuho as they track down the real culprit in a series of underwear and bikini thefts. Everyone in the school is convinced that Jun is the criminal except for Yuho…not because she’s being nice, mind you. She just knows this isn’t Jun’s M.O.. The real culprit is found, but it’s not who you might think. ^_^

The third track was laugh out loud funny as Yukari accompanies Maki in a short walk that wanders across cliffs and into the jungle to find a good place to paint from.

The final track is more emotional than the others. Ayana and Hayate have it out over what Hayate really cares about and Yuho and Jun have a tender moment together. To wrap it up we spend a few more moments with Yukari and Maki, who seems to be able to find Yukari’s softs spots instantly.

Nothing here is really moves the story forward and you wouldn’t be getting this if you didn’t already love the characters. But, for the third and fourth tracks, if you *do* love the characters, this is a nice set of side stories that allows you to spend more time with them, get in a few chuckles and even an “awww” or two.

Ratings:

Overall – 8





Yuri Network News – March 19, 2011

March 19th, 2011

Yuri Drama CD

Because one Hayate x Blade Drama CD was not enough and two drama CDs only barely scratched the itch, the Hayate x Blade Ultra Jump Drama CD Sanban Hoshi! Hyuuryuu Tsumeawase (はやて×ブレード ウルトラドラマCD さんばん星！ 漂流つめあわせ) is now on sale!

Also available is the GIRL FRIENDS Drama CD. Morinaga Milk seemed very happy with the results in her posts on her blog and on Twitter, so I think we’re in for a treat.

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Yuri Anime

This week Nozomi/RightStuf announced the street date for the first Revolutionary Girl Utena (少女革命ウテナ) box set. This set will include all the extras that were in the Japanese remastered set – and TRSI says that for fans who pre-order all three sets, there will be an extra extra. There’s no hint yet as to what that might be, but they promise it will be very cool. If any other company said that, I’d shrug. TRSI gets my kind of “cool” better than most. As another type of extra, there is a feature on the Utena website in which you can ask the Director Ikuhara Kunihiko questions about the series. Have at it – I’m looking forward to seeing those questions!

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Yuri Manga

My reaction upon hearing the news that Kodansha USA was going to be releasing the Sailor Moon Anniversary edition and Sailor V manga in English was, and I quote “OMG, did Kodansha USA *listen* to us? I don’t know where to look, or what do do with my hands!!!”

Under no circumstances is, “So when is the anime coming out?” the appropriate reaction, btw. Saying “yay!” and saving your money to buy the volumes, which will start being released in September, is an appropriate reaction. If you really do not have the money (and believe me, I sympathize with that,) the most appropriate reaction is to head over to your local public library and become friends with the person who is in charge of the Graphic Novels section or, if there is no GN section, the “acquisitions” person and start getting them primed to pick this series up. Don’t rant. Just let them know that one of the two series that truly launched anime/manga here in the US (Dragonball being the other) is about to be released and it’d probably be cool to get it for the collection.

One last thing while I’m asking you to mind you manners. ^_^ Tokyopop did not actually do a TERRIBLE, GODAWFUL translation. They changed the names, because that was what we did back then. It was not actually a crime against nature – for the most part, the Japanese companies wanted it that way. In fact, convincing the Japanese publishers that we *didn’t* want names changed was a pretty big battle back in the day.

Quick History Lesson: Sailor Moon was being serialized in Tokyopop’s Smile, then Mixxzine magazine when the first rebellion occurred. The anime had been running on Cartoon Network, Usagi had become Serena, Makoto was Lita already. Tokyopop kept Lita but tried to mollify fans with Bunny for Usagi. BUT. When the Outer Senshi arrived and their names were changed, it was intolerable – the straw that broke the camel’s back was, apparently, using Olivia for Hotaru. Fans rebelled and wrote ridiculously angry letters. Tokopop bowed to pressure and when Sailor Moon ‘S,’ ‘Super S’ and ‘Stars’ volumes came out, the Outers and Starlights retained their names. I still have those Smile and Mixx magazines issues, by the way. ^_^

This series, and later Azumanga Daioh, with Yukari being the Spanish teacher in the first volume of the manga, were the two big proving grounds for the kind of localization we expect right now.

