The anime did an excellent job staying true to the manga and it was a very, very impressive adaptation. Just finished watching it while cleaning my room today -- well, I guess it was more like me cleaning during the opening & ending, while watching it during the actual 20 minutes of story. Out of the several anime I've been watching this season, I've got to say that Antique Bakery was one of the few that got my interest hooked on. The animation style was kind of poor, but the direction was really good. Now I really want to go and dig through my closet for my manga ^_^ This is one of my most favorite stories ever written on the face of the planet, and also the first Yoshinaga Fumi work that got me hooked on all her stuff. I worship the ground she walks on and look forward to more stories by her ^_^
My other favorite story, D.Gray-man, is stopping at 103 episodes today -- well, I guess it's technically yesterday in Japan. I'm a bit sad that there's no more D.Gray-man to watch after this one, but it can't be helped. There really isn't a lot of storyline material to work with after the "Attack on Headquarters" arc since Hoshino-sensei took a couple hiatuses. If they went on with the production, they'd only have enough material for maybe 5-10 episodes at most. It'll probably be a year or two before they can start a second season for the series. I think if that is the case, it is a wise choice on their part. I only hope that it doesn't end up like Fruits Basket where it will NEVER EVER finish ^_^.
Itazura na Kiss wrapped up earlier this month and the anime adaptation was pretty good too. Though it omitted quite a lot of elements found in the manga, it still stayed pretty true to the original. It's a shame that the mangaka died before the work could be completed, but the anime still ended pretty nicely. I also finished watching the Taiwanese version of the drama, and though it was quite painful on many occassions, I sat through and finished it. (Yes... I still wonder why I did it) Well, I actually skimmed through most of it and only watched the parts that somewhat interested me. I can't tell if Taiwanese actors are truly awful at their profession or the directors need to be hacked or the dialogue in Mandarin just sounds so corny and wrong to begin with @_@ (Wrong as in very mawkish and disturbingly sweet in a sickening way). Maybe I'm just not supposed to watch Chinese/Taiwanese dramas, listening to their sappiness kind of drives me off the wall.
Well, anyway... rather than think about how disturbing Taiwanese drama is to me, I'd like to focus on some more fun things ready to come our way ^_^. Nodame Cantablie season two is starting in a few weeks. Vampire Knight is continuing off where it left off in season one -- though I've yet to watch season one as well -- a very cutesy-looking anime called Hakushaku to Yousei (The Earl and the Fairy) seems to attract my attention, Junjou Romantica 2 will continue from where it left off, and SKIP BEAT has finally been made into an anime. I really do not agree with the animation design, but I can live since Miyano Mamoru, Konishi Katsuyuki and Inoue Marina are the leads ^_^ I love all three~ I think Inoue Marina will do a great Kyoko and I am trying my best to envision what Miyano-san will sound like doing Fuwa Sho, but it's not really working so I'll just have to wait & see. Konishi Katsuyuki will probably do his deep, Soubi-like (from Loveless) sounding voice ^_^ for Tsuruga Ren.
Anyway... probably should stop watching so much stuff and get around to doing the important things... but I still have Dragonauts & Natsume Yuujincho to finish and Katekyo Hitman Reborn to make a dent in =_= otherwise my computer's going to explode. (I have way too many episodes on this hard drive right now)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Code Geass R2 Episode 25 Final
The ending was surprisingly good. Rather than the trainwreck I was expecting, it really delivered a pretty good solid ending that exceeded my expectations and made me cry. Some elements didn't make much sense, but I'm not about to complain. The bigger picture made up for the lack of explanation of the smaller details.
So... rather than a good 20 minutes of fighting -- which was what I was actually expecting -- we only get half the episode of confrontations and battling. Kallen and Suzaku have one final confrontation and she proves to be quite a match for him, as even his "live on" geass is having trouble keeping him alive. At the end of their skirmish, Kallen's Guren shuts down but she manages to pierce Suzaku's sakuradite core, which causes his Lancelot frame to explode with him inside of it. Since Kallen's knightmare frame no longer has any power, she falls off the edge of Damocles and is caught by Gino's Tristan despite how beat-up it already is.
Meanwhile, Anya and Jeremiah are locked in a pretty heated battle, which ends with Jeremiah tearing off the cockpit covering and about to stab Anya when she says that she has no memories. He realizes that she's been geassed before and uses his geass cancellor on her.
At the same time, Lelouch did not disappoint me at all in any way with the way his character development has gone. When confronted with the choice of geassing Nunnally or not, he actually chose to geass her and take the key to Damocles. If this had been some other story, the main character usually becomes weakened in front of their loved one and fails to carry out their plan so then everything fails and they die. However, the nice thing about Code Geass is that the writers made sure Lelouch stayed true to his character and he actually geassed Nunnally to get the key. He did so after learning of her intentions being the same as his, and due to his promise to Suzaku of carrying out their "Zero Requiem" plan, he had to have the key by all means so he geassed her. Right before she breaks free of the trance, he tells her that he loves her, which she doesn't hear. When she snaps back and sees the key in his hand, she tries to chase after him in the floating chair, but cannot move any further at the stairs and falls down. Lelouch only keeps moving away and then declares to the world that he is now the ruler of the world, meaning that he's won the war.
Two months later, Lelouch controls everything in the world and is known as a dictator. He parades through Japan with Schneizel and Nunnally chained to his float (almost reminds me of Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi). The world news has no choice but to report everything he does as justified since he will kill anyone who defies him. All of the people who have rebelled against Lelouch are now also paraded out to be humiliated and killed, except for a few who managed to go into hiding (like Villetta whom stayed behind in Peng Lai and Cornelia plus Guilford). When Villetta sees Ougi tied up in a prisoners trap, she wants to rush out and save him, but Cornelia stops her.
Just then everyone notices a familiar figure in the distance and sees that it's Zero. The Black Knights and everyone else are shocked, and even Lelouch looks astonished. Jeremiah orders for the Knightmares to fire at Zero, which he successfully dodges with quick speed and agility -- in that very familiar zig-zag that we all remember quite well of some other athletic being than the former. Jeremiah then decides to take on Zero, but he successfully jumps on him, lands on Nunnally's platform before launching himself up to where Lelouch is. Zero takes out his sword and takes the stabbing pose after swiping Lelouch's gun out of his hands. Milly, Rivalz, and Kallen all look shocked to see this, but Kallen then understands Lelouch's true aim as she sees Zero ready to kill Lelouch.
In a flashback, we see that this has all been a part of Lelouch's plan. Suzaku survived his Knightmare explosion despite the fact that the public views him as deceased -- there is even a gravestone set out for him -- and in the flashback, he asks Lelouch if it's really ok with him to die. Lelouch says that the world now directs all their hatred toward him and so all it needs is for a hero to kill him. He hands Suzaku the Zero mask and tells him to give the Black Knights the legend of their hero. He also promises to die at Suzaku's hands (as a way to atone for Euphemia's death). He also tells Suzaku that he believes geass to be a wish-bringer. Because one cannot do some things, the geass asks of others to do it for them. So he believes the geass brings about wishes and the wishes of the people are for tomorrow.
Back in the present, Suzaku as Zero stabs Lelouch and the emperor collapses against the masked hero. Suzaku is crying inside the Zero costume, while Lelouch looks content as he leans against him. Lelouch tells Suzaku that this is a punishment for Suzaku as well (Lelouch dying and Suzaku living are their ways to atone), that Suzaku has to live forever behind a mask and be the hero of the people. He can never go back to being Kururugi Suzaku and will sacrifice his happiness forever for the people. And upon hearing this, Suzaku tells Lelouch that he definitely accepted this geass (meaning the wish of bringing justice to the people). Suzaku then removes the sword from Lelouch's chest and Lelouch staggers to the edge where he tumbles and slides down the slope to where Nunnally is chained to. Eyes wide and shocked, she notices his satisfied and dying expression and takes his hand. After-images of Lelouch's plan with Suzaku and C.C. are revealed and Nunnally understands her brother's true aim. She tells him that she loves him and begs for him to open his eyes. Meanwhile, C.C. is praying in a church and she cries for Lelouch's death as well. Back on the parade float, Lelouch's last words are "I destroy words and create them..." When he finally dies, Nunnally sobs while the rest of the crowd breaks into joy and chaos as they release all the prisoners and chant, "Zero." Toudou is shocked and in disbelief, but Kallen says that Zero (Suzaku) is Zero (their hero), to keep Lelouch's plan going. The scene is incredibly heart-breaking as we listen to Nunnally's sobbing throughout the chanting.
Much later, Kallen narrates all that has happened since Lelouch's death. She is now attending Ashford Academy once more and her mother has moved back in with her. The world has become a much better place and uses words over violence to solve matters. Nunnally is now a major politician with Zero as her advisor and Schneizel (under geass) serving them. Villetta and Ougi have married and now own a bar. Tamaki and the rest of the Black Knight members help out at the bar (or frequent it as well). Meanwhile, Jeremiah and Anya work at an orange plantation (what irony) and Damocles is destroyed. Elsewhere, C.C. is dressed in countryside garments and resting on top of a hay wagon and she talks to a dead Lelouch about how the power of the geass should make one alone, but he has proven that that is not the case. The screen pans to a small origami crane and thus concludes Code Geass.
Impression:
Very well done and I'm very satisfied with the ending. If they ever do anything else with this series, it will most likely be C.C.-centered and an OAV, but for now the series is definitely over. C.C. didn't get to die like she wanted to, but perhaps this leaves some room for Sunrise to make an OAV to end her story as well. For now, we have ended Lelouch's part. After all, it's technically Lelouch of the Rebellion that we've just watched. In any case, even if they don't make any more of anything for this series, that's ok 'cause I like it the way it is.
As for Suzaku living as Zero for the rest of his life, I really think it's a good way for him to live in a way 'cause he's wanted to die all this time to atone for killing his father, so what other good way is there to die than to live as someone else for the rest of your life? It's sad, but I felt that it was very fitting. Someone has to look after Nunnally after all, and Lelouch needed to die to atone for his own sins so it was perfect. I guess in the end, all I want to say is that I'm so happy that Suzaku didn't die T__T. He really is my favorite character regardless of any of his flaws.
Listening to all the other people rant and rave about Lelouch dying despite being the title character while Suzaku, Ougi, Nina, and Villetta lives is kind of stupid. I mean really... I personally don't find much fault in any of the other characters other than Nina, but since she's been redeemed, I can't really hate her all that much. With all that Villetta and Ougi went through, it's no wonder that they'd betray Lelouch, so hearing people badmouth them is kind of dumb. I personally like the couple and am glad that they survived.
