Anime with the Monk: A “Dance” worth watching

Greetings everyone! Welcome back to another “With the Monk” column with your host, Miroku! Last time, I reviewed a two part movie put together from a 6 part OVA. This time (in keeping with the season and the upcoming holiday) we are reviewing a 12 episode series that, though short, had excellent animation style and rather nice storyline though it draws a bit from a current pop culture obsession. Which one, you may ask? Why vampire romance stories, of course! Now then, before you go clicking the back button, let me just say that this paticular series entitled “Dance in the Vampire Bund” IS NOT one of those “twighlight-er” series. Vampires don’t sparkle and they can’t march about in the daylight WITHOUT any form of protection from the sun. Rather, it is the story of a seemingly average high school student named Akira Kaburagi. Somewhere near the age of 17, he suffers from a case of amnesia and can’t properly recall anything past a year and a half ago. He attends classes and is pretty good friends with everyone, even having a bit of a “sweetheart” relationship with his fellow classmate, Ms. Yuki Saegusa. Everything is normal in his world until the day that a strange young girl comes to his high school looking for him. Upon meeting with him, some of his memories flood back to him with a violent shock that nearly knocks him comatose. He realizes he knows her and recalls a promise he had made to her when they were both younger. It is here that he also learns that she is the princess of vampires who, the night before, had revealed herself and the existance of vampires to the world on a Japanese discussion show. She reveals to him her plans to create a Bund (a sort of coastal city) in which she wishes to invite all non-radical vampires to come and live there lives within without fear of discrimnation or danger of harm. She then reveals that Akira is one of her most trusted knights and asks him to join her, once more, in her efforts. Reluctantly, Akira agrees and joins the princess as her bodyguard and, through the process of protecting her, recovers more and more of his lost memories, rediscovering his ancient blood abilities as a member of the Earth Clan (Aka: Werewolves)…

It’s actually a very well written animation, though it deviates a little from the original story by manga artist Nozomu Tamaki. There was SOME controversy with the series which was originally going to be edited for U.S. shores due to some suggestive themes in the series. However, Funimation released the 12 episode series in it’s entirety with no edits, which is just the way this monk likes to watch them. And the epsiodes with questionable material were few, with explainations and plot twists that work to make it make sense when you get to the later episodes. This series takes the best of modern monster lore (from authors like Anne Rice and Sherrilynn Kenyon) and spices them up in the best way the Japanese know how. So, with that being said, I would definately recommend giving this series a swing and watch/purchase the entire series. It’s defiantely a must have for anyone whom is a fan of vampires, werewolves, and the supernatural romance stories. And, as always, thank you for visiting us here at aniRAGE.com! Make sure to dropback by again to see what other series, movies, manga, or whatever else we have to show case for you, and we hope you had a Happy Halloween!

A surprise trip to an Ancient City… Convention, that is!

Greetings loyal aniRAGErs! Miroku here, and I have to say that today was plenty of awesome! I and my fiancee, Jenny, were invited to come and spend the day with Pika-Belle Chu at local, Jacksonville based, Ancient City Con (A.C.C. for short) and we accepted her generous offer and joined her in the fun. Dressed in Naruto Cosplay, we joined in her panel and were later joined by Zeke whom brought his trusty camera and Lupin the Third cosplay along for the fun and the off chance fo catching some great gamers/cosplayers in action. A.C.C. is running it’s fifth year and is a hometown fav for roleplayers, cosplayers, and all other convention based enthusists. There were some interesting panels, a nice registration area, a fun gaming room, and a decent dealers area… And, did I mention that all of the above (with exception to panels) all existed in one room? It was quirky, but interesting at the same time. Jenny and I didn’t stay all day, but we really enjoyed our time and hope that they have alot more fun, tomorrow, as the con will be continuing on through Sunday. So, if you’re a local and just want to check out something fun, then drop on by A.C.C. and make sure to continue to drop by and see us, here, at aniRAGE.com! This Miroku saying,” Catch you all at the next one!”

~Miroku

Free + Convention = An amazing trip

Goodness… WHAT A TRIP! Got back from Freecon early Sunday morning and decided to take the time to rest. However, now that I’m feeling rested, I just have to say what an absolutely FANTASTIC TIME we had while we were there! It was truely wonderful to see all the cosplayers and get to talk to people both new and old. There was so much going on! Everything from it’s free maid/butler cafe to it’s great panels and back around again to it’s dealers room/artist alley. Certainly, things were a bit small and the convention took place between two buildings, but it only served to get me pumped for whom or what I might find around the next bin. And, as an added bonus, there was a Japanese culture fair going on at THE SAME TIME in their second building, so there was many beautiful kimonos, Japanese crafts, Dancing/story telling, and a most WONDERFUL charity that was excepting donations to help the folks whom were hurt over in Japan by both the tsunami and the nuclear meltdown that (Thank God) they have just about under control.

