~[ Links ]~

: There are a lotta great sites on the internet that I've found! And because I care about you all, and sharing is caring, I'm gonna list every site I really like. They're not listed in any particular order except that they make a giant mountain of links! And so it becomes a long and terrible climb down....echo echo echo, ha ha! I'm also one of the original first-generation otaku (as opposed to generation 0, aka the hardcore crowd from the 80's... rock rock on!), so for added value I've added notes that give insight into why I went to some of these sites back in the day. So there's a bit of personal insight into this stuff if you look carefully! Or, just boring anecdotes from an old-timer... hey I'm not that old! If you're interested in being added to this list, head on over to the contact section and lemme know.

When I was a kid I unwittingly watched anime! Didn't even realize it until I did some research on the old shows I used to watch. One of those shows, appearing to me in vague memory, had a tiny unicorn that would transform into a giant majestic one, and at the end of the movie he speared an evil count that transformed into a dragon! Turned out to be Osamu Tezuka's "Unico", which this quaint site hearkens back to with a very personalized, first-person flair.

This webcomic is a video gamer's story with a laid back, unassuming talent at entertaining. It also has its heartwarming moments too. A great read for gamer's!

This isn't just a comic... it's real life! This is a great autobiographical comic piece following the funny life episodes of Greg Dean. Autobiographical with just a few revisions here and there, like shirt ninjas and evil genius space stations. A real neat read following a real person's real life.

A webcomic with a profound effect on my life. Past all the humorously sardonic aliens, giant robot monkeys, and super-powered humans is a message of learning to accept yourself for who you are. We are beautiful, kids! Yep, David Willis is a comic genius. A highly recommended read!

Working at a comic book shop can be interesting if you work at ShortPacked! David Willis strikes comic gold again with this wacky peek into the operations of one such silly shop.

VGCats is just irreverent... kinda gross sometimes too! Beware~~ ha ha ha. Basically it's a webcomic that features parodies of popular video games starring the crazy antics of our feline heroes Leo and Aeris. It may not take itself seriously but it can get some serious chuckles out, so it's worth a look.

In my high school days, there was only one man at my school who stood amidst the hallowed halls of l33t pwnzors anime art skillz... and that man was the one and only Juan Ramirez! All these years later he's still crankin' out the awesome art with that original flair. Chex it outs kids!

One of the greatest shows I watched when I was a kid in the late 90's was Samurai Pizza Cats. It definitely helped me to get a well-rounded education in the wackiness of Japanese animation, and also of Canadian translations of those Japanese animations! But it got taken off the air, and now the new generation pretty much has no idea about this great show! So this site tries its' best to petition the company that owns the series to bring the show back on air, or at least put it on DVD or something (though in my opinion, petitions never really work). If you're intrigued by how awesome this show used to be, go here to learn more and help rally the troops to save our samurai!

Like I said before, Samurai Pizza Cats was a great series definitely worth watching. Back in the days when I watched it, there was only one true fan site dedicated to pizza cats fandom, and that was Princess Vi's Spiffy Diffy Web Page! Go check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Somewhere in Final Fantasy there's a mythic land named Mysidia... while somewhere on the net, there's a wacky and punchy character driven town called Mysidia! Various characters from the original 32 bit series talk directly to you in the form of tiny icons. When I was growing up this heavily influenced my style of personal web page development... from the icons for characters to the background music playing on the pages. Though it's not updated anymore it has a special place in my memory for being funny and original.

Did I say before that I love collecting midi's? Well I do, and one of the best places to find midi music from different video games is at VGMusic. Their comprehensive selection of music from thousands of series from past to present astounds. Wish they had a rating system though, come to think of it... but in any case it's a great site for music, midi, and video game afficionados alike.

Once I started getting serious about manga, I figured it was time I started reading news about it. Because serious people read the news! :X So if you're serious about manga too, let me tell you what my vast experience so far says... You probably don't need to read manga news, ha ha hwa. But, it's still interesting, and can introduce you to new series you didn't know about. I'm saying this with a very serious face... seriously.

This site is pretty much nothing. Literally. *keels over* This funny webcomic called "Nothing" follows the random episodes of adventure faced by Marina, Kaden and their little pet rooster. It's also pretty punny, and believe me puns are the best thing since pumpkin pie! Definitely one of the few times where nothing is better than something...

What can I say about Looking for Group... well it's a webcomic following a group of oddball characters in a World of Warcraft-like fantasy world. Though the series can lay its drama on pretty thick sometimes the series does have a goofy sense of humor thanks to the violently humorous (or humorously violent?) antics of the great undead warlock, Richard.

