I watched the first 3 episodes. And liked it. It's not a deep serious show and it's not a wacky high school harem comedy. It's simply a show of ghost stories.
Each episode is hosted by a ghost who runs the Thriller Restaurant. So, I already like it for having the equivalent of a Ghoulardi Horror Show Host. The episodes are broken into 3 tales. An appetizer, main course and a dessert. The ghost stories are quick, concise and actually pretty fun. All told with the same cast in a "cursed" town. It's a kids show, so there's no gore to be seen, but they still get away with killing a few kids off camera in twisted Tales From The Crypt style bits.
If you're looking for something that's a change of pace from your typical anime I'd recommend Kaidan Restaurant. It's just good clean spooky fun.
I have to admit I don't really know anything about Cobra. Haven't seen any of the old shows, but I was interested when I heard they were doing a tv series for winter of 2010. I was somewhat surprised when Crunchyroll picked this up simply because I didn't think new fans would like an "old show".
The first episode basically lays everything out. A planet, Galon, has broken it's orbit and is now heading straight towards the sun. In a week they will collide and annihilate the solar system. However, a key, literally, can change that. Secret, a Galaxy Patrol office who looks like Cobra's old flame, Dominique, is taking the key to a professor that apparently knows how to stop all this. Throw in the Pirate Guild who is chasing after Secret, and the key, when Cobra bumps into her and you have a show that at least isn't moe. I'm in.
As I write this, the first three episodes are available for viewing on CR, so head on over and check it out. Until then here's the opening.
Not a big fan of Chinese lagers myself, but who knows what they'll be coming out with soon -- right now they're basically experiencing the Microbrew stage that the U.S. did in the early to mid 1990s. Kampai!!!
- 30 Rock had an episode where James Franco guest stars as a celeb in love with Kimiko, a dakimakura or a "hugging pillow". Check the episode out at Hulu. Via Anime Vice
- It's no surprise that James Cameron is possibly planning a trilogy for Avatar since it's been such a huge success. The interesting bit is the last paragraph where it says he is working on Battle Angel now for a 2011 release. Via Yahoo! Movies
- RIP Isamu Tanonaka. He was the only voice for Medama Oyaji, the walking eyeball that is Kitaro's father from Gegege no Kitaro. Via ANN
- To end on an up note, here's a good quality clean opening for the Dirty Pair TV show from 1985. The song is "Ru-Ru-Ru-Russian Roulette" by Nakahara Meiko. Via Japanator
"Fumiko's Confession" is this year's YouTube Video Awards Japan's winner in the anime catagory. Mostly the work of Hiroyasu Ishida, a 21-year-old student aspiring to be an animator, with the help of a couple friends. You can read the rest at ANN.
ANN also has links to some of the nominees for the awards here.
Japan Probe has something of a translation here. You should check them out, but if you're too lazy:
"In the short, Fumiko asks a boy to date her, but he refuses, wanting to concentrate on his baseball skills. At the end, she offers to make him miso soup every day (a marriage proposal in Japan), but the result is… "
I should have put "Fumiko's Confession" in my Stuff Good for 2009. I like.
Meisa Kuroki is going to play Yuki Mori (a.k.a. Nova in StarBlazers) in the new Yamato movie. Looks like she has taken on plenty of roles with ties to anime and manga:
-She was Sister Angela in the TV adaptation of 1 Pound no Fukuin (One Pound Gospel) based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi. -She played Miyamoto Subaru, the lead character in the movie Dance, Subaru! based off the manga from Masahito Soda. -She was the voice for Vexille in the CG animated film of the same name. -She was the character Grey in Mamuro Oshii's Assault Girls from last year. -And for the Takashi Miike fans, she was Ruka Aizawa in '07's Crow Zero.
Here she is huckin' something called Cola Shock:
Here's her singing side being a "Bad Girl" (Might be a bit NSFW):
Let's Flashback 1993
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By popular demand, another long-suppressed issue of the print Let's Anime
is up at the Otaku Archive portion of the Internet Archive, complete with
all th...
PlaidStallions is moving! (slowly)
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So, after 14 years, we've decided to upgrade PlaidStallions and move both
the site and the blog here.
I plan to convert the entire site to WordPress, tha...
KOUSOKU ESPER
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Japanese electronics giant Toshiba, is the result of two major companies
merging in 1939. The first was Tanaka Seizosho who manufactured telegraph
equipme...