Anime has commonly featured their characters dancing which in return has had fans band together to learn and perform them in the streets. Not only are these dances cute and easy to learn, but they’ve become a popular trend; sort of like the moon walk. While Michael Jackson couldn’t save his life to be cute, other characters have beaten him to the punch.

There are lists beyond lists of popular dances in anime, but the most famous of them all are the Hare Hare Yukai and Lucky Star Cheer Dance. Both are common dances that have been done many times over by fans around the globe in addition to each other (Haruhi Suzumiya characters have done the Cheer Dance and vise versa). Although they aren’t America’s Best Dance Crew material, they’re definitely something of wonder. More »

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Literary Vampires have evolved since Lord Ruthven’s account was dictated to us by the great John Polidori. Numerous mediums have been used to interpret these immortal creatures of the night. HBO’s TrueBlood, Lifetime’s Blood Ties, and CBS’s Moonlight are just some of the very recent TV adaptations. Who is to say what attracts us to the paranormal and the preternatural urges of the Vampires world. These newer Manga/Anime constructions give us more fantasy than fear as we would gladly give our necks over to the clear eyed, ruby lipped fangs.

In “Model” (모델), a Manhwa (Korean for Manga), by Lee So-young (이소영) we follow a young exchange student named Jae; a Korean girl currently studying art in the UK.  Over seven volumes Jae takes a thrilling and romantic journey when she meets a beautiful man name Michael and makes a pact with him in order to paint his portrait. In the chapters of these ethereal graphics, we are trapped inside Jae visions and witness her horrors; which at times coincide with her desires.  Is Jae swept away or is Jae on a downward path into hell? Can you really trust the word of a vampire or is she making a deal with the devil? More »

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It’s in the near future that technology has advanced to a point where human powered machines make people into, larger than life, super powered robots. Sound familiar? Well that’s the basic premise of Mecha stylized Anime. This science fiction backdrop varies, but the influence is the mainstay; without this genre, Anime would not be the same.

My first vivid memory with these massive exoskeleton suits was the American version of the Macross series. Known in the USA as Robotech; the storyline follows pilots of the UN spacey as they take flight to beat an over-sized race of humanoids, called the Zentradi. The type of Mech our brethren used made ordinary humans just as tall as their alien enemies. This also allowed them to transform into air fighting jet planes.  What was even more common is the Zentradi soldiers also wore protective mechanical suits making this technology universal. More »

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Anime is definitely a catalyst for a lot of things from music to dance to fashion. With NYAF coming up, I’m decided that this and next round up will feature all anime music. There’s a lot out there and if it weren’t for these animes, some artists probably wouldn’t be as popular as they are.

I’ve chosen the list below after consulting a few friends on their favorite anime music. They’re very common and highly loved by a lot of people, including myself. It was really difficult just picking out 5 but I was able to narrow it down.

Also, I’m sorry to have missed last week’s. I’ve been so busy with NYAF! I will double the amount I do next week’s and the week after that. As always, enjoy! More »

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New York Anime Festival is 8 days away! As such, I’m here to teach you how to make your very own Misa Amane (Death Note) cosplay outfit. The most basic and famous outfit by Misa Amane is her black Goth outfit. It looks complex with all the layers but it’s really quite simple. Even without the big ass blades on her arms, you can still pull of the look easily. All it takes is a little money, some patience and creativity.

Note that this is not fit for boys but I do have something special for you too! More »

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Since the rise of anime during the 1980s and 1990s, we have not only seen the creation of some great series, but also have witness the growth of a very strong and united anime community. While we may not all agree on what is the best series ever created, we do share the love of great anime. The anime community plays a crucial role in success of the anime industries both here in America as well as in Japan.

While the American and Japanese anime industries share a lot of similarities, the advantage that the Japanese anime industry possesses is that they have had longer to mature. Anime has been on American shores long before the 1990s. However, it wasn’t till around that time till we saw the explosive growth that we are still witnessing today. The 1990s brought us many great anime series like Evangelion and the rise of Dragonball Z here in America. Japan on the other hand, had their anime surge almost 20 years earlier in the 1970s and 1980s. What this boils down to is that the Japanese anime community is not only larger, but also older. Fans have more disposable income to keep the anime industry strong, and have been doing so a lot longer. Sadly, America isn’t as lucky.

