Entering the contest takes only minutes and is 100% TOTALLY FREE!!! I encourage you to get your friends involved so we can make this contest extra fun this year! Click on the link on either the top of the bottom of this post, go to the page and click “Predict It!”. If you need to make an account on BracketMaker, it is free, safe and easy! Please join us and help us make this fun! In the past we have had 30-40 entries. I want there to be many more this year!
***If you have any questions about this contest, how it was created, or the entry process, please PM Mitsugi on our forum.***
This is a 64 day, single elimination tournament where anime characters from the 1990’s and 2000’s, will battle it out to represent their respective decades to determine which decade is superior in anime history. These characters were nominated by our forum members, over the past weeks, and tournament seeding was determined based on voting frequency. Characters who received a greater number of nominations, received stronger seeding.
Also, to throw in an extra element of fun, 2 forum members and 2 podcast hosts have been entered into the contest as the 16th seeds. These forum members are Guts Matrix and Canadaman. The Podcast Hosts are Chiaki and Roukou. Congratulations!
The matches will begin as a poll on the main websites top page. There will be one poll per day, starting on January 7th, until the event is concluded. Website visitors will vote in the poll for their favorite character, the character with the most votes moves on. The character with less votes is eliminated. There will be pictures included on the poll to show the characters involved. Last time we did this, Chiaki made all the pictures and they were quite nice.
These matches will be predicted by YOU, in your quest to be the winner of this contest. Predictions are done in the style of the NCAA March Madness Men’s Basketball Tournament and points are awarded for correct predictions. The person with the highest point total at the end of the tournament wins the contest.
What do you get if you win the contest? How about a 1000 piece anime puzzle, unopened, purchased in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, by Mitsugi and Chiaki. We selected it, with love, for you.
Here are the relevant dates of the contest:
Relevant Dates: Signup Deadline: January 5th, 2011 Tournament Start: January 7th, 2012 Tournament End: March, 9th, 2012
The Addicts are more than pleased to announce that we will soon be interviewing Steve Blum in person at the Florida Anime Experience. Steve has agreed to sit down with us for a forty-minute interview.
Steve has lent his talents to more anime than we can count. Most well-known as the voice of Spike Spigel in Cowboy Bebop he’s also played: Rodger Smith in Big O, Eikichi Onizuka in Great Teacher Onizuka, Orochimaru in Naruto, Shishio in Rurouni Kenshin, Mugen in Samurai Champloo, and more!
He has also voiced dozens of characters in famous games such as Dragon Age:Origins, Call of Duty, and Metal Gear Solid. Steve is among the few who makes his full living as a voice actor.
If you’d like to submit questions for Steve let us know on Facebook, our Forums, or in the comments below.
Metrocon is in it’s 9th year and is the largest anime convention in Florida. Sporting a massive dealers room, artists alley, rooms of panels, human chess tournaments, and past events like fire jugglers this is one con you do not want to miss. This is our second year of attendance and we couldn’t be more excited. Check out there website for continuing updates on guests and events.
We’re looking forward to being in attendance and will have a booth which will have various contests and events throughout the weekend. Some of these will include raffles and prizes. Stay tuned for more information on dates and times for events at the booth.
Find out how you can Win this prize pack!
The Panels We will be doing include:
Girl’s Guide to Con Going: 2pm Friday in Panel Room 18
Chiaki and Kimiko sit down and go over their no-holds-bar Girl’s Guide to Con Going. This panel has been informative, funny, and sometimes ending in a conga line throughout the convention. What is on the Girls Guide? Well we can’t tell you! But it’s definitely something for the ladies, and maybe even the guys. The Cosplay Dating Game: 12pm Saturday in Panel Room 22 Three lucky girls and three lucky guys will compete in the traditional speed dating Q&A style for one lucky bachelor and one lucky bachelorette! But here’s the catch, they’ll all be in Cosplay! You don’t want to miss the questions, the responses, and the reactions this panel is going to bring out. Prizes for the winners! Sign-up for the bachelors/bachelorettes will be 30 minutes before the panel so don’t miss out if you want to participate.
Traveling to Japan: 12pm Sunday Panel Room 19
If you want to someday go to the land of the rising sun this is not a panel you want to miss! Hosted by someone who has not only traveled extensively through Japan on multiple occasions (most recently this year) but has lived there as an exchange student with a host family for 6 months. This panel offers a good rundown on everything from the culture, things to see, and how to make a budget. Get an insider’s look at Japan and get the insider scoop before planning your trip. The Best Anime Never Seen or Heard Of!: 3pm Sunday in Panel Room 19
So much good anime goes unwatched because it never makes it over to America. Or, even if it does make it to America, it’s unsung and found collecting dust in the back of the store. If you’re a new anime fan or an old veteran this panel is almost certain to expose you to at least one thing you’ve never seen, or even heard of! This panel is new and improved, so kick back, relax, and get a sampling of some great anime.
