Anime to Beat The Heat With +Contest Update

Greetings and salutations my fellow anime fans and friends! This month has been so blindingly hot that your blogger host has occasionally found himself half dead! The rest of the time I was either running family errands or becoming a bit addicted to Funimation's website. (Some Summer vacation, I think I'll have more free time when I go back to law school!)

Anyway, seeing as how most of us are likely suffering in this heatwave (wow, just a few months ago we were having record cold) I thought it wise and prudent and reasonable and some other words that make it sound like this post is more thought out than it really is that I should make a list of a few anime series that I think can help you beat the heat!

After all, if you can't use anime to make your life's problems more bearable, what's the point of watching it at all?



First up is Kanon!

Before you even finish the first episode, you'll feel cooler thanks to the heavy emphasis on snow as a motif! Virtually every outdoor scene is fluffy white with sparkles of ice. If you imagine yourself as the characters, you'll feel cooler in no time flat.

Imagine eating ice cream with Shiori outside in the snow. The real world may be blazing hot but Kanon's world is nice and cool. Every gentle breeze carries a nostalgia for the winters of your past and each girl is a soothing balm to the soul.

Of course, you may end up crying, but that's the price you have to pay for snowy winter in July!

But if Kanon's not your cup of tea. . . .



How about a hefty dose of Kamichu!

Yurie can teach you all the ways to relax and veg out in the heat! From helping adults rediscover their summer memories to curling up on the floor for a nap, Kamichu is the series where a student goddess can teach you all about living your life lazily.

Join in on a beach trip that's more than the usual fanservice-filled beach episode, take laziness to a whole new level and spend some time with a sweet goddess-in-training.

Kamichu is a series that reminds you not to go outside and die of the heat. Don't forget to make a donation to Raifuku shrine though!

Of course, sometimes summer heat can be worth the trouble. There are hot springs and beaches and even public baths that are well worth visiting. So maybe you'd like to head out in the heat with. . . .



the girls of UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie!

Let Valkyrie take you on a tour of the best bath house this side of Tokyo! Join Sanada for a great hot spring bath after nearly freezing to death! Don't allow Laine to drive you to the beach but enjoy a day there after taking your own vehicle!

If there's one thing the cast of UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie knows, it's how to enjoy themselves on a hot day. Of course, fanservice here isn't remotely optional and you will probably be required to see some flashy transformation sequences. Maybe this is what summer is really all about?

So that's a few anime to help you beat the heat! Hopefully, we can all avoid dying from this heat wave that is making all of us realize the horrors of our local electric companies jacking up rates during the summer months! (Yes, they commonly do this and no the extra cost isn't just from your air conditioner.) Make sure you drink lots of water (soda and tea can dehydrate you!) and you stay out of the sun as much as possible. If you start feeling dizzy or disoriented, get to a shady place or inside, drink water and have it poured on you! Watch out for your older relatives and little kids. They're especially vulnerable.

Contest Update: I've decided to extend the entry deadline AGAIN for the Top 5 contest as I can currently decide the winner with a coin toss. (Maybe this was a bad contest after all?)

If you do want to enter, please use this

Contest Entry Link!

Join me next time, same blog channel, same blog idiocy!



Bye-ni!

Return of the Heretic

Sorry all for the long absence. First it was my Legal Writing assignment (80% of final grade) and then studying for and taking finals (several being 100% of final grade) and then I packed up and came back home for the summer. Yes, I returned home to a house that isn't air-conditioned on account of my mother not being able to afford it and the power company being a bunch of lying, cheating, evil and cruel jerks who send out employees to read meters when then just put down whatever the year before's reading was and leave. (Aside from a signed confession, we're quite sure we've enough evidence that anyone, except the power company reps who INSIST that mistakes NEVER happen, would believe.)

Of course, none of you are interested in my trials and tribulations.

Sadly, this post is mostly that kind of chatter. I got a late start on it due to a power outage yesterday and today being a "run around with my Mother and take care of things" day.

Well, I got a new phone out of the deal. Once the rebate check comes in, it will only have cost like $10. (I can't find a belt holster I like though.)

So enough about me, let's talk about this blog. Some of you have surely wondered if this blog was dead.

