January 2012
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Closing Your Day: The Meme That Needs Knees
[via]
Recap of Pop GO posts published on Dec. 31, 2011.
Opening
Everwood (Seasons 3 & 4)
News
Arrow To The Knee
“To Aru Majutsu no Index” Animation Film C81 Trailer
Final “Evangelion” Film To Hit Japan In 2013
Can I Haz Samus Figma?
Reviews
Anime Review: Toradora! - OVA
Anime Review: Bakuman 2 - 13
Anime Review: Working’!! - 13 [Final]
Segments
Geek...
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Anime Review: Working'!! - 13 [Final]
Please, just a bit more? I’m not ready for it to be over!
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My melancholy over the final episode is lifted somewhat by the reappearance of my favorite Working’!! minor character; the curly haired Matsumoto. She’s not the core of our story, however. In this episode, rather fittingly, we’re focused on a rumor about Taneshima planning to quit working at...
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Best Anime of 2011: Steins;Gate
The Organization has made its decision. There isn’t enough Dr. Pepper in my fridge. And my banana’s not jelly enough. That only means one thing. Steins;Gate needs to be discussed as 2011’s best anime. El Psy Congroo.
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Admittedly, I didn’t really pick up Steins;Gate until around Thanksgiving so I didn’t get sucked into the hype right away. But...
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Can I Haz Samus Figma?
Why, yes. Yes, I may haz in 2012. Max Factory is bringing us a Figma of Samus Aran based on her Other M design. On the other side, we have Good Smile releasing a 1/6 scale PVC figure of Zero Suit Samus partnered with a cute little Metroid.
With no exact month set for the Figma, Zero Suit Samus has a release date of June 2012. I definitely want to get that Samus Figma, though; I wonder what kind...
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Geek Spotlight: Second Half Recap of Films from...
As 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to take a look back at films released in the second half of the year. In beginning of July I gave my first half recap which you can find here. With this recap I’ll be covering the months of July—December.
It’s been a fairly consistent year, but it’s not been without some low points in the second half.
Still, the year’s...
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Anime Review: Bakuman 2 - 13
Episode 13 marks the halfway point of the season, and we have come so far.
How did the episode fare now that post-Detective Trap’s arc plot has been resolved and a new plot point involving Shujin and Aoki is teased? Read on.
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Episode 13 was a treat for Shujin fans. Saiko, who had an entire arc dedicated to him previously, was mostly out of the picture for any major role...
December 2011
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Final "Evangelion" Film To Hit Japan In 2013
Even before the 3rd film remake of Neon Genesis Evangelion has a release date, the production team has already put up a due date, or rather a due year, for the fourth and final film.
More details after the cut.
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Currently nicknamed as “ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版：? (FINAL)”[Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: ? (FINAL)], the official website (the link can be found at the source) has...
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Best Manga of 2011: Silver Spoon
If you told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be picking a manga about agriculture as the best manga of 2011, I’d probably have laughed at you, turned around and gone to bed with a huge grin on my face at such a notion.
Well, I still can’t believe it myself, but I can’t deny just how much I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the series since it began its run.
...
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Anime Review: Toradora! - OVA
“this is truly the greatest love story ever known to man” - CoalGuys fansub group
That is how I feel. Welcome back, Ryuuji and Taiga.
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There are no spoken or written words that can describe how I feel about this episode, mostly because I let my heart decide how happy I was to see Ryuuji, Taiga and gang come back for an encore. Even if was a short side story of...
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Closing Your Day: The Ace Team
Recap of Pop GO posts published on Dec. 30, 2011.
Opening
The Adventures of Tintin
News
A Look At The Stills Of The “Ace Attorney” Live-Action Cast
Custom “Dragon Ball Z” LEGOs
“Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable” PSP Trailer
Reviews
Anime Review: Mashiro-Iro Symphony - 12 [Final]
Film Review: The Adventures of Tintin
Anime Review: Shakugan no Shana III - 12
Segments
Geek...
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Anime Review: Shakugan no Shana III - 12
The first of many boss fights. I hope you brought lots of potions and elixirs because there won’t be a save point in between them.
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On a personal note, it was really hard to motivate myself to watch the final season of Shana. However, perhaps episode twelve could revive that drive with the amount of good fighting that took place not only on one front but two. Now that...
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Best Game of 2011: Portal 2
[via]
I had a really difficult time picking my Game of the Year this time around. It was down to a handful of different games: Uncharted 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, etc. In the end, it came down to entertainment value, which left only a single worthy candidate: Portal 2.
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As I said, it was difficult for me to pick Portal 2 over the rest of the...
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Featured Figure Friday - Nendoroid Taneshima...
Population GO video game correspondant thatninja was unfortunate enough to be talking to me when I stumbled across GoodSmile’s latest Nendoroid, and I’m sure if he had any respect for me, it was lost in my haze of shrieking, squealing, figure fangirl madness.
Hit the cut for more pictures of this pint-sized cutie and the special play sets that are being released just for her!
