Daily Nyaa: Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko

At the MyBubbleteaTime blog, we have a non-spoken rule (yes, because we type it) that there must be at least one post per day. So here is your obligatory daily post for 15th April 2013.

As a bonus, have a nyaa.

pixiv id: 34930149.
If you haven't already watched the first episode of Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko then you're missing out big time. There is nothing hentai about this series. Trust me.

Kuroko's Basketball Gets Long Underpants

Shueisha will offer Steteco long underpants decorated with Kuroko's Basketball manga characters on its mekke! website in late June. The Kuroko's Basketball pants are the latest to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The underpants are offered in Japanese sizes small, medium and large for 1,995 yen each.

Source: ANN

Limited-Time Hatsune Miku Café in Tokyo Reveals Menu

The MADO LOUNGE SPICE club in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills complex will host a limited-time Hatsune Miku café on April 26. The café will offer Hatsune Miku-inspired food and drinks until June 16 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Mori Art Museum. The food dishes are inspired by Miku's cover of "Ievan Polkka."

The cafe will offer the following food and drinks for customers:

"Negi-cha Soba" (Green Onion-Tea Soba) for 900 yen.

"39 Curry" for 1,000 yen.

"Ievan Polkka Cocktails (non-alcoholic)" for 700 yen.

Source: ANN

Fanart: Attack of the Titans and Miku crossover

Click for larger view.

Run little kiddies, before it's too late!

Art source: pixiv

J-Music batch update

I have a heap of proper work sitting on the corner of my desk, calling my name, but instead I decide to publish an update on the J/anime-music that I'm interested in because procrastination is awesome.

1. Let's start off with Miyano Mamoru's new single Kanon. It's the opening song of the anime Uta no Prince sama Maji Love 2000%. Download link is here.
   Thoughts: The song Kanon is amazing, but I think Mamo has sung better songs before. The second song THANK YOU is average - Is it just me or does the chorus of this song sound like J.Beiber's "Baby"? The third song FOREVER LULLABY is pretty plain.
2. This is a big year for the band SID. It's their 10th year anniversary and they're doing a lot of events and productions in celebration. They recently released another single 恋におちて (Koi no ochite), which you can download here.
Thoughts: Mao's voice never ceases to amaze me. Their first song has a calming jazz swing to it.
3. 凛として時雨 (Ling tosite sigure)'s new album i'mperfect. This band provided the first OP to the anime Psycho Pass, abnormalize, which is also featured in this album. You can download it here.
   Thoughts: Ever since I heard their song from watching Psycho Pass, I've added this band to my 'radar' list. I like their unique rock and metal elements.
4. GRANRODEO's new compilation album Granrodeo Greatest Hits - Gift Registry. This two-man rock band consists of vocalist Taniyama Kishow and e-ZUKA the guitarist. They composed and performed many anime OP and ED songs; such as those from Togainu no Chi, Kuroko no Basuke and Code:Breaker. You can download the album here.
   Thoughts: I've fallen in love with this band ever since I discovered that Taniyama was the vocalist of this band; Taniyama is one of my favourite seiyuus, voicing characters such as Natsuki from UtaPri, Ikki from Amnesia and Sloth from Shirokuma Cafe.
5. 神谷浩史 (Kamiya Hiroshi)'s new mini album ハレイロ (Hareiro). Kamiya is another renowned seiyuu, voicing characters such as Otonashi from Angel Beats!, Rokuro from Brave10, Hibiki from Devil Survivor 2, Izaya from Durarara!! and Erekpyle from Ixion Saga DT.  You can download the album here.
   Thoughts: I think it's a challenging task for a seiyuu to produce their own music, because I think it's hard to distinguish which is their "true" voice, apart from their character voices with their respective character songs. I applaud Kamiya for his hard work in producing this album. Unfortunately, in some of his songs I can hear/feel his "true" voice wavering and instead I can picture certain characters he's voiced before singing the song. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this rather peaceful and gentle music.

   Well that's all from me now. Expect more updates in the following two months. April and May are big months in music releases this year, at least for bands which I'm interested in.  I think I should go and start my work now, while I patiently wait for another 5 hours until episode 2 of UtaPri is aired.

Comedy video: How Animals Eat Their Food

Ever wondered how animals eat their food? Your questions are answered below!

New Railgun Promo

A video promoting the second season of Railgun, has been released. According to Crunchyroll the series will premiere on Friday (March 12, 2013).



Source: Crunchyroll

Pumpkin's Palette: My first gif!

