looks like i wront my retrospective of the past year a little too soon.
oh well, my thing talk about things right after i finish them... so that's what i'm going to do
The documentary i just finished watching is inspiring.
It's about one of the oldest and most prestigious Sushi chefs in japan and how he has perfected his craft by doing the same thing every day for the past 75 years.
It talks about his young life, about his current life and even what he figures will happen after he is forced to retire or dies.
If you consider yourself an artist in any way shape or form I would suggest you see this documentary, it's not terribly long but i found it to be quite an experience.
also when he said a meal at his restaurant is 300 dollars to start.... i damn near had a hear attack. But considering how much work is put into it i'm not all that surprised.
hm theres still time before midnight... better go draw something.
Happy New Year.
and seriously go watch the documentary... it's really good.
Monday, 31 December 2012
Happy New Year~ 2012 retrospective
Dear 2012,
I barely remember you...
no seriously... if i wasn't in a classroom or painting then i was in an office pushing some paperwork.
It feels like i've been out of school for ages.... but nope, just a few months ago i was painting like crazy to get 6 large watercolours done for my presentation date.... or i was working life drawing and trying so damn hard to make the figures not look cartoony (and failing miserably but hey it was fun) or i was widdlign away at a piece of wood and just prayingthat i wouldn't do something to cut myself (fun fact, sculpting tools.... no damage... childrens safety scissors.... slice my finger.... HOW?)
and i had other classes... hm.... one where we did panoramas.... ugh....
learning after effects was a blast and i really should work on more motion graphics...
but then you ended and i think i had a few weeks off....
and then right off to work a crazy amoutn of days in a row on robocop.... and now we are here.
while you weren't terribly memorable you were good to me... you showed me that getting honours in college is great but the announcer will still mess up your name at convocation.... (seriously what is so damn hard about saying Kathleen.... it's two syllables... not three if it were three it would be Kathaleen, granted she lost my card RIGHT AFTER i handed it too her... but i'm getting off topic~)
you also showed me that when opportunity knocks you take it... even if it's something you know isn't your thing it's better to make lots of money the a little money here and there for commissions. (probably helped that i knew it was going to end, films only shoot for so long after all)
you also showed me how much i enjoy being busy.... this past week i've had no work, no obligations.... and i've gotten 2 pictures done? that's it? i was hopinh to have at least one small thing a day... but nope... reading and video games got in the way (oh and seeing some friend but thats okay... it's good to be social occasionally)
Plans for 2013?
well i still have atleast 2 more weeks of work left on this show... maybe more maybe less... unfortunately that the problem with the position... there will come a point where suddenly i'm not needed. but after work i really hope to travel.... i've been all across canada and to a few places in the US but i would love to see more of the world.
I also plan to paint more, my studio area is a bit too messy to work with at the moment and it's just too small to do anything bigger then 12x18. I really love working in digital mediums but i like traditional just as much. (kinda hard to believe cause 3 years ago i had never painted before and i wasn't enjoying it till i tried watercolour)
other then that... who knows... find another job is obviously up there... hopefully in a position i enjoy more.... but that involves getting my drivers license.... which is this whole other hurdle... maybe that should be my resolution....
....
...
..
i'll think about it.
so anyways before my fever gets any worse and i ramble on any more I will just say Happy new year, 2012 wasn't bad but 2013 better be just that much better!
I barely remember you...
no seriously... if i wasn't in a classroom or painting then i was in an office pushing some paperwork.
It feels like i've been out of school for ages.... but nope, just a few months ago i was painting like crazy to get 6 large watercolours done for my presentation date.... or i was working life drawing and trying so damn hard to make the figures not look cartoony (and failing miserably but hey it was fun) or i was widdlign away at a piece of wood and just prayingthat i wouldn't do something to cut myself (fun fact, sculpting tools.... no damage... childrens safety scissors.... slice my finger.... HOW?)
and i had other classes... hm.... one where we did panoramas.... ugh....
learning after effects was a blast and i really should work on more motion graphics...
but then you ended and i think i had a few weeks off....
and then right off to work a crazy amoutn of days in a row on robocop.... and now we are here.
while you weren't terribly memorable you were good to me... you showed me that getting honours in college is great but the announcer will still mess up your name at convocation.... (seriously what is so damn hard about saying Kathleen.... it's two syllables... not three if it were three it would be Kathaleen, granted she lost my card RIGHT AFTER i handed it too her... but i'm getting off topic~)
you also showed me that when opportunity knocks you take it... even if it's something you know isn't your thing it's better to make lots of money the a little money here and there for commissions. (probably helped that i knew it was going to end, films only shoot for so long after all)
you also showed me how much i enjoy being busy.... this past week i've had no work, no obligations.... and i've gotten 2 pictures done? that's it? i was hopinh to have at least one small thing a day... but nope... reading and video games got in the way (oh and seeing some friend but thats okay... it's good to be social occasionally)
Plans for 2013?
well i still have atleast 2 more weeks of work left on this show... maybe more maybe less... unfortunately that the problem with the position... there will come a point where suddenly i'm not needed. but after work i really hope to travel.... i've been all across canada and to a few places in the US but i would love to see more of the world.
I also plan to paint more, my studio area is a bit too messy to work with at the moment and it's just too small to do anything bigger then 12x18. I really love working in digital mediums but i like traditional just as much. (kinda hard to believe cause 3 years ago i had never painted before and i wasn't enjoying it till i tried watercolour)
other then that... who knows... find another job is obviously up there... hopefully in a position i enjoy more.... but that involves getting my drivers license.... which is this whole other hurdle... maybe that should be my resolution....
....
...
..
i'll think about it.
so anyways before my fever gets any worse and i ramble on any more I will just say Happy new year, 2012 wasn't bad but 2013 better be just that much better!
Saturday, 29 December 2012
Wishing Star - From start to finish -
i was bad and didn't draw anything at all yesterday.... i decided playing Tales of vesperia was more fun.... so today i promised myself i would try to finish something.
and i figured it may be fun to work with a longer composition then i'm used to...
so i did a really simple sketch.
and i liked the concept but not all the details so i brought it in and began to touch it up
i made the trail much larger and refined some details and then i pretty much changed my mind about things like hair and whatnot.
i just filt that had i carried the star theme in the hair it would have been too mcuh so instead i tried so flowy hair that curles all over.... kinda a shame that it's covered by the scarf but that probably saved it.
And yeah unfortunately a long composition is difficult to show on a computer screen so here's a close up of the figure.
so yeah my inpiration was a shooting star... i just wanted to try and personify it in a way and this was the final product, i hope you like it.
can be seen over at:
Deviant Art: http://raichana.deviantart.com/art/Wishing-Star-345560096
Tumblr: http://katire.tumblr.com/post/39179492553/wishing-star-by-raichana-process-work
Society 6: http://society6.com/Raichana/Wishing-Star_Print
and i figured it may be fun to work with a longer composition then i'm used to...
so i did a really simple sketch.
so yeah my inpiration was a shooting star... i just wanted to try and personify it in a way and this was the final product, i hope you like it.
can be seen over at:
Deviant Art: http://raichana.deviantart.com/art/Wishing-Star-345560096
Tumblr: http://katire.tumblr.com/post/39179492553/wishing-star-by-raichana-process-work
Society 6: http://society6.com/Raichana/Wishing-Star_Print
Completed: Say "I Love You"
if the sappy title of this show doesn't mkae you gag then the contents of the show probably will.
This was the second Romance themed show i saw this season, the first being "My Little Monster" which i felt was a silly show that in the end was fairly harmless and pretty forgettable.
so whats this show about?
it's about a shy girl who doesn't speak much catching the attention of probably the hottest high school boy ever and their innocent romance over 13 episodes.
I use the word innocent because this girl is even shy about gestures like holding hands... and you know what i find nothing wrong with a story about a shy girl who isn't ready for all the things a relationship entails and a boy who is willing to take it slow with her.
no my problem with this show is the fact that the boy in question is a saint.
he can do no wrong.... and when he does do something bad he is instantly forgiven and it barely phases the relationship.
"well nice guys do exist in real life" i hear you yell at me
and you're right, i've met guys who are like that and they are completely real and blah blah blah BUT that doesn't mean i want to watch that kind of relationship for 13 episodes.
a common trope in anything romance is boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.
In this show there is barely any conflict so he never really loses her. theres a thing where he becomes a model and can't spend as much time with her so he spends more time with the girl model and even goes to her house for dinner once but this never causes a breakup... Mei, the girl, just kisses him in public to show she's trying to be brave and he quits modelling and they talk about why it all upset her. then they are back to normal with her being the shy little mouse and him giving her the time she needs to become braver.
"whats wrong with that?"
Nothing... and thats the problem... no conflict makes for a boring and forgettable show. we have another character who likes mei come in but that gets brushed aside as fast as it's introduced. we have her making friends for the first time in a long time but then we never see them around here and when they are it is just to give her minor confidence boost (most o the time over a phone call) we have the boys sister (who is way too close to him for my personal taste..) who doesn't approve of mei till she suddenly does... but then at the last episode doesn't want her coming near her brother.
it's just.... this show is so confused that it doesn't know what it's really about.
but all those reasons aren't why i really disliek this show.... those reasons just make it boring...
no the reason i actually quite dislikethis show is cause it has some terrible messages.
in the penultimate episode Mei goes to a festival with Yamato, the boy.... finally remembered his name, and since she just came from work she didn't have a chance to dress up in a yukata.
and he's okay with this cause he just wants to be with her.
awwwwww thats so sweet (cause at this point while the show was forgetable and borign it was still cute)
so she heads home and her mom scolds her saying she had the yukata ready.
awww that was nice of her mom, oh well festivals over and yamato accecpted her for who she is and not what she looks like--
mom: no you have to put this one, do your hair pretty and wear makeup for him, it';s a girlfriends job.
me: what? no.... no you were on the right track saying that he really liked her because he liked her not all that superficial shit... what is this you have to doll yourself up cause thats you job as a girlfriend bullshit.... NO. He likes her for who she is... all the awkwardness aside... isn't that enough?
luckily thast really the only instant of that in the show but it bugged me and it turned a mediocre show to one that left a bad taste in my mouth.
maybe if the show had made the characters have actual arcs (i'm sorry but going from not being able to say i love you to being about to say i love you is NOT a character arc) or had more focus on the interesting characters (anyone aside from mei or yamato) or hell just have some conflict somewhere... anywhere.... you may argue the whole modelling thing was conflict but in the end neither mei or yamato did ANYTHING to help solve that... it was all this side character who was just introduced... so no i do not cite it as conflict.
i know normally i try to list off the good in a show but honestly i can't remember half of it...
the ending song is good (i hate the intro song, it's apparently an homage to a singer who died suddenly and thast really sweet but i still don't like the song)... um... the animation is pretty decent with all the humans having good proportions (except yamato who must be 7 fee tall) and it has some sweet moments.......
but wow is it ever boring.
still if you like romance but hate all that nasty forced conflict give the show a shot. It can be seen over at crunchyroll completely for free http://www.crunchyroll.com/say-i-love-you so please go make your own opinion.
considering how many 5 stars it has i must be in the minority.... the thing is i watch/read a lot of shoujo and romance and i can think of 5 titles off the top of my head that are better then this...
Kodocha (kodomo no omacha/child's play)
Lovely comples (love . com)
Clannad
Otomen
Kitchen princess
there you go.... 5 completely different completely full of conflict and tears titles that are way better then this one.
This was the second Romance themed show i saw this season, the first being "My Little Monster" which i felt was a silly show that in the end was fairly harmless and pretty forgettable.
so whats this show about?
it's about a shy girl who doesn't speak much catching the attention of probably the hottest high school boy ever and their innocent romance over 13 episodes.
I use the word innocent because this girl is even shy about gestures like holding hands... and you know what i find nothing wrong with a story about a shy girl who isn't ready for all the things a relationship entails and a boy who is willing to take it slow with her.
no my problem with this show is the fact that the boy in question is a saint.
he can do no wrong.... and when he does do something bad he is instantly forgiven and it barely phases the relationship.
"well nice guys do exist in real life" i hear you yell at me
and you're right, i've met guys who are like that and they are completely real and blah blah blah BUT that doesn't mean i want to watch that kind of relationship for 13 episodes.
a common trope in anything romance is boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.
In this show there is barely any conflict so he never really loses her. theres a thing where he becomes a model and can't spend as much time with her so he spends more time with the girl model and even goes to her house for dinner once but this never causes a breakup... Mei, the girl, just kisses him in public to show she's trying to be brave and he quits modelling and they talk about why it all upset her. then they are back to normal with her being the shy little mouse and him giving her the time she needs to become braver.
"whats wrong with that?"
Nothing... and thats the problem... no conflict makes for a boring and forgettable show. we have another character who likes mei come in but that gets brushed aside as fast as it's introduced. we have her making friends for the first time in a long time but then we never see them around here and when they are it is just to give her minor confidence boost (most o the time over a phone call) we have the boys sister (who is way too close to him for my personal taste..) who doesn't approve of mei till she suddenly does... but then at the last episode doesn't want her coming near her brother.
it's just.... this show is so confused that it doesn't know what it's really about.
but all those reasons aren't why i really disliek this show.... those reasons just make it boring...
no the reason i actually quite dislikethis show is cause it has some terrible messages.
in the penultimate episode Mei goes to a festival with Yamato, the boy.... finally remembered his name, and since she just came from work she didn't have a chance to dress up in a yukata.
and he's okay with this cause he just wants to be with her.
awwwwww thats so sweet (cause at this point while the show was forgetable and borign it was still cute)
so she heads home and her mom scolds her saying she had the yukata ready.
awww that was nice of her mom, oh well festivals over and yamato accecpted her for who she is and not what she looks like--
mom: no you have to put this one, do your hair pretty and wear makeup for him, it';s a girlfriends job.
me: what? no.... no you were on the right track saying that he really liked her because he liked her not all that superficial shit... what is this you have to doll yourself up cause thats you job as a girlfriend bullshit.... NO. He likes her for who she is... all the awkwardness aside... isn't that enough?
luckily thast really the only instant of that in the show but it bugged me and it turned a mediocre show to one that left a bad taste in my mouth.
maybe if the show had made the characters have actual arcs (i'm sorry but going from not being able to say i love you to being about to say i love you is NOT a character arc) or had more focus on the interesting characters (anyone aside from mei or yamato) or hell just have some conflict somewhere... anywhere.... you may argue the whole modelling thing was conflict but in the end neither mei or yamato did ANYTHING to help solve that... it was all this side character who was just introduced... so no i do not cite it as conflict.
i know normally i try to list off the good in a show but honestly i can't remember half of it...
the ending song is good (i hate the intro song, it's apparently an homage to a singer who died suddenly and thast really sweet but i still don't like the song)... um... the animation is pretty decent with all the humans having good proportions (except yamato who must be 7 fee tall) and it has some sweet moments.......
but wow is it ever boring.
still if you like romance but hate all that nasty forced conflict give the show a shot. It can be seen over at crunchyroll completely for free http://www.crunchyroll.com/say-i-love-you so please go make your own opinion.
considering how many 5 stars it has i must be in the minority.... the thing is i watch/read a lot of shoujo and romance and i can think of 5 titles off the top of my head that are better then this...
Kodocha (kodomo no omacha/child's play)
Lovely comples (love . com)
Clannad
Otomen
Kitchen princess
there you go.... 5 completely different completely full of conflict and tears titles that are way better then this one.
Friday, 28 December 2012
year end top 10s -things that annoy me-
I think it's safe to say that i have a very odd sense of what i like.
For games it tends to be jrpgs and rhythm games.
For anime it tends to be slice of life with supernatural elements.
For novels it's pretty much any fantasy series with an interesting magic system.
For music it tends to be anything that starts off slow and builds as the song progresses and/or contains a violin
and for the things i didn't make lists for i like my TV shows to make me think and/or cry
i like my movies to be well paced and interesting and make me forget about how much time has actually passes and i like my manga to be girly beyond belief.
but what about the things that annoy/disappoint/ send me into a rage.
cause we all know people find negative things more entertaining then positive things...
so this will be a list of things that personally annoy me or get me ranting.... if you like some of these things/show/books then that's fine... i just find it annoying/rage inducing.
10. Lack of male figures. (in series that aren't shonen)
now as of late i can't bitch about this as much.
