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We could all use some good deals during the holiday. Whether it be for others or really just for us. To help us all financially, the group that brings us Pacific Media Expo is hosting the first Holiday Anime Swap Meet. The Swap Meet is in Los Angeles, CA and will host dealer tables, artists alley and even giveaways.

The event is free to the public. Which gives you more money to spend. They will also be screening Naruto, Bleach, Inuyasha, Fruits Basket, One Piece, Bamboo Blade (new release), Romeo x Juliet, and two titles not even available for US distribution!

The event is on December 12, 2009. You can go to the official website for all the details. The Spike VGAs are the same day, so I’m not sure I’ll make it out, but if you are in the area, it sounds like a great way to pick up anime and manga for the holidays.

WHEN: Saturday, December 12, 2009 from 12 PM to 6 PM
WHERE:
Valley Japanese Community Center
8850 Lankershim Blvd.,
Sun Valley, CA
COST: FREE! GRATIS! $0
PARKING: FREE street parking!

Posted on December 6th, 2009 at 1:24pm by GamingAngel
Filed Under: PMX, Turning Japanese, anime, anime swap meet, manga

Halo anime fans previously saw “The Babysitter”, now fans can watch the next installment in the series, “The Duel”. This is only available for 24 hours and is out right now. To watch, go to Halo Waypoint on Xbox Live.

“The Duel” takes place thousands of years in the past at the dawn of the Covenant. The story follows a shamed Elite who defies his role as an Arbiter to take a path of revenge against those that stole the only thing that mattered to him. This ancient Arbiter must fight his way through ever-growing groups of former allies (Grunts, Elites, Hunters and more) until he finally stands face-to-face with the Elite who betrayed him.

Today is also the last time Silver members will be able to access Halo Waypoint before it goes to Xbox Live Gold members only on November 27.

Posted on November 21st, 2009 at 5:00pm by GamingAngel
Filed Under: Halo, Halo-Waypoint, News, anime, babysitter, microsoft, the-duel, xbox-live

If you enjoyed the Cowboy Bebop-meets-Master Chief action presented in the first episode of Halo Legends (seriously, that main character looked just like Spike Spiegel!), then you may want to check out the second episode of the Spartan-themed anime premiering today on Halo Waypoint. For 24 hours starting at 12:00AM PST (about eight hours ago), Xbox Live Silver and Gold members will be able to access “The Duel” through the “all-things-Halo” hub.

Microsoft also notes that this will be the last week for Xbox Live Silver members to explore Waypoint, and in turn, enjoy the weekly free episodes of Halo Legends. If you’re wondering what time the show will be available for you and you don’t live in North America, a full list of showtimes is available on Xbox.com.

PSA: Second Halo Legends episode free, available today only originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on November 21st, 2009 at 11:30am by Ben Gilbert
Filed Under: 343-Industries, Halo, Halo-Waypoint, anime, halo-legends, psa, the-duel, xbl, xblm, xbox-live, xbox.com

Release Date: 24/06/2009
Languages: English, Japanese
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anime, Mystery/Thriller, Occult/Supernatural
Subtitles: English subtitles
Runtime: 100.0 mins
Format: DVD, Region 4 (PAL)
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Widescreen Full Height Anamorphic

Buy it on RightStuf

Buy it on Amazon

Based on the original story by Ryohgo Narita, “Baccano!” brings us a different look at New York in the early to mid 1930’s. Mafia turf wars, robbery, killing sprees and other events are what can be found throughout at least the first 4 episodes (as that is how many are contained on Volume 1). In graphic detail by the way.

It’s hard to choose one particular character in this as there are so many of them, and I have a feeling that there are many still to come in later episodes. For now, here are a few characters (and their voice actors) that we meet in this volume: the ditzy robber duo Isaac (J Michael Tatum) and Miria (Caitlin Glass), mafia identities Luck Gandor (Jason Liebrecht) and Firo Prochainezo (Todd Haberkorn), psychopathic killer Ladd Russo (Bryan Massey) and his quiet girlfriend Lua Klein (Carrie Savage)… This list goes on and continues to grow with each episode, and I’m impressed with how many familiar voice actors were involved with this project.

I’m not as impressed with the series itself however. While it was interesting at times, I found it very confusing as to what was going on and who certain characters were. The focus didn’t stay long enough on certain characters or situations to really understand what had happened or was going to happen in some instances. Hopefully with the next volume the premise will become clearer.

