Guests' Web Picks

  "Halt! To pass this website, young traveller, you must answer three questions!"

  "What...is your name?!"

  In case you're wondering who's twisted mind it was to throw in the bridge-keeper from Monty Python, it was mine, Geoffrey Tebbetts. I'm just a twenty-something guy from the corner of the world known as New England, where the tourists stop you just to hear you say "Harvard". For five years, I've been immersing myself in anime so much and in so many formats that my skin is way past "prunes". I'm also known as "Daisuke", for the fact that I love Ranma 1/2 and that I now look like the background character of the same name in the series.

  "What...is your quest?"

  Well, to tell that, I'd have to go through my history. When I was a lad in the early eighties, I had no idea what "Japan" was, let alone "anime". Still, I'd plop down and stay glued to Voltron for hours, excited that TV wasn't all just Solid Gold and Hee Haw. I figured that this was another of the great cartoons that made America what it was.

  It wasn't until I had abandoned Marvel comics in my freshman year at Georgia Tech that I realized what anime was. I sat down at midnight on a Saturday night to wait for "Kung-Fu Theater", only to watch a little-known and subtitled movie known as "Locke The Superman". Since that cathartic day, I have been a fan and nothing but a fan.

  I went to anime meetings. I began collecting Ranma 1/2 manga. I got involved in organizing a campus anime club, , and was its vice-president and newsletter editor for two years. I began talking with other fans online, as well as meeting some of them at Anime Weekend Atlanta and Katsucon. For three years of my life, I wanted to see it all.

  But something was missing. I watched all of these titles, read all of these books, but I had so many opinions about them bottles up inside. I had to blurt them all out, but doing so to other people just seemed unnecessary. So I did the only thing I could, I put them down on paper. I sent a few reviews of anime and CD soundtracks to Animerica Magazine as a shot-in-the-dark. That seemed to be the spark I needed; I now write for them as a continued contributing writer, doing so for about two years so far.

  I still enjoy keeping my online contacts. I've developed a "web intersection" that branches off to my websites. I maintain a small webzine called "", in which I feel freer to give my honest opinion about all things anime and manga. I also maintain "", a website devoted to the real stars of Ranma 1/2, the background characters! I also keep contact in rec.arts.anime.misc a lot, too.

  All this while I work a job as a cement chemistry research technician. I also enjoy music of many kinds, basketball, and the occassional Games Magazine.

  "What...are your favorite web links?"

  I suppose one of my recent favorites out there deals with the whole "Impromanga" scene. While it's nice to have translated stories and American-based artists in the comic book scene, there was something I felt I'd been missing from manga: full-tilt creativity. It wasn't until I found this page that I found that creativity. I was an improv comedian in college, so I know exactly where this idea comes from. Some of the most talented art I've seen is on this page, and I especially love the "Mystical Childe" and "Queen of Clubs" titles.

  One of the better pages devoted to fans comes straight from one of the more notable press people out there, Kevin Lillard. So far, every con I've gone to, he's been there. He'll probably plan to be at every major one I don't go to, either. He's one of the quickest web editors out there, able to get pages and pictures up on his page by the end of a con's day. He also has the "Anime Personality of the Week", pictures and information on a certain figure in the conventional circuit. Wonder if I can bug him for one of me? (Oh, geez. There goes my vanity again.)

  Oh, I could be very biased and easily link you towards the Animerica Magazine site here on the 'net, but that hasn't been updated in ages. For the most information and breaking news, it's better to aim your browser at this site. Not only do they review anime and manga, not only do they have a letter column and feature column, but they really are a "news network" first. I can't say how many times I've browsed their site in a week to be up-to-date.

  Don't know her personally, but she's the best manga artist on the 'net today. She has a very simple style, perhaps too simple to some critics, but I'm fascinated by just how well she does it. Her fanfiction is a cornerstone, considering that I don't see much King Of Fighters in fanfiction anymore. She's started "Music Box", an online comic, and I hope she decides to continue it.

