Stone Cold (Manga Review)

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Karin Mochizuki is an attractive young lawyer. She is really good at her job, but because she doesn't show any emotion outside of the office. For these reason her colleagues have nicknamed her Stone Cold.

Story - The manga is divided into four separate stories. Each story Karin Mochizuki investigates a case for her client. In the first story, Karin investigates a robbery. Her client is accused of the robbery and it's up to her to take the case. In story two "Hot Summer Night" a husband asked Karin to investigate the reasons his wife wants a divorce. This is my favorite story because of the shocking twist towards the end. The third story "The Friday Child." Karin investigates a kidnapping. I love the twist around this one as well. The final story "Leopard's eye." Karin takes on her biggest case as she defends a musician accused of murder.

The characters and story are interesting enough. My favorite character is Detective Sakurazawa. He's very interesting because he has a crush on Karin, no matter how much he tries Karin shows no emotion. My complaint is with the main character Karin. In the first story we find out why she is shut off from her emotions. However it's not deeply explored through the rest of the manga. Also she really isn't Stone Cold when her actions shows that she cares for her clients, the people around her and herself. However the twist and turns in the cases will keep you reading. It's a well written story I feel it has some characterization flaws.

Final Grade C+ The illustration is wonderful, we have very interesting characters. However they weren't explored deep enough for you to care for them. This is a fun read however and it's worth checking out.

Rockman Online Teaser

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An animated teaser trailer was just released for the upcoming Rockman Online. I'm getting all sorts of vibes from this. I'm seeing the original robot masters, Protoman, Bass, and what appears to be some reploids and other characters from the X series thrown in there. I'm guessing that the story will be about what made Dr. Light create Megaman X in the first place. I'm also kind of digging the slightly mature look Megaman has.

Rockman Online is stated to be a side-scrolling MMOG based in the Megaman universe, and I'm really hoping that this will come to the west. There's no word for a release date as of yet, however.

Also, I'm totally going to be "that guy" and say that if there ever were an animated series in a style similar to this trailer that it would totally be the greatest thing ever made.


I am so excite for this.

Wii Games You Might Never Play

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Ever since I brought Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 for the Wii. I have been on Japanese Import mode. As I start hunting for my next import game. I came across some really great Wii games sadly you will never play. Is it true that Japan keeps all the good games to themselves? I'm really starting to think that this is the case. Check out some of my findings below.

The first game is called "Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou." This game is something my sister would play. I won't lie to you this game looks really fun. It's a fun music game. That I think many will enjoy.


The second game is "Fullmetal Alchemist: Daughter of the Dusk." This adventure game is made by Square Enix, just like the "Soul Eater" game it might never come to the states.


The third game is "Tales Of Graces." Yet another Tales game that Bess and myself won't get a chance to play.


The fourth game is "Daikaijyu Battle - Ultra Coliseum DX - Ultra Senshi Daishyuketsu" Good luck saying that really fast. This is a fighting game that I might enjoy.


The fifth game really blew me away. The game is called "Zangeki No Reginleiv." It's a action that looks great to play.


Remember a game called Battle Arena Toshinden? Well they have a new game simply called "Toshinden." I played this at a friends house and it's pretty good.


Tsukiko Amano Countdown

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Today is Music Monday here at OtakusandGeeks.com. Today I will like to introduce you to one of my favorite J-Rock/J-Pop artist. Her name is Tsukiko Amano or Tsukiko now. I was first introduce to her music by Fatal Frame 2 soundtrack. Her song "Chou" had me hooked and I've been a fan since. Today I will be counting down my Top Ten favorite songs from Tsukiko Amano. She is a great artist and if you get a chance to import her music do it. Well let the countdown begin. Press play below. Running Time 55 mins.



Black Butler Review

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Here is the review for Black Butler. Sorry it took so long. I get distracted by other things lately. (No spoilers. Sorry!)

Story

The Phantomhive Family has been in the business of making toys for children for a long time. Their business of toy making is famous in England but something happened. In a unforeseen course of events, the family has passed away in a house fire. Now the only living heir to the Phantomhive business is a 12 year old boy named Ciel. He also has an unforeseen expereince that got him Sebastian Michaels who is as he put it ... "one hell of a butler."

Characters

In my opinion the characters are very unique. Ceil may be young, but he knows how to do business well. He is arrogant but he's been through so much that he hides his true feelings. I still love Ciel as a character and the way he approaches situations. Although my number one favorite character has to be Sebastian. Sebastian knows how to keep everything organized and is extremely sexy ^o^ lol. He knows how to do everything and knows how to clean up other peoples messes *wink*. The other characters such as the gardner, cook, maid, and the other butler provide such comic relieve in between situations. Overall the characters are awesome!

Anime Awesomeness Scale

I give this manga/anime an A+. Please if you haven't read or seen this, do so and NOW! Don't make me send my ninja squad! They will do my bidding because I provide cake and it's not a lie! lol. Anyway you can see the sub of both Black Butler and Black Butler 2 on Funimation.com. I also learned that two great voice actors are being announced that are in Black Butler. J Michael Tatum (Domaki in xxxHolic, Koyua (sp) in Ouran High School Host Club, etc ) is Sebastian *fangirl squee* and Brina Palencia (Juliet in Romeo x Juliet, Tamama in Sgt. Frog, etc) is playing Ciel! Great choices Funimation! I love you guys! Don't forget to check this show out. Anime Rules!!!!!!!!!!!

Sonic 2 gets better, Sonic gets fat, and then gets awesome.

