If you’re an anime fan, then you’ve probably seen a lot of anime openings and know almost half of the words to the song – in Japanese. If you haven’t noticed by now, there’s a lot of fans (and we do mean a LOT) who love K-pop and J-pop. From virtual pop star Hatsune Miku to the all-too-familiar TM Revolution, fans can’t get enough of these awesome musical artists who hail from the land of the rising sun. Tonight we’re going to bring you our Top 5 Japanese Music Artists; who are bands, singers, groups, or DJs!

Number 5: TeddyLoid (Japanese DJ/Producer)

If you’ve ever heard of a little gem called Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, then you might’ve heard the transformation sequence song that’s tied to the show. TeddyLoid along with Taku Takahashi (who is a part of the Hip-Hop group “M-Flo”), produced the PSG Original Soundtrack as well as PSG: The Worst Album. He’s also done “Me!Me!Me!” along with several other albums and EPs. If you ever get the chance to go to one of his shows (either here in the U.S. or in Japan), you’ll be in for one epic time!

Number 4: The Pillows (Japanese Rock Band)

These guys are kind of a big deal now; especially with the one and only FLCL anime coming back with a second and third season (which you can see on Toonami). If you’ve familiar with this band, then you’ve probably heard the ending track of FLCL called “Shooting Star”. The Pillows have more tracks for the second and third seasons of the anime, plus other songs and albums as well.

Number 3: LiSA (Japanese Singer-songwriter)

You might have heard her voice in a few songs from a few titles like Angel Beats! and Sword Art Online. Risa Oribe better known as ‘LiSA’ is a singer-songwriter from Seki, Gifu who is signed to Aniplex under Sony Music Artists. One of her hit songs “Crossing Field” can be heard on the well-known anime title Sword Art Online (SAO) as it’s opening. There are some anime conventions (like Anime Expo) where fans can see her perform live, so if you’ve never gotten the chance to do so, make it happen! 😉

Number 2: Puffy AmiYumi (Band)

You’d have to go back to the early/mid 2000’s era of Cartoon Network if you’ve never heard of these girls before. Last we checked this band had it’s own cartoon show known as the Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show, and later on Teen Titans performing it’s main theme song. Although that era is long gone, these girls can still rock out loud on stage!

Number 1: T.M. Revolution (Music Artist)

Anyone who knows Soul Eater has heard and sung the lyrics to the opening theme at least a thousand times or more. He’s been to and performed at numerous events and cons; especially at Baltimore/Washington’s Otakon. His full name is Takanori Nishikawa, but many of us know him of course as T.M. Revolution. To really get a sense of the type of energy he brings to a crowd, you would have to go to one of his live shows at an anime convention, or even a huge concert.

And there you have it guys n’ gals! That will do it for our Top 5 segment on our favorite Japanese music artists. We’re not through yet however, as we’ve got more exciting filler posts coming up later this week!

Stay gold, my friends! 🙂

When you’ve watched a good amount of anime as much as we have, you begin to get just a little bit curious of who might be the person or individual portraying the voice of one of your favorite characters. Now that we’re a little more seasoned as anime fans, we now have gained a newfound respect for the people (artists) that are behind the very characters we love so dearly. Although this filler post is dedicated to all of the great male anime voice actors out there, there are five in particular that we just simply had to highlight. Here is our Top 5 Male Anime Voice Actors!

Number 5: Chuck Huber

Whenever you hear his name, the first thought that should come to mind is Emperor Pilaf from Dragon Ball. He was also the Game Master in Sekirei as well as a bunch of other characters you may (or may not) be familiar with. We’ve had the opportunity to meet him personally at one of our cons last year, and let us just say; we ‘fan-girled’ hard! He’s a really cool guy when you meet him for the first time, so when you do, try not to pass out if you can help it.

Number 4: Vic Mignogna

We cannot even begin to imagine how many fangirls this VA has! Many of us know him as Broly from the DBZ movie; Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, or even Edward Elric from FMA. As with Chuck we’ve gotten the chance to meet him twice, so we’re hoping that three times the charm!

