D.I.Y YOSHI'S WOOLLEN BANGLE

 By Jane McNichol

Hello everyone! Jane here with a little craft inspiration for July, and by inspiration I mean a look at what I’ve managed to try this month… enjoy. With the recent release of Yoshi’s Woolly World, I can bet I’m not the only one who has felt the urge to dig out the crochet needles in an attempt to create a Yoshi doll. But crochet takes a long time, and I am lazy, so my crochet aspirations are pretty unrealistic. However, sometime last month I stumbled upon a tutorial by Cintia [of mypoppet.com.au] for these lovely woollen bangle. 

With Yoshi on the brain, I couldn’t help thinking how perfect it would be for a [relatively quick] Yoshi craft!

The only change I made was using embroidery cotton in place of the yarn for details, as it was easier to thread through a needle. As for materials I already owned wool, double sided tape and embroidery cotton, so all I needed were the bangles, I picked these up from a local charity shop [4 for £2!]. So the whole project was relatively cheap! Due to the size I could only fit Yoshi’s head onto the bangle, if I’d given myself more space and time I would have liked to add clouds for detail. If you are thinking of re-creating this craft I’d suggest starting with a larger bangle to give yourself plenty of space to work with.

Overall this was a nice little project for July, took around 1 hour to complete and would make a cute gift!

[Bonus picture of my cat getting in the way of the crafts.]

NARUTO'S END: A RANT *SPOILER ALERT*

By Rachael Burhouse

This will be a very opinionated and somewhat biased rant about the ending of Naruto.  Do not expect facts here, and feel free to disagree!

The Naruto manga has ended.  This may seem old news, but now, it has ended again, with the last chapter of Naruto Gaiden, following the next generation.  And I am still unhappy with it.  I had hoped that Gaiden would explain or expand more on how the new generation came about (not like that – there’ll be plenty of that on AO3!).  I was disappointed.

I have a couple of main points of contention, which I shall expand upon here.

Sakura’s character development.  For real, what even happened?!  I will be the first to say I did not like Sakura originally.  To be fair, I started off during my teenage ‘all other girls suck’ stage.  She was obsessed with Sasuke to the exclusion of practically everything else, even to the point where she and her best friend declared war on each other.

But then she grew up.  She found a teacher who was powerful and strong and perfect for her.  She focused on her training, and her crush became secondary.  She wanted to find Sasuke, sure, but it was now a case of ‘I must become stronger to not be left behind again’, rather than ‘I’m gonna marry him and have his babies cos he’s hot!’.  Her relationship with Naruto developed, she kept him and Kakashi in line, she was badass!  So what happened?

Sasuke comes back, and she reverts to a twelve year old girl again.  Blushing, ready to set aside everything to be with him again.  What happened to her trying to kill him?!  To her false smile when Sai asks her if she’s glad he’s back?!  Has she forgotten everything he did?  The illusion of him running her through, that he used just to get her out of the way to fight Naruto?!?!  It feels like Kishimoto wrote this ending with Sakura from the beginning in mind, and stuck to it, rather than changing it with the natural development of his characters.

Then, it gets worse!  She becomes a housewife!  For a b***** who got her pregnant and then sodded off!  What happened to her being Tsunade’s best and brightest pupil?  To her excellent medical ninjutsu?  Why isn’t she running the hospital?  Advising Naruto and keeping his head on straight?  What’s with the fainting fits?  The concern over money?  I feel the whole thing cheapened Sakura.  And then, at the very end, she wants a kiss from Sasuke (reasonable enough for a married couple), but when he just turns away, she throws a tantrum.  Why is Sakura still with this guy?!  The Sakura we got to know cared more for herself than that.  I think she deserved more that to be Uchiha breeding stock.  And I think she should have demanded more from Sasuke, if you’re determined to have them together. (Sorry, SasuNaru shipper to the bitter end!)

