Christmas In My Home and Heart by Robin McGraw (a J!-ENT Book Review)

For family’s who want to start their own Christmas tradition, have their own elaborate Christmas party or just creative ideas to share the holiday season with family and friends, you can’t go wrong with Robin McGraw’s “Christmas In My Home and Heart”.

TITLE: Christmas in My Home and Heart

BY: Robin McGraw

PUBLISHER: Thomas Nelson

PAGE COUNT: 116

In the midst of a busy and sometimes hectic holiday season, stop with me to celebrate the heart of Christmas.  The rejoicing, baking, giving and joyous laughter filling a home – all these make for cherished memories.

I’d like to share what we do to capture the true meaning of the Christmas season in our home.  On these pages you will find:

• Our family’s favorite traditions
• Delicious and easy recipes
• Steps to help you prioritize and plan ahead for the holidays
• Ways to extend Christmas joy to others
• Parties with a friendly flair
  

New York Times Bestselling author Robin McGraw (wife of TV personality Phil McGraw aka “Dr. Phil”) who has written books such as “Inside My Heart”, “What’s Age Got to Do With It?” and “Robin McGraw’s Complete Makeover Guide” returned with personal book titled “Christmas In My Home and Heart”.

The book features Robin McGraw talking about how she and her family celebrate Christmas but also for those who want to learn really good tips from throwing a Christmas Party to how not to stress out when planning one, readers can enjoy the various tips but also recipes that McGraw shares.

The chapters in “Christmas In My Home and Heart” are:

• Christmas In My Home – Creating memories and celebrating the season
• Christmas In My Neighborhood – Creating and spreading hospitality
• Christmas In My Thoughts – Cherishing memories with loved ones
• Christmas In My Service to Others – Reaching Out to Others in Need
• Christmas In My Heart – Drawing Near to God

But one of the biggest selling points of the book which many have enjoyed are the beautiful full color photos of Christmas at the McGraw home.  I know some people may wonder if this book is for them because the McGraw family is obviously of a higher financial status.  But Robin McGraw talks about how she celebrated Christmas from their tiny little apartment with Phil but also her passionate about the holidays today.

If anything, the book is for everyone who wants to have a special Christmas and how decorating can be a fun, yearly family event but also how one can start their own family Christmas and build upon year after year.

And for me, that was what brought my attention to this book because personally, my personal family Christmas memories were back when my grandmother was alive and she always made Christmas and the mother of December so exciting, vibrant and I can easily remember the big tree, the ornaments, the decorations and most of all, the big parties she would host.  Granted, our parties were not as elaborate as Bergman’s “Fanny and Alexander” or anything like that but those were one of the best memories of my life and unfortunately, when she passed away…our Christmas family tradition ended.

But now that my wife has interest of doing something special for Christmas, especially with our child and having some sort of tradition, I felt that with Christmas coming up, I need some perspective, we need some inspiration and what better than to check out “Christmas in My Home and Heart”.

Overall, I felt that Robin McGraw has a lot of great advice for building that family tradition for the Christmas holiday.  Granted, we may not be anywhere close to where McGraw’s family or even my grandmother’s nice Christmas set-up but it’s all about creating your own memories and building it.  Making it memorable not for ourselves but the family and people we share Christmas with.

If you’re in a similar position or someone that is looking for a book on creative ideas, organization or planning for the holidays, definitely give “Christmas In My Home and Heart” by Robin McGraw a try.

 

OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

The award winning manga that has captured the attention of Japanese readers since 1983 and is still ongoing today.  ‘OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice” is another enjoyable release and features more on Japan’s rich history of rice and its importance to the people of Japan.   Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © Tetsu KARIYA and Akira HANASAKI.  All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice

STORY AND ART BY: Story by Tetsu Kariya, Art by Akihara Hanasaki

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Teen

Released: November 2009

As part of the celebrations for its 100th anniversary, the publishers of the Tozai News have commissioned the creation of the “Ultimate Menu”, a model meal embodying the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine.  This all-important task has been entrusted to journalist Yamaoka Shiro, an inveterate cynic who possesses zero initiative – but also an incredibly refined palate and an encyclopedic knowledge of food.

Each volume of Oishinbo follows Yamaoka and his colleagues through another adventure of their quest for the Ultimate Menu.  Now, the highlights from the hundred-plus volume series have been selected and compiled into A la Carte Editions: bite-sized chunks of story arranged by subject that add up to a full-course manga meal!

In this volume of Oishinbo, Yamaoka and company look into the single most essential food in Japanese cuisine: rice.  Cultivated for millenia, a staple meal in itself and the basis of countless other dishes, rice is an important component not only of the Japanese kitchen but also of Japanese culture.  When Yamaoka is asked by Tozai’s head chef for help coming up with a new rice dish, what starts out as a simple culinary request rapidly grows into a disquisition into the past, present and future of Japan’s food culture.

The long running manga “Oishinbo” (which means “The Gourmet”) is a popular best-selling manga series published by Shogakukan which has been ongoing since 1983.  The series have sold 1.2 million copies per volume annually and have sold more than 100 million volumes as of Jan. 2009.

Written by Tetsu Kariya and art by Akira Hanasaki, the series has won multiple awards and has had a successful anime TV series run from 1988 through 1992.  And now the series is being released in the United States from Viz Media through their Viz Signature.   Because there have been so many volumes, Viz has selected chapters from the popular manga and will separate each volume release by cuisine topic.

So, far the following manga been released:

• Oishinbo A la Carte – The making of food, beverages and utensils
• Oishinbo – Sake
• Oishinbo A la Carte – Ramen & Gyoza
• Oishinbo A la Carte – Fish, Sushi and Sashimi
• Oishinbo A la Carte – Vegetables

“Oishinbo” revolves around the employees of the newspaper Tozai News with its employees commissioned to create the “Ultimate Menu”, a model meal that embodies the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine.  Both Shiro Yamaoka and Yuko Kurita are in charge of the project and throughout each chapter, the series is broken down to several types of dishes or food related items and how each dish is created.

