In this issue:

~ Editorial
~ Magic Knight Rayearth Video Release
~ What/Where/Who on Anime Online
~ FanFic Stories
~ Anime Video Review of the Month

%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~
   E D I T O R I A L
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

     O Hai Yo Fellow Otakus! Here it FINALLY is the 2nd issue of the XT anime newsletter.=) Just a reminder to y'all, fanfic stories, information on new relases of Japanese anime on new series etc would be highly appreciated to put in our monthly newsletter. Pictures that you'd like to share ( within the AC please) as well can be posted up on the newsletter. Let's keep this side thread up and active people.
     All right I know that this News Letter is mainly for the love of Anime. But what I want to ask everyone is what do you think of adding a game review as well? It would deal mostly on Playstation since that is the game system that I have, and that is Japanese. So let me know what you think about it. You can send me a message at bink@main.com
     Send any fanfics, gossip, etc to me at fechan@main.com and we'll post it onto the newsletter.

%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~
M A G I C * K N I G H T * R A Y E A R T H * R E L E A S E
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Any CLAMP fans out there? Just heard the word from the CLAMP mailing list about Magic Knight Rayearth:

     Magic Knight Rayearth to Materialize on home video from AnimeWorks. AnimeWorks, a division of Media Blasters, is proud to announce the acquisition of Magic Knight Rayearth, one of the most highly anticipated programs in Japanese animation. Although no official release dates have been set, Media Blasters has tentatively slated the first episodes to street mid 1999. "We expect Magic Knight Rayearth to be the title which will define AnimeWorks as a major player in the U.S. anime industry," said John Sirabella, President of Media Blasters. Magic Knight Rayearth begins when three junior high school girls are suddenly transported to a mystical and magical world known as "Cefiro". As they transcend to this new plane of existence, a voice calls out for the legendary Magic Knights to save the world from evil forces. The voice is that of Princess Emeraude who has been maintaining the peace and unity of Cefiro through strong prayer and inner strength. When turmoil breaks loose upon Cefiro, Princess Emeraude is captured and imprisoned by her most trusted guardian. With her last gasp for strength, the princess summons forth the three girls destined to become Magic Knights in the hopes of saving her world. Magic Knight Rayearth was originally conceived as a comic book by the all-woman studio CLAMP and was adapted to an animated serial in 1995. The series quickly became one of Japan’s most successful television shows and remained so for both of its seasons.
     "I've noticed Rayearth's popularity gain momentum now that the comic has found a legion of American fans since MixxZine has started publishing it in their monthly, self-titled Manga anthology magazine," added John Sirabella. Media Blasters plans to support Magic Knight Rayearth with extensive PR and advertising campaigns in major national comic and anime publications. The marketing campaign will also capitalize on MKR's extensive presence and following on the Internet -- reaching millions of households. Consumer giveaways and contests are being planned for both retailer locations and consumers starting first quarter 1999.
     Details of these plans and release dates will be posted regularly on Media Blasters' website, http://www.Media-Blasters.com as they become available.

%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~
W H A T / W H E R E / W H O on A N I M E * O N L I N E
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

Web Site

http://www.animevillage.com

     Here is a web site for you to shop at, talk with other otakus as your self, and play some games as well. The draw back to this web site is that you have to join it to use a lot of the things there. But joining isn't a problem since it's FREE:) No gimmicks,or tricks but it is free to use when you join. Now with all web sites when it was checkedout last it was within the bounds of the AC. Go there at your own risk especially in the chat rooms and anything you do download. Those things may not be with in the AC.

%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~
A N I M E * F A N F I C
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

     Unfortunatly we do not have any fanfics this month. If any of you are willing to have their fanfic on anime published onto our anime thread's newsletter please send it to me at fechan@main.com. Remember to keep the Adult Conspiracy intact and that we will be proofreading them before they are posted onto the newsletter.

%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~
A N I M E * R E V I E W
%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~%~

GHOST IN THE SHELL

Rated: NR (contains nudity, violence and explicit language. Parental Discretion is Adivsed. American Rating would be Rated R)
available in the US: NOW
Brought to you by: Manga Entertainment

     Ghost In the Shell is another one of those movies that should end like Pat Labor "For right now this is fiction but who knows in ten years?"
     It is overtly a movie about cops and espionage. Pretty good theme for any movie, but then throw in advance technology like super computers, Cy-Borgs, super technology, and a ghost hacker and you have an action packed movie.
     Now throw in a theme of, is a cy-borg any less human than our selves, and what is there self worth. Also what they learn and feel and experience any different than humans when the "data" can be deleted as easily as a computer? With these things you have the needed drama, emotion and Philosophy that helps to counter act a lot of the violence.
     Now all of that make an extremely good movie for anyone, now add the fact that the animation and computer graphics make it a visual stunning movie. The colors are bright and clear and the animation and the CGs (computer graphics) are merged together in a seamless animated movie. The sound tract to the movie is amazing as well, each scene in the movie is matched very well with the music either lyrical songs or instrumental music so the mood of the secene is not disturb by a wrong sounding song or music.
     For some the draw back of this movie may be the violence for which there is a lot of. Not as bloody as some videos out there but there is violence and it is graphic. The nudity as well may be a draw back. While the nudity is not in any way sexual through out the movie it's still there when the main chacter Major Motoko Kusanagi when she is using her thermal cloaking she is naked.
     The one other drawback to the movie is the animator of this movie is different from the original animator of the manga series. So for those of you that have never seen the Magna Version of Ghost in the Shell it shouldn't been a problem. But for someone that loves the manga you may disapointed by the way, Kusanagi is animated.
     So after all the negativity is there anything good left to the movie? Well there is, since the movie is put out by Manga Entertainment the American dubb of the movie is done very well. So this is one of those movies out there that the Dub is as good as the sub, so feel free to view either of them. Now if you have seen the Subbed version and are thinking, "Great with the Dubbed I can now hear the Lyrics of all the songs." Hate to disappoint you but even in the Dubbed the songs are still in Japanesse, which of course is why the Dubbed is still very good. Manga Entertianment didn't try to fit American songs into it like so many other Animes.
     So why the quote at the beginning of the article? While this may or may not happen the technology in this movie could be around the corner and in a few ways it is realistic. It makes you wonder how far away are we from this kind of technology.

**For those of you who would like to submit their reviews on anime please send it to fechan@main.com**