Completed: The Eccentric Family [updated]

Aka Uchoten kazoku

Dear NISA,

Please license this show, cause it's really good and i would love to own it in one of your lovely boxsets.

Sincerely,
Kat

this is the last show i ended up watching this season.
and it is my favorite.

Based off a novel The eccentric family is a show about the balance of Tanuki, humans and Tengu in kyoto.

Tanuki, raccoon dogs, roam the earth and tend to be pranksters.
Human fill the cities and tend to only care for themselves but can show compassion to others.
Tengu fly the sky... and seem to be highly respected by tanuki.

The story focuses on yasaburo, a tanuki that doesn't want to be just a 'mere' tanuki and enjoys tranforming into a bunch of different humans.... he loves living among them.
However living near humans is always a risk, it could more then likely end up with you being boiled in a hot pot by the friday fellows if they catch you.
however either do to confidence or arrogance Yasaburo does his best to just have a good time.

He lives with his mother and two of his brothers, the third is stuck in the form of a frog and never leaves his well. His father ended up in a hot pot a few years back but there is a mystery as to how such a powerful tanuki got himself caught.

The show is very 'slice of life' in the fact that we are really just going day to day with yasaburo but there is an overarching plot. We find out what exactly happened to his father, we need to pick a new leader for the tanuki... we need to find out how a human girl named benten fits into all this and why everyone is so terrified of her. we also need to find out who will be boiled in the hot pot this year.

someone could argue that not much happens but i don't care... i love it. Much like Natsume's book of friends it has a sweetness to it that make me cry so fast even i'm shocked by it. yet nothing outwardly tragic is happening... it doesn't do the "here's the sad music to let you know it's sad" in fact a lot of the time the music is uplifting or quiet which makes it even more sad.

But yeah... the art is lovely (though still not a fan of how the ears are done) the music is lovely... the story is sweet and funny and, if you couldn't tell, really japanese and may require some extra research to figure out what the hell some of them are going on about... but in the end i was smiling the entire time and i'm sad that it's over.

oh... and the ending song Que Sera Sera by Fhana (thana? i've seen it both ways) is just so lovely and fits the feel perfectly.
so yeah... even though i can tell this kind of slice of life show isn't for everyone it is easily one of my favs and i would love to own it (again in a pretty NISA box set with artbook would be just the cherry on top)
but considering the amount of crap we got this season... for me this was a breath of fresh air and was one of the only shows i was excited for when it uploaded.
you can watch it all on Crunchyroll 

Edit: Oct 25/2013
NISA actualyl did license this show.... i cannot describe the amount of happy that news made me

Completed: Genshiken Second Generation

crunchyroll calls it Second season but... it's not really so i think generation works better.

i don't tend to be a fan of club focused shows. i like shows where theres i a club but it's not really what the show is about.
So genshiken being about an anime club should technically be pretty high on my "not my thing" meter.
but to tell the truth... this show has always had a sweetness and sincerity about it.

I personally was only ever in a anime club during high school and even then i could barely attend cause of needing to help out with my special needs brother. but still i did make a lot of friends through it and had a lot of fun even though it eventually turned into a room for some kids to play card games in the back while quipping sarcastic remarks occasionally...

and this show gets some of that perfectly, you have people interested in different things all coming together to have fun or just chat... and there is just a sweetness to it all. Yes the show is just a slice of life tale from the perspective of someone who tends not to be the hero but again theres something charming about it.

and this recent season was mostly girls in the club, i found this wonderful cause people seem to forget (or outright claim that its impossible) that girls can be into 'nerdy' things too. granted... i'm not a fan of how female 'nerds' tend to be portrayed. (read as i hate the yaoi fangirl stereotype) and this show... well it focuses on that stereotype but in the end it's not the point of the show, they all just happen to really enjoy yaoi.
but the point of the show is about accepting who you are, what you like and not being ashamed of any of it.
and that is wonderful. I can't even say anymore about the show then that... so i'll talk about my personal experience.

Had i not had the anime club i would be a different person.
i had always been made fun of for liking cartoons, video games and fantasy stuff, it was kid stuff and even though i've always looked younger then i am i was supposed to grow up. Also i was a girl and none of that stuff was traditionally girly (though anyone who knows me... i'm the biggest girly girl out there i just am too shy to dress the way i want to) and since it wasn't girly i was labeled as Strange.

then i moved... and joined the club and was accepted with open arms. it didn't matter that i was shy and didn't talk much, it didn't matter that i clutched my sketchbook like it was my entire life... it didn't matter that i was a girl. all that mattered was that we were all having fun. I stopped being ashamed of the fact i'm not outwardly girly and have some really nerdy habits.

so how could i not love this show? it gets the feeling of a club full of friends perfectly and how they wont give a shit about what you hobbies are no matter how normal or how out there. so yeah... go watch it... even if you never joined a anime club you will still find something to enjoy.

alright, tomorrow the last show i watched this season has it's final episode.
and i'm going to be an inconsolable crying mess...
you have been warned

Window shopping -From start to finish-

so probably the molst annoying part about finish a series and/or a string of commissions is suddenly you have full creative control bout what you are going to produce next.
sometimes this sudden freedom backfires and in my case more often then not i go into a slump for a few days.

that 'kinda' happened here
though it wasn't really a slump cause i was drawing plenty and even enjoying it...
i just didn't feel like finishing anything.

then Radiant historia came in the mail... and i wasted a good amount of time i should have been working on that (cause it's a really good game and if you ever get the chance you should play it)
and while i was using radiant historia to procrastinate i also had a pinched nerve that made my right arm numb and therefor useless for art... so i skecthed this piece about a week ago.

and as i said on tumblr "bah... perspective? wuzzat?!" cause yeah... it was just wonky as hell but still i need to work on backgrounds so i figured... why not just paint the bg?

perspective is still wrong but at least i tried?
do i get a gold star?
no?
damn...
anyways it was here were the game arrived...
and that was the worst time cause i was debating between lines or lineless and a game was a big distraction from everything.

so i did the lines while i waited for my 3ds to charge but... i just wasn't feeling them... the lined forground clashed with the lineless bg... i knew one would have to change... so i figured... i'll make her lineless... it'll be a good experiement.
i beat my game (and ordered the soundtrack) and then got to work and rememdered a few things
i hate doing lineless cause i suck at it.
i hate doing one layer cause i suck at it BUT it'll be the fastest way to bring harmony to this so.... suck it up princess and get to work.

the for some reason i guess i didn't save and i lost about half an hour of work.... which is probably good cause my second attempt at the bit i lost was better... and here we have the finished product.

do i like it?
not really...
did i have fun with it?
hell yes..
i also learned a lot and of my lineless crap this has been the most successful
my perspective could be better but still in the end i'm glad i pushed myself.

so yeah... good thing to note that even when you aren't thrilled with something try to make the best of it and you can always learn.

oh and all of this was done in paint tool sai.

Completed: Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen

this is also known as Rozen maiden 2013

So... i know little to no german so lets see
Zurückspulen - rolling back, to rewind, wind back.

very fitting.

SO... i have a bit of a love hate relationship with the Rozen maiden series.

i really liked the concept then shortly after Träumend (beingthe german word for dreaming) disk one was release a certain company went out of business and even though these disks were sitting in a wearhouse they couldn't release them.

so i thought why not read the manga cause the anime will be caught in limbo for a while before someone picks it up.

so when the manga 'ended' boy was i annoyed cause not only did i not have much more info but nothing really happened and the ending was like "decide for yourself"
then traumend was picked up by funimation, the disks covers were changed to reflect that but the guts are still purely geneon and again... it just kinda ends...

it annoyed me cause it was just starting to get interestign btu then it felt like they got scared that they would have to commit to something and backed off.

