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Old 05-24-2011, 02:01 AM   #2551
lilboocorsola
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Muyotwo View Post
I really like the manga for Kenshin, but I've heard bad things about the anime, what did you think about the comparison between the two?
Personally, I'm partial to the animé, even though the aforementioned friend loathes it and practically thrust the manga in my face. The animé has more silly/cute/pointless filler than the manga, but it's these relaxed, comical moments I enjoyed best. My favorite episode is still the Tanabata one (which has nothing to do with my Birthday, which I didn't even know it was back then), since it was a welcome respite after the intense Shishio arc. I also really missed the presence of the two little girls who were the daughters of the doctor in the first episode/chapter. They were useless aside from being damsels in distress, but goshdurn they were adorable.

The main departure occurs after the Shishio arc. From there, the animé launches into a series of unmemorable story arcs which only serve to drag the show on longer than necessary. This is probably the source where most manga fans' grief stems from. The TV series ends abruptly without a fulfilling conclusion. If you want the bulk of the Enishi/Tomoe arc, it's covered instead in the Samurai X OVAs, which are notable for its much darker and realistic tone and art style compared to both the animé and manga.

Haven't read the HunterxHunter manga, so I don't know how it compares to the animé. Shame to hear it's on hold though, why must a story with such great potential continuously get shafted?
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Old 05-24-2011, 02:02 AM   #2552
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Originally Posted by YUKI.N View Post
Cool. I've played FF Tactics Advance and loved it. What do you mean by "simpler and more difficult" though? ^^;

Ah. I played ALttP a few years ago after OoT and MM, but didn't really understand the hype.
In Fire Emblem, almost everything is stat based. How well a character does relies fully on their stats and the stats of the weapon their using. There's no skills the characters have, everything's simply the characters performing attacks, or healing if you have a healer. That's what I meant by simpler. It's by no means a bad thing though.

For difficult, if one of your character's hp runs out, you can never use that character again. Because of that, you have to play very very carefully (or abuse the emulator's save function.) When I first played Fire Emblem, I restarted some stages so many times I wanted to scream.

As far as ALttP, it's all nostalgia for me. It's simply a game I played as a child and I was revisiting it.

________________________________________

Now to answer the other thing. I don't really see myself "growing out" of anime. Anime is one of my hobbies, and my hobbies are some of the things that make my life enjoyable. It's not like I want a high standing place in society anyway. I'll continue watching, because anime is a great source of great stories and lovable characters.

For friends, I live in rural ruralland. There's very few anime fans out here, and they are simply into mainstream stuff. Besides, there is absolutely no way in hell I'd tell anyone about some of the things I watch. My pride as a man would instantly crumble if a friend knew about all the freaking magical girl shows I've been watching recently. I'm sure my anime gallery wouldn't be too well received by others either.

I'm just glad that out of the hoards of rednecks living here, there's a few people who share similar views that I do that I've befriended. Though it's strange that all of them are/used to be potheads. Sure, they don't care for anything Japanese, but it's no big deal, since I don't intend on talking about anime outside of the internet anyway.
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Old 05-24-2011, 04:45 AM   #2553
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I've finished Ruri's routes in Demonbane. The final fight was dull, boring, and lacked tension. I feel I'm in the right in saying most VNs depict action very poorly, and relying more on narrative twists is a much more thrilling method to use. Muv-Luv Alternative's battles still rank as the most gripping fights I've seen, since it employed both the descriptive action and twist element.

While I've predicted a lot of the "twists" in DB, there was a rather large one at the end of Ruri's route I didn't notice. I'm surprised, since now I know the *REAL* antagonist, the one who eventually leads to the creation of the legendary Elder God Demonbane, the most powerful super robot in all of fiction.

Going into DB, I felt it was kind of refreshing, but for now I find it boggled down by super robot stock scenarios. The lolscience got too over-the-top, and the novelty of the Cthulu Mythos wore out its welcome sometime after the beach incident, when all Demonbane's powers were revealed. I don't like passages that amount to, "We're not going to bother describing or explaining why these pillars drive people insane, because their architecture is based on non-Euclidean geometry, so you wouldn't understand it anyway!".

In spite of this all, I appreciate Al as a character. Her development is the most profound of the cast and feels the most natural, BUT her development is nothing compared to Haru in G-Senjou or the Muv-Luv cast's. Maybe on par with one of the weaker ML side routes, but I'm being gracious in that comparison.
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Old 05-24-2011, 02:09 PM   #2554
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Kaiji:
If Nutbladder are on their A-game for consistency, then we can expect Kaiji S2 Ep08 some time tomorrow. :3 Can't wait!

Three Kingdoms:
I'm through Episode 16 of 95 and absolutely loving this. Anyone who's a fan of the books, of Dynasty Warriors, or of good storytelling in general should check this out. Just look for Three Kingdoms 2010 on D-Addicts by JiangHu fansubs. (Torrent only.) So far, they've subbed through Episode 52. Total file size for those fifty-two episodes is 27.9 gigabytes, so be sure you have either the HDD space or the DVD+Rs for this one.