The Addicts are very excited to attend the Florida Anime Experience. Tom Croom from Wasabi Anime (the people who are running the convention) has kindly helped us out and gave us the convention hook-up.
So what can you expect from the AAAPodcast? Aside from seeing us about the con?
The big thing is Panels! We’re releasing two new panels and updating old favorites. The lineup currently looks like:
Cosplay Speed Dating
Three lucky girls and three lucky guys will compete in the traditional speed dating Q&A style for one lucky bachelor and one lucky bachelorette! But here’s the catch, they’ll all be in Cosplay! You don’t want to miss the questions, the responses, and the reactions this panel is going to bring out. Prizes for the winners! Sign-up for the bachelors/bachelorettes will be 30 minutes before the panel so don’t miss out if you want to participate.
Friday: Sign-up 3:30-4:00pm with the panel from 4:00 to 5:00pm
Otaku: More than a Word
Many American anime fans proudly say they’re an Otaku. But do you know where the word comes from? Does Japan have the same anime fandom pride surrounding the word as America does? An educational panel illustrating the history of the word Otaku in both Japan and America, focusing on both historical events and representations in anime.
Friday: 6:00pm-7:00pm
The Best Anime You’ve Never Seen, Or Heard Of!
So much good anime goes unwatched because it never makes it over to America. Or, even if it does make it to America, it’s unsung and found collecting dust in the back of the store. If you’re a new anime fan or an old veteran this panel is almost certain to expose you to at least one thing you’ve never seen, or even heard of! This panel is new and improved, so kick back, relax, and get a sampling of some great anime.
Saturday: 11:00am-12:00pm
Traveling to Japan
If you want to someday go to the land of the rising sun this is not a panel you want to miss! Hosted by someone who has not only traveled extensively through Japan on multiple occasions (most recently this year) but has lived there as an exchange student with a host family for 6 months. This panel offers a good rundown on everything from the culture, things to see, and how to make a budget. Get an insider’s look at Japan and get the insider scoop before planning your trip.
Saturday: 2:00pm-3:30pm
(Note: Dates/Times are subject to change)
If you’re coming to the convention let us know! Or just discuss the happenings on our forums.
Other things you can expect from the Florida Anime Experience include:
A viewing room hosted by Anime World Order Podcast
A star-studded line-up of guests including Steve Blum and Brett Weaver
AMV, Costume, Cosplay, and singing contests
Cheap Tickets! Pre-Order your weekend pass for only $32.77!
From April 21st to May 1st Chiaki and Mitusgi were traveling Japan. Taking in the sights, tasting the food, and experiencing all that the culture had to offer. There will be talk on their adventures on Episode 82 of the podcast. But we’ll share photos from their trip here.
Also, we uploaded a TON of videos on our YouTube Channel as well so check them out too!
Shortly after the Tsunami and Earthquake struck Japan the A.A.A. Podcast launched into action. We started what we called the A.A.A. Relief Effort to help our friends in Japan who needed it most. Now, barely three weeks later our efforts have reached their conclusion.
We set our initial goal at $500.00, and were shocked when you all had given us enough donations of every amount from $0.44 to $100.00 to reach this goal in barely a week. Raising the goal to $1,000.00 we raised the stakes: donating original work from our store and saying that if we reached this lofty goal we would have a cross-dressing podcast episode. You all remained true to your end of the deal and put in enough money to raise the final amount to:
$1,018.13
That’s an astonishing amount! While there is little to find to be truly celebrated amidst this tragedy this is one small victory which everyone should feel proud for. So to everyone who donated, contributed, tuned in, and cheered us on thank you. This is your victory in the end, not ours.
We had placed a Poll up on our top page and in other places to choose the charity which we would donate to. A total of 57 people voted and The Red Cross won with a whopping 38 votes! That’s 67% of the votes, so a definite majority.
In keeping true to our word on 10:55 PM EST on 4/2/2011 we donated the full amount of $1,018.13 (we actually donated $1,019.00 because you couldn’t donate cents so we rounded up) to the American Red Cross via Paypal:
So once again, thank you all, if you still have money to donate I encourage you to do it here:
Stand Strong Japan, you have the love of the anime community! (One final Reminder, Mitsugi will be dressing like a girl on the live episode on broadcast on UStream at 8:00pm EST on Sunday the 3rd of April.
