In this issue:

~ Editorial
~ Anime Video Review of the Month
~ Anime CD Review
~ Manga Review
~ Mononoke Hime Release Date
~ Anime News
~ Game Review
~ What/Where/Who on Anime Online
~ FanFic Stories

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   E D I T O R I A L
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     Koi Chan and I would like to thank all those that have contributed to this months news letter. Your articles have made this one of the best news letters with a more diverse reports that can not be accomplished with just Koi and I doing the writing. With all the articles that have been turned in Koi and I where able to find more of what's been released and what's hot in the world of Anime and all those nifty Japanese Imports. Thanks for all your helps guys.

Domo Arigato Minna,
Ran Chan & Bink

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A N I M E * R E V I E W
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     Another asteroid is aimed towards Earth, this war bearing an evil Ice Queen determined to freeze the entire planet! Fortunately, a scientist by the name of Kakeru discovered an off shoot from the asteroid as it hit the Earth.
     The next day, the girls, including Chibi-Usa and three new friends, Setsuna, Michiru, and Haruka, are hanging out at an outdoor bazaar. Luna doesn't feel well so she heads for home. On the way, Luna collapses in the middle of a street and is almost hit by a car until Kakeru makes a heroic rescue. He nurses Luna back to health, and Luna falls in love with Kakeru.
     Meanwhile, the Ice Queen sends her snow dancer minions to go retrieve the piece of crystal that is needed to freeze the planet, a piece that Kakeru has.

     What will happen to Kakeru? Will Luna be able to love? Will Chibi-Usa still be incredibly annoying?

     I could tell you, but you won't see the movie then. I definitely recommend seeing this one. It is very funny in some parts, particularly the parts with Usagi and Chibi-Usa. Also, for people that have not seen the Japanese series of Sailor Moon S, you get introduced to the three new Sailors. The New Wave Heroines, or Outer Senshi as they are more commonly referred as, are incredibly cool. You don't get to see much of Sailor Neptune or Sailor Uranus , but you get to see Sailor Pluto's power and her Staff.
     Unfortunately, if you aren't a Luna fan, you will more than likely fast forward through a lot of the movie or just skip it all together.
     The subtitles are better in this movie than in Sailor Moon R. There aren't as many grammatical errors and the cognates are more accurately translated (Monsoon got Mars' power of "Fire Soul" correct instead of "Fire Storm" as I first thought).
     Overall, I give this movie 3 stars. The Luna plot will bore some people, but if you are like me, you'll go through it just to see Sailor Pluto.

By: Sailor Pikachu

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     Well, I saw this at tokyopop.com for 13 bucks, the cheapest so far, so I ordered it, despite the repeat of two songs out of the four on it. I have to say, I was actually impressed. Santi-U is one of my favorites, and this is the same version found on Macross plus Vol. 1. The mini-alblum also has Idol Talk as the second repeat. This shares the same problem it has in volume 2. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion. I actually like the song itself, just not the background, so it evens out.
     The two new songs, though, are wonderful. Information High is a fast paced, techno-style. Quite different from most of the other songs in the series. It's probably my favorite on this disk. Oddly enough, the entire song is in English. The Borderline is also English. This is the song that was playing when Sharon kissed Isamu in the concert, and also when she tried to blow him out of the sky. The unusual duality of Sharon's emotional outlook (she seems to think that loving someone and killing him can be accomplished the same way) is stated very well in this song. The entire thing consists of pairs of words. Flowers and poison, red and roses, etc. Some very odd comparisons.
     Oh, and as to the packaging: The case of the CD is unusually thin. This may be because it's an import, I'm not sure. One side has a picture of several ice cream sundaes with wings that looks like a screen saver, while the other side has the Sharon Apple logo on black, identical to Volume 2. Inside, there is a first for the Macross Plus CD's. Instead of tiny screen shots, it has LYRICS! Yes, lyrics! The borderline and Info High are in english, and Idol Talk and Santi-U is in Romanized Japanese. Idol talk also has the kanji next to it.
     Overall, a good buy. But don't believe the 30 and 40 dollars that some people will try to charge you for it, it can be gotten far cheaper.

