tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78859881576763141952024-03-19T03:19:32.054-07:00I Think I Might Be An Otakucaro-chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02816959125315317615noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-49039644938564382392013-07-16T07:59:00.004-07:002013-07-16T07:59:57.509-07:00Convention Review: ConnectiCon 2013<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfhKFLXs_rAyC319m9ZBfUWTaO9atbwAQSKgmwWQdHjKny20mH_XANJEF8DcsNSeHkuVay1O7wq5GHbtGPY2NslEq-irQs74AibEIJ_R6Tnp3S286KYVWu0FMTQ1-iBy2pKnsDSwKjYE/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfhKFLXs_rAyC319m9ZBfUWTaO9atbwAQSKgmwWQdHjKny20mH_XANJEF8DcsNSeHkuVay1O7wq5GHbtGPY2NslEq-irQs74AibEIJ_R6Tnp3S286KYVWu0FMTQ1-iBy2pKnsDSwKjYE/s1600/logo.png" height="145" width="320" /></a>This last weekend we attended<a href="http://connecticon.org/"> ConnectiCon</a>, a con I've personally been attending since '06, and on J has been attending for a couple more years. Since '06, I think I've managed to miss only 1 CTCon, even years we couldn't attend the full weekend, we usually would hit it up for at least one of the days to scope out the dealers room and whatever events we could cram into the day. <br />
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This year we did the "Do we go at all? For a day? Two days? For the full three?" dance that happens almost every year and decided at the last minute to go for the full weekend and stay with some friends who's roommates dropped out, and I definitely don't regret the decision. <br />
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<b>This Years ConnectiCon In General</b></div>
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For myself, this was the first year at CTcon where I went from attendee to helping run a whopping 2 panels and a fashion show. I came on Friday with some illusion that I'd be able to get there, drop off my stuff for the fashion show, head to the panel room, prepare for the fashion show, do the fashion show, and be on my way. Haha, nope, especially not with a major traffic jam thanks to a couple of accidents that added almost an extra hour to a trip that typically only takes about an hour. Around 7pm, almost 2 hours after the show ended, I found myself sitting down for the first time chowing down a pastry that was pulled out of a giant bag of pastries that the models had left over. It goes without saying my Friday at the con was all work and no play. However, I did manage to get the energy to head to the dealers room about a half hour before it closed, just enough time to pick up the 2nd expansion for <a href="http://ithinkimightbeanotaku.blogspot.com/2013/06/tanto-cuore-or-maid-dominion.html">Tanto Cuore</a>. The rest of Friday was spent hiding in the hotel room eating pizza while slipping in and out of consciousness while groggily playing the new expansion. Absolutely no regrets though! <br />
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Saturday only had 1 panel for me, and it was at noon and it was a total breeze. I had intended to wake up "early" and hit up some panels myself, but I was still recovering so I only hit up the afternoon panels, lucky for me, they were all really great panels, but more on CTcon's panel selection later!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqWgjhP99jOROp2L4fcB0z1JUiJ1IMj6ZZCX_SfPGls-RPGVNisHjo9JUM4hhljRllbNj9soOQkuj2718OzTwtCurfugniN2gdxPn5JLg_NZpih5MHK_h2x-ooqT4c7ZWJlemy01MaiY/s1600/CTcon-saturday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Connecticon 2013 saturday panel schedule" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqWgjhP99jOROp2L4fcB0z1JUiJ1IMj6ZZCX_SfPGls-RPGVNisHjo9JUM4hhljRllbNj9soOQkuj2718OzTwtCurfugniN2gdxPn5JLg_NZpih5MHK_h2x-ooqT4c7ZWJlemy01MaiY/s1600/CTcon-saturday.jpg" height="266" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday's panel schedule. Click to enlarge</td></tr>
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Sunday was a laid back day for us, we checked out the dealers room for a final sweep and I made a few purchases before heading to a panel we had our eye on.<br />
