While watching some Kurokami I noticed that CrunchyRoll just came out with their own iPhone app. Yep, now you can stream anime on you iPhone guilt free. Of course, make sure you use Wifi since it's doubtful AT&T's "fast" 3G network can handle an ounce of anime goodness. It's a free app so go right ahead and add it to your collection. Supporting Crunchyroll supports the anime business, so do your part to keep those content providers in business -_-

I was recently introduced to Mainichi Daily News. Of course I so need to get my knowledge of kanji up to speed but for those of you who can read Japanese kanji and want to read from a Japanese newspaper about anime, manga, games and other goodies straight from the Land of The Raising Sun, then the "Mantanbroad" and "Mantan Collection" iPhone apps might be good additions to your collection. Some artists involved with these apps include:

• Inomata Mutsumi (Tales of Series)
  
•  Kozaki Yusuke 
• KEI (of Hatsune Miku fame)
• POP (Moetan)
• HAKUA UGETSU (BAKURETSU TENSHI)
• ISHIWATARI DAISUKE (GUILTY GEAR series)
• AYAKURA JU (Okami to Koshinryo)

The Mantanbroad is the actual newpaper while the Mantan Collection app is a gallery game and other features.  Search "Mantan" in the app store and you'll find them ^_^

I'm a major sushi lover and I'd bet most of you are.  This wonderful iPhone app is an encyclopedia of sushi.  Sushi is very varied category of food and caters to those who either are vegetarians/vegan (sweet potato roll, avocado roll, etc), those who are fish lovers of course, those who like something fried (shrimp tempura roll) and even those who want to cheat death by eating the deadly Fugu Fish x_x

Though I tend to poke fun at the disfunction that is Eastern Long Island, there have been a number of really good sushi places popping up in recent time and this app lets me have a nice detailed view, history and description of what each type of sushi is before I shell out the $ at these places.  There is even a place called Sushi Park about 10 miles away from my house that is an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet that will only run you about $15 a person ^^.  This app keeps me hungry for those wonderful maki rolls, which is better than being hungry for a fastfood burger ^^;;  The app is call Sushipedia and is free so check it out.

Get practicing people, especially guys; I hear too many girls complaining about bad kissing guys.

Just a little addition I did for the site in preparation for an iPhone/mobile friendly version of the site. I made an iPhone webclip icon for the homepage of your phone. It's from the picture I drew and looks a lot better on the iPhone/ iPod Touch springboard than the typical screenshot.


So, if you want to add this site to your iPhone, go ahead and the image above is what you'll see ^_^

How To Create an iPhone Webclip Icon for Your Website:

• Create a 57x57 pixel .png image
• Name it "apple-touch-icon.png"
• Add it to your site's root folder (web docs root..not your server)
  

Just a little addition I did for the site in preparation for an iPhone/mobile friendly version of the site. I made an iPhone webclip icon for the homepage of your phone. It's from the picture I drew and looks a lot better on the iPhone/ iPod Touch springboard than the typical screenshot.


So, if you want to add this site to your iPhone, go ahead and the image above is what you'll see ^_^

How To Create an iPhone Webclip Icon for Your Website:

• Create a 57x57 pixel .png image
• Name it "apple-touch-icon.png"
• Add it to your site's root folder (web docs root..not your server)
  

Anime games are still a bit rare on the iPhone but they are slowly coming up in numbers. Well, this game in particular caught my eyes for two reasons. First off, its an anime game on the iPhone that has an anime girl as the main character. I downloaded Abigale which, by the way is by Japanese mobile developer, Meridian. It's a 2D side scrolling shooter with very nice graphics, a story, a bunch of levels and a few bosses as well. Better yet, it's only about $.99 for the intro rate and will soon only go up to about $2.00 or so after. The only issue really with it is that its got no music...kind of a downer but I'd expect maybe a later version will have music.

And as for the other reason why this caught my eye...well this will only be relevant to people who've followed my site over the past couple of years. On and off in my very rare "free time" I've been working on a gaming project I've called "Project Fumi" Since 2003 I've always wanted a mascot for the site and also wanted to create a game pertaining to her. This game, Abigail is basically the game I had in mind...but with some differences of course. These improvements would make the game better than Abigale...if I only had the damn time to draw better images than my first ones, the sprites and of course finish the game engine in which I have a bit done. ::sigh::


Anyways, here's the video of the game on youtube:




Big thanks to TouchArcade for introducing this app and for providing the video.

