Figure Photoshoot: Natsume Takashi

I honestly never thought i would own this figure.

Story time.

I didn't start watching Natsume Yuujinchou (aka Natsume's book of friends) till about half a year before season 3 came out.
while i liked the show i was sad that it just kinda ended... it was a sweet chill show but pointless... (read as i wasn't as much of a fan as i am now)

So when the original version of this figure came out i didn't get a chance to buy it... it was long sold out by the time i saw episode 1.

however when i did become a huge fan of the show i found out about the original sculpt and the pose was just so lovely... based on the artwork that had gotten me to watch the show in the first place... only instead of being the 60-70 dollars that it was when it first came out it was 300-500

now... this is my favourite show. when it ends i will probably be very sad for an inordinate amount of time... but even I can't justify spending that kind of money one plastic.... hell the most expensive figure i own is 150 and it was a gift... it has to be something special for me to spend even 80 bucks on a figure... i just couldn't justify it. also with people selling figures versus reputable stores there is a high chance of counterfeit... so yeah.

However one day a reputable seller was selling it for 150.
i stared and mulled over that price for a long time... i went to look at a site that documents both legit and fake figures to help make sure it was real and i saw something amazing in the comments.

"there is a rumor going around that this is getting a re-release"
I felt myself freeze, a re-release? could i be so lucky that my fav figure for my fav show may come out again and i can buy him for the 60-70 he is worth?
so i watched and waited.... and a month or two later the grey sculpt was previewed and i swear i felt like crying.
I was stunned that i was actually going to be able to own this figure that i had wanted for 3 years.
So i told one friend who i knew also wanted the figure and then another friend who visits the same figure site as me so if he saw it first he could let me know.

and again.... i waited... and i may have checked the sites daily just to be sure.

fast forward again and the friend who also wanted the figure was over... and we were re-watching the show (cause we do that a lot) and it hit me "i haven't checked the site today... it's probably notthere but lets hit refresh------" and i was stunned... it was the top one.
i'm pretty sure i made a noise that didn't make sense cause i was just too stunned and then immediately went into buy mode.
Then i passed the laptop to my friend "he's out"

and then waiting again.... he was delayed a few months but he was worth it. the sculpt is actually nicer then the original one... it looks exactly like the show.

but yeah thats my story of how pathetic i get when it involves a figure i have wanted for so long.

picture time (and there are a lot, not sorry)

The sunlight was so strong but i love shooting in natural night... but look how pretty... and from every angle.

but time for some close ups

and a few more for good measure

however that kimono around his shoulder... it comes off

and a little nyanko love

i love this figure so much.
okay more figure photoshoot on the way over the next few days cause we have had some great lighting.
hope you enjoy these.

Mononoke (medicine seller)

I am not sure what to say about this show other then it happened.

What i do know is this... it's not a show i would ever recommend to people... like even if i really knew their taste i would be reticent to not only tell them to watch it but admit i had watched and enjoyed it.

It's a great show
it's Artsy as hell... and difficult to stomach... but still a great show.

uh... okay so basically the medicine seller (kusuriuri) slays Mononoke (ayakashi/yokai/monsters that have taken on a humans grudge) by finding their shape, truth and reason.
this tends to take 2-3 episodes to figure out and a lot of people tend to die.

however in the end things that shouldn't be in the world are destroy ed and the medicine seller moves on to the next place.

This show is very strange and even though nothing too horrendous or explicitly shown it is all very graphic.
if you don't want to see an artistic interpretation of someone giving birth or being forced to have an abortion... do not what this show.
if you don't like people vomiting live animals because it's their greatest fear do not watch this show.

if you wanna see a badass solve problems, sometimes with a lot of underlying snark then this is the show for you... unfortunately that doesn't comes into full effect till after halfway into the show.

still despite the sheer amount of WTF i enjoyed this show
i had to take breaks between arcs because... i just couldn't stomach too much at once... and i have to be in good health... tried watching it with a fever and that was a bad idea.

but yeah... i enjoyed it... one of my favourites? probably not... or at least i need to watch it a few more times.
still the art is lovely and the parts that are good are really good.

but yeah.... wtf man.

side note: the ending made me yell... it's not a good ending.... but japan is not terribly good at those anyways.

okay.... i need to think about what i just watched.....

Luminous Arc 2

Going to start off with a tangent but i promise there is a point.

I started writing these little rambles in 2010(ish?) for 2 reasons.

1. I watch/read/play anything i can get a hold of and when most people only focus on the most popular things... so when i want to talk to people about what i just finished no one knew or cared... and the ones that showed interest... well i didn't want to spoil it for them. So i figured write it all down, say what i need to say and bother no one with it. I'm happy and anyone who wants to read it can.

2. I have this awful tendency to watch/play/read things right up to almost the end.
then i stop... no reason... i just don't like finishing things cause then they are over. So forcing myself to write these either after i finish things OR when i decide i refuse to waste any more of my time on it has actually helped me finished a lot of things.

So why is that important?

well this isn't a completely unheard of Strategy JRPG dating sim thingy... it's pretty niche.
However more importantly i got this game in 2008... shortly after release... and i got to chapter 26 of 30 and stopped...
and i just beat it now...