Being female and kinda nerdy used to mean all you would get figure wise is female character in sexual positions meant to get a male demographic to buy it. This wasn't always the case but if you look at most figures from even 5 years ago you will see that they can almost all be angled to give a pantyshot to the owner.
HOWEVER now things have changed (or are at least changing).... male characters in series that aren't shonen are getting full 1/8th scale figures with gorgeous details and decent price range... japan seems to have figured out that girls buy merchandise too and theres a whole new demographic for them to exploit.
and hey if it means one day i can have a 1/8th scale version of rocker kyon then please.... exploit away... but still as a artist and a sculpture i have been so sad by the lack of male character figures.
but seriously japan, scale Adol or Kyon (or remake that nice natsume one from years ago) and it will be an insta buy.
9. Rushed endings.
ever watched a show where the ending just makes you sit there and ask "wait... what?"
8. Bad pacing
Yeah i think this is a universal thing, even people who aren’t high critical of things tend to be annoyed when it feels like something is dragging or it feels like it’s all going by too fast. It’s the main thing that makes me give up on shows.... if you can’t make me care after wasting an hour of my time then i’m not going to waste anymore of it on you.
7. Fixing a problem immediately after introducing it.
Maybe i’m just sensitive to this right now cause i’m reading a book that is quite literally “heres the big problem, well here’s a small problem, oh look we fixed it.... remember that big problem? Cool.... it’s still there.... but now this little problem... oh wait we fixed that too.... OH YEAH... the big problem.... oh wait.... little problem... and fixed it..... hey remember the--”
yeah..... yeah i get it... i got it like... 5 pages in..... no need to remind me about it every damn twist and turn.... and don’t introduce it then use it right away.... let it simmer in the background... let me almost forget about it then BAM.... remember the thing? THERE YOU GO! isn’t that satisfying....
so yeah.... annoying...
6. Talking down to your audience
i’ve mentioned this a few times but i’m a big believer in kids are only as stupid as we think they are BECAUSE we think they are stupid... so we give them terrible books or horrible movies but we justify it as “well it’s a kids book” or “it’s a film for kids so it’s okay that it’s stupid”
no.
just.... just no.
Because that attitude then gets placed on preteens.... and we get crap like... well you know... i don’t even have to mention it...
and now that terribly written crap is permeating adult literature and causing some authors to go “well... you may not get this cause i studied a lot and you haven’t you uncultured swine but i’ll try to dumb it down for you”
NO
NO NO NO NO NO
do not assume your audience is a bunch of morons who barely know how to read and comprehend things simply because society has this feeling that things should be dummed down to the lowest common denominator. Assume that people are reading your book or watching your show because something about it caught there attention... so do not talk down to them.. it’s just gunna piss them off and they wont read/watch anything you ever do again and they will feel like their time was wasted even though your book was offered to them for free.....
and yes i’m still harping on ‘that one’ book.... it was just so bad.
5. Breaking rules you establish
Speaking of i wont shut up about that make me mad. In the one of my reviews where apparently you can see my decent into madness I mention a few things. A character who can use his magic perfectly without a mentor character, problems that are solved right away, improper use of the words “end of book 1” where had it actually been it’s own contains book i would have thrown it across the room in disgust.
But worse then all of that was the fact that there was a ring that could deflect all magic
all of it
good bad.... didn’t matter... the ring negated it.
So main character gives the ring to girl and it saves her life
yay~
then she falls off her horse... still wearing said ring
D : oh noes! She’s gunna get hurt cause it’s not like he can save her with magic.... she is wearing the magic negating ring--- wait.... he’s levitating her.... BUT.... BUT.... the ring.... the ring that negates ALL MAGIC is suddenly not negative a levitation spell? WHAT? But this was a clearly established rule.... that you just broke.
In the end that wasn’t what got me to stop reading that book (nope it was when the mentor started talking about the digestive system SOLELY so the author could say (and this is a direct quote)
And before i descend even further into madness and hatred lets move on to the next thing.
4. Fanservice
i don’t mind a little bit of fanservice in a show to add comedic affect.... what i’m talking about here are the shows that the only purpose is fanservice... there is not a good plot or character to keep you watching... only breasts and panties.
Maybe i just hate this cause i’m a girl and i really rather not be staring at some girls ass for 24 minutes... but yeah fanservice shows have always bugged me and i don’t know why they keep making them cause in the end they never do as well as shows with good story and plot and characters and all that good stuff...
3. Moe
Now Moe is one of those odd things that seems to have many definitions.
There are two that i hear the most.
I specifically used ponytails as an example to illustrate this. Kyon has a thing for ponytails in the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya, he tells Haruhi this in a dream/alternate world that either happens in episode 6 or 13 depending on which order you watch the series in. This becomes a running theme through the show. In the baseball episode Haruhi is doing Mikuru’s hair and about to put it in a ponytail when she sees Kyon is looking.... instead she drops it down because she subconsciously or consciously doesn’t want him looking at Mikuru who is pretty, petite and busty.
Later on they have a fight and while she thinks she’s alone she pulls her hair into a ponytail and then she gets caught and drops her hair.
Hell in the alternate reality where she has long hair he asks her to put her hair into a ponytail without explaining why.
This is a really good use of a subtle theme that runs through all versions of the show. it’s noticeable enough where you understand why they used it there but not so much that your constantly thinking “oh and now some character is going to have a ponytail”
UNLIKE SOME SHOWS where the character is just pure Moe... there is no depth or growth they are just this adorable blob that does cute things and makes you go AWWWW... and they all have this really loose animation style that is unappealing and highlights things like tiny hands.... freakishly tiny hands.
it’s funny that i reference haurhi so much in this one point because most people site that show as the reason we saw such a moe surge around 2009... they may have a point but i felt Moe really became a thing when a certain show was made because it changed pretty much how every show after it from that company was animated because that moe style of animation sold really well. That show?
2. K-on!
There are very few titles i hate, titles that make me angry just by the fact that they exist... this one has the bonus feature of having been insanely popular when it first came out.
I had been told it was good and it was Kyo Ani who do amazing animation i mean... they did Haruhi which is gorgeous to look at....
and then i saw the most vapid pointless piece of crap i have ever seen (well.... next to number one on this list but best not get ahead of myself) maybe had there been a point to it i wouldn’t be so offended? But no... this girl gets a guitar for next to nothing and is amazing at it and they play in front of their school and the one girl trips and shows her panties.........
oh and at the end instead of slipping down the stairs she doesn’t fall... showing some kind of growth or something.
And i should care because?
Now it’s obvious that i only saw season 1.... cause i didn’t want to give it any more of my time.
“but Rai! it’s just a slice of life show”
yeah, your right but it still needs to have a point... it still needs to have some kind of growth not just “here are the characters.... here they are a few months later”
and why are there hands so small? After looking at some of the manga art they are normal sized in the comic.... SO WHY ARE THEY SMALL HERE? Is it cause it’s cute and.... MOE.... well not that i think about it everything about this show is so adorably sweet and worst of all it’s pointless....
there is no point to the show, nothing happens, no real conflict and even worse then all of that it ruined how anime in the future was done. Hands became smaller all around, eyes rounder and more bubbly and that style is just now, three whole years later, starting to die down and once again highlight individual artist style. Also other then the ending song the music wasn’t any good.... but that's personal opinion....
and if you like K-on! That’s fine... i will be the first to admit that this show was just the straw that broke the camels back for me when it comes to ‘when moe ruined everything’ so yeah this show gets a lot of unnecessary hate from me but i honestly felt like my time was wasted by watching it.... so that is why i get so mad...
but.... not as much as i do with the next title.
1. School Days
Once upon a time my friend would recommend shows for me to watch all the time.
He knew my taste and almost always found shows that i would enjoy...
Until one day he said “you should watch school days”
I have never trusted his opinion since, i am extremely sceptical about anything he recommends all because of this show.
For those lucky to have not seen this show it’s about a boy who likes a girl, he is set up with the girl by his best friend who happens to be a girl and to like him as well....
ok... same old innocent “i’ll set you up with another girl even though i actually like you” scenario.
Well it’s innocent until the friend suggests that the boy should practise oh her... since they are friends and it wont mean anything.
Then the boy decided he will practise with EVERYONE except his girlfriend....
the girlfriend doesn’t like this cause she’s shy and demure and wants to wait for the perfect moment...
oh and she’s crazy..... did i mention she’s crazy? The more the boy sleeps around the crazier she gets. Hell when the best friend tells the girlfriend that she’s pregnant with the boys child the girlfriend cuts her open and says “see, there’s no baby in there.... i knew you were lying”
and that is not even the worst part.... a little before the stomach cutting scene the best friend girl who is ‘pregnant’ kills the boy because he doesn’t want to accept his responsibility.
Somewhere in the mix Crazy girlfriend gets his head and cradles it on a boat.... end of show.
Remember where i said i felt like my time had been wasted with K-on and that was more of the reason why i was so mad? Yeah this show pretty much defined that. I feel a little bad for the friend who recommended it to me.... cause i shouted at him.... i was so mad that i don’t think i could ever accurately describe it in text.
Apparently the game was known for this horrible ending... and many claimed it was the best ending and the one the main guy deserved the most.... but no... it just made me so angry... it was a show that didn’t need to exist and it’s a show that no one should watch.
SO... those are the top ten things that tend to make me just a little tiny bit angry...
i got a little rage filled at the end there... sorry... but hey.... now you know a little bit more about me.... yay?
um... yeah
what are the things/shows that make you mad?
For games it tends to be jrpgs and rhythm games.
For anime it tends to be slice of life with supernatural elements.
For novels it's pretty much any fantasy series with an interesting magic system.
For music it tends to be anything that starts off slow and builds as the song progresses and/or contains a violin
and for the things i didn't make lists for i like my TV shows to make me think and/or cry
i like my movies to be well paced and interesting and make me forget about how much time has actually passes and i like my manga to be girly beyond belief.
but what about the things that annoy/disappoint/ send me into a rage.
cause we all know people find negative things more entertaining then positive things...
so this will be a list of things that personally annoy me or get me ranting.... if you like some of these things/show/books then that's fine... i just find it annoying/rage inducing.
10. Lack of male figures. (in series that aren't shonen)
now as of late i can't bitch about this as much.
Being female and kinda nerdy used to mean all you would get figure wise is female character in sexual positions meant to get a male demographic to buy it. This wasn't always the case but if you look at most figures from even 5 years ago you will see that they can almost all be angled to give a pantyshot to the owner.
HOWEVER now things have changed (or are at least changing).... male characters in series that aren't shonen are getting full 1/8th scale figures with gorgeous details and decent price range... japan seems to have figured out that girls buy merchandise too and theres a whole new demographic for them to exploit.
and hey if it means one day i can have a 1/8th scale version of rocker kyon then please.... exploit away... but still as a artist and a sculpture i have been so sad by the lack of male character figures.
but seriously japan, scale Adol or Kyon (or remake that nice natsume one from years ago) and it will be an insta buy.
9. Rushed endings.
ever watched a show where the ending just makes you sit there and ask "wait... what?"
I can think of a few titles that do this... last exile, E's otherwise, Super gals... and it's always because they either didn't give enough time for the
ending to develop OR it kinda just ends and it's surprising and out
of nowhere and it just kinda happens and that’s it, there is not
more... all done no movie or second season to explain it all cause
the show didn't do well enough in it's run...
for anime this is really unacceptable because they have HOURS to
get their point across... but it still happens... and it will always
be annoying.8. Bad pacing
Yeah i think this is a universal thing, even people who aren’t high critical of things tend to be annoyed when it feels like something is dragging or it feels like it’s all going by too fast. It’s the main thing that makes me give up on shows.... if you can’t make me care after wasting an hour of my time then i’m not going to waste anymore of it on you.
7. Fixing a problem immediately after introducing it.
Maybe i’m just sensitive to this right now cause i’m reading a book that is quite literally “heres the big problem, well here’s a small problem, oh look we fixed it.... remember that big problem? Cool.... it’s still there.... but now this little problem... oh wait we fixed that too.... OH YEAH... the big problem.... oh wait.... little problem... and fixed it..... hey remember the--”
yeah..... yeah i get it... i got it like... 5 pages in..... no need to remind me about it every damn twist and turn.... and don’t introduce it then use it right away.... let it simmer in the background... let me almost forget about it then BAM.... remember the thing? THERE YOU GO! isn’t that satisfying....
so yeah.... annoying...
6. Talking down to your audience
i’ve mentioned this a few times but i’m a big believer in kids are only as stupid as we think they are BECAUSE we think they are stupid... so we give them terrible books or horrible movies but we justify it as “well it’s a kids book” or “it’s a film for kids so it’s okay that it’s stupid”
no.
just.... just no.
Because that attitude then gets placed on preteens.... and we get crap like... well you know... i don’t even have to mention it...
and now that terribly written crap is permeating adult literature and causing some authors to go “well... you may not get this cause i studied a lot and you haven’t you uncultured swine but i’ll try to dumb it down for you”
NO
NO NO NO NO NO
do not assume your audience is a bunch of morons who barely know how to read and comprehend things simply because society has this feeling that things should be dummed down to the lowest common denominator. Assume that people are reading your book or watching your show because something about it caught there attention... so do not talk down to them.. it’s just gunna piss them off and they wont read/watch anything you ever do again and they will feel like their time was wasted even though your book was offered to them for free.....
and yes i’m still harping on ‘that one’ book.... it was just so bad.
5. Breaking rules you establish
Speaking of i wont shut up about that make me mad. In the one of my reviews where apparently you can see my decent into madness I mention a few things. A character who can use his magic perfectly without a mentor character, problems that are solved right away, improper use of the words “end of book 1” where had it actually been it’s own contains book i would have thrown it across the room in disgust.
But worse then all of that was the fact that there was a ring that could deflect all magic
all of it
good bad.... didn’t matter... the ring negated it.
So main character gives the ring to girl and it saves her life
yay~
then she falls off her horse... still wearing said ring
D : oh noes! She’s gunna get hurt cause it’s not like he can save her with magic.... she is wearing the magic negating ring--- wait.... he’s levitating her.... BUT.... BUT.... the ring.... the ring that negates ALL MAGIC is suddenly not negative a levitation spell? WHAT? But this was a clearly established rule.... that you just broke.
In the end that wasn’t what got me to stop reading that book (nope it was when the mentor started talking about the digestive system SOLELY so the author could say (and this is a direct quote)
"Digestion is what happens to the food you eat as it passes through your body and crap it out. Okay?"just imagine me reading this line.... then throwing my kindle across my room onto my bed in disgust.
And before i descend even further into madness and hatred lets move on to the next thing.
4. Fanservice
i don’t mind a little bit of fanservice in a show to add comedic affect.... what i’m talking about here are the shows that the only purpose is fanservice... there is not a good plot or character to keep you watching... only breasts and panties.
Maybe i just hate this cause i’m a girl and i really rather not be staring at some girls ass for 24 minutes... but yeah fanservice shows have always bugged me and i don’t know why they keep making them cause in the end they never do as well as shows with good story and plot and characters and all that good stuff...
3. Moe
Now Moe is one of those odd things that seems to have many definitions.
There are two that i hear the most.
- a character trait/feature/mannerism that tends to turn on
another character. Example: Ponytails,certain articles of clothing.
- Characteristics of a person that make them endearing to
others. Example: Being clumsy, being a little naive or innocent.
I specifically used ponytails as an example to illustrate this. Kyon has a thing for ponytails in the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya, he tells Haruhi this in a dream/alternate world that either happens in episode 6 or 13 depending on which order you watch the series in. This becomes a running theme through the show. In the baseball episode Haruhi is doing Mikuru’s hair and about to put it in a ponytail when she sees Kyon is looking.... instead she drops it down because she subconsciously or consciously doesn’t want him looking at Mikuru who is pretty, petite and busty.
Later on they have a fight and while she thinks she’s alone she pulls her hair into a ponytail and then she gets caught and drops her hair.
Hell in the alternate reality where she has long hair he asks her to put her hair into a ponytail without explaining why.
This is a really good use of a subtle theme that runs through all versions of the show. it’s noticeable enough where you understand why they used it there but not so much that your constantly thinking “oh and now some character is going to have a ponytail”
UNLIKE SOME SHOWS where the character is just pure Moe... there is no depth or growth they are just this adorable blob that does cute things and makes you go AWWWW... and they all have this really loose animation style that is unappealing and highlights things like tiny hands.... freakishly tiny hands.
it’s funny that i reference haurhi so much in this one point because most people site that show as the reason we saw such a moe surge around 2009... they may have a point but i felt Moe really became a thing when a certain show was made because it changed pretty much how every show after it from that company was animated because that moe style of animation sold really well. That show?
