Monthly Archive for February, 2006

Page 3 of 5

Kaimono Log – Lots of Manga + J-Pop CD

First off, thanks to all who commented on my "Adventures in Manga Importing" post. It’s nice to know that wherever I’m ordering stuff from, I won’t get bamboozled. Last night I finally made an order for some manga and a CD that I’ve wanted for more than a year! Here’s the complete shopping list:
Continue reading ‘Kaimono Log – Lots of Manga + J-Pop CD’

Disgaea Anime Promos!

Okay, so being a huge Nippon Ichi fanboy, the Disgaea anime is something of a holy grail for me. The slightest news about the Disgaea anime is enough to send me into a giddy mood. So imagine my surprise when I read on Heisei Democracy that there was a new promo out today!

Adblock

The first one I saw made me a bit worried that the anime would suffer from talking head syndrome. I didn’t see much action, and the framerates were kinda jerky. 

Adblock

Today’s promo looks a lot better. It’s much more fluid than the first one. I did notice my mortal enemy: inappropriate/out of place CGI. Hopefully it won’t be too prominent in the anime…

The Disgaea anime is slated for an April release, so I only have about two more months of languishing until it comes out! I guess I could always pass the time by playing the game. I think I logged like, 40+ hours two Summers ago…

Adventures in Manga Importing

Lately, I’ve been meaning to pick up some imported Japanese manga, both to boost my literacy and to read some stuff that isn’t available in English yet. As long as it’s got some furigana over the kanji, I should be okay.

I’ve looked at a variety of options, but I thought that others might know more about the import scene than me. Mainly, the shipping costs seem to be pretty high for importing directly, and I’m not sure which domestic importers are "legit." First off, the stores I’ve been looking at:

  • Amazon.co.jp – Has a pretty awesome selection, but shipping for one manga book is 1,500 yen. I guess I could buy in bulk, but I think buying from a domestic importer would be cheaper.
  • Yesasia.com – I was stoked because I found a lot of manga that I wanted at pretty reasonable prices. Shipping is free on $40+ orders. Then I realized most of them were the Chinese versions. I can’t read Chinese, so this isn’t an option. On a side note, I’m still thinking of getting a certain Round Table CD there that I’ve wanted for a while.
  • Sasugabooks.com – I found a link to this book store on a forum. The prices are good and the shipping is cheap too. I don’t know how reputable they are, though.
  • Animegamersusa.com – This store seems somewhat popular. The prices for manga are really good($5-$7 a volume), and the shipping isn’t that bad either ($5 for USPS media mail). I’d go with this store if I knew it was trustworthy. Their website is also kinda rugged (putting in an order for 10,000 copies of Shakugan no Shana vol. 1 caused an overflow on their side; granted, that’s a lot of Shana, but still).
  • eBay – Apparently, eBay is pretty good for domestic manga. I’m still kinda scared to buy import stuff there though. Too much bootleg stuff has gone through eBay to my doorstep in the past…

These are mostly all of the places I’ve considered. If you’ve shopped at any of these places before and you know they’re cool, please let me know by writing a comment. Also let me know if you know of a better place to import Japanese manga (to the United States).

Whilst looking for manga deals, I found some deals on domestic stuff too. I thought I’d share it with you.

Last but not least, happy Valentine’s Day.

Ilya Valentine

Ultra Maniac – Manga Preview

Ultra Maniac Vol. 1 

So I wrote a while back that I had acquired a shoujo manga sampler, and that if I could muster the guts to read it, I’d put up some mini-previews. Weeks passed, and it sat on my shelf unread. Today I figured, what better way to spend Valentine’s Day alone than reading manga written for 12 year-old girls? Hmm, maybe there’s a reason I don’t have a girlfriend… Anyway, here’s my thoughts on the first chapter or so of Ultra Maniac: 

Continue reading ‘Ultra Maniac – Manga Preview’

Ergo Proxy – Anime First Impressions

Ergo Proxy 01.jpgErgo Proxy 02.jpgErgo Proxy 03.jpgErgo Proxy 04.jpgErgo Proxy 05.jpgErgo Proxy 06.jpgErgo Proxy 07.jpgErgo Proxy 08.jpgErgo Proxy 09.jpg

So Ergo Proxy has gotten a lot of hype, not necessarily because of its content, but because of its resolution: 1280×720! Any anime that requires a hardware update has got to be good! Do the specs make the anime? Read on to find out! Continue reading ‘Ergo Proxy – Anime First Impressions’

About

You are currently browsing the BasuGasuBakuhatsu Anime Blog weblog archives for the month February, 2006.

Badges