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And now, onto the forums...

Ai Yori Aoshi V.4 thoughts...
Kimono worshipers unite! The fourth volume of Ai Yori Aoshi has fans clamoring for more (and tears over some well placed objects during some revealing scenes). The cast is well represented with the episodes giving light to Taeko, Tina, Aoi, and our newest member: Chika. Can you really afford to skip what is one of the best love stories being release in America this year?

Anime Crash… ehhhhhh…
Okay, thanks to a less-than-glorious past and ominous excerpts from what seems to be an effectively incomprehensible press release, people are already underwhelmed by the newest anime company to hit the block. Of course, that’s slightly inaccurate, since they haven’t really hit the block yet, and we’re not quite sure exactly to what extent they’ll really be dealing with anime. We’re not really sure of anything. Concrete information is good, but this company hasn’t given us anything of the sort yet. However, the wood sprites with furry sidekicks both frighten us and make us want to know more.

Better pricing for InuYasha? Hoo-wah!!
While it’s not really that great of a proposition to some, as it makes the chances for even cheaper sets with more episodes a lot slimmer, $49.98 MSRP for three discs of InuYasha is still some sort of deal. What will the box be like? Will the discs be the same? Just what is the “Limited Edition”-ness of this particular set? Questions have been asked, answers are forthcoming. The thread goes downhill a little bit from there; there’re still some good discussions going on though.

Digital Omake… novelty or nuisance?
User “Grant Oldman” started an interesting poll asking AoD’ers what they thought about hidden extras on DVDs. Interestingly, the majority seem to dislike such hidden extras, and would rather have them included in the menus as regular items. One of the more common complaints was that it’s too much of a hassle sometimes due to access methods that are more trouble than they’re worth (i.e., excessive button presses, items that are too well hidden, etc.).

Robin on the ‘Net
Bandai’s website for their upcoming release of Witch Hunter Robin has gone live, and it’s really neat! Very Flash-intensive, although it seems that people are generally quite pleased with it (or maybe it’s just that the Flash-haters aren’t posting). The gobs of neat features include mp3 clips of tracks from the soundtrack, the U.S. trailer, wallpapers, an art gallery, and more. So what are you doing still reading this? Go take a look!

Upcoming UK R2 Release Rundown
"shynra" has updated the release list for what is coming to the UK in the near future. New items include Dragonball Z (dub only) but not a clear statement of which dub will be included.

A Risky Safety box, indeed
An Entertainment leaps into the midst of the box craze by offering a free box with the third volume of Risky Safety. The catch? Well, there’s a few, actually. Limited to 2500 copies, only available to retailers besides Anime Nation while supplies last, slightly more expensive at Anime Nation than potentially at other online retailers, and so on. So, you can take your chances with other retailers in order to try and get the best price you can get, but in the end, the only sure way to get a box is to shell out a couple extra bucks and buy direct from Anime Nation, but that’s more than justifiable for quite a few fans.

Manga says no Giant Robo license, fans breathe a collective sigh of relief
User “Severance Darkseed” discovered for us at Otakon that Manga no longer has the rights to Giant Robo. While this puts many a fan’s mind at ease for various reasons, the obvious and unfortunate result is the fact that now no one has the R1 rights to the show, which means there isn’t any sort of potential release at the moment. Given the popularity of the show, it’s likely that it will be licensed eventually, but by whom? Only time will tell…

Weekly Pioneer PDF time!
From Pioneer’s weekly sell sheet, user “Orihara Kaoru” brought to our attention a listing of the features for the impending release of the second CardCaptor Sakura movie, as well as some additional info regarding the soundtracks for Licensed by Royalty and Someday’s Dreamers, and the November release of Last Exile.

L a s t E x i l e C o v e r s
The latest PDF flyer from Pioneer for Retailers features a few new pieces of coverart including Last Exile V.1. Of course, the picture has brought a wide range of reactions from positive to negative and everything inbetween. So, do you favor the R2 covers which are uniquely character based, the new US cover one which push the plane aspect of the series, or none of the above so far.

Final Fantasy X-2 Theme Songs in English
"jupiterstar" has noticed that Kumi Koda will be releasing "Come With Me" in English on a Japanese single. This means the song in the video game could be swapped to the English version if the US company chooses to. The single is shaping up to release on August 27th so we'll wait and see how it turns out.

Superior Defender Gundam Force on Cartoon Network
By now you've probably started to see the action figures popping up in stores. Coming September 1st to Cartoon Network is the upcoming Bandai title SD Gundam Force. Meet Captain Gundam (RX-78-2) along with all his comrades (also based on chibi Gundam mobile suits) & human friends. They take on Zapper Zaku (Char's MS-06S Zaku II) and the forces of eVil. CN has posted two clips from the series dub to give you an idea of what's coming up.

