The Deviant Art Otaku Spot Issue 16
_{Upcoming Spring 2008 Anime Schedule!}

With the new Anime Season right around the corner this issue of The Deviant Art Otaku Spot will be listing the upcoming series, their genre and their air dates.

Welcome to my First DAOS article!
Before we get started on the reviews and the up coming season I would like you all to go give =MissRedRose a lot of love. This was her creation and due to her time constraints she can no longer keep up with DAOS. With out her wonderful articles I would not have known a lot of things I know about Anime and Manga now! I hope I can do as well of a job as she did!

With new management comes some new things and I am going to be adding a new item to the DAOS: Anime in Focus. What this will be is a section that contains a synopsis of the anime and a few Fan Art's done by deviants!

Reviews of The Issue

Negima!
6 Volumes and a Box set Available from Funimation


Plot Summary: 10-year old Negi Springfield is a wizard-in-training, and needs only to pass one more test in order to become a Master Wizard. Unfortunately, his final task is a bizarre one- to become a English teacher at an all-females boarding school. As soon as he arrives, he completely embarrasses one of his students, Asuna Kagurazaka, and replaces the teacher she loves, which garners her hatred. To make matters worse, Asuna learns that Negi is a wizard,and promises to tell unless he helps her out. But, unfortunately, circumstances force them to work together to do many things, from fighting evil wizards to helping the class pass their final exam, with a lot of humor, magic, and romances thrown in.

Pros to the Anime: The best part about Negima is the story. It was a lot of fun to watch the characters all grow with each other and all their different personalities made this a ton of fun! The artwork and animation seemed very well done in this. The humor was absurd a lot in this, but absurd in a good way and some of the scenarios that everyone was found in was very comical.

Cons to the Anime: Well, I did thoroughly enjoy the story but I found the last 3-5 episodes so convoluted it hurt. I can understand ending a series can be the toughest part of the whole ordeal, but come on, make it more believable. You can't just throw what they threw in there at the end, it just feels like your reaching.

Damaged Thoughts: I like these kinds of Anime, they amuse me. And these types often have great art and lovable characters. Negima! is no different. I enjoyed watching Negima and Asuna's interactions and the sheer absurdity that was called their relationship. My biggest gripe was the ending (but this is also a common theme in these types of anime). They tried way to hard to end it. The DVD's were amazing! Funimation really produced a great product with this one, I was a big fan of the voice actor commentaries and the previews. Its worth a watch, but be prepared for a meh ending.

Fahei - FireFly
1 Volume Available from *Mel-P


Plot Summary:Kirima, an eleven-year-old orphaned girl, leaves her mundane and safe life at the orphanage behind after she finds out that her best nine-year-old friend Kozue is being hunted down after being abducted from his home country and taken to a country of complete isolation to the outside world. Seems far-fetched for one of her age, but Kirima has the upper hand - she controls the element of fire. But will that alone be enough to succeed in a place where not many outsiders get in, and most who succeed are never heard from again?

Pros to the Manga: Right off the bat, the biggest pro is that this is made by an amateur with no huge company backing her. The next biggest pro is the art is amazing! The characters are portrayed so well and the emotions and expression really hit home when you read this. The story is well planned out and the panels are easy to follow and you will find yourself very attached to these characters.

Cons to the Manga: its really hard to fault *Mel-P for this cause she doesn't have an editor or a producer backing her but I felt the atmosphere was off. Though the cover screams cute and happy manga, its actually very dark. I felt that the mood was portrayed well, but the characters are all very light and as well as the background. Yes, it does make everything easier to see and read, but it was kind of a moon killer in some key scenes.

Damaged Thoughts: I loved it. I am so impressed with the art and the flow of this. I am guilty of not reading the back before I started so it really did catch me off guard, but I was very pleased with the result. Kirima is one of those characters that you want to have as a real life friend and Valrick and Natalie were such a fun addition to the story. They may have been my favorite characters. If you are looking for a great story, and an informative one at that, then you NEED to read Fahei Firefly. *Mel-P has really done her research on the topic and you will learn something from this.

