What’s up guys! Last month we made a teaser post that we were going to be bringing in a new segment for the month of February known as Viz Media Spotlight; where we highlight all of the new and current anime and manga titles Viz has to offer. When it comes to anime and manga, we do our best to keep up with all of the current trends that are happening among the industry as well as in the community. So for this Viz Media Spotlight we’ll be doing some overviews of series and manga titles that are currently available for streaming and reading, and maybe a trailer or two!
We don’t even have to tell you Bleach is back!
Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War
Every Bleach fan (including us) has been wondering if the series was going to continue after the battle between Ichigo and Aizen. Well, after a 9-year wait we’ve finally got an answer; in the form of a brand new arc entitled The Thousand-Year Blood War. We have no idea what’s gonna go down in this arc, but if you wanna know why old school Bleach fans (and by that we mean Millennial fans) are so excited over this new story, just watch the trailer for yourself! ๐
A. Goldman’s Favorite Series!
Tower Of God: The Complete Series
Although we watch a lot of anime, there are some titles that stand out among the crowd in terms of plot and character development. This title being one of them; recommended by D&A’s Aaron M. Goldman, Tower Of God is a series that you definitely wanna check out! It tells the story of the main character named Twenty-Fifth Bam (as in ’25th Bam’, don’t ask cuz’ we don’t know either)ย as he and his friend Rachael have been trapped beneath a vast and mysterious tower. Suddenly Rachael decides to enter the tower; which devastates Bam, and leads him on a mission to go into the tower himself to find her and get her back with the help of some allies he meets along the way. The manga is also available to so be sure to watch and read both if you’re a fan of this series (or is interested in becoming one).
This Viz Media Spotlight is just a small taste of what we’re trying to make this segment out to be; although this one’s just a temporary one for the month, we’ll be working and researching hard to bring you updates on what anime and manga you can find on Viz Media’s website. (As we’re just highlighting new trailers and also what our recommendations are based on seeing the titles for ourselves, but we WON’T be spoiling any of the them.)
That will do it for this post, and as always we thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts for all of the love and support that you’ve given us for the blog; and D&A Studios. Until next post, stay nerdy! ๐
Yo, anime fam! It’s Monday again, and for most of us its just another manic Monday. As for us at D&A, its high time for another D&A Studios recap of what you’ve missed last week! We’ve shot another episode of our Youtube podcast Nerdz of the Decade; our 21st episode to be exact. On that one we talk about why most anime fans drop certain shows after the first handful of episodes. We’ve also got our first D&A Studios Extras episode on the Top 10 Zones from the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games. If you don’t wanna miss a moment of the action be sure to like and subscribe to our Youtube page. Until next post, stay nerdy my friends! ๐
The first month of 2022 is officially in the history books as we enter into February; with visions on our boards, and seeking just a little more compassion for others who are going through a lot. What else can you even say about how the last two years have been for America; from the height of the pandemic to vaccines being politicized, to getting others to understand why Black Lives Matter. It’s been a roller-coaster ride for a lot of us and in the mist of it all, many have decided that this year would be the year that they take that road into becoming better people. Which brings me to this question: how hard is it to be nice?
Although I keep hearing the phrase ‘Nice guys finish last!’ it sounds like something that men with little to no social etiquette; who happen to be sexist towards woman, would say. Also on that same token, I’ve even heard the phrase ‘Men start wars, women finish them!’. Its moments like this where I wish I was a kid in the 90’s again; where the only thing I had to worry about was making sure I got straight A’s in my class and did all my chores so I’d get a raise in my allowance. Sure, America did have issues but in a world where there was no social media, things seemed a little saner.
These days we’re constantly bombarded with information from social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, and most of the time, we find ourselves being drawn to the negative aspects of the platform – like ‘fat-shaming’ and hate speech. Yes, others counter that with positive things like break-dancing cat videos and that’s always a breath of fresh air, but sometimes I wonder…would we as a society be better off if we didn’t have social media? What would our lives be like if we didn’t have a platform that gave cyberbullies, trolls, bigots, and other bastards an outlet to spread their venom, and cause others who they deem weak all kinds of mental, emotional, and psychological damage…? As an Afro-American male living in the U.S. and everything that has transpired since George Floyd’s murder, that’s a question that I ask myself everyday. Not just that question, but also…why would you feel threatened by my existence?
It never made any sense to me why people feel the need to be racist, sexist, hateful, or just plain nasty. Most of the time people are like that because their parents are like that, and other times they feel so wounded by the world that they want others to feel just as miserable as they do. Hopefully the next generation will do much better in this department at being nice and more accepting than past generations before them, and that we can one day live in a world were we celebrate acceptance and diversity as what makes us unique; not what makes us different. (Which I’m already noticing.)
I’ll end this post with this; take time out of your day to brighten someone else’s.
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! ๐
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! ๐
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.
These girls have a fun personality
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.ย
You’re useless and you know it!
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! ๐
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?
“Wow, you’re just noticing…?”
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.ย
Mei = Kuudere, Asuka = Tsundere
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.
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.ย ย
From 1999-2016 (a 17-year run in Baltimore, MD)
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!ย ย ย
A. Goldman with some awesome AniMore cosplayers back in 2018
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.
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! ๐
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.
This was my favorite 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!
Bring back THIS battle system, Nintendo!
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.
Thousand Year Door will always be my favorite installment of the series!
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.ย ย
Fans of various fandoms (anime, comics, and video games) at a convention
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.ย
I’m a part of the Akatsuki fandom
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.
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