AMV Of The Week (Sort Of): Burnskastel

This week’s AMV is one of those okay-not-really-but-still picks. And to be honest, it's not really an AMV at all. But it is funny, especially if you are both an Umineko and a Simpsons fan.

Anyway, once upon a time there was an Umineko Hell video contest and many entered and a lot of them were 'meh', but out of the particularly humorous ones, the one that stood out to me was . . . Burnskastel. That's right. Bernkastel means Mister Burns. And it is epic.

AMV: Umineko Hell II Entry#2: Burnskastel

Author: Deitiy666

Music: There is a portion of the Umineko ED (Jimang's "La Divina Tragedia ~Makyoku~") played at the end.

Warnings: Slaps! Slaps for everyone!

Fujoshi O'Clock (4/28/12)

What time is it? It's . . . Fujoshi O'Clock, the new weekly feature at Nagareboshi Review, when I bring to you the latest fujoshi-related news and reviews and various shiny BL-flavored things. Why? Because rotten girls need love too!

This week on Fujoshi O'Clock:

• ANN: Animate USA has added a new title to its Kindle store: Kou Yoneda's one-shot BL manga, NightS. It is also releasing the next parts in series by Youka Nitta and Ayano Yamane.
• Ogiue Maniax keeps on keepin' on the Fujoshi Files with File #41: Oshiroi Hana of the light novel/anime series Ben-To!, who writes an online BL novel called Muscle Cop.
• Publishers' Weekly has posted a review with BL manga-ka Makoto Tateno, well known by English reading audiences for such works as Yellow and Blue Sheep Reverie.
• Eat That Toast! has a Community-based strip this week that shows Shirley becoming one of us: a shipper. If you love Troy/Abed, you'll love this. Slightly NSFW.
• Lissa at Kuriosity.ca posts her swag bag of manga for April, which includes a number of BL manga titles from Viz's yaoi imprint. SuBLime.

Reviews:

• Anna at Manga Report reviews Working Kentauros by est em, a new work by a well-known boys' love manga-ka that features centaurs in modern-day Japan, reviewed via Jmanga's translation.

Am I missing your blog? Got some awesome fujoshi-related news and reviews you think deserve a shout-out? Poke me with a link and a bit of description over at my Twitter: @theseventhl. I'm always on the look out for more BL love!

License Line: Save Our Saber

What is License Line? Put simply, it's a semi-regular feature on Nagareboshi Reviews in which yours truly posts about a certain anime/manga series that truly, desperately needs to be licensed and put on my shelves ASAP - from the obscure but well-deserving manga to the stream worthy but not yet DVD licensed anime.

I’m gonna keep this short. We’re all busy folks this time of year and I’ve got a god awful stack of homework to get to. So this is yet another request for a Tokyopop license rescue, this one a bit timelier considering what I’ve been blogging about lately.

If you have been reading this blog or following me on Twitter, you know I’ve been reading the manga adaptation of Type-Moon’s visual novel Fate/Stay Night – and totally loving it. I love the characters, the magic, the action, the world-building; even the fan service is good.

Problem is, it was released in English by the now defunct Tokyopop (I’m not counting their ‘comeback’ only a while ago as a proper return to business) and only came out with around ten books before closing. This means I’ll be soon running out of F/SN graphic novels to read and will either have to – gulp – turn to scanlations or wait for someone to rescue it for English release.

Really, I can’t see why any manga publisher would not want to bring out Fate/Stay Night. The F/SN film is set to come out on DVD and Blu-Ray later this year, and the prequel series Fate/Zero is a huge hit with fans. Someone could easily re-release the first ten volumes in omnibus format then continue from there with standard-sized graphic novels. And since the manga is still going in Japan, there won’t be an absence of material to release for Type-Moon fans.

And while I’m at it, Geneon and Funimation both hold the rights to the anime. Are y’all actually gonna do anything with that? Just saying. It would be nice to be able to buy the anime without shelling out over a hundred bucks for an out of print box set.

Feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments! Or post links to sexy fanart of Rin and Saber, I can dig that too. Wink wink.

Studio 4°C Goes To The Hills

Because I feel obligated to post something, damn it. Plus, the fact that Studio 4°C did a commercial for a mineral water is so very amusing. And, you know, the animation is pretty pleasant. Why can't we (read: Americans) have adverts like these?

PR: VIZ Media Announces New Digital Vision - VIZ Labs

VIZ MEDIA CREATES VIZ LABS

TO DRIVE DIGITAL CONTENT INNOVATION

New Division To Be Led By Gagan Singh

San Francisco, CA, April 23, 2012 – VIZ Media, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga, graphic novels and anime in North America, announced the formation of VIZ Labs, a new division of the company led by Gagan Singh, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. 

VIZ Labs will focus on innovation in digital content distribution, and will consolidate engineering and digital business efforts across the company into one group. VIZ Media has recently been selectively acquiring engineering talent, and that acquisition strategy will continue under VIZ Labs.

“Innovation in distribution is an integral part of VIZ Media’s future,” said Ken Sasaki, President and CEO of VIZ Media. “As a long-time partner of the company, Gagan helped us shape our digital content strategy, and we’re delighted to have him join our team full time.”

VIZ Labs and Singh are responsible for integrating technology across the entire company, including the digital platforms for VIZ Manga and VIZ Anime. Prior to joining VIZ Media, Singh was the Founder and CEO of West Side Labs, a long time technology partner for VIZ Media.  With advanced degrees from Harvard, MIT and UC Berkeley, Singh joins VIZ Media with a wealth of experience.

AMV: Say Huh!?

This week’s AMV is really an all-time favorite for me. So much, I accidentally added it to my AMV queue on YouTube on two separate occasion. Whoops! There is a ton of anime that Rubeeh has skillfully fit into this vid; so much so that people are still debating over which series are in it in the comments section. It's fun, it's energetic, and it's an instant classic among AMVs.

AMV: Say HUH!?

Author: Rubeeh

Music: 4 Minute's "Huh"

Warnings: Flashing lights, quickly edited clips, fanservice (bordering on NSFW), copious uses of lens flare.

In The Accelerated World: Accel World 2 & 3

Look, see? Told y'all I'd be blogging about this series on a more regular basis than the others!

Spoiler warning: Spoilers for the second and third episodes of Accel World beyond this point. Don't read if you have not watched!

Accel World episode 2: Haruyuki, now a Burst-Linker, suddenly finds himself thrown into a deadly match against a vicious biker named Ash Roller. Haruyuki is unable to grasp the situation and is quickly defeated.

Accel World episode 3: A Duel Avatar called Cyan Pile is seeking to challenge Kuroyukihime in battle within Accel World. (Source: Hulu)

Accel World continues and now we get to see Haruyuki in the Brain Burst world, using his avatar Silver Crow to fight and level up as one does in a fighting game. Naturally, since Accel World is one of those series, it's not that simple. Are things ever that simple in anime? Nope. The more Haruyuki explores the ins and outs of Brain Burst, with the beautiful Kuroyukihime as his guide (in her avatar Snow Black), the more Haruyuki realizes that he has never played a game like this before. And I'd imagine neither has any of us.

Read on after the jump for the rest of my review!

Fujoshi O'Clock (4/20/12)

What time is it? It's . . . Fujoshi O'Clock, the new weekly feature at Nagareboshi Review, when I bring to you the latest fujoshi-related news and reviews and various shiny BL-flavored things. Why? Because rotten girls need love too!

