This group will be dedicated to introduce anime fans like yourselfs to new anime and genres of anime. Also, the place to learn of new Jpop and Jrock groups. Intoduce others to new anime and manga, and meet new people!

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WARNING: I’ve taken pride in the amount to time I spent into this group and I take my work seriously; this is a serious group dedicated to bring anime info to you as well as music, manga etc so I dont want any BS on this group, if ur not here to talk about anime then I will delete Your @$$. You’ve been warned!

TO THOSE WHO REQUEST BEING APART OF THIS GROUP: Once you send a request e-mail, I willl ask you several questions to see if you are not just any random person but an actual anime fan who really wants to be apart of this group. I’m filtering out the BS so none of us will have to deal with it. I hope you all can have an understand where I’m coming from. WARNING!!!!: THIS IS NOT JUST ANOTHER ANIME GROUP, I ONLY ACCEPT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ANIME AND HAVE REAL INSIGHT INTO ANIME, IF YOU WANT TO BE IN THIS GROUP BECAUSE, YOU "LOVE ANIME" THAT TO ME IS UNACCEPTABLE, YOU MUST WANT TO BE HERE TO GAIN MORE ANIME KNOWLEDGE, BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE WORLD OF ANIME OR DISCUSS VARIOUS ANIME RELATED ISSUES, OTHERWISE FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD YOU ARE WASTING YOURS AND MY TIME, BECUASE I PUT SO MUCH WORK INTO THIS I DO NOT WANT MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT GOING TO TRY TO GAIN SOMETHING FROM THIS GROUP. (Sorry if I sound Like a Jackass, but I’m not. I am really serious about this, since I am working towards getting an anime related job BUT BE WARNED:I will wait for your reply for ONLY 24-48 hours, if I don’t hear from you within that time, I will Delete your e-mail request (I won’t even answer it!)

RULES FOR FORUMS: BEFORE FOR YOU POST A NEW TOPIC LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS TOPICS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT POSTING THE SAME TOPIC AGAIN! Post questions relating to ANIME ONLY, there will be NO ADVERTISING (I do that with the links provided and also in the bulletins I post) If you want me to advertise a group, profile etc then send me a message and if it meet MY STANDARDS then I will post it, also if you post something in the forums and if it has nothing to do with anime or if it is some idiotic question or if it is a topic already posted then I will delete it.

**If you want to add me as a friend, sorry my myspace is for my close friends only (its a personal myspace please understand) BUT CLICK ON MY OTHER MYSPACE LINK BELOW IF YOU WANT ME AS A FRIEND


TO CONTACT MODERATOR OR ADD AS FRIEND! 
Moderators Myspace Profile




The History of Anime

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*INFORMATION TAKEN FROM ANIMEINFO.COM*

"During and after the Second World War, there was a man by the name of Osamu Tezuka. A factory worker during the war and an aspiring doctor, Tezuka was heavily influenced by the early animation of Disney and the Flesicher Brothers in the West. As a child, Tezuka found solace and enjoyment in his father’s projector reels featuring characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He also found popularity and respect among his peers for imitating the style of the cartoons he saw, by drawing ones of his own. It was this early love of animation that would fuel not only his future success, but also, ultimately, the birth of anime and manga as we know it today. Historians and knowledgeable fans alike agree that Tezuka was the precursor to both manga and anime, and there’s definitely good reasoning and evidence behind it. He was the first to come out with a novel-length drawn story (titled "Shintakarajima", or "New Treasure Island") in 1947, the very first well-known "tankoubon" or "graphic novel" as the West calls them. In 1963, he was the first to produce an internationally successful animation series in "Testuwan Atom", or, as we know it, "Astro Boy". Along with Toei Animation (which Tezuka had worked with as a character designer), Tezuka’s Mushi Productions was among the first in Japanese animation studios. In both his drawn stories and in his animation, Tezuka was a pioneer to the Japanese. Drawing on the influences of the cartoons he watched as a child, Tezuka used large heads and expressive faces in his style of drawing. The unusually large eyes especially were of note, as Tezuka wanted to be able to display a range of emotions for his characters, and felt that large eyes were essential to achieving this. This drawing and animation style of Tezuka’s would go on to influence many future anime and manga artists, and the trend can still be seen today in many popular anime. Tezuka and his studio were also revolutionaries in that they told overhanging plot and stories with their animation. Unlike the West, where individual cartoons were mostly episodic in nature (i.e. "stand-alone"), Tezuka’s "Astro Boy" and later work "Kimba the White Lion" told a continuing story revolving around recurring characters, both heroes and villains. Characters were also subject to change - for example, Kimba eventually grows from a young lion into an adult lion.This use of plot elements, previously seen only in live-action TV series, was something that would become one of the main appeals and selling points of anime for most, if not all its fans."

