February Birthdays

2/8 Cody
2/12 Destiny Girl
2/13 Sushi Tiger
2/25 Principal Kunou

RELEASES
(Subject to change by companies)

VHS:

2-5
Gundam - MS Gundam 6 dub "The Black Tri-Star"
Gundam - MS Gundam 7 dub "Return To Space"

2-12
Dragon Ball Z 71 dub "Majin Buu Revival"
Dragon Ball Z 72 dub "Majin Buu Tactics"

2-19
Sailor Moon TV 17 "Crystal Matrix"
Sailor Moon TV 18 "Looking For Trouble"

2-26
Magic Users Club TV 3 dub and sub "A Magic Kiss"
Rurouni Kenshin TV 15 dub and sub "The Firefly's Wish"

Graphic Novels:

2-2
Sorcerer Hunters 8
Dirty Pair "Run From The Future"

2-6
Ranma ½ 19

2-8
Video Girl Ai 4 "Offline"

2-13
Gunsmith Cats 9 "Misty's Run"

2-20
Fushigi Yugi 6 "Summoner"

2-27
Gundam - MS Gundam 0079 3

DVD:

2-1
Kimagure Orange Road TV Box Set

2-15
Gundam - MS Gundam 6 "The Black Tri-Star"
Gundam - MS Gundam 7 "Return To Space"
Robotech 11 "New Generation: The Next Wave"
Robotech 12 "New Generation: Counter Strike"
Robotech DVD Box 6 "New Generation: Robotech Legacy"

2-12
Ah! My Goddess - Adventures Of The Mini-Goddess 1 "The Gan-Chan Files"

2-18
Otaku No Video DVD

2-19
Gundam 0080 Vol. 1
Love Hina 1 "Moving In"

2-26
Dirty Pair Flash 3 "Random Angels"
I'm Gonna Be An Angel Vol. 1
Magic User's Club 3 "A Magic Kiss"
Rurouni Kenshin TV 15 "The Firefly's Wish"

BITS AND PIECES

The upcoming DVD release of Metropolis by Columbia Pictures will include a preview of the Cowboy Bebop movie release Knocking On Heaven's Door confirming that Columbia Pictures has indeed secured the rights for distribution of that feature.

Does it brother you that Kiki's Delivery Service has not been produced on DVD by Walt Disney Productions? Then you should let them know. Log on to: http://psc.disney.go.com/disneyvideos
/moviefinder/products/1509103.html and cast your vote. Let your voice be heard!

Sailor Moon is coming to DVD. The first two DVDs will be entitled Sailor Moon: A Heroine Is Chose and Sailor Moon: Sailor Scouts To The Rescue. Both volumes will contain 6 episodes and be in dub format only. Cost is estimated at $14.98 each.

TokyoPop has announced that it will be going DVD only with its new releases. This follows the direction of many of the distributors in the past year.

CONVENTIONS

UshiCon 1 (Austin, Texas) February 1-3

Anime 2002 (Rotterdam, Netherlands)      February 8-10

Katsucon 8 (Baltimore, Maryland) February      15-17

KasumiTen's List

1. Ever After
2. While You Were Sleeping
3. Ghost
4. Never Been Kissed
5. You've Got Mail
6. Runaway Bride
7. Jerry Maguire
8. Sense And Sensibility
9. Sleepless In Seattle
10. Sabrina

Confessions of a Serial Flirtist
By Shouryu

It's Wednesday night. There is an adult beverage in front of me, my girlfriend next to me, the smell of cigarette smoke around me, and jazz in the air. I write this sitting at a bar, absorbing great music, as I do most Wednesdays, and this time, I have decided to plead for shrift.

I am a serial flirtist. I'm a terrible one, too. Not terrible in the sense that I'm not good at flirting; in fact, I excel at it (just ask my girlfriend). I'm terrible in the sense that I'm pretty shameless about it, and I'm usually kind of at it non-stop. The reason I bring this to you at this particular moment in time is because that most hated of holidays (well, pseudo-holiday, I suppose...I don't know of anyone getting time off from work) will soon be upon us: Saint Valentine's Day.