SO... when this one was annoyed i was worried.
is it going to be a retelling?
is it actually going to continue the story?
why are they startign ith winding the key again... we saw this already.

then episode one hit.... it was at a breakneck pace and dolls were dying left and right and i was like "i guess this is the recap for what happened before... but it's a little different... ok... i'm not sure how i feel about this but i'll give it a shot.

then the second episode hit and finally i was intrigued.
we were with the main character as an older guy... and not only that... in an alternate world where he chose to not wind the key.

The good: the art, while at times a little floaty, has this lovely almost watercolour look to it, it works well with the dreamlike fantasy setting. the characters are all introduced pretty much immediately and the scale of the dolls is a lot easy to define.
i found in the old series the dolls felt fairly big but in this it looks just right.
better then the original series cause theres a plot and stuff happens and it happens pretty quick.

the not so good: if you can't stand large doses of moe lolita dolls screaming desu at you  then you won't enjoy this... though that character doesn't show up much till the end

The bad: the ending.
yes it obviously leaving it open for a sequel but you know what? so were the others and that sequel didn't come... this isn't a sequel it's an alternate telling. so i'm just saying until the next one is confirmed and has a release date this ending is much like it's predecessors... and that has me worried cause for once the story felt like it was going somewhere.

so yeah i did like this quite a bit... not my fav show this season (that tear filled review will happen on sunday) but still one of the better ones.

Completed: Servant x Service

hm... it's late...

okay... the review:

Did you like Working/wagnaria?

if yes then you will probably find this show charming
if no then you wont like this show cause it's the same kind of thing just different venue and age group.

i thought working was cute...
therefor i think this is cute
even though in all honesty it should be called "how to be charged with sexual harrasment at work" but whatever... it's still got it's sweetness.
also hair that reacts to emotion always gets a chuckle out of me... i do not know why.

but yeah if this got a second season like working did i think it could be fun.
but if you don't like slice of life comedy at work then yeah... avoid... this will not change your mind.

oh and the show is really punny so you kind of need to keep your ears open to listen to whats being said and separate that from what your reading to 'get the joke'. it's hard to explain but theres a lot of saying something that sound the same 3 way but with varied meanings or slight changes... again not easy to explain so yeah.

hopefully you enjoy the show but if you don't i completely understand why.

Completed: Radiant Historia (DS)

gather round and i shall tell you a tale~

Once upon a time, well... 2011 to be precise, there was a girl who received email notifications from ATLUS about new games.
She had loved games like disgaea (which is technically NIS but it was distributed by atlus) and Hexys force (which she had heard about thanks to these emails) as well as better known gems like the persona games.
this email contained information about a game where two timelines are played out and how you have to maneuver between them to get the true ending.
that sounded pretty damn cool.
one problem.
It was her second year of college.
she had just been forced to quit her job thanks to a battle with a re-occurring injury (that the job triggered in the first place but whatever...) and she had to pay for supplies and transportation.... these things were a little more important then games.
so the release date came and went... and she hoped beyond hope that perhaps since it's a title no one has heard of in a month or two when she starts her new job she'll be able to pick it up.
the fates were not so kind
in fact the fates are kinda assholes...
she went back a month after it released.
Sold out.
so she went to another store
and again... sold out.
she figured she'd get it at a convention...
yeah that never happened.
a few years passed
she had just come back from a smaller convention that had a lot of video game vendors (probably cause the game chasers were there but most places were really overpriced) and even in that sea of games... she hadn't been able to find the one game she was curious about.

then projared posted a picture of his look from the con and she let out a cry of despair because there it was... it had been there... she just missed it.
damn.
the game had been out of print for a few years now and she figured if she ever did get it... it would not be cheap.
then she caught a break.
A different email notification was sent her way.
one from a site called "Play-asai"
"Radiant historia - on sale - 15 dollars"
she hit the buy button so fast it's a surprise her mouse didn't break.

then it arrived.
and she played it.
and all was good~

well... mostly...
see this game made me realize how snarky i can be.

so basic premise - you are the wielder of the white chronicle, a book that allows you to travel through time and make different choices that will affect the world and stop it's destruction.
the two paths are based on a choice you make pretty much immediately.
Do you stay in your current position as special intelligence officer or do you join the army as a general?

so the 'gimmick' is anytime you get stuck in one timeline you can probably head to the other one (or back in the same timeline with new knowledge) and you'll get whatever you need.

as the stories go on the time lines affect each other more and more and your choices begin to have more destructive outcomes if you misuse them.

and.... i kinda misused all of them... for fun

other then the first choice, every single choice leads to a right (continue the story) path and a wrong (get a bad ending and get sent back before you made the choice) path.
the bad endings are wodnerful cause
a) they can get really over the top
b) they tell you immediately that you screwed up and then send you back in time after a short cutscene or dialogue block.
so there is little to no penalty to being a snarky little jerk like i apparently am....

on top of the choice bad endings there are also 10 quests, that all have to be done to get the true ending, that have opportunities to trigger a bad end.... these are a bit harder to be snarky with cause... there isn't always a warp point right before you do this.
but seriously the ending are so magical it's worth seeing all of them anyways.

my favorites (spoiler free i promise)
in one ending you are sent to retrieve something, when you get it you are given two options... one is like "big obviously horrible decision" and the other is obviously right... the outcome for the bad ending had me laughing so hard.
another one you do something that a character asked you not to and they build up this thrist for revenge... but they weren't too strong so seeing them murder everyone was just too funny.
another good one is you try and be nice and you get locked up in eternity... people do the oddest things.

i think it's pretty clear that it's pretty clear i thoroughly enjoyed this game.
like a lot
a lot a lot
so much.
yeah....

The good:
the music! so pretty... i'm going to be getting the soundtrack (by any means.... mwa hahaahahaha... or i'll borrow it from a friend... probably that if i can't buy it myself)
the characters, all of them have really great character arcs, they all have lovely designs and it's all just soo pretty... also the sprite art is pretty emotive even though they don't move much.
the story, i love time travel done well... and it can be tricky but this, with the skip button and the ease of getting to whatever point in either plotline and the splits are pretty well marked out other then a few optional sidequests which other then getting you some kickass moves don't bear too much on the plot.
the combat is a mix of grid base and turn based. after bumping into enemies you are sent to a battle screen with the enemies on a 3x3 grid. depending on square conditions, placement on the grid as well as hazards you can place battles have a nice bit of strategy to them.

the not so good:
some of the quests, specifically the 10 needed for true end, are a little cryptic so it makes it a little difficult to do them all without a guild... specifically one where you have to make 3 specific choices and then a seperate choice then talk to an unrelated character...
yeah i obviously had a guild for the 2 i hadn't found yet... cause i was getting true end the first time... cause i'm stubborn like that.

the bad:
it's a little predictable... in fact i thought one character was the antagonist because it would be too obvious if the guy they were hinting at was him... yeah it went with the obvious... also when two characters are near each other it's pretty clear that theres a connection there. 

but you know what? i don't care... i had fun
lots and lots of fun.
the game isn't that hard to find, i just had bad luck, i think play asai still has some copies.
but seriously... if you enjoy jrpgs and are willing to risk on little known title you should get this.
and hexys force for psp... thats a really fun game too.

so yeah... i have like.... 15-20 things to uncover (side quests mostly) i may do that later (probably not... i'm lazy)
but seriously if you see this for a decent price get it... lots of fun
sorry this game just made me so happy.
even though the true end made me cry.... cause i'm a big baby and cry easy... but seriously ending was so sweet... *sobs*
ok onto finishing another show.

Edit: i forgot one thing.
when i first started playing this i was reminded of an old Atlus game "riviera: the promised lands"... as far as i can tell the two have nothing in common other then both being published by atlus, both sharing the same font and the reason why i though of the game at all they both share a lot of sound effects... granted i could be wrong... this could fit nicely into the dept. heavan series... considering the three games in that series are 3 different genres... and i'll probably never beat any of them. (cause i don't own knight in the nightmare, yggdra union is a card based system which i'm not found of and i can't beat a boss in riviera.... did i mention i suck at games?)
but yeah... just some random thougths for when i put in the game.
riviera is also a good game... (GBA) but not easy to find and hard (it is atlus after all)
ok random tangent over!

