All Otaku Issue8

All Otaku Magazine Page 1

OTAKU CULTURE: Wanna be an OTAKU? See what we do...

Assassin Classroom

G2C2 Convention

DAYZ: Standalone

Black Butler

And more...

April Issue 2014

REBOOTS & SEQUALS: Is the gaming market

stagnating?

SA's biggest

Online Otaku

Magazine

WITCHCRAFT WORKS

ZX IGN ITION

COSPLAY IN SA: The community is

growing!

MAKE YOUR OWN

RAMEN!


Country of the cherry blossoms Page 23

Black Butler Page 20

Witchcraft works Page 21

ZX Ignition Page 22

Assassination Classroom Page 24

Anti -Magia Page 25

Captain America 2

Letter from the Editor Page 4

Page 18

Reboots and Sequels Page 5

Otaku Culture Page 8

Debate: Strongest anime

char

Page 12

Golden Oldie : Minecraft Page 15

CONTENTS:

Main:

Movies:

Anime:

Manga:

Owner:

Joannah Stewart

Editor:

Leena Swarts (Beleran)

([email protected])

Contributors:

Gareth Duff (UraharaSensei)

Grant Wilson

Bill Salazar Masuku

Nina Lewis

Charne Banger

Sahil Lala

Douw Kotze (D.K.)

Website:

Allotakumagazine.co.za

Subscription:

[email protected]

Copyright Information:

Copyright 2014

All Otaku Magazine reserves all rights to this E-Zine. All articles and any content featured here are subject to copyright by either All Otaku Magazine or any respective Studios, manufacturers, artists and/or creators. The content within this magazine may not be copied, edited or manipulated in any form without written permission by All Otaku Magazine.


Funniest Gaming mods of 2013 Page 27

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Page 29

G2C2 Convention Page 40

Cosplay in SA Page 42

FF XIII: Lightning Returns Page 31

Bayonetta II

Page 35

DAYZ: Standalone Page 36

FF XIV: A Realm Reborn Page 37

Elder Scrolls Online Page 38

How to make Ramen Page 44

Gaming:

Cosplay and Art:


Letter from the Editor: As many of you know by now, All Otaku has not been releasing for a couple of months now. I

would like to take this opportunity to apologize to our avid readers and fans for the issues that we

missed. Our Editor and founder, Joannah Stewart, has run into, well let's just say RL. As such, she

cannot continue editing for All Otaku Magazine. Hopefully, this will change in the future and she can

return to the wonderful community that is Otaku! In the meantime, I have assumed the temp role

of Editor in order to get us back on track. By no means do I wish to take the magazine over from Ms

Stewart, but in the same breath I also by no means wish to abandon the readers, fans, creativity and

freedom of speech that is AOM.

To this point, I have reassembled the team and put together a release for you, our readers. We aim

to continue releasing editions on a bi-monthly basis as usual. We are however planning a few

changes, not only to keep up with the times, but also to keep the culture in SA growing and happy.

To that end we probably need to recruit some new blood into the mag, so expect to see us scouting

at events! Until we can get the talent we need, I apologize if the quality of the magazine took a

little dip. I am not a graphics designer, nor do I have the proper software for editing in this sense. I

will however do my best with what I have and together with my team, hopefully put something out

to you, our readers, which is both satisfying and informative.

I would like to thank the loyal fans that stuck with us through this rough patch.

Sincerely, Leena Swarts (Beleran)


When I read Ninas recent article on the state of remakes and sequels in the video game industry I

had to admit that I was a little bit surprised at her optimism about the future of gaming - while I live

and hope, I am as always a cynic on this issue, especially after E3.

Please understand that the current generation of consoles have completely evaded me, while I

occasionally look wistfully at the Wii in the same way a small boy attaches his nose to cold glass, I

have not owned a console since the PS2 and only recently obtained a PC good enough for more than

Solitaire. And yet, I feel Ive missed very little.

In the last 10 years or so, we have seen a

dramatic increase in remakes, reboots and

sequels flood the gaming media and the

reasons behind it are both insidious and

simple, the reasons are fear and greed.

Firstly lets look at fear. Its a recession

market out there and makers of

entertainment media must compete with

peoples basic human needs for cash in a way they didnt 10 years ago when the industry was in its

heyday. You want a product that sells, not a product that can potentially bomb horribly and result in

your company self-destructing. In times of hardship, publishers are far keener to have established

licenses than try something risky. Why do you think Nintendo keeps resurrecting Zelda every time

they make a console?

Of course the second part makes it worse, greed. If you are a

publisher like Activision or EA you want to make the most

money you can from your product, which means that you have

to tap as many different markets as possible rather than

appeal to the niche markets pioneered by earlier teams. In

order to deal with the rapid advancement in technology

throughout the sector, developers need a larger cash

investment to deliver appropriate system quality this has lead

to some companies ballooning in size. Back in the day to make

a game you needed 5 guys 6 months and a back room. To

make a game in todays AAA environment you need 200 million dollars and a dev team the size of

Micronesia and even then, games like Tomb raider and Dead space 3 still cant sell enough copies at

launch to hold back their cavernous development budgets.

This means that Publishers dont want to take the risk on new IP when they can have guaranteed

money from the sale of a franchise. If Too Human taught us anything, (Other than Silicon Knights

havent done good work since they left Nintendo) its that some developers abuse this system to

create a subpar experience and use the New IP doesnt sell excuse to cover their asses. My usual

response is to point at FFXIII and say Neither did that!

REBOOTS AND SEQUELS: Is the gaming market stagnating?


This is evident as even those scant new IPs such as Uncharted that dared to show their heads feel

more like rip offs of established

franchise materials (In the case of

Uncharted its a rip-off of Tomb Raider,

itself a rip-off of the Indiana Jones

films).

It's funny, after I wrote this article I

found out another reason and had to

add it, it's a reason I hadn't even

thought of. As the AAA games industry

started to recruit executives from other

fields to fill in the administrative side, these executives, mostly with a history in packaged goods,

have become reliant on their marketing departments. The problem is... the marketers also come

from packaged goods and can't understand the rapidly changing face of gaming. In fact these

Dinosaurs only see 3 games existing at all "Call of Duty, Clash of Clans and Candy Crush," which is a

slogan actually used to describe the Publisher's requirements. They don't WANT that GTA 5 or Age of

Empires or hell even SKYRIM money, all they want is the market share of those mega hits.

There is a solution to this problem and its one that at least some smaller publishers have embraced

while EA, Ubisoft and Activision duke it out for the coveted Best Call Of Duty clone award and that

is the AA game. A AA game is a game that uses existing technology to build a new experience in a

niche genre without breaking the bank. For examples of AA take Xcom Enemy unknown a game

that, despite being less than a year old at time of writing and honestly looks pretty bad by todays

standards, is a critical and financial success because it sold in its market. Or Dark Souls, the insane

semi multiplayer RPG that is so hard it breaks diamonds, yet still sold over 2 million copies. Many PC

indie games do the same thing every day on Steam and GoG. These games succeeded by reading the

market and using that unutilized space.

In the economic climate of today, as consoles head towards the next major turning point in design

and features. It will be interesting to note if we will see another move towards integrative gaming, as

we did on the PS2 or if its another More of the same generation as the one that killed the Atari

2600. I personally cant wait, but Im still on the lookout for the proverbial mountain of ET cartridges.

Gareth Uraharasensei is an English teacher by profession and a cynic by genetics. Hed be glad to

help you out once he finishes his tinfoil helmet.


Date: End of August (TBA)

TBA


Want to be an Otaku?

