BMN Notice Board
Okay, I guess I'll turn this space into a 'notice board' where I put up notices for any crap and stuff that may be going on with BMN and the site layout. I've been working on hunting down a neu background as well as figuring out a neu header navi and banner. As far as BMN TV goes, it'll probably just feature various MVs, AMVs, and trailers to anime and other Asian stuffz.
"So in the meantime, more changes will be eminent on the site"
- xanga.com/mr_faust (blogger/site coordinator)
Weblog
Thursday, 16 December 2010
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I Think That's All She Wrote
BMN (Rising_Zero)
Er, well, maybe not completely (I would hate to say that and all of a sudden come back and show you what I'm made of!), as Xanga is what's gotten me into this blogging nonsense, but I think I'm officially done here. A lot of things have taken my time lately, and I have not been able to focus on this. Instead of letting it drag on, I'll put it out there that I won't come back, meaning most of your updates will come from either Nani or Mr. Faust. Unfortunate yes, but the writing was kind of on the wall when I didn't manage to write during the Thanksgiving break. You may think that's a case of forgetfulness, but no...I just didn't feel up to it. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I had more things that I had to take care of personally. Maybe's it because I couldn't really get into it after all. Well, enough of the excuses. Guess I'mma hang it up for now.
So wait, does that mean I'm done with Xanga for good? Er...I think that's why I wrote the first line :D
Anyways, before I leave out, I must wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I still think BMN can be successful, so continue to come by and make your presence felt. If you want to join the staff, send an email to bmnarticles@yahoo.com or just send a message. Anyways, I better stop writing, or else I'mma go on for ten thousand more years, and age way too much!
Saturday, 06 November 2010
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Complete Obliteration
BMN (Rising_Zero)
Urgh. It's definitely been a while huh? Sorry for the lack of new articles up lately. I really need to come up with a time for when to write. But I've been busy with a lot of stuff lately--so busy that I forgot about this site for a week now-_-
Sadly, I'm sure I won't have any other articles up anytime soon--except Thanksgiving week. I should have time then to come up with something, especially since there's a lot to talk about in the Anime world!
As for everyone else, they're still around. I think :D
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
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Fall 2010 Anime Season
Guest Post (Jimbo1023)
As the last season fades away in my rear view, it's time to dredge out another selection of series to follow as the year comes to a close. With only one returning series, hopefully the new IPs will pique my interest. Surprisingly, many of them have, but then force me to hang my head after a single episode. None of them are complete deal-breakers, but they do highlight a trend that greatly saddens me. Anyway, enough introduction, let us get started. As usual, I shall list the series I am following in order of preference:
Amagami SS
Genre: romance
This is how I envision my death.
In an amazing stroke of genius, this series decided to forsake the traditionally long-winded romances of others and split their series into six independent stories. Thus far, it has been awesome. We have seen the popular upperclassman, the childhood friend, the underclassman, and begun the cool-serious arc. I'm looking forward to see what the future holds. Watch this series.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Genre: children's comedy
Everybody saw Undercover Brother, right? Good.
It seems that Gainax has taken a good look at itself and decided that it did not want to follow in line with its fellow animation brethren. Rather than make an ecchi-comedy in the traditional Japanese anime style, they decided to do it in the style of traditional American children's cartoons. Like American cartoons, it deals with issues relevant to a child's life, such as eating too many sweets, one night stands, and battling giant turd monsters. Considering Gainax's already perfect understanding of America, this comes as no surprise. It's funny, stupid, and ridiculously embarrassing… and I wouldn't have it any other way. I was especially fond of the magical girl-like transformation sequence that did away with all pretenses and just had them change on a pair of stripper poles. It's that kind of honesty that makes Gainax awesome.
Yosuga no Sora
Genre: drama
I think I saw postures like this in Da Vinci's Last Supper. But maybe that's just me.
You can tell a series is going to be good when a male protagonist enters a town and already five eager women are lining up to have him check their oil level with his dipstick </euphemism>. It was actually surprising. This series probably has less subtlety than a hentai series (if, also, less skin, but only just). The only thing that's really turning me off is the blatant sibling complex, and how the sister of affection is a whiny little brat.
