Anime Books

I realy like this game. It is very versitile, and the stingy gamers edition is very affordably priced.

This is all you need for BESM d20 hands down. The hardcover is an expensive luxury I can only justify for fans of GoO's merchadise and hard core GMs who love to read every take on the rules.

The whole d20 thing on this game is kind of a trojan horse. What they've really done here is present actual BESM (a point based, leveless, roll-low, tri-stat rpg) and coerced it into the d20 layout (6 stat, levels, skills, feats, hit die, AC, roll-high, etc.). The core of the system remains the Attribute/Character Point System, which practically circumvents feats and Special Class abilities (though feats are still in there).

All of the classes, instead of being unique, are just templates to progression in the Attribute system. There's even a "classless" class (if that makes any sense) which gains nothing but character points each level which the player is allowed to spend as they wish (within the confines of the GM's campaign).

Combat is an odd beast in this system, but at the same time, is a breath of fresh air to d20. The Attack of Opportunity is gone (yay!) and distances have been generalized to "melee, short, medium, and long", eliminating the need to manage combat on a grid (in fact the script more than once hints that it shouldn't be done that way). AC uses the variant "defense roll" rule from d20's DMG, so all AC values are -10 from the typical d20 values. Weapon proficiency has been nicely specialized with the addition of combat skills which add modifiers to the attack or damage rolls with different weapons and different types of defenses.

Equipment has been made joyously easy to manage. All equipment of note (weapons, vehicles, armor) is an Attribute (Personal Gear), paid for with character points. Magic Items or extremely powerful items are another Attribute (Item of Power). All mundane items are assumed to be trivial for a PC to get, (cell phones, back packs, food, etc.) unless the GM decides otherwise. I hated equipment management the most in D&D and d20 especially when creating characters above 1st level!

While I'll say that this was written with converting typical d20 players to BESM, rather than for traditional BESM fans, the system accomidates d20's magic system adequately through the Dynamic Sorcery attribute, which allows all the d20 spells to be used in an anime campaign. This is sure to make Slayers and Lodoss War RPG fans happy as the GM had to often come up with the magic system to be used in a campaign with regular BESM.

It's not without it's quirky flaws here and there however. Ultimately BESM suffers from being a little too general and parts of the system will almost always have to be cut off or dis-allowed in a campaign, in fact the text encourges this. There's also some oddities in Attribute/Class concepts. The Samurai class gains a rank in the Speed attribute at level 2. This skill helps in combat, which I can certainly understand; Samurai in Rurouni Kenshin and other anime are portrayed as having super human speed with their swords. However, the attribute is described as also allowing a character to travel at speeds up to 50 mph (!) at rank 1. Despite all his incredible speed I can't imagine Kenshin traveling at a whopping 50 mph for more than a few steps. Things like this make me wonder about what other peculiarities are lurking in the system. It's easily house ruled, the GM's the master after all, but it would have been nice to see some footnotes about this, or more discussion on how an attribute really works for a particular class.

All and all, a very fun system, that's certainly more zany than balanced, and has a heavy focus on role-play, much more so than core d20. It's not much of a supplement to a currently running d20 campaign, as the system is its own beast, who's d20 compatibility is fairly one way. Great fun though, with the right GM.

Perfect. A major problem of the d20 System is in addition to the actual rules, the books are bogged down with excessive and unecessary examples. Not so in this tome. The fluff is not there at all, and aside from a minor editting error, it is extremely streamlined.

If you've ever wanted to turn your D&D game into something more like Vampire Hunter D or Lodoss War, this is the best way to do it.

BESM is the leading anime RPG, and the d20 edition does a good job of melding the two rulesets. This "Stingy Gamer Edition" gives you the rules themselves, and not much else. It's perfect for folks who want to add the rules to their own game, but either don't want to spend money for the full rulebook, or can't stand trying to read the BESM d20 SRD on their screen.

There are some good tips and ideas tucked in here, which don't find their way into the SRD. Things about anime cliches, setting ideas, and tips on how to run the game smoothly. Also included in the revised version (which updates the rules for D&D 3.5) are rules on using the classic D&D classes with BESM d20, as well as the d20 Modern Basic & Advance classes.

