hey... when i said in my Glasslip ramble that i don't like being negative... i prefer to be critical.... yeah that was a preamble to this.
This was difficult
...
I wanted to stop so many times...
This is easily one of the worst dubs i've sat through.
and i'm including the heavily edited shows from my childhood.
The old dub with it's screwy order and cut to ribbons edit was so much better then this... even with it's late 90s music... it was better acted, better directed and more importantly it made more sense.
This dub is TERRIBLE.
shame on you animax... which is the place i see people credit this dub to the most.
but there must be reasons why it's bad... so i'm going to list them... and then i'll talk about the show itself.
1) The Dub changes a lot of plot crucial stuff.
Now i already ranted on this back when i was still just starting but more happened... so quick sum up.
According to episode one Tomoyo has a father... she doesn't have one in the original anime or manga... thats kinda the point... they do retcon this a few episodes later with the line "tomoyo never mentions her father" and i guess the transltors are just hoping you don't remember that incident in episode one.
Apparently you can just use magic by asking nicely...
this is changed a few times in the series.... they do eventually change it to almost a direct translation of the original incantation which made me happy......
until the incantation changes in season two... this time they use "my star" versus "the star" which i just felt sounded wrong but was happy to let slide... it was eventually changed to be "the star" but honestly i'm not so petty.
2) the only characters who keep the same voice actors are Sakura, Li, Yukito, Kero, Meiling Sakura's father (maybe) and Eriol.
The first season is worse for this then the end chunk but some characters change voice actors from episode to episode.... this is extremely distracting since you will hear someone talk and it'll be that moment of "wait... isn't that?"
I swear there are only 5 female voice actors and 4-5 male voice actors in the entire cast.... again super distracting when you hear Sakura's father also play the teacher and sometimes Clow and sometimes another older male...
When i first tried to figure out who NISA was using for the dub (at the time i didn't realise it wasn't them dubbing it) i found it odd that i couldn't for the life of me find a cast list.... and the only actress i did find was the one who played Rue in Princess Tutu... and that gave m high hopes cause she kicked ass in Princess Tutu.
but now i get it... theres no cast list cause the cast changes CONSTANTLY
3) The translation is extremely poor
I don't know why the translation is so stilted but there is constant repeating things over and over in order to fill out lip flaps... thats fine or it would be if they weren't cuttin out chracter crucial dialogue in the same stroke... it's like this dub is half uncut and half cencored... it doesn't know what it wants to be.
4) one of the directors doesn't know how to pronounce Yue.
Now.... while i know a few languages... chinese isn't one of them... so i looked it up and every sorce i saw said that Yue should be pronounced either "Yu-eh" or "yu-yeh"
however it should not be pronounced like "you" or "yew"
espcially considering that in english hearing "You" makes us stop and think "are they saying you as in the other person or yue as in the character.
and the worst part is... in the forshadowing episodes before Light and Dark they pronounce it correctly.... someone obviously had the reigns for that one episode and it stuck...
but considering the line is "yue will be the final judge" but it's sounds like "YOU will be the final judge" the whole thing falls apart.
5) Censorship.
This is going to sound lame... cause it is... but i have litterally written Essays about the themes of this show. To sum up this show is about Love in all it's forms.
There are openly gay characters, characters questioning their sexuality, characters who have unrequited love, characters who love each other despite a rather large age gap....
the list goes on
these are all very important to the overarching theme of the entire series.
The most important showing of this is with the fact that Li and sakura both have crushes on Yukito.
This dub didn't record any of the lines regarding the fact that Li is confused by the fact that he likes a guy even though it is one of the most crucial plot points of the show. he has to look inward and determine what am i really attracted to and who is actually the one i like... it's the entire bases for his character arc in season 2.... but no we can't have the main love interest potentially be gay for some reason... i was really annoyed that these lines were pulled out since it messes with the authors intent (which i have learned recently is a quick way to piss me right off)
as a side note, tomoyo never overtly mentions in any way her feelings for sakura.... sonomi never is accused of liking her cousin too much... same with chiharu and yamazaki....
they do keep one of the gay couples... probably because they couldn't get away with it without actually taking out part of the show...
6) Expectations were too high.
Just before this i got the Toradora dub.... which is easily the best dub i have ever listened to... the casting is perfection and the translation is spot on.... i was expecting the same quality from this....
BOY was that a mistake.
I will say the acting for the most part is fine..... but everything else just seems to have been so shoddily put together.
i'm going to say it's inexperience... although looking they have done a mishmash of old titles so maybe thats not the case.
still wow was i disappointed.
doesn't help that the main reason i bought this was for the new dub... i have a boxset of cardcaptors sakura already... the picture wasn;t the best and i know they left some stuff out but geneon did a lovely job of the packaging.
is there anything good about this?
Yes... the bluray disks are lovely clear and the japanese with subtitles version is not only perfectly done but also contains some stuff that my old Geneon box sets didn't have (variation of first intro and end of the season farewell)
it's nice having 8 episodes a disk instead of the 4-5 of the geneon set.
it was good to hear a new dub (even one as terrible as this) since most companies have been putting out sub only fare (which is fine but i actually dont mind dubs for the most part)
oh there has to be something else.... uh....
um... it's a good reminder that this show jsut works better in japanese.... since it makes sense why she would have a hard time reading the english on the card.
uh...
um....
pretty box? i dunno... i don't begrudge buying this... i still love NISA's work and i seriously hope they continue to dub things... i just want THEM to do it... not animax.
*looks at the top*
I said i'd talk about the show... okay...
Sakura is a girl who comes across a magic book and accidently lets the magic out... this could potentially bring about a great tragedy so she is tasked with finding all the cards that hold the magic and making sure everything is good.... but the show is actually about different types of love and how thins like age and experience can change perception of it but never saying a for of love isn't valid.
also season 2 (i know it's really the 3rd season but i dont care it's the biggest change from one arc to the other) is a million times better then season 1 since it focuses a bit less on the cards and more on the characters... but thats just my opinion.
Also fun fact, the first volume of the second half of the manga (aka cardcaptors sakura masters of the clow) was the second volume of manga i ever owned (got it at 13).... (the first manga i got was a french volume of sailor moon i got from my grandmother when i was 7 or 8.... i wasn't joking in the Blue Spring Ride ramble that i am capable of reading the french version just fine)
So yeah if you don't own the geneon box set then this is a great alternative... i suggest the bluray cause the picture quality is superb...
but do not expect anything from the dub....
watch the dub if you don't trust me. (first 6 episodes are on crunchyroll for free)
i hope whatever else NISA puts out as dubbed it closer to Toradora! quality then this. (another show you can check out on crunchy though again only the first 6 episodes are free)
it felt really good to get this out of my system.... i'm sorry for anyone who took the time to read my deranged rambling over a show from my childhood that i am just a tiny bit too passionate about.
ok back to watching tegami bachi... even though the siren's call of Natsume yuujinchou is strong...
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Glasslip
. . .
How to start. . .
I have a tendency to be critical of things, i have been told since i was little i should just enjoy stuff (or pretend to) despite how stupid/pointless/annoying the thing in question is otherwise people may not like me.
I was never terribly good at listening to other people...
I figure as long as i'm not just being purely negative it's okay to look at something with a bit of a critical eye.
even though Ys is my favourite video game i am perfectly happy and willing to look at it and point out some of it's flaws... same for natsume yuujinchou or Brent Weeks novels... i have never equated being critical of something as not liking something.
But then i come to something like this.... and i have nothing kind to say.
I have never seen an anime with less plot or point or purpose.
It's very pretty to look at but even comparing it to other titles made by that animation house you can tell that they didn't have much a budget.... and if they did they didn't spend it on the animation.
I'm just dumbfounded right now cause i was expecting this to be good.
The base plot is a girl who can see fragments of the future and a boy who can hear fragments of the future meet and their powers combine.
Only thats not what it's about.... it's about a group of 5 friends who are thrown a bit into disarray as the newcomer to town changes the dynamic.
But you could also argue it's about figuring out what these fragments are.... only no it's not cause it's never explored... they say they have explored it but they never do.
maybe it's about chickens?
Now it could just be that i didn't get the show. Fair enough... but there were these moments of good ideas that were just completely squandered.
Alternate world where instead of one character being the newcomer the other one is? neat idea.... over with in the episode it's introduced... never touched upon or explained or explored again.
Seeing visions of characters dying? doesn't matter... nothing bad happens to any of the characters so the scenes make no sense in the narrative.
Character relationships get shown often but it's all quite surface... the two mins seem to like each other out of nowhere and only because they share the ability.
and even then when something happens to change how the rules of this universe work it continues to make no sense and in the end has no reason to have happened in the first place.
This is a show about nothing..... but it's trying to be about a lot of things.
and in the end it was just a waste of time.... i hoped it would pull something amazing in those last few episodes and it just continued to get worse and worse. PA works is capable of doing so much better then this and i really hope their next project is a success.
So yeah, in my opinion, stay away from this waste of time and go watch Hanasaku Iroha or Nagi no Asukura instead because those are vastly better shows in every regard.
How to start. . .
I have a tendency to be critical of things, i have been told since i was little i should just enjoy stuff (or pretend to) despite how stupid/pointless/annoying the thing in question is otherwise people may not like me.
I was never terribly good at listening to other people...
I figure as long as i'm not just being purely negative it's okay to look at something with a bit of a critical eye.
even though Ys is my favourite video game i am perfectly happy and willing to look at it and point out some of it's flaws... same for natsume yuujinchou or Brent Weeks novels... i have never equated being critical of something as not liking something.
But then i come to something like this.... and i have nothing kind to say.
I have never seen an anime with less plot or point or purpose.
It's very pretty to look at but even comparing it to other titles made by that animation house you can tell that they didn't have much a budget.... and if they did they didn't spend it on the animation.
I'm just dumbfounded right now cause i was expecting this to be good.
The base plot is a girl who can see fragments of the future and a boy who can hear fragments of the future meet and their powers combine.
Only thats not what it's about.... it's about a group of 5 friends who are thrown a bit into disarray as the newcomer to town changes the dynamic.
But you could also argue it's about figuring out what these fragments are.... only no it's not cause it's never explored... they say they have explored it but they never do.
maybe it's about chickens?
Now it could just be that i didn't get the show. Fair enough... but there were these moments of good ideas that were just completely squandered.
Alternate world where instead of one character being the newcomer the other one is? neat idea.... over with in the episode it's introduced... never touched upon or explained or explored again.
Seeing visions of characters dying? doesn't matter... nothing bad happens to any of the characters so the scenes make no sense in the narrative.
Character relationships get shown often but it's all quite surface... the two mins seem to like each other out of nowhere and only because they share the ability.
and even then when something happens to change how the rules of this universe work it continues to make no sense and in the end has no reason to have happened in the first place.
This is a show about nothing..... but it's trying to be about a lot of things.
and in the end it was just a waste of time.... i hoped it would pull something amazing in those last few episodes and it just continued to get worse and worse. PA works is capable of doing so much better then this and i really hope their next project is a success.
So yeah, in my opinion, stay away from this waste of time and go watch Hanasaku Iroha or Nagi no Asukura instead because those are vastly better shows in every regard.