Normally when that happens i do what i did with fire emblem... i just replay the whole game.
but because i was so close to the end... I just decided to play from that point... and i was reminded that the story is pretty silly... i don't have much time left till i start work on my next show so i figure just beat it and move on.

So i'll talk about what i vaguely remember of the plot.

Roland is a knight, he ends up becoming a master which means he essentially has a harem of witches with who he can "engage" with him and give him a new outfit and new skills.

so it's like gender swapped pretear... for the few who know the anime pretear.

anyways there is some kind of end of the world plot and you and your harem (plus a few other characters too i guess) and you have to gather all the witches and stop the world from ending.
also the fire witch (aka main girl) has a lot of hidden power and that adds into things.

um... and a few main characters go through a pallet swap thought i don't remember why...

otherwise yeah the story is pretty silly... lots of made up terms and exposition.

So since i can't talk about the story too much i wanna mention the music.

as i was playing this one second i was going "wow this sounds terrible" and then other songs i'd pause and go "is this Yoko Shimomura?" (kingdom hearts, radiant historia)
so i looked it up and has 4 composers as well as the composer from the first game is the sound director... and yeah Yoko Shimomura was one of them... and honestly she should have been the only one. she has a distinct style and the songs i knew were her work were the best in the 4 chapters.

The other thing i will mention is this is the only game i can thing of where the male protagonist has a boob window.

also on that note i do not like his character design... before he looks like this it's better... but this just look ugly and awkward and i feel like it's slipping down.

ok last thing i can talk about is the gameplay.

it's okay... it's not as good as similar games like Disgaea or Final fantasy tactics... but it's cute and quick. some (read as most) of the enemies have bullshit range for thier attacks... the final boss has a few moves that almost made me chuck the game.... a 6x8 attack that did at least half everyones hp... yet she only has a 2x2 hit box.
she also has  + shape attack that would instantly kill anyone caught in it... and she could do 3 in a row if she wanted (though she never did) also she heals 350 hp every turn AND can completely revive her mp (at first i thought it was hp and i nearly cried when i saw 9999)

but yeah having characters be scape goats is a viable strategy cause you can just revive them with full health if certain characters are alive.
oh but i don't like how the EXP is done, it's hard to explain but only those that deal the fina blow get more then 10 exp but it's really hard to train others... so you have a few strong characters and a bunch of weaklings.

so overall... the game is okay, i wouldn't go search it out cause again... it's passable.
however if you love turn based grid based strategy JRPGs and you see it for cheap... give it a chance...

i don't know if it's connected to the Reveria series but it has a lot of art style similarities and those freaky looking poffin (sp?) things...
ugh.... i should probably try to beat that game as well.... but it's so old... and so frustrating.

it is a bit sad that this game didn't do well and we never got the sequels but in the end.. i had fun berating past me for nearly beating so many things and then stopping for no reason.

oh also since i mentioned it... go play radiant historia... it's such a great game.

okay now that this is done time to go make some art.

First Impressions: Winter 2015

Fall to winter has always felt a bit jarring to me... maybe because most shows take a few weeks off to celebrate new years but it just feels like... Break > Final episodes > new season.

That being said there is a lot of shows i am looking forward to watching. A few are new, a few are sequels but i'm hoping they are all a good time.

Shows continuing on from last season:

Sailor Moon Crystal
. . . I'm bored.
This makes me sad.
The original series really took time to give all the girls a personality and struggles.
this one is 90% Usagi saying "mamo-chan" and then being like "i dont need a man.... i just need him to consume all of my thoughts at all times OR i need to be crying"
It's frustrating, i really want this too get good but it's just so dull.
and the animation is atrocious.
and the CG transformations are ugly.
the other 4 senshi do NOTING
not a damn thing.
no personality beyond Smart, Psychic, Strong and Pretty.
UGH.... this better get better but i doubt it... this feels like a blatant cash grab from Toei.

Yona of the Dawn
This show took a few episodes to get into but i'm really enjoying it and i'm glad it doesn't feel like it's rushing. it's taking it's time to introduce the new characters and get all their backstory in and i love it. I still find the end of the intro song a little anti climatic... it ends on this quiet note when i wish it would end with some power. but thats a seriously minor gripe.

Parasyte -the maxim-
I'm enjoying it, i worry that the main character is getting a bit too "god mode" for my personal taste but i am still curious as to what will happen. how can this end in a satisfying way? I hate the change of look... his hair just looks so dumb... much better as a megane. but yeah it's good. And i mean that intro song... really good. Same note as last time, if you don't like 'body horror' or extreme violence or shows where no one is safe... then this show isn't for you. if you are okay with all that then you'll probably really enjoy Parasyte.

Your Lie in April
This is going to hurt isn't it.
Well new intro and ending and they are lovely.
Still i know this is going to hurt, i'm still so bummed that Animplex is putting this out cause it's going to cost an arm and a leg and i'll have to wait for a sale just to get it to a decent price.
Still so very very good. 

