Hey there anime guys n’ gals! This is a special filler post that we’re calling our D&A Crunchyroll Spotlight, where we highlight a new anime title that you can stream on Crunchyroll’s anime streaming library! Tonight’s entry deals with the struggles that can plague and effect the life of an MMORPG player, in this anime title known as Recovery of an MMO Junkie!
Overview Breakdown:
Moriko Morioka is a 30-year-old woman with a successful career at a corporate job, but decides to quit it in order to before a full-time NEET and find a more fulfilling life. She finds herself playing an online MMORPG called Fruits de Mer and creates a male avatar character named Hayashi for herself in the game. Hayashi meets another in-game character named Lily who is a high-level character who helps him learn how to navigate through the game. Eventually Hayashi joins Lily’s guild called @HomeParty, while in the Real World Moriko encounters a company employee named Yuta Sakurai, who possibly might have ties with her online life.
If you like titles like And You Thought There is Never a Girl Online or Gamers, then you’re gonna love this Crunchyroll selection. Although it’s only ten episodes long with an OVA, its a nice slice-of-life comedy to check out. We’ve got more filler posts coming your way, as well as new anime conventions for the month of March! Stick around! 😉
Month: February 2018
Filler Post: D&A’s Top 5 Underrated (Overshadowed) Anime Characters!
You’ve studied for weeks. You trained for months. You’ve be working hard on perfecting your skills in what you can do. Where are we going with this you ask? Well, we’re chipping at the fact that there are some great anime characters out there, who for some reason, get overshadowed or downplayed by their more popular co-stars or counterparts. If you’re an anime fan, then you’ve probably seen or noticed that one character who’s done something awesome, but is either “never heard from” again, or has their screen time cut short. In this filler post that we’ve got for you, we’re highlighting five underrated (or overshadowed) anime characters that we wish got more love.
5. Rock Lee (Naruto)
Hey look, it’s Bushy Brow! Yep, this ninja in a green jumpsuit doesn’t use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, instead he sticks to the old school way; kung-fu fighting Taijutsu! The original martial artist has tussled with villains stronger than him using nothing but Taijutsu, making him one of the original kung-fu bad boys of Naruto – next to the late Bruce Lee.
4. Kami (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z)
Now this guy is the reason why the dragon balls even exist! Contrary to popular belief this Namekian is the true reason behind Goku’s adventures. Kami is the overseer of the Earth who once lost his faith in humanity due to their evil deeds and greediness. Then he met and earthling named Goku (back when he was a kid, of course) and his faith in humanity was restored. Let’s remember that without Kami, the dragon balls do NOT exist!
3. Shizuku Kurogane (Chivalry of a Failed Knight)
The younger sister of Ikki Kurogane who loved him more than his own father, in fact it was a incest love that most of us would find rather creepy and disturbing. Despite this she is actually quite a skilled knight with the power of water and ice by her side. Her device is called Yoishigure, a short sword that she wields in a reverse grip style during battle. We’re not saying she 100% overshadowed in the series, but should there be a second season, her underrated status may become null and void…hopefully.
2. Alphonse Elric (FMA, FMA: Brotherhood)
The younger Elric brother who plays ‘sidekick’ to his older sibling. When it comes to alchemy, Alphonse is just as skilled and powerful as his brother Edward Elric. Even though he lost his entire body trying to help Ed bring their mother back to life, Al is able to hold his own in battle against his and his brother’s villains.
1. Yajirobe (Dragon Ball Z)
He may not be nowhere near as powerful as the rest of the Z squad, but if it wasn’t for this fluffy ronin, Goku would’ve been dead – again! Yajirobe was the one who cut off Vegeta’s tail during the time he was a Great Ape, which caused him to return back to his normal state. Believe it or not, had Yajirobe not come in when he did during the Saiyan Invasion Arc, the Z warriors wouldn’t have stood a chance against Frieza. There wouldn’t be a Super Saiyan Goku, and the rest of the story arcs afterwards would’ve been completely rearranged, and not in the way we would’ve hoped. So for that, we thank you! 🙂
That’ll do it for our filler post for today, but stick around for more coming up right here on the blog!
