Kamen Rider Series

 

Kamen Rider Series

The Kamen Rider Series (仮面ライダーシリーズ Kamen Raidā Shirīzu, translated as Masked Rider Series) is the overall name of a franchise of Japanese tokusatsu. The franchise began in 1971 with a show titled Kamen Rider which followed college student Takeshi Hongo and his quest to defeat Shocker. Over the years, the popularity of the franchise has grown and the original series has spawned many television and theatrical sequels. The cultural impact of the series in Japan resulted in Akimasa Nakamuranaming two minor planets in honor of the series: 12408 Fujioka, after actor Hiroshi Fujioka, known for his portrayal of Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1, and 12796 Kamenrider, after the series, itself.

 

History

 

Shōwa era

The Kamen Rider Series originally began under the title “Masked Hero Project”. Produced by Toru Hirayama (平山 亨 Hirayama Tōru), the series spent nearly five years on hold while Hirayama worked on other shows and searched for a proper character designer. In 1969, Shotaro Ishinomori, who was a known face in tokusatsuat the time, was approached by Hirayama to have his Skull Man manga adapted for the Masked Hero Project. Originally the project was rejected due to criticisms that it was too violent for the timeslot it was given. After the duo reworked the story and designs, the final Kamen Rider design, a grasshopper, was chosen by Ishinomori’s son. This drawing would go on to become the original Kamen Rider 1, after some modification.

Kamen Rider premiered on April 3, 1971, to lower than expected ratings, and verged on the brink of cancellation. During the filming of episode 10, Fujioka Hiroshi, the actor of Kamen Rider 1, was thrown off his motorcycle during the filming of a stunt. Crashing into a telephone pole, he shattered both his legs. Toei then went through many methods to have Hongo appear less and less until episode 13, when Ichimonji Hayato was introduced. Until episode 52 when Fujioka Hiroshi returned, Ichimonji Hayato was Kamen Rider 2 and the star of the show. Upon his return in episode 53, Hongo became the main character once more. Both Kamen Riders 1 and 2 would go on to appear in every show in the first half of the Shōwa era. The continuous run from April 1971 to January 1976 distinguished itself by featuring the recurrent mentor character, Tobei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛 Tachibana Tōbee).

After a four year hiatus, the series returned to television broadcast in October 1979 for two years. In these new shows, the role of Tachibana was replaced by a similar character named Genjiro Tani (谷 源次郎 Tani Genjirō). Airing in 1984, the Kamen Rider ZX special, Birth of the 10th! Kamen Riders All Together!!, became the last project in the franchise to be produced by Hirayama.

Kamen Rider BLACK was the first series that neither indicated nor hinted at any relationship with its predecessors. Kamen Rider BLACK was the first show in the franchise to feature a direct sequel, Kamen Rider BLACK RX, the basis of Saban’s Americanized Masked Rider. RX‘s finale showed the ten previous Riders return to help BLACK RX defeat the Crisis Empire, this is the last time any Rider from a previous show would appear in another series. Kamen Rider BLACK RX was the final show to be produced during the Shōwa era, its broadcast spanning from the Shōwa era and into the beginning of the Heisei era.

 

Heisei era

Being completely absent from television during the 1990s, the franchise was kept alive mainly by stage shows, musical CDs, and the Shin, ZO, and J movies, though many fans classify the movies as part of the Showa series as they treat Ishinomori’s passing the pinnacle of the Showa era. Toei announced its new project, Kamen Rider Kuuga, in May 1999. Kuuga was part of a Kamen Rider rebirth that Ishinomori had worked on in 1997, planning for a leadup into the 30th anniversary. However, Ishinomori passed away before he could see these shows materialize. During the summer of 1999, Kuuga became publicized through magazine ads and commercials. On January 30, 2000, Kamen Rider Kuuga premiered to high ratings, which would throughout the anniversary series, Kamen Rider Agito. It had three main Riders, Agito, Gills and G3. Agito also began the trend of having the ending theme song play during the climactic scene instead of the end credits (this would be briefly broken in Kamen Rider Hibiki).

In 2005, Kamen Rider The First was produced. The movie was an original reimagining of both the manga and original television series. Various characters from the original series had their storylines altered to fit the time span of the movie. Masaya Kikawada portrays Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and Hassei Takano (previouslyMiyuki Tezuka/Kamen Rider Raia in Kamen Rider Ryuki) as Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2.

The year 2007 brought Kamen Rider Den-O, the eighth series, taking a turn from past Kamen Rider series, introducing a Kamen Rider that is completely unsure of himself. The series marks the first time a mecha has been used in the franchise, the Den-Liner; a bullet train that can travel through time. This series only had two Riders, Den-O and Zeronos, but they had multiple forms that they could switch between, similar to BLACK RX, Kuuga, and Agito. Due to the large popularity of Den-O, a second theatrical production, crossing over with the 2008 series Kamen Rider Kiva was released in theaters April 12, 2008, becoming the top film in its opening weekend and grossing 730 million yen. In addition, Animate is producing an OVA tentatively titled Imagin Anime that features SD versions of the Imagin that are contracted to Den-O and Zeronos that have been featured in the company’s other Den-O products. Finally, a third movie, called Farewell, Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown with two more new Riders serves as an epilogue to the series. There has never been a third film for one series before.Takeru Satoh claims that this is because of the series’ comedy.

There was also a sequel to Kamen Rider The First in 2007 titled Kamen Rider The Next, based on the events of Kamen Rider V3. It featured Kazuki Kato (previouslyDaisuke Kazama/Kamen Rider Drake in Kamen Rider Kabuto) portraying Shiro Kazami/Kamen Rider V3. Kikawada and Takano reprise their roles as Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2.

 

Series overview

Although each entry in the series is different, each one shares similar traits with one and another. All generally involve at least one young adult male transforming into a Kamen Rider to fight various monsters and organizations linked to that specific Kamen Rider’s origin. As the series progresses, the Rider often learns more about the monsters in the series, other Kamen Riders or the origin of his powers. Early Kamen Riders were generally based on grasshoppers, but this practice has only been done twice in the newer set of shows. Usually referred to as Rider Machines, motorcycles are an integral part of the series. Since Kamen Rider Agito, Honda has provided motorcycles for the series’ productions.Early Kamen Riders wore scarfs along with their costumes, but this practice was dropped with Kamen Rider BLACK.

A trait shared among recent Kamen Riders is their ability to change forms and become stronger versions of themselves. The first power up appeared in Kamen Rider Stronger which was used by the title character. Kamen Rider BLACK RX had multiple forms, Roborider and Biorider. Since then, every title Kamen Rider in the Heisei era has had at least one power up with Kamen Rider Kuuga having the most.

All Shōwa era Riders gained their powers through some form of surgical alteration to their bodies, a practice seen only once in the current era with Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto (unless the Shocker Hoppers would be taken into consideration). The Heisei era of Kamen Rider varies greatly in its use of Kamen Riders. Whereas all early Kamen Riders fought on the side of justice and peace, there have been numerous Kamen Riders in the Heisei era that have fought for personal reasons such as greed, revenge and the personal enjoyment of battle. Because of this, recent Kamen Riders have become less eager to immediately join the battle of justice.

Rider finishers

Combat techniques generally remain somewhat consistent between series. The “Rider Kick” has become known as the signature attack for Kamen Riders. Although no Heisei era Kamen Rider before Kamen Rider Kabuto named their kick “Rider Kick”, it has still been a staple for every Kamen Rider series. Other variations include the Rider Chop and Rider Punch.

 

Productions

   

The Showa Riders and the Heisei Riders (up toKabuto)

 

TV series

Kamen Rider (仮面ライダー Kamen Raider)

Kamen Rider was the very first show in the franchise, airing from 1971 to 1973, the series set up many themes that are still used today. The series followed the battles of the first two Kamen Riders against Shocker and later Gelshocker. The series ran for 98 episodes, making it the longest series to date.

Kamen Rider V3 (仮面ライダーＶ３ Kamen Raidā Buisurī^?)

Airing from 1973 to 1974, the series ran for 52 episodes and followed Shiro Kazami on his quest to gain revenge against the group that murdered his family. Later on, Riderman, the fourth Kamen Rider is introduced as the first long term villain Kamen Rider. The original Kamen Riders also make various appearances over the course of the series to help Kazami.

Kamen Rider X (仮面ライダーＸ Kamen Raidā Ekkusu^?)

The series aired in 1974 and ran for 35 episodes. Keisuke Jin and his father Kentaro Jin are attack by the Government Of Darkness (GOD), Keisuke and Kentaro are both mortally wounded in the attack, but before he dies, Kentaro transforms his son into Kamen Rider X. Many of the monsters Kamen Rider X faced were based on Greek mythology and later on various animals.

Kamen Rider Amazon (仮面ライダーアマゾン Kamen Raidā Amazon)

Kamen Rider Amazon aired from 1974 to 1975, airing just 24 episodes, it is the shortest Kamen Rider series to date. Daisuke Yamamoto, an orphan lost in the Amazon has grown up with an Amazon tribe and lead a peaceful life until his tribe was attacked by Gorgos. Before dying, his tribe elder turned Daisuke into Kamen Rider Amazon. This was the first Kamen Rider not to use a belt to transform and the first series not to have any previous Kamen Riders appear, although Amazon meets his seniors in the next series.

Kamen Rider Stronger (仮面ライダーストロンガー Kamen Raidā Sutorongā)

Airing in 1975, this was intended to be the final Kamen Rider series and aired 39 episodes. Shigeru Jou joins Black Satan after the murder of his best friend and mentor. Knowing the organization to be the culprits, he allows himself to undergo an operation that changes him into Kamen Rider Stronger. Later on, Black Satan is defeated and a new group known as Delza becomes the series enemy. Stronger is later joined by Electro Wave Human Tackle, a female warrior who later sacrifices herself to save Stronger from a powerful opponent. This was also the first series to have a temporary power up for the main character.

Kamen Rider (Skyrider) (仮面ライダー（スカイライダー） Kamen Raidā (Sukairaidā)^?)

Airing 54 episodes from 1979 to 1980, Kamen Rider was intended to be a reboot of the franchise.^{[original research?]} Intended to be a remake of the original series, the idea was slowly phased out as references to the past were made and senior Kamen Riders made guest appearances. Hiroshi Tsukaba is kidnapped and transformed into Kamen Rider as a means to help Doctor Shiro escape Neoshocker. During the course of the series, former Kamen Riders appear and Kamen Rider is dubbed Skyrider by Kamen Rider Stronger to differentiate him from the original Kamen Riders.

Kamen Rider Super-1 (仮面ライダースーパー１ Kamen Raidā Sūpā Wan)

Airing from 1980 to 1981, the series ran for 48 episodes. Wanting to become an astronaut, Kazuya Oki undergoes an operation that allows him to survive in space. The area were he is operated in is attacked by the Dogma Empire and Kamen Rider Super-1’s peers are all killed. Super-1 has special gloves that allow for different attack types.

Kamen Rider BLACK (仮面ライダーＢＬＡＣＫ Kamen Raidā Burakku^?)

Airing from 1987 to 1988, the series ran for 51 episodes. After being kidnapped by the cult Gorgom on the night of their 19th birthday, stepbrothers Kotaro Minami and Nobuhiko Akizuki are submitted to a mutant surgery with the purpose of becoming the candidates to be the next Creation King. Kotaro escapes before the brainwashing, with help from his foster father, and turned against Gorgom. He soon finds out the horrific truth from his stepfather: Gorgom originally killed his true parents. Later on, Kamen Rider BLACK must battle with his brother, who has become the trump card of Gorgom, Shadow Moon.

Kamen Rider BLACK RX (仮面ライダーＢＬＡＣＫ　ＲＸ Kamen Raidā Burakku Aru Ekkusu)

Airing from 1988 to 1989 for 47 episodes, Kamen Rider BLACK RX is the ninth and final show in the Shōwa era of shows. Years after the defeat of Gorgom, Minami Kotaro is kidnapped by the Crisis Empire. After refusing to join them, he is thrust out into space where he undergoes the change to become Kamen Rider BLACK RX. This series marked the end of the Shōwa era of shows.

Kamen Rider Kuuga (仮面ライダークウガ Kamen Raidā Kūga)

Airing from 2000 to 2001 for 49 episodes, this was the first Kamen Rider series in 11 years and the start of the Heisei era of shows. Yuusuke Godai finds an ancient artifact that allows him to transform into Kamen Rider Kuuga to battle the Grongi forces. Having 11 forms, this series had more power ups than any before or after.

Kamen Rider Agito (仮面ライダーアギト Kamen Raidā Agito)

Translated as Masked Rider ΑGITΩ, Kamen Rider Agito ran from 2001 to 2002 for 51 episodes. This was the first series to feature more than one Kamen Rider as the main character at the same time. Shouichi Tsugami has lost his memories, he lives with a foster family and fights against the Unknown as Kamen Rider Agito. Looking for the origin of his power and his lost memories, this series follows Kamen Rider Agito, G3, Gills and Another Agito.

Kamen Rider Ryuki (仮面ライダー龍騎 Kamen Raidā Ryūki)

Airing from 2002 to 2003, Kamen Rider Ryuki ran for 50 episodes and drastically changed the mold of Kamen Rider. Shinji Kido, a reporter, forms a bond with a creature known as a “Contract Beast”. Becoming Kamen Rider Ryuki, Shinji joins the war of the 13 Kamen Riders. All fighting for various reasons, the winner of the war will be granted a single wish. Due to low ratings, this series was on the verge of cancellation for a time. This was the last series to have any form of continuity with a previous series.

Kamen Rider 555 (仮面ライダー５５５（ファイズ） Kamen Raidā Faizu)

Airing from 2003 to 2004, Kamen Rider 555 (translated as Masked Rider Φ‘s) aired for 50 episodes. A group of evolved humans known as Orphenochs are starting to take control of the world. It is unknown how much of the human population is not an Orphenoch. The Orphenochs are protected by a company called Smart Brain, the creators of the three rider belts. A young loner, Takumi Inui, is unwillingly drawn into the conflict between the Orphenochs and humans and becomes Kamen Rider Faiz to save the life of Mari Sonada. Among the Orphenochs are renegades who wish to fight to protect humans rather than kill them. The series follows Takumi, the renegade Orphenochs and two other Kamen Riders who are both enemies upon their entrance to the series.

Kamen Rider Blade (仮面ライダー剣（ブレイド） Kamen Raidā Bureido)

Airing from 2004 to 2005 for 49 episodes, Kamen Rider Blade (translated as Masked Rider ♠) returned to the card motif introduced in Ryuki. Kenzaki Kazuma has just recently become the user for the Kamen Rider Blade system. Months after becoming a Kamen Rider, the BOARD agency that he is apart of is attacked and nearly wiped out. Trying to discover the reason behind the attack, Kenzaki unwittingly becomes part of the Battle Royale. Later joined by three Kamen Riders, Kenzaki ultimately has to make the toughest decision in his life and make a choice between his friends’ happiness and the safety of the human race.

