It has been entirely too long since I’ve seen the Brothers Elric in action. Entirely too long. It’s also been entirely too long since our last post, but that’s an issue for another post entirely.

In any case, I can’t express how thrilled I am to see one of my favorite anime series back in full force, and (presumably) returning to follow the brilliantly written manga storyline. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, another year has come and gone, and with 2008 at an end is it once again time for us to share with you some of the highlights of the year. Thus, I am very proud to present to you the 13th Annual Epic Win Best of the Year Anime Award Show, where the awards are made up and the points don’t matter!

Although I felt that this year in anime didn’t have as much to offer as last year, with no new series that really stood out head and shoulders above the others the way Gurren Lagann or Lucky Star did, it nevertheless brought a number of interesting and entertaining moments.

As always, keep in mind that these awards are completely based on our own opinions and preferences. Guaranteed 100% biased, no middleman, factory direct to you from Epic Win! In addition, we’re extremely flexible about what we consider allowable from 2008. Basically, if episodes aired within the last 12 months, it’s fair game.

Now, that said, obviously the two of us can’t watch everything by ourselves, and especially this last year we haven’t even been able to keep up with all the shows we would have liked to, so if you feel that we left out something important, or if you have a different recommendation for a particular category, by all means lay it on us. Read the rest of this entry »

みんなメリークリスマス! Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope Santa Claus brought you all lots of rare figures and doujinshi and moe goodness this yuletide season. Alas, I didn’t get any of those, even though I went so far as to leave a tray of mochi and a box of Pocky out by the fireplace for him. Damn, what could’ve gone wrong? I thought that would work for sure…

Although we weren’t able to post nearly as much as we would have liked this year, we want to continue our annual tradition by taking a moment to remember all you guys who have read and commented on Epic Win over the last year. I feel bad because I haven’t been very good about responding to comments recently (something I hope to do better on in future), but both Guff and I do read and appreciate each and every comment on this site. Read the rest of this entry »

Sheesh, I leave for a couple months and all the anime bloggers start dying off faster than the cast of a Key game. Or perhaps Higurashi would be a more appropriate metaphor, since true bloggers never really die, they just go nuts every once in a while and then eventually everything resets.

Speaking of which, I think we’re about ready to open up shop again here at Epic Win. It’s been a long and busy year, but fortunately things are starting to settle down finally. Having just finished the JLPT level 2 (bleh), along with a couple big deadlines at work, I’ve switched to consumption mode and am busy working through my to-watch backlog. Oh, and if anybody has any recommendations for stuff from this year you think I should be checking out, feel free to let me know.  Read the rest of this entry »

Hard to believe that it’s already been a full year since Guff and I first set up digs here, our humble abode at www.epicwin.org. It’s been a long and somewhat rocky path, as I’m sure is evidenced by our post count in recent months, but all in all we don’t regret one second of the time we’ve put into this site.

As always, first and foremost I have to thank all of you, our readers, for making our blogging adventure a fun and fulfilling one. I’ve always tried to stress the fact that you guys are what makes this site fun, and that we really appreciate your involvement in our own little nook of the internet here. That goes especially to you guys who are still here reading now despite our inconsistent blogging schedule as of late. Without all of you we would be just another empty blip on the internet radar, a hollow monologue talking for only ourselves to hear. For a writer, the idea that there might be no audience out there to ever read the work that you’ve slaved over and poured yourself into is truly disheartening.

Fortunately, that’s something we’ve never really had to worry about here at Epic Win thanks to you all. I especially want to give a big shout out to all of our blogging sempai who have linked to us, supported us, read and commented on our work, and most importantly continued to encourage and motivate us through their own excellent writing. Through participation in the anime blogging community, I’ve become aware of many great anime series and manga that I would never have watched or read otherwise. Likewise Guff and I feel that we have been able to spread our own excitement for a number of off-the-wall but still very fun series, to create new fans and broaden people’s interests. Read the rest of this entry »

OH GEASS NO!!

When Guff and I awarded Code Geass with the “Trainwreck of the Year” award in our 2007 Anime Awards Show, many people took offense, rushing to defend what they claimed was an excellent show worthy of greater respect. At the time, I tried my best to explain that our labelling the series as a “trainwreck” was not intended as a derogatory term necessarily.

Indeed, I happen to believe Code Geass is one of the best, most fun shows in recent memory. After all, what could be more fun to watch than two huge, thousand ton vehicles hurtling toward each other at breakneck speed? That said, I think the nature of our “trainwreck” designation is becoming increasingly clear as the series begins its spiralling descent into what appears to be its final chaotic story arc.

