MAC Meetup No. VII - Cosplay Action!

MAC Meetup VII has certainly been a meetup of novelty! And what a novel time we had. Characterized by superb cosplays, an awesome dance performance by the girls, an appreciative screening, intense anime debates, an AMV Workshop and a whole lot of fun (\m/), Meetup VII has accomplished many firsts in our short little history of MAC. ^__^

The day started off with a lot of work for the staff who had to prepare the meetup hall and the technical stuffs, not to mention the girls were still practicing their dance in the morning. :P The members started coming and our cosplayers made an entry downstairs as the members cheered and screamed as they came. :P Yes indeed we had quite a few members who dared to be different… B-)

The meetup initially began with a wonderful dance performance by the girls group – Rachita, Tanya, Mohita and Aadya on the song “Lonely in Gorgeous” by Paradise Kiss. You can check out the video here:

They were simply superb and everyone loved their performance. The male cosplayers posing towards the end of the Dance performance looked really cool. And we’re definitely hoping to see some more performances like these in upcoming meetups (perhaps us boys can lend a hand too). xD

After the dance the cosplay introductions began where each cosplayer talked about themselves, as the character’s theme was played in the background. First up was Rishabh, who really dressed up pretty well and resembled Kakashi a lot. Although he was feeling suffocated with the mask and had to remove it to talk :P Members were like, “Now we know how Kakashi looks like, ha ha!”

Rishabh – Kakashi (Naruto)

Next up was Rachita aka Ai Enma. Looking kawaii dressed in a blue kimono. Her introduction went like, “Hello, I’m Hell Girl from the Anime…. Hell Girl”. The entire crowd went laughing =)) including me! XD She was trying to act cold like Ai Enma but that soooo didn’t work out.

Rachita – Ai Enma (Hell Girl)

Then it was Gaurav-san’s turn, who was looking incredible as Ryu from Street Fighter. As the arcade style music played in the background, Ryu flashed some of his trademark blows and the crowd went “Oooo”, it was quite entertaining. :)

Gaurav – Ryu (Street Fighter)

Akshay was dressed up in a straw hat as Luffy from One Piece. Everyone LOVED Luffy but were booing Akshay =P But he performed an awesome move of Luffy and looked really cool while doing so. :)

Akshay – Luffy (One Piece, from a particular movie)

Tanya-chan came dressed in a cloak, just as how Nekozawa is like. I couldn’t help overhear Pranay and a few others teasing her clothes as “Burkha” =))  Nekozawa though, was without Beelzenef (his cat) xD Tanya-chan did a nice job acting up as Nekozawa, those who’ve seen Ouran would have found it funny. =D

Then came Mohita-san dressed up as Sunako from Yamato Nadeshiko. Apparently she’s a girl who’s always bullied upon by others and acts scared, and Mohita-san really performed well to her character. =)

Tanya – Nekozawa-sempai (Ouran High School Host Club)
Mohita – Sunako (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge)

Nikhil-san’s turn was up next, dressed as Zero from Vampire Knight, or should we say, “Black Zero” xD With an Air Gun in his hand, Nikhil started talking about who Zero is, in particular his theme song sounded really cool. ^^

Nikhil – Zero (Vampire Knight)

And lastly, our cosplayer queen (or maybe princess o.O) Jane stepped up, dressed beautifully as Yuki from Vampire Knight. The detail to her cosplay was amazing, with the wig and the striped white lines on the dress, it was really nicely made. ^_^

Jane – Yuki (Vampire Knight)

The Karaoke happened later. We started with spot-on Karaoke and got people up to sing random songs from Anime. It was kinda difficult but it made for a humorous experience. Then the normal Karaoke rounds began with Nikhil giving an awesome performance on the song “Go!!” from Naruto. *__* The entire crowd starting singing along with him. :D
Rajasi then came up and sang “Aikoi” from Tsubasa although she wasn’t able to multitask with the mic and the paper she was reading from :P
Then Abhishek and Tanya sung “Sen No Yoru Koete” from the 1st Movie on Bleach, and the crowds started waving their hands as they were singing. It was really a funny scene to watch. xD

Tanya and Abhishek - Karaoke

As the Karaoke ended it was finally time for the screening. For the screening this time we aired 3 AMV’s made by Anirudha, Jane and Abhishek. People really liked the AMV’s. Then Toradora’s First Episode was aired and people really had a fun time watching that. After that an Academy Award Winning Short Anime Film called “Tsumiki No Ie” or “La Maison Petit Cubes” was aired. It was really moving and was quite emotional. ^_^