Edit 2:
when i was listening to the music some songs have a very kingdom heart feel to them...
cause it's composed by yoko shimomura... i almost NEVER can tell composer (cept jdk... rookiez is punked and obviously nobuo uematsu) just by sound alone... 
so yeah... that was a fun little discovery that i was right... love when that happens.
hopefully no more edits.

Completed: Sunday Without God [spoilers kinda]

Last anime one of these for the day and again it should be short cause i don't have much to say.

It seems like every season i end up watching one "wtf is this" show... sometimes you get a little gem like Shin Sekai Yori and other times you are still as confused as when you started like Humanity has declined.

this is.... kinda in between the two.... leaning closer to Humanity has declined.

Sunday without god is an anime about a world that 'god has abandoned', no one dies anymore and no new babies either.... well people can die but they go on living so gravekeepers go around burying people.
at least thats what the show wants you to think it's about.

this show has three stories.
1. Ai's hometown and hampany hambert.

2. the village of the dead.

3. class 3-4s endless loop.

none have any connection threads except for main characters and the fact that these situations were created by wishing.

we find out pretty early that it wasn't god givign up on the world but rather people wishing not to die and being more of a be careful what you wish for kinda of tale.

but.... other then that it all seems kinda pointless.

a character can't die... then he dies
next
a character and kill the living with just a look or hearing their voice... but they are a nice kid and everyone is happy...
next
a class is stuck in a timeloop cause people wished someone hadn't died.
end.
um... i'm confused.... what was this about
was it a be careful what you wish for?
why did it matter that ai was half gravekeeper and half human...
why are there a few types of gravekeepers?
why don't other wishes seem to work
why is there a school that gathers up gifted children?
why do we focus on scars baby then completely forget about that arc?
Why do they drive in one of those BMWs from the 70s?!
WHY

nothing is explained.
i feel like this show needs a second season but i don't think it'll get one... i think it thinks it's done.

i will say some positives.
i would love to own the score to this show... it's so pretty.
the art is very pretty and colourful and the character design (more so the versions in the end credits) is so darn cute... i love that Ai's sunburst hat thing looks like a normal straw hat when it's on it's side...
but as far as story goes... i just don't get it...
i mean i get the stories as pieces... but not as a whole.
this show should be called "the adventures of Ai Asten" since the whole "without god" is dropped just about as quickly as it's mentioned.

oh... i also like that everything is written in french... i dunno made me smile

do i like it?
i'm leaning towards no.... i like some of the things it does... but not the whole... maybe if the ending was actually an ending?
but seriously i need to find it's score.... so pretty

Completed: Watamote... i think

this will be short.

So... "no matter how you look at it it's your guys fault i'm not popular"

dear long titles that need to be shortened... please go away.

the story of "watamote" is theres a girl who is about to start highschool and she plans to have the idealistic anime highschool years..
too bad she's got horrible anxiety, can't talk to people easily and above all else she thinks she is better then everyone else.

i really enjoyed this show BUT if you don't like watching trainwrecks then you will hate this show... especially the episode with the ants... i'm still shuddering over that one.

this does seem to be a very love it or hate it show. some people love it cause it reminds them of being awkward in highschool and how depictions of highschool are NOTHING like real high school (at least thats how it felt to me) but a lot of people hate it cause they think the show is making fun of the main character.
and to be fair... yeah... it is...
but she's kinda a horrible human being at the start and by the end we see her grow into herself a bit more.

but yeah... this show can be really to both her and the others so i get why it may not be everyones thing.

the two things that really got on my nerves were...
1. her middle school friend.
2. the episode talking about public transit.

her middle school friend is super nice and caring and even though she grew out of her awkwardness she still considers Tomoko her friend and she still likes all sorts of nerdy things.... but the instant something good happen for her tomoko is the first (and only) one to call her a bitch... it just annoyed me that she could be so mean to her friend behind her back when all the friend wants is to have you be happy as well.

the public transit episode annoyed me cause they were talking about how girls get treated on things like the subway in japan and how she wishes those things would happen to her.
no
no girl ever thinks "well if i get molested on the subway that means i'm pretty and popular"
to be fair when there is an incident and she's actually worried it may happen she changes her mind but she tries for the first half to play it up as something to brag about. and yeah... i took offense to that.

but otherwise it does have some funny, sweet and even heartbreaking moments.. .especially in the last few episodes.

i say i think it's done cause it kinda acted like it was done but who knows...

still i like it... the art directions neat... it's kinda painful to watch btu also very funny... the intro song is really good.
yeah just a fun little show... with a stupidly long title

Completed: Free! (aka swimming boys anime [spoilers])

before i start the review i feel the need to say something.
I am, in fact, a girl...

you know in case you couldn't tell by the girly art or backdrop.

okay we good? good...

So... Free!

It's about a world with no water and one lone traveller as he seeks the life giving substance. it is rumoured to be in the hands of the evil lord of the land (we know he's evil cause he gets splashed with water on a whim and has pointy teeth)

anyways our protagonist must travel through many lands to no avail... no matter how odd the angle seems he must continue forward... and just about when all hope is lost he find an oasis and even the evil lord guy is there.... guess he's not so bad after all (other then they are skinny dipping [well our protagonist isn't... apparently they have spandex in this mystical no water land] in the only water source for miles and that can't be terribly sanitary)

that's.... that's not what the show is about? that's just the ending song...

hm...
OK... Take two.

Free! is about the journey of one swimmer who dreams of going to the Olympics, the same dream as his father. However after travelling abroad and seemingly reaching his limit his confidence is shaken. Can he really do better or is this as far as his skills take him... he gets further and further into a slump until he gets the chance to meet up with his old swim team and he learns that while winning is fine swimming should also be fun.

oh.... that's just the side story? well.... it's more interesting then the rest of the plot.

Free! is (for real this time) about a group of boys with girly names (and actions) who work together to form a swim club and participate in competitions, however none of them have been too serious about it since swimming together in middle school and one of the members sinks like a rock unless he's doing the butterfly stroke (more on this later)

so we have Haruka, henceforth known as Haru, who is obsessed with water... like... I'm surprised he doesn't drop out of school and just spend all day every day in a pool.

Nagisa, the catalyst for making the club, who has no discernible character traits other then being freakishly bubbly and acting like no human being ever.

Ma... um... Makoto? i think.... i call him gentle giant.... anyways again no real character traits he just gets an arc in the middle that i will be mentioning later.

Megane... um.. .ren? i think thats it...
anyways Megane is the aforementioned track team guy turned swimmer because, and i shit you not, he is a guy with a girly name... therefor he is hounded to join the club.

and last of the guys we have Rin, or as i call him pointy McSharkteeth... he is by far the most interesting character and as i mentioned before the show would have been better had it been his journey and dealing with the fact that he may not be able to obtain his goal and where he can go from there.

we also have Gou, she likes being called kou, who is a girl with a manly name who loves biceps and is the team manager... though all that is kinda tossed aside after the middle cause this story isn't about her... it's about 4 (5 i guess) extremely muscled high school students swimming together.

the teacher lady who's name i can't remember at all... i guessed when she was first introduced that she hated swimsuits cause she was a swimsuit model while my friend figured she hated them cause she made them and was sick of them.... one of us was right... and it wasn't my friend.

the pizza delivery guy/coach who comes and helps them improve and has a really stupid hairdo but otherwise no distinguishing characteristics.

you may be noticing a trend.

SO.... what did i think of free.

didn't like it.
by the end i didn't hate it cause it's fairly harmless (kinda.... more on that in a bit) but boy does this show have some stupid and enraging moments.

FROM HERE ON OUT i will be SPOILING things so... don't wanna see it then stop here, my opinion of the show is if you have nothing else and it looks interesting to you give it a shot... if you hate club focused shows you will hate this one.

first off... the positive.

