Moyoco Anno 2019 Calendar

1 / 24 / 19

This is my first year purchasing a calendar by manga artist Moyoco Anno (Sakuran, Sugar Sugar Rune), so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to share! I don’t know how long Moyoco Anno has been selling limited run calendars in Japan, but I’ve been pining for one for a couple of years.

For 2019, I decided to get the wall-mounted calendar design featuring characters in kimono, which was 3,500 yen (approximately $35) with free shipping within Japan and limited to only 1000 units. At the time of this post, there are still some available, but keep in mind that you’ll need a forwarding service if you don’t live in Japan.

The calendar is a traditional style where you rip the pages off every month instead of flipping it, which is a bit daunting, so all the more reason to take a few pictures beforehand!

Cardcaptor Sakura Flower Garden Cafe (+ Giveaway!)

7 / 1 / 18

The new Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card anime means there’s a ton of new Cardcaptor Sakura events and merchandise, and I’m all for it! Currently there’s a Sakura and Tomoyo Flower Garden Cafe being held at Sweets Paradise locations throughout Japan through the end of July. Cardcaptor Sakura art is always gorgeous, but the flower garden and sweets theme makes this collaboration extra adorable!

Swooning Over: Cardcaptor Sakura Star Key Necklace

8 / 3 / 158 / 23 / 15

I can’t stress enough how much I am loving the current 90s shōjo revival! Of course there’s the always-popular Sailor Moon, but over the past year or two, we’ve also been seeing classics such as Magic Knight Rayearth, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Cardcaptor Sakura receive a slew of all new merchandise and fun promotional items. And when a new line of affordable Cardcaptor Sakura necklaces popped up for preorder on Ami Ami, I immediately jumped on the opportunity. If it were up to me, I’d probably own necklaces of every magical girl trinket I could get my hands on!

Boys Over Flowers Season 2 Manga to Launch on Valentine’s Day

2 / 9 / 159 / 13 / 15

In a surprise announcement from Viz Media, acclaimed manga artist Yoko Kamio is returning to her seminal Boys Over Flowers manga with a sequel titled Boys Over Flowers Season 2 that will debut in North America this Valentine’s Day!

The original Boys Over Flowers, or Hana Yori Dango, was published over 10 years and finished with a whopping 37 volumes, making this sequel announcement even more of a shocker. Twelve years after the final volume was published, the series is back with a new set of faces at Eitoku Academy, two years after the F4 have graduated.

What’s particularly exciting about this announcement is the fact that the series will be released bi-weekly simultaneously in Japan and North America, and on top of that, Viz Media is offering current chapters for free on VIZManga and the Viz iOS and Android apps. The first three chapters will also be featured in Weekly Shonen Jump as part of the Jump Start Initiative, so if you’re already subscribed, you’ll be able to read them on February 16th (or you can subscribe online for only $19.99 for 12 months!).

I’m one of the many who is more familiar with the Boys Over Flowers drama than the actual manga, but since Boys Over Flowers Season 2 debuts with a whole new cast, I don’t believe you need to have much knowledge of the original series to enjoy it. I know I’m excited to see how Yoko Kamio will update the 90’s classic for a modern audience!

Chic Pixel Plus Episode 20 – The A Team Talks Anime

6 / 18 / 144 / 22 / 15

For Chic Pixel Plus’s extra special 20th episode, I’m joined by not one, but four guests: the amazingly awesome Allison Rapp (@mnemosynekurai), Amanada Cosmos (@acosmos), and Arden (@sproutella)!

Before getting into the topic of the day, Arden and Amanda give us the lowdown on the Toronto Comics Art Festival and we gush over the superstars at the event, reminisce on Gackt, and somehow share how we each were first introduced to the world of erotic comics. Then we discuss upcoming anime we’re looking forward to, as well as series that explore themes related to gender and sexuality or stand out for their treatment of related issues. We try not to touch on obvious choices, so hopefully you’ll get a few new anime suggestions in the process! Series mentioned include Magic Knight Rayearth, xxxHolic, Samurai Flamenco, Rinne no Lagrange, Gatchaman Crowds, Ouran High School Host Club, and Jellyfish Princess. Finally, we wrap up with our most-anticipated summer anime.

If you’d like to skip straight to the anime talk, it starts around the 40 minute mark, but you’ll miss out on a lot of the other fun topics!

Opening ♫ – Koko dake no hanashi – Chatmonchy
Closing ♫ – Sakura Kiss – Chieko Kawabe

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Chic Pixel Plus Episode 10 – Academia Magica

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In the 10th episode of Chic Pixel Plus, it’s 100% more hip nerdy ladies as I’m joined by Alison Rapp (@mnemosynekurai), researcher, product marketing specialist at Treehouse, and self-proclaimed feminist waifu! We chat about our nerdy academic pursuits, how she landed her sweet new job at Nintendo, and have a lot of feels about Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Our Madoka discussion (beginning at 00:41:30) assumes you’ve watched the 12 episode anime, and I’d hate to spoil such a great show for anyone, so be sure to turn the episode off when you reach that section if you intend to watch it someday!

Kotaku article on Treehouse – http://kotaku.com/inside-the-treehouse-the-people-who-help-make-nintendo-1301809672

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Opening ♫ – Puella Musica – Kyūbey no Eigyō Theme Copy ver. by TAM
Closing ♫ – Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Connect