We all know and love K-On! right? Well not this particular author, but most people do. To celebrate people’s love of all things K-On! we have a wonderful gift for you.

A K-On! glass tumbler.

So you’re wondering what’s the catch, right? It’s very simple. Send me ￥999,999,999,999 and you win. Just kidding. (But if you do feel like giving me that much money, I won’t say no… (^_~;) )

All you have to do is write in and tell us who your favourite K-On! character is and why.

To enter you’ll need a twitter account. Simply tweet the following (fill in the blanks) with the #APCompetitions hashtag:

@animepicks My favourite K-On! character is ___ because ____. #APCompetitions

This competition is open to all, with exception to anyone who works for AP and their family members. You know, normal competition rules to keep it fair.

The winning entry will be featured in our next article about what makes our favourite character!

Good luck!

Every week we bring you the latest figures up for preorder and that’s because figures rock! This week we have a large line up of cute and cool figures!

What do you think of this weeks reserve list? Will you be getting any of these? Please leave us a comment in the section below.

Figuarts Zero Zessica
Price:- £27-£40+
Scale:- non
Release:- August (pre-order date May 9th)
Company:- Bandai

Figuarts Zero Shishio Makoto
Price:- £24-£40+
Scale:- non
Release:- August (pre-order date May 9th)
Company:- Bandai

TV Animation Persona 4 Amagi Yukiko
Price:- £52-£80+
Scale:- 1/8
Release:- Late August (pre-order date May 10th)
Company:- MegaHouse

Kusunoki Yukimura Beach Queens
Price:- £26-£47+
Scale:- 1/10
Release:- Late November (pre-order date May 10th)
Company:- Wave

Mikaduki Yozora (Short Version) Beach Queens
Price:- £26-£47+
Scale:- 1/10
Release:- Late November (pre-order date May 10th)
Company:- Wave

Nendoroid Kamui Gakupo
Price:- £22-£47+
Scale:- non
Release:- September (pre-order date May 10th)
Company:- Good Smile Company

Figma Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen
Price:- £22-£47+
Scale:- non
Release:- September (pre-order date May 10th)
Company:- Max Factory

Kagura Aya
Price:- £50-£80+
Scale:- 1/7
Release:- August (pre-order date May 10th)
Company:- Max Factory

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 1st Takamachi Nanoha Swim Wear Version
Price:- £45-£75+
Scale:- 1/7
Release:- October (pre-order date May 11th)
Company:- ques Q

Figutto! Seena Kureha Touka
Price:- £33-£47+
Scale:- non
Release:- August (pre-order date May 11th)
Company:- Griffon Enterprises

SIF EX Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Knee Socks
Price:- £80-£97+
Scale:- non
Release:- October (pre-order date May 14th)
Company:- Yamato

Nendoroid Kuroyukihime
Price:- £24-£47+
Scale:- non
Release:- September (pre-order date May 15th)
Company:- Good Smile Company

Kashiwazaki Sena Swim Wear
Price:- £45-£70+
Scale:- 1/7
Release:- November (pre-order date May 15th)
Company:- Alphamax

Mikaduki Yozora
Price:- £45-£70+
Scale:- 1/8
Release:- September (pre-order date May 15th)
Company:- Kotobukiya

ARTFX J Kaiba Seto
Price:- £52-£85+
Scale:- 1/7
Release:- September (pre-order date May 15th)
Company:- Kotobukiya

Where to Buy:- Eyes on Asia, Archonia, Hobby Search, Hobby Link Japan, Amiami, Otacute,
play-asia, otakufuel, jlist

Every week we bring you the latest anime merchandise up for preorder. That’s because we love everything anime! This week we nice line up of goods from older seasons and some new.

Will you be reserving any cool goods this week? Please leave us a comment in the section below.

Nyaruko-san Indescribable Rubber Strap 3 pieces
Company:- Surfers Paradise
Price:-£20+

Fate/Zero Nap Pillow
Company:- jetedge
Price:-£11+ each
Other variations are also available for pre-order

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san ia! Cthugha! Strap
Company:- Cospa
Price:-£7+ each
Other variations are also available for pre-order

K-on!! Nakano Azusa Dokidoki Big Towel
Company:- Cospa
Price:- £40+ each
Other variations are also available for pre-order

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes T-shirt
Company:- Cospa
Sizes:- M, L, XL
Price:-£22+

Tsuritama Yuki Strap
Company:- Cospa
Price:-£7+ each
Other variations are also available for pre-order

Tsuritama Straight Tumbler
Company:- Cospa
Price:-£11+

Lily from anim.o.v.e Lily V3 Tapestry
Company:- Cospa
Price:-£40+

Super Sonico A6 Ring Nodebook
Company:- Broccoli
Price:-£4+ each
Other variations are also available for pre-order

Yurumates 3D Punipuni Udemakura
Company:- ACG
Price:-£6+ each
Other variations are also available for pre-order

Where to Buy:- Hobby Search and Amiami are most likely to stock these goods other stores may or may not.