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With the upcoming arrival on Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and Sonic Colors I figured it'd be a good time to look at some Sonic related videos on youtube. Some of them hilarious, while others are mostly awesome.

Sonic 2 is an incredible game, definitely my favorite in the series (If not my favorite game ever). How would you improve upon video game perfection? Is it even possible? Oh yes, yes it is. How you ask? Give Sonic and Tails voice acting, of course.

Absolute perfection I tell you.

Sonic 2 XL is a rom-hack created by Captain Bozo that replaces the regular golden rings Sonic acquires with well... onion rings. But that's not all, as Sonic collects the delicious morsels he starts to put on a bit of weight. It can get to the point where Sonic is just this fat blob rolling down hills at incredibly fast speeds. I'd like to play it, but I would seriously have to change the way I play Sonic so I don't die seven seconds into the game.


And this undeniably awesome video is a remake of the final zone of Sonic & Knuckles done in stunning 3D animation. This is only part one, as the creator was very busy when he made it and never gave it an ending. He's still busy (he now works at Bioware) but hopefully he'll be able to finish this.




Spotted on SegaAddicts.

Scott Pilgrim Avatars

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Credit to Missy Jay at GurlGoneGeek.Wordpress.com for showing her Avatar. Anyway we created our Scott Pilgrims Avatar's as well. Here is what we would look like in the Scott Pilgrims universe. Here is my Avatar. The cute younger sister. I put this on my phone already!

Here is Justin's avatar. We are always saying that he's "The Hero" of the story. I guess this time he took it literally. LOL! Show us your Pilgrim Avatars. Anime Rules!!!!!!

Fashion For The Geeky Girls From Etsy.com

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If there is one thing I love as much as Anime is Geeky clothes. I've been searching and searching for a site, that will have cool geeky stuff for us girls. I found a really cool site called Etsy.com They have cool accessories, clothes and other things. Here is just a taste of what you will find. Check out these Iphone earrings they are cool.


Okay ladies it's time to let the world know you love Steampunk.

Aww nothing will make a geeky girl feel special than a nice heartshaped necklace. This looks 8-bit don't it?


I like this shirt. It shows love to the tech geek girls of the world. The hamsters are so cute.

I love this shirt. If I have to choose Ninja's or Pirates. I would choose ninja's all the way. This is a funny shirt for the ninja lover girl.

There is plently of stuff to see at Etsy.com. Make sure you check out some of their geekery stuff. Anime Rules!!!!

Hetalia: Axis Powers

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I have been Hetalia crazy lately. I think this is becoming my new favorite Anime. Hetalia: Axis Powers takes place during the time periods of World War 1 and 2. It takes a spin and a satire of those events and use each country as a human character. I didn't get a chance to read the manga yet. However the anime looks really funny. Also the game is coming for the PSP soon. Check out the clips of the show and game. Anime Rules!!!!!!!






Fatal Frame IV: Mask Of The Lunar Eclipse Review

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The Fatal Frame or Project Zero series, is one of the hidden gems in the survival horror genre. The series is known for being one of the scariest horror series in videogames. The first three games was released worldwide for the Playstation 2. However the fourth installment was for the Wii Japan only. Is this game worth the import or should you not take the ghost trip?

Story - Five girls are kidnapped by a suspected serial killer named Yo Haibara. He kidnaps them from their homes on an island called Rougetsu. A detective comes and saves the girls from their would be fate. Years later has passed and two out of the five girls die. The three survivors Ruka, Misaki and Madoka return to find out what has happen. They have no memories and hope that returning to the island will give them answers.

Gameplay - Unfortunately Fatal Frame IV gameplay is nothing new under the sun. With the fourth installment we were hoping for something different. However nothing much has changed except the setting, and the addition of motion control. Players will use the Wii Mote to control their flashlight. The Wii Nunchunk is used to control your player. The problem is sometimes the motion control is clunky. It takes long to respond and this gets annoying when using the Camera Obscura. Ghost battles can be difficult due to some control issues. However the scares deliver as usual. The ghost will freak you out. There are plenty of jump scares to go around. However if you play the previous installments you will start to know what scares will come. The ghost fights are pretty easy as long as you upgrade properly. There is shops where you by healing items and films to make you survive this trip. The gameplay is exactly the same with a few tweaks. Mission mode and the ability to save your pictures is still there. The new addition doll list allows you take pictures of 79 dolls. Taking pictures of all 79 will unlock costumes and new lenses. Veterans should have no problem with the gameplay.

Gameplay Video



Graphics - The graphics are probably one of the best on the Wii. It's also the best in the series. The dark hallways, the lighting of the candles and the ghost is the best yet. There were a few pixel issues I've seen, but it's nothing that will ruin the experience. The ghost looks more disturbing and haunting to ever. You will feel agitated as the environment works your nerves.

Sound - The sound is what makes Fatal Frame so disturbing. The echos of the ghost through hallways. Random objects falling around your area. Also Tsukiko Amano returns with another theme for the series. If you have this game on surround sounds it is pure amazing.

Replay Value - Unless you want to find all 79 dolls and completed the ghost list. Like most horror games the scares are a one trip thing.

Final Grade B- Fatal Frame IV is the fourth installment of the series. We were hoping for a new a direction. However if it's not broke don't fix it. The scares, graphics and sound is amazing. The clunky control is a little annoying but doesn't ruin the experience. If you have all three games I say import it. If you are looking for a true survival horror series then this game might be for you.