When I first started watching “Hanasaku Iroha” (also known as Hanairo, and in English, “The ABCs of Blooming”), I wasn’t expecting much. With the recent influx of slice-of-life shows starring stereotypically cute girls with cliche character development, doing very cliche things, and meant to appeal to appeal to 18- to 30-year-old men (a genre of anime called Seinen), I thought that this was just going to be another pretty, but boring show. I was wrong.

Cynical high-schooler Ohana Matsumae is forced to move from her hometown of Tokyo and into the country with her grandmother after her irresponsible mother chooses to run off with her debt-ridden boyfriend.

However, when she reaches the inn her grandmother owns, Kissui Inn, she learns that her grandmother had previously disowned her mother and therefore Ohana isn’t considered family. The jaded Ohana will have to work at the traditionally-minded Kissui Inn to earn her keep.

The animation is gorgeous. It’s obvious that the creators of this show loved what they were doing. From the realistic character designs to the attention given to the sky, scenery and minute details of the Kissui Inn, everything indicates that lots of time was spent on this anime. The animation steps it up at the end of an arch and becomes beautiful enough to bring tears to your eyes.

The music is also good. Although some tracks are forgettable, most blend nicely with the tone of the anime. The opening and ending songs, in particular, fit with the themes and values of Ohana as she finds her way through her life.

However, where this anime really shines is in the story and what the show has to say. It’s an anime centered around growing up, changing yourself and learning who to rely on and where you want to go. Normally, anime that deal with this topic concern themselves with romance and how love (and someone else) will help you discover who you are and who you’ll become.

While there is romance in “Hanasaku Iroha,” it has more to do with how your family, friends and job can create obstacles, challenges and opportunities for you to discover who you are. This anime will strike a chord with anyone who has had to deal with family drama — divorce, irresponsible parents, single-motherhood and financial problems — and has had to overcome them on their own.

The main character, Ohana, seems like a real girl. She starts off pragmatic and cynical, but eventually discovers who she wants to be: cheerful, hardworking and goal-oriented. She has to make several hard decisions to discover this, though.

Everything about Ohana and her journey is captivating. This is the anime’s strength and its flaw. As the anime strays from Ohana for several episodes in the second season, it slows down and becomes tedious. None of the other characters are as realistic as Ohana; instead, the show starts out with stereotypes and tries to flesh them out after the fact. While this works to a certain extent, it still feels forced, and you won’t be invested in these characters the way you will with Ohana.

Eventually the anime comes back to Ohana, and manages to make up for the earlier episodes with an ending that fits its themes and manages to be happy, satisfying and completely realistic. There is no fairy-tale ending here, only an optimistic hope for the future, and it is the realism of this anime that makes it so inspiring.

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I can fake my way through most pop culture situations, but occasionally more research is required. For example, thanks to my mad Google skillz I was able to write about the presence of the Evangelion movies at the J-POP Summit Festival a few weeks back without sounding like I didn't know what the heck I was talking about, even though I didn't know what the heck I was talking about.

But to review EvaNavi SF, a new iOS app that "that incorporates aspects from the hit Evangelion 2.0 sci-fi anime property to guide users to 60 notable attractions around the city of San Francisco," I knew I would have to step up my game and actually watch the sci-fi anime property in question. If I wasn't familiar with the Evangelion movies, specifically Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, the app probably wouldn't make a lick of sense.

Turns out EvaNavi made exactly as much sense as it would have if I hadn't watched the Evangelion movies -- which were gorgeous, if frequently nonsensical, and I'm looking forward to Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo -- and "incorporating aspects" basically means overlaying a brand that otherwise has no real connection to the product. It's a proud tradition that dates back decades, hence the existence of (to name the most obvious example) Star Wars toothpaste.

All that said, it's a fun little app, and as a good a way as any to discover something new-to-you in San Francisco.

Developed by the Kamakura-based KAYAC with text and photography provided by the good folks at New People, the main Evangelion brand presence is that of Mari Makinami Illustrious, a character who appears out of nowhere in the second film -- seriously, she parachutes into the story, making oblique references to being a spy, and then is more or less ignored for the rest of the movie.

A more accurate title for the app would be MariNavi, but I suppose it would be less marketable that way. A true EvaNavi guide would look like a robot, which again is not quite as marketable. For that matter, as female Evangelion characters go, I prefer Rei and especially Misato, but again, you can't really do the "flirty schoolgirl" thing with either of them. And Asuka doesn't wear glasses. So, Mari it is.