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
DRAMAtical murder
When this show first came on the only reason i knew it was based of a Yaoi game was because someone i follow on tumblr really liked it.
I'm not the biggest fan of Yaoi because it almost always gets rapey [at least any i have personally seen] (case and point i was watching Love Stage cause it was sweet and adorable and then out of nowhere extremely rapey so i stopped) so i was a bit worried going into this
However... there is nothing in this that shows this is based on Yaoi.
the most that ever happens is a kiss.
However all that aside... this show is kinda terrible.
I have a feeling (cause the fanbase for the game is quite large) that the plot goes far more indepth to Aoba's voice powers and each characters issues and the overall guy wanting to control the world cause reasons.... but in this is just the most shallow thing i have ever seen.
Conflict is introduced and solved almost immediately... the rules of the world are explained but then things happen and it's like... you can't even really get from context whats going on.
it's all very rushed and just kinda ends and everyone gets a happy ending cause... why not?
I dunno it just had some neat ideas and didn't deliver on any of them cause 12 episodes is not a lot of time.
The good:
....
uh...
some of the visuals are interesting?
Noiz has a neat design (though i must say the future has extremely strange fashion sense according to this show)
I like the idea that if we have computers that took on a 'living form' it would be animals cause who wouldn't want a personal puppy computer that could talk.... that sounds adorable. (though i would have a kitty cause fav animal and all)
The not so good:
The animation ranges for adequate to utterly horrendous... theres a scene where Aoba goes from being a brunette wearing and ornage shirt to his normal bright blue hair and blue shirt.... and i'm 99% sure it wasn't done on purpose.
it's been 12 episodes and i still only know very surface things about these characters... yeah i know a bit of their backstory but i have no idea or clue as to why they help Aoba so much.
Too much info and not enough time, each character (whom i assume is a suitor in the game) gets an episode and their own ending song.... but i didn't really care about any of them.. .Clear has the most character development out of all of them and even that is mostly exposition dialogue.
The bad:
It's been a long time since i've heard a show with such stunningly awful music... I don't normally skip intro or ending songs but for this i had to cause my ears protested every time [except the character specific songs which i did listen to since they only happen once each]
unmemorable, in a few weeks i will have completely forgotten about this show.
Characters are blander then bland and their motivations make little to no sense.
The reason for one of Aoba's character traits is mentioned once at the start and once at the end and it's like.... you made such a fuss for that and it meant pretty much nothing?
Also they make out Rhyme (a game inside the show) to be a huge deal and it's used twice to really "why should i care?" results
If you are here for the Yaoi... well there isn't any so i guess stick to the game?
So yeah just kinda a crappy show in an otherwise great season. But not the worst show i've watched this season... no that gets saved for thursday... unless it pulls out something magical in it's final episodes.
this season really felt like it went by quickly, looking forward to fall 2014.
I'm not the biggest fan of Yaoi because it almost always gets rapey [at least any i have personally seen] (case and point i was watching Love Stage cause it was sweet and adorable and then out of nowhere extremely rapey so i stopped) so i was a bit worried going into this
However... there is nothing in this that shows this is based on Yaoi.
the most that ever happens is a kiss.
However all that aside... this show is kinda terrible.
I have a feeling (cause the fanbase for the game is quite large) that the plot goes far more indepth to Aoba's voice powers and each characters issues and the overall guy wanting to control the world cause reasons.... but in this is just the most shallow thing i have ever seen.
Conflict is introduced and solved almost immediately... the rules of the world are explained but then things happen and it's like... you can't even really get from context whats going on.
it's all very rushed and just kinda ends and everyone gets a happy ending cause... why not?
I dunno it just had some neat ideas and didn't deliver on any of them cause 12 episodes is not a lot of time.
The good:
....
uh...
some of the visuals are interesting?
Noiz has a neat design (though i must say the future has extremely strange fashion sense according to this show)
I like the idea that if we have computers that took on a 'living form' it would be animals cause who wouldn't want a personal puppy computer that could talk.... that sounds adorable. (though i would have a kitty cause fav animal and all)
The not so good:
The animation ranges for adequate to utterly horrendous... theres a scene where Aoba goes from being a brunette wearing and ornage shirt to his normal bright blue hair and blue shirt.... and i'm 99% sure it wasn't done on purpose.
it's been 12 episodes and i still only know very surface things about these characters... yeah i know a bit of their backstory but i have no idea or clue as to why they help Aoba so much.
Too much info and not enough time, each character (whom i assume is a suitor in the game) gets an episode and their own ending song.... but i didn't really care about any of them.. .Clear has the most character development out of all of them and even that is mostly exposition dialogue.
The bad:
It's been a long time since i've heard a show with such stunningly awful music... I don't normally skip intro or ending songs but for this i had to cause my ears protested every time [except the character specific songs which i did listen to since they only happen once each]
unmemorable, in a few weeks i will have completely forgotten about this show.
Characters are blander then bland and their motivations make little to no sense.
The reason for one of Aoba's character traits is mentioned once at the start and once at the end and it's like.... you made such a fuss for that and it meant pretty much nothing?
Also they make out Rhyme (a game inside the show) to be a huge deal and it's used twice to really "why should i care?" results
If you are here for the Yaoi... well there isn't any so i guess stick to the game?
So yeah just kinda a crappy show in an otherwise great season. But not the worst show i've watched this season... no that gets saved for thursday... unless it pulls out something magical in it's final episodes.
this season really felt like it went by quickly, looking forward to fall 2014.
Monday, 22 September 2014
Blue Spring Ride
Aka: Ao Haru Ride.
This season has had so many fantastic titles but if i had to pick the one i looked forward to the most it would have to be this one.
Every time it ended i whined about how next monday was so far away.
I knew from episode one that this would be my fav of the season because it deal with a lot of themes i love exploring and can easily identify with.
Anyways....
Futaba and Kou liked each other in middle school but thanks to a misunderstanding followed by Kou moving they end up having their last meeting being a bit of an awkward one.
Fast forward 3 (i think) and a lot has changed.
after being teased for being too cute during all of middle school Futaba works hard to not stand out and actively does stuff to try and gain the acceptance of her female classmates since she is terrified of being alone again.
One day by chance she bumps into a boy who looks a lot like Kou but he has different name... and an attitude problem.
Of course it is Kou and the two of them have to deal with that fact that while they are the same people things have changed and you can't go back to the past.
Still the two become unlikely friends and slowly their group grows over the course of the semester.
Also it's shojo so you got your normal tropes that you tend to see in that genre but i think they work well.
Anyways.... true story time!
around the halfway mark i wondered if the manga had been licensed... and it has......... in german and french.
I am debating getting the french one since it is a language i can speak (though not speaking it for over a decade has forced me to lose quite a bit of it... luckily reading and listening weren't affected too much) but i am still hopeful that Shojo beat (aka Viz) will notice how popular the show got and maybe license it in english.... i can dream.
True story 2
because i couldn't find an english license to this series i looked at another series this author did called strobe edge.... i ordered it all and just devoured those books. So good.
True story 3
while i never changed my personality to be liked by anyone a lot of people are surprised when they get to know me... my normal day to day wear is comfy things i don't mind ruining... so jeans and Babydoll t-shirts mostly.... a sweater if it's cold.
I do this because my work (either at home or on a show) can be messy and there is nothing worse then getting paint on clothing you like.
However my taste lean way more towards the girly... i love ribbons and frills (just incase you couldn't tell from my art) I do not shy away from Pink or sparkles (though because i'm freakishly pale i kinda have to wear dark colours to not vanish entirely)
My friends have accused me of being a closeted girly girl and i reply with the fact that i don't hide it... i am just way too shy/cheap to dress the way i like.
All throughout highschool my friends were mostly male and any time i did dress a little girly they made fun of me... it wasn't mean spirited or anything but considering how self conscious i already am it wasn't an experience i enjoyed going through so i just continued to save the girly clothing for special occasions.
So all that shit helped me relate to Futaba and it's part of the reason i love the show so much.... that sense of "been there done that" is amusing to me.
True story 4
when i was young we moved across the country.
I had moved once before but i was too young to remember it.
I was terrified and miserable on moving day... my parents feeling a little bad saved up and just over a year later they gave me a plain ticket so i could spend Christmas Holiday back in my hometown.
It was both amazing cause i would get to see all my friends again and terrifying cause i had never been on a plain before (we drove to get here) and i was doing it alone.
At first when i got there it was great but i quickly realized something.
Even though i had kept in touch with my friends... even though it had only been a year.
we had all changed so much.
it was a massive wake up call
I realized a few of my friends only tolerated each other cause they liked hanging out with me.
I realized some people i considered friends probably didn't like me that much to begin with, i was just quiet so it was better to hang out with someone then be alone.
I realized that with my focus on Art that everyone though i was just acting like a child and should grow up.
In 2 weeks i learned so much about myself and those around me.
I learned how to spot my true friends and how i shouldn't spend time on effort trying to get in touch with people who want nothing to do with me.
I haven't gone back there since... it's been over 10 years now...
and i couldn't be happier.
So when Kou mentions he doens't want to relive the past, or have people trying to find the past him in his current actions i get it... i understand that 100% and i love seeing that theme explored in a show.
There is one more story i could tell but i think you've had enough.
anyways.
The good:
Everything...
the music is great (especially that amazing intro song)
The characters are lovely and for the most part believable (more on that in a bit)
the story is great and could easily have another 2 seasons but that endign did seem kinda final.... i want more... MORE
i just loved every moment of it.
it is extremely girly so maybe guys wont like it but i dunno... i think anyone could enjoy it personally.
The annoying:
there are scenes where Futaba kinda... tests Kou.... and his reaction t oone of the tests i do not buy for a second... he had no reason to do what he did...
it's amazing and adorable that he did do that but realistically it wouldn't have happened.
This is another show Sentai picked up that i will be buying as soon as it's available.
and i'll continue to hope that Shojo beat pics up this manga cause it's really really good and i wanna read it all and i know it's longer then the show.
alright all thats left is DRAMAtical Murder if i ever catch up on it, Glasslip on Thursday and then Barakamon in two weeks... i keep forgetting to talk about it since it's the only Funimation title i'm watching this season.
Sorry for all the stories but i figure they help in showingmy bias on while i love the show as much as i do.
will it beat out Natsume Yuujinchou as my fav show?
no
but it's easily up there as one of my all time faves.... especially if it gets more seasons.
This season has had so many fantastic titles but if i had to pick the one i looked forward to the most it would have to be this one.
Every time it ended i whined about how next monday was so far away.
I knew from episode one that this would be my fav of the season because it deal with a lot of themes i love exploring and can easily identify with.
Anyways....
Futaba and Kou liked each other in middle school but thanks to a misunderstanding followed by Kou moving they end up having their last meeting being a bit of an awkward one.
Fast forward 3 (i think) and a lot has changed.
after being teased for being too cute during all of middle school Futaba works hard to not stand out and actively does stuff to try and gain the acceptance of her female classmates since she is terrified of being alone again.
One day by chance she bumps into a boy who looks a lot like Kou but he has different name... and an attitude problem.
Of course it is Kou and the two of them have to deal with that fact that while they are the same people things have changed and you can't go back to the past.
Still the two become unlikely friends and slowly their group grows over the course of the semester.