It’s D&A Announcement Time!!
As we close in on the last couple days of February, its about time to issue some new announcements for us on the D&A front! To kick off this announcement filler post we’re proud to announce that we will be attending Anime Festival Orlando in Orlando, Florida this year, located at the Wyndam Resort on International Drive. So to any of our fans who live in or near Orlando, Florida you can see us there on August 3-5th. Next up is the new name for our fan fiction story. The original name for our Sonic/PSG crossover was entitled Sonic Crusaders of Anarchy, has now been changed to Sonic Strikers: Crusaders of Anarchy. The story itself has been divided into three arcs; two of which are originally created for that story.
Moving on to some anime conventions for the month of March. We’ll be combing the internet for some brand new ones (both big, small, and mid-sized) and in the Summer, we’ll be introducing some new subpages for Cons Near U that highlight anime/video game conventions in other countries like Europe, Brazil, South America, and more! We’re also in the process of creating our very own mascot to represent the blog, so we’ll keep you updated on any new info that comes up. Although we never thought about it we’re thinking about creating a Twitch channel in order to expand our online presence. If you have any suggestions on what content we should have on it, just shoot us your suggestions on our Contact Us page.
That’s all we’ve got as far as announcements are concerned, but don’t worry, cuz’ we’ve got more posts and more excitement coming up right here on D&A Anime Blog! It’s a part of you! 🙂
It’s Quiet…Too Quiet…
It’s been kinda quiet on the D&A front for a bit and we’ll admit that this is something we’re not usually used to. In spite of that we’re working on some new filler posts to bring to you for the month of March as a part of our own ‘March Madness’. As always we thank our fans for their continued support for our blog as well as the love we’ve been getting from our social media pages. Next Monday we’ll be back with new posts and new updates, all right here on D&A Anime Blog! It’s a part of you! 🙂
D&A Anime Blog: Miscellany Monday and a Quick Update!
Length-wise this post may be just a bit shorter than our usual ones, but don’t worry, it’s packed with some good stuff! Before we start we’ve just got a quick update to announce; and that is the fact that D&A’s Don’t Lewis will now be changing his DJ/Producer name (once again) to Technocolour. (Maybe because with a moniker like that you can ride that all the way to 60-ish years old, or longer.) As for what we’ve got going on for our Miscellany Monday segment, we’ve got ghosts, detectives, and psychics in this lesser known title known as Ghost Hunt! For the review of the series, click here!
There’s more fun and more action coming your way, next time on D&A Anime Blog! Remember, if you make D&A a part of you, then we’ll make you a part of us! 🙂
Filler Post: 5 Things You Didn’t Know about Junko Enoshima!
In the anime world there are as many villains as there are heroes, or protagonists. If there is any trope that we otaku are familiar with when it comes to the battle between good and evil, it is the “tragic backstory” trope that is common in some anime titles (as well as many comic books and North American cartoons). Depending on the series or character sometimes this trope is good, and sometimes it could use a little improvement in the execution department. However there comes a time in a fan’s life when they come across that one villain who’s a little more ‘exotic’ in terms of personality, physicality, and the reason why they took the road of darkness in the first place.
For this filler post we’re going over the five things you didn’t know about Danganronpa’s ultimate mastermind, Junko Enoshima. FYI, if you’re familiar with the Danganronpa franchise (games and anime series), then you’re probably well aware of the story behind the Ultimate Despair. If not, then get ready for this!
5. She’s The Most Unique Villain
When it comes to villains or supervillains we usually look for a tragic or sad backstory that made the individual (be it guy or gal) turn heel in the first place. That’s not the case for Junko; in fact the developers of the franchise thought that Junko shouldn’t have a tragic backstory as to why she became so despairingly villainous, she just was! We eventually found out the real reason for her ‘heelism’ (I know, that’s not a word but it should be) was because of her analytical talent – which bored the hell out of her. This caused her to create multiple personalities (including her Monokuma one) and switch between them just to keep her entertained.
