Bleach (ブリーチ Burīchi^?, Romanized as BLEACH in Japan) is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he accidentally obtains the power of a Soul Reaper-a Japanese death personification similar to theGrim Reaper-from Rukia Kuchiki. Gaining these abilities forces him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife.

Bleach has been continuously serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jumpsince August 2001, and has been collected in 42 tankōbon volumes as of October 2009. Since its publication, Bleach has spawned a substantial media franchise. The manga has been adapted into an animated television series produced by Studio Pierrot which is still ongoing in Japan as it adapts the story from the manga. The series has also spawned two original video animations(OVAs), three animated feature films, seven rock musicals, and numerous video games, as well as prompted the release of many types of Bleach-related merchandise.

Viz Media licensed the manga for English-language publication in the United States and Canada and has released 28 volumes as of September 2009. In addition, it has been publishing the chapters in Shonen Jump since November 2007. On March 15, 2006, Viz obtained foreign television and home video distribution rights to the Bleach anime. Cartoon Network began airingBleach as part of its Adult Swim block on September 9, 2006, in the United States. The first film,Bleach: Memories of Nobody was released in North America on Region 1 DVD by Viz on October 14, 2008, with the second film Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion released in North America on Region 1 by Viz on September 15, 2009.

Compilation volumes of the manga have sold over 50 million copies in Japan and reached the top of manga sales charts in the United States. The anime adaptation has been similarly received, rating as the 7th most popular anime television series in Japan in 2006, and in the top ten anime for the US from 2006 to 2008. The series received the Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnendemographic in 2005, and is among the best-selling manga properties in both Japan and the United States.

Naruto (NARUTO-ナルト-?, romanized as NARUTO) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.
The manga was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japan’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Currently, the manga is still being serialized with fifty-one tankōbon volumes released so far. The manga was later adapted into an anime, which was produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo network and the anime satellite television network Animax on October 3, 2002. The first series lasted 220 episodes, while Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, has been airing since February 15, 2007. In addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed six movies for the series and several original video animations (OVAs). Other types of merchandise include light novels, video games and trading cards developed by several companies.
Viz Media has licensed the manga and anime for North American production. Viz has been publishing the series in their Shonen Jump magazine, and as well as the indidividual volumes. The anime series began airing in the United States and Canada in 2005, and later in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The films, as well as most OVAs from the series, have also been released by Viz, with the first film premiering in cinemas. The first DVD volume of Naruto: Shippuden was released by Viz in North America on September 29, 2009, and it started broadcast on Disney XD in October of the same year.
As of volume 44, the manga has sold over 89 million copies in Japan. Serialized in Viz’s Shonen Jump magazine, Naruto has become one of the company’s best-selling manga series. The English adaptation of the series has also appeared in the USA Today Booklist several times and volume 11 won the Quil Award in 2006. Reviewers from the series have praised the balance between fighting and comedy scenes, as well as the characters’ personalities, but have criticized it for using standard shōnen plot elements.

How could anyone resist this big friendly creature. He reminds me a bit of (I forget the name) the flying dragon from Never Ending Story…Even thought the music is slightly wishy washy Disney, I don’t care. I just want to jump in and play.

Via Fullbright

creative commons license world bank photo collection

uncovered territory in gaming, is how the designers teach the users how to play the game. The importance of this feature may be over looked, but without it being good to great - the game is going to ultimately frustrate a whole lot of people and result in a bad rep and sales.

the Brainy Gamer deals with this issue in depth in a post called Teach Me To Play

courtesy of ::strømbërg::

You know how it is that people like to tidy things neatly away into draws - Black or white (no grey ’cause its messy) Tall or short, together or alone, making the middle zone disappear completely, even though for the most part, it is the only relevant zone.

Mystic Worlds posted and excellent post on this senseless typecasting if you will, called - “Thats Right, I Solo in Your MMO’s” that is very worth the read.