If you want to add some anime flair to your d20 games, but don't want to shell out $30 for the hardback, this Stingy Gamer Edition is right up your alley.

This a literary journal that discusses the anime/manga fandom on an intellectual level. I enjoyed this very much. The disscussions on animation in general were very interesting, i learned a lot. I read this a long time ago, so i'm a bit fuzzy on the other essays, but if manga/anime, is as much a part of your life, as it is apart of mine, then you owe yourself to check this out, and it's following volumes.

I love this book. The articles are excellent and interesting. This is the first book of it's kind that I have ever seen. It is nice to see something critically reviewing anime and manga story lines like native books and television shows have been reviewed and studied for years. I suggest it.

An "academic journal" on this J-Pop phenomenon that should interest anyone/everyone, accessible to all. Don't miss the second issue, "Networks of Desire." A thousand ideas per second.

The full table of contents for this book is as follows:

"The Japan Fad in Global Youth Culture and Millennial Capitalism"
by Anne Allison

"Globalizing Manga: From Japan to Hong Kong and Beyond"
by Wendy Siuyi Wong

"The World of Anime Fandom in America"
by Susan Napier

"Costuming the Imagination: Origins of Anime and Manga Cosplay"
by Theresa Winge

"Assessing Interactivity in Video Game Design"
by Mark J.P. Wolf

"Mori Minoru's Day of Resurrection"
Introduced by Takayuki Tatsumi

"Superflat and the Layers of Image and History in 1990's Japan"
by Thomas Looser

Kurenai no Metalsuits, "Anime to wa nani ka/What is animation"
by Ueno Toshiya, translated by Michael Arnold

"Anime: The Multiplanar Image."
by Thomas Lamarre

"The Werewolf in the Crested Kimono: The Wolf-Human Dynamic in Anime and Manga"
by Antonia Levi

"Metamorphosis of the Japanese Girl: The Girl, the Hyper-Girl, and the Fighting Beauty"
by Mari Kotani

"Revolutionary Girl Utena: Manga and Anime Citations"
Compiled by Timothy Perper and Martha Cornog


REVIEW & COMMENTARY SECTION
(Edited by Timothy Perper and Martha Cornog)

"Metropolis," reviewed by Bill Benzon; "Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japanese Society," by Sharon Kinsella, reviewed by Vern Bullough; "Mobile Suit Gundam," by Tomino Yoshiyuki, translated by Fred Schodt, reviewed by Patrick Drazen; "Maria-Sama ga Miteru" and "Azumanga Daioh," reviewed by Marc Hairston; "Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics," by Paul Gravett and "Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews," by Fred Patten, reviewed By Brian Ruh; "Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena,"by Saito Chiho, reviewed by Timothy Perper and Martha Cornog.

TORENDO SECTION
(Edited by Michelle Ollie)

If you are a FMA fan...this is a must have for your collection! it has lots of cool graphics from the anime...and some "just for fun" pictures.
I think that you are not a fan without this in you collection! ^_^

If you are a fan of the serie this is an excelent add to your collection, showing the first years off production on the FMA, I really enjoy my copy

This is a gorgeous book that any fan of the anime will love, but it didn't contain what I had expected.
This book has full color illustrations in the anime style. In other words, what you have seen on posters, wallscrolls and the like. There isn't anything like screenshots, but original art in the anime style.

What I HAD been expecting where character, background, and item reference art, such as what would have been used in the production of the anime. The closest to that is a small section with lineart from art in the book, as well as a 'how they do it' section on the steps they take to make the images.

This is a book every Fullmetal fan will love, but I was just expecting a little more from the production aspect of the show, not just images they use in calanders and such.

I read the first edition, which came out around 6 months to a year before the second edition. It combines a history of anime (with a slant towards American releases), a genre guide, the reviews from past issues of Animerica of titles released in the US, and a section on anime fandom. A fairly good reference for the beginning anime fan but not very in-depth. The "complete" part of the title is somewhat of a misnomer.