Meanwhile, his father, who Shiro has had an estranged relationship for years after his mother’s death, the world renown founder and director of prestigious Gourmet Club and Japanese pottery creator, Kaibara Yuzan heads the “Supreme Menu” for a rival newspaper. So, both Shiro and his father are known to butt heads many times.  With Kaibara looking at his son as a person with a lacking knowledge of cuisine but Shiro, never to stand down against his father, proving that he knows more than his father thinks.

The characters featured in “OISHINBO” are:

Shiro Yamaoka – A journalist for Tozai News who knows his food and how things are created but he is estranged from his father, a prominent artist and founder and director of the Gourmet Club.  He despises his father because of the death of his mother.  Yamaoka was trained from a young age by his father, Kaibara.

Kaibara Yuzan – The father of Shiro Yamaoka is a prominent artist and founder and director of the Gourmet Club.  Because of his prominent stature, all restaurants fear him and thus feel the need to create perfect food for him.  Estranged from his son Shiro and despises him for destroying all of his paintings and pottery worth tens or hundreds of million yen.  A man widely revered for his sense of taste and feared for his ferocious temper.    He heads the “Supreme Menu” project for Teito Times, rival paper to the Tozai News that his son works for.

Yuko Kurita – Knowledgeable about food and partner of Shiro.  She learns a lot from him.

Daizo Ohara – Publisher of Tozai News

Hideo Tanimura – Director of Tozai News Art & Culture Department

Tomio Tomii - Deputy Director working under Tanimura

Tojin Toyama - A legendary ceramicist and gourmet

Mantaro Kyogoku – A wealthy businessman and gourmet

Seiiichi Okaboshi – Chef/owner of a sushi shop and Shiro’s local hangout

Tokuo Nakugawa – The head chef for Gourmet Club

For this latest volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte”, the stories are broken up in chapters that relate to rice.  Here is a spoiler-less summary of each chapter:

1. Recipe: Scallop Rice - Featured in one of the stories of this volume, a recipe featuring photos (in color) of how to prepare scallop rice.
2. FIRST COURSE – A Remarkable Mediocrity - An earlier story featuring Kyogoku Mantaro (The wealthy businessman), as Tozai news tries to get the millionaire to lend his Renoir for the Impressionist Art Exhibition through food but accidentally offending him.  Can Yamaoka win him back?
3. SECOND COURSE – Brown Rice vs. White Rice (Part One) - A group of the judo women’s team must incorporate brown rice into their diet but they dislike it.
4. SECOND COURSE – Brown Rice vs. White Rice (Part Two) -  Yamaoka must show Takeko Miyamoto, supervisor of the Buiku Women’s College Judo Team of why their version of brown rice is not good.
5. THIRD COURSE – LIVE RICE – Yamaoka try to help Arakawa-san how to cook rice (using a rice mill) to please her boyfriend’s mother.
6. FOURTH COURSE – Companions of Rice – Yamaoka must convince the deputy prime minister why they should not import rice to Japan.
7. FIFTH COURSE – The Matsutake Rice of the Sea – Mantaro has a bet with his friend/rival on who can cook the best Matsutake rice but something bad happens to his friend.
8. Oishinbo Day-by-Day – Tetsuya Kariya talks about the act of eating rice and comparisons of Japan, Chinese and South Korea when it comes to eating certain food with rice.
9. SIXTH COURSE – No Mixing – Tozai News chef and employees want to include mixed rice into the menu but the publisher Oharo Daizo is against it.
10. SEVENTH COURSE – The Season for Oysters - Yamaoka must prove to his boss why oysters are better in the Summer and also learning of scallops with rice.
11. EIGHTH COURSE – Rice Ball Match (Part One) – The Ultimate Menu (Tozai News) challenges the Supreme Menu (Teito Times)  in a rice ball competition.
12. EIGHTH COURSE – Rice Ball Match (Part Two) – The Ultimate Menu (Tozai News) showcases their rice ball recipes to the judges.
13. EIGHTH COURSE – Rice Ball Match (Part Three) – The Supreme Menu (Teito Times) showcases their rice ball to the judges.

Also, included at the end of the main chapters is a “Notes on the Text” which explains certain panels and meaning of certain Japanese words.

I absolutely love “OISHINBO A la Carte”.  Any fans of Japanese cuisine can also read this manga and just be amazed of how enjoyable, how witty, how smart each story is written.  Not only are the readers engrossed by the characters, especially the rivalry between Shiro and his father Kaibara Yuzan, you really learn about the Japanese perspective of cuisine and also preparation.

With “OISHINBO A la Carte – The Joy of Rice”, this latest volume is quite interesting as in previous volumes, there was more focus on competitions between Tozai News (Ultimate Menu) versus Teito Times (Supreme Menu).  But in this volume, with rice being so important in the Japanese diet, there is more focus on the history of rice in Japan and its importance.  We get to learn about Yamaoka and Japanese who worry about importation of rice, we learn about the differences between short-grain and long-grain rice and also how the environment is hurting certain ingredients that Japanese loved with rice but is now becoming rare in today’s society.

The latest volume of “Oishinbo A la Carte” was once again enjoyable.  Just to remind everyone that because the manga series has been around since 1983, there was just no way the complete series could be released in the US.  So, Viz Media chose to separate each volume based on a food item/ingredient or beverage.  So, you do miss out on the romantic storyline but nevertheless, the focus is on the food and for the most part, each volume is informative, educational and also very enjoyable to read.

Overall, each volume of “OISHINBO A la Carte” has been magnificent and this latest volume is just as enjoyable as the previous releases.  Highly recommended!

 

THE NBC AGENCY ANNOUNCES CONSOLIDATION OF WEST COAST CREATIVE TEAM UNDER JIM VESCERA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NBC ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING

REORGANIZATION INCLUDES ADVANCEMENT OF DAVE DORE TO A NEW ROLE AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NBC ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING AND LORENZO DE GUTTADAURO TO SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, BRAND CREATIVE, NBC ENTERTAINMENT MARKETING

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – November 30, 2009 – The NBC Agency announced today a consolidation of the Agency’s West Coast Creative Team under the leadership of Jim Vescera, Executive Vice President, Creative Director, NBC Entertainment. The reorganization, which combines the on-air promotion and off-air advertising/digital teams into one creative group, includes the advancement of Dave Dor? to a new role as Senior Vice President, Creative Director, NBC Entertainment Marketing. Dor? will work closely with John-David Currey, the Senior Vice President, Creative Director, NBC Entertainment Marketing responsible for leading the On-Air Promotion team. The Agency also announced the promotion of Lorenzo de Guttadauro to Senior Vice President, Brand Creative, NBC Entertainment. The announcements were made today by Adam Stotsky, President of Marketing, NBC Entertainment, to whom Vescera reports.