I'm always such an oddball, I like all the characters that others hate... But yeah... I loved the ending ^_^
So... rather than a good 20 minutes of fighting -- which was what I was actually expecting -- we only get half the episode of confrontations and battling. Kallen and Suzaku have one final confrontation and she proves to be quite a match for him, as even his "live on" geass is having trouble keeping him alive. At the end of their skirmish, Kallen's Guren shuts down but she manages to pierce Suzaku's sakuradite core, which causes his Lancelot frame to explode with him inside of it. Since Kallen's knightmare frame no longer has any power, she falls off the edge of Damocles and is caught by Gino's Tristan despite how beat-up it already is.
Meanwhile, Anya and Jeremiah are locked in a pretty heated battle, which ends with Jeremiah tearing off the cockpit covering and about to stab Anya when she says that she has no memories. He realizes that she's been geassed before and uses his geass cancellor on her.
At the same time, Lelouch did not disappoint me at all in any way with the way his character development has gone. When confronted with the choice of geassing Nunnally or not, he actually chose to geass her and take the key to Damocles. If this had been some other story, the main character usually becomes weakened in front of their loved one and fails to carry out their plan so then everything fails and they die. However, the nice thing about Code Geass is that the writers made sure Lelouch stayed true to his character and he actually geassed Nunnally to get the key. He did so after learning of her intentions being the same as his, and due to his promise to Suzaku of carrying out their "Zero Requiem" plan, he had to have the key by all means so he geassed her. Right before she breaks free of the trance, he tells her that he loves her, which she doesn't hear. When she snaps back and sees the key in his hand, she tries to chase after him in the floating chair, but cannot move any further at the stairs and falls down. Lelouch only keeps moving away and then declares to the world that he is now the ruler of the world, meaning that he's won the war.
Two months later, Lelouch controls everything in the world and is known as a dictator. He parades through Japan with Schneizel and Nunnally chained to his float (almost reminds me of Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi). The world news has no choice but to report everything he does as justified since he will kill anyone who defies him. All of the people who have rebelled against Lelouch are now also paraded out to be humiliated and killed, except for a few who managed to go into hiding (like Villetta whom stayed behind in Peng Lai and Cornelia plus Guilford). When Villetta sees Ougi tied up in a prisoners trap, she wants to rush out and save him, but Cornelia stops her.
Just then everyone notices a familiar figure in the distance and sees that it's Zero. The Black Knights and everyone else are shocked, and even Lelouch looks astonished. Jeremiah orders for the Knightmares to fire at Zero, which he successfully dodges with quick speed and agility -- in that very familiar zig-zag that we all remember quite well of some other athletic being than the former. Jeremiah then decides to take on Zero, but he successfully jumps on him, lands on Nunnally's platform before launching himself up to where Lelouch is. Zero takes out his sword and takes the stabbing pose after swiping Lelouch's gun out of his hands. Milly, Rivalz, and Kallen all look shocked to see this, but Kallen then understands Lelouch's true aim as she sees Zero ready to kill Lelouch.
In a flashback, we see that this has all been a part of Lelouch's plan. Suzaku survived his Knightmare explosion despite the fact that the public views him as deceased -- there is even a gravestone set out for him -- and in the flashback, he asks Lelouch if it's really ok with him to die. Lelouch says that the world now directs all their hatred toward him and so all it needs is for a hero to kill him. He hands Suzaku the Zero mask and tells him to give the Black Knights the legend of their hero. He also promises to die at Suzaku's hands (as a way to atone for Euphemia's death). He also tells Suzaku that he believes geass to be a wish-bringer. Because one cannot do some things, the geass asks of others to do it for them. So he believes the geass brings about wishes and the wishes of the people are for tomorrow.
Back in the present, Suzaku as Zero stabs Lelouch and the emperor collapses against the masked hero. Suzaku is crying inside the Zero costume, while Lelouch looks content as he leans against him. Lelouch tells Suzaku that this is a punishment for Suzaku as well (Lelouch dying and Suzaku living are their ways to atone), that Suzaku has to live forever behind a mask and be the hero of the people. He can never go back to being Kururugi Suzaku and will sacrifice his happiness forever for the people. And upon hearing this, Suzaku tells Lelouch that he definitely accepted this geass (meaning the wish of bringing justice to the people). Suzaku then removes the sword from Lelouch's chest and Lelouch staggers to the edge where he tumbles and slides down the slope to where Nunnally is chained to. Eyes wide and shocked, she notices his satisfied and dying expression and takes his hand. After-images of Lelouch's plan with Suzaku and C.C. are revealed and Nunnally understands her brother's true aim. She tells him that she loves him and begs for him to open his eyes. Meanwhile, C.C. is praying in a church and she cries for Lelouch's death as well. Back on the parade float, Lelouch's last words are "I destroy words and create them..." When he finally dies, Nunnally sobs while the rest of the crowd breaks into joy and chaos as they release all the prisoners and chant, "Zero." Toudou is shocked and in disbelief, but Kallen says that Zero (Suzaku) is Zero (their hero), to keep Lelouch's plan going. The scene is incredibly heart-breaking as we listen to Nunnally's sobbing throughout the chanting.
Much later, Kallen narrates all that has happened since Lelouch's death. She is now attending Ashford Academy once more and her mother has moved back in with her. The world has become a much better place and uses words over violence to solve matters. Nunnally is now a major politician with Zero as her advisor and Schneizel (under geass) serving them. Villetta and Ougi have married and now own a bar. Tamaki and the rest of the Black Knight members help out at the bar (or frequent it as well). Meanwhile, Jeremiah and Anya work at an orange plantation (what irony) and Damocles is destroyed. Elsewhere, C.C. is dressed in countryside garments and resting on top of a hay wagon and she talks to a dead Lelouch about how the power of the geass should make one alone, but he has proven that that is not the case. The screen pans to a small origami crane and thus concludes Code Geass.
Impression:
Very well done and I'm very satisfied with the ending. If they ever do anything else with this series, it will most likely be C.C.-centered and an OAV, but for now the series is definitely over. C.C. didn't get to die like she wanted to, but perhaps this leaves some room for Sunrise to make an OAV to end her story as well. For now, we have ended Lelouch's part. After all, it's technically Lelouch of the Rebellion that we've just watched. In any case, even if they don't make any more of anything for this series, that's ok 'cause I like it the way it is.
As for Suzaku living as Zero for the rest of his life, I really think it's a good way for him to live in a way 'cause he's wanted to die all this time to atone for killing his father, so what other good way is there to die than to live as someone else for the rest of your life? It's sad, but I felt that it was very fitting. Someone has to look after Nunnally after all, and Lelouch needed to die to atone for his own sins so it was perfect. I guess in the end, all I want to say is that I'm so happy that Suzaku didn't die T__T. He really is my favorite character regardless of any of his flaws.
Listening to all the other people rant and rave about Lelouch dying despite being the title character while Suzaku, Ougi, Nina, and Villetta lives is kind of stupid. I mean really... I personally don't find much fault in any of the other characters other than Nina, but since she's been redeemed, I can't really hate her all that much. With all that Villetta and Ougi went through, it's no wonder that they'd betray Lelouch, so hearing people badmouth them is kind of dumb. I personally like the couple and am glad that they survived.
I'm always such an oddball, I like all the characters that others hate... But yeah... I loved the ending ^_^
Nana Chapter 78
Though I expected it, I didn't think of it so sudden. The chapter reminded me a bit of Princess Diana and her car crash death. Because the paparazzi chased her and her lover down, they sped and crashed. Same concept at the end of chapter 77 and carried over to chapter 78. So now we can finally and officially say that Nana and Takumi named their first child Ren 'cause of the original Ren. You don't usually give someone the same first name unless the first is already dead or they were your relative (like grandmother or father).
I'm pretty sad. I kind of expected that something would happen to Ren since the first future-related chapter, and I never thought it would be pretty, but this was very sudden. Reminds me a bit of reality in a way, of how things can just all change in the blink of an eye. Makes me so sad. Especially the part where Nana (Hachi) was asking Takumi, "What about Nana? What am I supposed to tell her!?" And how Ginpei tells Yasu that he can't seem to tell Nana and Yasu says that he will have her hear it directly from him. Meanwhile, Nana's in Osaka and has no idea what happened. I'm guessing a major meltdown is going to happen in either chapter 79 or chapter 80.
Seems as though all the stories I've been reading or watching have just been making me cry, cry, and cry. I'm just so sad at the moment after reading this chapter.
I'm pretty sad. I kind of expected that something would happen to Ren since the first future-related chapter, and I never thought it would be pretty, but this was very sudden. Reminds me a bit of reality in a way, of how things can just all change in the blink of an eye. Makes me so sad. Especially the part where Nana (Hachi) was asking Takumi, "What about Nana? What am I supposed to tell her!?" And how Ginpei tells Yasu that he can't seem to tell Nana and Yasu says that he will have her hear it directly from him. Meanwhile, Nana's in Osaka and has no idea what happened. I'm guessing a major meltdown is going to happen in either chapter 79 or chapter 80.
Seems as though all the stories I've been reading or watching have just been making me cry, cry, and cry. I'm just so sad at the moment after reading this chapter.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Code Geass R2 Episode 24
Prepped and ready to go onto the final episode, one can't help but wonder how all of this is going to resolve =_=;;; Basically, after episode 23, this episode seemed kind of blah, but Sunrise may surprise us... who knows.
Some highlights:
- Poor Nunnally fires plenty of F.R.E.I.J.A. warheads while thinking that it will stop Lelouch from winning this war, and Schneizel omits tons of important info, making her think that she isn't firing on innocent civilians
- Nina has grown up and not the same psychotic, table-humping girl as she was for the last 45-something episodes
- Nina, Lloyd, Cecille, and Sayoko leave Lelouch as according to plan and saves all the hostages
- Cornelia isn't dead!!! Yay ^,^!!! And Guilford is also alive!! (But that... hobo look really doesn't suit him ^_^;;;;)
- Lelouch uses the same tactic on Schneizel as he does on Mao
- Schneizel falls under the control of Lelouch's geass to work for Zero (This came a bit unexpected and weird, but ok)
- Diethard dies ^_^ (He really deserves it after proving that he's really an ass)
- Kanon looks as though he's being raped when a guard holds him
- Nunnally opens her EYES (Yes, it was kind of scary actually)
The whole episode was kind of low-key compared to episode 23, which was battle-epic, but it wasn't horrible. I've only been left with this feeling of "this really can't end well." No one really knows what to expect anymore after all these directionally-challenged episodes, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Going to watch the final episode after blogging this so I can just finish the series. I'm kind of ready for this trainwreck to end. I hope it doesn't turn out like Neon Genesis or X-type ending. Need something a little different. Otherwise, I'm going to be really bored and wonder why I tried.