"As Mushi and Toei continued to pave the way for Japanese animation to succeed, the anime medium began to change and grow. The period of the 1970’s saw changes in the Japanese animation medium that began to split it from its previously-influential Western sources. The groundwork was now laid for the animation field in Japan and certain series in the 1970’s highlighted things that were to become the foundation of the "uniqueness" of the anime medium. One of the most obvious anime "trends" that was established in this time period was the appearance of "mecha" in anime. Mecha, short for "mechanical", is the term used to describe the giant robots and machines that are typical of some anime shown today. Mecha anime has become somewhat of a sub-genre of anime itself and is one of its most common vanguards, and its roots date back to the 1970’s. One of the earliest "mecha" types of anime was "Mazinger Z", a creation of artist Go Nagai, who would go on to influence another trend in anime in later years. The story revolved around an evil mad scientist, Dr. Hell, who had found lost robotic technology and used it to build robots of destruction. To counter this, a rival scientist created Mazinger Z, a robot with a plethora of weapons and abilities. Unfortunately, the scientist was killed by the evil Dr. Hell, but not before the scientist’s grandson was warned, enabling him to find and pilot the large Mazinger machine. Mazinger Z went on to spawn many episodes and feature films and was one of the most successful of mecha animes. It seemed that giant robot battles were things that drew in viewers in Japan, which explains the later success of live-action series such as Ultraman. Another convention that began to be used in anime in the 70’s was a tweaking of the conventional plot aspects that had become ingrained in anime at its inception a decade or so ago. Aside from the regular "good guy" vs. "bad guy" concept, subtle variations in storyline and character perception began to appear. The anime "Lupin Sansei" or "Lupin III" focused on a main "good guy" character with rather unscrupulous qualities (he was a master thief). The misadventures of Lupin were among some of the more prominent series during this time. "Devilman" was another anime with an "anti-hero", in that it involved a main character who possessed a demon in order to defeat other demons. These series and more would guarantee more "unconventionality" in anime, and an expansion of its characterization formulae. Mecha and unique characterization would come together, however, in a drama/action series that was to become one of the most acclaimed anime series of all time. "Mobile Suit Gundam", first appearing in 1979, involved a war between Earth and its first space colonies, using mechanical piloted robot "suits" for warfare. These "Gundam" mechas were among one of the most loved among viewers at the time and a healthy merchandising market of models served to bolster the series’ popularity. In addition to the heart-stopping battles, the thematics of war were introduced into the series. War was not without consequences, and the situations and thoughts of the characters in the series captivated audienes as much as the action did. With the success of the Gundam series, the anime movement was prepared to explode onto the Japanese (and international) scene - and it did."