I really enjoyed the ending song, even though i still feel that would be a more interesting show... the song itself was catchy and fun.

when the animation is good this show is incredibly pretty... but the animation is only good when they swim...

ugh... no... stay positive.

um... it's short... so i didn't have to deal with more fanservice filled filler episodes.

yeah that's all i got.

WHY I DON'T LIKE THE SHOW.

it's dumb.... really dumb... characters are flat with little to no motivation... character arcs are whiplash quick and then never mentioned again.

the show will have pointless, blatant, pandering fanservice to get the yaoi fan girls squeeing.
there's an episode that mostly show at crotch level with a shopping mall montage for no reason other then to show these badly proportioned men have no equipment.

there is an episode where megane can't swim cause the strokes are ugly but after talking to haru and seeing a butterfly he can no magically do butterfly which is probably one of the most difficult strokes to do... and in the end it doesn't matter cause he's cast off to the side as he isn't one of the original 4.
again, the proportions in this show bug me mostly cause they look unrealistic for that age group... swimmers are quite lean but this show would have you believe that they have extremely defined muscles even though 3 hadn't been training much/at all since middle school.

any time they aren't swimming the animation just really fluffy and floaty and it almost feels like they didn't know how to write men so they just drew guys but gave them very moe female reactions to stuff (for nagisa especially)

one of the characters is afraid of the ocean yet he sets up a tour that would have them swim to four island... wait..
wait.. that's really dangerous... between currents and one of your guys not knowing how to swim that's really really really stupid... why are you doing that?!
ugh so one of them goes to practice at night, nearly drowns, the one who's afraid to swim in the ocean tries to save him... also nearly drowns.... and then after being saved by the remaining members they meet up and tell spooky stories in a lighthouse.
wait..
two people nearly died... and you are just okay with this? in fact it helped him get over his fear?
well that was simple...

and that's the problem
they barely have to work at things to have it go their way... i mean it's better then K-on cause at least they spend the club time to actually practice but it just feels rushed...

I hate to say it but 26 episodes may have done this show good.... but more focus on shark teeth and possibly more drive for Haru... like have Haru also have some kind of dream aside from "i feel water... i don't resist it"... I'm not saying it had to be Olympics... maybe he wants to own/run a public pool or teach kids how to swim.... maybe he wants to swim in every body of water ever... i don't know... just SOMETHING would have been nice. wanting to compete is not good enough (in my opinion)

also the last episode.
a) well that's where all the animation budget went...
b) wont that get them disqualified? (it does)
c) you guys know that you can swim in a pool and it doesn't need to be a competition... I'm serious i do it all the time..
d) stop with the pandering "you crying yet?" eye glazes with emotional music... you wanna make me cry then get me invested in the characters... don't just be like "it's sad cause we say it's sad"

around the middle of this show this was number 5 on my top 5 hated anime...
but then i saw diabolic lovers and this was bumped off so fast.. .cause in the end i don't like this cause it's pandering.... but it's harmless... it has a plot... a stupid plot... but hey it is there. characters do have an arc... other then nagisa who seems exactly the same... but still shak tooth learns something, haru gets more emotion... giant gets over his fear and megane learns how to swim the most difficult stroke in a night....
i do worry what this holds for the future.

again, I'm a girl and this show was aimed at me (supposedly) HOWEVER i'm the type of girl who prefers plot to fanservice (if there is fanservice on top of plot that's fine as long as it makes sense) and i just know for the next year or so i'm gunna be dealing with shows that are claiming to be for me but are really just pretty boys being pretty with no depth...
They will try to copy free without understand what makes work. and even though i don't like the show much it does work in its own way... for whatever reason (well... i think I've given quite a few reasons actually) this show didn't resonate with me... but it does show that there may be a trend of shows targeted at girls that aren't necessarily reverse harem or out-right shoujo titles.(not that there's anything wrong with either of those genres... they just don't tend to get a lot of merchandise)

besides... i know I'm probably going to have to get my Hypocrite card ready cause.... next season (i think it starts pretty soon) theres going to be a show about boys with Glasses.... Megane-bu (i think that directly translated to Glasses club) and if there is any sort of kryptonite for me.... that's pretty much it. I hope it's good... but i doubt it will be... so yeah get ready to ring me a new one for disliking this when that will be as bad if not worse... only time will tell.  

so yeah... what was your opinion of free! ? i know the majority of people really liked it and i would love to hear why.

And remember... just cause i don't like something you did like doesn't mean i hate the people who did like it... i have my own personal opinions and biases that make me think the way i do. It's good to have a varying level of opinions or the industry will stagnate.

Also my friend saw it as well and you can read her thoughts here 

completed: Poltergeist

i think this is my first time reviewing 'horror'

now i'm not a fan of horror... cause it's almost always stupid and often funny instead of scary... also it tends to be REALLY predictable.
the characters also tend to be stupid beyond belief  or they are written in a way where you dont mind if they get killed and yeah... not a fan.
so why did i watch this one?
because of Reasons

so what did i think? (as someone who doesn't really like horror)

wow that was terrible, i expected the writing and plot to be a bit better considering it was from stephen spielberg... but it was really really funny... i love the snarkyness of the ghosts... but when the 'scary' shit is happening the characters are just unrealistic about things. the effects were pretty well done, especially for the time, but yeah just the way everyone reacted to things made no sense.

chairs all show up on top of the table? just up and down and laugh instead of be freaked out.

just got through all this crap? better sleep in th house one more night cause it's all good right?

so yeah.... stupid film but really funny... i burst out laughing more then once. so yeah... go see it if you want a laugh
or if you like older horror films even though they can be a little silly you will probably enjoy this, it's just not my cup of tea.

Completed: The Great Gatsby

The recent(ish) film, not the book, not the other film.

so... i think baz luhrman's films can be fun.
a little goofy
but almost always something redeemable.
hell i seem to be the only person who enjoyed his version of romeo and juliet.
i thought it was an interesting interpretation and did some neat things to keep the story modern yet still with some class.
and any time i'm feeling blue i pop in Moulin Rouge! and belt my heart out to every song.
So part of me looked forward to this film... i knew the reviews were saying it wasn't terribly good but i try to not make an opinion till i have witnessed the thing in question (it doesn't always happen... i can't help personal biases but i try)

and now i have seen it and can talk about it... kinda.

quick disclaimer: i have not read the book, it was in my school curriculum but my English teacher pushed for her classes to read John Grisham books instead... well at least i learned then that i can't stand his novels... and that his films are better then his book cause they cut out all the bullshit.

SO... as someone who has not read the book and who does enjoy Baz' brand of film making... what did i think?

Meh...

it could have been worse i guess?
but it could have been better
and short
like... an hour or so shorter.
and not so derivative... you can see hints of his other and better films all throughout... it doesn't help that it's told in the same way as moulin rouge just by the nature of how the story is told.
also i felt distracted by the music... i get what he's going for and it works quite well but i still didn't like it and it took me out of the experience.

but it was well acted... though it's hard to see Tobey Maguire as anything other then his character in pleasantville when he does period films

but i think where i went from being this is mediocre but still kinda charming to okay this guy needs to be locked up is somewhere close to the start... and that probably soured the rest of the film for me.
again... he's supposed to be that way... i get that...
but just cause something was intended to be a certain way doesn't mean i have to like it.
and if i don't like the characters i probably wont care for the story.
and the characters all creep me out.
every single one of them.

is the film good?
...
i don't begrudge the time i gave it... but i don't plan on watching it again... so i can't call it good.
maybe if you really love the book and want to see it on a screen with lots of spectacle you'll enjoy it?
but other then that you'll probably find this film a complete slog and i'd find it hard to disagree.
but yeah... not terrible... just kinda... Meh.

Completed: Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament

this is actually my second time... my first was 5 years ago for a birthday.

these shows are a lot of fun but really expensive. if you see something on a coupon site or that they have sale prices you should go if you can. they give you a ton of food and the showmanship is quite impressive...

i also liked that this time the team we got to cheer for wasn't out in the first round.
we did have some people who were really into it and having fun and that made the experience (in our section at least) really enjoyable.

but now i feel like i need to run a mile to burn off all that food >< and thats sad cause i barely managed to eat half of it...

so yeah if you've ever wanted to go but worry about the cost i say do your best to try and watch for deals.

