Art Store Discounts

Reviews

I recently had the pleasure of purchasing these pens from a local store (sorry Amazon). As a beginner manga artist, I was amazed at the quality of the pens and the difference they made with my drawings. The ink dries rather quickly and pencil lines can be erased without fear of smudging.

This Manga Drawing kit provides all the basic tools needed to get started in a compact value package. The mechanical pencil and eraser are handy for laying down the initial outlines. The 0.6 mm and 1.0 mm nibs are particularly useful for drawing caricatures at a good speed. The 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm are perfect for adding small details. While the plastic nibs might wear down visibly under heavy usage, the larger nibs will continue to reliably produce clearly defined dark strokes. The 0.4 mm unfortunately is not as sturdy and can be damaged rather easily with a heavy hand pressure, so use a light touch for better mileage out of it. Overall a well rounded compact sketching kit.

I purchased this item for my granddaughters who are into anime art and they loved it and immediately drew a series of pictures for me. Thank you.

Reviews

Amazon does not necessarily say the height of this toy. It was really small, the smallest blind-box I've ever seen. Came with a extremely small extra toy. I received a green cactus pup with a pink waterbowl, which was small enough to balance on your finger. The box was about 1.5 inches, and the actual cactus pup was about 1 inch. But it's a cute toy, overall. This is the kind of toy that would be better off with collectors, or adults. I'm scared what kids can do with a small toy like this.

The phenom that is Tokidoki is here and I wanted to share all these friends with you! Think these toys are for kids? No way! They are also for us stylish aficionado/as that want something more. The great thing about these little guys is that they look great wherever your living space may be. Recommend!

Reviews

I was lucky enough to have been in New York City during the end of the golden age of singers, 1964--1978. For a brief time I worked for the Metropolitan Opera, where I got to know Dame Joan and her husband Richard Bonynge, along with their sidekicks Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti. I threw a few informal dinners where all of the above were present. We used to joke that we could cast any Bel canto opera known. This may not be an unbiased review. I also got to see many performances by another coloratura soprano with flaming red hair named Beverly Sills. Both voices were amazing, Sutherland more beautiful and full, Sills used more in the service of Drama. I just bought this set because truth to tell, I don't have that much of Sutherland's output on CD. Decca/London has done an amazing job, which they should since she was and is one of their best selling artists ever. They have gone back to the original session tapes, before they were compressed for LP. The sound of the voice is miraculous, London's engineers knew exactly how to capture the full ripeness of her sound. I have only had a chance to sample from the almost 8 hours of music in this set, but what I have heard reminded me how unbelievable the sheer vocalism was. Each run absolutely in place, trills that went on for 30 seconds and clearly deliniated. Stacatti--OMG, high notes for days and supported in an unbelievable way. I would say that they don't make singers like that anymore, but that would be a lie because they never made them like that before, either. Anyone interested in great coloratura singing, sometimes just for its own sake should really pony up for this set, much of the singing is simply hair raising. I can absolutely attest to the fact that she could and did sing equally well on stage, this was no trick of the recording studio. While you are at it pick up a sampler of Beverly Sills, also. A very different singer, much more in the service fo drama, but also a once in a lifetime voice. If it were not for Sutherland, we would all have thought that Sills was the greatest coloratura ever to have lived. Perhaps they both were each in their own way.

This is my favorite Sutherland collection. It has so much from so many periods. The bits from The French Opera Gala are beyond belief. It is some of the best coloratura she ever did and was recorded at a great part of her career. Both the Wagner and the Mozart discs were recorded when she was close to 60, which doesn't mean that much with Sutherland. Still it would have been great to have heard the Wagner recorded a decade earlier when she recorded the Turandot. She would have been better at Wagner than anyone around today. Not Nilsson or Flagstad's equal, but better by far than Voigt, who isn't bad. On the Mozart bits, a couple sound old, but the rest are as good a performance of Mozart as you are ever going to hear. Many people only like the young Sutherland, but I like the color and richness her voice developed with age. She does a Hamlet Mad Scene on this disc at around 60 that is simply amazing! She sounds 45. I heard someone say that when she was old it took her longer to warm the voice up, could sound old when she first started out singing, but by the time she was warmed up you couldn't hear the age anymore. By all means, get this collection. You will wear the 2 discs of French opera arias out. BTW, most of the French stuff is from never, ever performed operas these days so you will not ever have heard them before.