I hereby assure all of my readers (God bless all of you or if you'd prefer may Haruhi bless you) that I fully intend to keep up this blog and get back to posting my thoughts on things. I make no claim to know any deep secrets or to have any special knowledge but I do love English dubs and I do worry deeply about the legal anime industry. While others may worship at the alter of digital-only subs forever, I never will.

Also I'd like to do more contests in the future but for now, the current one will be it for a while due to financial strains. (I have to get my own anime before I can get anime to give to you for free!) However, there will be a second Strike Witches contest when the second season comes out. Same deal as the first one when the time comes.

As for now,

please enter the current contest

if you have any interest in any of the series or if you don't want them for yourself, enter if you know someone who'd like them. Currently I can flip a coin to decide the winner. Go here for contest details.

Finally, I'm going to try and post more because I'm seriously falling down on the job! I'll post again before Monday about some of the current dubbing plans, promises and possibilities.

Bye-ni!

Richard J.'s Top 5 Contest plus Bonus

Okay, after a minor delay due, I hereby fully and officially open this contest! Here is your chance to enter the Richard J.'s Top 5 Contest and to get your choice of bonus: a new release from what is available at Robert's Anime Corner Store or your choice of where I donate $50 for the charitable benefit of Japan! (Yes that is a bonus too, you get to make a donation by proxy! That's good for your karma!)

Just to make it clear, here is the list of series again:

The winter drama Kanon, the mecha experience RahXephon, the action-packed Gunslinger Girl, the wild sci-fi adventure Outlaw Star and the moving but controversal Koi Kaze.

This contest, click here to enter, will take entries until the July 4th. There are several reasons for this long run time.

First, I want there to be plenty of time for people to enter. Second, I want more time to get my computer issues worked out. (I miss Photoshop.) Third, this way I won't have to worry about shipping the prize to the winner until I'm back home where I can deal with postal workers I know and trust. It's also when the last contest ended so there is symmetry.

Here are the basic rules:

Although highly unlikely, I reserve the right to cancel this contest at any time. This contest is open to any person with a mailing address, prizes will be shipped anywhere! Winners' names will be posted here at Blog Of A Heretical Dub Lover but mailing addresses will be provided only to professional postal staff of my choice. No one else will be told.

Winners' addresses and E-mail addresses will be erased once the prizes have been shipped. Non-winners' names, E-mail and mailing addresses will not be given out to any one and will be erased when the winners have been confirmed. Non-winners will not be contacted, spammed or harassed in any way. I am not interested in ordinary humans! I reserve the right to retroactively add new rules in the unlikely event that they become necessary.

One entry per person/mailing address. Prizes will be box sets of contest insitigator's choice.

Click here to enter and have a chance to own the series I consider to be my personal Top 5 and get a chance to either get a 6th series box set or the chance to make me donate money on your behalf to a charity of your choice to benefit the Japanese people suffering after the earthquakes and tsunami! Personal gain or altruism, which will the winner choose? (I'll never tell.)

Just like last time, I will post winner's names and if any winner wants, I'll post their comments on the contest or anything else. Also, as always, I welcome ANY comments, even negative ones. I will never delete a comment that I disagree with. Only Spammers will be deleted!

Contest Entry Link!

Bye-ni and good luck!

Contest Titles and Question

Hello bloggies and welcome to the contest title listing post. Here you will find a list and as I'm currently on my laptop sitting outside a classroom waiting for a speech, I'll have to get back to you with the contest rules and entry link.

For now, please consider these titles my Top 5 (not in any particular order.)

Kanon: This series focuses on Yuichi Aizawa and his return to the city he spent time in as a child. As he reconnects with girls from his past, Yuichi must deal with both the supernatural and the promises he made then and now. Kanon is about friendship and love and the power of those promised bonds. It is a series I consider to be a true masterpiece of anime and while some will dismiss it due for being moe or based on a visual novel, I think the overall message of the series is too important to ignore. It has one of ADV's most acclaimed English dubs performed by a cast of fan-favorites. Kanon should be a part of every anime fan's collection in my opinion. So here's a chance for you to get it as part of my Top 5 giveaway contest!