As for predictions, I still think Suzaku is going to live and Lelouch is going to die. I wish Lelouch wouldn't die, but I think that's the only way this series is going to resolve... peacefully... maybe... Then again... maybe everyone dies?
Some highlights:
- Poor Nunnally fires plenty of F.R.E.I.J.A. warheads while thinking that it will stop Lelouch from winning this war, and Schneizel omits tons of important info, making her think that she isn't firing on innocent civilians
- Nina has grown up and not the same psychotic, table-humping girl as she was for the last 45-something episodes
- Nina, Lloyd, Cecille, and Sayoko leave Lelouch as according to plan and saves all the hostages
- Cornelia isn't dead!!! Yay ^,^!!! And Guilford is also alive!! (But that... hobo look really doesn't suit him ^_^;;;;)
- Lelouch uses the same tactic on Schneizel as he does on Mao
- Schneizel falls under the control of Lelouch's geass to work for Zero (This came a bit unexpected and weird, but ok)
- Diethard dies ^_^ (He really deserves it after proving that he's really an ass)
- Kanon looks as though he's being raped when a guard holds him
- Nunnally opens her EYES (Yes, it was kind of scary actually)
The whole episode was kind of low-key compared to episode 23, which was battle-epic, but it wasn't horrible. I've only been left with this feeling of "this really can't end well." No one really knows what to expect anymore after all these directionally-challenged episodes, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Going to watch the final episode after blogging this so I can just finish the series. I'm kind of ready for this trainwreck to end. I hope it doesn't turn out like Neon Genesis or X-type ending. Need something a little different. Otherwise, I'm going to be really bored and wonder why I tried.
As for predictions, I still think Suzaku is going to live and Lelouch is going to die. I wish Lelouch wouldn't die, but I think that's the only way this series is going to resolve... peacefully... maybe... Then again... maybe everyone dies?
Saturday, September 27, 2008
"The Price of Freedom"
I really enjoy this song for some reason, probably because it's the scene when Zack fights his best to make it back to Aerith and then dies.
Currently, I'm listening to the Crisis Core OST and though I have to say that I'm not the world's biggest fan, it's not an awful soundtrack. I still miss Uematsu and his brilliant classical-like style, but the rock-feel to the recent Final Fantasy titles isn't horrible... just not as preferable =_=;
I swear... I do love Gackt, but for some reason having a character based off his looks and having him being an influence on the series is kind of disturbing for me... Not sure how to describe it, but rather than be excited and bouncing around like a lot of fangirls probably are, it just bugs me that there's a character who looks like him =_=; I feel like J-Pop or J-Rock is invading something that feels almost sacred to me. Final Fantasy VII is a classic in its own right and the music is perhaps the best out of the entire series compilation so listening to this Gackt-like rock-ness in the music really bugs me =_=; (Just like in Dirge of Cerberus... it just bugs me)
Well, aside from music become really pop or rock-like, I enjoy a few select tracks from the OST including Ayaka's "Why," which I have to say is an incredibly beautiful song with lyrics that seem to match with the story. I was not exactly into the song at first 'cause it seemed to just bounce into the ending scene and didn't sit right with me, but now that I've actually really listened to the lyrics, I feel that it's a very fitting song. It's very beautiful ^_^
The ending theme for the game is very nice too. It's basically a medley comp of Final Fantasy VII's world theme, the Price of Freedom, Shrina Headquarters, FF7 battle theme, Aerith's theme, and Crisis Core theme, but it brings back all this nostalgia and I love it so, so, so very much. Brings back lots of good memories. I really do want to play the old game again. *sigh* (I really do not have the time though =_= or should I say... I really shouldn't even dare)
Anyway, it seems that there are intentions to remake Final Fantasy VII, but since all the original staff and crew are busy with other big projects and have very conflicting schedules, they can't go ahead and make it just yet. I must say though... if they ever get around to remaking it, it will be one of the biggest projects ever =_=; I can just see them redoing EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING. All graphics will be updated to PS3 style, so world maps, text-style, translations, and such will be updated. There will probably be voice recordings, and rather than the traditional bubble speech, they'll have the caption-like text at the bottom. All translations really need some revising, and it just overall won't be an easy project @_@; I don't know if it's even worth the trouble, but I do hope they remake it.
I really shouldn't be thinking about gaming so much =_=; but I can't help it...
Currently, I'm listening to the Crisis Core OST and though I have to say that I'm not the world's biggest fan, it's not an awful soundtrack. I still miss Uematsu and his brilliant classical-like style, but the rock-feel to the recent Final Fantasy titles isn't horrible... just not as preferable =_=;
I swear... I do love Gackt, but for some reason having a character based off his looks and having him being an influence on the series is kind of disturbing for me... Not sure how to describe it, but rather than be excited and bouncing around like a lot of fangirls probably are, it just bugs me that there's a character who looks like him =_=; I feel like J-Pop or J-Rock is invading something that feels almost sacred to me. Final Fantasy VII is a classic in its own right and the music is perhaps the best out of the entire series compilation so listening to this Gackt-like rock-ness in the music really bugs me =_=; (Just like in Dirge of Cerberus... it just bugs me)
Well, aside from music become really pop or rock-like, I enjoy a few select tracks from the OST including Ayaka's "Why," which I have to say is an incredibly beautiful song with lyrics that seem to match with the story. I was not exactly into the song at first 'cause it seemed to just bounce into the ending scene and didn't sit right with me, but now that I've actually really listened to the lyrics, I feel that it's a very fitting song. It's very beautiful ^_^
The ending theme for the game is very nice too. It's basically a medley comp of Final Fantasy VII's world theme, the Price of Freedom, Shrina Headquarters, FF7 battle theme, Aerith's theme, and Crisis Core theme, but it brings back all this nostalgia and I love it so, so, so very much. Brings back lots of good memories. I really do want to play the old game again. *sigh* (I really do not have the time though =_= or should I say... I really shouldn't even dare)
Anyway, it seems that there are intentions to remake Final Fantasy VII, but since all the original staff and crew are busy with other big projects and have very conflicting schedules, they can't go ahead and make it just yet. I must say though... if they ever get around to remaking it, it will be one of the biggest projects ever =_=; I can just see them redoing EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING. All graphics will be updated to PS3 style, so world maps, text-style, translations, and such will be updated. There will probably be voice recordings, and rather than the traditional bubble speech, they'll have the caption-like text at the bottom. All translations really need some revising, and it just overall won't be an easy project @_@; I don't know if it's even worth the trouble, but I do hope they remake it.
I really shouldn't be thinking about gaming so much =_=; but I can't help it...
Friday, September 26, 2008
Grey's Anatomy Season 5 Premiere
I almost forgot that the season premieres for Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty were on tonight since I've been so busy with lots of different things. Yes... lots of different things from procrastinating on important things to actually working in order to save money for moving down. I need to start studying for the CPA exam, but I don't really want to =_=; *sigh*
Anyway, since I remembered it was on, I decided to watch Grey's tonight. Unlike the last few seasons, I wasn't as excited as I used to be. I wonder if this means that I've lost interest...? I still liked the episode, but I've become more critical of the series than I usually am. Can't explain why either ^_^;;;
Well, it was a good season premiere and I liked it, but it was not as gripping as some of the other premieres. In any case, I'm sure there will be an encore next week since the following episode will not air until two weeks later. That one looks interesting though ^_^;
Ugly Betty was good and as expected, she didn't choose either Henry or Gio, which was the right choice, in my opinion. Her clothes have gotten a lot flashier, she's got her own apartment, her father's started working at a burger joint where the manager (played by Lindsay Lohan) used to bully Betty mercilessly (and is now bullying Ignacio), and she is now working at Player, basically a "sports illustrated/playboy" hybrid magazine where Daniel has been transferred to. However, who knows what will happen after the next episode ^_^
The season premiere for Ugly Betty was very good, I think it was probably more exciting than watching Grey's Anatomy tonight. I can't wait for the next episodes to air though ^_^. I feel as though I should actually go through all the older Grey's Anatomy episodes, but I don't really have the time at the moment ^_^;;; I still have DVD box sets for Ugly Betty S2, Brothers & Sisters S1&2, Pushing Daisies S1, and Private Practice S1 to get =_=;;;; *sigh* I'm just too poor for that right now though ... *sigh* Saving is tough =_= Life has too many temptations.
Anyway, since I remembered it was on, I decided to watch Grey's tonight. Unlike the last few seasons, I wasn't as excited as I used to be. I wonder if this means that I've lost interest...? I still liked the episode, but I've become more critical of the series than I usually am. Can't explain why either ^_^;;;
Well, it was a good season premiere and I liked it, but it was not as gripping as some of the other premieres. In any case, I'm sure there will be an encore next week since the following episode will not air until two weeks later. That one looks interesting though ^_^;
Ugly Betty was good and as expected, she didn't choose either Henry or Gio, which was the right choice, in my opinion. Her clothes have gotten a lot flashier, she's got her own apartment, her father's started working at a burger joint where the manager (played by Lindsay Lohan) used to bully Betty mercilessly (and is now bullying Ignacio), and she is now working at Player, basically a "sports illustrated/playboy" hybrid magazine where Daniel has been transferred to. However, who knows what will happen after the next episode ^_^
The season premiere for Ugly Betty was very good, I think it was probably more exciting than watching Grey's Anatomy tonight. I can't wait for the next episodes to air though ^_^. I feel as though I should actually go through all the older Grey's Anatomy episodes, but I don't really have the time at the moment ^_^;;; I still have DVD box sets for Ugly Betty S2, Brothers & Sisters S1&2, Pushing Daisies S1, and Private Practice S1 to get =_=;;;; *sigh* I'm just too poor for that right now though ... *sigh* Saving is tough =_= Life has too many temptations.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Zack Fair & Aerith Gainsborough
I feel like crying T_T. I finally decided to try playing Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and I really like the game, but just knowing that I'm going to have to watch my fave FF7 character die at the end makes it hard for me to want to progress any further in the game. Ever since the original FF7 game, I've always liked Zack. Though you don't get to play as Zack in the original, you do learn a good deal about him.