Ore no Imouto [etc.]
(The title is about three miles long, so forgive me for not wanting to type it entirely)
Genre: comedy / fanservice
The male character's expression precisely mimics my own.
(Holds head in hands). God dammit, Japan. What the hell? Just once, I would like to see an anime season where they do not release a series revolving around the otaku lifestyle. I seriously think there is a limit to "writing about what you know". It's getting tiresome. Anyway, this series is mostly functional, and I can at least relate to the cool, rational, seemingly indifferent male protagonist.
Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku
Genre: romantic-comedy (probably)
World War II… The X-rated version (There's plenty of space in my Lebensraum~)
Oh snap! Vampires! So long as they aren't goofy-looking disco balls, that should make any series great, right? Well, maybe not. This generic series seemed to try extremely hard to make its first episode just slightly less entertaining than picking the gunk out of the cracks of your mouse. I don't understand. The first episode is supposed to be the hook that keeps you coming back for more, and all they give you is about two seconds of intrigue and some slight homo-eroticism. And let us not forget how one of the most vocal characters was given someone straight from the "nails on a chalkboard" school of voice acting. Nevertheless, I am interested to see what they do with this. They slipped up early, but I still think there's potential for them to set things right.
Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai
Genre: romantic-comedy
Don't cross the streams!
(Holds head in hands) God dammit, Japan. What the hell? Just once, I would like to see an anime season where they do not release a series revolving around the otaku lifestyle. I seriously think there… oh wait, I did this before. But maybe that's my point. I shouldn't need to! Here's another series that panders to its fan base as though it was worried that any concept of originality would scare them away like cockroaches before the kitchen light. This time it revolves around some schmuck who's skilled at visual novels and arbitrarily has to use this skill to "capture" girls in his bizarre-o version of real life before his Battle Royale collar explodes.
Sunday, 03 October 2010
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The Fall 2010 Anime Season's Upon Us All (NOOOO)
Hey, hey, you feel that? Feel the cool underneath the heat? Yep, that tells me Summer is officially over. Well for some people at least. But now with a new season comes new Animes, and I hope I'll be able to review most of them. I make no secret that I'm looking forward to the Anime adaptation of Bakuman, and wonder what show will come and surprise me this season? I hope to frequently post short takes about a series all this week!
Also, what animes are you looking forward to this season? Already have something you like/dislike? Make your thoughts known in the comments section!
Animes Reviewed: Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector Ep 1
Summary: With many of its central personnel lost in the war, the Earth Federation Government is forced to rebuild, and Brian Midcrid, president of the Unified Colonies, takes the position of its president. During an emergency session of the Federation Diet, he publicly acknowledges the existence of extraterrestials, and reveals the events of the L5 campaign to the masses in what will later come to be called the "Tokyo Declaration". He goes on to state that these aliens pose a serious threat to humanity.
President Midcrid continues, asking for the colonies to unite with earth, and to expand their military forces in a plan called the "Aegis Plan". Under the plan, new weapons are developed, and more mechs are mass produced as the entire planet's defense network is strengthened. But threats still lurk in the shadows. The remnants of Bian Zoldark's "Divine Crusaders". Those within the Federation and its army who plot to turn it into a military dictatorship. And none have yet realized... that the true threats are coming from a world "so close, yet so very far away", and a world of silence...
My take: Urgh. If anyone managed to follow the story, good job, but I wouldn't believe you; the scenes jumped from one Animation to another Animation to...another Animation that doesn't tell the story? I warn anyone who hasn't been following the Super Robot Wars Franchise to look up info before they dive in and watch this series, because you'll agree that the story is a mess in this ep. The good thing though is definitely the action; it's been a while since I've watched a Mecha Anime, so it feels good to see another Mech Anime again.What you should do: Research this show before watching. If you don't, don't bother watching.