Here is what we do:

To start off, for those of you who are a little newer to the anime scene, Otaku is a term used by the Japanese

to signify a person who has obsessive interests, normally leaning to anime, games, manga etc. There are

several things that Otakus do, some of it fun, others just downright weird. But then again, who wants to be

normal? (throws hands in the air) If youre reading this, then Im sorry to inform you that you are either on

your way to being an Otaku, or you are already a hardcore member and there is no turning back. Not that

most of us care to turn back in any case. So, down to the things that identifies us as Otaku to the rest of the

world:

1. Anime:

This is without a doubt the most important and common thing that defines an Otaku. If you do not watch

anime, then you will probably not know what most of us are ranting on about whenever we bump into each

other. We love discussing and often arguing about the most inconsequential things regarding out favorite

anime shows. Everyone is welcome to jump in and give their two cents, as long as it does not crush our

perception of an anime, in which case I hope you can run pretty fast to get out of reach. Yes folks, Otaku can

sometimes be so obsessive over their shows that they can turn violent. Our blood boils when people insult our

hobbies, so dont do it. Well maybe it wont go that far, but still, you get the idea. There are tons of good

anime out there and it doesnt take long to find out what they are when talking to any anime fan. If you are

looking to get into the Otaku culture, this is an excellent place to get started. Ask someone to recommend

some good shows, get them from a buddy, dont look back and start on your slippery slope down the Otaku

Mountain!


2. Gaming:

Probably the fastest growing industry world-wide, gaming is not to

be underestimated in any culture or society. With Universities nowadays giving courses on game

design/programming etc, it has evolved from a simple way of entertainment to a thriving and cutting edge

competitive environment. As such, players are always on the lookout for the next game and sheesh, our

expectations are high. We love our games just as much as we do our anime, and more than once Ive been

with friends chatting over this game or that, pleasantly passing hours without notice. Games, hardware, next

gen ideas, they all form part of the gaming industry, and we can never get enough. If you want in on being

Otaku, get a console/pc and get playing!

3. Manga:

Manga is the lifeblood of all anime. Some anime end

prematurely, the entirety of their stories untold. Manga

comes to the rescue with everything the anime left out.

Consider some real life movies that were based on books. The

books were always more comprehensive, told the stories

better, conveyed the feelings of the writer better. The same

concept applies here. Whilst most anime follows their manga

counterpart to the letter, it sometimes happens that they

deviate, and sometimes those deviations can be quite

confusing. Of course, with the longer anime shows like

Naruto, filler eps are needed to stop the anime from catching

up to the manga series. For the newbies, filler eps are

episodes that have no manga counterpart. A side story made

up to compensate for the slower release of the manga.

Sometimes they are good, most oft they are bad. Everybody

hates filler. Meh, I went a little off topic. If your favourite

anime ends too soon for your liking, check if it has manga. I

guarantee you will not be disappointed. Oh, they are released

in English, so do not worry that you will only find Japanese

manga.


4. Trading card games:

Well, this is a little less common among Otaku. There is definitely a large portion of the

otaku culture that enjoys a card game or two, from MTG, pokemon or Yu-gi-oh to

Beyblade and Dragonball Z. These are highly strategic and good fun to play, and of

course gives you a perfectly valid excuse to get out of the house and spend

time with some like-minded people!

The variety of games available out there is amazing, so get off your butt, find

something that suits your fancy, and join in on the HUGE community in SA!

5. Cosplay:

The ultimate way for an Otaku to express their love for their favourite game/anime! The idea is to dress up as

your favourite character from a game or anime show, and try to represent them as best you can at a

convention. There are several of these events throughout South Africa every year, if you know where to look.

I will list a couple to get the newer people going and maybe get a couple of people who want to break into this

a place to have a look. There you will find people like you who wish to express their love for anime/gaming,

designers who make the clothing/props needed and often a competition or two to see who did the best job.

Its enjoyable to go, and fun to meet these people, so I highly recommend it!

Here are a couple of places where you can find Cosplay events:

These are in the Johannesburg/Pretoria region:

G2C2 - Start of April (http://greatgeekcollective.co.za/upcon/)

ICON - Mid July

KINCON - TBA (https://www.facebook.com/kinconSA)

RAGE - Start October (http://www.rageexpo.co.za/)

These are in the Cape Town region:

Japan Day - Mid Feb (http://www.animated-

meanderings.com/index.php/general/japan-cultural-day/)

Suki love-love Picnic

(https://www.facebook.com/events/747279091951951/)

Otaku are weird people at best, fun people at worst. Yes, that was not said incorrectly. Unlike the super weird

things you sometimes hear the other countries' otaku do, here in SA it's good clean fun, and the society is very

friendly and pleasant. Here is to hoping that the community keeps growing exponentially!

Beleran.


1. Monkey D. Luffy

2. Uzumaki Naruto

3. Roronoa Zoro

4. Goku

5. Nagami Light

- By Douw D.K Kotz

In this vast world full of awesome Anime, we are touched and inspired by

the characters within every Anime series. There is a lot we can learn and

appreciate, but in the endone question remains. (A dramatic pause, a

drum roll and then the jazzy casino music comes out of nowhere while

someone narrates the following words)

Who is Animes most powerful Character?

There are tons of candidates for this prestigious title of Animes most

powerful Character and let me tell you, its not easy to decide a

winner. We are talking about Anime, not animated series from Marvel

or DC and such. Sorry Batman

When youre thinking about who is the most powerful, youre probably

thinking about some muscled-up character that can pound someones

face into squashed potatoesbut sometimes the mind is powerful too.


After eliminating a series of names

from the most powerful candidates

list, Im left with only a few Anime

series characters. As exhausting as

the search was, its time to finish

my opinionative quest. Throw me

some senzu beans!

Dracule Hawkeye Mihawk once

defeated Roronoa Zoro in the

Anime One Piece, but that

doesnt necessarily mean that Zoro is out of the picture, but still Mihawk was able to split a whole

ship in half with one strike from a distance. That is indeed, one badass sword technique hes got

there.

Swords are usually claimed to be made of steel or such nature and Roronoa Zoros 3-sword

fighting style is very unique. His attacks such as the Tiger-style, being able to cut through steel like

butter and Kiki Kyutoryu: Asura literally meaning Demon Spirit Nine Sword Style: Asura are

beyond awesome and will leave most of us in awe (or squealing with inner and outer voices). Sadly,

hes not the most powerful Anime character.

Alright, lets get down to the finalists Light Yagami, Goku (Kakarot), Monkey D. Luffy and Naruto

Uzumaki!


Not only is this common knowledge, but this is how we are going to prove who exactly Animes

most powerful character is.

Between the four, Light Yagami is at a huge disadvantage. Goku, Naruto and Luffy have speed,

strength and more or less the same attention

span. They eat more, weigh more, punch

harder and have awesome techniques.

Sadly, Luffy has the one disadvantage

which even Light Yagami can take

advantage of water.

Goku has been known to hit the water

several times. With the ability to swim, he

has been able to get out of the water while

not losing a beat in battle.

Having eaten the Gum-Gum devil fruit,

Luffy has lost the ability to swim and that

leaves him in a huge

disadvantagedepending on the battle

terrain.

As for Naruto, not only can he swim, but

he can use his chakra to help him walk or

run on water. Okay, just to clear the air here

about Light Yagami. He is pretty powerful as long

as he has the Death Note. He could eliminate every Anime character if he felt like it, but he wont

be of much use when it comes to a battleunless he can make time slowdown and take his time

writing down each of their names.

If it was to be between young Goku and young Naruto, things might go Narutos way, but then

theres the question about the older Naruto and adult Goku. Yes, Goku might have the power to

blow up a planet if he so wished to, but it takes even greater strength not to blow up a planet

accidently while youre in a battle. With Gokus even more awesome strength and power found

within him, I would say that Animes most powerful character is indeed Goku as the Super Saiyan

god.


- By Douw D.K Kotz

First of all, I know there are those who havent heard of it or played it before ~gasp~, but

dont be discouraged. Just take a look further here and all will come clear as day. For those

who arent familiar with Minecraft, its that indie building game that exploded onto the

scene in 2011. Its a sandbox indie game which was originally created by Markus Notch

Persson and was later developed and published by Mojang.