This is how I spent a Tuesday afternoon: making my first gif image!

It took me a total of less than 3.5 hours, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

The character is Hiroshi Inaba from Cuticle Tantei Inaba. It's a pretty funny anime and I recommend it to those who need a good wacky laugh.

[Edit:] Here's an updated version promoting our blog.

GacktXGakupo duet of Episode.0: One fangirl's dream come true

As a big, major, HUGE fan of Gackt, and a fan of Vocaloids, I was ecstatic when I saw this video on YouTube, which is an excerpt of the ボカロ歌謡祭2013(春) (The Vocaloid Music Festival 2013 (Spring)). It features a short interview with Gackt, and concludes with an amazing duet performance of the song Episode.0 by Gackt and Gakupo.

Sword Art Online

Sypnosis:
Using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear, which allows players to literally enter a game. Kirito,  enters a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, or for short, an Online RPG. The game is called Sword Art Online, a game in which characters can use no magic (other than a few magical stones), and must focus solely on Swords Skills. The game takes place inside a giant flying fortress called, Aincrad. The fortress has 100 floors for players to complete. On the day the game was released however, the game creator decided to hold players captive, and not allow them to leave the game, until they reach the 100th floor. The worst part is, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival begins... 

Aincrad

Review:

The protagonist can often be seen over-powered, and there are parts that try hard to be tragic. The battles are worthy of praise, but you may have to wait a while before the story takes you to one. The boss battles are epic, but out of  the 100 bosses, you only get to see a few — only by defeating these can you go to the next floor.

The series is based on a Light Novel, and with only 25 episodes, there are parts in the series that are rushed. The side stories focus on the protagonist being cool with girls, and throughout most the series, you only get to see things from the protagonist's perspective.

The second half of the series takes a completely different and darker path, and it's not as good as the first half, though the ending kinda makes up for it. Despite all its flaws, I enjoyed the series, and would recommend it to anyone. Now, what did I like about the series? Well for starters, I really enjoyed enjoyed the romance, it was really cute. But, at the second half of the series, the romance is taken to a strange territory. I also enjoyed the battles, they are intense and memorable.

The conflicts can be pretty interesting, too. Like when an ally suddenly shifts sides and attacks the protagonist, he is placed in a position where in order to save his life, he must make a choice that may go against his moral values. Also, the plot twist at the end of half the series, amazing!

These guys are screwed

The voice acting is great. The  animation can be inconsistent. In one part you get this beautifully drawn nature scene, and in another, you get a plainly drawn view at things. There were no poorly drawn scenes, though. The music is excellent. There is a song for every scene, and it blends in perfectly, putting you in  the mood the animators want you in. The battle themes are the most memorable:

Characters:
The protagonist (Kirito, also known as Kirigaya Kazuto), is a direct spoken character, and can sometimes come off as rude. He sometimes acts overconfident thinking he can do other can not. He rarely shows any signs of distress, and is almost always calm and collected. Though, when in a battle, he becomes incredibly fierce and aggressive. He can also be compassionate and will help others in need, he cannot abandon others in trouble. He can sometimes be controlled by his emotions. He is a tenacious character and will always find a way to complete his challenges. 

Asuna, she is a kind and helpful young woman, who is similar to Kirito, and cannot abandon others in trouble. She takes the game very seriously and is very focused on clearing it. She is also somewhat proud and is not afraid to get physical with those that challenge her authority or brag about her abilities. She isn't afraid to act out on her own and will take matters in her own hands from time to time. Asuna, once again similar to Kirito, is someone who can be controlled by her emotions many times.

Conclusion:
Overall this is a really good series, of course, it's not perfect. Still, it is one of my top five anime. The concept is what probably drives most to watching the series — I mean, who wouldn't want to get inside a videogame. If you enjoy intense battles, adventure, and romance, you might enjoy Sword Art Online.

9/10

Previous review: Fullmetal Alchemist

Vocaloid Cinema Party

On March 9th, 2013 a group of fans held a "Vocaloid Cinema Party" in Ginza, Tokyo. The videos were said to be outstanding, with breathtaking images and great resolution.
Here's one the videos featured:

Kagome Kagome (Robotics;Notes)

Remember that creepy tune "Kagome Kagome" from Robotics;Notes that plays when Kimijima Kou hacked the pokecoms? The song "Kagome Kagome" originates from a Japanese children's game; almost like the English version of "Duck Duck Goose". You can read more about the history here.