Bonjour ~Sweet Love Patisserie~
the episodes are so short... it feels like a lot more plot could happen if given more time but i'm enjoying it enough. 


Some ground rules:
1. No webshows, i sometimes make exceptions but for the most part i can't stand waiting a week for a 3-15 min long show... also they tend to be comedy and unfortunately some comedy isn't universal.
2. No shows with Brother or sister in the title.  Japan has this odd obsession with having family members be love interest, almost always falling back on the "well they aren't actually related" argument... i can't stand those types of shows and a good portion of them have Brother or sister in the title.
3. No card game shows.... i just never like them.
4. I will try to watch everything i can legally get my hands on (read as on Funimation or Crunchyroll) for one episode but i'm allowed to drop out early, i'll let you know when i stopped watching and feel free to let me know if things change after that. 
5. My taste tend to be more on the shoujo or slice of life side but i try to give everything a fair shot. If i end up not liking something that doesn't mean it's bad it just means i didn't connect with it.

ok... luckily we get to start off with the one show i have been looking the most forward to.


Cute High Earth Defense club LOVE!
Aka magical boys.
I hope this is good.... i'm expecting it to be terrible... but it has hiroshi kamiya.... and magical boys... dammit i want it to be amazing.
...
they just spent the opening chunk discussing oden ingredients and how making a club named after certain ones would be hard to say.
what have i gotten myself into?
ooo he's playing a villain~ i love it.
They even get fancy transformation scenes... looks great! better then sailor moon crystal.
yeah... show of the year... right here
it's gloriously stupid
I couldn't stop laughing... it will not be for everyone but yeah i love it so far.
the humor is a bit blah but the magical girl tropes? gotta love it. i may have to do some fanart... cause why not.

KanColle
This intellectual property seems to be insanely popular.
i'm going to be honest, it looks REALLY stupid to me... i do not understand the hype... but still... no harm in giving one episode a shot... all it looks like to me is Moe Girls in school uniforms who are also military weapons (on water cause why not) who have said school girl uniform tear when they are damaged.
First off it has a lot of CG and i really am finding i do not like CG being overused in anime... especially not for the characters... it just doesn't look right. and it's a shame cause the actual animation seems quite well done.
Considering how stereotypically moe this is so far i hope theres some subversion like "oh look all your friends are dead cause this is war and all that"
but i have a feeling such a thing will not be the case... this will just be another Moe girls with guns show. well... moe girls with weapons that turn into war ships and planes because..... anime.
I want to say "why is so damn popular" but i know why... Fanservice. maybe theres a decent plot under there somewhere... it has yet to show itself and i'm 17 minutes in at this point. I seriously do not get why all the stuff on water is CG. the movements they are doing wouldn't be too difficult to draw.
Well.... that was a waste of time.
Granted, i don't like shows that focus on moe... or fanservice... and i really hate when they are completely lacking plot.
and no "i want to be stronger" is not good enough.
SO yeah, i wont be watching this show.... but i'm sure everyone else is cause.... well fanservice.
Also side note: glorifying war with moe girls is also kinda creepy... it's a big part of why i can't stand the Moe girls with guns genre... it's just creepy. 

The Testament of Sister New Devil
*quickly checks MAL to make a point*
So the show is about a guy who finds out he has sisters and one of them is a demon lord and one is a succubus... blah blah blah contract gets reversed and now he's the master... oh this is a nice direct quote

Moreover, Basara is being hit by one ecchi situation after another due to the contract

- http://myanimelist.net/anime/23233/Shinmai_Maou_no_Testament#3jCOIP7Lq2MULrJM.99

See... every damn show with brother or sister in the title has a incest subplot "but it's okay cause they aren't actually related/they didn't grow up as siblings." this one has the gall to also have the master/servant plot thread and it's just... ugh.... why are there so many shows about this topic.... WHY.
anyways yeah... prime example for why i don't watch shows with brother or sister in the title UNLESS i know there is no incest or incest themes (but i have yet to find a single one)

Military! 
3 mins long.... thank goodness cause i didn't like the art style.

Saekano -how to raise a boring girlfriend-
I have so many things wrong with that title i don't know where to begin but i have been seeing people call the show a subversion... we will see... i will give it a shot.
Starting off with the girl taking a bath though isn't the best start.
Ok.... Self aware doesn't equal Subversive.
"omg don't you hate those harem shows that start with so much fanservice" - the show the littrally starts in a bath scene.
"but isn't focusing on the lovely art causing the decline of anime" (i think they mean caring more abotu art over plot?) coming from the show that is quite well animated.
yeah.... thats self aware... not subversion... now if it ends up having an amazing plot while still being this self aware then yeah... maybe it can be called subversive but right now it feels like it's trying far too hard to be Meta.
Also putting aside the blatant sexual assult that one of the girls just did to the one guy what is the point to all this... like... these super self aware anime character go out on a field trip and they are making a game which they are also hyper self aware about and then they all try to bone the main dude but he's a good guy and will hold back but acknowledge that it is titillating for the viewer? oh and did i mention one of the a fore mentioned girls is his cousin.
I was going to try and give it a shot till the end of the episode but Cousin as potential love interest is an automatic disqualification in my books.
A1 I expect better from you, you have made wonderful shows that tug at the heartstrings and tell amazing stories.... and then you release pandering piece of crap like this...
maybe i'm just getting old... and them new fangled anime are just not my taste (i know thats not the case, i am enjoying lots of current anime it's just the bad one really piss me off)