Outlaw Star: One of Bandai Entertainment's best series, Outlaw Star is a thrilling space adventure with a great cast of characters and a surprisingly deep plot. While some mysteries are never solved, the central plot of the Galactic Leyline and the purpose of the Outlaw Star itself comes to a powerful conclusion. Outlaw Star's English dub features a number of great performances by the VAs, some of whom you won't hear often or at all in recent productions. It is a classic and a wonderful gateway anime for luring new fans to the anime side!

RahXephon: Some claim this series to be superior to EVA, others say it is not but few if any call if anything less than darn good. Personally, I consider it to be one of the best series out there that merged mecha with epic plots and god-like powers. RahXephon has a rich tapestry of a plot which encompases multiple generations and temporal mechanics plus deep emotional bonds of love and hate. It is powerful series with fantastic battles and considerable plot twists. RahXephon is a series that demands multiple viewings to fully grasp the nature of the character relationships. Get it in this contests and bask in understanding!

Gunslinger Girl: This was my first intentional anime purchase and it convinced me that anime fandom was my destiny. In this story, follow the girls of the Social Welfare Agency and find yourself asking hard questions about their situation. Enjoy the beautiful animation and hauntingly lovely music. Gunslinger Girl can be a hard series to watch at times but it is an amazing anime. The English dub is one of Funimation's finest productions and a powerful action-drama. Add Gunslinger Girl to your collection by entering this contest!

Koi Kaze: What does it mean to fall in love? Koi Kaze explores this question with a twist as it delves into a relationship between a brother and sister who steadily grow closer. The series is controversal and portrays a very difficult subject matter with a degree of honesty and seriousness often lacking in other productions. Koi Kaze isn't a series for casual fans and many anime fans will never see it. Yet this series is one of the best if not the best anime that Geneon Entertainment released before fading away. The English dub features performances that are worthy of critical acclaim and are heart-wrenching sincere. From my contest to your collection, let Koi Kaze into your heart!

So that's the list for the Top 5 contest! Please comment as you see fit about them! I'll be posting the contest rules and entry link in a separate post later. My computer's hard drive died but I've got another in my desktop now. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to re-install or get around a lot of computer red tape to get Photoshop back up and running or get all of my info out of it. Plus my Spring Break was less break and more "run around helping my family to get things in order or face financial disaster" so I've actually got more free time now that I'm back in class than I did then. Yeesh.

If it weren't for my commitment to this contest, I'd not do it at all as it will mean I don't have as much for my own collecting.

Of course, I'm sure this contest will be a dissapointment to some. The titles are older and the genres not very consistent. That being the case, I offer two special options for this contest to the winner! The winner will get their choice of a special bonus!

The winner of this contest will have the right to choose between a new and available title of their choice, order of title to be made through Roberts Anime Corner Store, or a $50 donation to a charity of the winner's choice that is working to help the Japanese people! In other words, you can choose between a new and available anime in addition to my Top 5 or you can choose to have me donate $50 to charity for the Japanese!

Comment on this bonus and let me know if you think it's a good idea. Until later, I'm Richard J. signing off!

Bye-ni!

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. There's been a perfect storm of legal writing and exam studying combined with severe technical difficulties. Hopefully, I should have some of this resolved by week after next.



Maybe.

You see, the problem is I do my blogging on my desktop computer which is, unfortunately, reaching the end of its life. To keep from losing it entirely before I can ready a replacement, I'll be doing almost everything off of my laptop. So please understand that for a while after this post, my blog posts will lack pics (no image editing software on the lap) and may be a bit less complex than some of my previous blog posts.

However, I'll try to blog a bit more to make up for it.

Info on the contest, entry E-mail link and list of titles in the package will be made public March 14th. Since my Top 5 may not be to everyone's liking, there will be a special bonus that I'm sure will make the contest appealing to more folks.

What will that be? Eh, you'll have to wait and see! (Yup, I'm a terrible tease.)

Bye-ni!

Update and Poll

Hello everyone! I have returned from a combination of winter break laziness and first week back at law school mental breakdown! Richard J. here to try to get things going again on this blog. (Wow, I have GOT to stop doing this whole disappearing thing!)

Anyway, let me explain myself. At first I was on break. . . .