Personally, I've never had any real qualms with SVD. If things go well, this upcoming one will actually be my first SVD not spent alone. (I don't foresee things going sour anything soon, either.) Previous SVDs have been spent with large amounts of adult beverages, or simply hanging out alone. No big deal -- I don't chastise others for celebrating...well, what do they celebrate, anyway? If I recall, a guy named Valentine was locked up for something, and would send his loved one leaves he picked from plants outside his cell. The leaves were shaped like hearts, and sometime later, here we are, sort of doing the same thing. But I digress...as usual.

Back to flirting...those readers who participate in the Fan Forums are probably aware of my flirtatious behavior. I spent quite a bit of time upon first arrival flirting with Misato, and on the rare occasion that Rei would appear, I'd sneak a bit of flirting out to her. Most recently (and for quite some time), KasumiTen has been on the receiving end, much to the entertainment of the staff members. It's not as if I'm trying to flirt. I just do. Kind of bizarre, I guess. I'm like this in reality too -- I'm a mad flirt with plenty of girls other than my girlfriend.

(I will quickly digress yet again to say that my girlfriend is absolutely fantastic about this -- she doesn't seem to mind my serial flirt habits at all. She understands that despite all the flirting I do, it's her that I'm with, and with her I plan to stay. Trust is an awesome thing, as is faith.)

So, what exactly is it that is so enjoyable about flirting? What is appealing about playing, hinting, tossing out innuendoes and sly smiles, all the while knowing that (most likely) nothing is really going to happen? What drives guys like me and girls like Misato-chan to dispense charms and affection with little provocation?

I make no apologies for my behavior -- I love doing what I do. I'm generally only cautious when I'm talking with a girl who is spoken for. If the guy and I are tight, then usually it's okay; he's almost always cool with it. I'm also completely okay with Melody (that would be my girlfriend, eh?) flirting with others and others flirting with her. As I said, we have an understanding. I really think it to be pretty harmless (although a person CAN mean more with it...you just need to be aware of what you're doing.) It's just all in good fun, right?

I would be prudent to note the two types of ardent non-flirtists out there as well; these are the unflirtist and the anti-flirtist. Unflirtists are people who just don't flirt or don't flirt back when flirted with. They have nothing against it, aren't uncomfortable with flirtations being tossed their way, and are usually flattered and kind in return, just not flirtatious. The anti-flirtists are people who generally despise casual flirtation and/or are extremely uncomfortable if someone flirts with them. My roommate's girlfriend is a good example; she freaks out when I flirt with her. Naturally, my roommate doesn't really care one way or the other.

So, why flirt? I confess: I flirt because it's fun to have people flirt back. It's quite flattering to dish out a little charm and playfulness and get some or more back. It would certainly seem self-serving, and there would be truth to this. I would be lying if I said it wasn't gratifying.

But here is something all you anti-flirtists may not realize: there's something even more gratifying about flirting and not having someone flirt back. One doles out petty affections, which are not returned at all. This I put forth; I love flirting much more when it is not returned. A particular flutist and a certain South Carolina Belle come to mind in this respect (both simply unflirtists, not anti-flirtists). It's not simply the challenge of getting them to respond (although for me, it lends more fun to the game), but an unexplainable pleasure in handing out charm. I like...no, I love to flirt and see no response, for those reasons.

And it was for this reason for all previous years that I didn't drown myself in pity for being single or despised others for celebrating what they had. While I had no one in particular to be affectionate with, I had plenty of people I could be affectionate with in general, and usually around half were flirtatiously affectionate in return. So instead of complaining about SVD because you're single, why not enjoy it in a different manner? Take it from a pro -- it's just as good (well...I think...still getting used to this 'girlfriend' business) as spending time with one special person, and just as fun.

Of course, now that I am spoken for, and still flirt like crazy, I guess I get to have my cake and eat it too.