Here's a bit from Episode 16. I hope you enjoy reading it. It should give you a sense for the intrigue of the series. (Notes: Cao Cao and Liu Bei are both lords in the realm. Liu Bei is the main character of our story. Cao Cao is a major character who you can think of as the primary antagonist. Xuande is Liu Bei's style name. Lu Bu is the realm's most powerful warrior but he's a bit of a traitorous dick and has been a thorn in everyone's sides. Liu Bei was, for a short time, the magistrate of Xu Province, a title which he inherited from Tao Qian, to whose aid he went when Cao Cao threatened to annihilate him. But then Lu Bu came and stole the city from under Liu Bei's nose when he was out on a military campaign.)
Cao Cao: I've long heard that Xuande's ambitions are great, and that he will not suffer to serve beneath me. Today, I see that it was said in truth.
Liu Bei: Not at all, not at all. Lord Cao, your army is powerful and you employ men of talent. I would make a negligible addition at most, but even without me you wouldn't be wanting. I beg you again, Lord Cao, to keep your word and allow me to take my leave.
Cao Cao: Xu Province was yours in the first place. It was snatched out of your hands by Lu Bu. You and Lu Bu appear on the surface to be like brothers, to be in mutual support. But in reality, you fight and scheme and are wary of each other. Tell me, have I spoken correctly?
Liu Bei: Lord Cao, your words are inaccurate. To be exact, Lu Bu and I, while wary of each other, are truly in mutual support.
Cao Cao: You're right. You have put it better. But if that is so, why return to Xiaopei? You must know that Lu Bu is as capricious as a fox, and as greedy and vicious as a wolf. If you and your forces of righteousness return to that place, you would be stationed by a wolf's den.
Liu Bei: Allow me to be frank. Though Lu Bu is greedy and vicious as a wolf, Lord Cao, you are ferocious as a tiger. Staying by a wolf is probably a bit safer than staying by a tiger.
*both men laugh*
Cao Cao: Very well. If that is so, then I will not keep you by force. However, I'll put this out there now. Xu Province is a place I will visit with my army sooner or later.
Liu Bei: Oh?
Cao Cao: Tao Qian's crime of murdering my father has yet gone unavenged. As a son, filial piety is most important. I will not be reconciled to my father's slayers!
Liu Bei: Lord Cao, Tao Qian passed away long ago. Must you still keep this grudge?
Cao Cao: Even though Tao Qian is dead, his son is still alive. I want to slay his son, open his tomb, and flog his corpse to allay my anger.
Liu Bei: From my point of view, Lord Cao, you are using the grudge as an excuse to annex Xu Province.
*Cao Cao stares at Liu Bei coldly*
Cao Cao: So what if I am?
Liu Bei: Allow me to be honest with you. Once your mighty army arrives, you will find me obliged to join forces with Lu Bu, defending ourselves to the death.
*silence*
Liu Bei: Lord Cao, if you don't want to kill me just yet, please allow me to take my leave.
OH MAN.

Last edited by Talon87; 05-24-2011 at 02:11 PM.
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Old 05-24-2011, 04:01 PM   #2555
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I'm gonna read the book. After all, what's good enough for Gai is good enough for me.

Here's my cool story from Chinese history:

Xu Da was a general who helped overthrow the Mongol regime which ruled over China at the time. He fought together with his friend Zhu Yuanzhang, who would become the first emperor of the Ming dynasty after their victory.

As the new emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang felt like he needed to kill Xu Da in order to secure his rule. Xu Da had an illness which caused him to be allergic to goose, so Zhu Yuanzhang presented him with a grand feast as a reward for his victory: roast goose meat. Xu Da immediately understood the meaning of the meal, and ate the goose meat while crying and remembering the good times with Zhu Yuanzhang. As predicted, Xu Da had a reaction to the meat and died.

Now that's what I call manly tears ;_;
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Old 05-24-2011, 04:06 PM   #2556
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That's what I would call what an asshole! O_o

And if when you say "I'm going to read the book" what you mean is "I am going to watch the book and not the show," (a) I don't see why you can't do both + (b) as someone who read the book first (or at least the first three-eighths of the four-book series first) I would actually recommend watching the show first. Being able to put faces for people and images for places to the various Chinese names is a real help.
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Old 05-24-2011, 04:24 PM   #2557
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Yeah, Zhu Yuanzhang is a dick, no question. But I just like how Xu Da was resigned to his fate, cried and reminisced about the good old days, rather than bitch about his unavoidable death.
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Old 05-24-2011, 07:03 PM   #2558
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YUKI.N View Post


Apologies again for the personal rant. Just felt the need to get that off my chest. To make a topic out of it... Have any of you ever felt you would lose interest in animé? What keeps you going? Do you keep your fandom on the down-low IRL, or wear the otaku badge with pride?
No apology needed.
I'll answer that question further down..