Anime games are still a bit rare on the iPhone but they are slowly coming up in numbers. Well, this game in particular caught my eyes for two reasons. First off, its an anime game on the iPhone that has an anime girl as the main character. I downloaded Abigale which, by the way is by Japanese mobile developer, Meridian. It's a 2D side scrolling shooter with very nice graphics, a story, a bunch of levels and a few bosses as well. Better yet, it's only about $.99 for the intro rate and will soon only go up to about $2.00 or so after. The only issue really with it is that its got no music...kind of a downer but I'd expect maybe a later version will have music.

And as for the other reason why this caught my eye...well this will only be relevant to people who've followed my site over the past couple of years. On and off in my very rare "free time" I've been working on a gaming project I've called "Project Fumi" Since 2003 I've always wanted a mascot for the site and also wanted to create a game pertaining to her. This game, Abigail is basically the game I had in mind...but with some differences of course. These improvements would make the game better than Abigale...if I only had the damn time to draw better images than my first ones, the sprites and of course finish the game engine in which I have a bit done. ::sigh::


Anyways, here's the video of the game on youtube:




Big thanks to TouchArcade for introducing this app and for providing the video.

Looks like the eroge, Gift is finally available at the Apple App Store. Only the Japanese version is out so if you are like me and still haven't learned your Japanese yet (^^;) don't fret, the English version will come out soon.

So glad to see a real anime app for once. A bit pricey though for an app at $12.99USD, but it might be worth it.


Check out the game's main site here.

A bit of a warning..there might be eroge CGs in your search.

Looks like the eroge, Gift is finally available at the Apple App Store. Only the Japanese version is out so if you are like me and still haven't learned your Japanese yet (^^;) don't fret, the English version will come out soon.

So glad to see a real anime app for once. A bit pricey though for an app at $12.99USD, but it might be worth it.


Check out the game's main site here.

A bit of a warning..there might be eroge CGs in your search.

For the past few months I've had the 3G iPhone and yes, I do love this little device.  I know there is a fervor out there on which phone is the best but I'm not here to claim that the iPhone is the best phone but for those who have it, chances are you love it and it those wonderful apps allow it to be ever more useful.  Here's a list of Apps for you otaku who own an iPhone.  I'm sure you have seen these apps or tried them.  If not, check them out:

1) iKoto: 

This wonderful app is perfect for the little musician in you and a possible annoyance to others around you.  With this app you have control of a virtual Koto (Japanese harp).  Just recently an update was done to the app where you don't just record your attempts at otaku musical bliss, but you can now listen to 3 examples like Sakura, Rokudan and For Elise.  The new version even has the ability to create pinch tone effects and you can change the tone to the koto as well.


2) vSnax:

Anime Fans cannot live without watching anime episodes and thankfully you'll find that with vSnax.  On top of have a bunch of cool channels like G4TV, Discovery and more, there is channel dedicated to anime of course called Anime!.  On Anime! you can watch episodes of Saiyuki, Azumanga Daioh and more.  Granted the pickings are slim but at least otaku have something to watch on the iPhone outside of youtube.



3) LadioTouch:

With this app you can listen to a large list of Japanese radio stations.  Black Angel Radio in particular is pretty good with game music and j-pop played.  It does crash sometimes and you wont understand many of the talk shows if you don't speak Japanese, but to me that's not an issue...well I don't speak it fully yet but otaku don't mind listening to Japanese.




4) Pandora Radio:

This app is great in finding commercial free, streaming music based on what you look for.  It's still a bit rough to find what anime fans want but searching "Euro beats" will nab a bunch of Initial D music and you could get a decent amount of J-Pop by searching "Gackt" or any other J-Pop artist.  As great as this app is, it will repeat almost as bad as some of the local radio stations here on Long Island but if you set it up right, you can have a bunch of cool streaming songs.  A must for your iPhone if you an otaku or not.


5) iTalk

There are a few voice recorder apps out there.  I started to like this one since you can download a program from their site in order to download your recordings on to your computer.  I've been using this to prep for my anime voice acting auditions and to see what I can do plus where I need to improve.  A very useful app indeed whether you use it like me to record your different voice impressions or just to keep a voice memo.


6)Ah...Moemory:

No otaku can also be without cute moe images of anime girls.  This program is a simple memory match game with you getting a picture of a cute anime girl.  Thankfully the images are indeed real quality anime and not some fake fanart ripoff.  In the paid version I believe you can save the photos and I would assume there is more then the 5 or so in the lite version.



7)MotoChaser:

One of the top paid apps as f this blog post, MotoChaser is a perfect example of why the iPhone is a contender in the mobile video game industry.  The characters have an anime-ish style to them but the more important aspect of this game is that it is a solid motorcycle racer in which you can even beat up enemy racers, almost like Road Rash, but not quite.  (Speaking of Road Rash, that needs a current gen makeover)  MotoChaser is a bit tough to get use to but it is a cool game indeed.