Happy Saint Valentines Day, readers. And Happy Day After - remember, all unsold SVD candy will be half off, so stock up!

Between Abe and Love
By Sushi Tiger

My birthday is on February 13th, that's right smack in between Abe Lincoln's birthday and Valentine's Day. I think that entitles me to discuss the similarities between both of them in this essay.

First off, according to history, Valentine was a saint. The sixteenth president of the United States helped end slavery, which in this writer's humble opinion, is a very saintly action. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Secondly, according to records in the early Christian church, one story of Saint Valentine states that he was a Christian who befriended many children by telling them stories. The Romans put him in jail because he refused to worship their gods. The children, who deeply missed dear ol' Val, tossed loving notes between the bars of his cell window to cheer him up. Dear ol' "Honest Abe" was a storyteller in his own right. In his boyhood, he often did impressions of certain preachers or politicians who had spoken in his hometown.

Thirdly, many women (those who I talked with, anyway) say they want their valentine to be "tall, dark, and handsome", or their "knight in shining armor". Abe was over 6 feet tall (he reached his full height of 6' 4" before he was 20), was very strong, had dark skin, but he had a homely face. Oh, well. 3 out of 4 ain't that bad, I suppose.

To anyone who knows me personally, it should be surprising that I discuss two men with whom I have virtually nothing in common. I am not that tall (only 5' 7"), I have a stocky physique (I am pretty strong, though), and I'm not very good at speaking in public. However, this essay is tongue-in-cheek, which means that it's not meant to be taken very seriously. This piece is designed to give you a few short minutes of entertainment, arouse some idle thoughts, and to basically give you a break from your normal everyday routine. I hope I have succeeded.

TURNING JAPANESE
Who's Greg Kihn?
by VickyVerky

I'm a pretty big music buyer. But, every time I walk into a music store, the same question hits me: how come I can remember a commercial jingle from when I was ten, but I can't remember the last artist I wanted to buy a CD of?

The music store I usually go to is called Newbury Comics. Strange name for a record store, don't you agree? Well, the story is that it did indeed start as a comic book store, and somehow evolved into a music shop. With a background such as this, one would imagine the selection wouldn't be very good, but I've found lots of obscure and rare stuff there. And they're not paying me to write this, either. But, should someone from the company happen to read this article, I surely would not put that out of the question.

The stores, true to their name, still sell comics and, of course, manga. But that's not all,... there's also plenty of novelties; things like refrigerator magnets, greeting cards, T-shirts,... alright, these aren't technically novelties, I guess, but once you see these items, you'd agree there's no better category for them.

I'm willing to bet there's something there for everyone at AnimeInfo (yes, here's where I finally get to the Japanese angle). Besides standard anime and manga, they also carry soundtracks, anime-related novelties (the magnets, cards, shirts, etc.), Japanese toys, posters, and your favorite and mine: pocky. The amount of anime stuff is surprising, especially considering that the place is first and foremost a music store. Characters like Ryoko, Sailor Moon, and Ranma are treated with just as much prestige as... um... whatever popular musical artists are around these days.

Where am I going with this? Good question. If you figure it out, let me know, please.

In all honesty, I don't know what else to write about month. I want my monthly article to have something to do with Japan or Japanese culture and my experiences with these things. Well, I'll have more next month, I promise.

WATAHI WA NIHONGO O HANASHIMASU! (I SPEAK JAPANESE)
Lesson 2
By Korium9

Last time, I said that there were more syllables. The _i syllable (ki, shi, etc.) can be combined with the y_ syllables (ya, yu, yo) to form new syllables. Character-wise, this is done by making a small y_ syllable next to the _i syllable. In terms of pronunciation, you must say these as _ONE_SINGLE_SYLLABLE_. So, it's not "tohhh-kee-ohhh," but "tohhh-kyohh." One way to do it is to take it's elongated form (ex: kee-oh) and just say it as one syllable. (note: not necessary for shi, ji, & chi)

ki: kya kyu kyo
gi: gya gyu gyo
shi: sha shu sho
ji: ja ju jo
chi: cha chu cho
ni: nya nyu nyo
hi: hya hyu hyo
bi: bya byu byo
pi: pya pyu pyo
ri: rya ryu ryo