Members ^_^

As the screening finished, the food arrived and was served in a very efficient manner. This time we ordered Pizza too and people relished it. We then took a break and everyone started eating and formed groups where they exchanged conversations and socialized. After the break was over, the Debate Section and the AMV workshop began simultaneously in the main hall. Abhishek was in-charge of the workshop and he explained the interested members about Movie Maker and AMV Making. It was a half an hour session and many members left with good inputs about AMV making. :)

A Bunch of loving Otakus ^__^

The debate was on Kira vs L and it was on fire. On one side was Vishnu and Mave-chan rooting for L and on the other side was Pranay and Leon supporting Kira and others pitched in as well. The debate got really intense and both the sides put up really valid points. The conclusion for the debate was a draw, much to the discontent of both the sides. :P

As the debates ended, the usual photo-sessions began, inside the HQ and later outside. Although this meetup didn’t have the crowd like the last few times (we had 30 this time), it didn’t make much difference to the experience of a MAC Meetup. As usual, we will continue to have meetups every month. We will continue to grow and get bigger and better.

MAC \m/

Just to take you back through the entire meet (to those who didn't attend), Popo Chibi (Vinay) made a really sweet video. Have a look ^__^:

Mumbai Anime Club - The Otaku revolution in India begins from here…

Character of the Month - November

She's mean, kawaii, dangerous and totally NOT the stereotypical female characters that we see in plenty of Shoujo Anime/Manga. She is short, dangerous and famously known for being the "Palmtop Tiger" of her class. Hailing from the Anime Toradora, November's Character of the Month is none other than *drumrolls*.................... TAIGA AISAKA!!!

Watch'a lookin at?

Character Profile:

Taiga is a girl in Ryūji's class. She has a well-regulated and beautiful appearance though is unable to stomach company from others. Due to her often snapping at others in brutal ways and her short stature, she is given the nickname "Palmtop Tiger".

Her under-developed body and the added nickname has given her a complex which in turn serves to give her a negative attitude and facial expression.

Essentially, Taiga gets upset easily and is considerably clumsy. She is also brutally honest, typically when she is lashing out at someone. Due to her cute looks (described as a doll by Ryūji), she often gets confessions of love by boys, but she turns down every one of them, including Yūsaku Kitamura (which she later regrets).

Taiga-chan thanks MAC for putting her as Character of the Month ^__^

About the Anime:
Toradora is a really fantastic series to watch and will be loved by those who enjoy school life type Anime with a sense of humor. One of the best talking points about the Anime is that it grabs you right from the first episode.

It's realistic and remains humorous without creating any non-sense. It's also a story of characters who are entwined in the mess of love, and how 2 of them (Taiga and Ryuji) get together to help each other out with their love interests.

The Opening and Ending songs are pretty entertaining. The slow background music in the Anime really gives out a calm, happy feel when watching the Anime. Considered as an intimidating delinquent (Ryuji) and a scary looking girl (Taiga), the story that develops between the two of them is truly heart warming :)

In all a really great Anime to watch. ^__^ Definite recommendation :)

The main characters of Toradora! (from left to right): Ryūji, Yūsaku, Taiga, Minori, and Ami.

MAC Meetup No. VI

Sensational! The 6th Official Mumbai Anime Club Meetup has truly been one of the most innovative and organized meetups we’ve had. O_O With over 45 people in attendance yet again, it makes me happy to see that we now have a bunch of awesome otakus who’ll always keep coming. ^__^ Yet another milestone to M.A.C’s growing popularity. \m/

The day started with the staff meeting up early, still with many things to sort out. The were a bit of things to be finalized in S.O.S and the screening had to be checked as well. Around noon though, everything was settled and the members started coming. We announced the time of the meetup at 12pm expecting members to come by at most 1pm. And thankfully so, most of the members were in the hall by that time :P Thus began the processions ^_^

I really don't know what they are doing XD XD

                                   

This meetup exhibited many firsts for M.A.C. We officially had our first cosplayer in Jane Wesker, who looked kawaiiiiii dressed up as Yuna from Final Fantasy X holding a staff. ^___^ She and Pranay also Karaoke’d the song “Again” from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and sung superbly (considering how difficult the song is O_O).