Kamen Rider Hibiki (仮面ライダー響鬼（ヒビキ） Kamen Raidā Hibiki)

Airing from 2005 to 2006, Kamen Rider Hibiki ran for 48 episodes. Kamen Rider Hibiki’s main focus is the story of the teacher and apprentice-like relationship of Adachi Asumu and the title character. Adachi Asumu is a young boy who is unsure of his own skill and worth, and at a crossroads in his life as he transitions to high school. As the series progresses, he learns what it is to be a man, more confident in his own power. The secondary focus of the series is the age old battle of the Kamen Riders (referred to as Oni in this program) and the Makamo, demons that can only be defeated using “pure sound”. The series follows the training and changes of the four main Oni, Hibiki, Ibuki, Todoroki and Zanki. The series was plagued by controversy behind the screen, starting with the firing of the principle writers and directors and later leading to drastically altered stories.

Kamen Rider Kabuto (仮面ライダーカブト Kamen Raidā Kabuto)

Airing from 2006 to 2007 for 49 episodes, Kamen Rider Kabuto was seen as a “return to the basics” after years of new styles and themed gimmicks. Kamen Rider Kabuto revolves around the story of a man named Souji Tendou. He has trained his entire life while waiting for the Kabuto Zecter so that he may properly take up the name of Kamen Rider Kabuto. Making many enemies while at the same time meeting other Riders with mysterious origins, Tendou attempts to accomplish his goal at all costs; Protecting Hiyori by destroying all other Worms that would make life difficult for her. Making a friend in Arata Kagami, who later becomes Kamen Rider Gatack, the two work together and protect Hiyori along with humanity from the alien Worms that arrived from a meteorite seven years ago.

Kamen Rider Den-O (仮面ライダー電王 Kamen Raidā Den’ō)

Airing from 2007 to 2008 for 49 episodes, Kamen Rider Den-O follows the story of Ryotaro Nogami, a young man with incredibly bad luck who is discovered to be a Singularity Point, a human who can exist separate from time itself. When he is possessed by a future life-form called an Imagin, he reluctantly becomes Den-O to fight the malignant Imagin that are traveling back in time to 2007 to grant the wishes of weak-hearted humans so they can travel back further and alter the course of history in their favor. He also tries to protect his sister Airi from the past that she cannot remember. He boards the time-traveling train called the Den-Liner and meets the brash and tomboyish Hana, the eccentric Owner, the waitress Naomi, and his own Imagin: Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros. Soon enough, a man named Yuto Sakurai appears and is another Kamen Rider who fights to protect time with the aid of his Imagin Deneb and the Zero-Liner.

Kamen Rider Kiva (仮面ライダーキバ Kamen Raidā Kiba)

Airing from 2008 to 2009 for 48 episodes, Kamen Rider Kiva revolves around two characters and two storylines: Wataru Kurenai who becomes Kamen Rider Kiva to battle the stained glass energy vampires known as Fangire in the year 2008, and his father Otoya Kurenai whose interactions with the Fangire and Fangire Hunters in the year 1986 directly affects the life of his son.

Kamen Rider Decade (仮面ライダーディケイド Kamen Raidā Dikeido)

Translated as Masked Rider DCD, Decade premiered following the finale of Kiva in 2009. It is billed as the 10th anniversary of the Heisei Rider Series. In Decade, Tsukasa Kayoda must protect his dimension from being destroyed by the dimensions of the previous nine Kamen Riders.

Ultraman Max

 

Ultraman Max (ウルトラマンマックス Urutoraman Makkusu) was an Ultraman TV series which started airing on 7 July2005, and produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd.. The show tried to return to the true formula of new monsters every week and being a fast paced show like previous series with the exception of Ultraman Nexus. The show is full of homages to past series by having three of the original cast members from the first Ultraman series (and one original cast member from the second Ultraman series “Ultraseven” being featured in an episode), updated versions of classic monsters like Red King, Eleking and Pigmon among others. One unusual episode (#29) revolves around the filming of the 1964 program Ultra Q which was the predecessor to the first Ultraman show in 1966. Two actors from that show appear as themselves.

Although certain monsters from the previous Ultra Series appear here in this series, the characters do not actually recognize them. This series does not have any direct continuity to any of the other Ultra Series(except episode 24:”The Untargeted Town” which seems to be a sequel to the Ultraseven series episode 8:”Aimed Town“).

Just like his predecessors, Ultraman Max is from Nebula M78 and is supported by DASH (Defense Action Squad Heroes), a branch of the UDF (United Defense Federation). His human host’s name is Touma Kaito. Ultraman Max is based on Ultraseven and has two main weapons at his disposal, the Maxium Cannon fired from his left hand and the Maxium Sword which is a hand held boomerang cutter.

Another Ultraman known as Ultraman Xenon, or Janos, appears for the first time in episode 13, and again briefly in episode 39. While Ultraman Xenon is summoning a new weapon from the sky to use against Zetton, he is attacked by Zetton and the weapon attaches itself to Max’s right wrist. Ultraman Max then uses the new weapon known as the Max Galaxy to destroy Zetton.

Team DASH is stationed in a harbor and their base is called the Base Titan. They have a main airplane called the Dash Mother which releases two other small planes known as Dash Bird 1 and 2. A third plane called the Dash Bird 3 appears in episode 23.

Team DASH also has a robot operator, who learns a bit about human behavior in some episodes. Her name is Elly and she has a small ball shaped robot called Koko which makes a high pitched sound to respond to queries.

This series was also unique as it was the first time a gaijin (foreigner) was an official member of the Ultraman team. The character’s name is Sean White (played by actor Sean Nichols who is famous in Japan for being on the popular children’s program Eigo de Asobo—Let’s Have Fun with English).

The characters

Defense Action Squad Heroes (DASH)

                     Captain Shigeru Hijikata: The team leader of DASH.

                                 Actor: Kai Shishido

                    Kenjiro Koba: The marksman and sharpshooter of DASH.

                                 Actor: Nobuyuki Ogawa

                    Mizuki Koishikawa: The ace pilot and token female member: She is Kaito/Ultraman Max’s love interest.

                               Actor: Hitomi Hasebe

                   Sean White: The team inventor/scientist/joker: He was transported from DASH North America branch.

                              Actor: Sean Nichols

                 Elly: The robot operator (android) of DASH.: She learns human behavior and once wished to become a human.: She even cried in Episode 16 and in the final episode.

                             Actor: Hikari Mitsushima

                     Kaito Touma/Ultraman Max: The team’s latest recruit.: He failed during DASH test before eventually joining DASH.: He was saved by Ultraman Max from a certain death and was given the Max Spark,: so that he could transform whenever needs arose.

                                Actor: Sota Aoyama

Supporting characters

                   Chief Kenzo Tomioka: A UDF general, the supervisor of DASH.

                              Actor: Susumu Kurobe

                            Trivia: Actor Kurobe played Hayata from the original Ultraman series.

                     Professor Yukari Yoshinaga.

                                Actor: Hiroko Sakurai

                               Trivia: Actress Sakurai played Fuji from the original Ultraman series.

                     Ultraman Xenon (ウルトラマンゼノン Urutoraman Xenon): He appears once to help Ultraman Max when he is in danger and is also the one that gives Ultraman Max the Max Galaxy.

                     Natsumi Oda

                                 Actor: Nao Nagasawa

                                 Appeared in Episodes 13 and 14

Ultraman Max’s Powers and Techniques

Icing Wave: An ability to extinguish large fires.

Max Spark: A defensive attack used as a force field.: It is also his transforming device.

Maxium Sword: A cutting blade which appears from the top of his head.: It is computer graphically generated until it “appears” when it then becomes a physical object which: Ultraman Max uses to slice up enemies.: It has the ability to be split into many other similar sized blades to cause multiple damage to the enemy.: It is similar to Seven’s Eye Slugger.

Maxium Cannon: Ultraman Max’s L shaped “Specium Beam” finisher – the trademark of most Ultras.: His L style is left-handed.

Max Galaxy: A weapon introduced in episode 13 which Ultraman Xenon summons from the sky.: He is push away by the opponent and it attaches to Ultraman Max’s right wrist.: Ultraman Max can then use a short beam like blade which shoots a powerful beam to destroy an opponent’s shield.: It also extends outside of the Earth’s atmosphere in the last episode so that Ultraman Max can use it to slice through Giga Berserk.

Ultraman Xenon’s Powers and Techniques

Xenon Cannon: Ultraman Max’s L shaped finisher.: His L style is left-handed.

Max Galaxy: Xenon summoned this weapon in the sky while in combat, but he gave this weapon to Ultraman Max.

 

Saint Seiya

“Seiya” redirects here. For the title character, see Pegasus Seiya.

Saint Seiya (聖闘士星矢 Seinto Seiya^?), also known as Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada, and later adapted to anime. The story follows five mystical warriors called the “Saints” (or “Knights”; the kanji is properly read as sei-tōshi “holy fighter” but the furigana has it pronounced “saint”) who have adopted various constellations as their guardian symbols. The anime series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1987, but was cancelled in 1989. In 2002, Toei produced Saint Seiya: Hades, which continued adapting the manga story arcs to animation that remained pending when the anime was canceled in 1989.

Plot

Six years before the events at the focus of the series, one hundred orphans from Japan are sent to different parts of the world to become legendary warriors known as “Saints”, who are the soldiers under the command of Greek goddess Athena. These warriors are under the protection of a celestial constellation.

The power of the Saints originates from the understanding of the “Cosmo”. The concept of the “Cosmo” advocates that each atom within a human body resembles a small solar system, and since the human body consists of billions of atoms, the totality forms a “small Cosmo” or a “small Universe”. Each person’s Cosmo has its own unique signature. The Saints take the knowledge of the Cosmo to the next level: since humans are composed of atoms, humans should be able to use the mysterious forces behind the atoms to achieve super human feats.

The story focuses on one of these orphans named Seiya. He is sent to the Sanctuary in Greece to become the Pegasus Saint. After seven years, Seiya becomes the Pegasus Saint and returns to Japan to find his older sister. Because his sister disappeared the same day Seiya went to the Sanctuary, Saori Kido, the granddaughter of the person who sent all the orphans to train, makes a deal with him to go to fight in a tournament called the Galaxian Wars, where the orphans who survived and became Bronze Saints must fight to win the most powerful cloth: The Sagittarius Gold Cloth. If Seiya goes to compete there, Saori would start a search to find Seiya’s sister.

During the series, Seiya becomes the partner and friend of other Bronze Saints: Shun, Shiryu, Ikki, and Hyoga. As the myth of the saints, they must fight together to protect the reincarnation of the goddess Athena from any danger.

Production

When Masami Kurumada was in the process of creating Saint Seiya, he gave Seiya the name Rin at first, since Kurumada was going to title his manga “Ginga no Rin” (Rin of the Galaxy). However, as Kurumada continued developing his manga, he decided to change the name to Seiya, which was more fitting. First he spelled the name with the kanji that meant “Holy Arrow”, to relate it to Seiya’s condition as a Saint, but later decided to use the kanji that meant “Star Arrow”, to emphasize the constellation and mythological motif. Finally, he changed his manga title as well, to Saint Seiya, once he fully developed the concept of the Saints. Also, Kurumada stated that one of the first ideas he conceived for Saint Seiya was the Pegasus Meteor Fist. Since his manga was going to use the constellations as a very important and ever-present theme, he wanted his protagonist to have a special move that would be like a shower of meteors.

When Kurumada designed Seiya’s likeness, he was inspired by Takane Ryuji, the main character of his hit mangaRing ni Kakero, which he created 9 years before Seiya. Most protagonists of Kurumada’s works bear a resemblance to Ryuji, because Kurumada subscribes to the revered Osamu Tezuka‘s Star System (a stable cast of characters) technique. The same process is done with almost all the other characters from the series.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Saint Seiya manga volumes

The first Saint Seiya manga was written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and was published by Shueisha in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from January 1986 to December 1990 and collected in 28 tankōbon volumes. The series has three main parts: Sanctuary (volumes 1 to 13), Poseidon (volumes 14 to 18), and Hades (volumes 19 to 28). Volume 13 also contains a separate short story called “Blue Warriors”. The series is licensed in English in North America by Viz Media. Viz released the first collected volume of the series on January 21, 2004, and as of June 3, 2008 twenty-three volumes have been released.

In addition to the original tankōbon volumes listed below, the series has been reissued four times. The first reissue as 15 bunkoban volumes in 1996 is called the “Deluxe Version”. The bunkobon edition was reissued in 2001 with additional color images as the “Library Version”. The series was rereleased in 2003 in 19 volumes with Setteis from the anime adaptation, and called the “Remix Version”. The fourth reissue, in 22 volumes and called the “Complete Version”, contains additional colored pages as well as colored armor schematics. In addition, the “Remix Version” was republished at the end of 2007 to coincide with the broadcast of Chapter Elysion of the anime.

Prequels

Main articles: Saint Seiya: Next Dimension, Saint Seiya Episode.G, and Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas

During 2002, a new manga called Saint Seiya Episode.G started being serialized. The story is situated 7 years before the events at the beginning of the original Saint Seiya Manga, and 6 years after the death of the Gold SaintSagittarius Aiolos, making Leo Aiolia the main character. During the series, Titans are brought back to life with the mission of recovering their realm, and the Gold Saints are assigned to stop them to protect the humans. This new manga series is written and drawn by Megumu Okada, under the authorization of Masami Kurumada. The individual chapters are published in Akita Shoten‘s Champion RED, with fourteen volumes being currently released.

Also, during 2006, two new manga series started being published. These two manga tell the story of the previous Holy War that took place in the 18th century, 250 years before the original series in the Saint Seiya universe. The story centers on the relations between Tenma, the Pegasus Saint and his beloved friend, Alone, who would eventually become his greatest enemy, Hades. Both manga series are published in Akita Shoten’s Shōnen Championmagazine. The first one, named Saint Seiya: Next Dimension, is drawn and written by Masami Kurumada but at irregular dates.^[7] The second one, Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, is written and drawn by Shiori Teshirogi, under the authorization of Masami Kurumada.

Anime

See also: List of Saint Seiya episodes

The anime is based on the manga series of the same title (above). The animation series by Toei Animation first premiered on Japan‘s TV Asahi on October 11, 1986. The first anime series was produced by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989. It was directed first by Kōzō Morishita (episodes 1 to 73) and then by Kazuhito Kikuchi (episodes 74 to 114). The character designers were Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno, and Seiji Yokoyama composed the soundtracks. The chief scriptwriters were Takao Koyama and Yoshiyuki Suga. The series has three main parts: Sanctuary(episodes 1 to 73), Asgard (74 to 99), and Poseidon (100 to 114). In the United States, the series premiered inCartoon Network on August 30, 2003 but only the first thirty-two episodes aired. The other ones were released in DVD and VHS.

Novel

On November 9, 1988, Shōnen Jump released a Jump Gold Selection Anime Special 2, written by Takao Koyama, with illustrations by the series’ Animation Character Designers Shingo Araki & Michi Himeno. This special is just a detailed flashback to Gemini Saga‘s assassination attempt on the newborn Athena.

There is also a series of two novels written by Kurumada and Tatsuya Hamazaki with the name of Saint Seiya – Gigantomachia, which were published by Jump J Books. The first novel was released in Japan on August 23, 2002, while the second was released on December 16, 2002.

OVAs

These are a series of OVAs that cover the last arc of the manga, which was not previously adapted into anime. The first 13 episodes were broadcasted on Animax (a Japanese pay-per-view channel) from November 2002 to April 2003, and then released on DVD during the year 2003. These 13 episodes were named Hades — Chapter Sanctuary (Meiō Hades Jūni-Kyū Hen). This OVA series was directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, still with character designs by Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno, while the scripts were adapted from the manga this time by Michiko Yokote, and the soundtrack was entirely taken from Yokoyama’s work on the previous TV series.