2. K-on!
There are very few titles i hate, titles that make me angry just by the fact that they exist... this one has the bonus feature of having been insanely popular when it first came out.
I had been told it was good and it was Kyo Ani who do amazing animation i mean... they did Haruhi which is gorgeous to look at....
and then i saw the most vapid pointless piece of crap i have ever seen (well.... next to number one on this list but best not get ahead of myself) maybe had there been a point to it i wouldn’t be so offended? But no... this girl gets a guitar for next to nothing and is amazing at it and they play in front of their school and the one girl trips and shows her panties.........
oh and at the end instead of slipping down the stairs she doesn’t fall... showing some kind of growth or something.
And i should care because?
Now it’s obvious that i only saw season 1.... cause i didn’t want to give it any more of my time.
“but Rai! it’s just a slice of life show”
yeah, your right but it still needs to have a point... it still needs to have some kind of growth not just “here are the characters.... here they are a few months later”
and why are there hands so small? After looking at some of the manga art they are normal sized in the comic.... SO WHY ARE THEY SMALL HERE? Is it cause it’s cute and.... MOE.... well not that i think about it everything about this show is so adorably sweet and worst of all it’s pointless....
there is no point to the show, nothing happens, no real conflict and even worse then all of that it ruined how anime in the future was done. Hands became smaller all around, eyes rounder and more bubbly and that style is just now, three whole years later, starting to die down and once again highlight individual artist style. Also other then the ending song the music wasn’t any good.... but that's personal opinion....
and if you like K-on! That’s fine... i will be the first to admit that this show was just the straw that broke the camels back for me when it comes to ‘when moe ruined everything’ so yeah this show gets a lot of unnecessary hate from me but i honestly felt like my time was wasted by watching it.... so that is why i get so mad...
but.... not as much as i do with the next title.
1. School Days
Once upon a time my friend would recommend shows for me to watch all the time.
He knew my taste and almost always found shows that i would enjoy...
Until one day he said “you should watch school days”
I have never trusted his opinion since, i am extremely sceptical about anything he recommends all because of this show.
For those lucky to have not seen this show it’s about a boy who likes a girl, he is set up with the girl by his best friend who happens to be a girl and to like him as well....
ok... same old innocent “i’ll set you up with another girl even though i actually like you” scenario.
Well it’s innocent until the friend suggests that the boy should practise oh her... since they are friends and it wont mean anything.
Then the boy decided he will practise with EVERYONE except his girlfriend....
the girlfriend doesn’t like this cause she’s shy and demure and wants to wait for the perfect moment...
oh and she’s crazy..... did i mention she’s crazy? The more the boy sleeps around the crazier she gets. Hell when the best friend tells the girlfriend that she’s pregnant with the boys child the girlfriend cuts her open and says “see, there’s no baby in there.... i knew you were lying”
and that is not even the worst part.... a little before the stomach cutting scene the best friend girl who is ‘pregnant’ kills the boy because he doesn’t want to accept his responsibility.
Somewhere in the mix Crazy girlfriend gets his head and cradles it on a boat.... end of show.
Remember where i said i felt like my time had been wasted with K-on and that was more of the reason why i was so mad? Yeah this show pretty much defined that. I feel a little bad for the friend who recommended it to me.... cause i shouted at him.... i was so mad that i don’t think i could ever accurately describe it in text.
Apparently the game was known for this horrible ending... and many claimed it was the best ending and the one the main guy deserved the most.... but no... it just made me so angry... it was a show that didn’t need to exist and it’s a show that no one should watch.
SO... those are the top ten things that tend to make me just a little tiny bit angry...
i got a little rage filled at the end there... sorry... but hey.... now you know a little bit more about me.... yay?
um... yeah
what are the things/shows that make you mad?
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Captive Butterfly - From start to finish -
i.... i cannot accurately describe my hate for butterfly wings....
but i think i'm getting ahead of myself.
SO
Recently i've be in a new steampunk meets every mythical creature ever RP andi created a character for it.
The way i create characters is very much 'go with the flow'... so if you were to say "omg it's my long long twin!" i would go "yeah alright and this is how they were separated" because i find that curveball element of rping really really fun.
so Tiana, a small girl who seems to not know anything about this industrial world, was pretty much a blank slate.
All i knew was that i wanted her to look like an elf (potentially be one but who knows) and for her to be connected in some way that neither character can remember to my partners character.
she ended up using a character who may or may not be the Fairy queen (leaning towards most likely at this point in the plot) and has an obsession with butterflies.
SO.... having never drawn this character and hell having only invented her a few days ago i drew this
and then i did something i almost never do.... i changed my mind...
on pretty much everything....
normally when that happens i just scrap and start over.... no this time for some unknown reason i descided i'll just draw my changes overtop in photoshop.
after much cursing and going back and forth onwhat kind of design i wanted i ended up with
so yeah only the pose was in tact.... why i didn't just start over i will never know... but at this point i was committed.
so i work though it and i get to a point when i start wondering how the hell am i going to render the wings.... that is a lot of space to fill and have it stil llook like it's mean to be with that girl...
more swearing and groaning and asking myself why i always pick the most difficult way to approach things and later that day i finally had the finished piece.
OMG IT'S SO SPARKLY
so... so yeah... this is what i ended up with... i do like it in the end but i think i'm still partially in a slump.... grrrr...
just.... next time i say i wanna do butterfly wings... someone please stop me...
although i could probably do it a lot faster next time... hm...
anyways i hope you like
you can see it over at...
Deviant Art: http://raichana.deviantart.com/art/Captive-Butterfly-345113222
Tumblr: http://katire.tumblr.com/post/38975907349/captive-butterfly-by-raichana-progress-work
Society 6: http://society6.com/Raichana/Captive-Butterfly_Print
but i think i'm getting ahead of myself.
SO
Recently i've be in a new steampunk meets every mythical creature ever RP andi created a character for it.
The way i create characters is very much 'go with the flow'... so if you were to say "omg it's my long long twin!" i would go "yeah alright and this is how they were separated" because i find that curveball element of rping really really fun.
so Tiana, a small girl who seems to not know anything about this industrial world, was pretty much a blank slate.
All i knew was that i wanted her to look like an elf (potentially be one but who knows) and for her to be connected in some way that neither character can remember to my partners character.
she ended up using a character who may or may not be the Fairy queen (leaning towards most likely at this point in the plot) and has an obsession with butterflies.
SO.... having never drawn this character and hell having only invented her a few days ago i drew this
on pretty much everything....
normally when that happens i just scrap and start over.... no this time for some unknown reason i descided i'll just draw my changes overtop in photoshop.
after much cursing and going back and forth onwhat kind of design i wanted i ended up with
so i work though it and i get to a point when i start wondering how the hell am i going to render the wings.... that is a lot of space to fill and have it stil llook like it's mean to be with that girl...
more swearing and groaning and asking myself why i always pick the most difficult way to approach things and later that day i finally had the finished piece.
OMG IT'S SO SPARKLY
so... so yeah... this is what i ended up with... i do like it in the end but i think i'm still partially in a slump.... grrrr...
just.... next time i say i wanna do butterfly wings... someone please stop me...
although i could probably do it a lot faster next time... hm...
anyways i hope you like
you can see it over at...
Deviant Art: http://raichana.deviantart.com/art/Captive-Butterfly-345113222
Tumblr: http://katire.tumblr.com/post/38975907349/captive-butterfly-by-raichana-progress-work
Society 6: http://society6.com/Raichana/Captive-Butterfly_Print
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Year end Top 10s - Music -
.... i will try to make sure this doesn't end up as 'top ten Falcom sound team JDK songs"
...
..
.
but i make no promises.
My taste in music tends to change very quickly, also i tend to like video game scores and anime intro songs... so if you don't like those just don't bother reading :P
ok... this list should also be pretty short cause i wont have too many personal stories... it'll just be me gushing about the songs.... yay?
10. You - Higurashi no naku koro ni
It's... it's just such a pretty song. I love how soft it start but how it continues to biuld...
again i dint ahve any personal stroies with the bulk of these songs but i am realizing that there will probably be a trend of violins.... i can't help what i like.
9. In My World - Rookiez is Punk'd - Blue Exorcist
Skip the first 30 seconds and then watch till the end of the intro song
I liek the full version more then the cut one but i wanted to able able to show it so yeah... i dunno i love pretty much all the music for the show. It's fun and interesting and has quiet moments and intense moments. i just like it a lot.
8. Crossing Field - LiSA - Sword Art Online
This time skip about 40 seconds in
I may be incredibly angry with this show due to the way things are handled in the second season.... that doesn't change the fact that i really like this song, it's sets the mood perfectly for the first arc...
i think by now it's pretty obvious i like more upbeat sounding songs... and yes had the second season not been such a let down this may have ranked higher... though i doubt it cause i really like the other songs on this list.
7. Perseus - Yamazaru - Tegami Bachi Letter Bee
another really fun song.... i love every single intro and ending to this show but this one is my absolute fav, go watch the show over at crunchy roll.... i think it's the second ending? maybe.... just so cute.
6. 同じ高みへ - "To the Same Heights" - Key Sound Label - Clannad
another thing i like almost as much as Violins is techno.... not the noise kind of techno like Dubstep but the kind that builds and gets you pumped up and in my case it makes me wanna draw up a storm.
It's used really effectively in the show in the basketball scene... one of the best uses of music in animation.... in my opinion of course.
5. Ano Hi Time Machine - Long Short Part - Natsume Yuujinchou
I normally don't like songs like this.... but i think partially because of the animation that goes with it i simply adore this song.... i mean.... the song perfectly shows what the show is about.
"this is what everyone sees... this is what natsume sees."
it's just.... oh it's so good... and the song is so much fun to sing to.... i nfact any of the songs i've picked that have lyrics are a blast to sing to.... but yeah... love this song.
4. Complication - Rookiez is Punk'd - Durarara!!
No need to skip, the song plays right away HOWEVER there's a bit near the middle of the song that shows clips from the last episodes... watch through it till the song ends
This is the current song that i tend to listen to when no other music is working out for me, it's an interesying mix of a few genres... i nthe full version theres even a little rap section which is cool if you like that kind of thing.... but again it starts off quiet and continues to build throughout the song
but if it's the song i go to.... why isn't it number one?
cause i'm a pathetic weak person who hasn't changed her top three for a long time.... *sighs*
3. Innocent Primeval Breaker - Falcom Sound Team J.D.K - Ys Seven
A J.D.K. intro song? what a suprise.... but hey it'll be the only one on my list.... between this and premonition from 3 i had a hard time picking.... but this won out in the end.... but i mean.... just listen to it!
oh its a great sogn to get motivated to.... there is a vocal version called rush out but it's just not as good... it's a bit softer so the singer isn't overpowered and then it just loses some of it's charm....
but yeah ALL ys games have kick ass intros... this is just my fav
2. Karma/meaning of birth/Promise - Bump of Chicken/Motoo Fujiwara - Tales of The Abyss
"Rai, you can't pick three songs for one spot"
.... shut up it's my list... and i would argue that they are different versions of the same song
i just can't pick which version i like the most.... so they all get put up here
see? same song....
you're lucky i didn't put the US version o the intro song up here... though it's exactly the same except theres a guitar doing the vocals instead of a singer.... still... love these songs
And my number one song..... is a shock even to me...
1.Lost Harmony Among People - Falcom Sound Team J.D.K. - From Ys Seven
"But you said only one J.D.K song made it to the list"
no.... no i said intro song.... this is a town song.... so it counts...
after all that super intense music i use to get pumped up to draw or paint i like to have some calmer songs to help relax and think things through.... and again... this song is so pretty, i remember when i first got to this area in the game I just let the song play for a bit.
am i weird? yeah i think we've established that.... but i like what i like... sometimes i can't even tell why.
anyways i hope enjoyed my silly little list.... i hink next i'll do top 10 things that make me rage.... though it'll probably be clsoer to 6 or 7 things.... we will see~
Happy holidays everyone.
...
..
.
but i make no promises.
My taste in music tends to change very quickly, also i tend to like video game scores and anime intro songs... so if you don't like those just don't bother reading :P
ok... this list should also be pretty short cause i wont have too many personal stories... it'll just be me gushing about the songs.... yay?
10. You - Higurashi no naku koro ni
again i dint ahve any personal stroies with the bulk of these songs but i am realizing that there will probably be a trend of violins.... i can't help what i like.
9. In My World - Rookiez is Punk'd - Blue Exorcist
Skip the first 30 seconds and then watch till the end of the intro song
I liek the full version more then the cut one but i wanted to able able to show it so yeah... i dunno i love pretty much all the music for the show. It's fun and interesting and has quiet moments and intense moments. i just like it a lot.
8. Crossing Field - LiSA - Sword Art Online
This time skip about 40 seconds in
I may be incredibly angry with this show due to the way things are handled in the second season.... that doesn't change the fact that i really like this song, it's sets the mood perfectly for the first arc...
i think by now it's pretty obvious i like more upbeat sounding songs... and yes had the second season not been such a let down this may have ranked higher... though i doubt it cause i really like the other songs on this list.
7. Perseus - Yamazaru - Tegami Bachi Letter Bee
6. 同じ高みへ - "To the Same Heights" - Key Sound Label - Clannad
It's used really effectively in the show in the basketball scene... one of the best uses of music in animation.... in my opinion of course.
5. Ano Hi Time Machine - Long Short Part - Natsume Yuujinchou
"this is what everyone sees... this is what natsume sees."
it's just.... oh it's so good... and the song is so much fun to sing to.... i nfact any of the songs i've picked that have lyrics are a blast to sing to.... but yeah... love this song.
4. Complication - Rookiez is Punk'd - Durarara!!
No need to skip, the song plays right away HOWEVER there's a bit near the middle of the song that shows clips from the last episodes... watch through it till the song ends
This is the current song that i tend to listen to when no other music is working out for me, it's an interesying mix of a few genres... i nthe full version theres even a little rap section which is cool if you like that kind of thing.... but again it starts off quiet and continues to build throughout the song
but if it's the song i go to.... why isn't it number one?
cause i'm a pathetic weak person who hasn't changed her top three for a long time.... *sighs*
3. Innocent Primeval Breaker - Falcom Sound Team J.D.K - Ys Seven
A J.D.K. intro song? what a suprise.... but hey it'll be the only one on my list.... between this and premonition from 3 i had a hard time picking.... but this won out in the end.... but i mean.... just listen to it!
but yeah ALL ys games have kick ass intros... this is just my fav
2. Karma/meaning of birth/Promise - Bump of Chicken/Motoo Fujiwara - Tales of The Abyss
"Rai, you can't pick three songs for one spot"
.... shut up it's my list... and i would argue that they are different versions of the same song
i just can't pick which version i like the most.... so they all get put up here
you're lucky i didn't put the US version o the intro song up here... though it's exactly the same except theres a guitar doing the vocals instead of a singer.... still... love these songs
And my number one song..... is a shock even to me...
1.Lost Harmony Among People - Falcom Sound Team J.D.K. - From Ys Seven
"But you said only one J.D.K song made it to the list"
no.... no i said intro song.... this is a town song.... so it counts...
am i weird? yeah i think we've established that.... but i like what i like... sometimes i can't even tell why.
anyways i hope enjoyed my silly little list.... i hink next i'll do top 10 things that make me rage.... though it'll probably be clsoer to 6 or 7 things.... we will see~
Happy holidays everyone.
Monday, 24 December 2012
Completed?: My Little Monster
*checks it's listing on MAL* hm... it sais the show is 13 episodes.... so if nothing else this season is done.... but the show may or may not go one further.... i honestly don't know.
Also minor plot point spoilers, i did try to keep it to a minimum but when describing a short show like this it's really hard to not spoil anything.
So.... first thing first... i'm so glad this finished a week earlier then Say "i love you" because i will be referencing this show a lot in that review.... but it doesn't finish till next week so yeah... gotta wait a bit.
Anyways as the little blurb above suggests i watched two similar but very different Romance anime this season.... one a Slice of life rom com.... one just slice of life...
Neither show is good..... but one is passable while the other will send me into a rage.
so lets find out which one this is.