  Okay, so I'm biased with this one. I've known Mike ever since Otakon '98, and I think he provides a lot of input in anime, while not being so serious that he talks over your level. His reviews are simple to digest, his opinions are unfiltered, and his views of anime products are some of the newest ideas I've seen. Sadly, his site's been down for a while, but it's one I hope to be seeing up and getting more attention when it does.
(Ani-bot note: Anime Jump is back online, so go visit now! :)

  Okay, okay. You want something else, like a listing of what I like to watch?

  Fushigi Yuugi

  None I like better than this. I can say this, because my first webpage was a page devoted to . It's got drama, action, comedy, and just enough of a balance of shoujo/shounen for all fans to enjoy. I hope about 95% of the people reading this know about it, so I don't have to explain how Miaka and Yui get sucked into a story about an ancient Oriental-based land and their roles as priestesses for constellation-based warriors...

  Oh. I just did.

  For the better of the pages, go visit . Miaka's got a lot of information on FY, without diving too deep into it. Character listings, pictures, lyrics to some songs, and a few entertaining little numbers from friends. I highly suggest it.

  Rurouni Kenshin

  This series just rocks. Samurai were never this fun to watch in action. It's a lot like a blend between any of Kurosawa's works and Ranma 1/2 (another of my favorite series) with the "coolness factor" turned up. I'm a sucker for these things, where the characters just *must* cry out their moves when they do it. Kenshin's a pretty admirable character, and I'm probably one of many that would love to see Kaoru and him hook up to form a dojo. One of the better, albeit unupdated, pages out there is . True, it lacks maintenance, but it makes up for that with neatness and overall information. I also suggest going to and clicking the Kenshin link.

  Neon Genesis Evangelion

  God, maybe this is all Carl Horn's fault! Seriously, I didn't want another mecha anime out there, but Evangelion's a mystery to me. Every time I see an episode, I get disinterested, look at it again, think until my brain hurts, and get interested in the ending. Maybe it's self-punishment. I like Rei in this series, but not for the fact that she's doujinshi-bait or waifish, but for the fact that Megumi Hayashibara and Amanda Winn-Lee play her with such restraint in their natural energies. One of the more recent and admirable sites is . Lots of information within these pages.

  Bakuretsu Hunters

  One of the more deceptive anime titles out there, BH gave me a good swift kick in the pants when I watched it, both in fansub and American release. I love comedy, and BH seems to cater to exactly what I need. Surprisingly, I enjoy the Misu sisters when they *aren't* in their...ahem...S&M gear. If it wasn't for the fact the manga was a little bland, I'd be purchasing lots of it. I suggest you visit for some of the details on this series.

  Revolutionary Girl Utena

  I blame this on friends, to tell you the truth. I've only seen a few episodes, but I've loved the way it feels so purifying to watch. Okay, maybe there is a girl trying to pass off as a "prince", a girl who doesn't mind being matched with said girl and slapped around by her "owner", and a curious gallery of characters, but I like it, dammit! Perhaps it'd be "Rose of Versailles" on hallucinagenic drugs. That doesn't mean I think badly of it, mind you, or that I take any.

  My favorite site is a division of the Utena Encyclopedia, The End Of The Innocence. The web-author is one of the better ones I've seen out there, as well as one of the best storytellers I know of. There are plenty of character synops, as well as bountiful harvests of role-playing logs, fanfiction, and fanart. There's even a section devoted to the upcoming movie, of which I'd move to Japan just to get a glimpse at it this summer. Out of all the websites I've seen, this is one I'd give awards to.

  And then there's...

  "God, you talk too much!"

  Erg...I seem to have worn out my welcome. In closing, I offer just this. Remember that anime is like any other form of entertainment out there. While it deserves to be noticed as much as any other form of media, it certainly is not the only one. I've learned often that anime should not be the only thing in one's life, but it makes the trip worthwhile.

  (insert catapult sound here)

  Wait! My favorite color is bluuuuuuuue!

  *thud*