"As the 80’s came and went on, Anime began to kick into high gear. By this time, the Japanese animation medium was a national mainstay and an international cult fan favorite (known as "Japanimation"). Though the few anime series that did make it onto international shores were either very vaguely known, such as Speed Racer, or horrendously cut for public consumption, such as Robotech (made from bits and pieces of three original related mecha series in Japan, with drastic changes in storyline), the medium continued its rise. Continuing with Tezuka’s fundamental trend in telling stories as well as following the drama that was seen in such series as Mobile Suit Gundam, acclaimed manga artist Rumiko Takahashi was (and still is) one of the most prominent figures during this time period. Having first become known for her comedy work "Lum: Urusei Yatsura" ("Those Obnoxious Aliens"), which was extremely popular, Takahashi dabbled in the romantic and comedy fields, drawing and animating some of the best-known anime series of all time. "Ranma 1/2", which concentrated on a main character with the ability to change gender via hot and cold water, is still popular and is still being released today by Viz Video and ran for over 100 episodes. And today, Takahashi is adding a feather of horror to her already plentiful plume, with "Inu-Yasha" - a story containing romantic, horror, and comedy elements. The story centers around a girl who finds a well that goes back in time to ancient mythological Japan, where she teams up with a half-demon in order to save the world. As Takahashi and others continued to develop anime’s storytelling, Go Nagai, creator of Mazinger Z, and others in his vein worked to develop an aspect of anime that had until now had seen minimal exposure in some of Tezuka’s manga works - that of anime for adults. Breaking from the concept that animation was supposed to be only for kids, Nagai created series such as "Cutey Honey", featuring a rather well-endowed female lead who could change appearance into any number of seductive roles, and "Kekko Kamen", a hilarious satire on superhero animations that featured, of all things, a naked superheroine. This and other "adult anime" have been said by some to be a blessing and a curse - while it does add another dimension to the medium, it also fuels one of anime’s greatest stereotypes of being nothing more than "animated pornography". Regardless, Nagai’s work helped to expose the anime medium to even more types of fans. The number of well-known anime series had doubled, if not tripled, from the early 70’s, as companies like Shogakukan/Kitty Films and Pioneer joined the already-established Toei Animation and Tezuka Productions. But the final establishment of anime’s national and international presence was yet to come. Two milestones in the history of anime were created during this already booming time period. The first of these was "Akira" released in 1988 to worldwide acclaim. Set in apocalyptic Tokyo, the film featured a motorcycle gang that faces internal strife after their discovery of a child with psychic abilities. Ultimately this struggle has more to it than meets the eye as the military, government scientists, and resistance movements become involved. With its incredible, somewhat gory animation, action, and gripping storyline, Akira became one of the best-known anime feature films not only in Japan, but all over the world, and is one that some anime fans will say got them into the genre in the first place. 1995 brought with it the second milestone in anime - Masamune Shirow’s "Ghost in the Shell", another feature film set in a cyberpunk-like era. In this age, humans are enhanced with cybernetic parts and have mastered the ability to travel through an internet-like sea of information, another realm that exists beyond the human one. Thrown into this is agent Motoko Kusanagi, ordered to stop a mysterious being that is able to travel the virtual world without a body, hacking into and destroying anything and anyone who tries to stop it. However, her connection with the mysterious entity known only as "Puppet Master" may change her forever. Released worldwide, Ghost in the Shell received as much, if not more, acclaim than its predesscessor Akira and helped to solidify Japanese anime as the ultimate alternative medium to conventional animation. By this time, a healthy fan base had grown even on international shores where Disney and the Looney Tunes were the norm. Anime had finally returned to stand with its roots."

"Today, anime is alive and well, but also continuing to evolve and grow. In Japan, new series are shown on TV networks every day, with seemingly no end in sight, and well-established studios such as Toei still stand among newer animation studios to create new and exciting anime series. Though in 2001, an economical recession seems to have hit Japan, the anime medium is chugging along nicely, at least from an international point of view. The continued release of anime in Japan ensures its life even in the face of economic hardship. Internationally, and especially in the West, the anime movement has grown to new heights at the start of the 21st century. Companies such as Bandai Entertainment, Viz Video, ADV Films, and Pioneer have become larger and more profitable than in previous years, able to release many popular series from Japan in both VHS and the new DVD format. An increasing fan base and plenty of future appealing releases has legitimized the existence of these tireless individuals who work to bring Japanese animation to other shores, in original Japanese and dubbed formats. The internet boom has also served to fuel awareness of anime, with sites like our own AnimeInfo.org and others helping to inform and cultivate interest in the medium, and others like Rightstuf.com and Animenation.com serving as vendors for anime-related merchandise. Anime conventions in the USA, such as the West Coast’s Anime Expo, Midwest’s Anime Central, and East Coast’s Otakon have also been a factor in brining together anime fans of all ages in appreciation of the near 50 year old medium. In the general public eye, anime is still making progress as a properly recognized medium. Though stereotypes and misrepresentations (as well as fair and objective stories) are still present in the mainstream media, the recognition of anime has still made progress from its roots in the 70’s and even from the boom of the 80’s and 90’s. Akira, the 1988 cult hit, is being remastered for release worldwide and should be out very soon. Recent animated feature films "Perfect Blue" and "Princess Mononoke" have piqued the curiosity of many people not very familiar with anime (and in the case of "Princess Mononoke", mainstream actors were even cast as English dub voices). And Cartoon Network’s Toonami, while criticized by some anime fans for broadcasting heavily edited and watered down anime series, has nevertheless served as a huge influence in the past year or so to bring in new anime fans, with its broadcasts of the "Tenchi Muyo" series, "Dragonball Z", "Gundam Wing", and "The Big O", among others. With these and many more factors in place, the outlook looks very good for anime as it works to stay a fresh and exciting medium for many fans both nationally and internationally. The history of anime is a very progressive one, showing a medium that has changed and evolved so much over the years. The future, perhaps, may bring us to even more changes to benefit Japanese animation and its many fans."