Durarara!! x2
I just finished rewatching this, good times.
ok My history with Durarara.
I really enjoyed it, i love the way it handled non-linear story telling and the music was fantastic (complication is still one of my all time fav songs and i have bought Rookiez is punk'd albums thanks to it (and they are all great purchases)
I also have an Orihaya Izaya figure because i seem to be amassing a collection of Hiroshi kamiya figures.... completely not on purpose too...
I hope we deal more with Celty and Izaya's sotry in this season but honestly i'm just happy there is more.
Split second of Samurai flamenco shows up on screen apparently makes me laugh... i know it was a silly show but i enjoyed it.
side note i'm surprised about the quality of animation... it feels a bit floatier then the first season does... maybe that'll just be this episode but considering the first is the one they put a lot of money into... who knows.
 oh boy.... so when i first watched durarara it was a few years after it originally came out and i got a handful of references but i mean... 2009 was college time so i didn't have time to watch anime....
but now that i'm a sparatically employed contract worker/artist i have a lot more time and have watched at least an episode of almost every single show the characters are talking about.... this really changes the feel of those characters.
yet for only half a year to pass -_- the math doesn't really work our but all is good.
greta first episode, i'll need to get used to the new intro but i love what i hear of the ending song so far... also love the take on the first ending visuals.
looking forward to more of this.

Aldnoah.Zero
fun fact, an episode zero was released and i went to watch it and then i remembered "wait... wouldn't they have the moon blowing up in that episode?" so i immediately closed out and i have to watch this without the knowledge that episode 0 would impart.
i don't care... i know what i can't handle and the moon blowing up is a one way ticket to panic attackville.
Oh no... i hope this doesn't take place too much in space... i like this show... i want to be able to watch it.
well there is one thing i can say. To the friend i had an argument about this.... told ya so.
otherwise after a lot of WTF but i have a feeling thats half the point of this show. unfortunately i can't talk plot at all... just know that if you liked season 1 you're probably going to enjoy this.

Gourmet Girl Graffiti
is this animated by shaft?
*checks* wow i was actually right.
well i'm sure it'll be interesting/lovingly animated if nothing else.
So theres a girl, she cooks stuff and when she eats she looks like she's enjoying it a bit too much.
anyways her second cousin kinda barges into her house so she can attend the same art school on the weekends.
so essentially it's a shaft show about girls eating food.
it doesn't seem bad but the first episode wasn't enough to make me want to watch more... and shaft shows are hit or miss with me.  if i hear great things i may marathon it at the end of the season but right now it's just not the type of show i enjoy.

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman
Thats how you open a new show. really great little intro at the start, no exposition but we know how magic works in this world and the overall threat. No stupid long bullshit terms and no fanservice just "hey, you get to look forward to more of this"
lets hope the rest of the show stays at that standard.
So it's a harem show but since the main guy doesn't remember his past life (which is the source of everyones power) we don't fully know his connections to the other girls (we do know that the one they seem to be touting as the main was his sister in a past life.... and ew... i don't care that these characters have literally no relations in this life the fact that she is so attached to someone she thinks is her brother is really gross)
remember what i said about no fanservice. well take that and throw it out the window.
also no stupid bullshit terms? that can be tossed as well... not saying it detracts from the show it's just funny that the two things i praised were tossed out the window immediately after the opening scene.
the art is a bit distracting, there eyes are really far apart and the face seems the wrong size for the facial features.
as far as harem shows go it seems to have a really interesting frame but i'm not a huge fan of harems so yeah again the show isn't for me. if the art were better i would probably continue watching but yeah... too distracted. Great opening scene none the less.

Fafner Exodus
I haven't seen any fafner because of two things.
1. the art reminds me of gundam seed which i didn't particularly care for.
2. while i had heard good things about it it takes A LOT to get me to watch something that has even a hint of space in it.... so i never saw the first season.
and i don't feel like changing that... i have enough sci-fi shows this season (read as Aldnoah.zero)
but since i haven't seen the first season i can't/won't talk about this other then to mention that boy thats a lot of CG.
oh and it still has a Seed style to the art...
but i'm assuming if you liked the first one (which originally came out in 2004.... ok i don't get to complain about a 3 year gap for natsume anymore) you'll probably enjoy this thouh i have no clue how much it's connected to that original season.

Unlimited Fafnir
this Fafnir has no relation to Fafner. it's kind of unfortunate that the titles are so close, i almost didn't watch this cause i thought it was connected to the other show.
Anyways this looks like it's based of an H-game
Light novel? interesting.
So... another Harem show... but he is literally the only man on a giant island of women so hey at least they upped the anti i guess?
doesn't change the fact that i'm not a fan of the genre. also everyone sounds fairly monotone which is a bit disappointing.
oh well.