Back in the day, it's been hard to decipher true meanings to a lot of the dialogue 'cause translations have never been too top-notch. Also, the pixelated graphics didn't allow for much facial expressions (or any at all) so we usually had to kind of just get the gist of the conversations. If FF7 gets remade then players should be able to see that both Zack and Aerith really were in love with each other. Hmm... maybe it'd still be hard to see in the original FF7, but in Crisis Core, it's pretty much laid out that Aerith and Zack were very much in love with each other. There's lots of debate about whether Aerith loves Cloud more or Zack more and in my opinion, she loves Zack more, but has to move on 'cause he never came back to her. For me, it's always felt like she was acting like an older sister to Cloud (since she's older by a year).
Anyway, watching Zack and Aerith is kind of heart-breaking, but at least they reunite after she dies. I just wish things ended differently for the two of them. *sigh* Now I'm having trouble envisioning Zack x Cloud after playing this game 'cause all I'm seeing is Zack x Aerith ^_^; Makes me kind of pissed off to think that Cloud survived and can be together with Tifa, while Zack and Aerith are floating about in lifestream =_=; *sigh* Well, I guess as long as they're happy together then it's fine.
Oh, I found this really stunning music video on youtube for Zack, Cloud, & Aerith Farewell Scene. The song is really beautiful and it's really well-made. Highly recommend viewing. Ah, but it is spoilerific... then again, if you know the whole story of FF7, then it's not really that spoilerific... Oh, I feel like crying again T__T. (And here is the first cut scene in the sequence package for Crisis Core: Introduction. One of my more favorite scenes is this one, and it's not too spoilerish either so view away~)
The dubbing was surprisingly good. I remembered thinking the same thing when Advent Children came out in English. Though I prefer Japanese for the most part, the English dubbing for Crisis Core was pretty impressive. The voice actress for Aerith in English sounds a lot like Sakamoto Maaya, and whoever did Zack's voice came close to Suzumura Kenichi, though Suzumura's voice isn't as deep. I almost prefer the English voice actor to Suzumura, but the ending in Japanese sounds a lot better than the English version .... trust me, it does. Nothing beats Suzumura's "Ikiru" and Sakurai's scream.
It's kind of funny, I swear I always see Sakurai Takahiro and Suzumura Kenichi work together for lots of anime, drama cd, and such ^_^; Usually Sakurai's seme, but in Crisis Core, Suzumura totally pwns Sakurai if this were reinvented into a doujinshi ^_^;
Ah, one should have seen me procrastinate this game as though I were avoiding the plague ^_^; I don't like watching characters that I like die, don't like reading the scenes, and don't like watching it in the movies. I don't really mind sometimes, but when I really like that character, it just makes me bawl my head off.
The moment Sephiroth said that we had a new mission and that we're going to Nibelheim, I was like: O_O!!!! NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO!!!
I even restarted the game on reflex =_=; I just don't want to see Sephiroth go crazy and then have to watch as Zack goes down the path of no return T__T. *sigh* The ending was so and horribly sad. I cried and cried and cried throughout the last fight. It's strange 'cause I already knew what was going to happen since several years ago after playing the original FF7 game, but to actually see everything play before my eyes like that was incredibly sad. *sigh*
Well, despite how upset the ending makes me, I still love this game.
Back in the day, it's been hard to decipher true meanings to a lot of the dialogue 'cause translations have never been too top-notch. Also, the pixelated graphics didn't allow for much facial expressions (or any at all) so we usually had to kind of just get the gist of the conversations. If FF7 gets remade then players should be able to see that both Zack and Aerith really were in love with each other. Hmm... maybe it'd still be hard to see in the original FF7, but in Crisis Core, it's pretty much laid out that Aerith and Zack were very much in love with each other. There's lots of debate about whether Aerith loves Cloud more or Zack more and in my opinion, she loves Zack more, but has to move on 'cause he never came back to her. For me, it's always felt like she was acting like an older sister to Cloud (since she's older by a year).
Anyway, watching Zack and Aerith is kind of heart-breaking, but at least they reunite after she dies. I just wish things ended differently for the two of them. *sigh* Now I'm having trouble envisioning Zack x Cloud after playing this game 'cause all I'm seeing is Zack x Aerith ^_^; Makes me kind of pissed off to think that Cloud survived and can be together with Tifa, while Zack and Aerith are floating about in lifestream =_=; *sigh* Well, I guess as long as they're happy together then it's fine.
Oh, I found this really stunning music video on youtube for Zack, Cloud, & Aerith Farewell Scene. The song is really beautiful and it's really well-made. Highly recommend viewing. Ah, but it is spoilerific... then again, if you know the whole story of FF7, then it's not really that spoilerific... Oh, I feel like crying again T__T. (And here is the first cut scene in the sequence package for Crisis Core: Introduction. One of my more favorite scenes is this one, and it's not too spoilerish either so view away~)
The dubbing was surprisingly good. I remembered thinking the same thing when Advent Children came out in English. Though I prefer Japanese for the most part, the English dubbing for Crisis Core was pretty impressive. The voice actress for Aerith in English sounds a lot like Sakamoto Maaya, and whoever did Zack's voice came close to Suzumura Kenichi, though Suzumura's voice isn't as deep. I almost prefer the English voice actor to Suzumura, but the ending in Japanese sounds a lot better than the English version .... trust me, it does. Nothing beats Suzumura's "Ikiru" and Sakurai's scream.
It's kind of funny, I swear I always see Sakurai Takahiro and Suzumura Kenichi work together for lots of anime, drama cd, and such ^_^; Usually Sakurai's seme, but in Crisis Core, Suzumura totally pwns Sakurai if this were reinvented into a doujinshi ^_^;
Ah, one should have seen me procrastinate this game as though I were avoiding the plague ^_^; I don't like watching characters that I like die, don't like reading the scenes, and don't like watching it in the movies. I don't really mind sometimes, but when I really like that character, it just makes me bawl my head off.
The moment Sephiroth said that we had a new mission and that we're going to Nibelheim, I was like: O_O!!!! NO, I DON'T WANT TO GO!!!
I even restarted the game on reflex =_=; I just don't want to see Sephiroth go crazy and then have to watch as Zack goes down the path of no return T__T. *sigh* The ending was so and horribly sad. I cried and cried and cried throughout the last fight. It's strange 'cause I already knew what was going to happen since several years ago after playing the original FF7 game, but to actually see everything play before my eyes like that was incredibly sad. *sigh*
Well, despite how upset the ending makes me, I still love this game.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Maou Episode 11
Ah the series is finally over and like quite a few anti-hero stories I know, EVERYONE dies -- just about. I kind of expected and not expected the ending to work the way it did. I was hoping that at least Serizawa would survive, but after having lost just everything and everyone close to him in his life, it was kind of a doomsday premonition for him =_=
I wanted Kasai to live since he could finally be with Mari -- even though what they did at first was wrong ^_^;;; but Yamano got to him first =_=; *sigh* Oh well.
I had a feeling that Naruse was going to die, but I still wished for him to live =_= *sigh* In any case, it was a good story. There were some parts that were kind of corny, while other parts that were more poignant. Not too bad of a drama, in my opinion. I think it could have been done even better, but that doesn't mean it's not good now ^_^. I like it.
I wanted Kasai to live since he could finally be with Mari -- even though what they did at first was wrong ^_^;;; but Yamano got to him first =_=; *sigh* Oh well.
I had a feeling that Naruse was going to die, but I still wished for him to live =_= *sigh* In any case, it was a good story. There were some parts that were kind of corny, while other parts that were more poignant. Not too bad of a drama, in my opinion. I think it could have been done even better, but that doesn't mean it's not good now ^_^. I like it.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Code Geass R2 Episode 23
This episode was much better than the last 2-3 ... Actually to be honest, I don't think any of the episodes were really all too great after episode 18, but this one changed my mind. There was a nice little montage in the middle, there was a little more development & closure on things, though there was one spot that kinda hit hit me and left me a bit unhinged.
We have come to the official conclusion that EVERYONE is crazy ^_^. That or naive and caught up in the pace of things ^_^
First we have POWER crazy. On one side, we have Lelouch & Suzaku carrying out their so-called "Zero Requiem" plan to basically destroy the world so people will remember Lelouch as the most evilest person ever. In doing so, then people will realize that war sucks and we should just all get along and be happy =_= Great ideal, faulty plan, bad execution.
Then we have side number two, Schneizel the Manipulator, who plays a very good and cruel game of human chess. He is so good at manipulating things that it's kind of scary ^_^; By playing to the current of things, he manages to get the Black Knights and everyone in the UFN to come to his side. Because Lelouch is holding the UFN leaders hostage, and because those nations do not want to lose their leaders, everyone places their lives in Schneizel's hands. All of this is done so he can also destroy the world, but of course, no one really knows that. People only thinks that he's a "good guy" while he kills his own countrymen without batting an eyelash, and desires to destroy every country affiliated with the UFN using nuclear warheads. He has a great plan, a very bad ideal, and his execution is scarily good @_@. He's scary =_=
I would have to say that the only people sane left are... none? Especially if Cornelia's dead. She was one of my favorite characters too T__T. Her death was kind of an unexpected element in the episode, it was like they just wrote her off the show in a pretty pathetic way. Though I understand that it was to show how cold Schneizel was, it was still a pathetic way to die =_= *sigh*
Ok, now for PATHETIC crazy, meant for all those who are naive and have fallen prey to those much smarter than them. For instance, Ougi and Xing-ke have basically fallen victims to hidden truths and over-the-top lies. Everyone has their own interpretation of situations and by thinking them over and over again, they all believe it to be true and so now we have a wonderful mess ^_^. We have the Black Knights betray Lelouch just because they don't know the whole story, which I guess you can't blame them, but now they're siding with someone even worser than Lelouch =_=; I feel sorry for them. Xing-ke, in order to protect his empress (lover XD), basically played into Schneizel's hands and is now a pawn used on the battlefield =_=
Cornelia was sane, but the one part of her that I considered crazy was the fact that she tried to charge at her brother and kill hem =_= I guess no one could have expected that back-handed way of gunning her down, but still... if it were me, I would have chosen to keep my cool and let Nunnally know =_= Then again, Cornelia is not exactly level-headed when she feels a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. *sigh* I loved her T__T Why did she have to die!? Then again... maybe she's not dead knowing how twisty this series is. No one really stays dead =_=
It can't be helped in Nunnally's case 'cause she's blind and can't walk. Without being able to see anything, she can't detect when people are lying to her. The poor thing has been an ideal for protection and also a tool for battle. She thinks that by firing F.R.E.I.J.A. she can botch her brother's evilness, but she doesn't even realize what she's doing. I feel sorry for her. *sigh*
I think Nina has become a lot better in these last two episodes. She has started reflecting on her own selfish way of thinking and become a lot more mature. She's a lot more likeable than she has been for the last 40 something episodes. In contrast, I've started to like Suzaku less =_=; I know he's snapped, but it's kind of painful watching my fave character be so mean =_= *sigh* He's really hardened after all that's happened.