MAC's very own cosplayer, Jane :)

Rachi-san then took over and asked the new members to introduce themselves. :) This time we also asked them a question as to How they could be useful to MAC. ^_^ It’s always a good feeling to see new people coming in every meet, most of them being big fans of Naruto, Death Note and DBZ. :P

We then began the Spot-On Karaoke round, hu hu. Yes, the members were asked to sing along songs by just hearing a preview of that song. First up was the song “Life is Like a Boat” from Bleach (By Rie Fu). Many seemed reluctant but finally Rachi-san grabbed Rhea and she was made to sing. :P And sung beautifully she did ^__^. The 2nd song was “Boats and Birds” and everybody started shouting “John John” and he had to come up to sing along. When asked if he needed a partner, Karan voluntarily joined in. And when they sang, I was almost on the floor. =)) But it was really a commendable effort to come up and sing, so kudos for that :D The last song was “Lithium Flower” from Ghost in the Shell, and Nishi and Pranay got up to sing that, whilst Rachi-san and Ani too sung long :P It was a nice chorus and the members too went in with the groove of the song. Akshay-san came around that time with Mave-chan, who studies in Pune and came back to Mumbai for her holidays. It was nice meeting her ^__^

Rhea-san singing Life is Like a Boat ^_^)

Rachi-san, Ani, Nishi and Pranay singing Lithium Flower

Quickly the orders for the food were taken and it was time to start S.O.S, which literally means “Save Our Souls” but Rishabh though S.O.A sounded better xD The game and its rules were explained and people were asked to participate. After some reluctation we were able to get Pranay, Sagar, Tanya-chan ^__^ and Aadya (had to drag her >.>) to play along. All of them did a wonderful job acting out their villains. Sagar was asked dwindling questions about Vegeta like, “If Bulma’s hair is blue and yours is Yellow, how come Trunks hair is Purple?” xD Aadya-chan played Aizen and gave some good replies to Akshay :P Tanya-chan was kawaii playing Diva from Blood+ and Judges found her to be the nicest xD However, it was ze astounding Pranay Bahn who impersonated Orochimaru brilliantly and answered well to take the 1st Prize. :D

Pranay acting out as Orochimaru :D

Vishnu-san arrived late but was just in time for S.O.S. After announcing the results, he along with Rachi-san started explaining about some Rules at the Club along with the Membership details. Since M.A.C has been growing exponentially, it cannot just survive on donations from members. Hence a membership system will be effective from next month. More details on that will be made in another post. ^^

Members listened intently as Membership and other talks happened ^^

After S.O.S it was time for the screening ^__^. AMV’s made by Jane and Ani were shown, members seemed fascinated by it and the OVA Voices of a Distant Star was aired. The food arrived at the same time and people started munching on the burgers whilst watching the screening. At the end, another AMV (by my friend) was showed and thus concluded the screening. :)

We also had a bit of a surprise by a few members. Heena-san as always bought sushi for us which was delicious. We really can’t thank her enough for doing this every meet. ^^ Oh oh but also, :P some other kawaii girls too went ahead and surprised us. :D Ann, Chantel and Sanjana baked a really awesome cake for all the members at MAC. They were simply oishee *_* I myself had 3 pieces :P Arigatou Gozaimas ^__^. While we enjoyed the cakes and sushi, we all got down to do something that wasn’t done often here at MAC – discuss anime :P We spent nearly half an hour talking about different anime like Fairy Tail, Hungry Heart, Slam Dunk etc and members voiced their opinions on the same. ^__^

Cakeeeeeeeeeeee *_*

Nishigandha bought along some awesome posters of Bleach characters and others, including one of Byakuya that was just *__* All the members felt like stealing the posters =P They were awesome. Also some sketches by Sanjana and others were simply marvelous. It’s so great to see the talent we possess here at M.A.C :D

After the discussions we just chilled out at the premises of the Joglekar Bungalow, took loads and loads of photos and talked more. ^__^ After around an hour of doing the same, we finally left to our individual places (along with some to the after-party) :P

Otaku-ism \m/ - MAC Members

MAC Meetup No. VI marked new beginnings for the Club. From next meet we plan to initiate the membership process, and also introduce new events (that includes Manga Drawing, AMV Workshops etc). It just keeps getting better and better. ^__^ A big Arigatou to all those who attended and those who will be attending the next meetup. ;) M.A.C ish awesome ^o^

Character of the Month - October

Kouga Gennosuke (Basilisk -Kouga ninpo chou!)

Basilisk is a anime about the war between two ninja clans - Kouga and Iga. Its the fight to the finish to decide the next heir of the shogunate. Gennosuke Kouga becomes the leader of the Kouga clan after his grandfather's demise. Taught in the mystic jutsu by Hyoma and his grandfather ,Gennosuke possess the Mystical reversal eye technique by which he can revert an opponent's homicidal intent causing them to hurt\kill themselves.
Being a idealist and a scholar who believes in looking at the future instead of being burdened by the past, always questions the battle's pointless practice. Though usually peaceful Gennosuke can easily kill tens of ninjas within seconds.
His knowledge about his power as well as the unworthy bloodshed , he continues on his path of peace by undertaking a journey to Sunpu to question the higher-ups regarding the War.

