That’s how many copies Redline sold in it’s first week on sale in Japan – blu-ray and DVD combined, indications are that it sold a mere 3134 copies. That must be a bit of a downer for the staff who’ve spent the last seven years crafting possibly the most visually resplendent animated movie Japan has ever committed to film. I really don’t get Japan sometimes.
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From episode 8 of the soon-to-be-sequeled Working!! (Or Wagnaria!! if you are looking at the US boxart), from Yamadas fabulous penthouse apartment (or, rather, the loft-space above the restaurant).

Yes, I realise it doesn’t actually say Mikan, but I’ve claimed far more ambiguous examples in the past. That familiar blue-stripe makes me inclined to think it’s definitely a Mikan box rather than a container for some other, more boring variety of citrus fruit.

(It’s strikes me that I’m glad that Yukiho doesn’t take her androphobia to quite the same extremes as Inami – things could get very bloody very quickly were she to start striking every man she passed with that shovel of hers. Very bloody indeed…)

(I actually spotted this one a couple of weeks ago, but neglected to post about it at the time. This procrastination resulted in me being placed in something of a predicament as I failed to remember exactly which episode it was in. The lesson here is… never blog. I think).

Whilst this seasons crop of anime may be proving disappointing in the most important of aspects, thankfully my manga backlog is proving more fruitful, as this panel from the fourth volume of 20th Century Boys displays. Good series, that is.

I wish I could say that this was me catching up with the huge stack of manga I bought at MCM a couple of months ago… but this was one of the volumes I had before hand, meaning that this is merely the preamble to that. They’ve released another volume of 20th Century Boys since then as well – I just don’t have the time at the moment.

Which might explain why I’ve not updated ‘Waffle much recently. The absence is absolutely not intentional in any way. Honest, Guv’nor. Definitely not just me pulling a Berserk and playing iDOLM@STER.

(Oh, and if anyone knows better about the lack of mikan boxes this season (sans Bakatest – I kind of feel that one is almost cheating in terms of saturation, if the first season was anything to go by) feel free to let me know, preferably with pictorial evidence…)

((Fruitful was an entirely accidental pun))

From episode… well, Mr Shillito didn’t mention which when he submitted it over the Twitters, but I’m presuming it’s one of the later ones.

In a curious twist of timing, NISA announced that they’ve picked up the US license for the show, even if it won’t likely see the light of day until next year. I would say it was the most surprising license of the AnimExpo weekend, but I can’t really say I expected anyone to pick up Ro-Kyu-Bu of all things (or Loups-Garous given the complete lack of positive things I’ve read about both the book and the anime). Still, it’s a Go Negai property that isn’t exactly rife with the super-robots or hyper-violence that Negai tends to be known for in the West, which I guess makes it a curious pick up if nothing else.

Although I don’t have anything of significance to say about the video in question, I do feel, however, that in these times of low activity I am required break radio silence on occasion.

Actually, there’s just not all that much to say about it. It does contain a snippet of the anime OP theme, Ready!! (not Reday!!, as the original announcement and some parts of the official site still have it listed), which is catchy if a little typical of the songs they’ve been choosing to promote the games ever since the first 360 release. By that I mean it sounds somewhere between (or perhaps around) Go My Way!! and The World Is All One in style. This isn’t to say it’s particularly bad or boring or anything, infact it did me something of a favour by blasting that darn Carnival Phantasm OP out of my head for a while.

Not that this was an entirely suitable replacement – being out of my homestead when they released the promo, I ended up watching it on the bus. Being acutely aware of being in public made it hard to focus on anything other than not singing the English-part of the songs chorus to myself (which you’ll comprehend the degree of embarrassment potential of when you hear it). Understand that I don’t usually walk (or sit) around singing to myself either, but this intense focus on the subject did nothing but make me want to sing to myself all the more.

Mercifully, I resisted, and managed to escape without garnering the incredibly peculiar looks which would likely have ensued. Phew.

The other thing of note, or at least a curious peculiarity, regarding the show that came in the news recently were the staff listings for the first four episodes, which were listed along with the last of the character art releases on Dengeki. The curious thing there is the listing for the fourth episode, more specifically the listing for the storyboard artist for the fourth episode, that being one Kazuya Tsurumaki, best known as the director on FLCL, and as assistant director on all things Evangelion.

It shouldn’t really be a surprise that someone like that would be pulled into working on a show directed by someone with as close ties to Gainax as Atsushi Nishigori, but it is a curious calibre of staff that the show is managing to attract. Secret best show of the season? Quite possibly.