This set is extremely valuable, not only as an overview of Dame Joans career but because it contains three complete LP sets that have been very hard to find. The sets are the 2 LP French opera (operetta) set, the Mozart album and the Wagner album. Although some of these do not show her to her best advantage (the Wagner set) they all have some very beautiful things and the French items are superb. The annotations and photos are interesting as well and there are some piano songs with Bonynge that are released here for the first time along with a scene from a live Covent Garden Norma.

While Joan Sutherland has recorded a number of impressive aria collections throughout the many years of her recording career, they tend to get lost in the shuffle of the countless reissues Decca/London has endlessly repackaged. While some of the original collections have appeared intact on CD--"The Art of the Prima Donna," "The Age of Bel Canto," "Love Live Forever" (her operetta collection that was originally titled "The Golden Age of Operetta"), to name a few--others are currently represented in the CD catalogue by only a few selections on discs that also include excerpts from complete opera recordings or duplicates of selections from other original collections. As a result, it has been impossible to assemble a CD collection of her recordings without a LOT of duplication, and some of the most interesting collections are still unavailable (e.g. "Command Performance" and "Serate Musicale"). While this newest set does include a lot of bits of this and that, ranging from her very first LPs to excerpts from complete recordings most Sutherland fans already have and a few "live" performances, what is perhaps most significant about it is that it features the complete contents of the "Sutherland Sings Wagner" LP--a real repertoire departure for her--and the double-LP album called "French Opera Gala" (in the U.S.--the British title was "Romantic French Arias"), neither of which, to the best of my knowledge, has been available on CD before. "Opera News" magazine once ran an article in which they asked various stars to name the one album that they felt best represented their artistry for future generations, and Dame Joan selected the "French Opera Gala," so for Sutherland fans, this is a long-awaited treat. I'm not going to waste space saying how miraculous I consider Dame Joan's artistry. If you are familiar with her work already, you know whether you adore her or not; and if you aren't, this massive set is probably not the best place to start (that would be "The Art of the Prima Donna" album that introduced her to most listeners decades ago)--especially since this newest set doesn't contain the lyrics, a must for newcomers. Let's hope Decca/London gets around to releasing the rest of her recordings intact instead of endlessly scrambling and repackaging the same selections over and over.

I first heard of Dame Sutherland while on the internet while listening to a internet radio station. I was instantly a fan, her control, technique, and tone is perfectly executed and rivals the equally fantastic Maria Callas. She has a powerful voice and presence that will evoke every emotion from her listeners. Highly recommended to all Opera Diva fans.

Reviews

Even used, this is a complete waste of money. All it is is a collection of bad, youtube-style "how-to" videos that are currently all the rage, thrown together onto a DVD with some consumer-level authoring software. The videos also have nothing to do with drawing, but rather as a poor primer for "using photoshop." Too bad there are no ratings less than 1 star.

This is for photoshop or maybe the GIMP in Linux/Windows gimp.org not for drawing I am afraid.

Whoa just wanted to see how bad it was and OMG. Worst Money ever spent Wouldn't even take this if it was given away for free. The DVD has a mascot which is a girl with cat ears and a tail. The voice over for it is really really bad. The tutorial is so dumb. It draws a circle and then says use the eraser tool to erase the extra lines. Then it says go over the line again to make it darker than the rest. I was like holy crap. Also the music that is playing keeps cutting in and out every single second. I'm not exaggerating. Just got mine and I'm gonna sell it no one will probably buy it though. Also this tutorial isn't even a tutorial it dosnt explain a thing. I know from the tools they were using Photoshop but still this really is the worst thing i have ever seen in my life.

Don't buy this! It's horribly misleading. I looked at this and thought yeah awesome! They will tell me what programs I need to use, what techniques there are for shading, coloring and concept art! NO! None of that! This is a cheap homemade movie, you can find better videos on you tube! It starts out "first I draw circle for the face" there is no introduction, they didn't even specify what program they were using! And the video quality was so bad I couldn't even make out what they were drawing, and no I'm not being sarcastic. THREE HOURS MY ARSS! It took me less than 30 seconds to fast forward looking for something good before it was over! The only picture they show is how they made the chick on the front cover. I feel conned and ripped off! DON'T BUY THIS! Just go to you tube and look up something like "speed painting manga" or how to draw anime.

Reviews

depends on expectations an old movie this is more learning about film history

Quentin recommended this film and I found it very entertaining. He said this movie was the impetus for Kill Bill Vol.s 1 and 2. Excellent film!