Also it's shojo so you got your normal tropes that you tend to see in that genre but i think they work well.
Anyways.... true story time!
around the halfway mark i wondered if the manga had been licensed... and it has......... in german and french.
I am debating getting the french one since it is a language i can speak (though not speaking it for over a decade has forced me to lose quite a bit of it... luckily reading and listening weren't affected too much) but i am still hopeful that Shojo beat (aka Viz) will notice how popular the show got and maybe license it in english.... i can dream.
True story 2
because i couldn't find an english license to this series i looked at another series this author did called strobe edge.... i ordered it all and just devoured those books. So good.
True story 3
while i never changed my personality to be liked by anyone a lot of people are surprised when they get to know me... my normal day to day wear is comfy things i don't mind ruining... so jeans and Babydoll t-shirts mostly.... a sweater if it's cold.
I do this because my work (either at home or on a show) can be messy and there is nothing worse then getting paint on clothing you like.
However my taste lean way more towards the girly... i love ribbons and frills (just incase you couldn't tell from my art) I do not shy away from Pink or sparkles (though because i'm freakishly pale i kinda have to wear dark colours to not vanish entirely)
My friends have accused me of being a closeted girly girl and i reply with the fact that i don't hide it... i am just way too shy/cheap to dress the way i like.
All throughout highschool my friends were mostly male and any time i did dress a little girly they made fun of me... it wasn't mean spirited or anything but considering how self conscious i already am it wasn't an experience i enjoyed going through so i just continued to save the girly clothing for special occasions.
So all that shit helped me relate to Futaba and it's part of the reason i love the show so much.... that sense of "been there done that" is amusing to me.
True story 4
when i was young we moved across the country.
I had moved once before but i was too young to remember it.
I was terrified and miserable on moving day... my parents feeling a little bad saved up and just over a year later they gave me a plain ticket so i could spend Christmas Holiday back in my hometown.
It was both amazing cause i would get to see all my friends again and terrifying cause i had never been on a plain before (we drove to get here) and i was doing it alone.
At first when i got there it was great but i quickly realized something.
Even though i had kept in touch with my friends... even though it had only been a year.
we had all changed so much.
it was a massive wake up call
I realized a few of my friends only tolerated each other cause they liked hanging out with me.
I realized some people i considered friends probably didn't like me that much to begin with, i was just quiet so it was better to hang out with someone then be alone.
I realized that with my focus on Art that everyone though i was just acting like a child and should grow up.
In 2 weeks i learned so much about myself and those around me.
I learned how to spot my true friends and how i shouldn't spend time on effort trying to get in touch with people who want nothing to do with me.
I haven't gone back there since... it's been over 10 years now...
and i couldn't be happier.
So when Kou mentions he doens't want to relive the past, or have people trying to find the past him in his current actions i get it... i understand that 100% and i love seeing that theme explored in a show.
There is one more story i could tell but i think you've had enough.
anyways.
The good:
Everything...
the music is great (especially that amazing intro song)
The characters are lovely and for the most part believable (more on that in a bit)
the story is great and could easily have another 2 seasons but that endign did seem kinda final.... i want more... MORE
i just loved every moment of it.
it is extremely girly so maybe guys wont like it but i dunno... i think anyone could enjoy it personally.
The annoying:
there are scenes where Futaba kinda... tests Kou.... and his reaction t oone of the tests i do not buy for a second... he had no reason to do what he did...
it's amazing and adorable that he did do that but realistically it wouldn't have happened.
This is another show Sentai picked up that i will be buying as soon as it's available.
and i'll continue to hope that Shojo beat pics up this manga cause it's really really good and i wanna read it all and i know it's longer then the show.
alright all thats left is DRAMAtical Murder if i ever catch up on it, Glasslip on Thursday and then Barakamon in two weeks... i keep forgetting to talk about it since it's the only Funimation title i'm watching this season.
Sorry for all the stories but i figure they help in showingmy bias on while i love the show as much as i do.
will it beat out Natsume Yuujinchou as my fav show?
no
but it's easily up there as one of my all time faves.... especially if it gets more seasons.
HaNaYaMaTa
Ever since K-on came out i have been hesitant about shows that focus on clubs with freakishly cute characters.
While i wont say K-on is a bad show (i mean i personally don't like it but it's not bad) for me it felt really pointless as there is (at least in the first season) no character arc and everyone is damn near perfect without practicing or hardship... but it was really popular so many shows shortly after, and to a lesser extent even now, did a similar formula of having Moe girls in a club where all they seem to do is eat cake and talk about things.
However, for the past few years i have tried to watch a little of everything Crunchyroll simulcats since i do pay for a subscription... so i may as well use it as much as possible... and i have watched some shows i would have never touched thanks to this.
HaNaYaMaTa is definitely one of those shows.
We follow Naru, an ordinary girl who dreams of being able to stand out and 'sparkle' despite her crippling shyness.
By chance she bumps into a blond girl named Hana who is dancing at a shrine, she mistakes the girl for a fairy (cause naru is more then a little obsessed with fairytales) and through a series of evens Hana forces Naru to dance with her.
The next school day arrives and it is revealed that Hana is infact human... an American to be more precise and has transfered from the states and is obsessed with a type of dance known as Yasokoi.
The problem with Yasokoi is that you need a group to be able to dance it and Hana's appraoch is a bit too strong for her schoolmates who just think she's a little weird.
Over time she recruits Naru to her club and slowly they start to get members. Still school regulations are tricky to work around and so between actually making the club legit, getting an advisor, getting more members, and participating in festivals proves to be extremely difficult but the show is about them working through things no matter what is thrown their way.
These girls work hard... unlike the other show i already mentioned i didn't like.
Honestly i did worry that this was going to be another Kiniro Mosaic bait and switch but as i continued to watch i continued to enjoy.
Is it a great show? maybe not... but it has a sweetness and sincerity that other shows that have a heavy focus on clubs tend to miss.
plus i love the intro and ending songs... very very pretty.
The good:
Animation - It's so bright and colourful... the style is a bit strange but you get used to it pretty quick.
Music - this could be personal taste since i like the type of music they are playing quite a bit.
Character arcs - everyone has them and while some are more believable then others they all still work... i do think the guy who owns the shop does add a bit too much of a deus ex machina elements but i forgive it since it's rare.
The not so good:
only 12 episodes so it feels a bit rushed... especially at the end.
if you hate shows with freakishly cute characters then yeah this wont change your mind.
a little predictable.
I can't think of anything bad... maybe it would have been nice to see a few more festivals but again it's only 12 episodes so more would have made it feel even more rushed.
it could probably have a second season, i don't think it should or needs to but i wouldn't be upset if it happened
yeah just an all around sweet show.
Now it's time for pain... time to wtach Blue Spring Ride and probably bawl my eyes out.
While i wont say K-on is a bad show (i mean i personally don't like it but it's not bad) for me it felt really pointless as there is (at least in the first season) no character arc and everyone is damn near perfect without practicing or hardship... but it was really popular so many shows shortly after, and to a lesser extent even now, did a similar formula of having Moe girls in a club where all they seem to do is eat cake and talk about things.
However, for the past few years i have tried to watch a little of everything Crunchyroll simulcats since i do pay for a subscription... so i may as well use it as much as possible... and i have watched some shows i would have never touched thanks to this.
HaNaYaMaTa is definitely one of those shows.
We follow Naru, an ordinary girl who dreams of being able to stand out and 'sparkle' despite her crippling shyness.
By chance she bumps into a blond girl named Hana who is dancing at a shrine, she mistakes the girl for a fairy (cause naru is more then a little obsessed with fairytales) and through a series of evens Hana forces Naru to dance with her.
The next school day arrives and it is revealed that Hana is infact human... an American to be more precise and has transfered from the states and is obsessed with a type of dance known as Yasokoi.
The problem with Yasokoi is that you need a group to be able to dance it and Hana's appraoch is a bit too strong for her schoolmates who just think she's a little weird.
Over time she recruits Naru to her club and slowly they start to get members. Still school regulations are tricky to work around and so between actually making the club legit, getting an advisor, getting more members, and participating in festivals proves to be extremely difficult but the show is about them working through things no matter what is thrown their way.
These girls work hard... unlike the other show i already mentioned i didn't like.
Honestly i did worry that this was going to be another Kiniro Mosaic bait and switch but as i continued to watch i continued to enjoy.
Is it a great show? maybe not... but it has a sweetness and sincerity that other shows that have a heavy focus on clubs tend to miss.
plus i love the intro and ending songs... very very pretty.
The good:
Animation - It's so bright and colourful... the style is a bit strange but you get used to it pretty quick.
Music - this could be personal taste since i like the type of music they are playing quite a bit.
Character arcs - everyone has them and while some are more believable then others they all still work... i do think the guy who owns the shop does add a bit too much of a deus ex machina elements but i forgive it since it's rare.
The not so good:
only 12 episodes so it feels a bit rushed... especially at the end.
if you hate shows with freakishly cute characters then yeah this wont change your mind.
a little predictable.
I can't think of anything bad... maybe it would have been nice to see a few more festivals but again it's only 12 episodes so more would have made it feel even more rushed.
it could probably have a second season, i don't think it should or needs to but i wouldn't be upset if it happened
yeah just an all around sweet show.
Now it's time for pain... time to wtach Blue Spring Ride and probably bawl my eyes out.
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
Aka: Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun
I am so bummed that this is over....
Okay so quick putting my Biases out there.
I don't tend to like anime about making manga cause it's got a lot of drama added and it's just kinda dumb. It's the same reason i'm not a fan of anime that focuses on art... it tends to be an unrealistic portrayal and that can be annoying.
This is actually pretty accurate.
and really funny
I laughed through pretty much every minute of the 12 episode run.
using your friends as references without them realizing? oh yeah... guilty.
Thinking up plots for things more then actually worrying about real world stuff... yeah been there done that.
using events around you as inspiration? hell yes.
I love it.
then to also have this weaving of character interaction that works perfectly with the fact that this one brutish lookign guy draws the girliest manga you can imagine and no one believes him... theres no hiding it... no fake drama... just a guy who mkaes manga and tends to recruit his friends into helping out.
now i have to look into if this is based on a manga... cause i need more.
it was just so cute and fun and funny
the characters were great and the animation lovely... plus the music was pretty good too. and once again Sentai licensed it so i'll definitely be picking up this and Captain earth the instant they are out.
i did sketch some fanart for this show but i never got around to inking it... i think i got a string of commissions and forgot about it... but maybe some fanart is in order.
for now if you like funny slice of life that doesn't rely on gags.... or are an artists who is less the descreet about getting your reference material (one time i was sitting with friends and as they were talking i just posed one of their arms and they looked at me like i was nuts.... but they held the pose so thats all i care about..... and maybe i'm a little nuts)
i think it's an all-round enjoyable show.
but seriously i wish there was more...
you can see it over on crunchyroll
I am so bummed that this is over....
Okay so quick putting my Biases out there.
I don't tend to like anime about making manga cause it's got a lot of drama added and it's just kinda dumb. It's the same reason i'm not a fan of anime that focuses on art... it tends to be an unrealistic portrayal and that can be annoying.
This is actually pretty accurate.
and really funny
I laughed through pretty much every minute of the 12 episode run.
using your friends as references without them realizing? oh yeah... guilty.
