Go shopping in a Shojo Mangaland!

The holidays are coming, which means apart from it being the season where we all get a bit silly (and I fit in perfectly) it is also a time for gift-giving/going a little penniless. VIZ Media are helping us get there by bringing out plenty of Shojo manga ideas for our bewildered loved ones to choose from. So I hope you have room on your wishlist – this could get ugly otherwise! If you’re a fan of Arina Tanemura then you’ll probably be after THE ART OF GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † – a collection of lavish drawings and designs from the hit series. There is a new manga title out by the name of BEAST MASTER, as well as the most recent volume of VAMPIRE KNIGHT, and the VIZBIG omnibus editions of FUSHIGI YUGI and HOT GIMMICK. Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media: “Shojo manga fans have much

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VIZ Signature debuts “GOGO MONSTER” manga!

The creator of BLUE SPRING and NO. 5, Taiyo Matsumoto, has a new manga making its way into the VIZ Signature collection – GOGO MONSTER. GOGO MONSTER centres around a Third Grader named Yuki Tachibana, and he lives in two worlds. In one world, Yuki is a loner. He is teased by his classmates and scolded by his teachers for his stories about supernatural beings that only Yuki can see. In the other world, these supernatural beings are battling for power opposite evil spirits who are making things in the students’ lives, at the school, and in nature itself chaotic. Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media: “Taiyo Matsumoto’s clever stories and striking art have placed him among the best of a new generation of influential manga artists and we are privileged to present GOGO MONSTER to U.S. audiences,” says Gonzalo. “This story continues to show Matsumoto’s fascination

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Japanese Art & Culture coming to the NEW PEOPLE ARTIST VILLAGE

If you are looking for a day out, and you enjoy art exhibitions, then NEW PEOPLE ARTIST VILLAGE should be a place you make a beeline for in the near future. The TOKYO CREATORS MARKET is an exhibit that is going to take place as of November 21st and end some time in the new year. It features visual artworks from Japanese artists, some of whom (Junko Mizuno, ON ZA LINE, and Kim Songhe) will actually attend the sneak preview party of the show that runs from 6-8pm. This party is invitation only however, so if you would like an invite then you need to sign-up to the email newsletter at www.newpeopleworld.com. Artists whose works will be on display include: JUNKO MIZUNO (artwork pictured, right) Junko Mizuno has a huge following in the United States and is widely known for her provocative and strong feminine imagery. She has published numerous

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20th Century Boys #1 coming to DVD!

Lately we’ve been telling you about Naoki Urasawa and his creation “MONSTER” that you can find on SyFy’s Ani-Monday, but did you know that Naoki was also behind the 20th Century Boys series? Well, if you didn’t know before I’m sorry I ruined it for you! When we sent Renochan to see the 3rd installment of the 20th Century Boys films, she became a fan in a big way – evident by her recommendation in the Turning Japanese Holiday Guide this year! Renochan (and fellow 20th Century Boys otaku), your Christmas wishlist just expanded! The 1st film will be here on the 15th of December – just 10 days before Christmas! The films are based on the manga by Naoki Urasawa, and are directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi (who also directed the live-action movie HAPPILY EVER AFTER – also available from VIZ Pictures). So what’s the story?: It all begins in

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American Library Association declares Nov 14 as National Gaming Day

Some video games have had interesting links to history. For example, many shooter games have been based off of WWII, God of War draws heavily from Greek mythology, and Assassin’s Creed 2 will have you interacting with Leonardo Da Vinci. Some academics are saying that games like this can provide a gateway for young adults to be inspired to research more into these areas. So today the American Library Association announced that November 14th will be “National Gaming Day” in all libraries. They will offer people the chance to go to the library and play a game and learn more about the real stories that inspired them. There hasn’t been any study in the area of video games based off of history, but according to the Reuter’s article: “Michael Pachter, videogame analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities, estimates games incorporating history into their stories have made up about 10 percent of

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Video games becoming more common globally

The 2009 Today’s Gamers International Survey is now out and shows some very interesting stats on gaming and it’s global impact as well as some numbers on gender and gaming. Good news, more women are playing now than ever! The survey was conducted in the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belguim and the United States. A total of 13,000 respondents were surveyed about their gaming interest, habits, intent to buy and motivation to play. According to the survey, American men and women spend more time and money on video games than European gamers. Out of the US citizens polled, 83% play video games and rank it as their favorite pastime. Only 72% of Europeans play games in contrast. The gender gap is getting even smaller with 80% of females and 87% of males admitting that they play games. For consoles, women are at 51% and men at 64%. In

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Chris Bowling wins Shonen Jump Championship Austin

This past weekend in Austin, Texas, over 500 Yu-Gi-Oh! players showed their stuff and fought their best games to win the title of the 70th Shonen Jump Championship winner. Chris Bowling, from Arlington, TX, was the lucky duelist to claim this title. He qualified for the 2010 U.S. National Championship. To go along with this win, he also won the U.S. Championship in 2008. Bowling played Morandice Black in the final round after two days of working his way up the ranks. Both competitors were ready for an intense match, bringing their best game and their best deck. In the end, Bowling came out on top. Both competitors took home very nice prize back, and Bowling won a paid trip to the National Championships, while the top 16 finalists qualified to participate in their countries’ 2010 National Championships.

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Newegg Gives Students the Chance at a $5000 Shopping Spree

During this recession (yes, sadly it’s still out there, no matter what all the market analysts say), students need more help than ever covering college and university fees, upgrading their laptops and keeping ahead of the curve. Newegg.com is giving US and Canadian students the chance to win over $30,000 in prizes, the grand prize being a $5000 shopping spree from the retailer. The following is the official press release from Newegg.com: CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., September 29, 2009 – With the cost of tuition, books and room and board on the rise, college students are always looking for creative ways to save money. This September, popular online retailer Newegg is celebrating the scholarly drive to save giving students a fun opportunity to compete in its “Newegg Eggstreme Campus Challenge” video contest. The contest asks participants to submit videos that answer the simple question: “What would YOU do with the money

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Playfish opens new studio in San Francisco

There are alot of people looking for jobs right now, so we love to highlight companies that are hiring, particularly ones in the gaming industry. Playfish, a social gaming company, announced that they are opening a new development studio in San Francisco. The studio will be looking for local talent to help people play games together on social platforms. You can find out more about the office and what jobs they are looking to fill here. “Playfish and the Bay Area are both known for their cultures of excellence, attracting the best and brightest talent and a San Francisco studio enables us to benefit from the region’s skilled workforce,” says Kristian Segerstrale, CEO and Co-founder of Playfish. “Through our new team in San Francisco we plan to extend Playfish’s creative and collaborative culture and find new sources of inspiration in our mission to change the way the world plays games.”

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Tropico 3 Demo Available Today

If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the newest addition to the Tropico franchise, then I have good news for you.  Kalypso Media announced today that the demo is now available for download.  The demo has been made available on Fileplanet for your downloading pleasure. The demo includes the tutorial mission and the first two game missions.  Below, are some details about the two missions: MISSION 1: Bananas The abdication of the old Presidente of St. Helena provided the perfect opportunity for your rise to power. Now as the head of state it is your job to lead this small island nation to a new age of prosperity. St. Helena is a modest island with rich and fertile lands, which have attracted the attention of the American food conglomerate Fruitas LTD. You should make use of the gringos to secure the financial future of the island as well as your own Swiss

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