Canister X – A.P. Fuchs: Zombie, Paranormal Romance and Superhero Novelist, Blogger, Artist, Publisher

Heading off to Ai-Kon this weekend with my wife. Three days of manga, anime, video games, folks in costumes and general Japa-geekiness.

I’m excited. This is my first anime con so I’m eager to see what a convention dedicated solely to Japanese comic culture is all about.

I’m a manga fan, sure, but, I realize, not to the extent some folks there are. Presently, I read MegaMan, Black Cat, Ruruoni Kenshin, and I enjoy their anime counterparts.

My wife’s a huge Final Fantasy fan and was thrilled when she found out last night they’re going to have a Final Fantasy-themed ball. Um . . . better hide the tux, cape and my three-foot-tall spiky wig.

If you’re in Winnipeg and will be at the con, feel free to come and say I if you see me plodding around, looking at the manga and trying to find where they’ll be serving Japanese cuisine.

The Ai-Kon website and details about the con can be found by going here.

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5 out of 5

Lan and his friends are back, this time getting ready for a huge NetNavi tournament. Of course all kinds of things happen along the way as they prepare—MagicMan and NumberMan, just to name two—but it’s all good. MegaMan and his fellow cyber warriors are there to save the day! However, WWW has entered their own Navis into the tournament and it’ll be bad news for all if they win.

This volume picks up where the previous volume left off and now that all the character introductions are out of the way (See Vol. 1), you get to just sit back and watch them interact.

The chemistry between Lan, Yai and Dex is great. They all have their own attributes and rhythms that make them unique so they’re not two-dimensional like other cartoon characters out there.

MegaMan has proven to be a great hero—strong and quick-thinking. The villains harken back to the video games, each villain having a special power that MegaMan and the gang need to overcome.

This fan is looking forward to checkout Vol. 3.

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5 out of 5

MegaMan and Lan venture into the UnderNet in this third installment of Ryo Takamisaki’s manga. And it’s this UnderNet (the “under/darker” side of the Cyber Network) that’s the realm of the black shadow and home to PharoahMan, plus four deadly NetNavis that are each more powerful than our blue-clad hero.

This is manga action, bang-bang-bang-zoom!

This third book is the darkest one so far, the majority of the story taking place in the UnderNet. Takamisaki did a fine job when designing this realm of villainy, its awkward shapes and harder angles a sharp contrast to the more round and smooth motif of the Cyber Network. Really an up meets down, white meets black kind of contrast, this difference in places setting the tone of the entire story.

Volume three is a little more goofy, too. Everyone seems to be making jokes, not just Lan and MegaMan. Fortunately, the jokes weren’t campy and I found myself smiling at most of them. Only once or twice did I think, Okay, didn’t really need that joke there.

This story also further explores the Full Synchro concept, where the Netop joins their NetNavi in a NetBattle. Cool stuff.

Don’t expect a resolution to the story though. There’s a cliffhanger ending, but if this latest volume is any indicator, volume four won’t be disappointing.

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5 out of 5

World Three makes it move. The target? The entire planet, set for deletion. Humanity’s only hope lies on the shoulders of an eleven-year-old boy named Lan Hikari and his NetNavi, MegaMan. And something’s different this time around: Lan doesn’t watch MegaMan go into battle, he goes with him.

This second installment in Ryo Takamisaki’s manga series is fantastic. The first was an introductory book of sorts. This one takes it up a notch and goes full tilt right from page one. His art is just as good as in the previous volume, but also carries more edge and dynamicism given all the action scenes in this tale. The humor remains from Volume 1 but that, too, is upped and Lan’s and MegaMan’s banter is stellar. It’s worth reading this volume just for that if for no other reason.

Maysa, the fish guy and SharkMan’s Netop, is also introduced in this volume.

A really great sequel to its predecessor.

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5 out of 5

The world is hooked up to the Net. Everyone uses it constantly, especially Lan Hikari and his friends. Using handheld computers called PETs, they jack in to the Net and have huge cyber battles with their NetNavis. Lan’s NetNavi is MegaMan. And when Lan receives special new software from his always-traveling father, the upgraded MegaMan reaches a whole new level of efficiency and power.

This first volume of the anime series details MegaMan’s origin and follows Lan and his friend along on several adventures.

This isn’t an exact translation of the video game or, from what I’ve heard, the manga (though my copies of the first three volumes are en route to me as I write this). But it is similar in that MegaMan is always fighting another “something-man,” the villain in the handheld PET simultaneously wreaking havoc in the real world.

The major characters—Lan, Dex and Yai—are witty and fun. The action is fast, exciting and speed-lined, making each episode an enjoyable viewing experience.

Very recommended.