Sword Art Online (SAO)

Sword Art Online (SAO)

Sword Art Online (ソードアート・オンライン Sōdo Āto Onrain) is a Japanese light novel series by Reki Kawahara, with illustrations by abec. It has been adapted into three manga, an anime, and a video game.

In the year 2022, the Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), Sword Art Online (SAO), is released. With the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds.

On November 6, 2022, all the players log in for the first time, and subsequently discover that they are unable to log out. They're then informed by Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. The story follows Kirito, a skilled player who's determined to beat the game. As the game progresses for two years, Kirito eventually befriends a female player named Asuna with whom he ultimately falls in love. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's avatar in SAO, they confront and defeat him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

Upon returning to the real world, Kirito learns that Asuna and a small group of SAO players have still not awakened yet. Following a clue about Asuna's whereabouts in another VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online (ALO), Kirito also logs in there. Helped by his sister Suguha, he learns that the trapped players in ALO are part of a plan devised by Nobuyuki Sugō to perform illegal experiments on their minds to put them under his control, including Asuna, whom he intends to marry in the real world in order to take over her family's company. After Kirito stops Nobuyuki's plans, he finally reunites with Asuna in the real world.

Soon after, Kirito plays another game called Gun Gale Online (GGO) to investigate the mysterious connection between it and deaths occurring in the real world. Assisted by a female player he meets in the game called Sinon, he identifies and exposes the culprits, who include some former members of a murderous guild he had previously encountered in SAO.

Kirito is later recruited to assist in the development of a state-of-the-art game, UnderWorld (UW), which has an interface that's far more realistic and complex than the previous games he had played. In UW, the flow of time proceeds thousands of times faster than in the real world. However, he ends up falling into a trap set by one of the murderers from GGO and wakes up inside the game, unable to log out, with his real self left in a comatose state. Eventually he starts to question if he's the real Kirito or an artificial intelligence modeled after him.

An anime adaptation of Sword Art Online was announced at Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival 2011, along with Reki Kawahara's other light novel series, Accel World. The anime is published by Aniplex, produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Tomohiko Ito with music by Yuki Kajiura. The anime aired on Tokyo MX, tvk, TVS, TVA, RKB, HBC and MBS between July 7, 2012 and December 22, 2012, and on AT-X, Chiba TV and BS11 at later dates. The series was also streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The opening theme song for the first 14 episodes is "crossing field" by LiSA and the ending theme song is "Yume Sekai" (ユメセカイ, lit. "Dream World") by Haruka Tomatsu. From episode 15 onward, the opening theme is "Innocence" by Eir Aoi and the ending theme is "Overfly" by Luna Haruna. The anime has been licensed in North America by Aniplex USA. The series is licensed in Australia by Madman Entertainment.

Watch SAO trailer here :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ItVSknzi8

Gosick

Gosick

Gosick (ゴシック Goshikku, stylized as GOSICK) is a Japanese light novel series by Kazuki Sakuraba, published by Fujimi Shobo. Set in a fictional European country in 1924, a Japanese exchange student meets a mysterious, brilliant girl who only leaves the library to sleep. Her brother, a detective, relies on her exceptional mind to solve difficult mysteries.

Tokyo pop released the first novel in the series in English in April 2008 and the second in March 2010. The series has been published in Germany by Tokyopop since November 2006.A manga adaptation started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Monthly Dragon Age on December 9, 2007. An anime adaptation by Bones premiered on January 7, 2011. Crunchy roll simulcasted the animation during its Japanese broadcast and continues to webcast it. At Otakon 2011 Bandai Entertainment announced that they would release the series in North America. In January 2012 Bandai Entertainment announced that they'll withdraw from the North American market, and GOSICK's North American release is cancelled.

Gosick takes place in 1924 in a small, French-speaking fictional European country, which stretches in a strip from Switzerland, through the alps between France and Italy, to the Mediterranean Sea. The country's called "Sauville" in the English translation of the light novels; it is called "Saubure" in the anime adaption. The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a high-ranking officer of Japanese Imperial Army, who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, where urban legends and horror stories are all the rage. There he meets Victorique, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never comes to class and spends her days reading the entire content of the library or solving mysteries that even detectives cannot solve. The series mostly focuses on Kazuya and Victorique getting involved in different mystery cases and their struggle to solve them, at the same time forming important bonds with different people.