As the title suggests `The Complete Anime Guide' is a `Japanese Animation Film Directory and Resource Guide,' or more specifically a comprehensive guide to Japanese Animation is currently available in America on domestic release videos. The Guide, co-written by Trish Ledoux, editor of the `Animerica' film guide magazine, far surpasses the 1st edition which was much criticised as being a glorified catalogue rather than a resource guide. Now in its second incarnation the Guide provides detailed information on each of the available Anime titles ranging from production data, release dates, to episode summaries and subjective comments. The Guide even provides a unique classification of Anime titles in the form of symbols to represent content for violence, nudity, comedy, profanity, etc..., on suitability of titles for specific audiences. In addition the Guide also has a comprehensive list of Anime publishing houses, distributors in America and even a list Anime Magazines. It even goes as far as to include URLS for Anime resources on the World Wide Web. The most interesting aspect of the Guide is the section written by Noboru Ishiguro, a mover in the field of anime, on his observations on the history of Animation in Japan and in America. The 2nd edition Guide is a must have for all anime fans, at least until the 3rd edition is released.

The Complete Anime Guide is a very well made book which composes one of the best intro's I have read. The book goes in great depth from the very first re-writing the history of anime, which is very helpful for people starting off, or people who would like to learn more about the history of anime. Although it could now use an update, it has a very large number of anime titles which are currently available in the United States. The only two things I disgress about the book are a better made index, consisting of the anime titles alone, much like The Anime Movie Guide written by Helen Mcarthy. Another thing I dislike was the use of only American titles. I wanted to see many of Hayoa Miyazaki when it only included one. It is fairly brief in reviews, although it goes into depth mentioning each OVA which is very nice. It also gives slight background on a few words of japanese. I prefer to use this book to find out about a title briefly or to gather history from anime backgrounds.

Natsu has challenged Taro to a fight to win the blessing of his relationship to Kajitsu, the girl he grew up with who he always thought of as his sister. Will the younger brother be able to triumph in matters of the heart?

*Sigh* The series ended just how I expected it too, though it wasn't necessarily what I was hoping for. I kind of wanted to be surprised, blown away... shocked. I wasn't wholly shocked by the ending. Still, it's a great series, and I will try to hand sell the hell out of it. I am overwhelmed by how good it is. Read it. It's so good.

This manga was a beautiful end to a beautiful series. In the end, they address every unsolved issue and even go as far as to show you what happens in the future to the main characters, not to mention there is a pleasant surprise to see an unexpected person fall in love with Taro. I cried at certain points in the series and i have to admit that this volume was not the best of the 7, but if you have read the rest, i advise you to read this one.

It's a wonderful end to one of my favorite mangas. Kajitsu and Natsu are the best couple I've seen in a while in shojo manga. Crossroad deals with real issues in day to day life, it's about self realization and courage to deal with the troubles these teenagers went through on a day to day basis. It also shows that through love you don't need to be blood related to make a family.
Congrats to GoComi for bringing this magnificent comic to the states.
This manga ends great for our starring couple and big brother Taro also gets some loving from the most unexpected character.

Maybe some of you are like me. I keep reading the series, even though the past volumes have been giving me nothing but grief. When I first discovered Fruits Basket, wow, six years ago. I became a huge fan. It was the first (and really only anime) that I have kept up with both through the anime and manga. I loved it for its light humor, real characters, and supernatural element that wasn't too heavy. But lately, (maybe because I'm older?) the story has been rubbing me the wrong way. Too heavy. Too much drama. And background stories I wish she hadn't bothered telling. When Kyo tells Tohru about his secret connection with her mother, I thought that was a stretch. Unnecessary, even. Everyone in these books has some serious problems - it's really kind of annoying. I'm beginning to notice a trend of blaming the past or their parents for their character flaws. That's okay sometimes, but when I have to read about every characters depressing back-story it gets to me.

So when this volume came in the mail (thanks to amazon :] ) I was apprehensive. I'm happy to say, its finally picked up. It's the climax, as some might say, of the entire series. Yuki and Kyo finally have an argument (did you forget they were rivals?) and a lot is revealed. Well, not to us, but for them. Really, I think after finishing this volume it makes me really appreciate the journey of a few characters and how they have matured over the series. Yuki especially stood out for me. He has always expressed a want to change, and I think that he really did show some commitment and grit that I wouldn't have expected from him prior. Akito also makes a change for the better, though she has a ways to go. There is also some character appearances you may have forgotten about. Hana and Uo make their presence known, and I'm glad somebody decided to ridicule Kyo for saying "I'm disillusioned," to Tohru's face. (What was he thinking!?) Anyway, I think fans committed will really enjoy this newest addition to the series. There some great humor parts, events happening in the present (not just flashbacks!), and other some interesting fan pictures in the back, which I never tire looking at.