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All in all, ConnectiCon has always been a very laid back convention experience for me. Despite it being largely an anime con (although it is regarded as a general geekery and pop culture con, the emphasis is largely on anime) with a lot of the typical anime con crowd, there is a large portion of considerably older attendees and a lot less spontaneous hallway dancing and Marco-Poloing and meme shouting than there is at some larger cons I've attended in the general area (Anime Boston I'm looking at you!)<br />
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<b>ConnectiCon Panels</b></div>
Personally, I always prefer panels over events and CTcon usually has a fairly diverse selection of panels. Like any fan-run convention, years can be hit or miss and the panel selection is obviously swayed by what is popular that particular year. A prime example of this is there were a whopping <i>8</i> My Little Pony panels and 3 Homestuck panels. You can actually see all these X'd out in my schedule because I have zero interest in either. Lucky for all of us, there are 11 panel rooms and pretty much no blank spots in the schedule in any of them. <br />
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The panels I attended were: The Electronic Myth: The Evolution of the Creepy Pasta, Burlesque 105: Current Figures, When Gundam Goes Bad, Are You Scared? A Look at International Horror Films, Stepping Your Game Up: When Game Groups Go Wrong, and When Moe Goes Bad. These were all <i>excellent</i> panels run by intelligent people who knew what they were talking about and who were funny to boot. They were also a little bit of everything and were, to me, the quintessential CTcon panels: on the surface they sounded like something light, that may or may not actually have anything to do with anime, but were often a scholarly in-depth look into the topic. <br />
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The Creepy Pasta panel was a great example of this, as it was a very interesting comparison between classic legends and urban legends and the phenomenon of the Creepy Pasta. At any other con, I might be afraid a panel like this being a fan-girling over Slenderman but at CTcon you can pretty much count on it to be something with a little more in-depth. For the curious, it was run by <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/anime6/animelibrarian/">Sarah the Anime Librarian</a>, who apparently does a large amount of panels in the area on a variety of topics along the same vein. <br />
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Another great example of these types of panels that CTcon loves to feature were both the Gundam and Moe "Gone Bad" panels, both run by the guy behind <a href="http://otakuinreview.com/">Otaku In Review</a>. The Moe panel was exceptionally good and what, again, at any other con, might just be a montage of ridiculous scenes from Moe anime, started off with a 15 minute lesson at what makes Moe anime so popular among otaku and an honest look into the genre as a whole and how it has changed the anime scene. Of course, the rest of the panel was indeed hilarious scenes from ridiculous Moe animes (I apologize for being one of the few people in the room who raised their hand when asked who had seen Chu-Bra), but I think it's the extra bit of knowledge from the panelist that really makes the panel. His When Gundom Goes Bad panel was every bit as good and is the second time I've seen it and honestly wouldn't mind hitting it up again for a 3rd time if he's doing it next year, it's just a fun panel. <br />
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The one thing that CTcon lacks in panels, and we realized this when a Mulder and Scully cosplayer sat down at our table in the cafe and I realized I had never seen an X-Files panel at CTcon, is more sci-fi geekery and general "Western" nerd culture. Despite the multi-genre label CTcon uses, there is a sad lack of attention paid to fandoms that are non-Japanese or non-flavor-of-the-week geekery (Sherlock, My Little Pony, Homestuck, Dr. Who, Adventure Time, that sort of thing). However, it <i>is</i> a fan run convention and because of this I'm seriously considering submitting a few non-Lolita related panels next year to do on my own, outside of my Lolita group. That being said, that doesn't mean these things are non-existent at CTcon, they are simply diluted quite a bit. <br />