Samurai Warriors
wait.... do i start with the OVA or episode 1.... crunchy you have given me too many options.
episode 1 is shorter... i'll watch it first and if i enjoy i can watch the OVA
Well the music is fantastic.
So this is based on a game right? i vaguely recognize the art.
Oh boy... this is a very large cast and i have a hard time with names at the best of times and i'm having a hard time knowing who's good and bad cause there is a base knowledge of japan's unification that i am lacking.
i'm assumign if you like the game you'll get a kick out of this... or like oda nobunaga time frame stories.
I'm passing for now.

shouldn't.... crunchy have Kuroko's basketball 3 up by now?... don't tell me they aren't getting season 3... that would make me a little sad.... i mean the show has been losing steam but i still watch watch until it stop being fun.

Daisuki.net? what the.

Well looks like theres another legal streamer on the field and since it doesn't seem like they have any type of premium membership (yet) i will check it out.

Kuroko's Basketball 3
I still hope this goes on crunchy cause i hate having shows on 3 different sites but this is my first experience streaming something on Daisuki.
Well considering it has been a bit of time since season 2 ended this episode is mostly recap and reintroduction.
I am worried about this season... season two introduced being in the zone and had kuroko naming all of his passes... pretty much everything i HATE about sports anime... i worry that it'll just get worse. i also worry that they will stop focusing on Kuroko because kagami is a better player but i like focusing on kuroko.
The new streamer is pretty nice, the subtitles are a bit harsh but thats just a matter of getting used to them.
but yeah lookign forward to seeing what Akashi's ability is cause... well they haven't mentioned it an i'm curious.
Edit: Crunchy did end up also getting this but it seems to be 2 or 3 weeks behind so i'm not sure how thats gunna work out.

Kamisama kiss 2
I like girly stuff, the first season was pretty fun but i am so clas there is more because ti felt like it was just starting.
i do have to wonder if this director just has terrible taste in music since all of their shows is just... bleh.
but yeah... if you liked season 1 then this is a good continuation so far. but if you haven't seen season one and are curious about starting it... it's girly as hell so thats your only warning.

ISUCA
wow... that is some pretty blatant censorship... is this going to be terraformers all over?
like seriously what is the point.
So fanservice harem with yoma?
yeah... when i'm in the middle of a life or death situation i'm gunna worry about my underwear showing...
also how did he end up there after that blast?
this kind of show is really just the dregs of anime... if you have to rely on fanservice to hold your audiences attention cause your plot is terrible then why even bother.

i think i'm near the end... just the Funimation stuff left.

Yatterman Night
47 seconds... thats gotta be a new record for me stopping a show...
uh... maybe they show is good? uh... the asteroids in the first minute are stopping me from continuing...

Death Parade
I have been hearing a lot of good things about this show so i'm hopeful.
Really interesting concept, lovely animation... a little morbid but thats understandable.
dunno if this kind of thing can hold an entire season but i'm willing to give it a chance.
There is a bar where you must stake your life on a game, you can't leave the bar until you play and not playing... well it doesn't seem to be an option anyone wants to take.
anymore then that would take away the fun... the first episode does a perfect job of explaining the world and rules without being too much.

Yurikuma Arashi
a) the art is really ugly, it looks like it's pulling reference anime from the 50s but just failing at getting the retro charm.
b) not a yuri/shoujo ai fan...
so yeah pass.

Absolute Duo
*looks at MAL* ecchi harem...
so... did winter just become the lets show crappy harem shows at this time of year?
like... this is the 6th one so far.... and in a season that also has two reverse harems (which i don't mind cause it doesn't tend to be as blatant... also i'm a girl so i am actually the target audience)
still... i should give it a chance like i did all the other ecchi harem shows.
well... the animation is jagged... lots of sharp and seemingly flowy movements but not flowy at all. Like i'm wondering if Kodokawa is hurting for money cause this just looks bland. the backgrounds and character animation doesn't mesh together at all... they don't feel like they are in the same space.
The unfortunate thing with fantasy series is that they feel like they have to front load all the exposition... it makes sings pretty dull. also this is an extension of "look at the loli girls fight look how tough they are with there wittle blush marks"
however out of all the ecchi harem shows this season (and wow there are so many) it's not the worst... still not gunna waste my time.

The Rolling Girls
uh... well... that is a show... that was made.. about stuff? maybe?
The animation reminds me of Kill la kill... though i am pretty sure that was trigger and this is pony canyon.
other then that.... i just don't know...

Assassination Classroom
Okay so this seems interesting and a bit like dnaganronpa----- what happens to the moon? screw that i'm out.

The Idol M@ster Cindarella girls
i have been told it's got not connection to the other Idol M@ster anime so lets give this a chance.
Gotta say the producer is pretty funny... and the pacing is a lot easier to take in then the other idol M@ster anime. i may continue watching it... it'll give me another reason to visit Daisuki.

And... i believe thats it...

I feel like i was very negative with this seasons first impressions but in the end i am planning to watch quite a few shows. I count 11 (granted some of those are on the fence but thats still a lot for one season) so i'm hoping it's all good.