All I can gather from the series so far (apart from the mafia wars, killing and robbery) is that the train named “The Flying Pussyfoot” that some of these characters are on is a major scene in the story, as well as the fact that some of these characters become immortal, but how this happened is not yet known. It does have something to do with a formula though, of that I am sure. And of course there’s some nasty creature coming after the passengers on the train.

Special Features? You got it!:

• Episode 4 Commentary with Tyler Walker (Line Producer & Director), Caitlin Glass (Miria), J Michael Tatum (Isaac) and Bryan Massey (Ladd).
• Textless versions of the opening theme (Gun’s & Roses) and closing theme (Calling).
• Trailers for other Madman anime releases

This sort of anime is not generally my cup of tea, and with the amount of characters and continual back and forth with the storylines, it’s easy to see why some might get frustrated with it and scratch it off their list. However, if you find the time period as well as the events that occur interesting, you are likely to enjoy this series.

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:23pm by Naomi
Filed Under: Arts, Bryan Massey, Caitlin Glass, Carrie Savage, J Michael Tatum, Jason Liebrecht, Ryohgo Narita, Todd Haberkorn, Turning Japanese, animation, anime, voice-acting

A-Kon (Dallas, TX)
A fan-run anime convention that takes place in the Dallas/Ft Worth area.

Anime Expo (Los Angeles, CA)
The largest anime/manga event in the US, Anime Expo runs annually in Los Angeles, bringing artist, voice talent and musical performances together for a wonderful weekend of fun.

Anime North (Toronto, ON)
One of Canada’s largest anime conventions, Anime North takes place at the end of May. They also raise funds for the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation.

DragonCon (Atlanta, GA)
DragonCon is one of the largest scifi/fantasy and pop culture convention in the US. It spans four hotels and three days of cosplay, panels, and offers a variety of guests. One of the guests for 2010 is popular author Laurell K Hamilton.

GenCon (Indianapolis)
GenCon is one of the largest gaming events in the world. Everything from computer and console games to table top and roleplaying games are featured every summer at the event.

Kansas City Game Fair (Kansas City, MO)
The Kansas City Game Fair is a small convention that combines three events in one, ShaunCon: Kansas City’s own role-playing convention, Blockhead! a board game convention and BorderWars (HAHMGS – Heart of America Historical Miniatures Gaming Society).

Long Beach Comic Con (Long Beach, CA)
2009 was the first year for the Long Beach Comic Con. It was attended by guests such as Stan Lee, Jeph Loeb, Seth Green and Eric Roberts.

New York Anime Festival & New York Comic Con (New York City, NY)
In 2010, NYAF and New York Comic Con will be taking place at the same time, in the same convention hall. Purchasing a pass will grant you access to both cons and you can experience the best both events have to offer.

Otafest (Calgary, AB)
A small and very community oriented anime and manga convention in Calgary, Otafest is a growing anime con run by an amazing group of dedicated volunteers.

Otakon (Baltimore, MD)
Otakon started out as a small college run convention but soon grew too large and has moved to Baltimore. The event attracts over 20,000 attendees and focuses on anime, manga and Japanese culture.

PAX East (Boston, MA)
PAX East 2010 will be the inaugural event for this eastern expansion for PAX. This first event is scheduled for March 26-28.

PAX West (Seattle, WA)
The original PAX site, PAX West offers one of the finest “For the Fans” gaming experiences. This is truly a community based event.

Sakura Con (Seattle, WA)
Seattle’s Japanese cultural festival, SakuraCon is one of the largest anime conventions in the Western US. It is held in the Spring and sponsored by the Asia Northwest Cultural Education Association.

San Diego Comic Con (San Diego, CA)
While the primary focus of SDCC has been comic books, science fiction and fantasy, it has grown to embrace more pop culture, anime/manga, and gaming. It is the second largest traditional convention in the world.

SIEGECon (Atlanta, GA)
SIEGE is an industry event for aspiring game industry students, graduates and local industry professionals to network and learn from each other over the course of an educational and fun-filled weekend of activities.

Video Games Live (Worldwide)
VGL is a musical event, touring the globe to bring video game fans orchestral versions of their favourite video game music. It is a celebration of the culture of video games, and is supported buy the gaming industry.

Yaoi-Con (San Mateo, CA)
Yaoi-Con is a convention focused on the “yaoi” (male-male relationship) anime and manga scene. Due to the nature of the material, attendees must be 18 years of age or older with ID.

Posted on November 15th, 2009 at 3:07am by Yukino
Filed Under: Angels on the Go, Conventions, Los Angeles, Otakon, Popular culture, San Diego Comic-Con International, anime, anime expo, fantasy, new-york-city, sci-fi