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**IF THERE ARE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE LINKS PLEASE LET ME KNOW, SEND ME A MESSAGE AND TELL ME WHAT LINK IT IS, THANK YOU!**

[ANIMATION SENSATIONS AFFILIATES & FRIENDS]:
ZB..’s A to Z of J-music
Anime Palooza
Anime Alternative


FOR THE [SERIOUS] OTAKU:
*Participation in the Forums: See bottom of page*
Anime Research
Face-Fault: Online Anime Magazine
Purple Sky Magazine
Otaku USA
Newtype USA
Shonen Jump
Shojo Beat
Tokyopop



JAPANESE GAME & ACTIVITIES LINKS:
Wanna play GO? Click Here!
Wanna play DDR Online? Click Here!
Wanna Learn Japanese? Click Here!


ONLINE ANIME SHOPS:
Hammergirl Anime Store
KINOKUNIYA
CD Japan
Japanimation
Anime Beach
J-Box
Yes Asia
Japan Shop



HERE IS THE LIST OF SITES WHERE YOU CAN EITHER DOWNLOAD ANIME EPISODES OR WATCH THEM DIRECTLY ONLINE:

(BE GREATFUL FOR THIS SINCE IT TOOK ME SOME TIME TO TRACK SITES LIKE THESE DOWN!)

(*) Indicates websites where you can watch STREAMING full-length anime episodes Online
(DL) Indicates website where you can DOWNLOAD full-length anime episodes to your computer


(DL)Adv Universe
(DL)Anime & Asian Movie Downloads
(DL)Anime Crave
*Anime Episodes
*Anime Peekvid
(DL)Anime Suki
(*/DL)Anime Jetstream @ Geosites.com
*Anime Slander
(DL)Anime Upload
*Anime Viewer
*AniTube
*Crunchyroll
(DL)Curse Anime
(DL)D-Addicts (Asian Dramas)
*Dailymotion (Its Like Youtube)
(DL)Download Anime
*Fansub TV
*Keiichi Anime Forever
(DL)Mendoi Fansubs
(*/DL)NarutoFOB
*Peek Vid
(DL)Reality Lapse
(DL)SARS FanSubs (Asian Dramas)
(DL)Tokyo Toshokan
(DL)Toranima
*Toonami Jetstream
(*/DL)Toriyama.’s World
*Veoh (Its Like Youtube)
*Youtube


MANGA ONLINE SITES:
Spectrum Nexus
Manga Volume
Manga Updates
One Manga
Manga Hut
Manga Rooter
Anime Manga Fun
Bleach Exile
Manga Run
Manga Underground
Manga Share




JAPANESE AND ANIME MUSIC RESOURCES, PROFILES & DOWNLOADS:

NOTE: ALONG WITH THE ANIME STREAMS/TORRENTS; THESE SITES TOOK A LONG TIME TO TRACK DOWN SO PLEASE BE GREATFUL!

