Warning, the topic of this open letter centers around crucial plot points of this film also known as “spoilers”. Read on only if you have seen the film, or have no interest in doing so.

From the Desk of aDam Gardner: Sad Asuka Fanboy

Dear Mr. Evangelion movie,

Thank you for the Asuka nude scene, 18 instances of Asuka fan service and last but certainly not least, the pervy unit 03 test suit which will forever be immortalized in pervy toys and merchandise by our friends in the east who have wisely decided that such a thing is culturally and socially acceptable…

I certainly appreciated that this film was a departure from the source material, while the first film was a less than compelling rehash of existing scenes. While certainly some details can be changed, there are certainly some things which are so fundamentally Evangelion that they should not be touched.

Simple themes like Shinji being a bitch with daddy issues, Rei being cold and boring, Evas fighting angels and… oh that’s right…

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You gotta love system fanboyism. In exchange for the feeling you get of supporting your favorite console manufacturer, you screw yourself out of the chance to play some of the best games available on the other guy’s system(s). Back in the 16-bit days, I couldn’t throw a stone without hitting a Sega fanboy bragging about playing Sonic 2, Streets of Rage, and Madden football while secretly wishing to play Final Fantasy 2 and Super Castlevania 4. Likewise, I knew many a Nintendo fanboy who, while singing praises of their Mario Karts, Secret of Manas, and Contra IIIs during the day, secretly cried themselves to sleep each night over their version of Mortal Kombat having no blood in it. Even in this age of console exclusivity shrinking, I can’t think of one Sony fanboy who didn’t secretly wish to play Mass Effect or Xbox 360 owner who didn’t want to play Meta Gear Solid 4 (even if they wouldn’t admit it out loud). During the last console generation, if there was at least one game that Sony fanboys would have gladly given their first born child for a chance to play, it was the Xbox exclusive Ninja Gaiden, and for good reason. Team Ninja’s 2004 classic not only reintroduced the series to a new generation of gamers, but it crafted one of the finest, hyperactive, gaming experiences on any console, past or present. Thankfully, Tecmo decided to relent, and give Sony PS3 owners a bone. Thus, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden hit PS3s in 2007.
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Some may remember an episode of PowetToys early on that focused on the Four Horsemen’s FANtastic Exclusives for 2006. The exclusive was based on an original story premise from the Four Horsemen called The 7th Kingdom. The exclusive figure was a minotaur named Xetheus of the Animal Kingdom and had several variant figures. In the course of that episode, I looked at the logo and revealed what sections of the design represented which kingdoms from the storyline. This was not public knowedge beforehand, nor had it really been discussed before the episode’s release. The design hadn’t seen much exposure before the figures’ release. Because of this, I have been credited for this revelation.

The 7th Kingdom was so popular in the FanEx polls, it has been spun out into its own line, independent of the annual FANtastic Exclusive promotion. I thought I would take this opportunity to take a look at the logo and how I figured out what symbols went with what kingdom.

Read on for some simple reasoning, research and deduction.
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Are you a fanboy or fangirl? Would you like a shot at your 15 minutes of fame? Are you ok with millions of people seeing just how big of a dorky otaku you really are?

Then MTV and Anime-Expo want you!

Anime-Expo, the largest anime convention on the west coast, has seemingly teamed up with MTV to showcase geeks on an episode of their reality TV show, “True Stories”. The only stipulations of entry are that you must be between the ages of 16 and 28, and you *must* be identified as a true fanboy/fangirl of any one thing or genre in geekdom. I can only guess that the latter requirement is to guarantee that only the biggest freaks will be chosen and make the rest of us look bad.

Applicants can sign up for the chance to be showcased on the Anime Expo website. No deadline for sign-up is given, but the MTV website says that episodes will be filmed and debuted soon, so I can only guess the window of opportunity is short.

The prospects of this seem truly terrifying if you think about it. Or terrifyingly hilarious. One or the other. I look forward to seeing the results with a slight sense of dread.

A number of Powet.tv members have been attending Otakon for a few years. What follows was at some point intended to be some kind of comprehensive overview of the con, but it should be immediately obvious that we weren’t able to follow through with such an ambitious goal.

Enjoy the trannies, furrie, LARPers, and some even seedier perversions that plague the geek community attending a standard convention. All things considered, the simple act of Cosplaying really isn’t that weird at all.

To be eligible for the contest to win the Yaoi book mentioned in the above video, please leave your relevant comment to this blog post in the next month.

Here is the full text of the email:

Here is the start of the information you have all been waiting for:

BotCon 2008 will be held in Cincinnati, OH at the Duke Energy Center.

Convention dates are: April 24-28, 2008

The hotel is across the street and is the Hyatt Regency.
You can make your reservations online by using the link at BotCon.com or call:

888.421.1442

Note: There will be tours and classes offered on Wednesday April 23 and
Thursday April 24. Currently Shawn will be teaching his class on Wednesday and again on Thursday so we will have 50 slots. We are also working on potential classes in sculpting and or molding as well. We can’t answer any specific questions currently but we wanted to give you a heads up for your hotel reservations needs.

Convention registration and details to follow….

Don’t delay as last year’s rooms went in less than a day….

Thanks for your support!

Brian

PS. The con set is really going to shatter your world….

Here is the direct link to the hotel. Be sure to reserve your room quickly! They go very fast. I already booked mine!

More information will be forthcoming. Keep an on Botcon.com until then.

67 homemade Daleks converged on the Museum of Science and Industry to achieve this feat.

Original Dalek costume designer, Raymond Cusick, was there to help out with judging responsibilites as well.

A flikr gallery was created for the event here.

Source: Crunchgear [via] MAKEzine