*face palm*

i don't even know how to start this.

um... okay... so... today crunchyroll announced that it starting to show some fall things... i was suprised because were on ep 10-11 for everything so i figured it would be another 2-3 weeks before fall season started.

the title they announced was Diabolik lovers.

so first, i had a sense of dread come over me as you can tell from the art and the promo pic they used that this is a reverse harem, most likely based off an otome game, show where i guess the main draw is that she's stuck with a ton of vampires.

but hey... it's totally unfair to judge books by their cover right?
the episode is only 14 minutes long too! what do you have to lose.

my sanity apparently.

so i watch... and at first it seems neat, the character design and art is very pretty... she goes into a house and no one is there to greet her... she sees a boy on a couch nearby and goes to ask him for info... but he's not moving... and he's cold... oh shit he has no pulse.... i better call an ambulance and-- why is he on top of me? why is he licking me?

then it dawned on me.
in these games 9 times out of 10 the first one the girl meets is the main... if the 'main' is acting like this...
how bad are the others going to be?

Answer: Worse.... somehow...

as she's introduced to the others they all take their turn to jump scare and lick her... they figure out she's goign to be one of their brides like it or not and then she runs off and... and...

Japan... do we need to have another talk about love?
i get it... this is twilight with multiple edwards...
abusive relationships to the max... btu that isn't romantic...

having a guy pounce on you and lick you is not romantic
having them all threaten to eat/kill you IS NOT ROMANTIC
i mean... they are all controllign abusing asshols but one actually punches the wall hard enough to do damage...... NOT ROMANTIC
there is not a redeeming quality amoung the 6

now you may say thats unfair cause it's the first ep and they are goign to give them tragic backstories to make me pity them or some shit.
NO
you could tell me one of them went into a river to save a litter of puppies then drowned and was turned and i still would find him the most unlikable jerk on this show... their actions in the first episode are just terribly, and extremly abusive not to mention rape-y.
THAT IS NOT ROMANTIC
NO NO NO NO NONONO no

so no... Diabolik lovers is not going to be somethign i suffer through... i just wanted to make it clear.... that as a girl i am so sick and tired of games/shows like this trying to explain what is love when it's abuse.
thats my issue with all this... abuse never equals love
being controlling NEVER equals love
forcing yourself on someone NEVER EVER EVER equals love
how dare you try to say otherwise

and the worst part?
people are praising it.
"what an interestign show!"
"this is really good!"
ok.... thats your opinion and thats fine but really? really? where there are other shows that are so much better this is the one you latch onto?

i'm blaiming amnesia for this.....
i blame amnesia for a lot actually...

LA game space game pack

so a while back i helped support LA game space and while i didn't give much i did give enough to get the game pack reward.

essentially it was a handful of games (25 i think) made by indie developers.
some are short
some are long
some you can even get outside of the pack.

but considering i talk about things i finish... i figure may as well talk about all these games... it'll also be an incentive to play them all.

So... first up.

Alphabet by Keita Takahashi and Adam Saltsman

this game is actually shown twice in the pack, one on it's own and another in the experimental games pack 1.
the point of the game is to move the letters from one side of the screen to the other, holdign a letter make that one letter run, tapping it makes them jump. there are many letters on screen at a time and most keyboards only let you hit a few keys at a time.
there are fruit that temporarily change everyone into the same letter and obstacles alogn the way.
there are 10 stages.

The good - interesting concept, nice visuals
the not so good - sometimes the 'physics of the letters is odd and there are a lot of high barriers that are really hard to get past simply cause you don't have control of the trejectory of the jump.
the bad - the song that plays... mybe it's cause kids singing equals nails on a chalkboard to me but i just found it grating and it kinda soured the entire experience.
oh and it's like... 10-15 minutes tops... like the entire game.
granted it did have the date registered so maybe it randomizes daily? i really don't know and more importantly don't care... it was cute and an interesting concept piece but i'm probably never going to play it again.

Control by Kieran Nolan
this is kinda what i expect some of the games to be...
Control is a Meta game where you use a hand to hit buttons on increasingly more complex controllers.

um... maybe it's the artist in me, but if you have to claim your thing is a meta experience to make it 'good' or 'thought provoking' then there is a good chance that it is neither.

thats not to say i hate all things 'Meta' every once and a while it can be really good (the last unicorn anyone?) but it can so easily slip into being a pretentious piece of shit... especially if you have it in the description that it is in fact meta....
 
"oh but it's meta cause the control scheme is rediculous! and it's about controllers! thats so witty"
no... no it isn't.
"oh but it uses the dial up sound at the start to make anyone who hears it want to punch the screen! so clever!"
no, it's there so that people turn it off without playing it... you con't critique something you haven't experienced so it's a way to stop people from reviewing their shit.

I'm sure Keiran Nolan put a lot of work into this, i commend the effort since i could never even make something like this.... but it's still a pretentious piece of hipster shit and it's not witty, clever or meta... no matter how much you claim it is.

Coureur des Bois by Tamaz Kamenczy

it's uh... about..... um... a canoe going down a river with beasts on either side... it has a lot of flashing imagery so if you have epilepsy avoid at all cost.

otherwise i just don't get it... but it does have a neat look i at least feel like they tried with it.
but i'm starting to think 'indie' type games are not my thing.

Depth by Vince Mckelvie
so far my fav.
depth is a puzzle game where you use depth perception to create platforms and clear stages. mechanics are introduced slowly enough to not overwhelm but quick enough to not insult anyones intelligence.
it's got a very basic look but i think it works really well.
the only thing i don't like is the perspective/controls, i don't play a lot of first person games and i can't seem to get a feel for where my avatars feet are so i kept on missing jumps so for me that made it a bit stressful but i'm guessing for those that like wasd controls and first person perspective they would probably find this pretty fun.

Electronic Fortune Teller "sweet n fun" by  party time hexcellent!
i need an nes emulator to play this one and i'm too lazy to go find one at the moment so.... i'll come back to this


i will update this as i go through the pack.

Completed: Cardcaptor sakura... for the billionth time

and i very much enjoy gloating to my friends that i have the box set that looks like the books... cause i'm a terrible mean person.

i seriously love this show BUT.... i noticed something on this watching.

Clamp really like practically perfect in every way characters.
like.... all of them are multiskilled and quite good (though rarely the best) at what they do.
nothing wrong with it though cause EVERYONE is like that. so it balances?
i dunno i just really noticed it this time... i mean she sais she's good at math but i can only think of a handful of time where we see that... not that it matters.
oh i also noticed one of the animation directors really liked extreme close ups... which were a little odd but oh well no biggie.

no i'm not here to talk about that.
or the fact that i have written an essay on this series and how it explores almost every type of 'love' despite posing as an action show.

no i'm here to talk about Tomoyo.
Sakura's best friend who is OBSESSED with all things Sakura... she even keeps the eraser sakura lent her in a locked box.
Tomoyo really gets the short end of the stick.
this is a girl whos happiest when she's dressing up sakura and filming her but she only gets to do that so often.
but thats not whats sad.
Tomoyo is Sakura's cousin (distant cousin i think) she shares a lot of resemblance to Nadeshiko who is Sakura's mother.
now... tomoyo's mother is also obsessed with sakura and her lat mother.... so much that she forces tomoyo to keep her hair long cause she looks like her. whenever sakura is over all her attention is on her and not her daughter.
to be fair her mother loves tomoyo plenty and does everything to keep her safe (up to and including many female bodyguards) but it does feel like she was trying to remake a nadeshiko... but then when sakura (who is told she looks like nadeshiko but i don't see it) shows up tomoyo's role isn't as important.
not to mention that tomoyo loves sakura... like... actualyl loves her... but cause Sakura like Syoaran she backs off.
so lets recap, her mother makes her look a certain way so she is reminded of a dead person, her mother also cares a lot more for the dead persons daughter and she doesn't even get to be loved in return by the one she loves most.

i just laughed at how a lot of the show is "how badly can try to hurt tomoyo"
but in the end she is strong and more then a little selfless... as long as she gets to dress you up and film you doing stuff.

i love this series but i think i like the manga more... if only cause it has the best outfit (the one where she fights yue) while the show has this ugly pink thing...
though i do love the second movie... so cute... i wish the series continued on from there... it feels like that could have more story (just no clamp multiverse.... please?)

yes i am aware i'm the only person who loaths the clamp multiverse.... it's just silly...