...
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Film Review: The Adventures of Tintin
Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat, Joe Cornish, Herge (Comics) Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
The inquisitive reporter Tintin comes across a model of a 17th century ship called the Unicorn, and with it discovers a clue to a hidden treasure. Now with the help of the ship captain’s descendant Captain Haddock, the two race...
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Best Anime of 2011: Sacred Seven
Sacred Seven was one of those action anime that attempted to do everything possible in just twelve episodes. At first I was disappointed that it would only get twelve, but when watching it, I cast aside those thoughts and enjoyed the ride. It was an excellent ride, indeed.
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The powers of Sacred Seven were unique and memorable. I was excited each and every time Ruri reached into...
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Custom "Dragon Ball Z" LEGOs
While on the subject of LEGO, check out some incredible customs of some of your favorite Dragonball characters! Brought to us by NickGreat :).
My favorite one is Perfect Cell shown in the photo above. More at Mocpages.com.
[NickGreat :)]
On a related note, Bleach LEGO and LEGO Akatsuki
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Geek Spotlight: Are You A LEGO Maniac?
Do you remember Zack the LEGO Maniac? I vaguely do. But what I definitely remember is my love for LEGOs, and upon seeing a nicely done custom digital LEGO kit of Nasus from League of Legends, I found out something very interesting.
Want to find out? Continue reading after the break.
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At first I was wondering if LEGO allowed you to order the custom LEGO designs you make using...
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Anime Review: Mashiro-Iro Symphony - 12 [Final]
It’s the last episode, and instead of some touching scenes about friendship or focusing on new budding relationships, we get more ~cat drama~!
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Okay, okay, the cat drama wasn’t really that bad, and it wasn’t anything we weren’t expecting. Pannya was going to have to go by the end of the series, especially considering how we got the story of Miu...
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Closing Your Day: Half-Lie?
[via]
Recap of Pop GO posts published on Dec. 29, 2011.
Opening
Martin Mystery
News
“You’re Being Trolled,” Says Valve
“Eureka Seven AO” Is A Direct Sequel To “Eureka Seven”
“Prometheus” (2012) Debut Trailer
Reviews
Anime Review: THE iDOLM@STER - 25 [Final]
Anime Review: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
Game Review: Mario Kart 7
Anime Review: Ben-to - 12 [Final]
Special
Best...
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Poll: Winter Anime 2012
[via]
Reminder: Vote for the anime you want us to review during the upcoming Winter season. The top 3 vote-getters will definitely be reviewed by our anime staff!
Vote here!
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Anime Review: Ben-to - 12 [Final]
What an odd case of serendipity that the Summer Solstice episode lines up almost perfectly with the actual Winter Solstice… in any case, thanks for the season’s greetings, Ben-to!
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For a finale, it was quite good. Given the build-up, it was very good. This episode was Ben-to at its finest. The only complaint I had about this episode was the fight scene was cut...
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Best Comics of 2011: Various Categories
2011 was a pretty big year for comics. Most of it was DC’s whole relaunch, but we also had a good share of awesome stuff from Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and everyone else.
All of that said, it’s a bit hard for me to narrow this down to a single “best of 2011” item, so I’ll be doing this as a series of five categories with one winner and four runners-up.
Best...
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Game Review: Mario Kart 7
The number of spinoff games from our favorite Italian plumber are numerous. We have: Paper Mario, Mario Paint, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Mario and Sonic at the Olympics… the list is gigantic.
Then, of course, there’s the most famous of them all: Mario Kart. The series has been an enormous system-seller since it started on the SNES. But the only question remaining is how it...
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Best Manga of 2011: Maji de Watashi ni Koi...
[via]
For my Best Manga of the Year post, I tried to pick a manga that started in, improved, or covered a lot of ground in the year in question or any combination of the three.
I found that the closest manga that fit my criteria actually started in late 2010 — Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!
Hit the break to read more about my pick.
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Seeing how all the other manga I...
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Anime Review: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai
I craved randomness and laughter after covering action all season. What I got was a piece of meat. Lots of it.
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What can I say about Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, aka Haganai? Well, for one, it was funny as hell, and a much needed repose from all the action I’ve been watching and covering in the fall season. Even when certain aspects and jokes dragged out, I...
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"Eureka Seven AO" Is A Direct Sequel To "Eureka...
The anime sequel to hit TV anime series Eureka Seven, Eureka Seven AO, was recently announced; sadly, with very little details. However, in a leaked magazine scan, tiny bits of information are trickling in via an interview.
In this particular interview, it has been confrimed that Eureka Seven AO is a direct sequel to the TV series; not a spinoff, not an alternate universe and definitely not a...
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Anime Review: THE iDOLM@STER - 25 [Final]
I’m really gonna miss this cast… I was just finished getting ready to sparkle on stage and everything…
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Not a whole lot going on plot wise in this episode; more of a tying up of the few loose ends. In fact, this final episode was more of a performance than anything else. I don’t only mean that it was about a concert, but the whole episode was more of a...
