The Halo Waypoint previews have come to an end, and now the only way to get your anime-style Halo fix is coming on February 16th in three different flavors. There's the standard, boring DVD with a suggested retail price of $19.98, the two-disk special edition for $29.98, and the shiny Blu-Ray version for $34.99.

The two-disc special edition comes packed with bonus features, including:

* The Making of Halo Legends – An introduction to Halo Legends followed by a making-of segment for each episode.
* Halo: Gaming Evolved – Explaining the Halo phenomenon from its inception as an Xbox video game to a present day entertainment franchise.
* Audio Commentary with directors Frank O'Connor and Joseph Chou
* Widescreen (1.78:1)

Yes, widescreen is a bonus feature. I didn't write the press release.

The Blu-Ray version comes with all of that, plus an overview of the Halo Universe called Halo: The Story so Far.

"Halo Legends offers fans stunning, new creative visions of the popular video game's expansive universe, providing added depth and perspective to these beloved characters and thrilling environments," said Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor. "Halo Legends is a perfect complement to the game's growing canon of ancillary entertainment options."

I'll be snagging the Blu-Ray version of Halo Legends myself, simply for the novelty of playing Halo on my PlayStation 3.

There were two ways to market this game in the states. Either Aksys could play up the fighting system and gloss over the more adult bits, or they could release a trailer that basically says that the game itself doesn't matter as much as the scenery within. That's not the sort of message that makes me want to rush out and spend my money.

Very nice use of 70's porno guitar though.

"A Japanese friend of mine told me very casually, in a totally matter-of-fact kind of way, that the difference between Japanese and American cosplay is as clear as moeru and naeru," says Patrick Galbraith, author of The Otaku Encyclopedia, University of Tokyo PhD candidate and cosplaying Akihabara tour guide. "Moeru" means "to bud", while "naeru"is an antonym and means "to wilt"."

"My friend said that when he sees a Japanese cosplayer, the response is moeru, and when he sees a non-Japanese cosplayer," continues Galbraith, "the response is naeru. He didn't mean any harm, but this is a pretty damn racist statement." It is a sentiment shared by Westerners, too, believing that Japanese cosplay is superior, placing it on a pedestal.

The history of cosplay is intertwined with the West — it was not developed in a vacuum! The word cosplay was coined by journalist Nobuyuki Takahashi and first appeared in print in an article he wrote in a June 1983 article in the magazine "My Anime."" Takahashi shortened the word to "cosplay" after hearing that "costume play" was not actually an English word. A direct Japanese translation of masquerade, with its aristocratic nuances, would not suffice. "Costume" and "play,"" both borrowed words in Japanese, became "cosplay," In the early 1980s, attendees at doujin manga show Comic Market, or Comiket, began drawing pictures of their favorite manga and anime characters on their shirts. This evolved into a handful of individuals dressing up as actual characters.

While Japanese fandom was trying to find its footing in expressing itself, its American counterparts had been dressed up at science fiction conventions for decades. Takahashi was surprised to see Trekkies in full Star Trek gear at the 1984 Worldcon (The World Science Fiction Convention) in Los Angeles. Takahashi hoped that the trend would catch on in his native Japan, and now had the newly minted term he needed to sell it. Geek culture is largely universal. The idea of dressing as one's favorite characters — whether that be from Star Trek or Mobile Suit Gundam — has undeniable appeal.

"Cosplay" is Japanese for "costume play" — individuals dressing up in costume. In Japan, it is not restricted to video game, manga or anime characters, but can encompass dressing in all sorts of outfits: maid, nurse, schoolgirl, etc. The term is a shortened form of borrowed English, yet cosplay is viewed as something uniquely for and by the Japanese.

In the West, dressing up in costumes has a myriad of meanings — all different. There is a rich and long history of masquerade in European aristocracy, which was centuries later appropriated by the sci-fi expos as "costume contests" with participants dressing up as characters from domestic movies or TV shows. The West gave birth to Halloween, a holiday in which children don typically monster costumes. Finally, there is cosplay.

For Japanese, the appeal of dressing up like anime, manga or game characters is understandable. "We see these characters all the time on TV," says multimedia artist Julie Watai, who also does modeling under the name Ai Amano. "And because of that, we view them in the same category as pop stars or actors." But, unlike the popular thespian or rock star, it is not possible to actually meet these characters. They exist in video games, on television screens and in the pages of manga. Dressing up as those characters gives them a chance to, not meet that character, but to become one with that character in a sense. "Not everyone likes these characters in Japan," Watai notes. "But they can dress up as maids or other cute costumes that are sold in Japan." For the Japanese, dressing up and having fun is cosplay.

