Month: August 2017

D&A Friday’s! Where Anime Rises to Great Heights!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blog Updates, D&A Friday's Anime & Manga, D&A Segments

If most of you guys are down at Otakon in Washington, DC this year, take lots of cosplay pics and share them with us if you wish! As for us and the blog, it’s time for another awesome Friday night of anime titles and manga reviews. We’ll bring you guys some new manga reviews hopefully next week, but for now, let’s jump into what we’ve got cooking for you all tonight!

Rikuo_Nura

If you’re on the hunt for an awesome supernatural series, then Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan will be the anime title for you! Rikuo Nura is 3/4 human and 1/4 yokai. He lives with other yokai inside his grandfather’s house, who also happens to be a yokai. Unlike his yokai brethren Rikuo prefers to save humans and not follow his yokai heritage, despite his grandfather’s will. After excepting who he is and what his grandfather wants for him, Nikuo decides to take the position of the third head of the Yokai Clan. There’s just one problem: other outside factions also want that same position as well. Now Rikuo must gather up some allies and fight against the opposing factions to protect the name of the Yokai Clan. You can stream this awesome series on Crunchyroll, FunimationNow, and Youtube! ๐Ÿ™‚

Next week we’ll be on our way to Allentown, PA for SaikouCon 2017! If you want to get the chance to meet us in person, come on out to the Holiday Inn in Lehigh Valley located at 901 West Hamilton Street in Allentown, PA August 18-20! On a sad not we had to delay the release post of our fanfiction Danganronpa Roulette: Wheel of Despair, until the third weekend of September. (With Junko: The Ultimate Mastermind being delayed until early January 2018!) We’ll continue to keep you up-to-date with all the lastest and greatest news and perhaps our future collaboration with AnimeDoku.com. Stay true, and stay positive! ๐Ÿ™‚

D&A Voice Actor Spotlight: Monica Rial!!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Filler Posts, Voice Actor Spotlight

When it comes to voice acting in the world of anime, there are a handful of names that come to mind; such as J. Micheal Tatum, Crispin Freeman, Tia Ballard, Steve Blum, and many others. Tonight, we at D&A Anime Blog are doing a special Filler Post series about the very people who do the very voices we love from anime, and non-anime titles. This series is known as D&A Voice Actor Spotlight!

If you’re familiar with old school classics like Case Closed or Ghost Stories, then your already on the right track. When it comes to anime voice acting, you’ve heard and seen this name in almost (if not) every anime title that’s out here in the world, on the internet, on your anime DVD/Blu-Ray copy, and if you’re not careful…in your head! ADV Films, Bang Zoom Entertainment, and FUNimation are just a few places that echo her name. With 300+ characters to her title as well as 15+ years in the VA biz, this is one magnificent woman that you have got to meet before you die. (We’re hoping and praying we get the chance to.) Ladies and gentlemen, our voice actor for the evening…is Monica Rial.

Monica_Rial2

Straight outta H-Town, Texas this awesome lady was born October 5, 1975. Her father is from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain and as a young soon-to-be-voice-actress, her family would visit Spain often. Her voice acting inspirations came from shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and of course Beavis and Butt-head. In 1998 Monica did her first voice acting roles as Dr. Bruno and Magistrate in an anime comedy/fantasy title called Those Who Hunt Elves. Later on she would land some main character roles in anime titles like Generator Gawl, Gasaraki, Princess Nine, and Excel Saga.

Now you can hear her in titles like Negima!, Shuffle, Soul Eater, Cat Planet Cuties, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, High School DxD (Season 1), Shimoneta, and a whole bunch of others that would take too long for us to list. Two of the 300+ characters she voiced were Hispanic (and so is she), and was happy that her characters weren’t stereotyped. There’s rumored to be a grandma voice somewhere in one of her future characters, so we’ll just have to wait and see when that happens!

Monica has been given the title as the “Queen of the Voices” by her fans due to her vocal range, and is able to voice any female character from 8 years old, to 88 years old. She’s also an ADR script writer and director for many of the anime titles that you love, has done various TV commercials/advertisements, and we also believe she can hold a good note too. (There are a few titles where she sang in her character voice, so perhaps she might make a character mixtape CD some day.)

You can see her at various anime (and some superhero) conventions all across North America, and even a few places in the U.K. and Europe. Monica is a delight to talk to, and will answer a lot of your questions about her characters, her career, and various other things that you’d like to know about her. (As long as it’s PG-ish of course, unless she’s at an 18+ panel, then all bets are off!)

You can follow her on Twitter @Rialisms, and you can also find out where she’ll be in your area (convention-wise) on her website TheMonicaRial.com!

 

Cons Near U: August Anime Conventions of 2017!!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Blog Updates, Con Locations

Sorry this post is so short, but we’re here to announce some awesome anime conventions for you to check out this month from our Cons Near U page! Today we’ve got conventions for you located in the Northeast, Southwest, Southbound, and Westbound regions of North America. Be sure to check out the links on those pages for tickets, hotel locations, and more! ๐Ÿ™‚

Miscellany Monday: Dough-Boys and Breadwinners!!