Oh the joy of sleeping in late, eating home-cooked meals I didn't have to cook myself and just being lazy in general. I played games and watched anime and read manga and relaxed HARD. I spent lots of time with my family, talking about all kinds of things both serious and light-hearted. I helped clean up a building (urgh) and cleaned a little in my room (yah!) and then I just sort of went into hibernation for the last week of break.

Seriously, I basically did nothing for the last week but eat and sleep.

It was bliss. Of course, I meant to do some blog posting too but, well, like I said I got pretty lazy.

Then, my winter break ended.



I figured I was relaxed enough to be ready to deal with the rigors of law school once again. So I drove up, unpacked and got ready for the start of a new term.

Sure, I was a bit nervous because I still didn't have some of my books (slow delivery is slow) but I wasn't too worried. I mean, I've done this sort of thing before. Last term wasn't so bad in the end. I even did pretty darn good on my finals! (High Bs and an A.)

But then classes started.

I wasn't mentally prepared after all.



Yeah, it was kinda like that.

I didn't freak out in class or anything but my stress levels shot through the roof. I started drinking to mellow out. A bottle of wine was gone in less than a week and I usually drink so little and so slowly that a bottle of wine lasts nearly a full month.

Obviously, I was a bit nervous.

Then things started to pull together as the week went on.



My books came in, my family helped me to get one of them from a special "first come, first served" deal after finding out the one I ordered was wrong and they even came up to visit yesterday.

I'm feeling quite a bit more mellow now about this term. Ah, I think I can manage this after all. Hey, if I could make it through the first term and pull off those grades, then this shouldn't be too much worse, right?

So that's how I came to be in a good enough mental state to start blogging again.

To make it up to everyone for being gone for so long, I'm doing another contest! I want your opinions though! So take some time and do this poll for me.

What Prize Should The Next Context Have?

I'm going to be quite busy this term but I hope to be able to post enough to please ya'll!

Until the next post, please vote in this poll and comment if you want! Future polls will be widgets but I wanted to confine this one to this post to make sure it gets attention.

My plan is to give away some anime and I need to know what method to my madness you'd prefer!

Until next time bloggies!

Bye-ni!

*Edit: I just want to clarify: Yes, I meant "contest" and not "context." I'm not sure if changing the title will foul up the polling so I'm leaving it that way. (Thanks to bal-anime for putting me on notice!)

4th of July Message and Strike Witches Contest Winners!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I hope that you've taken time today to remember the sacrifices made throughout the history of this country, the lives lost on all sides, so that you can have the freedom to pursue your own happiness without fear of your life or liberty being taken from you by the whims of aristocracy. Please know that what we were born with is not guaranteed. Only by recognizing threats to our liberty and defying those who would impose their will upon us, can we as a nation retain our sacred rights. The wisdom of our founders should help to guide us.

Soldiers, thinkers, the wealthy and the poor, we have always tried to come together in times of crisis and suffering to bring a light of liberty into the darkness. It is my most solemn wish that we may see this nation through it's current time of troubles.

May we shepherd the state toward a rebirth and bring our nation back to a time of prosperity, liberty and true hope.

Thank you for your support of this blog. There are many places in this world where having a free-thinking blog leads to prison. Remember the simple truth that you were created with the right of free-will, the right to choose a path of your own making and to be secure in your possessions and body against the undue whims of rulers. I ask that you take a moment to think of the liberty you were born with and remember that many people have died in our history, men and women, educated and not, wealthy and not, of all ages, creeds and races, that you might have your inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

And that is all the seriousness from me you'll have to deal with for a while! (I hope.)

Today being the 4th of July, we've reached the end of my Strike Witches contest! The names of all the contestants were written down on pieces of paper and mixed thoroughly in a box before being drawn, so that the winners would be chosen at random! The date of the contest's end was intentional though, as the overall goal of the witches in the series is to defeat the Neuroi and liberate the conquered European lands.

Will they succeed? Will you enjoy finding out? Does the show deserve the criticism it gets? It's time for 3 lucky winners to learn those answers!

Those winners are:

Dana Staab

Matt Ryan

Jacob Gehman

Thanks to everyone who participated. Although you did not win your own set of Strike Witches, I hope you will consider buying this series for your collection and that you will continue to support this blog! Perhaps my next contest will be luckier for you.

For now, Bye-ni!

Bandai At AX: All Your K-On! Are Belong To Us!