This week on Fujoshi O'Clock:

• ANN: The Silver Diamond manga is coming to an end in May, according to the June issue of Monthly Ichi*Raci. Tokyopop had been publishing this series regularly before closing.
• Digital Manga has posted their round-up of the week's digital releases, including a new Guild title, along with links to reviews of several of their titles.
• Boys'Luv.com reports on the Kickstarter project for Laura Carboni's Roulette, a boys' love story written by Tina Anderson with art by Carboni; it's looking to be 255 pages long.
• Ogiue Maniax posts about their experience with "Fundanshism", a manga series by Morishige, which is all about fujoshi and otaku characters.

Reviews:

• Connie at Slightly Biased manga reviews 100 Blossoms To Love by Gido Amagakure, a yakuza yaoi from JManga which ends up being very cute and funny.
• She also reviews Open The Door To Your Heart by Yugi Yamada, which features characters from Yamada's earlier work Close The Last Door and borders on being incestful. 
• Katherine at The Manga Critic reviews est em's The Apartments of Calle Feliz, a story of a group of guys living in an apartment that are filled with whimsy and beautiful art. 

Am I missing your blog? Got some awesome fujoshi-related news and reviews you think deserve a shout-out? Poke me with a link and a bit of description over at my Twitter: @theseventhl. I'm always on the look out for more BL love!

PR: Shojo Beat Adds Two New Titles - STROBE EDGE & DEMON LOVE SPELL

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN PUBLISHING LICENSES FOR NEW SHOJO MANGA SERIES STROBE EDGE AND DEMON LOVE SPELL

VIZ Media announces its latest manga (graphic novel) licenses with the acquisition of the domestic publishing rights to two new shojo series – STROBE EDGE, by Io Sakisaka, and DEMON LOVE SPELL, by Mayu Shinjo. Both titles are scheduled to begin publication later this year under the company’s Shojo Beat imprint.

Creator Io Sakisaka’s STROBE EDGE (rated ‘T’ for Teens) asks the timeless question, “What is love?” Ninako Kinoshita’s friends tell her it’s one thing, but Ninako wants to discover this mysterious emotion herself. When she meets Ren Ichinose, a handsome, enigmatic guy worshipped by all the girls at her school, she finds her heartbeat quickening with excitement! Is Ninako about to experience the many facets of love?

Celebrated manga creator Mayu Shinjo (AI ORE!, SENSUAL PHRASE) also returns with her new supernatural romance, DEMON LOVE SPELL (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens). In the series, Miko is a shrine maiden who has never had much success at seeing or banishing spirits. Then she meets Kagura, a sexy demon who feeds off of women’s feelings of passion and love. Kagura’s insatiable appetite has left many girls brokenhearted at school, so Miko casts a spell to seal his powers. Surprisingly the spell works – sort of – but now Kagura is after her!

“STROBE EDGE has been one of the most requested titles that our readers have asked to be licensed, and the romantic coming-of-age story will be a perfect series for young teen readers in particular,” says Leyla Aker, Vice President, Publishing. “Mayu Shinjo’s new series, DEMON LOVE SPELL, will intrigue older teen readers and young adults with its fun mix of comedic supernatural romance and gorgeous artwork. We look forward to launching both series later this year and will be announcing more information on the forthcoming debuts soon!”

For more information on Shojo Beat manga titles, please visit: www.ShojoBeat.com

The War Of The Holy Grail

Or: First Thoughts On Fate/Stay Night

The day that Emiya Shirou's life changed forever...

Fate/Stay Night volumes 1-4

Original story by Type-Moon

Adapted by Dai Nishiwaki

Published in English by Tokyopop

The story takes place in an ordinary Japanese town, Fuyuki City. Hidden from society, there has been a deadly war going on in this town. Seven sorcerers known as "Masters" summon a powerful familiar called "Servants" and they all fight each other till the last one. The last one is said to attain the Holy Grail which will grant them a wish. Only a few knows when this War started and what the Holy Grail is, but the war was about to begin again this year. The main character is Emiya Shirou, who lost his parents in a fire and was adopted by a man who called himself a sorcerer. Admiring his step father, he has been training himself to be a sorcerer. However, he had no talent and he could barely use one type of sorcery. His step father has already passed away, and today he's a sorcerer without any skills or knowledge. He is involved in the War of the Holy Grail when he accidentally summons Saber, who is said to be the strongest servant of all...