My Little Monster (aka Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun ) is a romantic comedy slice of life show about a studious girl and a carefree/extremly violent guy and how their relationship grows and wavers and trying to figure out how to balance everything.
there is a surprisingly large cast for a show like this and there are many love triangles and lots of unrequited love and standard romance fare.
However this seems to be a backnote to the fact that Shizuku is being forced to be more social and see that studying isn't the end all be all to life and Haru is being forced to think about how maybe violence isn't always the answer.
that sounds great..... in theory..... however.... neither of them ever actually learn their repective lessons.
Shizuku would still rather study then be anywhere near her boyfriend/friends (not that theres anything wrong with that but the show has been leading up to her finding a way to balance school and a somewhat social life and she never actually finds the balance... cause she doesn't care....)
and Haru still lashes out violently.... often at shizuku's expense.... honestly if i ever knew someone who acts like him i would get away cause his violent tendancies are terrifying. He's also a needy whiny little man baby and i'm tired of that character type being glorified.
"But Kat!" i hear my real life friends shout at their screen. "you have no right to judge other peoples social lives.... if you could spend all day in your room painting you would, you are probably the most anti-social person we know"
yeah...... you're right.....
...
i don't see anything wrong with that...
ok all kidding aside i think shizuku annoys me so much because she will actually sluff off events she is already present for while i, the most anti-social person my friends probably know, try really hard to be social despite the fact that i'm not happy in situation with lots of people... i at least attempt to have a good time and make the most of it.... especially if i haven't seen people for a long time... so yeah.... she irks me because she doesn't even try.
the things i do like about her though is that she is strong, she never wavers when she knows she is right and she doesn't let haru begging and pleading and down right harassment change her mind about how she feels towards him. And haru acknowledges that no means no.... but oh my god does he bitch about it.
however.... as i mentioned before a few times... Haruh is violent and pushy... so i just couldn't find myself liking his character despite the sweet moments... there is a scene where it looks like he's goign to push someone off a railing because he likes Shizuku as well...
Japan.... i know we've had this talk before.... but seriously? not cool....
when you have your character have a murderous look in his eye over jealousy.... and for him to go as far as to tell her to stay away from him? no.... seriously that is not a character i can get behind.
The guy who i felt was threatened was a much better match for her. he didn't like her just cause she was the first person who ever talked to him nicely (unlike haru who says he likes her pretty much the same day he meets her, then clafifies that he actually just likes her in a sexual way.... yeah.... great way to make me root for him...) He never pressures her and although he is constantly trying to buy her food he never actually tries to forcefully steal her away. He was sweet and although he had a bit of an ego he was constantly shown as flawed an a goof (unlike haru who is strong handsom and the closets thing to have a flaw is being cooky and really violent...)
My point is... the show isn't terrible.... but it isn't any good either because the main characters suck.... the side romance once again is the better romance and a plot threat about Shizuku's friend and Haru caretaker seems to have a lot more thought and heart put in.
i guess what i'm saying is the show would be better if Haru weren't in it.... hm....
oh well... the show has some chuckle worth moments and the animationg is pretty good... and the song it uses for the slow moments are actually quite touching...
i know i sound like i'm bashing it but thats just cause it could have been a whole lot better then it ended up being...
BUT don't worry i will be praising this show a whole lot more once i finish watchign the final episode of Say "I love you" because wow.... unless the last episode is brilliant.... there is going to be one hell of a long rant.... probably longer then my SAO rant....
the shows this season need to stop doing stupid stuff.... i like being positive about thing...
ANYWAYS
Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New year.
I'm off to go do our one christmas eve tradtion which is going to a family friends house and watching The REF... which is a really funny and pretty twisted take on a 'holiday' story.... but next to die hard it's probably one of my fav Christmas movies (and of course a christmas carol and It's a wonderful life...... i'm not THAT twisted.)
Also minor plot point spoilers, i did try to keep it to a minimum but when describing a short show like this it's really hard to not spoil anything.
So.... first thing first... i'm so glad this finished a week earlier then Say "i love you" because i will be referencing this show a lot in that review.... but it doesn't finish till next week so yeah... gotta wait a bit.
Anyways as the little blurb above suggests i watched two similar but very different Romance anime this season.... one a Slice of life rom com.... one just slice of life...
Neither show is good..... but one is passable while the other will send me into a rage.
so lets find out which one this is.
My Little Monster (aka Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun ) is a romantic comedy slice of life show about a studious girl and a carefree/extremly violent guy and how their relationship grows and wavers and trying to figure out how to balance everything.
there is a surprisingly large cast for a show like this and there are many love triangles and lots of unrequited love and standard romance fare.
However this seems to be a backnote to the fact that Shizuku is being forced to be more social and see that studying isn't the end all be all to life and Haru is being forced to think about how maybe violence isn't always the answer.
that sounds great..... in theory..... however.... neither of them ever actually learn their repective lessons.
Shizuku would still rather study then be anywhere near her boyfriend/friends (not that theres anything wrong with that but the show has been leading up to her finding a way to balance school and a somewhat social life and she never actually finds the balance... cause she doesn't care....)
and Haru still lashes out violently.... often at shizuku's expense.... honestly if i ever knew someone who acts like him i would get away cause his violent tendancies are terrifying. He's also a needy whiny little man baby and i'm tired of that character type being glorified.
"But Kat!" i hear my real life friends shout at their screen. "you have no right to judge other peoples social lives.... if you could spend all day in your room painting you would, you are probably the most anti-social person we know"
yeah...... you're right.....
...
i don't see anything wrong with that...
ok all kidding aside i think shizuku annoys me so much because she will actually sluff off events she is already present for while i, the most anti-social person my friends probably know, try really hard to be social despite the fact that i'm not happy in situation with lots of people... i at least attempt to have a good time and make the most of it.... especially if i haven't seen people for a long time... so yeah.... she irks me because she doesn't even try.
the things i do like about her though is that she is strong, she never wavers when she knows she is right and she doesn't let haru begging and pleading and down right harassment change her mind about how she feels towards him. And haru acknowledges that no means no.... but oh my god does he bitch about it.
however.... as i mentioned before a few times... Haruh is violent and pushy... so i just couldn't find myself liking his character despite the sweet moments... there is a scene where it looks like he's goign to push someone off a railing because he likes Shizuku as well...
Japan.... i know we've had this talk before.... but seriously? not cool....
when you have your character have a murderous look in his eye over jealousy.... and for him to go as far as to tell her to stay away from him? no.... seriously that is not a character i can get behind.
The guy who i felt was threatened was a much better match for her. he didn't like her just cause she was the first person who ever talked to him nicely (unlike haru who says he likes her pretty much the same day he meets her, then clafifies that he actually just likes her in a sexual way.... yeah.... great way to make me root for him...) He never pressures her and although he is constantly trying to buy her food he never actually tries to forcefully steal her away. He was sweet and although he had a bit of an ego he was constantly shown as flawed an a goof (unlike haru who is strong handsom and the closets thing to have a flaw is being cooky and really violent...)
My point is... the show isn't terrible.... but it isn't any good either because the main characters suck.... the side romance once again is the better romance and a plot threat about Shizuku's friend and Haru caretaker seems to have a lot more thought and heart put in.
i guess what i'm saying is the show would be better if Haru weren't in it.... hm....
oh well... the show has some chuckle worth moments and the animationg is pretty good... and the song it uses for the slow moments are actually quite touching...
i know i sound like i'm bashing it but thats just cause it could have been a whole lot better then it ended up being...
BUT don't worry i will be praising this show a whole lot more once i finish watchign the final episode of Say "I love you" because wow.... unless the last episode is brilliant.... there is going to be one hell of a long rant.... probably longer then my SAO rant....
the shows this season need to stop doing stupid stuff.... i like being positive about thing...
ANYWAYS
Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New year.
I'm off to go do our one christmas eve tradtion which is going to a family friends house and watching The REF... which is a really funny and pretty twisted take on a 'holiday' story.... but next to die hard it's probably one of my fav Christmas movies (and of course a christmas carol and It's a wonderful life...... i'm not THAT twisted.)
Figure photoshoot -Rinne Nendroid-
I love figures, while i don't have that much i really enjoy taking picture of them.
My latest figure to Arrive is from Sora no kiseki Second chapter.
I have only played first chapter so far (cause of the lack of translation for second chapter) but i adore Rinne's character design.... plus it's a falcom figure... i figure if these are sucessful maybe one day i'll have an Adol figure.... or a Geis figure.... or hell even Dogi would be great!
anyways....
Her's the box!
awww look at all those cute accesories~ right now she's holding her scythe but i'll probably have her sitting down holding her bunny as the pose i keep her in.
The figure just out of the box with no changes, the back when it pretty easy (which is nice cause Nendo's can be fussy....
sorry about the crap lighting.... i had to change my setup and it's winter so the natural light i get is overly cool and i hate using flash but it was that or dark pictures...
Her with her scythe, i'll keep her like this for a bit before i change her to bunny version
her and my Estelle Nendo i gota few months back side by side... estelle is probably the most intricute figure i'e ever had... she has liek 4 shoulders and 3 different ams and 8 different hands... i want her to hold her harmonica but i have yet to fogure out which is the right hand... still love these figures
Just some super close ups... what i wouldgive for a macro lense... and a better set up and a proper lighting system.
but still i'm happy with the shallow depth of field
by the soudns of it Feena will get the next nendo treatment (i havethe estelle/rinne/feena nendo petits but i didn't feels liek taking pictures of them together... mayeb later.
So yeah Rinne and Estelle are from the Legend of heroes: Trails in the sky game and if you see the game for sale you should get it... it's pretty fun.
My latest figure to Arrive is from Sora no kiseki Second chapter.
I have only played first chapter so far (cause of the lack of translation for second chapter) but i adore Rinne's character design.... plus it's a falcom figure... i figure if these are sucessful maybe one day i'll have an Adol figure.... or a Geis figure.... or hell even Dogi would be great!
anyways....
Her's the box!
sorry about the crap lighting.... i had to change my setup and it's winter so the natural light i get is overly cool and i hate using flash but it was that or dark pictures...
her and my Estelle Nendo i gota few months back side by side... estelle is probably the most intricute figure i'e ever had... she has liek 4 shoulders and 3 different ams and 8 different hands... i want her to hold her harmonica but i have yet to fogure out which is the right hand... still love these figures
but still i'm happy with the shallow depth of field
by the soudns of it Feena will get the next nendo treatment (i havethe estelle/rinne/feena nendo petits but i didn't feels liek taking pictures of them together... mayeb later.
So yeah Rinne and Estelle are from the Legend of heroes: Trails in the sky game and if you see the game for sale you should get it... it's pretty fun.
Sunday, 23 December 2012
Year end Top 10 - book or series -
hm.... see here i have a problem because i tend to read long series..... but i don't want to just name off a bunch of the same author......
....
but i'm probably going to...
Also manga wont count but i'm gunna make room for a light novel title.... casue it was technically a book before it was turned into anything else...
yes..... thats how i'll justify it....
ok.... this is WAY harder then either of the other lists
10. Harry Potter
I'm honestly surprised this series made it on to my list....
Don't get me wrong, i don't dislike Harry Potter at all... it's just i have a bit of a history with it.
ok Story time.... and i have a feelign this is going to be a very long top ten....
So when i was younger I hated reading, it was boring and stupid and all the stories were just silly.
around the time i entered grade 4 everyone started talking about these Harry potter books... and how they had gotten kids to read, i was probably 8 or 9 around then and still not really reading so my parents were worried. It didn't help that i was in french immersion so my English overall wasn't as good as other kids my age.... (and the reason why even till this day i'm probably the worst speller you will ever meet, i do try and spell check but yeah.... sorry for the typos)
so they bought me the 4 books that were out and pretty much forced me to read them.
cause thats how to get your kid to like something they otherwise hate.... make them write book reports on it...
i kinda wish i were kidding about that.
anyways i skimmed the first three but honestly it was just too silly for me... i was bored and just didn't care.
then something happened (it'll be explained later in the list) and when i went to read book 4 i had found my love of reading.... i still found the series to be silly but it was a fun kind of silly that i could get behind.
by the time book 5 was out (or maybe 6?) i had moved across the country and had become a bit of a speed reader.... which book 4 took me about a month to read i could ploy through Lord of the rings in days (except book 2 which is just tedious and always slows me down) so i read the last few books in a few hours each....
i enjoyed it, it was a lot of fun but i was never as much of a fan of it compaired to some people i know.
i also wasn't a big fan of the ending... a certain character needed to perish and they didn't and i thought that was silly...
oh well... i will say Snape was probably my fav character from the start and his little bit at the end made me cry... a lot.... maybe thats why it made it onto this list.... hm....
9. The Dragon Stone Saga by Kristina Alva
I really enjoyed this book, though it's almost been a year since i read it and i can't remember why i loved it so much... maybe if i pick up the third book (since it's been released since the review i did) i'll remember.... but i just remember it was a breath on fresh air after reading some atrocious stuff shortly before it....
but yeah if i could remember more it woudl probably be higher on the list.... maybe i shouldn't write these with headaches.... my head may be in a better place....
8. The Kinshield Legacy by K.C. May
I think i read this before The dragon stone saga but i actually remember it quite well... i was so sad when it ended after only two books... i loved the world and the characters and the magic system... i love how it was like he was the reincarnation of someone from the past and still haunted by something he did in his past... it was just really well done.
but way too short so that keeps it at number 8
7. The Chronicles of Amber By Roger Zelanzy
The main character and my cat share a name.... i really like this series.........
....
so why isn't it higher?
....
cause out of ten books.... i've only read 3
i do the same thing every time.
read the first three books in a sitting.... tell myself "okay.... thats a great cliffhanger... you'll want to read more after that but maybe read a book inbtween"
and then i forget about it....
and the i just back in but liek i said it was after a really important cliffhanger and i can't remember all the details....
so i just re-read thw whole damn thing cause 3 books is litterally 300 pages.... it doesn't take long to gether through.....
but then i put it down again.
luckily now i remember every detail of those first three books.
so i could start on book four.... but i have like 5 books queued up on my kindle and I tend to read while i'm on the train.... and the chronicles of amber is just over 1000 page heavy brick of a book.... doesn't fit in my purse easily and i don't wanna lug it around.... so yeah.... maybe since i have two weeks off work now i'll actually finish it....
or maybe i'll paint.... i'm kinda indecisive like that....
6. Ghost targets series by Aaron Pogue
omg a title that isn't fantasy? say it isn't so!
I am not a fan of sci fi
at all
not even a little
cause it almost always ends up in space
if this series ends up in space i will cry.... cause i like this series..... but i hate space
however... i think thats really unlikely.
This series is pretty much "what if iphones and tablets had the ability to control even more then they do... would we be reliant on it? would we find ways around the system? would we crave for the privacy we seem to have lost?"
i just think it's a great little series that has an interesting romance that is very minor and doesn't get in the way of plot and again... pretty much no chance of it going to space.... and if it does i will be extremly upset.... but understanding cause authors can do whatever they want with their properties....
i just wont be able to read it.....
5. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Series by Nagaru Tanigawa
This is the light novel i mentioned.... i normally HATE light novels.... they are told from first person 99% of the time (which is always something i grumble about... it doesn't kill a franchise but it's really hard to do well) and because it's translating japanese text without the aide of images (the random images at the back and at certain pages don't count) it can be a little tricky to get all the context and culture references.
however this series references everything, every type of culture or myth...
also i love being in Kyons head.
i love that it's hard to tell when he's said things out loud and when he just metters it to himself... cause it's hard for the character to always tell.... i love that we hit epiphanies the exact same moment as him.... he is the perfect reader avatar and i just adore how fun it all is....
but i like 4 things even more....
4. Lightbringer Series By Brent Weeks
This will probably move up as more of the books come out.... right now this is me throwing a temper tantrum by saying "you can't be number one with your amazing colour magic system and funny writing because dammit i want more"
but seriously this series is great an if you like cool magic systems at all then you owe it to yourself to pick it up.
granted Brents stuff is not for the squeamish but still... such a good read.
3. The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks
Brent again? YEP.... my list..... i do what i want.
i adore this series, i love all the characters... i love that it's extremely character driven story and i like that certain things are used but not glorified....
remember how i said his stuff is not for the squeemish? Lightbringer is TAME compaired to this... seriously if you have a weak stomach then think carefully before reading.
but still... read it... it is so good.