She truly believed despair was the one things that would save her from boredom, and that the rest of the world should experience that with her. The scary part of all this is the fact that she has no real reason to commit the actions that she committed, which is why out of all the anime villains, she’s the most dangerous and unable to reason with.
4. Her S-Ranked Analytical Skill
When it comes to planning schemes and diabolical plots, she’s a hundred steps ahead of the game! Junko’s skill is the fact that she can analyze any situation and come up with a solution to it faster than you can say “Damn, that was fast!”
3. She’s in the Guinness Book of World Records (Cosplay Division)
We couldn’t believe it either, but let it be known that Junko Enoshima is the most popular character cosplayers have ever cosplayed as, for any anime or video game convention in the world! Quiet as kept she even beat out D.Va in this cosplay popularity division, but don’t tell Overwatch fans that – unless then know already. >.<
2. She Mentioned She Used to be Homeless (Game-Only)
Even though we don’t possess a copy of the Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc video game, during the free-time event(s) with Junko Enoshima, she’ll mention that she used to be homeless at one point and time in her life. We assume that this happened before her modeling career took off but we’re unsure – because we don’t have the game, just youtube videos.
1. She’s Good at being Bad
Okay, we kinda already knew this because of the anime series and video game installments. As we said before, Junko really doesn’t have a true reason for being this way, that’s just who she is. In fact during her youth she was at the beach with her parents and sister, and the sand castle she built was destroyed; causing her to cry in the process. It was later revealed (by her) that Junko destroyed her own sand castle by herself, which may indicate that her thirst and obsession for despair started at such a young age. When the Apocalypse happens, just know that Junko did it. XP
That’s all we’ve got for this post, stick around for more coming up soon! 🙂
A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: The Fall of Blockbuster!
Wow, it’s been five years since the once great video rental store giant went belly up. I’m talking about Blockbuster, one of the best video rental stores in North America (as well as across the world). Back when I was growing up in southeast Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD) my mother would take my brother and I there every Friday night. Any movie that I saw in theaters during the 90’s and early 2000’s I rented from Blockbuster the moment it became available to VHS, and eventually DVD. The same can be said about every game I bought for every system I had; NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, GBA, and Nintendo DS – which I still have by the way.
Blockbuster was a key part of my childhood growing up, and if you’re a 90’s kid like A. Goldman and I, then I’m pretty sure it was a part of your life too. I would go there religiously every Friday night to see what new video releases were available. I think the last time I’ve been in Blockbuster was about ten years ago, right around the time I graduated high school back in 2008 – which was 10 years ago (*laughs*). By the early 2010’s Dish Network brought out Blockbuster in order to try and keep up with digital age (as we all are) and remain relevant, but with rise of RedBox, Netflix, Hulu, and others, the once great video rental giant couldn’t keep up.
By 2013 they filed for bankruptcy and closed down the last 300 stores in the U.S. however thanks to Dish Network and their franchise agreements with Blockbuster, there are only a small handful stores that are left. I’ll admit; talking about my 90’s childhood does make me feel a little old, much like seniors talk about how they used to be and what they did during their youth. (Of course our timeline and theirs is totally different.) Blockbuster is and will forever be a part of my childhood, and will go down in history as everyone’s favorite video rental store!
D&A Anime Blog: New Anime Cons to Suit Your Fancy!
So here we are on the second month of 2018, and already a lot has happened within that period of time. As for us we’ve taken the time to find some new anime and manga conventions for you guys to check out this month. Our regional locations we’ve got for you are the Westbound, Northwest, Southwest, and Southbound areas of North America. If you get the chance (and finances) to give these conventions a try, by all means go and have yourself a geeky good time! 🙂
Mario Kart: 5 Things You Don’t Want To Happen Before Winning a Race!