Extra guidelines:
There are double consonants. Character-wise, double consanants are made by having a smaller "tsu" character between two syllables (exception: "n") The first consonant is tacked on to the previous syllable. ex: kissaten = ("kees-sah-tehn") (means coffee house, btw).

vocab: (due to space limit, pronunciation is done only when needed)
nan/nani = "What[?]" ("nani" usually precedes a particle, "nan" is used more often)
tomodachi = "friend"
daigaku = "college"
koukou = "high school"
senmon/senkou = "major"
bijinesu = (___-nehs) "business"
konpyuutaa = "computer"

Expressions:
douzo yoroshiku = (___-shkoo) "Nice to meet you"
sou desu = "That's right."
Douitashimashite = (___-mah-shteh) "You're welcome." (casually, you can say "iie" which is like "no problem")
ohayou gozaimasu = (___-mas) "good morning" ("gozaimasu" makes it polite)
konnichiwa = "Good Afternoon."
konbanwa = "Good evening."
oyasuminasai = "Good night."

So, if someone asked your major: "senmon wa nan desu ka" (here, even "your" is assumed) you could simply say: "bijinesu desu" since it is understood that you will be talking about your major.

The particle "no."
Last time, "wa" was shown as a particle to indicate the subject. "No" is a particle that connects two nouns, typically to indicate possession or a specific fact.

In terms of the structure "X no Y," Y is the main object, X is the extra description.
Ex: watashi no tomodachi = "my friend"
A full sentence:
watashi no tomodachi wa daigaku no gakusei desu ("my friend is a college student")

Ending particles, part 1:
"ka"
In order to make a sentence into a question, the particle "ka" is added to the very end of the sentence. (this isn't the only way to make a sentence question, however)
ex: Nan desu ka ("What is [it]?")

We can also get the expression "sou desu ka." Which translates to: "is that so?" or "I see."

If you have a letter you would like to submit to the editors, please send it to asuka@animeinfo.org

Shouryu

Shouryu (often called Shour) currently resides at Animeinfo.org as a board moderator (Cowboy Bebop, Rotating Forum) and a contributing writer. His primary duties are to churn out reviews, quickie guides, and editorials whenever he has a spare moment, and perhaps finish the Anime University Music class (he swears he's almost finished).

A college graduate in music performance, a lot of his "spare" time is spent doodling around on clarinet or saxophone, or instead teaching or conducting, since his day job is a graduate teaching assistant in the music department of his university. While his focus of study is artistic clarinet, he plays a lot of jazz and rock on the side, and is big on classic horn rock, such as Chicago; Blood, Sweat, and Tears; Earth, Wind, and Fire; and Tower of Power. He also enjoys the occasional video game, goofing around on computers, working out in the gym (and counting protein consumption), drooling over cars, and drooling over women.

As far as anime goes, Shouryu has been an ardent anime viewer for the past nine years, having been introduced by way of Ranma 1/2 in high school. Many, many, many, many, many other anime series have passed before his eyes, but Ranma, El Hazard: The Magnificent World, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Area 88, Key: The Metal Idol and Cowboy Bebop are the special flavors that make his mouth water.

At the moment, Shour looks to the future with few expectations. Ideally, he'd get to sleep all day, while whomever he marries will be rich and she gets to sleep all day too. But in truth, he'd be happiest playing a steady night gig (be it in an orchestra, opera, rock band, or jazz combo) after he gets his Masters and teaching a few students in the day. Perhaps some executive from a really big (and profitable) website will see his work on AI.com and hire him; that wouldn't be a bad gig, either.

Shour also like to eat meat. He also likes girls from South Carolina...or so the story goes.

Misato
misato@animeinfo.org

Asuka-chan
asuka@animeinfo.org