Thinking up plots for things more then actually worrying about real world stuff... yeah been there done that.
using events around you as inspiration? hell yes.
I love it.
then to also have this weaving of character interaction that works perfectly with the fact that this one brutish lookign guy draws the girliest manga you can imagine and no one believes him... theres no hiding it... no fake drama... just a guy who mkaes manga and tends to recruit his friends into helping out.
now i have to look into if this is based on a manga... cause i need more.
it was just so cute and fun and funny
the characters were great and the animation lovely... plus the music was pretty good too. and once again Sentai licensed it so i'll definitely be picking up this and Captain earth the instant they are out.
i did sketch some fanart for this show but i never got around to inking it... i think i got a string of commissions and forgot about it... but maybe some fanart is in order.
for now if you like funny slice of life that doesn't rely on gags.... or are an artists who is less the descreet about getting your reference material (one time i was sitting with friends and as they were talking i just posed one of their arms and they looked at me like i was nuts.... but they held the pose so thats all i care about..... and maybe i'm a little nuts)
i think it's an all-round enjoyable show.
but seriously i wish there was more...
you can see it over on crunchyroll
Haikyu!!
Wow everything is ending this weekend... and i mean... i don't think i have any continuing shows except Sailor moon.
Anyways back when i was small.... well smaller... i played two team sports for my school. Volleyball and Basketball (though i enjoyed Basketball more cause at least people weren't afraid of the ball, plus my speed was put to good use)... i also did some track and field but i don't count that since everyone in my school was forced to... it was manditory (i think i was just one of a few who liked it.)
Anyways I enjoy playing lots of sports... not the biggest fan of watching them.
A few years ago Kuroko no Basket came out and i loved it.... it went a bit downhill in season 2 and i'm worried i'll outright hate the show in the third season but the show overall taught me that i should give some sports anime a shot.
So when i saw haikyu!! was abotu volleyball i was excited. And the show is really good, no one is naming attacks (like... characters call a move the "god like quick" but the character doesn't actualyl say that as he's doing the move) the rules are all layed out and followed and no one is purely good... they all have flaws...
I mean i'm sure it's a matter of time till shit like "the zone" (aka what ruined Kuroko no basket) or naming moves comes into play but looking at this single season as a stand alone it's really good.
I assume Season 2 will come out sometime in the spring but who knows... i don't think it has a date yet.
There is one little thing that annoyed me.
There is a lot of reused animation... especially when someone tried to receive the ball and fails... you will see this one bit of animation done by different characters multiple times in a single episode... and it was really distracting for me.
Also the music can be kinda lame in spots and for a sports anime the music helping you get all excited for the scene is part of the fun.
But the characters are wonderful, Hiroshi Kamiya is in it as well so that was a nice bonus (also two shows in one season? jackpot!) I hope next season focuses on some of the other characters while still not forgetting who the main ones are (another failing of Kuroko no basket season 2)
However if you don't like sports anime or hate volleyball for some reaso ni doubt this show will change your mind.
The animation is good, the character designs almost alwasy look angry and some of the stretching can be over the top but i found it kinda endearing.
Boy i hope season 2 doesn't suck.
Anyways later today i have Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun
then i may or may not catch up/finish DRAMAtical Murder. (may hold off till tuesday since so many shows)
and then tomorrow Hanayamata and blue spring ride (so.... lots of crying i guess)
and then i finish this off with seeing if there was any point to Glasslip on thursday(i'm going to go with no...)
Anyways back when i was small.... well smaller... i played two team sports for my school. Volleyball and Basketball (though i enjoyed Basketball more cause at least people weren't afraid of the ball, plus my speed was put to good use)... i also did some track and field but i don't count that since everyone in my school was forced to... it was manditory (i think i was just one of a few who liked it.)
Anyways I enjoy playing lots of sports... not the biggest fan of watching them.
A few years ago Kuroko no Basket came out and i loved it.... it went a bit downhill in season 2 and i'm worried i'll outright hate the show in the third season but the show overall taught me that i should give some sports anime a shot.
So when i saw haikyu!! was abotu volleyball i was excited. And the show is really good, no one is naming attacks (like... characters call a move the "god like quick" but the character doesn't actualyl say that as he's doing the move) the rules are all layed out and followed and no one is purely good... they all have flaws...
I mean i'm sure it's a matter of time till shit like "the zone" (aka what ruined Kuroko no basket) or naming moves comes into play but looking at this single season as a stand alone it's really good.
I assume Season 2 will come out sometime in the spring but who knows... i don't think it has a date yet.
There is one little thing that annoyed me.
There is a lot of reused animation... especially when someone tried to receive the ball and fails... you will see this one bit of animation done by different characters multiple times in a single episode... and it was really distracting for me.
Also the music can be kinda lame in spots and for a sports anime the music helping you get all excited for the scene is part of the fun.
But the characters are wonderful, Hiroshi Kamiya is in it as well so that was a nice bonus (also two shows in one season? jackpot!) I hope next season focuses on some of the other characters while still not forgetting who the main ones are (another failing of Kuroko no basket season 2)
However if you don't like sports anime or hate volleyball for some reaso ni doubt this show will change your mind.
The animation is good, the character designs almost alwasy look angry and some of the stretching can be over the top but i found it kinda endearing.
Boy i hope season 2 doesn't suck.
Anyways later today i have Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun
then i may or may not catch up/finish DRAMAtical Murder. (may hold off till tuesday since so many shows)
and then tomorrow Hanayamata and blue spring ride (so.... lots of crying i guess)
and then i finish this off with seeing if there was any point to Glasslip on thursday(i'm going to go with no...)
Saturday, 20 September 2014
Aldnoah Zero
*speachless*
Well... that is a thing.... that happened.
um... unlike Captain earth where i didn't know where to start here i honestly don't think i can say anything.
well other then go watch it.
It's like if Attack on titan met a mech anime... it's got such a grand scale... and yeah... it's really good.
the music is great too, especially the intro song that is done by the same group that did the ending song to madoka magica.
but yeah... i can't say anything... you have to experience it.
also there is a season 2 coming in January.... looking forward to that.
so yeah.... i'm gunna go process what i just saw... and maybe get some rest cause i think i'm running a fever... oops.
oh... and i probably wont be byuing this series any time soon cause the aniplex tax is too high... but Aniplex is bringing it over so thats good.
but yeah...
wow
Well... that is a thing.... that happened.
um... unlike Captain earth where i didn't know where to start here i honestly don't think i can say anything.
well other then go watch it.
It's like if Attack on titan met a mech anime... it's got such a grand scale... and yeah... it's really good.
the music is great too, especially the intro song that is done by the same group that did the ending song to madoka magica.
but yeah... i can't say anything... you have to experience it.
also there is a season 2 coming in January.... looking forward to that.
so yeah.... i'm gunna go process what i just saw... and maybe get some rest cause i think i'm running a fever... oops.
oh... and i probably wont be byuing this series any time soon cause the aniplex tax is too high... but Aniplex is bringing it over so thats good.
but yeah...
wow
Captain Earth
I honestly don't know where to start... i have no clue what to write... i was thinking of doing a voice recording but honestly i don't know what to say and my voice is pretty hoarse from this cold... so... guess i'll figure something out.
Let's get some things about me straight.
1. I don't like sci-fi.... especially when that Sci-fi goes into space and starts blowing shit up... i have extreme Astrophobia... so yeah it makes enjoying this one genre damn near impossible for me because i will have panic attacks.
2. I don't give a shit what anyone things.... i like what i like and i don't like what i don't like.... i don't care if it's popular or unpopular or done by a certain creators... half the time i don't even know why i like something. sometimes something just resonates, i never expect that it'll be the same for anyone else.
3. I have strange taste, i don't know how to describe it other then my likes and dislikes are wide and varied and make no sense...
Now, story time (i swear all this has a point)
On August 2nd 2014 i finished a little chibi fanart of Daichi Manatsu.
Now for me fanart is actualyl very difficult.... but i had a blast drawing him. I uploaded him to all my normal sites and then i got to DevianArt. (DA)
DA has a feature called groups, you can gjoin a group of people with like minded interest and submit art to get a more focused viewing audience.
I Put him in a few groups for users of PaintToolSai (PTS) and a few more for Chibi art and even one for fanart in general.... btu then i thought. "may as well find a captain earth group"
There wasn't one.... which i found odd.
theres a group for damn near anything you can think of no matter how niche or obscure.
So i figured reverse search the club... find other fan arts and see if they submitted to a captai nearth club.
i found, on a site with THOUSANDS of artists.... 3 pieces of fanart.
out of curiosity i hopped over to tumblr....
i found 2 other pieces of fanart...
I was baffled.... i love this show... it's well animated... full of colour, great music..... it must have some kind of fanbase.... i mean.... it's a currently running show.... someone must have seen it....
everything has a fanbase... doesn't it?
So then, because i was curious, i did something i have never done before.
I looked at some reviews.
all of them
every single one panned this show
they HATED it.
and i just sat there wondering if i watched the same thing as everyone else.
then i shrugged and chalked it up to my strange taste.... and finished two more piece of fan art.
So that being said, Yeah i love the show... despite the fact that i hate sci-fi, despite the fact that shit blows up in space... i still love this show... i look forward to owning it. (thank you Sentai)
BUT i realize i am in the minority on this one so you may not like it as much as me... and thats fine, having different taste in things it what breeds conversation (as long as you never try to argue your opinion as fact)
SO quick synopsis and then we'll take it from there.
Captain earth follows Manatsu Daichu, a teen who's father died when he was young, through his boring final day of school before the summer vacation.
He is bored and has grown to hate the scenery surrounding him. One day he gets a bad feeling about something and through a series of even he ends up with a gun called a livelaster and the ability to pilot a mech that is needed to stop these space creatures known as Kiltgang from reaching earth.
He ends up joining forces with a mysterious girl he met as a child named Hana, the boy who introduced him to the girl named teppei and a self proclaimed magical girl hacker Akari.
Together they work to protect the earth from the invading Kiltgang while also trying to not be killed by a group known as Salty Dog who feel These four pose more of a risk then anything else.
Now side stepping for a second... the main complaint i saw in reviews was that the plot did not make sense.... this confused me cause it's litterally "boy in mech stops bad things from getting to earth... rinse repeat" so i think what they actually mean is that the plot has a lot of terms that are never explorered or explianed.
and they aren't wrong.
Anyone who shoots a livelaster gets called a Neoteny.
Whats a Neoteny you ask? no clue.... i guess using context it's someone who can shoot a livelaster.... thats all you get.
why is there a girl with blue hair playing a recorder? beats me.... personification of the livelaster i guess... they say it's an alien race controllign humans so it's entirely possible.
also whats a livelaster? a gun that appears when you want it to and shoot energy.... sometimes the enegery is stronger if you are more emotional....
or hell what is a kiltgang? well they are ego blocks.
whats an ego block? the thing the kiltgang use to jump through space even though their physical bodies are on earth already, it also makes them technically immortal.
I could go on.... yeah... theres a lot of stupid bullshit terms that don't get explained...... so?
No i'm serious.... why does that matter? so the terms aren't explained in great detail describing every little feature... you still know what they are talking about.