After only viewing part of the movie back when I was a teen, I recently watched the movie in its entirety. Although better than the Kill Bill of Tarantino, I find this movie lacking the sufficient dialogue I have enjoyed in many of the better `'Japanploitaton'' movie of the decades past. The dialogue came about as if the writing was rushed. There were opportunities for the writer to investigate the sub text and themes that he scratched at in the script (sexual violence, paradigm shift, corruption, political oppression). Continuing, the plot was uninteresting, and the acting was subpar (the lady was very pretty though), the direction was awkward, and the fight scenes (which you would think would be the highlight of the film) tacky and unfulfilling. All the great fight scenes in the classic martial art action movies are supposed to act as a catharsis, an emotional release for the characters as well as the viewers. This film misses that point completely. There is even a last ditch effort to add emotional weight to the final scenes of the film by making the male leads son to the antagonist, the man she most wants to kill (don't worry that's not a spoiler because when it is revealed you don't feel surprised). I definitely won't be watching any of the films that make up the rest of the series, just another over rated flick in my opinion, probably victim to genre lovers tunnel vision and sentimentality of the subject matter. If you choose not to watch this movie you will not be missing anything, just the hype that surrounds it.

You can definitely tell how Kill Bill was inspired by this movie but it is so much more. Sleek fight scenes make this movie even better!

this revenge movie copied a lot of ideas from dumas' novol only changed it with a female character. it's with a loose and even a bit simple-minded comic book like storyline. since it's titled with a word of 'blood', the whole movie was full of red blood. the directing of this movie was very primitive too.

Reviews

For Quentin Tarantino fans, this title and the original, Lady Snowblood are the films that inspired him (and Uma Thurman) to write Kill Bill. Excellent period piece for all.

In the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, the emerging capitalists are quietly destroying all political opposition. A highly placed government official arranges for Snowblood (Meiko Kaji) to be rescued from prison in order to assassinate an important anarchist writer. The plan backfires, resulting in the inevitable bloodbath. The solid grounding in Japanese historical events adds interest to this low-budget actioner, but Kaji should have been given more to do. For much of the film, she is a bystander, soaking up the injustice of the events she witnesses until she becomes the embodiment of vengeance. I do not share the opinion of the other reviewers who feel this film is less violent than the first. There was quite enough swoprdplay and bloodshed to satisfy me.

I really liked this movie. Shows us some history of the aftermath of Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. (How many of us even knew about the Russo-Japanese War of 1905? Where the British/German trained but inexperienced Japanese fleet utterly defeated & annihilated the Russian Fleet at Tsushima Strait under the leadership of Admiral Heihachiro Togo(Wish they would hurry up & relaese that movie). Not as much Bloodletting Action as the first Lady Snowblood (So just how many sequels Are better than the first, I ask you? Besides LOTR.) but still a great movie, none the less.

The original Lady Snowblood was a slightly campy tale of violence and vengeance. Perhaps it wasn't intended to be so funny, but that's what happens when you go so far over the top. This sequel toned down the violence and invincibility of Yuki Snowblood, and added some morality with the backdrop of a fight between Japan's anarchists and emerging capitalists. Unfortunately, the added morality does not do much for the movie. Taking a level off the violence leaves us with a mediocre action movie, and the end product is not worthy of the cult classic status granted the original.

This movie picks up where the original "Lady Snowblood" ended, but instead of a cogent story line, we're treated to a convoluted mishmash of intrigue, senseless plot lines, cartoon villains, and racist overtones that lend nothing worthwhile to the story. And as if that weren't enough of a reason to question the sanity of the movie's writers, Lady Snowblood herself barely is allowed to say more than "Hai!" and as a result is forced to display her fury only with smoldering looks and adept slashes of her samurai blade. The very reserved style of her fight scenes provides the only saving grace for this waste of time, and it makes me wonder how good this movie might have been if she had been given a script worth her considerable talent and a chance to develop her stunning grace with the sword. Even more incredible (to me, at least) is discovering that Kaji is actually a multitalented indivdual who not only acted in this and other action films, but also sang some of the songs used in the first "Snowblood" movie, as well as in "Kill Bill." More's the pity.

Reviews

I have seen all the Naruto feature films thus far, and this one rates well against the others. I find the short episode series much more engaging, thrilling, and entertaining though. The movies seem to drag a bit too long for me, without enough 'thrills at every corner' to keep me on the edge of my seat. I'd recommend the movie for Naruto fans, but of course if you are a fan then you will see it regardless of what I say!