Based on "Unlimited Blade Works", the second part of the game. (Source: Wikipedia)

Spoiler alert: Spoilers for the first four volumes of the manga beyond this point! Please do not share any spoilers past this point in the series, please!

Look, I've finally gotten around to checking out Type-Moon’s legendary series, Fate/Stay Night! Can I be one of the cool kids yet? Oh, okay. I have to admit, the Internet really hyped up my expectations. A lot of blogs I follow can't stop talking about it, especially after the premiere of the prequel series Fate/Zero (which I've luckily not paid attention to too much lest it ruin the original for me). I just happened to grab up an armful of books from the F/SN series while at the library and gave it a go only a couple of days ago.

And you know what? Fate/Stay Night is absolutely wonderful. I love it! It's not perfect but it's pretty darn near there. And it has Saber and Rin Tosaka, which also makes it very much close to perfection.

Anyone Up For A News Round-Up?

Why? Because.

Geez, I haven't done one of these in a long time! Well, here comes a most delicious link spam of news and like minded discoveries! Including news about a series I'll be reviewing come tomorrow, about a certain magic user and his sexy armored reincarnated saber lady friend - yeah, now it's kind of obvious, innit?

• I'm sure many people will be excited about this one. Little Busters! is finally getting an anime adaptation. So, LB! fans can stop flooding MyAnimeList forums about the lack of LB anime, right? 
• Even more Little Busters! news: the series will feature the original songs from the visual novels, sung by game artist Rita. Oh, and it'll be produced by J.C. Staff instead of KyoAni. Cue the entire fandom pitching a fit! Wah, why don't y'all make anime my way!
• One Peace Books (heard of 'em? Yeah, neither had I!) is going to re-release, of all titles, the Crayon Shin-chan manga - or at least the first three volumes. And the covers look pretty sweet!
• Wave Corporation is giving Fate/Stay Night fans something to really appreciate: a 1/10 scale figure of Saber in a swimsuit. Aww, yeah. And for 47 dollars? Why not?
• Yuu Watase fans and stage play fans can rejoice. Absolute Boyfriend is getting a stage adaptation, due to hit Japan early next year. Sadly, it's not a Takarazuka Revue production.
• For Haruki Murakami fans, SF Bay Guardian Online has a great interview with Jay Rubin and J. Philip Gabriel, Murakami's translators. Their most recently translation was Murakami's 900+ epic tale of parallel worlds, 1Q84 (which everyone should read!)

PR: VIZ Media's Alvin Lu Promoted to Executive Vice President, Publishing

VIZ MEDIA PROMOTES ALVIN LU TO

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLISHING

San Francisco, CA, April 16, 2012 – VIZ Media, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga, graphic novels and anime in North America, has promoted Alvin Lu to Executive Vice President of Publishing.

“Compelling content has been driving our business for 25 years,” said Ken Sasaki, President and CEO of VIZ Media. “Alvin always made sure VIZ Media had the best manga titles direct from Japan, and his creative instincts are unparalleled in the industry.”

Alvin Lu, who among other accomplishments has overseen the remarkable growth of VIZ Media’s graphic novel publishing line over the years, will head the publishing team. In his new role, he will focus on maintaining VIZ Media’s position as the leading trade graphic novel publisher in North America and taking the program in bold new directions. 

AMV Of The Week: Encore

This week’s AMV is a weird pick for me, because it is based around the .hack//G.U. trilogy. And I absolutely hate the G.U. storyline! It's my least favorite part of the .hack canon. And yet, the vid editor has taken a series I normally dislike and created a wonderful, energized AMV that almost makes me want to like G.U. (almost). It still looks pretty amazing, though!