From Super NES to the Wii-U (pre-Nintendo Switch and post-Nintendo 3DS era), Mario Kart is known as one of the best racing games crated from the Super Mario franchise! Whether you’re a 90’s kid or a part of Generation-Z, we’re pretty sure you’ve played one of the installments of this awesome video game, and if you haven’t – PLAY IT! When Super Mario Kart first came out for the SNES back in the 90’s, it was rather challenging to stay on track – literally. Enter the Nintendo 64 with Mario Kart 64, and to this very day in 2018, it is still an instant classic among millennials such as ourselves.
Then when the GameCube made its debut, the Gameboy Advance made its appearance, and the introduction of the Nintendo DS (and 3DS), you got games like Mario Kart Double Dash, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Super Circuit, and Mario Kart 7! (Don’t forget Mario Kart Wii and 8 for the Wii-U!) No matter what version or installment you’re playing, there are five things within this game that no player wants happening to them. So from us to you, we’re gonna highlight the five woes from the Mario Kart franchise you don’t want happening to you right before you cross the finish line.
5. Lightning Strike on the Final Lap!
Have you ever been so close to the finish line of a big race? Like say, a big race at 150cc (or 200cc if you’re playing Mario Kart 8)? Only to find yourself getting hit with a lightning bolt just 30 feet from the finish line, as Wario or Bowser bursts past you to claim the golden crown of 1st Place? Yep, we’ve been there.
4. Hit From Behind by a Red or Green Shell!
This is totally dodge-able in one of two ways; if you have a banana peel or banana peel combo item in your item box, keep it behind you and let the shells hit their mark. The other is to drive in front of another racer or try to out run it (them if there’s more than one shell after you) entirely. Red shells are heat-seekers while green shells are more ‘free-willed’, so if you got one chasing after you, better stock on bananas or mushrooms.
3. Slipping on a Banana Peel or Crashing into a Fake Item box!
Okay, this is also totally avoidable – unless the holder of the fake item box or banana peel is DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU!
2. Hit From Behind by an Invincibility Star Driver!
Ugh, nothing worse than hearing that all-too-familiar tune speeding towards you just before you cross the finish line…
1. Falling Prey to the Almighty Blue Shell…of Death!
This is a BIG deal to every fan and player of the Mario Kart franchise. There is nothing worse than being less than 30 feet away from the finish line in 1st Place, when the whooshing sound (or siren sound in MK64) of the Almighty Blue Shell, is heard in the background. Nothing will save you from its destructive wrath, as it targets the driver who is the head of the pack, and causes an explosion that covers a 20-foot radius. If you’re within that radius, then you’ll probably catch the explosion too! When it comes to the Blue Shell of Death, it’s better to be the one throwing it – than the one receiving it! That’ll do it for our filler post for now, but don’t worry, because we got more fun comin’ your way! Stick around! 🙂
D&A Anime Blog: The Return of Miscellany Monday!!
We’re so excited to have the chance to bring this segment back to the blog! After a month’s long hiatus this fan favorite of ours makes its triumphant return. If you’re ready for some lesser-known anime titles as well as some delicious Japanese snacks, then you’re gonna love what we have for you in this installment! In case you haven’t heard the news, we’ll be having our Miscellany Monday segment every other Monday a month.
This time around we’ve decided to do the posts for this segments as well as our other segments on a bi-weekly schedule. We believe that this will give us some time to work on the quality of our work in finding great shows to check out on Crunchyroll and FunimationNow. If you have any suggestions on some titles you want us to review or other questions, just hit us up on our Contact Us page.
If you’re looking for a lesser-known anime title about the granddaughter of a Yazuka boss becoming a teacher, then check out the title known as Gokusen! If you’re looking for a fantastic dish that you can try in Japan (and any of its areas and regions), then you’re gonna love the taste of Okonomiyaki! That will do it for this week’s return of Miscellany Monday. Even though you’ll have to wait two weeks from today for the next installment, there’s still more excitement we have in store for you! Stay golden, my friends! 🙂