:anime: Ani-Journal (BETA) - For December 31, 2012

Don't fret. Hopefully, you'll be license rescued… (Hopefully…)

We started the year with an Ani-Journal entry and now we end the year with an Ani-Journal entry (although the gap was unintentional. Been a busy bee…)!

--Speaking of, I would've caught Sacred Seven a little earlier in the month, but I spent much of that time doing Christmas decorations and watching holiday programming (I'm the festive type… ^^;; ). Thankfully, it was a marathon-easy show and I had enough time to watch it over the course of two, because it turned out to be a really good show. I wanted to see it due to its production quality from some screenshots and promotional pictures, but given that it 1) revolved around rocks and 2) looked like just another shounen action show, I put it towards the back of my list of shows to watch. However, with Bandai Ent., who licensed it, going down and them relinquishing titles they are unable to release, Sacred Seven was one of them and was disappearing from Hulu by the end of the year (and already had from Crunchyroll).

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: The Rose of Versailles

The Rose of Versailles

Official Site: English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video: Viki, YouTube (first ep. only)

There are many great anime titles that one can buy and/or watch in North America. At the same time, there are still plenty more that have yet to see the light of day here, much less have been license-rescued. Older works, despite their quality, tend to have the least-likely chance of being acquired, due to their age. There has been one title, however, that has defied that stigma and has been among the most requested titles--and for good reason.

HardDoor--now tumblr-ized!

If you couldn't tell by now, I like posting pictures here at HardDoor whenever I can. I have literally thousands of pictures, and there are a number of things I'd like to do picture-wise on HD, but alas, the Blogger-connected Picasa only gives you so much room, and I'd rather save that space for future anime reviews and previews. Additionally, I don't think some of what I had in mind would necessarily fit into the style and format of the blog.

So I got to thinking: since HardDoor isn't really confined to just Blogger anymore--Twitter (personal thoughts, live blogging, biggest source of random content) and Facebook (exclusive pictures, rankings, the occasional quick prediction) have their own functions by extension--why not just expand the blog through another venue? It crossed my mind beforehand, but I had decided to start something at tumblr!

HardDoor: Screenshot Haven has actually been open since Dec. 13, but it is dedicated primarily to screenshots that I have taken over time, as well as other nice, pretty pictures. The screenies range from the cool-looking and elegant, to the weird and embarrassingly-drawn, plus I'll post the occasional edited screenshot and a few shots from HardDoor, itself. These are predominately ones that I have taken and/or edited myself, though pictures beyond that will have likely have come from elsewhere. I'll also be "reblogging" interesting pictures from other tumblr users, as well, and while the majority of what's posted will be anime-related, there is no real set type of content that'll be shown. If it's neat, I'll post it.

More or less, it's kind of like HD in picture form or some mini-version of it (it even has a slightly different logo!). I'll still post pictures here, mind you, but if you are in the mood for some more interesting screenshots or pictures, come and check out HardDoor: Screenshot Haven, too. Hope you all enjoy it!!

--HD

:anime: Nice Box…:: Ristorante Paradiso Complete Collection

In what is now a semi-regular segment on HD, "Nice Box" takes a quick look at recent releases that I've personally purchased, featuring "beautifully"-captured cell phone pictures of the sets from the blog's Facebook page. I don't intend to post pictures of every single thing I get, but I would like to at least showcase particular major releases or something that I've found neat or liked. It's essentially meant to give you a basic feel of how they came out, plus I'll share my thoughts on the content of the discs themselves (menu design, video quality, extras, etc.). So, please enjoy! --HD

While work has played a major role in the lack of updates lately, one good side-effect to it is that you get money out of it. And when you get money, you can get stuff, like nice anime box sets! This particular one, though, isn't a box set, per se…

:anime: Nice Box, Pt. 3…:: Madoka Magica LE 3 Pics!