Bakuman Ep 1
Summary: Bakuman begins with Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high student, leaving his notebook containing a drawing of his crush and classmate Azuki Miho in class. When he notices and returns to the classroom after school, his classmate Akito Takagi is waiting for him with the notebook and tells him that he believes Azuki likes Mashiro too. He then tries to persuade Mashiro to become a mangaka and draw the stories Takagi writes. However, Mashiro is reluctant due to disillusion with modern society and the fate of his uncle, a formerly serialized mangaka who died from overwork trying to regain that status.
Later when Takagi calls Mashiro in which he is told that Takagi confess to Miho, Mashiro runs down to Azuki's house to find Takagi waiting for him. Takagi then calls for Miho and tells her that he and Mashiro are aiming to be mangaka. Mashiro then learns that she wants to be a voice actor and Mashiro, thinking of the romantic misadventures of his uncle, proposes to Azuki who accepts under the condition that they will only marry after both achieve their dreams. With a goal before him Mashiro sets out to make this dream a reality. His goal is to have Azuki voice the heroine of the Anime adaptation of his manga. Due to the highest probability for success, he and Takagi vow to become serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump and attempt to become the most popular manga in that magazine.
My Take: Wooo! So far so good for the first ep of Bakuman. The animation is pretty good and the sound is not bad. Since this is a slice of life, those looking for action should stay clear of this Anime. Those who might not be impressed with learning the ins and outs of aspiring Mangakas should stay away.
What You Should Do: Uh, watch and enjoy the goodness so far?
Animes That I Need To Review
BakumanSuper Robot Wars OG: The InspectorThe World God Only Knows
Otome Yokai Zakuro
Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt
Note: More Titles Will Be Added as the month goes on!
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
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Pokemon Black
[Queen_of_You188]
(I posted about this a while back on my blog, and SexyGamerGirl also posted about it sometime later. My blog is here, and SGG's is here.)
The picture you see above is the rumored GHOST, a Pokemon featured only in the urban legend known as Pokemon Black. An anonymous person wrote the story of this game in detail, and it can be found on many websites.
I stumbled across the story of this game when I went to Hinase's pulse, and was terrified after watching the video. (It doesn't help that I watched it at night, either.) I'll post the video at the bottom, but if you don't want to hear music (because the video has it in some parts), I'll also post the words. (The version I'm posting is the one I was linked to. I don't know if it has any alternate versions or not.)
And here's the actual story:
"I’m what you could call a collector of bootleg Pokémon games. Pokémon Diamond & Jade, Chaos Black, etc. It’s amazing the frequency with which you can find them at pawnshops, Goodwill, flea markets, and such.
They’re generally fun; even if they are unplayable (which they often are), the mistranslations and poor quality make them unintentionally humorous.
I’ve been able to find most of the ones that I’ve played online, but there’s one that I haven’t seen any mention of. I bought it at a flea market about five years ago.
Here’s a picture of the cartridge, in case anyone recognizes it. Unfortunately, when I moved two years ago, I lost the game, so I can’t provide you with screencaps. Sorry.
The game started with the familiar Nidorino and Gengar intro of Red and Blue version. However, the “press start” screen had been altered. Red was there, but the Pokémon did not cycle through. It also said “Black Version” under the Pokémon logo.
Upon selecting “New Game”, the game started the Professor Oak speech, and it quickly became evident that the game was essentially Pokémon Red Version.
After selecting your starter, if you looked at your Pokémon, you had in addition to Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle another Pokémon — “GHOST”. The Pokémon was level 1. It had the sprite of the Ghosts that are encountered in Lavender Tower before obtaining the Sliph Scope. It had one attack — “Curse”. I know that there is a real move named curse, but the attack did not exist in Generation 1, so it appears it was hacked in.
Defending Pokémon were unable to attack Ghost — it would only say they were too scared to move. When the move “Curse” was used in battle, the screen would cut to black. The cry of the defending Pokémon would be heard, but it was distorted, played at a much lower pitch than normal. The battle screen would then reappear, and the defending Pokémon would be gone. If used in a battle against a trainer, when the Pokéballs representing their Pokemon would appear in the corner, they would have one fewer Pokéball.
The implication was that the Pokémon died.