2. Dragon Prince Trilogy by Aaron Pogue
Aaron again? YEP... shut up.... i do what i want.
the magic system in this.... oh it's so good...
"but rai" i hear you cry out.
"the third book sucked, it wasn't even about Daven... just his stupid kid.... I DIDN'T GET THE BOOK I WANTED... WHAAAAAAAAAAAA"
you know what? shut up.
While the third book is not as strong as the others.... i liked it... i liked it a lot.... i thought it was a really interesting way to make Daven a little less power AND it made us wonder what had happened in the 10 year gap between books.... and no matter how many times you say it the book WAS about Daven... yes it was through Taryn's eyes but it's about his dad and a kid wondering why his dad vanished so long ago...
as for it not being the book you wanted.
Grow up.
You are not always going to get what you want. This bitching and moaning till you get your way is nothing more then a childish tantrum.... if you don't like it thats fine... just have a better reason then "it wasn't what i wanted".
still, i loved it.... i loved the whole series and i suggest you go read it... it's really cheap as an E-book.
1. The Belgariad By David Eddings
i finally get to finish my Harry Potter story.
So the something that happened was my Dad, being at his wits end hands me five older books.
"i enjoyed these when i was a little older then you, read it if you want"
So i did.... and it was amazing.
So many wonderful characters (notice pretty much every single title on this list has Plot driven by the characters instead of plot driving he character... there is a difference) such a cool and simple yet complex magic system and the idea of being undone by magic simply cause you used a word to undo or unmake? oh thast good.
it took me a little while to read the book despite the fact that they aren't terribly long... but i was just discovering how much i loved reading.... this was the series that showed me.
i did try and read the Malorean and it's not as good but this series will probably always be my number one pick because it's what got me to love reading in the first place.
so thats my list.... a few little ending notes.
Honorary mentions:
Stardust, The princess bride and The last unicorn
i love these books but this list ended up being more about series... still all great reads and i sugegst you give them a shot.
question: If you like fantasy so much why no George R.R.Martin?
Answer: i love fantasy and i've heard amazing thing about that series however i also hear it' not done... and he's been writing it for pretty much 20 years...
i hate waiting
the fact that i gotta wait another year or two for brent's new book is killing me.... but i will wait.... and hope it comes out quickly.... even though i know it wont....
Question: You mentioned Lord of the Rings and you like fantasy so why isn't it on your list?
Answer: cause i don't really like it... it's good... it's well written but i can't stand any of the characters except Aragorn.... and he's barely in it.... the stuff with merry and pippin took me forever to get through cause i just didn't care... and i hate books that constantly describe the scenery.... give me the basis and my head will fill i nthe rest.... i don't need to know how green the feilds are.... i don't care.
Question: You are a girl but your list is devoid of teen fiction/romance (well except for ghost targets i guess)
Answer: cause i hate teen fiction (and romance is just okay... i prefer it be an element to the story then a main theme)... it can be fun and goofy but i never understood the point....i read my first teen fiction novel when i was already in my 20s.... and it was just so pathetic.... i'm a big believer in not pandering to certain age groups and just writing stuff that everyone can enjoy.... so no teen fiction made it to the list.... besides.... i like fantasy... not a vampire fan.
still when i heard a studio was shooting mortal instruments (which i read 4 books of) in the same town i work in i chuckled.... yeah i'm sure the normal audiance are gunna LOVE that twist.... which is part of the reason i think the series lost me.... i hate THAT particular romance trope.... it's just.... too gross...
hm.... i think this has gone long enough....
next i think i'll do music and then the top 10 (or maybe only 5) things that send me into a rage.... even i don't know what number one would be.... i'll have to think about it.
anyways i hope you like, i would love to hear which novels (fantasy or otherwise ) you consider to be your fav.
....
but i'm probably going to...
Also manga wont count but i'm gunna make room for a light novel title.... casue it was technically a book before it was turned into anything else...
yes..... thats how i'll justify it....
ok.... this is WAY harder then either of the other lists
10. Harry Potter
I'm honestly surprised this series made it on to my list....
Don't get me wrong, i don't dislike Harry Potter at all... it's just i have a bit of a history with it.
ok Story time.... and i have a feelign this is going to be a very long top ten....
So when i was younger I hated reading, it was boring and stupid and all the stories were just silly.
around the time i entered grade 4 everyone started talking about these Harry potter books... and how they had gotten kids to read, i was probably 8 or 9 around then and still not really reading so my parents were worried. It didn't help that i was in french immersion so my English overall wasn't as good as other kids my age.... (and the reason why even till this day i'm probably the worst speller you will ever meet, i do try and spell check but yeah.... sorry for the typos)
so they bought me the 4 books that were out and pretty much forced me to read them.
cause thats how to get your kid to like something they otherwise hate.... make them write book reports on it...
i kinda wish i were kidding about that.
anyways i skimmed the first three but honestly it was just too silly for me... i was bored and just didn't care.
then something happened (it'll be explained later in the list) and when i went to read book 4 i had found my love of reading.... i still found the series to be silly but it was a fun kind of silly that i could get behind.
by the time book 5 was out (or maybe 6?) i had moved across the country and had become a bit of a speed reader.... which book 4 took me about a month to read i could ploy through Lord of the rings in days (except book 2 which is just tedious and always slows me down) so i read the last few books in a few hours each....
i enjoyed it, it was a lot of fun but i was never as much of a fan of it compaired to some people i know.
i also wasn't a big fan of the ending... a certain character needed to perish and they didn't and i thought that was silly...
oh well... i will say Snape was probably my fav character from the start and his little bit at the end made me cry... a lot.... maybe thats why it made it onto this list.... hm....
9. The Dragon Stone Saga by Kristina Alva
I really enjoyed this book, though it's almost been a year since i read it and i can't remember why i loved it so much... maybe if i pick up the third book (since it's been released since the review i did) i'll remember.... but i just remember it was a breath on fresh air after reading some atrocious stuff shortly before it....
but yeah if i could remember more it woudl probably be higher on the list.... maybe i shouldn't write these with headaches.... my head may be in a better place....
8. The Kinshield Legacy by K.C. May
I think i read this before The dragon stone saga but i actually remember it quite well... i was so sad when it ended after only two books... i loved the world and the characters and the magic system... i love how it was like he was the reincarnation of someone from the past and still haunted by something he did in his past... it was just really well done.
but way too short so that keeps it at number 8
7. The Chronicles of Amber By Roger Zelanzy
The main character and my cat share a name.... i really like this series.........
....
so why isn't it higher?
....
cause out of ten books.... i've only read 3
i do the same thing every time.
read the first three books in a sitting.... tell myself "okay.... thats a great cliffhanger... you'll want to read more after that but maybe read a book inbtween"
and then i forget about it....
and the i just back in but liek i said it was after a really important cliffhanger and i can't remember all the details....
so i just re-read thw whole damn thing cause 3 books is litterally 300 pages.... it doesn't take long to gether through.....
but then i put it down again.
luckily now i remember every detail of those first three books.
so i could start on book four.... but i have like 5 books queued up on my kindle and I tend to read while i'm on the train.... and the chronicles of amber is just over 1000 page heavy brick of a book.... doesn't fit in my purse easily and i don't wanna lug it around.... so yeah.... maybe since i have two weeks off work now i'll actually finish it....
or maybe i'll paint.... i'm kinda indecisive like that....
6. Ghost targets series by Aaron Pogue
omg a title that isn't fantasy? say it isn't so!
I am not a fan of sci fi
at all
not even a little
cause it almost always ends up in space
if this series ends up in space i will cry.... cause i like this series..... but i hate space
however... i think thats really unlikely.
This series is pretty much "what if iphones and tablets had the ability to control even more then they do... would we be reliant on it? would we find ways around the system? would we crave for the privacy we seem to have lost?"
i just think it's a great little series that has an interesting romance that is very minor and doesn't get in the way of plot and again... pretty much no chance of it going to space.... and if it does i will be extremly upset.... but understanding cause authors can do whatever they want with their properties....
i just wont be able to read it.....
5. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Series by Nagaru Tanigawa
This is the light novel i mentioned.... i normally HATE light novels.... they are told from first person 99% of the time (which is always something i grumble about... it doesn't kill a franchise but it's really hard to do well) and because it's translating japanese text without the aide of images (the random images at the back and at certain pages don't count) it can be a little tricky to get all the context and culture references.
however this series references everything, every type of culture or myth...
also i love being in Kyons head.
i love that it's hard to tell when he's said things out loud and when he just metters it to himself... cause it's hard for the character to always tell.... i love that we hit epiphanies the exact same moment as him.... he is the perfect reader avatar and i just adore how fun it all is....
but i like 4 things even more....
4. Lightbringer Series By Brent Weeks
This will probably move up as more of the books come out.... right now this is me throwing a temper tantrum by saying "you can't be number one with your amazing colour magic system and funny writing because dammit i want more"
but seriously this series is great an if you like cool magic systems at all then you owe it to yourself to pick it up.
granted Brents stuff is not for the squeamish but still... such a good read.
3. The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks
Brent again? YEP.... my list..... i do what i want.
i adore this series, i love all the characters... i love that it's extremely character driven story and i like that certain things are used but not glorified....
remember how i said his stuff is not for the squeemish? Lightbringer is TAME compaired to this... seriously if you have a weak stomach then think carefully before reading.
but still... read it... it is so good.
2. Dragon Prince Trilogy by Aaron Pogue
Aaron again? YEP... shut up.... i do what i want.
the magic system in this.... oh it's so good...
"but rai" i hear you cry out.
"the third book sucked, it wasn't even about Daven... just his stupid kid.... I DIDN'T GET THE BOOK I WANTED... WHAAAAAAAAAAAA"
you know what? shut up.
While the third book is not as strong as the others.... i liked it... i liked it a lot.... i thought it was a really interesting way to make Daven a little less power AND it made us wonder what had happened in the 10 year gap between books.... and no matter how many times you say it the book WAS about Daven... yes it was through Taryn's eyes but it's about his dad and a kid wondering why his dad vanished so long ago...
as for it not being the book you wanted.
Grow up.
You are not always going to get what you want. This bitching and moaning till you get your way is nothing more then a childish tantrum.... if you don't like it thats fine... just have a better reason then "it wasn't what i wanted".
still, i loved it.... i loved the whole series and i suggest you go read it... it's really cheap as an E-book.
1. The Belgariad By David Eddings
i finally get to finish my Harry Potter story.
So the something that happened was my Dad, being at his wits end hands me five older books.
"i enjoyed these when i was a little older then you, read it if you want"
So i did.... and it was amazing.
So many wonderful characters (notice pretty much every single title on this list has Plot driven by the characters instead of plot driving he character... there is a difference) such a cool and simple yet complex magic system and the idea of being undone by magic simply cause you used a word to undo or unmake? oh thast good.
it took me a little while to read the book despite the fact that they aren't terribly long... but i was just discovering how much i loved reading.... this was the series that showed me.
i did try and read the Malorean and it's not as good but this series will probably always be my number one pick because it's what got me to love reading in the first place.
so thats my list.... a few little ending notes.
Honorary mentions:
Stardust, The princess bride and The last unicorn
i love these books but this list ended up being more about series... still all great reads and i sugegst you give them a shot.
question: If you like fantasy so much why no George R.R.Martin?
Answer: i love fantasy and i've heard amazing thing about that series however i also hear it' not done... and he's been writing it for pretty much 20 years...
i hate waiting
the fact that i gotta wait another year or two for brent's new book is killing me.... but i will wait.... and hope it comes out quickly.... even though i know it wont....
Question: You mentioned Lord of the Rings and you like fantasy so why isn't it on your list?
Answer: cause i don't really like it... it's good... it's well written but i can't stand any of the characters except Aragorn.... and he's barely in it.... the stuff with merry and pippin took me forever to get through cause i just didn't care... and i hate books that constantly describe the scenery.... give me the basis and my head will fill i nthe rest.... i don't need to know how green the feilds are.... i don't care.
Question: You are a girl but your list is devoid of teen fiction/romance (well except for ghost targets i guess)
Answer: cause i hate teen fiction (and romance is just okay... i prefer it be an element to the story then a main theme)... it can be fun and goofy but i never understood the point....i read my first teen fiction novel when i was already in my 20s.... and it was just so pathetic.... i'm a big believer in not pandering to certain age groups and just writing stuff that everyone can enjoy.... so no teen fiction made it to the list.... besides.... i like fantasy... not a vampire fan.
still when i heard a studio was shooting mortal instruments (which i read 4 books of) in the same town i work in i chuckled.... yeah i'm sure the normal audiance are gunna LOVE that twist.... which is part of the reason i think the series lost me.... i hate THAT particular romance trope.... it's just.... too gross...
hm.... i think this has gone long enough....
next i think i'll do music and then the top 10 (or maybe only 5) things that send me into a rage.... even i don't know what number one would be.... i'll have to think about it.
anyways i hope you like, i would love to hear which novels (fantasy or otherwise ) you consider to be your fav.
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Completed: Sword Art Online -spoilers-
I have a feeling this is going to be long.... cause i have A LOT to say....
it's also going to have some spoilers.... if you don't want the show to be spoiled for you then stop reading. The TL;dr essentially will be the first half is good but you may not like the second half as much, give it a shot if you want.... it's all viewable for free on Cruchyroll.com.
ok.... again..... spoilers from here on.... this is your last warning.
So.... when I first heard the title i immediately thought. "oh great.... another .hack// type of show.... fantastic.... considering how much i dislike .hack//"
then i watched it and was pleasantly surprised.
There was real suspense! the main hook of the show is that 10 000 players of a full dive MMO can't log out.... not only that but if they die in the game they die in real life.
This actually made the game a little nerve wracking.... and characters whom you end up liking even after a short time can and are offed... and it's heart breaking... in the SAO arc i cried 2 or 3 times.... one of those times i was at work waiting for my ride to get there.... i didn't know 'that' was going to happen and i just burst into tears.
luckily no one saw me but still... i learned no more SAO at work even if i'm off the clock....
So if they can't log out and they risk death by playign why doesn't everyone just stay in the begginer area?
Because Aincrad, the world in SAO is essentially a 100 floor dungeon... if a player is able to beat the boss and clear the game everyone would be freed.
Our main character is Kirito, a kid in his teens who was a beta tester for the game and is excited to get back. However the fact that he was so good at the game and a beta tester has made him an outcast cause people think he's cheating.
Thats fine since most of the time he's a solo player... well until he meets a girl names Asuna.... he does the first level boss fight with her and then meets back up with her randomly through the game. Eventually they become friends and not much later they become more then that.
Of course it just so happens that these two are pretty much the best players of the game to boot.... the show eventually becomes about these two playing the game together and dealing with guild issues and eventually (and unexpectidly) fighting the final boss.
Stuff happens (i really don't wanna spoil but i promise it's pretty good) and Kirito manages to beat the game.
But at what cost?
So on that note the SAO arc ends... i'll talk about the Alfenhiem (ALO) arc in a minute...
The good: Really suspenceful, well animated, great music, interesting characters and real drama about forgetting the real world and how will things be when they get back.... with Kirito and Asuna be able to find each other and possibly still be in love? just a great character study over all...
The not so good: some episodes have really weak plotlines and it drags the rest of the series down. Some time kirito is a bit too powerful which tends to take that element of suspense away.
but otherwise the SAO arc is really good....
the ALO arc on the other hand.......
ugh....
So Kirito has returned to the real world as Kazuto.... he had to go to rehab and whatnot considering he essentially spent 2 years in a coma thanks to the game....
whats worse is not everyone woke up after the game was cleared.... about 300 people still remain comatose.... including Asuna.
How i expected it to go: Considering an avatar that looked like Asuna could be seen in a new game Alfenhiem online I imagined that Kirito, still being traumatized from spending two years inside a game where his life was always on the line, wouldn't be able to go in ad save her himself.... but using all his programming skills that we see in the first arc to save her from outside the game.... also he knows some of the SAO players in real life so possibly using their skills to help save her as well.... and possibly exposing some plot thast keeping those 300 people within the game.