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Do I keep my fandom on the down-low irl? I didn't used to. During college, I made a point of wearing my X/1999 t-shirt with Kamui on the front once every two weeks or so. It was the only anime shirt I had, but I liked it a lot and saw no problem with wearing it. I retired Kamui in 2007 when I entered medical school and since then I've been more hesitant in telling people I watch anime. Often they guess, but I generally try not to bring it up. If I overhear people talking about anime, in the past I would butt in in the hopes of making friends. Now I just ignore them, not wanting to make an ass of myself nor necessarily wanting to expose that I too know the secret language in which they are speaking. (Yes, I know of this "Alucard" of whom you speak. ) But in the privacy of my own home? I don't hide anything. You've seen photos of my apartment before, I think, but if not ...
living room wall above couch (PhotoBucket page) (full size)
bedroom wall next to door, to left of head of bed when standing from foot of bed (PhotoBucket page) (full size)
Much to the chagrin of my father. And it's probably not doing my any favors in the romance department. But oh well. "To thine own self, be true!"

P.S. That Mikan/Jasmine + Steelix painting is roughly 3' x 2'. I have the plastic ruler up there on the bottom of the frame to lend a sense of scale. It's huge. And I love it.
That is incredible, do those girls have names? I wish I had some stuff like that. I didn't know you were studying to be a doctor either.

On a side note, it's interesting you mentioned Jasmine's Japanese name, "Mikan," I had only just recently learned that that was what she was called.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
I don't think I'll lose interest, though the fear has crossed my mind. Certainly, of the folks I grew up with, a bunch of them have left anime but they weren't in that deeply to begin with. My friend in Pharmacy school was like that, he flat out told me "yeah, I'm not watching anime anymore because I'm going to a place where that kind of interest isn't acceptable". I've never yielded to that kind of mentality.

The primary reason I won't lose interest is I have no-where else to go. I've evolved into a certain mindset that would only be receptive to foreign ideas. Comic books never interested me, and I've never owned a video game console. I was spoiled by LucasArts as a child and modern games don't live up to the quality of those projects. Likewise, modern cartoons in the post-Turner renaissance (the 1990's and early 2000's) are demographic oriented and universally awful. I mean, what do I watch when I turn into TV? Documentaries. Almost exclusively documentaries. My favourite is Modern Marvels.

I feel I've been isolated by my own education, taste and intelligence, and it's a distinction that most advertisers would classify as "niche" - the kind of person they can't sell a product to.

I had a discussion two nights ago with RoboBlue and Jonas, admins on Arlong Park, about advertising and why I find it almost humorous in how it tries and fails to pander to me, namely the ads on CrunchyRoll. It went something like-



It was then that I realized that despite being middle class, I'm possibly one of the most privileged people I know. It's why I could relate to Takeru so much. Once upon a time, Talon once talked about buying Prego tomato sauce at a Kroger's (a chain then unfamiliar to me). I kept wondering why he'd buy what I consider an awful tomato sauce, but it didn't occur to me until a year later that, living in the tomato capital of the planet, I am extremely spoiled by the local bounty and others aren't as fortunate. Who can say they live a block down from a Team Fortress 2 style train yard, adjacent to a rice mill? With turkeys inhabiting a forest about 2 miles away, and chickens running across my yard? With parents as accomodating, supportive and forgiving as mine? I'm extremely blessed, and I want to transform these unique expriences into something rare and powerful.

Likewise for anime, I've found diamonds in the rough, beneath the shounen surface most anime fans never touch. I can't share Yolo tomato sauce with the world, but I can share my passion for anime with my experience. If I can connect to a few kindred spirits, and establish a communication, it's more than enough.

Getting Malcom to play Muv-Luv, for example, was enormously fun for me. I don't think I could ever get bored with that kind of communication, though there is a method to properly coerce the maximum interest out of such a discourse.
That's an incredible backstory, I wish I was that lucky to live in such a bounteous place, due to finances I was raised on pretty much the "cheapest stuff one can buy." I guess I've also been blessed in that I can make more objective financial decisions, and like you, advertising doesn't have much effect on me either, simply because I know I can live without, I know I don't really need it. If I want something, it is because of what the item is, not because of how it's "sold" to me.

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Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post

I can say that you'll get an extra layer of pleasure out of the series -- one that's by no means necessary, just welcome and extra -- if you know famous figures from the time period Gintama is parodying. Many of the characters in the show have partial personality overlap with their historic counterparts but with key details altered. Most noticeably, all of their given names have been changed, so that ...You get the idea. This doesn't apply to every character (including the main three, lol) but it applies to a good many of the characters seen in the show. And it's for that reason, then, that recognition of who they're supposed to be parodies of and in what manner they're parodies of these historical figures would probably lend you some added smiles here or there.