Have Megadeus, Will Travel
The Big O: Second Season continues to amaze its viewers. Not much can be said without hitting spoilers so best to jump into the running thread about Paradigm City's current troubles and the heroes who will save them.

By the way, anyone else think the new opening theme sounds familar to another classic show? Season one was homage to Queen's Flash Gordon, season two seems to be homage to the opening for the classic TV series UFO. I wonder what would get chosen for a remake if season three really did happen.

Recommendations Rundown
While user “Wakaba” might not still need recommendations of easily rewatchable titles, the thread is still worth posting to and browsing to find out a bit about the watching habits of your fellow AoD’ers, and maybe find a rewatch recommendation that’s right for you!

User “jrutz” ended up buying the first Maison Ikkoku set after all, but if you’re wondering if the show is right for you, then check out some of the comments posted here!

And while you’re in the Recommendations forum, stop by to tell user “blee” why Patlabor is worth a purchase!

d v d C o v e r s
From bland to intresting, it's one of those weeks.

Battle Readers Manga
Dark Horse comes alive answering questions, we repeat the answer to what will be the next NTUSA manga, and I still can't find HYH or Tuxedo Gin. Hope Ken Akamatsu's A.I. Love You won't prove as difficult next February.

ADV

Comics One

Dark Horse

DH Publishing

Raijin Comics

TOKYOPOP

Viz

Glitch Disc List
User “Uzi” put in a request for some subtitle text, as an apparently player-specific or copy-specific glitch caused some subtitles in episode 6 of Risky Safety to not hold properly onscreen. Keep your eyes open for this one on your copy! Bringing up some glitches on past discs, several users have posted confirmations of the rather ridiculous “invisible cursor” glitch present on Samurai Deeper Kyo volume 1, as well as the audio and video glitch present on Saiyuki volume 2. However, a bit more on the plus side, several users kindly confirmed that the placement of the episode title for episode 16 on RahXephon volume 4 is not some sort of mastering glitch.

And remember, everyone: include a list of your review equipment in your post! It’s really helpful!

Shoujocon 2003 - August 22-24, Rye Brook, NY
For those looking for something to do this weekend, Shoujocon 2003 is around to celebrate girl's and women's anime and manga. The Rye Hotel is going to be pretty busy with mangaka Tomoko Taniguchi around.

The Phrases "Mom & Pop" and John Doe/Q/Smith
Once again trying to expand readers knowledge, have you ever wondered what is a common name in Japan? Or what a nickname to a mom 'n' pop store would be? I guess there's Takkun but what else?

Mezzo (Forte) TV series!
A girl who is truely deadly with a weapon, Mikura & Co. are coming back with a full TV series. The Japanese official site shows off some character designs and a 5MB WMV trailer with scenes from the OVA. Wonder who will pick up this puppy for the US release.

2004 Anime Calendars
It's time to pre-order your 2004 calendar. Those popular & oversized anime calendars which everyone must have become available for pre-ordering. You can order straight from Japan with stores like CDJapan & Animaxis or the US retailer Planet Anime (buy 2 and get $5 off). It looks like Ai Yori Aoshi is going to be a popular item this year (yea!).

Japanese Anime Magazines
Speaking of imports, S-Man has opened the floor to an issue which keeps coming up: What are some good anime magazines and who best to use to import them to America. Any regular of the forums or Forum Buzz know of the greatness of Megami Magazine, there must be more like this out there.

Deep down we're all a bunch of players
Seems like a video game week in OT, take a gander at what's hot at the moment.

The JSDF is looking for a few good people
The Japanese Self Defense Force is looking for enlistments and they've started gathering JPOP idols & groups to help. Doesn't a poster with "Go! Go! Peace!" and lots of cute girls just make ya want to sign up for the service? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

It's the Return of the Q & A
Alright, last week it went missing and several were vocal about it making a come back. You asked for it, you got it. This week seems to have provide some real gems (and the usual collection of questions with flavor from SkinnyCat).

Text messaging to blame for Hollywood flops this year?
As usual, Hollywood blames us for why their movies don't do well. Why is this world filled with the "pass the blame" game?

Quote of the Week

"I'd rather Pioneer stick with postcards. I can live without postcards. Shitajiki will make me go LE item INSANE again." - jnik

When not stopping trouble (or starting it) on the AoD Forums, S-Man can be found working on the database project at Crystal Acids and asagiri2040 can be found not updating his Rising Sun Alternative website. Heat Guy J! Dee Vee Dee! Heat Guy J! Dee Vee Dee! Heat Guy J! Dee Vee Dee! Heat Guy J! Dee Vee Dee!