What’s even stranger is that after defeating a trainer and seeing “Red received $200 for winning!”, the battle commands would appear again. If you selected “Run”, the battle would end as it normally does. You could also select Curse. If you did, upon returning to the overworld, the trainer’s sprite would be gone. After leaving and reentering the area, the spot [where] the trainer had been would be replaced with a tombstone like the ones at Lavender Tower.
The move “Curse” was not usable in all instances. It would fail against Ghost Pokémon. It would also fail if it was used against trainers that you would have to face again, such as your Rival or Giovanni. It was usable in your final battle against them, however.
I figured this was the gimmick of the game, allowing you to use the previously uncapturable Ghosts. And because Curse made the game so easy, I essentially used it throughout the whole adventure.
The game changed quite a bit after defeating the Elite Four. After viewing the Hall of Fame, which consisted of Ghost and a couple of very under leveled Pokémon, the screen cut to black. A box appeared with the words “Many years later…” It then cut to Lavender Tower. An old man was standing, looking at tombstones. You then realized this man was your character.
The man moved at only half of your normal walking speed. You no longer had any Pokémon with you, not even Ghost, who up to this point had been impossible to remove from your party through depositing in the PC. The overworld was entirely empty — there were no people at all. There were still the tombstones of the trainers that you used Curse on, however.
You could go pretty much anywhere in the overworld at this point, though your movement was limited by the fact that you had no Pokémon to use HMs. And regardless of where you went, the music of Lavender Town continued on an infinite loop. After wandering for a while, I found that if you go through Diglett’s Cave, one of the cuttable bushes that normally blocks the path on the other side is no longer there, allowing you to advance and return to Pallet Town.
Upon entering your house and going to the exact tile where you start the game, the screen would cut to black.
Then a sprite of a Caterpie appeared. It was then replaced by a Weedle, and then a Pidgey. I soon realized, as the Pokémon progressed from Rattata to Blastoise, that these were all of the Pokémon that I had used Curse on.
After the end of my Rival’s team, a Youngster appeared, and then a Bug Catcher. These were the trainers I had Cursed.
Throughout the sequence, the Lavender Town music was playing, but it was slowly decreasing in pitch. By the time your Rival appeared on screen, it was little more than a demonic rumble.
Another cut to black. A few moments later, the battle screen suddenly appeared — your trainer sprite was now that of an old man, the same one as the one who teaches you how to catch Pokémon in Viridian City. Ghost appeared on the other side, along with the words “GHOST wants to fight!”. You couldn’t use items, and you had no Pokémon. If you tried to run, you couldn’t escape. The only option was “FIGHT”.
Using fight would immediately cause you to use Struggle, which didn’t affect Ghost but did chip off a bit of your own HP. When it was Ghost’s turn to attack, it would simply say “…” Eventually, when your HP reached a critical point, Ghost would finally use Curse.
The screen cut to black a final time.
Regardless of the buttons you pressed, you were permanently stuck in this black screen. At this point, the only thing you could do was turn the Game Boy off. When you played again, “NEW GAME” was the only option — the game had erased the file.
I played through this hacked game many, many times, and every time the game ended with this sequence. Several times I didn’t use Ghost at all, though he was impossible to remove from the party. In these cases, it did not show any Pokémon or trainers and simply cut to the climactic “battle with Ghost".
I’m not sure what the motives were behind the creator of this hack. It wasn’t widely distributed, so it was presumably not for monetary gain. It was very well done for a bootleg.
It seems he was trying to convey a message; though it seems I am the sole receiver of this message. I’m not entirely sure what it was — the inevitability of death? The pointlessness of it? Perhaps he was simply trying to morbidly inject death and darkness into a children’s game. Regardless, this children’s game has made me think, and it has made me cry."
Did this story scare you at all, Reader? What did you think of it? Is this hacked game real, or fake? -
Pokemon...LIVE ACTION!!!!
Harping on the "Mature" theme...how about a reboot of something that's a classic?
And yes, this is fake. But I thought it was pretty good!
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
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Anime: Childish or Sophisticated?
[Queen_of_You188]
First off, guys, I wanna apologize for slacking. I haven't posted anything in who knows how long. I'm actually getting around to scheduling an interview with a certain someone about a certain something. For now, you'll have to deal with what I have for you today.