Aside D&A Anime Blog D&A Segments, Lesser-Known Anime

So here we are again anime fans, as we prepare for yet another week filled with work, responsibilities, and anime. Hopefully lots, and lots of anime! We of course continue doing what we do best as we bring you some more great lesser known anime titles, that some believe shouldn’t have been snubbed from mainstream. We also wanna let you guys know, that we’ve created a new page known as D&A’s Review Schedule, where fans can see what new titles we have scheduled for review on most of our popular segments; such as Miscellany Monday, and D&A Friday’s. With all that being said let’s take a look at what we’ve got baking in the anime review oven for Monday night…

03242013_yakitate_japan

If you’re looking for a series about baking bread, and what the true definition of what a breadwinner is, then check out this anime title known as Yakitate!! Japan! The story follows Kazuma Azuma on his noble quest to create a special bread for Japan called ‘Ja-pan’. He makes his way to Tokyo in order to enhance his skills and expand his horizons at Pantasia, a popular bread-making chain in Japan. The title of the series is actually a pun using the words ‘yakitate’ (which means freshly-baked), and ‘pan’ from the word Japan (which means bread). If you’re familiar with Food Wars then you’re gonna love this anime title. You can stream it on Crunchyroll and FunimationNow, or you can also find it on Youtube.

With a new month brings new anime conventions all across the U.S. region. We’re going to be updating our regional locations under our Cons Near U drop down page, so you can find the anime con that’s closest to you! Don’t forget, on August 18-20th we’ll be making our way to Allentown, PA for the fourth stop on our 2017 anime convention tour; SaikouCon 2017!! We’re hoping to see you guys there! ๐Ÿ™‚

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: The Sony/FUNimation Partnership!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Filler Posts

The last couple days have been a bit on the wild side for Yours Truly, so A. Goldman and I apologize if we haven’t gotten the chance to deliver you guys (the fans) some of our weekly segments on the blog. If you haven’t noticed what’s been going on in recent current events, Sony is acquiring a majority stake from FUNimation, the leading North American anime distribution company. Upon hearing the news I’ve noticed that in the most recent comments from anime fans regarding this acquisition, there were some mixed feelings going around about this whole thing.

In my mind the reason for this might date back to the hacking incident of one of Sony’s comedy movie releases back in 2014, where Sony had no choice but to release “The Interview” through digital streaming. Right away fans had questions like, “What will this mean for FUNimation?” and “What kind of changes will take place?”. Even though what happened back in the year of 2014 is some that we’d all like to forget (including Sony), we also have to remember that the internet is not as safe as it used to be back when it was just in its infancy. Malware of all types, including Ransomware, are crawling around on the World Wide Web, and even have their own section of the internet known as “The Dark Web”. Believe me, no one likes to get hacked (not even Sony), which is why virus-killing software is so important in today’s modern technology age.

Anyway, back to what I was saying about the Sony and FUNimation partnership. I’m pretty sure FUNimation’s founder Gen Fukunaga has been receiving questions from fans about it, but after doing my own little slice of research, this partnership will not chance the way FUNimation does things. Gen is still in control as founder and CEO, the FUNimation/Crunchyroll partnership is still going, streaming services for FunimationNow are staying put, and no staff changes are going to be happening at the Texas Headquarters. FUNimation will remain as an independent company as it’s been doing for the past 23 years.

If that’s the case, then does the Sony/FUNi acquisition really mean anything? Well, I look at it like this. Sony Pictures Television Networks is a parent company to ANIMAX, a 24-hour anime channel, and they also operate channel brands and digital brands like AXN and Crackle. There might even be a few good perks from this deal; like Blu-Ray releases of some old anime classics that never released on Blu-Ray, or maybe even a live-action Panty & Stocking movie. (Just putting it out there Gainax.)

As long as Gen Fukunaga’s in charge, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about. We (the fans) are still in control over what we want to see from anime, and I have a feeling that FUNimation will continue to honor that. Although A. Goldman and I have been running D&A Anime Blog for 19 months, we share a dream and a vision that’s parallel to FUNimation in regards of bringing anime fans together, and keeping our love and passion that we have for it (and for one another) alive.

It’s not to say that there won’t be a few bumps down the road, but if anime has taught us anything, it’s to never give up and to see things through to the very end.

Filler Post: Does Size Matter? Big Cons vs. Small Cons!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime Con Tips, Filler Posts

If you’re an anime fan who loves going to conventions, then you’ve probably heard this topic somewhere before. Anime conventions have been around since the late 90’s and early 2000’s, of course back then the con attendance was a lot smaller. Now in 2017 there are so many anime conventions all across the U.S. and even in various third world countries.

Some of them are along the mainstream circuit, while others keep it simple and traditional. Some of them are large in attendance, while others only have a few hundred people. Some of them are well-known, while others are lesser-known. So now the question remains; do you like going to a big convention, or a small convention? The answer to that question can be based on a number of things; the price of the badge, the distance you’re willing to travel, which events or panels you’re thinking about attending, and so on.

