MTAC Successes of 2009!

2009 was a great year for MLS Teen Anime Club! Here are just some of the amazing things we contributed to the Mississauga Library System:

-More than 25 new graphic novel/manga titles were selected for addition to the Mississauga Library System's collection thanks to the MTAC members! As of right now, S. A., Air Gear, and Hayate the Combat Butler are just a few of the new titles you can find in the Mississauga Library Catalogue thanks to MTAC.

-MTAC members volunteered their time to help build a successful haunted house for the Central Library Children Services' Halloween event.

-MTAC members brought with them a lot of enthusiasm at the Mississauga Book Fair to promote the MLS Teen Anime Club to other teens, as well as entertaining crowds with their dance performances.

-Our growing numbers in the club allowed us to screen new Anime titles at the Central Library's Noel Ryan Auditorium thanks to our friends at Operation Anime of FUNimation Entertainment.

I'd like to thank our very active members (in no particular order): Niki, Olivia, Kasia, Liz Z, Cianna, Carla, Angelie, Reuben, Celina, Daryll, Kyosha, Kaye, Keney, Rycka, Michelle S, "DJ" aka David, and Jessica Ferreira of the Courtney Park Library for making this one awesome Otaku club! Let's make 2010 an even better year!


-Jason Loo
MLS Teen Anime Club Founder and Coordinator

Manga Review: Apothecarius Argentum

Summary
"Argent was fed poison during his youth to turn him into the ultimate assassin with an immunity to poison. The King of Beazol bought the slave boy to be the food tester for his daughter Primula. However, the princess frees Argent and instructs him to flee from the palace. Years later, he reappears as a master chemist and skilled healer and saves Primula from an assassination attempt. As a result, he's promoted to the position of Royal Apothecary. But any potential relationship will have its limits as Argentum's very touch has become poisonous."

Review
If you asked me what kind of manga I read most often, I would reply: "Shoujo", but my manga pet-peeve is weak, useless heroines. That is exactly why I like Apothecarius Argentum. The leading girl is strong, and the other characters are just as entertaining. Another thing that sets this manga apart from other shoujos is that it has a storyline other than the main characters trying to get together. The storyline is very original and unpredictable, and every chapter seemed like something new rather than the same scenarios repeated.

While reading this manga I also learned a lot about different chemicals and poisons that actually exist -at the end of each volume is a guide to the different chemicals that show up in the story. Usually "learn" and "manga" don't belong in the same sentence (I know I'm not a fan of science), but it gives the manga a realistic feel.

The art doesn't seem spectacular at first glance, but as you keep reading it grows on you and you can feel the characters' emotions portrayed very clearly.

My only regret about reading this series: I did not want to know where the red colour in my Fruitopia came from (look up "cochineal" on Wikipedia).

You can find the first 8 volumes at the library, if you're interested in reading it.

Review by Liz Z.

January and February Meetings!

January 15th meeting - We'll have two Wii-systems playing the New Super Mario! Bring extra controllers for multiplayer-action! This will be held in the Central Library, Children's Services, Story room @ 3:45pm!

UPDATE!!! February 12th meeting! We'll be tapping into the board game of GO (made famous by Hikaru no GO) from a representative of Golden Key Cultural Center. They will provide us the game sets and teach us the ways of GO!

Be sure to check the event listings on the left-hand margin for the details.

MTAC Anime Screening in December: Black Cat (vol.1)

MLS Teen Anime Club presents
An Anime Screening courtesy of OperationAnime.com
Black Cat (vol. 1)

Mississauga Central Library, Noel Ryan Auditorium
Friday, December 18th 2009
4 p.m. - 6p.m.
Free Admission!
Black Cat is a PG rated film

What's it about? Sven is your run-of-the-mill sweeper (a.k.a. bounty hunter) – down on his luck, haunted by the perpetual grumbling of this stomach and looking to make enough cash just to get by. Oh, and he can see the future, but only about five minutes into it. When a dirty politician lands a price on his head, this sweeper jumps at the chance to turn a quick buck. But as he’s working to secure the target, his vision reveals an assassination that will cost him the job. A confrontation with the mysterious killer and Sven has no idea that he’s brushed up against the worst possible luck...