The 1990s also brought us the Internet. Fledging anime companies in America had a new tool to help advertise their stores and products. They were also presented with a very tough problem that no one could have predicted. While I am sure everyone is aware of the piracy problem that plagues the entire anime industry in the states and abroad, I don’t want to spend time debating that. What’s interesting about the problem is how it affects both America and Japan differently. More »

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In case you haven’t heard, we’re partners with the New York Anime Festival! This is our biggest event partnership so far and so we felt something special was needed to promote it. Well, the 7 Days, 7 New Bloggers special worked out so well for us, we decided to do 8 Days of Anime (the number 8 is lucky in many Asian cultures). For 8 days, starting on Thursday September 18th, we will be posting at least two articles a day about something Anime related. We’re hoping that if we hyped up Anime enough online, you’ll be all hyped up for the real world event in NYC. In addition to articles, we’re also doing a roundtable discussion for the first time on Ningin where bloggers and members get a chance to share their opinions on a particular anime topic. Also joining as part of this 8 Days of Anime special are two very good friends of Ningin, Xorsyst.com & Otakuden.com, because we love working with good people and they have very interesting websites.

So here’s a list of planned articles which is more or less solid: More »

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Here’s a note from one of the NYAF Organizer, Lance Fensterman:

There are only 2 weeks to the New York Anime Festival and you still don’t have a ticket! Buy your ticket today so you can spend the next few weeks deciding who you are going with, what you are wearing and how you are getting there. It’s easy to get tickets online and we highly recommend buying your tickets in advance. Choose from weekend passes, VIP, daily or if you are really popular and have 10 or more friends, you can each save money on your ticket and buy group tickets.

The New York Anime Festival features exclusive and extensive anime screenings, guests from America and Japan, manga, cosplay, video games, live-action Japanese cinema, fashion, food, and the cultural treasures that gave birth to Japanese pop culture. More »

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Mixr Media, LLC, and Reed Exhibitions announce a new promotional partnership for the New York Anime Festival (NYAF) taking place from Friday, September 26th to Sunday, September 28th at the Jacob Javitz Center.

Mixr Media, LLC, will be providing complete coverage before and during the NYAF on its Asian entertainment community site Ningin.com. Leading up to the start of the festival, anime fans can find pre-show interviews with Anime voice actors and New York Anime Festival founder Peter Tatara.

During the festival, the Ningin.com booth will provide live blogging coverage of the event. The Ningin.com booth will also host free cosplay photo sessions constantly throughout the festival. Cosplayers who get their photo taken at the Ningin.com booth will receive collectible Ningin.com-NYAF stickers. The online Cosplayer Photo Gallery will be updated live from the festival. More »

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This actually has nothing to do with really hot guys. I was shocked when I wrote this too. Anyways, this has to do with the anime OVA, Detroit Metal City (which also has a live action movie). The anime is about a young man, Negishi Soichi, who has finished college. He aspires to become a successful music artist. Negishi loves to sing sweet and very corny songs (inspired by Swedish pop music). But in some odd twist of fate, he has ended up as the lead singer of the death metal band, Detroit Metal City (or DMC for short). More »

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Hah! Here’s a little post I’m going to write with Jason in mind!

You know how Japanese girls are obsessed with cuteness, and how Asian girls in general are obsessed with bigger eyes. First, we had stick-on eyelashes, and way too much eyeliner, followed with eyelid surgery, glue and stickers. Then there was that short lived Korean contact lens craze, that turned your irises into one big black solid thing of blackness.

Now, the Japanese have gone one step ahead of that, and have created Anime Eyes! Yay! Extra irises for everyone! More »

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This past Sunday August 17, 2008, the Kinokuniya Bookstore in New York City was holding a Cosplay Day in honor of the USA representatives for the 2008 World Cosplay Summit (the Olympics of cosplaying). Also, anyone who cosplayed received a discount on merchandise within the store. Sweet! It was honestly one of the most entertaining things I’ve done in awhile (other than AM Classic the previous day).

The event started at 10AM but I didn’t arrive till 3PM which was when the USA reps were giving their interview. Before I even walked in the store I was giggling like a little girl. I was really excited since this was my first cosplay/anime event that I’ve ever been to. The store is 3 stories and the event was held on the highest floor. It had the most amazing view of Bryant Park but that’s not important.

More »

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