Hi guys,

We’ve been working hard this week trying to get the video quality better. We were finally able to get the raws for Naruto Shippuden 90, so we re-encoded it and replaced the old videos. To the Anime Members, please give me some feedback for the HD versions! Since we have the raws, we’re able to use better telecine cadence detection to minimize blended frames and made the animation smoother.

We’re currently working on tonight’s simulcast, Episode 93. Hopefully we’ll have it encoded in the same way before the launch tonight! If we don’t finish encoding with the raw, we have a lower quality version as a backup (until the better version is ready of course).

A quick look at the 480p stream of today’s Naruto shows much improved quality with much less frame blending (and such). Though my Eee PC struggles to play it (^^;; Hopefully this week’s Shugo Chara! will show the same improvement. I appreciate that they’re working on things and keeping us informed of what’s going on.

And after the Cheetahmen boom now we get this. Last week, somebody uploaded an anime to Nico Nico Douga from a DVD that came with this “First Grade Challenge” material published by Benesse (mostly to promote their own products, of course), where an upcoming first-grader, Yuki, goes through these various challenges to get him ready for school. It seems pretty normal until the second challenge and the はてなようせい hatena yousei — Question Fairy — shows up. Check the video after the jump to watch.

The Question Fairy’s character design is something you would expect to see in a moe anime — yaeba (cat tooth), loli, mahou shoujo, some blush on the cheeks, seiyuu Megumi Toyoguchi (Honoka@The Third, Winry@Fullmetal Alchemist) and just plain cute… and haitenai (as in not wearing anything under the dress) as well, apparently. Of course, the people hanging around Nico Nico tend to have a lot of free time so illustrations and videos started popping up there and elsewhere. There are now 900+ hits on pixiv (site for Japanese artists. Fanart and such) and 150+ videos on Nico Nico.

It seems like the boom has slowed down some, so we’ll wait for the next one to come along. I would’ve liked to have joined in on the matsuri (festival), but since all I can do is compose music that sounds like it came straight out of a 16-bit console RPG there wasn’t really anything I could do (^^;;

Since I’ve got the only HDTV in the house I’m letting him play in here for a bit. My mom tried to get me to get him one of those licensed movie games, but since he loves RPGs (all he plays on GBA… including the games I’ve imported) I got Eternal Sonata. Should keep him busy for a while, I think. And Polka kawaii yo Polka

Anyways, that’s it for now. Maybe, if I stop being so lazy I’ll write up some thoughts on the shows that have ended (skipping DC2 since it’s not even worth talking about).

October 1 (Monday)

Da Capo II (feel.)
I don’t know much about it since I haven’t played or read much about the game, but I’m hoping that it doesn’t turn into Da Capo Second Season…

Sketchbook (HAL Film Maker)
Not to be confused with Hidamari Sketch, but it looks to be the same kind of relaxing show.

October 2 (Tuesday)

Mokke (Madhouse)
Looks like a moe anime, actually a youkai show.. is what it seems to be… of course, I’m interested because of character design alone.. if Madhouse can keep the quality up (^^;;)

October 4 (Thursday)

Clannad (Kyoto Animation)
Duh, of course I’m watching this. The OP/ED on the preview DVD were really nice, as expected, but I didn’t understand a lot of it since I haven’t played the game… And thank you very much TBS for giving us 4:3 pan and scan… guess I’ll have to watch it again once it starts on BS-i on the 25th.

Shakugan no Shana II (J.C. Staff)

Uruchaiuruchaiuruchai!. I heard plenty of Shana-tan’s voice from Nene@Potemayo, now it’s time for the real thing. Though I’ve read Zero no Tsukaima, I still haven’t gotten the Shana novels ＿|￣|○ Hoping that it turns out better than the second season of Zero no Tsukaima.

October 6 (Saturday)

☆ Shugo Chara! (Satelight)
One of the few shows this season where I’ve read the manga. Amu-chan kawaii yo Amu-chan! (of course, it’s always that). Her seiyuu sounds decent for someone I’ve never heard of. I’m worried about the animation quality after seeing how Kami-chama Karin turned out, though… Satelight, ganbare!

ef – a tale of memories (SHAFT)

Something just a bit different than Zetsbou-sensei for SHAFT this time. The preview looked very, very nice — can tell they’re trying very hard to match Makoto Shinkai’s backgrounds from the OP movie for the game. However, as it always is with SHAFT, who knows if they’ve got their schedule under control. No waiting ’til the last minute to get things done, please (^^;;)

October 7 (Sunday)

Rental Magica (ZEXCS)
Heard that the novels are pretty good… and that’s about it.

☆ Minami-ke (Daume)

Kyou no Go no Ni manga-ka Koharu Sakuraba’s manga about three sisters with quite different personalities, which leads to all sorts of comic hijinks. Let’s not repeat the “cabbage” incident, Daume (^^;;) I like Asreed’s character designs better, so I’m looking forward to their one more.

October 10 (Wednesday)

☆ Kodomo no Jikan (Studio Barcelona)

And here’s my most anticipated show this season. The OVA was excellent, so I’m expecting the anime to keep the same high level of quality, just like Studio Barcelona did with Nanatsuiro Drops. The script is pretty much finished and faithful to the manga — the question is whether or not it can be broadcast (^^;;)

Anyways, news.

More Summer Season Lineup Details (via MOON PHASE)
From the Kids Station program guide for July:

Zero no Tsukaima – 13 episodes
Chokotto Sister – 24 episodes
Tonagura – 13 episodes
Bokura ga ita – 26 episodes
Mamotte! Lollipop – 13 episodes

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu Director Q&A (via MOON PHASE)
To quickly sum up: the broadcast isn’t in chronological order because it’s somewhat the same way in the novels, and they also wanted to end it with that episode. However, outside of the Mikuru episode, it will be in chronological order on the DVDs. They did “Asahina Mikuru no Bouken” first on purpose — you’d understand it as the show went along. And “Kotoushoukougun” (”Solitary Island Syndrome”) didn’t have that much of an ending in the novels so they changed it around. “Someday In the Rain” comes right before Shoushitsu (the 4th volume of the novels) and is the last of the anime episodes (hence episode 14).

I thought that’d be the answer for why the broadcast wasn’t in chronological order

Correction: New Negima Anime Staff (via MOON PHASE)
Only Shaft, not Shaft x Gainax as was previously reported.

New Licenses Announced at Anime Boston (via AnimeOnDVD)

ADV: Jinki:Extend
Funimation: Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, Beck

Not really anything of interest to me…

Central Park Media Lays Off Staff (via AnimeOnDVD)
And they’re going to file for bankruptcy due to issues with creditors that have come up. The only CPM product I’ve purchased was their release of Narue no Sekai, which was great. Other than that, not much else in their catalog that interested me.

Catching up with some news over the past week or so…

Innocent Venus Site
Hmm… yet another one of those post-apocolyptic shows. To summarize… A “Hyper Hurricane” would be the reason 5 billion people die and North America and Europe are frozen in ice, so on. Of course, Japan is just fine and establishes these special economic districts to revitalize the world’s economy, but of course (again), outside of those more and more slums appear as those in power, the “Logos”, push the poorer people, “Revinas”, out. Fast forward to 2035, the main character and his friend escape from “Phantom”, a special force in charge of repressing rebellion within the ranks of Logos and surveillance of the Revinas. They meet a mysterious girl (gotta have the mysterious girl) who seems to be hiding some things, and the story goes from there. Anyways, I do have an interest in sci-fi stuff like this (believe it or not) so I’ll check it out when it starts this summer on WOWOW.