“The way consumers experience our content is rapidly changing and this creates new marketing and promotional opportunities. Jim Vescera’s experience, dedication and disposition make him uniquely qualified to lead the charge. Jim has a proven capacity to build and lead teams of creative people against a singular vision,” said Stotsky.

“Dave Dor? and John-David Currey’s combined experience and proven capabilities are invaluable as we work toward one strategic vision across all media in our marketing campaigns. With Lorenzo de Guttadauro’s vital skills and assets added to the mix, we have three multi-talented, versatile and progressive leaders that will help to keep The NBC Agency at the top of its game,” said Vescera.

Dor? becomes Senior Vice President, Creative Director, NBC Entertainment for The NBC Agency. In the position, he will be responsible for all launch and ongoing print and off-air advertisement for NBC’s entertainment programming. Previously, Dor? served as Vice President, Special Projects for The NBC Agency. He was responsible for working on overall network creative branding and program promotion efforts and was the Creative Director for “Sunday Night Football”

Throughout his career, Dor? has conceived, produced and directed many award-winning campaigns for NBC, including for “Sunday Night Football,” “Knight Rider,” “The Apprentice,” “Chuck” and “My Name Is Earl.” He has also created successful short pieces for NBC’s Web ventures, including “Deal Model Theater.” Prior to joining The NBC Agency, Dor? directed the pilot for BBC-TV’s “Scoobs,” as well as campaigns and specials for ABC, Fox, Warner Bros., USA Network, Bravo, Nickelodeon, The WB and many others. Previously, Dor? was a Director, and later Vice President of Marketing at The WB, where he helped build both the Primetime and Kids’ Networks from the ground up.

Before moving to Los Angeles, Dor? produced and directed three seasons of live Major League Baseball television broadcasts and served as Director of Promotion and Production at WCIU-TV, Chicago and KSMO-TV Kansas City. He has received numerous Emmys and advertising awards from PROMAX, the Chicago Festivals, the New York Festivals, and more. Dor? lives in Studio City with his wife and three daughters.

De Guttadauro, now promoted to Senior Vice President, Brand Strategy, The NBC Agency, will supervise the strengthening of the NBC network brand across all platforms. He will also lead On-Air promotional efforts as Creative Director for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Earlier, de Guttadauro was promoted to Vice President, Brand Strategy in 2008, a newly created position at the time. In this role, he worked to increase brand awareness and strength in all promotional areas. He also oversaw the on-air promotional efforts as the Creative Director for the 2008 Summer Olympics

De Guttadauro joined The NBC Agency after a seven-year stint as Vice President of Brand Creative and Promotion for USA Network. Prior to his years there, he served as Senior Art Director for the National Football League from 1999-2000 and Art Director for Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide from 1994-98. De Guttadauro graduated from the University of Missouri with Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and political science.

Continuing in their existing roles are Ron Hayes Senior Vice President and Creative Director, Special Projects for NBC On-Air Promotion, and Larry Hart, Senior Vice President, who all round out Vescera’s team.

 

JUSTIN BIEBER REIGNS SUPREME WITH THE TOP NEW ARTIST DEBUT OF 2009

ALL SEVEN SONGS FROM DEBUT CD IN THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN BILLBOARD HISTORY!

FIRST SOLO ARTIST IN BILLBOARD HOT 100 HISTORY TO SEND FOUR SONGS FROM A DEBUT ALBUM INTO THE TOP 40 PRIOR TO ALBUM’S RELEASE

JUSTIN BIEBER’S DEBUT ALBUM, MY WORLD ENTERS SOUNDSCAN AT #6 – YOUTUBE VIEWS TOP 100 MILLION!!

ALBUM FUELED BY FOUR CONSECUTIVE TOP 40 HITS: “ONE TIME,” “ONE LESS LONELY GIRL,” “LOVE ME,” AND “FAVORITE GIRL”

Nearly a half-year of the most intense fan frenzy ever witnessed for a new artist – focusing on his premiere quartet of Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits since July, “One Time,” “One Less Lonely Girl,” “Love Me,” and “Favorite Girl” – has resulted in an explosive # 6 Soundscan debut for RBMG -Teen Island star Justin Bieber’s first album, My World (released November 17th on Island Records) on first week sales of 136,741 units. Also worth noting My World is officially the #1 album in Canada, beating John Mayer to the top spot.

The Soundscan success this week of soulful and precocious 15 year-old worldwide sensation Justin Bieber underscores Justin’s place in pop history: Justin Bieber’s release of My World marks the highest debut (in units) of any new artist in 2009. The first solo artist ever to send four songs from a debut album into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 prior to his album’s release. At the same time, Justin has surpassed 100 million YouTube.com video views (the first 50 million of them as an amateur starting in 2007, posting his own renditions of favorite Usher, Ne-Yo and Stevie Wonder songs).

In addition to the four single hits, My World contains additional productions and songwriting by Justin, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, and Midi-Mafia, plus a guest appear–ance by Usher on “First Dance.” Plans call for release of Part II of My World (with all new tracks) to be issued in March 2010.

Since early fall 2009, Justin has been omnipresent in every corner of the media, on television and the Internet, starting at the MTV VMA telecast from Radio City Music Hall in New York in September. He followed up with appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America (two consecutive days!), Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, Access Hollywood, and CNN’s Young People Who Rock. Most recently, Justin appeared twice in two weeks on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, first on November 3rd and then on the 17th – with an appearance later the same day on Lopez Tonight – followed by Chelsea Lately and the new It’s On with Alexa Chung.

