Hokuto Musou, a Dynasty Warriors-esque fighting game that originated from the manga and anime Fist of the North Star, was announced to be released on March of 2010. This came as quite a surprise to most North Star fans, because up until this point, Koei had been very vague about when their new game was coming out, and now they’ve announced that it’ll be be coming soon, in March, quite suddenly.

The PS3 and XBOX 360 versions will be ¥8,190 ($94 USD). Koei will most likely release limited editions of the game as well, as they’ve done in the past with other North Star games, so you can expect these limited editions to have a heftier price than that of the PS3 and XBOX 360.

Source: YAF Official Site | YAF YouTube Page

Due to lack of time (and interest) I’ve decided to put the brakes on reviewing the second season of Queen’s Blade – Heir to the Throne. For anyone looking for a great place to chat on the Queen’s Blade series I recommend going over to A Product of Wasted Time.

Cheers,

But is Harry’s popularity waning in Japan?

To answer this question you have to dig into the Japanese culture as it stands in the 21^st century. It is a society where the new is cool and the now is worshiped. The future is a goal to be attained, but it is the now that will get them through the process. This can be seen in important decisions- such as Japan’s pro-ecological stance on global warming, or in everyday day affairs like what Yukiko-san will be wearing on Harajuku Street.

The average teenage girl (and this goes for anywhere in the world, not just Japan) would be mortified if she showed up to a social event and got taunted and picked on for wearing last year’s skirt. Only in Japan her ‘last year’s skirt’ would be ‘last week’s blouse’. It is simply that the culture is ever changing and constantly on the move.

So is it any wonder that Harry Potter, a series of novels that has spanned a decade of publishing, is losing popularity in Japan?

Looking at the lines outside of cinema theaters at Tokyo’s premier of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, one would find it hard to believe that there is any less enthusiasm than in the rest of the world. Thousands of fans are present, some with their wizarding robes and hats, and waiting to enter the theater as they reserved their tickets long before this event.

But the facts remain in the mathematics. Book sales have decreased along with merchandise sales among the Japanese, and the fifth movie earned less than half the revenues of the first.

But only time will tell whether the Japanese will be under the wizard’s spell for the last two movies (the seventh installment will be split into two movies), or if it will fall into the wayside like so many other less fortunate trends.

They should’ve just made it an anime.

There were some great cosplayers at Anime Evolution this year, but like always there were about 30 clouds, 5-6 Yuna’s, a couple Rikku’s,  at least 10 Vincents, and I’m pretty sure I saw a sid (I hope that dude doesn’t dress like that on the reg). However,  I most definitely did not see any Moogles .. :(

Moogles, as I recall are the staple of the Final Fantasy franchise, and have been around much longer than any Clouds, Tidus’s or Sepiroths.

Next year I will be sure to make the trip down to Anime Expo, as they seem to have a better idea of real cosplay outfits (sorry Vancouver).

I should mention that I I own a small American Eskimo named “kupo!” who proudly sports a Moogle Pom on many an occasion (I really love Moogles!).

Anyways, here are some great pics of Pixelated Girl in her Moogle Outfit at Anime Expo 2009 in Las Angelas.

Hope you enjoy them!

So why is American Cosplay, or rather all Cosplay that leaks its way out of the anime motherland- Japan, so lackluster in comparison to those who brought us anime and loveable video game characters to begin with?

The reason could lay in the question itself. Are the greatest games America has to offer all about football and some ex-NFL star who screams mottled mojo-jumble about it? Are the best shows we have to provide for our youth filled with sexual perversions and not so carefully crafted innuendos? We don’t Cosplay Ren and Stimpy or SpongeBob. But what makes the characters in Japanese anime and video games so Cosplayable?

I spoke to someone about it, and they told me what I’m sure a lot of fans would tell me: “The characters are innocent, even the dirty ones aren’t half as bad as the dirty things you see on American television. They make you laugh and cry and you really get attached to the characters until the very end. That’s another thing wrong with American cartoons, they just go on and on with no character development. Even the funny/spoof anime shows have character development. There is often no end to the American cartoons until they just get pulled off of the air. I’ve played video games with more sustenance than an American cartoon.”

So that explains the love for anime in general, but not why Japanese Cosplay better. Many people say that the Japanese are naturally more resourceful and creative than Americans- who have had everything served on a ‘silver plate’. They say that Americans lack the drive and attention to detail it takes to make a stunning Cosplay uniform. Is this because we are a fast 1 minute nation, and if anything requires our devoted attention for more than a day then we discard it? Anyone who participates in Cosplay will tell you that it takes many months to gather what you need for an outfit and assemble it. But Americans are known to like a quick fix and are willing to buy a pre-made costume online or worse- modify a Halloween costume- regardless of how silly it makes them look.

This goes to say, we CAN do some things right… *looks at Comic Con and Star Wars conventions…*

America and Japan united