So, I went around and asked some Minecraft players some questions. Some of the answers

were similar to others, but most of them were positive

towards the Minecraft world.

Q: Why do people play and love Minecraft?

A: It is a very fun and creative game. You can build

almost anything out of everything on the game. I was

very against playing Minecraft when I first learned about

it, but after being forced (More of a push into the right

direction I hope) to play it by my friends, I got addicted.

The games graphics takes some getting used to, but

once you are in there, trying to survive, learning how to

make things from a pickaxe to a bed, you completely

forget that the graphics arent that good and realize that

it is perfect for the game, and when you create your first

little bunker to hide in at night when the mobs come

out, you must jump up in joy.

A Digimon on Minecraft! Take

me there now!

This was posted on a Minecraft forum.


Q: Whats the best thing

about it?

A: Freedom is the best thing

about Minecraft its the

game that never ends. The

best thing about Minecraft is

the fact that you are literally

only limited by your

imagination, if you can think it

up, you can make it.

This was posted on tumblr.com by Sandra who runs under the name of sickyouth in minecraftia

Q: How much time do you spend on it?

A: Well, it depends. When I am creating pixel art, it takes up quite some time and other days the

whole day, especially in survival mode. The time depends on what I want to build, the longest I ever

spent building was 1 week. I built a 100X100 block stadium

I wasnt surprised to hear that at all. Well, okayI was surprised by some of the answers I have

received, but nonetheless its Minecraft. I have looked around for some examples of creations made

by Minecrafters (As some call themselves). Some creations shown below are from the inter-webs

and then there are those creations that were shared by the Minecrafters who were kind enough to

answer some of my questions. The creations Ive seen from Minecraft were from pretty detailed and

amazing to being really awesome.

Check it out.

A giant SpongeBob Squarepants

that would make so much sense

about where he really comes

from

This was posted by Luubox on planetminecraft.com


Here are some creations by local Minecrafters:

- by Ivan Wiehahn

- by JP Pretorius .The plot thickens

- by Farron Pretorius

Q: Why do people make the like of such creations?

A: Because it is fun and I just love being creative and Minecraft gives me that freedom

To express my creativity whether its making a house or creating pixel art

I made them to challenge myself and see what I was capable of making

So, its become clear as day. The reason why people play it and love it, is because of the open space,

the freedom to do whatever you want with whatever you want. People love to display their artistic

side on a game. A lot of them love being able to recreate events from movies to games on Minecraft.

They create their own paths and obstacles to challenge themselves. Minecraft truly is amazing.


n all honesty, Captain America was never really one of my

favourite heroes. Sure, he has a kickazz shield and above human

strength, but other than that? No psychic powers? No flight, no laser

beams... Yes, yes, ok. I have since revised my opinion of our stars and

stripes covered hero. I mean, after seeing him in action in "Avengers",

who wouldn't? Sure, he is still one of the less powerful heroes out there,

but he has more than made up for it with proven combat ability and

superior leadership skills. Plus, he gained a huge improvement in my

opinion when he showed me just how much of a ninja he can be. *huge

grin*

In the latest instalment: "Captain America: Winter Soldier", Rogers is back

with a big piece of the Avengers crew to stop the resurgence of his age

old nemesis: "Hydra". Thought he stopped those buggers? What was

their credo? "Cut off one head", something-something... Very

inspirational. Living proof that cockroaches are hard to get rid of. Ok, so I

kind of stole that line from the movie "Epic", but it is such a good line.

No my friends, Hydra is back. Not in a small sense either. They have been

biding their time, ingratiating themselves into everything that has access

to power. Military, government, SHIELD. You name it, there is probably a

Hydra agent in there somewhere. They are planning all sorts of evilness,

and the time has finally come to make themselves known to the world at

large. Given that, trust is hard to come by. Your closest friends could be

your oldest enemies.

Nick Fury himself is suspicious of everyone. Oh, wait... that would be

normal for him. Figuring out who to trust felt like trying to traverse a

nebulous conflux based in an inter-dimensional pocket compressed in a

black hole, wrapped up inside a Rubik's-cube, which would probably be

easier. Confused? So was I. The movie has a wonderful flow to it, and if

you were watching the series: "Marvel: Agents of SHIELD", the movie

made a whole lot more sense. I love the fact that it tied in so nicely with

the series, and that the series is currently continuing based on the events

of not only the Avengers, but the second Captain America movie as well.

I always feel good when people take the time to tell a story like it should be told.

Rushing through it *cough* Twilight *cough* leaves you feeling empty and dissatisfied.


Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have done an absolutely fantastic job at composing a

masterpiece. Of course, with acting talent like Samuel L. Jackson, Chris

Evans and everyone's favourite, Scarlett Johansson, who wouldn't make

a mind-blowingly good movie? Sure, there have been loads of previous

attempts at making superhero movies in the past. Plus, some of them

were downright bad. The movie industry has come a long way however,

and scripts, special effects, CG etc has developed in leaps and bounds.

My apologies, I got a little off track there. Anyhow, the movie revolves

around both the take-over by Hydra, the trust and bonds built between

the agents of SHIELD, and we are also introduced to a new hero,

Hawkman, which does his butt-whipping with mechanical expertise, not

superpowers. Mind you, the main antagonist, the winter soldier, is also

using a whole bunch of technological goodies to do his evil deeds. I will

not spoil just who the winter soldier is, for the few of you who have not

seen the movie just yet. Let's just say, Ironman has proven quite nicely

that technology can bridge the gap for us humans to compete on the

demi-god arena. Action packed from start to finish, it had me gripping my seat in

anticipation for most of the movie. I was thrilled by both the story-line

development as well as the twists and turns in said story to keep things

ever changing and intriguing. If you have not had the pleasure of

sampling this fantastic movie, I highly recommend it, giving it at least a

9/10 rating and thus far, my best movie of the year!

- By Beleran

A little funny I found online for your enjoyment :D


- By Bill Salazar Masuku

Black Butler

In Victorian era London, there lies the manor house

located in the outskirts of the town of the illustrious

Phantomhive earldom and its young master, Ciel

Phantomhive. On the night of Ciel Phantomhive's tenth

birthday, a fire engulfed his manor, his parents

murdered, and he was captured by a mysterious

organization. After a month of enduring excruciating

torture, Ciel returns to the Phantomhive household

with an enigmatic black clad butler, Sebastian

Michaelis. To others, it seems that the butler is simply

the best at his craft, from anticipating his young

master's needs to carrying them out to the best of his

abilities. Little do they know, Sebastian is actually a

demon that had entered into a contract with Ciel,

promising the boy to help him achieve revenge on the

arsonists in exchange for his soul. As the Queen's

Watchdog and standing at the top of the British

underworld, Ciel solves the crimes plaguing London

while waiting for the day he will exact his revenge.

It was announced in January 18, 2013 that the manga

would be made into a live-action film starring Ayame

Goriki as Genpou Shiori, Hiro Mizushima as Sebastian

Michaelis. Filming began in April 2013 and the film was

released on January 18, 2014.

The live-action film differs a bit from the manga, as it

has been set in an unspecified Asian city in the year

2020 where western and eastern cultures have

intermixed. In the "Black Butler" saga, the human

protagonist is a boy named Ciel Phantomhive. This

film introduces a new protagonist, a girl named

Shiori Genpo/Kiyoharu Phantom.

Despite these obvious changes to the story the

film was well received.

Production Companies

C&I Entertainment

Distributors

Encore Films (2014) (Singapore) (theatrical)

Warner Bros. (2013) (Japan) (theatrical)


- By Beleran

Witchcraft Works

Honoka Takamiya is an average student with average

looks and average grades. Like any boy his age, he

has a crush on a girl. The girl he has his eyes on

however, is known as the school's "Princess". A

position voted on by both grading and popularity.

The Princess even has her very own fan club, which

b.t.w. is highly possessive of her time and attention.