Born in Stratford, Ontario, Justin Bieber is a multi-talented pop/soul singer, as well as a self-taught musician on drums, guitar, piano, and trumpet. His manager Scooter Braun intro–duced Justin to the music industry in Atlanta two years ago. There he met multi-platinum superstar Usher, who signed the 13 year-old to his first professional deal. The joint-venture RBMG label was then formed between Braun and Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group.

 

Garcia Commences O’Neill World Cup Campaign

Sunset Beach bounced to life right on Sunny Garcia’s cue today, delivering punchy eight-foot-plus surf for the completion of the first round of the men’s O’Neill World Cup of Surfing. With a shot at his seventh Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series title, Garcia, 39, is hoping to replicate his recent performance at Haleiwa, where he blazed out of the opening round gates and took it all the way to the quarter finals. He made solid headway today, posting the highest heat score of the opening round: 15 points out of a possible 20.

Garcia’s power was on par with that of the new swell, looking comfortable and focused in the expansive lineup that wreaked havoc with many less-seasoned competitors. Garcia caught a total of four rides during the 30-minute heat, with top scores of 9.5 and 5.5, each out of a possible 10. He looked every bit of the surfer he was 15 years ago when he won this event for the first time in 1994, then again in 2000.

Reluctant to say too much too soon, Garcia was fairly tight-lipped on today’s success: “It is what it is and I got lucky and got some good waves. I can’t really complain at the end of the day.

“It was definitely good, a little lully, but like I said, I got lucky and I got the waves. The other guys surfed just as good, but I got that one 9 in the beginning and it kind of makes all the difference in the world.”

Dane Gudauskas (CA) and Cory Lopez (FL) led the US Mainland charge today, both advancing out of the same four-man heat ahead of Luke Campbell (Australia) and Jason Shibata (HI). Dane broke his surfboard during the heat, but still made it through on backup equipment. He will draw younger brother Tanner in the next round, along with Gabe Kling (FL), and Lincoln Taylor (Australia).

“I’m just so stoked to be here,” said the younger Gudauskas, 24. “This is my favorite wave in the world, so I’m stoked to get out there, have a good first heat and make it to the next round.

“I was taking wipeouts. I broke my board and got kind of annihilated. My brother was sitting in the channel, coaxing me to go hard and had my spare [board].

“It’s a wild day. When there’s nothing there’s nothing. But when the waves come it’s pumping. It’s kind of bizarre.”

Surprise eliminations today included Tahiti’s Alain Riou, who featured in the final at Haleiwa on Monday but effectively lost all hope of reaching the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 2010 Dream Tour with his loss today. He is also now out of the running for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar Energy Drink title race. After reaching the final at Haleiwa, Riou was looking for at least a semi-final finish here to qualify for the Dream Tour.

Others ousted prematurely were Shaun Gossman (Australia), Hodei Collazi (EUK), Yuri Sodre (Brazil), who was nursing a dislocated toe, and Australian big-wave rider Mark Mathews.

The O’Neill World Cup of Surfing is the second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar Energy Drink. The winner of this event will receive $20,000. The Vans Triple Crown series title, awarded to the most consistent performer across all three events, carries a $50,000 bonus.

The O’Neill World Cup of Surfing will likely continue at 8am tomorrow with the present swell forecast to fill in. For all of the LIVE action log on to www.triplecrownofsurfing.com

 

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: NINTENDO OFFERS 10 DOWNLOADS TO HELP YOU RECOVER FROM YOUR HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Nov. 30, 2009

Whether you succumbed to a food coma, found yourself trapped at the mall or just planted yourself in front of the television, clearly you need a break from the exhausting holiday weekend. And Nintendo is here to help, with 10 downloadable games sure to provide a welcome distraction. WiiWare™ brings the latest installment in the gripping Tales of Monkey Island series, while Nintendo DSiWare™ serves up some magic along with the popular Bookworm™ and Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, a game starring…you. And don’t forget to take a trip down memory lane with two Virtual Console™ classics – one from Super NES™ and one from the arcades.

For you Flipnote Studio™ fans, there’s something “dynamite” on the Nintendo Channel and the Flipnote Hatena Web site this week, so be sure to check it out. You can also watch and download Flipnotes created by renowned artists like Aardman Animations LTD. at the new Flipnote Central section.

WiiWare

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Conspiracies, betrayal and shocking revelations as the Tales of Monkey Island intensity builds. Guybrush returns to Flotsam Island, but forget about a hero’s welcome. Handed over to De Singe by the backstabbing Morgan LeFlay, Guybrush is seized by an angry mob and put on trial. With a silk-tongued prosecutor in his face and a hangman’s noose dangling over his neck, Guybrush must figure out how to defend himself against grave accusations. Meanwhile, the determined Marquis sets his sights on a new and far more attractive test subject. How on earth will the Mighty Pirate get out of this mess? The monthly Tales of Monkey Island tension continues to mount in The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood. Brace yourself for a shocking revelation that will rock the world of Monkey Island to its core.

My Zoo™
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: My Zoo is a relaxing animal sim that puts you in the shoes of an animal breeder, raising up animals you’d normally only dream of. All it takes is a Wii Remote™ controller for a simple, yet fulfilling, connection with nature. There are 12 animal types in total (four sold separately as add-on content). Select your favorites and nurture them to adulthood. Feeding them, petting them and cleaning up their messes are great ways to form a lasting bond. Each animal’s personality will change depending on how you take care of it. Watch them get spoiled, turn into over-eaters and more as they grow on a daily basis. Some animals will even have a baby on occasion, and once it’s born, you’ve got another mouth to feed. Game time passes much more quickly than real time, and the different animal types are active at various hours – some during the day and some at night. Sometimes it’s fun to just kick back and watch what they do. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to create your own personal zoo.

Copter Crisis
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Copter Crisis puts you in the pilot’s seat. As a member of the elite Helicopter Rescue Squad, you’ll be assigned to respond to any type of emergency anywhere at any time. As the newest member joining this team, you’ll have to complete various missions with the latest in helicopter rescue technology. When you’re ready, you’ll be tasked with executing rescue missions all around the Black Rock Canyon. Your Wii Remote controller becomes the control stick as you guide your copter along the canyons while avoiding rocks, severe weather and even anti-aircraft fire. Rescue lost hikers, deliver supplies to remote areas, assist on scientific missions and even blast your way into underground cavern systems. Complete all of your objectives and rise through the ranks to take on the toughest rescues and unlock 10 bonus missions. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play allows you to enhance your flight experience with 10 additional copters, which can give you access to unlimited missiles, larger fuel tanks, cargo holds and even mid-air loops.