*sighs*

i'm not happy about this... not one bit.

ok... so yesterday i get a book, i couldn't figure out which of the trilogy was first (which should have been my first sign) so i got the omnibus version.

the premise was interesting, a slave who turns out to be a mage... nothing new but i've run out of things to read so give it a shot.
i was treated to one of the most poorly written first paragraphs i have ever seen.

still i figured "maybe this author just feels like you need to get all the exposition out of the way before you set the scene... maybe it'll get better"
i will never know because when the character was described as not tall (5'8") handsome, lithe but otherwise unremarkable with clear blue eyes and the pick of the litter.... yeah i returned that book so fast (one of the great features about the kindle is if you don't like a book you can return it up to one week from purchase.) and pouted cause i was back to having nothing to read...
i dunno i just feel like if there was a "do not" list for writing it would including things like "do not use pure exposition, show don't tell" and "avoid an author insert/perfect/mary sue type characters at all cost" or perhaps. "if a person starts counting the amount of times you use a word in one page it's time you pick a new word"
but more then all of that.... those opening lines have to make the reader want to continue.
the opening to this book was essentially "he was looking up at the sky enjoying his last day of freedom cause tomorrow he would be a slave"
ok... who is he, why do i care if he's a slave or not? what makes him the pick of the litter, why are we in a world mostly ruled by women, did his mom really hate him cause he was male or is there more to it? why do i even remotely care?
and then when those things are explained it's all exposition."he was this and he did this for himself and thats why he was in this situation"
to use an example from the last series i finished... the opening line is...

Earl Hubert pressed a delicate silver goblet against his fat lips. He sucked down the mouthfuls of wine without even taking a breath. The sound of his slurping reverberated obnoxiously off the dining room ceiling, but the servants, ringed around the walls, kepr their eyes trained carefulyl on the floor

so first things first... the scene is set, this guy (who isn't the main character) is a loathsome slob with a lot of power... we want him to get his comeuppances in a few short lines. the scene has been set as a place where there are those who have and those who don't have and there is a huge class gap made bigger simply by the fact that the poor can't obtain wealth.
now lets look at the main characters introduction.

  Kael took a deep breath. He let it out slowly

hm... i'm intrigued but still have no idea what this kid is up to... lets see

"today is the day" he said, for about the hundredth time that morning. he hoped that if he said it often enough he might actually start to believe it

SEE THAT... that right there... that one line we know two things about kael
1. he has little to no confidence in his abilities... his words are laced with self doubt to the point where even a mantra isn't helping.
2. he has been attempting something for a long time and constantly failing at it... why else would he need the mantra.

do i know how tall he is? no... the build of his body? nope... the colour of his hair or eyes.... NOPE becuase right now that shit doens't matter... what matters is that he has a task he is determined to accomplish even though he doesn't think he'll make it.
we do find out later about his hair and build but again it's through showing... his hair is a mix of red and brown that defines his heritage and sets him apart from his peers and makes him the source of ridicule.... he's aso scrawny and clumsy which doesn't help the others see him as an asset. the scene once again has been set without going "he was this that and the other thing as well as being this way but not that way"
just... no.... no... stop telling me this shit.... show it to me...

so today i got another book, well reviewed on amazon, interesting premise... i like stories where people are sent from one world to another...
so i open it up and it's damn near a repeat of yesterday
another lithe, athletic but not bulky, handsom buy shy yet has all the ladies attention...
why does that matter
it doesn't... if this person cut out the description of this kid it would be better... if they had him drinking protien shakes but never bulk up it would be better.... just... for crying out loud.... set the scene before you dump the exposition.... and even then weave the exposition into the narrative.

now... this book is better writing wise then the one yesterday so i'm giving it the chapter.... but if i don't care by then... i'm finding something else... cause damnit i want to read a good book while i'm recovering. 

edit: i lied... i can't give this the rest of the chapter...
the author used the word despite 4 times in one page
described the handsom scrawny althletic kis as also being loved by ladies and also he's a nerd who loves math and science so he;s a nerd but popular and he's waiting for college acceptance letters cause the airforce turned him down, now his dad is disappointed.
GAH..... i don't care
show me that shit... here i'll do it for you.

The trip home from school is a long and treacherous journey, worry filled every crevasse of his mind. so much relied on a single piece of paper. he couldn't help but hold his breath as he checked the mail. A letter with the air force logo in in amongst the letters, it's thin, he knows that this is going to be an interesting conversation with his father, yet another disappointment to add to the list.

 now i'm not a good writer but you get my point... you don't need to say "he didn't get in and his father is disappointed" and using words like journey hint at the fact that he will be sent to a magical world later on...
just ugh... words having meaning... they have power... why would you squander it with exposition...
okay... round three... time to find a good book... or so help me the kindle may end up thrown across the room.

Completed: The secret of kells

this is tough to talk about.

the story... i guess is about a boy growing up.
i mean theres more to it... and the growing up happens all within the last ten minutes...

so... i'll just talk about what i can.
This is probably one of the prettiest animated films i have ever seen, i would easily and without any reservations call this art. the style, the flow, the movement all works so well within that world...
yet the story is just.... it's there... it moves the art along but i don't feel it matches the art.

once in college a professor brought in a few of his oil paintings that were going to be in a show (mostly cause he needed time to finish it so why not while we are all working lol still considering he does this mesh of high realism and surrealism it was interesting to hear him talk about.
he mentioned how he wanted to do a super close eye in such detail that it would almost leap off the page.
and it did.
one problem with having 1 thing that is truly spectacular.... if everything else isn't to that level the rest can fall flat. even though the rest was decent... it wasn't up to the same level... thats kind of how i felt with this.

however i'm always happy when media intended for children doesn't talk down to them... this has some seriously dark, scary and sad moments... but there is that note of hope at the end.

i think if you like animation and want to see a really interesting and stylized take on it you really should give this a watch.

Completed: Slight and Shadow (Fate forsaken book 2)

book by Shae Ford
ugh.... waiting sucks....
but.... gotta do it.... *sighs*

so this is a sequel to the book i finished a few days ago, Harbinger, and where i found that one was good but i could put down if i needed to... not the case with this one... it was really hard to put down.

we continue with Kael on his adventure and meet even more characters on his way to challenge Titus and save his home.

anymore then that is spoiler so tough.

now i will say that in almost every other series when there are multiple view points theres always that one you want to speed through to get to the good ones.
that didn't happen here... i never went "NO go back to the other character" cause all the timelines were interesting.
a lot more characters were introduces and i loved all of them though i'm sad some are being left behind.... though knowing that particular character he will get around it.

also the book, much to my surprise, did make me tear up. something happens to a character and yeah... it was sudden but it had a real sweetness to it but still i will admit... you got tears out of me... well done.

so yeah... i really like this series... it looks like i get to wait a bit before the next one but hey... just means another newsletter to sign up for (amazon needs to figure out a 'watched authors' system so when certain people release books i can buy them.)

so yeah go pick up Slight and shadow right after you read Harbinger

now i need to find a new series to read while i wait...
preferably one thats all done... cause waiting is terrible.... not good at it at all.

A ramble about style

Style is something all artist struggle with.
and to tell you the truth i never understood why.