Kanji of the Month - October

As the name says, this month's kanji is the kanji for fire. The 2 lines besides the main image signifies the smoke whereas the main part signifies a lit fire *kanji's get changed during the course of time like the first fire was a triangular symbol*.

Announcement - MAC Meetup V

MILESTONE TIME!! MAC's 5th Meetup is set to kickoff on 26th of this month. B-) ^___^

All the Otakus interested in attending are requested to arrive at 1:00 pm sharp.

For all the old people who've always been with us , you know you don't want to miss this ;)

AND for all the new blood coming in this time ..

You'll know what I'm talking about once you experience it yourself :)

This time around MAC has quite a lot of surprises to throw in, more than last time. With each meet we only get bigger and better. o_o

New things are gonna be implemented this time. We will be disclosing some extremely exciting news to our precious members. So don't miss it for the world ^_^

Looking forward for a memorable meetup and hope we really bring the house down. \m/

Date: Sunday 26th September, 2010

Time: 1.00PM-5.00PM

Location: MAC HeadQuarters,
Joglekar Bungalow off S.V Road (next to Bal Bharti Vidyalaya),
Kandivali West.

If you have any trouble coming from Kandivali station, call up Akshay-san or any other staff member. We'll send someone to pick you up.

Akshay : 9967876093
Niwa : 9029076290
Rachita : 9892964393

See ya all at the meet. ^__^

Character of the Month - September

The Anime Character of the Month this time none other than Yuko Ichihara, yes the most glamorous sorceress ever to set foot in the Anime Kingdom. XD Apart from being mysterious in her nature and behavior, she has the charms that will make anyone go, "WOW!". *__* Trust me, I certainly did. :P We thought of having a strong yet kick-ass type of a character this time, and Yuko more than meets those requirements. An epic combination of brain and beauty covered with mysteriousness throughout.

Character Profile

Yuko Ichihara is one of the main characters from xxxHolic. She also plays as an vital crossover character for the Anime Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

In xxxHolic, Yūko Ichihara is the owner of a mysterious shop in Tokyo. She is a dealer in wishes as she will grant the sincere wish of anyone who is willing to make an appropriate sacrifice in return; the price is always equivalent to the weight of the wish, no more, no less.
She is apparently one of the few people with the power to send people to multiple worlds, such that she has been aptly named The Dimensional Witch.

Trivia

* Her true name is not yet revealed.
* She loves alcohol, which leads to sending Watanuki to the pharmacy every time she's got a hangover.
* She has a past relationship with Clow Reed.
* She believes that there is no coincidence in the world, but there is only hitsuzen (destiny, fate)
* She has her specific clothing that she always wear whenever she shows up in Tsubasa Chronicles.
* Her customers and clients no longer remember her as she has died.
For detailed information about Yuko, visit: Yuko Ichihara
To dress-up Yuko, visit: Yuko Ichihara Dress-up

POSTED BY: Abhishek. September 08th, 2010

MAC Meetup No. IV

The adjective "Epic" had just redefined with the advent of M.A.C. The 4th Official Mumbai Anime Club Meet-up turned out to be one heck of a grand meet. Surely enough, the hard work of the organizers paid off, and deservingly so. :)

Improving stuff is hard and it's even harder when it comes to lots of people. Mumbai Anime Meet-up No. IV is one such example. With the count increasing by 25% from last 32 people to around 40+ this time, it would be with no doubt written in the history of MAC in a gold pen with a silver tip and royal ink.

Now those attending would have experienced the events that occurred during the meet. However there was a lot of stuff happening in the back that only the organizing staff knew. It all started the day before the meet-up took place, i.e. Saturday...

The Day Before

Supposedly, everyone who was organizing (namely the staff) was called up a day prior to discuss about the activities that would be taking place. The Anime Quiz, the hilarious Drama and other planned activities needed to be discussed and enacted. It was around 5pm when most of the members started arriving and thus began work.

Firstly, the place needed a touch up (like always). And thus with a broom in their hands and a smile on their face, M.A.C’s official cleaning crew began cleaning up the place. Not a speck of spider web or dust was left behind. I still remember Rachi-san shying away from the lights due to fear of cockroaches (lmao!!). However, Daanish courageously took the responsibility and helped clean those hard to reach areas.