How it actually goes: Kirito goes inside the game without any sign of trauma or worry, creates an avatar with the same name as his SAO avatar (yet no one ever questions him about it despite EVERYONE knowing a player named KIRITO beat the last game) finds out his stats and some other things carried over to ALO and bumps into another character.
who happens to be his IRL sister.... who has the hots for him... but it's supposed to be okay cause he's adopted.
no.... i don't care.... they still are brother and sister... adopted or not....
anyways so they go to the spot where asuna's avatar was spotted and thanks to a bit of help Kirito manages to get to the one causing all the problems and he teaches them a lesson.
ugh......
anywasy so after all that the show gets good again as Kirito goes to see Asuna who has hopefully woken up and not died during all this.
more stuff happens that i wont spoil
and then we get to see the IRL people from SAO which is pretty cool and fun...
we also find out something that happens that i'm sorry.... no.... no no no no no no no....
i have a real hard time believing that anyone would let any type of full dive thing happen ever again especially after the company was ratted out for what they were doing to the comatose people.
The good: . . . . . . .
. . .
. .
.
um...
getting to see kirito with funky hair and wings was an interesting character design?
and other then the BS about an item thats given to kirito at the end the last episode is really good....
The not so good:
Fan service has been ramped up drastically and the show seems oddly long... SAO never dragged but the ALO arc coudl have easily been 3-4 episodes.... tops....
The bad:
Kirito seems to be lacking any sense of trauma from SAO and any sense of remorse for what he does to another character near the end.... that is slightly redeemed thanks to the final episode but still... he's a bit to psychotic for me to like him as a character.... and again..... he spent 2 years in a death game... he would no go back so easily.
"oh but his love for asuna was strong"
yeah okay but again.... 2 years in a death game.... have you ever done something that you do all the time.... then hurt yourself pretty badly while doing it.... then have the fear that you may screw up again and get hurt even worse? thats what i wanted to see... i wanted to see that dilemma of him wanting to save asuna but his body being too afraid to go back in... then eventually going back in OR doing what i said before and beat the game from the outside... it just felt like "well i gotta go save my girl~ lets just pop that nerve gear back on and put myself back in a comatose state... hopefully this time it lets me log off."
Also the whole kirito and his sister thing.... ew... i'm sorry but i HATE that particular 'romantic' storyline.... it doesn't matter that you aren't blood related... you grew up as siblings and it's really creepy... maybe i'm the only one who's so put off by this but just.... no... and Sugu (the sister) is an awful character who is simply put there to give a character Large breasts and to do uncomfortable shots from above... it's just creepy
The Horrible and down right unforgivable:
Asuna, who was a really strong female character, is pretty much turned into something to be used as an object and she nearly gets raped almost every episode she's in.... though we know for the first half he wont do anythign to her.... we can't be sure about her safety at the end.
To boot her face has been softened by the animators... her facial features are rounded and she is portrayed as this weak little girl.
Yes she tries to fight back but i honestly think given the type of character she was in SAO she would have more fight left in her.
"oh but she didn't have weapons or stats"
again i get that but i don't care, i think she would fight with every fiber of her being against that guy even if there was no chance of winning.
HOWEVER.... all that being said... i did like the show.... i just didn't like the ALO arc (because of rape scares and sister love ineterest).... i would say watch all of the SAO arc... then the first episode or two of the ALO arc and then the last two episodes of the show and thats pretty much everything you need to see. the rest is kinda just filler...you find out more about the magic system and some rules of the game but it's not nessicary....
But the show is ok.... not really good.... but ok. the first half is WAY better then the second half because the second half doesn't really seem to have a point the way the first half did.
and the more i think about it... the less i like it.
the music is really really good, crossing fields is so much fun.
oh well...
hey this wasn't as long as i was expecting in the end.... yay
it's also going to have some spoilers.... if you don't want the show to be spoiled for you then stop reading. The TL;dr essentially will be the first half is good but you may not like the second half as much, give it a shot if you want.... it's all viewable for free on Cruchyroll.com.
ok.... again..... spoilers from here on.... this is your last warning.
So.... when I first heard the title i immediately thought. "oh great.... another .hack// type of show.... fantastic.... considering how much i dislike .hack//"
then i watched it and was pleasantly surprised.
There was real suspense! the main hook of the show is that 10 000 players of a full dive MMO can't log out.... not only that but if they die in the game they die in real life.
This actually made the game a little nerve wracking.... and characters whom you end up liking even after a short time can and are offed... and it's heart breaking... in the SAO arc i cried 2 or 3 times.... one of those times i was at work waiting for my ride to get there.... i didn't know 'that' was going to happen and i just burst into tears.
luckily no one saw me but still... i learned no more SAO at work even if i'm off the clock....
So if they can't log out and they risk death by playign why doesn't everyone just stay in the begginer area?
Because Aincrad, the world in SAO is essentially a 100 floor dungeon... if a player is able to beat the boss and clear the game everyone would be freed.
Our main character is Kirito, a kid in his teens who was a beta tester for the game and is excited to get back. However the fact that he was so good at the game and a beta tester has made him an outcast cause people think he's cheating.
Thats fine since most of the time he's a solo player... well until he meets a girl names Asuna.... he does the first level boss fight with her and then meets back up with her randomly through the game. Eventually they become friends and not much later they become more then that.
Of course it just so happens that these two are pretty much the best players of the game to boot.... the show eventually becomes about these two playing the game together and dealing with guild issues and eventually (and unexpectidly) fighting the final boss.
Stuff happens (i really don't wanna spoil but i promise it's pretty good) and Kirito manages to beat the game.
But at what cost?
So on that note the SAO arc ends... i'll talk about the Alfenhiem (ALO) arc in a minute...
The good: Really suspenceful, well animated, great music, interesting characters and real drama about forgetting the real world and how will things be when they get back.... with Kirito and Asuna be able to find each other and possibly still be in love? just a great character study over all...
The not so good: some episodes have really weak plotlines and it drags the rest of the series down. Some time kirito is a bit too powerful which tends to take that element of suspense away.
but otherwise the SAO arc is really good....
the ALO arc on the other hand.......
ugh....
So Kirito has returned to the real world as Kazuto.... he had to go to rehab and whatnot considering he essentially spent 2 years in a coma thanks to the game....
whats worse is not everyone woke up after the game was cleared.... about 300 people still remain comatose.... including Asuna.
How i expected it to go: Considering an avatar that looked like Asuna could be seen in a new game Alfenhiem online I imagined that Kirito, still being traumatized from spending two years inside a game where his life was always on the line, wouldn't be able to go in ad save her himself.... but using all his programming skills that we see in the first arc to save her from outside the game.... also he knows some of the SAO players in real life so possibly using their skills to help save her as well.... and possibly exposing some plot thast keeping those 300 people within the game.
How it actually goes: Kirito goes inside the game without any sign of trauma or worry, creates an avatar with the same name as his SAO avatar (yet no one ever questions him about it despite EVERYONE knowing a player named KIRITO beat the last game) finds out his stats and some other things carried over to ALO and bumps into another character.
who happens to be his IRL sister.... who has the hots for him... but it's supposed to be okay cause he's adopted.
no.... i don't care.... they still are brother and sister... adopted or not....
anyways so they go to the spot where asuna's avatar was spotted and thanks to a bit of help Kirito manages to get to the one causing all the problems and he teaches them a lesson.
ugh......
anywasy so after all that the show gets good again as Kirito goes to see Asuna who has hopefully woken up and not died during all this.
more stuff happens that i wont spoil
and then we get to see the IRL people from SAO which is pretty cool and fun...
we also find out something that happens that i'm sorry.... no.... no no no no no no no....
i have a real hard time believing that anyone would let any type of full dive thing happen ever again especially after the company was ratted out for what they were doing to the comatose people.
The good: . . . . . . .
. . .
. .
.
um...
getting to see kirito with funky hair and wings was an interesting character design?
and other then the BS about an item thats given to kirito at the end the last episode is really good....
The not so good:
Fan service has been ramped up drastically and the show seems oddly long... SAO never dragged but the ALO arc coudl have easily been 3-4 episodes.... tops....
The bad:
Kirito seems to be lacking any sense of trauma from SAO and any sense of remorse for what he does to another character near the end.... that is slightly redeemed thanks to the final episode but still... he's a bit to psychotic for me to like him as a character.... and again..... he spent 2 years in a death game... he would no go back so easily.
"oh but his love for asuna was strong"
yeah okay but again.... 2 years in a death game.... have you ever done something that you do all the time.... then hurt yourself pretty badly while doing it.... then have the fear that you may screw up again and get hurt even worse? thats what i wanted to see... i wanted to see that dilemma of him wanting to save asuna but his body being too afraid to go back in... then eventually going back in OR doing what i said before and beat the game from the outside... it just felt like "well i gotta go save my girl~ lets just pop that nerve gear back on and put myself back in a comatose state... hopefully this time it lets me log off."
Also the whole kirito and his sister thing.... ew... i'm sorry but i HATE that particular 'romantic' storyline.... it doesn't matter that you aren't blood related... you grew up as siblings and it's really creepy... maybe i'm the only one who's so put off by this but just.... no... and Sugu (the sister) is an awful character who is simply put there to give a character Large breasts and to do uncomfortable shots from above... it's just creepy
The Horrible and down right unforgivable:
Asuna, who was a really strong female character, is pretty much turned into something to be used as an object and she nearly gets raped almost every episode she's in.... though we know for the first half he wont do anythign to her.... we can't be sure about her safety at the end.
To boot her face has been softened by the animators... her facial features are rounded and she is portrayed as this weak little girl.
Yes she tries to fight back but i honestly think given the type of character she was in SAO she would have more fight left in her.
"oh but she didn't have weapons or stats"
again i get that but i don't care, i think she would fight with every fiber of her being against that guy even if there was no chance of winning.
HOWEVER.... all that being said... i did like the show.... i just didn't like the ALO arc (because of rape scares and sister love ineterest).... i would say watch all of the SAO arc... then the first episode or two of the ALO arc and then the last two episodes of the show and thats pretty much everything you need to see. the rest is kinda just filler...you find out more about the magic system and some rules of the game but it's not nessicary....
But the show is ok.... not really good.... but ok. the first half is WAY better then the second half because the second half doesn't really seem to have a point the way the first half did.
and the more i think about it... the less i like it.
the music is really really good, crossing fields is so much fun.
oh well...
hey this wasn't as long as i was expecting in the end.... yay
Friday, 21 December 2012
Year end Top 10s - Anime -
cause the last one was pretty fun.... i just hope i can keep this to 10....
Again this is to show
a) how much my taste jump around
b) to show how strange my taste overall is.
This is a personal list.... most of these things i like for personal reasons.... You will probably disagree with me and that's fine... cause I'm a bit strange when it comes to what i like.
OK.... lets get started.
Honourable Mention:
Sailor moon: the first Anime i ever watched, granted i didn't know anime and cartoons were different until i was 13 or so... i just knew i liked this show and not others that all my friends liked.
I guess i technically watched Dragon ball before Sailor moon..... but i liked sailor moon way more... and i remember it much better.
Macross: I love this show. I was a bit worried when i started watching it cause i have this odd fear of space but since 90% of macross is a love triangle i was able to enjoy it Panic Attack free.... unlike shows like Gurren Lagaan or Gunbuster where the latter had me take 3 days to watch one episode... funny the same friend lent me both those titles, now i have to ask before she lends me anything else "does it go to space in ANY capacity"
So yeah love those shows, but i like 10 more just a hair more.
10. Honey and Clover
I first saw this show before i went to art college myself. I always considered being an artist so a show about people working towards that dream really seemed inspiring....
but the show ended up being about so much more.... It's about life and love and regret and failure and working as hard as you can and still never reaching the same level those around you seem to be at...
It was about Venting and growing and working through the tough and the seemingly impossible times.
It is a slice of life show in the purest sense.... this is a slice of these college students life... yes it's a little crazy and zany but it never feels phony.... i loved it before i went to College... and i still love it now.... just a sweet show.
also that moment when she damaged her tendons in her wrist.... i cannot even imagine how scary that would be...
9. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. (aka Ano Hana)
Aka: We still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day
and i probably translated that wrong.... i don't care.... the title is insanely long.
Without going into any personal details I really connect to this show, as i said in my little review I know a lot of people see it as being manipulative because the idea of a kid dying is just trying to pull the tears out.... I respectfully disagree because i felt in all but one situation all of their actions upon seeing their long gone friend were completely genuine and it is an excellent idea as far as a tough experiment go. Would you be happy to see them again? or would it be a constant reminder of the pain? would you help them move on even though it means saying good bye again?
This show made me think about things like that and for any medium of story telling to accomplish the "what would i do in that situation" needs to be commended... so even though it's not perfect and can be borderline manipulative i still really enjoyed it.
Even though i cried... a lot
that's actually a theme on this list.... Honey and clover made me cry too... hmmm
8. Lovely Complex
A Tall girl and a short girl seem to be the perfect comedy act... but over time the two grow closer and seem to fall in love.... too bad they do it as different times.
I will say the manga is better cause it has a bit more story after the anime ended, however this is one of the best Rom Com anime i have seen.... i actually pretty much hate the rest of the girl meets guy they fall in love genre cause none of it feels as real as this show.
though i do worry that when i re-read it... which will be right after i finish some of the series I'm working on... that it wont be as good...i mean i used to like Peach girl, now it actually makes me angry... i have changed over the years... more then i even realise...
did i cry? Yep! all I'll say is Bear curry and leave it at that...
7. Cardcaptor Sakura
So we have a girl who wears pretty outfits and catches all sorts of cool character design cards....
and for the bulk of the show all her stuff is red.... yeah i love this show.... another one that i watched on TV (despite the messed up airing schedule.... i swear in Canada they tried to make it seem like Li was the main character....)
The animation was pretty the story was really really good... especially when i got the uncut version and saw how it was barely about the card and mostly about the different types of love that exist.... To date the second movie is probably one of my all time faves...
still the show has some issues and i couldn't put it any higher then this...
and yes i cried lots.... most memorable for me is when the nothing card hits Li.... my heart... it broke.
6. Durarara!!
Hey.... i don't think this show made me cry : D
yay~
I normally HATE non-linear story telling......
but since this show does non linear story telling in a somewhat linear way i think i really got into it....
The characters were fun, the 'twist' that's revealed midway through is interesting (though predictable) and even though some things were never explained in the anime i still really loved it all.
Plus the intro and ending songs..... so good.
5. Gankutsuou
Oh... oh this show made me cry....
This show has a single perfect moment in it that i think no show will ever top for me. the music (and lack there for for most of the scene) the sound and the way it is all framed is simply heartbreaking. I could probably write an essays worth of stuff on why 'that' scene makes me tear up just thinking about it.... but that would go into spoilers....
All i will say is that if you tried watching the show and said "these patterns hurt my eyes" then i have to ask How many episodes did you watch.
if the answer is 1 or 2, i suggest at lest watching up to the third episode. When they get off Luna and get back to earth the craziness of the patterns dies down to the point where it's just kinda an added texture....
however i you still can't stand it past that point then fair enough... the show is not for everyone...
on a side note it's sad that an anime with a blue alien vampire parasite thing and space travel is the most faithful adaptation of the source material... it obviously changes some things but others are spot on... it's kind of surprising.
4. Clannad
I'ts funny, one time i lent this show to a friend and said "don't worry, the sad stuff doesn't happen to season 2!" then i re watched it.... and remembered Fuko's arc could get a little sad.... and Kotomi's arc could get REALLY sad.... and i apologised to her.... she retaliated by lending my the two shows i mention above that literally sent me into a panic.
Seriously did they HAVE to throw around Galaxies? did they have to supernova Jupiter..... TWICE?
NO i don't think they did.... no no no no no no no.
oh right we are talking about Clanand.
This show enjoys ripping out your heart and squeezing it tightly in front of you.... I mean Key/Visual arts tends to do that on a whole but this show perfected it..... Nagisa's arc is just..... it's just mean.
ask me a few years ago and this would have been number one... but then i got a hold of a few things that would forever change my mind.
3. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Yes.... i know this show does the same episode 8 times...
considering i have re-watched the show at least 4 times..... trust me.... i know....
but hey it's not so bad if you only watch the first two and the last one....
However.... despite the endless 8 bullshit (i mean seriously it's only little chapter in the Novel... it's actually really well done in the novel) I love this show.
Yes Haruhi is kinda an annoying Genki Girl and Mikuru's voice in both languages has the ability to crack Glass.... i don't care... i am there for the snark.
Kyon is pretty much my fav snarky character ever... not just cause he may or may not be real god (No spoilers! next novel comes out in April and I'm forced to wait) not just cause despite how stupid he says he is he actually thinks about some deep and complex things. and not just cause he could change the fate of the world with one single sentence...