Also, I wonder how this is all going to play out with only two more episodes left. I'm guessing that Ougi will survive 'cause he and Villetta have a family to start together. Kallen probably ends up with Gino, Nina continues working with Lloyd and Cecille (and maybe Laksharta). Suzaku will probably live, but I'm not sure about Lelouch. C.C. will probably finally die... maybe. Who knows ^_^;
We have come to the official conclusion that EVERYONE is crazy ^_^. That or naive and caught up in the pace of things ^_^
First we have POWER crazy. On one side, we have Lelouch & Suzaku carrying out their so-called "Zero Requiem" plan to basically destroy the world so people will remember Lelouch as the most evilest person ever. In doing so, then people will realize that war sucks and we should just all get along and be happy =_= Great ideal, faulty plan, bad execution.
Then we have side number two, Schneizel the Manipulator, who plays a very good and cruel game of human chess. He is so good at manipulating things that it's kind of scary ^_^; By playing to the current of things, he manages to get the Black Knights and everyone in the UFN to come to his side. Because Lelouch is holding the UFN leaders hostage, and because those nations do not want to lose their leaders, everyone places their lives in Schneizel's hands. All of this is done so he can also destroy the world, but of course, no one really knows that. People only thinks that he's a "good guy" while he kills his own countrymen without batting an eyelash, and desires to destroy every country affiliated with the UFN using nuclear warheads. He has a great plan, a very bad ideal, and his execution is scarily good @_@. He's scary =_=
I would have to say that the only people sane left are... none? Especially if Cornelia's dead. She was one of my favorite characters too T__T. Her death was kind of an unexpected element in the episode, it was like they just wrote her off the show in a pretty pathetic way. Though I understand that it was to show how cold Schneizel was, it was still a pathetic way to die =_= *sigh*
Ok, now for PATHETIC crazy, meant for all those who are naive and have fallen prey to those much smarter than them. For instance, Ougi and Xing-ke have basically fallen victims to hidden truths and over-the-top lies. Everyone has their own interpretation of situations and by thinking them over and over again, they all believe it to be true and so now we have a wonderful mess ^_^. We have the Black Knights betray Lelouch just because they don't know the whole story, which I guess you can't blame them, but now they're siding with someone even worser than Lelouch =_=; I feel sorry for them. Xing-ke, in order to protect his empress (lover XD), basically played into Schneizel's hands and is now a pawn used on the battlefield =_=
Cornelia was sane, but the one part of her that I considered crazy was the fact that she tried to charge at her brother and kill hem =_= I guess no one could have expected that back-handed way of gunning her down, but still... if it were me, I would have chosen to keep my cool and let Nunnally know =_= Then again, Cornelia is not exactly level-headed when she feels a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. *sigh* I loved her T__T Why did she have to die!? Then again... maybe she's not dead knowing how twisty this series is. No one really stays dead =_=
It can't be helped in Nunnally's case 'cause she's blind and can't walk. Without being able to see anything, she can't detect when people are lying to her. The poor thing has been an ideal for protection and also a tool for battle. She thinks that by firing F.R.E.I.J.A. she can botch her brother's evilness, but she doesn't even realize what she's doing. I feel sorry for her. *sigh*
I think Nina has become a lot better in these last two episodes. She has started reflecting on her own selfish way of thinking and become a lot more mature. She's a lot more likeable than she has been for the last 40 something episodes. In contrast, I've started to like Suzaku less =_=; I know he's snapped, but it's kind of painful watching my fave character be so mean =_= *sigh* He's really hardened after all that's happened.
Also, I wonder how this is all going to play out with only two more episodes left. I'm guessing that Ougi will survive 'cause he and Villetta have a family to start together. Kallen probably ends up with Gino, Nina continues working with Lloyd and Cecille (and maybe Laksharta). Suzaku will probably live, but I'm not sure about Lelouch. C.C. will probably finally die... maybe. Who knows ^_^;
Love, Tears, Drama
I am trying to watch every single thing I have dled and it's proving to be quite a task =_=; Right now I'm 4/6 episodes with Koizora, which is basically a high school love story that concerns one of the lovers dying from cancer. I still cry even though the storyline is very cookie-cutter-romance (in my opinion) 'cause I just like crying watching sad things. I know how the story is going to end, but still I keep watching it. Right now I feel like I'm forcing my way through it, but it's not like it's a terrible drama, just not exactly one that has any new material. I guess if you're really, really bored and want to cry over something, it's one to watch. Personally, 1 Litre of Tears and SekaiChu are my top disease-afflicted tear-jerking dramas, nothing else has really topped these two. I would be crying nonstop after every episode almost.
I think after watching all those Korean dramas that have someone dying of leukemia or something, I've just grown kind of bored of similar plot-lines. So when a drama comes up with someone dying of cancer and it being a love story of such, I don't really get into it, I kind of just watch it since I enjoy the genre, but not necessarily 'cause I'm so in love with the story or something.
Also, watched Atsuhime episode 36 today and the ending made me cry. I just cry at everything =_=; Watching as Tenshoin burned everything affiliated with her past due to having everyone suspect her was so sad. I am so glad I started watching this drama, I've loved every moment of it. Edo is one of my fave Japanese eras when it comes to history (I love the warring era pre-Edo just as much) so anything associated with it is
for me.
Let's see... also watched Code Blue episode 09 today and have Tomorrow episode 08 to continue on. Code Blue turned out better than I thought it would. I was not exactly impressed by the first episode, but slowly it started to grow on me. I still like Tomorrow, but I can't say that I like it better than Code Blue. I guess both dramas are good in their own respect; one is about interns in a training program while the other is about a hospital needing reformation in order to bring more money back to the small seaside town. I can't seem to favor one over the other anymore since they're equally good.
Ah... I've been trying my best to watch Itazura na Kiss in Taiwanese =_=; I think I must be a masochist, because I keep watching it even though it's painful on me =_=. I am not a sappy romance person for the majority of the time. I am only a sappy romantic once in a blue moon. I can read romance no matter how mawkish or trashy it is, but whenever I hear it said out loud in movies, anime, drama, or cds, I just cringe. Hearing people saying the words "I love you," seeing flowers bloom everywhere, and all those embarrassing special effects always seem to annoy me =_=; (Or I guess.... it's make my skin crawl?) It's like ... I've decided to hate "love" =_=; That or... I've read so much Japanese material that I'm starting to think like a Japanese man =_= ... Yes, a Japanese man =_=; Only foreigners use the word "love."
I wonder has the lack of feminity caused my thoughts to become more masculine =_=; Then again... I've always been weak when it comes to watching something sappy. (Weak as in "it makes me sick" and not as in "melty, floaty"). Like in middle school and high school, I was one of those "Boys should just die" kind of girls. I guess right now, I'm not exactly a big fan of men either =_=; They kind of piss me off =_=; And I have no explanation for it.
Still... I continue to watch sappy, romance dramas despite what pain it causes me =_=; Maybe this is a sign that I should go out and find myself a man =_=; But I love my independence... Relationships are time-consuming and I enjoy my time alone. *sigh*
I think after watching all those Korean dramas that have someone dying of leukemia or something, I've just grown kind of bored of similar plot-lines. So when a drama comes up with someone dying of cancer and it being a love story of such, I don't really get into it, I kind of just watch it since I enjoy the genre, but not necessarily 'cause I'm so in love with the story or something.
Also, watched Atsuhime episode 36 today and the ending made me cry. I just cry at everything =_=; Watching as Tenshoin burned everything affiliated with her past due to having everyone suspect her was so sad. I am so glad I started watching this drama, I've loved every moment of it. Edo is one of my fave Japanese eras when it comes to history (I love the warring era pre-Edo just as much) so anything associated with it is
for me. Let's see... also watched Code Blue episode 09 today and have Tomorrow episode 08 to continue on. Code Blue turned out better than I thought it would. I was not exactly impressed by the first episode, but slowly it started to grow on me. I still like Tomorrow, but I can't say that I like it better than Code Blue. I guess both dramas are good in their own respect; one is about interns in a training program while the other is about a hospital needing reformation in order to bring more money back to the small seaside town. I can't seem to favor one over the other anymore since they're equally good.
Ah... I've been trying my best to watch Itazura na Kiss in Taiwanese =_=; I think I must be a masochist, because I keep watching it even though it's painful on me =_=. I am not a sappy romance person for the majority of the time. I am only a sappy romantic once in a blue moon. I can read romance no matter how mawkish or trashy it is, but whenever I hear it said out loud in movies, anime, drama, or cds, I just cringe. Hearing people saying the words "I love you," seeing flowers bloom everywhere, and all those embarrassing special effects always seem to annoy me =_=; (Or I guess.... it's make my skin crawl?) It's like ... I've decided to hate "love" =_=; That or... I've read so much Japanese material that I'm starting to think like a Japanese man =_= ... Yes, a Japanese man =_=; Only foreigners use the word "love."
I wonder has the lack of feminity caused my thoughts to become more masculine =_=; Then again... I've always been weak when it comes to watching something sappy. (Weak as in "it makes me sick" and not as in "melty, floaty"). Like in middle school and high school, I was one of those "Boys should just die" kind of girls. I guess right now, I'm not exactly a big fan of men either =_=; They kind of piss me off =_=; And I have no explanation for it.
Still... I continue to watch sappy, romance dramas despite what pain it causes me =_=; Maybe this is a sign that I should go out and find myself a man =_=; But I love my independence... Relationships are time-consuming and I enjoy my time alone. *sigh*
Friday, September 12, 2008
Addiction Starts With D.A.
Um... so... I recently became addicted to Katekyo Hitman Reborn only after I saved a million deviations (ok, maybe not a million, but quite a lot of deviations) from various and extremely talented artists on DA to my faves folder.
I've been thinking about watching & reading the series for some time now, but I guess all the 69x27 & 80x59 doujinshi and artwork has finally got to me. (I think this happened once before... with Prince of Tennis, I mean. After all that Tezuka x Fuji doujinshi that I read, I kind of wounded up reading the manga and watching the anime). Yes... BL & slash usually motivates me to start new series.