AMV: Encore

Author: ChronisOfTheTwilight

Music: Celldweller's "The Last Firstborn [Listen Redux (TwilightChrono Remix)]"

Warnings: Flashing lights, quickly cut-together edited clips, depictions of violence and psychosis. Might be spoilers for the G.U. storyline.

Initial Thoughts: Space Brothers

Once upon a time there were two brothers, Hibito and Mutta. Hibito, the littler brother, had been blessed with good luck since the day he was born. Mutta, the elder, had always had bad luck. One day, looking up at the night sky, the two brothers saw a UFO. This experience made them both promise to become astronauts. In the year 2025, Hibito has kept his promise and is an astronaut who is part of the first wave of people to live for an extended period of time on the moon. 

Meanwhile, his older brother Mutta has been fired from his job and is unemployed, but a message from his brother makes him decide to start being an astronaut again. Unaware of his own talent, elder brother Mutta chases his dreams to get back in front of his younger brother. 32-year-old Mutta will attempt the astronaut candidate examinations to follow his brother Hibito to the moon believing the words "The older brother should always be ahead of the younger one..." (Source: YTV English)

Spoiler warning: Review contains spoilers for the first three episodes of Space Brothers. You should probably watch those first before reading ahead!

I’ve had high hopes for Space Brothers/Uchuu Kyoudai (宇宙兄弟) since it was first announced last year. An anime about older dudes who are also brothers becoming astronauts and going to the moon? By A-1 Pictures, the same studio behind some of my personal favorite titles of recent years, including Ao No Exorcist and Kuroshitsuji? Sign me up, man. And I have to say, for a series that is totally outside the norm of this spring season’s roster of titles, Space Brothers is absolutely fantastic. It crept up on my slowly with its charm and intelligence so that by the end of the first episode, I was already in love.

Read on with the rest of my review after the jump!

Initial Thoughts: Accel World

The year is 2046. Haruyuki Arita is a young boy who finds himself on the lowest social rungs of his school. Ashamed of his miserable life, Haruyuki can only cope by indulging in virtual games. But that all changes when Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and a virtual reality called the Accel World. (Source: Viz Media)

Spoiler Alert: Review contains some spoilers/plot details for the first episode of Accel World. Read on with caution!

Accel World is probably going to be one of those titles that gets a lot of attention and has a divided viewer base, all because it is based around a chubby unpopular kid who retreats to video games when real life sucks too much – and said kid happens to catch the attention of the most beautiful and popular girl in his high school. But this might be the show I blog about from this current season on a semi-regular basis. It is currently hitting a good deal of my storytelling kinks while being terribly entertaining, further cementing my feelings about this spring’s anime titles.

So, what is it about a fat kid like Haruyuki who can only find solace in the virtual world that has me wanting to blog about it every week like some kind of regular anime blog?

Read the rest of my thoughts after the jump!

Fujoshi O'Clock: (4/12/12)

What time is it? It's . . . Fujoshi O'Clock, the new weekly feature at Nagareboshi Review, when I bring to you the latest fujoshi-related news and reviews and various shiny BL-flavored things. Why? Because rotten girls need love too!

This week on Fujoshi O'Clock:

• ANN: JManga is adding more titles to their site, including a manga title by est em, a terrific yaoi manga-ka who deserves a wider audience.
• Ogiue Maniax continues on with its Fujoshi Files series as it reaches number 40: Yoshitaka Rika of the second season of Genshiken, one of the proudest and well-rounded fujoshi in the club.
• Connie at Slightly Biased Manga puts her blog's spotlight on BL artist Toko Kawai, the prolific artistic talent behind such titles as Loveholic, Cut, and In The Walnut.
• Johanna at Manga Worth Reading has gathered up a series of blog posts from a Digital Manga Guild member about her experiences working on releasing yaoi titles in English.
• Erica at Okazu is talking about a new LGBT-friendly convention, YaYCon in the Netherlands, which celebrates both yaoi and yuri.