By: Camo

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Oh My Goddess! The Fourth Goddess #1
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
8 Issues mini series
Date Available: May 5 1999
Price: US $2.95

     A new manga series from Oh My Goddess! A new Goddess is introduced in this series named Peorth. Keiichi accidentally dials the wrong phone number and calls a rival Goddess agency to Belldandy and *POOF!* Peorth arrives! An old friend of Belldandy now a rival Goddess, Peorth is determined to find out what Keiichi's heart desires and grant him that wish.
     It is great to see the whole cast of Oh My Goddess in this new mini series. I enjoyed the OVA series and look forward to reading the manga. I feel sorry for Keiichi since he seems to get stuck in the middle of all the predicaments just when things were settling in with him and Belldandy. Peorth, who likes to throw in French when she speaks, believes she can give Keiichi wants better than Belldandy. Of course Belldandy throughout the first issue is happy to see her old friend and appears shocked that Peorth sees her as a rivaling Goddess (I think both are rank as Class One Unlimited Class Goddesses).
     This is a great series to jump into, has the humor of the OVA serie (little snips from both Urd and Skuld sisterly fights as well), it's clean for all ages. Give it a try!

~~~

IF THERE ARE 150 POKéMON,
THERE SHOULD BE A SECOND POKÉMON COMIC!

POKéMON ADVENTURES
MONTHLY COMIC SERIES

San Francisco, CA (5/21/99)-Viz Comics proudly announces the September 1999 release of Pokémon Adventures, a new comic series featuring all your favorite Pokémon characters!

     Pokémon Adventures is different from the animated TV series and the other Pokémon comic: they closely follow the story of the original Game Boy game, including plenty of battles and surprises! See Team Rocket as the game's original black-clad, mask-wearing enemies. Watch Ash's adventures with a whole different set of Pokémon, including Poliwhirl and Bulbasaur. And face all the opponents from the game! In addition, Pokémon Adventures is printed in a durable trade paperback format, 48 pages squarebound, with collectible stickers inside each issue.

#1: Mysterious Mew (September 1999)
     Meet our hero, Ash Ketchum; the Pokémon expert Professor Oak; Professor Oak's nephew (and Ash's rival) Gary; and the rest of the cast as Ash's Pokémon Training Journey begins! But a quirk of fate will bring Ash into contact with Mew, the super-rare 151st Pokémon!

#2: Wanted: Pikachu! (October 1999)
     A city is plagued by an apple-stealing, thundershocking thief...Pikachu! Is this the same electric Pokémon we know and love, and can Ash catch the mischief maker? Then, can Ash beat Brock and his Rock Pokémon to get the Boulder Badge?

#3: Starmie Surprise (November 1999)
     Through a quirk of fate, Ash helps save Misty from a rogue Gyarados, and the two become friends, even exploring Mt. Moon together. But Misty guards the Cascade Badge-can he bring himself to fight her? This is only the third book of Pokémon Adventures-there are more exciting books to come!

Pokémon Adventures is written by Hidenori Kusaka and drawn by MATO. Each issue is squarebound, b&w and 48 pages long. Each issue retails for $5.95 in the U.S. and $8.95 in Canada.

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Top Ten Black and White Comics

     April sales charts, which will appear in CSN #621 Figures are based on copies sold in April and includes information from both distributors and retailers.
     As you can see, Pokemon dominates six of the ten spots and, with the exception of the first-place book, all are reprints and they're still outselling most every other black and white comic! Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, two other Viz titles, take the chart as well.

1. Pokemon Volume Two: Pikachu Shocks Back 2
2. Sailor Moon 7
3. Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu 1
4. Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu 2
5. Pokemon Volume Two: Pikachu Shocks Back 1
6. Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu 3
7. Pokemon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu 4
8. Dragonball Z Part Two 5
9. Dragonball Part Two 2
10. Oh My Goddess!: SuperUrd

**Comic Shop News gives a sneak peak at the B&W comics scene.

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     All right, we have some bad news for those of you waiting for the summer release of Mononoke Hime. It is not going to happen this summer. But not to worry, it is still going to happen just not till October, October 29 to be exact. Well, not exact really because this date is set in stone, about as well as the original release date.
      Now there are going to be a few good points to this, the first being that the whole Star Wars Episode phenomenon will have died down by then, so it wont have to step into the ring with that movie. Lets face it as much as we love anime MH would not stand a chance against Lucas' giant right now. The other is that Disney will be releasing Tarzan this summer as well....and since Mirmax the company releasing MH is also a part of the Disney company they don't want the two movies to compete against each other. Once again less face it, we can all be pretty sure that MH would do very poorly going up against a "Disney' movie. If you ask me it seems that the two companies where not communicating very well on release dates.