Next:  Where the hell did NaruHina come from?  I’m sure there’ll be plenty of you who rage at this question, which is fair, but I just didn’t see it.  Honestly, I think, if I wasn’t shipping trash, I would say Naruto could very well be asexual.  While he maybe got embarrassed on some occasions due to ladies, he actually showed very little attraction to anybody.  His only kiss was accidental with Sasuke, he chased after Sakura more like a puppy, or because it was expected, than with any real intention.  And I don’t think he ever thought about Hinata like that.  Some will argue, justifiably, that him going nine-tails when Hinata was hurt by Pain is proof that he has feelings for her.  Cool.  But I think it would have been the same if it had been Sakura, or Sasuke (in another life), or Kakashi, Iruka, or almost anyone he valued.  Naruto loves all his friends fiercely, and was under severe duress.  He didn’t particularly look for her when he got back to the village, and there was no further hints of any extra feelings for her.  I don’t think there was the basis for a healthy relationship there at all.

And them as adults:  What the hell were they playing at when it came to their kids?!?!

Seriously.  Naruto and Sasuke both experienced intensely lonely childhoods, that warped them both to a degree.  They were both determined that things would be better in the future, that future generations wouldn’t experience what they did.  And what do they do?!

Sasuke abandons his child.  Worse than being told ‘later’, he doesn’t tell her anything at all, because he’s not there!  Sarada seemed so unhappy.  He didn’t even write to her, from what I can see.  So good job there, Papa-suke.  Congrats on raising a child who is almost as unhappy as you were.  Stellar job.

And you, Naruto!  What the ever-loving….wordI’mnotallowedtosay?!  Your kid is doing EXACTLY what you did to get attention!  Shouldn’t this tell you something?!  You misbehaved to get anyone to notice you, and now, when your son does the same, you just punish him?!  That, sir, is a FAIL.  Way to repeat the mistakes of the past.  (Also, Bolt?  What?)

Sakura.  You got angry about your child asking questions about your absent father.  You punched the floor right in front of her.  What.  Even.

The whole next gen thing just stinks.  The three main characters are crappy parents.  The kids, for some unknown reason, aren’t close.  Doesn’t that strike you as weird?  Naruto and Sakura were teammates and friends, right?  So wouldn’t they have been constantly in each other’s lives?  Wouldn’t their kids be at least familiar with each other?  Why does it seem like they have had zero interaction so far?  Have Naruto and Sakura fallen out?  I know, kids develop their own relationships and stuff, but I feel like they should have been more familiar, really.

I haven’t even mentioned how abruptly it ended.  When we got the five chapters till it ends warning, I couldn’t believe it.  I thought there was no way he could wrap things up so easily.  And he didn’t.  What did they do about Orochimaru?  Apparently, from what we see in Gaiden, he was allowed to live?  Kabuto set up an orphanage?  What about the elders who agreed to the Uchiha massacre?  Do they still have a say in village life?  What about grieving for all the innocent people who would have died when Konoha was blown sky high?  What repercussions did Sasuke face?  Cos yeah, that would have happened.  What’s happening with the bijuu now?  Are they just wandering around doing whatever?  I could go on.  I probably have gone on more than I should have. 

In conclusion, I feel the whole ending was a let down.  It wasn’t given the time it should have been, and the whole thing feels like it was written near the beginning of the series, and not allowed to develop along the lines of the story.  I feel like Gaiden was a horrible vision of the future.  It all seems like a fanfic of the end written by a SasuSaku and NaruHina shipper who has only read the beginning, heard about the end, and hasn’t learnt any better yet.  (No insult intended, I’ve been there, done that.  We learn.)   For myself, I shall stick to my own headcanons, and pretend the last chapter and Gaiden never happened.  Who you ship, and how you ship it is fine, I hope you find many glorious fics of your OTP.  But for the canon material, the ending of Naruto shall remain one of my greatest hurts.