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Generally, the panels at CTcon are largely anime/Japan and gaming (mostly tabletop) related, with a large amount of flavor-of-the-week geekery, a fair amount of workshops centered around things like creative writing and art, pop culture topics (this year had a couple on hiphop and parkour), and a sprinkling of the rest.<br />
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<b>ConnectiCon Cosplay</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadq9hWBOJBy3Lm5cCNI0_Etcy4s62HUnoM_LxGa5u8bYVxdrJZVbn0RrvN6dRdeyqDsgFPA1MIAbHGEtORBvcAxs_cpPLdC4-jSwiLaJfCAsEShqVEadwRL9tl5ZcElH3qx3jAkBobtg/s1600/DSC_0268.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2ojVxvXkTWXGCUBOrLgGVnvzUgsNkez9W5p1FNKRPaGnx-dc8iH_Fg-vB5jahKvNyx_Vwrc1Cz8ZV_CWGLPhHERjXc9pwzpbXriC2zY7G7VeeNdtFkQfciIwtz_WPBkdguf-LbANiNw/s1600/DSC_0260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3uDEzqtSkcGe3AjcfXN6fxfbxn0WUQ0koNke0xVjaWLtQ-5KTBD1vtzBg1HMx7Sq91d9iuYT0b4g09Z9wd5Fs5hJ0AfY1UF1hOPdEhJ-EnEhJV4WqbTzR-tc9UN92PnxTCZ2IWL3ZsQ/s1600/DSC_0256.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tLjbYRVW_nVuKQkMjwoLyXylfN5I3AyO4IEpWCJQd1s4tla7fSdrfGC94gL739FX_zDiA7BL2O0hlYg5USVxo5yrnJbjaJO0Fd2MEg6n6inKS7pH85TpYIA2lTIY_Kmp7oX4SA7gTm8/s1600/DSC_0267.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tLjbYRVW_nVuKQkMjwoLyXylfN5I3AyO4IEpWCJQd1s4tla7fSdrfGC94gL739FX_zDiA7BL2O0hlYg5USVxo5yrnJbjaJO0Fd2MEg6n6inKS7pH85TpYIA2lTIY_Kmp7oX4SA7gTm8/s1600/DSC_0267.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2ojVxvXkTWXGCUBOrLgGVnvzUgsNkez9W5p1FNKRPaGnx-dc8iH_Fg-vB5jahKvNyx_Vwrc1Cz8ZV_CWGLPhHERjXc9pwzpbXriC2zY7G7VeeNdtFkQfciIwtz_WPBkdguf-LbANiNw/s1600/DSC_0260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2ojVxvXkTWXGCUBOrLgGVnvzUgsNkez9W5p1FNKRPaGnx-dc8iH_Fg-vB5jahKvNyx_Vwrc1Cz8ZV_CWGLPhHERjXc9pwzpbXriC2zY7G7VeeNdtFkQfciIwtz_WPBkdguf-LbANiNw/s1600/DSC_0260.jpg" height="200" width="133" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tLjbYRVW_nVuKQkMjwoLyXylfN5I3AyO4IEpWCJQd1s4tla7fSdrfGC94gL739FX_zDiA7BL2O0hlYg5USVxo5yrnJbjaJO0Fd2MEg6n6inKS7pH85TpYIA2lTIY_Kmp7oX4SA7gTm8/s1600/DSC_0267.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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Unfortunately I managed to leave my camera in the hotel room every day except for Sunday, so I hardly have any cosplay photos! However, as usual CTcon tends to draw a very large cosplay crowd from a variety of different fandoms. <br />
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Like most conventions, CTcon is a very cosplay friendly event and a majority of the main events are cosplay centric. From the Masquerade to the Cosplay Battleship, which I unfortunately missed but was apparently an interesting switch-up from the usual Cosplay Chess.<br />
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Honestly, there's not a ton to say about Cosplay at CTcon. Lots of people do it and do it well, so if you either like to join them or just take pictures of them, there's plenty of cosplay to go around.<br />
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<b>ConnectiCon Shopping</b></div>
Like many conventions, the dealers room is sort of the heart of CTcon, and it's almost always good shopping. There were a couple years in a row a few years back that had a pretty weak dealers room, but they've bounced back to normal. Personally, I enjoyed the dealers room this year, it had a large amount of board game sellers, as well as a number of manga and graphic novel sellers, plus the typical anime merch and con miscellanea.<br />