     So it is moved to October where it stands the chance of making some money and standing on it's own, of course the above is just all speculations, it makes sense but Miramax's word is, "Reason being given is that the dub is still being worked on." On top of that the venue for the distribution of the movie has changed as well the platform has gone from NY and LA only to "twenty major markets."
     So while the hope for MH was big in the beginning it seems that the higher ups of Mirmax are doing some juggling...Actually Mirmax is being careful about the release, they definitely don't want it lost in the summer blockbusters. Even if it's not a hit in the theaters it will still help to expose the US movie watcher that Anime is more than just a cartoon.

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A N I M E * N E W S
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     Summer is just around the corner and Anime Conventions along with it. This month's issue of our newsletter we decided to add information of upcoming anime conventions throughout the US. If you see any locations near you, check out the anime conventions. This is the perfect opportunity to preview upcoming releases to the states, get a great deal on anime memorabilia, videos, CDs of your favorite soundtrack or J-POP and meet special guests (They had the Japanese voice actresses for Tenchi one year at the Anime Expo). The dates and locations are as follows:

JUNE 1999

Project A-Kon 6/4 - 6/6
LOCATION: The Hyatt D/FW Airport, Dallas TX
GUESTS: Steve Bennett, Ben Dunn, Robert DeJesus, Anna Exter, Amy Howard, Kuni Kimura, Trish Ledoux, Neil Nadelman, Rosearik Rikki, Mari Studer, Elin Winkler, Tavisha Wolfgarth
MEMBERSHIP RATES: US$30 for all 3 days; non membership rates TBA at the door
HOTEL PRICES: US$90 pernight for 1-4 people
ADDRESS: Project A-Kon 3352 Broadway Blvd. suite 470 Garland TX 75043
E-MAIL: phoenix@cyberramp.net
WEBSITE: www.cyberramp.net/~phoenix/akon.html

JULY 1999

OTAKON 1999 7/2 - 7/4
LOCATION: Baltimore Convention Center
GUESTS: Check out website for details
MEMBERSHIP RATES: US$35 (before 4/2/99) $40(before 5/28/99) $45 (register from 5/29/99-6/18/99) HOTEL: Hyatt Regency Balt. (410) 528-1234 OR Sheraton Inner Harbor (410) 962-8300. Mention Otakon and recieve discount prices.
ADDRESS: OTAKON 1999 Information 661A Waupelani Drive State College, PA 16801
PHONE NUMBER: (814) 867-3478
E-MAIL: info@otakon.com
WEBSITE: www.otakon.com

Anime Expo 1999 7/16-7/18
LOCATION: Anaheim Hilton & Towers Hotel Anaheim,CA GUESTS: MIKA AKITAKA,MARI IIJIMA,MAYUMI IIZUKA,SACHIKO KAMIMURA,HIROMI MATSUSHITA,HIROYUKI OCHI,KAZUKO TADANO,AKIO TAKAMI
MEMBERSHIP RATES: TBA
HOTEL PRICES: TBA call (800) HILTONS for reservations
ADDRESS: SPJA/Anime Expo, 7336 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 640 Hollywood CA 90046
PHONE NUMBER: (818) 441-3653
E-MAIL: info@anime-expo.org
WEBSITE: www.anime-expo.org

AUGUST 1999

San Diego Comic-Con International 8/12-8/15
LOCATION: San Diego Convention Center San Diego CA
GUESTS: TBA
MEMBERSHIP RATES: TBA
HOTEL PRICES: $79-$180 per person. call (800)COMIC-99 for more info
ADDRESS: Comic-Con INternation 311 Fourth Ave. #512 San Diego CA 92101
E-MAIL: cclweb@aol.com
WEBSITE: http://www2.comic-con.org/comiccon/

SEPTEMBER 1999

Anime Iowa 9/3-9/5
LOCATION: Collins Plaza Hotel, Cedar Rapids, IA
GUESTS:Steve Bennett, Kuni Kimura
MEMBERSHIP RATES: 3 days US$25 before Aug.15; US$35 at the door. 1 day membership available at the door.