The other complaint i saw mainly was that it was boring and nothing happened. *shrugs* okay, if you say so... thats a very personal assessment...
is it a bit slow? i guess but i liked the pace it went at... but i already established that i like the show... i will go as far as to say it's one of my favs of this and last season.
But again, i am the minority... i understand this... i'm just saying go in with an open mind and you may enjoy it.... or you may be bored and think it's dumb.
I would also love a second season for it but considering no one cared for it and it obviously had a decent budget (the animation is lovely) the chances of more episodes are slim to none... and thats fine too.
So yeah... in my personal opinion
The good:
Animation - it's been a long time since i've seen a show with such vivid colours and wonderful animation, truly lovely to watch.
Characters - they all have personalities and goals and arcs.... everyone... including the antagonists.
Music -
Nuff Said.
actually.
Also i purposfully picked stuff with animation so you could see my point on how fluid everything is.
Lots of references to Midsummers nights dream and i just like when things refference real life things... it's fun.
The not so good:
Yeah the plot is dumb
I don't care
it hits all the beats it needs to and personally i never felt bored.
Could more things have been explained? yes... did they need to? no.
The bad:
I only got to watch the ending song once and that was a mistake... i didn't have a full blown panic attack but boy was i unhappy.
It has no fanbase, no one likes its and that means there's no one to fangirl over it with and that upsets me.... but hey... thats why i write this... i write this to vent and get out how much i love something when i know no one around me even remotely cares.
So yeah... despite my utter loathing of Sci-fi for fear of panic attacks... i love this show... and it's not my only sci-fi show this season... now i'm gunna go watch aldnoah Zero (which, spoilers, is also really good with amazing music and you should watch it)
also if you like this show let me know cause i would love to have someone to chat about how fun it is...
and if you hate it then thats fine too, as long as in the end you are happy.
In the end thats all that matters.... i'm just one person with a very strange opinion of things.
oh and just in the interest of full disclosure... yes... Hiroshi Kamiya plays Teppei.
and yeah Teppie is one of my fav characters....
that is all.
Oh and you can wtach it all over on Crunchyroll and make your own opinion... or wait till Sentai releases it and buy it i guess if you wanna take a huge gamble.
Let's get some things about me straight.
1. I don't like sci-fi.... especially when that Sci-fi goes into space and starts blowing shit up... i have extreme Astrophobia... so yeah it makes enjoying this one genre damn near impossible for me because i will have panic attacks.
2. I don't give a shit what anyone things.... i like what i like and i don't like what i don't like.... i don't care if it's popular or unpopular or done by a certain creators... half the time i don't even know why i like something. sometimes something just resonates, i never expect that it'll be the same for anyone else.
3. I have strange taste, i don't know how to describe it other then my likes and dislikes are wide and varied and make no sense...
Now, story time (i swear all this has a point)
On August 2nd 2014 i finished a little chibi fanart of Daichi Manatsu.
DA has a feature called groups, you can gjoin a group of people with like minded interest and submit art to get a more focused viewing audience.
I Put him in a few groups for users of PaintToolSai (PTS) and a few more for Chibi art and even one for fanart in general.... btu then i thought. "may as well find a captain earth group"
There wasn't one.... which i found odd.
theres a group for damn near anything you can think of no matter how niche or obscure.
So i figured reverse search the club... find other fan arts and see if they submitted to a captai nearth club.
i found, on a site with THOUSANDS of artists.... 3 pieces of fanart.
out of curiosity i hopped over to tumblr....
i found 2 other pieces of fanart...
I was baffled.... i love this show... it's well animated... full of colour, great music..... it must have some kind of fanbase.... i mean.... it's a currently running show.... someone must have seen it....
everything has a fanbase... doesn't it?
So then, because i was curious, i did something i have never done before.
I looked at some reviews.
all of them
every single one panned this show
they HATED it.
and i just sat there wondering if i watched the same thing as everyone else.
then i shrugged and chalked it up to my strange taste.... and finished two more piece of fan art.
BUT i realize i am in the minority on this one so you may not like it as much as me... and thats fine, having different taste in things it what breeds conversation (as long as you never try to argue your opinion as fact)
SO quick synopsis and then we'll take it from there.
Captain earth follows Manatsu Daichu, a teen who's father died when he was young, through his boring final day of school before the summer vacation.
He is bored and has grown to hate the scenery surrounding him. One day he gets a bad feeling about something and through a series of even he ends up with a gun called a livelaster and the ability to pilot a mech that is needed to stop these space creatures known as Kiltgang from reaching earth.
He ends up joining forces with a mysterious girl he met as a child named Hana, the boy who introduced him to the girl named teppei and a self proclaimed magical girl hacker Akari.
Together they work to protect the earth from the invading Kiltgang while also trying to not be killed by a group known as Salty Dog who feel These four pose more of a risk then anything else.
Now side stepping for a second... the main complaint i saw in reviews was that the plot did not make sense.... this confused me cause it's litterally "boy in mech stops bad things from getting to earth... rinse repeat" so i think what they actually mean is that the plot has a lot of terms that are never explorered or explianed.
and they aren't wrong.
Anyone who shoots a livelaster gets called a Neoteny.
Whats a Neoteny you ask? no clue.... i guess using context it's someone who can shoot a livelaster.... thats all you get.
why is there a girl with blue hair playing a recorder? beats me.... personification of the livelaster i guess... they say it's an alien race controllign humans so it's entirely possible.
also whats a livelaster? a gun that appears when you want it to and shoot energy.... sometimes the enegery is stronger if you are more emotional....
or hell what is a kiltgang? well they are ego blocks.
whats an ego block? the thing the kiltgang use to jump through space even though their physical bodies are on earth already, it also makes them technically immortal.
I could go on.... yeah... theres a lot of stupid bullshit terms that don't get explained...... so?
No i'm serious.... why does that matter? so the terms aren't explained in great detail describing every little feature... you still know what they are talking about.
The other complaint i saw mainly was that it was boring and nothing happened. *shrugs* okay, if you say so... thats a very personal assessment...
is it a bit slow? i guess but i liked the pace it went at... but i already established that i like the show... i will go as far as to say it's one of my favs of this and last season.
But again, i am the minority... i understand this... i'm just saying go in with an open mind and you may enjoy it.... or you may be bored and think it's dumb.
I would also love a second season for it but considering no one cared for it and it obviously had a decent budget (the animation is lovely) the chances of more episodes are slim to none... and thats fine too.
So yeah... in my personal opinion
The good:
Animation - it's been a long time since i've seen a show with such vivid colours and wonderful animation, truly lovely to watch.
Characters - they all have personalities and goals and arcs.... everyone... including the antagonists.
Music -
actually.
Lots of references to Midsummers nights dream and i just like when things refference real life things... it's fun.
The not so good:
Yeah the plot is dumb
I don't care
it hits all the beats it needs to and personally i never felt bored.
Could more things have been explained? yes... did they need to? no.
The bad:
I only got to watch the ending song once and that was a mistake... i didn't have a full blown panic attack but boy was i unhappy.
It has no fanbase, no one likes its and that means there's no one to fangirl over it with and that upsets me.... but hey... thats why i write this... i write this to vent and get out how much i love something when i know no one around me even remotely cares.
So yeah... despite my utter loathing of Sci-fi for fear of panic attacks... i love this show... and it's not my only sci-fi show this season... now i'm gunna go watch aldnoah Zero (which, spoilers, is also really good with amazing music and you should watch it)
also if you like this show let me know cause i would love to have someone to chat about how fun it is...
and if you hate it then thats fine too, as long as in the end you are happy.
In the end thats all that matters.... i'm just one person with a very strange opinion of things.
oh and just in the interest of full disclosure... yes... Hiroshi Kamiya plays Teppei.
and yeah Teppie is one of my fav characters....
that is all.
Oh and you can wtach it all over on Crunchyroll and make your own opinion... or wait till Sentai releases it and buy it i guess if you wanna take a huge gamble.
Monday, 15 September 2014
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
I'm a little sad it's over...
heres hoping for Danganronpa 3? (it's more likely then Zero Escape 3)
I honestly don't know where to start.
Danganronpa is a Visual Novel with a lot of action elements. (at least more then any other VN i can think of)
While playing i constantly wondered if the game was a work of genius... or madness and i feel confident in saying both are true...
but i'm getting ahead of myself.
First: you probably can play this without having playing the first.... but you will miss out of so much and certain events will not make sense.... so play Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc first.
Second: if you plan on playing either game do not under any circumstances look up artwork or merch from it... you'll probably be spoiled.
I will try to make this as spoiler free as possible... which means i cannot talk about some of my favourite events... well not easily at least.
anyways, you wake up in a classroom with 15 other students, all claiming to be the new batch of ultimates for Hopes peak academy. However theres something odd... you can't remember your talent... and before you know it the walls fall down and you find yourself trapped on a deserted island.
According to a magical girl bunny rabbit all you have to do is spend a happy school field trip with your friends, collect things known as hope fragments and then you will all be able to graduate.
However.... no video game would ever be that simple... especially not one in this series...
Serious talk for a second... 4 out of (?) chapters got me crying... i think only one or two chapters of the old game got me sad... disturbed yes but not crying... this is much much different.
though i guess that being said... if you hate Visual novels or didn't like DR1 you may not like this game? i mean the two are quite different but they do have similarities.
Still i don't wanna say much without spoiling so.... i'll say this.
This game has some of the best character arcs i have seen in a while
not to mention one of the most [spoiler] characters i have ever seen in anything and they could easy be nightmare fuel.
The game continues to get darker... just when i thought it couldn't get any lower to the depths of despair it does... for me at least.
I just want to sing this game all the praises i can but i don't wanna ruin anything for anyone so all i can say is if you like VNs.... or better yet if you like Ace Attorney but wish it had a bit more action in the courtroom scenes... this is the perfect game for you.
one aspect i didn't like is that early on some characters would swear to the point where it comes across as if they are a child who just learned a new word.... but there is a point and by the end it works. (read as some characters swear less and others swear more.... nice balancing act)
The music is also a lot better Especially past the midway point of the game
and even though i personally saw some of the twists coming there was a lot i didn't expect.
The good:
character design and art style, still unique and lovely.
Music is fun and rages from tropical to chiptuny... a nice mix.
great moments of utter despair as well as hope
4 dark Devas of destruction.... who also happen to be hamsters... cute wittle hamsters.
The sad:
the whole game is very sad and may be hard to stomach in large doses but i promise all the moments that break your heart get paid off in full.
The ugh:
Zero escape 3 may never happen at this rate... Danganronpa is just so much more popular so Spike chunsoft focus on that... *sighs* but that ciffhanger.
i'm pretty sure in my DR1 review i said i still liked zero escape more.... i think they are more on par now... both are so good.
[incoming rant, i'll let you know when it's done]
As for controversies over Translations... i'm sorry but some people must turn everything into a fight.
I'm pretty sure i've lost a friend thanks to this shit.
mostly concerning the first game but it still applies.
In the english Localisation for this series i heard two things.
1. Calling them ultimates sounds so stupid!
2. The translation of the characters names/the fact that some use nicknames is insulting to North Americans.
ok... one at a time.
