Hey guys! It’s been a week since our last post, but we’ve been busy working on bringing you some more Youtube content to check out. Over the weekend we came up with another new line of content that features side topics that we didn’t really get to cover in our podcast series. This new line of content is called “D&A Studios Extras“; which features a wide variety of topics such as Japanese cuisine, retro game reviews and overviews, and so much more. Our debut episode of this new content line drops February 2nd at 9am on our D&A Studios Youtube channel. So if you wanna know what you’ve missed last week, check out our previous Nerdz of the Decade episodes below! 😉
Month: January 2022
D&A Update: VIZ Media Spotlight Coming In February!
Hey guys! I know we’re just two-and-a-half weeks into 2022, and a lot of announcements have been made in the anime world. Various series that we’ve come to know are being rebooted or renewed for a new season, and more new anime movies are coming out as well. Whenever new developments drop we try to stay on top of it as best we can so we can bring that news to you. Therefore, coming this February we’re bringing you a special segment highlighting all of the new stuff that VIZ Media is bringing out, and their announcements. This segment is our VIZ Media Spotlight. It drops every Tuesday starting on the first Tuesday in February, so be sure to check out what we’ll be highlighting, and spotlighting, on VIZ Media.
That’s the only update we’ve got today, but there’s more nerdy content to come. Until next post, look out for one another and stay nerdy my friends! 😉
D&A’s Top 10 Anime ‘Dere’ Types!
When you’ve watched enough anime as much as we have, it becomes easier to pick out things that have become the most common; overpowered protagonists, guys or girls being dumped into another world, and characters who cater to a specific type of personality. Most of the time its usually the anime girls who tend to fit the latter, but in some anime, there are guys who can fit into this category as well. What are we talking about you ask? We’re breaking down our Top 10 Anime ‘Dere’ Types that you’ll find in any anime title that you’ve seen. Of course you already know about the Big 5 ‘dere’ types, but there are five more that you might not quite be familiar with.
10. Deredere: The Fun-Loving Energetic One
We all have that one friend who’s waaaay too energetic, but she’s kind and caring towards others and quite the social butterfly. You might’ve seen her in some of your anime titles (like Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun) and though she’ll show her affection towards her loved one, she’s able to have normal friendships and conversations with others. She’s also one of the Big 5 that you’ll encounter among ‘deres’.
9. Bakadere: The Airheaded Annoying One
This one’s a new one, but right away many fans already have characters that fit this ‘dere’. There’s always that one character who’s just annoying as hell, and a total airhead! She may be energetic and optimistic but she’s clumsy, aloof, and doesn’t really think before acting most of the time. In some extreme cases, she may even be a useless goddess – like the one below.
8. Dandere: The Shy & Quiet Introverted One
Who is the most common anime character who fits this ‘dere’ type? Naruto fans know who she is – or who she used to be back in the day. These types of characters will open up once they meet up with the right group of people, and when they do, their ‘dere’ side will show up and show out! 😉
7. Nyandere: The Cat-Loving One
There are a LOT of girls out there who fit this category; both in anime and in real life. Who doesn’t love cats? (Or in this case, catgirls?) Any rom-com fantasy or isekai anime you’ll find that one character who has become one with the feline – or might be part feline herself. There are some males who like cats but not to the same degree, though I could be wrong.
6. Sadodere: The ‘They’re Like Yandere’s But Worse’ Ones
Avoid these individuals like the plague! Unlike Yandere’s who act violent and cruel towards others who ‘threaten’ their loved one in any way they deem unacceptable, Sadodere’s get a thrill out of manipulating others they care about and treat them like trash. They also take pleasure in inflicting pain and despair upon others, and basically are the reason why they caused ‘world-ending’ pandemonium. Isn’t that right, Junko Enoshima?
5. Himedere: The Spoiled Princess Bratty One
As we said before, watch enough anime and you’ll find a character who fits this model perfectly. This is that one character who’s high and mighty, and condescending towards others as if she was a princess or something. (Most of the time she is, or at least has that type of personality.) Nevertheless these characters can sometimes be the main antagonist of the story, or a side character.
4. Yandere: The ‘Touch My Man And I’ll Kill You!’ One
Another member of the Big 5! We all know this character quite well; loves and showers their loved one with love and admiration, but the minute another girl has a conversation with their man, they’re ready to snap! Sometimes they may even hurt the ones they love.
