Anime Central 2014 + Two Pokemon Charity Marathons

I've got several new videos. First, here's another press session from Anime Central 2014, this time with Trevor Mueller of "Reading With Comics":

This one discusses getting comics into the classroom.

Next, here's some info about two current video game charity marathons:

If you ever wanted to have your own Pokemon music on vinyl, this is your chance!

While you're here, take a listen to my favorite music track so far from Mario Kart 8:

Pokemon Adventures in Unova Volume One Releases 9/23/3014

Amazon has recently put up a listing for volume one of Pokemon Black and White: Adventures in Unova, set to be released on 9/23/2014. Like the third volume of Rival Destinies releasing tomorrow, it is a four-disc set.

Best Buy Smashfest, By the Numbers

At a recent Smash Bros "Smashfest" event at a Best Buy in Madison, WI, I collected some data regarding character selection, stage selection, and wins for a portion of the matches. There are several relevant pieces of information about this data:

-Data was recorded for 68 of the matches (I'd estimate there were between 80-100 total that day) during the afternoon of 6/14/2014. Each match included four players, and each set of four players played two matches, each lasting two minutes.
-Unlike locations in larger markets, the line at this store was short enough that players could get back in line and play another match if they wanted, which several players did.
-The data does not include the matches I played in.

As such, I am not claiming that the data is unbiased or universally applicable, however I still think that some conclusions can be drawn.

Character Selections

Character	Selections	Wins
Bowser	5	1
Donkey Kong	2	1
Fox	6	2
Greninja	28	10
Kirby	12	1
Link	18	4
Little Mac	28	4
Mario	10	0
Marth	13	7
Mega Man	28	8
Olimar	5	0
Pikachu	11	2
Pit	4	2
Random*	6	1
Rosalina and Luma	25	5
Samus	7	3
Sonic	6	2
Villager	19	6
Wii Fit Trainer	19	3
Zelda	9	2
Zero Suit Samus	11	4

*Of the six times the random option was chosen, Donkey Kong, Greninja, Little Mac, Olimar, Pit, and Villager each came up once. Greninja was the randomly selected character that won a match.

It's clear from the data above that the new characters were selected the most often, and presumably also the ones players were most interested in. Despite there being more than twice as many returning characters available, more than half (55.26%) the directly selected characters were the new ones. The only returning character that came close to being selected as often as the newcomers was Link, one selection behind Villager and Wii Fit Trainer. It is worth noting, however, that new characters were approximately as successful as returners-discounting randoms, 26.05% of returning characters that were selected won, versus 24.49% for new characters.

Stage Selections

Stage	Selections
Battlefield	10
Mushroom Kingdom U	6
Skyloft	4
Pilotwings	8
Wily Castle	7
Boxing Ring	5
Town and City	6
Coliseum	4
Random	18

Stages were selected more evenly than characters, suggesting a more even preference (or lack thereof).

Pokemon Origins now available on iTunes US, Canada, and other countries

The Pokemon Origins mini-series that debuted last year is now available on iTunes US and Canada, along with several other countries. The series is $11.96 for HD and $7.96 for standard definition.

Earlier this year, we were able to ask a few questions of Kyle Hebert, who performed the voice of Professor Oak in the mini-series:

Anime Central 2014: Helen McCarthy (Author of "The Anime Encyclopedia")

At last weekend's Anime Central 2014 near Chicago, I attended a press session for Helen McCarthy, author of numerous anime-related books, including The Anime Encyclopedia. You can see her answers to a variety of questions about anime and conventions in general here:



The latest edition of Helen's The Anime Encyclopedia is due out this December.

Anime Central 2014: Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament Winner

Christopher “Toast” Woodson

The following is an interview with Christopher “Toast” Woodson, winner of a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament at Anime Central 2014.

Where are you from? 
I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee.

How did you get into competitive Smash Bros.? 
Well, I’ve always been a fan of Super Smash Bros., and one day when I was looking up YouTube videos of Melee, I saw some players doing things I’d never seen before like Wavedashing (a special way of moving following a dodge). It looked really amazing and I wanted to be able to do that too. That’s when I got into competitive play.