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The one down side to the CTcon dealers room is that it's sort of a bit disorganized. It's one big room divided into 3 sections: dealers room, web comic artist alley, and the regular artist alley. This is the second year they've had this setup and it's honestly a little weird to me. Previous years were typical of cons with a separate artist alley and dealers room, but since CTcon has a somewhat unusual habit of drawing very large amounts of web comic artists and independently published novelists and comic artist the artist alley had been probably about 75% book sellers for the past 2 or 3 years before the current set up. The current setup takes some getting used to, as every time I've gone I've ended up in the web comic artist alley thinking "Is this the artist alley? Why is this all books and empty tables?" before finally stumbling into the regular artist alley. I don't know what is up with all the empty tables, as I am pretty sure that CTcon artist alley sells out almost instantly, I think that a large portion of the tables in the web comic section are for special guests who are only attending for special events on individual days instead of the whole weekend, and I'm really only assuming this because they seemed to be sporadically filled and empty. The other thing with the web comic artist section is that it's a really awkward mix of typical dealers room stuff, books, and art. I really should ask what's up with the web comic section, but I guess I'll just speculate until I get around to that. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLV2rWyH8Z1q8zt80PcvXp73OkAzZZRhpWEk3cYkPdFzOQzk8VMyCaii81Ih9KCFqSADFLn6fG3DXw81Dr20WWQDaWBVXcN18cem7BkXCHFw7D1XBBm0ZpHcNrac7YbZKt8ERmMGGfY90/s1600/DSC_0261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="My Lisa Frank phone case, Yotsuba cell strap, and Baby the Stars Shine Bright dress! " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLV2rWyH8Z1q8zt80PcvXp73OkAzZZRhpWEk3cYkPdFzOQzk8VMyCaii81Ih9KCFqSADFLn6fG3DXw81Dr20WWQDaWBVXcN18cem7BkXCHFw7D1XBBm0ZpHcNrac7YbZKt8ERmMGGfY90/s1600/DSC_0261.jpg" height="400" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Yotsuba strap. That rainbow Lisa Frank monstrosity is my phone. </td></tr>
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My own personal shopping in the dealers room was pretty light this year, despite the fact I usually go a bit overboard at CTcon. Besides Tanto Cuore, which is really for <i>everyone</i> not just me, the only thing I had picked up was a pack of mochi, and a Yotsuba cell phone strap. That is, until I was was lurking around a booth on Sunday was apparently all stuff that was in someone's shop storage for a few years and was all being sold at a major discount. It was digging through a box of $3 manga when I came across a box full of 14 volumes of Battle Royale (unfortunately all but the last volume!). The salesman at the booth cut me a deal on them and I got 12 volumes for $2 each (I bought the first two ages ago, also in a discount bin, which apparently is where all my manga comes from), plus a couple other random mangas I found in the discount pile. <br />
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<b>ConnectiCon As A Panelist </b></div>
As I had mentioned, this year was a little different for me since I was sitting on a couple panels and helping host an event, which is something I've never done at CTcon before and really thoroughly enjoyed. I can't really say much about how the panels were organized, as my friend <a href="http://ramblerori.com/">Christina</a> did pretty much <i>all</i> the hard work. I just showed up, sat up in front and helped answer questions for the panels, and played mama duck to the models and lead them to where they needed to go and helped dress them. Over all, from my end, things ran relatively smoothly. There were a few hiccups that made things awkward (No chairs at the event!) but the con is relatively chill so despite the lack of chairs we still managed to fill up the room and keep it filled for the fashion show. Although the fact that the room was amazingly air conditioned on such a hot day <i>may</i> have had something to do with that.<br />