Number 3: J. Michael Tatum

Anybody that’s a fan of Black Butler knows who this guy is. You’ve heard him on Steins;Gate as well as many other shows, plus you’ve also seen him on CONfessionals with a lot of his other voice acting friends. He’s a pretty cool guy when you meet him for the first time, as long as you don’t call him ‘J. Michael Tater Tots’ that is. XP

Number 2: Kyle Herbert

“Who the hell do you think I am?!” is a quote that all of us are familiar with whenever this man’s name gets mentioned. You know him as Adult Gohan in DBZ as well as its narrator, plus you might have also seen him on the YouTube video known as Kyle Herbert is an A-Hole. (Don’t worry, it’s a lot funner than it sounds.)

Number 1: Steve Blum

This guy is a voice acting legend! From the 90’s all the way to now we’ve grown up hearing Steve’s voice from the Green Goblin on Spider Man, to Orochimaru from Naruto. (And T.O.M. from Toonami.) As one of the best in his field he continues to wow us at conventions as well as keep us entertained for years to come! (Seriously, he doesn’t look a day over 40 even though he’s in his 60’s.)

So there you have it for our Top 5 Anime Voice Actors! We’ve only met about four of the five (Kyle Herbert being the one we’ve never met) voice actors on this list, but we’re hoping that we get the chance to see these guys again at a con in the near future. Coming up we’ve got our Top 5 Female Anime Voice Actors on a filler post later this week, so don’t miss it! 😉

When it comes to the Summer, there’s everything from outdoor concerts and festivals, to anime and comic book conventions for us geeks and nerds. One thing that will always remain true when it comes to the world of anime, is the legendary “Beach Episode” found in every rom-com, slice-of-life, and harem title that’s ever been created! From swimsuit tops ‘accidentally’ falling off to battling ghastly creatures while trying to have fun in the sun, these five hand-picked episodes from us will get you ready for an epic Summer!

Number 5: Shuffle – Season 1 Episode 9: Survival Swimming at the Beach

If there anyone that knows how to kick off the first weekend of Summer, it has to be the cast of Shuffle! Rin and the girls head to the beach for some fun, but after some silly antics (thanks to Asa) Rin and Sia end up stranded offshore. What happens next you ask? you’ll have to watch the episode to find out!

Number 4: Bleach – Episode 228: Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!!

Even though this is a lengthy series, Bleach does take a break from fighting Hallows and other nasties to have some fun in the sun – well sort of. Despite all of the fun they’re having, Ichigo and Co. discover that there’s a Hallow that’s been haunting the beach. Get ready for swimsuits, Soul Reapers, and Ichigo’s rant about how much he hates the heat.

Number 3: School of Rumble – Episode 12: Save Me at the Beach! Save Me, I’m Naked! Just Save Me For Real!

This beach episode has everything you’d expect; swimsuits, perverted spies, and one character practicing katas while in the buff. If this episode doesn’t get you hyped up for the Summer, nothing will!

Number 2: TTGL – Episode 12: Yoko, will you do me a Favor?

Stuck at the beach until your boat, ship, or yacht is finished fueling up? That was the case with Team Dai-Gurren; as they had to wait until modifications were done on the Dai-Gurren before completing their mission. While this happened they enjoyed a little fun in the sun – at Yoko’s expense of getting showed up in every competition by Nia.

Number 1: PASWG: Season 1 Episode 9A: If The Angels Wore Swimsuits

If there’s anyone who knows how to turn up for the Summer, it would be the fallen angels of Daten City! This giant ball of raunchiness and adult humor that is Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, has volleyball grudge matches, ghost fights, A South Park art shift, and twerking (yes, twerking). If you plan on watching a lot of anime this Summer, be sure to add this episode to your list!

That will do it for our Top 5 Anime Beach Episodes on this post! We’ll be back next week with some more awesome posts as well as other updates from our upcoming projects.