In a move that is both a surprise and totally expected (a surprise because we didn't think they had the money and expected because the show is rather popular) Bandai Entertainment kicked off the Anime Expo convention by announcing the license of K-On!, a show that swept Japan and many non-Japanese anime fans up in it's depiction of a group of girl's activities as they form a light music club. (Panel Report here.)



Various sources and rumors make the likelihood of an English dub highly probable. Zac Bertschy of ANN posted this on ANN:

There's a dub, they introduced the voice actresses at the panel. Full report up in a mo.

Edit: whoops, no they didn't. Fixed.

Still fairly sure this is getting a dub.

From that confusion though, we get Zac's very reliable assurance of a dub. Beyond him we have the comments from Bang Zoom! CEO Eric Sherman regarding Bandai Entertainment's decision to bet the company's future on two big projects. One of these was the continuation of the Haruhi franchise (the second season and the movie) but the other remained a mystery, likely until now. Assuming this is the second title, we can feel safe in the knowledge that Bang Zoom! will be dubbing K-On!

Additionally, Bandai Entertainment is planning to use a similar marketing strategy to the Haruhi franchise, involving live-action videos with popular VA Cristina Vee as Mio, Karri Shirou as Yui, "Kix" as Tsumugi, and "Briana" as Ritsu. This marketing decision increases the probability of an English dub as it shows a higher level of dedication to the series.

Allow to me personally voice my desire to see them make a great English dub with dubbed singing. I know some hate English dubbed songs but actresses like Wendee Lee and Cristina Vee have shown that they can sing very well, so why not use them? Done right, as Bang Zoom! has done in the past, K-On!'s English dub could be amazing. Dare I even say, profitable?



Unfortunately, right now, we don't have true confirmation yet of exactly what is going to happen with this release. The second season is unlicensed (though we may be wise in believing that Bandai Entertainment has a right of first refusal with it) and no details were given of the release format.

DVD? Blu-Ray? Singles? Sets? Limited editions? Plushies? No one knows but the men in the suits who stare at anime. Here's what they shared with ANN:

Bandai Entertainment Marketing Director Robert Napton clarified with ANN that the release format of K-ON! — whether it will be Blu-ray Disc, DVD, or both — has not been decided yet. The panel announced a cast for Bandai Entertainment's K-ON! marketing videos, but Napton emphasized that no announcement has been made about an English dubbing cast, or whether there will be a dubbing.

We don't know all the details yet but hopefully, in time, we will have details that rock. I honestly believe this is the second series Eric Sherman mentioned and that we will get an English dub for it. It just doesn't make sense otherwise to pay what is likely a very high licensing fee for a show that you then intend to market to the "niche fans."

What I do know is that this license will likely prove to be either a great success or a total flop. Potentially, the mainstream fans may find themselves interested (who doesn't love cute girls and music?) but the problem lies mainly with the countless anime fans who illegally downloaded K-On!. Will they step up now? Will they prove their fan love?

At the very least, we know this series is extremely popular with many fans. People are paying to translate the hentai doujinshi of it at least!

Uh, or so I heard.



I'll be watching the Anime Expo coverage as more develops out of there to comment and provide another point of view on things. Perhaps I'll even entertain you?

By the way, if you haven't entered my Strike Witches contest, you've got only a few days until the winners are chosen by lot! Go here, enter and maybe win!

Bye-ni!

Resting But Thinking. . . . SW Contest Update

Hello everyone! Richard J. here (no, really, I'm alive!) While my will to blog has been poorly affected lately, it's not like I haven't been thinking about what to do here.

Articles, reviews and general silliness on my part have all been planned. I'm hoping to also catch up on some things I'd planned to do in the past and just plain forgot to do. Basically, I'm going to try and start getting my act together more over the next few days. However, for a little bit longer, I'm going to try and rest myself up.



For a while now, I've really been feeling down and worn. Sometimes I felt up and worked on this blog or posted on Mania.com's AoD forum or ANN or Funi's blog. Mostly, I've been really wasting time doing nothing of great significance. Well, I am taking swimming lessons but those are more tiring and a bit stressful. (I've been playing mindless games and over-eating a lot. Depression repression.)