I love that despite all those things and haruhi's obvious crush on him... and his crush on her that he denies this show never really becomes about the romance.....
the show is about taking Kyon on adventures and keeping Haruhi in the dark about everything.
and it's just so much fun.
I know people consider the show over rated... i know a lot of people blame it for the onslaught of moe titles we saw shortly after that (i still blame K-on! for that.... sorry but haruhi was so pretty and lucky star was stylised.... K-on was just...... why are their hands so small?) but i don't care.... i liked the show when it came out originally, i love the show now that I'm reading the novels and i look forward to seeing how it ends.
2. Princess Tutu
This show is pretty damn perfect, it has a stupid title but once you get past that you are treated to such a good show.... the art is a bit stylised so i can see that turning people off and i often tell people when i lend them the series "watch till episode 13 if you can.... if you hate it by that point... your opinion probably wont change so you can give it back"
no one has returned it without really enjoying the entire thing.... and most of my friends are guys...
but that just shows how good it is....
yes it is stupid that pretty much every problem can be solved with dancing.... yes there is a character EVERYONE hates and then EVERYONE loves.... which is kinda silly but still believable...
and yes Mythos has an aversion to pants and an affinity for jumping out windows.... i don't care.
the music is spectacular and the story gets incredibly dark.... people talk about how dark Madoca magica is... and it is and I'm kinda surprised it didn't make it to my own list.... but it has NOTHING on the heart wrenching darkness that tutu puts forth.
I actually had a friend tell me "don't watch that show, it's stupid and the guy jumps out a window with no pants..."
then i watched it all and yelled at him.... i could have seen to show so much sooner.... but no i listened to his terrible advice.
The he recommended School Days...
and now i take ALL his suggestions with huge scrutiny cause School days actually sends me into a rage..... so i wont talk about it anymore...
essentially despite the terrible title.... this sow rocks.... but it's not my all time fav
1. Natsume Yuujinchou
I compare pretty much every other show to this one..... of course it's my number one.
Once a friend asked "why do you love this show so much" and i rambled on for a good few lines about how everything was so well done.
the animation is lovely, the style is pretty interesting, the mythos i great, the episodic nature of the show works because the main character has a series long arc. The characters are impossible to define as good or evil which makes them feel more human.... all of them... even Matoba.... though he's creepy.
anyways the music is prefect and one of a few soundtracks that i can listen to most songs out of context and still really enjoy it.
and the show has all kind of moments... from happy to sad but it never feels manipulative.
also Ano hi Time Machine is such a fun song and the perfect way to describe the show.
What people see, what natsume sees.
it's just.... oh it's so good, it's another show i suggest watching at least 13 episodes of which i know is a lot but it doesn't feel like a lot, I understand it's kinda slow and not for everyone but if people would just give it a chance they would see how wonderful it is.
and before i go into gushing mode (yeah this is me holding back, kinda scary) i will end it here.
But Rai! why didn't you put *insert title here*
like I mentioned before, this is a personal list and my taste tend to lean towards slice of life with supernatural elements.
If Mech anime didn't always go to space I'd be able to watch more titles, if more shonen titles didn't focus on tournament style season arcs or having a bazillion episodes i would have more on the list. that doesn't make those shows bad they just have a harder time getting me to sit down and watch them.
but as we established.... i am a strange strange girl and i like my strange things.
hm.... maybe they next one will be fav Novels? but can i do 10 without doubling up series? ugh why do my taste in novels have to be so picky... oh well...
thanks for reading all this, why not tell me your fav shows of all time! or maybe just your favourite show for the moment.
Again this is to show
a) how much my taste jump around
b) to show how strange my taste overall is.
This is a personal list.... most of these things i like for personal reasons.... You will probably disagree with me and that's fine... cause I'm a bit strange when it comes to what i like.
OK.... lets get started.
Honourable Mention:
Sailor moon: the first Anime i ever watched, granted i didn't know anime and cartoons were different until i was 13 or so... i just knew i liked this show and not others that all my friends liked.
I guess i technically watched Dragon ball before Sailor moon..... but i liked sailor moon way more... and i remember it much better.
Macross: I love this show. I was a bit worried when i started watching it cause i have this odd fear of space but since 90% of macross is a love triangle i was able to enjoy it Panic Attack free.... unlike shows like Gurren Lagaan or Gunbuster where the latter had me take 3 days to watch one episode... funny the same friend lent me both those titles, now i have to ask before she lends me anything else "does it go to space in ANY capacity"
So yeah love those shows, but i like 10 more just a hair more.
10. Honey and Clover
I first saw this show before i went to art college myself. I always considered being an artist so a show about people working towards that dream really seemed inspiring....
but the show ended up being about so much more.... It's about life and love and regret and failure and working as hard as you can and still never reaching the same level those around you seem to be at...
It was about Venting and growing and working through the tough and the seemingly impossible times.
It is a slice of life show in the purest sense.... this is a slice of these college students life... yes it's a little crazy and zany but it never feels phony.... i loved it before i went to College... and i still love it now.... just a sweet show.
also that moment when she damaged her tendons in her wrist.... i cannot even imagine how scary that would be...
9. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. (aka Ano Hana)
Aka: We still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day
and i probably translated that wrong.... i don't care.... the title is insanely long.
Without going into any personal details I really connect to this show, as i said in my little review I know a lot of people see it as being manipulative because the idea of a kid dying is just trying to pull the tears out.... I respectfully disagree because i felt in all but one situation all of their actions upon seeing their long gone friend were completely genuine and it is an excellent idea as far as a tough experiment go. Would you be happy to see them again? or would it be a constant reminder of the pain? would you help them move on even though it means saying good bye again?
This show made me think about things like that and for any medium of story telling to accomplish the "what would i do in that situation" needs to be commended... so even though it's not perfect and can be borderline manipulative i still really enjoyed it.
Even though i cried... a lot
that's actually a theme on this list.... Honey and clover made me cry too... hmmm
8. Lovely Complex
A Tall girl and a short girl seem to be the perfect comedy act... but over time the two grow closer and seem to fall in love.... too bad they do it as different times.
I will say the manga is better cause it has a bit more story after the anime ended, however this is one of the best Rom Com anime i have seen.... i actually pretty much hate the rest of the girl meets guy they fall in love genre cause none of it feels as real as this show.
though i do worry that when i re-read it... which will be right after i finish some of the series I'm working on... that it wont be as good...i mean i used to like Peach girl, now it actually makes me angry... i have changed over the years... more then i even realise...
did i cry? Yep! all I'll say is Bear curry and leave it at that...
7. Cardcaptor Sakura
So we have a girl who wears pretty outfits and catches all sorts of cool character design cards....
and for the bulk of the show all her stuff is red.... yeah i love this show.... another one that i watched on TV (despite the messed up airing schedule.... i swear in Canada they tried to make it seem like Li was the main character....)
The animation was pretty the story was really really good... especially when i got the uncut version and saw how it was barely about the card and mostly about the different types of love that exist.... To date the second movie is probably one of my all time faves...
still the show has some issues and i couldn't put it any higher then this...
and yes i cried lots.... most memorable for me is when the nothing card hits Li.... my heart... it broke.
6. Durarara!!
Hey.... i don't think this show made me cry : D
yay~
I normally HATE non-linear story telling......
but since this show does non linear story telling in a somewhat linear way i think i really got into it....
The characters were fun, the 'twist' that's revealed midway through is interesting (though predictable) and even though some things were never explained in the anime i still really loved it all.
Plus the intro and ending songs..... so good.
5. Gankutsuou
Oh... oh this show made me cry....
This show has a single perfect moment in it that i think no show will ever top for me. the music (and lack there for for most of the scene) the sound and the way it is all framed is simply heartbreaking. I could probably write an essays worth of stuff on why 'that' scene makes me tear up just thinking about it.... but that would go into spoilers....
All i will say is that if you tried watching the show and said "these patterns hurt my eyes" then i have to ask How many episodes did you watch.
if the answer is 1 or 2, i suggest at lest watching up to the third episode. When they get off Luna and get back to earth the craziness of the patterns dies down to the point where it's just kinda an added texture....
however i you still can't stand it past that point then fair enough... the show is not for everyone...
on a side note it's sad that an anime with a blue alien vampire parasite thing and space travel is the most faithful adaptation of the source material... it obviously changes some things but others are spot on... it's kind of surprising.
4. Clannad
I'ts funny, one time i lent this show to a friend and said "don't worry, the sad stuff doesn't happen to season 2!" then i re watched it.... and remembered Fuko's arc could get a little sad.... and Kotomi's arc could get REALLY sad.... and i apologised to her.... she retaliated by lending my the two shows i mention above that literally sent me into a panic.
Seriously did they HAVE to throw around Galaxies? did they have to supernova Jupiter..... TWICE?
NO i don't think they did.... no no no no no no no.
oh right we are talking about Clanand.
This show enjoys ripping out your heart and squeezing it tightly in front of you.... I mean Key/Visual arts tends to do that on a whole but this show perfected it..... Nagisa's arc is just..... it's just mean.
ask me a few years ago and this would have been number one... but then i got a hold of a few things that would forever change my mind.
3. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Yes.... i know this show does the same episode 8 times...
considering i have re-watched the show at least 4 times..... trust me.... i know....
but hey it's not so bad if you only watch the first two and the last one....
However.... despite the endless 8 bullshit (i mean seriously it's only little chapter in the Novel... it's actually really well done in the novel) I love this show.
Yes Haruhi is kinda an annoying Genki Girl and Mikuru's voice in both languages has the ability to crack Glass.... i don't care... i am there for the snark.
Kyon is pretty much my fav snarky character ever... not just cause he may or may not be real god (No spoilers! next novel comes out in April and I'm forced to wait) not just cause despite how stupid he says he is he actually thinks about some deep and complex things. and not just cause he could change the fate of the world with one single sentence...
I love that despite all those things and haruhi's obvious crush on him... and his crush on her that he denies this show never really becomes about the romance.....
the show is about taking Kyon on adventures and keeping Haruhi in the dark about everything.
and it's just so much fun.
I know people consider the show over rated... i know a lot of people blame it for the onslaught of moe titles we saw shortly after that (i still blame K-on! for that.... sorry but haruhi was so pretty and lucky star was stylised.... K-on was just...... why are their hands so small?) but i don't care.... i liked the show when it came out originally, i love the show now that I'm reading the novels and i look forward to seeing how it ends.
2. Princess Tutu
This show is pretty damn perfect, it has a stupid title but once you get past that you are treated to such a good show.... the art is a bit stylised so i can see that turning people off and i often tell people when i lend them the series "watch till episode 13 if you can.... if you hate it by that point... your opinion probably wont change so you can give it back"
no one has returned it without really enjoying the entire thing.... and most of my friends are guys...
but that just shows how good it is....
yes it is stupid that pretty much every problem can be solved with dancing.... yes there is a character EVERYONE hates and then EVERYONE loves.... which is kinda silly but still believable...
and yes Mythos has an aversion to pants and an affinity for jumping out windows.... i don't care.
the music is spectacular and the story gets incredibly dark.... people talk about how dark Madoca magica is... and it is and I'm kinda surprised it didn't make it to my own list.... but it has NOTHING on the heart wrenching darkness that tutu puts forth.
I actually had a friend tell me "don't watch that show, it's stupid and the guy jumps out a window with no pants..."
then i watched it all and yelled at him.... i could have seen to show so much sooner.... but no i listened to his terrible advice.
The he recommended School Days...
and now i take ALL his suggestions with huge scrutiny cause School days actually sends me into a rage..... so i wont talk about it anymore...
essentially despite the terrible title.... this sow rocks.... but it's not my all time fav
1. Natsume Yuujinchou
I compare pretty much every other show to this one..... of course it's my number one.
Once a friend asked "why do you love this show so much" and i rambled on for a good few lines about how everything was so well done.
the animation is lovely, the style is pretty interesting, the mythos i great, the episodic nature of the show works because the main character has a series long arc. The characters are impossible to define as good or evil which makes them feel more human.... all of them... even Matoba.... though he's creepy.
anyways the music is prefect and one of a few soundtracks that i can listen to most songs out of context and still really enjoy it.
and the show has all kind of moments... from happy to sad but it never feels manipulative.
also Ano hi Time Machine is such a fun song and the perfect way to describe the show.
What people see, what natsume sees.
it's just.... oh it's so good, it's another show i suggest watching at least 13 episodes of which i know is a lot but it doesn't feel like a lot, I understand it's kinda slow and not for everyone but if people would just give it a chance they would see how wonderful it is.
and before i go into gushing mode (yeah this is me holding back, kinda scary) i will end it here.
But Rai! why didn't you put *insert title here*
like I mentioned before, this is a personal list and my taste tend to lean towards slice of life with supernatural elements.
If Mech anime didn't always go to space I'd be able to watch more titles, if more shonen titles didn't focus on tournament style season arcs or having a bazillion episodes i would have more on the list. that doesn't make those shows bad they just have a harder time getting me to sit down and watch them.
but as we established.... i am a strange strange girl and i like my strange things.
hm.... maybe they next one will be fav Novels? but can i do 10 without doubling up series? ugh why do my taste in novels have to be so picky... oh well...
thanks for reading all this, why not tell me your fav shows of all time! or maybe just your favourite show for the moment.
Sunday, 16 December 2012
Mars - From Start to Finish
i'll make this shourt since i did a longblog post less then an hour ago...
mars was the second one of the chibi scouts that i drew...
i hated the original sketch.
i liked the idea but it just looked terrible....
so i worked on chibi moon, venus and jupiter.... and that left me with mars and mercury (which also looks bad IMO)
so i redrew her...
i still wasn't 100% happy but i knew it would just need tweaking.... so i brought it into photoshop and ended up with~
i think cause i had a day off i wanted to finish it all today... so i did, overall i'm happy with the end result... which surprises me cause i was expecting to ail miserably.
so thats leaves mercury.... may be a while since i have to figure out how i want her interacting with her symbol...
wish me luck!
mars was the second one of the chibi scouts that i drew...
i hated the original sketch.
so i worked on chibi moon, venus and jupiter.... and that left me with mars and mercury (which also looks bad IMO)
so i redrew her...
so thats leaves mercury.... may be a while since i have to figure out how i want her interacting with her symbol...
wish me luck!
Year end Top 10s - Video Games -
well, the year is coming to a close.... and i think some things are very clear...
I have really strange taste.... i can go from liking one thing to liking something else that is completely 100% different....
since this is the end of the year.... i may as well do some quick top 10s to show how much my taste jumps around AND to compare to next year.
these list will not be limited to the past year (unless i wanna limit myself like that....) it will just be 'my top 10 fav things right now'
okay....
lets start with video games.... cause.... why not. now this is personal... completely my taste and if you disagree... thats fine.... a guarantee that you are going to disagree with me.... i'm odd.... just remember that.
10. Star fox 64
I have a personal History with this game, one christmas day when i was 7 or 8 i woke up before the rest of my family (like all kids do on that day) however we had a rule that until 7 am there wouls be no opening of presents... it was around 6:40 so i went to the family room to watch some morning cartoons before i would go wake my parents....
i go to turn on the TV and next thing i know i'm being yelled at by my dad. "GET OUT OF THE FAMILY ROOM"
I freak out and run back upstairs and get scolded that there is no tv allowed on christmas morning...
was really stupid at that age so i bought that line.
so as we are opening presents i open one and it's star fox...
funny we don't own any gaming systems....
my dad swears and then hands me the big box... and it's an n64....
So i blink and it eventually registers that thats why i got yelled at.... the n64 was set up downstairs and my dad was worried i saw the present before having opened the box.
i would find out later that he set it up so he could play goldeneye.... cause my dad can't wait....
So i had star fox, golden eye and diddy kong racing.
Well i sucked at first person shooters even then and diddy kong was fun but whatever.... starfox though i loved... i loved that i could take different paths i loved how the story would change (or at least the characters you meet) depending on where you go.... i loved the music.... it was just such a fun game....
also no matter what you pretty much couldn't lose.... even some missions if you fail it pushes you forward.... that was great for me cause i am bad at video games....
I beat this game over 70 times as a kid.... and a few of those times on hard mode.... i felt proud... so to this day i still get nostalgic with this game.
