After discussing Ninja comics, I have decided to take a look at some of the popular Ninja weapons. We all know that Ninja is not just about ninjutsu and genjutsu. They use weapons too! Just what are some of the more popular and common ninja weapons that appear in anime? The sleuths at Kartun.com put on their detective head and investigate!

1.  Shuriken
Seen in the hands of almost all ninjas, the Shuriken is simply a flat piece of metal with sharp points that can penetrate the flesh of the enemies. Not effective in killing, the shuriken can be made lethal by dipping the sharp ends in poison. The normal ones come in four points, but eight ir six can be found too.

Anime Ninja character that uses Shuriken: almost all!

2.  Kunai
The Kunai is a small dagger that was originally used as a tool. However, due to its sharp point, it became a great throwing weapon for long distance combat.

Anime Ninja character that uses Kunai: Most of the Naruto characters keep them in pouches and use them most of the time.
 3. Ninja-to
Not to be comfused with the Samurai’s katana, the ninja sword is only about 24 inches, and less sharp. Ninjas don’t usually slash their opponents, they more like stab them. Thus, they do not need as sharp a sword as the Samurai.

Anime Ninja character that uses Ninja-to: Some ANBU members from Naruto

4. Nunchaku
A very versatile weapon indeed. Ninjas use this to defend themselves against any other weapon, for example, a sword.
By trapping the blade of a sword with the chain between the two sticks, a Ninja could disarm a sword-weilding opponent easily.

Anime Ninja character that uses Nunchaku: Rock Lee from Naruto

5. Tessen
Looks like an ordinary Chinese fan but in fact, the frame is made of iron! When folded, this weapon can be used to club the ninja’s enemy as well.

Anime Ninja character that uses Tessen: Temari from Naruto

6. Ninja Grappling hook
This is a very useful weapon, especially for ninjas who love to jump from place to place. The hook at the end of the long rope will attach firmly to almost anywhere, and the tremendous length of the rope enables the ninja to swing with ease.

Anime Ninja character that uses Grappling hook: Rantarou from Nintama Rantarou

Ever envisioned yourself being swept off the floor by your Knight in shining armour? I certainly have

With 2007 drawing to a close, I have also been receiving lots of wedding invitations. This has led me to ponder on my own wedding. Is it going to be a traditional church wedding? Or do I dare to venture out of the norm and try an underwater wedding? Hmmm….

Of course, my thought travels to the realm of anime to see what I can remember of the weddings there. Listed below are some of the weddings from the Anime World that one can seldom forget!

1) Dragon Ball Wedding – Goku & Chichi
This is certainly an out-of-tradition wedding where the bride woos the groom. We all know that it’s Chi Chi that masterminded the wedding. Well, I don’t think I’m like her. I like my husband to take some action in the planning as well! But I do like her veil and Goku’s white tuxedo (It’s not black!)

2) Sailormoon Wedding – Mamoru & Usagi
Looking at the picture, I find that this wedding is somewhat like a fairytale – a clumsy, peasant-like girl marrying a handsome prince. Even more awesome is the fact the Mamoru is carrying Usagi and she looks happy. I certainly don’t mind to be in her shoes. Oh yes, love the elaborate details of his tuxedo too!

3) Ranma 1/2 Wedding – Ranma & Akane
A long awaited one! I remember chasing after this series, watching Ranma developing feelings (good ones!) for Akane and wondering when they were tying the knot. I had to wait all the way to the end… Don’t they look happy together? Awww… I really like Akane’s wedding gown too. The ball gown has this “princessy” feeling to it.

4) Mamarlade Boy Wedding – Yuu & Miki
Although long, this series was fun to watch, filled with the challenges within Yuu’s and Miki’s relationship. At the end when they finally got married (it was a very short scene with wedding bells and a church, as far as I can remember), I had a warm fuzzy feeling. I suppose that’s a nice feeling during one’s wedding.. Oh oh.. I want to be kissed like that too.. hehe

5) Fushigi Yuugi Wedding – Tamahome & Miaka
No wedding list is complete without the famous couple – Tamahome and Miaka! Instead of the normal wedding gown and tuxedo look, Tamahome and Miaka sported the traditional chinese wedding style! I’m not sure if I like that, it’s too elaborate, especially her headpiece. Heavy….. =_=;

There you go, Kartun’s most memorable weddings from the Anime World. After writing the list, I still do not know what I’d like for my wedding. But one thing’s for sure, I’d love my man to carry me into the bedroom.

Once again, the above five are just my personal favourites. There are lots and lots more anime that feature weddings. I found this comprehensive video from youtube that about sums up all

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Let the wedding bells ring! Enjoy!