Well, if I don't start doing something I'm going to go completely nuts. The heat is terrible, the family finances are barely holding up and a family member is in serious trouble that just won't go away. It's just so nice when people are punished for obeying the law and doing their job. (Yes, I'm quite bitter and damned angry. The unfairness is disgusting.)

I realize though that nothing is going to change unless I choose to act. It's a small step but I can at least re-organize my room and do more on this blog right? Those aren't Herculean tasks right?

So look forward to more from me. I'm still here.

And so is my contest! (Ooh, mood whiplash!)

When Strike Witches was licensed, I felt a personal call to anime fan duty. I openly supported the show because I thought it sounded interesting and vastly different from many of the shows being licensed at the time and, in a twist worthy of a pretzel, an off-hand comment about ANN's review staff not being capable of a review that didn't insult Strike Witches' fans, I received an offer from Zac of ANN to review it.

Now, for the price of FREE, you can own this series that I thought was pretty damn fun. Go to this blog post for details, click here for my ANN review or go ahead and enter the contest here! (Just give me your name and address please!)

Every entry counts! Even though you can't all win, you're all very important to me for having entered!

Bye-ni!

Strike Witches Contest Update: Proof and Request

The heat of Summer burns my resolve to ashes and leaves me barely able to function. Especially with a camera. Richard J. here, letting you know that delayed reviews will be forthcoming soon, once I've had a chance to re-take some pics. (Wow, the first batch looked so clear while I was half unconscious from sleep deprivation!)

Today, let me first give you a bit of photographic proof that, yes, I am quite serious about this contest:

BEHOLD!

Yes, gaze upon yee mighty and despair!

Or salivate with anticipation at getting one of these FREE ANIME BOX SETS for your very own! If you haven't entered the contest yet, you've got until July 4th! Click here and E-mail me your name and address! Some of you have already done so or informed me that you'll be abstaining since you've already got this series (maybe you'll be more open to the next contest?) but I'd still like to add some more names to the pot.

Just a reminder, here is the Contest Disclaimer and Baseline Rules:

Although highly unlikely, I reserve the right to cancel this contest at any time. This contest is open to any person with a mailing address, prizes will be shipped anywhere! Winners' names will be posted here at Blog Of A Heretical Dub Lover but mailing addresses will be provided only to professional postal staff of my choice. No one else will be told.

Winners' addresses and E-mail addresses will be erased once the prizes have been shipped. Non-winners' names, E-mail and mailing addresses will not be given out to any one and will be erased when the winners have been confirmed. Non-winners will not be contacted, spammed or harassed in any way. I am not interested in ordinary humans! I reserve the right to retroactively add new rules in the unlikely event that they become necessary.

One entry per person/mailing address.

And the sets are still REGION 1 DVDs, though I will ship internationally. (Yeah, how many contests are open to all nations! I am the man.)



Okay, you can stop laughing.

Now, a personal request: If you know any anime websites or fan-groups that might be interested in promoting this contest, blog or Strike Witches in general, please contact them and share this blog post with them. I'm a bit shy of the idea of trying to self-promote this blog since I'm clearly a total amateur but I know how much people love contests.

Also, feel free to comment more! Some of you are regular commentators (love you guys!) but I want everyone to feel free to comment on anything I post. If you think I'm a moron, post it! I won't delete any comment unless it is spam. Which, sadly, has popped up twice so far, usually with racial slurs thrown in for fun and profit. Why do people make spam bots just to spew vulgarity?

Too bad we can't deploy the Witches against the spamers.



Still, you can join Yoshika Miyafuji and all the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing by just clicking this link and entering my contest! Wow, do I have a one-track mind today or what.

Well, I've still got some pictures to re-take for reviews and some article ideas to consider, the heat to deal with and too many off-line problems and responsibilities to struggle against (my family's serious problem is still not resolved, though the outlook seems to be improving) so I'll end this post today with some words of wisdom I found on the Internet:

You do not greet Death, you punch him in the throat repeatedly until he drags you away.

Fight on English dub fans! And consider having the Major join your side.



Outside she's laughing, on the inside. . . .

*Edit: By suggestion, here's a link to my review on ANN of Strike Witches. (By the by, I'm going to ask if I could do some more reviews for ANN soon so hopefully, this one won't be my one and only.)