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Turner Broadcasting System is expanding its channel bouquet across the Asia-Pacific region with a pair of new channels launching in the region, a move first revealed by C21 in April. Preschool channel Cartoonito and action and anime net Toonami will both launch in early 2013 in Southeast Asia, adding to Turner Asia-Pacific’s portfolio, which comprises Cartoon Network, Boomerang and local net Pogo.

“The addition of Toonami and Cartoonito means that Turner will now offer a robust kids’ entertainment experience for all ages and interests,” said Turner International Asia-Pacific’s senior VP and MD of entertainment networks Sunny Saha. “We’re bringing two of Turner’s highly successful international brands to Asia to meet a growing demand for premium quality action-adventure and younger-skewing content.

Turner APAC director of programming, acquisitions and development Layla Lewis first confirmed the company was looking to roll Cartoonito out to the region in an interview with C21 at MipTV earlier this year.

The net targets younger viewers and will include series such as LazyTown, My Little Pony and Noddy in Toyland. Its launch in Asia comes a year after its debut across Europe, Middle East and Africa under local chief content officer Michael Carrington.

Meanwhile, Toonami – based on a programming block that launched on Cartoon Network in the US – will be a “multiplatform, multi-language” linear channel with series such as Young Justice, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Dragon Ball Z.

“Our aim is to make Toonami a socially-charged, multiplatform experience for fans, by fans. We’ll invite input from viewers on everything from programming to showcasing fan art submissions on-air and online,” said Saha of today’s news.

The developments come two weeks after Turner Germany announced it would launch its high-definition feed of Cartoon Network on cable operator Kabel Deutschland on October 15.

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As a social experiment, mention the word “anime” in the public sphere and you will spark a debate faster than a Michael Moore comment at a Ron Paul convention.

The group against accepting anime as a legitimate art form would argue that it is rather base, presenting as evidence the Kamehameha wave that takes three episodes to materialize. The proponents, who often consider animation to be more compelling than real life, would likely not respond, instead focusing on finding the right mascara to emulate the look of L from Death Note.

However, it is grossly unfair to only cite popcorn entertainment such as Dragon Ball Z because anime is certainly more than that. Like any other medium of storytelling, the artistic merit of Japanese animation varies greatly based on the quality of the writing. Therefore, for all who have taken an oath to never approach the genre, here are five series to change your mind.

1. Naoki Urasawa’s Monster: Cited by Time Magazine as the guilty pleasure of Pulitzer prize-winner Junot Diaz, Monster tells the story of Kenzo Tenma, a doctor who sacrifices his career to save the life of a young boy that goes on to become a serial killer. The story, spanning several years in duration and incorporating dozens of nations, prides itself in creating a world of conspiracy, hate and brutality. Moving at a tense, deliberate pace but constantly increasing the complexity, the writer and the actors come together to create a tale that really gets to the heart of human nature and the disturbingly realistic inclination towards violence. In searching for a monster, Dr. Tenma loses his own soul and finds that humanity is equal parts beautiful and cruel.

2. Nana: When Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu meet on a train bound for Tokyo, neither one of them realizes how quickly or how thoroughly their lives will intertwine. Be it mutual friends, similar interests or simply the convenience that proximity brings, the two roommates eventually become an integral part of each other’s lives. The musical score is consistently brilliant and the story does incredibly well in demonstrating how two friends can grow close and apart, without ever having stopped loving each other. Do not let the effeminate designs dissuade you; if there has ever been a friend in your life that you have cherished and lost, this is a story you cannot miss.

3. Honey and Clover: With an unapologetically nostalgic feel and visual design that is nothing short of serene, Honey and Clover tells the story of six friends that attempt to navigate life as college art students. With protagonists that have a desire to succeed but lack any definite sense of direction, the story works to highlight how life often takes beautiful and unexpected turns, even if one must often withstand heartbreak to truly appreciate them. The plot moves at a relaxed, often lethargic pace and the moments of hyperactivity are few and far in between, though they usually succeed in being rather humorous. Most of all, however, the series succeeds most when it shows realistic solutions to life’s daily struggles in a manner that is absolutely uplifting. 