Two years after the first part of the Hades saga, Chapter Sanctuary, a second part was produced in 2005. This second chapter was named Hades — Chapter Inferno Part 1 (Meiō Hades Meikai Hen Zenshō) and consists of six episodes. However, most of the original seiyū did not reprise their roles. Hideyuki Tanaka, however, reprises his role as the narrator. Hirotaka Suzuoki, the original voice actor of Dragon Shiryu, passed away on August 6, 2006 due to lung cancer.

On the same Animax channel, Toei Animation released the first two OVAs on December 17, 2005, followed by the next two on January 21, 2006. The last pair were released on February 18, 2006. Shortly after their TV broadcasting, which lasted for 2 months, the episodes were released on DVD in 2006. This short OVA series was directed by Tomoharu Katsumata, but the other staff remained the same. Toei Animation officially announced the news on its website on July 18, 2006. Then, Hades — Chapter Inferno Part 2, which contains 6 episodes in total, was released.

As of June 28, Masami Kurumada announced on his personal blog that production on the Elysion chapter has begun. It was thought that the release was to be in mid-December 2007, as of the last two years with the performance of the two Inferno chapters (Zensho and Kosho), but no preview or released images were available as of the end of October. In November 2007, Toei Animation announced that the official release of the Elysion Chapter would be in March 2008 and not December 2007 as originally planned The Elysion OVAs were released in March (episodes #26 and #27), May (#28 and #29), and August (#30 and #31).

Movies

A fifth movie came out in Japanese theaters in 2004, Heaven Chapter — Overture (Tenkai-hen Josō), which is supposed to follow the regular chronology right after the end of the manga (which finished being adapted on August 1, 2008) as a prologue to a new chapter. Toei Animation first announced that this new chapter would be a new animated series, but later Kurumada stated that he wanted the movie to be part of a trilogy. Tōru Furuya revealed Kurumada’s wishes for the series during a press conference. After Pegasus Seiya eventually defeats Zeus, he is to go on and face Chronos, the titan of Time. Toru was not allowed to say anything more.

Musical

In August 1991, a musical, sponsored by Bandai, was performed at the Aoyama theater in Tokyo, Japan. The story retells the Sanctuary and Poseidon chapters. The cast included members of SMAP as the 5 bronze saints and Poseidon. Mu, Aiolia, and Milo were portrayed by members of another band,Tokio.

Video games

Several video games have been released based on the series. For the Famicom, two role-playing games named Saint Seiya: Ōgon Densetsu and Saint Seiya: Ōgon Densetsu Kanketsu-Hen, were released in 1987 and 1988, respectively.^[21][22] In 2003, Bandai released another role-playing game game called Saint Seiya: Ōgon Densetsu-Hen Perfect Edition for the WonderSwan Color, adapting the first 73 episodes.^] In 2005, Bandai released the Saint Seiya: Chapter-Sanctuary for the Playstation 2. It is a 3D Fighting game that adapts the same episodes as the previous game. A sequel for this game was released in 2006 with the name of Saint Seiya: The Hades adaptating the original video animations series. Unlike previous games, this game was released outside Japan, being released first in Europe in 2006 and later in Japan and Australia.

A new game called Saint Seiya Online will be released in August 2009 from SEGA Japan, and will feature orchestral music composed by Masamichi Amano and performed by the Angel City Studio Orchestra. Recording took place at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Brothers Studios. 

 Games featuring characters from Saint Seiya:

        Famicom Jump: Eiyū Retsuden (Famicom, 1989)

        Pop’n Music Animation Melody (Arcade, Playstation, Game Boy Color, 2000)

       Pop’n Music Animelo 2 (Arcade, 2001)

        Jump! Ultimate Stars (Nintendo DS, 2006)

        Saint Seiya Typing Ryu Sei Ken (PC, 2003)

Other

In the mid-1980s a line of Saint Seiya action figures were produced by Bandai, featuring most of the series characters. The toy line was a huge success inside of Japan, but also in other countries such as Hong-Kong, France, Spain, Brazil and Mexico. The figures have now acquired collector status and the Japanese originals are highly sought after. Some, like Odin’s God Cloth or Kraken Isaac, have a very high value.

In 2003, Bandai created a new line of figures called Cloth Myth. Originally, only the 5 V2 main bronze Saints would be made, in commemoration of the Hades Saga being animated, but sold so well that they decided to continue the line and it continues to sell very well internationally. As of August 2008, there are over 60 figures available, and Bandai continues to release new figures regularly. The line seems to be nowhere near it’s end.

 

Reception

 

 

The U.S. Knights of the Zodiaclogo

The original manga series of twenty-eight volumes have sold over 25 million copies in Japan as of 2007. When TV Asahi, a television network in Japan, conducted a nation-wide survey for the one hundred most popular animated television series,Saint Seiya anime came in twenty-fifth place. Animage also ranked the anime series within “Top 100” anime productions.

It is considered one of the biggest anime phenomenons of the 1980s. It would become the inspiration for future series, including Kurumada’s later work B’t X, Gulkeeva, and Gundam Wing.  In The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917, Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy praises the series’ complex plot and felt that designers’ Shingo Arakai and Michi Himeno had worked “magic” with both the series and the movies. They also praised the grand soundtrack and Director Shigenori Yamauchi’s ability to stretch out the tension and chose the perfect places to stop an episode to keep audiences waiting for the next one. Clements and McCarthy did, however, find the series disturbing in that its main emotional impact comes from the audience seeing “older boys and men fighting brave by neive teenagers” and through victories earning more weapons.

Yaoi dōjinshi based on Saint Seiya popularized the term “yaoi” in 1987. Tite Kubo, the author of the manga series Bleach, considers Saint Seiya to be one of his biggest inspirations for the designs of the different types of weapons that his characters use in the story as well as the battle scenes. In Volume 9 of Gin Tama, Hideaki Soreachi notes it as one of the manga he read as a child, and even spoofs one of the battle stances in that same book.

 

Macross

Macross

The cover to the Macross Memorial DVD Box Set which shows several characters from the first animated series.

Macross (マクロス Makurosu^?) is a long-running series of science fiction Mecha anime, created by Kawamori Shoji ofStudio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional History of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. The franchise title features three TV series, three movies, six OVAs, and two manga series.

Within the series, the term Macross is used to denote the main capital ship. This theme began in the original Macross, the SDF-1 Macross.

Overtechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship (Alien Star Ship – One later renamedSuper Dimension Fortress – One Macross) that crashed on South Ataria island. With this technology, Earth was able to reverse engineer the technology to create mechas (variable fighters and destroids), a faster-than-light drive Space Fold for starships and other advanced tech, which shows up throughout the series.

                                                             Macross Zero VF-0A Valkyrie

Title

The series title comes from the name of the main human spacecraft (which is usually shortened from Super Dimension Fortress to SDF-1 Macross as it is version 1.0). The original name for the Macross project was Battle City Megaload (or Battle City Megaroad, as the Japanese transliteration to either “L” or “R” gives the title a double meaning in reference to the story line: Megaload, referring to the spacecraft containing an entire city of people; and Megaroad, referring to the long journey through space back to Earth), however one of the sponsors of the project, Big West, was a fan of Shakespeare and wanted the series and the spacecraft to be namedMacbeth (マクベス Makubesu^?). A compromise was made with the title Macross (マクロス Makurosu^?) due to its similar pronunciation to Macbeth in Japanese and because it still contained connotations to the original title. The word Macross comes from a wordplay combination of the prefix “macro” in reference to its massive size (though when compared with the alien ships in the series, it is only a relatively small gun destroyer) and the distance they must cross.

                                                                 Macross VF-1A Kakizaki 

Themes

The following are themes commonly seen and established among the various series in the Macross franchise.

U.N. Spacy

The U.N. Spacy is a fictional military arm of the Earth U.N. Government (地球統合政府 Chikyū Tōgō Seifu^?). It was established by the successor to the modern United Nations in order to defend Earth from a possible attack by hostile aliens, and was involved in Space War I against an extraterrestrial race called the Zentradi. Later operations of the U.N. Spacy expanded into interstellar colonization and general peacekeeping of off-world Earth settlements.

The term “Spacy” is an extrapolation of the terms Army and Navy – though some Japanese sources also use the term Space Army and some English-language sources use the term Space Navy, suggesting that the term is a contraction.

                                    Transforming Macross Zero VF-0S With QF-2200-DB Ghost Booster

Variable Fighters

A variable fighter is one of a series of transformable aerospace fighters, primarily designed by Studio Nue’s Shoji Kawamori and Kazutaka Miyatake. They are generally able to transform into jet/space fighters, a humanoid robot and a hybrid of the two mode, better known as Gerwalk. These crafts are referred to in the original series by the model name “Valkyrie”.

Music

Music plays an integral part in almost every Macross title, having significances in the way a series’ antagonists behave towards it. Music idols also play a central role to various Macross stories. Often, the protagonist will be forced into a love triangle with a series’ music idol; the most notable of them all is Lynn Minmay.

Space Fold

Faster-than-light travel in the Macross franchise is achieved via space-folding. This capability was introduced when the SDF-1 crash-landed on Earth. It has since been officially described as a type of space warp (or what is called super-light-velocity spatial displacement) navigation, allowing ultra-long distance travel nearly instantaneously. Simply put, a space-fold transports a spacecraft in a very short amount of time, by first swapping the location of the spacecraft with super dimensionspace or subspace, and then swapping the Super Dimension space with the space at the destination.

According to U.N. Spacy First Lieutenant Hayase Misa during Space War I (2009-2010), an hour passes in super dimension space as approximately ten days passes in normal space. The latest Macross T.V. series Macross Frontier further expands on that concept by introducing fold faults or dislocations which further slow down fold travel and interfere with fold communications.

The act of entering Super Dimension space is called “fold in”. When arriving at the destination, the act of leaving Super Dimension space is called a “defold” or a “fold out”.

YF-19 Valkyrie

Series chronology

Several sequel series and one prequel have followed, with most using a chronology created by the Studio Nue creators, the rest followed their own storylines regarded as “parallel storyline” by the studio. The main Macross production consists of (in chronological release order):

Release Dates	Episodes	Work	Title (original)	Chronology
1982/10 to 1983/06	36	TV series	The Super Dimension Fortress Macross Original work adapted by Harmony Gold to become Robotech: The Macross Saga in 1985.	2009-2012
1984/07	NA	Movie	The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? Alternate telling of the events in The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, specifically episodes two through 27.	2031 “movie” within story
1987/06	1	OVA	The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012 Epilogue of the Movie, segments were added in the movie’s definitive “Perfect Edition”.	2012
1992/05 to 1992/11	6	OVA series	The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers, Again “Macross 10th Anniversary” TV series’ sequel created without Studio Nue.	2089 “parallel” world alternate continuity
1994/08 to 1995/06	4	OVA series	Macross Plus TV series’ sequel created by Studio Nue. A side-story.	2040
1995/03 to 1995/07	4	OVA series	Macross Plus: International Version Alternative version with English cast and songs.	2040
1994/10 to 1995/09	49	TV series	Macross 7 Sequel to Macross Plus. First of the sequels to touch upon the metaplot.	2045-46
1994/10 to 2001/05	8 volumes	Manga series	Macross 7: Trash Comic side-story first serialized in Shōnen Ace magazine then released as volumes.	2046
1995/09	NA	Movie	Macross Plus: Movie Edition Alternative version with different editing and additional scenes.	2040
1995/09	NA	Movie	Macross 7 the Movie: The Galaxy Is Calling Me!	2046
1995/12	3	OVA	Macross 7: Encore Three ’94 TV series additional episodes.	2046
1997/12 to 1998/08	4	OVA series	Macross Dynamite 7 “Macross 15th Anniversary” ’94 TV series’ sequel.	2047
2002/12 to 2004/10	5	OVA series	Macross Zero “Macross 20th Anniversary” Original ’82 TV series’ prequel.	2008
2007/12	1	TV series pilot	Macross Frontier (Deculture Edition) “Macross 25th Anniversary” ’94 TV series’ sequel pilot episode.	2059
2008/04	25	TV series	Macross Frontier ’94 TV series’ sequel.	2059
2009/Summer	NA	Movie	Macross Frontier Movie Edition 2008 TV series’ theatrical movie adaptation.	2059

A feature film, subtitled Do You Remember Love? (愛・おぼえていますか Ai Oboete Imasu ka), was released in 1984, with a condensed version of the storyline and cutting-edge animation. This movie was later described as a “historical drama” movie within the Macross universe (similar to, for example, Braveheart in the real world). In Macross Plus and Macross 7, it is revealed that there was a movie produced after Space War I (the original Earth-Zentradi conflict). (A shortened, English-dubbed version of the feature was also released to video as Clash of the Bionoids, though this is largely lambasted).

Macross II, the only animated project without Studio Nue’s direct involvement, was declared a parallel-world story by Studio Nue.

In March 2007, Studio Victor placed a casting call for a voice actress to play the heroine, Ranka Lee  , in a then untitled new Macross series. 18 year old Nakajima Megumi was selected in the nationwide singing and acting audition for the role of Ranka Lee in Japan. The project was given the tentative title of Macross 25. Later, as part of the 25th anniversary concert, a trailer was shown that revealed the new tentative title of Macross F (Frontier). During the concert, Kawamori Shoji mentioned that the timeframe of Macross Frontier was about 2070 A.D. Kawamori also announced that Yoko Kanno would be the music co-composer of the new Macross series. According to Newtype Magazine, this new series were supposed to take place in a school. The pilot episode aired in December 23, 2007. The new series were finally set in the year 2059 A.D. and took place in a new Macross Colony Fleet called “Macross Frontier”. The new show was produced by Satelight and its episodes began their regular broadcast on April 04, 2008 in MBS channel of Japan. The final episode aired on September 25, 2008, what brought the series to a total of 25 episodes. AMacross Frontier Movie Edition was announced just after the ending of the new T.V. animated series.

Video games

Macross video games are based on its universe, sometimes expanding it with original characters and sidestories, latest games often include newly created anime footage. All of them were released in Japan only probably because of the Macross / Robotech license issue. These include:

§                     The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: A 2D sidescrolling shooter game released in 1985 for the Nintendo Famicom by Namco and Bandai. The main objectives of the lone Valkyrie are to destroy the Zentradi forces, penetrate the Zentradi mothership, and destroy it. A simplified midi rendition of the song “Shao Pai Long” plays in the background throughout gameplay.

                     The Super Dimension Fortress Macross 2036 – A 2D sidescrolling shooter released in April 1992 for the NEC PC Engine Super CD-ROM² that occurs in the universe of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers, Again OVA. The game takes place 26 years after the end of Space War I, with Komilia Maria Fallyna Jenius as main protagonist.

                     The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Eternal Love Song – A turn-based 2D strategy videogame released in December 1992 for the NEC PC Engine Super CD-ROM² that follows the continuity of Macross II and is a sequel to Macross 2036.

                     The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie – A 2D sidescrolling shooter released in 1993 for the Nintendo Super Famicom and based on Do You Remember Love?. The story takes place after the movie, but before the launch of the SDF-2 Megaroad-01.