At the same time, I have a few thoughts regarding where the story appears to be going, and some of the interesting thematic elements that are really starting to present themselves more clearly in these recent episodes. First though, time for the obligatory screencaps and witty comments… Read the rest of this entry »

The Vocaloid Squad

With a great concert, good food, and lots of events and interesting cosplay, the remainder of AX proved to be an exceptionally fun time, if a bit tiring. Unfortunately, my main Compact Flash card malfunctioned midway through day 2 of the con, so I lost most of the pictures from that day, including photos of the enormous bowl of chashu ramen I grabbed for lunch down in Little Tokyo. ;_;

Fortunately, I do still have lots of photos to share with you guys. I had hoped to do day-by-day coverage of the con, but between the frenetic nature of the events down there combined with the commute into LA and back again every day, it’s taken me until now to get properly rested up again. Yeah, I’m definitely getting too old for this kind of stuff. ^^;

Nevertheless, AX was a ton of fun; I got to meet Shokotan and David Hayter, as well as consume dangerously large quantities of Japanese cuisine. Oh yeah, and I bought the newest Taiko no Tatsujin (a.k.a. Taiko Drum Master) game for DS.

Anyway, so without further ado…random cosplay shots and other pics from the con: Read the rest of this entry »

This year’s Anime Expo, although not nearly as exciting as last year’s all star guest appearances by Halko Momoi, Ishikawa Chiaki, Nagahama Hiroshi, and Hirano Aya & Co., has nevertheless been as crazily entertaining as ever. From guest discussion panels to anime music videos to wacky cosplayers lined up in the halls doing Carmelldansen, there’s no shortage of fun and frenetic activity to be found.

Anime Expo 2008’s Guest of Honor roster can’t touch last year’s amazing guests, but it seems they managed to get together a great guest roster nevertheless.

(click the photos for larger versions)

From the left: Toshihiko Seki, Masahiro Ando, Masamitsu Hidaka, Hiromi Kato, Takada Akemi, Dewa and Manami of Jyukai, Nakagawa Shoko (Shokotan), and finally David Hayter, a.k.a. Solid Snake. I think he got as much of a crowd reaction as all of the other guests combined, especially when he did his Snake voice. =P Read the rest of this entry »

It was the most epic of times, it was the worst of times. Indeed, despite our greatest aspirations to the contrary the blog has somewhat fallen into disrepair as real life continues to rear its ugly head. At least, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

The truth is, Guff, in his infinite optimism and caffeine driven confidence, ditched me and hopped the nearest plane to Japan. Life and work has been kind of rocking me recently, and without my faithful co-conspirator I’ve been in a bit of bind as to how to carry on the torch, as it were, here at Epic Win.

The good news is that a number of new posts should be forthcoming over the course of the next couple of weeks. The bad news is that it won’t be our usual tongue-in-cheek, trend-bucking anime analysis for the most part. Rather, Guff has been writing up tales of his various and sundry experiences across the pond in Hokkaido, where he currently resides (more details on all that to come!).

In addition, with the upcoming Anime Expo convention a mere stone’s throw away from me here in Los Angeles, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to drop by the convention for my usual routine of relentlessly snacking on deliciously unhealthy Japanese confectionaries, photographing cute cosplayers, and making fun of Zac Bertschy at every possible opportunity.

Anime Expo 2007 was a great time all around ^_^

And let’s not forget the excellent opportunity to see Sorairo Days performed live by Shokotan, a show I certainly have no intentions of missing out on. Considering the overwhelming clamor that the con usually entails, posts might not be quite in real time, but I hope to keep you all updated with lots of photos and tales of adventure. Oh yeah, and somewhere in the middle there I’ll be sure to squeeze in some of the posts Guff is writing up.

Given that the two of us are now on opposite sides of the ocean, I don’t know if we’ll be able to continue our tag-team blogging style. Nevertheless, we will aim to pick up where we left off and bring you as much irreverent and witty commentary as we can possibly muster. I still have lots of things I want to say about some of the new anime airing, so as soon as I can muster the energy I’ll be banging out a few treatises more in line with our traditional fare.

For those of you who still have the feed subscribed, thanks for your encouraging words and e-mails and for continuing to stick around. Hopefully we’ll be able to respond in kind and give you all something worth sticking around for!

~ 0rion

I enjoy a narrative when it doesn’t feel compelled to proclaim itself. I feel sort of molly coddled at best and annoyed at worst when a story lays out the plot like some kind of Lego instructional manual. Just let me put the pieces together on my own, all right? I can make the pirate ship without you holding my hand.

It is for this very reason that I’m particularly excited about Kurenai. Right from the get-go the characters are in motion and the wheels are turning. Other than the fact that main character, Kurenai, is a dispute mediator and works for Juusawa Benika, you don’t know much. You feel almost thrown into the world, yet at the same time the narrative remains cohesive and slowly fills in the details piece by piece. Read the rest of this entry »