(*) Indicates HIGHLY RECOMMENDED sites!
(DL) Indicates sites to DL Jmusic

*ZB..’s A to Z of J-music
Jpop News
(DL)J-Pop World
Jpop Music
(DL)Asian Load
(DL)Japan DATA (Site in Japanese)
(DL)Jpopii (Site in Japanese & Partial English)
J-music Ignited
(DL)Minglong BitTorrent Tracker
(DL)Tokyo Noise (Site in Spanish)
Jmusic America
(DL)Japan Revolution (Site in Spanish)
(DL)JPOPSUKI
(DL)Tokyo Toshokan
Shinsen-Radio
Ani Rave Music LLC
(DL)Japan Music (Site in Japanese)






NOTE: Look at the bottom of the page for the Japanese Music Artist of the Month, to listen to New Japanese Music Groups!




Japanese Music Rotation

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NEXT JAPANESE MUSIC ROTATION COMING: 7/5/08

"Snow Scene" - An Cafe




PREVIOUSLY PLAYED SONGS FOR 2008:
Shining Collection - Iceman
Angel Eyes - M.o.v.e
Make U Wet - Tanaka Koki (of KAT-TUN)
Color of Mind - BIS
Virgin F - AAA
Blood - Mika Nakashima
Love is Message - w-inds.
Vestige - T.M.Revolution
Brand-New Myself - CHARCOAL FILTER
Snow Scene - An Cafe
Sakura Sake - ARASHI
Make A Wish - ELLEGARDEN
Secret Code - Aya Kamiki
Mirage - AAA
Zetsubou Billy - Maximum the Hormone
Prayer - Nami Tamaki
Bad Day - Daichi Miura
Endscape - UVERworld
Kodou - Dir en Grey
Sayaendo - NEWS
Out of Control - m.o.v.e
Tokyo Life - CHARCOAL FILTER
Summer Song - YUI

*TO VIEW ALL PREVIOUSLY PLAYED SONGS CLICK HERE!





Featured Anime:

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**THERE MAY BE SOME FEATURED ANIMES THAT I POST WHICH YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW, AND I KNOW THAT, THE PURPOSE IS TO SHOW THEM TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW THE ANIME FEATURED, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND IF YOU SEE AN FEATURED ANIME THAT YOU KNOW**


New Featured Anime Coming: 7/19/08



Lucky Star

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"Lucky Star's story portrays the lives of several girls attending a Japanese high school named Ryōō with a very loose sense of humor. The setting is mainly based on the city of Kasukabe in Saitama Prefecture.[5] The main character is Konata Izumi, an athletic and intelligent girl who, despite these attributes, is not in a sports club and has to resort to all-nighter cramming for tests. Her laziness at school is due to her love for anime and video games and lack of interest in anything else. The serialization began with the four main characters in their first year of high school: Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi, and Miyuki Takara. As the story progresses, they move on to their second and third years. However, the anime starts the story with them beginning their second year. The storyline usually includes numerous references to popular past and present manga and anime series."



LUCKY STAR EPISODE 1:
*SORRY IF its spilt in 2 or more parts*







PREVIOUSLY FEATURED ANIME FOR 2008:
Blood+
Cowboy Bebop
Black Blood Brothers
Air
Angel Sanctuary
Aishiteruze baby
Android Kikaider: The Animation
5 Centimeters Per Second
Appleseed
Black Jack 21
Blue Dragon
Bamboo Blade
BLASSREITER

*TO VIEW ALL PREVIOUSLY FEATURED ANIME CLICK HERE!



Japanese Word of the Week

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New Word Coming: 7/5/08


Natsu - Summer


PREVIOUS WORDS FOR 2008:
Toshokan - Library
Tsubasa - Wings
Eiga - Movie
Watashi - I (referring to yourself)
Imouto - Sister
Terebi - Television (TV)
Juusu - Juice
Owaranai - Endless
Tori - Bird
Oyasumi - Good Night
Keitai - Cell Phone
Kami - Paper
Tsukue - Desk
Otouto - Little Brother
Hai - Yes
Koe - Voice
Taichou - Captain
Youkoso - Welcome
Nihon - Japan
Ashita - Tomorrow
Sakura - Cherry Blossoms
Uta - Song
Shounen - Boy


*TO VIEW ALL PREVIOUS JAPANESE WORDS OF THE WEEK CLICK HERE!