3. Kanedere: The Gold-Diggin’ One
These types of individuals only care about one thing when it comes to their loved one; their money! These types of girls want hustlers, big ballers, shot-callers, the rich ones! If you ain’t got money they don’t want nothin’ to do with you; even if you tell them that you can treat them better than the rich idiots that they’re gunnin’ for. If they find the RIGHT person though, they could learn to love them for who they are; not how much they make.
2. Kuudere: The Calm, Cool, and Collected One
Somewhere along the line, you might have had that one friend who’s like this. In the mist of total chaos this is the type of character that you may want to have by your side. Sure, they may not show much emotion or affection of any kind to their loved one, but it might be because they’re keeping their true emotions deep down inside.
1. Tsundere: The Sour-Sweet Hot & Cold One
The MOST COMMON dere there is! Action, Fantasy, Rom-Com, Isekai, it don’t matter! You’ll always find this most common dere in 90% of the anime titles you watch. Arguably, the OG Tsundere who started this trend is Asuka Langley from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Ever since that series a whole new generation of Tsundere girls have come about in various anime titles, but every anime fans knows that it all started with Asuka; the original Tsundere!
Although these are the ten that we’ve chosen for this post, there are so many others out there that fit a wide range of characters. Some of them might be enhanced versions of the ones we’ve already mentioned, while others may even be the polar opposite. Either way, these personalities are ones that you’ll find in many male and female anime characters from your favorite series. If you found some ones that we might have missed, let us know in the comment section below.
Until next post, stay safe and stay nerdy! 😉
A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: AniMore (2016-2021)
Anime conventions. What is it about these nerd sanctuaries that draws in thousands of otaku from all over the globe? Back in the 70’s and 80’s we had Sci-Fi and Comic-Con conventions for all of the Marvel heads, DC freaks, Trekkies, and Star Wars fanboys. However it wasn’t until the 90’s when a new fandom made its way onto the convention scene; the anime fandom! Growing up I was into a lot of things, but the one thing that I was most into was in fact anime. I didn’t even know that these type of conventions even existed until the mid 2000’s when my mom told me about them, and the first one I went to once had the reputation of being the largest convention on the east coast; Otakon.
Yep, this was my first anime convention back in the 2000’s. Once I set foot inside this con, I felt like I was thrusted into a whole other world. It felt like a world where you can let your nerd flag fly and be who you wanted to be; literally! I didn’t even know what cosplay was until I went to this convention, and saw all of my favorite characters from my favorite anime and video games all inside one building. I was overcome with joy; like better than getting a Gamecube for Christmas type of joy. I never knew a world like this existed outside of my reality, and to be 100% honest with you, it felt like Heaven.
I had to put up with bullies, narcissistic teachers, and guidance counselors who didn’t exactly do the ‘guidance’ portion of the job, but when I walked into the doors of this anime convention…it felt like I was home. It felt like I was home to a community of people who loved the same things I did and didn’t make fun of me for it. I know nowadays things are a little divisive in terms of the ethnicity of voice actors, subbed vs. dubbed, and racism in the cosplay community (all of which we need to work on like yesterday), but back then…things were different – especially when you didn’t have friends who liked anime and video games as much as you did.
I spent the next eight years going to this convention until word got out that it was moving to Washington D.C. and I wasn’t too happy about that. Most of the convention goers were mixed on the situation, but for me it sucked because Baltimore doesn’t have a lot of anime-related things happening; we had Baltimore Comic-Con but I’m more of an otaku than a comic book guy. Just when I thought I wasn’t going to find another convention that was going to give me that same homely feeling that Otakon did, in steps AniMore!
It was the winter of 2016; the year of Snowmageddon, when this convention rose from the ashes that Otakon left behind. This was also the same year both myself and A. Goldman made our mark as D&A Anime Blog. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this convention; the location took place in a hotel (the Hyatt Regency to be exact), the space could only hold about 2000 people which would make this a rather small convention, and most of the voice actors I want to see probably won’t be able to come to this convention because the con’s budget won’t be enough to cover it. However it wasn’t until I went to this con that it felt like the way anime conventions of the 90’s used to be; about the medium! Sure, Otakon had workshops and panels, but AniMore felt more intimate and more like family – in fact they treated us like family when we made our debut.