Who wouldn’t want to be a millionaire? Have you ever envied those who made it to the fortune 500? We at kartun.com certainly have. Being so set to become millionaires ourselves, we sent our reporter (Kartun #1) to interview one of the youngest multi-millionaire known in the history of anime and cartoons – Trunks! Not only that, we managed to interview three (yes 3!) different Trunks from different times. All thanks to the time machine that his mom has invented

Here’s how the interview went:

1. Interview with 8 year old Trunks

Kartun #1: Hallo Chibi Trunks! It’s very nice of you to do this interview with me

Chibi Trunks: No worry… I have lots of time!

Kartun #1: Ok.. Haha.. How I wish I can say that. So… what’s your secret to becoming a millionaire at just 8 years old?

(At this point of time, Chibi Trunks started to get cocky)

Kartun #1 was flabbergasted with the number of toys Chibi Trunks took out! She was stuck with him for hours before she could go on with her interview with the second Trunks…

2. Interview with 18 year old Trunks

Trunks: Hallo everyone! I am Trunks, heir to Capsule Corporation soon.. I am also handsome and loaded with money (grinning widely)

Kartun #1: (Cough..) Hello Trunks! Before we begin, I just want you to know that it’s a great pleasure to have you here with me today.

Trunks: Hey! Don’t mention it! I don’t mind interviews at all. So what do you wanna know?

Kartun #1: Hmm… thanks! I understand that at 18, you already have a fortune with you. So what is your secret to becoming a millionaire?

Kartun #1 received some flying kicks and punches that naked eyes could not detect. Arghhhhh…….. =_=;

3. Interview with 28 year old Trunks

Kartun #1 was stunned the moment Trunks walked into the interview room. I think we all know the reason why @_@

Trunks: (Waving his hand in front of Kartun #1′s face) Are you ok?

Kartun #1: Yeee… sss… .Er… Ya…. Oh…. Hmmm.. (stammering because of nervousness sitting in front of such a handsome man)

Trunks: Are you really ok?

Kartun #1: (Composing herself and trying to look good despite the ‘black’ eye) Yea… Erm… Oh.. Thanks for being here for this interview. I know how busy you are, being the president of Capsule Corporation and all.

Trunks: No problem. I always appreciate time off no matter how busy I am.

Kartun #1: Let’s not waste your precious time then… So Trunks, we are all very interested in how you manage to acquire such a fortune at a young age. Can you please tell us the secret? (Yes! kartun #1 got her professionalism back

So there you have it – Secrets to becoming a millionaire, as shared by the same person at different ages. Don’t waste anymore time! Go and get your millions!

Sports always sell! Everyday everywhere there are millions of people doing sports and exercising – swimming, tennis, badminton, jogging, etc. Needless to say, most anime / manga with sports as its theme are also popular. Let us take a look at some of the more famous ones:

1. Prince of Tennis
Who can ever forget those handsome tennis players that have skills that defy human ability? Can anyone in this world actually ‘Twist Serve’ or create a Tezuka zone? Hmmm… I certainly have not seen any one done that in Tennis tournaments. However, those are also the merits of this anime. Without those super power skills, our adrenaline sure won’t pump everytime we watch the series. The anime ended at 178 episodes (WOW!) but the manga is still ongoing. Producers are currently releasing the OAVs called American Team to catch up with the manga.

2. Slam Dunk
Ah.. basketball! This anime is one of my personal favourites. The manga has 24 volumes and the anime, 101 episodes. Not only was it funny, it also managed to capture the essence of basketball well. I learnt a lot about basketball from this anime and had even started to follow the NBA after watchiing Slam Dunk…

3. Dear Boys
While we are on the subject of basketball, there’s also Dear Boys. Though not as adrenaline pumping as Slam Dunk, the mangaka did manage to come up with 25 volumes.

4. Captain Tsubasa
Most of the people in this world are guilty of sitting in front of the tube to catch almost every moment of the World Cup every four years. Naturally, an anime featuring soccer is popular. Despite the dodgy artwork of the early 80s, Captain Tsubasa is still popular among soccer fans.

5. H2
From tennis to baseball… Japanese anime really covers all the sports, don’t they? Though not a fan of Mitsuru Adachi, I followed the manga series.. up to a point. It was very slow paced, and I had to wait very long for the action to happen. Despite this, the anime managed to command 41 episodes! Prior to H2, Mitsuru Adachi had another manga called Touch (101 episodes). Sad to say, H2 was not as popular as its predecessor

6. Others
Aside from the aforementioned five, the anime industry has tonnes of others that feature sports. Below are a list of others, well, less well known anime that feature sports:

• Baseball – Miracle Giants Dome-kun
• Boxing – Hajime no Ippo
• Cycling – Over Drive
• Soccer – Eyeshield 21
• Swimming – Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umishi
• Tennis – Ace o Nerae!
• Volleyball – Attack No. 1, Crimson Hero