I also hope that spring 2015 has a few less harem shows... but i am probably just getting my hopes up with that

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

I love fire emblem.
I was introduced to it (like most in north america) through Smash bros melee and when i started seeing commercials for it i just had to pick it up and play.

AND boy is it unforgiving.
but you know what... it was memorable.

I am stubborn and considering death is permanent in this series i did my best to run the game death-less...
but that first one.... i was one turn away from beating the game and my favorite character Sain was killed... and i had restarted this level countless times... so i let him die and i was so sad cause dammit look at this cutie.

and he was a fully developed character and to this day i still remember who he is, what he was like and how i lost him.
I talk to others about the first fire emblem to hit north america and we all have stories about our fav characters.
so yeah thats how i was introduced to the series and also how i became such a fan.

I do own all the fire emblem games that have come here.... but i haven't beaten them all...

I got this at launch for example (back in 2009) but for whatever reason i put it down (i'm guessing based on timing it was either school got busy and/or i was a moron and tried to play it on hard... hard+deathless= crying)

Now this is a remake of the first fire emblem game.... and it kind of shows.

The story is good but because it doesn't have support rankings like other games in the series the characters aren't flushed out as much.
There is no rescue mechanic (which is my fav thing to use)
there is no abilit for mounted units to move again after preforming an action (like for example... rescue)
thieves don't turn into assassins or rogues (which broke my heart cause thats the only way to have a useful theif)
many classes don't have second teirs (including marth.... i wanted him to get a horsey like eliwood)
after a certain point in the game there are two curates who both have fortify.... this is the most annoying thing ever when you are trying to wittle someones health down and then those two jerks heal EVERYONE back up again.
Weapons that are strong against dragons aren't strong against wyvern riders...
same thing with ridersbane and peg knights.
There is on;y one type of map mission... Seize.... only marth can seize (he is also the only one that can visit towns) and the only exception is the final level where beating the boss beats the level. (not that i like defend levels... i hate them but it adds variety)

so yeah just lots of little balancing issues that i'm surprised they didn't fix considering you don't have to be 100% faithful to the original when you remake... no harm in adding some well received mechanics.

Still i had a great time, i even managed to beat the game with no deaths.
well except Julian who i needed to revive but still... no deaths. Also i think i got every recruitable character (except 1 cause there is one spot where if you recruit one you can't get the other)
But i was feeling a little sad that i didn't really know or care about these characters aside from "no they can't die they are too useful.
considering there are many re-occuring characters from this game in the following fire emblems maybe thats when they get more character.... but those weren't remade... and i don't like playing emulators.
but yeah if you just need a fire emblem fix and don';t have a GBA or Wii then yeah Fire Emblem Shadow dragon will be just enough to help you wait for the new fire emblem to come out on 3ds... and BOY it looks so pretty. i can't wait to play it.

Still... while i wait... there is one other Fire emblem game i own that i have yet to beat.

ah but before that Disgaea D2 arrived the other day... and i love disgaea just as much as i love fire emblem. (ok i may like fire emblem just a little more but disgaea is really good)

Oh one quick story: I love the warp staff... cause it makes me a terrible stratigist.... i would just warp marth to a fort surrounded by enemies... no one could hit him, he's one shot the enemy in return and heal any damaged he did get... too much fun (to me at least)

Kurenai

So Rightstuf has free shipping....
only it costs an arm and a leg to get to that point.

So this was a title to kind of pad out my order so i could get it over the threshold... the concept looks sweet enough and the price was cheap so hey... why not.

Now i remember why i watch everything on Funi or Crunchy before buying.

This show isn't terrible... but it has no idea what it wants to be.

The base concept is a boy with a weapon designed for killing implanted in his arm is told to take care of a little girl from a rich and powerful family.

But thats not what it's actually about... it's about a boy who is given care of this girl who has no knowledge of the outside world and he teaches her about it... then she goes back a changed person...

yeah... thats fine but i would have much rathered a story about a killer trying to learn to care for something instead of destroy it.

there is also this sub plot about the kid falling in love but... um she's 7....
luckily it remains innocent but still... why focus on it so much?

so yeah not a terrible show but a waste of a neat hook.

the intro song i pretty cool though... kinda wish the whole show was done in it's art style since the animation otherwise is kinda bland.

but yeah... a little disappointed...
oh well eccentric family arrived yesterday... so thats gunna be a fun rewatch. love that show so much

Sailor Moon Crystal Part 1

Normally i wait for these to be over or have a break in seasons....
but considering it's taken half a year to get here and if they do all the other arcs at the same pace it'll be another year and a half to two years before i can talk about it.... screw that i have things i want to say.

I am a Sailor Moon fan, it's the first anime i remember loving. I have been watching since i was 7 and i continued to enjoy it far past anyone else i knew.
Do i know every little detail? no.
Do i debate canon or pairings or implications of what characters say? no.
But still i really enjoy it.

