NOVEMBER 5, 2003. The Anime Review Why the $%#@ is my head so. big?!?!? Well kids, I think it’s about time for another sporadic anime review, don’t you? Our secret word for today is...(dramatic pause) -hack//sign, a nearly awesome pro- duction from Bandai Visual! The production end of this show is jam-packed with heavy hitters such as Director Kouichi Mashimo (Noir, Xenogears), Script Writer Kazunori Ito (Ghost in The Shell, Patlabor) and Character Designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion, and my personal fav.....FLCL!!!) The -hack world is a true multimedia pro- The Manga Review ject. There is a book which acts as a prequel, the series itself, and 2 popular video games, all of which tie together into a huge and con- fusing story arc. Due to my pecuniary predicament and inability to read at even a 5th grade level, I only got the opportunity to watch the first 5 episodes of the series. The basic story behind this anime is this: “The World” - the very creative name for this huge MMORPG (Mass Multi-player online game) - is more complicated than anyone knows, and people are starting to get hurt. Tsukasa - a lonely and very typical anime leading boy; blank stares, anti-social tendencies, you. name it - seems to have some sort of power within the game and an inability to log off, much to the interest of the system administrators. Along with Mimiru - an extroverted and obnoxious young girl; Mimiru is Asuka to Tsukasa’s Shinji (hopefully someone gets that...) - and a crazy mismatched group of unlikely heroes, they search for answers within this crazy world.... While an obvious amount of work has gone into this project - beautiful concepts, excellent art direction and an interesting story - I fear that hack may be too big a pro- ject for any but the most hardcore of fans, and anyone who isn’t used to the visually based (rather than plot based) story struc- ture that most anime exudes will likely turn | Currure 20 chack off rather quickly. It’s bad enough that us nerds have to put up with mediocre dubs in the first place, but when the original Japanese script is already cryptic and con- fusing, the English translations read like liner notes to a Beck album; you think that maybe you might possibly kind of know what's going on but there’s the weird flying donkeys and the talking water... But yet again, I digress. .hack is an inter- esting project to look into if you have some time to spare, but for the beginners I would suggest something smaller and less over- whelming. Something with gas powered bass guitars.. Our Fraser River More than we thought by Dana Schwehr >> Viz 2003 Ceres: Celestial Legend.is a beautiful shoujo manga drawn and written by Yu Watase, the creator of Fushigi Yuugi. Shoujo manga is defined as manga that appeals to both male and female readers, with realis- tic characters in exciting stories. The definition goes on to include some drivel about “connecting the heart and mind through real human relationships”, but some of you out there might want to ignore that bit. Ceres is a beautifully drawn tale whose main theme is based on an old legend that has been retold by many different cultures. The story says that a farmer came across a celestial maiden while she was bathing in a river, and fell in love with her. Because he wanted her to stay with him for the rest of his life, he stole and hid her feathered robes. She could-not return to her home without her robes, so she married the farmer and bore his children. Ceres Celestial Legend is the story of the celestial maiden’s descendants, sixteen-year-old Aya Mikage and her twin brother Aki, Aya is a average highschool student, until her sixteenth birthday, when everything is thrown into chaos..The Mikage family has a strange custom of showing a mummified hand to Mikage children on their sixteenth birthday. Unfortunately for Aya, the hand awakens her. latent “celestial maiden” powers, which causes her grandfather to proclaim that, for the good of the Mikage family, Aya must die. Despite the rather dark storyline, Ceres manages to be quite’ full of funny little moments. The story includes a maniacal old lady whose hobby is stunt driving, a bossy older sister-in-law who has a rather Ceres Celestial Legend Vol. 1: Aya violent ‘method of managing her household, and the traditional boy/girl accidentally walks in on naked girl/boy in the bathroom gag. This last joke is com- mon-to many manga and anime series, and makes one wonder if bathroom doors in Japan actually lock or not. All joking aside, Ceres has its dark parts, and is intended to be something of a horror story. There is graphic violence, as well as much splattering of blood, “Ceres is an excellent book, the art is breathtaking, and the book is full of shiny men and pretty ladies. The story is interesting and makes one want to read past the first vol- ume.” and there are some rather intense scenes that the faint of heart may not enjoy. The violence in the book is not obscenely graphic, but there are gunshots, and - “splorkage”, so if even tasteful violence bothers you, , don’t pick this book up. Other than that, Ceres is an excellent book, the art is breathtaking, and the book is full of shiny men and pretty ladies. The story is inter- esting and makes one want to read past the first vol- ume. One interesting thing to note is that this is the second release of Ceres in North America, and this version is much cheaper than the first. So if you have seen Ceres at your local comic shop in the past, but thought it was too pricey, definitely check. this publi- cation out. It is now only $13.95 in Canada, which is an excellent ‘price for manga. about our backyard... By Stephanie Johnston SPLISH!! SPLASH! Did you know? That the 1378 kilometre: Fraser River is the biggest river in British Columbia and the fifth biggest in Canada? The Fraser River is home to the endangered white sturgeon, the largest (6 metres) and longest living (over 150 years) fish in Canadian fresh water, I'betcha can’t guess how many species live in the Fraser. I'll give you a clue: it’s more than fifty. It’s EIGHTY! This eco- nomic activity accounts for EIGHTY percent of the gross provincial product. Yikes. That’s a lot. The Fraser River hits home. Literally. For me, it’s right in my own backyard if you drive a little way down a wind- ing road. For you in Prince George, it’s also in YOUR back- yard! . So, why am I telling you this? Because the Fraser River is the lifeblood of .the province of British Columbia. Not only that, but it works as.a supportive sys- tem for massive salmon runs, riverside wood product indus- tries, agricultural harvests, immense shipping and transport facilities, and more. Yea, that’s our Fraser River. Not joking or pulling your leg about it. If you don’t believe me, why not ask one of the approximately two million people, or two thirds of the population of British Columbia, who live in the Fraser basin.. That’s pretty crazy if you ask me. Most of the owners are of this land are farmers and metal mines. Now for the real scoop on what favour I need you to do. The Fraser River is dying. Well, not dying as.in Leo saying good- bye to Kate in Titanic, but dying because we are threatening the Fraser in everyday life. This includes companies who pro- mote the fish and wood indus- tries, residential areas, and*even ferry terminals. This isn’t all; it’s because of us taking over that we are losing our wetlands. Wetlands. Where have *yot? heard that word before? Doesn't that take you back to science class; when your teacher told you to pay attention. NOW - “Now for the real scoop on what favour | need you to do. The Fraser River is dying. PAY ATTENTION! We're killing our wetlands. Yes, I said killing. They are dying, just like in all those action movies we watch. Doesn’t that bug you? There is hope, so don’t go swimming or floating away thinking I am leaving you with- out a solution for how to get all the oil out of your feathers. Iam giving you a solution. There are groups like the Fraser Headwaters Alliance that work to promote ecologically sustain- able human communities and economies. They use books and strategies that can apply to the Fraser River today. Yes, I said today. So the Fraser won’t be dying for our children in the long-term future. Simply put, check it out and feel better when you see our Fraser River in better shape not only for us today, but for tad- poles tomorrow. Happy swim- ming!