After a look at the top 30 list of recommended anime series on IMDB, we asked our followers on Facebook what they thought of the line up. Let’s just say you did not take it well. Many of you disagreed with the line up, suggesting different titles and moving current ones on the list up and down.

We wanted to take things one step further. Why settle for an anime list that doesn’t meet your expectations? Instead, why don’t we create a list together, by fans, for fans. To do this we need your vote! Below is a list of anime series we recommend and ones you have suggested on our Facebook page.

Please select which of the below anime you think should be in our list. You can vote for as many or as little as you want. The ones with the most votes will be on top of our list.

As you may know, Anime Picks has been working on starting up an online shop. As well as selling AnnaMay t-shirts, we are going to be selling AnnaMay panda hats and geeky/otaku t-shirts as well.

We recently set up a campaign to raise start up money for the shop which was needed for printing t-shirts and getting to conventions. That campaign is now over. Although we didn’t raise the total we needed to, we did raise $531 which amounts to just under £300. We are thrilled with the amount people have donated and are moving onto the next stage.

We are gathering our funds and working out how many designs we can print. We have already invested in the panda hats and are currently working on customising them. Within the next couple of weeks we will be finalising designs and sending them off to print.

Soon enough we will have the online shop up and running and ready for you to purchase some of our high-quality products, in the hope that in the future we can invest in new t-shirt designs and merchandise.

We would like to thank everybody that donated and spread the word to help Anime Picks progress!

We return to Bleach having watched Rukia run into some serious trouble with an Espada posing as an old friend and team mate and Chad suffering a fatal blow. With some serious flash backs and lengthy episodes, the start of this volume in particular seems to be getting a lot more serious. This load of episodes focuses on Renji, Uryu and Ichigo himself as they fight through some of their hardest battles to date.

The focus on a specific amount of characters is most welcome as previous series have tried to lump in as many character story lines as possible – which results in an altogether confusing state of affairs. It’s encouraging to see the focus back on Ichigo as he finally gets back to the fight!

Having found previous scenes with Orihime the most interesting, it’s wonderful to see her return to the forefront once again. Her on-screen presence feels almost nostalgic and the chemistry between her and Ichigo makes scenes with both characters intense.

Orihime’s character has changed since she has been captured by the Espada. She is much more mature, her powers seemed to have improved and she appears to be a much more important character. She is animated wonderfully too, her overall look is a lot more mature and she appears as some sort of wonder who has so much more potential.

We are treated to a bit of Espada back story within one episode, this addition is most welcome and even brings about a bout of sympathy for the enemy. The animation has obviously improved from previous series, it is much brighter, cleaner and has good continuity – as should be expected from a large series such as Bleach.

 

Sadly Bleach still suffers from the same old shonen formula. Episodes are easily dragged out with flashbacks and long conversations in the middle of battle, there seems to be an endless amount of powering up and characters never seem to die. You can be sure that when a strong character is seen for the first time, they are going to almost die at least three times before our heroes can actually get rid of them.

Having said that, this series of Bleach has picked up quite substantially. There seems to be a nice balance of back-story, battles and character development which all lends a hand to the small amount of characters in the episodes. This part is worth a buy, especially if you have been disappointed with the new series so far. Don’t give up. It gets so much better!

Label: Manga Entertainment
Release Date: 14^th May 2012
Release Type: DVD
Certificate: 15

Japanese street fashion. Everyone around the world look in awe of the mash up of colours, styles and makeup, behind the heavy layers there are many theories and tribes are definitely formed. Several are linked to actual issues connected to the society we live in – to do with war, crime, violence, addiction to fashion, and even rejection.

The issues are complex and I’m going to split the tribes down and focus on the Gals of Fashion in this article. Almost all the tribes were created from a compilation of strong ideas which branch off into smaller sects. The overall nickname of ‘poseur’ (from French ‘thought’) which was later referred to as ‘mask’ but technically in everyday English slang ‘Poseur’ is one who goes against the grain of the group and dresses to stand out. This goes for all areas such as food, music, literature, art and hobbies (the Ganguro sub culture is often linked with Para Para, a Japanese dance style using your arms).