I think the only hetero pairing I've taken any interest in -- for a while now -- is Suzaku x Euphemia from Code Geass. Other than that, BL pairings usually interest me more. Ok, nevermind that's a lie... I like Squall x Rinoa too, believe it or not -- but the part about BL pairings is true.
Anyway, I was going through all these KHR images by three or four artists and I was like ... KHR... KHR.... Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn? The drawings are amazing and it really piqued my interest in the series. I saw this one image with Mukuro in it and I fell in love right away. I was like ... ... I have to go read this series now! So... I'm now dling the anime and reading the manga like a person possessed.
I didn't even know any of these characters to begin with, but I was already a fan of Mukuro without knowing anything about him. I love Yamamoto and Hibari as well. *laugh* Let's face it, I love all the pretty boys ^_^;;; I especially like dangerous, pretty boys.
When I was looking at the DA images, I saw a lot of numbers like 27, 59, 69, 80, 18, etc. and was like ... ? Apparently these are abbreviations of character names -- which I found out later when I looked up Tsuna in wikipedia. So 27 is Tsuna, 2 as in "tsu" (like futatsu or maybe it's two in English?), and then 7 as "na" like "nana" so 27 = Tsuna. Then we have 59 for Gokudera, the 5 is "go" and the 9 is "ku." For 69, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be for Roku or Muku 'cause Rokudo Mukuro is both 69 -- ah well, whatever works (though I think it's Muku 'cause lots of people refer to him as Mukuro rather than Rokudo). For 80 we have Yamamoto, so it's 8 for "ya" and 0 for "ma" as in maru. I agonized over this one for a long time 'cause I couldn't think of any other phonetic "rei" could be. For 18, I'm assuming it's "Hiba" as in Hibari 'cause 1 is "hi'' and 8 = "ha" or "ba," I guess it can be ba. But... *squee* I love Hibari and Mukuro ^_^!!
So yeah... I'm addicted to KHR now ^_^;;; I'm also addicted to my tablet and drawing. Lately, drawing has been a lot more fun than I remembered it being ^_^
I've been thinking about watching & reading the series for some time now, but I guess all the 69x27 & 80x59 doujinshi and artwork has finally got to me. (I think this happened once before... with Prince of Tennis, I mean. After all that Tezuka x Fuji doujinshi that I read, I kind of wounded up reading the manga and watching the anime). Yes... BL & slash usually motivates me to start new series.
I think the only hetero pairing I've taken any interest in -- for a while now -- is Suzaku x Euphemia from Code Geass. Other than that, BL pairings usually interest me more. Ok, nevermind that's a lie... I like Squall x Rinoa too, believe it or not -- but the part about BL pairings is true.
Anyway, I was going through all these KHR images by three or four artists and I was like ... KHR... KHR.... Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn? The drawings are amazing and it really piqued my interest in the series. I saw this one image with Mukuro in it and I fell in love right away. I was like ... ... I have to go read this series now! So... I'm now dling the anime and reading the manga like a person possessed.
I didn't even know any of these characters to begin with, but I was already a fan of Mukuro without knowing anything about him. I love Yamamoto and Hibari as well. *laugh* Let's face it, I love all the pretty boys ^_^;;; I especially like dangerous, pretty boys.
When I was looking at the DA images, I saw a lot of numbers like 27, 59, 69, 80, 18, etc. and was like ... ? Apparently these are abbreviations of character names -- which I found out later when I looked up Tsuna in wikipedia. So 27 is Tsuna, 2 as in "tsu" (like futatsu or maybe it's two in English?), and then 7 as "na" like "nana" so 27 = Tsuna. Then we have 59 for Gokudera, the 5 is "go" and the 9 is "ku." For 69, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be for Roku or Muku 'cause Rokudo Mukuro is both 69 -- ah well, whatever works (though I think it's Muku 'cause lots of people refer to him as Mukuro rather than Rokudo). For 80 we have Yamamoto, so it's 8 for "ya" and 0 for "ma" as in maru. I agonized over this one for a long time 'cause I couldn't think of any other phonetic "rei" could be. For 18, I'm assuming it's "Hiba" as in Hibari 'cause 1 is "hi'' and 8 = "ha" or "ba," I guess it can be ba. But... *squee* I love Hibari and Mukuro ^_^!!
So yeah... I'm addicted to KHR now ^_^;;; I'm also addicted to my tablet and drawing. Lately, drawing has been a lot more fun than I remembered it being ^_^
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Gearing Up For New Nodame Cantabile Season
So I'm going back to finish watching the Nodame Cantabile anime since I never quite finished it ^_^;;; (I still haven't read much of the manga except for the most recent chapters with Chiaki & Nodame overseas) I'm enjoying this series again now that I've time to forget a lot about things that happened ^_^ Not sure how to put it, but it's like when your head is full of one series, you end up developing all these expectations and such so then when things don't come out the way you wanted them to, it kind of bugs you. Right now, it feels like I'm watching the anime with an indifferent mind so I'm enjoying it more than I did when it first came out. Seems like a new season is starting this October (or was it November?), so I'm going to watch the end of season one for a refresher.
I'm going back to watch some series that I kind of put off for a while too ^^; For instance, I still need to re-watch Digimon Adventure in Japanese, then I have Tokyo Majin Kenpuchou Tou Dai Maku, the end of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, Wellber no Monogatari, Death Note, Devil May Cry, finish Zombie Loan, Neo Angelique Abyss & Second Age, Heroic Age, Tsubasa Chronicles, lots of episodes from Bleach, Bus Gamer, Kyou Kara Maou, and Dragonaut... among a lot more actually =_=; *sigh* I have lots of drama to catch up on to... ... ...
Anyway, I'm currently viewing Code Geass, D.Gray-man, Itazura na Kiss, Natsume Yuujinchou, Antique Bakery, Dragonaut, and thinking about dling Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn. I've been thinking about watching Gintama too... but between Katekyo and Gintama, I think I may end up going for Katekyo. Lately, I've been seeing too much artwork for Katekyo on deviantart and in doujinshi so... my curiosity is really piqued now ^_^; (I think this was how I got addicted to Prince of Tennis too... back in the day before it became the sports version of Dragonball Z).
Finally finished Seigi no Mikata today... Perhaps I'm too tired, but I kind of predicted that ending. Some elements of the final episode are funny, but I was kind of bored with it too =_=; *sigh* This is bad.... last episodes of series no longer interest me @_@;
I'm going back to watch some series that I kind of put off for a while too ^^; For instance, I still need to re-watch Digimon Adventure in Japanese, then I have Tokyo Majin Kenpuchou Tou Dai Maku, the end of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, Wellber no Monogatari, Death Note, Devil May Cry, finish Zombie Loan, Neo Angelique Abyss & Second Age, Heroic Age, Tsubasa Chronicles, lots of episodes from Bleach, Bus Gamer, Kyou Kara Maou, and Dragonaut... among a lot more actually =_=; *sigh* I have lots of drama to catch up on to... ... ...
Anyway, I'm currently viewing Code Geass, D.Gray-man, Itazura na Kiss, Natsume Yuujinchou, Antique Bakery, Dragonaut, and thinking about dling Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn. I've been thinking about watching Gintama too... but between Katekyo and Gintama, I think I may end up going for Katekyo. Lately, I've been seeing too much artwork for Katekyo on deviantart and in doujinshi so... my curiosity is really piqued now ^_^; (I think this was how I got addicted to Prince of Tennis too... back in the day before it became the sports version of Dragonball Z).
Finally finished Seigi no Mikata today... Perhaps I'm too tired, but I kind of predicted that ending. Some elements of the final episode are funny, but I was kind of bored with it too =_=; *sigh* This is bad.... last episodes of series no longer interest me @_@;
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Hataraki Man
One of the best drama ever! I've never enjoyed a series more ^_^ Kanno Miho did a splendid job in her role and the story was just very entertaining. Every episode has a word defined and lesson on it, and all the actors were just wonderful. The ending theme is hilarious! I love the way they played with the phonetics to get the lyrics ^_^ For instance:
一つ人より働いて <-- "Hito"tsu "Hito" yori hatarite
二つ不満は口にせず <-- "Fu"tatsu "Fu"man ha kuchi ni sezu
三つ未来と <-- "Mi"tsu "Mi"rai to
四つ世のため <-- "Yo"tsu "Yo" no tame
五ついつまでも <-- "Itsu"tsu "Itsu" made mo~
I love it ^_^! The song makes me laugh every time I hear it. I've basically been singing to it everyday where I am ^_^ (Mostly at work though). It's officially become my work song ^_^
Anyway, for those who haven't seen Hataraki Man yet, it's basically about a 28 year-old magazine editor, Matsukata Hiroko, who is very passionate about her work and when she gets into work mode, she works 3x as fast and gets things done like "a man" so she is called "Hataraki Man." In the story, she overcomes various obstacles on the job while trying to be a good girlfriend to 4-year boyfriend, Shinji. However, when it comes down to it, she has to pick what is most important to her: work or love.
The drama is hilarious, it's more about work than about romance, in my opinion. About 80% of the drama is of Hiroko running around with proposals, chasing after interviees, and standing up her boyfriend in order to take on scoops ^_^; Ok... maybe that's not all she's doing, but the stories within each episode are nice to see and personally, I think it's one of the best comedies I've watched in a while.
Another comedy I watched recently is Brother Beat, about a single-mother who raises her three, good-looking sons by herself after her husband's death 15 years ago. Her eldest son is a straight-laced salaryman and the main provider for the family, the second son is a swimming coach, and the third is training to become a nurse at his college. All experience trials with work and love and it's a pretty cute story in my opinion, well worth checking out.
一つ人より働いて <-- "Hito"tsu "Hito" yori hatarite
二つ不満は口にせず <-- "Fu"tatsu "Fu"man ha kuchi ni sezu
三つ未来と <-- "Mi"tsu "Mi"rai to
四つ世のため <-- "Yo"tsu "Yo" no tame
五ついつまでも <-- "Itsu"tsu "Itsu" made mo~
I love it ^_^! The song makes me laugh every time I hear it. I've basically been singing to it everyday where I am ^_^ (Mostly at work though). It's officially become my work song ^_^
Anyway, for those who haven't seen Hataraki Man yet, it's basically about a 28 year-old magazine editor, Matsukata Hiroko, who is very passionate about her work and when she gets into work mode, she works 3x as fast and gets things done like "a man" so she is called "Hataraki Man." In the story, she overcomes various obstacles on the job while trying to be a good girlfriend to 4-year boyfriend, Shinji. However, when it comes down to it, she has to pick what is most important to her: work or love.