4. Hikaru no Go: A tale for the child that adulthood forces us to abandon, Hikaru no Go tells the story of Shindou Hikaru, a young boy who comes in contact with an ancient strategy game and forms a fantastical bond with the spirit residing within the ancient board. However, just when one starts to assume that this is the classic tale of an imaginary friend, the story does well to stay grounded as a realistic tale of a young boy who knows it is time to grow up. With an appropriate level of drama, the story perfectly demonstrates the anger that one feels when they are warned of their limitations and are too young to understand them. We become adults that day we decide to stand for something that will require commitment and pain on our behalf; it is this lesson that Hikaru learns throughout the work.   

5. Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy: Perhaps the only anime, save for Shin-Chan, that increased in quality following an English dubbing, Ultimate Muscle tells the story of a young man who reluctantly visits Earth to defeat an army of evil wrestlers determined to take over the world. As insane as that statement may sound, the series is assuredly crazier. If pro-wrestling were to increase its lunacy by nearly tenfold, it would begin to resemble Ultimate Muscle. The ludicrousness, not to mention the lewdness, demonstrates that the show knows how ridiculous both animes and pro-wrestling generally are. However, instead of trying to change that, Ultimate Muscle embraces the madness and the end result is unparalleled creative design and a sense of humor most are not proud to display in public.

Of course, this is merely a condensed list and there are dozens of other shows that deserve to be highlighted but for those that do not trust animation, these are likely the safest bets for traversing into such unfamiliar skies.

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The live-action adaptation of the "Rurouni Kenshin" manga and anime series raked in 555.48 million yen ($7 million) at the box office in the first five days after it premiered in Japan on Aug. 25.

The swashbuckler film pulled in about 399.5 million yen on the opening weekend, attracting about 300,000 audience members nationwide. Some of the theaters showed the movie early between Aug. 22 and 24, which helped the box office total reach 555 million yen and sell 424,143 tickets.

The film secured the top spot at the box office, beating out Hollywood blockbusters "The Avengers," which premiered a week before, and "Prometheus," which was released on the same weekend, as well as Japanese action flick "Brave Hearts: Umizaru," which was running into its seventh week.

"Rurouni Kenshin" opened on 329 screens across Japan, while "The Avengers" hit 844 cinemas nationwide. The distributor says the samurai action has a higher per screen average, adding that it is also popular in local areas. The film could see a total box office revenue of 4 billion yen, it said.

Currently, a special video clip featuring director Keishi Otomo is streamed on YouTube focusing on his directorial efforts. In addition to the behind-the-scene stories of the production, the 18-minute, 11-second clip also shows Takeru Sato, who plays the protagonist, Kenshin, who shares how he prepared for his character.

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 FUNimation Entertainment releases the cyberpunk anime series “Texhnolyze” on DVD as part of their “Anime Classics” line and we took the opportunity to review this Madhouse produced drama.

Some spoilers ahead
Set in the underground city of Lux, “Texhnolyze” follows the journey of Ichise, a prize fighter who runs afoul of his boss and finds himself losing a leg and an arm as punishment. Left for dead Ichise is found by Eriko, a woman known as “Doc”, who fits him with prosthetic limbs called “Texhnolyze”. Angry at the thought of his new limbs, or himself, Ichise begins to bash them against anything he can until Doc tells him that she used his deceased mother’s remaining cells, which Ichise carries with him, to help form the bond between the Texhnolyze and his body. This forces Ichise to stop trying to destroy the new limbs.

 As he adjusts to his Texhnolyze Ichise is followed by a young girl named Ran, who has the ability to see into people’s future and serves as the seer for the city of Gabe. While wandering the city with no real goal Ichise is eventually drawn into a conflict between the Organo, the powerful organization that governs Lux, the Union, an anti-Texhnolyze group and the Rakan, a small gang-like group that is slowly gaining power with the youth of the city.

The conflict breaks out after a visitor from the surface world arrives in Lux and begins a plan that threatens to throw the city into chaos. After thwarting his plan though Ichise begins to work under Onishi, the head of the Organo. The fight picks right back up not long after however when the Class, a group of beings considered the chosen who rule over Lux from “The Hill”, and their fanatical leader come to the decision that it would be best if the residents of the city came under their direct rule. As you might expect this idea doesn’t sit well with the three major factions and their respective leaders. To avoid giving away even more of the story this is where I will stop discussing key points in the series.