There are some Pros and Cons (no pun intended) of going to either a big convention, or a smaller convention. Allow us to break it down…

DSCN0165

Big Anime Conventions

  • Have an attendance of anywhere between 10,000 – 100,000 people (Cosplayers)
  • Have lots of events, panels, workshops, and items in the Dealer’s Room
  • Have big name guests
  • Have a big budget ($50-$100K or more)
  • Last 3-4 days

When you’re talking big anime conventions, think of ones like Anime Expo, Otakon, San Diego Comic Con, and more! There’s lots to do at anime conventions of this size, of course at the same time, there’s Pros and Cons that come with these massive events.

Pros

  • There are lots of cosplayers, so that means you’ll get to take lots of pictures
  • You get to meet big name guests (like Steve Blum and Johnny Bosch)
  • Lots of panels/workshops
  • Have host hotels for extra panel room

Cons

  • With cons of this size there’s bound to be a LOT of traffic
  • Overlapping panels/Booked up hotels
  • Higher badge prices
  • Big autograph lines

Overall…

Big anime conventions are pretty cool to go to, because you get the chance to meet tens of thousands of others who are passionate about anime as much as you are. That’s not to say that cons this size don’t have their own fair share of problems, but in the spirit of fandom-hood, follow all of the rules given at the con and you and your friends will have a safe and wonderful time!

1453474994674

Small Anime Conventions

  • Have an attendance of anywhere between 1,000 – 3,000 people (Cosplayers)
  • Don’t have as many events, panels, workshops, items in the Dealer’s Room
  • Have at least one big name guest and some newer voice actors
  • Have a smaller budget (at least around $50K)
  • Lasts 1-3 days

Smaller cons are like how all anime conventions used to be back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. They’re more catered to the fans and fan-centric, plus you’ll have a much higher chance of getting autographs from your favorite voice actors. Like bigger anime conventions, smaller ones have their own Pros and Cons.

Pros

  • Cons of this size are much easier to manage, meaning less con drama
  • The atmosphere is more relaxed, almost like a meet-up group
  • You get ‘one-on-one’ encounters with your favorite voice actors
  • Lower Badge prices

Cons

  • There’s not as many con goers, meaning not as much cosplay
  • There’s not as many panels/workshops, meaning less variety con-wise

Overall…

Smaller cons give you a chance to make lasting friendships with your fellow con-mates. Sure there may not be as much to do at smaller conventions panel-wise, but it does give you the chance to have those one-on-one encounters with your favorite actors and voice actors.

At the end of the day, the final decision about which size con to go to, is going to be up to the fans themselves. Try going to both and see what the experience is like on both sides. Keep in mind that there are also some ‘mid-sized conventions’ as well, they’re like smaller cons but with a mid-sized budget and a mid-sized amount of panels, cosplayers, and other events. Both sides may have their ups and downs, but in the end, they’re still anime cons that we love to go to.

DSC02923

 

 

Miscellany Monday: A Night Filled With Airborne Magic!

Aside D&A Anime Blog D&A Segments, Lesser-Known Anime

Hey guys! It’s been awhile since our last Miscellany Monday segment, so we’ve decided to post a schedule on our Twitter page in order for you guys, the fans, to see what we’re up to every Monday night! As we get later into the Fall we might be changing up our posting times when it comes to our daily blog segments, so we’ll be sure to keep you guys abreast of what’s going on. Tonight we’ve got lesser-known anime titles as far as the eye can see, so let’s see what we’ve got for you guys on tonight’s edition…

KaleidoStarGroup

If you’re looking for a high-flying acrobatic anime title, then look no further than the anime known as Kaleido Star! In this lesser-known title, a young Japanese woman named Sora Naegino strives for her dream in being a part of the Kaleido Stage in Los Angeles, California. Upon her arrival she encounters a few difficulties; like losing her way to the Stage, having someone leering at her, and even having to chase after a thief who robbed her of her belongings. In spite of it all Sora relies on her sweet personality, hard work, and determination to help her achieve her dream of being the main act on the Stage. This is a great title to check out so be sure to stream it on FUNimationNow or Crunchyroll if this is a title that you like! ๐Ÿ™‚

August arrives tomorrow, so that means another awesome round of anime conventions for the month of August! This month represents the Summer’s ‘Last Hoorah!’, so if you haven’t gotten the chance to check out any anime titles that we’ve reviewed or not reviewed, be sure to get on it while you can! If you all are wondering if we’re going to be posting any more videos on our Youtube page, don’t worry, we’ve got some new content coming up real soon!

Again we thank you guys for helping us reach over 9,000 views on our blog’s page, and don’t forget, if we reach over 10,000 views on the blog, then we’ll post a special 10,000+ WordPress views celebration video on our Youtube page for you all to enjoy! Keep supporting the blog and keep making D&A a part of you! ๐Ÿ™‚