NO ‘FREE!’ THIS SUMMER, BEST IMAGINE THE BIGGEST POOL I CAN…

By Susan Broadbent

As awesome as the setting for ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is, I’m going to go down a different road in this edition and trade in the boots for some flippers. I’m quite excited for any hot weather because it finally means going swimming again! I may not be as extreme as Haru from ‘Free!’ when it comes to diving into the water, but it did get me thinking about a few series that take place in a world completely covered in water. Whether as a fantasy setting or post-apocalyptical scenario, they all bear some similarity to the 1995 film ‘Waterworld’. Sorry Max, I hope your car is waterproof….

Blue Submarine No.6 (1998)

The Earth has been flooded as part of scientist Zorndyke’s grand plan to replace humans as the dominant species of the planet. He has bred an army of sea-creatures to fulfil his vision, but humanity fights back with the international Blue Fleet submarines. The crew of No.6 are the focal point of this four part OVA who are joined by former underwater pilot Tetsu Hayami after crewmember Mayumi Kino enlists him.

The story differs from Satoru Ozawa’s original manga. Additionally the new characters for the OVA were designed by Range Murata and Takuhito Kusanagi. Blue Submarine No.6 became known for its early combination of traditional and 3D graphic animation. The relaxing jazz OST by The Thrill also makes it stand out.

I remember catching the English dub on TV many years back and I have rewatched it occasionally ever since due to its stance on war and peace and the amazing nereid (mermaid) designs. The ending may seem anticlimactic to some, but this anime takes you on a two hour journey that leaves you wondering what could be long after.

Aqua Knight (1998)

Yukito Kishiro is best known for his sci-fi work ‘Gunnm’, aka ‘Battle Angel Alita’. Loving his art style, my friend purchased the three existing manga volumes of this more light-hearted work, Aqua Knight.

Marmundo is not only a world covered in water, it is effectively a disc which is split through the middle. In the world of Marmundo, there exist knights who ride on orcas and are equipped with armour that lets them battle beneath the water. Ruliya of Perla is such a knight in training; after a storm she is swept onto a remote island and is helped by a naïve young boy named Ashika and his father. In gratitude Ruliya grants Ashika one promise, who in turn wishes to become a knight like her. However when Ashika is kidnapped by inventor and scientist Alcantra, Ruliya sets out on a quest to save him. Aqua Knight is a great read for a fantasy adventure with a strong female lead and well-thought out characters.

Admittedly Kishiro’s random humour shines through and particularly Ashika’s nudity may take some getting used to, but the art style is solid and so is the story line. Officially it is on hiatus, so I hope it does get continued one day. I say if you ever get a chance to read this manga, go for it!

Suisei no Gargantia (2013)

A more recent series, Suisei no Gargantia was recommended to me by a friend on the basis that a language barrier and cultural differences existed between the characters.

The beginning of the anime takes place in space in the far future with pilot Ledo and his mecha named Chamber battling the aliens “Hideaaze”. Unable to return to the main ship, Ledo enters a wormhole and winds up in a location unknown to him and Chamber: a planet completely covered in water, known in his history as “Earth”. He had been salvaged by the crew of the Gargantia, whose language, culture and technology seem alien an primitive to him. Having served as a soldier his entire young life, Ledo must adapt to a new life of community and peace, though conflicts are never far off. Pirates roam the sea and it turns out there may be something lurking below the waters, too…

There are fan-servicey elements in this anime, with character designs by Hanaharu Naruko this may not be surprising to some people out there.  Furthermore perhaps 13 episodes were too short a time for a storyline with so much potential. As much as I loved the premise I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I had hoped and the genre is not really mecha or slice of life, making it hard for me to recommend whole-heartedly like other series.

"ONE, TWO, THREE!" SUMMER SURVIVAL EXPO GUIDE!

By Lauren Hodkin

Hey Everyone!

Hope you are enjoy your fabulous summer! It's starting to get hotter and these cosplays at times can make things a lot harder to enjoy conventions! So here is my "One, Two, Three!" summer survival expo guide!

