Well it's May, and of course that meant the May Day bank holiday. But did we take a day off never! I was bringing the news to the forum and Darlo was studying for a Japanese oral exam (good luck dude). Today we've added 7 Japanese music reviews to the site. These are the ones that nijuu_rasen has put on the forum, so be sure to check them out. Cantana, Chocolat, Juren, Prelude, Prelude IV: An Illusion of Iridescent, Omnibus and Grandoise Delusion have all been reviewed. On a side note, nijuu_rasen also has his Japanese oral exam tomorrow, so good luck dude!
Kazuki's Log - 29th April 2008
Great news all! Darlo's confirmed that the site will get another beautiful makeover during the Summer! As the site's grown it's become a little out-dated, and let's face it, a bit bland. Darlo's been practicing his webdesign skills on one of his modules and will be working on the new design once his exams are over at the end of May.
The Forum's been getting a lot of regular updates from the world, especially from new moderator nijuu_rasen who has been letting us know more about J-Pop and music from the east.
Yes Darlo & I are back from our holiday. It was quite nice and relaxing to get away if only for a little bit. But now we're back and ready to crack on with some more hard work.
Congratulations to n00j and everyone at UKotaku for their first Podcast. It's really cool guys, and it can be downloaded and/or listened to at http://ukotaku.podbean.com.
We're also adding a new club today! Thanks to Joe for letting us know about Wessex Anime, a club that meets in Bath.
Kazuki's Log - 17th March 2008
Evening all. Darlo and I are finally going to be taking a little holiday. We're not going anywhere far, exotic or glamourous, but a break is just what the doctor ordered (not literally ¬_¬). So the site is going to be without any major updates for about two weeks, likewise if you do email us we probably won't reply for a while.
That being said our forum is still going to remain active, but we'll leave you in the more than capable hands of our moderators. See y'all soon!
Kazuki's Log - 12th March 2008
Not a huge update this time. As our forum regulars will know Darlo and I are a bit bummed out about a recent incident involving the Lotakar and two local thugs. Enough of that though, lets get on with the good stuff!
First off thanks to Paul Fisher from Bexley Manga Network for getting in touch. He first let us know about a dreadful spelling mistake (I blame ol' Darlo ¬_¬), and also to tell us about a Cosplay Workshop that they'll be running at Central Library in Bexleyheath on 26th April at 1 o'clock. Spaces are limited so if you want to go make sure to email Paul ASAP.
Next up another event related thank you! This time it's thanks to Jordan Scott for telling us about an awesome sounding Stop-Motion Anime UK Tour, featuring work by Kihachiro Kawamoto including his latest work, The Book of the Dead. It's starting this Saturday (15th March) in Bristol and will be stopping off at Gateshead, Manchester, Edinburgh, Sheffield and London before making it's final performance in Bradford on Thursday 15th May at the National Media Museum.
To quote Jordan, "Kawamoto, if you didn't know, is one of those great masters of anime whose work is bizarrely and unjustly unknown in the west. He works primarily in three-dimensional stop-motion and his films of this medium should have a particular appeal for fans of bunraku, Little Apple Dolls, Japanese folklore and fairy tales. He has also made a couple out of paper cutouts, which, in contrast, are strongly influenced by the paintings of Salvador Dalí and other western surrealist artists."
Thanks to some information from Aihiro, we've added Bexley Manga Network onto the site. Don't forget folks, if you know a club or awesome shop that we're missing, be sure to let us know!
We're currently working out the kinks on our events calendar, so keep your eyes open for that!
Finally, to show our support for the UK Anime scene, we're putting the Official UK Otaku widget on the site!
Kazuki's Log - 1st Feb 2008
Huge congratulations to our four, yes FOUR, Unazukin winners. We love being cheeky and sneeky, and added a secret competition on our forum for members only. So for those of you out there who didn't enter that one, it's not too late to join the forum to keep up to date with the latest news and information!
Thanks also going out this week to Fiona Macleod who's studying in Leeds for her review of Ema Toyama's very pink manga, Pixie Pop: Gokkun Pucho.
Kazuki's Log - 25th Jan 2008
Straight off the back of a tough and busy exam period, Darlo's been writing away. I swear I'm not a slavedriver, he just did it off his own back. I think I'll reward him with a cookie. Anywho, this time he's written an article on Fansubbing in the Anime Industry. Ooh posh!
