My favorite Anime series are the ones that came out of the 1990s, before CGI and shallow storylines consumed the industry. One of my favorite series that is still running today, has kept to its old roots with hand drawn work and classic 90s stylings. Detective Conan (or Case Closed as its known in the west) follows Kudo Shinichi, a 17 year old genius detective who learns too much about a mysterious crime syndicate. They force him to drink an experimental poison then they leave Shinichi for dead. But the poison doesn't kill him, instead it transforms him back to his 7 year old self. To keep his friends and family safe, he takes on the persona of Edogawa Conan and once again takes up solving cases.With almost 70 Manga volumes, over 580 Anime episodes, 14 movies, and 2 live dramas - Detective Conan doesn't seem to have lost any steam with both the Manga and Anime still in production. With such a proliferation of episodes, you would think that Detective Conan would get stale and lose its popularity. While, character designs and storyline start to get a little similar, overall the show has continued to do well being ranked in the top 10 in popularity contests and winning excellence awards. The thing that I enjoy most about Detective Conan is that the cases that Conan has to solve are all self contained in one or two episodes. You don't even have to watch the cases in order since there are only minor references to previous cases. While the gimmicks and tricks that are used to both commit and solve the crimes can get stale, the twists are fun and interesting enough to keep you guessing. Detective Conan also does quite well in the longer movie format, presenting more complicated cases not found in the 23 minute episodes. Classic 90s Anime at its height, great storytelling, fun characters, and solid whodunit cases make Detective Conan an Anime you can't miss.
With today's ability to get any information at a lightning fast speed you would think that it would help journalism and the spreading of news, opinions, and information in general. Yet, I find it increasingly difficult to find quality work though the internet, newspapers, magazines, news channels, and other forums that spread information. Even with topics as simple as video games, Anime, and hockey - it feels that journalists, reviewers, and fans have yet to learn how to check their work for quality control.When I first became a gamer back in the PlayStation era, my house was not connected to the internet, so my options for gaming news were very slim. My only real source at the time was the Official PlayStation Magazine and I relied on it heavily to help me pick the very few games I picked up during my early gaming years. One thing I loved about OPM was the background information you got on all the contributors - you knew who liked RPGs, who predominately played platformers, and who played shooters. Having that information helped to understand where some of the opinions in the reviews and previews came from and made it easy to add weight to the flaws and pluses of a certain game. Even with its many contributors, OPM was always internally consistent, with one person's 5 star rating basically on the same as another person's 5 star rating. Looking at the reincarnation of OPM, I can't help but miss the good ole' days when I actually knew who wrote a certain piece or when two games that shouldn't be on the same level received different scores. Unfortunately, PtoM is nothing like it's predecessor with its inconsistent ratings to the revolving door of contributors and editors coming and leaving. Heck, I can't even name who the editor-in-chief is right now because there have been so many yet I can name everyone from the last year of OPM.Newtype is the premier magazine to get Anime and Manga news in Japan and its U.S. counterpart was no less superb. Then Newtype U.S.A. decided to break from the traditional and began adding in western movies, books, music, and other pop-culture. Cutting back by half on the information that I wanted and adding in a bunch that I didn't forced me to look elsewhere for my J-News. I quickly turned to Otaku USA and its 6 magazines a year subscription. Like PtoM, you'd think that because I pay for the service, their quality control should be pretty good - wrong. While PtoM's problems can generally be overlooked, Otaku USA is almost worthless as a source of information. I understand that with only 6 magazines a year, some of the information will be old but doing full blown cover pieces on an Anime that wasn't even released in this century? If they want to talk about some of the older works, they should put it in a special column dedicated to the Anime of the past, not take up precious space to tell me things I already know about Anime I already own. While PtoM seems to be filled with an overabundance of opinion in their reviews, Otaku USA is the opposite. Mostly a summary of the plot, the reviewers don't even give you basic information like age rating, number of discs, release date, and publisher - opinion and constructive praise and criticism are barely existent as well. Once my subscription is over, it's goodbye Otaku USA.If the "professionals" can't give you the information, why not go to those dedicated fans that know all the ins and outs. NHL's official website links a lot of articles from various sources including Bleacher Report and even has their work listed as feature articles. So, of course I popped over there to check out the latest news and opinions straight from the fans. While I understand not everything a fan writes will be of the utmost quality, I was at least expecting the featured columnists and their articles to be held to a higher standard than the other writers on the site. I quickly found out that this was not true after reading several articles and opinion pieces. One contributor in general had me scratching my head as to how he formed his opinions. He was especially harsh on Nabokov and he used his own professional hockey experience to add to his thoughts. After reading many other fans disagreeing with the opinion presented, I later found out that this featured columnist was only 18 and his professional hockey experience was from his 2 months of college hockey (not even NCAA mind you). I'm not one for age discrimination, heck a great comic series called Axe Cop is written by a 5 year old, but I was shocked to see someone make such harsh criticisms of an elite NHL player just by comparing his own experiences in college. Needless to say, I have been very disappointed with the overall selection that Bleacher Report makes for their featured columns.Personal blogs, letters to the editor, and comments are all ways for us to express ourselves fully and freely. Yet when it comes to professional and semi-professional informational sites, I expect their to be a little more quality control presented in the work posted. From reviews constructed with merited praise and criticism to opinion articles that are based on facts and not fiction - with the flood of information that is at are fingertips, just make sure that you know who it's coming from because you are the only one who can maintain your own quality control.