1) You cannot predict the weather! When choosing your cosplay you definitely cannot determine the future! It is better to make sure you are prepared for all eventualities. This could include the following:
* Taking a spare change of clothes should you become too hot for your cosplay.
* Funny enough! It could rain. I always carry a small umbrella in my bag just in case the weather decides to change.
* Go see the convention's cosplay desk. Most conventions will have a changing area or a room that you will be able to relax, get some water and take that wig off for a bit! Use this! Cosplay staff are super helpful and certainly know what you're going through!

2) Make sure you take some food and drink with you! Of course all venues will have places to buy food or drink but how about when you are in that queue to get in or when you're busy taking pictures outside at a fan meet? It is essential, not only for your own health and safety but for others too that we all take responsibility and keep some water with us. In this heat we don't want people to faint or feel sick which can easily happen. If you do start to feel this way you should immediately contact a member of staff who will take you to the nearest first aid facility!

3) Stay within a group of friends or a meet! What a better way to enjoy a convention then spending it with the people who have the same interests as you! Whether you arrived by yourself and joined your favourite anime meet or you came with your friends from work or college; You will definitely feel a lot safer and happier knowing people around you. Look after one another. Be responsible and ensure that your group is having fun, eating and drinking, looking at cosplayers and asking permission for photos, looking round stalls! There is definitely plenty to do but staying as a group will giving you the peace of mind that someone is looking out for you when you need it!

So what is the underlining message of this! Make sure you are prepared. Many of us work hard on our cosplays and want to have great times at convention but we shouldn't let this affect our health or compromise our enjoyment! Speak to your friends or meets beforehand via social media and get plans sorted for the day. I hope this guide made you think about your next convention and whether you are prepared! Have a great summer convention season guys and look after yourselves.


See you all next time!
Cosplay @ Majikkon

TWINKLE JOURNEY SET RE-RELEASE

By Rachel & Natalie Wong

Last month a little miracle happen for a lot people when Metamorphose announced the re-release of their popular print Twinkle Journey. The two of us were also really excited when we first heard and couldn't wait to see the stock photos so we thought we'd like to share our views on it.

Rachel on Twinkle Journey:
Twinkle Journey was my first dream dress, I loved the pegasus print and the colourways abs cuts so I always look out for it in sales posts and auctions. Sadly it still hasn't made its way into my frilly collection. The main reason being I never seem to come across it in the right colour /cut and right price when I have the funds. I was really excited to buy it brand new during the re-release but the when I saw the stock photos I was a little underwhelmed. The cuts, colours and print were lovely but they lacked the magic of the original. My hunt continues.

Natalie on Twinkle Journey:
I find Twinkle Journey to be a dress that is subtly stunning. It's sweet and fun while not being over the top. It was really nice of Meta to re-release such a loved print but it just isn't quite the same and I'd prefer it if they re-released the original. I really appreciate Meta's efforts but I feel that this time I'm not in a hurry to make a reservation.

Check out Majikkon's **Lolita-Lounge** and get involved.

Love and frills~

MY PERSONAL E3 SUMMARY

By Jessica Herrett

For me there is no doubt that at E3 this year Bethesda won the hype train. With announcements such as Doom and Fallout 4 they definitely set E3 off to a great start with their press conference. Doom’s multiplayer looks great, with co-op as well as the ‘snap-map’ function and its demonic head-crushing graphics are beautiful. As for Fallout 4, it has definitely got me excited though I didn’t care much for the franchise beforehand. With the extensive slider-free character creation, beautiful scenery based on a post-apocalyptic Boston this is something I am definitely looking forward to. There was also the addition of crafting and house-building, though this didn’t wow me much after being disappointed with a similar type system in their Elder Scrolls game Skyrim.

Their pre-fallout app Fallout Shelter has proved a moderate success. From personal experience it is very fun and charming and is great with its lack of ‘pay to advance’ scheme that usual apps take advantage of. However, as you advance and your vault gets past 20 dwellers most people report that their game splutters and crashes, something I have experienced myself. As it is in its early stages I will give it the benefit of the doubt as there will be (hopefully) updates coming soon. My dweller I sent into the wastelands is most likely dead by that point however due to only have 6 Rad-Aways and Stim-packs (Oops, sorry Mr. Burke.)