Christmas Clix
Publisher: JV Games Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Christmas doesn’t have to be all work for Santa, does it? Santa’s having some fun and wants you to play along too. You can help Santa decorate the tree by removing the presents and ornaments that he stacks. When you consecutively connect packages without missing a beat, you get extra points. Collect as many candy canes as you can because when you collect enough, Santa will add a special star to the game that can greatly help you get through a level or just bring some additional fun.

Nintendo DSiWare

Foto Face™: The Face Stealer Strikes
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Your face, your game, you’re the hero. In Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, YOU get to be in the game. Using the camera and microphone, you become the hero in your own game. Unlock a variety of hero costumes as you battle the baddies, search for stars and solve platforming puzzles. The Face Stealer has stolen your identity and is creating trouble – and everyone is blaming you. You have to track him down across 15 action-packed stages. Along the way, you’ll come across many memorable creatures, both friend and foe. Use the camera and microphone to create faces and voices for every character in your game. Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes – a game starring YOU.

Bookworm
Publisher: PopCap Games, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Feed your appetite for wordy fun in this download version of PopCap’s hit word-puzzle game. Link letter tiles left, right, up and down to build words and feed Lex in Bookworm Classic mode. But watch out for burning letters – they could spell disaster for you and Lex. Use Reward Tiles and spell Bonus Words to boost your score and link your best words to enter the Hall of Fame. Play unlimited levels of word-puzzle fun and learn new words on the go. You’ll relax and tune up your brain every time you play.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Mind Probe
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks that you perform with your Nintendo DSi™ system. Learn the illusions, practice up and then amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe uses your Nintendo DSi system as a means of detecting information. Ask a spectator to write down a favorite (or least-favorite) item – person, food or color, for example – and then be astonished when the Nintendo DSi system sounds an alarm to indicate when that item is spoken. Use any variation of likes or dislikes to stun the crowd.

Sudoku Challenge!
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Now’s your chance to play the brain-busting puzzle game taking the world by storm. With more than 100,000,000 sudoku puzzles, you’ll never see the same puzzle twice in Sudoku Challenge! You can select the classic nine-by-nine sukodu game boards as well as Grand Sudoku, which challenges you to complete five intersecting sudoku boards simultaneously. Just a beginner? Don’t worry – with three difficulty options, even the most novice player can complete a sudoku with ease. But if you’re a seasoned pro, challenge yourself in “Hard” mode and test your true skills. It’s time to get your thinking cap on and see how many sudoku puzzles you can conquer.

Virtual Console

The Combatribes™
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The evil gang known as “Guilty Zero” rules the city, and it’s up to you as one of the members of the Combatribes to take them down. Choose one of three characters and fight your way through the city of New York. Progress through the game by tackling the goons and boss of each stage using your arsenal of kicks, punches, throws and other techniques to beat them into submission. Once your stamina bar is reduced to zero, you’ll need to use a continue, but when you’re out of continues, it’s game over. Can you eliminate the threat of “Guilty Zero” and restore the peace in New York City!?

Solomon’s Key™
Original platform: Arcade
Publisher: TECMO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Solomon’s Key is an action/puzzle game that lets you control the wizard Dana, delving into a labyrinth to seek out a magical tome called Solomon’s Key, an item that will help in your quest to drive away evil spirits let loose in the world. The goal of the game is to use the buttons to create and destroy blocks, and use various techniques to find keys to pass through doors. The game has appeared on a variety of platforms, but the arcade version focuses strongly on the action elements of the game, making it more challenging, and allowing players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters, to enjoy it. Settings like the number of lives and difficulty level can be adjusted.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

 

Carrie Ann Inaba at the “Celebration of Dance” event in Hollywood

Dizzy Feet Foundation Founding Member Carrie Ann Inaba attends the Dizzy Feet Foundation’s Inaugural Celebration of Dance at The Kodak Theater on November 29, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Dizzy Feet Foundation). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.

 

Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah’s New Dance Mixes) (a J!-ENT World Groove Digital Single Review)

Although a remix of Mariah’s popular christmas song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah’s New Dance Mixes) is actually not that bad.  Low Sunday does a good job pulling off the remixes and paying respect to the original track!  Definitely worth checking out!

ARTIST: Mariah Carey (feat. remixes by Low Sunday)

DIGITAL SINGLE: All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah’s New Dance Mixes)

LABEL: Columbia

DURATION: 15:16

RELEASE DATE:  November 23, 2009

Every Christmas, I have to get my Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas” fix as the song for me is just one of those “must-listen-to” Christmas songs.  And while perusing the digital online stores, I saw a digital single release of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” featuring 2009 dance mixes by Low Sunday.  Low Sunday recently did a remix for Mariah Carey’s “I Want to Know What Love Is”.

I know there will be some who will roll their eyes and thinking “why must they remix this song”?  But I figured, it’s a pretty fun song, why not give it a try.

Dance remix for “All I want for Christmas” is a pretty solid, upbeat dance mix version.  As for three songs on the single, they are very much alike, so you can pretty much either go for the first track or the extended version (the third track) if you are interested in purchasing one of the digital tracks (you really don’t need all three).  But personally, if you can find the original, buy the original version of the song and if you want a remixed, upbeat house mix the track then definitely check this single out.