Most music in video game canon came out in little blips and bloops on primitive sound cards from the stone age. But even though we live in the modern age, the captivating sounds from the past still echo resoundingly within us... just, wouldn't it be nice if the instruments were updated from electronic soundbites to more realistic music? That's where OverClocked Remix steps in and takes the reins. Here you are welcome to listen to your favorite video game tunes remastered and remixed for your listening pleasure.

What is a Homestarrunner anyways?? This completely off the wall and wildly original flash-animated website had it's own little craze in my early college years, thanks in no little part to it's hilarious email answering anti-hero Strong Bad and the muscledy dragon Trogdor. Filled with funny word warping and a bastion of silliness, this site takes DNA evidence to the next level. Rock, rock on!

It's really not fair sometimes... when I was a kid I played this wildly imaginative game called "Below the Root", where you played as a spirit-gifted child floating amidst a world of giant trees trying to save a destined child before the world plunges into darkness. My brother always played while I poured over the map and gave directions, and for nostalgic childhood memories the game served as a beacon of light. And then it happens: the only computer with the game on it dies, and since it's old and based on original floppy floppy disks for which nobody makes computers for anymore, you can't play the game! But this is where the internet comes to the rescue. Wanting to play the game again I searched and searched, and eventually came to this site... UnderDogs, which hosts a variety of classic games that didn't quite have wide-reaching popularity but still had merit. If I can recommend anything to you all, try out "Below the Root" and "Loom". Definitely classic gaming.

PVP has become it's own media juggernaut! An unassuming webcomic following the escapades of a small video game magazine company, PVP is filled with a cast of original characters, humor, irreverence, poignancy, and some heartfelt moments to boot. Though the author does sometimes seem to have a bit of ego, this series is definitely a champion in the webcomic arena worth reading.

Get ready for a parodying adventure in RPG World! This fun comic takes you on a rollercoaster adventure that parodies RPG's of the Final Fantasy brand. It has plenty of silliness and heartwarming moments, and some real fanservicey parts to boot, and even though it's on an indefinite hiatus I'm sure it'll get back up again someday. Check it out!

Cutest. Comedy. Comic. Couple!!! I'm a manly man and all, but this comic is just plain adorable. Basically it's Box Brown's slice-of-life webcomic on the ups and downs of a couple, Ben and Ellen, hence Bellen! It's a real heartwarmer, so give it a read.

This is my twin brother's website. That's right, I'm a twin! Amazing, huh? His site is a lot like mine too, if you notice, with generally the same kinda stuff. Taught him everything I know, I did, ha ha! He's my greatest comrade and lifelong chum, and at the moment, he's better than I am at art... oooh you'll see! I'll catch up eventually! XD

When I started out on my webcomic spree in the twilight of my college years I found this funny little website. It has an aloof philosophical nature to it and is bursting at the seams with new-age psychology buzzwords. The real joy in this site is twofold: the imaginative art and characters that charge the fore, and in looking up what a lot of the terminology used means. It's an oddball series worth reading for its philosophical, insightful and educational value.

Being a kid is great when you've got Calvin & Hobbes. Fighting space monsters, travelling through time, plotting secret strategies from your impenetrable tree-fort... But it's been years since I was a kid, and there hasn't been much to fill that gap left in the absence of Bill Watterson's work. This is where Minus comes in, a webcomic following the amazingly imaginative adventures of a little girl with the power to do anything she wants. Definitely one of my all-time favorites.

This is the personal website of Starlight Genie, whose cute shoujo style artwork was filled with, well cuteness! That cannot be understated, no sir. She posted on GoManga forums before and that's how I found her work.

When I started getting serious about making manga I decided it was time I find companies I could work for. Mwa ha ha, doesn't this sound familiar? Well I stumbled upon a manga in the bookstore called "Blade for Barter", which was an original english language manga produced by a fledgling company called "Seven Seas Entertainment". Blade for Barter was a pretty enjoyable read, with a style reminiscent of "One Piece", though the world feel wasn't entirely cohesive. GoManga is their website, it's pretty neat and the community there is real friendly last I was there, so check it out!

A PC fighting game, okay yeah sure why not. But a PC fighting game about cosplaying OTAKU??? Now that I gotta play! Alicuu is the trail-blazing company responsible for the internet hit "Super Cosplay Wars Ultra", a fierce fighter starring a band of otaku with the ability to mimic the powers of their favorite anime/video game/manga heroes. Definitely a game worth owning for the pwning!

Back in the golden age of gaming that was known as the Nintendo 64 (what's that SNES fans? that's right I saids it!), there was an ultra-hyper-wacky period game called "Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon". This fun romp of an adventure/action/puzzle game captured my imagination with it's vivid world filled with robots, mysticism, and goofy villains. So then! This is the original classic fansite dedicated to Goemon, and is worth a peek for veteran gamers and curious grasshoppers alike.