A short while ago, I read a post by Paul_Partisan that, while being very, very brief, (and by that, I mean the post only has one sentence in it total), it opened my eyes to what some non-anime watchers think of anime. If my assumption is correct, most think that all anime is is stuff like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, things that have no plot whatsoever (damn you, 4Kids!), or just plain cartoon pornography, making them think that the only people who like anime are kids and 25-year old virgins (L, I'm looking at you!).
Most anime lovers that collect the figurines and have every volume of every manga from this decade are at least eighteen, and I don't think it's a far-fetched statement if you say that most of them have some eccentricities that were probably gained from - you guessed it - anime. But a non-anime watcher would just think that this sort of person is weird, and they might start making assumptions, like that the person must love the cartoon porn (if they're over eighteen), and that they live off of anime and anime alone.
Well, as a self-proclaimed anime lover, I'd like to disagree with these ideas. I think that anime CAN be sophisticated and not be about catching weird animals in red-and-white spheres, or playing card games all day long and doing absolutely nothing else (season zero was WAY better). And I can name a few anime that prove my point:
Kuroshitsuji
Gawd, Sebastian is so smexy...
Kuroshitsuji is definitely more on the psychopathic-demons-and-sadomasochism side, but it's definitely sophisticated and serious. Of course, it has its funny moments - I don't think that there's one anime out there without a joke every once in a while - but it's definitely not for a younger audience. Anyone who's into the creepy kind of stuff would love this, I'm sure. :3
Death Note
I should totally crop Light out of the shot.
Death Note is my favorite anime (at the moment, who knows what it'll be next), and it's definitely not for children. For anyone who likes to think, it's fun to try and formulate solutions to problems that arise in the series (though if you want a total detective show, I think Jimmy Kudo over in Case Closed has you covered). This anime also has comedic moments in pretty much every episode, and it's positioned at older audiences. I don't think you can find anything childish here.
Elfen Lied
O mai.
Elfen Lied is clearly NOT for kids who wish to keep their sanity, their dreams nightmare-free, and their lunches in their stomachs, but it IS definitely for sadists who love watching people getting sliced into bits by a girl with a split personality. Now, I haven't actually seen EL, but from what I know, it's violent, ecchi-ish (correct me if I'm wrong here, I don't know all the facts), and at times comedic. I would love to see someone tell me that this show is childish. Go on, try it.
Cowboy Bebop
Spike! Come baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
Just from looking at the artwork, you can tell that this is a promising show. (Though, I think this is from the movie. o.o I don't remember.) Cowboy Bebop was an all-around type of anime - it had comedy, drama, romance, AND excellent fighting scenes. This show had what is, in my opinion, the best type of comedy out there - "black comedy", as it's called. Anyone with a dark sense of humor can appreciate it, even if it does seem a bit harsh at times. It did have a bit of ecchi (Faye Valentine's in it, what did you expect?), but that was balanced out by all of the other elements. This anime truly was one of the best in existence.
So, going back to the topic of this post: all non-anime watchers, or people who've just begun watching anime and are already disillusioned because all they've seen are idiots claiming to be ninja and girls wearing sailor uniforms that are entirely too short (a free e-figurine of your choice is in it for you if you can name every anime I've referenced in this post), don't worry. I'm certain that there is something that can catch your interest. You just have to look hard enough.
So, after reading this, if you believed that all anime was either porn, card games or catching them all, do you still feel the same? Is anime really just for 27 year old geeks and 10 year old boys?
Monday, 20 September 2010
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Interview With The Founder of AnimeYume
BMN (Rising_Zero)
When it comes to Anime/Manga Blogging, I'm definitely not alone when it comes to displaying or voicing opinions to hundreds of readers online. So I'm always looking around for not only great writers, but consistent ones, those who slave away even when they don't have to and write without missing their self-imposed deadline.
Yumeka has been blogging for years now at AnimeYume, and while she has been using her blog site--Mainichi Anime Yume--more often, her reviews and articles are an enjoyable read. I recently sent her some questions via email, and she was kind enough to answer them!