Now there is no question that i do the majority of my art in what i call an "anime inspired" style.

that is to say i take characteristics from shows i like (big eyes, crazy hair, lots of colour ect.) and apply them to the majority of art i make.

however sometimes i try more simplistic approaches.

or i'll try adding more realistic elements to a very cartoony appraoch.

hell most of my studies are realism (not high realism but still more real then cartoon.)

so when people say to me "i like your style" i kinda have to look at them and ask Which one?
To me, and maybe this is just me, my style encompasses more of my experience then anything else. half the time... hell almost every time i sit down to art i don't go "this time i'll take the eyes from that last piece and the hands from this other thing cause thats my style" no i go "wouldn't it be fun to try" and if i like something i will keep it stored in the back of my mind as something to try again.

oh and quickly going back to 'anime inspired'.
people seem to forget that Anime is specifically things that were animated in japan, these being neither animated or from japan kinda excludes it from being 'anime' despite the obvious influence.
why not manga influenced then since thats static? similar argument... manga are sequential art made in japan.... and more often then not Achromatic.... therefor my stuff being stand alone and in full colour kinda excludes it but again the influence is there.

So i guess i' mtrying to say... stop trying to find your style, let your style find you.

and to be fair if there is a style you adore then please, try to imitate it, or if you get a crazy idea thats so far out of left field then just do it... do not worry abotu what others think cause in the end they do not matter... experimentation is the best way to help you better yourself as an artist. 


What i do is 'stylized' in my opinion.. heavy influence? hell yes... but it's what i find enjoyable... will it forever be my style? doubtful... even in the past year my 'style' has been all over the place. in a few years i may only do high realism... i doubt it but you never know. the point is.. .do not marry yourself to a style, do not let it hold you back and for the love of whatever deity you may (or may not) believe in stop trying to find a style.... let a style find you... let it grow from experiences... not because thats whats in at the moment.

Harbinger (Fate's Forsaken: Book One) by Shae Ford

So, long story short it's been a bit of a rough week.

I went from having a nasty cold to having a pinched nerve in my neck painful enough that literally had me bed ridden for the past few days.

However being bed ridden isn't all that bad when you have a good book to read.
and make no mistake this is a good book. Normally when amazon suggests books for me to read it's normally crap i would never touch but the description of this book really intrigued me. i bought it early august but unfortunately just couldn't find the time to read it.

kinda happy i held off cause otherwise these past two days would have been a slog.

before i go into plot i should put my personal bias out there to keep in mind as your read.
I love fantasy novels with interesting magic systems.
i'm not the biggest fan of dragons though if used well i tend to enjoy what they add to the world.
if a characters name needs to have an apostrophe in it then i will probably loath the story.
and finally, i prefer stories that have interesting characters that drive the plot instead of just plot happening with any old people.

The story begins by following Kael, a young boy (17) with muddied red hair as a sign that he's a little different then the other villagers... apparently everyone born in these unforgiving mountains has a mop of fiery red hair... yet his is tainted with brown. He knows he is different and destined for adventure just like the one he's read about since he was little. Everything changes when he stumbles across a half dead girl and after nursing her back to health his destiny starts to become a bit more clear. Shortly after she wakes up his village is attack, they are searching for her and willing to kill anyone who stands in their way... Kael's grandfather Amos uses a misterious power known as Whispering in order to force the boy to run to safety with the girl... from there Kael vows to avenge his village and save his grandfather.
However a quest never happens in a straight line, certain things need to be accomplished before he can even going against the one who potentially killed the only people he's cared for.

and i think thats why i like this book, while there is always a goal it's not some prophecy pulling the forward... it's more of cause an effect, certain things can't be done if other things don't happen first... even though he wants to go on a murdering spree to avenge his family he can't unless he has an army... he can't have an army unless he wins them over to his cause.... he can't win them over without showing his potential power and doing favors that help their cause. It's all just really nicely balanced.

Also i love all the characters. Kael is always doubting himself and even when he accomplishes amazing things he still doesn't accept praise easily or shrugs it off as a fluke.
Kyleigh, the girl he saves, is always quick, funny, strong and mysterious... she could easily kick your ass but is not above doing the occasionally girly thing as well (though you may have to fight her tooth and nail to get her to try on a dress)
Aerilyn, the daughter of a merchant trope they help protect early on, is also a strong character despite how girly she is... she learns how to fight and keep herself safe while still loving all things pretty.
Jonathan, her crass friend who considers himself a bit of a rogue always adds a nice bit of comedy to any scene he graces... though i really look forward to seeing where his story goes cause i see some real potential.
Lysander, a Pirate captain who seems to have been cursed by an old witch and refuses to help without being helped in return.
and Jake, a battlemage who seems to be more interested in books then the world around him.

See! see that! i remembered all their names... not a single god damn apostrophe in sight! that is how you give people fantasy names but still have them memorable! sorry but it really is a pet peeve cause if i don't know how to pronounce something i will not remember it.

but best of all is the magic system(s)
and their are quite a few.

Whisperers
These fall into three (i guess four technically) categories.
People who specialize in healing - they can mend any bone or cure any sickness
People who specialize in crafting - they can craft anything with amazing realism or strength
People who specialize in war.  - practically unbeatable, strong in battle and strategy
whisperers only tend to fall into one category... except in times of trouble where one is born with all three gifts known as Wrights. They also have the power to shape the world around them and remember everything they read.

i just think it's such a cool system.
then you have mages who are the natural enemies to the whisperers... they tend to have impliments that they channel their magic through made of different materials... at this point i still don't know much about them other then if you spill a mages blood near a whisperer bad things happen.

Finally you have Shapechangers.
a nearly extinct race of people who can change into certain animals... said to live two lives (a human one and one the same as the animal they change into) these people were hunted down by the king and used as slaves in order for him to keep control.

the only other thing i should mention before i talk about what i liked and didn't is the 'big bad'
The king is a jerk, and he's hired 5 jerks to do jerky things to the people around him and therefor it should be pretty clear that the end of Kaels journey (i know no idea if this will be done in 3 books or more) he probably is going to have to face all the jerks and put them in their place. HOWEVER in this book there is only a little mention of them throughout so i don't wanna dwell on it.

The good:
Characters, magic system, length (around 500 pages), the fact that book two is already out so i can go right into reading it (though considering it was about a year between book 1 and 2s release i may be waiting a bit for 3), the way it's written... i just really like the voice this book has... it just works well in my opinion.

the not so good.
Considering how much enjoyed this book... i found it remarkable easy to put down.... normally i'll go 'just one more chapter' and before i know it it's done... i think maybe the fact that my only opition this past week was reading may have played into that? i'm not sure... i'll find out as i read book 2 cause i am almost fully healed.
also i think i've figured out a twist i wasn't supposed to figure out yet... again i wont know till i the book confirms or denies it but i'm hoping i'm wrong... or at least half wrong... i'm positive i'm half right... either way this goes in not so good more as me saying "i suck cause that would have been a kick ass reveal that i may have ruined for myself"

The bad
again mostly that i'll probably be waiting a while for book 3.... and i suck at waiting. but hey... i don't mind waiting for a good book.
oh.... and the title gave me flashbacks to a book that i loathed so every time i looked at it i had to remind myself "it's not that book, it has a different author... forget about that other crappy book" 

so yeah... go pick this up
Harbinger Kindle and paperback options
and you can check out Shae's Website

(also in looking for links to her stuff i realized she mentioned it'll be 4 books so yeah... should be good times.)

OK... onto Book 2~ Slight and Shadow

Natsume/Kirito Figure Photoshoot.