Some back channel chatter convinces me that we *are* getting a new translation of the manga, and from a very talented and reliable source. I hope we get some good editing too! Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

I’m still not entirely sure what this is about, but Dengeki 4-Koma Collection, Fu-Fu, (電撃4コマ コレクション ふーふ ) appears to be just what it sounds like – a comic strip of two women “playing house” as we call it around these parts. There’s apparently going to be – or is – a net game release associated with this, if I read that correctly.

And let’s finish up with something that I think will make a lot of people happy (hopefully happy enough to buy it, rather than just download scans.) The first Ichijinsha collection by Nanzaki Iku Sweet Little Devil, is due out in April.

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Yuri Novel

Miyamoto Ayako is currently contributing short stories to the new Comic Yuri Hime. She also has a new book out, Ame no Tou (雨の塔) which, like the short stories, is Yuri.

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That’s a wrap for this week.

Become a Yuri Network Correspondent by sending me any Yuri-related news you find. Emails go to anilesbocon01 at hotmail dot com. Not to the comments here, please, or they might be forgotten or missed. There’s a reason for this madness. This way I know you are a real human, not Anonymous (which I do not encourage – stand by your words with your name!) and I can send you a YNN correspondent’s badge.

Thanks to all of you – you make this a great Yuri Network!





Kodansha USA to Publish Sailor Moon Manga

March 18th, 2011

Anime News Network reports that Kodansha USA has announced that they plan on publishing the Sailor Moon and Sailor V manga.

The week began with Utena, ends with Sailor Moon and once again, an odd-numbered year is coming up strong for Yuri. Weird, huh?





Press Release: Nozomi/RightStuf Announces the 1st Revolutionary Girl Utena Box Set

March 14th, 2011


Got a press release that should be of interest in my email box this AM:

Nozomi/Right Stuf Announces the REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA: The Student Council Saga DVD Set Limited Edition. First remastered, premium set available on June 7, 2011.

This first of three, limited-edition DVD box sets will feature remastered video and a newly created Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese audio track from the recent Japanese DVD release, as well as Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo for English and Japanese audio, plus English-language subtitles and on-screen translations. On-disc extras will include the clean opening and closing, both a live-action video and TV spot for the opening single, and TV commercials for the Japanese release. Additionally, the set will be housed in a collectors’ art box and also include a book with content from the limited-edition Japanese release with episode commentary, discussions about the series’ updated audio, video, and opening and closing sequences, and the first installment of production notes from the Japanese laser disc release. Only a limited quantity of this premium set will be produced.

DVD Features:
Scene access, remastered video from the recent Japanese DVD re-release, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio for English and Japanese dialogue, new Dolby 5.1 audio for Japanese dialogue, English subtitles and English on-screen translations. PLUS: Clean opening, clean closing, live-action video for opening single, TV spot for opening single, and TV spots for the Japanese remastered DVD release. AND: A book featuring content from the recent, limited-edition Japanese DVD box set, including episode commentary, a discussion of the updated audio and video, discussions about the series’ opening and closing sequences, and production notes from the Japanese laser disc release (part 1).

To pre-order, visit http://utena.rightstuf.com/.

Furthermore, Cryssoberyl says: Let me add that the audio has also been remastered and sounds fantastic….The quality of the later sets was somewhat improved, but nothing that can compare with the new remastered version. …the difference in quality is every bit as dramatic as they make it look. However, it’s not simply a matter of improved color, clarity and encoding. In conclusion, the amount of loving effort that has been gone to, both by the Japanese creators to polish the show and by Nozomi in their protracted efforts to bring it to us, is unprecedented. I’m not sure there is any other show that has ever received such a luxurious re-release. At $49, this set is a steal. At $29, it is plain thievery. (This is extracted from the comments field, so check there for some links and the full comment!)