Bye-ni!

Catgirls in English Dubs + SWC Update!

Richard J. here! In honor of all the cats I've had as pets over the years and in the hope that the dogs trying to kill my last two will be caught soon, I decided to do an article on Catgirls in English Dubs. (It's okay to laugh.)

But first, a brief update on the Strike Witches Contest. The number of entries so far is low and the chances of winning are quite high, so get your entry in soon! Just click here to enter! Include your name and address, one entry per person/per address please!

Remember, I bought these with my own money just to give them away to YOU!

Now, back to the Catgirls!

What is it about Catgirls? Why are they so popular? Google gives us 220,000 hits for just the word Catgirls. Nothing to sneeze at. There are numerous websites dedicated to Catgirls and both and fan and official art enjoys depicting non-Catgirl characters as Catgirls. Even cosplayers love to throw on the neko mimi (cat ears) for fun and profit.

So why are they so popular? Perhaps it has to do with the legends of the Nekomata or the fact that many anime and manga fans worship Osamu Tezuka, who created one of the earliest depictions of a true cat girl in the 1950s. Or maybe we're drawn to them because they are related to the harbinger of political and economical doom, the dread Demon Cat. Perhaps it is just a sign of the love of cats in general. Did you know that in 2001-2002, there were 73 million owned cats in the US, with 3 out of 10 households owning at least one?

Regardless of the reasons, Catgirls are popular. And in English dubs, they require a special performance to really work right. A quality of feline virtue is needed to do them justice. Here, I will talk a bit about some of my personal favorite Catgirl performances.

First, I'll start with an old favorite.



Aisha Clanclan is an example of the more Western ideal of a Catgirl. She's a wild, troublesome girl capable of ferocious violence but also playful. Hungry for adventure, emotional and very willful, Aisha brings a lot of spunk to the cast of Outlaw Star from the moment she's introduced. This 18-year-old Ctarl-Ctarl officer never hesitates where battle is concerned, displaying strength that Gene Starwind describes as that of ten men. Aisha even claims to be "immortal" at one point, though she's probably exaggerating the immense physical power of the Ctarl-Ctarl race.



Aisha is voiced in the English dub of Outlaw Star by Selece Zan

Zan gives Aisha what is, in my opinion, a voice that will either grate your nerves or win your instant praise. She brings the sometimes childish Aisha to life in a way that many voice actors today never quite manage. Aisha NEVER sounds low-key or like her lines are just being read off a page. Every single line has force behind it, from her initial appearance where she tries to appear to be a strong-willed officer of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire in charge of finding the Galactic Leyline, to her later appearances as a semi-destitute demoted officer to her incredible battles with the space pirates after the Outlaw Star, never do you doubt that the actress is enjoying herself. The performance Zan gives for Aisha never feels dull and ALWAYS adds a feline feel to her as she frequently adds purrs, growls, hisses and even the popular nyaa sound found in Japanese onomatopoeia. While her pitch can bother some, her emotional investment in the character is simply beyond question.



If you don't already own Outlaw Star on DVD, consider picking up a copy! This is a classic series.

Next, let's look at a zany comedy series' answer to proper maid service.



No one comes close to beating Ms. Sanada for employee of the year. Taking a scene-stealing role in the UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie franchise (they changed it from Princess due to Best Buy's request) Ms. Sanada is the Head Maid for the Valhalla royal family and a self-described lover of Valkyrie, the sometimes buxom adult, sometimes little child runaway princess of Valhalla. She never fails to squee over Valkyrie, even displaying a love for the fake Valkyrie Ghost in the second season and going to extreme measures to protect her princess. Ms. Sanada transformed an untold number of innocent girls into Catgirl Maids with her Cat-Girl Ray Gun in her first appearance and generally makes everyone wish they had such a dedicated servant working for them. She does however display signs of insanity.