Reviews:

• Contemporary Japanese Literature reviews est em's Hatarake Kentauros, a BL-tinged manga about centaurs living their lives in modern-day Japan.

Am I missing your blog? Got some awesome fujoshi-related news and reviews you think deserve a shout-out? Poke me with a link and a bit of description over at my Twitter: @theseventhl. I'm always on the look out for more BL love!

Manga Review: Soulless GN 1

Soulless: The Manga volume one

Author: Gail Carriger

Artist: Rem

Yen Press

Major spoiler warning: Review contains spoilers for the Soulless manga adaptation and some spoilers for the original Parasol Protectorate series. Read with caution!

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Or will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? (Source: Goodreads)

I have never been particularly enamored of manga that is a straight adaptation of another work, whether it be an anime or an English-language novel (I give passes to those which adapt visual novels and light novels, those are entirely different beasts). Imagine my surprise when this latest adaptation of a book – Gail Carriger’s Soulless, the first in the Parasol Protectorate series – is not only incredibly entertaining but extremely high quality in translating word to image and telling Carriger’s story in manga format.

Read the rest of my review after the jump!

Initial Thoughts: Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals

Based on a manga by Taira Kenji, serialized in Saikyou Jump. A spin-off of Kishimoto Masashi's popular Naruto manga. The story focuses on the strange antics of Team Guy as they work on becoming great ninjas, a job which often requires saving Lee from himself. (Source: AniDB)

If I had to have made a bet on which Naruto cast member would be first to get their own certified spin-off . . . then, yeah, I would have bet Rock Lee. And who is surprised, really? Rock Lee is one of those characters who may be a part of the secondary cast but attracts one hell of a fan following, to the point that it becomes inevitable that his popularity cannot be ignored any longer. And since the anime industry does love making money off a good thing, it's only natural they would follow suit with their beloved Naruto franchise by spinning off an entire anime series (based on the manga series by the same name) about Rock Lee and his ninja antics.

For those who want to watch the cast of Naruto without sitting through 300+ episodes, we have Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden (ロック・リーの青春フルパワー忍伝) or, as Crunchyroll is so helpfully translating it to be, Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals, the newest efforts from Studio Pierrot. Everyone is super deformed and looking super cute, so it definitely has looks going for it. Unless you don't like SD characters (or Naruto) . . . in which case, you'd probably be best off avoiding this one. The rest of y'all? Have fun!

AMV Of The Week: Hold Your Colour

This week’s AMV is, to cut a long story short, pretty freaking awesome. It has some of the best editing I've seen since starting AMV Of The Week and artfully combines a metric ton of anime series into one cohesive fan video that is amazingly entertaining.

AMV: Hold Your Colour

Author: DigiCat

Music: Pendulum's "Hold Your Colour"

Warnings: Quickly edited clips, flashing lights and colors, scenes of violence/blood and depictions of psychosis.

Initial Thoughts: Folktales From Japan

Like in any culture, Japanese kids grow up listening to the stories repeatedly told by their parents and grandparents. The boy born from a peach; the princess from the moon who is discovered inside a bamboo; the old man who can make a dead cherry tree blossom, etc. These short stories that teach kids to see both the dark and bright sides of life have passed traditional moral values from generation to generation. (Source: ANN)

It is impossible to divorce Japanese culture from its folk tales as storytelling is so deeply entwined in the Japanese psyche. Naturally, the folk tales and stories of Japanese's cultural history is ripe for adapting when it comes to anime - and that is exactly what has happened with Folktales From Japan (Furusato Saisei Nippon no Mukashi Banashi/ふるさと再生 日本の昔ばなし), a new series airing on TV Tokyo that seems to be aired at a younger sort but is certainly approachable by viewers of all ages.

Each episode is broken up into three stories, each about eight to nine minutes in length, and provides a keen window into the literary heart of Japan itself. It will never be anything like Ayakashi or Genji Monogatari Sennenki in terms of presentation but it does provide a solid entertaining half-hour of anime (that, thank goodness, doesn’t rely on fan service or ridiculous plots to make itself popular, which seems to be a recurring them in recent seasons).