The drama is hilarious, it's more about work than about romance, in my opinion. About 80% of the drama is of Hiroko running around with proposals, chasing after interviees, and standing up her boyfriend in order to take on scoops ^_^; Ok... maybe that's not all she's doing, but the stories within each episode are nice to see and personally, I think it's one of the best comedies I've watched in a while.
Another comedy I watched recently is Brother Beat, about a single-mother who raises her three, good-looking sons by herself after her husband's death 15 years ago. Her eldest son is a straight-laced salaryman and the main provider for the family, the second son is a swimming coach, and the third is training to become a nurse at his college. All experience trials with work and love and it's a pretty cute story in my opinion, well worth checking out.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Code Geass R2 Episode 22
This episode was interesting and mellow compared to the train wreck last week and the speeding rollercoaster from before that. It's what I call a "clean-up" episode.
My definition for a "clean-up" episode is basically the creators, writers and staff decide to "clean-up" some plot details, wrap some things up, and kill off all miscellaneous characters while somewhat adding value to the story so it sets the stage for the remaining details. For instance...
In episode 22, most of the Knights of Rounds are killed off by Suzaku in order to prove that Suzaku is crazy strong, and also to just get them out of the picture so we don't have to worry about them anymore. No more supporters of the former emperor, Charles, and no potential uprising by his knights.
Meanwhile, Lelouch's geass has made every member of the royal family his slaves and in doing so, means we don't have to worry about any constructive conversations or details among any siblings -- so that takes them out of the picture as well.
Suzaku and Lelouch are finally together and aiming to make the world a better place by becoming bad guys. Their logic is pretty twisted and emo, but hey it's Code Geass. We're all about being emo on Code Geass. Lelouch wants to be an emperor that destroys everything so that people will remember him as a demon and forget the incident of Euphemia, the Massacre Princess. He thinks this will be the best way to atone for what happened to her, and also for Nunnally as well.
Anyway, we have three sides right now, basically a battle triangle. We have Schneizel's side, Lelouch & Suzaku's side, and the UNF + Black Knights side. Lelouch & Suzaku has taken over the UNF by force (cutting them from the Black Knights), but Schneizel has all the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads =_= He even decided to try it out on the capital of Britannia.
Last of all, we have the so-called "surprise" of the episode -- which was kind of predictable almost in a way since Code Geass loves twists so much that it overdoes it and we then kind of see it all coming. Well, apparently Nunnally's survived the first F.L.E.I.J.A. bombing and is now with Schneizel. She is Lelouch & Suzaku's real opponent =_=; (Oh great, just what we needed)
I was hoping that she would stay dead =_=; Oh well, I guess we'll have to make-do. It looks like she may fire one of the warheads next episode =_= *sigh* Oh dear...
Maybe the lesson from all these anti-hero stories is "revenge is bad, 'cause you always end up hurting yourself more and you always end up being proven wrong over something." For instance... Sweeney Todd accidentally kills his wife when he fails to recognize her 'cause he's too focused on his revenge. In Maou, Naruse manipulates people into killing those around Naoto, and then he begins to learn and realize that his way of thinking has been wrong all along, but he cannot be stopped anymore.
Anyway... Code Geass is still interesting, but the mess is no longer as intriguing as it used to be. The first season is way better than the second season, but I still recommend people watching and finishing this. Only have 3 more episodes left. Hope it ends... well?
My definition for a "clean-up" episode is basically the creators, writers and staff decide to "clean-up" some plot details, wrap some things up, and kill off all miscellaneous characters while somewhat adding value to the story so it sets the stage for the remaining details. For instance...
In episode 22, most of the Knights of Rounds are killed off by Suzaku in order to prove that Suzaku is crazy strong, and also to just get them out of the picture so we don't have to worry about them anymore. No more supporters of the former emperor, Charles, and no potential uprising by his knights.
Meanwhile, Lelouch's geass has made every member of the royal family his slaves and in doing so, means we don't have to worry about any constructive conversations or details among any siblings -- so that takes them out of the picture as well.
Suzaku and Lelouch are finally together and aiming to make the world a better place by becoming bad guys. Their logic is pretty twisted and emo, but hey it's Code Geass. We're all about being emo on Code Geass. Lelouch wants to be an emperor that destroys everything so that people will remember him as a demon and forget the incident of Euphemia, the Massacre Princess. He thinks this will be the best way to atone for what happened to her, and also for Nunnally as well.
Anyway, we have three sides right now, basically a battle triangle. We have Schneizel's side, Lelouch & Suzaku's side, and the UNF + Black Knights side. Lelouch & Suzaku has taken over the UNF by force (cutting them from the Black Knights), but Schneizel has all the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads =_= He even decided to try it out on the capital of Britannia.
Last of all, we have the so-called "surprise" of the episode -- which was kind of predictable almost in a way since Code Geass loves twists so much that it overdoes it and we then kind of see it all coming. Well, apparently Nunnally's survived the first F.L.E.I.J.A. bombing and is now with Schneizel. She is Lelouch & Suzaku's real opponent =_=; (Oh great, just what we needed)
I was hoping that she would stay dead =_=; Oh well, I guess we'll have to make-do. It looks like she may fire one of the warheads next episode =_= *sigh* Oh dear...
Maybe the lesson from all these anti-hero stories is "revenge is bad, 'cause you always end up hurting yourself more and you always end up being proven wrong over something." For instance... Sweeney Todd accidentally kills his wife when he fails to recognize her 'cause he's too focused on his revenge. In Maou, Naruse manipulates people into killing those around Naoto, and then he begins to learn and realize that his way of thinking has been wrong all along, but he cannot be stopped anymore.
Anyway... Code Geass is still interesting, but the mess is no longer as intriguing as it used to be. The first season is way better than the second season, but I still recommend people watching and finishing this. Only have 3 more episodes left. Hope it ends... well?
Maou Episode 10
This episode impressed me more than I thought it would. Something that I never thought of really and was pleasantly surprised of during this episode was the conversation between Naruse and the Serizawa patriarch. I also liked it when Serizawa was able to calm down so quickly -- despite his surprise -- when finding out that Naruse is Mannaka Tomoo. The conversation was well-put and made a good point, it was also touching.
Serizawa admits to Naruse that what happened between his son, Naoto, and Hideo was really an accident; however, even if Naoto had said that he would not have gotten off easily. So in order to protect his son, he had Kumada defend him by saying it was out of self-defense. Naruse demanded to know if Serizawa really believed that and Serizawa asked, "Is there any parent who would not trust their own child?" *touched*
Serizawa calmly states that it's true that what they did ended up hurting the Mannaka family, but as a parent, he chose the decision that would protect his son and in doing so, he was making the right decision for himself. If he had to do it again, he would do the same. He then also said to Naruse that since that day (meaning the night when Tomoo visited the Serizawa household), Naruse had already figured out what decision he needed to make for himself as well and he went on it believing it to be right.
This really snapped something inside Naruse -- who is breaking down more and more with each passing episode as he wavers in his pursuit of revenge -- and he ends up leaving the office.
If there is one real bad guy in this entire series, I would have to say that it's the cowardly Yamano Makoto. Though it's Naruse who initiates the plan, Yamano really disgusts me =_= I guess it's hard for him to be good to those who have bullied him in the past, but that doesn't change the fact that he grates my nerves. The actor's done a good job, the character really pisses me off. (As one can tell, I hate the cowardly, sniveling types of men... they're not real men =_=)
Anyway, I look forward towards the finale of this week. I wonder if Naoto ends up killing Naruse ^_^ or if Naruse ends up killing Naoto. Here's some of my theories -- as I have not seen the original version:
1. Naoto dies, Naruse goes to jail
2. Naruse dies, Naoto goes to jail
3. Naruse dies, Naoto gets off scot-free
4. Both die
Anti-heroes... don't always live =_=; Naruse is an anti-hero so it's very possible that he's going to end up dying. Personally, I don't mind if both end up living, but I have a feeling that it just might not work out that way. Just as I was reading anime titles for Code Geass today and the last episode's title is "Re:." <-- what is up with that?
Makes me see a bleak, bleak, bleak future for the world of anti-heroes =_=; Why can't they just live??
Serizawa admits to Naruse that what happened between his son, Naoto, and Hideo was really an accident; however, even if Naoto had said that he would not have gotten off easily. So in order to protect his son, he had Kumada defend him by saying it was out of self-defense. Naruse demanded to know if Serizawa really believed that and Serizawa asked, "Is there any parent who would not trust their own child?" *touched*
Serizawa calmly states that it's true that what they did ended up hurting the Mannaka family, but as a parent, he chose the decision that would protect his son and in doing so, he was making the right decision for himself. If he had to do it again, he would do the same. He then also said to Naruse that since that day (meaning the night when Tomoo visited the Serizawa household), Naruse had already figured out what decision he needed to make for himself as well and he went on it believing it to be right.
This really snapped something inside Naruse -- who is breaking down more and more with each passing episode as he wavers in his pursuit of revenge -- and he ends up leaving the office.
If there is one real bad guy in this entire series, I would have to say that it's the cowardly Yamano Makoto. Though it's Naruse who initiates the plan, Yamano really disgusts me =_= I guess it's hard for him to be good to those who have bullied him in the past, but that doesn't change the fact that he grates my nerves. The actor's done a good job, the character really pisses me off. (As one can tell, I hate the cowardly, sniveling types of men... they're not real men =_=)
Anyway, I look forward towards the finale of this week. I wonder if Naoto ends up killing Naruse ^_^ or if Naruse ends up killing Naoto. Here's some of my theories -- as I have not seen the original version:
1. Naoto dies, Naruse goes to jail
2. Naruse dies, Naoto goes to jail
3. Naruse dies, Naoto gets off scot-free
4. Both die
Anti-heroes... don't always live =_=; Naruse is an anti-hero so it's very possible that he's going to end up dying. Personally, I don't mind if both end up living, but I have a feeling that it just might not work out that way. Just as I was reading anime titles for Code Geass today and the last episode's title is "Re:." <-- what is up with that?
Makes me see a bleak, bleak, bleak future for the world of anti-heroes =_=; Why can't they just live??
In Life & In Blogs, People Just Need to Grow Up
So I frequently a couple blogs and sometimes I tend to leave comments and read other people's comments for a post. Lately, I've been following Memento's blog and we're all heatedly discussing Code Geass R2. I love discussions and speculations, but seriously... some of these people need to grow up.
