UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who came! Next Animanga Club meeting will be the FURUBA Reunion!

Kanpai! Its time to announce the next Animanga Club program. On March 15, AC will be meeting the Northeast Branch (Plymouth road and Nixon, the little shopping mall) and the theme will be Samurai.. or basically all anime involving samurai-like characteristics (think Samurai Champloo, as well as Bleach).

So what is your favorite Swordsman/samurai series? Favorite character? I would have to say Bleach right now (Byakuya certainly makes an impression on me.. cold, unfeeling and weird hair!).. but that's because I'm on Episode 44 of the series, and if I were rich, I would have bought all the books by now.

Also, what would you like to watch during the last part of the program? I'm partial to Bleach, but I'm open to bribes.. er I mean, suggestions.

I am so excited. Kingdom of Hearts II for the PS2 is set to be released March 28, 2006. Some of the voices on the game will be from Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense, Rachael Leigh Cook from Josie and the Pussycats, and Mena Suvari from American Pie. But my husband said he heard that the U.S. release date has been put on hold indefinitely. Has anyone heard anything about that? Are there any other cool games coming out soon?

AADL-GT: Ann Arbor District Library Game Tournaments

The Season 3 Planning Meeting will take place this Sunday at Malletts Creek Branch from 1-4 PM. We will have plenty of open play, including Super Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, DDR, and, if the gun will work with the projector, a DUCK HUNT TOURNAMENT!

Also, we'll be testing out a crazy idea... we're going to try 8-player Mario Kart with 4 players at Malletts Creek, and 4 players Downtown. So, if any have your own transportation and would like to stop Downtown at 1:00, you can help Kip test the Downtown end of the network, and then head out to Malletts before we start the actual meeting.

Graphic novelist, Gloeckner, will talk about Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Picturesand other works. New York Times Sunday Magazine says Gloeckner is “one of the most accomplished [cartoonists] in terms of mastery of the medium”. Check her out at ravenblond.com.

Hi everyone!

at tonight's animanga club we talked about starting up an anime/manga zine that would have reviews, other features/writing, fan art, your own characters/other art, stuff about Japanese language and culture--really anything related to the world of anime and manga that you all want to contribute.

we also talked about:
1. editorial board! can everyone who expressed interest in either editing writing or coordinating/editing art please post and remind us of your names?

2. frequency! does about once a month sound good? if that's our goal, we've got to get rolling on SUBMISSIONS for our very first issue.

You may have heard about Best Buy's new partnership with independent online music source CDBaby. What else will shape the future of music and the music industry? David Kusek's new book The Future of Music explores the cluster of issues around music and the recording industry as we move into the 21st century, as does the PBS Frontline documentary The Way the Music Died. I certainly don't know where music is heading, but I bet the future will sound something like this...

AADL-GT: Ann Arbor District Library Game Tournaments

No, not the man, the game.

Boom! The Superbowl is coming to the great lake state, and the library is getting in the football spirit. Warm up for the big game by displaying your virtual gridiron skills in the AADL MaddenBowl tournaments. What team will you choose to lead to victory? Get on The Bus with the Steelers and Big Ben? Maybe pick the Seahawks with the power running of Shaun Alexander. Or just pick the always cheesy speed QBs Vick and Culpepper.

February's animanga club is all about VILLAINS! Post to vote for your favorite villain in anime and we'll watch a clip featuring the winner of this unpopularity contest.

Animanga club for teens (grades 6-12) will meet at the Malletts Creek branch of the library on Tuesday, February 7 from 7-8:30 PM in program room A-B. There will be snacks, prizes for those who blog, anime clips to watch, manga and anime to discuss, and so much more.

So...who's evil, nasty, ill-intentioned, or just plain annoying?
Also--Guess the villain in the picture..

March Madness is just around the corner, so now's a great time to check out some fiction about basketball. Ball Don't Lie, by Matt de la Pena is a great place to start. Between foster homes and living in the street, Sticky 17, has developed some amazing basketball skills; enough to get him noticed by big-time scouts. He hangs out at Lincoln Rec, a gym in L.A. which functions as a shelter and a place where serious ball players go. Sticky's compulsive about his stance, his routine, and his shots, but way beyond normal. He's obsessive as he tucks his shirt in six or more times, until he gets it right. Detailed game action pulses like a fast court break. Anh-thu, is Sticky's girlfriend and she too wants him to reach his dreams.

Mes petits choux, you must know the divine Edith Piaf--she is very classique. But there is more: pour yourselves a nice cup of coffee, get a slice of gateau or another delight from the creperie, and imagine yourself in a Parisian Cafe with these compilations of French music. If perhaps you are more inclined to the contemporary, preferring the Pompidou to the Louvre, you might try One Step Forward or Princesses Nubiennes from duo Les Nubians. Last but not least, try Air, French Band.