(The official cleaning crew of MAC ^__^)

Meanwhile, the rough draft of the play was ready. Popo-san was ORIGINALLY supposed to play Piccolo, but since he wasn’t able to come, the responsibility of playing Piccolo got handed over to me (sigh!! Curse you POPO). ~_~ The actors sincerely got involved in reading the scripts and preparing for their roles. After nearly 2 and a half hours of practice, the drama club finally managed to get a decent play going. Rachi-san and Sammy gave us awesome ideas to make the characters realistic and funny. XD

After the practice was done, it was time to put up the posters, a task which turned out to be quite funny. XD. I remember Sammy and Rishabh picking up Akshay-san and then Anirudh so that they could put up the posters. Poor Anirudha got touched in so many places (!_!), and our dear prez Akshay-san was commented as “being too heavy” by Sammy =P Finally the stool was brought and with it, the posters were hung. ^__^ Something else was hung behind Akshay-san’s t-shirt (which I managed to take a snapshot of). ;) I think it was Sammy who put the tape XD

The Meet-Up

Work began early for the staff, who came to the HQ before time. Niwa-san and others hung the most adorable Anime poster (>.<) at the gate of the HQ. (I’m so much in love with it, sigh). Meanwhile, all the actors had a wonderful time laughing over Piccolo’s turban -.- No matter how much we’d try, it’d keep falling off XD. Although, Sammy came to the rescue once again, and managed to make that turban sorta thingy, HOLD its position. I for one found it quite embarrassing to go down to the hall with that THING on my head. >_> Especially the antenna. Popo was enjoying it the most it seems. o_o

Now, let there be envy. >:) The day started with introductions as usual with some usually stage frightened old members :P. The orders were taken from all the members who’d wished to eat something from McDonalds. As new members kept on arriving, the excitement for the events increased more. One could see the group of ladies going “Ohh how kawaiiii!” over the Anime figures kept on the table. Akshay-san duly pointed out to Niwa-san that it’s the right time to take a picture of girls going crazy over Anime. XD


(Yes, the girls did seem to have a mighty fun time :D)

Soon enough though, the activities started. It was time for the quiz. The hard questions had many questioning themselves with "Am i really an anime fan?" Around 25 questions were asked, which everyone had difficulty answering. (I should be careful with the questions next time >.>) Call it luck or call it a miracle or just a random choice, the winners were Sammy and Popo with 6 questions correctly answered. A (free) manga choice was then available for them to choose. Lucky dogs. !_! Although the girls did put up a good competition and they seemed to know the answers for real =P


(Rachi-san asking the questions from the quiz XD)

It was then time for the play ^__^.



The very first MAC play had people hooked on. The actors were eager to finish it off quickly :P. The play concerned some famous anime characters who had heard about the awesome MAC and were getting ready to reach the HQ and the experience they had on the way. The play had the lookers’ lmao-ing and rofl-ing with the awesome Picollo and Ban-Ginji act =)). And how can you forget the non-otaku aka Nikhil who played his part really well. U rock dude :P. However, for ALL of us, the surprise of the act was Gogo-san. The raw energy and intensity through which he performed (believe me, we were NOT expecting this) was awesome. Great work, Taichou!! \m/

With me playing Piccolo , Dodo playing Ban, Akshay playing Ginji ,Nikhil playin the loser non-otaku and Gogo playing Goku, the play was a runaway hit with 100 views and counting on the YouTube page. Arigatou Rachi-san aka Director-sama for your awesome work both on the script and making actors out of all of us. :) Drama club has been OFFICIALLY declared open. We’re looking for members to join in, so don’t be afraid and PARTICIPATE. ^__^

The food arrived shortly, and was eaten in a very organized manner with some exceptions like Chantel >.< who in fact was very supportive despite the mistake. So nice. :) We promise to not do the same blunder again (or let McDonalds do the same xD) Another highlight of the day was the very first Movie screening. As Niwa-san started the screening people's curiosity won over their blabbering :P. The AMV was bloody awesome. Also the K-On and the Ragnarok videos were pretty cool. The movie being aired was Summer Wars and people didn't move from their seats till they saw "The End" written in colored font on the TV screen :P. *Pun intended* XD. Sigh, for the 2nd time in a row, the DVD Player somehow failed us. However we did get to watch more than 75% of the Anime, unlike last time. So its good progress XD It was then time to have the Group Discussions, which was formally explained by Akshay-san. The discussion went on about “Indian Anime Club” aka IAC and members were explained about the plans in setting up an All India Anime Convention in the near future. Members were excited to hear about it, especially more when Path-san and the staff found it suitable to have that Convention in our city itself. \m/ M.A.C also had lots of new things to add like memberships, karaoke rounds, more plays, more quizzes and a sketching contest which Akshay-san rightfully pointed out. Many members including first timers contributed wholeheartedly for the MAC Fund :O :) We were not expecting such a generous contribution X_X, but I guess it just shows how much fun they had in the meet. And this it just motivates us more to make M.A.C expand and get even better. ^__^ Arigatou to all those who donated. :) After the usual photo sessions around the Anime poster, people moved out vowing to return again. And the usual crowd, went off to Jugheads for the After-party. You can end the envy now :P.

