I am into detective shows lately. Can’t seem to take my eyes off the screen trying to follow the series closely. I must admit, detective shows and anime can be addictive! You are always kept at the edge of your seat trying to guess who is the criminal Arggghhhh….

So, without further a due, let me present to you some of my favourite detective stories. These anime are guaranteed to have you glued to your seat till you know who is the real criminal!

1) Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbu (Kindaichi case files)It all started with the manga. Then it was made into a Japanese drama series, then the anime. I watched and read all.

Hajime Kindaichi is in fact only a high school student, the supposed grandson of the famous private detective Kosuke Kindaichi. Although he looks and acts stupid, he boasts an IQ of 180!! How I wish I have that too! The Kindaichi case files has more than 50 manga volumes and also been adapted as an anime television series with 148 episodes, 2 anime movies, a live-action movie, and three drama series. Wow….. Talking about the drama series, my favourite is still the Doumoto version.

What sets Kindaichi apart from other detective stories is that the killers in the series are not psychopathic murderers and the murders are never committed for selfish resons alone. The identified killers all have deep rooted problems, often involving great emotional trauma through the greed or thoughtlessness of others, as their reasons for committing the murders. Of all the cases, The Mummy’s Curse has left the deepest impression.

2) Detective Conan
Do not be fooled by his size!! Conan proved that brains are better than looks! Shinichi Kudo was a brilliant 17-year-old high school student and gifted detective who often worked for the police. Unfortunately, he was attacked by two members of a mysterious crime syndicate while investigating a blackmail case one day . He was forced to take an unknown drug that “shrank” him.

In order to hide his identity but still continue to investigate he adopted the pseudonym Conan Edogawa, and enrolled in an elementary school. He also fomred the Junior Detective League with his friends at the elementary school. Together they solved many funny and interesting cases.

Detective Conan currently boasts more 60 volumes of manga (still continuing) and more than 518 (yes!!!) anime episodes!!

3) Detective School Q

Detective Academy Q is the story of a group of young students from Class Q of Dan Detective School (DDS), a prestigious and renowned detective academy founded by Morihiko Dan, the most famous detective in Japan.

Classes in DDS are based on the entrance test score, with A as the highest, B as the next lower, etc. It is possible for a student to be transferred to a higher class or vice versa, depending on their academic performances. However, Class Q is a special case. As the name suggests, Class Q is for the Qualified students who are viewed as the most potential candidates for the successor of Morihiko Dan in the future.

Detective School Q has 22 volumes of manga and 45 anime episodes.

There you have it – Kartun’s most exciting detective animes. These series are confirmed to keep you at the edge of your seats!

I have not posted for so long!!!! Have been away with limited access to a computer.. sigh….

Remember Sakuno, the little girl from Prince of Tennis that dotes on Ryoma? Well, Mirei has done doujinshis of Sakuno with different Prince of Tennis characters. Let’s take a look. Which is your favourite?

I have been watching some anime from different ages recently. It is amazing how the world of anime changes through the 80′s, 90′s and 00′s. What is simple animation then has become complex, filled with CG and 3D rendering. Let us take a look at some anime and compare.

First, the anime from the 80′s. Let’s take Dragonball.

The artwork is simple, everything is 2D flat. The character design is also very simple and with a few lines. Take a look at the irises of the character. There’s only one colour. Basically, the artwork is rather flat, even with the scene surrounding the charaters.

Next we take a look at an anime from the 90′s – Fushigi Yuugi.

This is the anime where you get tonnes of bishonen. But let’s look deeper. The first difference that I noticed is the eyes. The eyes in the 90′s have more depth, more 3D feel. Even the characters in Dragon Ball that were drawn in the era have the same feel. However, the artwork is still rather flat.

Lastly, we look at a recent anime – Skip Beat.