1. Ultimates is dumb!
oh i'm sorry... "super high school level" isn't the dumbest thing you've ever heard?
i mentioned this in my review of one but ultimate is the PERFECT word since in english the word tends to be used for BEST but the actual meaning of the word is more akin to LAST.... the double meaning here
if i had to spend this game listening to "super high school level hope or despair" i may have chucked the game out the window cause it wouldn't make sense and it takes away all credibility.
Finally~! Having heard the japanese voice acting, to me it sounds like they are saying "ultimate" it's more tongue in cheek but it still sounds like ultimate.
not to mention all the japanese merch i have seen says ultimate...
In conclusion I 100% feel that ultimate was not only the best translation but also the correct translation... the sup[er high school level thing came from a fansubs... get over it.
2. Insulting names.
where do i even begin.
well first one the person who said this to me had only read transcripts of the game, never played it and more importantly never played this version of it.
so... lesson learned, don't jump on a bandwagon that you have never personally experienced and let me know about it cause if i have play/watched/read the thing in question i will rip you a new one. (with evidence of course)
Second of all, no they aren't.
thye just aren't
in the first game there is a case that depends on how characters address each other.
fun fact: in english we don't really have multiple ways of addressing our peers.
shocker right? almost always when talking to people who we consider friends we use their first name... or if we are close a nickname... we just don't have the same varying level/gender specific of name types.
how the game addresses this.
some characters called everyone by nicknames.
some called everyone by last names
and some by first.
I found it worked perfectly well, the best they could have done with their situation.
but no somehow changing their names was insulting...
mmkay.... coming from the people who say Monobear instead of Monokuma... yes, Kuma means Bear... you can't bitch when they change things and then expect them to change other things.
in the end though, DR2 kinda just shows how wrong they are.
no names are changed... everyone is called by their full first name.
no matter how many syllables
no matter how silly sounding
so your argument is completely unfounded.
not everything is a controversy.... i just want play games and have fun and talk about them without having people jump down my throat.
Sorry i know that rant is more related to the first game stuff but it's been building on my chest for a while and i just needed to say it
[END RANT]
i'm sorry for any who read that... just... the way games are getting talked about lately has been really depressing.
either nothings good enough.... or everything is a controversy thats so bad we should rip companies a new one... or the future has no hope and we may be headed to a crash (which i don't believe for a second.... i think things will change... and get worse before they get better.... but it will get better... that is my hope.)
but yeah... all i can say is i had fun, despite the tears and the the annoyance at some gameplay mechanics.... i still had fun.
which in the end is what it's all about... right?
heres hoping for Danganronpa 3? (it's more likely then Zero Escape 3)
I honestly don't know where to start.
Danganronpa is a Visual Novel with a lot of action elements. (at least more then any other VN i can think of)
While playing i constantly wondered if the game was a work of genius... or madness and i feel confident in saying both are true...
but i'm getting ahead of myself.
First: you probably can play this without having playing the first.... but you will miss out of so much and certain events will not make sense.... so play Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc first.
Second: if you plan on playing either game do not under any circumstances look up artwork or merch from it... you'll probably be spoiled.
I will try to make this as spoiler free as possible... which means i cannot talk about some of my favourite events... well not easily at least.
anyways, you wake up in a classroom with 15 other students, all claiming to be the new batch of ultimates for Hopes peak academy. However theres something odd... you can't remember your talent... and before you know it the walls fall down and you find yourself trapped on a deserted island.
According to a magical girl bunny rabbit all you have to do is spend a happy school field trip with your friends, collect things known as hope fragments and then you will all be able to graduate.
However.... no video game would ever be that simple... especially not one in this series...
Serious talk for a second... 4 out of (?) chapters got me crying... i think only one or two chapters of the old game got me sad... disturbed yes but not crying... this is much much different.
though i guess that being said... if you hate Visual novels or didn't like DR1 you may not like this game? i mean the two are quite different but they do have similarities.
Still i don't wanna say much without spoiling so.... i'll say this.
This game has some of the best character arcs i have seen in a while
not to mention one of the most [spoiler] characters i have ever seen in anything and they could easy be nightmare fuel.
The game continues to get darker... just when i thought it couldn't get any lower to the depths of despair it does... for me at least.
I just want to sing this game all the praises i can but i don't wanna ruin anything for anyone so all i can say is if you like VNs.... or better yet if you like Ace Attorney but wish it had a bit more action in the courtroom scenes... this is the perfect game for you.
one aspect i didn't like is that early on some characters would swear to the point where it comes across as if they are a child who just learned a new word.... but there is a point and by the end it works. (read as some characters swear less and others swear more.... nice balancing act)
The music is also a lot better Especially past the midway point of the game
and even though i personally saw some of the twists coming there was a lot i didn't expect.
The good:
character design and art style, still unique and lovely.
Music is fun and rages from tropical to chiptuny... a nice mix.
great moments of utter despair as well as hope
4 dark Devas of destruction.... who also happen to be hamsters... cute wittle hamsters.
The sad:
the whole game is very sad and may be hard to stomach in large doses but i promise all the moments that break your heart get paid off in full.
The ugh:
Zero escape 3 may never happen at this rate... Danganronpa is just so much more popular so Spike chunsoft focus on that... *sighs* but that ciffhanger.
i'm pretty sure in my DR1 review i said i still liked zero escape more.... i think they are more on par now... both are so good.
[incoming rant, i'll let you know when it's done]
As for controversies over Translations... i'm sorry but some people must turn everything into a fight.
I'm pretty sure i've lost a friend thanks to this shit.
mostly concerning the first game but it still applies.
In the english Localisation for this series i heard two things.
1. Calling them ultimates sounds so stupid!
2. The translation of the characters names/the fact that some use nicknames is insulting to North Americans.
ok... one at a time.
1. Ultimates is dumb!
oh i'm sorry... "super high school level" isn't the dumbest thing you've ever heard?
i mentioned this in my review of one but ultimate is the PERFECT word since in english the word tends to be used for BEST but the actual meaning of the word is more akin to LAST.... the double meaning here
if i had to spend this game listening to "super high school level hope or despair" i may have chucked the game out the window cause it wouldn't make sense and it takes away all credibility.
Finally~! Having heard the japanese voice acting, to me it sounds like they are saying "ultimate" it's more tongue in cheek but it still sounds like ultimate.
not to mention all the japanese merch i have seen says ultimate...
In conclusion I 100% feel that ultimate was not only the best translation but also the correct translation... the sup[er high school level thing came from a fansubs... get over it.
2. Insulting names.
where do i even begin.
well first one the person who said this to me had only read transcripts of the game, never played it and more importantly never played this version of it.
so... lesson learned, don't jump on a bandwagon that you have never personally experienced and let me know about it cause if i have play/watched/read the thing in question i will rip you a new one. (with evidence of course)
Second of all, no they aren't.
thye just aren't
in the first game there is a case that depends on how characters address each other.
fun fact: in english we don't really have multiple ways of addressing our peers.
shocker right? almost always when talking to people who we consider friends we use their first name... or if we are close a nickname... we just don't have the same varying level/gender specific of name types.
how the game addresses this.
some characters called everyone by nicknames.
some called everyone by last names
and some by first.
I found it worked perfectly well, the best they could have done with their situation.
but no somehow changing their names was insulting...
mmkay.... coming from the people who say Monobear instead of Monokuma... yes, Kuma means Bear... you can't bitch when they change things and then expect them to change other things.
in the end though, DR2 kinda just shows how wrong they are.
no names are changed... everyone is called by their full first name.
no matter how many syllables
no matter how silly sounding
so your argument is completely unfounded.
not everything is a controversy.... i just want play games and have fun and talk about them without having people jump down my throat.
Sorry i know that rant is more related to the first game stuff but it's been building on my chest for a while and i just needed to say it
[END RANT]
i'm sorry for any who read that... just... the way games are getting talked about lately has been really depressing.
either nothings good enough.... or everything is a controversy thats so bad we should rip companies a new one... or the future has no hope and we may be headed to a crash (which i don't believe for a second.... i think things will change... and get worse before they get better.... but it will get better... that is my hope.)
but yeah... all i can say is i had fun, despite the tears and the the annoyance at some gameplay mechanics.... i still had fun.
which in the end is what it's all about... right?
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Top ten male anime/game characters
So, i saw a news article over on cruchyroll "top ten sexiest Male characters"... and normally i do a thing where i say if i agree or disagree with the "otaku's" choices.
yeah i disagree with all of them....
So here's mine....
and i added game character cause screw you i do what i want... my ramble filled blog *grins* also i'm not worried about doubling up characters cause.... yeah i just don't care.
okay.
Honourable mentions:
Damn near every Megane (character that wears glasses) ever.
there are exceptions... but not many...
Matoba Seiji - Natsume yuujinchou
If he didn't scare the shit outta me he would probably be sexy.... but no... he's scary... and has major personal space issues.
Ryuuji Takasu - ToraDora!
He is just an all around nice as hell guy and he's just so adorable i just wanna hug him... however i'm not sure cute =sexy so yeah... here he is.
Sasame - Pretear
If i had to pick a guilty pleasure show this would be it.... it's Snow white and the seven dwarves.... though the "dwarves" are bishonen who combine with snowhite to become her outfits.
Anime can be weird....
anyways i love it... and my fav character design has to be Sasame
however because of [spoilers] he can't be on the main list....
lets throw another Megane here.
Yukio Okumura - Blue exorcist
If he didn't whine so much... he would easily be on the main list... but just too damn mopey without doing anything about it.
10. Hibiki Kuze- Devil Survivor 2
hey technically a game AND and anime... win win.
I love his character design.... i mean... look at him
i love his fluffy black hair... i love that he has access to Ma-level spells right off the bat (i mean watch the anime... i swear he uses Maziodyne or mabufudyne like... immediately)
and i love his hoody... his adorable bunny hoody.... i want one.... but too lazy to sew and i've seen how much other charge.
oh and the fact that he's voice by Hiroshi kamiya does not hurt at all... not a bit.
but personality wise.... meh? thats kinda the problem with main characters in SMT games... they are by nature blank slates so you can give them personality... but they just didn't give him enough character in the show.
9. Yatogami - Noragami
hey.... another Hiroshi Kamiya character... how did he get here again...
ok so i like his voice....
but look at Yato's design.
hm... well... okay thats not getting his sexyness across...
thats better... anyways i like how he's a loveable and pitiable god, but he does have a dark and dangerous side.
however... so low down the list cause getting involved with someone like that would just be too dangerous *nods*
8. Rin Okimura
again, his design is lovely... and he tries so hard and is hated so much for something he cannot control... but yeah it's his work ethic i find wonderful... he never gives up even when he really should... and yeah... another one of my figure pictures.
7. Gies - Ys Series.
While Ys 6 may be my least fav of the series.... i am so happy it introduced this character
he has a greta flushed out backstory that gets even more interesting when Ys 7 is introduced. (his hair also gets lighter and fluffier but i couldn't find a good pic.
I would love if an Ys series focused on him but i understand why they don't... i hope he's in Ys 8 (though i have heard 8 will take place between 5 and 6 so it's unlikely IF that is the case)
6. Lias - Atelier Meruru
he is not the only Atelier character on here...
and i'm not sorry
nope
not a bit
Atelier has some of the best designed male characters in gaming
Period.
