Flamin' and Arcade Myself!

Whether you need a gift for Christmas, a birthday or other occasion, anime fans can be hard to buy for, especially if you know little about the world known as “anime”. First, let me explain a little about anime. Anime is a type of animation that started in Japan. Basically, you can call it a Japanese version of cartoons. However, anime has some big differences. Where American animation tends to be geared primarily towards children, there are actually many types of anime, geared for many ages and interests. For instance, there are anime series targeted squarely at young boys, young girls, young women and so on. There are also adult anime series, with more adult themes and content. There are also many different thematic styles of anime, including those centered around robots (called mecha), romantic anime, fighting anime and so on.

In order for you to choose a fantastic gift for the anime fan in your life, you first need an idea of what anime series or at least what kind of anime series they enjoy. Find out by perusing their DVD collection or checking what they watch on TV. Once you know the series they like, here are some suggestions for surefire gifts for anime fans:

Manga

Manga is simply the Japanese version of comic books or graphic novels. Many anime series are based on a manga series. Any anime fan would love the original manga their favorite anime is based on. For original Japanese manga, you can usually find some on eBay and at Japanese importers like JustManga and Manga.com. For the most popular anime series, like Inuyasha, you can find English translated manga books at many major bookstores.

Live Action and Japanese Drama DVD’s

Some anime and manga series have a live action version, like Sailor Moon, that a Sailor Moon fan would likely be interested in. If your anime fan seems interested in Japanese culture, then consider getting them some Japanese TV drama series. There are many Japanese drama series aimed at tweens and teens that usually take place in school or high school. Check out Nodame Cantabile, Hana Yori Dango and Gokusen, each was based on anime or manga series or both. Look for these series at places like YesAsia and on eBay. Make sure to get the English subtitled versions.

Toys

Some anime series, like Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion and others, have many toys available. If you really want to get a special gift, try to get some of the toys that are imported from Japan. Toys available include action figures, vehicles, stuffed toys, models and dolls. You can find toys for the most popular anime series at major toy stores, but for not so popular series, try eBay, YesAsia and other import websites.

Video Games

Many of the most popular anime series like Naruto, Inuyasha and Bleach also have video games based on them. This is a great gift idea since what anime fan wouldn’t want to play a game as their favorite character? Make sure to find out what game system they have so you can get a game for their particular console or handheld.

Music

Many anime fans become interested in Japanese culture through anime, especially since popular Japanese artists and bands are used on the soundtracks to the majority of anime series. You can get them the soundtrack to the series or even a few JPOP or JROCK CD’s. JPOP and JROCK is the abbreviation of Japanese pop and Japanese rock music. Find many artists at both YesAsia and eBay. Popular Japanese music artists include Ayumi Hamasaki (pop), Utada Hikaru (pop/R&B), Arashi (pop boy band), L’Arc-en-Ciel (rock band), Morning Musume (pop girl band) and many more.

Collectibles & Decorative Items

There are also many collectibles and decorative items available for some series. Consider animation cells, limited edition toys, photo albums, calendars, posters and more. Find these at YesAsia and eBay.

Clothing & Apparel

Some anime fans enjoy dressing up as their favorite character, this is called “cosplay”. Try to find out who their favorite character is and get them a costume or accessories. For instance, an Inuyasha fan would love a necklace like the one Inuyasha wears or a play sword like he uses. Or go all out and get them a full costume just like their favorite character. One place to check out is CosplayMagic.com.

Language Books or Software

If your anime fan has a serious interest in Japanese culture, then consider getting them a book or audio learning set to help them learn, read and write Japanese. This is an excellent gift option if you’re having a hard time finding gifts from their favorite anime series. This is also a gift you can feel good about, since learning a new language is a very valuable skill for their future.

Food

From sushi to Pocky, if your anime fan has an interest in Japanese culture, they might like to try some of the food they have seen consumed in animes and dramas. Some suggestions include a sushi making kit, Japanese candy and gum, Pocky (a pretzel covered with chocolate), strange flavored Japanese versions of candy bars like KitKat and more. You can find many types of Japanese candy at AsianFoodGrocer and other Japanese food import sites.