Honoka finds himself in a tight spot with another girl

who for no apparent reason wishes to kill him. He

has no idea what he did or why she wants to dispose

of him, but she is determined. Upon almost

succeeding, he is rescued by Kagari Ayaka (a.k.a the

Princess). But instead of her simply coming to his

rescue, she is draped in flames and wearing a witch

costume. The flames apparently have no harmful

effect on her, and she wields them as if born to it.

Honoka's life takes a change for the strange when

Kagari tells him that she no longer wants to protect

him from the shadows and decides to take an active

role in his life. Apparently there is an ongoing war

between two factions of witches that have been

duking it out for millennia - the Tower witches and

the Workshop Witches, with Kagari and her mother

from the workshop side. From dangerous witches,

very bad familiars and scary fan club members,

Honoka is almost constantly either on the run or in

trouble.

The story is quite amusing to watch and the series has

a pleasant flow to it that is rare in most anime today.

There are quite a couple of highly comedic situations

commonly found amongst teen romance, much to my

delight. Apart from the fantasy aspect of the anime,

it is highly reminiscent for me of another of my

favourite anime, Kotoura. As one of the best releases

of the Winter season it has already concluded with a

fantastic twelve episodes for its first season.

Written by : Ryu Mizunagi

Directed by : Tsutomo Mizushima

There is also an expected OVA release.

Network : Tokyo MX, TVA, AT-X, BS11, ABC


- By Beleran

ZX Ignition

Inter-dimensional bubbles... Oi, since when have

inter-dimensional bubbles ever had any good news?

Even if I was extremely pleased to have one appear in

the anime IN Pretoria, (yes, we are officially on the

anime map!) I still wish it would deliver lots of cookies

and cake instead of bloodthirsty warriors, creatures,

robots, angels or monsters that are pretty much all

about killing and/or dominating everything in sight.

Asuka Tennoji plays the main protagonist, a kind and

helpful guy that, despite the harsh conditions that the

world has deteriorated to, still wants to believe that

everyone and everything is inherently good. One day

on the way back from work, he stumbles across a

battle between a huge black panther and an angel.

The angel was hurt and he decided to trust his

instincts and try to help her. This led to him using his

ZX card, acquired from a shrine priestess - a device

that allows you to essentially "tame" a being from

one of the inter-dimensional portals. The angel

"Fierte" allows herself to be bonded in order to use

her host's energy to heal her wounds.

The owner of the panther "Sieger" is a German

woman named "Ayase Kamiyugi". Her parents were

murdered by the white portals denizens, and

consequently she has sworn to rid the word of every

single angel. Sieger is quite happy to go along with

this as long as he can continue to fight. He is brutally

strong, if a bit of a pervert (for a cat) and his

personality blends in perfectly with Ayase. The

combination creates an unstable, but highly effective

duo that other ZX owners need to be wary of.

Azumi is a little girl that was diagnosed with an

incurable disease. She bonds a ZX called Rigel, from

the blue portal. The blue portal's denizens are an

extremely evolved civilization that took technology to

heights we could only dream of. As a result, an

incurable disease for us, is a trifle for them. Rigel

supplies Azumi with treatment from the Blue world,

in exchange she uses Azumi to hide from her world,

due to having betrayed her superiors. Azumi seems

frail, but has a strong will to live and she is far from

giving up the fight. Together with Rigel she sees all

other opponents as fair odds.

These three characters form the basis around which

the story unfolds. It is a little confusing at the start,

due to the initial scene being a couple of days ahead

of the actual storyline, and subsequently the anime

reverts back to the earlier timeline to show how

everything got started, building up to the first scene

in the first episode.

I heard that this anime was based off a card game,

but I have never heard of, or encountered it. As an

anime though, it is packed with action, is often

humorous and totally had me hooked from episode 1.

Written by : Broccoli

Published by : Shueisha

Directed by : Yuji Yamaguchi

Network : TV Tokyo


Country of Cherry Blossoms

Set in Hiroshima in 1955, ten years after the atomic bomb was dropped, "Town of Evening Calm" is the story of a young

woman, Minami Hirano, who survived the bomb when she was in her early teens. She lives with her mother, Fujimi, in a

shanty-town near downtown, having lost her father and two sisters to the bomb; her younger brother, Asahi, was

evacuated to Mito, Ibaraki, where he was adopted by his aunt. Fujimi is a seamstress while Minami, who is "all thumbs"

as her mother puts it, works as a clerk in an office, and together they are saving money for the trip to Mito to visit Asahi.

One of her co-workers, Yutaka Uchikoshi, cares for Minami and visits her shanty when she misses work because her

mother is sick. He later gives her a pair of sandals made by his mother and a handkerchief, but when he tries to kiss her,

she has a flashback where she sees the victims of the bombing where they now stand and pushes him away. She runs

off, still reliving the horrors of the attack, including finding her little sister's blackened body and watching her older sister

die of radiation poisoning two months later. The next day at the office, she apologizes to Uchikoshi, saying she wants to

somehow put the past behind her. She spends the day exhausted, however, and the next day becomes bedridden from

the long-term effects of radiation poisoning. As Minami's condition worsens, she is visited by Uchikoshi and other co-

workers, and dies just as her brother and aunt arrive.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms has been adapted into a live-action film directed by Kiyoshi Sasabe,

which is called Yunagi City, Sakura Country in English. The outdoor sets were filmed in Kawaguchi, Saitama, including a

recreation of part of the Hiroshima's shantytown c. 1958. The story of "Country of Cherry Blossoms", filmed in every

place in Hiroshima. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007, then released in theaters in Japan on 28

July 2007. It was released on DVD in Japan on 28 March 2008.

The film is accompanied by a beautiful musical score that emotes every scene brilliantly, having a original sound track

released separately.

The delivery of the story is nothing short of impressive and managed to win many awards, including the 17th Japanese

Film Critics Award for Best Picture, placing sixth in the top ten films list of the 3rd Osaka Cinema Festival, and placing

ninth in the top ten domestic films list of 2007 by Kinema Junpo. The Blue Ribbon Awards also named the film one of the

top ten films of the year. Kumiko Aso won several "Best Actress" awards for her portrayal of Minami Hirano in the film,

including that of the 32nd Hochi Film Awards, the 62nd Mainichi Film Awards, and the 50th Blue Ribbon Awards.



Assassination Classroom

The story is about class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Middle School where every morning they greet their sensei with a

massive firing squad. The sensei is a weird combination of an alien and an octopus that moves at speeds of

mach-20. It turns out this creature was responsible for the destruction of the moon, rendering it forever in a

crescent shape. He has announced that he will destroy the world in one year. The creature will teach class 3-E

how to assassinate him before the year is over.

Although the Korosensei, aka the Unkillable Teacher, is currently the most powerful and most dangerous

being on the planet, capable of mass destruction, he is a teacher first and foremost devoted to helping his

class with their grades and even personal issues.

Assassination Classroom was the seventh best-selling manga series in Japan of 2013 with 4.5 million copies

sold. It was number one on the 2014 Kono Manga gaSugoi! Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey by

Takarajimasha.

Manga

Written by Ysei Matsui

Published by Shueisha

Demographic Shnen

Magazine Weekly Shnen Jump

Original run July 2012 ongoing

Volumes 7



Antimagia

In a kingdom lost of its true king, ruled by a tyrannical leader who slaughters anyone and anything be it for

humour or out of anger. The blood thirsty tyrant lusts for some entertainment to quench his boredom. He

slashes down tricksters and illusionists in search of a magical act to impress himself and the princess by his

side. It is only when he summons an audience with the prisoners in his castle to either entertain him or die

that one hooded prisoner reveals what true magic is and what shocking face is under the hood.

This new series, of only 9 chapters and slow releases, has already conjured up massive appeal amongst the

avid manga readers collective hearts, with a public online rating of 4.72 out of 5 gold stars. It is easily one of

the most anticipated manga titles outside of the waterfall of mainstream titles.