Have I ever really played DragonQuest? NO! The gameplay is just so... boooorrrinnnnnggggg. Ha ha sorry, but the primitive battle style and an action list driven by menu's just completely turns me off to the series. To be honest I'm surprised that it could ever be as popular as it has been with gameplay like that, but I'm guessing it's just something you grow up with. However, the stories and the art style have always drawn my attention, and though I've never really played much of the games I can say that I've been influenced by it. This shrine is particularly good for a good mix of both.

One of the first anime's that really caught my eye for originality and spirit was "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water", by renowned film-makers Gainax. It was one of their breakthrough animations, and interestingly their main character Nadia became an even more popular heroine than the beloved Nausicaa from Studio Ghibli. I personally can't understand this: Nadia was a selfish, unreasonable, arrogant and annoying girl, whereas Nausicaa was unselfish, brave, giving and self-sacrificing. I will concede that Nadia had some growing pains and even admits her faults, but still... XD That aside, I still loved the series design and the broad scope for adventure, and tried to get all the video tapes available from the original dub by Streamline Productions. Unfortunately Streamline only finished about 4 episodes of the series (and their voice actors were always so perfect!), so I couldn't finish the rest of the series until recently when ADV finished off the rest. It was a little disappointing from what I anticipated, but I still love the series anyways! This site is pretty much the greatest compendium for learning about all things Nadia, so give it a try.

I've only read their comic Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire, a really fun space adventure series following the wacky exploits of a portly outerspace bounty-hunter as he wheels and deals around the futuristic New Hong Kong. It seems, however, that they're best known for their work on another comic called Girl Genius. In any case, this is a great comic-shop Americana type studio that produces a unique series of titles. From what I've seen in Buck Godot they have a great sense for storytelling and originality, and are definitely worth a look.

It's so hard to find a good radio station for listening to anime music! That's where Keiichi.net EX squared stands in, bringing to you mostly the latest and greatest hits with a mix of classic anime and remixes to boot. They're a pretty well rounded and reliable source for listening to streaming anime music, and they have hosts and talk shows to spice things up! If you're looking for a good place to get an anime music fix, start here kids!

Were you a player of the 32 bit era? What about the 16 bit era? If you played the SNES, NES, or SEGA Genesis back in the day, welcome my brethren! You're finally home. Vimm's Lair hosts a wide library of the classic games and emulators for your PC to play them on. Relive the legends once more!

It was an innocent time when I barely knew anything about anime or video games. Curious to learn anything I could about this amazing new art form from across the ocean, I scoured the net to find anything I could. And then I stumbled onto this place, one of the original anime fan websites from days of old. Olen's Anime Hub still remains in my fondest memories as the first to introduce me to a great number of series that I thought I would never see come to my side of the ocean, like Castle in the Sky or Nausicaa. It also introduced me to midi's on websites, and the rest is history!

Capcom. Blue Bomber. MegaMan! Or otherwise known in Japan as Rockman. When I was young I was first introduced to the series starring the iconic blue super-robot with the animated cartoon... Super Fighting Robot... Megaman! Ha ha, well the Rockman Robot Centre is just another great website for the heroic Rockman, a veritable compendium and one-stop shop for all things blue. Like Mysidia it's based around interacting with character icons on a website, so it has plenty of personality. It's been down recently, but I'm sure it will come back eventually!

Have you ever heard of a convention in South Texas called "A-Kon"? It's THE convention for people in the midwest to go to, if not in all the south of the U.S. But where does it get its iconic name from? Most people would guess it's an abbreviation for "Anime-Convention", but in actuality it's name is based off of a superbly wacky OAV called "Project A-Ko". In this series we follow the madcap mayhem that follows A-Ko, a girl with super strength who's constantly at odds with her mad-scientist robot-designing genius classmate B-Ko. The object of their disputes? The charming and ditzy C-Ko, who actually turns out to be an alien princess! The Graviton City website (named after the setting of the series) is a great resource for fans and a great introduction to newbies.

News is some serious stuff! And if you're serious about getting anime news, then you should go to the Anime News Network. No kidding, if you want to know exactly what's happening around the world in terms of anime this site is your best bet. They also have an encyclopedia of information regarding most all the anime that's ever been created, so if you're looking to brush up on your knowledge it's a good place to start too!

Cat people! That would be enough to scare away a lesser man, but of course, I was brave enough to check this site out. And I was pleasantly surprised to find a rich story with great characterization set in Prohibition era St.Louis, with all the flappers and free-wheeling-under-the-table dealings to boot. In the vein of Cats Don't Dance, this is definitely a must read!