Reminiscing the 80s would never be complete without mentioning about 80s arcade games. An arcade game is a coin-operated gaming machine that you would usually find in entertainment centers, video arcades, and even in restaurants. Popular arcade games are redemption games that give players rewards based on their score in the game; computer-controlled video games; and pinball games wherein the player manipulates one or more metal balls on a playfield.

Flashback

Arcade games began to be so popular in the early 70s. Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney made Atari that released the Pong video game (based on ping-pong or table tennis) that became almost everyone’s favorite. The success of the Pong video game spawned lots of imitations and created more and more avid video players. Eventually video game arcades abounded through the 80s. They can be found in the malls, department stores, bars and even in restaurants and movie houses. They’re everywhere in the United States

Popular 80s Arcade Games

In the 80s, arcade games became even more popular. Some of the most influential 80s arcade games were the following:

Space Invaders – This game, one of the predecessors of modern video games, was created by the Japanese Toshihiro Nishikado. It was first released in 1978 in Japan. This arcade game mimics a shooting gallery with a movable laser (resembling a cannon) placed below the video screen. There were video aliens that were designed to disrupt the game by passing across the screen and by raining bombs and rays that are deadly. The goal of the player is to avoid those deadly rays and bombs and shoot the aliens so that they won’t reach the bottom of the screen or else, he or she will lose in the game.

Pac-Man – This was created by Namco and was first distributed in 1980. It game remains to be popular today though it has already taken new forms. Compared to many 80s arcade games, Pac-Man was not violent, was easy to play and was enjoyable, which explains why it clicked both to young and old, girls and boys alike.

The yellow circle with a mouth called Pac-Man makes people remember this game so well through the years. The game is played by maneuvering Pac-Man through the maze, letting him eat small dots and different item prizes along the way. Ghosts named Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde on the other hand chase Pac-Man.

Donkey Kong – Another video game that emerged so popular among other 80s arcade games was the Donkey Kong. It was made by Nintendo and was introduced in 1981. Basically the game is played by maneuvering the chief character, Mario (formerly Jumpman),across a series of platforms. As Mario goes through the platforms, he has to get rid of obstacles that prevent him from rescuing a damsel in distress from the hands of Donkey Kong.

The abovementioned are only some of the most popular 80s arcade games. There were also the Battlezone, Pengo, Tron, Tetris, Rubik’s cube and many others. The craze for 80s arcade games only began to subside in the late 80s when newer forms of entertainment were being introduced such as advanced home video game consoles but 80s arcade games didn’t totally die out until the coming of fighting games like the Street Fighter ll that required two players.

The Best Anime Site on the Net -

Recent license case of Anime licensing in CrunchyRoll cause an uproar towards viewers.

Many have take the approach of scolding the site owner,Shinji that he should not license

the animes.

Most of them comment ” Nothing much more to watch , i will leave crunchyroll ” and some comment

“This sucks, where can i watch anime elsewhere”.

Some understand that Shinji,owner of crunchyRoll have to stop viewers to watch the Anime because

if he dont do so, he will get sue by many copyright intellectual owner of the anime titles.

At this period of anime chaotic, a group by the name JuzVideo Team had rise and provide anime streaming

base on getting sources from veoh,youtube,CrunchyRoll,megavideo,yahoo video.

JuzVideo privacy state clearly that they dont host the files themselves and after several weeks of advertising and improving the site,JuzVideo now had approx 1600 members and concurrent 80 to 90 viewers.

They offer more than 60 anime titles & 1000 episodes, all titles are in High Quality and often dedicate

over 15 hours / day to the viewers in answering question and fix broken link.

When we ask the owner/creator of www.IfyouWas.com, they mention all donations are use towards advertising the site and paying server invoices.

Viewers mainly come from phillipines & europe area, also country like Singapore for Asian Country.