It's been awhile since the last post of pics from Aniplex USA's release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but here are the final batch of the final set! Box 3 concludes the company's very strong presentation of the series, featuring much of the same kinds of swag that came with the previous two: double-sided posters, double-sided BD/DVD case cover, a soundtrack, a booklet, postcards featuring the episode endcards, and a proof-of-purchase card (OK, so that last one's not quite "swag"…). The quality is evident all around and once more shows that Aniplex USA knows how to pull out all of the stops for a top title like PMMM. It would have been nice if the disc extras had more worth beyond a textless OP (the memorable second/true ED never received the same treatment even in Japan), but all of the physical material certainly makes up for it (although I do take some points off for not fully translating the credits--a growing problem with recent releases).

:anime: The Lights Are On Neon Alley

(Source: Edited from Official Site (background image))

In The Beginning…

About two years ago, Google released a product named "Google TV", a set-top box-like device/platform which integrated itself in between one's set-top cable/satellite box and HDTV. It enabled people to access the Internet and streaming content, such as that from Google's own YouTube, on their HDTVs, while giving them access to their cable/satellite service at the same time. The instant my eyes laid upon the article I read, my mind began to race with ideas. The notion of having an anime-based network as already been realized by two entities--The Anime Network and FUNimation Channel--but neither have a great deal of exposure over the airwaves, though they have fared better via cable video-on-demand (VOD) and even more so on streaming sites, such as the aforementioned two. It is not an easy venture to grab a spot on a cable or satellite system, particularly as a niche one with a smaller viewer base than most. A streaming site can offer more flexibility, control, and security, but it lacks the type of access one can achieve by being "just a click away", nor does it possess the greater comfort and larger screen size one can enjoy on a television screen, especially when it comes to HD content.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Ristorante Paradiso

Ristorante Paradiso

Official Site: English
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video: YouTube

Two years ago, a confluence of thoughts led me towards dedicating November 2010 as "Impromptu Natsume Ono Appreciation Month". This was, as you can guess, a sudden event, so it was perhaps only appropriate that the title I wanted as its centerpiece and that month's Pick--Ristorante Paradiso--was, all the sudden, gone from Crunchyroll when I went to write about!. This was before I was aware that titles could disappear from CR (something I wish the site would make more apparent for affected shows; a listing would), but even so, it was pulled rather surreptitiously.

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: All Vamped Out

Uh oh…

Many people have a thing for vampires Whether it's stuff like Twilight, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, or even the Blade movies, there is a certain allure to the legend,  and the occasional spin, as well. I've always been a fan of the genre, myself (not so much for the overt sexuality or gore that can be assessed to it), and there have been a fair share of anime titles in it, too, so in this Halloween installment of "Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month", we'll be taking a look at a rather broad range of vampire-based works, some well-known, others not.

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2012-13 Special:: noitaminA (Autumn, Winter)

Back once again is HardDoor's coverage of noitaminA's offerings for the season--but this one is a bit different than previous installments. For one, information on both series has been rather slow and vague until recently (Robotics;Notes had some since its PS3 game counterpart was announced, but it wasn't terribly clear what it was all about, whereas PSYCHO-PASS wasn't detailed until the last month or so). Two, with the latter taking up two cours and the former, thus far, looking like the standard 11 eps., no other series has been announced yet to fill Winter's of slot 11 eps.. And three, Production I.G is handling both series, returning to the block after the ill-fated GUILTY CROWN.

There tends to always be an unintentional theme each season, but instead of the "all-star staff/casts" of the past two, this one feels more like a case of "If that anime was popular for x reason, why not this one for x reason?!" It remains to be seen if that mindset will pay off (spoiler: most often than not, no), but fortunately, both series have been acquired by FUNimation for streaming, set for, well, today, so let's get on with the preview!

:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Even More Mari Okada!!

For the past two "Free/Low-Cost Anime Picks of the Month", I have highlighted a few titles penned by screenwriter Mari Okada, one of the most in-demand--and divisive--talents in the anime industry. This was largely unintentional and no, I haven't been too kind about her work, either. However, she is a hot commodity for a reason and not everything she has done has been a complete mess (maybe well-controlled messes, but still…). So I figured, why not conclude our little "Unintentional Mari Okada Awareness Special" by spotlighting two shows of her's that are actually pretty good!