Planet Rinda

     Every generation has a soundtrack that is all their own.  It follows them through their life, ready to remind them of happy times when they were young.  I too, it seems, am a product of my youth.  While I was a big fan of eighties music while I was living it, I never thought that it defined a part of me.  I recall a significant conversation with my best friend about how we weren’t going to be like those “moldy oldies” who sat around decades later complaining that their music was the only kind of music worth listening to.  Yet, decades later, I find myself still enthralled by eighties music.
      It’s not a constant thing.  It’s definitely not the only music I listen to.  Currently, I’m discovering an unexpected infatuation with J-Pop, no doubt linked to my love of anime.  Still, whenever I hear an old favorite or even a forgotten gem from that era of mullets, spandex, torn shirts and MTV, I get happy.  It transports me to a time when I was young, free and the world was wide open for me.  It just makes me feel good to be alive!  I guess that’s what good music does, at least for me.  And I hope that for you, there is a special kind of music that by simply listening to it, it unlocks the child inside and let’s them out to play for a little while! 
      So if you feel like reminiscing a bit check out a few of these things…Here’s a fun quiz on 80′s music lyrics.  Try doing the quiz before you check out these videos that may take you on a trip back in time…

Tribute to the 80′s (Part 1)

Tribute to the 80′s (Part 2)

Tribute to the 80′s (Part 3) New Wave Special

Technorati Tags: music, 80′s music, videos, YouTube videos, 80′s music lyrics quiz, Jpop, anime

     DragonCon 2007 is now just a memory that’s softly fading as the hours pass but for the past four days, it’s been a rocking good time for me! I’m home from the convention and I just want to say that, as usual, it was a blast. The anime track was a lot of fun though I think that the powers that be at DragonCon need to realize just how popular anime and manga has become in this country! Let’s just say that judging from the turn-out at the anime panels this weekend, they are definitely learning!

     I had the pleasure of meeting Vic Mignogna, a wonderful anime/game voice actor, a talented musician and an all around incredibly good guy! Vic is well-known for his work as Edward Elric on Fullmetal Alchemist, Dark Mousy on DNAngel and many others.  His roles number over a hundred in different animes and games.  I genuinely enjoyed his panels on Fullmetal Alchemist and Voice Acting.  He’s an entertaining and informative speaker that keeps the convention panels hopping.  A real fan favorite, Vic brings a sense of humor, kindness, and a great love of voice acting, anime and the fans themselves to everything he does.  He’s also a talented musician.  I’ve got the CD to prove it!  If you’d like to find out more about Vic Mignogna, I’d suggest checking out his fangroup the Risembool Rangers or his website!

      DragonCon wasn’t just about Mr. Mignogna and the anime track but they were both definitely major high points for me.  Of course, the costumes were mind-blowing.  (Check out the fan photos posted online if you don’t believe me!)  The cosplay contest was a lot of fun.  The range of anime, manga and games that the contestants drew from was so varied!  Truly, all fandoms were represented!  My personal favorite was an amazing Cloud from Final Fantasy Advent Children!  The DragonCon Parade was also a colorful representation of all genres and tastes.  And while the Masquerade was fun, the hall costumes blew most of those contestants out of the water! 

     The convention was crowded and having it spread out over the three hotels made it difficult to see and do all that I wanted.  But the sights, the sounds, the tastes, the smells and the spectacle that is DragonCon remain extrodinary, astounding and ever inviting!  If you haven’t attended a DragonCon before, I strongly recommend your doing so.  Regardless of what where in entertainment your personal tastes lie, you can find something intriguing at DragonCon.  Probably a bit more than you bargained for!  It’s kinda like that old Chinese curse, “May you have an interesting life.”  DragonCon is very, very interesting!  And I’m so glad that I was a part of it!

Technorati Tags: DragonCon, convention, anime, manga, voice acting, Vic Mignogna, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dark Mousy, DNAngel, Final Fantasy Advent Children, Final Fantasy, Cloud, cosplay, costumes, masquerade, costume contest, Risembool Rangers

     As of late, I’ve become increasingly obsessed with AMV’s online.  This has led me to ponder the appeal of these video gems.  AMV stands for Anime Music Video. They’re the latest entry into a long entertaining history of combining music with film clips that stretches back to the time of silent films.  Most all of us have been raised on MTV and it’s surreal world of three minute miniature movies set to our favorite music.  I think that’s one reason for the rise in AMV’s.  It could also be that the AMV is well suited to our attention spans.  Or it could simply be the wonderful combination of video with music.  I don’t know really.  I simply know that I’m becoming hooked! AMV’s are just a great way to enjoy all the anime characters that we know and love!

      AMV’s are generally made by fans for fans without any official permission.  These amateur masterpieces are made with video editing software and some of the results are quite professional looking.  They generally combine carefully edited anime video clips with music of all kinds.  Some use still images in a slide show format such as scanned images from manga.  The style, the music and the final results are as varied as the anime fanbase out there.  Many are award winning.  Contests for AMV’s can be found online and at most conventions these days.  But be forewarned.  The competition is fierce!