Plus Lias tries so hard to be recognized by his older brother... i don't normally like the 'tsundere' type that anime likes to add to everything with him it works.
but he's not the sexiest Atelier character so he's not higher on the list.
5. Sterk - Atelier games (arland trilogy)
Specifically his Totori look cause....in meruru the hair is a bit stupid and i haven't played rorona........ yet.
I love that everyone is afraid of him and i'm just like... how do i get him in my party.
he has such a complex about his scary face too it's just adorable... but at heart he is a knight (despite the fact that he doesn't really have a kingdom to serve)
but yeah lovely character design.
4. Natsume takashi
yes... another Hiroshi Kamiya voice.... i know... i'm weak
i love natsume but I think my love of the show may have bumped takashi's spot a bit...
well... that and the bathtub scene from the show.... good times.
but i mean... look at him
I love everything about him, his design (which differs between the anime and manga and i like both.)
his personality, his snarkyness... the fact that he tries so hard.... just a wonderful character. But yeah despite being my fav show he is not the sexiest character i can think of.
3. Logix Fixario - Atelier Escha and Logi
I thought the red character would be more of a trend in my list but nope they are nice and spread out. I am so happy that you get to pick between Escha and Logy... cause as cute as the female characters are in that series i really do enjoy having a party of pretty boys... and the fact that he is dressed in red makes it that much better.
Plus he can be so clueless and that's always fun. but yeah.... anyone who knows me knows what my next 2 will be.
2. Kyon - Haruhi Suzumiya
Maybe if her was wearing the glasses he'd be number 1?
Sad truth, my wallpaper for my crappy not at all smart phone is a picture of Kyon with Glasses on... makes me so happy.
But yeah, Kyon and Natsume are the two character i have the most figures of. Again it's a mix of harcater design and personality... he is just so snarky and plus i like the fan theory that he is actually the god of his show not Haruhi... fun times....
kinda sad it's over
1. Adol Christian - Ys Series
and no one was surprised in the least.
like.... not even a little
Sad truth: All pages of my vita wallpaper are different pictures of Adol from Ys 4.... cause i'm super pathetic like that.
I love his design
i want a figure of his Celceta outfit...
i'm probably going to mkae my own soon cause male characters never get figures even if they are the mains from their series.
his design in 7 is also really nice........ but yeah... 4 wins... that white hoody/red bolero compbo and the pointed shirt... so nice.
plus red....
there is only one way he could be better...
if he just had some nice glasses... that would be perfect.
but he doens't... and i can live with that.
So yeah this list ended up being more... top 10 male character.... i dunno... either way... Adol and Kyon would be near the top
cause i'm easily the most transparent person ever....
also if i ever upgrade my phone... adol would win that wallpaper battle... though natsume may get a screen or two cause he's just o pretty.
ok... i'm rambling....
this of course is all just for fun and i never expect anyone to agree with me cause my taste is strange...
ok.... off to dive into despair and finish off Danganronpa 2.
yeah i disagree with all of them....
So here's mine....
and i added game character cause screw you i do what i want... my ramble filled blog *grins* also i'm not worried about doubling up characters cause.... yeah i just don't care.
okay.
Honourable mentions:
Damn near every Megane (character that wears glasses) ever.
there are exceptions... but not many...
Matoba Seiji - Natsume yuujinchou
If he didn't scare the shit outta me he would probably be sexy.... but no... he's scary... and has major personal space issues.
Ryuuji Takasu - ToraDora!
He is just an all around nice as hell guy and he's just so adorable i just wanna hug him... however i'm not sure cute =sexy so yeah... here he is.
Sasame - Pretear
If i had to pick a guilty pleasure show this would be it.... it's Snow white and the seven dwarves.... though the "dwarves" are bishonen who combine with snowhite to become her outfits.
Anime can be weird....
anyways i love it... and my fav character design has to be Sasame
lets throw another Megane here.
Yukio Okumura - Blue exorcist
If he didn't whine so much... he would easily be on the main list... but just too damn mopey without doing anything about it.
10. Hibiki Kuze- Devil Survivor 2
hey technically a game AND and anime... win win.
I love his character design.... i mean... look at him
and i love his hoody... his adorable bunny hoody.... i want one.... but too lazy to sew and i've seen how much other charge.
oh and the fact that he's voice by Hiroshi kamiya does not hurt at all... not a bit.
but personality wise.... meh? thats kinda the problem with main characters in SMT games... they are by nature blank slates so you can give them personality... but they just didn't give him enough character in the show.
9. Yatogami - Noragami
hey.... another Hiroshi Kamiya character... how did he get here again...
ok so i like his voice....
but look at Yato's design.
however... so low down the list cause getting involved with someone like that would just be too dangerous *nods*
8. Rin Okimura
again, his design is lovely... and he tries so hard and is hated so much for something he cannot control... but yeah it's his work ethic i find wonderful... he never gives up even when he really should... and yeah... another one of my figure pictures.
7. Gies - Ys Series.
While Ys 6 may be my least fav of the series.... i am so happy it introduced this character
he has a greta flushed out backstory that gets even more interesting when Ys 7 is introduced. (his hair also gets lighter and fluffier but i couldn't find a good pic.
I would love if an Ys series focused on him but i understand why they don't... i hope he's in Ys 8 (though i have heard 8 will take place between 5 and 6 so it's unlikely IF that is the case)
6. Lias - Atelier Meruru
he is not the only Atelier character on here...
and i'm not sorry
nope
not a bit
Atelier has some of the best designed male characters in gaming
Period.
but he's not the sexiest Atelier character so he's not higher on the list.
5. Sterk - Atelier games (arland trilogy)
Specifically his Totori look cause....in meruru the hair is a bit stupid and i haven't played rorona........ yet.
he has such a complex about his scary face too it's just adorable... but at heart he is a knight (despite the fact that he doesn't really have a kingdom to serve)
but yeah lovely character design.
4. Natsume takashi
yes... another Hiroshi Kamiya voice.... i know... i'm weak
i love natsume but I think my love of the show may have bumped takashi's spot a bit...
well... that and the bathtub scene from the show.... good times.
but i mean... look at him
I love everything about him, his design (which differs between the anime and manga and i like both.)
his personality, his snarkyness... the fact that he tries so hard.... just a wonderful character. But yeah despite being my fav show he is not the sexiest character i can think of.
3. Logix Fixario - Atelier Escha and Logi
Plus he can be so clueless and that's always fun. but yeah.... anyone who knows me knows what my next 2 will be.
2. Kyon - Haruhi Suzumiya
Sad truth, my wallpaper for my crappy not at all smart phone is a picture of Kyon with Glasses on... makes me so happy.
But yeah, Kyon and Natsume are the two character i have the most figures of. Again it's a mix of harcater design and personality... he is just so snarky and plus i like the fan theory that he is actually the god of his show not Haruhi... fun times....
kinda sad it's over
1. Adol Christian - Ys Series
and no one was surprised in the least.
like.... not even a little
I love his design
i want a figure of his Celceta outfit...
i'm probably going to mkae my own soon cause male characters never get figures even if they are the mains from their series.
his design in 7 is also really nice........ but yeah... 4 wins... that white hoody/red bolero compbo and the pointed shirt... so nice.
plus red....
there is only one way he could be better...
but he doens't... and i can live with that.
So yeah this list ended up being more... top 10 male character.... i dunno... either way... Adol and Kyon would be near the top
cause i'm easily the most transparent person ever....
also if i ever upgrade my phone... adol would win that wallpaper battle... though natsume may get a screen or two cause he's just o pretty.
ok... i'm rambling....
this of course is all just for fun and i never expect anyone to agree with me cause my taste is strange...
ok.... off to dive into despair and finish off Danganronpa 2.
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
So happy
This is probably the blogiest blog post i will ever do, i'm sorry.... but at the same time no i'm not.
Today has been a great day, yesterday was great too but today was simply amazing.
A friend of mine who lives out of town came to hang out since we tend to only see each other at con time.
This is the same friend who likes natsume Yuujinchou and we are constantly throwing what if scenarios dealing with the show at each other and it's really fun.
Yesterday i showed her the OVAs and Musical theater DVDs i got a while back and today, still being in the moon for natsume, we watched all the matoba episodes.... the moon splitting festival arc and the going home arc.
we watched other stuff (like the Toradora dub [which is amazing] and the new cardcaptor sakura dub [which is probably the front runner for the worst dub i have ever heard]) but then it hit me
I haven't checked Ami ami yet.
See a while back (i wanna say over a year ago but that may be an exaggeration) there were rumors that they were going to resculpt the Altair Natsume Yuujinchou figure that has Takashi sitting on a tree with a foot touching the water.
This was the best news ever because
a) that sculpture was lovely
b) i wasn't a fan of the show when the sculpture first released
c) that sculpture now a days goes from 200-500 dollars and i am cheap.
but there was no confirmation that it was actually a thing and worse no hints at a preorder date.
Then the grey sculpt came out.... and i had my mission
check the site every day so that when it came on i could order it immediately and not miss out again
but because i had a friend over i hadn't really touched my computer... so i open it up and refresh the page and gasp.
"Kat what is it?" she asked.
"pre-orders or up" (though i was probably a muttering mubly mess cause when i get that happy that fast i lose the ability to speak)
so i immediately order it, log out, pass it to her... she orders it
and the best part?
66ish bucks.
i am so happy
getting to fan girl over natsume all day in a way that annoys no one AND getting to order the one figure i have wanted more then anything?
couldn't be better
then i had to walk through a thunderstorm but still it was all good... too happy.
a warning for late november/early december... there will be pictures
and fan art
and rambles
and i may watch the shows again
and re-read all the manga...
but yeah... best day... so incredibly happy.
Today has been a great day, yesterday was great too but today was simply amazing.
A friend of mine who lives out of town came to hang out since we tend to only see each other at con time.
This is the same friend who likes natsume Yuujinchou and we are constantly throwing what if scenarios dealing with the show at each other and it's really fun.
Yesterday i showed her the OVAs and Musical theater DVDs i got a while back and today, still being in the moon for natsume, we watched all the matoba episodes.... the moon splitting festival arc and the going home arc.
we watched other stuff (like the Toradora dub [which is amazing] and the new cardcaptor sakura dub [which is probably the front runner for the worst dub i have ever heard]) but then it hit me
I haven't checked Ami ami yet.
See a while back (i wanna say over a year ago but that may be an exaggeration) there were rumors that they were going to resculpt the Altair Natsume Yuujinchou figure that has Takashi sitting on a tree with a foot touching the water.
This was the best news ever because
a) that sculpture was lovely
b) i wasn't a fan of the show when the sculpture first released
c) that sculpture now a days goes from 200-500 dollars and i am cheap.
but there was no confirmation that it was actually a thing and worse no hints at a preorder date.
Then the grey sculpt came out.... and i had my mission
check the site every day so that when it came on i could order it immediately and not miss out again
but because i had a friend over i hadn't really touched my computer... so i open it up and refresh the page and gasp.
"Kat what is it?" she asked.
"pre-orders or up" (though i was probably a muttering mubly mess cause when i get that happy that fast i lose the ability to speak)
so i immediately order it, log out, pass it to her... she orders it
and the best part?