Don't be scared away from checking out the show though if you don't know any of these names: because I didn't know half of them (including all four of the ones I just listed for you!) before starting this show either. (I knew the Shinsengumi, of course. But I didn't know the names of anybody in it. ) I'm just saying that if you do know them then you will be in more an additional treat while watching.
I know those names!!! And I know about the Shinsengumi! They're in Hakuouki and Hakuouki: Hekkestu Roku, which I've mentioned before, it's like a historical retelling, with a few added fictional elements.


Now,
Quote:
Have any of you ever felt you would lose interest in animé? What keeps you going? Do you keep your fandom on the down-low IRL, or wear the otaku badge with pride?
I've been pretty much a latecomer to everything anime related, and Pokemon was definitely my steppingstone into the Anime World. The episodes I was able to watch on TV were out of order and infrequent at best. I had (still have) an overbearing and overprotective father, who I even had to convince that Pokemon was "Ok."
When I was young, I was too afraid to press for more anime shows (I had been interested in Cardcaptors), and the most I ever got from the TV was Pokemon, Yu-gi-oh, a couple episodes of Cardcaptors when no one was home, and later on, a few Tokyo Mew Mew episodes and Spider Riders.
Being a loner my whole life, I never had any friends to push me away from anime, nor any reason to give it up. I was used to being outcast and my family situation, while never physically so, was/is still very mentally trying, so nothing really mattered to me but except Escapism: books, TV, and Video Games.
What really drove me into various anime though, was a desire to "Complete" Yu-gi-oh, since I had missed many episodes. From that, I wanted to finally get to see Cardcaptors, which I had never really been able to experience, and then it just grew as I learned about other animes from various sources.

I have to say though, I never had as big an Anime Boom as I had once I found this site, so not only am I a latecomer, but I'm also very novice. I guess the novelty is what's currently keeping me up, but I very much enjoy storytelling in all forms, books, TV/Movies, video games, and anime, and it's really the story that draws me in, so I don't expect that to change anytime soon. Anime will, now that I've found it, always be one of my sources for stories. Since I'm usually on my computer most of my free time anyway, it makes it easy to enjoy while doing other things too.

Being still a loner though, I prefer being as unnoticeable as possible, so I don't "display" my Anime fandom anywhere except in my own home and with my siblings. I do consider myself a proud Otaku, in that I'm not ashamed of being one, but don't ask me to show that side (or any side of myself for that matter), in public. I'm shy, socially awkward, and find many IRL social situations emotionally draining or embarrassing; I'd like to keep them to as little as possible.

Last edited by unownmew; 05-24-2011 at 07:12 PM.
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Old 05-24-2011, 07:28 PM   #2559
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No, there isn't one for each gym leader, unfortunately. I found this fanart quite by chance and was able to backtrack it to its original artist's website on Pixiv found here. I requested a larger, text-free version of the original art for private use and the artist graciously granted my wish. (If you expand the comments by clicking where it says コメント履歴を表示 , you can see the conversation between the artist and myself! It reads from bottom oldest to top newest.) Oddly enough, even though he's Japanese he had the English in-game text on the original fanart. And while I admit that those two specific lines, in the context of his epic artwork, are awesome, I'm not a fan of the American localization of the Pokemon games vs. the original Japanese games. (For the record, I've only ever played Pokemon Red and HeartGold to completion in Japanese. Red in Summer '06, HeartGold in Fall '09.) They change a lot of the dialogue: and in Mikan's case, specifically, it really changes her personality. That, and I didn't want text on the painting if I was to hang it up in my house. I wanted it to look like a painting, not like web fanart.

I asked the guy if he would consider doing more Pokemon art like this one but he's got a job, etc etc. When I asked him who he liked, he responded that out of the gym leaders he really likes Kasumi/Misty, Shirona/Cynthia, Melissa/Fantina, and Hyouta/Roark. Later, he ended up uploading a quick piece he'd drawn up of Ibuki/Clair (see here), but obviously it just isn't the same as the Mikan picture. All his recent uploads have been some military thing I don't recognize. Not my thing. Le sigh. Oh well. I'm grateful he even ever drew up the one thing he did. 'Cause it's hands down the single best Pokemon fanart I've seen to date (imo). Which it'd have to be if I went to the effort of printing it off and buying a frame for it (all together something like $40?) just to hang it in my home.

Maybe some day he'll come back and do another epic one for some of the other HGSS gym leaders. Who knows. Until then ...

Last edited by Talon87; 05-24-2011 at 07:30 PM.
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Old 05-25-2011, 03:58 PM   #2560
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Almost done with's Al's route in Demonbane, this'll be the last route I'll play before putting it down, since it's the "main route". The H scene is yet another awkward H scene but the characters retain their personalities during it, so it's not unbearable. Still unsatisfying, though.