AniMore had that ‘old school’ convention vibe of the 90’s where it was all about the fans and the medium. All of the artists and dealers there were both local and out of town (like PA, NY, and NJ), a lot of the panels were both fun and informational, and they had a screening room where you can watch the latest anime titles from FUNimation and Crunchyroll. AniMore also gave us some cool voice actors; like Felecia Angelle, Josh Grelle, Anthony Bowling, and Tia Ballard. Not only that we had a game that became an AniMore tradition every year called Cards Against Humanity (or Crabs Adjust Humidity). They also threw late night rave parties but they weren’t exactly ‘rave’ parties, they were just parties with a little bit of everything; shuffling, line dancing, twerking, booty shakin’, freakin’, and everything in between.
Otakon exposed me to a world outside of my own where I felt like I fit in, but it wasn’t until I came to AniMore where I felt more like family. This convention helped launch the overall presence of the anime blog that you see today, and they played a big part in our inception. Sadly COVID-19 took away any chance of AniMore expanding their run in Baltimore when 2021 arrived.
The way I see it; Otakon was the gateway into the convention world for me, as it showed me a place where I felt safe and free to express my nerdy passions without judgement and ridicule. AniMore took it a step further with its intimate and homely vibe where I felt like a family member and not just a guy who’s a part of the community. (Not to say that was a bad thing, but AniMore brought me closer to that family feel.) Even though those days are behind me, I will always cherish the time I spent with AniMore, and how much that convention made me and my friend feel like family. Who knows if I’ll ever find another con like that; but in the five years that I’ve attended, I have nothing but kind words to say about them, and awesome memories that will always be a part of me forever.
It’s Time For Our 2022 D&A Studios Recap!
Check it! It’s our first D&A Studios recap post of the New Year, and this time around we’re trying some new things out content-wise. For newcomers who are unfamiliar with what D&A Studios is, we can tell you that it’s not a voice acting studio (so please don’t send us your demo reels). D&A Studios is the media division of D&A Anime Blog; featuring content like unboxing videos, our podcast Nerdz of the Decade, anime convention highlights, and so much more! If you stumble across our channel and like what you see, hit that subscribe button so that you’ll know when the next unboxing video or podcast episode drops. Every Wednesday and Friday we drop a video, so you’ll be getting 2 videos a week out of us. As always thanks for the love and supports that you’ve given us over the years, and until next post, stay nerdy! 😉
A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door!
Growing up as a kid my world revolved around three things; food, Saturday Morning Cartoons, and video games. All three of which I indulged in heavily during my childhood. I can count the hours I spent playing Super Mario Bros. on my NES and the trilogy remakes on my SNES, and even what my favorite show was at the time (which happened to be DBZ and Yu-Gi-Oh, and yes I did hunt for the cards). Out of all of my favorite gaming console eras the most exciting one for me personally, was the GameCube era.
I didn’t get my hands on the cube until one year after its launch. For most Nintendo gamers it was the epitome of their childhood growing up, but for me it felt like a whole new world I was stepping into. Sure I had some awesome times with the N64, but the Gamecube era took it to another level. I played all of the hit games back then; Luigi’s Mansion, Smash Bros. Melee, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Sonic DX, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4-7, and the list goes on and on. Out of all of those games during that time, the one I had the most fun playing was Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.
What was it about this game that kept me coming back for its replay value? Was it because it took everything I loved about the original and enhanced it to an anime-level plot? Was it because I got the chance to fight a new ‘big bad’ other than Bowser? Was it the fact that the story didn’t take place in the Mushroom Kingdom like it normally does, but puts Mario in an unfamiliar town full of robbers, questionable areas, and G-rated ‘showgirls’? YES!! Yes to ALL!
It even took the battle system from the first game and enhanced it; partners now have HP, Mario’s HP and FP have a 200-point cap which is way better than PM64’s 60, and you were introduced to a new type of villain – the X-Nauts (doing their best DMX ‘X’ed’ off impression). Also, you had an audience that watched you fight your opponents. (Although there was that one time where everybody had rocks and were prepared to chuck them at me, and I had to find that one a**hole who thought it was funny and whack him on the head with my hammer. Who’s laughing now, Ted?!)
This game was also kinda dark too; the Hooktail battle where that idiot ate members of the audience, and don’t even get me started of the Shadow Queen (Shadow Peach) fight, she killed everybody in the audience and used their souls to fill up her HP. It’s probably one of the reason why I and thousands of other Paper Mario fans liked this installment so much; it took a more PG approach to the story as opposed to ‘playing it safe’ for the kiddies, although I wouldn’t count 14 as a kid’s age. I’m not sure what happened after Super Paper Mario, but fans feel like they never should’ve abandoned the RPG formula. I probably should’ve mentioned it before, but the partners in this game ACTUALLY HAVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Koops was a shy guy (pun intended) who wanted to be more confident even though his girlfriend loved him just the way he is. Vivian was in a abusive relationship with her sisters until she ventured out on her own and helped Mario get her body back from Doopliss. Admiral Bobbery lost the love of his life while out sailing the seas due to illness and felt guilty for not being by her side during her final hours, and vowed never to sail the seas again.