"It seems that costumes inspired by anime, manga, video games, light novel, figures and so on have come to be called cosplay in the United States," says Galbraith. In Japan, however, Galbraith notes that it would be considered cosplay to dress up as Jack Sparrow or a Stormtrooper. Cosplay could even be considered dressing up as a policeman or a nurse. Americans have separated cosplay with earlier costume costume-wearing traditions (masquerade and Halloween) by East and West — "cosplay" is a Japanese word, so it, for Westerners, encapsulates Japanese popular culture. When the word was re-imported into the West from Japan, it was assumed that the origin was completely Japanese and associated with video games, anime and manga by default.

"In all fairness, I don't think this is really a misappropriation of the word," notes Galbraith. Almost no one in the United States used the word cosplay, or probably even knew it, before the arrival of Japanese culture." Thus, the connection in the minds of Westerners between cosplay and Japanese popular culture is natural and makes sense. What does not make sense is the notion that cosplay is exclusively Japanese or that Japanese cosplayers are intrinsically better at cosplaying than their Western counterparts. It's not that one is better than the other, they're just different.

"A lot of times, American cosplayers are just having fun with it, which is fine," says Patrick Macias, editor of mag Otaku USA. "But in Japan, where the otaku spirit runs deep, I get the sense that you can't be as casual about your fandom, so there's a sort of perfectionist streak that runs through the cosplay community there." That means, far less goofing off, Macias continues, or you don't really see silliness like dressing up as a giant Death Note book. The Japanese seriousness has even given birth to a chain store dealing in cosplay costumes called Cospa."

"In America, there's no dedicated chain of cosplay stores like Cospa where you can walk in and buy professionally made costumes or accessories," adds Macias. Those who didn't get a gold star in arts-and-crafts can find the goods they need online. Those that can't must make their costumes. "So Western fans tend be more DIY and crafty, which I think is good." These homemade crafts can lead to spectacularly amazing cosplays or amazingly horrid — that's part of the charm.

"I notice a lot of people tend to focus on cosplayers who have just started out or tend to pick out unflattering photos of Western cosplayers," says American cosplayer HezaChan, who has been cosplaying for 9 years and has made 30 different costumes. "There are just as many "bad" Japanese cosplayers and unflattering photos of Japanese cosplayers." And while the number of "bad" cosplayers could very well be the same, the number of bad Western cosplayers is proportionate to the number of bad Japanese ones. The reason for the higher number of bad Western cosplayer pics isn't necessarily the cosplayers' fault, but rather, the subculture surrounding it. In Japan, the kamekozo ("camera kids") act as PR machines for popular cosplayers, creating a grassroots idol culture. Kamekozo typically specialize in the best cosplays and largely focus on female cosplayers. These images are uploaded onto popular cosplay and even otaku news sites.

This Japan-cosplays-better-than-the-West is hardly a sentiment shared by all. "Online I've seen literally tons of great cosplays from Westerners!" gushes Watai. "Westerners are much better at cosplaying characters designed with an American or European style than Asians are. They can actually look like the physical embodiment of those characters." But many game or anime characters exist in a cultural netherworld, being designed out of a hodgepodge of features and motifs, looking "Western" to the Japanese and looking "Japanese" to Westerners. "Japanese cosplayers routinely voice their jealously of Western cosplayers who have features like green eyes or blonde hair — all the things they have to work hard to make a part of their costume, these foreigners were born with!" says Macias. "Meanwhile, Western cosplayers will sometimes don black wigs and contacts to look more 'Asian.''"

For the nearly the past thirty years, cosplay has been a conversation between 3D and 2D, between East and West and reality and image. It started out in the West under a different name and was appropriated by the Japanese and then reintroduced back to the West. There is no group of people that is stereotypically "better" at cosplay. And the act itself is deeper than Photoshopped images or cleverly staged stage shows — it offers insight into the very fabric of our cultures, what makes us different and what makes us the same.

[Bottom photo Rhys Berresford] [Pic]

Before I left Japan, the folks at Kotobukiya were kind enough to send me a copy of OTACOOL, a book project spearheaded by Danny Choo of dannychoo.com. The idea for the book is fantastic and works on the same principal as our desk feature — people's personal spaces shed telling light into their lives.

Countries represented include places like Japan, France, the UK, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Spain, China, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Israel and the U.S.

The rooms run the gamut of anime and manga otakudom. (Hopefully future editions will expand to other types of otaku! Such as train, airsoft gun, video game, etc.) Still, it is interesting. The pictures were all submitted by users and do vary in quality — something that actually gives the book charm and a hint of realism instead of a slick, commercial feel.