Hmmm… I was impressed! Although the characters are in 2D, you have to look closer at the scenes surrounding them. The wall, the cabinet, the trees… amazing! The anime world has come a long way since…

Kartun has been reliving her childhood and rewatching Dragon Ball. Watching the series now evoked a different feeling than I had then. Then it was more character-based, sometimes I didn’t really understand the content. Now, I marvel at Akira Toriyama’s creactivity – the way he combined humour with action

As I watch, I can’t help comparing Dragon Ball’s protagonist, Son Go ku to the original  Sun Wu Kong from Journey to the West. Just how similar or different are these two characters?

Let’s examine the similarities first:

1. Both have the same name, whether it’s written in Japanese, Chinese or English.
2. Both can fly and fly fast!
3. Both have a tail that resemble that of a monkey’s.
4. Both uses the Power Pole  - which can extend or shorten according to the owner’s wish.
5. Both follow a few masters – Goku (Muten Roshi, Karin sama, Kami sama & Kaio sama) & Wu Kong (San Zang & a certain fellow who taught him magic)
6. Both are powerful, skilled in fighting.

Kartun loves playing Sims 2. Kartun also loves watching cartoons and anime. So I thought, “Hey! Why not create some anime sims?” So I tried my skills with the Sims 2 Body Shop and came up with the following anime sims. I started with some Dragon Ball characters first and worked my way towards some of my favourite anime.

Yah… You are right. This is Vegeta, Gokou’s formidable foe. Not bad, especially with the extremely toned body. I had to make him run countless number of times on the exercise machine to achieve that. I downloaded the hair from somewhere but I wasn’t satisfied. Can Vegeta look better with another hairstyle?

Oh!!! This is definitely much better than the fire spikes that he always sported!

Of course, I had to create Bulma, Vegeta’s wife to complete the family:

Eyes are a bit too small, but a pretty girl nonetheless. The hair colour is just right Liek the normal Sims game, they fell in love and produced Trunks:

What a hunk! More handsome than Trunks from the anime… haha! I can’t wait for his sister Bura to appear..

I should try to create more anime characters

Singapore is holding its first Night F1 race on 26th September 2008. That’s a mere 5 days away! The Marina Bay area is beautifully donned up, awaiting visitors and F1 lovers. Temporary seats have also been erected for the viewers’ pleasure. The last I visited the official website, over 95% of the tickets have been sold. The only ticket left is the 3 DAY ESPLANADE PREMIER GS -STANDARD, selling at S$2,588.00!!!! Hmmm….

No, Kartun is not here to promote readers to buy the tickets. But with the recent hype about F1, I cannot help but link the current situation to animes that revolve around car racing. But before I give you my opinion, what exactly is F1 and how did it originate?

How did F1 start?
There was no such thing as Formula 1. The first ‘organised’ car race took place from Paris to Rouen in 1900. The then existing vehicles were simply raced. 

The first F1
The world’s first F1 took place on   13th May 1950 at ‘Silverstone’ Tracks in the U.K. That’s more than 50 years ago!

Some known facts
F1 car engines have a capacity of 3.0 litres/19,000 Rpm. Nowadays, F1 cars can achieve an average speed of over 300 km/h. The highest straight-line speed recorded was 356.5 km/h by David Coulthard during 1998.

Typical F1 vehicle

Cool eh?
 

Now that we know somethings about F1, let Kartun show you some of her favourite car racing animes:

1) Initial D
This anime keeps me on the edge of my seat all the time! It’s fast paced and exciting. The main character, Fujiwara Takumi drives a Toyota Trueno AE86. So how is a Trueno compared to the F1 vehicles racers use?

Well… A typical Trueno is only 1.6 litres and can top the speed at about 193 km/h. That’s a far cry from F1. But Takumi doesn’t really care, does he? The racers in Initial D race down the hill most of the time, so skill is more important than speed

2) Speedracer a.k.a. Mach Go Go Go!

Full of action, technology and danger, this anime talks about Speed Racer (a.ka. Mifune Go), who fell in love with car racing. He usually drives the Mach 5 (Thus the name Mach Go – which is 5 in Japanese). So how Mach 5 different from the typical F1 car?