We're also keeping our eyes open on anymore news about the mysterious closure of Cyber City Anime in Leeds, and it's online order service. We'll keep you posted on this dedicated forum thread.
So far it's been an interesting new year here at Lotaku, we've had prizes coming in ready to give away, news of another successful all nighter, and low and behold we have a new laptop, energised and ready to get to work.
We've also announced the winners of both our Rure and Fruits Baskets competitions, so be sure to check out the competitions page to see who those lucky people are.
Kazuki's Log - 17th Dec 2007
First of all we've announced the winner of our guess the Spam Bot competition. Congratulations to our winner, to find out if it's you click here!
We're also holding the third Lotaku All Nighter from Thursday 27th December to Friday 28th December (2007 ¬_¬). This time we'll be watching the entire series of Hare & Guu (aka ジャンガルいつもハレのちグウ - Janguru Wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu). If you want to get in on the fun, have a look at the forum events page.
Kazuki's Log - 14th Dec 2007
Hey guys! We've added two more competitions for you. Thanks to TokyoPop for providing us with a copy of 'Rure' and 'Fruits Basket Fan Book - Cat'for you guys to win. To get your mits on them, just head on over to our competitions page!
Kazuki's Log - 9th Dec 2007
We've got a fairly meaty update for you this time (or a fairly corny update if you're vegetarian). First of all Darlo's wrote a review about Jam Sessions, a guitar simulator for the Nintendo DS.
Secondly we'd like to give a huge thanks to Charlotte Mincher from Leeds for writing a review on Rure (volume 1) by Da-Mi Seomoon. You rock!
Next we'd like to announce another club on the site. This time it's UWE Anime Society from Bristol, who meet regularly on a Wednesday.
Finally, we've added a new competition! This is one for forummers only, but you're always welcome to join. You could win a free Buffy The Vampire Mousemat, A copy of Scarface - Devil In Disguise (issue number 1!), and a virgin mobile sim card.
Kazuki's Log - 23rd Nov 2007
Darlo's been reviewing again! This time he's read Gatcha Gacha by Yutaka Tachibana. He's promised to try and keep the reviews regular, but we know how lazy that guy can be.
We've added another review to our repetoir! This time Darlo has reviewed Laya the Witch of Red Pooh, but unlike most other reviews online he actually liked it!
Also a big thanks go out to Kurt, for letting us know about the second site for the Anglia Ruskin Anime & Manga Society.
Kazuki's Log - 9th Nov 2007
Absolutely HUGE congratulations are in order for our model Zoe Darlington, for winning the 2007 UK Urban Fashion Award for best female! The awards ceremony was held tonight in London and Zoe (currently studying Dance in Sunderland) took the award. You go girl! Thanks to everyone who put a vote in.
Kazuki's Log - 6th Nov 2007
Well last night was bonfire night and Darlo & I went to a huge bonfire and fireworks display in Hyde Park, Leeds. It was pretty cool, a tad cold though. Anywho, today we've put on a new flash game, Shanghai Mahjongg, so be sure to check it out!
We've also got some information on events happening in Leeds including a TokyoPop Recon and the Thought Bubble Comic Con. You can catch full details of these on our forum!
Kazuki's Log - 31st Oct 2007
Happy Halloween everybody! Me and Darlo have been out and about getting an awesome supply of sweets. Of course ol' Darlo's too old for trick or treating, so we just went to our local Londis to stock up for a sweet anime filled night (watching the entire Hare & Guu series)! Speaking of stuff to make your teeth fall out, we've got a new game online called Cookie Cutter: Twisted. Many thanks to our friend Aku for the recommendation.
Kazuki's Log - 30th Oct 2007
A fairly chunky update today! First of all there are three new clubs on Lotaku, so welcome to the Bristol Anime Club, the JMU Anime Soc and Worcester Anime Appreciation (who is our first club in Worcestershire).
Also courtesy of Miniclip & Addicting Games, we now have a selection of Flash Games for you guys to enjoy. We'll be updating these regularly so keep your eyes peeled!
Kazuki's Log - 29th Oct 2007
Our first picture of one of our awesome Kazuki hat's in action has come in! Two in fact. Massive thank outs go to Ehryn from Shropshire (wooh!) for sending these pictures of Yuki.