HOTEL PRICES: US$77 each night call (319) 393-6600 for more info
ADDRESS: Anime Iowa P.O. Box 53003 Coralville IA 52240
E-MAIL: swamp@sflis.org
WEBSITE: www.animeshrine.com/animeIowa/index.html

NAN DESU KON II 9/24-9/26
LOCATION: Sheraton Denver West Denvor CO
GUESTS: Scott Frazier
MEMBERSHIP RATES: US $25 until Aug.1 US$30 after
HOTEL PRICES: US$79 a night call (303)987-2000 for more info
ADDRESS: 1552 Monroe St Denver CO 80206-1850
E-MAIL: GenkiDenki@hotmail.com
WEBSITE:http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/8493/Nandesukon.html

OCTOBER 1999

Anime weekend Atlanta 10/8-10/10
LOCATION: Atlanta MarriottGwinnett Place, Atlanta GA
GUESTS: TBA
MEMBER RATES: TBA
HOTEL RATES: TBA
ADDRESS: Anime WEekend Atlanta P.O. BOx 13544 Atlanta, GA 31324-0544
PHONE: (404) 364-9773
E-MAIL: awa@anime.net
WEBSITE: www.anime.net/~awa/

ROBOCON 1999 10/15-10/17
LOCATION: Doubletree Hotel Anaheim. Orange County CA
GUESTS: Rank Catalano, Richard Epcar, Alexandra Kenworthy, Carl Macek, Arlon Ober, Toney Oliver, Greg Snegoff, Reba West, Dan Woren
MEMBERSHIP RATES: all 3 days US$35 until June 1 US$40 until Oct.1
HOTEL PRICES: US $95 per night call (714) 634-4500 for more info
ADDRESS: Robocon 1999 P.O. Box 53561 Irvine CA 92619
E-MAIL: ROBOCON99@aol.com
WEBSITE: www.robocon.org

NOVEMBER 1999

Neko-Con 11/5-11/7
LOCATION: Holiday Inn Executive Center Virginia Beach VA
GUESTS: Steve Pearl
MEMBERSHIP RATES: US$25 until June 19 US$30 until Oct.16
HOTEL PRICES: US$72 per room per night (757) 499-4400 for info
ADDRESS: Neko-Con P.O.Box 11582 Blacksburg VA 24062-1582
E-MAIL: wingman@jurai.net
WEBSITE: www.eskimo.com/~nekocon/

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Roger Ebert Gets Animated On ``Siskel & Ebert'' With ``That's Not All Folks!''; Airs in Syndication The Weekend of May 29-30

     BURBANK, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 26, 1999--From "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" from "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" to "Jurassic Park" ... from "Futurama" to "Tarzan" ... Roger Ebert explores the amazing animation boom in "That's Not All Folks!," a special edition of "Siskel & Ebert" airing in syndication the weekend of May 29-30, 1999.

     "Animation as an art form is even older than the movies," notes Ebert in the opening moments of the program. "And now, at the end of film's first century, it seems poised to finally come into its own as an art form for adults as well as children." In this special theme episode, Ebert examines the elements that have brought the medium from simple cartoons to the lush animation and computerized imaging so familiar to contemporary audiences.
     In addition, Ebert highlights feature films that mix live-action and animated images ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Space Jam," "The Phantom Menace"); the fierce competition in the full-length animated feature genre; and the explosion in computer-generated animation, both in fully animated films ("Toy Story," "Antz," "A Bug's Life") and as special effects in live-action films ("Forrest Gump," "Godzilla"). Ebert even delves into the explosive growth of animation on television, from the groundbreaking "The Simpsons" to the dark and brooding "Spawn."
     Ebert also looks at the phenomenon of Japanese animation ("anime"), featuring titles such as "Akira," "Ghost in the Shell," "Kiki's Delivery Service," and the upcoming theatrical feature, "Princess Mononoke," and shows how Japanese animation styles are influencing Hollywood.
     Finally, Ebert previews this summer's crop of full-length animated films, including the eagerly awaited "Tarzan," the science-fiction fable "The Iron Giant," and the first film version of the edgy Comedy Central hit, "South Park."

"Siskel & Ebert" airs each weekend in national syndication. Check www.siskel-ebert.com or your local listings for day, time and channel.

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     This is another release of an Anime that was talked about in a past issue. Very impressive is the fact that a couple of art Museums are going to be showing it as well. Hopefully there is a showing close to you, if there is try to catch this film.