66ish bucks.
i am so happy
getting to fan girl over natsume all day in a way that annoys no one AND getting to order the one figure i have wanted more then anything?
couldn't be better
then i had to walk through a thunderstorm but still it was all good... too happy.
a warning for late november/early december... there will be pictures
and fan art
and rambles
and i may watch the shows again
and re-read all the manga...
but yeah... best day... so incredibly happy.
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited
Yay for Vita ports~ even though i now own the system that the game was originally on..... granted i didn't own the system when i bought the port... and honestly i prefer these kinds of games on handheld so yeah... yay port.
So, this games endings are a little different then the other disgaea games...
Instead of a few bad, a normal, a true and some alternate path endings.... you really just get Alts (which always require losing in certain matches.) Epilogues (which fall under normal endings which seems to only have the requierment of beat the game) and True (which requiers Valvatorez to be lv 500 Minimum................... pass... for now at least)
I got, without looking up how to get endings, Alt: Emizel and Epilogue: Artina
and yeah even though there are A LOT of other endings i am happy with that. I may go back and get some more, repeat playthroughs of disgaea games can be so short (considering everything transfers) but Danganronpa 2 is on it's way and i'll be playing that before i try and beat this again.
Okay before i get into it i gotta mention i love disgaea games a lot... so i'll be rambling.
Disgaea 4 follows Valvatorez, a Vampire who refuses to drink blood. His extremely loyal Servant Fenrich (seriously Fenrich is easily the most loyal character in any of the disgaea games...). A Prinny that has a human form and thinks everything is a dream named Fuka, A money grubbing angel known as "Vulcanis" who just happens to look like someone from valvatorez' past. Emizel, death himself (other then the fact he has yet to reap any souls. and Fuka, a final boss in training.
the netherworld is losing power. Humans no longer fear demons and have lost their faith in god and angels. Valvatorez was simply minding his own business instructing the prinny's of their duties now they they need to atone for the sins they had as humans... when suddenly a group of assassins come and try to kill all the prinnys... and whats worse they try to fire Valvatorez.
however he made a promise to the prinnys that when they were done training they would each get a sardine and these assassins are getting in the way of that promise.
that of course sets off a huge chain of events that all lead up to trying to solve the energy crisis.
This series is full of humor and this one in particular has a running gag of valvatorex praising the gloriousness that is the sardine.
I could imagine most people find this grating
i know i sure did.
but about halfway through it's not mentioned as much so yeah if that turned you off then try to get past it and there is a good story in there.
This is also the smallest cast i can think of for any of the turn based strategy NISA games which is kinda nice. it allows for more character interaction as well as being able to use everyone.
If i had to rate it's story it's probably my second fav of the 4 i have played... Disgaea 1 will always be my favorite Disgaea game... if not my favorite strategy game overall... it's just got such a special place in my heart.
the reason why i'm unsure if it's second or third is because disgaea 3 is also really good... this kinda gets the edge cause i liked Valvatorez WAY more then i liked Moa but Disgaea 3 isn't as gag heavy (at least not food gag heavy i guess)
I also like that this game doesn't make any of my characters unplayable for the final battle... thats something that still pisses me off about Disgaea 1 (also cause that character was my fav and i trained them so much)
They have also streamlined the combat a lot more in this, instead of having to redo your choice in where you move you can just tell the character to move again. You can promote character instead of reincarnate (difference is going back to lv 1 with a lot of growth under your belt vs just going up a class and not having to get back to your level. )
The game does deal with some..... theological themes so if you are easily offended by that kinda thing... may not be the game for you. (lets just say you have to pull and Adol Christian in order to get the true ending...)
The ninja, my favorite class, doesn't feel as good as it used to... i mean i was able to heal it with my cleric..... thats just wrong... but it does feel like they have balanced him out a bit more.... or perhaps transferred his godly dodging skills to the masked hero class.... but i like my ninjas broken and dodgy.
The "final chapter" is very very very long... longest "final chapter" ever.... thats fine but i thought i was beating this game yesterday... and then it just kept on going.
oh and the last few maps are really really tough, lots of instances of great difference in height
The sprite art is lovely, the subtle emotions that are able to be conveyed on their faces is pretty impressive... we have come a lot way from disgaea 1 in that regard.
there are "past" chapters... depending on the level needed to play them i will probably check them out before danganronpa arrives.
and i am curious about that true endings... but level 500.... (i'm around 150 at the moment) we'll see.
But yeah if you like disgaea games then this is another great one and the vita version is so nice.
if you already played the ps3 version from what i understand the main difference is that all the DLC is present and the past chapters may be new? or just DLC? i dunno.
but yeah i enjoyed this game a lot, it's funny... I didn't cry but thats okay since not too much sad in this one (probably saved for the past chapters)
You may get sick of hearing about sardines and promises but i think it's worth it in the end.
now i just gotta get Disgaea D2 (but first tales of graces f and Xillia 2)
Oh.... and what happened to flonne? how did she become what she is in this game? i mean... i feel like theres a chunk missing there... hmmmm
curious... i'm sure it's explained somewhere.
anyways yeah, get this game... and all the other disgaea games... even 2 (it may have the weakest story but the main character is quite litterally a ninja class so thats a LOT of fun)
The good:
Story, humour, characters, combat system, Music.... it's all pretty damn good.... unless you don't like turn based grid based strategy rpgs.
The not so good:
while it never sais anything bad about theology near the end of the game some things happen and i know a certain type of person may be offended..... but i also think that same type of person wouldn't play a game series where you are literally Demons in hell and occasionally trying to take over earth and/or celestia... because thats what demons do.
on the flip side i think is has some interesting concepts dealing with advancement of technology and erosion of fear of the unknown and consequently erosion of faith but i have known people who would totally get offended at concepts in this game so i figuured best to let you know.
The annoying:
The "Final chapter"... seriously it's almost longer then the rest of the game.
But yeah, great game... so happy i finally got to play it... and disgaea 5 was just announced.... yay.
okay that's enough rambling for one night.
So, this games endings are a little different then the other disgaea games...
Instead of a few bad, a normal, a true and some alternate path endings.... you really just get Alts (which always require losing in certain matches.) Epilogues (which fall under normal endings which seems to only have the requierment of beat the game) and True (which requiers Valvatorez to be lv 500 Minimum................... pass... for now at least)
I got, without looking up how to get endings, Alt: Emizel and Epilogue: Artina
and yeah even though there are A LOT of other endings i am happy with that. I may go back and get some more, repeat playthroughs of disgaea games can be so short (considering everything transfers) but Danganronpa 2 is on it's way and i'll be playing that before i try and beat this again.
Okay before i get into it i gotta mention i love disgaea games a lot... so i'll be rambling.
Disgaea 4 follows Valvatorez, a Vampire who refuses to drink blood. His extremely loyal Servant Fenrich (seriously Fenrich is easily the most loyal character in any of the disgaea games...). A Prinny that has a human form and thinks everything is a dream named Fuka, A money grubbing angel known as "Vulcanis" who just happens to look like someone from valvatorez' past. Emizel, death himself (other then the fact he has yet to reap any souls. and Fuka, a final boss in training.
the netherworld is losing power. Humans no longer fear demons and have lost their faith in god and angels. Valvatorez was simply minding his own business instructing the prinny's of their duties now they they need to atone for the sins they had as humans... when suddenly a group of assassins come and try to kill all the prinnys... and whats worse they try to fire Valvatorez.
however he made a promise to the prinnys that when they were done training they would each get a sardine and these assassins are getting in the way of that promise.
that of course sets off a huge chain of events that all lead up to trying to solve the energy crisis.
This series is full of humor and this one in particular has a running gag of valvatorex praising the gloriousness that is the sardine.
I could imagine most people find this grating
i know i sure did.
but about halfway through it's not mentioned as much so yeah if that turned you off then try to get past it and there is a good story in there.
This is also the smallest cast i can think of for any of the turn based strategy NISA games which is kinda nice. it allows for more character interaction as well as being able to use everyone.
If i had to rate it's story it's probably my second fav of the 4 i have played... Disgaea 1 will always be my favorite Disgaea game... if not my favorite strategy game overall... it's just got such a special place in my heart.
the reason why i'm unsure if it's second or third is because disgaea 3 is also really good... this kinda gets the edge cause i liked Valvatorez WAY more then i liked Moa but Disgaea 3 isn't as gag heavy (at least not food gag heavy i guess)
I also like that this game doesn't make any of my characters unplayable for the final battle... thats something that still pisses me off about Disgaea 1 (also cause that character was my fav and i trained them so much)
They have also streamlined the combat a lot more in this, instead of having to redo your choice in where you move you can just tell the character to move again. You can promote character instead of reincarnate (difference is going back to lv 1 with a lot of growth under your belt vs just going up a class and not having to get back to your level. )
The game does deal with some..... theological themes so if you are easily offended by that kinda thing... may not be the game for you. (lets just say you have to pull and Adol Christian in order to get the true ending...)
The ninja, my favorite class, doesn't feel as good as it used to... i mean i was able to heal it with my cleric..... thats just wrong... but it does feel like they have balanced him out a bit more.... or perhaps transferred his godly dodging skills to the masked hero class.... but i like my ninjas broken and dodgy.
The "final chapter" is very very very long... longest "final chapter" ever.... thats fine but i thought i was beating this game yesterday... and then it just kept on going.
oh and the last few maps are really really tough, lots of instances of great difference in height
The sprite art is lovely, the subtle emotions that are able to be conveyed on their faces is pretty impressive... we have come a lot way from disgaea 1 in that regard.
there are "past" chapters... depending on the level needed to play them i will probably check them out before danganronpa arrives.
and i am curious about that true endings... but level 500.... (i'm around 150 at the moment) we'll see.
But yeah if you like disgaea games then this is another great one and the vita version is so nice.
if you already played the ps3 version from what i understand the main difference is that all the DLC is present and the past chapters may be new? or just DLC? i dunno.
but yeah i enjoyed this game a lot, it's funny... I didn't cry but thats okay since not too much sad in this one (probably saved for the past chapters)
You may get sick of hearing about sardines and promises but i think it's worth it in the end.
now i just gotta get Disgaea D2 (but first tales of graces f and Xillia 2)
Oh.... and what happened to flonne? how did she become what she is in this game? i mean... i feel like theres a chunk missing there... hmmmm
curious... i'm sure it's explained somewhere.
anyways yeah, get this game... and all the other disgaea games... even 2 (it may have the weakest story but the main character is quite litterally a ninja class so thats a LOT of fun)
The good:
Story, humour, characters, combat system, Music.... it's all pretty damn good.... unless you don't like turn based grid based strategy rpgs.
The not so good:
while it never sais anything bad about theology near the end of the game some things happen and i know a certain type of person may be offended..... but i also think that same type of person wouldn't play a game series where you are literally Demons in hell and occasionally trying to take over earth and/or celestia... because thats what demons do.
on the flip side i think is has some interesting concepts dealing with advancement of technology and erosion of fear of the unknown and consequently erosion of faith but i have known people who would totally get offended at concepts in this game so i figuured best to let you know.
The annoying:
The "Final chapter"... seriously it's almost longer then the rest of the game.
But yeah, great game... so happy i finally got to play it... and disgaea 5 was just announced.... yay.
okay that's enough rambling for one night.
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