Kazuki's Log - 26th Oct 2007
As you can tell we've got rid of our flash map. We found it was more getting in the way than anything helpful. I might get Darlo to make a mini one to go after the menu bar on the left.
We'd also like to give a huge welcome to ARAMS (Anglia Ruskin Anime & Manga Society) who have not only got a spot on our site, but their own forum section! Use it well guys!
Kazuki's Log - 21st Oct 2007
The Lotaku Shop is open!!! You can buy our goodies from the awesome Beyond Imagination store (Tokyo Toys first franchise) in Telford. Remember that our shirts are limited edition and so won't last forever!
Kazuki's Log - 20th Oct 2007
A huge welcome to Orbital Manga (and Orbital Comics and Orbital Designer Toys) in London who now have their official forum here at Lotaku.co.uk. You can find it by clicking on the forum link, but we've also set up a link to take you straight to the Orbital section at http://orbital.lotaku.co.uk.
Also huge thanks to Ash at the Leeds University Anime Society for letting us use their logo/mascot pic on their entry (and for introducing me to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei!).
Kazuki's Log - 10th Oct 2007
So we've been chilling in Leeds and enjoying the sights and sounds of Yorkshire. So far I've managed to visit the Universities Anime Society which is pretty cool, and I also hung out with the Leeds University Japan Society on a night out in town! Now those guys know how to party. Just a small update today in the the awesome Emily Man from Orbital Manga has given us a picture for the site. Arigatoo Gozaimasu!
Kazuki's Log - 30th Sep 2007
So we've announced our winner of the first annual Kazuki award (still loving that name!) to be Andrew Whelan from TokyoPop. Well done Andrew! More details can be seen on the Kazuki Award page.
Darlo's also written a review on two different arcade games that use trading cards and barcodes (about time that bum did some actual work).
Kazuki's Log - 24th Sep 2007
Yo! As most of you know we're in the process of moving up to lovely sunny Leeds, so our access to Lotaku has been a bit limited. T_T
But first of all we'd like to say a big happy birthday to our sister site, Shrotaku.co.uk, which celebrates being one year old today! The Kazuki award (which was created to celebrate the event) was won by TokyoPop's Andrew Whelan, but you'll find full details on that on here in a few days. ***COMING SOON***
The winners of the Midlands MCM Expo contest will be announced in a few days, so keep checking your emails if you signed our guestbook. Eight Previews - Thats right, Darlo's going to be writing some previews on War Angels, Diabolo, Gakuen Heaven, In Dream World, Phantom, Gatcha Gacha, Laya - The Witch of Red Pooh, and finally .hack// Another Birth.
More clubs and sites will also soon be added, but keep your eyes open.
Kazuki's Log - 12th Sep 2007
Hey folks! First of all we'd like to thank Marcus Downing from the Basingstoke Anime Society for updating us with details about the club, and also a nice logo for us to use. We've also announced the launch of the awesomely named 'Kazuki Award', which will be presented at this weekends Midlands MCM Expo. Finally, our forum users can now print off what they need to get their 10% Lotaku merchandise at the expo.
Kazuki's Log - 11th Sep 2007
Well Darlo and I are back from working in Wales over the Summer and have once again spruced up the Lotaku site. We've got rid of most of the ads because they were a real eye-sore, and have made searching for clubs much easier using the bar on the left. The gallery, reviews and competitions pages are now fully working, and we'd like to give a huge thanks for everyone who's supported the site. Bring on Midlands Expo!
Kazuki's Log - 17th July 2007
Big thanks go to Tsuchinoko from Cambridgeshire for telling us about not only the Peterborough Anime Club, but also the site 'The Great Nothing'. Keep 'em coming guys!
After a contact buy awesome cosplayer, Strawberry, we welcome the Midlands Anime Club to the Lotaku.co.uk map. Not only are they on the map, but they've also got their own section in our forum. We've also got a live news feed direct with the Anime News Network, so you'll always have the latest news and information.
Well Lotaku.co.uk has been completely relaunched into this lovely flash design. Thanks to Darlo for all his help. Remember if you want your site on here too, then get in touch!
Kazuki's Log - 7th May 2008
Congratulations to n00j and everyone at UKotaku for their first Podcast. It's really cool guys, and it can be downloaded and/or listened to at 