Every is entitled to their own opinion and no one can change really change another person's opinion. So to force one's thoughts and beliefs on others is kind of silly. We only see flames burst and emotions erupt all over someone else's blog =_=; I don't know whether to be amused or embarrassed for some of these blog comment-writers. Then again, I'm pretty sure half of the people watching Code Geass R2 and commenting on the blog are probably middle school kids or something =_=; This is the only reason I can come up with the lack of maturity in comments, the blatant outbursts of "If you don't like this, then you're stupid," or taking offense easily when a comment may not be directed towards them. If these are all adults, then they're not really acting like them =_=;
I mean seriously, TURN the OTHER WAY if they grate your nerves, no one has to answer to them and it's not like you lose anything. Goodness, people are just bizarre =_=
Well, it's not like it wasn't already a bloodbath or flame war when I walk into a blog at times, but you would think that people would grow up or something. Just because they're hiding behind a cyberspace identity, they think they can either badmouth another comment-writer, the blog writers, or push their ideas onto other people. I really dislike it when people become caustic and mean in their comments. None of it is fun to read and takes up space. I just wish people would grow up.
Every is entitled to their own opinion and no one can change really change another person's opinion. So to force one's thoughts and beliefs on others is kind of silly. We only see flames burst and emotions erupt all over someone else's blog =_=; I don't know whether to be amused or embarrassed for some of these blog comment-writers. Then again, I'm pretty sure half of the people watching Code Geass R2 and commenting on the blog are probably middle school kids or something =_=; This is the only reason I can come up with the lack of maturity in comments, the blatant outbursts of "If you don't like this, then you're stupid," or taking offense easily when a comment may not be directed towards them. If these are all adults, then they're not really acting like them =_=;
I mean seriously, TURN the OTHER WAY if they grate your nerves, no one has to answer to them and it's not like you lose anything. Goodness, people are just bizarre =_=
Well, it's not like it wasn't already a bloodbath or flame war when I walk into a blog at times, but you would think that people would grow up or something. Just because they're hiding behind a cyberspace identity, they think they can either badmouth another comment-writer, the blog writers, or push their ideas onto other people. I really dislike it when people become caustic and mean in their comments. None of it is fun to read and takes up space. I just wish people would grow up.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
It Feels Like Hand-Held Camera
Why is it that every time I watch a Taiwanese drama, I get this "hand-held" camera-like effect? The palette is kind of off-color and always looks low-budget. Even American soap operas have better lighting and coloring than this =_=; I should also say... even Chinese drama from the Mainland has better lighting and color despite the low-budget-ness of each series. How do I explain it... ...? Something about the way Taiwanese drama is shot a lot of times is very unappealing.
I like Japanese drama camera work, because you have an assortment of color and it feels like they found skilled people to manage the equipment, or have better equipment. Taiwanese drama colors are seem faded in a way -- even the bright ones. I always see fuller picture in Japanese drama. It's not like I detest Taiwanese drama, but sometimes I just have a hard time watching it -- other than the really bad storylines, bad acting, and bad directing --'cause the coloring's so off.
In terms of picture that attracts my interest, I like American primetime drama & Japanese drama. Then I like Cantonese drama (TVB) and Korean drama. Next is Mainland China drama (the color's nice in a lot of the series, just the budget is really low at times and some things are really funny looking), and last is Taiwanese drama. I hate the bad-camera-like effect I get when watching series no matter how good or bad it is.
I like Japanese drama camera work, because you have an assortment of color and it feels like they found skilled people to manage the equipment, or have better equipment. Taiwanese drama colors are seem faded in a way -- even the bright ones. I always see fuller picture in Japanese drama. It's not like I detest Taiwanese drama, but sometimes I just have a hard time watching it -- other than the really bad storylines, bad acting, and bad directing --'cause the coloring's so off.
In terms of picture that attracts my interest, I like American primetime drama & Japanese drama. Then I like Cantonese drama (TVB) and Korean drama. Next is Mainland China drama (the color's nice in a lot of the series, just the budget is really low at times and some things are really funny looking), and last is Taiwanese drama. I hate the bad-camera-like effect I get when watching series no matter how good or bad it is.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Maou Episode 04-09
After watching so many episodes of Maou, I can't help but feel that this isn't going to end well. I mean really. Every anti-hero film or series I've read or watched so far has never ended well for the main character. In Sweeney Todd, he dies. In Death Note, Light also dies. While in this time and age we tend to favor stories about anti-heroes, the endings are always tragic. Code Geass too, for some reason Lelouch strikes me mostly as an anti-hero, and I have this feeling that the ending may not be too good for him -- though I hope I'm proven wrong.
So basically by episode nine, Serizawa finally figures out that Naruse is Mannaka Tomoo aka Amano Makoto, but Naruse plays it off very nicely (since he's a lawyer and all, diplomacy and wordplay are his forte). Naruse's domino effect is reaching the roots of the Serizawa family and everything is crumbling before Naoto's eyes. In a way, though Naruse is a manipulator, he technically didn't kill anyone, so I wonder how this is all going to work if Serizawa does arrest him. Actually... I wonder if Naruse will even live at the end. Don't all the anti-heroes usually die anyway?
Well, we just got to wait and see.
So basically by episode nine, Serizawa finally figures out that Naruse is Mannaka Tomoo aka Amano Makoto, but Naruse plays it off very nicely (since he's a lawyer and all, diplomacy and wordplay are his forte). Naruse's domino effect is reaching the roots of the Serizawa family and everything is crumbling before Naoto's eyes. In a way, though Naruse is a manipulator, he technically didn't kill anyone, so I wonder how this is all going to work if Serizawa does arrest him. Actually... I wonder if Naruse will even live at the end. Don't all the anti-heroes usually die anyway?
Well, we just got to wait and see.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tablet Obsession
So... I finally got around to installing my tablet into my PC. I've tried playing around with it and at first it was hard to use, but now I'm getting the hang of using it to draw. It's kind of fun drawing with the tablet. I already put some works up on my DeviantArt account, but I think my art style really has gone downhill since my hiatus =_=; *sigh* Oh well, at least it's not terrible. Still need to master coloring.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Code Geass Episode 19-21
Best episode in the entire season is episode 18. Everything kept me hanging on my seat and wanting more. Episode 19 was bittersweet and really nice to watch 'cause Lelouch ended up with absolutely nothing in the end so things we kind of working out in a way. The scene of Rolo over-exerting himself was very sweet and heartbreaking. The episode pales to episode 18, but it's good nonetheless. And then we get episode 20, which kinda of started to spin out of control and turn into a train wreck. We hit an all-time crash & burn in episode 21, which I'm still pretty unsure about. To be honest... I'm confused @_@ I'm slowly still trying to make sense of what I just watched, but in a way, I kind of get what's going on too =_= For some reason, I feel a bit disappointed. The story ended up twisting in a way that I found to be predictable so now I feel a bit down about what's happened. Oh well, it's still good. Just not as good as it used to be. I rather enjoyed all the heartbreak the series has caused me up to episode 19 in this season. Right now, I'm just riding out the waves =_=;
Episode 21 wrapped things up in a way, but also started a whole new problem as well. For those who have played Final Fantasy VIII, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's like you fight against this boss for a majority of the time and then you realize that it's not the real ultimate boss =_=; Now, you're kind of like ... uh...?
I mean really... ... I love Schneizel... and I rather like Lelouch and Suzaku, but to have these three face off in the end will be kind of... not what I was expecting. Oh well.
With the way the story was structuring itself up to this point, it was not hard to decipher that Marianne and Charles were peas in a pod. V.V. was basically jealous of Marianne (the way Rolo was jealous of Nunnally) and killed her, then arranged for Nunnally to be a fake witness by messing with her memories so she thinks that she saw her mother get murdered by terrorists. Lelouch arrives later (?) and finds the lovely sight =_= (?). I always thought that Lelouch also saw his mother get killed ... ... Maybe I missed something back a while ago.
Anyway... the reason why Anya keeps reacting to the geass mark is finally answered. I was hoping for something more dramatic, but I'll live with what happened.
Hmm... now on a more morbid note... I really like the deaths in this series for some reason. They make me upset, make me cry and love this series more. For instance, Euphemia and Shirley's deaths made me just about bawl my head off. Nunnally's death (though there are speculations that she's not dead yet) came at a good time 'cause she never had to find out that her brother was Zero. Rolo's death redeemed him for all the things he did in a sense, but I still find Euphemia's and Shirley's deaths to be the ones that affect me the most.
Ah, I loved the first season. Everything was really well-done in the first season from opening theme sequences to plot detail and fan service. It's unfortunate that Taniguchi had to make the changes he did. The end product's still good, but I'm sure his original vision would have matched the geniusness of his first season.
Episode 21 wrapped things up in a way, but also started a whole new problem as well. For those who have played Final Fantasy VIII, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's like you fight against this boss for a majority of the time and then you realize that it's not the real ultimate boss =_=; Now, you're kind of like ... uh...?
I mean really... ... I love Schneizel... and I rather like Lelouch and Suzaku, but to have these three face off in the end will be kind of... not what I was expecting. Oh well.
With the way the story was structuring itself up to this point, it was not hard to decipher that Marianne and Charles were peas in a pod. V.V. was basically jealous of Marianne (the way Rolo was jealous of Nunnally) and killed her, then arranged for Nunnally to be a fake witness by messing with her memories so she thinks that she saw her mother get murdered by terrorists. Lelouch arrives later (?) and finds the lovely sight =_= (?). I always thought that Lelouch also saw his mother get killed ... ... Maybe I missed something back a while ago.
Anyway... the reason why Anya keeps reacting to the geass mark is finally answered. I was hoping for something more dramatic, but I'll live with what happened.
Hmm... now on a more morbid note... I really like the deaths in this series for some reason. They make me upset, make me cry and love this series more. For instance, Euphemia and Shirley's deaths made me just about bawl my head off. Nunnally's death (though there are speculations that she's not dead yet) came at a good time 'cause she never had to find out that her brother was Zero. Rolo's death redeemed him for all the things he did in a sense, but I still find Euphemia's and Shirley's deaths to be the ones that affect me the most.
Ah, I loved the first season. Everything was really well-done in the first season from opening theme sequences to plot detail and fan service. It's unfortunate that Taniguchi had to make the changes he did. The end product's still good, but I'm sure his original vision would have matched the geniusness of his first season.
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