The stories of the supporting cast are largely told. We've waved Haru into the proverbial sunset with his Rin with a smile, and cried one last time for Momiji as we faced the harsh reality that sometimes people aren't rewarded with more than the perhaps not inconsiderable peace of a clear conscience for consistently putting everyone else first and always doing the right thing. Now, although everyone else is still in the background, we're back where we first began - with a girl and the two boys who became her housemates.

As tragic as Momiji's situation is, we have to admit that with no alternative it was better he take another fall than Kyo. Momiji will survive not being completely happy if he has to. Kyo, on the other hand, literally might not make it without Tohru. But as the volume begins, Kyo is about to squander Momiji's final sacrifice and runs out of the house, rejecting Tohru's response to the bombshell he's just dropped on her. When Yuki finds Tohru in tears, he storms after Kyo prepared to beat sense into him either verbally or physically if necessary - and the two go at it in a raw, cathartic fight in which they finally air all the real reasons why they've mixed like water and oil their whole lives. Tohru, meanwhile, is left to face Akito - who arrives at Shigure's place completely, utterly mad in the wake of the events surrounding Momiji and Kureno...

The volume also includes the climax of the Yuki/Machi story, and ends with two troubled souls in the balance as the final volumes are poised to answer the two remaining big questions of Fruits Basket - Kyo's fate and Akito's salvageablity or lack therof.

If the Sohma's are owed a miracle, now is the time for them to call it in.

Poor Kyo Sohma. Not only is he an outcast, doomed to life in a prison, and pitied by his family... but he's also got a tragic secret connecting him to the girl he loves.

And he and Tohru have even rougher problems in the twenty-first volume of "Fruits Basket," where Natsuki Takaya starts wrapping up some of the more personal storylines all at once. There's a little romance, a little comedy, and lots of sorrow and self-discovery in this manga, especially for the much-abused Kyo and his half-suppressed feelings for Tohru.

Kyo blurts out his tragic connection to Tohru's late mother, expecting Tohru to utterly reject him. Instead, Tohru reveals her own feelings for him. But after he leaves, she's confronted by an enraged Akito, who accuses her, "You've made ME the outsider, and everyone loves you." But as Tohru suddenly realizes what Akito's problem is, she makes the desperate Sohma an offer...

... just in time for the ground to literally crumble under her feet. Her accident throws the already-fragile Akito into a tailspin, and causes the entire Sohma zodiac to be thrown into turmoil. Already blaming himself, Kyo has a nasty confrontation with Yuki in which the two boys reveal what they really think about one another. Well, we knew from early in the series, but it's nice that they're telling each other.

If the manga "Fruits Basket" can be said to have a climax, then the twenty-first volume might actually be it. A whole bunch of storylines -- Akito's nutty loneliness, Kyo's hidden guilt, Tohru and Kyo's love for each other, and Kyo and Yuki's mutual envy -- are all addressed in these chapters, although it's clear that some of these plots aren't yet over.

And Takaya takes the chance to show how much Tohru has come to mean to all of the zodiac members, as well as how much stronger they have grown because of her. Even Akito begins to realize that she doesn't have to be alone even without the curse.

But after a few volumes of angst and sorrow, Takaya also weaves in some lighter stuff, including some truly exquisite romantic moments (including a cute little kiss). And Yuki unexpectedly provides some comic relief ("Are you trying to lighten the mood, brag, or just start in on sexual harrassment?" "Can't it be all three?"), particularly with Kakeru ("You wanna cry in my manly bosom?" "I'm going to punch you into the sun").

Tohru is the center of this volume, although she spends little time actually onscreen -- her goodness and love are what the rest of the plot runs on. Kyo begins painfully creeping out of his shell as Tohru's feelings become clear, and Akito is shown as a desperate, lonely creature who desperately wants just one friend. Yes, even after she starts swinging that knife around, you feel sorry for her.