PR: Viz Media Premieres New Simulcast - ACCEL WORLD

VIZ MEDIA ENCOURAGES FANS TO ACCELERATE THEIR BRAINS WITH THE SIMULCAST PREMIERE OF NEW ANIME SERIES ACCEL WORLD

Debuting Today on VIZAnime.com, A Bullied Teen Finds New Powers & Strength In A Virtual Reality Video Game

San Francisco, CA, April 6, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, adds another hot new title to its anime arsenal with the announcement of the subtitled, simulcast premiere of ACCEL WORLD. The new sci-fi fantasy series (rated TV-14,) launches today, the same day it debuts in Japan on VIZAnime.com, the company’s own website for free anime, as well on the free, ad-supported Hulu service and the Hulu Plus subscription service (www.Hulu.com). Brand new installments of the 24-episode series are scheduled to premiere on the outlets every Friday.

The year is 2046. Haruyuki Arita is a young boy who finds himself on the lowest social rungs of his school. Ashamed of his miserable life, Haruyuki can only cope by indulging in virtual games. But that all changes when Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and a virtual reality called the Accel World.

Fujoshi O'Clock (4/5/12)

What time is it? It's . . . Fujoshi O'Clock, the new weekly feature at Nagareboshi Review, when I bring to you the latest fujoshi-related news and reviews and various shiny BL-flavored things. Why? Because rotten girls need love too!

This week on Fujoshi O'Clock:

• Some good news from AnimeNation's Blog: Junjou Romantica is to have a third anime program, according to the May issue of Asuka Ciel. It will be an OAD, not a full season of episodes.
• Digital Manga continues to license all the things, apparently, adding President Momoi-Kun and Tender Hearts to their ever-growing roster of BL manga.
• Otaku Champloo is putting the spotlight on boys' love manga-ka Yamashia Tomoko, author of such works as Dining Bar Akira and Koi no Hanashi ga Shitai.
• Sean Gaffney at A Case Suitable For Treatment looks at this week's manga release schedule, including a bevy of yaoi titles from DMP, natch. (Speaking of which, just ordered my copy of Rohan At The Louvre from B&N. Excitement!)
• ふう子 at Hazukashii Kedo has a small request to ask of her readers regarding the BL images she usually posts alongside reviews and such; please read!

Reviews:

• ふう子 at Hazukashii Kedo reviews Okuyama Puku's Caramel, which looks absolutely adorable and guh and why is it not available in English?
• Connie at Slightly Biased Manga reviews Glass Sky by Yugi Yamada, a personal favorite of mine, and finds it a quality anthology.
• Shannon Fay at Halifax's The Coast reviews About Love by Narise Konohara and Tomo Ootake, a love story in the world of weddings that is definitely on the top of my to-read BL list.
• Margaret at Sequential Tart reviews The Bed of My Dear King by Sakae Kusama, a Viz SuBLime release, and finds it a work that can't be pinned to any particular genre (in a good way).
• Julie at Full Moon Dreaming reviews Yakuza Cafe by Shinano Oumi and really enjoys it although she raises a few questions about the use of non-con sex in the course of the story. 

Am I missing your blog? Got some awesome fujoshi-related news and reviews you think deserve a shout-out? Poke me with a link and a bit of description over at my Twitter: @theseventhl. I'm always on the look out for more BL love!

Manga Review: Seven Days: Monday → Thursday

Seven Days: Monday → Thursday / セブンデイズ

Author: Venio Tachibana

Artist: Rihito Takarai (Illustrator)

Digital Manga Publishing

Kindle Edition

Major spoiler warning: Review contains spoilers for the Seven Days series' first volume. Read on with caution!