What were the rules for the tournament?
This tournament went by the standard rule setup-all items off, four stock, eight-minute time limit, double elimination (winners and losers bracket) and Stage Strike (1) unless players agreed on a stage. I don’t remember if wobbling (an Ice Climbers technique) was or wasn’t allowed though.

What made you choose Falco for this tournament? 
Falco has always been my main character since Melee came out. I feel that if one can win a tourney with such a technical character, that person really earned the win. I play other characters competitively as well, but Falco will always be my prime choice for tournaments.

In the finals, your opponent used Fox, a similar character to Falco. How are the two characters different? 
Well, without getting too technical, Fox and Falco are different mainly because of the way they combo. Fox is stronger with up smashes while Falco is stronger with forward smashes. Fox is also faster overall and falls more quickly than Falco. Additionally, simple things like Fox’s shine spike (used to prevent players from getting back to the stage) making a character go downward and Falco’s shine making them go up makes them very different characters to play with.

The finals were a best-of-five match, and at one point you were down 0-2. What did you do to turn it around?
When I played the first game, my hands weren’t really doing what I wanted and I even killed myself once. This upset me, and because of that I started playing more angrily than normal, and by the next match I was a wreck. My opponent even noticed this and said, “Your Falco is too salty. You need to calm down.” That was the turning point. I took a few deep breaths, relaxed a bit (it is a game after all) and played much smarter and better than I had the previous two rounds.

Of what you’ve seen so far of Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, what are you most excited about?
I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what the new Smash Bros. brings to the table and I’m really excited about seeing how awesome Mega Man is. I’ve been a huge fan of that character since I first played his games on the Super Nintendo and watched the show on TV.

What else did you do at the convention?
I spent a great deal of my time in the game room and in the dealer’s room. I did walk around for a bit and wanted to cosplay, but my cold kept me from doing too much of that. Between the arcade room, the game room, and the dealer’s room, I was pretty much set and had a great weekend. I can’t wait for next year.

1. “Stage Strike” is a system by which players alternate removing stages from a list until there is only one left, which is the stage the match is played on.

Pokemon TCG Flashfire Prerelease: Rockford, IL + PokePress in Japan Part 3

Chris Hoag

The following is an interview with Chris Hoag, a player I met at a recent Pokémon TCG Flashfire Prerelease near Rockford, Illinois.

Where are you from, and how long have you been playing the game?
I’m from the small town of New Lenox, Illinois, roughly 45 minutes southwest of Chicago. I started playing in 2007, but I didn’t get into competitive play until this past September.

The first card you’ve picked out from the set is Mega Kangaskahn EX, one of several Mega Evolutions in the set. What made it stand out for you?
Mega Kangaskhan EX caught my attention for a couple of reasons. The first is that it’s my favorite Pokémon, and the second is that it has such a low energy requirement for a good amount of output-three colorless energy gets you at least 100 damage. With Double Colorless Energy, you’ll have multiple options for getting that attack on turn three.

Next up is Forretress. The ability looks interesting-how do you think it’ll be used?
As you said, Forretress is an interesting card. I’m all for spreading damage without attacking, and after thinking about it, I could see it being used in conjunction with Flygon and Dusknoir from Boundaries Crossed. The strategy is fairly simple: Use Flygon’s “Sand Slammer” ability to add damage counters between turns, Forretress with Devolution Spray to place them during your turn, and Dusknoir to move the counters and knock out your opponent’s Pokémon.

Finally, we have the trainer Trick Shovel-what kind of decks do you think we’ll see it in?
Trick Shovel is one of my favorites from the set. I could see it being used in an Aggron mill deck, or even Yveltal/Darkrai variants, specifically the variants that rely heavily on Junk Hunt Sableye. But who knows? Only time will tell.

The Pokémon TCG Flashfire set is available in stores now. 

As a bonus, check out the third part of our coverage of my recent trip to Japan:

This installment covers my time in Kyoto, visiting an arcade, and the bullet train.