This was an excellent movie. If you like Naruto you will love this. He of course save the day at the end. One note: VIZ translated a joke slightly incorrectly at the very end, after the credits. This video is in English it also includes English Subtitles. If you really want to know what all the shocked look on their faces are at the end. Turn on the English subtitles, and read the joke. It is funny. I this review helps! Al.

all i have to say is this was a great movie! even though i wanted more fights, but besides that an awesome movie, i was hoping my fave character was in it which is Gaara but its all good so everyone please stop hating on this movie, i am sure the 2nd one will be even better!

I expected alot from this movie, probally too much, cause i love all things naruto, but i was reall let down. The characters just kind of complained back and forth to each other, the action was'nt that great, with the exception of rock lee's fight scene in it, which was pretty cool. I think i expected eveyone to have the 1 on 1 action scene the show use to have when they were younger, but overall the movie was just ok.

The first film of the series is a good offering considering that it technically constitutes as filler, but to tell you the truth, filler with a good production value is alright for me as a casual fan. Though it doesn't advance the main story much, actually it's a bit difficult to try and place this story within the series, but it is soon forgiven for the action is awesome (especially good if you're a fan of Rock Lee)and it heightens the devices the series tends to use sparingly (CGI effects). I won't trouble you by spoiling the story, it's bland and easily understood, aaaaaaaand the execution of the story is one that you've seen before in many other Naruto movies. In fact, if anyone can tell me a Naruto movie that advances the main story, please let me know, I haven't seen them all and I'm starting to see an awkward pattern that could turn me off to the movies, but my fandom menace won't let me stop buying them. All in all, for those of you who are buying the volumes individually, treat this as an optional supplement to tide you over until the next volume is released. For those of you who are still waiting patiently to get your first hit of Shippuden in full in January, then you won't even notice this movie and probably buy it for kicks. For those of you who like to watch Rock Lee do his thing again (including his drunken fist) then cop this in full confidence. The villains in this movie are creative, but that's a bar that the series set for itself and at this point we expect no less, so really it's nothing truly outstanding from the series' standards. The CGI used in this is considerable but does skim the boundary of gratuitous (sure it saves money, but do we really NEED it? it doesn't necessarily communicate with the animated characters well, but this movie manages to keep you from saying anything negative about it while it's going) So all I have to say is that I wasn't disappointed in buying this, I got action at a time length comparable to a volume of the series and I got to see my favorite characters from the Naruto universe thwart yet another threat to the world...but as long as the regions that encompass the Naruto main story are left untouched, then I wouldn't mind seeing the rest of the world plunge into an oblivion of weaponized chakra...

Reviews

I have not seen much anime but this one is definitely very entertaining. 5 stars.

This is some burned digital copy found on the internet that is also edited for content.

got the movie on time in good condition, but wher is the box, I would like to have the box

Classic animae! This is a must have for anyone who enjoys animae, the scenes and art work is fantastic. Story line is solid, and characters are well played. Pay attention the the rating as this is not Inuyasha so not for the kiddies, but older animae fans will enjoy it.

Its about a ninja whose for hire trying to cure himself of poison in his body. It has excellent details and graphics but the plot colud have been longer and less sexual.

Reviews

That's a cryptic title up there, unless you've encountered the iconic blind-yakuza-masseuse-Robin-Hood-like movie series from Japan. About 28 movies, all brilliant Zatoichi The Blind Swordsman: Vols. 1-4. (All 28 are offered at Amazon; this link hits only four). The trick of feminizing the concept is a good idea. The swordplay action and art direction are superb. This adaptation of the Zatoichi concept just isn't as well-written as the original. I'm guessing that the stressing of humor in ZATOICHI gives viewers 'permission' to believe the over-the-edge swordplay; this version has no humor as far as I remember. I'm keeping ICHI in my collection though. The nuances are interesting, the gender-flip too. But lacking the willingness to believe the amazing swordplay are possible detract from the acceptance of the premise. No, it's not gender-bias; I 'believe' Laura Croft's fabulous skills. Zena's too. This lady is demure, almost frail and, well, sweet. Blind, too. Then too, the plot/scripting is to a degree loose and sentimental. But that's really a subjective call. Yes, if you're a fan of samurai slicing, this is far-better than most; get ICHI and enjoy. But do try the original Ichi, Zato.