Secondly in the game would be Sony, their announcement of The Last Guardian had fans cheering even though we only got a sketchy release date of 2016. They also drew attention to the kick-starter of Shenmue 3, which has already reached its target goal and will be in production soon. The thing I would most like to draw from the Sony press conference however is the Final Fantasy VII remake. At first I was sceptical, the idea of taking an old game and boosting up the graphics didn’t wow me and although my nostalgia for the game is great I would much prefer my square-cloud. However, with the announcement that they are not only updating it to HD graphics but also looking to change the gameplay got me interested, so I will be keeping an eye out for further developments there. A new IP in the form of Horizon Zero Dawn certainly also caught my eye, though with so little to go on other than tribal humans hunting robot animals I would have to know more.

Microsoft and the Xbox One comes trailing in third, their announcement of backwards compatibility is something that should have been in the initial release although it did come as a shock that they are still bothered about it at this point. Fallout 4 will also have mod compatibility for the Xbox One, whilst this comes as a nice surprise and will be great for the modding community, I will be getting Fallout for the PC so great news for you Xbox One owners. The announcement of the Hololens was also huge for the technological market, though a lot of people have been sceptical on its working ability as well as the fact that unlike Project Morpheus (Sony’s VR) you would have to have a compatible PC as it doesn’t work with the

Xbox console. Both VR’s are very much untested and probably need more work before anything comes to mass-market.

Lastly was Nintendo, though their puppets were fun and Star Fox was a great surprise for nostalgic Nintendo fans, their Metroid game came out lacking and their press conference fell a little flat. However, due to Nintendo releasing news before E3 and at their own leisure, this does not necessarily mean that Nintendo is losing out at all. One surprise was a lack of Wii U games in favour of 3DS, although the 3DS does sell more games I can see why their focus lies there.

So in conclusion this E3 has certainly brought out enough games to be hyped about but there has been stuff left out that I would have liked to see, or things I would have liked to have seen more of. Bethesda’s first E3 was a great start and though everyone else tried, the competition started out too strong. However, I’m sure that there is plenty for everyone out there to get excited about.

 We would love to hear your E3 highlights and lowlights!

RETRO REVIEW

By Jacob Lewis-Fell

Ecco The Dolphin

Before PlayStation was a thing and Microsoft stuck to making computer software there was two game console companies to pledge your loyalty to. Nintendo and Sega. Picking which side you were on was a big deal and kids used to argue relentlessly in the playground as to which companies’ consoles were better. Nowadays Nintendo’s classic library of games are well known whilst Sega is less so (with the obvious exception of sonic the hedgehog). As someone who was a Sega fan boy back in the day this is upsetting. So seeing as though I’ve been asked to write a short review I’ve decided to pick one of my favourite games on the Mega Drive, Ecco The Dolphin.

Ecco The Dolphin was a 2D game where you played as a dolphin. Who doesn’t want to play as a dolphin? You could swim around, eat fish, do back flips out of the water and battle sharks. The plot was pure insanity. Basically dolphins have to protect the world from alien invaders. So next time you see a dolphin be sure to thank it for protecting the galactic peace.

It was one of those games that was not only fun to play but also puzzling, sometimes frustrating so. In order to progress the game you had to talk to other dolphins and whales who would give you clues as to what it was you were actually supposed to be doing, usually in the form of some obscure riddle. Trying to work out these riddles sometimes sees you just swimming around hoping to find something to interact with which can soon become tedious.

The game also had you perform some interesting acrobatic stunts in order to gain access to certain areas. This was always one of my favourite parts. The control is so fluid and I like being a dolphin. Again who doesn’t like being a dolphin? So if you fancy some 2D dolphin action then I recommend this game. Personally I’d say buy a mega drive if you haven’t got one already, or you can get the game on Nintendos Virtual console, XBLA and even there’s even a 3DS version out now.