Thus far, I've seen the Bad End (horrifying), Ruri Normal (which was great), Ruri Good (meh).
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Old 05-25-2011, 05:12 PM   #2561
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Three Kingdoms:
Epic. Fucking epic. I mean, it literally is an epic, but it's also incredibly awesome.

Fanboy-excitement discussion of a famous scene shown in Episode 20 follows.
Spoiler: show
In Episode 20, they had the famous tea chat scene between Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Cao Cao fields Liu Bei the question, "Who do you think are the heroes of our realm?" Liu Bei cannot answer honestly, and he suspects Cao's answer anyway (see below); and so, dodging the question, Liu Bei intentionally lists off false hero after false hero; and Cao Cao in turn wastes no time in pointing out each false hero's faults. Finally, Liu Bei quietly turns to his host and says ...
Liu Bei: Apart from those, I really don't know who deserves to be called a hero.
Cao Cao: Then I shall tell you. A hero holds lofty ambition in his bosom and effective stratagems in his mind. He can read the designs of the universe and has the ability to encompass the world.
Liu Bei: Well said, Your Excellency. However, how could there be any who can merit such an exalted description?
Cao Cao: The heroes of the realm are only you and I.
*Liu Bei silently avoids Cao Cao's gaze, then seeks to break the silence with laughter*
Liu Bei: You must be jesting. How would I dare to be compared with you?
Cao Cao: Xuande, certainly you do not think I am blind to a person's character.
*Liu Bei uncomfortably smiles*
Cao Cao: I will only need to name a few things to make my point.
Liu Bei: Pray instruct me.
Cao Cao: The first time we met was at Yuan Shao's alliance headquarters. On that day, the dauntless warrior of Xiliang, Hua Xiong, was challenging us to battle and cut down three top champions of our camp one after another. The lords were all petrified. Your brother, Guan Yu, rode forth and cut down Hua Xiong in less time than it took for a goblet of warm wine to cool. When he threw Hua Xiong's head onto the hall floor, all the lords were astonished. You alone did not even bat an eyelid.

Secondly, when I led 50,000 elite cavalry and campaigned against Xuzhou, all the lords waited to see which way the wind would blow. Not a single one of them dared to stand against me for the sake of Tao Qian. Only you, with fewer than two thousand in tow, came. You knew full well you were not my match, but still you attempted that which was not possible. For what? Compassion and righteousness.

*Liu Bei is silent this entire time, averting Cao Cao's piercing gaze*

For those two things you are willing to neglect your own life, and will lead the world that way.

Thirdly, when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, I marched against him on imperial orders and summoned all the lords to support me. But not one of them came to my aid. When I reached the frontline, it was you again who was waiting for me there. Know that I never sent you a decree in the first place. And yet you came. Why? Because you are an imperial scion. You hate nothing more than rebels usurping imperial power.

*Liu Bei looks up and fixes his own piercing gaze upon Cao Cao, the very man holding the Emperor hostage and using him as a pawn in his political machine*

Liu Bei: It's true.
Cao Cao: Xuande, I had never thought that there was anything more to the words "compassion" and "righteousness." But eventually I understood. In your hands, they are no mere words concerning morals and propriety but are in fact weapons for killing. Isn't your weapon of choice the Twin Blades? The way I see it, one is the Blade of Compassion, and the other is the Blade of Righteousness. With these two in hand, how can you be anything but a hero?

*Suddenly, there is a GREAT PEAL OF THUNDER. Liu Bei drops his chop sticks. Cao Cao waits for him to pick them up.*

Liu Bei: Oh, excuse me. The power of a single peal of thunder! That clap of thunder really did give me a good scare.
Cao Cao: Would a hero be afraid of thunder?
Liu Bei: Thunder is a proclamation from Heaven. What mortal man does not fear Heaven's will? Furthermore, every word you spoke just now resounded like thunder as well.
Cao Cao: Well, so you think I spoke rightly, then?
Liu Bei: You did. However, I do have a question which I hope you may answer me honestly.
Cao Cao: Please ask it.
Liu Bei: Unless I am mistaken, Your Excellency has wanted to kill me on several occasions. Why haven't you done so yet?
Cao Cao: A good question! My worthy brother, you are right in asking it. Let me tell you the honest answer then. First, I can't bring myself to. Since time immemorial, a hero has always cherished another. Second, although you are a hero, you have nowhere to use your talents. A hero who can't do anything is quite harmless to me. Those are the reasons why I can treat you with courtesy and respect and discuss heroes with you over warm plum wine.
Liu Bei: Thank you, Your Excellency.
Cao Cao: Cheers.