                     The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? – A 2D shooter created for the Sega Saturn in 1997 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of theMacross franchise, it was co-programmed by Sega and was later ported to the Sony PlayStation in 1999. It is closely based on the movie, with a mix of 2D and 3D action and special effects. It was released with 2 CDs as it contained footage and soundtrack from both the Macross movie and Flash Back 2012. The footage contained also some new scenes including Hikaru and his fellow pilots still on Earth flying on their way to the Macross which made a space fold jump just before the massive Zentradi attack reached them.

§                     Macross: Digital Mission VF-X – The first ever 3D graphics and polygonal game of the franchise made by Bandai Visual for the PlayStation in 1998. It was a best seller and was re-released as a budget priced game.

                     Macross: Digital Mission VF-X2 – The sequel of VF-X is also a 3D shooter based on the VF-X original characters and released on the PlayStation in 1999. Its storyline takes place after Macross 7.

§                     Macross Plus: Game Edition – The third 3D shooter and last Macross game for the PlayStation released in 2000. It is based on the Macross Plus OVA series storyline.

                     Macross M3 – A 3D shooter released on the Dreamcast in 2001. M3 takes place around 2014 A.D., and covers the story of Max, Milia, and their adopted Meltlandidaughter Moaramia, as the three of them continue to serve as Valkyrie pilots.

                     The Super Dimension Fortress Macross VO (Valkyrie Overdrive) – A space combat simulator released in 2001 only in Japan for the Pc. It was compatible with Windows 95, 98 and ME. A year later a Windows XP version was released (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross VOXP). The game was unique in the fact that it enabled players to sortie online using practically each and every mecha, fighter and power armor from the different factions (Zentradi, Meltlandi and U.N. Spacy) that appeared in Macross DYRL. It has become quite popular recently among western players (thanks to translation patches and reference files) with multiple online tournaments being done regularly.

                     The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (“超時空要塞マクロス“) – A full 3D shooter released by Sega-AM2 only for the PlayStation 2 in Japan during 2003. The game features both famous and new characters, as well as a large number of VF (Variable Fighters) from the TV series to Macross Flashback 2012. This game made by one of the most experienced and famous development team (Shenmue series, Virtua Fighter series, Daytona USA series, Virtua Cop series) has been acclaimed by both the media and the gamers as the best Macross game ever released.^{[citation needed][neutrality disputed]} There are two game modes designated by which carrier arm you select. Selecting the Daedalus/Prometheus carrier arms will take you through events based on th TV series which is longer but easier. The second scenario (unlocked after completing the TV scenario) is designated by the ARMD class carrier arms which were used on the refit of the SDF-1 and also in the Do You Remember Love feature film. This scenario is based on the aforementioned movie events and is shorter, but harder when compared to the TV scenario.

                     Macross 7 Ginga no Heart wo Furuwasero!! – A 2D side scrolling shooter released on the Game Boy Color in 2000. In this game you select three of six characters from Macross 7, who are split into “Fire Bomber/Soundforce” (Nekki Basara with his VF-19 Custom Kai-Fire Valkyrie, Mylene Jenius in her VF-11MAXL Custom Valkyrie, and Ray and Veffidas together in their VF-17 Custom)and the regular Macross 7 Military (Gamlin Kizaki in his VF-17 Nightmare, Max Jenius in his Blue VF-22 Sturmvogel and Millia Jenius in her Red VF-22 Sturmvogel). The general layout of the game is that you choose three characters, allowing you to switch between them during gameplay. However depending on which character you finish a level on before a boss battle, the way boss battles are fought differ. Choosing anyone from the regular military will simply mean you just shoot the boss and avoid getting hit. Selecting any member from “Fire Bomber/Soundforce” will turn the boss battle into a rhythm game where the player is to press and/or hold the A and B buttons with the right timing. The final boss battle is fought by Basara by default, regardless of who you selected. Songs for the boss battles include Planet Dance, Dynamite Explosion, Totsugeki Love Heart, New Frontier, Holy Lonely Night, and finally Try Again.

§                     There were three arcade games released by Banpresto during the 90s, all of which were scrolling shooters: The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1992), The Super Dimension Fortress Macross II (1993), and Macross Plus (1996).

                     Macross Ace Frontier – A PlayStation Portable release from Namco Bandai and developed by Artdink, released in October 2008 in Japan.

ULTRAMAN

Ultraman (ウルトラマン Urutoraman^?) is a fictional character featured in tokusatsu, or “special effects” television programs in Japan. Ultraman made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, Ultra Q: Ultraman: Special Effects Fantasy Series, a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q. The show was produced by Tokyo Broadcasting System and Tsuburaya Productions, and was broadcast onTokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) from July 17, 1966 to April 9, 1967, with a total of 39 episodes (40, counting the pre-premiere special that aired on July 10, 1966).

Although Ultraman is the first series to feature an Ultra-being, this is actually the second Ultra Series. Ultra Q was the first. A major pop culture phenomenon in Japan, the show has spawned dozens of imitators as well as numerous sequels and remakes, which continue to be popular today.

To distinguish him from subsequent Ultra Warriors, Ultraman is referred to as the original Ultraman (初代ウルトラマン Shodai Urutoraman^?), the first Ultraman, Ultraman Hayata (a reference to his host’s surname) or as simply Man.

Series background

Ultraman’s creator was Eiji Tsuburaya from Tsuburaya Productions, a pioneer in special effects who was responsible for bringing Godzilla to life in 1954. The show’s predecessor was a series called Ultra Q, a black-and-white 28-episode series very much like today’s The X-Files or The Twilight Zone. When Ultra Q was finished, plans were underway for a series that would be even better.

The project had the following working titles/plots:

• WoO (ＷｏＯ Wū^?)
  This story had a corporeal space creature with eyes, who befriended a reporter named Jôji Akita, but the Self Defense Forces, who perceive him as a threat, were after him. This was basically the monster version of the British science fiction series Doctor Who (1963), and Woo’s personality was comical.
  • NOTE: Tsuburaya Productions produced a new series, Bio Planet WoO, which made its TV series debut in January 2006. It is very loosely based on the above concept.
  

• Bemular (ベムラー Bemurā^?), then retitled Scientific Special Search Party: Bemular (科学特捜隊ベムラー Kagaku Tokusō Tai – Bemurā^?)
  The main characters are a defense force (with the same Japanese name as the Science Patrol) disguised as an art/photography team. One of the members, little did anyone (even his teammates) know, gained the ability to transform into a giant birdlike humanoid monster called Bemular (this is not the same Bemular that Ultraman would fight in Episode # 1 of the actual series), who defends Earth from monsters, aliens and other threats. Unlike Woo, Bemular was a tough and righteous fighter (and looked very similar in design to the title monster of the 1967 kaiju film Gappa, the Triphibian Monster). Allegedly the plot was scrapped when it was worried audiences might have trouble telling that one monster was good and the other evil.

• Redman (レッドマン Reddoman^?)
  The title hero of this project slightly resembled Ultraman as we know him, but he looked more demonic and had horns. He came to Earth after his planet was destroyed by aliens fromPlanet X. (Needless to say, Ultra Seven shared this working title as well.)

Both Bemular and Redman were designed by Toru Narita, who came up with the final design for Ultraman based on his Redman design, now resembling a less-scary Buck Rogers-style alien being (with a bit of the iconic “Roswell Alien” as well). The characteristic “Color Timer” (the “warning light” on his chest) was added at the eleventh hour.

The premise of the first series begins when Science Patrol (Kagaku Tokusou Tai) member Shin Hayata was flying his plane and a red sphere of light crashes into his Mini-VTOL. The sphere turns out to be the transport (Travel Sphere) for a red-and-silver giant being called Ultraman, and feeling remorse for killing the human, he merges his essence with Hayata to revive him. In return, Hayata serves as the human form for this being, and when danger threatens, he raises the Beta Capsule and transforms to Ultraman to save the day.

 

Monsters and heroes

One outstanding feature of the Ultraman series was the use of various monster costumes, known as kaiju in Japan. Often wildly imaginative, this feature would influence other series such asGatchaman and Super Sentai series like Himitsu Sentai Goranger. The principals were played by famous stunt actor Haruo Nakajima, who played the original Godzilla. His apprentice, Bin Furuya, started out as Ultraman. Nakajima had a martial arts background and used it to create a sense of drama in order to be dramatically effective in costumes that had little potential to show emotion. For the first episodes, and this is clearly evident in the action sequences, simple wrestling was used. However, in later episodes sequences gradually evolved into more complex fighting that would later be reflected in anime productions (dramatic windups, extravagant gestures prior to unleashing an energy attack, bellicose roars and threat displays, etc.).

Often costumes of famous monsters like Godzilla would be recycled and altered, sometimes with nothing more than spray paint and often while the actor was still inside. Nakajima quipped once that the staggering gait of some of the monsters he portrayed was due less to his acting than to the fumes he had to endure. Some of the costumes could not be shown fully as his feet would be exposed, a necessary allowance to maintain balance in the often cumbersome outfits. Also, the expense of repairing the scale cities and landscapes used for battle scenes required economy of movement and meticulous planning.

 

The story

The storyline begins in the near future, as referenced from the mid-1960s. In episode 22, “My Home Is Earth”, it is definitively established that the series takes place in the early 1990s, as a plaque shown at the end of the episode displays the current year as being 1993. Sinister aliens and giant monsters constantly threaten civilization during this period. The only Earth organization equipped to handle these disasters is the Science Special Search Party (SSSP), a special police force with branches all over the world, and equipped with high-tech weapons and vehicles, as well as extensive scientific and engineering facilities. The branch of the Science Patrol that is focused on in the series is located in Tokyo, Japan. Led by Captain “Cap” Muramatsu (shortened to “Captain Mura” in the dubbed English-language version), the Science Patrol is always ready to protect the Earth from rampaging monsters, but sometimes finds itself overmatched. When the situation becomes desperate, Hayata, the Patrol’s most capable member, holds the key to salvation in the form of a power-object called a “Beta Capsule”, which, when ignited, allows him to transform secretly into the amazing, super-humanoid-powered giant from space—Ultraman.

While active as Ultraman, Hayata’s human body goes into a type of deep coma, reviving only after the threat has been neutralized and Ultraman willingly departs. Victory is never assured, however, as Ultraman’s powers—his very life force—comes from rapidly depleted, stored solar energy. At the beginning of each transformation from Hayata-to-Ultraman, the warning light on the giant’s chest begins as a steady blue color. Yet as Ultraman exerts himself, the Color Timer changes to red, then blinks—slowly at first, then with increasing rapidity—as his energy reserves get closer to exhaustion. As the voice-over narration reminds the viewer—beginning with episode 2 and for each episode thereafter—if Ultraman ever reaches the point of total energy depletion, he “will never rise again.”

Per the DVD set from BCI Eclipse (in episode 39, “Farewell Ultraman”), in the original subtitled version, Ultraman fights an enemy called Zetton, who employs a weapon Ultraman had not expected—one which damages his Color Timer and disables his ability to measure his power supply. As a result, Ultraman stays in his form too long and collapses into a dormant state. Fortunately despite this loss, the Science Patrol’s members were able to defeat Zetton on their own. When Zoffy, Ultraman’s superior, came to retrieve the fallen hero, Ultraman pleads for Hayata’s life and offers his life completely, so that Hayata may live as a normal man. Zoffy then says he brought two lives and that he will give one to Hayata. He then separates them, giving Hayata new life, but Hayata seemed to have no memory between the time he first hit Ultraman’s ship and his standing outside Patrol Headquarters as he watched Zoffy take Ultraman home. This is a rather different finish to the series than the English dub which stated Ultraman would return and that Hayata retained his Beta Capsule as he awaited Ultraman’s return.

 

Characters

 

The Science Patrol

• Captain Toshio “Cap” Muramatsu (村松利夫 Muramatsu Toshio Taicho^?): The Science Patrol’s leader. He is known as Captain Mura in the US version.
  • Age: 36 years old
  • Actor: Akiji Kobayashi

• Daisuke Arashi (嵐 大助 Arashi Daisuke^?): The Science Patrol’s rotund tough-guy marksman.
  • Age: 26 years old
  • Actor: Iyoshi Ishii

• Mitsuhiro Ide (井出光浩 Ide Mitsuhiro^?): The Science Patrol’s somewhat comical inventor. Although he sometimes feels that Ultraman’s intervention makes his role useless, his inventions have occasionally been critical in saving the day such as helping the superhero defeat particularly formidable monsters. He is known as Ito in the US version.
  • Age: 24 years old
  • Actor: Masanari Nihei, also known as Masanori Nihei

• Akiko Fuji (藤 明子 Fuji Akiko^?): The Science Patrol’s radio/communications operator, and ostensibly their token female member. However, in most adventures, Fuji proves to be the most level-headed and capable member after Hayata.
  • Age: 24 years old
  • Actor: Hiroko Sakurai

• Isamu Hoshino (星野 勇 Hoshino Isamu^?): A little boy. The Science Patrol’s unofficial mascot, he gets to hang out with the full-fledged members and is even issued a uniform later on. He often gets into trouble, and sometimes Ultraman would have to save him. He is known as Hoshino Fuji in the US version, which describes him as Akiko Fuji’s younger brother.
  • Age:: 11 years old
  • Actor:: Akihide Tsuzawa

• Shin Hayata/Ultraman (早田 進/ウルトラマン Hayata Shin/Urutoraman^?): The Science Patrol’s brave, no-nonsense deputy captain. His life changed irreversibly when Ultraman accidentally crashed into his “Delta VTOL” with his TravelSphere and killed him, destroying both ships. To make amends, Ultraman merges his own lifeforce into that of the Earthman before the brain functions of the latter are irreversibly terminated, thus reviving him. He then gives Hayata the microphone-like device called the Beta Capsule, with which he can transform into Ultraman by depressing a red push-button switch on its side with his thumb to ignite it.
  • Age: 26 years old
  • Actor: Susumu Kurobe; Ultraman himself is played by Bin “Satoshi” Furuya

 

Supporting characters

• Doctor Iwamoto: A professor from the Scientific Research Center. The Science Patrol’s “monster expert”. He first appears in Episode 5.
  • Age: 40 years old
  • Actor: Akihiko Hirata (Occasional substitutes for Hirata: Played in Episode 33 by Hisaya Ito and Episode 36 by Bin Morizuka)

 

Ultraman’s statistics

• Home Planet: “The Land Of Light,” Nebula M78
• Height: 40 meters (156 feet)
• Weight: 35,000 tons (Earth gravitation)
• Age: 20,000 Earth years old
• Flight Speed: Mach 5
• Jump Ceiling: 800 meters (2,600 feet)
• Running Speed: 450 kilometers per hour (280 miles per hour)
• Swimming Speed: 200 knots (230 miles per hour)
• Physical Strength: Though never precisely measured in the stories, it is presumed to be enough for him to be able to lift (press) over 100,000 tons. He can lift a 100,000-ton tanker;Skydon was twice as heavy.
• Occupations: Teacher at Space University (Uchū Daigaku^?); Chief of Space Garrison Milky Way Office (宇宙警備隊銀河系局 Uchū Keibitai Gingakei Kyoku^?)
• Family Structure
  • Father: Director of Space Security Board (Uchū Hoan Chō^?)
  • Mother: Teacher at Ultra School (Urutora Gakkō^?)
• Human Form: Shin Hayata (host)
• Transformation Item: Beta Capsule (Bētā Kapuseru^?)