The twenty-first volume of "Fruits Basket" has the bittersweet feeling of a story that is approaching its end, with plenty of tragedy, romance and comedy along the way.

This is the profile book for the ANIME only (as the title proves). There is a profile book for the manga characters in existance as well so if that what you want you're at the wrong place.

That said the book provides a good overview of the entire anime series. The information does allow fans of the series to recall some facts and details that may be only be recalled by actually watching the series. However, most of the facts presented fans would already know such as how Ed and Al are related to one another (their brothers). Yes, there are flaws perhaps the most grevious is the misprint about the length of Greed's captivity. Still they do not detract from the overall profile for each character.

However, the pages also contain sections on each character that is fun. For instance in Ed's profile it presents his dislikes (milk) and some quotes from his comebacks to short comments or in Mustang's profile it presents a recap of his "work" day.

The entire book is printed on full color pages with tons of pictures for each character - even if some of them are quite small. The major characters each have roughly 3 to 4 pages (such as Ed, Al, Winry, Mustang) while "less" main characters have about 1 to 2 pages (Riza, Armstrong). There are also profiles on very minor characters such as Clause which share space with other minor characters (about four characters to a two page spread).

Lastly, there is a diagram in the back locating the appearance of each and every character (no matter how minor) in accordance to the episode. A good example here would be the fact that you can see that Ed and Al appeared in every episode except for episode 37 with Wherehouse 13.

Overall, some information may be obvious to the dedicated fan, but still is interesting to read. The facial experessions alone from Ed made me want the book espeically since it is in color. If you are a fan of the series you'd probably want this book - I just wouldn't be in a rush to buy it.

My son who is 14 and loves anime, loved the book and read it in one day.

I purchased this book when I first saw it had come out in stores. I instantly fell in love with it. It's the perfect guide for fans who love the Fullmetal Alchemist anime. It has complete lists of everyone's favorite characters, including minor ones that only appear once during the series.
However, I have noticed that the editing is done poorly. There are several common errors that should have been easily fixed. An example is where they used "ane" instead of "and". Some of the character spellings are questionable, as well as the information. (ex. In the anime, Greed says he was imprisoned for 130 years, but this book says it was 140.)
Apart from these, I absolutely loved the book, especially the episode guide it includes. I would highly recommend purchasing this.

Buy the book- you'll know why after you're finished! It's simply complex...

trippy tech, sci-fi. there's a kewl assassin chick and a courrier who runs info on holograms. this guys onto something interesting.
-J

At first I was expecting another cyber-punkish novel that presented a somewhat even more twisted view of the future through another hero/antagonist's eyes, but shortly after reading past the extreme quickness and madness of chapter one, I found myself in a novel which got very mental in the sense that I felt as if I was in the 'mind' of the main character "Mickey Priest," who is a courrier of information.

I got to a point in which I couldn't put it down, presenting the idea of cosmic coincindence and divine guidance- possibly put forth by spirits in the web- conscious beings that are comprised primarily of information that seeks to connect with humanity in a self governing, more personal way.

-great read!

I'm not a big Arina Tanemura fan, but I'm working on a Listmania of short shojo, and I needed more entries. I really wasn't expecting much after reading most of "Time Stranger Kyoko," but I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all, I thought the characters were cute. They weren't especially deep, but they were believable and sympathetic, and they all had funny moments. The romance didn't get very long to develop, but some chemistry did come across. I thought it was sweet.

The story is good. It's a little random in one or two places, but it's not that noticable. The parts about psychic abilities were fun. I also thought the art was cute. It's a little overdone for my tastes, but it is well done, and it has a lot of detail.

Overall, I thought this was a fun, cute manga. The plot and characters don't get enough time to develop much, but it's still a way to spend an afternoon.

Ion Tsuburagi has had a good luck charm since she was a child. Whenever she chants the letters of her name something good always happens. She has also had a lifelong dream concerning romance... The man she will fall in love with must have a dream, something he's passionate about, something he has to work towards. In high school the student council president, Kouki, starts pursuing her she has no interest in him. He's shutting down clubs he doesn't like and this turns Ion off of him and she tries to dodge him at all costs. During one of her attempted escapes Ion meets Mikado, the president of the Psychic Power Research Society, and she falls for him. He's so passionate about psychic ability, and this passion allures Ion to him in a nanosecond.