More theaters have been announced for the screening of "A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation." The list follows:

April 30, May 6
Plan B, Santa Fe
1050 Old Pecos Trail
505-982-1338

May 21, 22
Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Harvard Square, 40 Brattle St.
617-876-6837

May
Drexel Theater, Columbus

June 5 (midnight)
Aquarius, Palo Alto
430 Emerson St.
650-323-6843

June 12, 13?
Enzian Theater, Florida

June, August
NuArt, Los Angeles

June, July
Baxter Ave. 8, Louisville, KY

June 16, 17
Red Vic Movie House, San Francisco
1727 Haight St.
415-668-3994

July
Music Box, Chicago

July 2, 3
Asian Access presents
At: Riverview Theater, Minneapolis
3800 42nd Ave. South
612-729-7360

July 16, 22
Cinefest Theater, Atlanta

August
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

September
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

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     Attention Ranma 1/2 Fans Viz Communications is proudto present the first volume in a new,season of RANMA 1/2 video releases, RANMA 1/2 MARTIAL MAYHEM: BUNS OF STEEL, shipping in,September 1999. Based on the hit manga series By RUMIKO TAKAHASHI, RANMA 1/2 is the anime,action-romance-comedy series that all others aspire to. Due to an unfortunate accident at the,cursed Chinese training ground known as Jusenkyo, when martial artists Ranma and his father,Genma get splashed with cold water, dad transforms into a giant panda-and male Ranma becomes a, buxom young girl! Hot water reverses the effect but only until the next time!,IN THIS VOLUME: A special two-part story! Ranma's never worn his hair in anything but a, pigtail, and now it turns out there's a reason for that. How long will he be able to dodge the, four steamed little buns from China out for his head?! THEN: Talk about your bad hair days! Without the famed "Dragon Whisker," Ranma's hair will keep growing and growing. But even Rapunzel's hair ran out eventually.

RANMA 1/2 MARTIAL MAYHEM: BUNS OF STEEL is available dubbed in English in September for a retail price of $24.95 USA. Two complete episodes, 52 minutes.

(Editors Note: Koi Chan and I have found it in Video stores already).

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VIZ VIDEO ANNOUNCES THE U.S. HOME VIDEO DEBUT OF, A CHINESE GHOST STORY,THE TSUI HARK ANIMATION.

     Viz reports that: Critics around the country are, talking: "In addition to being one of the most visually resplendent animated features ever, created, A CHINESE GHOST STORY: THE TSUI HARK ANIMATION is also one of the smartest, offering, ample doses of fun and wisdom for all age groups," says AFM Reviews. "Visually, the film is a, hybrid of YELLOW SUBMARINE and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, but exceeds both in its, technical excellence," says SF Weekly. A CHINESE

GHOST STORY: THE TSUI HARK ANIMATION is produced by Viz Video and distributed by Viz Video and Pioneer. It is 83 minutes long and retails for$19.98 in English and $24.98 subtitled

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Here's some thing being offered by Tokoypop if you like what they have make sure to visit them.

BRAND NEW VIDEOGAME SHIPMENT FROM JAPAN!
(editors note: The import PlayStation games from Japan need a MOD chip to run on your system, it wont translate the text to American, it just allows you to play it on your PS. Most scripts can be found on the net.)

SD Gundam Generation Best PSX / SD GUNDAM BEST / Sony Playstation / $32.00 / Import Videogame / CD-ROM / New from Bandai in the 'Playstation The Best' Series

Space Battleship Yamato PSX / SLPS 01900 / Sony / $64.00 / Import Videogame / CD-ROM / Just Released in '99!

JAPANESE ANIME ART BOOKS

Ah! My Goddess Postcard Book / 4063300048 / Kodansha / $11.00 / Import Anime / Book/Mag / Contains 32 Stunning Full Color Postcards Illustrated by Fujishima Kosuke

Slayers DX Fujimishobo Book / 4829172797 / Fujimishobo / $19.00 / Import Anime / Book/Mag / 88 Pages; Paperback

ANIME MUSIC SOUNDTRACKS ON CD-NEW RELEASES

Ah My Goddess TV OST 2 / PCCG 487 / Pony Canyon / $30.00 / Import Anime / CD / The 2nd OST From the Adv of Mini Goddess TV Show; 25 Tracks

You're Under Arrest Movie OST / VICL 60372 / JVC / $32.00 / Import Anime / CD / 23 Tracks from the New Theatrical Movie. Including 'Calling,' by Nitro

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Xenogears
Square EA
RPG
One Player/Two Player Mini-game

     I hate hype. It drives me insane when I hear "The best ever", "a milestone in the industry", and "raising the bar". But enough about Episode 1. OW! It was a joke! Sheesh. *Ahem* I winced when I heard the mountains of hype surrounding Xenogears, but bought the game anyway, hoping for the best. I figured as long as I didn't raise my expectations too high.