Written and Illustrated Aiya Kyu

Year 2011 - onging

Original Publisher Media Factory

Serialized In (magazine)Comic Gene (Media Factory)

Currently available chapters 9



Top 10 funny Mods for

2013 For most of us it has been a transition. For us, as a culture & community to make different

choices as well establish ourselves in the new year? Lets not think about that. What made us

believe? What made us enjoy & experience the year that has passed? Let us look at what Mods

made us laugh.

10. SKYRIM: My Little Pony Horse by

For all the geek girl gamers out there. If you

feel your horse is too masculine or just not

the right colour how about you make your

horse a My Little Pony Horse. I like to call my

horse Miss Sparkle-Butt. Shes so cute and I

actually feel bad I have to take her into

dangerous situations. Shes faithful, loyal and actually lightens up the mood before I transverse into

a vampire-ridden cave. You cant not love My Little Pony, she's too hard-core.

9. SKYRIM: Zoidberg Mudcrab by Snoopey

If youre a fan of Futurama (by the same individual that made Simpsons). Like you didnt know? You

will have heaps of fun killing Zoidberg Mudcrabs. They sound exactly like the character, which is the

most fun youll ever have! But, in respect they

make a fun time to transverse the rivers of

Skyrim & you tend to ask yourself Why not,

Zoidberg?

8. SKYRIM: My Little Pony Dragon by

If you are the masculine type or you have had

a bad day with your wife and 2 daughters

maybe you need to blow off steam? What better way than to take down a DRAGON thats in a shape

of My Little Pony? I did & I felt masculine. But then again I felt bad because it was so pretty. So for all

you gamers who dislike My Little Pony this is the mod for you. (Call your mother, she loves you.)

7. SKYRIM: Pew by

If you can stomach it. This mod uses all magical and archers in Skyrim. When you draw your arrow

back or start to perform a magical attack. The sound byte will let off a sighing pew. Which if only

insane, would keep the mod on. Although, when you get scared chasing after the dragon and decide

to fire a sighing pew happens.


4. GTA V: Carmageddon by ap ii

intense & atk Pirate

Some companies have really tried to make

Carmageddon HD, although some

investors dont believe the idea of cars

crashing into each other or even trying to

dodge them. I mean, who doesnt what to

see a car blow up? This mod can be seen

as a friendly endeavour. Just ask some

friends to come around and see who lasts

longest without being impaled from a car.

Hours of fun will ensue.

6. SKYRIM: Frost Troll with Trolllolol Song by

As more and more trolls seems to come out from

under the bridge and use the World Wide Web. It

would be inevitable that the Troll would actually exist

in Skyrim. The trolls face in made into the 9gag or

Rage comics face. Which aided by the song of their

people the Trololol song. Its been part of our culture

for a while so it's appropriate it should be on this list.

5. Civilizations V: Mods by Various Modders

Sid Meier's Civilizations have always been a favourite game of mine. With Civ 5, the player who has

this mod may change characters in the game to appease your pop culture side. Different mods

include. Beavis & Butthead, Seinfeld & Adventure Time. There is a whole myriad of civilizations you

can make friends or enemies with e.g. If you take the Seinfeld mod, all your paintings will be George

Costanzia naked in a provocative way. Which makes me chuckle every time.

3. SKYRIM: Randy Savage Macho Man Dragon by

Wrestling is quite popular in South Africa. Not entirely

sure why. But, one of the great wrestlers of Yesteryear.

Randy Savage is transformed into a Dragon. Its

entertaining to shoot or hit a dragon. The Dragon yelps

Oh Yeah, gimme more of that brother If you a fan of

wrestling go for it.

2. GTA V: Tsunami by

GTA V has been a popular game throughout the year so I

felt it is fitting to be at least in the top 3. In this mod

some parts of the city is engulfed in water due to you

guessed it a Tsunami. What makes it funny is that sharks

attacks you and AIs/NPCs carry on with their lives and

often drown or drive into the sea.

1. SKYRIM: Fart Shouts by Arheaya19

What mod can actually be better? You have run out of

arrows, your sword is blunt enough make a small child

chuckle while he pokes you with a stick. No, wait. You

have a shout. What better way of getting out of danger is

actually farting towards your opponents? Understandably this is similar to a Monty Python film.

Although, farting against a rabid bear or a dangerous dragon seems very rewarding. (Which it is!) In

conclusion, This is by far the best & funniest mod of 2013. - By Grant Wilson


When Diablo 2 released its expansion pack, I did not

even have a shred of doubt that buying it was

mandatory. It was going into my collection purely

because Diablo 2 was such a great and highly

addictive title. However, when Diablo IIIs expansion

was released, I had to take a hard look at whether or

not I wanted to rush to the shops to actually get it.

Diablo III itself had a number of glaring issues that

made late game content either too hard to be

enjoyable, or felt too much like a pure grind fest to

get the highest ilvl items for your character.

I am happy to say though that the expansion (not in a

small way due to the massive outcry by fans) has

made a conscious effort to correct most of these

issues to make the game both fun and playable again.

First off, and this is probably the most important

issue in my opinion, they got rid of the Real Money

AH. While the concept was both intriguing and

revolutionary, the players were just not ready for

something of that magnitude. Of course, Blizzards

idea around implementation could have used a bit of

spit and polish. A fine example of good idea, bad

implementation.

So lets have a look at some of the interesting

changes and additions they brought to the game in

the expansion. As expected (judging by Diablo 2), the

expansion has the last act (Act V) that we have all

been waiting for. Diablo himself has been slain, his

brothers entrapped with him in the black soul stone.

Job done, good work? Well, as always, not quite.

Those Evils are quite the tenacious bunch. Saying that

Diablo or his brothers are safely taken care of is

always a bit of a stretch, so in this latest sequel, we

now have to contend with the Angel of Death

Malthael.

Malthael is the arch angel of wisdom that

disappeared after the destruction of the Worldstone

about twenty years prior at the end of events that

took place in Diablo 2. He ambushes Tyrael and the

Horadrim and takes the black soul stone for himself.

With it, he is bent on destroying mankind which he

now considers to be demons due to the fact that

Nephalem are hybrid creations from both the angelic

and demonic realm. As for the rest of the story, I will

leave it to you to play through by yourself and savour

the details.

The expansion brings with it a whole bunch of

features that make for both interesting additions and

necessary changes. There is now bounties, nephalem

rifts, a new Mystic NPC and a brand new adventure

mode after you have completed the content of the

expansion.

Taking a closer look at some of these features,


the adventure mode is pretty much a sort of questing

system that covers all the acts. The quests highly

vary from defending areas from attack, to

slaughtering hellish minions. It adds another

element to the game to keep it from feeling like

another grind fest, one of which I highly approve.

Aimlessly running outside town killing thousands of

creep hoping for one of them to drop you a little

titbit can get old fast.

Bounties are gained in Adventure mode which, as the

name suggests, involve players hunting down specific

enemy/ies or even completing certain events for

rewards that include gold/loot/blood shards etc. In

addition, the players will receive Rift keystone

fragments if you complete at least two bounties in a

single act. You need these for activation of

Nephalem rifts, so they are pretty important. If you

complete all five of the bounties contained in an act,

you will be rewarded with a Horadric cache, which is

like a little happy box with all sorts of random loot

contain within.

The Nephalem rifts are basically the Diablo

equivalent of dungeons. The areas and the

encounters contained in the rifts are randomized so

each rift will contain a unique experience. The tile

sets for these areas are taken from all five acts, so it

keeps things interesting. To open up a rift, you will

need five of those rift fragments I mentioned earlier.

Oh, and as a last little bonus, inside the rifts are

pylons (hey who invited the Protoss to this party?)

which will, like shrines, bestow upon players some

really powerful abilities to help with exploration.

The Mystic basically serves two purposes.

Enchanting items, and transmogrification. Yeah, my

fingers got crossed trying to spell that It basically

means changing the appearance of one item to looks

like another. Both these features have obviously

been taken from World of Warcraft.