Gal is the Japanese translation for ‘Gyaru’. Through the depths of the internet I searched and couldn’t find a text book definition, only that the name originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called ‘gals’, with the advertising slogan: ‘I can’t live without men’, and was applied to fashion and peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. The term was used mostly in the 1980s and eventually the term morphed into something different for the younger teens whose lack of interest in work or marriage gained the term ‘gal’ the new meaning of ‘childish’ and is also linked to ‘kogyaru’ also known as ‘Kogal’.

In Japan the image that fits the Gal tribe was, heavy tan (often darkened by tanning beds or lotions/makeup) and loose socks (now including legwarmers) that were trendy at schools and Shibuya academies.

This later gave birth to a Kogal clique that based their look on sun kissed California babes. This consisted of tanned skin, bleached blonde dyed hair, miniskirts, accessories (mobile phones, charms, rings, jewelry) and makeup, so you’d need the cash to successfully live this lifestyle and many Japanese Gals sought to prostitution or selling used undies to fund their expenses.

This is why they are frowned upon whenever mentioned in animes and mangas, such as much loved Gals focusing on these sub cultures never conforming (Ganguro trio) and Peach Girl, Momo who unfortunately are very easily is ostracised for being ‘easy’.

Their attempt at individuality and self-expression is in open defiance of school standards and regulations. The deep ganguro tan is in direct conflict with traditional Japanese ideology of feminine beauty. Due to this, as well as their use of slang, unconventional fashion sense and assumed lack of hygiene, ganguro gals are almost always portrayed negatively by the Japanese media.

Are you willing to invest to look the best?

Studio Ghibli, Max Factory, Kaiyodo and Good Smile Company have joined forces to produce a line of figures featuring the Giant God Warrior from the animated short entitled Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo. This short film was developed by Evangelion director Hideaki Anno and produced by Studio Ghibli.

The God Warrior himself was directly influenced by the well known Ghibli film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Check out the figures in all their glory. The smallest is a Vignette, the next size up is a fully posable figma and the largest is a giant replica.

 

What do you guys think of these figures? They sure are different from the usual cutesy figures we usually feature on Anime Picks.

Images from Mikatan’s English Blog.

It’s a reality that the cosplay has become a hot performance art at present. Attention from people in different age groups are attracted by it. Lots of contests are held frequently in different places. Like it or not, it’s considered to be an interesting toner for life. However, to make sure you can do well cosplaying you need to know the rules. Below, some regulations about cosplay are summarized. Spend minutes here, you could benefit a lot!

Definition of Cosplay

This word originated in the 90s. Like Gameboy, it’s a compound word created by Japanese people. Its meaning roots in two words, which refer to costume and play. When they are combined, they mean roll play. People perform by imitating the appearance, individuality and behavior of specific characters. The similarity is the most crucial standard. Demand on sex can be omitted.

People performing a costume play are called as cosplayers. They are professional, who are different with common cosplay devotees and actors. Cosplayers concentrate on their costumes, props, makeup, and techniques when dealing with their pictures. They can even write a play and direct it personally. But for sure, mutual help among all cosplayers is necessary.

Cosplay organisations refer to some clubs or studios where the staff organizes some cosplay making activities frequently.

Classification of Cosplay

Generally speaking, there are four main classifications of this performance art.

• First of all, people imitate roles from anime, manga etc.
• Second, they tend to play the role of characters from games.
• Third, some real persons get imitated sometimes. For example, members from a certain music band are loved and imitated.
• And lastly, cosplayers hold strong interest for cosplay. They often come up with some original characters. Recently, this is rather popular in the cosplay world. Since there aren’t fixed roles to be imitated, the standard to judge whether a cosplayer perform well or not just lies in his design and costume making capability.

Classifications of Cosplay Organizations

Like above, there are four categories.

• Some cosplayers are good at performing on stage. They are concentrated and professional in understanding the thought in the original work. They will be able to control the atmosphere.
• Second, some cosplayers prefer to perform outdoors. Via photographing and PS, they express plots in the original work by plane ways.
• Third, some cosplayers pay special attention to technique. They spend more time on making costumes, props, makeup and PS.
• At last, many cosplayers do all or most of the above things. They constitute an organisation and refer to the last classification.

Content of Cosplay Stage Performance

Cosplayers emphasize on different matters while going for diverse stage performances.