Character of the Month - August

Considering Ullquiora -sama is my idol, it's impossible to not dedicate a thread to HIM :P.

Ullquiorra is the fourth Espada in the Aizen's army and a character from Bleach. He is one of Ichigo's (lame) main rivals and Kubo has devoted lot of time to him considering his fanbase :P. He is slender but muscular and has his hollow hole near his chest which defects to near his voicebox in the later episodes. His hand spear jab move which is his favorite hand-to-hand combat move punctures the opponent's heart which is a flying reference to his own hollow hole. His other prominent features include green lines from both his eyebrows which make him seem like he's crying (but to your disappointment he isn't a EMO, FYI that may pretty well be his battle paint). He has a keen eye which gives him an edge over the others.
His sword release quote is Tozase Murciélago.
His other abilities include Sonido, Gran ray cero and cero oscuras.
He is the only Espada to have a second transformation which is Resurrección Segunda Etapa. In this form his Lanza del Relámpago turns out to be a finisher.

Anyways his untimely death at the hands of a overpowered Ichigo made me loose interest in Bleach but that's a story for tomorrow.

Kanji of the Month - August

Yo!
Welcome back after a long time. Hisashiburi?
Back to kanji lessons for those enthusiasts!

This complex kanji made of 10 strokes is called as GO. As usual,the writing starts from the left.
Its onyomi that is the original chinese pronunciation is kata. SO, it can be used as either words depending on the situation.
Most famous words using this kanji are NIHONGO ( japanese language) and kataru which means to say.
In short, whenever a language or spoken thing is to be implied this kanji is used.

Recent Ongoings and Releases - July

Welcome again to your monthly source for information about the new Anime on the block. \m/ This months entry sees a lot of interesting releases, some trailing towards Shoujo while others towards Ecchi. Also, Kuroshitsuji Season 2 has been released this month :D (sugoii!). So here's a look at what July 2010 has in store for you. ^^

Amagami SS

Genre: Romance
Themes: School Life/Relationships
Based on: The PlayStation 2 romance simulation game Amagami by Enterbrain

Plot Summary: A second-year high school boy finds himself uneasy during Christmas time due to an experience in the past. However, this year at Christmas, he gets his last chance to ask out a graduating female senior named Haruka Morishima — or one of several other classmates. The story of the anime will be arranged in an omnibus format, with each heroine getting her own version of the story animated. Each heroine will sing her own version of the ending theme song.

Release Date: 1st July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 4/13 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Kuroshitsuji 2

Genre: Supernatural

Plot Summary: In late-nineteenth century England, one year and three months after the dramatic conclusion of the original series, Kuroshitsuji II introduces a new butler and young master. The sadistic yet cheerful Alois Trancy has faced some harsh times. He was kidnapped as a baby, and was forced to work in a village as a slave. Gradually, he lost his parents, his best friend, and everyone he knew. Alois eventually returned home and became the head of his mansion, but seemed to exhibit some strange behavior ever since. Even more curiously, he returned with Claude Faustus, an enigmatic, emotionless butler with unfathomable talent...

Release Date: 1st July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 4/13 (As of July 22nd, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Plot Summary: A love comedy parodying fairy tales such as "Little Red Riding Hood," "The Ant and the Grasshopper," etc. Ookami Ryoko (Ookami-san) is a spunky high school girl. She is a member of a "fixer" club so called Otogi High School Bank. She fixes the school's problems with her partner Akai Ringo (Akazukin-chan.)

Release Date: 1st July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 4/13 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Occult Academy

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural
Plot Summary: The story revolves around Maya - The daughter of the Former head Master of a private Japanese academy dedicated to the study of the occult who died in 1999, and a time traveling agent Uchida a mysterious young man who travels back in time from 2012.