SO... i have long since resigned myself to one truth.
i will never own a natsume yuujinchou figure cause
a) it's a niche series and although it does have figures they are prizes and only in japan
b) i'm not willing to pay ebay prices... as much as i want that one really lovely figure of him above water.... i will never spend that much on a piece of plastic that may or may not end up being a knock off.

then... one day on tumblr i cam across a post from someone who was selling there preorder of natsume eating squid at a festival... the price was around 20 bucks (thanks to shipping)
i never note people cause i'm REALLY shy but i hit that ask button so fast i'm surprised i didn't break my mouse.

now... and i know this for the future at least...
tumblr ask features SUCKS.
it doesn't allow replying back to a reply which is stupid enough as is but even worse it tends to eat messages.
half the time we were talking we were like "uh.... did you get my last thing?" or "if you don't respond i'm gunna assume your not interested" and yeah we figured it out but not without a few... frustrations.

still once we did the talking through email it got better.... anyways i paid for the thing and then it was time to wait....
i am bad at this part...
but still i waited.
and waited...
and then on the third week it arrived and i did a happy dance/realyl highpitched noise that people probably shouldn't make...

 gah this is too cute, i love his little mask... i do wish i had tanuma as well but honestly... too happy to care.

like it's a simplistic figure but it's still really cute.

and come on... look at him~

dawww
ok.... i'm fangirling... stil... this is my fav shot.

so yeah for now he is on my desk among the nendos but i'll probably fine a more special spot for him soon...
and if i go to work he is so going on my desk... and he wont be alone...
see... my friend showed me this site... .and i kinda sorta ordered 4 more Natsume yuujinchou figures from it.
the natsume and natori set (i've actually already taken a pic of the natsume in that set cause my friend found it at a con but that doesn't change the fact that i wanna own it... ) one of him stepping on water thats in a set with reiko (though eiko was sold seperately and my friend wants way more then i do so i'm letting her get it first just incase the stock is limited.) and one of natsume walking thorugh a field of stars... the pair to this is madara and yeah... it's a nice figure but i'd rather jus thave the one.
i thought about getting nastume and kogitsune but my bill was already higher then i wanted to admit.
and i may still get matoba but i gotta save up a bit (i have self imposed rules about how much i'm allowed to spend in a day/week/month)

HOWEVER.... we are not done here... normally i split these up cause... well why not...
but i also took pictures of my kirito nendroid i got a while back.
"but Kat! you really don't like SAO"
i know.... i ordered him and asuna back when i did like the show... and honestly he does have a cute design so i don't begrude owning the figure... especialyl since...well... you'll see.

 see? he's pretty cute... and he came with a facent eyes face which is how i felt after watching the show so i tried it on.

hm.... not really doing it for me... plus if i look at it wrong the potion falls out of his hand... were there are those cool sword... maybe it'll go with the grinning face?

well... yeah i guess it works... that top shot is probabyl my fav of his batch but what if i...
oh no...

oh no what have i done?

oh boy...

"Ore wa John Smith"
...
you know what?
i regret nothing.... and kyons gunna stay like this for a little...
at least
until i get my grubby paws on hibiki... i look forward to makign kyon wear that sweater.

so... so yeah.... this makes me way happier then it should but other then being sick as hell this really did mkae my day pretty fun.
ok.... back to rendering this commission!

Rant rant rant~

this is in regards so something i reviewed recently but i refuse to name cause i learned from the amount of people who read that 'review' in such a short time that even though you don't expect your stuff to get seen and you don't share it... sometimes they will find you anyways.

Dropped: Jubei-chan: the ninja girl

so way back in the long since forgotten days of highschool i had a friend who knew i liked anime.
"have you see nthat show about the girl with the heart shaped eyepatch?" she asked.
i stared at her and slowly shook my head no. "never heard of it..."
"oh"

and that was the end of that convo...

so fast forward to today and i notice crunchy has added a show where a girl has a heart shaped eyepatch.... given that it was made in 1999 the time frame fits with when my friend asked about a show (give or take a year or two for localization)
so i think... if it was enough for my friend to ask me about maybe i should check it out.

... so it's a comedy anime...
... from the late 90s...
and yeah...
it's not very good...
it was 'enjoyable'
but just a little too silly for me to give it the full 13 episodes.
especially considering i feel like i'm missing out of the jokes thanks to cultural/time differences.

I did love that in the credits... the villan is played by ?
that made me laugh harder then it should of
especially considering how obvious the villan is...

and yes.... i read credits... you know... as long as they are in a language i can read.

but yeah i just wanted to tell my little story of yesteryear...
before i write my next thing which will be a vague rant about.... 'something'

Completed: Awoken By Serra Elinsen

*can't stop laughing* dammit i had plans for this...
but nope... plans changed.

Ok first off.
I have not read much Young adult fiction... especially not 'paranormal romance' as it i apparently called.

The books i have read are:
Twilight series... all of them- probably the greatest comedy i've read in a while... i spent more time laughing at the piss poor writing and plot then actually giving a shit about what was happening, i read it cause a friend lent it to me.... and she was there while i read a little... and i turned to her and said... in my dead pan snark. "he 'sparkles'? thats a joke right?"
nope... still it was a quick and funny read.

then
The mortal instruments: same friend though thing time instad of lending them to me she bought me the series.
not as funny as twilight... probably cause it had more 'plot' and 'character' but still not realyl my cup of tea.... especially considering that the main conflict of the romance is that they may be related and i find that icky.
True story: One day at work my boss looked at me and said. "we need to swing by mortal instruments today"
"yeah sure" i say as i plug in numbers but then i paused. "wait... like... based off the book?"
"yeah it just finished shooting and we need to pick something up for a crew member"
"hm..."
"have you read it?"
"yeah i got it as a gift... i'm wondering how they'll deal with the whole love interest thing"
"why whats the hook?"
"they may or may not be siblings"
Silence.

so yeah that was fun times.

then i read a third story
and i can't remember it
it was before i was doing reviews so i can't even look up the title.
i think it had something to do with eye colour and part of me feels it was kinda a one off not a full series.... but honestly i cannot remember a damn thing about it... and my memory for books tends to be really good... thats how little it left an impact on me.

and now we have this.

Um.... i kinda wanna void spoilers so.... if you know nothing of Serra elinsen just go pick up the book for your kindle... it's pretty cheap (around 5 bucks i think?)... then maybe come back and read this? i don't really want to ruin the surprised.
...
..
.
..
...
i'm serious.... go away.... 'spoilers' ahead...


ok.... so... part of me wants to find someone who doesn't know about Serra Elinsen and her 'Journey' of writing this book and just see what they think... cause i am more then a little biased knowing how this all came to be.
I can say without a shadow of a doubt this is probably the most competently written Young adult paranormal romance book i have read though again considering my library of YA thats not saying much... but part of me wonders if i feel it's so good cause it's pretty much a parody of the entire idea of the genre... i had a family friend lend me love bites... i made it halfway down the first page before i handed it right back to her. that was parody being self aware but really stupid....
Awoken by 'Serra Elinsen' is like a parody written in all seriousness. even though it's pretty much a joke it tried to be the best it was.
if you ever wanted Cthulhu as love interest... this is you book. (though if you a Cthulhu fanatic and love minor details and research... well.... just be warned)
that being said... i had to pause every so often to avoid bursting out laughing...
pretty much any time the word 'scorn' is uttered... i just snickered.
also i have to give 'her' props becuase while twilight made up words instead of looking at a thesaurus... Awoken took the thesaurus and tried to fit every single one of those synonyms and have it work in the story. especially true with 'Little' and 'Green'
Also.... i would love a story about Uncle Neil. like all YA stuff he's that one character who is so much more interesting then the rest of the plot and he barely gets more then a few chapters.

but yeah... as a book i can't really suggest it... unless you reading it while i'm around so i can see your reactions.... and even then i would be too busy telling you about the journey... since i think that is the more interesting story in all this.

Also you can tell 'she' REALLY likes phantom.... like a lot...  though those were some of the more amusing chapters (i mean they were all good just those ones had me rolling around laughing)

but hey, i left with a smile on my face and thats more then i could ask for... even when it got a little too... meta... it was still just the right balance.
but seriously i need to find someone who knows nothing just to see their reaction

what i didn't talk about the story?
yeah thats too bad... guess you gotta read it for yourself.

oh right... i forgot to mention this is a quick read... like... no more then 6 hours... *granted i had a fever all day so maybe even shorter then that... *