Unlike the normal F1 car, Mach 5 has a series of buttons. Button A - Auto Jack, Button B – Belt Tires, Button C – Cutter, Button D – Defensor, Button E – Illuminating Eye, Button F – Frogger Mode (when Mach 5 goes under water), Button G - Gizmo Rocket and Button H - Homing Device. All of these buttons will disqualify an F1 racer. But this is anime. It makes life more interesting.

3) GPX Cyber Formula

Car racing in the future – is that how it will be? Cyber Formula is a show about F1 in the future, when race cars are equipped with computer support systems called ‘Cyber Systems’. Cool eh? The star of the show, Kazami Hayato is a mere 14 year old at the start of the show. Imagine… car racing at 14! He drives an Asurada GSX in 2015, and is continuously upgraded throughout the series.

The Asurada looks like a typical F1 vehicle, with the exception of its cyber systems within. In fact, the Asurada GSX is the first car to feature the revolutionary a Super Nero Computer as the primary cyber system. Yay! I believe that’s the way to race in the future.

There you go – Kartun’s humble opinion on F1. I don’t know how car racing will revolutionalise in the near future. Perhaps we can really have a race car like the Asurada GSX! That will be exciting! F1 engineers must work harder!

Everybody knows that a doctor is supposed to heal. Supposed to doesn’t mean that he has to follow the rules of his profession. More ofthen than not, anime doctors do not follow the rules. And it is for this reason that we love them. Kartun did some research on Anine doctors that are out of the norm and came up with the following lists:

1) Muraki Kazutaka (Yami no Matsuei)

When I first saw him, I was like “What! He’s so good looking!” But do not be deceived by his looks. He is as evil as he is handsome. This man defies most rules of his profession. Muraki is what we call a practiced hypocrite - acting as a good doctor during daylight hour, while hiding his private life as a serial killer. Kartun chills at the thought… Oh yah.. he seems be attracted to people of the same gender

2) Tofu Ono (Ranma 1/2)

This has to be one of my favourite characters in Ranma. He has to be one of the funniest doctors around. Besides being funny, the doctor is also a klutz, especially when Kasumi is around. However, despite his clumsiness, he’s an established chiropractor and acupuncturist. Again.. do not be deceived by his behaviour.

3) Dr Hiruluk (One piece)

Formaerly a thief (he looks like a joker), this doctor excels and pyrotechnics and chemistry, but his expertise in the field of medicine is left to be questioned. He even uses some explosives to treat his patients. Ah.. too bad for the inhabitants of Drum Island. “Give me the Cherry Blssom drink!”

4) Dr Slump aka Senbei Norimaki

Do not compare him with the 3 doctors that I have mentioned. And it’s not because he looks like a potato. He does not practice medicine (although sometimes he dons the formidable white robe) but science! A genius inventor from penguin Village, he created Arale – a not-so-conventional lady robot. He’s also knwn to have made a time machine, an invisibility drink, a talking alarm clock, etc, etc…

5) Dr Tenma (Astroboy)

I must repeat – do not be deceived by looks. He’s not a horse breeder! This horseman invented Astroboy. Furthermore, he’s the Japanese Minister of Science and a genius in robotics. Unfortunately, he’s a bit cold-hearted, having kicked our beloved astro away when he found no use in the latter. But we can forgive him as he later helped astro by increasing his power and even rebuilt him

There you go, Kartun’s list of your not so conventional anime doctors. Come to think of it, doctors are always associated with white robes. I wonder what’s the significance of the white robe? Is it because doctors are supposed to be “angels” rescuing the common people from pain? Hmmmm… so much for the unconventional doctors

It’s almost the end of the year. Most of the young ones out there are busy preparing or are going to be busy preparing for exams, if I’m not wrong. Is exam all about studying?

Kartun knows the excruciating pain you have to go through in order to pass those papers – late night mugging, last minute revision, caffeine-infiltrated nervous system, exam jittery, etc, etc. As such, Kartun wastes no time to find out the most effective study methods of famous “smart” anime personnels. Let us all learn from them their secrets and how they tackle exams to pass with flying colours!