8)Fire Drop:

This app is one of your typical 3-pair Tetris-type games.  This one can appeal to Otakus since it has an Asian tone to it with good proverbs between levels. Its a very casual, easy going game and its for you if you must have an asian tone to your iPhone apps.





9) Vay:

Many Otaku are fans of RPGs and thankfully Vay is available on the iPhone.  This classic anime RPG from back to the year 1994.  Its the full RPG in here with the cut scenes and all.  Its no Final Fantasy but a great addition to your list of apps.  I still have to play trough it actually ^ ^;




10) iPhone Manga:

With a little bit of searching you can find some manga apps.  Most are in Japanese and a few are in english.  As of this date, I have yet to find any of the big time mangas on there but one the one pictured above that I have is a nice read and allows me to show off that I'm an anime fan.




11) IGN Reviews:

We otaku are mainly gamers and most of you like to get an idea on how good a game might be before you drop some dough and playtime for it.  IGN Reviews is a great app to quickly see a review on the latest games.  Personally, I don't really go with reviews so much.  As long as its not a Barbie game or the like, I'll be sure to have fun playing the game.  I even had fun playing the game Night Trap years ago and to this day its considered one of the worst games (not just because it got that evil old fart Joe Lieberman to create the ESRB).   Anyways, this  is good if you are iffy on what game to get.


12) World 9:

This is a novelty if anything else but I know people cosplaying as Mario or Luigi will make great use of this.  World 9 is an app you use to create the Mario jumping sound.  So, basically, you turn it on, put your phone in your pocket and if you jump, you'll sound like Mario jumping.  There is also a map on there to see people jumping across the country.  A novelty to some but to many otaku and gamers, a must.


13) Tap Tap Revenge:

Tap Tap is to the iPhone what DDR is to games.   In this game, you tap 3 separate points at the bottom of the screen to match the song playing.  I haven't used it too much but you can download many new, popular songs and have fun tapping away.  As a long time DDR fan, I do love this app.




14) Free RSS Reader:

On the go yet want to see the latest posts on your favorite anime sites like Dannychoo.com or here?(most likely Dannychoo.com though) This simple app is what I use to check the RSS feds of my favorite anime sites without using the sometimes slow Safari app.





15) Koi Pond:

Need to relax?  This wonderful app allows you to look over a Koi pond and interact with the fish and environment.  I hope to have a Koi pond at my home one day but with this app I can right now.  Its a novelty but it does relax you when you have a stressed day.





16: Light Saber:

Last but definitely not least is the app all otaku have to love.  Light saber turns your iPhone into a virtual light saber with sounds that react to your swinging of the phone.  Don't be too rough or you might throw the phone though ^^;  I haven't done it but I can see it happening.  Just recently an update was added that allows you to create a character, their light saber and story in it.  I chose Gurren Lagennn's Yoko since I just had to have a hot anime girl in there.



Hope this list was useful.  Of course there can be and will be more apps that will be great for us otaku or just good in general.

For the past few months I've had the 3G iPhone and yes, I do love this little device.  I know there is a fervor out there on which phone is the best but I'm not here to claim that the iPhone is the best phone but for those who have it, chances are you love it and it those wonderful apps allow it to be ever more useful.  Here's a list of Apps for you otaku who own an iPhone.  I'm sure you have seen these apps or tried them.  If not, check them out:

1) iKoto: 

This wonderful app is perfect for the little musician in you and a possible annoyance to others around you.  With this app you have control of a virtual Koto (Japanese harp).  Just recently an update was done to the app where you don't just record your attempts at otaku musical bliss, but you can now listen to 3 examples like Sakura, Rokudan and For Elise.  The new version even has the ability to create pinch tone effects and you can change the tone to the koto as well.


2) vSnax:

Anime Fans cannot live without watching anime episodes and thankfully you'll find that with vSnax.  On top of have a bunch of cool channels like G4TV, Discovery and more, there is channel dedicated to anime of course called Anime!.  On Anime! you can watch episodes of Saiyuki, Azumanga Daioh and more.  Granted the pickings are slim but at least otaku have something to watch on the iPhone outside of youtube.



3) LadioTouch:

With this app you can listen to a large list of Japanese radio stations.  Black Angel Radio in particular is pretty good with game music and j-pop played.  It does crash sometimes and you wont understand many of the talk shows if you don't speak Japanese, but to me that's not an issue...well I don't speak it fully yet but otaku don't mind listening to Japanese.