I can see why this installment in the Paper Mario series is one of the most critically acclaimed; the story, the character development in the partners, enhanced battle mechanics, a new main bad guy, and the game ‘forgetting’ that Bowser’s trying so hard to become the center of the plot. It’s one of the reasons why out of all of the games of the GameCube era, this one was my favorite to play; followed by Sonic DX. Who knows if Nintendo will return to what worked for the Paper Mario series, even though they tried it with Sticker Star and Origami King (but still abandoned the RPG formula all together). At the end of the day, Thousand Year Door will always be my favorite installment of the series.
Let’s Talk About It: The Best & Worst Of Anime Fandoms!
What does it mean to be a fan of something? If you ask anybody on the street they would tell you it means that you have admiration for a famous person, a sports team, a music genre, or an entertainment medium that you like to indulge in. These days we’re all fans of something or someone, and when those fans gather together to support or celebrate that person or medium that they love and enjoy, it becomes a fanbase. When it comes to pop culture mediums like professional wrestling, music, and even anime, its actually considered a fandom. To the average joe with no idea what that means, let’s talk about it.
When you think of the word ‘fandom’ the first thing that comes to mind is anime. Anime is one of the most popular and influential mediums out there both nationally and internationally; so much so, that other fandoms (particularly wrestling and sports) are fans of the medium as well. Video games are up there too and work in tandem with anime, but that’s another post for another day. As for what a ‘fandom’ is exactly, we’ll tell you:
A Fandom is a subculture of fans of a hobby or a medium such as sports, movies, music, and even anime and video games.
That’s basically it; if you’re an anime fan in general or are a fan of a certain genre of anime, and you happen to join up with others who like the same type of anime genre you do (or anime in general), then you are in fact a part of a fandom. Anime fandoms are more than just being in the number of fans who are passionate about certain anime titles. Take the Attack On Titan fandom for example; not only are they passionate about the series as a whole, they have tons of fanart from artists who love the show, cosplay fanclubs who do massive photoshoots at conventions, fanfiction about the characters they want to ship, and panels detailing the overall mythology of the series.
One of the best parts about being in an anime fandom is that fact that you can connect with other fans of the series that you like. The size of the fandom is usually based on how popular the series is; Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, and My Hero Academia come to mind when it comes to large fandoms.
There are some anime fans who aren’t very enthusiastic about anime fandoms, or even want to be a part of them for one particular reason; toxic fans. Every fandom has them, but its usually the mainstream anime titles that have the most concentrated amount of toxic fans. Why so toxic? It could be a number of things; they didn’t agree with a situation or ending to a point in the story, a character didn’t ‘get with’ the character that they wanted, they don’t like newcomer fans (noobs) who know nothing about the series or characters, or just maybe they just wanna be mean.
It’s one of the reasons why fandoms behind some of the biggest anime titles are the worst part about being a part of one, and sometimes the toxic fans are not the main problem behind why certain anime fandoms are bad; it could even be the fandom itself. There are many pros and cons when it comes to the decision of if you should jump into your favorite anime’s fandom or not, but if you’re an anime fan on the outside looking in, it gives you an opportunity to scope out whether or not you want to become invested in the fandom of the series you like; or just watch it with your friends – assuming they like anime.
Fandoms are a subculture of fans who like a particular hobby, medium, or a sport. The anime fandom as a whole contains subfandoms who like and are passionate about certain genres of anime titles. Sure, the part that sucks about them is the off chance you’ll encounter a toxic fan or fanboy online (cuz’ that’s the main place you’ll find them), but connecting with other fans of your favorite series is such an awesome feeling. Liking anime by yourself is fine, but talking about your favorite moments and gushing over your favorite characters with other fans is something that you can only experience in an anime fandom.
Until next post, stay nerdy my friends! 😉
Would Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Still Hold Up In 2022?