Issue Sixteen - Upcoming Sping 2008 Anime Schedule!
Every season I find myself trying to find out what new series are coming out and sometimes I find it hard to find. So I am bringing the line up to you at your home on Deviant Art! No need to go hunting through Google for the upcoming season cause I have done the leg work for you!

Title: Kyou Kara Maoh 3rd Season
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Start Date: April 2nd, 2008

Title: Allison & Lillia
Genre: Adventure
Start Date: April 3rd, 2008

Title: Macross Frontier
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction
Start Date: April 3rd, 2008

Title: Kure-nai
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Start Date: April 3rd, 2008

Title: xxxHOLiC: Kei
Genre: Supernatural, Comedy
Start Date: April 3rd, 2008

Title: To Love Ru
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
Start Date: April 3rd, 2008

Title: Kirarin Revolution Season 3
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Start Date: April 4th, 2008

Title: The Tower of Druaga: the Aegis of Uruk
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Start Date: April 4th, 2008

Title: Amatsuki
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Start Date: April 4th, 2008

Title: Itazura na Kiss
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Start Date: April 4th, 2008

Title: Kanokon
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Start Date: April 5th, 2008

Title: D.C II: Second Season
Genre: Drama, Romance
Start Date: April 5th, 2008

Title: Kamen no Maid Guy
Genre: Comedy
Start Date: April 5th, 2008

Title: Blassreiter
Genre: Science Fiction
Start Date: April 5th, 2008

Title: Wagaya no Oinari-sama
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy Supernatural
Start Date: April 6th, 2008

Title: Neo Angelique Abyss
Genre: Romance
Start Date: April 6th, 2008

Title: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Genre: Science Fiction, Mech
Start Date: April 6th, 2008

Title: Nabari no Ou
Genre: Action, Comedy, Supernatural
Start Date: April 6th, 2008

Title: S.A.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Start Date: April 6th, 2008

Title: Soul Eater
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Supernatural
Start Date: April 7th, 2008

Title: Vampire Knight
Genre: Drama, Romance, Supernatural
Start Date: April 7th, 2008

Title: Monochrome Factor
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Start Date: April 7th, 2008

Title: Himitsu: Top Secret
Genre: Mystery, Science Fictions
Start Date: April 8th, 2008

Title: Real Drive
Genre: Science Fiction
Start Date: April 8th, 2008

Title: Crystal Blaze
Genre: Mystery
Start Date: April 8th, 2008


Title: Kaiba
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction
Start Date: April 10th, 2008

Title: Toshokan Sensou
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Start Date: April 10th, 2008

Title: Junjou Romantica
Genre: Romance
Start Date: April 10th, 2008

Title: Golgo 13
Start Date: April 11th, 2008

Title: Kyouran Kazoku Nikki
Start Date: April 12th, 2008


Title: Nijū-Mensō no Musume
Genre: Mystery
Start Date: April 12th, 2008

Want take part in DAOS?
I could really use your help for this! Previously, it was a team of 3 putting this together, but now its just me, so I could use some help with this. Specifically on coming up with ideas on what to write about, so if you have any ideas, please feel free to shoot me a note with what you would like to know more about!

See you next issue!
Mike

Anime in Focus: Shakugan no Shana

Plot Summary: Sakai Yuuji, a high school student who expected his normal life to last forever, is dead. When he was on his way home he witnessed a shocking view as the world suddenly froze: people were engulfed by blue flames and a monster resembling a large doll swallowed them. Just as the monster prepared to consume Yuuji, a sword-wielding girl in black attire with flaming red eyes and hair that burns like embers saved him from the monster. The girl called herself a "Flame Haze" who hunts the "Guze no Tomogara", creatures from another world. As Yuuji noticed a blue flame in his chest, she called him a "Torch", a temporary replacement, saying that the "real" Yuuji's existence had already ended. Not fazed, Yuuji befriended the strange girl, named her "Shana", and joined her fight against Tomogara and other Flame Hazes.

Shakugan no Shana Fan Art


Previous DAOS Issues

Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3 | Issue 4 | Issue 5 | Issue 6 | Issue 7 | Issue 8 | Issue 9 | Issue 9+3/4 | Issue 10 | Issue 11 | Issue 12 | Issue 13 | Issue 14 | Issue 15