• Catwalk: one or several persons act there and similarity is the only criteria. Cosplayers need to maintain their postures for about five seconds.
• Perform according to the original plot: a certain plot from the original work is picked out. On the basis of it, cosplayers write again and deduce. In this case, a short living theatre is born.
• Perform according to character: appearance and personality of roles from the original work is focused by all imitators. But the plot is written once again and deduced.
• Pose and walk on the stage: cosplayers just pose and walk on the stage. They won’t communicate with each other. Before the performance, cosplayers need to make clear the size and shape of the stage. In this case, they can decide the path and places for them to stand.
• Combine most of above-mentioned content: all details mentioned above can be combined freely. But the stage play should be less than 15 minutes. Otherwise, the audience will feel bored.

Classifications of Cosplay Contests

According to the types of the cosplay organizations, cosplay contests are always integrative. Below, some most frequently seen categories are listed.

• Anime/manga
• Game
• Original works
• Real persons
• Photography: here, optics cameras and digital cameras are often used. The former also includes taking a photo and printing the photo. The latter also covers photography and also PS.

Rules for Code of Points

Cosplayers are recommended to make their costumes personally. While being judged, the following aspects are taken into consideration.

• Similarity: cosplayers need to make them look the same with the imitated characters. Here, the facial shape, five sense organs, height, figure and makeup will be considered.
• Costume: the entire look, similarity of adornments, color and whether the costume fits the cosplayer will be considered.
• Props: the proportion of size, craftsmanship and similarity level should be focused.
• Performance on the stage: the cosplayers’ acting skills, appearance and posture on the stage, arrangement of the plots, music and coordination with other members are noticed.

Demand on Cosplay Judges

More and more cosplay contents are held nowadays. So, who are the best judges? They are required to grasp below details:

• Clearly know all above-mentioned knowledge.
• Have a comprehensive understanding about the background of the selected anime or manga.
• Rigorous attitude: they are not allowed to bring their own emotion into the contest.
• Appreciation standard for the stage performance.
• They cannot get in touch with any contestant before the competition.

Etiquettes of Cosplayers

• Both boys and girls need to protect them strictly. This especially makes sense when they imitate some sexy roles.
• They can refuse to be taken a picture anytime.
• Tell cosplayers if finding some cameramen tend to take some indelicate photos.
• Avoid standing together with a lot of people because they are easily taken some photos against the law there.
• They cannot do any behavior that doesn’t fit the fictional role or destroy it.
• Take off the costume after the show.

Etiquettes for Cosplay Photographers

• Make sure to be allowed by the cosplayers while taking a photo.
• Take the photo when the cosplayer has already posed well.
• Respect any cosplayer.
• Avoid any suspicious angle for photography.
• They are not allowed to make cosplayers’ photos public if they don’t want to public.

Rules for All Cosplay Devotees

Since you are fond of this performance art, you should do well in these:

• You cannot put up any photo related to eroticism, violence and terror.
• You cannot release and forward any post without authority.
• You cannot attack, slander and quarrel with any other cosplayer.

Author bio:  Sado from Miccostumes.com, a shop sales cosplay products online.To know more tutorials or interesting cosplay ideas, follow his on Twitter @miccostumes.com please.

Every week we bring you the latest figures up for preorder and that’s because figures rock! This week we have a small line up of cool figures, Kuga Utao was a surprise but she’s looking pretty cute!

What do you think of this week’s reserve list? Will you be getting any of these? Please leave us a comment in the section below.

High School DxD Rias Gremory
Price:- £50-£70+
Scale:- 1/8
Release:- August (pre-order date May 2nd)
Company:- Chara-Ani

Fullpuni! Figure Series No.13 To Heart2 Kosaka Tamaki
Price:- £65+
Scale:- non
Release:- September (pre-order date May 2nd)
Company:- Evolution-Toy

ARTFX J Urameshi Yusuke
Price:- £40-£60+
Scale:- 1/8
Release:- September (pre-order date May 8th)
Company:- Kotobukiya

Nendoroid Princess of the Crystal
Price:- £24-£47+
Scale:- non
Release:- September (pre-order date May 8th)
Company:- Good Smile Company

Kuga Utao
Price:- £55-£75+
Scale:- 1/8
Release:- August (pre-order date May 8th)
Company:- FREEing

Fault!! Date Wingfield Reiko
Price:- £65-£85+
Scale:- 1/6
Release:- October (pre-order date May 8th)
Company:- Alphamax

Where to Buy:- Eyes on Asia, Archonia, Hobby Search, Hobby Link Japan, Amiami, Otacute,
play-asia, otakufuel, jlist