Manga Review: Special A (S.A.)

S.A. This story is centered around two high school students, Hanazono Hikari and Takishima Kei. However hard she tries in school, Kei always beats her, therefore earning her the title "Ms. #2". Kei, undeniably, is in love with Hikari, and everybody realizes this except for herself! They were introduced to each other at a young age, as their fathers were friends. Assuming that she was the best in wrestling, young Hikari challenged Kei to a wrestling match only to be thoroughly defeated by him. Ever since that fateful incident, Hikari swore to beat Kei in school grades, a sporting event - anything. To do this she has enrolled in the same school as Kei since elementary. Now she attends Hakusenkan, an ultra elite school, that costs her carpenter father a lot of money. Hikari and Kei are the top two students in the school, with Kei holding firmly to that number one position.

This manga is one of your typical shojo manga; chock full of adorable art and beautiful characters! It is also quite humorous, but light enough not to distract from the romance aspect. Maki Minami creates charming characters, who in the end, all have their own happy endings! Perfect for the type of shoujo-lover who likes it when everybody has somebody to end up with. :)

Review by Cianna W.

1MSDC: One-Minute Speed-Drawing Challenge Oct. 16

MANGA REVIEW: Boys Be...

The Boys Be manga comprises of multiple short stories, each about how a guy tries to date a girl, or how a guy deals with relationship problems with a girl, and all kinds of situations you can think of, involving a guy and girl. The stories mainly revolve around the guy, and through reading the story, you find out how he thinks and acts. In the process, guys can learn many tips involving girls to be found in this very manga. Not only is it funny, it is a pleasure just pick up and read. You do not need to start at volume 1, as each manga has a unique short story to enjoy.

Honestly, this manga is directed toward guys... lol. I showed a female friend of mine this and she just threw it back at me! But seriously, there is a lot of fun, realistic stories you can read in this manga. If you don't know much about girls, this is a good place to start if you are afraid to talk to them (shy guys). If anyone has read Train Man (Densha Otoko) or Salad Days you will most likely love this.

Review by Donald L.

1MSDC = One-Minute Speed Drawing Challenge!

A new game was born when Kyosha was showing off her thirty-second sketches at our last meeting: the One-Minute Speed Drawing Challenge!

MTAC Anime Screening in October: Moon Phase

MLS Teen Anime Club presents

An Anime Screening courtesy of OperationAnime.com

Moon Phase (vol. 1)

Mississauga Central Library, Noel Ryan Auditorium

Friday, October 30th 2009

4 p.m. - 6p.m.

Free Admission!

Moon Phase is a PG rated film.

What's it about? A vision of grace and beauty trapped within the ancient walls of a forgotten castle, awaiting the one who will set her free.

While Kouhei ranks among the best in paranormal photography, he’s never actually seen a ghost! So when he fails to capture a hauntingly beautiful young girl on camera, curiosity drives him into the arms of a haughty vampire and a world he cannot comprehend. The vampire Hazuki, having waited years for someone to finally set her free, proves unwilling to part with her unwitting hero and follows him home, promptly adopting his life as her own. And as the adolescent vampire wreaks her own flavor of havoc, mysterious forces conspire to reclaim what was lost. Some riddles are best left unsolved…

Manga Jams!

Manga Jam pages from August meeting.


Drawn by Chad O. and Argyle B.


Drawn by Rycka C. and Cianna M.

Review on Fan Expo 2009

I only attended one of the days, August 29th (being the Saturday.) I attended with 2of my other friends. I cosplayed as Suiseiseki from Rozen Maiden, and one of my friends cosplayed Chii from Chobits.

This was a particularly new experience to me, as the only other convention that I had attended was Anime North. Fan Expo was pretty fun, but when compared to Anime North, I would probably rate it a 4/10.

UUUUUGHHHHHHHHHH. Is all I have to say.
My friend went there two years ago, and told me it wasn't very good. She came back this year hoping for some improvements.... not so much, though.
I guess it's because it's a con split up between 5 different genres. It's not exactly all dedicated to anime so I didn't really do a whole lot of shopping. I did get a a poster, some Vocaloid prints and some lolita accessories though.