This story revolves around a girl named Maya and a time-traveling agent named Uchida. Maya is the daughter of the former headmaster, who passed away in 1999, of a private Japanese academy dedicated to the study of the occult, and Uchida is a mysterious young man who has traveled back in time from 2012.

Release Date: 5th July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 3/13 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Highschool of the Dead

Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Romance, Thriller
Themes: Fanservice, Gore, Zombies
Objectionable Content: Intense (Graphic depictions of sex, drug use, or bloodshed)

Plot Summary: Takashi Komuro is a normal highschool boy, until an infection breaks out that turns people into zombie-like creatures. Along with his friends & the school nurse, they fight their way out and continue their journey to find out what exactly has happened to the world.

Release Date: 5th July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 3/12 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Nurarihyon no Mago

Alternative title: Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
Themes: Demon/s, Exorcism, Hybrid, Leader, Monsters, Onmyouji, School life, Secret Identity, Spirit/s, Split Personality

Plot Summary: Rikuo Nura, is 3 parts human and a quarter Demon, lives in a house of spirits with his grandfather, The current clan head of the Nura youkai. Rikou is set to be the next clan head, despit the fact he dilikes his demon side. He soon come to terms with his demon blood and decides to take his position as young master of the Nura house. However there are those who will certainly not allow it to be easy.

Release Date: 5th July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 3/24 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Strike Witches 2

Genres: Action, Magic, Science Fiction
Themes: Fanservice, Military, Witches

Plot Summary: After discovering that Neuroi are capable of communication with humans and making peace with the nest above Gallia the Witches squads are now on a mission to restablish communication when a sudden attack vanishes the Neuroi, they now discover a new and massive nest that just appeared covering almost all Europe. Ruthless and without mercy it annihilates allied forces along Witches. Word of the attack reaches Fuso and a support battallion is deployed to rescue the survivors, among the rescue team is the former Striker captain Mio Sakamoto and the now civilian Yoshika Miyafuji who want to save her dear friends.

Release Date: 7th July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 3/13 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Shiki

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Supernatural

Plot Summary: During a fiercely hot summer in Sotoba, a peaceful and quiet village with a population of 1300 people, a series of bizarre deaths begin to occur. At the same time, a strange family moves into a long abandoned mansion in the region. Hospital dean Toshio Ozaki cannot figure out the cause of death in the deceased, initially suspecting an epidemic. As investigations continue between the hospital staff and the residents, it turns out that the village is being attacked by vampires.

The story takes place in a small and what appears to be a peaceful village called, Sotoba. However, this is no ordinary village. Death seems to be tormenting the village and it is a common thing in Sotoba. Natsuno Yuuki, a new resident in Sotoba, hates the village and wants to move back to the city. However, he is determined to solve the mystery behind the strange death occurrences.

Release Date: 8th July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 3/22 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Asobi ni Ikuyo: Bombshells from the Sky

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
Themes: Aliens, Cat girls, Fan service

Plot Summary: The story centers around Kio Kakazu , a high school freshman living in Okinawa. During a memorial service for one of his family ancestors, a mysterious girl with cat ears appears before him indroducing herself as Eris and claiming that she is an alien. However she becomes more troubling than he first realizes.

Release Date: 10th July, 2010
No. of Episodes: 2/13 (As of 22nd July, 2010)
Related Links: AnimeNewsNetwork | Wikipedia

Announcement - MAC Meetup IV

Greetings Members, I'm happy to announce that the next Meetup (no. IV) has been decided upon. It's scheduled on the 8th August, 2010.

The location is the same as the previous one i.e our HQ
We have planned a lot of new things for the upcoming meetup!
IF I were you , I wouldn't miss it for the world ! ^_~

Hopefully enough we can get to watch Anime this time too :P
Hope to see all of you there.

Date : 8th August, 2010
Location : Headquarters Kandivali West

Complete Address:
95, Joglekar bunglow.
S.V. Road next to Balbharti School
Kandivali (W)

MAC Meetup III - Headquarters (Finally)

At last, the much awaited meet up at M.A.C’s Official Headquarters took place on 11th July, 2010 (much thanks to Anirudha-san for arranging the place).

Contrasting the previous two meets, meet up no. III somehow wasn’t able to kick into a new gear. But that didn’t restrict the members into having a wonderful time. ;) :D

The meet kicked off at 1.30 PM, with more than 25 people being in attendance. As like last time, there were loads of new faces, which was an encouraging sign for MAC’s Future. It just portrays the increasing popularity of our Club, and it seems that the voice of Otakus is finally reaching the Masses in Mumbai. We aim for everyone to unite under the common roof of Japanese Anime and Manga; and hopefully spark off a nationwide revolution of Anime Dominance \m/ (Yes we dream! But we don’t just dream ^^)

(The Various Anime Posters)

The room was looked brilliant with the various Anime posters hanging around the walls along with some beautiful sketches made by our members (Sketching department FTW!) A special thanks to Nikhil-san for bringing in over 30 posters of various Anime. =) Members couldn’t get their hands off the posters, but weren’t allowed to take anything until the end of the meet XD.