     Imagine my surprise to find that most of the hype was true. Xenogears is one of the best RPGs I've had the pleasure to play. The story line is very, very complex. So complex, that trying to summarize it, I ended up explaining for almost half an hour just to get the basics down.
     Lemme try to give you a snippet without spoilage: The story centers around Fei Fong Wong, a young artist who has lost his memory. (yes, that again. Bear with me.) He's relatively happy until his village is attacked. During the attack, one of the giant robotic weapons, called Gears, is left empty. Fei, for no reason he can explain, hops in and blows away the enemy. And most of the village. Oops. The villagers aren't too happy, that big ole' Transformer is attracting unwelcome attention- and Fei can't remember what he's done. So he and his mentor, Doctor Citan Uzuki, set off to try and hide the Gear and get Fei away from the village before he unintentionally causes more harm. Things get a lot more complicated from there, as the reason behind Fei's amnesia unlocks a global biological conspiracy, corruption, unthinkable acts, and all that other fun stuff. You might want to take notes. Really. Because for once, the 60+ on the box is not only justified, but maybe a tad conservative. In just basic unhurried exploration, I maxed out the clock hours before I completed the game.
     The translation is one of the best I've seen in a long time- no "I had a good feeling!" or "Next is what you need to do to use learned Ability" like the disaster area that was Final Fantasy Tactic's translation. There are a few gaffes, but overall it shines.
     The graphics are very nice. Most are downright gorgeous, though the interiors of some buildings could have been more varied. The characters are sprite based, and sometimes pixilate badly, but are very expressive, getting the job done nicely. The excellent Anime cut scenes, one of the highlights of the game, run into two problems- scarcity and bad dubbing. After the first couple of hours, you won't see another cut scene until near the end of the first disk. The dubbing is just awful. It looks like a bad monster movie. This seems to be the translator's fault rather than the voice actors; a scene featuring alien language is synched perfectly, yet saying "I'm sorry." (Gomen nasai, I think.) takes far too long- easily fixed by a syllable addition- "I'm so sorry." The voice itself is very good, matched as closely as possible to the originals, which can still be heard in battles. One glaring exception is Bart's voice actor, who sounds like a hyperventilating professional wrestler.
     One of the two main reasons that Xenogears was almost not ported was because it contained "religious issues". This vaguely worded protestation was probably a publicity stunt, as these "issues" mostly related to using biblical names and religious symbols, such as crosses. No religion is truly attacked or supported, and the church presented in the game is more Zen-ish than the Catholic appearance it suggests.
     The other reason, "Mature Themes", is well substantiated. There is some language (about on par with FF7, excluding the #%@*!ing), some violence, including several scenes that feature a lot of blood (REDRUM! REDRUM! RED- ow!), and some "nudity" (i.e.- you know they're naked, yet nothing inappropriate is shown), as well as the plot itself. As a movie, it'd probably rate a PG-13, or a very low R.
     The game play is a mixture of good and bad. The game features 360 camera movement on most screens, and at first this is rather difficult to get into (expect to spend about 15 minutes lost in Fei's house), but soon becomes instinctive- you'll find yourself getting really ticked off when you're only allowed to rotate 150. Unfortunately, you'd better learn to mark your direction quickly- there's no way to tell which way is north, and this is sanity breaking during dungeon crawls. Another problem with the camera is the limitation of angles during platform jumping sections, where the camera sometimes rests firmly behind a post. The jumping sections themselves can quickly turn nightmarish, as one false move forces you to return to the beginning of the maze over and over and over- all the while forced to endure random enemy encounters. Babel Tower- fear it. Part of the game also requires a relatively easy mini fighter game between Gears. This game pops up later with 1 or 2 player fights for otherwise unavailable items, and is fun all by itself, if you have the time to blow.