I, also, saw alot of people I haven’t seen in a while. Alot, of which, were extremely friendly and made me feel like we hadn’t ever had to part ways. It was EXTREMELY GOOD to see everyone. So, with all of this awesome, what could we do for the con in return? Well, we ROCKED the convention by offering one heck of a great show! The audience particpation was high as well as the comedy and I don’t think there was ANYONE whom didn’t leave main events with a smile on their faces. So, in short, Freecon was/is an incredible convention that, we here at aniRAGE, will be looking forward to returning to and performing at again, next year! Till then, though, stay tuned as we will shortly have both video and pictures up from Freecon and watch for us to be at Metrocon, this year! Can’t WAIT to rock the show with the folks from Anime Belle. But, until next time, this is the monk: signing out!

~Miroku

aniRAGE! Year in review: Miroku’s Favorites list

Greetings and Salutations, Everybody! As most of you well know, today is the very last day of the year 2K10! Having seen Zeke list his favorite albums/Soundtracks made me want to take a moment to list some of my favorites of this year as well! So, without further adieu, I’m going to list a few of my favorites (From songs to Cons to moments shared) from this year:

Favorite Song of this year:

I probabaly have to say that my absolute favorite song from this year has got to be “Monster” by Skillet. It’s an amazing song from start to end, chaulk full of great rifts, an awesome beat, and enough energy to match a 12 pack of Red-Bull! Can’t tell you how many times I found myself jamming to this song during the year… Whether it was in going places or trying to psyche myself up during excercise or even when I was feeling a bit down. It’s just WAY to awesome of a song and I recommend checking it out, if you haven’t already.

Favorite Movie of this year:

I haven’t seen “Tron” or “Voyage of the DawnTreader” yet, but I figure that I can safely say that “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt.1” was probably the BEST movie I have seen! I’m not a huge fan of the illustrious “Mr. Potter” but, I have always enjoyed the movies. This last one, however, really blew me away and I loved the fact that they played back on events and conversations that were had back from a few movies ago and how this transformation of Harry from “Young Innocence” to “Dark Messiah” is coming to it’s fruition here. Not to mention that the telling of the ‘Deathly Hallows” story is and AMAZING treat in the midst of the story. Hands down, the BEST of the “Harry Potter” chronicles that has yet to been released… Still looking forward to Part 2 ^_^!

Favorite VideoGame of this year:

Call of Duty: Black Ops….What can I say about this game that hasn’t been already stated? It TRULY is an AMAZING gaming experience! I really, REALLY have loved playing this game and with it’s multiple play modes, customizations, Zombies, and the “Easter Egg” at it’s ending…. I have to say this has been and continues to be one of the funnest games I have yet to play!

Favorite Manga of this year:

I’ve enjoyed and am still enjoying quite a few manga’s this year… But, I feel that the best I have read or, rather, completed this year was probably “Full Metal Alchemist”… I mean, WHAT AN INCREDIBLE STORY!!! Hiromu Arakawa is a brilliant manga writer (if I do say so myself) and the series, with it’s many twists and turns and epic battles, really earned a place in my heart. I can say with sincerity and fondness that the story and its characters were truely A-list material and just stunning both in the reading and in the art! A must read if you haven’t already or aren’t already reading it!

Favorite Convention of this year:

Good gravy! We’ve been to QUITE a few in this year. It’s hard to say which one i liked the most because I really, REALLY liked them all! But, If I had to throw out just one convention that, in my mind, just stood an inch taller then all the rest… I think I would have to say that Metro-Con probably was my favorite again… True, we didn’t perform much there, but that may be just some of the charm that places it above the others. I’ve had a blast EVERYWHERE we went AND being able to do our improve with the likes of “the Nostalgia Critic” and “Ego-Raptor” or Hosting a Ball with “Anime Belle” are events that I shall NEVER EVER forget! But, there is something about Metro-Con that really puts a smile on my face and alot of joy in my heart. I always meet new and interestig people there and deeply enjoy the events and all the folks I’ve met… And, HEY! I’ve did something I never thought I’d be able to do. I was able to give blood to help people whom need it to live. Honestly, I’m scared of needles and the fact thta I worked up the courage for this has been a SUPREME accomplishment for me this year! It really was an amazing con and I’m TOTALLY looking forward to go back again this year… But,it better watch out. Exp and ShadoCon were REALLY, REALLY high up there!

And, there ya go! These are my favorites for the year! There is alot more I could post here, but I think I’ll hang back a little. However, I sincerely hope that you all had a WONDERFUL year and an even better year here in the next! God Bless you all and a very Happy New Year from myself and all of us here at aniRAGE.com!

~Miroku