Text is in both English and Japanese, making it good for those interested in practicing either language. And the book has been tearing up the sales charts in Japan. You can learn more about OTACOOL in the link below. Hooray!

OTACOOL [Official Site]

Dubbed Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade works, the feature features the cast and crew of the anime TV show as well as the voice actors. The movie is getting a January 23, 2010 release at 11 theaters across Japan. A 50 second trailer is streaming in the line below. Check it out.

Unlimited Blade Works [Official Site via Anime News Network]

One of which does not look so nice. Movie out next summer in Japan — July 10, 2010.

Watch The Trailer [Pokemon-Movie via Saishin Anime

The Dante's Inferno animated feature taps the work of the creative teams behind those anime greats to bring EA's vision of the original epic poem. I like the look of what they've come up with so far, but I think there needs to be a bit more screaming of the name Beatrice before I can really take it seriously.

Princess Robot Bubblegum is part of the new television lineup coming in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, the standalone compilation of The Ballad of Gay Tony and Lost and Damned downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV. Princess Robot Bubblegum is my new hero. She fires rockets out of her chest, and mutters mistranslated nonsense, and...sleeps with plants?

Why do I get the odd feeling that I am writing one of Ashcraft's posts?

This latest film is dubbed Pocket Monster: Diamond & Pearl Platinum — there has already been a Diamond & Pearl triology, ending with this past July's Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.

According to the official website, Pokemon movie director Kunihiko Yuyama has been travelign to Belgium and The Netherlands for research. Yes, they need to research these Pokemon movies!

ポケモン最新作映画2010年夏公開決定！公式サイトリニューアル [最新アニメ情報 via ANN]

Last time we saw Yu, she tried her hand at doodling Polla, the character she voiced in Arc Rise Fantasia. Horrors ensued.

Now, she's drawing character Beatrice, the golden witch in doujin psychological thriller visual novel Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Kobayashi voices Kanon in the anime version.

Above is what Beatrice looks like — this is not the Yu Kobayashi drawing. Oh no.

That would be this. Here is Yu Kobayashi's take on Beatrice, complete with two demon breasts from the deepest depths of Hell.

【声優】小林ゆうさんが描いた「うみねこのなく頃に」 [オレ的ゲーム速報＠刃] [Pic]

When division head Kouji Taguchi was asked why manga sales in the US were still considerably smaller than in Japan, he replied:

The best sellers in the US were Full Metal Alchemist and Naruto, but these only sold a tenth to a twentieth of what they sold in Japan.
I think the main reasons are as follows:
1. Fewer copies are printed and those that are get sold at a much higher price, from $8.99 to $12.99.
2. Children don't get as much money, their allowances are just smaller.
3. The other reason is location. If you live in Tokyo there will be 3 bookshops nearby, which you can easily cycle to. In the US there aren't any, they can only buy on a weekly trip to the mall. Even if anime is highly popular, they just don't visit the stores to buy manga often.

As website Sankaku Complex points out, it's interesting that Taguchi focuses on distribution instead of simply stating that Japanese and Western tastes are different. Taguchi also went on to state that manga publishers are increasingly moving forward to digital distribution.

"Publishers such as Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan and Kadokawa are setting up a digital platform on the PSP for distributing manga," said Taguchi. The Square Enix exec doesn't think this will catch on in Japan because prices are low and there are many shops selling manga. However, this form of distribution could very well catch on in the States.

誠：劇的3時間SHOW：『咲-Saki-』『鋼の錬金術師』の田口浩司プロデューサーが語る、儲かるアニメの作り方 (1/6) [Business Media via Sankaku Complex — Image NSFW] [Pic]

More in the links below.

その痛さは世界に羽ばたく 『第２回　痛Gふぇすた in お台場』 [常時リソース不足 via Danny Choo]

BBC newsperson Robin Lustig has a post up titled "Is Japan a dying nation?" Here's the rub and the game connection in his piece:

I'm no social psychologist, so I wouldn't dare to come up with an explanation for why Japanese couples aren't having enough babies. But one theory is that Japanese women are increasingly reluctant to marry, because they think Japanese men have shown themselves unable to adapt to the needs of a new, more flexible society - and have retreated into a fantasy world of comics, video games and animated pornography where they feel less threatened.

Lustig's original piece is much longer obviously and can be read in full right here. I suggest that you do read the entire piece before commenting!