Due to the devastation of the earthquake and tsunami that recently hit Japan (described here) the A.A.A. is reaching out to their greater anime community to stand together and support Japan. We are collecting money until the end of the month (March 31st) which will be donated to a charity of your choosing. Our goal is to collect information and post it here for you so that way we all can make an informed decision of where the money will do the most good. This post will be updated as time goes on and the efforts of the charities progresses. The key here is to do the most good.
Discuss charity selection on our forums or in the comments below.
“Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the American Red Cross has been the nation’s premier emergency response organization. As part of a worldwide movement that offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war, the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim of preventing and relieving suffering.” (read more)
How much money do the people who need it get?
An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work. (read more)
What are they doing in Japan Now?
“On Sunday, the American Red Cross will deploy a disaster management expert from its Washington, DC headquarters to Japan for a week-long mission. She will serve on a seven-person, international team focused on providing high-level support and advice to the Japanese Red Cross, which continues to lead the local earthquake and tsunami response.
To date, the Red Cross has not received any requests for blood from the Japanese Red Cross, the Japanese government or the United States State Department.
In the first 24 hours, the Japanese Red Cross dispatched 62 response teams. These medical relief teams – made up of about 400 doctors, nurses and support staff – are already providing assistance in affected areas through mobile medical clinics, as well as assessing the damage and needs of the communities affected.” (read more)
Do they offer a way to donate specifically to Tsunami Relief? – Yes
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971.
Today, MSF provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols. (read more)
How much money do the people who need it get?
“MSF strives to operate efficiently and to minimize fundraising and administrative costs. Between 1995 and 2009, MSF-USA allocated more than 85 percent of its expenditures to MSF’s social mission–programs and public education activities. Maintaining this standard is a high priority for us.” (read more)
A simple way to put this is a little more than 0.85 cents of every dollar goes to the programs Doctors Without Boarders engages in.
What are they doing in Japan now?
“The Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team sent to the area devastated by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunamis in northeast Japan continues to assist in the massive government-led relief effort. The team has expanded to 10 people working in Miyagi Prefecture, and additional personnel will head towards the area on Monday.
“On Sunday, we conducted mobile clinics and assessments in two evacuation centers,” said Mikiko Dotsu, the coordinator of the MSF team. “It appears that medical needs are increasing in evacuation centers.”” (read more)
Do they offer a way to donate specifically to Tsunami relief? – No
“Save the Children serves impoverished, marginalized and vulnerable children and families in more that 120 nations. Our programs reach both children and those working to save and improve their lives, including parents, caregivers, community members and members of our partner organizations. We help save children’s lives, protect them from exploitation and assist them in accessing education and health care.
Through disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, rapid humanitarian relief and long-term recovery programs, Save the Children also assists millions of girls and boys at risk of or affected by natural disasters, conflicts and ethnic violence.” (read more)
How much do the people who need it get?
“In fiscal year 2009, 90 percent of all expenditures went to program services. That percentage is an average for all of Save the Children’s programs worldwide; the percentage spent on in any particular program may vary.”(read more)
A simple way of saying this is that 0.90 cents of every dollar goes to programs they are engaged in.
What are they doing in Japan now?
“Save the Children has sent emergency response teams to assess the needs of children and their families in the worst affected tsunami areas between Miyagi Prefecature and Tokyo in Japan.
“We’re looking to set up child-friendly spaces in the worst affected areas. These spaces provide children with an opportunity to play safely with other children while freeing up their parents to work on the recovery,” added McDonald.
Save the Children has been operating in Japan for 25 years.” (read more)
Do they offer a way to donate specifically Tsunami relief? – Yes
“International Medical Corps focuses on the delivery of community-based primary health care. We emphasize training and education, and prioritize hiring local staff – in fact, 96% of our field-based staff and health professionals are recruited from the local community. This helps to ensure that skills and knowledge are passed on and remain long after our programs have ended. Through the integration of specialties like emergency medicine, women’s health, nutrition services, water and sanitation, and mental health into the primary health care setting, we ensure that those we serve receive holistic, comprehensive care. The value of International Medical Corps’ integrated approach to community health and well-being and our emphasis on capacity building through training are critical for the long-term growth of conflict and natural disaster-affected communities and fragile states.” (read more)
How much do the people who need it get?
Another way of saying this is that 0.92 cents of every dollar goes to their efforts.
What are they doing in Japan now?
“International Medical Corps has deployed an emergency response team to Japan, following an 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan’s coast, triggering a tsunami that devastated northern parts of the country and put a tsunami warning in effect for much of the Pacific.
“We are putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities,” said Nancy Aossey, President & CEO, International Medical Corps. “While Japan has a large capacity to manage a disaster of this scale, we will respond as needed.”” (read more)
Do they offer a way to donate specifically Tsunami relief? – Yes (This one is slightly tricky, they offer a way to donate to their emergency response fund and imply that it is going to Japan, but don’t specifically say it is.)