ORIGINAL ULTRAMAN

ORIGINAL ULTRAMAN (1966 VERSION) ACTION HERO SERIES 7″ TALKING ACTION FIGURE From Ultraman     Average customer review:

The Ultraman clone!  
My son was born 1966, and discovered Ultraman around his 5th birthday. He would go around the house, doing the Ultraman stance, and saying “Ultraman” as he approached you. His Aunt started calling him Ultramn. He is 42years old, and she still calls him Ultraman. I had to get it for his birthdday this pass August. He just loves it!!

Blythe Belle Trading Figure (Japanese Import)

3″ Blythe Belle Trading Figure (Japanese Import) From Takara TOMY Group   Average customer review:

**You are purchasing one random figure from this series. The box is sealed, so you will not know which character you have purchased until you open the box when it arrives!**

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Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny Kanu Unchou Red Bikini Statue

From Orchid Seed

This item has features and themes that are for adults only. Ages 18 and up. Recommended for mature collectors.

She’s simply too hot to resist! Sizzling statue. Scantily clad. Removable, interchangeable clothing. What more could you ask for?

Sizzling statue. Scantily clad. Removable clothing. What more could you ask for? And what better way to roll in the summer than to take off all those stifling, sticky clothes? The ever-lovely Kanu Unchou certainly agrees with that, as she comes to you in her red, race-queen outfit. Underneath that is a nice bikini that shows off her all-too-luscious curves, and under the top to that is, well… you know! This mouthwatering, 1:6 scale, PVC figure arrives in a window box with interchangeable clothing that includes a bikini, race-queen and summer clothes, and her gold-colored heels. Complete with a display base, this succulent statue is simply too hot to resist! 

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Ikki Tousen Dragon Base Trading Figure Box Set

From Wani Books

Imported from Japan! The girls of Ikki Tousen are ready for a tussle with this set of trading figures based on the series! Standing on a dragon base, the girls are willing to take on any comers! High school was never so fun nor so violent! Read More….

Ashton Drake Exclusive Blythe Doll

Ashton Drake Exclusive Blythe Doll # 6 Pleasant Peasant From Hasbro

In 1972, an extraordinary event took place; a unique new doll appeared on the scene. She had a kooky, kicky look, and each time you pulled her string her eyes would change color and she would “look” in a different direction! Her name was BLYTHE and those lucky enough to add her to their collection knew they had a doll like no other! But, then BLYTHE dolls disappeared from the fashion doll world after a single year! Now, she’s back as an Ashton-Drake collectible doll replica. What an opportunity for collectors! Today, original BLYTHE dolls can sell for thousand of dollars on the secondary market and collectors clamor for her the world over. So don’t miss this chance to own her at this great value price! The BLYTHE collectible doll presented by Hasbro® and Ashton-Drake features: A faithful replica of the original BLYTHE doll from Hasbro Pull the ring on her string and her eyes change color (pink, blue and amber) and “look” in a different direction Original dolls are highly sought after by collectors and sell for thousands of dollars on the secondary market Even “new” BLYTHE dolls available outside the United States sell for hundreds of dollars, so don’t miss this great value! BLYTHE replica comes in an authentic replica of the original package Includes a Certificate of Authenticity Measures 11-1/2″ standing Get it Now!

Valentine’s Day

 In Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day
Traditional symbols of Valentine’s Day include hearts, doves, Cupid and love notes. American postcard, circa 1900.
Also called	St. Valentine’s Day
Observed by	Christian and Christian-influenced cultures
Type	Christian, cultural, multinational
Significance	Lovers express their feelings to each other
Date	February 14
Observances	Sending greeting cards and gifts, dating.

Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sendingValentine’s cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

An alternative theory from Belarus states that the holiday originates from the story of Saint Valentine, who upon rejection by his mistress was so heartbroken that he took a knife to his chest and sent her his still-beating heart as a token of his undying love for her. Hence, heart-shaped cards are now sent as a tribute to his overwhelming passion and suffering. 

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of “valentines.” Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Valentine’s Gift

Valentine’s Day Pink Trexi 3 inch Bear

Valentine’s Day Purple Trexi 3 inch Bear

Valentine’s Day BlueTrexi 3 inch Bear

Valentine’s Gift [Game Download] From DayTerium     Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Make the best gift – the Valentine’s Gift! Love is in the air as you dip into a romantic world of gifts, treasures, adventures and unbelievable puzzles! Explore 4 special game modes, each with its own addictive qualities. Let the wonderfully dreamy theme and music sweep you away as you find all your Valentine Gifts today!

 

An Interactive Valentine : Valentine Card Maker From Essex Interactive Media Click here to go to Amazon to see other purchasing options.

Feathers: 25 Items of Clip Art – 6 Wall papers – 5 Fonts – Love Songs – valentine card Maker – Top Internet Valentine Sights – Valentine Clock – St. Valentine Story

Webkinz Love Frog Limited Edition Release

From Ganz Average customer review:

This big dog is a faithful friend, willing to do what it takes to make sure you have an amazing time in Webkinz World. Not only is the Husky friendly and strong, but this proud pooch is also full of energy. If you love to play, the Husky is the pal youve been looking for. Its special item is northern nights bed and food is frosted kibbly chunks —buy Webkinz Love Frog—

SIC S.I.C Super Imaginative Chogokin Vol.18 Kamen Masked Rider V3 & Riderman 2007 Bandai

 

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by Bandai

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Avatar The Last Airbender – The Complete Book 2 Collection

From Nickelodeon   Average customer review:

Product Description

Avatar: The Complete Book 2 DVD Collection includes 20 action packed episodes from Book 2: Earth, plus an exclusive never-before-seen bonus disc! This 5 disc set centers around Avatar Aang and his continious quest to master the four elements. Together with Katara, Sokka, Momo and Appa, he journeys across the Earth Kingdom in search of an Earthbending mentor while staying one step ahead of Prince Zuko and fighting off the treachorous, Princess Azula, of the Fire Nation, who will stop at nothing to defeat the Avatar!

 

Book 2: Earth, Vol. 1 Avatar the Last Airbender: Book 2 Earth, Volume 1 finds Aang, the Avatar and potential reconciler of a world divided into air, earth, water, and fire kingdoms, now a master Waterbender. That means he and companions Katara and Sokka can now leave the Northern Water Tribe and concentrate on mastering earth. New adventures and dangers await the heroic trio in the five episodes included on this DVD, which finds Aang experiencing nightmares about the power of the Avatar State. He also meets an earth kingdom general with plans for attacking the warrior tribes of the fire nation, gets trapped with possible love interest Katara in the Cave of Two Lovers, and gets pulled into a supernatural swamp by a tornado. As always, Avatar is above average as an engaging anime tale, with a wonderfully original storyline and striking artistry. –Tom Keogh

Book 2: Earth, Vol. 2 The five chapters in Avatar the Last Airbender: Book 2 Earth, Volume 2 continue the story of young avatar Aang’s adventures deep within the Earth Kingdom. As usual, each episode is a seamless blend of grave drama and comic relief, but the stakes seem higher than ever with the addition of a new member to Aang’s team. Joining Katara and Sokka is Toph, a blind but powerful earthbending girl trying to obscure her aristocratic origins by defeating large, scary men in the ring. Aang recognizes Toph from his vision of an earthbending teacher, whom he needs to help him master control over the earth element. Toph also adds a kind of sardonic, tart tone to Aang’s journey, ultimately leaving her world to join the series’ trio of young heroes. “The Blind Bandit” finds Aang, Katara, and Sokka working hard at convincing Toph to help their mission. “Zuko Alone” carries on the tale of the firebending prince who now travels alone and anonymously, but comes close to befriending a boy in an Earth Kingdom town. (The episode is full of interesting flashbacks from Zuko’s youth.) “The Chase” also concerns Zuko’s past, but is primarily about Aang, Katara, and Sokka adjusting to Toph’s somewhat self-centered presence on the team at the same time Princess Azula is relentlessly hunting them all down in a kind of speeding tank. “Bitter Work” finds Toph having difficulties training Aang, while “The Library” is an exotic episode about a professor who leads the crew to a library containing information useful against the Fire Nation. When they get there, they find the place guarded by the owl-like Wan Shi Tong, who begins sinking the library in defense against the perceived invaders. –Tom Keogh

Book 2: Earth, Vol. 3 Avatar the Last Airbender: Book 2 Earth, Volume 3 covers chapters 11 through 15 in the ongoing saga of Aang, the 12-year-old reincarnation of an avatar destined to reunite the warring nations of fire, earth, water, and air. Still traveling with his friends Katara, Sokka, and newcomer Toph, Aang gets into some of the strangest and most compelling situations yet seen on his journey to master control over all four elements. The first story, “The Desert,” finds Aang so upset over the abduction and criminal sale of his flying bison, Appa, that the powerful boy shows a streak of rage, demonstrating to himself that he could easily use his emerging skills to harm enemies if he wished. Still, Appa remains missing through this volume, leading the gang on a mission to survive a desert sojourn and survive during a perilous flight (with a young family in tow) over a pass through mountains and ocean in “The Serpent’s Pass.” They also get involved in a bizarre fight (in “The Drill”) against the Fire Nation army and its gigantic drill, which is aimed at the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, a city occupied by earth people. Once inside Ba Sing Se, however, things get really weird: smiling officials (in “City of Walls and Secrets”) outlaw any discussion of the war outside in order to keep the population placid and the economy rolling. Finally, “Tales of Ba Sing Se” is an original piece made up of individual vignettes focusing on each of the major characters. If there is anything surprising about Book 2 Earth, Volume 3, it’s the amount of romance (kissing, even!) in the air. These Avatar boys and girls are growing up. –Tom Keogh

Book 2: Earth, Vol. 4 The long journey of young Avatar Aang and his friends Katara, Sokka, and Toph continues in this dramatic installment in the Avatar the Last Airbender series. Picking up from Volume 3, the first chapter on this disc, “Appa’s Lost Days,” traces the hard times of Aang’s winged bison, Appa, after the latter is stolen in order to blackmail Aang into not going to the Earth King with information about a pending coup. The clever Aang manages to find Appa anyway and complete his crucial mission, though he learns, in “The Earth King,” that the sheltered monarch doesn’t buy the notion that his own counsel, the power-grasping Long Feng, could be behind such a conspiracy. Complicating matters is the arrival of Princess Azula to take control over forces loyal to Long Feng, while Zuko, the reformed Fire Nation prince now acting as a humble but happier servant to his wise, tea-drinking uncle, is powerless to stop her. (On the other hand, Zuko forms an unexpected bond with one of Aang’s allies.) Everything comes to a head in “The Crossroads of Destiny,” in which Aang, suddenly confused by the sage advice of a guru who tells him he must free himself of a crucial emotional attachment, joins the others in an uphill effort to stop Azula from overtaking the Earth King. As engaging and frequently funny as every other volume in the Avatar series, Volume Four is a great ride through a climactic time in the long-running story. –Tom Keogh

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Avatar The Last Airbender – The Complete Book 1 Collection

From Paramount   Average customer review:

Product Description

Now a master waterbender aang leaves the northern water tribe to continue his quest to master the next element earth. Along with katara & sokka they visit the new earth nation cities encounter a slew of different earth kingdom citizens & even reunite with a crazy old king! Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/05/2008

 

Book 1: Water, Vol. 1
Mysterious, visually beautiful at times, and surprisingly funny, Avatar: Book 1, Volume 1 is the exciting story of Aang, a 12-year-old reincarnation of the ancient Avatar, whose purpose (in an imagined world that seems both ancient and futuristic) is to restore peace and order between warring armies of the four elements: fire, earth, water, and air. At one time or another, over thousands of years, the Avatar has been embodied in masters of each of the elements. Aang (who is freed from a century-long sleep inside an iceberg) happens to be an “airbender,” capable of using air and wind as powerful forces for moving objects and defeating hostile armies of firebenders. The feature-length Avatar follows Aang and a couple of friends as he becomes reacquainted with the world he knew before his 100-year hibernation–a world now lost to history. The story also concerns internal dramas within the unforgiving world of firebenders, who are intent on destruction and conquest. This engaging story, very pleasant to look at in its rich tones of blue and orange, is for all ages. –Tom Keogh

Book 1: Water, Vol. 2
Avatar The Last Airbender, Book 1: Water, Volume 2 continues the adventurous if half-comic journey of 12-year-old Airbender Aang, reincarnation of an ancient avatar, and his friends Katara and Sokka as they seek a teacher to help Aang fulfill his peacemaking destiny in a war-torn world. The four episodes on this disc, a follow-up to the elegant, magical series introduction, find the trio wandering through sundry Earth Nation cities, where they encounter signs of troubles between the once-harmonious, elemental tribes representing fire, earth, air, and water. They also bump into trouble with the occasional evil kingdom, as in “The King of Omashu,” where Aang must go through various trials to save Katara and Sokka from a bizarre execution. (They’re encased in growing, crystal structures.) “Imprisoned” finds Katara inadvertently responsible for the arrest of an Earthbending boy who dares to use his powers while his people are under Firebender occupation. The ambitious, two-part “Winter Solstice” is the best production in this collection, a pairing of storylines involving the capture of a Firebender war criminal and the hopes of a frightened village that turns to Aang to defeat a monster from the spirit world. The action is still original and fun on this sequel–most of it continues to be based on exciting uses of the elements–and the lead trio’s characters (Aang the scamp, Katara the idealist, Sokka the skeptic) are still a pleasure to be with. —Tom Keogh

Book 1: Water, Vol. 3
The Avatar saga continues with four of the anime series’ strongest stories yet on Book 1: Water, Volume 3, mixing goofy comedy with mythic drama in the spirit of Avatar’s magical debut (Book 1 Water, Volume 1) and engaging follow-up (Book 1 Water, Volume 2). Volume 3 concerns the continuing (perilous) travels of Aang, the 12-year-old Airbender destined to heal the rift between the world’s air, water, fire, and earth peoples, and his friends Katara and Sokka. “The Waterbending Scroll” finds Katara so jealous over Aang’s quick mastery of complicated waterbending techniques that the trio ends up in trouble with a cluster of cutthroat pirates. “Jet” is an interesting story of an adolescent boy leading a Robin Hood-like rebellion against the firebending occupiers of his land. Charismatic and rakish, Jet makes Katara swoon and becomes a hero to Aang–until his true colors and agenda show up later. “The Great Divide” places Aang and company in the position of mediating a truce between refugees seeking assistance across a great canyon. Finally, “The Storm” is a superb piece which shows us, in parallel narratives, how Aang was fleeing his oppressed life as an avatar-in-training a century earlier when he became encased in ice, and how the driven, seemingly merciless Prince Zuko lost his own boyhood innocence before setting out to capture Aang. This excellent collection carries on the series’ imaginative, graceful animation, making Avatar a real pleasure to watch. —Tom Keogh

Book 1: Water, Vol. 4

Book 1: Water, Vol. 5
Chapters 17 through 20 of Avatar the Last Airbender: Book 1 Water, Vol. 5 find Aang, the 12-year-old Avatar destined to bring peace to the world by mastering the four elements, once again in direct collision with the forces of the Fire nation. In “The Northern Air Temple,” a sad Aang visits the ruins of a monastery well known to him in his past life. Aang is shocked to discover a tribe of faux Airbenders living there, presided over by an inventor with a dark and even treacherous secret. “The Waterbending Master” introduces Aang to a mentor he would just as soon avoid: an old Waterbender who can teach him to move, shape, and fight with liquid, prerequisites to Aang assuming his place as the world’s savior. Meanwhile, Aang’s traveling companion Katara is frustrated by that same master’s refusal to sharpen her own natural, Waterbending talent; until, that is, an unexpected link between them becomes clear. (Aang’s other friend, Sokka, stays busy–and crazy–chasing a princess who gives him mixed signals about her romantic interest.) “The Siege of the North, Parts 1 and 2” is yet another epic confrontation between Admiral Zhao’s Fire Navy fleet and the Aang gang. The twist this time is that Zhao attempts the murder of Prince Zuko, an action that cannot go without consequences. As usual, Avatar is visually exciting and highly original, an otherworldly yet fully accessible fantasy full of dreams and good humor. —Tom Keogh

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Superman Bust Bank

From Diamond   Average customer review:

Conveniently sized at 3x8x8 (LxWxH), you can display your favorite DC Heroes just about anywhere. Made from roto-cast plastic, the Superman bust bank will protect your loose change, and not get too heavy when you fill it up!