“Texhnolyze” actually has a lot of potential with an interesting story concept and a unique world filled with likeable characters and crazy enemies. The problem however is that the story develops painfully slow, early on nothing is really happening as Ichise just wanders and he doesn’t even begin to develop as a character until much later. There are some points that also seem to happen out of nowhere without any real development, which does cause a bit of confusion.

Ichise himself really isn’t a likable character either, he really lacks a personality and even after you learn more about him he still never really becomes someone that you want to see be the hero, that role felt more like it could have belonged to Onishi or Shinji. Ran, who also plays a big role, is a lot like Ichise and between the two of them they just don’t have the appeal to make the series as interesting as it could be.

Visually “Texhnolyze” has a nice look to it, the picture quality is usually clear and there is a lot of detail but it also switches to grainy and dark to help match the atmosphere at times. The characters all have good looks to them as well, the “Texhnolyze” limbs don’t look too science fiction-like and though they are advanced technology the designs still manage to look like something that a struggling city’s scientists could create. The Class have the most insane designs as far as the series goes and while they are definitely out of place they make for a great, easy to distinguish enemy.

The Japanese voice cast fit very well with their characters and seemed to get across the emotions well while also matching up with their character’s personalities. The English cast was decent but it just felt really bland, much like “Boogiepop Phantom”, which may be due to them both being older titles. If you’re going to watch the series then the Japanese dub is probably the best choice. The subtitles were all clear and easy to read while also remaining on screen for a fair length of time.

All-in-all “Texhnolyze” is a mature dramatic anime offering a deep story that feels like a 90s era series. The story does develop slowly but once things get going it gets good until the final few episodes, when things get a little weird. It almost felt like M. Night Shyamalan was helping write the ending with the head shaking plot twists.

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A 42-year-old anime director from the city of Suita, in Osaka prefecture, was arrested in Japan on August 26 for allegedly threatening to commit mass murder.

Masaki Kitamura, who has worked on  Yu-Gi-Oh!  and  Wolf's Rain , is suspected of posting a message on the Osaka Municipal Government's website on July 29 that stated "I will perpetrate a mass murder at Otaroad on Aug. 5". Otaroad is a pedestrian area popular with anime fans and gamers. Approximately 90 officers were put on alert but nothing transpired. According to the  Japan Times , he claimed not to have any recollection of doing so.

The threats were reminiscent of the 2008 Akibahara massacre when an unemployed 25-year-old man Tomohiro Kato drove his truck into pedestrians in Tokyo's Akibahara shopping district (also devoted to games, comics, and electronics), then stabbed passers-by with a knife, killing and injuring several people.

Osaka police also suspect Kitamura made a bomb threat to a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo to New York City on August 1. Two hours after take-off, the flight, carrying 247 passengers and 18 crew members, had to return to Tokyo's Narita Airport after receiving a bomb threat. No explosives were found.

The emailed bomb threat demanded the release of Shoko Asahara, the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult leader who was responsible for the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack, from prison.

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Japan Expo, an annual summer convention dedicated to Japanese pop culture and held in Paris, will move to California next summer. According to U.S. anime news site Anime News Network, SEFA Event, which operates the convention, has set up SEFA Entertainment in the United States with Sean Chiochankitmun serving as CEO.

The U.S. event aims to attract between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors. Launched in 1999, Japan Expo features anime, manga, videogames, music, fashion and other aspects of Japanese pop culture. The 2011 event attracted 190,000 visitors, making it one of the largest events of its kind held in Europe.

In recognition of its promotion of Japanese pop culture, Japan Expo won the Foreign Minister's Award in 2009 and the Life Achievement Award at the 16th AMD Awards in 2011. This year, the expo was held July 5-8 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center. All-girl idol group Momoiro Clover Z, manga giant Naoki Urasawa and many others made guest appearances.

With the success of the Japan Expo, SEFA Event has hosted similar events in Belgium. It remains to be seen what the reaction will be in the United States. Anime Expo, the largest U.S. anime convention held in California, attracts almost double the number of attendees compared to the Japan Expo.

Japan Expo will face tough competitors in the United States because similar events such as AM2, Pacific Media Expo, FanimeCon, Sakura-Con and J-Pop Summit Festival are held on the West Coast. Chiochankitmun had served as head of the Otakon convention, the second largest anime convention in the United States held in Baltimore.