     These two posts by 2xKnight over at AnimeFansOnline really jump-started my latest AMV obsession.  So please check out what he has to say about Naruto AMV’s  and AMV’s in general (including one of my personal favorites Understanding Rukia!).

           So look around online.  Check out YouTube or your favorite video website.  There are a plethora of AMV’s out there.  Here are some of my current favorites…

Best of You
A curious mix of anime and classic MTV video!

Bleach:300th Squad
A wickedly delightful mix of movies and anime!

Naruto-What I’ve Done
A professional looking Naruto AMV!

One Piece AMV – Sail On
A fast-paced thrill ride with amazing editing set in the One Piece Universe!

Prince of Tennis – I’ll Be There For You
Prince of Tennis meets Friends! Does it get any better!

I wish I were a lesbian
A funny & sexy combo of comedy and anime!

Technorati Tags: anime, manga, AMV, YouTube videos, MTV, music, anime music video, Best of You, Foo Fighters, Bleach, The 300, Naruto, What I’ve Done, Lincoln Park, One Piece, Sail On, Prince of Tennis, Friends, I’ll Be There For You, comedy, FLCL, I Wish I Was A Lesbian

     In part three of my continuing series on anime, I’d like to at least touch on the subject of different styles in anime.  There is an astounding variety of anime out there. Since anime in Japan isn’t limited to children’s cartoons, the subject matter available is a true cross-section of all types of entertainment.   I think it’s really important to explore the various styles of anime so that you can both discover what you like and so that you don’t miss some of the truly top-quality anime out there. 

     Because of the sheer volume of styles to choose from, as well as the different ways to categorize it, I’m simply going to try to narrow it down by storyline or plot.  I could write several posts on the diverse themes of anime, but that’s for another day.  For right now, I’m going to make some generalized suggestions to help point you in the right direction.

• Children’s stories like Doraemon, Hamtaro and Hello Kitty.
• Classic martial arts/Samurai style Ninja Scroll, Ruronuni Kenshin or even Samurai Champloo.
• Creepy Delights like Ghost Hunt, Hellsing, Paranoia Agent and Vampire Hunter D.
• Dazzling action and fighters animes like Bleach, Cowboy Beebop and Naruto.
• Flashy newcomers like Death Note, Lucky Star, Manabi Straight, and Zombie Loan.
• Giant Robots, spaceships and aliens like Big O and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
• Marvelous movies like Akira, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away.
• Old School Classics such as Astro Boy, Battle of the Planets and Star Blazers.
• Perennial favorites like Bubblegum Crisis, Chobits, Dragon Ball Z, Ghost in the Shell, InuYasha, Sailor Moon,  Slayers, Tenchi Muyo.
• Schoolgirls and heart-string tuggers such as Azumanga Daioh, Fruits Basket, Gunslinger Girl, Happy Lesson,  Love Hina.
• Wacky Comedies like Excel Saga, Lupin the 3rd and Miami Guns.

Delve into different styles of anime!

Technorati Tags: anime, what is anime, styles of anime, videos, YouTube video, Turning Japanese, I Think I’m Turning Japanese, The Vapors, Doraemon, Hamtaro, Hello Kitty, Ninja Scroll, Ruronuni Kenshin, Samurai Champloo, Ghost Hunt, Hellsing, Paranoia Agent, Vampire Hunter D, Bleach, Cowboy Beebop, Naruto, Death Note, Lucky Star, Manabi Straight, Zombie Loan, Big O, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Astro Boy, Battle of the Planets, Star Blazers, Bubblegum Crisis, Chobits, Dragon Ball Z, Ghost in the Shell, InuYasha, Sailor Moon, Slayers, Tenchi Muyo, Azumanga Daioh, Fruits Basket, Gunslinger Girl, Happy Lesson, Love Hina, Excel Saga, Lupin the 3rd, Miami Guns

     Music in anime seems to be the topic of the day.  I just finished reading an interesing post by 2xKnight over at AnimeFansOnline.  He takes a hard look at the impact of music in anime.  Something that is near and dear to my heart, but I guess you could probably tell that if you’ve read some of my earlier posts.  I’ve mentioned my love of both themes from Pucca and Lucky Star when discussing the animes.  2xKnight’s post really got me thinking about the fact that when I think about all the anime that I consider to be my favorites, they all have fantastic music! There has to be a link, at least for me.

      Can music make or break an anime?  I don’t know.  While I don’t think that the two are mutually exclusive, I do feel that good music and good anime make for superior entertainment. The music from the opening theme to the background music, sets the mood and often tempo of the anime.  And long after the anime has ended, just hearing the music again will remind me of a show that I enjoyed.  Lately, I’ve really gotten into just listening to a lot of the music from anime’s that I like.  Heck, I don’t what the lyrics are half the time but that does little to deter me.  When the music is good, who cares?

      Now, I’m not going to debate the legality of downloading music online but Gendou has a site that is one of my favorites for so many reasons.  And he even has a streaming J-Pop radio station that completely rocks!  You should check it out. 

      And lastly, below are some Youtube videos that are a small sampling of some of my favorite anime music.  Take a listen and let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: anime, music, anime music, youtube, youtube videos, videos, Pucca, Lucky Star, Beck, Bleach, FLCL