“GlobalGiving is changing the way people give, offering donors a transparent, high-impact giving experience. You choose where you want your money to go, and we get it there, quickly and efficiently.
GlobalGiving enables you to fund the underdog. We give access to new sources of funds to creative ideas and projects that might never be funded through traditional structures and development and philanthropy approaches.” (read more)
How much do the people who need it get?
Global Giving says that they take a 15% “fulfillment fee” meaning the cost of operations. This means that 0.85 cents of every dollar goes to the charities. But it’s important to remember that since global giving is only re-distributing each charity will take their own operating cut as well.
What are they doing in Japan now?
“This project will disburse funds to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. GlobalGiving is working with International Medical Corps, Save the Children, and other organizations on the ground.” (read more)
Global Giving currently has a goal of:
Total Funding Received to Date: $544,075 Remaining Goal to be Funded: $305,924 Total Funding Goal: $850,000
By my understanding they will redistribute this to other charitable organizations as needed.
Do they offer a way to donate specifically Tsunami relief? – Yes
“SOMA, Japan – Radiation is spewing from damaged reactors at a crippled nuclear power plant in tsunami-ravaged northeastern Japan in a dramatic escalation of the 4-day-old catastrophe. The prime minister has warned residents to stay inside or risk getting radiation sickness.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tuesday that a fourth reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex was on fire and that more radiation was released
Prime Minister Naoto Kan warned that there are dangers of more leaks and told people living within 19 miles (30 kilometers) of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex stay indoors.” – Associated Press (full article)
Original Post:
At 2:46pm on Friday, March 11th an 8.9 earthquake just off the coast of northern Japan (Nearest to Sendai) shook the country to it’s core. Following the earthquake a 23 foot, seven meter, tsunami washed over the Miyagi prefecture. Following the quake the earth continued to rumble for more than four hours of aftershocks and over 130 smaller quakes, 111 of which 5.0 magnitude or greater
The earthquake shook the country all the way down through Tokyo, almost three hours south of Sendai and over 190 miles from the epicenter, so hard that the top of Tokyo Tower has been bent and the NHK had to cease broadcasting operations from it’s point.
As of today, over 563 people have been confirmed dead. There are an additional 600 to 800 bodies who have yet to be identified. There are hundreds still missing.
In the coastal town of Minami-soma alone over 1,800 thousand homes have been destroyed. Train operations have since resumed in Tokyo, but the infrastructure of most of the northern Japan remains in shambles. Communications have failed, and most of the people in this area are without cellular service or a means to contact their loved ones. Beyond that, the essentials have been lost. Despite the loss of homes there are also problems with the administration of fresh water and electricity. Approximately 4.4 million people are estimated to be without power. This is due to both damage to lines as well as two nuclear power plants having been shut down.
The plants, in Fukushima were damaged in the quake and following tsunami. Specifically, their cooling systems were damaged and forced to shut down. As a result the reactor’s nuclear core is heating at a dangerous rate and a nuclear meltdown is becoming a greater concern. Everyone within a 20km radius of the plant has been evacuated, three have been hospitalized for leaked radiation poisoning. The reactor employees are resorting to using sea water to try to cool the reactor slowly.
As the death toll continues to rise, and more people begin to find themselves refugees in their own country the world looks on with a single question, “What can I do?” The addicts of the A.A.A. Podcast are no exception.
Join us, this Sunday at 8:00pm EST for our fundraiser show. If you cannot, donate to the A.A.A. Tsunami Relief fund via the paypal donation buttons. We will be collecting donations through the end of March Thursday, March 31st. Donate what you can, every dollar will make a difference. We will give 100% of the donations to a charity specifically targeted at Relief Efforts.
Which Charity? Well the Addicts will be doing research all through to month to what each charity is doing, what impact they are having on the country to those who need it most, and their reputation for donations going to the people they say it will. The addicts are considering the following charities:
The American Red Cross: Tsunami Relief
Save the Children
Doctors without Boarders
International Medical Corps
Global Giving
Since Japan has already expressed they want limited foreign aide (which can change as the full scope of the disaster is understood) we will look at who is really getting in, and who is really making a difference. Please post your thoughts or knowledge on these charities or others here or on our forums. The key here is to help.
Let us all stand together and show our support in Japan’s time of need.
“MSF strives to operate efficiently and to minimize fundraising and administrative costs. Between 1995 and 2009, MSF-USA allocated more than 85 percent of its expenditures to MSF’s social mission–programs and public education activities. Maintaining this standard is a high priority for us.” (