Japanese Lesson of the Month

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Next Lesson Coming: 7/1/08

LESSON 11:


**IF YOU WANT TO WATCH ANY PREVIOUS LESSONS, THEN CONTACT MY PUBLIC PROFILE!**





FEATURED MUSIC ARTIST:

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Ayabie

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TAKEN FROM JaME:
"ayabie was formed in the spring of 2004, made up of mostly ex-Hinawana members; Ryohei and Takehito on guitar and Intetsu on bass. Vocalist Aoi was the only one not from this former band, instead having left MASK. They began without a drummer and continued to use support drummers until 2005. The group held their first concert, an one-man, at the Takadanobaba AREA on May 8th. The concert was free and they sold the maxi-single, Kagen no sakura, ame, at this show only and released another single, Romancer, limited to 1000 copies. ayabie seemed unstoppable right from the start as they immediately launched into touring, including a short joint tour with alice nine. Their next maxi-single, Chousoi sou yori san rin, made it into the 10 top of the Oricon Indies chart and this accomplishment was soon followed by Gothic Party breaking into the Oricon Major charts top 100. ayabie ended their first year together with a performance in the Takedanobaba AREA and the Yokohama aka renga souko on December 31st. After such an eventful first year, one would expect most bands to slow down and take a bit of a breather but this group of four did no such thing. ayabie released a mini-album in January, followed by a maxi-single in February, and then their first full album in March. The band launched into a new tour and on April 1st, they held a sold-out one-man live at Shibuya O-East. They released a single that same month and instead of resting after their blitz of releases and tours, ayabie announced that they would be releasing a new single on the 10th of each month over the summer. In October, they released their second mini album, EquAL pRayer 2 aLL and began another tour, EquAL pRayer 2 U. However, their biggest news perhaps, came at the start of that month as after of having nothing but support drummers, ayabie announced that Kenzo would be joining them as their official drummer and fifth member. 2006 promised to be another eventful year for ayabie; an official fanclub was opened and they immediately kicked off the year with a two new singles. In April they announced that they would be making their first overseas appearance in Finland, followed by lives in France and Germany, in June. They were well-recieved by their international fans (their Finnish concert sold-out) and seemed to enjoy themselves as well. The band then returned to Japan and resumed their usual insane pace, releasing FAINT/Topaz at the end of June. When July came, however, it brought a shock to ayabie's fans; guitarist and band leader Ryohei announced he would be leaving ayabie. Despite that news hanging over the band, they released their third mini-album at the end of July and went on another tour which would be their final with Ryohei as a member. His last live with the group was at the Shibuya AX on August 30th. Ryohei went on to form a new band, and after falling briefly quiet for a time (the first time seemingly since the start of the band), ayabie announced to the delight of their fans that they would be releasing a new single and new full-length album in November as well as a new tour taking them all over Japan titled Virgin Snow Color. Also in November, Yumehito (ex Soroban) who had initially played as a support guitarist after Ryohei's leave, was made the fifth member of ayabie. ayabie continues to show no sign of slowing down. They distributed numerous singles during their Virgin Snow Color tour and even went overseas once more in May 2007. They have continued to tour all throughout the year and recently released their newest mini-album, Rikkaboshi."

"Cubic[L/R]ock"


"Yubisaki"


"Day Dream"


"Ai no Uta"


"Hinata"


"Shine"


"0010"


NEW MUSIC ARTIST COMING: 7/1/08

PREVIOUSLY FEATURED MUSIC ARTISTS:
UVERworld
Missile Innovation
Nami Tamaki
ARASHI
Iceman
M.o.v.e
W-inds
NEWS
Mika Nakashima
Aya Kamiki
KAT-TUN
Kanjani8
CHARCOAL FILTER
BIS
Daichi Miura
ELLEGARDEN
An Cafe [aka Antic Cafe or Antique Cafe]
AAA
T.M.Revolution
Maximum the Hormone
Dir en Grey
YUI
Yuna Ito