The reason for this post is because I wanted to download this song and use it as my mobile ringtone. Furthermore, I wanted to share the file with others so they can do the same. This kind soul has created the sound file which you can download here.

Now let's hope I don't get any calls or texts during the middle of the night, otherwise I would totally freak out.
An extra special bonus for our Vocaloid fans: Here's a Miku and Luka adaptation of the Kagome song.

McDonald's Japan Introduces New Uniform Dance

McDonald's Japan has announced that a new uniform will be introduced in June, which will be the first new uniform to be introduced to franchises in Asia. An additional 27,000 crew members are planned to be hired and the dance video was posted to encourage people to apply. The video features the new uniform and it is choreographed by Papaya Suzuki of Oyaji Dancers.

Source: CR

More UtaPri booty shakin'

Okay, okay. I'm sorry... not!
Video editing is fun...
And here's more UtaPri crack!
I'm pretty proud of this.

UtaPri fangirling and 'dem sexy moves'

Okay, I can't stop giggling/going-red-in-the-face/feeling agitated/fangirling over the second season of Uta no Prince sama. For those who don't know yet, the first episode was aired early this morning. The English sub version can be found at nyaa.

The boys have become so much more sexier than the first season, more innuendos, jokes, teasers and fanservice!! The songs are just as awesome. While I don't want to spam our readers with screencaps and squealing, this kind soul at tumblr pretty much summarized all the thoughts and emotions going through my head.

Anyway, after having a reblog spam session on tumblr, I decided to have a go at making an UtaPri crack video; Enjoy!

Pumpkin's Palette: Amnesia Tribute

While I'm trying not to die from my coughing, I managed to whip this up in 6 hours. Although I believe there is an improvement in my skills, I still spot some mistakes here and there. This just means that I have to keep on practising until I get it right. The most important thing though is to have fun and enjoy the process of drawing.

(click for larger image)
Left to right: Shin, Ikki, Kent, Toma - the 4 main male characters in Amnesia.

PSotD - ねぐせ

Title: ねぐせ (Neguse)

Artist: Tamako Kitashirakawa (CV: Aya Suzaki)
Year: 2013

Notes: Tamako Market ED song. This song is cute and bubbly, very fitting for the anime. Tamako Market is a slice-of-life, comedy and romance anime; The story revolves around a young girl who is heir to a mochi shop, about her friendship troubles and a fat bird that can talk.
Although I'm not a fan of slice-of-life animes, I was able to survive the 12 episodes and actually enjoyed it; I found the art to be very cute.

DDL: here

Fandom Creates its Own Episode

The first fan made episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is magic, was released today. My Little Pony fans have been looking forward to this for a long time, now. Created by FlamingoRich. The story is focused on Rainbow Dash. After boosting her natural abilities by way of science, she is able to do a Double Rainboom, which sends her to a distant land, where she meets a group of unique girls — The Powerpuff Girls.  It kept true to both series, and they portrayed the personalities of each character pretty well.  The art was excellent, almost matching the quality of real episodes. The voice actors mimicked the voices in real episodes pretty well. Quite a fun experience. It combines two of the greatest series ever released on television, and it does it in a unique fun way. You can find the episode on Youtube, here.

This was fun to watch

Uta no Prince sama - Maji Love 2000% Anime Trailer Streamed

5 days! 5 days!! Yes, there's only 5 days until the first airing of the second season of Uta no Prince sama (Maji Love 2000%), and to satisfy us fan(girl)s the production company has released two commercials/promotional videos early this morning.

Ghost in the Shell Arise Anime's Teaser Video Streamed

The official website for the Ghost in the Shell Arise project began streaming a new teaser for the anime.

The website also reavealed the design for the "Rojikoma" mechs. 

The Ghost in the Shell Arise anime, which consists of four 50-minute parts, will premier in Japanese theatres on June 22, and will then be available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD at retail on July 26. Kazuchika Kise (chief animation director for Otogi Zoshi, Blood-C: The Last Dark) will direct the series and design the characters, and Tow Ubukata (Le Chevalier D'Eon, Mardock Scramble) will handle series composition and the screenplay. Production I.G is producing the series, and Cornelius (Appleseed: Ex Machina) will compose the music.

The series will star Maaya Sakamoto as Mokoto Kusanagi, Kenichirou Matsuda as Batou, Tarusuke Shingaki as Togusa, Tomoyuki Danas Ishikawa, Takurou Nakakuni as Saito, Youji Ueda as Paz, Kazuya Nakai as Borma, and Ikkyuu Juku as Daisuke Aramaki.

Source: ANN