     The music is lovely, if a bit repetitive, due to the limited number of tracks. I enjoyed "Bart's Theme" the most- a flute driven piece that pops up re-mixed in most of the more dramatic scenes. I'd recommend the soundtrack as well- the re-mixes are excellent.
     Ok, sez you, you've told me all the technical garbage- is the game any fun to play? And I reply, saying, yup. I loved getting a complex, yet overall coherent story. I loved talking to non-player characters who actually had interesting, relevant things to say. I loved having characters I could cheer for. I loved running around in the fair, breathing fire, waving my balloon around, and getting tipsy on Bartweiser. Er. *Ahem* Anyway, I hardly minded the second disk being a text-fest, because I really wanted to know what would happen next. I can't remember the last time I got mad at a game for a plot twist. So get yea gone! Rent yerself a copy o' Xenogears, snag some snacks and have a good time. I certainly did.

By: Presir

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W H A T / W H E R E / W H O on A N I M E * O N L I N E
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     I finally have my anime section up and working!! I have 4 image galleries that you can check out: Ranma 1/2, Fushigi Yuugi, Oh My Goddess and Kyoko Date. I also have a link to our Anime Sidethread page.
     I would also like to ask my fellow otakus if anyone would be interested in starting a web ring for our side thread? If you have a website that has dedicated galleries for anime and would like join the web ring please contact Koi Chan at fechan@main.com. Send your URL and we will check the links and sites.

Editors note: This web site is AC okay but as with any page we cannot check all the links. So use caution when traveling the links from that page.

Second Editors Note: Well what it amounts to is that my co-editor is very excited by the fact that she has updated her web site and that it offers more anime images for your viewing pleasure. So if you have a web site that offers some Anime send us the web site and well put it up for everyone to see.

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A N I M E * F A N F I C
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What can I say other than we finally have a fanfic to place in an issue. So sit back and enjoy a Ranma 1/2 story by Camo.

     Life, thought Ranma to himself, could only get better. There was no way it could get worse. Not by a long shot.
     Right?
     No way, Ranma told himself, trying to cheer up. Your life can only go uphill. You'll get your problems sorted out. Sure, you're an aquatransexual, your mother is out for your blood (intestines and head, actually, but the line blurs) one of your fiancee's sister keeps selling pictures of your girl form to the village idiot, and he and his sister both want to marry different versions of you, but it couldn't get worse, right?
     Just then, there was a knock on the door. In walked a large panda. With a motion he had learned from carefully studying Akane's mallet and SHampoo's microphone, Ranma pulled out a super soaker filled with hot water and blasted the animal at close range. It changed form, becoming his father, the man who had single-handedly engaged him to half the female population of the Asian continent. Plus some surrounding islands.
     "Yeah, Pop, what is it?"
     Genma sat down, causing Ranma to become very uneasy. "Please understand, Son. Times were hard back then-URK!"
     He never finished his statement, as Ranma's fist landed square on his head. "Oh, no! Every time you start a story like that, I end up with another fiancée! No more, you hear me! NO MORE!"
     In his ravings, Ranma knocked over the hot water gun, causing it to blast out the window. He ignored the sounds of 'BWEEEEE- OOWWCH! That's hot! Uh...oh..." and "R-R-Ryoga? RYOGA?!" and screaming and mallet whamming that followed.
     "But Son, please here me out!"
     Ranma flopped down, resigned to what was happening, "Ok, whatever. Who is it now? Where is she from? China? Japan?" There was a feeling of dread, "I didn't accidentally beat Cologne in combat, did I? Oh, no!"
     "No, no, Son! But you do know this girl. In fact, you spend a lot of time with her."
     "You already engaged me to Akane."
     "Not Akane. You're engaged to..."
     "Who?"
     "Um...you're engaged to your girl form."
     There was a long pause.
     "Uh, Son? Son, are you OK?"
     "WHAAAATTT!?!?!?!?!"
     "The wedding's next week. It's going to be outdoors, in a nice garden setting. I figure it'll work best if we throw different water temperatures so you can each take your vows-"
     "WHAAAATTT!?!?!?!?!"
     Genma sighed. "I see that I must explain. You see Son, times were hard back then and-"
     "WHAAAATTT!?!?!?!?!"
     Genma got no further, as Ranma kicked him into the stratosphere.