A Success with Plamoya: Makkachin and More

Just to give you a back story. I have a friend who's an avid fan of Yuri!!! On ice. Because I happen to figure skate, he was VERY persistent in seeing me cosplay as someone from the show. I kept resisting. We ended up having a bet where if I lost, I had to cosplay Yuri On Ice. It was a very simple bet: he had to get at least 100 people to vote on a poll “yes” that they wanted to see me cosplay from that series. Miraculously, I lost...he got over 100 votes! To honor his victory, I chose to crossplay as Yuri Katsuki.

The Blind Box Adventure with Puella Magi Madoka Magica Mascot

I was browsing through my comic book store when I spotted these. I became intrigued and decided to buy 3 of the blind boxes. This is where the “let’s pray that I don’t get duplicates” starts happening. I hoped to get Homura and what luck! Not only did I get her, but the other characters as well on the first try. Yay! No duplicates.

Review on Petit Chara! Series - Sailor Moon Puchitto Oshiokiyo!

I first discovered these cuties on AmiAmi. I actually missed on it the first time. Then when it became available on the site, I brought it before it was sold out again.

The Walking Dead- Game “A New Day” by Tell Tale Games (TTG)

Article by Chet Royer

Have you ever had that fun conversation with your friends about what you would do during a zombie apocalypse? How would you survive? Well Tell Tale Games has released a game that will allow you to answer those questions and not speculate anymore. This game is The Walking Dead based on Robert Kirkman's comic book with the very same name. My name is Chet, a.k.a. Ninja101 and this is my review of this episodic adventure game.

Osamu Tezuka's MW is Mortally Wicked

© 2004 Vertical, Inc. All rights reserved.

No, that is not what the title stands for (it can be considered that though). In the story, “MW” is a name for something, but there is no explanation on what the initials stand for. Now I am not going to tell you what MW is in the story; you are going to have to read the book to find out. ;-) However, I can say that MW is why our protagonist, Michio Yuki, loses his mind and becomes the human embodiment of evil.

Osamu Tezuka's Buddha, an Epic Manga

© 2004 Vertical, Inc. All rights reserved.

Never have I read a manga story that is so captivating and epic as Osamu Tezuka's Buddha. Initially, I was reluctant to read this manga, because I thought it was something religious, which I have no interest in reading. However, after seeing the series multi times during different visits to the bookstore, I decided to give the story a chance (keep in mind that I had no idea who Osamu Tezuka was at the time). After completing the first volume, I had the desire to continue reading and that desire did not stop until the conclusion of the story.

Personal Review: Spice & Wolf Vol. 4

Review by Jong Chung

Holo and Lawrence continue their journey in the fourth volume of Spice & Wolf. The pair now find themselves heading to the small village of Tereo, in search of a monk at a particular abbey that can hasten their journey to Holo's hometown of Yoitsu. He is said to have a collection of tales about pagan gods, and thus possibly information about Holo's origin. Amidst their inquiry, however, they encounter a roadblock in the form of a sort of an internal dispute between Tereo and the Church. Lawrence also discovers that the villagers seem strangely well off despite their halted labor as soon as the harvest season was over – quite an anomaly in a village the size of Tereo's, being a part of a neighboring town's – Enbarch's – fiefdom. Along with that, Lawrence was given the cold shoulder as soon as he approached the Church and the village elder regarding whereabouts of the Abbey in question. Finally, there's the mystery behind the existence of a Church in Tereo itself, as the village follows strong faith in Paganistic beliefs. Not only will the traveling pair have to get to the bottom of all of this – but they may find themselves in more trouble than they could have imagined (as usual, of course).

Personal Review: The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya

Review by Jong Chung

The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya presents three stories with excellent pacing throughout the volume. By title, they are: Endless Eight, The Day of Sagittarius, and Snowy Mountain Syndrome. More so than any of the other previous volumes of the series, I found myself appreciating the order of the stories to fit well with the series itself. Be it a coincidence or not (as each chapter was published as separate short stories, it seems, going by the afterword by the author at the end of the volume), I found myself happy to think back to how much I enjoyed the ride that is The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Personal Review: Blood+ Volume 1: 1 First Kiss

Review by Jong Chung

Blood+ is an animated series that ran from year 2005 to 2006 in Japan, having established itself as one of the top anime of the genre. It's no coincidence that some readers may find it familiar that the protagonist is a girl named Saya who hunts beings that are “vampires” (though it's rather loosely related to the more modern usage of the term) known in the series as “Chiropterans.” Blood+ has roots in the OVA Blood The Last Vampire, by the same creator. Blood+ is a rather old series, and perhaps some leniency should be given as it as one of the earlier light novel series to be published in English. This will be addressed later, but for now, onto the review.