Justin: Just why are you a fan of Anime/Manga? When did you know was something to be a fan of?
Yumeka: I've always loved animation even when I grew up, and anime uses animation to its greatest potential - it provides familiar genres like action, drama, sci-fi, etc., and its own unique genres like shonen, mecha, moe, etc. It provides an incredible variety of stories and art styles and so far shows no signs of ending.What is the best thing about being an Anime/Manga fan? On the flip side, the worst thing?Yumeka: The best thing would be something it shares with all major interests really - just having something you're so passionate about can make you a genuinely happy, content person. And since there's always new anime being made, old series to catch up on, and most of my favorite series are still ongoing, it never gets boring.The worst thing would be the fact that here in the USA, 90% of the population either know nothing about anime or have a distorted, ignorant view that it's just kid stuff like Pokemon or it's actually pornographic/violent cartoons. I don't enjoy having to feel awkward around people who have a misconception of anime.
What is the best thing about being a blogger? The worst thing?Yumeka: Blogging has certainly done wonders improving my writing skills. I've also become acquainted with some great fellow fans via my blog and its fun developing a clientele of readers. It's also quite therapeutic getting my feelings and opinions about anime out there since I can rarely do it verbally because I don't encounter fellow fans in person very often.The worst thing for me would be having to stick to my blogging schedule so as not to disappoint readers. I'll sometimes fall behind, but I really don't like to, so once in a while I have to force myself to blog even when I don't feel like it. Another thing is that I don't know much of anything about web site building, so if I need to fix issues on my blog, change the layout, add plugins or widgets, etc., I have to ask others for help.
Do you have some sort of schedule that tells you when to update, when to blog? Is there something specific that you do? Yumeka: Heh, this post explains it all: http://animeyume.com/blog/2010/04/09/when-do-you-blog/What Anime came out this summer and impressed you? What didn't impress you?Yumeka: For the summer '10 season, I really liked Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi. Seitokai Yakuindomo is okay but definitely not for everyone. And, as a long time Digimon fan, Digimon Xros Wars is pretty good though so far it's not as good as the original series (it'll probably be at least 50 episodes so there's still time to judge it). And Occult Academy was great at first but since then I can't tell what direction it's going. I'll have to wait until I watch the final episode.There are some Anime titles coming out this Fall that look pretty good. Is there one you have high on your list?
Yumeka: Pokemon Best Wishes is definite since I'm a huge fan of the franchise. As of now I'll most likely watch season 2 of Tegami Bachi, Bakuman, and maybe The World God Only Knows. For any others, I'll wait until they air, see what the overall fan opinion of them are, and decide if I want to start watching them or not. -
Everything That Revolves Around Anime is News!
BMN (Rising_Zero)
So, what's going on around the Anime Interwebs?
BMN Pulse
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Last pulse of 2010? Teh fail! -_- -Justin
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http://keikakudoori.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/characters-being-typical-and-average-fail-as-main-appeal/ This's all for now-Justin
Recommended
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weblog entry from Da__Vinci
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weblog entry from Shining_Garnet
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weblog entry from Momo_Wakahisa
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weblog entry from fortheloveofwasabi
Welcome to BMN (BrainMangaNetwork)
"As the queen and now leader of BMN, you'd expect me to be a tyrant. Well I'm not (most of the time). All I want to do is post stuff about anime and manga and have fun with it." Nani (creator, leader)
mr_faust (blogger/site coordinator)
"I am a blogger and site layout coordinator. I will mainly be responsible for whatever major layout changes need to be made as well as keeping content organized."
Justin (Anime, Manga blogger)
"Let's just say I'll write whatever comes to mind. That's how I roll."
Edwin (blogger)
Argenis (Music Blogger)
Yorutenshi (AMV Blogger)
NOTE TO CONTACTING BMN:
While I'm not sure on most policies with individual BMN staff, it is recommended that you send messages "TO THIS SITE" versus posting comment randomly on other user's sites. This will assure that the messages are sent to BMN staff more quickly and efficiently ^_^