Admittedly, it does add another level of complexity

to item design, so I am not really complaining too

hard. Plus the fact that some of that armor and

weaponry looks so bloody good and I just dont want

to lose the design when I switch for something

better. The enchanting bit does not quite work like

WoW though. Instead of players placing a pre-set

attribute on the item, they basically re-roll for the

attributes already on the item. As a result, its a bit

of a gamble. You could potentially take a crappy item

and give it pretty neat stats, or you could take a

pretty decent item and change it to garbage. The

joys of gambling

Since the advent of Diablo III, they have had another

look at the difficulty system as well. Instead of

players having to work their way through Normal to

Inferno, you now have a choice of working yourself

up from Normal to Torment. These can be chosen

however at the start (depending on your character

level) with Torment having a couple of levels in itself

for the more elite players.

There have been a couple of smaller changes as well,

things like gems being account bound now, so no

trading with other players, or drops being made far

better by the game taking a look at both which

character you are playing and at what level it

currently is. This change alone makes the gameplay

more rewarding and appealing to me.

Well, at the very least, you can always count on

Blizzard to listen to what their fans are saying and

make the necessary changes to their games. We

dont always get what we want, but at least we get it

most of the time.

In conclusion, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is worth

getting if you are a Diablo fan like me.

- By Beleran


How will you spend your final days?

Studio: Square Enix, tri-Ace

Director: Motomu Toriyama

Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release date: February 14, 2014

Genre: Action, RPG

Publisher: Square Enix

Experienced hands-on on PlayStation 3

Finally, Lightning has awoken from her slumber and shes itching to kick some butt!

Its been 500 years since the world started sinking in the sea of Chaos. After centuries of slumber in crystal

stasis, the chosen rose-haired hero has awoken. The god Bhunivelze has given this chosen-warrior a new

purpose, a new role to play in this world which desperately needs saving. She is now on a mission to save the

souls of mankind.

Who is this hero?

She was an officer, lcie, a Warrior goddess who was called upon to protect the goddess

Etro and now she is called The Saviorher name is Lightning!

Lightning has been blessed with incredible strength and abilities along with an arsenal of

new weapons. Shes not just a pretty face and shell prove it to you. Outfits that

compliment her beauty, shields that protect her from greater damage and weapons

which can cut down any foe (that can be damaged by weapons).

Its been a long time since everyone was thrown into all of this and only centuries since Lightning took the seat

at goddess Etros thrown in Valhalla. Lightning was awoken from her slumber and felt the warmth of God as

his words came through to her. Bhunivelze made a promise, that he would bring Serah back if Lightning would

become his servant and act as his Savior. She was to become The Savior and save the souls of mankind. She

wasnt gonna be able to do this alone though. Hope Estheim was brought back by God to assist Lightning in her

holy task from the Ark. Have the others have been brought back as well? Thats probably something you


would ask, right? By the awakening of The Savior, there are 13 days left before the world ends. It would seem

that God has given everyone one last chance to put their hearts in the right place and letting Lightning save

their souls so that they can live in the new world after this one ends. Those who cant be saved will forever

dwell in the river of Chaos.

Lightning clashes with a number of

problems because of Chaos and one of

them is Snow Villiers. Snow Villiers

used to be an optimist and laughably

so. People used to look up to him

because of how he was. He was

engaged to Lightnings sister, Serah

Farron. Lightning happily gave her

blessing before she disappeared and

because of Etro and Chaos, the tables

turned on Serah while she tried to

save the world and attempted to bring

her sister back. Dont give me that lookgeez

Snow must have been hurting inside after such a long time and it would seem that Chaos had started to get to

him as well. The girl, Lumina who looks like Lightnings sister is pulling a lot of the strings with Chaos and she is

the lack of a better word, a demon. The devious Lumina would interfere between Snow and Lightning, and that

includes toying with them in their own minds. Snow already blames himself for not being able to protect

Serah and looks forward to facing The Savior and ending it all.

There is more to the story than Lightning having to face just Snow though. There are 4 other Chaotic threats

that need attention from Lightning in 3 other lands. Yes, there are 4 lands worth exploring and so many people

you can talk to, but time is money and there might be so much to do and yet there is so little timewith you

starting on 6 days till doomsday. Though, after each passing day, you have to give Yggdrasil your Eradia back

in the Ark in order to extend the worlds life expectancy to the full 13 days.

Alright, now its time to stop teasing you about the good-looking story and have my say in this review. So, this

all started from Final Fantasy XIII. The sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 built the story a bit even further for those

who thought the first ones story was confusing. Lightning Returns is the direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII-2

and this game concludes the whole story for this number in Final Fantasy. So, yeahThis story ought to make

sense out of everything that has happened. Lightning is not the despised lcie anymore and shes not

protecting Etro as the Warrior goddess anymore either. She is now The Savior. As a lot of us might have heard

by now, Final Fantasy XIII was originally supposed to feature Lightning as a one-woman-army, if I may put it

like that? Finally or better late than never, they have put that idea to the test.

Oh my garbs and weapons, my kingdom for the perfect 3 schemas.

What exactly is a schema? Well, do you remember Final Fantasy X-2s dresspheres?

Just in case you dont know what it is, let me tell you. Its way better than the dresspheres system. The garb is

of course the outfit, the clothes youre choosing Lightning to wear. In a battle, youll be able to use up to 3


schemas. A schema is the garb, weapon, shield, accessories and assigned abilities.

Why is it better than the previously seen dresspheres from Final Fantasy X-2?

Well, its all about timing. Back in Final Fantasy X-2, you can get hit and defeated all while youre busy trying to

decide which dresspheres you want to choose for your character.

In Lightning Returns, your schema switching is pretty fast. Its even faster than using a Paradigm shift from

the previous XIII titles.

Oh my garb, give me those schema sets now! ~arms flail while running in circles~ The tutorials are always a

good thing in the game. Without it, I wouldnt have gotten used to the new battle system as easily as I did.

Youll be able to help Lightning traverse the battlefield with the use of the left-analog stick and control the

game camera with the right-analog stick.

When youre fighting an enemy, youll be

able to switch targets easily with the D-

pad. This is one of the improvements I like.

It helps switch to a different target

without wasting time. In other Final

Fantasy instalments, you get hit while

youre looking at the list of who you want

to attack. With just the use of the D-pad,

you can change your target quickly. This

often helps when you need to guard with

perfect timing and strike when they least

expect it. What exactly is the result of this

one-woman-army idea in battle? I would say that its not bad at all. Of course, you will always get those who

wouldnt like itbut every game has such opinions and then some years later they might say otherwise.

The staggering system is about the same, except that you wont be seeing a stagger-gauge. So, how exactly

do you know when youre enemy is close to being staggered? Youll see a scope/wave thing at the health-

gauge. No, not in the health-gauge, youll see it at the health-gauge. Wanna buy some Libra sheets? Itll help

you expose the weaknesses of some monsters. I know a merchant thatll sell you some.

Also, the battling system seems to be better in terms with timing. Press a button to guard at the precise

moment you need to be on the defence. Press a different button when you wanna go all-out with an attack.

Press another different button to perform the traditional magic attacks, like hitting them with thunder from

yours truly, Lightning.

Attacks and spells may come in a set of five-blow combos. Its important that you time your ATB and schema

switches to take advantage of the ATB-charge (of the 2 schemas not currently in use) and for the sake of the

combo hits. Some advice before you enter a battle: Striking first gives you an advantage for when you


(whoosh) enter the battle.

The game might have a sense of rushing, but dont try to rush the game to a finish. Yes, youre playing against

time from the very point where you start moving around as Lightning, but there is a lot you can do with the

time youre given. Talk to whoever you can in whatever area you are in and help anyone you are able to help.

Just remember that you might not be able to save everyone, as the time you waste to save the one soul could

have been used to save many other souls. Who doesnt like a reference to a previous Final Fantasy game or a

reference to another game?

