Written by Rikun
Hello to all you Crunchyrollers out there! It’s near the end of October, and most of us know what that means: Halloween is coming! Probably one of the best holidays ever for many people, but this is especially true for anime fans. That’s right. Ask any anime fan what their favorite holiday is and a majority of them are probably going to say Halloween. Now why, you may ask, is all Hallow’s Eve so widely appreciated by a majority of anime fans?
If you really have to ask this question, then consider this a crash course into the heads of anime fans. The reasons are just as various and endless as there are fans, and you don’t have to be an anime fan to love Halloween. However, there are some common factors that make this holiday so appealing towards many otaku out there. Some reasons include:
Official Cosplay Day:
For many anime fans, this is a no brainer. Halloween is widely known as a day in which people everywhere are allowed to dress as anything they want. While most of the American public tend to go for the more traditional ghosts and goblins or even modern pop culture icons, cosplayers already have this department covered in ways your local costume shop cannot even begin to imagine. Most people are content with buying cheap outfits or uncomfortable latex masks, but cosplayers take care in making every detail of their outfit count. Also in the true spirit of Halloween a cosplayer can also assume the identity of whomever they are wearing, adding that one extra dimension of character to their outfit. Although in the grand scheme of Halloween barely anyone outside the fandom will ever recognize the character (unless it’s Pokemon, Salior Moon, or DBZ), most anime fans find Halloween as a perfect outlet for expressing their inner fandom. True it’s never going to be like in the cons, but at least it’s one day where everyone is dressing up!
Going Goth:
If there’s something else both Halloween and anime mix very well with, it’s the gothic aesthetic. The black clothing, the neo-Victorian flair, the dark and twisted…it’s more than welcome at Halloween and with anime fans! All Hallows Eve is a night in which the spirits of the dead come to the realm of the living, which brings forth all sorts of dark imagery that goth fans love. As far as anime fans are concerned, this dark style works extremely well in various series such as Death Note, Vampire Hunter D, and countless other gothic tales. Plus, look no further than the Japanese fascination with Gothic Lolita and the various Visual-K styles that are prominent within the Harajuku youth. Anime allows for an enormous breath of imagination, and the gothic seems to come naturally as a result. Gothic fantasy is a fantasy that lends itself so well to a dark and beautiful style, one that is openly embraced by Halloweenies and otaku alike. So embrace the dark side on All Hallow’s Eve: you’ll look so good that way!
Supernatural Fun:
Let’s get one thing straight here. Though goth and supernatural make fantastic partners, they should never be used interchangeably with each other. Goth brings up images of a dark and dreary world, whereas the supernatural brings out a world of spirits, monsters, and things that go bump in the night. Though both are used together quite often, they don’t have to be the same thing. The supernatural can be bright and colorful! Just take a look at Spirited Away to see how colorful supernatural spirits can be! The realm of the supernatural is one that Halloween will always be associated with, but it is also a subject that anime fans embrace since so much of anime draws inspiration from it! While anime is more than capable of delivering realistic dramas and slice-of-life series, most people know it for diving into the realm of the impossible. The supernatural easily inspires thousands, even millions of series that all us fans grow to love, especially since much of anime loves to add that Japanese flavor that makes it oh so special. So when the spirits of Halloween rise to greet the living, welcome it with open arms! Let your imagination soar!
And Finally, The Candy:
Do I really need to tell you why anime fans like candy? I’m sure you can figure this out by yourself.
So all you Crunchyrollers get out there and have the time of your life! We know you enjoy it, and you know you enjoy it! And if I missed a good reason why, then don’t hesitate to say it!
What are you waiting for? Have a Happy Halloween!
Written by Masako
One of the greatest things about J-pop is the sheer exuberance of it. Its uncanny ability to uplift even the darkest of moods is unique and is respected within the anime community. J-pop comes in many shapes and forms from the killer riffs of Orange Range to the cutesy bubblegum groups such as Morning Musume; and that is where we are focusing our ears today.
One of the more iconic and consistent bubblegum J-pop groups to come out of Japan in recent years is the musical trio known as 'Buono!' (The '!' makes all the difference.) Established in 2007, the trio was announced at that year's Nakayoshi festival (the popular shojo magazine). The group consisted of Momoko Tsuganaga, Miyabi Natsuyaki and Airi Suzuki – members of the 'Hello Project! Kids' unit (spawned from the 'Hello Project!' umbrella outfit for all Japanese female recording artists represented by the Up-Front record label).
Once brought together in a band of their own, the members of 'Buono!' were commissioned to write and perform the original opening ('Kokoro no Tamago') and ending ('Honto no Jibun') themes of the highly popular show Shugo Chara. Their characteristic charm and overly cheerful nature is clearly expressed in the music they did and subsequently have done for the anime. After the first season ended, 'Buono!' continued to perform the ending themes all the way into the show's third season (Shugo Chara!! Dokki Doki~), albeit with Airi Suzuki taking the helm for the latest themes (including the latest and catchy as ever hit 'Our Songs').
With their third album soon to be released under the Pony Canyon label, 'Buono!' have established themselves as a well-respected troupe with top 10 records on the Japanese Oricon charts. Although they may have done music for one anime series as of this moment, 'Buono!' have progressed and become a band in their own right after time spent under the wing of 'Hello Project!' and its flagship band Morning Musume (the mega group of more than 8 girls whose lineup is steadily updated).
1) Special Achievements
Limited time achievement badges by watching Yumeiro Patisserie and LilPri this month from 9/1 to 9/30. Learn more about it here!
2) Boom Boom Satellites Ticket Giveaway
Boom Boom Satellites will be performing this month in Los Angeles AND San Francisco and we have THREE pairs of tickets to giveaway to each show. For more information on how to score some free tickets to see them click here!
3) REBORN Scavenger Hunt
Want to win a year's membership? All you need to do is locate which episode and time the provided 15 images came from within the entire REBORN series. For more information, please click here and good luck to all you happy hunters!
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