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Sitting up in the panelist seat and being a bit backstage at CTcon was a first for me, and I really enjoyed it, even though Christina did the brunt of panels. By even Saturday I was already considering applying to do a panel of my own for next year! <br /><br />All in all, if you're in the Connecticut area, CTcon is definitely a convention to consider attending. It might not be worth more than a couple hours drive to some people, considering there are a few larger conventions in the area that tend to spoil some people. "Why go to CTcon when I can go to Anime Boston, which is a lot bigger?" is a complaint I've heard before and I honestly don't quite get it, they're both different conventions and their values can't really be compared based on which one gets more attendants. This is not to say that CTcon is some sort of tiny convention, as it gets about 10,000 attendees a year. <br /><br />The one real draw back to CTcon is the price. The last tier of pricing ends up being $60 for the weekend, and living relatively close to the convention center, the decision on how long we want to go for is almost always more or less a last minute decision, so we pretty much never jump on the early registration price of $40 for the weekend. <br />
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<br />caro-chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02816959125315317615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-44002306193715552572013-06-02T18:55:00.004-07:002013-11-18T07:26:37.990-08:00Tanto Cuore, or Maid DominionHello friends! Today I'm going to talk about a game you are maybe familiar with called Tanto Cuore. More specifically, I'll be talking about the first expansion, Expanding the House, which can be played either together with the original or as a stand-alone game (I've played it alone and with the second expansion, I haven't played it together with the base set yet, I only recently got my hands on the original set). So let me get on with my explanation!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaCvpa-WEp18SCVkF-ADQ6_7be0KrOn_19V2QOKrJ5ZaSu6aZyLAGZv7EUEpJZumABNrNJN-mFcw1XjMfcQwv8aUxS_MBwamR7ZOf_G6sKy3NBShKbquWCSUUsjGkye5pncW2jnr9Erg/s1600/2013-05-27_14-24-39_887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaCvpa-WEp18SCVkF-ADQ6_7be0KrOn_19V2QOKrJ5ZaSu6aZyLAGZv7EUEpJZumABNrNJN-mFcw1XjMfcQwv8aUxS_MBwamR7ZOf_G6sKy3NBShKbquWCSUUsjGkye5pncW2jnr9Erg/s320/2013-05-27_14-24-39_887.jpg" width="320" /></a>Tanto Cuore is a deck building card game, very much in the vein of games like Dominion. If I am being honest, it is almost EXACTLY like Dominion, only if that game was all about stockpiling maids (which in my experience it has not been). For those of you who have never played Dominion, a quick primer. In Tanto Cuore you start with a small number of cards in your personal 'deck' (10 to be precise). You draw a hand of 5 each turn, and you use certain currency cards (in Tanto Cuore the currency is called 'love') to purchase new cards to add to your deck from a pool made up of various kinds of cards (pictured to the right is this area, called the 'town' in Tanto Cuore). Different cards do different things, so your goal is to acquire cards that help you to build an effective deck, that will allow you to basically out-buy your opponents, and stockpile more cards worth victory points than them, so you can win. Deck building is a delicate balance of having the right cards in the right proportion, so that you have a useful deck to play the game with. In Tanto Cuore your deck is made up of love cards, and then maid cards. Each turn a player can buy one card (called employment), and play one maid(called a serving, bear with me I know this game is ridiculous), though various cards give you extra employments and servings, as well as additional love and cards drawn. Still with me? sort of?