Kiki

Let's face it... Kiki was never that great at flying to begin with...

Speaking of "Kiki's Delivery Service," have you heard that there is a live action adaptation of the movie set to release in Japan next month?  Here is the trailer:

I don't know what disturbs me more, the creepy CG version of Jiji the cat or the overly aged appearance of Kiki... or the fact that there is a live action adaptation at all!!  Personally, I find the original animated movie to be a beautifully craft film, and I don't know what the purpose of such a live action adaptation accomplishes.  Perhaps it's an attempt to reach audiences who normally don't watch animation, or maybe the film producers figured that today's kids haven't seen the older animated version and will see this version as new and amazing.  Regardless of the reasons, if you haven't seen the original animated film, "Kiki's Delivery Service," I highly recommend you check it out.  If you happen to see this live action version, I'd be curious to hear your review.

Saraba!!

Anime Corner: Watching "Sword Art Online" with a non-gamer

Zer07 and I recently sat down and watched the popular, yet controversial series, "Sword Art Online."  SAO is a story of a game creator gone mad who has trapped his players in a virtual world, where death in the game means death in real life.  

I was a bit hesitant to watch at first because of the gaming-centric setting, but I eventually found myself getting hooked and we watched to the end with a fair sense of satisfaction.  While I did enjoy SAO, I feel very conflicted about this show.  I'm of the mindset that a show should attempt to be as universally accessible as possible, and as a  non-gamer, I would have needed a manual to follow this show by myself.  Admittedly, I'm probably not the target demographic for this show... my gaming experience is mostly limited to Bejeweled, Super Puzzle Fighter, Super Mario Brothers, and Mario Kart!!...  I don't think I would have stayed with the show if I didn't have 07 next to me explaining the intricacies of MMOs.  Putting aside the heavy MMO references, however, the story is pretty compelling and had me hooked.  The stakes are very high with some characters undergoing interesting psychological transformations, there is a sweet romantic storyline, and the art and animation is consistently high quality.

Anime fans seem to either love or hate this show.  The second half of the show was arguably weaker than the first with an introduction of an awkward sibling romance and a less entertaining gaming storyline.  (While I understand why many Western viewers might have a problem with the brother-sister romance, this is actually quite a common romance sub-genre in Japanese storytelling.)

I recommend giving this show the "3 episode rule."  You can check out the full 25 episodes streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nin, nin.

Story writing with Shiro Ninja and Zer07: Part 3 - The same conclusion

Story writing with Shiro Ninja and Zer07: Part 2 - Responsibilities

Happy New Year friends!!  Nin, nin!

Story writing with Shiro Ninja and Zer07: Part 1 - Always looking forward

Ossu!!  Shiro Ninja here.  Unit Zer07 and I have been hard at work doing some story writing.  We're developing an idea for an animated series we want to make, which we're calling, "Aram."  We're making progress and are really excited with the direction the story is going, but as you can see, the story writing process doesn't always go smoothly.  More story writing tales to follow...

Therapy Session

Written by:  Unit Zer07 and Shiro Ninja
Art by:  Shiro Ninja

Giant Robot anime

The Ninja Diet

Hello everyone! Shiro Ninja here. I hope you had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend! I enjoyed myself by eating whatever I wanted! This is kind of a big deal because for the past month or so, I have been trying to follow a special kind of diet.

They say that one in ten ninjas suffers from eczema, and I happen to fall into that unfortunate one in ten category. People have been telling me to avoid all foods that might cause allergic reactions, so that's what I've been trying to do... but it's pretty hard to stay on the wagon when you can't eat anything!
This is not only hard, but a lot of work! I've been making lots of trips to Whole Foods and stocking up on a ridiculous amount of fruits and vegetables. Here's a typical day:











Someone please give me a meatball sub.

Thanksgiving travels

It's almost Thanksgiving! That, of course, means it's time to go visit the old ninja village. But how?? Here are my options: go to the airport and either get molested or have a pervy photo taken.... or sit in a bus for 23 hours.... I've opted for the bus. I'll let you know how many hours it takes before I go mentally insane. Safe travels everyone, and remember, if you opt for the intimate "pat down," get a room! It's your right ;)

Saraba!!

-Shiro Ninja-

SIGGRAPH 2010

Gobusata shimashita!! Shiro Ninja here. My apologies for the long absence! Zer07 and I were on a top secret mission in Los Angeles. Our mission: to infiltrate SIGGRAPH and distribute as many of our demo reels as possible!

For those of you who don't know, SIGGRAPH is an annual conference held for the Computer Graphics industry. There are exhibits on emerging technologies, new software, and most excitingly, a job fair. All the big animation studios set up booths and it's a great opportunity to network! So Zer07 and I went with 200 demo reels and this is what happened:





Nobody seemed very enthusiastic about taking our demo reels or applications... so then we went to the designated "Job Fair" section thinking that everyone there was recruiting...



Before the end of the day, we each had luck with one studio.



Needless to say, our mission was a supreme failure.



We did, however, have fun with some good friends and see some beautiful sights! It was a looooong journey back to Canada. Maybe next time we'll fly!









-Shiro Ninja-