INTERVIEW WITH MANGAKANDREAM

Life is No Fairy Tale - An Interview with Mangakandream.
Interview conducted by Sandra Scholes

For those who like manga artists Missyrachelle is one who likes creating her own manga, but also has an admiration of other manga artists out there and even wants to attend conventions - let's hope it's as a star when she does. Here, she lets us into her world of manga art, influences and future works. 

Sandra: How long have you been into manga and who are your artistic influences?
Mangakandream: I haven't been into it for very long, but I knew from almost an instant that it was for me. Hiro Mashima, creator of Fairy Tail, was like the biggest influence. He created a wonderful story with a beautiful design that suits all my interests. His work was actually my first anime/manga to see, so, naturally, I favor it. Of course, every other manga artist is brilliant as well so I pick up things from various people. You could say that every person who makes manga and enjoys it are my artist influences.

ARTICLE FOR TIGER & BUNNY: THE BEGINNING MOVIE

Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning.

Anime's most unlikely superhero pairing is treated to a full-length movie. In the series Barnaby "Bunny" Brookes Jnr. is the newcomer to Sternbild City and one of a brand of heroes called NEXT who use their superpowers to fight criminals and bring them to justice. Barnaby is paired with Kotetsu "Wild Tiger" Kaburagi, though at first he is considered to be a tired out has-been as far as the company who employs him are concerned.

VISORED ARMY - JUST WHO ARE THEY? (ARTICLE)

Visored Army - Just who are They?
You would think that Shinji would be the leader of the visoreds, but you would be wrong - it's Hiyori. The reason is she'd probably beat up anyone who tries to question her.


Shinji Hirako
Former Squad 7 Captain where the mysterious Aizen Sousuke was his Assistant. Back in the Pendulum Arc, he enjoyed teasing him, but he didn't know the true intentions of his second in command.

Hiyori Sarugaki
Calls Shinji "baldy," beats anyone up who annoys her (usually always) and has a particular hatred of Soul Reapers due to what happened a hundred years ago when she was Assistant Captain of Squad 12 under Captain Urahara.

WRINKLES ARTICLE

Wrinkles

In cinemas from Friday 18th April 2014. Also on DVD & Blu-Ray from Monday 28th April 2014.

Fast sell:

Voiced by Hollywood royalty Martin Sheen, this moving animation demands to be seen, and is a talking point for all ages.

PATEMA INVERTED ARTICLE

Patema Inverted 

 

In cinemas from Friday 2nd May 2014

Fast sell:

One of the freshest Sci-­Fi anime in years, Patema Inverted literally turns its heroine's world upside down to produce an action­packed, gravity­defying adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

K - THE COMPLETE SERIES ARTICLE

K - The Complete TV Series (DVD+Blu-ray combo) 

 

On DVD & Blu-Ray from Monday 5th May 2014

Shiro is an easygoing teenager content with just being a student - until his seemingly perfect life is halted when a bloodthirsty clan, glowing red with fire, attempts to kill him in the streets. Unbeknownst to Shiro, he is suspected of murdering a member of their clan and will need a miracle to escape their vengeance.

ARTICLE FOR MAGI - THE LABYRINTH OF MAGIC SERIES 1 PART 2

Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic Series 1 Part 2 

 

On DVD & Blu-Ray from Monday 12th May 2014

Aladdin has yet to regain consciousness from the battle with the fallen magi Judar. Meanwhile, as the third prince of Balbadd, Alibaba tries to stop his older brother King Ahbmad from turning Balbadd into a slave-exporting nation. But his plans are thwarted by none other than Cassim, his childhood friend from the slums, now transformed into a Dark Djinn by the Dark Metal Vessel.

ARTICLE FOR ONE PIECE COLLECTION 6

 

One Piece Collection 6

 

On DVD from Monday 19th May 2014

Fresh off their adventure in Alabasta, The Straw Hats prepare to sail straight into the sky! After a death-defying adventure in the dire and dangerous Rainbow Mist, Luffy and his crew dock at Mock Town in search of directions, but instead they're brutally bullied by pirates who've forgotten how to dream.

ARTICLE FOR BLUE EXORCIST THE MOVIE

Blue Exorcist: The Movie 

 

On DVD & Blu-Ray from Monday 26th May 2014

Fast sell:

Following on from the very popular television series, Blue Exorcist returns with its own full length feature movie!

ARTICLE FOR HIGH SCHOOL DXD COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTION

High School DxD Complete Series Collection 

 

On DVD & Blu-Ray from Monday 26th May 2014

A war between heaven and hell is raging on Earth - and a hot mess of hormonal fury is raging in Issei's pants. The guy is dying to get some action. Which is funny, since his first date ever turns into a winged monster and tries to kill him.

ARTICLE FOR BLEACH COMPLETE SERIES 12

Bleach Complete Series 12 

On DVD from Monday 26th May 2014

Combining the previously release Bleach Series 12 Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 into one collection.