4) Pandora Radio:

This app is great in finding commercial free, streaming music based on what you look for.  It's still a bit rough to find what anime fans want but searching "Euro beats" will nab a bunch of Initial D music and you could get a decent amount of J-Pop by searching "Gackt" or any other J-Pop artist.  As great as this app is, it will repeat almost as bad as some of the local radio stations here on Long Island but if you set it up right, you can have a bunch of cool streaming songs.  A must for your iPhone if you an otaku or not.


5) iTalk

There are a few voice recorder apps out there.  I started to like this one since you can download a program from their site in order to download your recordings on to your computer.  I've been using this to prep for my anime voice acting auditions and to see what I can do plus where I need to improve.  A very useful app indeed whether you use it like me to record your different voice impressions or just to keep a voice memo.


6)Ah...Moemory:

No otaku can also be without cute moe images of anime girls.  This program is a simple memory match game with you getting a picture of a cute anime girl.  Thankfully the images are indeed real quality anime and not some fake fanart ripoff.  In the paid version I believe you can save the photos and I would assume there is more then the 5 or so in the lite version.



7)MotoChaser:

One of the top paid apps as f this blog post, MotoChaser is a perfect example of why the iPhone is a contender in the mobile video game industry.  The characters have an anime-ish style to them but the more important aspect of this game is that it is a solid motorcycle racer in which you can even beat up enemy racers, almost like Road Rash, but not quite.  (Speaking of Road Rash, that needs a current gen makeover)  MotoChaser is a bit tough to get use to but it is a cool game indeed.


8)Fire Drop:

This app is one of your typical 3-pair Tetris-type games.  This one can appeal to Otakus since it has an Asian tone to it with good proverbs between levels. Its a very casual, easy going game and its for you if you must have an asian tone to your iPhone apps.





9) Vay:

Many Otaku are fans of RPGs and thankfully Vay is available on the iPhone.  This classic anime RPG from back to the year 1994.  Its the full RPG in here with the cut scenes and all.  Its no Final Fantasy but a great addition to your list of apps.  I still have to play trough it actually ^ ^;




10) iPhone Manga:

With a little bit of searching you can find some manga apps.  Most are in Japanese and a few are in english.  As of this date, I have yet to find any of the big time mangas on there but one the one pictured above that I have is a nice read and allows me to show off that I'm an anime fan.




11) IGN Reviews:

We otaku are mainly gamers and most of you like to get an idea on how good a game might be before you drop some dough and playtime for it.  IGN Reviews is a great app to quickly see a review on the latest games.  Personally, I don't really go with reviews so much.  As long as its not a Barbie game or the like, I'll be sure to have fun playing the game.  I even had fun playing the game Night Trap years ago and to this day its considered one of the worst games (not just because it got that evil old fart Joe Lieberman to create the ESRB).   Anyways, this  is good if you are iffy on what game to get.


12) World 9:

This is a novelty if anything else but I know people cosplaying as Mario or Luigi will make great use of this.  World 9 is an app you use to create the Mario jumping sound.  So, basically, you turn it on, put your phone in your pocket and if you jump, you'll sound like Mario jumping.  There is also a map on there to see people jumping across the country.  A novelty to some but to many otaku and gamers, a must.


13) Tap Tap Revenge:

Tap Tap is to the iPhone what DDR is to games.   In this game, you tap 3 separate points at the bottom of the screen to match the song playing.  I haven't used it too much but you can download many new, popular songs and have fun tapping away.  As a long time DDR fan, I do love this app.




14) Free RSS Reader:

On the go yet want to see the latest posts on your favorite anime sites like Dannychoo.com or here?(most likely Dannychoo.com though) This simple app is what I use to check the RSS feds of my favorite anime sites without using the sometimes slow Safari app.





15) Koi Pond:

Need to relax?  This wonderful app allows you to look over a Koi pond and interact with the fish and environment.  I hope to have a Koi pond at my home one day but with this app I can right now.  Its a novelty but it does relax you when you have a stressed day.





16: Light Saber:

Last but definitely not least is the app all otaku have to love.  Light saber turns your iPhone into a virtual light saber with sounds that react to your swinging of the phone.  Don't be too rough or you might throw the phone though ^^;  I haven't done it but I can see it happening.  Just recently an update was added that allows you to create a character, their light saber and story in it.  I chose Gurren Lagennn's Yoko since I just had to have a hot anime girl in there.



Hope this list was useful.  Of course there can be and will be more apps that will be great for us otaku or just good in general.