Watch go sick trailer here :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLC-SKtFs

Black Rock Shooter

Black Rock Shooter

Black★Rock Shooter (ブラック★ロックシューター Burakku Rokku Shūtā) is a Japanese media franchise based on characters created by illustrator Ryohei "Huke" Fuke. It revolves around its eponymous character, a mysterious black haired girl with a blazing blue eye. The original illustration inspired a song of the same name by Supercell, which gained popularity on the Nico Nico Douga website. A 50-minute original video animation based on the franchise was produced by Yutaka Yamamoto's studio Ordet, written by Nagaru Tanigawa and Shinobu Yoshioka, and directed by Shinobu Yoshioka. A "Pilot Edition" was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in September 2009, before the full version was released on DVDs bundled with select magazines from July 24, 2010, subtitled in seven languages, followed by a retail release on December 17, 2010. An eight-episode anime television series aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block between February 3 and March 23, 2012. The franchise has also spawned several manga series and a video game for the PlayStation Portable titled Black Rock Shooter: The Game, each set in their own universe.

While each piece of media takes place in its own universe, they each focus around Black Rock Shooter, a mysterious black haired girl who possesses a burning blue eye and a powerful cannon that can shoot rocks at high speed. Other characters also appear in more than one form of media.

The OVA focuses on a girl named Mato Kuroi, who befriends another girl, Yomi Takanashi, upon entering school. As the two start to drift apart, with Yomi becoming jealous of Mato's friendship with Yuu Kotari, Yomi suddenly disappears. As Mato searches for her, she's taken to a strange world where she meets the mysterious Black Rock Shooter, who merges with her and helps her search for Yomi, fighting off the evil Dead Master who possessed her. The television series use the same characters from the OVA in a similar but slightly different storyline. As Mato enters middle school and becomes friends with Yomi, she soon faces personal troubles and the influence caused by another world where Black Rock Shooter fights other girls.

The manga series, Black Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul, follows Black Rock Shooter and her serpent partner, Ron, as they venture the Hazama, a world between Heaven and Earth where stagnant souls that have had regrets become trapped. Left alone, these souls can become demons that can pull in other souls, so it is up to Rock to stop them so they may ascend to heaven. Black Rock-chan's a comedy series following the everyday life of a chibi styled Black Rock Shooter named Rock-chan and her babysitter De-chan.

In the video game, which takes place in the year 2051, Black Rock Shooter is awaken from slumber and enters a futuristic battlefield where alien forces have invaded the Earth and have been terrorizing the planet for 19 years. She must fight off the aliens, while also trying to regain her memories.

The origins of Black Rock Shooter date back to an original character illustration titled "Black Rock Shooter" by illustrator Ryohei Fuke, best known by his handle 'Huke', who posted it on his blog and the online artist community Pixiv on December 26, 2007. Ryo of Supercell was inspired by the illustration and created the song "Black Rock Shooter" based on that character using vocals from the Vocaloid singing synthesizer Hatsune Miku. Huke joined Supercell and provided the illustrations used in the music video of the song, which was later posted online on the video sharing website Nico Nico Douga on July 13, 2008, which as of August 2009 had over 2.2 million views. The song was later used as the opening theme for the 2012 anime television series. The song was also been included in Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F as a playable song.

Watch Black Rock Shooter trailer here :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VClYMzY310

A Scandal in Bohemia

A Scandal in Bohemia

 "Ignorance caused by visual observation rather than a comprehensive" - Sherlock Holmes

"A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget. (Two of the four Sherlock Holmes novels – A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four – preceded the short story cycle). Doyle ranked "A Scandal in Bohemia" fifth in his list of his twelve favourite Holmes stories.

While the currently married Dr. Watson is paying Holmes a visit, Holmes's called upon by a masked gentleman introducing himself as Count Von Kramm, an agent for a wealthy client. However, Holmes quickly deduce that he's in fact Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond Von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein and the hereditary King of Bohemia. The King admit this, tearing off his mask.

It transpires that the King is to become engaged to Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meiningen, a young Scandinavian princess. However, he had five years previous to the events of the story had a liaison with an American opera singer, Irene Adler, while she was serving a term as prima donna of the Imperial Opera of Warsaw, who has since then retired to London. Fearful that should the strictly principled family of his fiancée learn of this impropriety the marriage would be called off he had sought to regain letters and a photograph of Adler and himself together, which he had sent to her during their relationship as a token. The King's agents have tried to recover the photograph through sometimes forceful means, burglary, stealing her luggage, and waylaying her. An offer to pay for the photograph and letters is also refused. With Adler threatening to send them to his future in-laws, which Von Ormstein presumes is to prevent him marrying any other woman, he makes the incognito visit to Holmes to request his help in locating and obtaining the photograph.