His post is making the internet rounds in Japan, and the Japanese internet, namely hugely popular bulletin board 2ch, has a smattering of opinions about it. Here are some of them, translated by DannyChoo.com:

-Make reality more interesting than games please.
-Yeah I can live on games alone.
-If everybody became obsessed with games then we would live in a peaceful society.
-Reality does not want to deal with me you idiot.
-The world in the monitor is reality. The world we live in is just imaginary.
-To be honest, I don't want a (real) woman.
-Love Plus is reality.
-There are too many Japanese people anyway so decreasing the population would be just right.
-But the 2D world is ideal.
-Oh and its OK to be obsessed with movies and books then?
-My (2D) girlfriend is Aika-san. She lets me meet her whenever I want and greets me with a smile if I forget a date - and she does not cost money. Thats all I need.
-His words are racist.
-I'm 30 and earn 3.5 million yen (35K USD) - how am I supposed to get married?
-Why is somebody from a declining country (England) telling me this?
-The decline of the population has nothing to do with games or manga.
-My partner is Hatsune Miku. I would do anything for her and we are thinking of having kids.
-I tried to face reality and it became Love Plus.
-We must fight reality!
-They should make a game for the DS called "lets face society"
-A country of Neets (England) being worried about Japan?
-Not sure about England but the hurdle to getting married over the past 20 years in Japan is gone up too high - socially and financially.
-Unless there are more job positions then I cant face reality.
-Girls in games wont cheat on us.
-The solution is to make reality in games.
-I'm too busy with work to think about getting married.
-But Sanya is too cute.
-Solution is simple - make it so that anime and manga characters can get pregnant.

There are something like over 2,500 comments in this same thread on this issue. I don't see that the declining population as something that can simply be pinned on men who like reading manga and playing video games — or pinned on women who want to focus on their career. There are larger societal issues at hand.

For example, if both parents do work and have small children, they need daycare. Well, daycare is harder to come by than in North America — there is public daycare called "hoikuen", but parents must apply in advance and there is no guarantee that they'll be able to put their kids in. Something like this seems like a bigger deterrent to having children than, say, playing Konami DS games, no?

Another issue is that Japan was traditionally an agriculture society with large, extended families. Five children was not some outrageous number! But as the country industrialized in the late 19th century and early 20th century and as it rebuilt during the Post War Era, the extended family structure broke down. Childcare was easier when living under the same roof as opposed to stuffed in tiny urban apartments.

Wonder why these issues weren't touched upon...

マンガやゲームに夢中となり、現実社会と向き合わない男のせいで日本は衰退していく…英BBC記者 [痛いニュース(ﾉ∀`) via DannyChoo]

The movie will be produced by Japanese studio TOHO and will get an entirely new story drafted by Level 5 president Akihiro Hino. Hino is the brains behind all the previous Layton games as well as directing the forthcoming Dragon Quest IX. The game's voice actors will reprise their roles for the feature animated films.

The Layton movie is an original story from series creator Akihiro Hino and will feature game characters Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke. Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva will be produced by Masakazu Kubo, producer of the Pokémon films.

The three words electrifies the crowd. The children swarming in the front yard of the Denver suburban house run to the curb. They crane their necks, point, howl with excitement.

The one-ton truck eases its way through the last turn and straightens, a 42-foot trailer in tow.

As the truck rolls down the street past quiet homes and neat yards the excitement grows and the vehicle's detailed decorations begin to come into focus.

Carefully detailed creatures painted in neat rows line the entire hood of the truck. Swirls of color, a galaxy of stars spread from the hood down the sides of the truck and to its trailer.

The trailer, all 42 feet of it, is festooned with 8-foot-tall animated children, fasntastic creatures and images of steel multi-hued balls. But more important than the spectacle of a rolling cartoon, than the chug of the one-ton truck are the words written in fire and gold across the side of the truck: "Bakugan Brawlers"

Last year Bakugan was the it present for children 8 to 12. The holidays saw national sellouts of the toys, a combination of trading cards and marbles based on a Japanese cartoon. This year game developer Activision hopes to fuse the wild popularity of the toy with a video game and create a new franchise that could possibly one-day give Nintendo's Pokemon a run for its money.

"Pokmon have a head start on us, so it's not an apples to apples comparison," Activision spokesman Bill Linn said. "That said, the Bakugan toys have shown great strength in the marketplace in the States and continues to dominate in retail, so it's certainly on track to give Pokemon a run for its money."

"The two brands certainly share an audience amongst kids. What kid doesn't like monsters and battles?"

Pokemon, Nintendo's most popular game franchise after Mario, was initially created by Nintendo in the mid 90s as a video game and later spawned movies, cartoons and a collectible card game. Bakugan, though, started out as a cartoon and went on to spawn a card and toy game and finally a video game.

In Bakugan players place metal cards on a playing field and then take turns rolling the Bakugan balls toward them like marbles. When a ball rolls across a metal card, a magnet inside the plastic ball releases allowing the ball to spring open and reveal a creature.