Im always looking out for references whether they are hidden or so

obvious that its actually being used as a name for something

somewhere. I like what Ive found thus far, but the question is What

will you find?

Do take notice of the handy networking features. You will of course

need the internet when using the online-features. Once youre online

with this game, youll be able to experience the Outerworld services.

You will be able to share your scores, post your experiences in the

game, view screenshots and messages from other players by talking to

certain residents of Nova Chrysalia. Your Outerworld services can be

linked to your Facebook and Twitter accounts as well. Unlike regular

characters, the Outerworld characters will have other players

nickname above their heads in blue along with a certain icon. You can

pretty much link your game to your Facebook account using the

Facebook app and choose other players from your timeline to appear in

the Outerworld.

Now my verdict

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is a really good game, but this is

coming from a Final Fantasy fan, open-minded to new and good

features.

- Easter eggs anyone? The game has a good story-line. The battle-system feels good. There is a

lot of emotion and suspense to support this game.

PersonallyIm giving this game 8 out of 10.


Studio: Platinum Games Director: Yusuke Hashimoto

Platform: Wii U Release date: TBA 2014

Genre: Action Publisher: Nintendo

Bayonetta II is the upcoming action-packed

game that is developed by Platinum Games. In

this climatic sequel for the critically acclaimed

Bayonetta, players should be on the edge of

their seats from start to finish. It will be a

clashing, slashing, button bashing, seriously

hectic, demanding, non-stop gameplay with

some touchy-feely moments on the side.

Bursting with jaw-dropping battles, amazing

moments and gorgeous cut-scenes, this game

is not gonna let up on the action. Youll fight on

top of a jet as it soars through a downtown city. Battle it out against a gigantic Cyclops, who bears

a whip for an arm (ouch), and on top of a speeding train. Also take to the skies Yes, take to the

skies in a fight against one huge terrifying demonic dragon while you ascend atop of a skyscraper.

Its the sequel to the game Bayonetta that was released in 2009. Bayonetta, the main

protagonist of the game is one of the only two

surviving Umbran Witches, along with being the

child of a Witch and a Lumen Sage. In this game

she should be featuring a new attire and hairstyle.

The game will also feature a two-player mode for

those who wanna join-in on the fun. When its

time to fight angels, a giant Cyclops and ugly-

backside demon dragons that want to use you as a

toothpick, you better be ready to fight in style and

punish them all.

- Douw D.K Kotz.


So welcome one and welcome all. This is a

multiplayer open world survival horror game

that was developed by Bohemia Interactive.

Wait, its just you Alright, but still, welcome

to Chernarus an open world, post-Soviet

state and one of the areas hit by a new and

presently unknown infection which of course

has wiped out most of the worlds

population. Its no big deal. Its not like youre

in danger of being killed by a mass group of

zombies, right? Have you realised your

current situation yet?

You are one of the few who have survived

and now you must explore this new

wasteland and fight for your life against what

is left of the indigenous population, which

seems to be now infected with the disease.

This game was designed on an updated

version of the powerful Arma II engine. This

stand-alone version of Day-Z takes everything

that once stunned players in the

original MOD to a new level. You should

expect a more complex, more authentic

scenario, more infected character types and

more fully-modelled building interiors that

will throw you into the depths of this survival

horror like never before.

- Douw D.K Kotz

Studio: Bohemia Interactive

- Director/Writer: U/A

- Platform: Microsoft Windows

- Release date: December 16, 2013 (Alpha), TBA

2014 (Beta)

- Genre: Survival horror

- Publisher: Bohemia Interactive

- Designers: Dean Rocket Hall


Out of the ashes, Final Fantasy XIV has risen. Square Enix has breathed new life into the world of

Eorzea. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn invites you to explore the world of Eorzea once again. You

can forge friendships with those across the world, ride a Chocobo, board an

airship with friends and create your own unique stories within the Final

Fantasy Universe. Take on epic quests and battle those ever familiar Final

Fantasy monsters alone or form as a party, enlisting the help of friends. Each

player will be able to build and strengthen their own character, learn their

own unique abilities and obtain equipment that will help them throughout

their adventures.

As an adventurer, you can seek fame and fortune. Devote yourself to seeking

danger and glory wherever it may lie. Its the endless quest where many souls

have fallen and only the strong can survive together. The people of Eorzea

come with their myriad pleas and requests to their local adventurers Guild, and indeed it is here

where adventurers heed the call, if it be the task of slaying Wyrms or titans plaguing your fellow

citizens, or crafting wares that are in need of a masters touch. It is time that you heed the call and

work together to forge the fate of Eorzea. What tale of adventure lies in wait for you?

- Douw D.K Kotz


The Elder Scrolls Online is the latest chapter in the award-winning franchise. ZeniMax Online Studios

brings the legendary experience online for the very first time. If its playing with your friends or even

alone, the games combat system allows you to focus on action and tactics.

In The Elder Scrolls Online, the time and setting will be in the continent of Tamriel, roughly a

millennium before the events from The Elder Scrolls: V Skyrim, 800 years before The Elder Scrolls III:

Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. With three alliances emerging across the continent,

they struggle for reigning authority over the land. These great powers engage in battle against one

another for control over the Imperial City and Tamriel all along with it. There are darker forces on

their way to destroy the world as usual. After all, no story is complete without dark forces wanting to

destroy the world as we know it.

Explore the far reaches of Skyrim, the mysterious lands of Morrowind, and beyond. Be aware that

there are always things you need to do when you want to join a Guild. Also bear in mind of the three

factions that exist within the race you choose to play as (The Ebonheart Pact, The Aldmeri Dominion,

and The Daggerfall Covenant). Remember that the choices you make from alliances you join and the

battles you fight, will guide and shape your destinyand the world of Tamriel.

- Douw D.K Kotz


It is the third year now that G2C2 has taken over the

UPCON convention normally held in the University of

Pretoria. This year however, was the first year that

they had a hall of their own to do with as they

pleased. Apart from the significant increase in space,

there was a significant increase in expectation from

the people who attend this convention. Being

limited by space constraints can cripple creativity and

often leads to several people not getting spaces, and

sometime people getting cut altogether. Well not

this year! This year there were all sorts of new stalls

and people showing off their wares for us. Of

course, we had the usual suspects lining the walls,

MTG, Warhammer, Pokmon, Outer Limits etc. But

then we also had (not their first) appearances by SIN-

BIN, Plushie Heaven, To-a-T T-shirt printing, Hero-

Clicks and as I was wandering around I even saw a

place where people were busy enjoying a game of

Dungeons and Dragons. Of course,

let's not forget that this is a prime place for cosplay

as I am sure most people will be quick to remind me,

and we were not disappointed. There were quite a

couple of cosplayers and LARPers walking around

showing off their hard work. I must add

appreciatively, that the community is not only

growing larger, it is getting better. Hold onto your

hats Japan and the US, we are on our way! We might

be a bit late to the party, but boy are we South

Africans a hard-headed bunch. When we set our

minds to something... Anyhow, the event was well

organized as always, and drinks and food was easy

enough to come by. I sincerely wish however, that

they would make an effort to get hold of card

machines. Not many people I know nowadays carry

around cash anymore, and card is a much more

convenient alternative. Apart from that, the con was

a good environment for sharing ideas, creativity and

all around geekiness.

AllOtaku takes a

look at the G2C2

Convention!


Of course, between now and July, there are a couple

of interesting events that we would like to attend,

both here in JHB and down in Cape Town. I only wish

that all of them could be as well organized and

brimming with life as G2C2 was. I was so energized

when I left the hall!! However, now with G2C2

behind us, we look forward to the other big

conventions later this year: ICON in July, KinCon in

August and of course the big momma, rAGE in

October. Get your costumes ready, start saving

those moolas, and make all necessary preparations

for the most epic Otaku event of the year! A big

thank you goes out to Jacques de Jager and Dina

Steyn for the awesome event!