1) Light Yagami (Death Note)
Who can give a more intelligent answer than Light? This 17 year old aces all his exams until he is bored! Kartun slowly approaches Light to learn his secret…

Kartun: Good morning Light (sounds corny). Can you let us know your secret(s) to passing all your exams with flying colours?

Light: Exams? That’s so boring!! I have photographic memory. You’re disturbing my thoughts.. Is Kartun your real name (takes out his trusty black book)?

Kartun: Er… Thanks Light. Gotta go! (Kartun does not forget to grab her ID…)

2) Son Gohan (Dragonball Z)
Looks can be deceiving. This muscular hunk and part-time fighter scored full marks (yes!) for his entrance exam into Orange Star high school. Despite his busy schedule, he can still do it. What’s his secret?

Kartun: Hallo Gohan! We know how busy you are – working as a scientist, fighting crime and taking care of your family. Let’s get straight to the point – what’s your secret to scoring full marks for your exams?

Gohan: (Looking a bit shy…) Secrets? Hmmm… (Thinks hard)

Kartun: Yes! Your secrets so that all those out there who are suffering can learn

Gohan: Ok.. I do love to help people. Let’s see, first you need family support. My mom was always there to make sure that I studied and studied hard! Next, don’t forget to play too. I always sneaked out and enjoyed myself while she was not looking. Thirdly, you got to have a goal in mind. For me I had always wanted to be a scientist. So I worked towards fulfilling that goal.

Kartun: Wow! Thanks Gohan! I’m sure a lot of readers out there can learn from you

3) Shikamaru Nara (Naruto)
With an IQ over 200, Kartun is sure that this is the next person to dig those exam passing secrests. How else can he be the only junin that passed the chonin exam?

Kartun: Shikamaru san! Nice to meet you. I know you don’t like to be troubled, but I’m sure that your fans out there would love to learn your secrets to tackling those troublesome exams with ease.

Shikamaru: Shiken wa mendokusai! It’s too troublesome to take exams. I don’t like taking exams… (With that he walks away!)

Kartun: …..

4) Sailor Mercury aka Mizuno Ami (Sailor Moon)
This is not the kind of girl one would expect. Sailor Mercury boasts an IQ of over 300 (higher than Shikamaru!!). She’s good at all her subjects. She looks good. And she fights crime. The anime world is unfair…

Kartun: Ami, can you tell us all how do you ever keep a figure like that? (ok. Kartun side tracked)

Ami: Huh? I thought this is about exams? What figure? Maths? (kartun whispered a few words to her ears). Oh haha.. Hmm… Fighting crime keeps me in shape

Kartun: I see… (Kartun is thinking of switching career). Let’s get back to the main topic. How about exams? What’s your secret to scoring A’s?

Ami: Hehe… I really don’t have any secrets. I study, play and eat as per normal. Maybe I do have a secret: I fight crime as well! Oh no.. it’s supposed to be a secret… I should go, bye!

Kartun: Wait…. (Ami disappeared)

Despite 3 failed attempts to dig the secret out of these anime characters, Kartun won’t give up. I’ll try one last time with:

5) Arale (Dr Slump)
An ultra strong, ultra fast, ultra energetic little girl (ahem..) who seems to know the answers to many mind boggling exam questions. Kartun approaches her cautiously…

Kartun: (Catching a speeding Arale) Wait! Please share with us your secrets to answering the exams questions correctly!

Arale: (Spins around and saw Kartun) Oh.. stranger! Intruder! (Arale dashes towards Kartun and gives her a headbutt!)