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4n-NIGZ1-ARQxVSYH_GF2cQAN7iVAOwrCOUPesYUAqHDb0nJBKruxt7tM4ax-jlFdkKvyLZlsWQCiCf2HtOuw3caaP-Fgzv3Sj9A_b2mZQ9aH6QQp48K4FMscWBVcoY8lo7IHpCUPsqY/s1600/2013-05-27_14-25-08_956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4n-NIGZ1-ARQxVSYH_GF2cQAN7iVAOwrCOUPesYUAqHDb0nJBKruxt7tM4ax-jlFdkKvyLZlsWQCiCf2HtOuw3caaP-Fgzv3Sj9A_b2mZQ9aH6QQp48K4FMscWBVcoY8lo7IHpCUPsqY/s320/2013-05-27_14-25-08_956.jpg" width="320" /></a>There are a few elements that this game introduces, that differentiate it from other deck building games I've played, such as the aforementioned Dominion. A big one is that buildings you buy don't go into your deck. Instead they are placed in your personal play zone (your 'private quarters') so you don't have to worry about your deck being choked up by them. The other is chambermaiding. Now normally in a deck building game, you either have a card, which means its in your deck, or you get rid of it, generally meaning you lose all benefits and also the victory points it's worth. In Tanto Cuore on the other hand, there are certain maids, who have the sub-type 'chambermaid'. These cards can be 'chambermaided' by using up a serving, instead of playing them with said serving. They're removed from your deck, and go into your 'private chambers'. Some cards only give victory points, or give <i>extra </i>victory points if you chambermaid multiple copies of them, and some grant benefits while they're the most recent card you've chambermaided. This is from my perspective (and I've played my share of deck building games) very interesting, because it means you can constantly work to cull the size of your deck, to maximize its effectiveness while scoring points. (You generally want your deck to be small enough that you can cycle through it to your best cards as fast as possible). There are also private maids you can buy, who occupy their own chambermaid stack in your 'private quarters' and usually grant passive benefits (such as letting you draw an extra card every turn)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgB_i2MSnMYCWpmgHA2HOaUp7xG-fMeQlwTJ8Rf08yHlQnttimvODMY0hhYSAU5nmPyDSRMV2inv2BMIfWIPjr0CncJkjMQSpO7B2eam1YrJHrFmlRQsCkzwqCEEniuhZ7bYmh6IW98c/s1600/Tanto+Cuore+Expanding+the+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgB_i2MSnMYCWpmgHA2HOaUp7xG-fMeQlwTJ8Rf08yHlQnttimvODMY0hhYSAU5nmPyDSRMV2inv2BMIfWIPjr0CncJkjMQSpO7B2eam1YrJHrFmlRQsCkzwqCEEniuhZ7bYmh6IW98c/s320/Tanto+Cuore+Expanding+the+House.jpg" width="320" /></a>The overall design of the game is, from what I've experienced, pretty great. Expanding the House comes with a total of 16 general maids, 9 private maids, and then two maid chiefs (who are mostly good only for scoring victory points) but you only play any given game with 10 of the general maids at a time (the picture to the right is all the cards that come with this expansion, including love cards and buildings). This gives the game a TON of replay value, especially when you take into consideration the original game, and the second expansion, which are of comparable size. Given that you can mix and match maids between the three, you can drastically change what sort of strategies work best to win, and that is the hallmark of a deck building game that will have lasting value (variety is the spice of life right?)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6SKtjDhDkZw1MZZNg-B-JfbF3ndwoMxTr8ec2MZQwD7jkAR-TeszVAfKMM1aEJUb83AjrU4n_2AsdP7chvUYBhn_bddG1wMwcDUFZIsmr0ZUaOFC3YW4b5rKGj6qkvAPpzwzAC3_OhY/s1600/tumblr_m6x1e5xcbv1qhe71ro1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6SKtjDhDkZw1MZZNg-B-JfbF3ndwoMxTr8ec2MZQwD7jkAR-TeszVAfKMM1aEJUb83AjrU4n_2AsdP7chvUYBhn_bddG1wMwcDUFZIsmr0ZUaOFC3YW4b5rKGj6qkvAPpzwzAC3_OhY/s320/tumblr_m6x1e5xcbv1qhe71ro1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a>Of course, there is a major aspect of the game that I've sort of glossed over, that probably makes it not for everyone. This is of course that the game is about building your own personal dokidokiugu maid harem, and becoming the king of maids (see left, that's the actual rule book). While nothing on offer is explicitly H material (though things get pretty nippley in the island paradise expansion), I might feel awkward playing this game in public, and would think it was weird if someone took the 12 and up label literally. I mean, its a fun game and I don't see any real harm in that, but as a grown up I think you get put on some kind of list if you're playing this game with tweens, and I wouldn't recommend that (what're you doing hanging out with them anyway, you creep) Pervy maid fetishes aside, you might just think the whole maid aesthetic is simply too goofy to possibly stand, and if that is the case you will probably not enjoy the game. I had no problem with it, and so had a fantastic time playing this game. I can also say that the art is pretty excellent in general, though clearly there were multiple artists, as some cards do NOT look so great, especially in comparison.</div>