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When Namco Bandai posted Madoka and Muginami TV commercials for game/OVA hybrid Rinne no Lagrange: Kamogawa Days, then jumped to an extended preview, we were wondering when we'd get the Lan video. Well, right on the game's release, here it is.  While the Madoka and Muginami spots featured a pronounced degree of bounciness, for Lan... well, you'll just have to compare... Scheduled for release on August 23rd, Rinne no Lagrange: Kamogawa Days is a hybrid OVA/game set between the first and second seasons of the mecha anime series. 

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Vincent Corazza and Stephanie (Sugar Lyn) Beard have both moved on from their roles in Sailor Moon, but they’ll be in Vancouver this weekend helping celebrate the Japanese cartoon’s 20th anniversary.

And Anime Revolution president Can Ngo couldn’t be more thrilled to have the two of them, as well as several other English-language cast members, joining the group’s first festival for a celebration of Sailor Moon’s anniversary.

Like Comic-con and other sci-fi fantasy conferences, Anime Revolution, which runs from Friday to Sunday, will be filled with creative costumes. Aside from panels with both Beard and Corazza, the festival will include anime-themed costume contests, live performances, art exhibits and workshops on everything from writing fan fiction to wig styling.

Corazza, a Toronto native, got into Sailor Moon by a roundabout route. He was just out of acting school at Ryerson when he got into vocal acting through a job as Shickadance in the Ace Ventura Pet Detective cartoon.

“I remember thinking that was going to be a huge hit because it was Ace Ventura, and at the time it was monstrous,” he says. But that show was short-lived. When it ended, he moved on to this odd Japanese cartoon called Sailor Moon about high school girls who turned into evil-fighting superheroes in skin-tight sailor uniforms.

Corazza’s first role on the show was as main bad guy Alan Granger, but eventually he took over the role of the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, whose dapper costume and daggers shaped like red roses melted hearts onscreen and off.

Corazza, who grew up loving Scooby Doo, didn’t get it at first. “We didn’t get the scripts ahead of time so I wasn’t able to read what the plot lines were. We would just show up and perform the roles in English. So sometimes I wouldn’t get a sense of what the whole story was for each episode.”

Eventually, he learned that the Sailor Moon universe was more massive and complex than anything Hollywood was putting out at the time. The combination of epic Tolkien-esque plots and cute girls in short skirts struck a chord with fantasy adventure nerds around the world.

Beard, who was also known as the manic, squeaky voice of YTV’s the Zone from 2000 to 2007, joined the Sailor Moon cast for the third season as Rini, a pink-haired time-travelling little girl with a very complicated storyline of her own.

Beard’s movement into voice work began with a stint on a radio show where she was noticed for her breathy little-girl voice that became her trademark.

“I honestly didn’t realize that I had a unique voice until I was on the radio,” she says. “No one ever brought it up. In high school it was never a thing because I’m five feet tall and really small. My voice just matches the package.”

Beard fell in love with Rini right away. “She’s mischievous,” Beard says of Rini. “She’s such a little adventurer and she’s endlessly curious. She has such a beautiful heart but she’s a little girl so she was constantly getting in trouble.”

Anime Revolution’s Ngo sees events like this weekend’s as an incredible opportunity for community-building among the anime fan subculture. “Growing up I wasn’t sure how many people actually liked anime. I only knew that I liked it but it wasn’t really advertised in groups or clubs,” he says. “Finding kindred spirits is what draws people to it and makes them passionate.”

While Corazza and Beard are now doing other things, they still enjoy going to events like Anime Revolution and meeting their fans. Corazza, who does a lot of video game work and has just finished voice work for an interactive graphic novel experience called Anomaly, says he gets a fair number of interesting questions at events like this weekend’s.

He’s even had his share of marriage proposals, but they don’t bother him. He sees his fans’ interest as an innocent extension of the connection people feel with his characters. “In our business a lot of people feel like they know you because they hear your voice,” he says. “Watching TV, people kind of blend the worlds. I get that. I just laugh and say, ‘No, I’m married.’”

Beard, who has just finished work on the live action comedy For a Good Time Call … with Seth Rogen and Justin Long, says she gets a lot of dinner invitations at such events.

Usually she can’t accept them because the conventions are usually short and far from her home. But this time around, she’s looking forward to having a whole weekend of one-on-one time with her fans.

“You get a sense of family at these conventions because we’re all connected through our love of anime,” she says. “These things are some of the happiest times for me because being surrounded by so much love is my absolute favourite thing in the world.”

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