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"You're Being Trolled," Says Valve
Somebody has finally reached out to Valve following all the rumours about Half-Life 3 and Valve has replied with, “You’re being trolled.”
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Chez Faliszek, the writer behind Half-Life, Portal and Left 4 Dead, has sounded out in the Steam Forum saying it is all an elaborate hoax and just “the community trolling the community.” The full post is as...
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Closing Your Day: Be Sure To Vote!
[via]
Recap of Pop GO posts published on Dec. 28, 2011.
Opening
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (OP 1)
News
Mystery Of “Half-Life 3” Site Lives On Through HTML?
Online Co-op For “God of War IV”?
“Twisted Metal” Comes With A Free Copy of “Twisted Metal Black”
Follow Your Hero of Time In The Palm Of Your Hands
Reviews
Anime Review: Hunter X Hunter - 13
Anime Review: Mirai Nikki - 12
...
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Follow Your Hero of Time In The Palm Of Your Hands
There sure are a lot of things coming out to celebrate Zelda’s 25th anniversary. Re-live the recently revealed timeline with this Zelda gashapon set by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
As you can see, there are three sets of Link and Zelda in their more memorable games. The first set has Link and Zelda from the recent release of Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword. These look to be the more detailed of the...
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Anime Review: Mirai Nikki - 12
It’s a match made in heaven, really. The jaded terrorist and the novice detective. If they don’t get together, at least they’ll make a decent comedy duo.
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Episode 12 was another case of story progression without any suspense. The hostage situation in the hospital was resolved and another arc has already started. Mirai Nikki is moving at a very brisk pace,...
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Best Game of 2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Hit the break to read why Skyrim was my game of the year.
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While there were a lot of great games that came out this year, only one one of them allowed me to shout at dragons. Only one game would teach me that going to the moon was as simple as pissing off a giant. Only one taught that taking an arrow to the knee was a sure fire way to end up spending my life as a town guard.
...
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The Weekly Pull List: 12/28/11
Welcome back to The Weekly Pull List!
This week I’ll be heading the article and will be joined by Sam (sjhawkins) to deliver to you the comics that we’re picking up this week!
It’s the week after Christmas, and I know plenty of us have some extra cash in out pockets so take a look at some fine things you could blow spend that money on!
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American Vampire #22
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Anime Review: Hunter X Hunter - 13
It’s a clip episode… great.
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I was really hoping this series wouldn’t go this route seeing as it is a shounen title and doesn’t have any need for it, but the creators behind this series did.
To choose to go with a clip episode is just a poor decision on top of all the other poor decisions they’re making with this anime. Clip episodes do nothing for...
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Best Anime of 2011: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
I was fairly late to the Madoka Magica party. I remember sitting on Sankaku Complex reading the weekly reviews at what I thought was just another cutesy magical girl show. The art was notoriously horrible at places, and I tried to watch the first episode when it came out, but the art was so inconsistent that I couldn’t stomach it.
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Then, the shots of Mami *spoilers* with...
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Poll: Winter Anime 2012
[via] Hey everyone, hope you all enjoyed your holidays! For those off from school, recuperate and get ready for another academic run; for those with full-time jobs, keep at it.
As for myself, if I had a New Year’s Resolution, it is to watch some good anime. Yup, nothing new from previous couple of years and the new Winter season has some promising titles. Even with a number of Fall anime...
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Best Film of 2011: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
In retrospect, 2011 was a really great year for geek-related films. Sequels, prequels, remakes, reboots and comic books were the overall general theme for the cinema this year—has been and will continue to be the theme of Hollywood blockbusters for the next few years.
So with a market that is beginning to become overly saturated with these types of films, it was really refreshing to have...
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Online Co-op For "God of War IV"?
The next entry in the God of War franchise may very well feature online co-op as the game is found the latest PSM3 (PlayStation 3 Magazine) in an article discussing the hottest PS3 titles of 2012.
Spoilers for those of you who have not completed the GoW games below the cut.
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PSM3 hints in the article that God of War IV may have an online multiplayer co-op feature, with Kratos...
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Mystery Of "Half-Life 3" Site Lives On Through...
Remember when we covered that very real and official looking Half-Life 3 website? The whois of the site seemed to point to the fact that this isn’t real? Or is it?
A closer look at the site’s HTML by DSOGaming seems to reveal much more.
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Apparently the whois of the site reveals that the domain was registered by Network Solutions, which Valve had used back in 2006...
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Closing Your Day: Black Beast
Recap of Pop GO posts published on Dec. 27, 2011.
Opening
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
News
Alan Taylor Is Game For “Thor 2”
[Nintendo Direct] Shinrei Camera - Overview Trailer
Reviews
Anime Review: Bakuman 2 - 12
Film Review: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Anime Review: Fate/zero - 13
Segments
Games of the Week: Going Odd School
Whatyer Making Boy? - Bec Noir Sculpture
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