Contains episode 230-265

A mysterious man has given physical form to the Zanpakuto of all captains and lieutenants of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

REVIEW FOR BLUE EXORCIST DEFINITIVE EDITION

 

Blue Exorcist Definitive Edition Part 2
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 175 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: Out Now!
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Rin and the other Ex-Wires are sent off for vacation which is in the form of a field trip. It's a break from school life, but also gets them to interact with each other in a way they can't at school. Either way, they  have to prove how good they are as exorcists. All that training they did before must come in to play if they want to succeed. As the camp is set deep in a forest they will have to use all what they  have learned to avoid being killed, but how will Rin keep his secret hidden from the rest of the group?

ANIME NEWS - DRAGON BALL SEASON 1

 

Dragon Ball Season 1 (Episodes 1-28)

On DVD from Monday 5th May 2014

Fast sell:

Go back in time to a place before Dragon Ball Z and see how Goku became the hero we know and love in the original Dragon Ball Series for first time on DVD!

Synopsis:

Goku may be small, but this fearless warrior packs a punch as powerful as any on the planet. Left alone after his grandfather's death, this unusual boy is happy to spend his days hunting and eating and eating some more. But everything changes on the day he meets Bulma - a bossy, blue-haired beauty with boys on the brain. Together, they set out to track down the seven magic Dragon Balls and make the wish that will change their lives forever.

INTERVIEW WITH LINDSEY CORMIER

Interview with Lindsey Cormier
Interview conducted by Sandra Scholes

It's great to have an artist with us who knows how to show fairies and many other otherworldly peoples and things in their best light. Lindsey Cormier had some of her best work featured in an art book called the Big-Eye Art by Blonde Blythe a while back and she has kindly come to discuss her art with us today.

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD FOUR

 
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Four
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: PG
Running Time: 250 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: Out now!
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Talk is rife about General Raven's whereabouts, and the fact he disappeared. Many feel it is due to General Armstrong, even though they cannot prove it. They thought she has disposed of him, and not being fool enough to leave any evidence she has done it. General Armstrong herself has to visit Fuhrer Bradley to explain what went wrong with the mission. She has plenty of explaining to do, and knows he doesn't suffer fools gladly, yet she knows he has a soft spot for her, and knows she'll get the job done no matter how daunting the task. 

IT'S NO LAUGHING MATTER - WHERE'S THE HUMOR IN YAOI?

It's No Laughing Matter - where's the Humor in Yaoi?

Hello all, I'm Sandra Scholes and I've been reading yaoi since 2005. I like to indulge in the mixed genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and Historical, and I wonder why it is that there isn't much humour in the genre. I started out as a reviewer of standard manga for Active Anime, and it didn't take long before I became introduced to yaoi via other yaoi publishers. Yaoi Press was one of the first I reviewed for. Their titles were M/M based fantasy graphic novels depicting the ups and downs of characters caught in the kind of private turmoil that brings two men together. For me the Winter Demon series springs to mind, as Spring Demon, Incubus Master and The Incubus and the Woodcutter came after and were just as entertaining. Hakuin the monk has to seek help from Fuyu, the rather sensual and sex-mad winter demon to send rogue demons from his village, yet there is a price, he has to let Fuyu indulge his desires. This read like a yaoi many would expect, it has touches of humour in it, but not much as it is mainly serious.

ANIME PREVIEW: BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC 2 THE BATTLE FOR DOLDREY

Anime Preview: Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 The Battle for Doldrey

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 The Egg of the King was just the beginning where we learn of the crimson Behelit Griffith wears around his neck since he was a child. In this sequel, the second of three, we find out what Griffith has in store for his men, and those who would oppose him.

YAOI - MAN ON MAN ACTION AT ITS BEST

Yaoi - Man on Man action at its best!
Article by Sandra Scholes


Ever wondered what the manga novels on the shelves of popular book retailers with colourful cartoon style covers and even more colourful titles were about?
You need not worry, the wait is over if you have never encountered them before. The days are gone of traditional Japanese manga, a more sophisticated genre has emerged over the past few years and taken most of the world by storm.

REGENCY - WHY IT'S THE BEST ERA FOR ROMANCE.

 
Regency - Why it's the Best Era for Romance!
Guest post by Keira Gillett.

My favorite romantic era is actually two eras. The first is the Regency period, which if you read my blog, is very apparent. The second is historical American romance, which I cut my romance teeth on as a teenager. It’s a little harder to spot because I am reading less of it right now, but I do in fact love it to pieces.

INTERVIEW WITH YURI LOWENTHAL

Interview with Yuri Lowenthal
Conducted by Sandra Scholes 

This interview was conducted by me back in 2009 when I worked for Active Anime and got the chance of interviewing voice actor Yuri Lowenthal who is most famous for his work on Bleach as Keigo Asano and on Naruto as Uchiha legend, Sasuke. This interview was done for the upcoming movie Afro Samurai  - Resurrection.

Active Anime had the greatest of pleasure to Interview Yuri Lowenthal Of Afro Samurai - Resurrection, who plays Jinnosuke the latest in the series which has its all star cast of voice Actors.