 

Clannad – Collection 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

I can see why many anime fans have told me to watch “Clannad”.  It’s fun, humorous but also emotional and touching.   It has the touching moments and many characters like “Love Hina”, some school like craziness like”Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” but really, “Clannad” is a series that is fresh, unique and enjoyably fun.  “Clannad – Collection 1″ is highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © VisualArt’s /Key/Hikarisaka High School Drama Club.  All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Clannad – Collection 1

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen, Japanese 2.0, English subtitles

COMPANY: TBS Animation/Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: March 3, 2009

Original Character Designs by Itaru Hinoue

Directed by Tatsuya Ishihara

Series Composition/Screenplay by Fumihiko Shimo

Music by Jun Maeda, Magome Togoshi, Shinji Orito

Character Design by Kazum Ikeda

Art Director: Mutsuo Shinohara

Chief Animation Director: Kazumi Ikeda

Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka

Direction of Photography: Ryuuta Nakagami

Featuring the following voice talent:

Mai Nakahara as Nagisa Furukawa

Yuuichi Nakamura as Tomoya Okazaki

Ai Nonaka as Fuuko Ibuki

Akemi Kanda as Ryou Fujibayashi

Daisuke Sakaguchi as Youhei Sunohara

Houko Kuwashima as Tomoyo Sakagami

Kikuko Inoue as Sanae Furukawa

Mamiko Noto as Kotomi Ichinose

Ryotaro Okiayu as Akio Furukawa

Ryou Hirohashi as Kyou Fujibayashi

Ai Bandou as Sugisaka

Sometimes, something as simple as a chance encounter with a strange girl talking to herself can change your life forever. Alienated from his abusive father, Tomoya has been spiraling into delinquency since the death of his mother. Nagisa’s curse is her fragile health, which has forced her to repeat a year of high school. But when Tomoya impulsively agrees to help Nagisa restart the school’s disbanded Drama Club, a new mechanism for change is created, acting like a magnet for other girls with equally tragic stories.

Prepare to meet the ambitious Tomoyo, who dreams of becoming class president; Kotomi, a troubled genius with a secret past; and most mysteriously, Fuko, whose disassociation with the world has become so severe that she is literally fading from existence!

When it comes to the Japanese software company Key, many fans appreciate their work as the video games tend to be dating simulators for the PC and many other video game consoles.  Known for two visual novels “Kanon” and “Air” (both were adapted to anime series), the objects of the video games tend to be the gamer controlling the main male protagonist and with a lot of female friends, answering questions correctly in order to score.  The first two video games were adult-based but in 2004, the company released “Clannad”, a series that would not show nudity or fan service and a game for all ages.

“Clannad” received an anime adaptation in 2007 with a total of 23-episodes which was followed by “Clannad: After Story” (which takes place ten years later), OVA’s, an animated film and a manga. As for the anime series, the series is directed by Tatsuya Ishihara (“Air”, “Kanon”, “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”) and a screenplay by Fumihiko Shimo (“Full Metal Panic!”, “Air”, “Burst Angel”, “Gravion”, “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”).  The character design for the anime series is by Kazumi Ikeda (“Kanon”) and is faithful to the original designs by Itaru Hinoue (“Air”, “Kanon”).    All episodes for “Clannad” and “Clannad: After Story” are now currently available from Sentai Filmworks.

The anime series focuses on the character Tomoya Okazaki.  A high school student who tends to be late for class and has his share of personal problems at home (he and his father have not had a good relationship since his mother’s death) and pretty much spends most of his time with his troublemaking friend Youhei Sunohara.  Tomoya was once a promising basketball player in school until he was in a fight with his father which led to his arm being injured to the point where he can’t lift his arm up past his shoulder.

But life changes for Tomoya for the positive when he meets new high school student Nagisa Furukawa who he quickly becomes good friends with and helps her out.  Throughout the school year, he meets other female students that he tries to help out and becomes their friend.  And in the process, his friendships with these people help other people who are in need of friends.

The main characters of “Clannad” are:

• Tomoya Okazaki – The main protagonist.  A delinquent in school who tends to cut class or fall asleep from class, his life is changed for the positive when he meets Nagisa Furukawa.  He hangs out with his good friend Youhei Sunohara.
• Nagisa Furukawa – A shy teenager who is passionate towards an old commercial for the Dango Family.  Her parents Akio and Sanae run a pastry shop where Nagisa helps out.  A kind and shy teenager who cries when she’s sad but through her friendship with Tomoya, it helps give her strength to try and start a drama club at their high school.
• Youhei Sunohara – Tomoya’s good friend who always gets in trouble and is often seen getting beat up.  The character used for the comedy portions of the series.
• Kyou Fujibayashi - The twin sister of Ryou Fujibayashi. Very tough girl who gets in Tomoya’s face and always thinks he is mistreating her sister or other girls.  Secretly, she likes Tomoya.  A class representative at school.
• Ryou Fujibayashi – Twin sister of Kyou, she is the most reserved and quite of the two.  She’s always defended by her twin sister Kyou.  Ryou enjoys fortune telling.
• Kotomi Ichinose – The smartest girl in  school.  Very quiet and spends most of her time inside the library.  Tomoya tries to help her by introducing her to friends and giving her encouragement.  We learn through the anime series of why she’s so hooked on learning and pushing herself too hard.
• Tomoyo Sakagami- The transfer student who is rumored to be a violent girl and she demonstrates her fighting skills by taking out two gangsters.  This upsets Youhei Sunohara because he can’t believe a girl is beating up on boys, so he tries to figure her out.  She dreams of becoming more ladylike but also the school president.
• Fuko Ibuki – A girl that Tomoya meets in school and learns about her obsession with starfish.  But things start to become weird when people are unable to see her but tomoya and his friends.

“Clannad – Collection 1″ features a total of 12 episodes on two DVD’s.  Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 1 – The first time Tomoya meets Nagisa.
• EPISODE 2 – Nagisa wants to start a drama club at high school and Tomoya agrees to help her.
• EPISODE 3 – Nagisa is bedridden after the events of episode 2.  Tomoya learns about Nagisa’s health.
• EPISODE 4 – Tomoya meets up with the weird starfish loving girl Fuko and learns why she is giving out wooden starfish to the students.
• EPISODE 5 – Tomoya and Nagisa agree to help Fuko out.
• EPISODE 6 – Tomoya wants to invite Fuko’s sister Kouko to test out an idea he has in regards to Fuko.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 7 – Tomoya and Nagisa are learning that people can’t see Fuko but them and a few others.
• EPISODE 8 - More and more people are starting to forget who Fuko is and Tomoya and Nagisa worry they will be next.
• EPISODE 9 – Tomoya, Nagisa and Fuko work together to prepare for Youko’s wedding.
• EPISODE 10 – The drama needs club members and thus Tomoya goes to Kotomi and tries to make her more sociable.
• EPISODE 11 – Tomoya and friends try to help Kotomi give her first live performance at school.
• EPISODE 12 – When a bus accident takes place near school, Kotomi sees the accident and memories of her past start rushing in causing her to collapse.  Is she OK?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

So far, each anime series that were based off a Key video game such as “Kanon” and “Air” have both been fantastic anime series featuring vibrant animation, colorful backgrounds and just many settings that really make the series stand out.  The same can be said about “Clannad”, the animation and production is absolutely fantastic.  Kyoto Animation has done a wonderful job with the artistic backgrounds.  Also, the animation is solid and character designs are also done very well.  “Clannad” is featured in 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen and picture quality for the anime series on DVD is wonderful!