One early Monday morning, Shino Yuzuru runs into Seryou Touji and asks, "Will you go out with me?" Seryou, who's extremely popular at school, has the odd habit of going out with anyone who asks him out first at the beginning of the week, then promptly dumps them by the end of the week. Shino, obviously, has no intention of being in a serious relationship with anyone, including Seryou. And it's not like it's actually love or anything... or is it? (Source: Goodreads)

I honestly don't know what to say about this series beyond "YES PLEASE THANK YOU CAN I GET VOLUME TWO NOW PLEASE". It really is quite a charming opening volume and packs a lot of character and relationship development in four days' time. Shino and Seryou's relationship is utterly fascinating; it's not like a typical boys' love pairing at all and at first they seem ill-fitted for each other - but the more time they spend together, the more the love between them is evident, like a good romance often does. If these are the kinds of stories that Venio Tachibana can write, then I want more of them ASAP.

AMV Of The Week: Touch

This week’s AMV is one of those fast-paced beat-thumpin' multi-anime fan vids that are hard to get right but when you do, they end up being loads of fun to watch. Shinzo does a great job of showcasing a ton of series, many of them underappreciated, set to a good song that still manages to fit the video content. Also, anyone who includes Spice & Wolf and Rideback in a multi-series AMV is all right by me.

AMV: Touch

Author: Shinzo/Next Level Studio

Music: Basic Element's "Touch Right Now"

Warnings: Flashing lights, fast-edited clips.

PR: New Simulcast Debuts Today on VIZAnime.com: ZETMAN!

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE SIMULCAST PREMIERE OF THE INTENSE DARK ACTION SERIES ZETMAN, THE SAME DAY AS IT DEBUTS IN JAPAN

Seinen Sci-Fi Anime Adventure Launches Today On VIZAnime.com And Hulu And Is Based On A Manga Series By Acclaimed Creator Masakazu Katsura

San Francisco, CA, April 2, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, is proud to announce today’s online simulcast debut of the gritty new sci-fi anime action series – ZETMAN –on VIZAnime.com, the company’s own website for free anime, as well as on the free, ad-supported Hulu service and the Hulu Plus subscription service (www.Hulu.com).

ZETMAN is rated ‘TV-MA’ for Mature Audiences, and is based on a popular seinen manga (graphic novel) series by Masakazu Katsura, who also created VIDEO GIRL AI and I”S (both published in North America by VIZ Media) and was the character designer for the hit anime TIGER & BUNNY (also available on VIZAnime.com). The anime series, presented in Japanese with English subtitles, launches in U.S. the same day as it debuts in Japan; a new episode will be available each Monday.

“ZET,” the one who is entrusted with the future of mankind. “ALPHAS,” the one who is searching for the meaning of true justice. They will be the ones who will change the world. Is it coincidence or fate that brings these two heroes together? Soon, the two will learn what fate has in mind for them…

Final Thoughts: Recorder to Randoseru Do♪

Been a while since I've done one of these, hasn't it? Maybe I'll actually watch more anime this year! One can only hope.

Miyagawa Atsushi is an 11-year-old boy who is 180 centimeters tall. Since he has a grown-up looking build but acts his age, he has always been running into troubles. On the other hand, his 17-year-old elder sister Atsumi is only 137 centimeters tall. Even though she has a childish looking build, Atsumi takes good care of Atsushi. (Source: MAL)

Spoiler warning: The following reviews contain spoilers for the first two episodes of Recorder to Randoseru Do♪. Read with caution!

I had my initial trepidations about Recorder to Randoseru and how it would handle its own premise, since it seems like it could tip so easily into creepy territory. I mean, a little kid that looks like a handsome grown man? A high school girl that looks like she is in elementary school? Certainly there would be no way for this show not to become inherently skeevier with each episode. Surprise surprise – that did not happen! 

Sure, it occasionally went for the cheap “Atsushi holding a young girl’s hand, call the cops!” joke but somehow Recorder to Randoseru managed to go beyond that and become something enjoyable and surprisingly sweet.