*they drink*
WOW! You can just FEEL the tension in the garden pavilion! If it isn't clear to you ... this conversation would be sort of like a conversation between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi pre-Episode IV post-Episode III. Kenobi asking Vader, "Why don't you kill me?" Vader responding, "Because I can't bring myself to, Bro. .......... that and you're nothing more than a flea to me at this point. " So what happens if/when the day comes that he's no longer a mere flea? What happens that fateful day when former friends collide as bitter enemies in mortal combat?

Bromance, guys. Bromance. *wipes tears*

Right now, I'm at what was for me one of the most memorable parts of Book 1: when the three oath-brothers are separated by forces beyond their control, each trying to find his two kinsmen but each caught up in his own side-adventures along the way. It's gonna be a fun ride to the Battle of Guandu!



As for general anime stuff ...
- still haven't watched Hanasaku Iroha Ep08 yet, whoops
- have watched half of Gintama Ep209 but because it's a filler episode (as in, it's a humorous music video and then a long advertisement for a second motion picture, not kidding), I haven't gotten all the way through this one yet either
- Nutbladder should be releasing Kaiji S2 Ep08 today but so far there's no sign of it
- Nothing new to say about AnoHana, of course.

So yeah. No new anime stuff to report.
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Old 05-25-2011, 06:38 PM   #2562
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Finally finished Demonbane (so to speak). Now I'm going to do something else!

Overall, this is an average novel. It is very fun in the beginning, but is boggled down by incomprehensible writing later on and the fighting becomes predictable...and boring. Since the major draw of the story is the action, if that fails to sate one's interest, one ends up falling on the characters, who while fun and appropriate for the series, don't have the greatest development.

I really like Al, but the whole "I've lived for 1,000 years and had hundreds of masters, but none before you have treated my like a human" wasn't conveyed very well. Just pre-love and post-love, no transition. And Al had the best development I've seen thus far, no offense to Ruri, who seemed to have a thing for her Grandfather that bit her development with Kurou (or so I thought at first). There are no driving themes whatsoever, so even if this novel was technically perfect, it wouldn't get a 10 from me no matter what.

The novel isn't very professional either. Internet slang and memes appear implicity in the dialogue, punctuation is erratic, characters sometimes revert to code, text repeats, we have fansub-style subs for the videos...for something that's supposedly be done for YEARS, this is completely unacceptable. Amaterasu's MLA TL is far better, I don't know if that's praise for Ixrec or a curse on JAST USA.

In the end, I would never buy this novel. I don't say this with regret. I've been saying this for a while - there is NO DEMAND for visual novels, there is demand for GOOD visual novels. The occasional high-budget, mediocre novel (I'd say DB is about a level above the VN equivalent of a Michael Bay movie) is needed to provide contrast, but there's only one or two VNs each year worth playing, just like in every year, there's only a handful of good anime. DB is one of those mediocre novels, it would have to be almost given away (like for $10) for me to even consider buying it, and that out of pity. Given the time and resources invested, it is NOT WORTH IT.
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Old 05-26-2011, 09:54 AM   #2563
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Madoka:

So I was checking out some discussions around the Internet (such as 4chan's sewer of a discussion board), and there's this popular idea of heavy yuri undertones in the show (Homura x Madoka, Sayaki x Kyoko). The possibility of yuri never even entered my mind. When I was watching episode 1, I actually did wonder if Sayaki was supposed to be a lesbian, because she made that comment about wanting to make ol' Football Head her bride. It became clear to me pretty quickly though that she was joking, after seeing her fixation on what's-his-face in the hospital.

Amusingly, it actually would explain Kyoko's drastic character change that I complained about. "It's because she was totally lesbian for Sayaki!!" No, I just attribute that to poor character development.
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Old 05-26-2011, 10:31 AM   #2564
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I think that whenever you have a story where someone is someone else's most dear person in the whole world, you're going to have the possibility for interpreting it as romantic even if it's not. Like, consider Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Even though none of the characters are gay, someone could choose to argue that they are since they do things like choose to save their oath-brother over their own wife or make comments like "I can't bear to lose you " to an old friend-turned-enemy they're obligated to execute. Same thing goes for Homura in Madoka: I'd say I think the evidence for her being a lesbian in love with Madoka is there, but it's all "Madoka is my dear and most precious friend" stuff, and it's sort of silly of me to have a double-standard. *shrug*
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Old 05-26-2011, 11:10 AM   #2565
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The Homura/Madoka lesbian thing is pretty funny in fanart. In most of the ones I've seen, they make Homura an obsessive stalker/molester. Hell, Danbooru has a pool that's dedicated to nothing but Homura molesting/stalking Madoka (some pictures are NSFW, but it's easy to judge by the thumbnail.)
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Old 05-26-2011, 03:16 PM   #2566
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Ha, lots of abusing Time Stop there.
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Old 05-26-2011, 03:23 PM   #2567
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I breezed through Meiya's path, and finally started on Unlimited. Things have certainly gotten a lot more interesting. The new girl is super adorable. And mysterious~

Something I noticed about the most recent Sumika flashback:

Spoiler: show
Her uniform had an insignia on it. This was during the first flashback that didn't also take place during Extra, when they were trying on their new school uniforms. I didn't check to see if she had it in the previously repeated scenes.