As for the audio, the audio of the series is in Japanese 2.0.  Japanese voice acting is solid and a lot of well-known Seiyuu are involved in the series.  Dialogue is understandable and clear.  Personally, I chose to have my receiver play the series with “Stereo on All Channels” for a more improve soundscape.  As for English dubs, there are no English dubbed dialogue for “Clannad”.

Subtitles are featured in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Clannad – Collection 1″ features the clean opening and closing animation and Sentai Filmworks trailers.

Anime fans have told me that I had to watch “Clannad” for a few years now and I have watched “Kanon” and really enjoyed “Air”.  But I suppose part of me being a bit hesitant was that I have seen so many “harem” like anime series in which the girls throw themselves after the main guy and I wasn’t in the mood to see an anime like this.  But after watching “Clannad”, I was wrong.

The anime series is well-written in a way that the main protagonist, Tomoya is not a perfect guy.  He’s a guy who has his set of problems and the girls he meets, have their own problems as well.  Granted, this series could easily go dark but instead, its about people who have found friendship within each other.  I can easily see how the video game series could have gone, since there are many female characters that Tomoya can try to be closer too. But for the anime series, relationships thus far have been kept platonic.  It’s not more of him liking these girls, it’s about him wanting to help them, even though he has a problem helping himself.

In the first collection, the theme is friendship.  Nagisa, Fuuko, Kotomi… they all have reasons why they haven’t had many friends, so we see three major arcs between these three girls and how Tomoya starts to help them and in someway, they end up helping him as well.  I wouldn’t go as far calling each character lost souls but Tomoya becomes a person that touches their lives, more than he thinks.

As for the DVD, the DVD comes with the first twelve episodes and there are not really any special features but the opening and closing theme.  I know there are some anime fans who are bummed out that there the series is not dubbed in English but the voice acting in Japanese is very solid and a good number of talented seiyuu involved in the series.

I can see why many anime fans have told me to watch “Clannad”.  It’s fun, humorous but also emotional and touching.   It has the touching moments and many characters like “Love Hina”, some school like craziness like “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” but really, “Clannad” is a series that is fresh, unique and enjoyably fun.  “Clannad – Collection 1″ is highly recommended!

 

Tears to Tiara – Collection 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

An entertaining and fun adventure anime series based on the popular PC/PlayStation 3 RPG video game!  Featuring many fun characters, an entertaining plot and also cool artwork and character designs.  Definitely a solid full-length series debut for anime production company WHITE FOX.

Image courtesy of © AQUAPLUS/T3WORKS.  All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Tears to Tiara – Collection 1

DURATION: Episodes 1-13 (325 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen, Japanese 2.0, English subtitles

COMPANY: Showgate/Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV PG V

Release Date: November 24, 2009

Directed by Tomoki Kobayashi

Series Composition by Touko Machida

Music by Takayuki Hattori

Character Design by Masahiko nakata

Art Director: Izumi Hoki

Chief Animation Director: Masahiko Nakata

Sound Director: Susumu Aketagawa

Animation Producer: Gaku Iwasa

Anime Production: Oriental Light and Magic, White Fox

Featuring the following voice talent:

Makoto Ishii as Arthur

Toru Ohkawa as Arawn

Yuko Goto as Riannon

Kaori Nakazuna as Llyr

Mai Nakahara as Morgan

Rie Tanaka as Octavia

Yousuke Akimoto as Ogam

Ai Shimizu as Ermin

Ami Koshimizu as Limwris

Kana Ueda as Rathty

Kenji Hamada as Gaius

Kiyomi Asai as Epona

Miyuki Sawashiro as Lydia

In a strange dark age, the Divine Empire’s path of conquest seems unstoppable, endlessly devouring its weaker neighbors in a brutal cycle of subjugation and pillage. But when a savage priest makes a critical mistake while attempting to resurrect a Demon Lord, the scales of fate begin to tip in the other direction! Choosing to side instead with the priest’s intended sacrifice, the Gaelic Priestess Riannon, the resurrected Lord Arawn joins with Riannon and her brother Arthur, as together they begin to assemble the force that will bring the Divine Empire to its knees! Wizards, archers, sword masters and even pixies take arms as the ancient Celtic, Gaelic, British and Roman myths of Albion receive a spectacular new animated interpretation in Tears to Tiara, Collection 1!

In 2005, the Japanese PC tactical RPG video game “Tears to Tiara” was developed by Leaf and then released on the Sony PlayStation 3 console in 2008.   It was not long after an anime adaptation of the video game would be shown on Animax Asia and then released by Sentai Filmworks.

“Tears to Tiara” is produced by White Fox, known for their work on Katanagatari and also their in-between animation work for series such as “Pokemon: Diamond & Pearl” and “Mobile Suit Gundam 00″.  The anime series is directed by Tomoyuki Kobayashi (“Ichigo 100%”, “Rozen Maiden”, “Utawarerumono”) and a screenplay by Touko Machida (“Lucky Star”, “Wolf’s Rain”, “Samurai Champloo”).  Music is by Takayuki Hattori (“Battle Athletes” “Slayers” films, “GTO”, “Sister Princess”) and character designs by Masahiko Nakata (“Utawarerumono, “Love Hina, “Sou Nanda”).