The owner also mention that this site will be up and running as long there are viewers coming in.

The site owner himself love to spend his time at Digital Point Forum, 1 of the key webmaster forum of the net and research on building his site.

Hope anime lovers can give JuzVideo Team a chance by visting either of their site

How would you keep your child busy during the holidays where going out in the parks without a guardian is not safe nowadays? Try out all the free online games .Free online games guarantees to keep your child busy everyday for hours as long as they are not exhausted and in the meantime you can finish your own work and also can join them. You are free from shouting at them reminding them of their work thus messing up your own work, energy and your scheduled time ending up with lots of confusion.

Free online games will at least keep your child engage and will give you enough time to finish your work calmly and will enable you to help them in their work as well as play until your child have to go back to school. The best part of free online games is that you do not have to pay a cent and with most of the games you do not have to download anything either. There are numerous games that range from car games and animated games to puzzles and strategy games, almost every game you can think of for free.

There are hundreds of sites and numerous brains storming game to choose from. Classic games and Sega games have been remade into flash games; Besides there are other flash games that include ones like sodoku, pinball, pacman, table tennis, mountain biking and much, much more. At present the very popular free online games at the moment is the sonic game. These hi-tech games are a lot of fun with improved graphics, vibrant colors, and super sound quality.

Online free games are readily available on net especially on those sites that are dedicated for this purpose. It is only at your click distance that requires your fingers to play on the keyboard. You require a computer and an internet connection to enjoy the free online games. Online free games are hassle free, all you have to do is choose the site and then choose the game you want to play. You may come across various sites that will ask you to first download the game. If you do not wish to have it saved onto your computer, than switch off to another sites that will offer you the same game for free. Avoid those sites that ask you to pay for that game you choose to play. Why would spent on those games that you would be getting for free with a mere search. Therefore it is of utmost importance to make a prudent cerebral approach to get the maximum enjoyment.

That was until the Wii came along, and then BANG! By now, few true -blue video gamers would dispute that Nintendo has clearly surged ahead.

Needless to say, the video game industry is highly lucrative and everybody wants a bite of the pie. To occupy pole position, the Nintendo Wii had to be top-notch as a lifestyle item. It is multimedia, personal computer, internet browser, communication device and most of all, the mother of all video game consoles, all-in-one.

Everything about Wii revolves around the remote controller and Nintendo Wii Games are no exception. Its motion sensing technology makes the gaming experience feels like the real thing be it tennis, bowling, baseball, boxing and so forth. So much for the ‘couch potato’ image of video gaming as the intrinsic specialty of Nintendo Wii Games is the players’ movement.

Nintendo Wii Games are inherently played without clutter or restraint through its wireless remote. It is the tennis racquet, steering wheel, gun or bowling ball depending on what game is on. Coupled with the Nunchuck secondary controller, it truly brings Nintendo Wii Games into a gaming dimension previously unknown. There is even an adaptor that fits over the remote for those who are more accustomed to the old-version controller.

Game consoles are generally tended to kids but Nintendo Wii Games can be family affairs, they have the range. There’s even a menu channel for setting up personal profiles called Mii so involvement and participation can be even and well-matched regardless of age, gender and other conditions. A wide variety of games are available spanning sports, action, fighting, puzzles, casino and others.

Classic and retro games are also widely available. For one thing, the Nintendo Wii is backward compatible to the games of GameCube and even Entertainment System series. 4 GameCube controller ports are actually provided although some of the old games can be played with the Wii remote. The media bay will also accept the old GameCube discs along with the newer Wii version.

The primary source of Nintendo Wii Games is the Wii games store. They are also available through the Wii Virtual Console. However, the pricing structure through these two avenues is rigid and can be steep in the long run especially for serial Wii gamers. That’s why an alternative source of Nintendo Wii Games with a commercial twist through online download is getting vastly popular. At a fraction of the cost of the conventional disc, why wouldn’t it be?

Backup Wii Games Step by Step Guide Click here