Edit- JUST HAD A LIGHTBULB MOMENT:

Spoiler: show
Ka Su Mi = Su Mi Ka?

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Old 05-26-2011, 03:54 PM   #2568
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YUKI.N View Post
I breezed through Meiya's path, and finally started on Unlimited. Things have certainly gotten a lot more interesting. The new girl is super adorable. And mysterious~

Something I noticed about the most recent Sumika flashback:

Spoiler: show
Her uniform had an insignia on it. This was during the first flashback that didn't also take place during Extra, when they were trying on their new school uniforms. I didn't check to see if she had it in the previously repeated scenes.
I think the uniforms differ depending on the season. Haruka and Mitsuki from KGNE have distinct uniforms from the ones seen in ML, though it's the same school. However, Marimo and Yuuko wore the same uniforms, so I'd say that's the Fall/Winter edition.

You have a good eye on those insignias, so stay sharp, you might notice something else.

Quote:
Originally Posted by YUKI.N View Post

Edit- JUST HAD A LIGHTBULB MOMENT:

Spoiler: show
Ka Su Mi = Su Mi Ka?
HMM, I WONDER WHERE I'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE?

Ahh...let's have a flashback.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
BRICKS

BRICKS BRICKS

Not really Alternative-spoiling bricks, it's in Unlimited but...I love this kind of stuff!!

This first spoiler might be O.K. for Talon to see, I think he'd pick up on this naturally.

Spoiler: show

Yasuhiro Kasumi
Kagami Sumika

Kasumi and Sumika have the same syllables!!! It's an anagram!!!
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Old 05-26-2011, 04:02 PM   #2569
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
I think the uniforms differ depending on the season. Haruka and Mitsuki from KGNE have distinct uniforms from the ones seen in ML, though it's the same school. However, Marimo and Yuuko wore the same uniforms, so I'd say that's the Fall/Winter edition.

You have a good eye on those insignias, so stay sharp, you might notice something else.
Oh, they did have them on their regular uniforms in Extra. Then what were the guards looking for when they stopped Takeru?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
HMM, I WONDER WHERE I'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE?
I actually figured it out with the help of the Haruhi spoilers I've been reading lately. *hint hint for the future*
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Old 05-26-2011, 04:17 PM   #2570
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Yeah, I was gonna say, Doppel, I thought I was having déjŕ vu too.

Yeah, Japanese name anagrams don't really strike me as difficult. (Not to rain on Yuki's parade. ^^; ) But I'd be more impressed if a Westerner was able to decipher kanji wordplay riddles. For example, in Hikaru no Go, Hikaru's family name is Shindou, right? Shindou Hikaru.
  1. He writes his family name as 進藤.
  2. But the word shindou can also be written as 真道, meaning "the true path", a likely intentional allusion to the Hand of God (the perfect Go technique) which Sai is trying to master via Hikaru.
  3. Shindou can also be written as 神童, meaning "prodigy, wonder child". This clearly refers to Hikaru himself once the show progresses.
  4. Last but not least, the way Hikaru writes his family name, 進藤, is a composite of the words "to progress/move forward" (進) and wysteria (藤). The thing is, wysteria is also a part of the name of the famous Fujiwara clan (藤原) from which Sai heralds. So Hikaru's name could be re-read to mean ...
    (possible spoiler for third of three story arcs in the show)
    Spoiler: show
    "to pick up from where the Fujiwara left off and to move forward" ... which is exactly what Hikaru does in Story Arc 3.
Stuff like that amuses me much more, because it's more than just a rearrange-the-letters game at that point -- it's become a find the hidden meanings game. The name lends the character added depth beyond being superficially fun for fans to decipher and discuss ŕ la Yuubiseiharukana vs. Yuubiseiakikana which, while fun to discuss, was merely superficial (in the sense that while it helped to solve the LeMU puzzle, it didn't lend You much in the way of added character depth). Admittedly, though, the author of Hikaru no Go really hit paydirt with the name "Shindou Hikaru". (Recall Hikaru means "light", so back to the 真道 reading: Hikaru's full name could be taken to mean "the light which illuminates the true path").
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Old 05-26-2011, 04:21 PM   #2571
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YUKI.N View Post


Oh, they did have them on their regular uniforms in Extra. Then what were the guards looking for when they stopped Takeru?
All of the uniforms in Unlimited have two insignias, one on both shoulder. On one shoulder is "Hakuryou", while the other is "United Nations 11th Pacific Fleet - Yokohama Base". On the officer uniforms, this insignia is replaced by the personal insignia of whatever squadron the Eishi belongs to.