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One of the biggest problems you'll probably encounter is acquiring the game at a reasonable price. It's printed in fairly limited quantities, and retails for $50 to start with, so it might take some shopping before you can find a reasonably priced copy, but I can assure you that it's worth it. If you like this sort of card game, Tanto Cuore is totally worth your time! Also maids! Lots of them. So go out there and become the king of maids! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuW3ifzYQHly8ryAeHt7WHwNvqvf-U1MbYLWo9VGayTSFHp2e8aRrD8HqW1O2GiWyWqNtdVkbOpOJ-ZHplbI2Jeb6LXQK1-E07enwSF2_yHLypgSsBJgUzjOtAlELn64LqVufx28u3V0/s1600/banniere-tanto-cuore-940x359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuW3ifzYQHly8ryAeHt7WHwNvqvf-U1MbYLWo9VGayTSFHp2e8aRrD8HqW1O2GiWyWqNtdVkbOpOJ-ZHplbI2Jeb6LXQK1-E07enwSF2_yHLypgSsBJgUzjOtAlELn64LqVufx28u3V0/s320/banniere-tanto-cuore-940x359.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They will be mine.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-12768689497999497942013-06-01T19:09:00.000-07:002013-06-01T20:16:53.000-07:00Hatoful Boyfriend: Sexy and Luxurious Part 2A little over a month ago I managed to get myself wrapped up in
the infamous pigeon dating sim, <a href="http://ithinkimightbeanotaku.blogspot.com/2013/04/hatoful-boyfriend-pigeon-dating-sim.html">Hatoful Boyfriend</a>. Despite my absence in blogging about it, that doesn't mean I had stopped playing it! Just like I said I would, I got right back into that game and went after the remaining 4 pigeons, and wrapped up any loose endings I didn't get before, including the bad endings. I haven't had much chance to play it since I completed the "normal" endings, as I have been in complete rush mode in preparation for Anime Boston and simply didn't have the spare hours to devote to exploring the legendary BBL mode, but Anime Boston is over (sadly!) so there will be a third post about Hatoful Boyfriend in the future.<br />
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In interest of doing something a little bit different from last time, and largely because my screen shots are all on the computer that I installed the game on which is currently buried under a pile of clothes and craft supplies that ended up there in the aforementioned Anime Boston rush-mode, instead of a play-by-play of each pigeon I dated in my second round of play, how about a nice Feels Chartâ„¢. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboraWkHxrxdiyo3CskeS6x864JgB9Hv7YBA7OeptqEBfV0JDXPTHOyzl-v23H5vtxyRXnSOC8XhKs5Qgl38Q2as68nZkeFRceBtnBKuPJvZ4qk0_90YXk_MGsrEq9oAF5H4dlzHT59KA/s1600/hatochart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hatoful Boyfriend Feels Chart" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboraWkHxrxdiyo3CskeS6x864JgB9Hv7YBA7OeptqEBfV0JDXPTHOyzl-v23H5vtxyRXnSOC8XhKs5Qgl38Q2as68nZkeFRceBtnBKuPJvZ4qk0_90YXk_MGsrEq9oAF5H4dlzHT59KA/s1600/hatochart.jpg" height="445" title="" width="640" /></a><br />
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That's right, I decided the best way to express how I felt about these characters was in chart form. As you can see from this chart, I actually spent a couple play throughs actually literally crying real tears, of sadness. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfWiphWU_ImoOGrXAeG-JGnov6rCJ6x1PIc8WX4Zr2o6lv-t3DKwZdxJK0Bfvw0OpTku2S01lBbkK3nTBNdMPM5k_nlW_gQuRsud22avaVm68gB0BiQNVyrK-r1EHgGKtQU1hezN1Qjw/s1600/Nageki2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nageki" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfWiphWU_ImoOGrXAeG-JGnov6rCJ6x1PIc8WX4Zr2o6lv-t3DKwZdxJK0Bfvw0OpTku2S01lBbkK3nTBNdMPM5k_nlW_gQuRsud22avaVm68gB0BiQNVyrK-r1EHgGKtQU1hezN1Qjw/s1600/Nageki2.jpg" height="300" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mourning dove who works in the library, and will rip your heart out and stomp all over it.</td></tr>