Kartun: @#*@##

Hmmm… yah… there you have it, the smart anime personnels’ secrets to acing exams. Kartun is still suffering from Arale’s headbutt which has sent her flying in to space and back… Groan @_@

Hmmm… I’m not sure whether this rumour is true but if it is, what is Hollywood thinking? According to most of the sources, this is only a Dragon Ball movie, not Dragon Ball Z. Which means, no Vegeta, no Cell

Here’s a picture of Gokou:

Of course, we recognise the “turtle” symbol at his back and the supposedly hmmm… dragon ball on his hand? Gokou is played by an actor called Justin Chatwin (Lost). The rest of the cast are as follows:

• Jamie Chung as Chi-Chi
• Emmy Rossum as Bulma:
• Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi – I’m looking forward to this!!
• Joon Park as Yamcha
• Eriko Tamura as Mai
• Texas Battle as Carey Fuller
• Luis Arrieta as Weaver
• Randall Duk Kim as Grandpa Gohan
• Ernie Hudson as Master Mutaito
• Shavon Kirksey as Emi

Kartun has no idea who are Mai, Carey, Weaver, Master Mutaito and Emi. I supposed they are characters developed by Hollywood to fill in the stories. Not mentioned in the list of cast is Kuririn, Gokou’s best friend! How can a Dragon ball movie be Dragon Ball without Kuririn. I wonder who’s gonna play that part…

The movie is said to be directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow. It should be in the theatres by April 2009. Although I can’t totally agree with the cast, I don’t think I’m giving this movie a miss. It’s a Dragon Ball movie. Of course kartun will go!

Almost everybody are familiar with Samurais, from Tom Cruise’s Last Samurai to the great Rurouni Kenshin. A lot of anime have also used Samurai as their main theme. But what exactly are Samurais?

Samurais are basically just warriors during pre-industrial Japan. They have a very strict code of conduct and were popular during the feudal period. However, most Samurai lost their military function during the Edo period, when Japan began industrialisation. A more detailed history can be found in Wikipedia.

Kartun has wathed a lot of Samurai Animes (I’m quite fond of animes dealing with Japanese history). Of those that I’ve watched, I narrowed down to five that I deem best, according to my humble opinion:

1) Rurouni Kenshin

The story takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan – one of the more turbulent periods.  It tells the story of a peaceful wanderer named Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the assassin Hitokiri Battousai. He wonders around the countryside helping people in need. On day, in Tokyo, he meets a young woman named Kamiya Kaoru, who was in the middle of a fight with a murderer who claims to be the Hitokiri Batt?sai from her swordmanship school. Kenshin decides to help her and defeats the fake Battousai.  Kaoru then offers him a place to stay at her school and the story continues with Kenshin meeting many of his old nemesis and “friends”. The story was quite exciting in the beginning, but slowly dies off after the battle with Shishio Makoto. Character to note: Kenshin’s Master, Hiko Seijuuro, who looks too young for his age

2) Samurai Champloo

This story takes place during the Edo Period. Champloo is about the journey of a girl named Fuu and her two friends, Mugen and Jin, as they travel across Edo  Japan in search of a particular samurai who “smells of sunflowers”. The series combines history with humour and it’s worth a watch. It’s only 26 episodes long.

3) Peace Maker Kurogane

Set in 19th century Japan before the Meiji restoration, the story centres on a boy, Ichimura Tetsunosuke, whose parents were murdered. It’s about his trials and tribulations, how he joins the Shinsengumi hoping to revenge his parents. Quite a dark anime, with some slapstick Japanese humour here and there. Not really for the faint-hearted.

4) Samurai 7

The story is based on the 1954 popular movie Seven Samurai. It tells of a certain rice village called Kanna village which hired the 7 samurais to protect it against bandits. The samurais in turn train the villagers and prepare to attack the capital city. A refershing story with quite predictable plots.

5) Samurai Deeper Kyo

Oh.. this is my favourite amongst the five. There are 2 versions: the anime version and the manga version. The anime has 26 episodes while the manga has 38 books. Initially, the stories are almost the same – both started with a certain medicine man called Mibu Kyoshiro wandering around and meeting Yuya, a ranger girl. The manga however, is deeper and requires more understanding.  It was later revealed that the Mibu clan had some ulterior motives and created fighters for their own amusement. The anime is more straightforward. Kyo is sealed inside Kyoshiro after losing a swordfight to him, later takes over Kyoshiro and starts to hunt for his body. The anime also has extra characters not seen in the manga. But one thing’s for sure, both the anime and manga produce equally handsome men in swords for the ladies to feast their eyes upon.