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SIC S.I.C classic 2008 Vol.9 Masked Kamen Rider V3

From Bandai —read more—

SIC Vol. 01 Kikaider Deluxe Action Figure

 

From Diamond Comic Distributors – Dropship     Unifive gives us the classic anime hero: Kikaider! The Toei Animation hero returns as this retro-styled action figure, standing an impressive 15 and sporting 20 points of articulation! Turn his belt buckle, and his eyes will light-up (in one of two colors — yellow or red) as well as three different colored LEDs in his chest! Kikaider comes packaged in a hard plastic display capsule. Window box packaging. —read more—

SIC Kikaider 01 & Double Machine

S

From Bandai   —read more—

SIC S.I.C Vol.40 Kamen Rider Agito & Tornador Bandai

from Bandai   –-read more—

RAH Ultraman A Ace 12″ action figure

From Medicom --read more--

RAH Ultraman Type C Renew Ver. #388 12″ action figure

 

From Medicom   —read more—

Ultraman – Series One, Vol. 2

From BCI - A Navarre Corporation Company   Average customer review:

For those Japanese sci-fi fans whose appetites were whetted by the previous DVD set of Ultraman‘s adventures, Series One, Volume 2 presents the remaining episodes of the ’60s space giant’s battles against a horde of villainous (and improbable-looking) monsters. The brainchild of special effects legend Eiji Tsuburaya (who created the monsters for many of Japan’s movie creatures, including Godzilla), Ultraman was a popular children’s series on both sides of the Pacific (and around the world) and spawned numerous sequels and imitators in its country of origin. The plot of each episode revolved around the Science Patrol, a small group of dedicated scientist/soldiers who fought a ceaseless parade of giant monsters that threatened Japan. Thanks to a chance encounter with an alien, one of the Patrol’s members had the ability to transform into the colossal silver-and-red-suited Ultraman and aid the Patrol in dispatching the troublesome beasts. Volume 2 essentially follows this structure in all 19 episodes presented on its three discs, with several of the series’ most popular monsters (dinosaur Gomora, the bizarre humanoid Dada, birdlike Dorako, and the excitable and well-liked Pigmon) making their first or return appearances in these episodes. The action is frantic and fun, and should please younger first time viewers as much as the older Ultra-fans.

The previous Ultraman disc set (Series One, Volume One) received flak in fan circles due to audio and video problems, and while the image quality in this set seems improved over the previous entry, the audio problems do persist to a degree (specifically, the English language tracks “drop out” during certain scenes and are replaced by a subtitled Japanese track). The impact of this issue will undoubtedly vary from buyer to buyer, but there’s no denying that at their core, the shows remain enjoyable, no matter the state of the audio tracks. A multi-page insert booklet is included in the set, which presents interviews with several of the original Japanese cast members, while a pair of trading cards with action scenes from the show and a monster gallery featurette are all welcome and fun extras. —read more—

Ultraman: Series One, Vol. 1

From BCI Eclipse   Average customer review:

Created by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya (GODZILLA MOTHRA) the 1960s television series ULTRAMAN remains one of Japan’s most beloved science-fiction exports. Airing between 1966 and 1967 with a total of 39 episodes the live-action series followed a high-tech police force and their robot superhero Ultraman as they battled to save Earth from invading monsters and aliens. This collection presents the first 20 episodes in original uncut and remastered editions.System Requirements:TRT: 450 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: NR UPC: 787364702497  —read more—

Band of Brothers [Blu-ray]

 

Directed by David Frankel, David Leland, David Nutter, Mikael Salomon, Phil Alden Robinson   Average customer review:  Product Description Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 11/11/2008 Run time: 705 minutes Rating: Nr

An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II, Band of Brothers follows a company of airborne infantry–Easy Company–from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war–fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence. Band of Brothers turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it’s a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment. —read more-–

Star Wars McQuarrie Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader Statue

From Kotobukiya   Average customer review:

 

Talk about action! The classic duel comes alive! Combined bases measure 16 1/2-inches long. Limited edition of 2,000 pieces.

Talk about action! This piece fairly exudes it! From concept to collectible, beginning life as a humble production painting, this remarkable statue takes Star Wars conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie’s work into the third dimension! It’s based on an early concept drawing of Darth Vader fighting Deak Starkiller, a character who would eventually be replaced by Luke Skywalker. As a tribute to the 30th anniversary of Episode IV: A New Hope, McQuarrie’s lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Lord Vader is fully realized in this 3-D vinyl kit. The artisans of Kotobukiya have faithfully reproduced McQuarrie’s every detail, from Vader’s samurai-inspired mask to Luke’s unseen-on-film breathing apparatus. The 2 figures can be displayed together or separately. Darth Vader stands 11-inches tall and the combined bases measure 16 1/2-inches long. Limited edition of 2,000 pieces. Minor assembly required. ….read more…

Serenity Blueprints Reference Pack

From Quantum Mechanix Average customer review:

Would you like to build your own rogue ship? Well, the Official Serenity Blueprints Reference Pack contains everything you ever wanted to know about Serenity and the rich history of her Firefly-class design. This unbelievable pack contains thirty-three 12-inch tall x 16-inch wide, full-color, spiral-bound pages documenting the design, systems, and layout of Serenity plus the rest of the Firefly-class designs! (Serenity is a Series 3 Firefly.) Each book comes shrink-wrapped and includes an introduction by legendary sci-fi author Orson Scott Card. These are the plans. Now all you need are the time and materials! Made and printed in the U.S. The 10 pages focused on Serenity were designed by Geoffrey Mandel, Serenitygraphics designer extraordinaire, and Timothy Earls, illustrator for Firefly and set designer for Serenity.

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Mattel Matchbox Mega Rig Shark Adventure

From Mattel   Average customer review:

Your mission is to rescue your diver from the jaws of an enormous shark. Part of a building system, you can connect and combine your mega pieces to build over thirty vehicles. Every boat has wheels and also floats – so play on land or in water. This Mega Rig Set comes with huge boat, chomping shark, men, firing harpoon and more.Colors and decorations may vary.

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Swimline RC Submarine

From Swimline   Average customer review:

Full function remote control Sub by Swimline. This rc comes complete with Quick charger. Includes one RC Sub. Buy the rc jet ski and the rc sub together and race. Jet Ski Out of Stock

…read more…

Torker Unistar LX Unicycle 24″ Dark Metallic Grey

From Torker   Average customer review:

Torker Unistar LX Unicycle, 24, Dark Metallic Grey. 24 in wheel. This is a great unicycle for the money. …read more…

Avenir Deluxe Unicycle (20-Inch Wheel)

 

From Avenir   Average customer review:

Where To Learn: The best place for training is a back deck, preferably made of wood, with a handrail. Wood is more friendly than concrete, and you’ll need to hold onto the handrail while your leg muscles learn to react. If you don’t have a back deck, try a baseball field with a chain-link fence. Pick a grassy area with solid, flat dirt and you can hold onto the fence. Does This Thing Have A Front And Back? Yes. The seat post clamp skewer (bolt/nut or quick-release handle) is on the back. The pedal marked “L” should be on your left, “R” on your right.

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Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya), Volume 25

From VIZ Media LLC   Average customer review:

R to L (Japanese Style)

The series begins with the story of Seiya, the main hero, who is one of Athena’s Knights. Seiya, along with the other Bronze Knights, must train hard to earn their “Cloths,” and take on other challenges as well. Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya) has been a hit in Japan (where it is known as simply Saint Seiya), as well as many European countries including Spain, France, and Italy.

Hades has awakened…in the body of Andromeda Knight Shun! As the peaceful Shun struggles with the lord of the underworld for possession of his body, the indestructible Ikki rises to destroy Hades once and for all. But can Ikki bring himself to kill Hades if it means the death of his beloved little brother?Meanwhile, Seiya, ignoring his own serious injuries, takes on the Specter Harpy Valentine. With the fateful Greatest Eclipse approaching, all the forces of Hades and Athena brace themselves for the final Battle of the Gods!

Saint Seiya Siren Sorrento Saint Myth Cloth Action Figure

From Bandai

Saint Seiya Myth Cloth Marina Siren Sorrento Action Figure

Saint Seiya Saint Myth Cloth Marina Sea Horse Baian Action Figure

From Bandai

Saint Seiya Myth Cloth Marina Sea Horse Baian Action Figure

Saint Seiya Saint Cloth Myth Capricorn Shura

 

Saint Seiya Saint Cloth Myth Capricorn Shura Action Figure From Bandai

What you’ve all been waiting for — a PVC figure of Capricorn Shura, and a set of die-cast Gold Cloth! The spiffy ‘book-box’ opens to reveal that it consists of two window boxes; in one window box is a really well-articulated figure of Shura (is it me or does he look a little like Wolverine?), along with some of his Cloth parts, helmets, etc. In the other half is the rest of his Gold Cloth and no less than six spare hands in gauntlets, in various poses. Deck Shura out in his armor, or build the ‘Capricorn Object’ and pose it with him. A beautiful set for fans of the series! …read more…

Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel

 

From Nintendo

Nintendo is bringing Mario and his friends with their finely tuned racing machines back and this time to the Nintendo Wii. With 3 different control styles and a Wii Wheel included in the box, Mario Kart Wii is bound to be the best in the series. The worldwide race is on with a whole new set of tricks, tracks, and ways to play! Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions. Mario Kart Wii draws on courses and battle arenas from every game in the series – not to mention tons of new ones – the true king of the Mushroom Kingdom racing circuits will finally be crowned.

Wii Wheel Included!

New Intense Tracks and Tricks View larger.

Cool new car designs View larger.

Mario and his friends are back and ready to race once again in Mario Kart Wii! Experience new tracks, enhanced Wii graphics, extraordinary gameplay and much more! Place first in Grand Prix circuits or clear skill-based missions to open up increasingly difficult and thrilling circuits. Players can have multiplayer races on any open courses or battle in arenas. Also included with Mario Kart Wiiis the Wii Wheel! Now you can feel like your Mario and steering to avoid obstacles and doing incredible stunts – in the safety of your home of course.

Game Features:

• The Wii Wheel transforms the Wii Remote™ controller into a steering wheel that feels natural in anyone’s hands, while the Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ controller offer a classic control style for the Mario Kart veteran. In either configuration, players can perform speed-boosting tricks with a shake of the Wii Remote.
• Players can race as their favorite Nintendo character, or even as themselves! Mario Kart Wiilets players race with their personalized Mii™ characters. And racers will see other Mii characters they have created cheering from the sidelines on some race courses.
• Players can compete with up to three friends in their living room. Or challenge up to 11 opponents via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in the biggestMario Kart race yet. All tracks and modes of play are available via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and players can visit the Mario Kart Channel to compete in tournaments, check rankings, see when their friends are playing and download ghost data.
• Cruise new tracks and arenas or tour classic courses from Super Mario Kart™, Mario Kart® 64, Mario Kart®: Super Circuit™, Mario Kart®: Double Dash!!™ and Mario Kart® DS. Tired of riding on four wheels? Bust out one of the new motorbikes for special tricks and techniques.

…..read more…..

Griffon Surplice

 

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Other products by Saint Seiya

Saint Seiya Poseidon Chrysaor Krishna Myth Cloth Action Figure

From Bandai

Saint Seiya Myth Cloth Marina Chrysaor Krishna Action Figure Complete Set is a MUST for all Saint Seiya fans! It includes a Siren Sorrento Myth Cloth set, a collectable Siren metal plate, and a display stand for the figure. …read more…

Saint Cloth Myth Gold Leo Aiolia Action Figure

 

Saint Seiya Saint Cloth Myth Gold Leo Aiolia Action Figure Complete Set [W/ Leo Metal Plate and One Myth Cloth Display Stand] From Bandai

This Leo Aiolia Seiya Gold Cloth is a collectable item featuring armor parts that have been tinted with shining gold color for a gorgeous and luxurious appearance. Saint Seiya Myth Cloth Gold Leo Action Figure Complete Set is a MUST for all Saint Seiya fans! It includes a Gold Leo Aiolia Myth Cloth set, a collectable Leo metal plate, and a display stand for the figure.

….read more…

Saint Cloth Garuda Surplice Aiakos Cloth

 

 

Other products by Saint Seiya

Saint Seiya Saint Cloth Myth Hades Garuda Surplice Aiakos Action Figure ….read more…

Obama Bobble-Head

From Funko   Average customer review:

The junior Senator from the Land of Lincoln became the 44th President of the United States of America. Show your support with this talking Barack Obama Wacky Wobbler. Speaking his now-famous, uplifting slogan, ‘Yes We Can,’ this 7′ bobble will let your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and campaign workers know where you stand come Election Day! …read more…

Barack Obama 6″ Action Figure

From Distributoys, Inc.   Average customer review:

Product Description

Like countless others out there, we’ve been inspired by the meteoric rise of Barack Obama and his campaign. In a time when America so desperately needed a hero, along came a man to show us a brand new vision of what America and the world could be in the 21st century. In many ways, Obama is the closest thing we’ve ever seen to a superhero… someone who has literally inspired millions of people simultaneously to step past fear, to be brave enough to hope and to go past cynicism and imagine what we could be if we were at our best. That’s the stuff of legend! And Jailbreak Toys wanted to pitch in. So in that spirit, they created the Obama Action Figure, because every superhero should have one. 6 inches tall, 8 points of articulation, window boxed and made from phthalate-free PVC. An action figure you can believe in! …read more…

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction(Platform: PLAYSTATION 3)

 

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction From Sony Computer Entertainment Average customer review:

The funky little Lombax mechanic and his trusty robot sidekick Clank return in an all-new adventure exclusively on Sony’s PS3. Developer Insomniac promises that Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction will return the series to its roots — namely playing up the crazy platforming and weapons and the duo’s inimitable charm — while also greatly evolving the series’ look and scope. SIXAXIS support has been confirmed. 
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction brings back our heroes in a brand new series for the PS3. This time Ratchet & Clank must embark on an galactic adventure to unravel the mystery of Ratchet’s origin. This epic adventure will introduce new characters, new weapons, and all-new worlds for Ratchet & Clank to explore.  …read more…

Far Cry 2(Platform: PLAYSTATION 3)

 

 

Far Cry 2 From UBI Soft

Far Cry 2, the next-generation first-person shooter, will take you deep into the most beautiful but also most hostile environments in the world: Africa! More than just a visual and technological achievement, Far Cry, the true sequel to the award-winning PC game, will provide you with an unprecedented gaming experience. Caught between two rival factions in war-torn Africa, you are sent to take out “The Jackal,” a mysterious character who has rekindled the conflict between the warlords, jeopardizing thousands of lives. In order to fulfil your mission you will have to play the factions against each other, identify and exploit your their weaknesses, and neutralize their superior numbers and firepower with surprise, subversion, cunning and, of course, brute force. OPEN WORLD – The extensive artistic research combined with the next-gen engine will allow you to explore over 50Km2 of seamlessly rendered African landscape. No game has ever provided such freedom of movement! DUNIA ENGINE – The Dunia Engine was built specifically for Far Cry® 2 by the award-winning Ubisoft Montréal development team. It delivers the most realistic destructible environments, amazing special effects such as dynamic fire propagation and storm effects, real-time night-and-day cycle, dynamic music system, non-scripted enemy A.I. and much more… REAL-TIME IMMERSION – Real-time story telling, systemic auto-healing, minimal in-game interface are just few of the features that will make you feel the tension of being alone against barbarous warlords that threaten thousands of innocent lives. WEAPONS OF CHOICE – Choose from a wide range of weapons to make your way to your primary target. Meet the fight head-on with your machine-gun, go berserk with your machete or make stealth kills as a Sniper. If you feel that the atmosphere is not warm enough, light up your flamethrower and let your enemies and everything around them feel the heat.