When crystal was announced i was so excited... i hoped it would be a continuation of the story because they have already spent 200 episodes going over the stuff in the manga.
yeah it's different but seriously it was done, why not explore what happens after?
but it ended up being (as i expected) a more accurate retelling of the manga.

Okay... thats fine but there was one thing i worried about.

because of the lack of filler and breakneck pace it feels like everyone is devoid of character.
The original anime the girls had personality, they didn't always get along, they had their likes and dislikes and their own life outside of being a sailor senshi.
I am finding in crystal the girls have been brought down to their main character trait... essentially: Whiny, Smart, Psychic, Strong, and Pretty.
some thing for the villans...
Angry, Angry, Angry, Anger/kind of remembers the past, no i can't fight him, and Juealous.
Granted this show does give the main four villans a bit more connection to endimynion then the original shows but still.

but other then that the show is okay right?
well...
the animation... for a Bi-monthly show it's really quite poor... especially considering other shows (pretty much anything by Aniplex or A1 or KyoAni) that are weekly look gorgeous. I don't know if this is just cause Toei just doesn't have the talent or the budget but it just looks awful. I mean the original anime had some derpy episodes but for the most part it was pretty good.
and don't get me started on the rubber looking transformation sequences.
Serious Toei stop with the CG, you are bad at it. I have never seen a Toei show with decent CG.

but anyways... i want to love this show, i really do... but i'm just so bored... the senshi are so bland, maybe it'll be better in the second arc cause the only new characters are chibi usa and the villians... but yeah i'm sad about the overall quality and how it really feels like a cash grab... i mean looks at all the merch it's getting ridiculous.

still hoping season 2 is better...

Also first impressions of winter 2015 should be up soon, just making sure i try to check out everything.

Summer Wars

Going into this film i only knew two things.

1. everyone i knew loved it.
2. it's pretty much the digimon movie.

what did i think?
1. wow that was really good, i don't think i've seen a film by this director that i haven't liked.
2. yeah it's pretty much the digimon movie, better and more concise but pretty much the same plot.

and it makes sense.... it's the same director.

Now i'm not actually the biggest fan of digimon, it's not bad and i enjoyed the first two season but i didn't connect to it as much as other shows. However i babysat these two kids who loved it and thats how i ended up seeing the movie and i thought it was really good... a little strange that it felt like multiple unconnected stories smashed into one but still told the story it needed to tell.

of course years later i found out it actually was a mash up of multiple film cause licensing companies back in the 90s were stupid and edited everything to hell.

Still you can tell that this film is what Mamoru Hosoda wanted to tell without the restrictions that being under a license will impose.

This is a wonderful story that in one breath warns against how much we are connecting to technology while also showing how the world can be so connected and helpful thanks to the internet (OZ in this case).
it shows the connection of family and the wisdom that multiple generations can bring to the table.
It shows multiple ways to approach a problem and never relies too heavily on digital or physical strength since both have their merits.

It's just masterfully accomplished.

The animation is lovely. I love how the CG seems to exclusively be in OZ which really helps shift the mood for those situations. the real world also has just a lovely colourful feel to it. all the characters are distinct which is the best aspect of this directors style.

The music is also fantastic.

If you want to see an alternate take on this story with digimon then go see that movie.
however i personally think this is a better telling,

Also if you are curious about this director some other fantastic films to his name are:
Wolf Children
The Girl who Leapt Through time
Sailor moon super s movie (my fav of the batch funnily enough but not the easiest to get your hands on)

His works continue to make me smile (and cry) and i can't wait to see what his next project will be.

Also sorry if some sentences don't make sense, i'm not feeling to great but i has to gush about how lovely this movie is.

The good:
Story is wonder, both real and digital world work together in perfect harmony and help inform each other.
Characters, notmally i don't like large cast but they were all so memerable that i never felt like "wait who was that?" not to mention that a lot of them get a chance to shine.
Music is really pretty
Animation has some extremely creative visuals as well as just being so fluid. Sometime i find Mamoru Hosoda's style to be a little floaty since it (as an art style) is fairly flat but that didn't bug me at all in this. it's just so pretty.

The not so good:
. . . uh...
hm... well i guess i have seen this film before so... but honestly both versions of this film are fantastic... so it's not a bad thing i guess?

So yeah i loved it... i know i'm late to the party... it was released in 2009 but i mean... just never had the chance to get it for a resonable price... so thanks rightstuf!

everything else in my box is a series (13 to 104 episodes long) so it wont be just daily posts i promise.
well unless i get stuck in bed thanks to this cold.
but yeah go see summer wars..... and the girl who leapt through time.... and wolf children. just so good.

EDIT:
i'm a sick moron, i forgot to mention my favourite thing about the film.
I love that even though the 'bad guy' is online it's not a "technology is evil fear it" story and those are so rare. it actually praises the good of technology and just warns about how much it has connected to our day to day life. so yeah thats all i wanted to add.

The Garden of Words

Boy Makato Shinkai has come a long way.