Until then, stay gold! 😉

It’s the First Day of Summer, so that means every elementary, middle, and high school kid is now out and about! (And hopefully staying out of trouble.) This also means that the Summer anime convention season kicks off this Friday, so what con will you be heading to? If you’ve gotten the chance to check out our Cons Near U page, you’ll notice that there are a lot of cons out there.

Some of them are small and local while others are bigger and widely known, but out of the many ones that we’ve gone to (and have yet to go to), there are ten in particular that are hosted in a hotel; that we’re hoping you guys get the chance to go to and check out! Here are our Top 10 Hotel-Based Anime Conventions!

Number 10: Animore – Hyatt Regency Hotel (Baltimore, MD)

The official Home Base convention of D&A Anime Blog! Here you can find panels, voice actors, vendors, cosplay, video games, and us! If you’ve never been to this convention before, it’s ran by a great group of people that we’ve had the pleasure of being a part of; Black Materia Inc.

The con is host to the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore, MD.

Number 9: Katsucon – Gaylord Hotel/Convention Center (National Harbor, MD)

Only A. Goldman has hand the chance to attend this awesome convention five years ago, but we’re hoping to one day go together. This anime convention is both a hotel, and a convention center fused into one. Voice actors like Monica Rial, J. Micheal Tatum, and a few others have been guests here, plus you may even find DJ Greg Ayres behind the decks at their late night raves – if you’re lucky! 😉

Number 8: Zenkaikon – Lancaster Marriott/Convention Center (Lancaster, PA)

We didn’t make it in 2018, but in 2017 we made our presence known! Zenkaikon is a great place to meet friends, fans, cosplayers, and voice actors. We’re hopeful to return for Zenkaikon 2019, until then we’re just gonna have to wait and see what happens.

Number 7: Anime USA – Washington Marriott Wardman Park (Washington D.C.)

We’ve heard some awesome things about this convention, which is why we’ll be making our first ever appearance here as D&A! A con like this is going to have everything; like Q&A panels, anime, cosplay, dancing, and more! Can’t wait to see you guys there this year! 🙂

Number 6: Shuto Con – Lansing Center/Radisson Hotel (Lansing, MI)

We’ve never been to Missouri yet, but we’re hoping to get the chance to go some time soon. This convention (as it’s noted) is an anime, cosplay, and gaming convention; that means those three things are what you’re going to find at a con like this.

Number 5: Anime Festival Orlando – Wyndham Orlando Resort (Orlando, FL)

This is another convention that we’ll be making our first ever appearance to! If you’re looking for a vacation away from your busy lifestyle, then three days at the Wyndham during AFO (if you’re an anime fan) just might be what you’re looking for.

Number 4: Liberty City Anime Con – New York Marriott Marquis (New York, NY)

There’s a lot going on in New York when it comes to conventions, and this one is one you should check out when you get the chance! Make sure you’ve got a lot of money saved up however, cuz’ anything in The Big Apple is not cheap!

Number 3: Anime Midwest – Hyatt Regancy O’Hare (Rosemont, IL)

This one you’ll find on our Cons Near U page, so if you’ve never gotten the chance to go, then do these three things; save up some money, book a room, and grab your friends!

Number 2: Castle Point Anime Con – Holiday Inn Meadowlands (Secaucus, NJ)

Another anime convention that you can find on our Cons Near U page! If things go well on our end, we just might be able to make an appearance at this convention. (Fingers crossed of course.)

Number 1: AWA – Renaissance Atlanta Hotel/Convention Center (Atlanta, GA)

In a filler post we did awhile back, we talked about our Top 10 geekiest cities in North America. Of course at the end of that post we found out that the city of Atlanta in Georgia, is the geekiest city in the U.S. (Why? We don’t know!) With that being said Anime Weekend Atlanta is one of the most popular hotel-based anime conventions in the ATL. Never gone? Be sure to check it out should the opportunity come about.

Hah! So there you have it! Our Top 10 Hotel-Based Anime Conventions from the good guys at D&A Anime Blog. We’ve got more great filler posts coming up later this week right here on the blog! Stay tuned my friends! 🙂