Ion joins the PPRS, mostly to prevent its shut down, and things heat up between her and Mikado. Her good luck seems to be triggered by a substance he is researching and Ion soon discovers that her good luck can actually be attributed to true psychic ability. Kouki still does all he can to interfere, but something is developing between Ion and Mikado that psychic ability cannot account for... or is it merely that he is only interested in her as a research specimen?

Cute and quirky this single volume by Tanemura will have readers squealing with glee. Her work is always good and the fact that this series is short and concise only improves the flow of her storytelling. As always, beautifully drawn, but even more beautifully conveyed. This is one of those series that Tanemura fans must have.

for the "first book by Arina Tanemura", Its pretty good. Even for a 1 volume series, this is a good addition to anyone's manga collection. The story is kind of odd and is different then what you'd expect. Though all the same, it's kinda cheesy. Only because her psychic powers aren't explained very well, but for a short story like this, it's still okay. Long time fans and new of Arina will quickly pick up on the charm and cuteness. And still in my opinion, way too overtoned, but some like that. Pick it up if you're a fan. If not, I recommend The Gentleman's Alliance. Read that first before this and get used to the art if that's somthing that might bother you.

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my daughter, who is now a big fan of Naruto. Since I just started really watching the show with her, I flipped through the book myself to learn more about the program. I recommend it to new fans as it will give you a good background on the characters and a brief description of the episodes. Plus, the copy I purchased included a poster of a grown up Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto that my kid loves.

With anime being a part of our culture for some time now, I'm surprised that a guide book for a series wasn't made sooner. In a nutshell, one could call this book an encyclopedia companion for the first 37 episodes of the Naruto anime.

Similar to daizenshuu (Japanese guide books to anime), this book covers a good number of facts about the series until episode 37. This includes character profiles (current age, zodiac sign, blood type, etc.), overviews of each anime episode, and even interviews with the American voice actors of several main characters. There are even character designs and sketches of certain areas in the Naruto Universe, drawn by creator Masashi Kishimoto himself, not to mention a page or two with some cheesy little puzzles or quizzes.

Although the book is meant to cover what happens in each episode, don't expect in depth summaries. The book relies a lot on vibrant drawings as well as screencaps from the corresponding episode with bits of character quotes and a sentence or three describing what happened in that episode. So in that sense, this book is really a companion to watching the episodes and not a replacement for them (which is really what the manga is for, since it came before the anime anyways). Regardless, it's still fun to flip through the pages just to look back at all the adventures the gang of ninjas have gone through so far.

That's what it is, essentially--a picture book with a couple of captions here and there. Don't get me wrong, though, there is plenty of information to keep a fan of the series preoccupied for some time. And since it's a guide book, it doesn't even have to be read in order, unless you seriously forgot what happened in the series so far. To make a comparison, this book is a lot like those DK titles that published guide books on everything from countries to Star Wars, except the price is a little more affordable, especially when keeping in mind how much information is actually covered in the book.

You should also keep in mind that the screencaps are as they are seen in the edited Naruto anime, changing all the kanji into romanized English, and removing some of the excessive blood loss by some people. For the most part, though, that's for the benefit of the reader, who's most likely not going to understand Japanese. It's not a problem, it's just something I noticed.

Although not covering every nook and cranny of each episode, this book is a great companion to the series and I can't wait for the next release to cover another chunk of the series.

Okay I admit it.

The Naruto anime is awfully awesome ! There's loads of action and lots more in this impressive show. And this book has more than enough information on the TV series to go around.

Inside this book, there are charater introductions and profiles, episode listings and descriptions, interviews, concept art, and even a full-color pullout just for you. This book is even jam-packed with screenshots and colorful pictures from the show, too ! Every little description has quite the nitty-gritty on what's what within the anime series - inside the world of Naruto and outside in real life with the creator, voice overs, and show staff.

If you're a current, or uppencoming (like me) fan of all things Naruto, this book is a real must have. And look for new episodes on Cartoon Network on TV and the new Toonami Jetstream on cartoonnetwork.com.

(As I may borrow a phrase from Naruto himself...) "Believe it !"