- By Beleran

On the Saturday there was a Cosplay competition,

and the picture above depicts the finalists on the

day. I wish I could've gotten a better shot of the Jedi

Lady, who eventually won first place, so

unfortunately (or fortunately) you will have to be

appeased by my photo of the second place winner,

on the right. After the competition, there was also a

workshop for cosplayers with general advice for

costume design, posing for pictures, appealing to the

judges etc. which was quite informative, if you

missed it, go cry in your pillow. You should have

been present to enjoy all the fun of G2C2. I know

that there was an unlimited tournament held for

Pokmon players, which I sadly could not attend.

Sometimes real life can be a pain in the behind. I did

get to chat with my friends who were playing, as well

as the organizer, which I hope to get an interview

with for the next edition due in July.


Cosplay in SA

You've seen them at cons, you've seen them

on the internet. Cosplay in South Africa is

growing ever bigger by the day and pretty

soon, we'll be taking over the world. (Or at

least the nearest Fabric shop.)

I am a cosplayer. I understand the urge to dress up as various anime and manga character better

than anyone, so I can see that to people outside the community it seems a little exclusive and small.

Let me be clear that this could not be farther from the truth; provided you follow basic human

etiquette. Most of us are more than happy to spend time with people who share their interests. We

are not aggressive; just remember that we put a lot of passion into our props. Please do not touch

the custom weapons without our permission, they are usually fragile and time intensive and we'd

rather break them ourselves.

The Community: The cosplay community has grown immensely in the last few years and the core of

the community is stronger than ever, mostly because the efforts of groups organising cosplay events

on their own. These events come in two flavours

and are essentially either Competitive or casual

and both are amazing opportunities to see

things.

Casual Cosplay: This is where most people join

the community; there are a lot of small events,

mostly picnics and group meals that happen

roughly on a monthly basis. These events are

organised by cosplayers and is more of a social

event where cosplayers connect and swap tips on

props and costumes. Usually these meets are

organised by members of the community and are

advertised well in advance. In Gauteng these are

usually either in the Pretoria or Johannesburg

Botanical gardens as picnics or are meets that are

set in sushi restaurants. The picnics are

essentially bring and share meals and people

are encouraged to interact and float between

different groups. Since the community is friendly,

these events are a great way to meet people and collect the occasional streetpass in both Cape


Town and Gauteng. These events garner

between 20 and 40 people on average. In

Cape Town these picnic events are becoming

a nearly monthly occurrence now, while the

Gauteng events tend to wander between

Pretoria and Joburg on a bi-monthly

schedule. Also it should be noted that while

costumes are encouraged they are not

mandatory, so if you're not quite brave

enough to dress as the Green Ranger yet,

you can just come in civilian clothes.

The best way to find out when these are

happening is to check social media, groups

like "Rockin Cosplay SA" and most of the more

well-known cosplay "celebrities" tend to share when these things are happening and are more than

willing to keep others appraised.

Competitive Cosplay: This is the realm of the cosplay competition and is usually found at

Conventions groups and individuals who have honed they're acting and costuming skills to show off

at events like rAGE and G2C2. These formal contests are the cream of the crop and often have

wonderful prizes provided by the convention organisers. These events are usually organised by the

more professional geek community groups (Aifest and Legion Ink in Gauteng, not sure who runs

them in Cape town) and while we're not quite on the World Cosplay summit circuit yet, the desire to

show off their acting and costuming skills is getting better and better. This is where the size of the

cosplay scene has exploded over the last 3 years. The number of cosplayers entered at rAGE, the

largest single cosplay competition nationally, has tripled. Entrants into these competitions are

usually very competitive, but with the exception of a few individuals the sense of community is still

there and after a competition there are often sketches and photo opportunities.

All in all this growth is continuing as more people learn that the cosplay community exists and as the

community gets older people start to pass it on to their children. We can only hope that in the future

the community will be inspired to even greater cosplay diversity.

Gareth Uraharasensei is

an English teacher by

profession and a cynic

by genetics. He'll be sure

to remind you that he is

the law as soon as his

prop finishes drying.


- By Douw D.K Kotz

Anime, games, movies as well as T.V series have been

guilty of quite a few things that relate here. They

have characters that have a signature eating style. In

Save Me Lollipop, the main character is often seen at

a cake shop. In One Piece, Luffy has a huge thing for

meat on a bone. In Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden,

Naruto (Main protagonist) is often seen eating

Ramen. In short, the entertainment media along with

Anime have been responsible in revealing food of

Japanese culture. Every culture has a wide variety of

delicious food. You wont just be able to learn

something about Japanese food here. You will also learn how to make some real Ramen. Sounds

cool? Alright, so you might ask How do you make real ramen?

There isnt just one type of ramen, so youll have to decide which one you want to go with. Different

recipes of ramen have also appeared on the Anime series of Naruto. If you cant decide on which

one you want to try out first, let me be of some help. Right here Ill be giving you a recipe to make

some real ramen yourself.

Ramen is actually very popular in Japan. There are two main components in Ramen and they are

noodles and soup. Interesting to know is that the noodles are called Chinese style noodles

(Chuka-men), but these arent really like Chinese noodles anymore. They are wheat noodles

with a firm and chewy texture. The texture is of course very important. The reason for that is

because the noodles are in hot soup while eating and it might absorb too much soup and become

too soft. Its been said that its hard to find good noodles outside Japan, but I guess we can be the

judges of that. South Africa does have some restaurants that can serve-up some pretty good

noodles.

If you can find some dried Chuka-men or fresh Chuka-men, use that. Angel hair pasta, which you can

find in grocery stores, is acceptable even though

its said that the texture is still on the softer side.

Dried thin spaghetti is also a pretty good

substitute for Chuka-men. To boil the noodles in

water with baking soda is the key, because that

gives noodles a distinct Ramen noodle flavour.

The other half would be the soup and generally

speaking, there are three basic types of Ramen

soups:

*Shoyu (soy sauce)

Japanese Food: How to make real Ramen


*Miso

*Shio (salt)

Pork, chicken or seafood broth is usually used for the base of the soup, and is then seasoned with

soy sauce, miso or salt. Angel hair pasta and soy sauce was used for this specific recipe. Though,

there are so many combinations of flavours for soups. If you want to play around and experiment, go

ahead and give it try.

Its said that its hard to beat Ramen at great restaurants, but it never hurts to try and make some

pretty good home-made Ramen yourself.

Ramen Recipe

Prep Time: 15 hours

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

Salted pork

1 lb. pork

1 tsp. salt

Soup

6 cups water (1.5 L)

50g ginger root

3 cloves garlic

1 bunch green onions

4 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. sake (Japanese rice wine)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sesame oil

Noodles

9 oz. fresh angel hair pasta (225g)

8 cups water (2L)

2 Tbsp. baking soda

Topping


Boiled egg halves

Bean sprouts, blanched briefly

Green onions cut finely

Instructions

1. Rub the salt on the pork and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

2. Put water, ginger root, garlic green onions and salted pork in a pot and boil at high heat.

Skim the fat and other floating scums. Then cover, reduce to low heat and let it simmer for

about 1 to 2 hours. Let the broth and pork cool completely in the pot. Strain and then save

the pork. Slice the pork and set it aside for a topping.

3. Prepare the rest of the toppings now as well (boiled eggs, blanched bean sprouts, cut green

onions), before making the soup and noodles. Once the noodles are cooked, you will need to

add the soup and toppings right away or the noodles will get soft, so you wont have time to

prepare the toppings at the end.

4. Boil the broth and add soy sauce, sake, salt, and sesame oil. Lit it simmer at a very low heat

until the noodles are ready.

5. When boiling water in a pot, add baking soda (be very careful though, it might boil over),

then add fresh angel hair pasta. Cook the pasta for 30 seconds and then strain. Immediately

divide the noodles into bowls and add soup onto the noodles. Top it with boiled eggs, bean

sprouts, green onions and sliced pork.

Tanoshimu! (Enjoy)


November 2011 December 2011 January 2013

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