I got back from my trip to Las Vegas, Nevada a few weeks ago and I still can't get over how much I wish I didn't have to come back home. I have always loved Vegas, ever since I was a kid I have always just enjoyed that city so much. Even though this was my 7th time there (and the first time that I was actually legal to gamble) it still was just as fun and exciting as my first time. It's kind of hard to really say what makes me love Las Vegas so much but I do have some favorites that always keep me wanting to go back for more.
1. The Shows - No place on earth has shows like Las Vegas. It's like a mix of the best of Broadway with the total immersion of theme parks like Disneyland, the shows in Vegas are a complete experience. Take Phantom - the Las Vegas Spectacular, one of the shows I saw on this visit. Situated deep within the Venetian, the entire theater is built to resemble a classic Parisian opera house, from the seats to the stage, even the carpeting and lightning fit the look and mood perfectly. Because in Vegas, the theaters are built specifically for the shows they house, from KA's steampunk aura to the Blue Man Group's zany comedy - once you entire the theater's lobby, it's like you've been transported to another place and time. Going to see a show in Vegas is a must for anyone looking to be treated to a brand new experience.
2. Las Vegas Area - Okay, so this might not be on most people's top 3 list of why they love Las Vegas but it is sure on mine. Surrounded by an expansive, and I mean expansive desert, Las Vegas is like an oasis in the middle of nowhere. One of my favorite things about visiting Las Vegas is the drive into the city. Miles and miles, hours and hours of nothing but flat desert and Joshua trees. I grew up in the high desert and have always loved it, I can't stand seeing tall green trees, grass, and plants - like the area I live in now. Nope, the only trees I like are Joshua trees, a cool form of cacti that only grow in the Sierras and down to Death Valley. Coupled with temperatures that easily get up to 118 - the desert, heat, and lack of green stuff make Las Vegas one of my favorite places on earth.
3. Walking the Strip - If you haven't been to Las Vegas before let me warn you about something - the traffic is horrendous! Luckily, Las Vegas is a city designed for the pedestrian and it is truly in its best form when viewed from the sidewalks. When you walk with thousands of people up and down the strip, not only do you get to see some of the greatest gems Las Vegas has to offer (like the dancing fountains at the Bellagio) but you also get to experience Las Vegas' unique "vibe". It's both exciting and relaxed at the same time and Las Vegas is a city where everything is happening and nothing is happening at the same time. When you take to the streets in Las Vegas you can choose to see and do as much as you want and you will never get bored. From shopping to people watching, make sure to give yourself enough time to just go out and explore Las Vegas thoroughly.
Even though the hockey season is officially over, there has been a lot of action and news this summer with both the NHL Draft and Free Agency deadline only a few days apart. The Edmonton Oilers selected Taylor Hall as the 1st overall draft pick. Ilya Kovalchuck, one of the best goal scorers was rumored to be joining the Los Angeles Kings (something I was not looking forward to) until he was offered a 17 year contract with his current team the New Jersey Devils. If that doesn't sound crazy enough, the NHL Deputy Commissioner stated today that the contract was rejected so they are back to square one. The Stanley Cup Champions have also had some major changes happen to their team, after finally winning the cup and ending a 49 year drought (the longest in the NHL) they had to let go of several of their top players including Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, and Kris Versteeg. Worse yet, they have yet to sign their goalie Antti Niemi to a contract and with the salary cap, they might not be able to make a worthy offer that would keep Niemi in Chicago.
