HOT LIST

• Here are some websites I suggest you may want to visit in your surfing travels. They are connected to websites of various business or manga connections I've made. I'll add others as I find them. If you have any suggestions, send me an e-mail.

PLEASE NOTE: Geneon is now known as Funimation.

While I am happy to present these links to you, I will not be responsible for any content, or issues regarding connections, pop-ups, etc. The links are updated every so often, but if one goes dead, let me know. I'll happliy remove it.

3D ANIMATION SOFTWARE

• www.e-frontier.com. This is the site you should visit if interested in some of the most important software I use when rendering the computer generated Kaiten Angels. The latest version of their primary figure rendering software, POSER 6, has been out since early 2005, and has been a fantastic resource for me as I teach figure drawing with senior students.
• www.daz-3d.com. This is the site belonging to the company that makes my landscape rendering software, BRYCE. It has been a great place to visit for purchasing third party models for use in the Kaiten Angels project.
• www.contentparadise.com. The online store connected to E-Frontier, from which Terai Yuki, Miki and many other clothes, sets and props came. It is easy to navigate, and the models are quite affordable.
• www.turbosquid.com. Another place to get 3D models of all descriptions. This site advertises in my favourite film effects journal, CINEFEX.
• www.renderosity.com. Like Turbo Squid and the others, it is a great resource for models of all types.

ANIME AND MANGA FANSITES AND GATHERING PLACES

• www.activeanime.com. I sincerely recommend this site, which is starting to get lots of positive buzz for the quality of its reviews and the wealth of information contained within its virtual walls. And before you say anything, it's not just because Holly and I are both reviewing for this site, either. Log on. Read. Learn stuff.

• www.animenorth.com. This is a wonderful site for fans of the art in Canada. The organisation hosts a great convention every year, featuring art and costumes, plus guest appearances by voice actors and animators. The costume contest is something else!
• www.glasshousegraphics.com/banzaigirl. Jinky Coronado is a woman from the Philippines who has written and created art for a comic with herself as the main character. The artwork, while indulging in EVERY perceived stereotype pertaining to the visual treatment of women in manga, is well executed. An acquaintance of mine from the Philippines says she's done a great job of capturing the culture and the legends of the country, and appreciated the work on a level I could not as one who has not been there myself. Hats off to Jinky, though. She knows her audience.

• www.geneonanimation.com. Geneon was Pioneer until recently, and so if you see titles with the Pioneer name, they are now Geneon titles. Like ADV, Geneon has a wonderful stable of shows, including SOMEDAY'S DREAMERS, NEW GETTER ROBO, READ OR DIE, PARANOIA AGENT, DearS, DAPHNE OF THE BRILLIANT BLUE, and many others. Their programs have given me many happy hours, Doki, Doki?

ART AND BUSINESS RELATED WEBSITES

• www.visualartsbrampton.com If it wasn't for the book project which raised funds in 2000 for the group, there would be no Rocket Girls today.
• www.virtualpose.net. A great website for a really interesting product. I bought VIRTUAL POSE 2, a book and CD Rom of figure reference material- poses of female and male models in print and on disk. On the disk, the models can be rotated in ten degree increments, solving the age old problems of artists looking at photo references and saying "I can't see her hand properly in this shot. If only I could rotate the model." Now you can. You also get some good music and great tutorials to work with. I got the book from Chapters, but apparently, it is only supposed to be available on their website. Recently, VIRTUAL POSE 3 came out, and VIRTUAL POSE: CHILDREN and TEENS, featuring clothed models, is ready for release.
• www.albertseaman.com. This website belongs to my father and is rich with his many wonderful drawings and paintings from over the last thirty plus years.
• www.scottmcloud.com. This website is run by the author of UNDERSTANDING COMICS, one of the best books ever written on the subject.
• www.martinbowersmodelworld.com. Martin Bower is not just a fan building models of ships from famous sci-fi movies and shows. He is the chief model builder from Gerry Anderson's series SPACE: 1999 and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, plus the original ALIEN and OUTLAND, among others. His collection is awesome. His skills are incredible. If you want to see your favourite Gerry Anderson mecha just like they were shown in that classic TV21 comic in the sixties, go here. His pics of Fireball XL5 are beautiful. He is also a great figurative sculptor and...sigh...just log on!
• www.thedigitalbits.com. A phenomenal site relating to the release of DVDs and market/industry information on what's coming. A friend of mine literally budgets his entertainment purchases on what is listed here.

JAPAN RELATED WEBSITES

• www.japanable.com. A wonderful site I found recently about the country. It contains information on language, culture, and many many tips on how to live in the country itself. Watching anime is fun, and thinking about living there is great, but the experience can be daunting, if not unhappy if you are not prepared. This is a good place to start.

• www.oxfordseminars.com. There are those who may want to teach ESL in Japan. Great! But you need to get TOEFL qualifications first, and this site will list resources and seminars to help you in that direction. For Canadian viewers of this site, you'll be happy to know that the locations are all close to home.

• www.thejapanfaq.cjb.net. Another site with lots of information on Japan and living there.

• www.jtbi.ca. The site for the Japanese National Tourist Board in Canada. Their resources were awesome when I went to Japan. Also, it is the place to go to if you want to get tickets to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. The museum does not sell tickets at the door, and foreigners must order before getting on the plane to avoid disappointment. Sounds weird, but you have no choice, and honestly, it's worth it, because the museum is crowded enough even with the traffic control they enjoy there.

• www.japanese-online.com. Just as it says.

Link to Contents page.