Angst, angst, and more angst!!!

BABIES!!!!!! Did you miss your Chick? Oh, I'm sooo sorry that I was gone for so long. I'm telling you, that's what happens when you swear up and down that blogging would be so easy because life is...so.....slow.... and then BAM! She smacks you in the face with a bunch of invitations you'd be silly to pass up. But enough about moi, babies, let me tell you what I've come across. Now for all my chicks out there, a question was posed to me a while ago asking what I thought was a great anime drama. Now there are great anime action series, pretty good suspense series, ok sci-fi and horror that I will attest to, but drama? As much as I love Sailor Moon, that is not drama to me. Well, maybe Sailor Moon Stars, but that's for another day. In any case, I started researching, went online, found a few episodes of Nana. I remember reading Nana in Shojo Beat when it first hit newstands and I was kinda hooked on it. It serialized for a pretty long time in Beat and the story line got more and more complicated as the series went on. The series isn't even finished yet, the 15th volume is out in May.

Anyway, I start watching....and I am so drawn in I ignore my cell phone. (Oh, the horror!). It's perfect for when you want to forget your own troubles of money, college, boys and watch someone else struggle with it for a while. Can you imagine being 20, finally on your own, moving to a whole new city because of some guy, you get there and he almost immediately starts asking when you're going to move out, having to find a place you can afford while looking for a job, dealing with spending issues, relationship drama, meeting new friends? That's why I love Nana. This series takes all that post-high school angst and frustration and puts it in a format that you can understand. I'm on episode 13, the boyfriend of one of the main characters has just cheated on her, but she doesn't know yet. I'm giving it two more episodes before the ish hits the fan.

Best Small Series

Oni-Con Countdown: 8 days!!!!

So one of my friends who is as big into anime as I am suggested that I do a post on the best small series. Small series? Define small. Most anime series run at least 20 episodes and that, my friends, I don't consider small. Small to me means less than 15 episodes, but don't worry, I did a little research and actually found some great series that don't run all day and all night like Naruto. (Over 200 episodes! Are they crazy!)

Paranoia Agent

Really great series. I started watching this on Cartoon Network about a year or two back and just fell in love with it. It's crazy and just this side of kooky, but it will suck you in and make you wonder if what you're seeing is real or all made up in your head. And that little pink talking stuffed animal is the cutest thing when he's not talking about morbid stuff.

Ninja Scroll

Runs only 13 episodes and believe me, it should have run longer. The TV series, in my humble opinion, is not as great as the movies, but it does give you a better look at Jubei and his personality. You want to kill him sometimes, but just remember.....he'll kill you first.

Hellsing

One of the best action/horror animes of all time. You can not deny that Alucard is one of the baddest and craziest out there. The first season has 13 episodes and the OVA has 4. The OVA is still worth watching, same characters, slightly different story line.

Nightwalker

One of my first series that I actually brought. (Do you see a theme here? I think I'm really into vampires. Twlight, this is not.) 12 episodes and you really are upset when it's over. Shido is one hot little character.

Angel Sanctuary

Only 3 episodes! Drove me up there and into the store. Can you believe that in order to finish a 3 episode OVA, I had to get the 20 volume manga! Don't get me wrong, having such a collection is great for my shelves, but come on! Yuki-sama, please get them to finish that in anime form!!!!

Ahhhh, ok, had to get that out. :) In any case, as far as small series that I've seen, those are some of the good ones. If you want more options, check out these:

Boogiepop Phantom

Black Blood Brothers

Crest of the Stars

GeneShaft (for all the scifi nuts out there)

Grenadier (I'm thinking about checking this one out for myself)

Haibane-Renmei (Might make you cry. You were warned. )

Mahromatic (Really, really cute.)

We'll start with those for now. And dont forget....OniCon!!!!!!

Con News!!!!

Ooo, I'm so excited!!! Oni-Con is coming and your Chick is definitely going to be there. I'm getting ready, babies. Just ordered a customized tee and hoodie for this. I can not wait for it. I heard that the vender floor is all sold out. BEAUTIFUL!!!! Do you know how much damage a Chick can do on a vendor floor? It is so ON. I like finding unique pieces you can't really find in a store, Sailor Moon wall scrolls (can never have enough), phone straps, cups, tank tops. Unless a vender has some great discounted or bundles prices on DVDs, I never buy them. And remember, babies, if you go, please be friendly to the vendors. One, I'm buying from them too and I want them to be nice to me. Two, Make a connection and you can get free stuff because dude (or lady, whatever floats your boat), happens to like you. True story, happened to me. (Big ups to CPM and MP. Love ya'll up there!) I havent been to a con in ages and though I'm not a cosplayer, it's still really cool to go and see how people do it. I'd love to, but finding a seamtress, one who you trust, can be hard. Maybe next year. I'm dying to wear one of the Sailor Starlight outfits. Too cute.

Check the link for dates and registration prices. It pays to get in early.

Let's Talk

Let's talk anime, my friends. Let's talk old, new, classic, current, the really good and the really really bad. Yes, believe it or not, there is some BAD anime out there. But we can get to that later. To all my newbie babies out there, welcome to the Chick's page. That's right, I'm a girl who can talk shop when it comes to anime. Why? Because I know what I'm talking about! Got an issue with what I say? It's cool, boo, get at me and we can debate this if you want to get down like that. Some people can turn it into a sport, I swear. But back to the issue at hand, babies. So what is anime? Very simple, it's Japanese animation that spans so many different genres, from action to scifi, horror to romance, girl groups, boy bands, ninja clans,  from big mechanical machines to the grossest monsters. There's an anime series out there for everyone, trust me on this. So let's get to the nitty-gritty. 

"So, Chick, I'm new on this anime scene. What would you recommend me watch to get my cherry popped?"

So glad you asked, baby.

My very first anime was Dragonball Z. Yeah, I know, I know, bad anime. (Yea, I said it.) However, I would suggest, that in order to make your beginning foray into the vast world of anime, try a few episodes. Dragonball Z was one of the first animes to actually hit the scene in America and introduce us to a new wave of cartoons. (Thank you, Toonami.) This was back in '96 and for the time, it was pretty hard-hitting stuff. Big guy, little head, fast action, lot of violence, a bit of dimension warping thrown in for good measure. It was a good love affair for a while, then I moved on to bigger and much much better. If not DBZ, if all that head smashing is just too much for you, then I would suggest Bleach. This is a very good series with a lot of action for the guys and a bit of romance for my girls. The story line will suck you in almost immediately, ghosts, bad deaths, a talking stuffed animal. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.  My third suggestion would be Case Closed (Detective Conan). This one is a bit more mental than the others, so for all my intellectual babies out there, this would be right up your alley.

 Now, should you be able to get past that and want to work on more involving, more entertaining, or just overall more visually pleasing animes, then get back at me. There are more than a few Top Ten Lists all over this Web and of course I have mine, but that's for another day. 

Check back with the Chick!