The photograph is described to Holmes as a cabinet (5½ by 4 inches) and therefore too bulky for a lady to carry upon her person. The King gives Holmes £1,000 (£80,900 today) to cover any expenses, while saying that he "would give one of [his] provinces" to have the photograph back. Holmes asks Dr. Watson to join him at 221B Baker Street at 3 o'clock the following afternoon.

The next morning, Holmes goes out to Adler's house, disguised as a drunken out-of-work groom. He discovers from the local stable workers that Adler has a gentleman friend, the lawyer Godfrey Norton of the Middle Temple, who calls at least once a day. On this particular day, Norton comes to visit Adler, and soon afterwards, takes a cab to the Church of St. Monica in Edgware Road. Minutes later, the lady herself gets in her landau, bound for the same place. Holmes follows in a cab and, upon arriving, finds himself dragged into the church to be a witness to Norton and Adler's wedding. Curiously, they go their separate ways after the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Watson has been waiting for Sherlock to arrive, and when Sherlock Holmes finally arrives, he starts laughing. Watson is confused and asks what is so funny, Sherlock then recounts his tale and comments he thought the situation and position he was in at the wedding was amusing. He also asks whether or not Watson is willing to participate in a scheme to figure out where the picture is hidden in Adler's house. Watson agrees, and Holmes changes into another disguise as a clergyman. The duo depart Baker Street for Adler's house.

When Holmes and Watson arrive, a group of jobless men meander throughout the street. When Adler's coach pulls up, Holmes enacts his plan. A fight breaks out between the men on the street over who gets to help Adler. Holmes rushes into the fight to protect Adler, and is seemingly struck and injured. Adler takes him into her sitting room, where Holmes motions for her to have the window opened. As Holmes lifts his hand, Watson recognizes the signal and tosses in a plumber's smoke rocket. While smoke billows out of the building, Watson shouts "FIRE!" The cry is echoed up and down the street.

The Valley of Fear

The Valley of Fear

 "When water is near and a weight is missing, it is not a very far-fetched supposition that something has been sunk in the water" - Sherlock Holmes

The Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's based on the real life exploits of the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915, and the first book edition was published in New York on 27 February 1915.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson receive a letter from an informant known by the pseudonym Fred Porlock. Porlock is part of Professor Moriarty's criminal organization. The letter's written in a numeric code, and Holmes realises that the numbers refer to words in a book, by page and column. They decode the letter (finding the book in question to be Whitaker's Almanack), which warns that John Douglas of Birlstone House is about to be murdered.

After they have deciphered the message, Inspector McDonald of Scotland Yard comes to consult Holmes. McDonald is astonished when he sees the message, because it has pre-empted his news: a man called John Douglas has indeed been mysteriously killed in Sussex. McDonald demands to know the true identity of the informant who predicted the crime, but Holmes does not know it, because he promised not to try and find out who 'Porlock' really is. Holmes can only tell McDonald that the informant works for Professor Moriarty.

McDonald, Holmes and Watson go to the Birlstone Manor House in Sussex, working with Scotland Yard and beginning their investigation along with Inspector White Mason and other officers from the local police force. At least five people were in the house at the time of the murder. John Douglas, Ivy Douglas (his wife), Ames (a butler), Cecil Barker (a friend) and Mrs Allen (a servant). Cecil Barker is an old friend of Douglas and had been intending to stay at Birlstone House for a few months on holiday. He had met Douglas in America many years before and become his mining partner as well as his friend.

The house is surrounded by a moat that's fed from a nearby stream. The moat is wide but only two or three feet deep, so no one can really swim (or drown) in it. The house has a drawbridge, which is lowered every morning and raised every night. Barker tells the detectives that Douglas locked all of the windows in the house every night, and that he felt safer when the drawbridge was raised. It is concluded that the murderer walked across the drawbridge and hid close to the house before it was raised. The murderer could not have entered the house after 6:30 pm, since at that time the drawbridge was up.

Douglas's body can only be identified by a strange brand on his arm, a circle with a triangle inside it. He has been shot in the head with a sawed-off shotgun, at close range, ruining his face and head. The investigators soon learn from Barker that Douglas' wedding ring is missing. It stayed on the same finger, under the nugget-ring he wore, which was found intact on the body. That means the assassin removed both rings, and stole one while replacing the other. The assassins also left a card reading "VV 341".