(A dejected Yasser trying to burn the DVD in a futile attempt to get the Movie to play)

After the round of introductions, the “plan” was to watch an Anime Movie. It was also supposed to be the 1st official airing of Anime ever since MAC’s inception. But due to some unfortunate technical issues, we weren’t able to do watch the Movie. Yasser-san has already been pwned too much as it was his responsibility, but it’s alright. We forgive you Yasser :) *thwacks him* ^__^.

Abhishek-san made a late entry, and bought along Official Posters of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Tears to Tiara, much to the greedy eyes of a few members. :P In between, important announcements were made by Akshay-san regarding the MAC Membership as well as T-Shirts. Members were told to give in their ideas for pictures to be printed on the MAC T-shirt. Out of the suggestions we receive a few will be shortlisted and then will be chosen.

(MAC Members Playing Spin-The-Bottle XD)

As attempts to get the Movie to play finally died down, Rachita-san suggested that we play spin-the-bottle. So all the members gathered around in a circle, and the bottle was “spun”. However, the bottle spun too much as it was empty, and so we got it filled up. It then moved hardly :| XD A few members were asked questions, the new members exempted from any perversity :P

We then decided to stop playing, and Akshay-san again moved on to discussing membership to MAC and making it official. We also had with us Ajitabh-san who shared his experiences in some Manga Competitions he entered. Hopefully the Manga department can get together and start work on creating a new Manga for MAC. Would be nice ^_^

(MAC Members ^__^)

After the discussions with Akshay-san, it was time to leave. Some went off to their homes, happy and waiting for the next meet while others made plans for the after-party (a common norm after MAC Meetups). So despite of the technical disturbances, we members managed to have a memorable time. And so, it continues on. \m/

Announcement - MAC Meetup III

The First Official meetup for MAC has been planned for the 11th of July.

This will be the meetup marking the start of proper meets with Anime Airtime.
Plus This is the first meetup held at MAC's New and official Headquarters
courtesy Anirudha Joglekar san.

Date : 11th July 2010

Location : 95, S.V. road near balbharti school kandivali (w), joglekar bunglow.

Kanji of the Month - July

Keeping in mind the rainy season, the kanji for the month is 'Ame" which means rain.
And as everyone knows about rain..its saddening...its messy *not to be confused with the football legend:P* and its boring. >:P
And hell it rains everytime i leave the house >:P.

Ame no suki ja nai. >:P.
Well, enjoy your dose of kanji and ffs comment lamers. :P

Character of the Month - July

Hey hey, welcome back to the Anime Character of the month :P.
Feels good to see you looking forward to this. Your comments make my life worthwhile ._.

Everyone who has ever stepped into a video game arcade shop knows Street fighter. Its one of the most played and money-milk-cow arcade fighting game produced by CapCom. So its fitting to give it a Hi-5. The character of the month is none other than Ryu.
Ryu signifies determination,perseverance and a calm demeanor. He tends to train most of the time and is extremely fond of his friend Ken Masters who are mostly seen sparring together. Ryu learnt martial arts from Gouken who taught him moves like Hadouken , Shoryuken and its varied styles. Ryu's main rivals are Shadaloo-an underworld organization and Sagat who was defeated mercilessly by Ryu in a tournament.

It is said that usage of the Hadouken increases one's evil intent and it was this evil intent which put Ryu in a rage and he could defeat Sagat. Knowing this, he now hunts for an answer, a solution to his martial art style side effect and wanders and trains wholeheartedly.

Specials : Hadouken , Shinkuu Hadouken , Metsuhadouken , Shoryuuken , Shinkuu Shoryuuken and Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku.

P.S : The picture depicts Ryu engulfed by the dark Hadou.

Kanji of the Month - June

Every Month, M.A.C Blog will have an article elaborating on the various Kanji that are used in Japanese.

The Kanji of the month is Ten. It means sky or heaven and signifies purity, spirituality or heavenly feeling. It could also mean immortality in a different setting.

A Street Fighter character named Akuma uses a special finisher where this Kanji lights up on his back which actually signifies immortality or invincibility.