And what of the Sharks? General Manager Doug Wilson kept busy as usual doing some solid work this summer. Most notably was their 8 draft picks including a 1st round pick which they used to acquire Charlie Coyle, the Rookie of the Year in the Eastern Junior Hockey League. While the newly drafted players won't be seen in Teal for a while, there are a few Sharks regulars that won't be returning to Teal next year either. I mentioned earlier that Sharks Captain Rob Blake announced his retirement, an unfortunate loss for the Sharks but a great move for Blake. I'm glad to see him leave the league after such a great season though he will be greatly missed in San Jose for his great shot, strong defensive play, winning experience, and most of all his leadership on and off the ice. Not only does this leave the Sharks without one of their best top 4 defensemen but also means that the Sharks will have their 3rd captain in 3 years.
Others that won't be returning to San Jose are Brad Staubitz who was traded to Minnesota, Manny Malhotra who went to Vancouver, and Evgeni Nabokov who will be returning to Russia to play hockey. Malhotra's loss will definitely be felt by the Sharks but unfortunately it was a matter of money and with Manny's great play last season, a lot of teams were looking to grab him. As for Nabokov, it was also a money issue in that the Sharks didn't have the cap space to keep him as well as the other players they needed to offer new contracts to.
To fill the role that Manny left behind, Doug Wilson re-signed Scott Nichol to a 1 year deal. While Nichol might not have scored as many goals as Malhotra, he definitely is up to the task to fulfill the other roles that Manny did. Not only is Nichol a great energy player who has a lot of grit, he is also an excellent faceoff guy. With Manny now in Vancouver, I expect to see a lot more ice time for Scott this next season and I can't wait to see them go head to head when the Sharks meet the Vancouver Canucks for their 4 game regular season matchups. Goalscorers Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski were also re-signed for 4 years, both Patty and Joe have never played for any other team except the Sharks, so it's great that they will be staying in Teal for at least 4 more years.
Some other noteworthy keepers are Niclas Wallin and Jay Leach. Not only do I totally disagree with Wilson's choice but I can't believe that he even gave Wallin a $775,000 raise! Wallin is 35, a slow skater, does not produce offensively even an ounce, and has yet to prove that he's worth the money. Not only is he not an aggressive defensemen but he doesn't even challenge opponents in his own zone, he lets them skate on by and take the shot. I do not understand Wilson's thinking at all. I will give Wilson credit for trying to get a strong defensemen in Hjalmarsson from Chicago. Unfortunately, Chicago made a counter offer so the Sharks lost out. I'm sure that Wilson is still hunting for another defensemen and maybe even another forward.
Other than the Wallin snafoo (and I'm not too thrilled about Leach either), Wilson has done a pretty good job in making a solid looking Sharks team - re-signing top forwards like Marleau and getting rid of some expensive players like Nabokov which only leaves a few holes in the Defensemen department. As for Nabokov's replacement, Wilson went after Silver Medalist, and MVP of the 2006 Olympic Hockey Tournament Antero Niittymaki, previously of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Number 30 also played in the 2010 Olympics representing his native Finland as well as playing in the World Champions and World Junior Champions. He was drafted by the Flyers in 1998 and played with their AHL affiliate the Phantoms were he won the Calder Cup (their version of the Stanley Cup) and Playoff MVP. While his numbers aren't stellar, Niittymaki is a solid and competitive goalie, he is even known to play with everything he has in scrimmage games. And while he doesn't have much NHL Playoff experience, he's proven that he can compete and win when push comes to shove. Considering that Tampa Bay is one of the worst teams in the league (and it's not because of Niittymaki), it will be interesting to see what his numbers look like when he has one of the best defensive teams put in front of him.
There is a lot more to discuss about the Sharks and the players that we might see next season in Teal. With the development camp already underway, I'm sure there will be some rookie additions to the Sharks lineup as well as a few more free agents coming to San Jose. The 2010-2011 season will be the 20th anniversary of the San Jose Sharks and I'm looking forward to a great and glorious season.