yesssssssss, the movie was great, good old samari stuff ummmmm, whatever you do, dont listen to the english dub, lol you will flashback into the 60's lolol picture was excellent, the score was awesome too

From the video-cinema view 5 stars, from the story line 5 stars, from the action tension etc.. 5 stars! I love this movie she plays it perfectly, it semi-mirrors Zatoichi stories. My ONLY complaint is the really lame dubbing if you prefer the English dubbed selection.. 2 stars.. max! The dubbing really is not good, the male voice-over is so r e a d i n g f r o m t h e s c r i p t that it really gets annoying, (the woman voice-over is pretty good though, since Ichi is a quiet character anyway) I like to watch it in the original, and read the subtitles, which are clear and perfect, - 5 stars! They also don't take over the screen's view only if the dialogue is 2 lines. (Note, if you use "Cinema" mode on your tv, it will crop out the subtitles). I REALLY liked the movie, and I may get more from Funimation. So yeah the movie itself is a solid addition to your collection. Note.. this review is for the DVD version, I can only imagine the Blue Ray version is even nicer looking! Jim

Ichi is a brilliant - amazing - superb - samurai flick . All the actors does a amazing job . Haruka Ayase is so gorgeous and a great actrees . A MUST SEE . 5 BIG STARS

Ichi is one of those films that I've been meaning to tackle for some time. The look, the feel, the mood, and the mythological elements are all of undeniable Asian influence. Yes there are undefeatable principles at play within that span beyond the swordplay and action elements in the foreground. Before we look at the excellent philosophical tones of the picture, let's get the hard facts out of the way. Coming in at a 120-minute runtime, Ichi consists of the full-length feature film on a single disc housed within a standard clamshell DVD case. The show wears an appropriate if not slightly conservative Restricted ® rating due to violent imagery, swordplay, digital gore and a healthy dose of character-driven drama. Language options are typical sub & dub meaning both the original Japanese vocal track is present as well the choice of an English dub (either presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound) with the option of running English subtitles available with either vocal track. The story, which has to be watched to be fully understood (or appreciated for that matter), goes something like this: Ichi, the female incarnation of the legendary blind swordsman Zatoichi, is herself a blind master of the blade and roams about town with her shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese guitar) in a mission to locate the man who helped raise her. Alone the way she happens upon no shortage of unsavory characters (rapists, thieves, and hustlers) looking to take advantage of her. Ichi is no pushover, as the baddies soon discover in dramatic visual style, and defends herself with spectacular swordplay time and time again. Shot in a blend of slow and regular motion segments, and with digital blood spurting wildly, the film is a testament to the charms of Asian cinema (and calls to mind some of Quentin Tarantino's frequent homage in films such as "Kill Bill"). As the prose develops, so too does the cast increase with Ichi herself gaining the companionship of a young male traveling partner despite the fact that she is by far the better sword wielder. Haruka Ayase's performance as Ichi seems to depend heavily upon the viewer's expectations going into the film. I found her to be convincing enough and somehow proud despite her attire of rags but it appears as though fans of Shintaro Katsu's original Japanese television incarnation of the mythos are quite divided on this casting choice. Villains, as is par for the course in these situations, are a bit over the top in my opinion (Nakamura Shidou in particular). However, while this may be a large detractor in an American big budget film, the Japanese have a habit of making the unbelievable believable through gritty ambiance and dialog that doesn't oversimplify character motivations. Shooting locations and cinematography are particularly noteworthy for their massive scope and stunning vistas (particularly some of the snow segments, which can send a chill through even the most well-wrapped blanketed viewer). The downside is that this simply isn't a piece of Asian cinema that will capture and hold the attention of the casual viewer. The pacing and plotting often become a bit bogged down upon themselves with an excessive of moments of silent reflection, brooding sighs, and artistic framing. For the most part this all works, but there will invariably be those a bit put-off by the pace fluctuations throughout (especially those viewers accustomed to the fast-cut American method of contemporary filmmaking). The sound score is perhaps the biggest surprise with some really nice keys that go a long way in complementing the whimsical backgrounds. In all, the picture works best when approached as a visually striking romp through a fairly historically accurate setting. Digging too deeply into the mythos seems to reveal complaints in many forms and the cast is a bit too inconsistent to win over the masses. Perhaps such complaints sound harsh, but the truth of the matter is that there is a lot of entertainment to be found here so long as you don't let expectations of grandeur bury it.