One day many years ago my dad came back from a trip. I don't remember if it was for a job or attending a film festival but he handed me a DVD as a souvenir.
"this was made by pretty much one person" he told me.
I was stunned.
it seemed like an impossible idea to little me. The most i had done at that point was make a really shitty short film on my 11th birthday and i had needed so much help with it. help with writing, help with the camera, help with editing... and this guy made a 30ish minute piece pretty much by himself?
granted now that i'm older i understand i was lacking some perspective on the situation but it's still pretty cool that Voice of a Distant Star was made the way it was. and even though it takes place in space and isn't one of his better films it's still powerful to watch.

Ever since they i have tried to see all of his films.
and have failed in many ways.
I know i saw places promised in our early days but i don't remember it at all which is odd.
i own 5 cm per second but i haven't seen it cause every time i go to watch it i can't find it.
i didn't even know children with lost voices was him till i looked at the discography thats ones of the special features.
so yeah....

Still seeing the difference a decade can make (and a team of people).

So here we are, The Garden of Worlds.
it's only 45 minutes long but wow is it pretty. It has a painterly feel, the colours all pop and you could look at any still of this film and consider it a work of art.
The plot is essentially these two people happen to meet on a rainy morning and then over the course of a year they continue that tradition but only on rainy mornings.

It's extremely relaxed especially considering the length but it still does a great job of telling the story it needs to tell.

Is it Makoto Shinkai's best film? I don't know, it's better then voices of a distant star...
it's also a really good use of CG in anime, it's still pretty noticeable but not in a distracting way... it's meant to enhance the artwork instead of make the artwork easier.

So yeah, if you see this for a good price (or maybe sentai is streaming it online for free) i would suggest you check it out. It's an enjoyable hour.

Funny side story: I got the Bluray and i went to watch it in japanese with english subtitles and when i told it to play... it was still in english... it had the japanese translation subtitles but the audio wasn't right.
"thats odd...." i muttered to myself as i tried the other options and still it would only play the english audio.
so either someone at sentai didn't program the menu correctly OR my Bluray player just has a quirk... i'll know when i watch the commentaries later on a different bluray (both english AND japanese commentaries? so excited... if i can get it to work).

Oh right.

The good:
Animation/bacgrounds are just too pretty, i almost want to watch it again right away just so i can take in the scenery.
Music is pretty fatastic too.

The ok:
The story is decent but like many japanese films is left a bit open ended and i would have loved to have some closure.

The not so good:
Short, so very very very short and it feels like some things were sped past where if the was a standard 90 min film we could have gotten all the info.

Still a very good movie and hopefully tomorrow i'll get to watch Summer Wars and then i have a lot of new shows to watch thanks to my rightstuf order arriving~

Otomen

I will write this later, i have a wedding to attend! (got re invited at quite literally the last minute)
Too long don't write: it's good, the extremeness of the gender roles are silly but it's still fun

~next day~
 Ok... so story time.
A few months ago (2 i think?) i get a text from my friends Fiancee asking if i can go to her wedding. I was told it would be small and chill and would be followed by skating.
this sounded lovely, i ordered a dress and then proceeded to procrastinate on everything else.
About a week before the wedding i finally realized that i'm going to have to go buy everything otherwise i'll run out of time with holidays and whatnot.
Quite literally as i'm walking out the door i look at my phone as see a text. "sorry, we made a mistake in numbers... I'm going to have to uninvite you. i'm sorry i'll make it up to you"
. . . awww... i was gunna skate in a pretty dress..... it was going to be fun..... awwwwwwww. *sighs* well at least now i don't have to go shopping (i hate shopping)
Also AGDQ starts that day so i can be bummed and watch speed runs.
fast forward to yesterday and as i'm reading otomen i hear my phone go off. "If thats my friend.... he's a dead man" so i check my phone. "son of a-"
i still only had the dress... i didn't get a haircut... there was so much to do and i only had 7 hours.
so i just rushed to the mall, did everything as fast as possible (except haircut... hair is so long... *sobs*)
in the end i made it, all my friends (i should mention i'm more a friend with the groom so a lot of my friends are male as well) were surprised by my girlyness. and after the wedding we went skating... the rink was the ring around a park and it was snowing so it was very pretty and fun but really cold... especially in a dress. After a few laps (and after the bride and groom finished skating) a bunch of us went to the best mans house and played Smash.
cause thats what adults do... right?

Anways yesterday was very fun, super quick Otomen blurb.

Otomen is a comedy manga that deals with the manliest looking man ever, twist is he loves all sorts of girly things.
He is in love with Ryo, a living beautiful woman... who is tough as nails and will kick your ass if you piss her off.
Along the way we meet a manga artist who is basing his story off the main two only he's flipping the genders, a rival in kendo who really just want to do everyones makeup, A guy who loves flowers a bit too much, A guy who constantly get mistaken for a gril no matter how manly he tries to act. Singers who apparently used to sign as girls but now they try and sing as Visual Key or rockers and probably some others i can't think of.

Essentially in this world Gender roles are all anyone focuses on.
it can get a little silly. The main guys mother actually faints when her sun isn't manly enough.
He gets picked as Valedictorian simply because he is the most manly.
still it has a charm and sweetness to it that other comedy shows tend to miss.  So yeah i enjoyed it, despite the silly.