Personal Review: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Review by Jong Chung

In an effort to catch up to recent volumes, here is another review featuring the Haruhi Suzumiya series! The fourth installment, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya features the stoic Nagato at the center of its events. The universe is turned on its heels when the world Kyon knew it as is no longer. As if the past had been changed, Kyon finds the SOS brigade nonexistent, and even Haruhi to be a stranger to him in this new world. Even more disturbing to Kyon (ironically) is that there are no Aliens, Time Travelers or Espers around! Despite having met up with his past acquaintances of the SOS Brigade, none seem to remember nor recognize him.

Summer Wars – Makes You Love Your Family

Article by Chet Royer


Being an anime and manga fan for over a decade, I have seen many different kinds of stories being told over and over again. So much to the point that originality is hard to come by. However, the thing I appreciate about anime and manga, in present time, is that authors add or re-imagine concepts that have been done to make it interesting and refreshing once again. This is what Summer Wars has accomplished. This is Chet a.k.a. Ninja101 and here is my review on the movie.

GK World - First Order

One of my goals at New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival 2010 was to shop! Yes, to buy items that one may not be able to find locally. Even though New York City has the Nintendo World Store, it does not always have the items that I desire. I have been searching and waiting patiently for Kirby plush toys, specifically Kirby Adventure plush toys that has individualized Kirby abilities.

Personal Review: The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya

Review by Jong Chung

The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya, the third book in the Haruhi Suzumiya series by Nagaru Tanigawa does something slightly different than what may have been expected. Unlike the previous novels, (or what's expected of typical novel conventions) there isn't just one “arc” to follow in this installment, as this third novel is actually more of a collection of several short stories.

Review: Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds Beyond Time

There were cameramen and photographers capturing the excitement of the fans. People were walking into the 90% filled theatre, ranging from elementary school children to adults in professional attire, while other attendees cosplayed as Yu-Gi-Oh characters. Hearing people chatting and munching on popcorn, I looked at my watch. It was February 23 at 7:06pm and the movie did not start yet. However, the wait was over. The lights went out and the screen brightened the room. We were going down memory lane.

Personal Review: Spice & Wolf vol.2

Review By Jong Chung

The spicy wolf and merchant return in the second volume of Spice & Wolf. While this review may be dated yet, I hope it provides enough information and incentive to those that still have not invested in the series. I gave myself away there, didn't I? Well, no matter – onwards!

Impressions: The Big Adventures of Majoko

Nana, a girl from the human world, was searching for her precious necklace. While she looked through her room, she comes across a book with blank pages. When suddenly, a bright light shines from the pages, blinding Nana, and out comes a girl, name Majoko, a witch from the Land of Magic. Their friendship led to many adventures waiting for the reader to discover.

Impressions: Mini Marvels

Aimlessly walking through the New York Comic Con 2009 artist alley, I came across something that I have never seen before. I spotted a cover of small Marvel characters and I instantly grabbed the book. First thing that came out of my mouth was "OMG! This is so cute!" I browse through the book while I was contemplating whether or not to purchase it. Again, I do not like buying stuff only to end up being disappointed. It is a horrible consumer moment. So, what did I do again? I took a risk and purchased Mini Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors by Chris Giarrusso.

Impressions: Emma

I usually read manga for entertainment, but this time I have read a story that provided a reality check, while showing the reader that in life there is hope. This story was “Emma,” manga series by Kaoru Mori published by CMX. The character, Emma, taught me something that I have not come across in other series. At least, I have not felt as strongly as I do with this series.

Impressions: Crime Scene Investigation Intern at Your Own Risk

The first time I saw this manga, I thought to myself: "No, this cannot be the same CSI from Channel 2." Then I flipped to the page where the credits were and found the names "CBS Productions" and "CBS Broadcasting, Inc." I was like "Oh my GOD! Seriously?" Initially, I was skeptical, because CSI was a show that I occasionally watch. I did not want to read a CSI manga that does not have the CSI flavor in it. After seeing it on bookshelves so many times, what did I decide to do? I took a risk by buying and reading it. I worried for nothing.

Personal Review: Book Girl and the Scandal Mime

Review by Jong Chung

Book Girl, known as Bungaku Shoujo in Japanese, is a light novel series that merits the read of any light novel fan, and especially so for those who are fans of the mystery genre. Book Girl and the Scandal Mime (effectively volume 1 of the series) written by Mizuki Nomura, details the story of a young boy named Konoha Inoue and his story-munching female upper classman named Tohko Amano. Before the story itself, we learn a bit about our protagonist, Konoha. Through extraordinary circumstances, he was once a world-famous “genius girl writer” by the pen name of Miu. Reading on, it is revealed that this past and responsibility weighed down on him considerably, causing Konoha to suffer a breakdown eventually. After the incident, he returns to a more normal life – no more writing as a “genius girl writer” and back to being a “regular school boy."