Kasumi's insignia is a bit different, it says "United Nations 11th Pacific Fleet - Alternative IV".

Quote:
Originally Posted by YUKI.N View Post
I actually figured it out with the help of the Haruhi spoilers I've been reading lately. *hint hint for the future*
Oh?

Could I figure out something re-reading Book IX?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Last but not least, the way Hikaru writes his family name, 進藤, is a composite of the words "to progress/move forward" (進) and wysteria (藤). The thing is, wysteria is also a part of the name of the famous Fujiwara clan (藤原) from which Sai heralds. So Hikaru's name could be re-read to mean ...
(possible spoiler for third of three story arcs in the show)
Spoiler: show
"to pick up from where the Fujiwara left off and to move forward" ... which is exactly what Hikaru does in Story Arc 3.


Stuff like that amuses me much more, because it's more than just a rearrange-the-letters game at that point -- it's become a find the hidden meanings game. The name lends the character added depth beyond being superficially fun for fans to decipher and discuss ŕ la Yuubiseiharukana vs. Yuubiseiakikana which, while fun to discuss, was merely superficial (in the sense that while it helped to solve the LeMU puzzle, it didn't lend You much in the way of added character depth). Admittedly, though, the author of Hikaru no Go really hit paydirt with the name "Shindou Hikaru". (Recall Hikaru means "light", so back to the 真道 reading: Hikaru's full name could be taken to mean "the light which illuminates the true path").
Oh wow.

WOW!

...

I'm not sure if there's much of that in Muv-Luv, but Takeru apparently does have an unusual way of spelling his name, using the single kanji 武, which means "warrior". Unfitting for Extra, but portent for Unlimited.

Nevermind, I forgot a HUGE incident in Alternative that was directly related to name spelling and kanji choice. But I can't talk about because it's a spoiiiiiiler!
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Old 05-26-2011, 04:36 PM   #2572
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Yeah, Japanese name anagrams don't really strike me as difficult. (Not to rain on Yuki's parade. ^^; ) But I'd be more impressed if a Westerner was able to decipher kanji wordplay riddles.
Not at all, I'm just glad I was able to figure it out on my own. If I could look up the meanings to kanji I would to try and decipher any hidden messages, especially since Takeru made a point of writing out her name. Originally I thought of researching the meaning to the Haruhi character name I alluded to, but didn't think it'd be much use with my limited knowledge. Turns out the kanji's not relevant anyway (as far as I know), it's just another anagram. Albeit looser and a bit more clever.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
Oh?

Could I figure out something re-reading Book IX?
Afraid not. It's the name of you-can-probably-guess-who. If you want to take a stab at deciphering it given the above information, be my guest:

Spoiler: show
Yasumi Watahashi


Edit- Just to clarify, this is not Kyon's real name. XP It's the name of...

Spoiler: show
The freshman girl who joins the SOS Brigade.

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Old 05-26-2011, 07:00 PM   #2573
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So her name is supposed to be an anagram of another name?

...I can see the similarities with ML's character. o.o

...

I just started Heartcatch PreCure. I'm trying hard to not have sinful thoughts toward it, but with lyrics like

Sorezore no mune
Maebae hajimeteru!

...I'm a bit apprehensive.
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Old 05-26-2011, 07:13 PM   #2574
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
So her name is supposed to be an anagram of another name?

...I can see the similarities with ML's character. o.o
It's a little bit trickier than a direct anagram. I can give you a few hints if you want:

Spoiler: show
Try sounding it out in Japanese order, i.e. family name first.


Spoiler: show
You need to add an extra character for it to work.



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Old 05-26-2011, 08:18 PM   #2575
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Spoiler: show

Yasumi Watahashi

Watahashi Yasumi

Watashi wa Yasumi

The "yasumi" part is where I'm stumping. Perhaps it's "ya su mi", rearranged to get "su mi ya"?

I can't really place who that's supposed to be. The girl in the photo looks like Haruhi, or her eyes are Haruhi's and she has the same hair, but short. I can't really trust Ito's drawings anymore to place a character with a face, since so much art has been used to trick me recently (like in G-Senjou). Maybe she's supposed to be female Itsuki? Definitely not "Kyonko".

Sumiya, though. Sounds a lot like Sumika, and uh..

..oh.

=____=

Whaaat? This doesn't make any sense at all!


...

I can see why PreCure ensnared BBB. This stuff is pretty hypnotic, it acts really girl and stuff, but it's got maniac action/animation and characters with dimension. Thankfully, the lack of fanservice has definitely cleansed me of my sins, but I'm still getting a "5 year old in 13 year old body" vibe from this.

BBB, I'm going to increase the pressure for you to see Tegami Bachi. It's definitely got a lot in common with Heartcatch, especially the CV's. I've heard three CV's who've already been in TB.

Also, I think that ugly Totoro-like fairy thing is actually the Tuxedo Mask style bishounen dude.
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