The 2010’s. For many of us who grew up during this decade it was either awesome, or awful! By the end of 2009 anime fans were wondering what the next ten years was going to be like for anime in general, and although the 2010’s brought us some amazing shows like Stein’s Gate and Madoka Magica, it also brought us a show that stood out from the rest of the pack! If you took the art style of the Powerpuff Girls and mixed it with the toilet humor of South Park, you would get a cult classic that embodies every troupe; both western and anime, along with a call back to an art style reminiscent of a Craig McCraken property. Even the name of the title itself tells you just what kind of show it is. We’re talking about the show known as Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.
If you’re unfamiliar with this show, its about two ‘angelic’ girls who were kicked out of Heaven for being too raunchy. They end up in a city between Heaven and Hell called Daten City (which is basically purgatory) where they have to kill ghosts and gather heaven coins to get back into Heaven. Seems like an easy task if these two weren’t distracted by their love for sex and sweets; with Panty being the former and Stocking taking the latter. The whole series revolves around their misadventures filled with sex jokes, monster’s of the week, a Ghostbusters fanboy, an afro-sporting priest, and bondage-loving demons.
Yeah, this series is basically Powerpuff Girls on acid.
What’s even funnier about the show is how it got created. During a vacation of some sort, the creators and producers of the show watched an American cartoon that we know as Drawn Together, and through drunk and humorous circumstances the staff spent the rest of the trip coming up with names and designs for Panty and Stocking – even naming them after women’s garments. Once everything was set in stone the creators and staff went back to Gainax (the same company behind Gurren Lagann and FLCL) and got to work. The team was basically trying out various ideas to figure out what worked and what didn’t, which might be the reason why every episode is split into two parts. (Like Sonic’s ‘Act 1’ and ‘Act 2’ formula.)
Due to it being so westernized even though its classified as an anime (especially during the transformation sequence), all of the jokes and humor are based off of American pop culture. Even the title cards of the episodes themselves is a call back to American movies and TV shows like High School Musical, Sex & The City, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more! Not only that but this series is chalk-full of references from 90’s cartoons like Ren & Stimpy, movie franchises like Star Wars, South Park, Super Mario Bros., Phoenix Wright and Tom Cruise? Yeah, he’s referenced in this show too, although his name is spelled ‘Tom Crooise’.
With all of the jokes and references this show had to work with during the time it came out, would that same style of comedy hold up in today’s society?
The internet has changed a lot in the last ten years, and some of the crude jokes and toilet humor we’ve come to know and love has kinda worn out its welcome. Social media is more unforgiving now than it was back in the 2010’s when it was just one person shouting at the void. Personal opinions are now being shaped from public opinions, as opposed to people forming their own opinions based on their own perspectives on topics like politics, pop culture, entertainment, sports, and yes; even anime subs and dubs.
We remember a time where ‘offensive comedy’ and adult humor was funny; because it made fun of everybody and didn’t focus on a specific group of people. Shows like Family Guy and South Park did that all the time, and technically speaking it translates into that ‘it’s not considered bullying if everybody does it’ mentality. Sure; back then we laughed in the face of negative stereotypes about black people, white people, Asians, Mexicans, Indians, Russians, Canadians, Italians and Europeans. Now in 2022, in the age of Covid, the societal shift is different.
To put it simply; Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is not just a show about two white girls, a black catholic priest, a Scott Pilgrim reject, and a green dog who looks like Gir’s inbred cousin. PSG was a bunch of ideas thrown together to see what worked and what didn’t, and the final result turned out to be one of the most critically acclaimed gems of the 2010’s thanks to its dub. Hearing Monica Rial cursing like a sailor through her 10-year-old girl signature voice behind the most popular character of the series; Stocking Anarchy, is nothing short of hilariously amazing.
The show embodied all of the gross humor and sex jokes that you would find in a Comedy Central-type adult animation title. The soundtrack is bangin’, and strong enough to listen to outside of the show. It left us with one of the most debatable endings in the history of Gainax – especially if you’re a Stocking fan. Finally, it had an identity all its own; a manifestation of ideas put together that was heavily influenced by western pop culture. The show was its own thing. It knew what it wanted to be.
There’s hasn’t really been a show of this caliber like this in the last decade, and probably never will. Despite it doing so well internationally thanks to the dub, the original sub performed poorly in Japan. The guys who worked on it left Gainax and formed Studio Trigger and pumped out hits like Kill la Kill and Promare. Who knows when they’ll revisit this property, but as far as can it still hold up in today’s time, that fact that its gaining recognition from new fans of this younger generation, says a lot.
Until next post, Happy New Year! 😉
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