Far Cry 2 by Ubisoft is the anticipated sequel to the award-winning original that brings players into the beautiful and hostile world of Africa. Far Cry 2 for PlayStation 3 features open-ended gameplay that allows you to play the game whichever way you choose, with the choices you make affecting where the game leads you.

 

Far Cry 2 Players: Offline: 1  Online: 16  Multiplayer Modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Diamond, Uprising Format: Native 720p high-definition output.

Far Cry 2 brings you to Africa where you’ll explore the savannah and the jungle. View larger.

Far Cry 2 features real-time night-and-day cycles. View larger.

Outstanding Graphics
Ubisoft developed the Dunia Engine specifically for Far Cry 2. Among other things, the Dunia Engine delivers realistic, interactive environments, special effects, real-time night-and-day cycles, and smart enemy AI. 

Expansive, Realistic Environment
Far Cry 2 is set in a fictional region of Africa where you are caught between two rival factions at war. The Ubisoft team spent a lot of time filming and photographing in Africa to get all the details of the landscape and native wildlife. The result is a huge gameplay area that is 50 square kilometers, taking players into and out of the jungle and savannah. Wild animals such as zebras, buffalo, gazelle are encountered during the game, with both players and enemies allowed to interact with them.

Far Cry 2 features an incredible level of detail and realism, with a minimal in-game interface to detract from immersion. For example, players will need to navigate the world using an in-game map and navigation system, weapons will disintegrate over time, and fires will spread and propagate.

Each of the actions a player takes is reflected in the environment and changes the content of the game. To fulfill your mission, you need to play the enemies against each other, using both strategy and skill.

Huge Range of Weapons and Vehicles
Far Cry 2 offers gamers a wide range of weapons, from a machete for hand-to-hand combat, to a sniper rifle that can stealthily pluck off enemies from afar. As weapons disintegrate over time, they might jam or even explode in your hand.

There are also a large range of vehicles such as gliders, trucks, cars, and boats that will let you fly, drive, slide, and hover over the open landscapes.

Multiplayer Options for up to 16 Players
Far Cry 2 supports up to 16 players and has four gameplay modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Diamond, and Uprising. Players can choose from six different classes in multiplayer, each with its own set of pros and cons. Just as in the single-player mode, multiplayer games will feature dynamic elements, making each session unique.

 

  

You can explore the world of Far Cry 2 from inside a car or flying on a glider

Blythe Doll

 

 

Blythe is a doll created in 1972 by designer Allison Katzman with the now-defunct U.S. toy company  Kenner. Reportedly, she was modelled after drawings by  Margaret Keane .similarly to many other dolls of the ’60s and ’70s. Her most distinctive and notable feature were eyes that changed color with the pull of a string attached to the back of her head. Due to a lack of interest, Blythe dolls were only sold for one year in the U.S. (produced in Hong Kong), during 1972.

 

 

Petite Blythe dolls are four inches tall and an economical and aesthetic alternative to Neo Blythes

History

Blythe was created in 1972 by designer Allison Katzman and marketed for one year in the UAS by toy company Kenner. The doll would only become popular some 30 years later.

In 1997, New York TV and video producer  Gina Garan was given a 1972 Kenner Blythe by a friend and began using it to practice her photographic skills. She began taking her Blythe everywhere with her and took hundreds of photos. In 1999, she was introduced to CWC’s Junko Wong by artist and illustrator, Jeffrey Fulyimari which brought Blythe to the attention of Parco and toy executives. In 2002, Gina published her first book of Blythe photography with Chronicle Books, This is Blythe. Later that year, Hasbro (the Trademark and License owner) gave Takara of Japan a license to produce the New Edition of Blythe (NEO Blythe). Blythe was used in a television advertising campaign by the Parco department store in Japan and was an instant hit. Success in Japan led Hasbro to issue a license to Ashton Drake Galleries (ADG)to produce Blythe exclusively in the U.S., where the doll become a niche product in a marginal market, selling largely to adults.

In 2003 Blythe was the subject in a segment on the popular VH1 special, I Love the 70s, where she was said to look like either “Barbie with elephantiasis” or “Christina Ricci” among other things.

In 2004, the Ashton-Drake Galleries began to produce their own Blythe replica dolls in the United States.

A vibrant Blythe subculture flourishes on the Internet, predominantly in forums and user groups. There is a large network of hobbyists who customise the doll for resale, people who create unique clothing and shoes, as well as accessories specifically for Blythe.

Dolls

There are two types of Blythe dolls: the 28cm (1/6th scale) “NEO” and the 11.2 cm “Petit Blythe.” Only NEO Blythes have colour-changing eyes, which include the colours blue, green, orange, and pink (except for cases with limited-edition dolls). Newer releases of the Petit Blythe dolls have moveable eyelids and bendable bodies.

A smaller Kubrick version of Blythe also exists.

The measurements of Blythe: 4.17-2.76-3.89 (in inches) or 106-70-99 (in mm). The measurements of Petit Blythe: 1.77-1.18-16.5 (in inches) or 45-30-42 (in mm).

Blythe dolls range in price (at release date) from USD$60 (ADG versions) upwards of USD$300 (limited edition NEOs). Older dolls are sought after in the collectors market, and can sell for as high as several thousand dollars for a Kenner to a thousand dollars or more for the first edition NEO.

Blythe bodies (neo)

The bodies of Blythe varies depending on the time of the release. Earlier releases uses the BL (basic  Licca) body, which has some disadvantages. For example, the legs do not bend as well as the later releases.

BL: June 2001-March 2002. Licca body is used, eyes glance further to the side, matte face for some models. Some also have boggled eyes so the upper lid does not show on their eyes. Hair is also generally thinner.

EBL (Excellent): June 2002-October 2003. New body is introduced. Unlike the earlier Licca body, EBL bodies do not have bendable arms, though their legs have three “clicks” at the knee. Faces are shinier.

SBL (Superior): February 2004-present. New face mould and new sparkly eye chips. The new head of the doll is fashioned from a complete piece of plastic.

RBL (Radiance): December 2006-present. New face mould to look more Kenner-like, including a slightly wider eyes.

Ashton Drake Galleries also produced a replica of the 4 originals Kenners, with similar boxes and the same outfits and hair colours. They tried to make the face mould more similar to the original Kenner. Noticeable differences are the skin-tone has a slight green tint, eye holes are wider, and the colours of the make-up quite vibrant.

Blythe designs

Takara frequently releases new versions of Blythe. They are usually first shown by a vector-styled design with variations before it is confirmed.

There have been over a 100 releases of Takara Blythe in the Neo size from 2001-2008, and around 80 different Petite Takara Blythe releases. 

Saint Seiya Saint Cloth Myth Gold Cloth Sagittarius Action Figure

From Bandai Average customer review:

Approximately 5 1/2″ tall. Sagittarius Aioros includes a PVC figure of Leo and his shining diecast armor, and it all comes packaged in a spiffy ‘book-box’, which opens to reveal that it consists of two window boxes; in one window box is a really well-articulated figure of Leo, along with some of his Cloth parts, diadems, etc. In the other half is the rest of his Phoenix Cloth and no less than nine spare hands in gauntlets, in various poses, plus an additional pair that are clasped (one piece). Deck Virgo out in his armour, or build the ‘Phoenix Obje’ and pose it with him. A beautiful set for fans of the series! BONUS: Initial orders on this item will receive a FREE bonus metal plate featuring Saint Cloth Gold Sagittarius Aioros Saint Cloth logo. An Asia Exclusive from Bandai Asia! (Very limited quantity. Offer good while supplies last.)  …read more…

Saint Seiya Pegasus Seiya Saint Myth Gold Cloth Action Figur

Saint Seiya Pegasus Seiya Saint Myth Gold Cloth Action Figure From Bandai

*****NOTE – This is the Hong Kong ‘Asian Market’ release of the figure, not to be confused with the Japanese import release. 

Leading the Saint Seiya Myth Cloth line on another leap forward, here’s God Cloth Pegasus Seiya! Presented in a new rectangular version of the line’s distinctive “book-box” packaging, this well-articulated PVC figure comes with his gleaming silver-color-accented-with-gold God Cloth parts of die-cast metal, spare hands, a hair part so that you can display him with or without his headgear, and all the makings for the gorgeous winged Pegasus Object. Absolutely stunning! …..read more…

Bandai Saint Seiya Myth Cloth Asgard God Eta Benetnasch Mime

Bandai Saint Seiya Myth Cloth Asgard God Eta Benetnasch Mime From Bandai

God Warrior Benetnasch Mime has arrived! In addition to his lethal lyre, this well-articulated PVC figure of Benetnasch Mime comes with his gleaming armor, several spare hands, an interchangeable eyes-closed face, and an interchangeable section of hair to allow him to be displayed with or without his ornate headgear. Use the armor on its own to build the Eta Robe Object! ….read more…

Saint Seiya Scylla IO Saint Cloth Myth Figure

 

Saint Seiya Scylla IO Saint Cloth Myth Figure From Bandai

Import from Japan Saint Seiya Scylla Lo Saint Cloth Myth Figure ….read more…

Saint Seiya Merak Hagen Saint Myth Cloth Action Figure

Saint Seiya Merak Hagen Saint Myth Cloth Action Figure From Bandai

Watch out, Hyoga–Merak Hagen is here! This well-articulated PVC figure of Hagen, presented in the Myth Cloth line’s distinctive “book-box” packaging, comes with his die-cast metal Beta Robe parts, spare hands, and parts to allow you to display him without his mask or with it raised or lowered over his eyes. Use the armor on its own to build the Sleipnir-like “Beta Robe Object”!   ….read more…

Ninja Blade

 

from Microsoft

Ninja Blade X360

Tokyo Under Siege. A Modern-Day Ninja for a 21st Century Enemy. A parasite has mysteriously appeared, unleashing a wave of destruction – mutating humans into vicious, savage creatures. The disease has reached the shores of Japan and into the heart of Tokyo. As modern-day ninja Ken Ogawa, swing, fly, and slice your way into extreme action to save humankind from obliteration.

Overview:

Step into the dark and mysterious world of Ninja Blade, where gamers will be given the epic task to defend Tokyo and ultimately humanity itself from a horrific, genetically mutating disease.

High atop the towering skyscrapers of modern-day Tokyo, Ken Ogawa and his team of skilled ninjas are deployed to destroy the infected monster horde and stem the spreading disease as humanity hangs in the balance. Matters quickly take a turn for the worse as Ken and his team are betrayed from within their own ranks. After narrowly escaping death, Ken is left to fight the daunting battle alone while also attempting to understand the motivations behind his father’s betrayal.

 

Players: 1 Player   Save File Size: 256 KB  Format: 16:9 Widescreen on HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p Audio: In-Game Dolby Digital

COMBAT BOSSES WITH SPECIAL ABILITIES. View larger.

EXTREME ACTION. View larger.

QUICK-TIME EVENTS. View larger.

Armed with an extensive arsenal of specialized ninja weapons, tools and skills including the powerful forces of Ninja Vision and todomé, players must fight insurmountable odds, and once again bring peace and order to Tokyo.  Features: unique Ninja abilities: To help defeat the genetically mutated monsters, players will have the special abilities of Ninja Vision and Todomé at their fingertips. Enabling “Ninja Vision” will allow players to detect and analyze potential enemy weak points, secret paths, and hidden information within the environment. Beware though, while using “Ninja Vision,” characters become susceptible to excess damage. Todomé is a special attack that destroys an enemy character’s core (heart), by dealing a fatal wound. Balanced and calculated use of both these abilities will be critical to progressing through the game. Variety of weapons, tools and Ninjutsu: Specialized Ninja powers offer an enticing array of options. Varied environments force players to think strategically about which set of weapons and tools will be most effective at conquering their way through different levels. Everything from dual wielding swords, to grapple wire hooks, to grenades each have distinctive features and characteristics, so choose wisely! Ninjutsu is a special power that results in an explosive electrical force to either stun enemies or protect oneself from attack. Only true Ninja Masters can achieve this technique. Interactive quick-time events: Scattered throughout integral parts of the storyline, characters will come across various quick-time events where players will have the opportunity to directly interact with in-game cut-scenes. Quick reflexes will be rewarded as players interact with controller buttons as directed on screen during intense battles. Modern Realism: Ninja Blade offers a fresh twist to the classic ninja saga by basing all 3D gaming maps directly from the actual skyscrapers and building tops in modern day Tokyo.

 

Casio Men’s Edifice 10-Year-Battery Analog Bracelet Watch #EF106D-2AV

 

From Casio Average customer review:  Get it Now!

A tribute to classic style, the Casio Men’s Edifice 10-Year-Battery Bracelet Watch #EF106D-2AV features a rich blue dial face with a sturdy mineral dial window. Stand-out Arabic numerals and indexes in striking silver tone offer style and at-a-glance convenience. A date calendar rests at the four o’clock position. Both the stationary bezel and 40-millimeter case are made of high-quality stainless steel, and a silver-tone stainless steel band is accompanied by a durable fold-over clasp. Designed to accommodate your fast-paced schedule, this handsome timepiece brings a sophisticated finish to your look. Powered by quartz movement, this watch is water resistant to 330 feet.

Casio Men’s Ana-Digi Edifice Thermometer Bracelet Watch #EFA119BK-1AV

Casio Men’s Ana-Digi Edifice Thermometer Bracelet Watch #EFA119BK-1AV From Casio Average customer review:    Get it Now!

Powerfully styled and packed full of robust timekeeping and environmental features, the Casio Edifice stainless steel watch for men (model EFA119BK-1AV) holds its own in both professional quarters and rugged outdoor terrain. This round analog/digital timepiece features a black bezel framing a standard analog dial with white stick hour markers and thin oval skeleton hands. It also offers digital windows for showing current date as well as the watch’s chronograph, which can measure events down to 1/100 of a second. Other stopwatch features include a 50-record memory, single stopwatch mode with lap times and total elapsed time, a dual mode with two independent lap times, and a 100-hour capacity. It also includes a thermometer that measures every even-numbered minute. Other timekeeping features include:

• World time with 30 time zones (50 cities) with city code display and daylight saving on/off
• Daily alarm
• Countdown timer with 100-hour range
• Auto-calendar (pre-programmed until the year 2099)
• 12/24 Hour Formats

This watch also features a stylishly tapered stainless steel bracelet, ±30-second accuracy per month, Afterglow backlighting, and water resistance to 100 meters (330 feet)–offering protection from accidental splashes as well suitable for swimming, snorkeling, and light recreational diving.