Ms. Sanada even dressed up like a super hero to try and help little Valkyrie. Bringing the crazed Catgirl Head Maid to vocal life is Christine M. Auten. The performance of Ms. Auten is a combination of devotion, insanity and pure motivation to do the best job possible. From the supportive side of Ms. Sanada, shown in her devotion to Kazuto, Valkyrie's beloved fiancé' to her rampages against anyone who dares to threaten the princess, Christine Auten gives Ms. Sanada a strong performance. The UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie franchise just wouldn't be the same without her. The delivery of lines, especially Ms. Sanada's frequent moans of woe and squees of joy just work so well. Though my personal favorite scene comes in episode 8 of the second season, when Ms. Sanada is trying to make it through a snow storm and has visions of little Valkyrie, adult Valkyrie and even Valkyrie Ghost in a what is both a strangely sweet scene and one hell of a les yay moment.



All viewers should beware, Ms. Sanada will not only transform you into a Catgirl maid, brainwashed to love Valkyrie, she'll also forget your name. Still, you've got to admire her absolute devotion. Consider taking her home today.

Next up is a cat in a hat that could give Dr. Seuss's creation a heck of a fight.



Blair the Witch, identified as a target for Soul and Maka in Soul Eater's first episode is quickly revealed to be just Blair the Cat. Although she does have "a ridiculous amount of magical power!" Providing a sizable portion of the series fanservice as well as showing off her magical powers of destruction when necessary, Blair's Catgirl quality comes through in her clearly catlike nature when in her human form. While not the most important character in the series, Blair's supporting role helps to add a bit of fun to otherwise deadly serious story arcs.



Leah Clark voices Blair in the English dub and while lacking many of the more vocal components of a typical Catgirl, she delivers every line with a playful selfishness that many a cat owner can nod their head at. Blair comes across as a very aloof cat, very self-oriented. In human form she thinks like a cat and generally displays a cat's quality of sheer arrogance and seductiveness. Leah Clark's ability to deliver Blair's lines with a general playfulness and a teasing quality helps to make the character more likable despite her flaws.

Also, there is something about Clark's voice that really adds a feeling of depth to her roles.



All in all, Blair is a sexy, arrogant and relatively dangerous Catgirl who shouldn't be taken too lightly. Hurting those she cares about, even if she only cares for selfish reasons, will get you smashed by pumpkins. Soul Eater is a series that revels in it's strange magical world, consider embracing this series soon.

Last by not least, let us take a moment to remember something.

There are Catboys too. Despite even government forms frequently listing "Catgirl" as a race, Catboys do exist.



Oberstammführer Schrödinger significantly appears in the fourth Hellsing Ultimate OVA and rapidly proves to be almost unique in the series as a villain that actually survives contact with Alucard! More than that, he gets what seems like a certain death scene that actually can be a bit shocking, only to appear later with his cute shotaro face in an expression of evil glee. Dressed as a Hitler Youth, displaying a twisted loyalty to the Major and a taste for bloodshed that is truly disturbing coming from someone who looks so young and sweet, Schrödinger is an enemy with great potential. Holding the rank of Oberstammführer, roughly the equivalent of a warrant officer, in Millennium's Werwolf forces, Schrödinger enjoys sitting underneath the Major's throne like a pet. He appears in the Hellsing Organization's conference room to deliver a message in his role as envoy, flirts with Seras and gives Alucard a rare chance to fail to kill someone. His ability is self-described as being "everywhere and nowhere" making him a truly exceptional threat to London's defenders and a physics reference.

Now, if only someone could cut through the red tape and we could GET MORE HELLSING ULTIMATE!



Not exactly helping male viewers avoid falling for a trap, Schrödinger is voiced by Laura Bailey in the English dub. Though frankly she sounds so different in this role I wouldn't have believed it was her if I hadn't read the cast list. The playful and perversely cruel personality, the sheer audacity of this Nazi Catboy, are given a decidedly wicked life by one of my personal favorite voice actresses of all time. Schrödinger's evil and humorous nature are just deliciously voiced by Laura Bailey who makes him utterly irredeemable yet somehow lovable. Every moment Schrödinger is around, he gives off the feel of a content cat, revelling in his love of war shared by the Major.



Cute yet horrific, evil but affable, Schrödinger's smirk of cruelty reminds me of a cat that plays with a mouse. Fear him but respect him on DVD today.

Well, that's it for me! I hope you've enjoyed my look at Catgirls (and one Catboy!) in English dubs. Please take a few moments to consider entering my contest by clicking here and providing the necessary info! Stay tuned for a review or two before the end of the month!

Bye-ni!