Anime Web Turnpike: Guests' Web Picks

Above: super quickie sketch of a sexy Trixie Turnpike. I prefer the classy stylish approach for drawing anime characters and mecha, and I love all things from the future like Gundam Sentinel, Megazone 23 Part 3, and Akira.

Transcribed by Lionel's puny brain cells:
Well, woo woo! I am surprised I even made it to Guest Pick of Anipike, considering I am an illustrator and photographer and not really a web kinda guy. hehehe But hey, maybe that's why I'm here... who knows.
Anyway, quick bio of me: I'm just some goofy guy with an unspectacular history... studied electrical engineering and computer engineering at UCLA and SJSU as well as dabbled in fashion design and professional-style photography in my spare time. I've worked in Graphics Illustration and Design at UCLA, at Oracle Corporation doing database and applications testing, and currently goof with my stock options at Intel Corporation while working as a graphics and systems testing engineer. Normal stuff... For more detail on my silly life's philosophy and crap like that, you can poke

Above: AX96 Poster I did for Anime Expo's Fifth Anniversary. It has over 2500 anime characters from over 240 shows up to 1996. It has been so popular that many Japanese Guests of Honor have purchased numerous copies and some even asking for autographs... ^_^;;; It is probably the most public example of making an impossible dream a reality, and there is currently no other poster like it in the world.

I don't have some humongous anime or manga collection, and I don't play video games, so whether or not you want to consider me as an anime fan, well, I'll leave that up to you.

I got into the anime thing through Battle of the Planets, StarBlazers, Robotech, and yes, even ThunderCats, Mighty Orbots, and Bionic Six. Japanese animated shows just had that cool cinematographic feeling American animated shows didn't have. Oh, but the anime really didn't pour in until I watched BubbleGum Crisis, Dirty Pair, GalForce, Megazone 23, Akira, and god forbid, Sailor Moon. Thanks to "Scanner", "Feddie", "J0ker", and all my other buds in the Bay Area, I've been infected with the anime virus and now I've been trying to find new and interesting ways to get rid of it.

These days, more and more cute girls and hot chicks are getting into anime these days and well, I don't know about you, but last time I checked, I am a guy, and guys like girls.

Choosing the top ten picks is kinda like announcing the Academy Awards... but not really... hehehe... and now my web picks for all you cool cats...
	1. Primarily a "skunkworks" service and supply house of advanced digital photography, stylish futuristic illustrations, and simplified website building, this site is probably one of the most mysterious and interesting places on earth. The title is taken and modified from the "Usagichan Company Rescue and Salvage" airship from Ikuto Yamashita's super-futuristic manga "Dark Whisper."
	2. That's right, I've been a staffer since 1992 and also designed and maintain the entire website for 1999 and 2000. I supply them with images and have held numerous positions including registration, epubs, archive, and hospitality. I think working in hospitality was the most fun 'cause I all I did was do food runs and eat.
	3. EX: Online Anime and Manga Magazine I've worked with them, too... hehehe... mainly supplying them with occasional convention photos and images. One of these days, I'll actually write an article... who knows. A consistent favorite for many fans, it's my favorite, too. But maybe that's because half of the staff there are my own buds.
	4. AniPike: Anime Web Turnpike Honestly, I really do visit this website a lot, always keeping a lookout for new and interesting pages and things like that. Some of my friends even made it onto Guest Picks! Gosh, out of all the cool sites listed, have you ever noticed how Jei's Web picks never get updated? hee hee...
	5. A great site to visit for stylish photo coverage of the most popular anime conventions in the United States. Using a plain and simple inspired play on Network News coverage, the site is consistently fresh, exciting, and new no matter how many times you visit it. It has received an honorable AniPike Weekly Favorite mention and convention staffs and cosplayer fans love it for the shear spectacle only seen from a photographer's eye.
	6. A popular site with my IRC buds, it's my favorite, too with its by-the-hour text and photo update on the latest anime conventions as they happen using the latest technology the world wide web has to offer. Anyway, if you chaps get a chance, go visit this site and say Hi to good buddy Kevin and ask him about NASCAR... hehehe
	7. Absolute play on the iMac phenomena that shook up the conservative computer world currently dominated by vanilla PCs. Only dedicated anime fans will get the title jokes, but hey, that's what makes it a cult favorite hobby.
	8. A great site for artistic inspiration and sharing of art ideas, the site was developed and maintained by Chun, a cute-cute girl in Singapore who's won numerous prestigious awards for her illustration and graphics innovations.
	9. An entertaining site from an award-winning group of girls who I've had the pleasure of working with starting this year. They love to cosplay as Sailor Senshi and really go all out at anime conventions to put on great musical performances in the true spirit of Sera Myun (Sailor Moon live-action musicals) in unparalleled high style, glamour, and flash.
	10. Another award-winning group of cosplayers who do all kinds of anime costuming and performances, most of them comedic. They have a great series of "adventures" at many anime conventions you should definitely check out.
And that's it from our coverage of this week's AniPike guest interview coming to you live from the headquarters of Anime Web Turnpike. Off to our next report and back to your regularly scheduled programming!