[Excerpted from the December 2007 Issue of Otaku USA magazine.] Do you know what they call people who own hundreds of anime DVDs and can talk in obsessive details about them? "Otaku." Do you know what they call people who own hundreds of music CDs …Read more »
The mission is clear: Six games, 16 different versions, 24 hours. Provisions are limited and specific-4x energy drink, 1x pair underwear (optional), 3x can of baked beans, 2x tall boy of King Cobra malt liquor-but will have to sustain the user both mentally and physically …Read more »
Light Yagami, brilliant and diligent honor student, is bored, and so is Shinigami Ryuk. When Ryuk decides to cure his boredom by dropping a Death Note-a supernatural notebook with the power to kill those whose names are written in it-in the human world, Light happens …Read more »
[Excerpted from the October 2007 issue of Otaku USA Magazine] It is Friday night in Kansai (the eastern side of Japan) and whether you are a furita or a salaryman there is only one thing on your mind -a good place to have a drink. …Read more »
Publisher: Go Comi ! Story and Art: Yu Yagami Rating: 16+ In a semi-lawless future, electromagnetic waves are causing appliances to break down, buildings to blow up, and general social inconvenience. One man has the ability to bring order out of chaos-Shota, a martial artist …Read more »
[Excerpted from the August 2007 issue of Otaku USA Magazine.] What kind of boy hates war? None! The only real problem with war is that everyone likes it, just like drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. But Japanese people did very bad things during World War II, …Read more »
For many diehard fighting enthusiasts, Street Fighter II was one of the ultimate escapes from the outside world during the arcade boom. In 1991, the arcade release set a precedent that has been credited with launching the fighting genre into the mainstream and giving the …Read more »
Gonzo has come a long way since bursting forth onto the anime scene, showing that computer animation can merge effectively, even if not seamlessly, with traditional cel-style artwork. At this point, it's pretty difficult to randomly point at a series and not hit one that's …Read more »
[Excerpted from the December 2007 issue of Otaku USA Magazine.] This right here is everyone's worst nightmare, so try not to get too scared! You hit up the local comic shop one day; it's a fine, breezy afternoon. The sun is out, kids are playing …Read more »
As veteran gamers are well aware, the very first stage of Konami's original Contra ends in a battle against a simple fortified wall. Its turrets lob out shot after shot, all of which resemble deadly descending pinballs, as a guard stands atop his perch, trying …Read more »
Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster is the original Toho monster team-up, in which Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra pool their resources to defeat the invasion of King Ghidorah, an evil extraterrestrial determined to destroy the Earth. Ghidorah arrives on Earth in a meteorite-actually a space egg-that periodically …Read more »
The opening moments of Ragnarok's first episode cracked me up for all the wrong reasons. A group of adventurers are hanging out around a campfire, some dozing off; when one of them suddenly notices he's alone. Everything is eerily quiet and his companions are nowhere …Read more »
Recently, Japanese film and anime companies have been establishing their own US branches in the hopes of making more profit than they would from just licensing the show to a US publisher. The problem is that more often than not, they churn out substandard releases …Read more »
Cosplay fans! Do you know this event held every year in Japan called "The World Cosplay Summit•bCrLf? This event has been running annually since 2003 and is sponsored by the Japanese television network Aichi TV. This is a big otaku event with participants and representatives …Read more »
Well, in this issue, I'm going to introduce you to Japan's subcultures—not just cosplay, but I'm also going to show you what my life is like! First off, let's talk about the Supersonic Warrior G-Five television drama, in which I appear as an actress. Everyone, …Read more »
Daryl Surat
Joseph Luster
Clarissa Graffeo
Ed Chavez
Jason Bradley Thompson
Tomohiro Machiyama
Chris Scantleberry
Paul Thomas Chapman
Yunmao Ayakawa