"The game's popularity is really tied to its design," Linn said. "Bakugan blends the classic game of marbles, the collector card craze and a little bit of Transfomers into one activity. Any one of those would be fun, but when you combine all three, it adds a level of depth and interactivity that really appeals with kids."

Linn says the video game was created to appeal to fans of the card game and TV show.

"In story mode, kids to create their own character and play through a plot scripted by the writers of the animated show," he said. "It's like playing through a season of the cartoon, with you as the main character. In the battle arena, we've really brought the world to life through power ups and other special activities that make this much more than just rolling a ball."

It was important, Linn adds, for the video game to also capture the physicality of Bakugan.

The Wii version of the game, which is also coming to the DS, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360, has players mimicking a throwing movement with the console's motion-detecting remote to toss a marble at the playfield. Once on the move, players can guide the Bakugan around the interactive field to pick up power-ups and then try to stop on the virtual cards. As in the physical game, when the ball hits the card it springs open.

"The play mechanic really gives the player a lot of control in battles," Linn said. "When throwing, they can have a standard, power or special throw that will affect how the ball enters the arena. Players can then control the ball by twisting the controller and tapping the B button. This gives the ball a nudge, but is not unlimited. And finally, when your opponent plays, you can shoot his ball and affect their trajectory.

"For the other platforms, we optimized the game to the controller. With Xbox 360, you can use both analog sticks. For the PS3, we use the Sixaxis control and the analog stick at the same time."

And Bakugan: Battle Brawlers, due out on Oct. 20, will be just the first video game built around the franchise.

To help promote the birth of this new video gaming franchise, Activision launched the Roll Across America Tour earlier this month.

The nationwide tour gives fans of the toy and show a chance to play the Wii and DS version of the game on flat screen panels mounted inside a 42-foot long trailer.

The Bakugan-decorated truck and trailer, which features four Wii connected to flatscreen televsions, two DS, a couch, track lighting and hardwood floors, will travel more than 4,500 miles this fall to promote the game.

During a stop in Colorado last week children and parents crowded inside the air-conditioned trailer taking turns playing the game for four hours. Many spent the entire four hours gaming.

Everyone, parents and children alike, seemed to enjoy the video game, staying around until the sun set and the stars in the sky almost equaled those painted on the truck.

Well Played is a weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

Here's just the anime stuff. Looks...better than I was expecting, actually. Nice blend of ham-it-up chit-chat and some more serious, knife-in-the-neck kind of stuff.

The Strike Witches are magical moe animal girls recruited by governments worldwide to take down the imperialistic Neuroi and its indefensible weaponry.

No info about the game's developer or release date. We do know that it is a shooting game and that it will have Xbox LIVE support. Expect fan service. Endless fan service.
Strike Witches shooting game announced for 360 [Canned Dogs]

Since last November, threatening letters have been sent to the 28-year-old's agency. A 26-year-old unemployed man in Fukuoka prefecture named Satoshi Yamazaki has been arrested on suspicion of sending the letters. According to the police, the letters contained threats like "I will kill your parents."

The suspect has admitted to writing the letters, stating, "I did it." He also claims to be a "Kadowaki fan".

人気声優を脅迫、無職の男逮捕～警視庁 [日テレNEWS24 via Anime News Network]

That drawing right up there? Yu Kobayashi did not draw that. Aki Toyosaki did. Besides lending her talents to anime K-On!, she did voice work for PS3 soul breeding game Record of Agarest ZERO.

That's sketch of her room. Toyosaki's drawing is cute. There are her shoes in the entry way, a table and chair in the main room with even a "coffee space" next to the fridge. Bathroom off the main room. Plants on her balcony. It paints a picture.

While comparatively American abodes are quite spacious, Japanese house and apartments are far more cramped. Thus, there is significant interest in Japan in how people arrange their apartments.

Compound that with the fact that most people won't ever actually get to check out these voice actresses' living quarters, and the interest increases dramatically.

This is a sketch from Lucky Star voice actress Emiri Kato.

Have a look, it's her one-room apartment. It's simple, but straight forward and to the point.

Entering, there is a stove and sink on the right. On your left, there is the bath tub and the toilet. Then in the main room, there's her bed, a closet, a TV and fax machine, a desk and chair and her PC and computer display. Very easy to get a mental picture of what her room is like.

Then there's Yu Kobayashi. Yes, her. Below is a drawing of her room.

Either that, or a scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We don't know which.

人気女性声優達の直筆お部屋見取り図、図鑑 [オレ的ゲーム速報＠刃] [Pic]