As for cosplayers, there weren't as many as I hoped there would be. The majority of cosplayers (I'm guessing) were characters from comic books. However, some of the cosplayers were amazing! There were zombies, anime characters, Marvel characters and a whole load of Darth Vaders and Stormtroopers. Also, my friend (Chii) and I got a lot of attention because our costumes were frilly and lolita-ish.

I would attend this convention again, but probably just to cosplay and see the costumes. (Maybe just sneak downstairs and sit around and have a cosplay picnic.)
But I would recommend this convention to people who are more interested in comic books, gaming, and horror!

Review by Cianna W.

Fan Expo 2009!

This weekend is the big all-in-one comic/anime/gaming/horror event in Canada! Fan Expo will be at the Metro Convention Centre. I'm sure you're all gonna be there in some capacity, either as a cosplayer, a gamer, a shopper, an artist, or even just as a spectator. Feel free to share your Fan Expo 2009 experience on the blog. Just email your convention stories to jason.loo@mississauga.ca. Hope to see you there!

Manga Review: Dazzle

Dazzle is a story about two very different people on a hilarious action-packed adventure. The adventure begins after Rahzel is suddenly kicked out of her house after her dad tells her she should see the world. Along the way she meets Alzeid who is trying to get revenge for the death of his father. While travelling from town to town trying to solve questions about their pasts, they often end up helping others and acquiring new allies as well as enemies.
This manga is in no way a typical shoujo manga- the characters all have very unique personalities, and the story is not completely focused on romance. The story starts off on a light tone, but in some instances it becomes over-serious. At the beginning there seems to be little storyline, but as you keep reading it becomes more clear. The artwork in this book is very stunning. The characters facial expressions look very realistic yet simple. The characters’ clothing is always very detailed and eye-catching. How rare to find characters that regularly change their clothes/hairstyle!
You can find this manga at the library (first three volumes), and at Chapters (first ten volumes). It was also made into an anime (called “Hatenkou Yuugi”).

Review by Liz Z.

Manga Review: Soul Rescue

Soul Rescue is centered around the story of a rogue angel called Renji. Renji only knows how to fight, and as a punishment for being too violent, God sends him to Earth. In order to return back to Heaven, Renji must save 10 000 human souls. God also sends an elite angel called Kaito to watch over Renji and to help him with his mission. Before Renji is sent to heaven, God gives him a special power that will help him save the souls; a power called 'Soul Rescue', which will help to relieve humans of emotional and physical damage.

When I first started reading this manga, I was intrigued with the style of art (which was very detailed and original), and also how smooth the transitions from page to page were. At the beginning of the story, I was fairly confused because it jumped straight into the story without a brief introduction. However, after reading deeper into the manga, past events were explained to give the reader a more clear understanding of the storyline. I also liked how much the manga could appeal to both fans of shounen and shoujo manga. It contained both action and battle scenes (for shounen fans), plus some light romance for shoujo fans. Unfortunately, the library only owns the first two volumes, but I would recommend this for all manga fans! :D

Review by Cianna W.

MTAC Anime Screening in August: Suzuka vol. 1

MLS Teen Anime Club presents

An Anime Screening courtesy of OperationAnime.com

Suzuka (vol. 1)

Mississauga Central Library, Noel Ryan Auditorium

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

2 p.m. - 4p.m.

Free Admission!

Suzuka is a PG rated film.

What's it about? High School is a hectic time of change for most… But for happy-go-lucky Yamato, it’s gonna be a complete revolution! He’s the new kid in class, having transferred to the big city to attend Aoba High, where he finds himself smitten with the local rising star of track and field. Yet two people could not be more different!

As Suzuka remains completely uninspired by Yamato’s cheerfully irresponsible nature, things progress from bad to worse with record-breaking speed. So when the young man decides to step up his efforts and join the track team, his best might not measure up!

It’s mixed signals and high school hormones with everyone running in circles! Throw in the antics of a handful of high school stereotypes, and Yamato’s completely out of his league! When love is not a spectator sport, the only question is who will go the distance?