MANGA GUIDE; THE ESSENTIALS

 
Manga and Anime Guide; The Essentials Pt. 1
In manga and anime there are characters who display certain traits, wear certain outfits and sport accessories that identify them as being a certain type, and a good or a bad character can make all the difference. Take a look at these character traits and maybe, you might be able to think of some more.
Glasses:
Whether it's Aizen from Bleach or Kabuto from Naruto, men who wear glasses tend to be in the not so nice category. As far as manga lore is concerned, these are the bad guys, and there's plenty of them. Everyone thought of former Captain Aizen as a decent guy who respected the other captains and lieutenants of the thirteen court guard squads. He made his intention clear he wanted to defect to Hueco Mundo in order to raise his won Arrancar army.

If that's not enough Kabuto defects from Konoha to be token evil Lord Orochimaru's right hand man, forging himself a career in the sound village where he frequently caused trouble with the neighbouring villages, and cruelly experimented on his allies.

INTERVIEW WITH BIG EYE ARTIST KELLY HAIGH!!

Interview with Big-Eye Artist Kelly Haigh
Interview conducted by Sandra Scholes

There's too much standard artwork out there, but for those who like their fantasy art a little darker with some good humour thrown in for good measure, there is no better artist than Kelly Haigh who has been drawing her big-eye artwork for a while now and has been kind enough to share her thoughts with us.

Sandra: Of all the big-eyed artwork featured in the Big-Eye Art Book, yours is a portfolio that stands out as being unusual in a Tim Burton kind of way. The art is beautiful but in each painting there is an underlying sinister tone (in Offerings there is a beheaded grinning Cheshire cat.) How long have you been painting in this way?

Kelly: Thanks, Sandra! Offerings was a painting I did for an amazing fashion designer, Jennifer Nicholson. The cat is her father, (actor extraordinary, Jack Nicholson). I've been painting this way for many years. I have a painting I did when I was 11, in a similar fashion. A dark brown sky, weird black winged things,

and an owl, waiting on a mouse, who sits beside a rose, unaware the courtship will end in death. I've  always been fascinated and intrigued by darkness, and death. All the talk of eternal fires at Sunday  school, and a truck driving daddy, (who always told me road stories of big crash ups he'd seen). One time he was going to set up flares beside one such crash, and tripped over a body. When there was enough light, he discovered the man had no head. I was probably 7 when he told me about that. Every summer vacation driving past that area near Ontario, I would watch out the car window, and try to find that head. My dad  told me I might find it if I watched closely. In retrospect, I think he was just trying to have some peace and quiet, and not hear me talk, or bicker with my brothers.

REVIEW FOR GUILTY CROWN PART 2

Guilty Crown Part 2
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 15
Running Time: 250 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese: DD 2.0
Release Date: 28/4/2014
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

If you are a fan of Aquarion or most other Mecha influenced anime series this is colourful enough to get your attention. In the previous series, Inori was being taken away from Shu for Death to use her as a tool to resurrect Mana, he hates the fact she is being used as a sacrifice when he could have a chance to save her, but Shu only gets told he has repressed feelings about Mana.

REVIEW FOR K - THE COMPLETE TV SERIES

K - The Complete TV Series
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 330 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese: DD 2.0
Release Date: 14/4/2014
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Shiro Isana is a normal, everyday high school kid who lives a normal life, or at least that's what he is lead do believe until he is being chased by several factions, HOMRA, SCEPTER 4 and Kuroh Yatogama. These factions think he has killed Tatara Totsuka who is also a member of HOMRA. Shiro can't understand what is happening to his life as he has always believed he was a normal kid, not someone who has been caught on video killing a woman he doesn't even know.

REVIEW FOR NARUTO SHIPPUDEN BOX SET 17

Naruto Shippuden Box Set 17
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 300 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese: DD 2.0
Release Date: 7/4/2014
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

There is still a lot of decision making to go with who they will choose to lead the allied shinobi forces, and the kage have no idea who it will be while Sakura decides to announce something rather interesting to Naruto, but he doesn't like it - he thinks she must be making fun of him!

REVIEW FOR BLEACH SERIES 13 PART 1

 
Bleach Series 13 Part 1
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 313 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese: DD 2.0
Release Date: 7/4/2014
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Series 13 starts with a recap of the previous Arrancar Arc where Aizen and his men enter the world of the living to destroy Karakura Town in order to create the Ogen, the King's Key. As Aizen's substitute chief he has left Ulquiorra in charge while he, Gin and Tozen face-off against the Soul Reapers they betrayed - Ichigo and his friends had entered Hueco Mundo to get Orihime back only to find they were kept captive there instead.

WOLF CHILDREN

 
Wolf Children
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 300 Mins
Audio: English DD 5.1 & Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: Out Now!
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Hana is a university student who falls for a fellow student, but he isn't a normal man, he is a descendant of the near extinct grey wolves of Japan. He can also turn into a wolf, and when he tells Hana of this she still finds she loves him despite his confession. He decides he has grown so fond of her that he wants to set up a family with her, and in time she gives birth to Yuki and Ame who are as different to each other as chalk and cheese, but when her husband dies suddenly, she is left alone to take care of the two children who she feels are the only connection to him.