Apple iPod touch 8 GB

Apple iPod touch 8 GB

From Apple Computer
   

Average customer review: 

 

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The iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. And with its groundbreaking technologies–including a Multi-Touch screen, the accelerometer, and 3D graphics–and access to hundreds of games, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand. It comes in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models with new volume controls and a built-in speaker. Play hours of music. Create a Genius Playlist of songs that go great together. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Browse YouTube videos. And shop the App Store for games and applications.

Millions of songs, thousands of videos, hundreds of games. Click to enlarge.

Music

Music on iPod touch not only sounds amazing, it looks amazing, too.Touch Your Music
Remember what it felt like to flip through your CD or record collection? Cover Flow brings that feeling back. Just turn iPod touch on its side and flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. Tap the cover to flip it over and display a track list. Tap again to start the music. Even view the lyrics while you’re listening.

A Musical Genius
Say you’re listening to a song you really like and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. The new Genius feature finds the songs in your library that go great together and makes a Genius Playlist for you. You can listen to the playlist right away, save it for later, or even refresh it and give it another go. Count on Genius to create a mix you wouldn’t have thought of yourself.

Fill It Up
Fill up your iPod touch with audio and video from your iTunes library. All you have to do is choose the playlists, videos, and other content you want to sync, and iTunes does the rest. 

The iPod touch feels even better in your hand, thanks to the stunningly thin, contoured enclosure made of polished stainless steel.

Just turn iPod touch on its side and flick through your music to find the album you want to hear. Click to enlarge.

Carry hours of video with you, and watch it on a crisp, clear 3.5-inch widescreen color display.

 

Movies and TV Shows

Movies and TV shows have never looked this good on a portable device.Everything’s a Must-see
Carry hours of video with you, and watch it on a crisp, clear 3.5-inch widescreen color display. Need ideas? From Hollywood blockbusters to independent favorites, there’s something for everyone at the iTunes Store. Download and watch movies with a few clicks. Prefer TV shows? Buy a single episode or an entire season’s worth all at once.

In Control
While watching your video, tap the display to bring up the onscreen controls. You can play/pause, view by chapter, and adjust the volume. You also can use the new volume controls on the left side of iPod touch. Want to switch between widescreen and full screen? Simply tap the display twice.

Sync and Go
Need some entertainment for your next flight or road trip? With iTunes on your Mac or PC, you can sit at your computer and choose the movies and TV shows you want to sync to your iPod touch. 

Games

With its groundbreaking technologies, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand.Get in the Game
Developers all over the world are creating exciting games unlike anything you’ve ever seen on an iPod or mobile device. Many games come alive with stunning 3D graphics and immerse you in the action with the advanced technologies in iPod touch. There’s even a built-in speaker, so you can hear all the action.

Fingertip Control
Many games for iPod touch use Multi-Touch to give you precise, fingertip control over game elements. Use your finger to drag your pieces around the board in chess or dice games. Or pinch to enlarge or shrink your view, rotate your character left or right, or just tap to make a selection.

Tilt, Turn, and Go
The built-in accelerometer actually responds to your movements, so you can tilt and turn your iPod touch to control the action. It’s perfect for racing games–where your entire iPod touch acts as a steering wheel–and for tap-and-tilt games like Super Monkey Ball, in which your character rolls to your movements.

The App Store
Even if games aren’t your thing, there’s an iPod touch application for you. Thousands of applications in almost every category–entertainment, social networking, sports, photography, reference, and travel–are a tap away at the App Store. 

Developers all over the world are creating exciting games unlike anything you’ve ever seen on an iPod or mobile device. Click to enlarge.

The built-in wireless capability in iPod touch gives you access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, where you can choose from millions of songs with a tap.

iPod touch features Safari, the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device.

 

iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store

Discover new music anywhere.Buy on the Fly
The built-in wireless capability in iPod touch gives you access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, where you can choose from millions of songs with a tap. Browse New Releases, What’s Hot, and Genres. Take a look at Top Songs and Top Albums. Or find exactly what you’re looking for with a quick search. Play a 30-second preview of any song, then tap once to buy it. Your music starts downloading instantly, and you can keep tabs on its progress by tapping the Downloads button.

Sync it Back
When you connect iPod touch to your computer, the music you bought on-the-go syncs to your iTunes library. If you’ve partially downloaded a song to iPod touch, your computer completes the download automatically.

iPod touch at Starbucks
If you have an iPod touch, an iPhone, or a computer with the latest version of iTunes, you get free Wi-Fi access to the iTunes Store and to Starbucks’ Now Playing content. Stroll into a participating Starbucks, and you’re connected automatically. 

Home Screen

Get instant access to whatever you need on your iPod touch.Customize Your Home Screen
Arrange the icons on your Home screen any way you want. Even move them to another Home screen. Create up to nine Home screens for quick access to the games and applications you download from the App Store and to your Safari Web Clips.

Go Home
No matter where you are on iPod touch, you can press the Home button to return to the Home screen. You can go back to what you were doing at any time.

Add Apps, Web Clips, and More
Whenever you download an application from the App Store, a new icon appears on your Home screen. And if you check the same websites every day, just create Web Clips and you can access the sites directly from your Home screen with a single tap. Not happy with how they’re organized? Reorder them any way you want by dragging them around the screen. 

Safari

iPod touch features Safari, the most advanced web browser ever on a portable device.Browse Anywhere
The iPod touch is the only iPod with 802.11b/g wireless access to the web. Whenever you’re connected via Wi-Fi, you can access your favorite websites to read news, check scores, pay bills, and go shopping.

Search and Find
iPod touch syncs your bookmarks from your PC or Mac, so you can access favorite sites quickly. It has Google and Yahoo! search built in, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for on the web.

Zoom with a View
Get a closer look at any web page by zooming in and out with a tap or a pinch of the Multi-Touch display. View websites in portrait or landscape. Rotate iPod touch 90 degrees and the website rotates, too.

Clip it.
If you check a website frequently–a favorite newspaper, blog, or sports site–why not create a Home screen icon for it? Make Web Clips with Safari, and your favorite sites are always just a tap away. 

Email on iPod touch looks and works just like email on your computer.

When you’re connected via Wi-Fi, you can get directions, find local businesses, and check traffic with Maps.

 

Mail

Email on iPod touch looks and works just like email on your computer.See it All
iPod touch supports rich HTML email, so images and photos appear alongside text. And you see email attachments in their original formats, not stripped-down versions. Rotate, zoom, and pan in more than a dozen standard file and image formats, including PDF; Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; and iWork.

Access it All
Access your email from popular providers–including MobileMe, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo! Mail, Google Gmail, and AOL–and most industry-standard IMAP and POP mail systems.

Send Fast
iPod touch recognizes email addresses in different applications. If you run across an email address on a web page or a map listing, for example, just tap it; iPod touch opens a new message and addresses it for you.

Type Smart
With its built-in dictionary, the intelligent iPod touch keyboard predicts and suggests words as you type, making it fast and easy to write email. 

Maps

When you’re connected via Wi-Fi, you can get directions, find local businesses, and check traffic.Find Yourself
iPod touch finds your location using known Wi-Fi hotspots. It also finds points of interest by keyword: Search for “coffee” and iPod touch shows you every cafe nearby.

Get Directions
Just type in an address and get directions from wherever you are. View a list of turn-by-turn directions, or see a highlighted map route. You also can mark specific locations and find the best route between them.

Enjoy the View
Just like Google Maps on your computer, Maps on iPod touch lets you switch between views of Google map data, satellite images, and a hybrid of both. Multi-Touch makes the difference. Tap to zoom, pan, and change your view on the move.

See Traffic
Maps on iPod touch shows you live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, red, and yellow highlights. 

Love to watch the latest YouTube videos? iPod touch gives you all the fun of the web’s best videos–pocket-size.

iPod touch uses iTunes to sync photos you have in iPhoto on a Mac or Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop Album on a PC.

Keep your schedule at your fingertips with iPod touch.

Build your contacts list on your Mac with Address Book or on your PC with Microsoft Outlook, then sync everything to your iPod touch using iTunes.

 

YouTube

Love to watch the latest YouTube videos? iPod touch gives you all the fun of the web’s best videos–pocket-size.Share from Anywhere
Email your favorite videos to your favorite people. Tap “Share” on any YouTube video detail page, and iPod touch creates an email with the video link already in it.

Watch What You Want
Explore Featured, Most Viewed, Most Recent, and Top Rated videos. Or search for the video you want with a keyword search. Once you find what you’re looking for, bookmark it to watch later. 

Photos

Carry up to 25,000 of your favorite photos everywhere.Share Photos
Show thousands of photos from the palm of your hand. Flick to scroll through thumbnails. Tap to view full screen. Rotate to see a photo in landscape. Pinch to zoom in or out. Play slideshows, complete with music and transitions. Email a photo to a friend, set it as your wallpaper, or share it in a MobileMe Gallery.

Save Photos
If you receive a great image in an email, save it to your photo library on iPod touch. Once there, it acts just like any other photo. You can set it as your wallpaper, share it on the web, or pass it on.

Sync Photos
iPod touch uses iTunes to sync photos you have in iPhoto on a Mac or Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop Album on a PC. Just choose which photos or albums to sync to your iPod touch, then you can look at them–and share them–anywhere you go. 

Calendar

With iPod touch, it’s easy to make plans and stay on schedule.Add Events
Keep your schedule at your fingertips with iPod touch. Add events to your calendar. Set a custom alert. Write a note or two. Manage multiple color-coded calendars. And do it all with just a few taps.

Stay in Sync
Connect iPod touch to your computer, and the events that you’ve created on-the-go automatically sync to Microsoft Outlook on a PC or iCal on a Mac. And all the events you’ve added on your computer sync to iPod touch.

Three Ways to View
iPod touch gives you three ways to view your calendars. List view shows you all your appointments in the coming days as a comprehensive list, which you can scroll up and down. Day view displays one day’s worth of appointments visually. And Month view offers an at-a-glance look at an entire month. 

Contacts

Put names, email addresses, phone numbers, and more at your fingertips.Make Contact
Build your contacts list on your Mac with Address Book or on your PC with Microsoft Outlook, then sync everything to your iPod touch using iTunes. You also can add contact information directly to your iPod touch from maps, web pages, and email. Next time you sync, your computer is updated, too.

Search Contacts
If you have a lot of contacts, a quick search shows you a list of matching names. Or you can scroll up and down your entire list to find the right contact. Want to send them an email? Just tap an email address and the Mail application opens automatically.

Organized by Groups
If you keep your contacts organized into groups–such as co-workers, friends, family, and so on–iPod touch will, too. And iPod touch can hold more than just names, email addresses, and phone numbers. You also can track birthdays, websites, nicknames, and notes. 

Stocks, Weather, and Notes

Stay on top of it all.Check Stocks
Stocks on iPod touch shows you performance information for any stock you choose. When you want more details about a stock’s performance, tap the Y! for instant access to Yahoo! Finance.

Get Weather
Check worldwide weather at home or away. Add the cities you want, then flick back and forth to get six-day forecasts for each. Tap the Y! to open a Yahoo! city guide that shows you what’s happening, rain or shine.

Take Notes
Forget the pen and paper. Use Notes on iPod touch to write yourself a quick note and keep important information on hand. There’s even a built-in email function that lets you send notes to yourself or others. 

Calculator

Calculator on iPod touch helps you settle the restaurant bill or keep track of your budget.Calculate Simply
When you tap the Calculator icon, iPod touch shows you a simple application with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and memory functions. Use it just as you would a pocket calculator.

Calculate Scientifically
Your simple calculator doubles as a sophisticated scientific calculator. Just rotate it to landscape to access dozens of functions for solving complex science and math problems. 

iPod touch now includes built-in Nike + iPod support.

 

Nike + iPod

Tune Your Run
iPod touch now includes built-in Nike + iPod support. Just slip the Nike + iPod Sensor (available separately) into your Nike+ shoe and start your run. The sensor communicates wirelessly with your iPod touch, tracking your time, distance, and calories burned. It even gives you voice feedback on your progress.

Tune Your Cardio Workout
This feature also works with new cardio equipment available in many fitness centers. Just look for treadmills, ellipticals, stair steppers, and stationary bikes that are Nike + iPod compatible.

Sync with Nikeplus.com
When you get back to your computer, sync your iPod touch via iTunes and transfer your exercise data to nikeplus.com, where you can track your workouts, set goals, and challenge friends. 

Multi-Touch

iPod touch features the same revolutionary interface as iPhone.Glide, Flick, Pinch
Built to take full advantage of the large 3.5-inch display, the Multi-Touch touchscreen interface lets you control everything using only your fingers. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flick through photos and enlarge them with a pinch, zoom in and out on a section of a web page, and control game elements precisely.

How it Works
The Multi-Touch display layers a protective shield over a capacitive panel that senses your touch using electrical fields. It then transmits that information to the LCD screen below it. iPod touch software enables the flick, tap, and pinch.

Type with the Touchscreen Keyboard
iPod touch features an intelligent touchscreen keyboard perfect for browsing the web in Safari, getting directions on a map, searching for videos on YouTube, finding music on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, or adding new contacts. It analyzes keystrokes to suggest words as you type and correct spelling errors automatically. And because it’s software based, it changes its keys to support typing in multiple languages. 

iPod touch locates nearby wireless hotspots, including protected networks.

 

Accelerometer

iPod touch responds to motion using a built-in accelerometer.Responds to Movement
iPod touch detects when you rotate it from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display. So you immediately see the entire width of a web page, view a photo in its proper aspect ratio, or control a game using only your movements.

How it Works
The accelerometer inside iPod touch uses three elements: a silicon mass, a set of silicon springs, and an electrical current. The silicon springs measure the position of the silicon mass using the electrical current. Rotating iPod touch causes a fluctuation in the electrical current passing through the silicon springs. The accelerometer registers these fluctuations and tells iPod touch to adjust the display accordingly.

Perfect for Gaming
Accelerometer technology really shines when you play games because it immerses you in the action. It’s perfect for racing games–where your entire iPod touch acts as a steering wheel–and for tap-and-tilt games like Super Monkey Ball, in which your character responds to your every movement. 

Wireless

Connect iPod touch to the Internet anywhere there’s a wireless network.Connect Automatically
iPod touch locates nearby wireless hotspots, including protected networks. If you’ve never used a particular network, it asks you to enter a password the first time, and it remembers the password from then on. So the next time you’re within range, it connects automatically.

Surf’s Up
Now you can send email from a coffee shop. Surf the web at the airport. Shop for games from your couch. Browse, buy, and download music from the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store at select Starbucks locations or other wireless hotspots in your area.

What’s in the Box
iPod touch 8 GB, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter, polishing cloth, quick start guide

ULTRAMAN BROTHER ZOFFY

ULTRAMAN BROTHER ZOFFY ACTION HERO SERIES 7″ TALKING ACTION FIGURE From Ultraman Get it Now!