The first 13 episodes of “Tears to Tiara” focuses on the Gael tribe.  While all the men are out hunting and the women gathering mushrooms, Priest Drwc and his soldiers has set their path in kidnapping the Gael tribe’s priestess Riannon.  The only sole person at the village while everyone is gone.  Riannon is told that she is the key to awaken the demon lord known as Arawn and knowing this, she is prepared to take her life.  But when the soldiers present two children from the village that they caught, in order to help two children who were caught by the soldiers, she gives herself up for the children’s safety.

Immediately after the men return to the village and are told by the two children of what happened to Riannon, the village’s First Warrior/Riannon’s brother Arthur, the Sage Ogam and the soldiers from the village go to save her.  But they quickly learn that Riannon has given her life to serving Arawn.  But Arawn is not exactly the demon lord that one was expecting.  He’s actually a powerful man who has been asleep for over a thousand years but he never called himself a demon lord, it was just a title given to him by man.

With the corrupt Divine Empire creating fear wherever they go, the Gael tribe asks Arawn to be their chief of the tribe and help take down the Empire which he agrees to.  The first half features the adventures of the tribe as they encounter new friends and new foes as they march to fight the Divine Empire.

The story of “Tears to Tiara” is loosely based on the storyline of the Dark Age of Brittania, when the Gaels, Britons, Celts and Scots took on the Roman Empire.

The main characters of “Tears to Tiara” are:

• Arawn – The demon king that was sealed for over a thousand years but becomes the chieftain of the Gael tribe.
• Arthur – The First Warrior of the Gael tribe and often at odds with Arawn but very protective of his sister Riannon and the tribe.
• Riannon – The princess of the tribe and sister of Arthur.  Has pledged her dedication to Arawn.
• Sage Ogam - A powerful wizard who has knowledge of Arawn and the past.
• Morgan – A Gael archer/warrior who sometimes acts on impulse and gets her in trouble with Arthur.

“Tears to Tiara” features a total of 13 episodes on two DVD’s.  Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 1 – Arthur and the soldiers go to rescue Riannon.
• EPISODE 2 – The revival of the demon lord Arawn.
• EPISODE 3 – The introduction of the female warrior, Morgan who tries to kill Arawn.  The Gael tribe tries to steal ships from the Empire.
• EPISODE 4 – Arawn opens the gates of Avalon to the tribe.
• EPISODE 5 – Gaius goes after the Gael tribe.  Meanwhile, Morgan challenges Arthur for the position of First Warrior.
• EPISODE 6 – The introduction of Llyr and the empire’s knight Octavius.
• EPISODE 7 – The group goes to investigate the Colosseum in Londinium.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 8 - The Senate’s security force, the Rublum go after the Gael tribe.
• EPISODE 9 – The introduction of Lidia and Octavia is punished.
• EPISODE 10 – Empire Knight Octavia is being treated by the Gael tribe.
• EPISODE 11 – The Rubrum have discovers the whereabouts of the Gael tribe.
• EPISODE 12 – Riannon is kidnapped by Gaius.
• EPISODE 13 – Gaius and the Imperial forces make their way towards the castle in Avalon.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

At first, I wondered how the animation and art for “Tears to Tiara” would be, mainly for the fact that they have not done a major series before but only supplying in-between animation for major anime series.  But overall, animation and art production by WHITE FOX was actually quite solid.  One thing that helps with this series is that the tribe is constantly on the move, so there are a lot of scenes that are new for each episode.  Character designer Masahiko Nakata has had experience working on adventure-based series such as “Utawarerumono” but has experience working on anime series such as “Comic Party”, “Love Hina”, “Soul Nanda” and many other titles.

So, for the most part, I think that the fact that the series has experienced people working on this series and that WHITE FOX is trying to promote their name as a major anime production company, it works in the favor for “Tears to Tiara” as the company doesn’t have a their artists working on too many titles all at once.  Overall, the animation and art backgrounds are well done and is featured in 16×9 Anamorphic Widescreen.  I did notice some compression artifacting during some scenes while watching the series on a Blu-ray player (via a 52″) and thus the video was upconverted.   I watched more episodes on a normal DVD player,  on a 28″ screen to see if they were noticeable and I didn’t catch any compression artifacting watching it on a smaller screen.

As for audio, the series is in Japanese 2.0.  Dialogue is clear and understandable and found it much better to have my receiver set on stereo on all channels.  Voice acting is well done and a good number of talent with Makoto Ishii, Toru Ohkawa (known for the voice of Roy Mustang from “Fullmetal Alchemist” and Rufus Shinra of “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children) and Yuki Goto (voice of Mikiru Asahina of “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”)  providing the voices of the main characters.

Subtitles are featured in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tears to Tiara” features the clean opening and closing animation and Sentai Filmworks trailers.

For the first half of “Tears to Tiara”, the anime series has been quite enjoyable.  It does remind me a lot of “Watarerumono” and also a little bit from the OVA series “Bastard”.  But one thing the series has done well during the first half is establishing storylines for the supporting characters.

Although the first episode featured a good amount of blood and violence, the other character driven episodes are more lighthearted, fun and humorous.

I haven’t played the previous video games, so I can’t comment on how close the anime series is to the video games but I have read that the anime series utilizes the voice actors for the Playstation 3 video game and the adaptation is quite close to the PlayStation 3 video game.  As mentioned earlier, the artwork and animation is quite solid and the anime production studio WHITE FOX did a wonderful job for their first major anime series.  The DVD is pretty much barebones in terms of special features and its important to note that this series does not contain any English dubs.  It’s straight Japanese with optional English subtitles.

Overall, I have enjoyed “Tears to Tiara” thus far.  It’s actually a pretty fun, adventure-based anime series.  But as these 13 episodes are character building episodes, I look forward to seeing how the 13 episodes will be as the Empire begins to hunt down the Gael tribe and their friends.  And the series has done a good job in making the viewer accept the characters on the Gael side of the series, so it will be interesting as well to find out if the series does get any darker or tragic with each episode, especially as it nears its final episode.

If anything, Japanese RPG video game fans can appreciate the series because you can tell there will be many characters but how the writing definitely spends time with certain characters and getting them involved in the series, especially during battle.

But if you are looking for an adventure anime series and also enjoyed series such as “Utawarerumono”, definitely give “Tears to Tiara” a chance!

 

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