9. Avalon code
This game was bought on a whim, i went into an EB games i live near and saw it on the top shelf.... the art style looked adorable and it was only 10 bucks....
one of the most creative and fun games i ever played.... the only reason it's so far down the list is because it's kinda buggy.... i had a few times were i got caught in an endless loop of clipping through the floor and dying.
however the game was still so fun and i adore the style, one of my best random purchases ever... though i haven't always bee nthat lucky (here's lookign at you A Witch's Tale and Hoshigami Remix and L'Ark Rise Fantasia)
8. Fire emblem
I heard about this game the same way pretty much everyone in north america did.... Super smash bros Melee, i loved the character design and then when the north american trailer i was so excited to play it.
I was not disappointed at all....
i was one of those people who reset any time a character died but still... that never made me hate the game.... i reset because i loved all the characters.... i couldn't stand the idea of one of the characters dying.... i had to know how they would continue to grow...
however..... the final level was really hard
i spend hours trying to beat it but someone always died and i would reset and try again..........
until my final attempt, i was one hit from beating the level and my absolute favorite character Sain died.
and... and i just couldn't do it.... i couln't restart.... i has come to far...
not the first time a game has made me cry but reading Sain "died at final level" was heart breaking to me : (
so yeah... one of my fav games....
7. Pokemon Crystal
Not the first pokemon game i owned (that would be yellow... i was a little late to the party apparently) but it was definitely my fav.... why?
Because you can play as a girl.... and being that i am a girl... and finding a girl character to play as in that day and age was damn near impossible was really cool to me.
I also loved Suicune and Celebi and the former was the focus of the game so yeah.... i loved it.
to date i have owned almost all the colours cause my parents would get me one and my grandparents would get me the other....
but this and Silver are my favs.... i love the new ones (though i've barely touched white two... mainly cause of time restrictions) but crystal just was way too much fun.
so yeah... i've had red, yellow, gold, silver, crystal, ruby, sapphire, black, soul silver, white 2, pinball, trading card game (yeah they made a gameboy game based off it) conquest (which i still need to beat) and some of the stadiums......
i like pokemon..... they are adorable....
6. Ace Attorney
I was WAY late to the party on this one.... i played the first one after the three were all out.... i found it at a con for a cheap price and fell in love with it.... it's a shame it's not really possible to replay without remembering everything but it's the game i lend out the most just so people can share the joy.
5. Chrono Trigger
I didn't even play this game till they ported it to the DS, I did have a SNES growing up but it was at my granparent vacation trailer thingy and i went there maybe 3 times a year for a single weekend so if i played any snes games it would have been super Mario World or Alladin....
the SNES is now hooked up to my tv but i still have no time to play it : (
but yeah i loved this game.... i got all the endings.... first i got the blade that crits liek 70 or 90% of the time.... game broken from that point on... still the ending that you need to beat sans Crono were tricky.... still... great game, great music, great story.... just so good....
4. Disgaea
i'm noticign as i get further down the list the stories get shorter.... hm....
Anyways I have two stories with this... one time my friend invited me to play D&D, it sounded fun so i went.... i was 13 or 14 at the time.... they were all a year or two older then me and guys so i was a bit shy but i noticed one of them had a game in there bag. He told me he had searched everywhere for it and it was hard to find cause it was out of print.... it looked really good but i forgot about it.
then one day i went to the EB i live near and it was there..... but i didn't have enough money for it.... so i ran home, ran back.... and someone had bought it....
Fast forward a year or two.... i see it again, this time i had money and i buy it right away....
wow this game is pure fun times.... the humor the game play the character design.... and multiple endings.... (hey.... i'm noticing a trend here!) i just loved it.
to tell the truth.... i think normal end is better then good end..... he journey laharl goes through at the end actually made me cry (like i said... i cry a lot... very easily) and the good end was just missing that extra heart..... plus seeing a certain character in a pool of his own blood was very much to my liking.... after doing 'that' to my best healer you better be ready to pay....
also ninja's are so broken in this game.... they dodge everything.... including healing spells.... but when i was getting the best ending i did it with a ninja and Laharl.... that was it...
3. Persona
I wanted to say only person 3..... but i really like 4 as well.... i've just beaten 3 so i guess i'm partial to it? also i spoiled person 4 for myself before i even strated playing cause i looked at the artbook i got with the preorder before actually playing the game.... big mistake...
anyways when I first picked up persona 3 i looked at the back "70 hours of gameplay" at that age i kinda prided myself for being able to beat games without missing much in about under half the itme on the back............. 75 hours later i beat persona 3.... and 2 hours of that was the final boss cause i was barely a high enough level
another thing that happened was one i was in the tower and i got called off to dinner....i figured i was in a safe area so i didn';t need to pause....
i come back after dinner and i'm in the middle of a fight..... with DEATH....
I, being bad at games and easy to scare, freaked the fuck out..... ran the fuck away then had death chase me with his rattling chains.... to this day when i hear chains rattling (something surprisingly common at my work) i get chills and whimpers....
2. Tales of Phantasia
My first Tales of game AND the first game i ever truly 100%, i got all the items, maxed the levels and went to every secret spot.... it was SO much fun.
i've played Symphonia 1&2, destiny, Abyss (probably second fav) and currently i'm working through vesperia but still... this is my fav.... probably cause it was the first..... who knows....
1. Ys
Anyone who knows me at all is not surprised that this is number one.... i should clarify that i mean the Ys Series..... not nessicaril Ys 1 and 2..... however.... despite how screwy the continuity is i played this game mostly in order.
i played the DS Versions of 1 & 2 and thats apparently the broken versions.... which doesn't surprise me at all.... but hey i beat it so i guess i'm happy....
then i play Oath in Felghana on PSP which is the third game..... love love love love love love LOVE this one... just.... listen to the intro....
I'ts just so pretty.... then i played Seven, which has the song Innocent Primeval breaker.... which just gets me so excited to do anything.... one of the best songs in the entire franchises....
then i played origin which is a prequil to 1 that takes place 700 years in the past and other then the underwater section AND needing to play the game 3 times to get all the storyit's a really dame good game.... then i played 3 on steam.... cause i wanted to support xseed.... and now i wait for Celceta.... my friend imported it and i COULD play it but after playign Nayuta no Kiseki i have realized that i actually really enjoy Falcom games for their story AS WELL as their music.... guess i lied i nthat one game where i said otherwise.... if the game were fully voice acted i wouldn't have any issue but reading japanese is too hard for my current skill level... but i'm learning...
so yeah.... right now i'd say those are my top 10....
"BUT RAI" i hear some of you cry out to your monitor "you like RPGs but your list is missing Final fantasy and Zelda...."
well thats simple...
I like final fantasy, the music is good but.... i didn't play it as a kid so i dont have that nostalgia factor AND every time i beat one the game crashes one me.... my bad luck yes but i was never sad when it happened..... plus sephiroth has a move called supernova.... and considering i have panic attacks when space is involved..... i can't beat that boss.... so i liek final fantasy but honestly.... not as much as any of the games i listed about....
as for no zelda..... remember that part when i said i was bad at games? yeah Zelda is pretty much the game i am the worst at.... i tend to beat on dungeon then just give up cause i suck so damn much.... therefor i could never really like the game casue i could never beat it.... so again... not the games fault... completely 100% my fault... but all the games listed above are ones i have beaten.
and don't ask how i can play Ys on hard or nightmare but Zelda is somehow hard.... i don't know.... i'm good at one.... not the other...
so i think thats it.... i better get back to making some art~
I have really strange taste.... i can go from liking one thing to liking something else that is completely 100% different....
since this is the end of the year.... i may as well do some quick top 10s to show how much my taste jumps around AND to compare to next year.
these list will not be limited to the past year (unless i wanna limit myself like that....) it will just be 'my top 10 fav things right now'
okay....
lets start with video games.... cause.... why not. now this is personal... completely my taste and if you disagree... thats fine.... a guarantee that you are going to disagree with me.... i'm odd.... just remember that.
10. Star fox 64
I have a personal History with this game, one christmas day when i was 7 or 8 i woke up before the rest of my family (like all kids do on that day) however we had a rule that until 7 am there wouls be no opening of presents... it was around 6:40 so i went to the family room to watch some morning cartoons before i would go wake my parents....
i go to turn on the TV and next thing i know i'm being yelled at by my dad. "GET OUT OF THE FAMILY ROOM"
I freak out and run back upstairs and get scolded that there is no tv allowed on christmas morning...
was really stupid at that age so i bought that line.
so as we are opening presents i open one and it's star fox...
funny we don't own any gaming systems....
my dad swears and then hands me the big box... and it's an n64....
So i blink and it eventually registers that thats why i got yelled at.... the n64 was set up downstairs and my dad was worried i saw the present before having opened the box.
i would find out later that he set it up so he could play goldeneye.... cause my dad can't wait....
So i had star fox, golden eye and diddy kong racing.
Well i sucked at first person shooters even then and diddy kong was fun but whatever.... starfox though i loved... i loved that i could take different paths i loved how the story would change (or at least the characters you meet) depending on where you go.... i loved the music.... it was just such a fun game....
also no matter what you pretty much couldn't lose.... even some missions if you fail it pushes you forward.... that was great for me cause i am bad at video games....
I beat this game over 70 times as a kid.... and a few of those times on hard mode.... i felt proud... so to this day i still get nostalgic with this game.
9. Avalon code
This game was bought on a whim, i went into an EB games i live near and saw it on the top shelf.... the art style looked adorable and it was only 10 bucks....
one of the most creative and fun games i ever played.... the only reason it's so far down the list is because it's kinda buggy.... i had a few times were i got caught in an endless loop of clipping through the floor and dying.
however the game was still so fun and i adore the style, one of my best random purchases ever... though i haven't always bee nthat lucky (here's lookign at you A Witch's Tale and Hoshigami Remix and L'Ark Rise Fantasia)
8. Fire emblem
I heard about this game the same way pretty much everyone in north america did.... Super smash bros Melee, i loved the character design and then when the north american trailer i was so excited to play it.
I was not disappointed at all....
i was one of those people who reset any time a character died but still... that never made me hate the game.... i reset because i loved all the characters.... i couldn't stand the idea of one of the characters dying.... i had to know how they would continue to grow...
however..... the final level was really hard
i spend hours trying to beat it but someone always died and i would reset and try again..........
until my final attempt, i was one hit from beating the level and my absolute favorite character Sain died.
and... and i just couldn't do it.... i couln't restart.... i has come to far...
not the first time a game has made me cry but reading Sain "died at final level" was heart breaking to me : (
so yeah... one of my fav games....
7. Pokemon Crystal
Not the first pokemon game i owned (that would be yellow... i was a little late to the party apparently) but it was definitely my fav.... why?
Because you can play as a girl.... and being that i am a girl... and finding a girl character to play as in that day and age was damn near impossible was really cool to me.
I also loved Suicune and Celebi and the former was the focus of the game so yeah.... i loved it.
to date i have owned almost all the colours cause my parents would get me one and my grandparents would get me the other....
but this and Silver are my favs.... i love the new ones (though i've barely touched white two... mainly cause of time restrictions) but crystal just was way too much fun.
so yeah... i've had red, yellow, gold, silver, crystal, ruby, sapphire, black, soul silver, white 2, pinball, trading card game (yeah they made a gameboy game based off it) conquest (which i still need to beat) and some of the stadiums......
i like pokemon..... they are adorable....
6. Ace Attorney
I was WAY late to the party on this one.... i played the first one after the three were all out.... i found it at a con for a cheap price and fell in love with it.... it's a shame it's not really possible to replay without remembering everything but it's the game i lend out the most just so people can share the joy.
5. Chrono Trigger
I didn't even play this game till they ported it to the DS, I did have a SNES growing up but it was at my granparent vacation trailer thingy and i went there maybe 3 times a year for a single weekend so if i played any snes games it would have been super Mario World or Alladin....
the SNES is now hooked up to my tv but i still have no time to play it : (
but yeah i loved this game.... i got all the endings.... first i got the blade that crits liek 70 or 90% of the time.... game broken from that point on... still the ending that you need to beat sans Crono were tricky.... still... great game, great music, great story.... just so good....
4. Disgaea
i'm noticign as i get further down the list the stories get shorter.... hm....
Anyways I have two stories with this... one time my friend invited me to play D&D, it sounded fun so i went.... i was 13 or 14 at the time.... they were all a year or two older then me and guys so i was a bit shy but i noticed one of them had a game in there bag. He told me he had searched everywhere for it and it was hard to find cause it was out of print.... it looked really good but i forgot about it.
then one day i went to the EB i live near and it was there..... but i didn't have enough money for it.... so i ran home, ran back.... and someone had bought it....
Fast forward a year or two.... i see it again, this time i had money and i buy it right away....
wow this game is pure fun times.... the humor the game play the character design.... and multiple endings.... (hey.... i'm noticing a trend here!) i just loved it.
to tell the truth.... i think normal end is better then good end..... he journey laharl goes through at the end actually made me cry (like i said... i cry a lot... very easily) and the good end was just missing that extra heart..... plus seeing a certain character in a pool of his own blood was very much to my liking.... after doing 'that' to my best healer you better be ready to pay....
also ninja's are so broken in this game.... they dodge everything.... including healing spells.... but when i was getting the best ending i did it with a ninja and Laharl.... that was it...
3. Persona
I wanted to say only person 3..... but i really like 4 as well.... i've just beaten 3 so i guess i'm partial to it? also i spoiled person 4 for myself before i even strated playing cause i looked at the artbook i got with the preorder before actually playing the game.... big mistake...
anyways when I first picked up persona 3 i looked at the back "70 hours of gameplay" at that age i kinda prided myself for being able to beat games without missing much in about under half the itme on the back............. 75 hours later i beat persona 3.... and 2 hours of that was the final boss cause i was barely a high enough level
another thing that happened was one i was in the tower and i got called off to dinner....i figured i was in a safe area so i didn';t need to pause....
i come back after dinner and i'm in the middle of a fight..... with DEATH....
I, being bad at games and easy to scare, freaked the fuck out..... ran the fuck away then had death chase me with his rattling chains.... to this day when i hear chains rattling (something surprisingly common at my work) i get chills and whimpers....
2. Tales of Phantasia
My first Tales of game AND the first game i ever truly 100%, i got all the items, maxed the levels and went to every secret spot.... it was SO much fun.
i've played Symphonia 1&2, destiny, Abyss (probably second fav) and currently i'm working through vesperia but still... this is my fav.... probably cause it was the first..... who knows....
1. Ys
Anyone who knows me at all is not surprised that this is number one.... i should clarify that i mean the Ys Series..... not nessicaril Ys 1 and 2..... however.... despite how screwy the continuity is i played this game mostly in order.
i played the DS Versions of 1 & 2 and thats apparently the broken versions.... which doesn't surprise me at all.... but hey i beat it so i guess i'm happy....
I'ts just so pretty.... then i played Seven, which has the song Innocent Primeval breaker.... which just gets me so excited to do anything.... one of the best songs in the entire franchises....
then i played origin which is a prequil to 1 that takes place 700 years in the past and other then the underwater section AND needing to play the game 3 times to get all the storyit's a really dame good game.... then i played 3 on steam.... cause i wanted to support xseed.... and now i wait for Celceta.... my friend imported it and i COULD play it but after playign Nayuta no Kiseki i have realized that i actually really enjoy Falcom games for their story AS WELL as their music.... guess i lied i nthat one game where i said otherwise.... if the game were fully voice acted i wouldn't have any issue but reading japanese is too hard for my current skill level... but i'm learning...
so yeah.... right now i'd say those are my top 10....
"BUT RAI" i hear some of you cry out to your monitor "you like RPGs but your list is missing Final fantasy and Zelda...."
well thats simple...
I like final fantasy, the music is good but.... i didn't play it as a kid so i dont have that nostalgia factor AND every time i beat one the game crashes one me.... my bad luck yes but i was never sad when it happened..... plus sephiroth has a move called supernova.... and considering i have panic attacks when space is involved..... i can't beat that boss.... so i liek final fantasy but honestly.... not as much as any of the games i listed about....
as for no zelda..... remember that part when i said i was bad at games? yeah Zelda is pretty much the game i am the worst at.... i tend to beat on dungeon then just give up cause i suck so damn much.... therefor i could never really like the game casue i could never beat it.... so again... not the games fault... completely 100% my fault... but all the games listed above are ones i have beaten.
and don't ask how i can play Ys on hard or nightmare but Zelda is somehow hard.... i don't know.... i'm good at one.... not the other...
so i think thats it.... i better get back to making some art~
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