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In the last post about this game I had played Ryouta's route and teared up quite a bit at the end, but in my second round of playing I went after Nageki, the sad grumpy library pigeon, and found myself doing a little more than tearing up and just straight up crying for the last 5 or so minutes of his route. If that's not a testament to to how surprisingly good this game was, I don't know what is. I certainly did not put on a goofy pigeon dating sim with the intention of crying literal tears of sadness. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKNTk6bQs5IO6l4VmNKNyqDli1kY9zAhPn4gtoYiz-yx4WdMPPEgmkQITaTo4eVtyE_zajA-fZ6QTVa4U9B2FGLsCi0CQ-4zSc0M20493yy9FLBFya37a_6sfS4q6finMG_Ia5LPtIOw/s1600/Sakuya1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKNTk6bQs5IO6l4VmNKNyqDli1kY9zAhPn4gtoYiz-yx4WdMPPEgmkQITaTo4eVtyE_zajA-fZ6QTVa4U9B2FGLsCi0CQ-4zSc0M20493yy9FLBFya37a_6sfS4q6finMG_Ia5LPtIOw/s1600/Sakuya1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sakuya, more than just a spoiled brat apparently!</td></tr>
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One of the other pigeons I wooed this time around was Sakuya, the snotty aristocrat pigeon. Throughout all the other play modes he mostly just got on my nerves in the background, he was <i>really</i> snotty and I just couldn't get the appeal of his character. Until I went after him. As you can see from the handy Feels Chartâ„¢, Sakuya's route was a pretty steady does of "D'awww" adorableness, and he won me over in the end with his touching backstory. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVY-SBg_3H0ix33ijXwGnp5BNiTEkpWry9L2P7rGe3zJJhu3aZp9qy70fwNxDv751L-mdcgDoF0mFOt8iLz7qZ2QE2FNXdPvglfBRE6IwMpzs2qf5bwDgejE2430Fpx3GuUKEQHEIKX4/s1600/Anghel1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVY-SBg_3H0ix33ijXwGnp5BNiTEkpWry9L2P7rGe3zJJhu3aZp9qy70fwNxDv751L-mdcgDoF0mFOt8iLz7qZ2QE2FNXdPvglfBRE6IwMpzs2qf5bwDgejE2430Fpx3GuUKEQHEIKX4/s1600/Anghel1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not actually a bird that's been stabbed, but a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luzon_Bleeding-heart">Luzon Bleeding-heart</a> pigeon.</td></tr>
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Anghel's line on the chart looks massively confusing, and let me explain why! He's a hidden character that pops up if you do things a certain way after completing the game a certain way first. He's a pretty wacky bird, up there with Okosan in weirdness. Every interaction with him is as if he's straight out of some high fantasy video game, and, this took me by complete surprise, his ending features an actual boss battle. Hence, me dying about 4 times before I could complete his ending. Here's a hint, if you plan on wooing Anghel, take a gym class or two to raise your strength!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9nSoT3ns3UyG1VglbfmVnPjh_Vcc4aNQNyBjFAK4OyOM1gkf25o0hiJKDPJYvPtHw6_9U5avLuVeVil0qrcCzV2u7ZwNgkt0vjYMpGVOE1xSfiJcvxT30BnyAzCZVoiOXzSRwbFPgKo/s1600/OP001L50cr4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9nSoT3ns3UyG1VglbfmVnPjh_Vcc4aNQNyBjFAK4OyOM1gkf25o0hiJKDPJYvPtHw6_9U5avLuVeVil0qrcCzV2u7ZwNgkt0vjYMpGVOE1xSfiJcvxT30BnyAzCZVoiOXzSRwbFPgKo/s1600/OP001L50cr4.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sexy and luxurious!</td></tr>
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The last character I went after<u></u> was Yuuya, Sakuya's saucy brother. Despite what the chart seems to imply, I actually found his route the least satisfying. Sure, he was constantly wooing me as much as I was wooing him, but that honestly sucked a bit of the fun out of it. Yuuya's romance, to me, was very blah, but the route was still worth playing for the storyline, as Yuuya's route includes a lot of important information about the world of Hatoful Boyfriend. <br />
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I still haven't had the chance to play BBL mode, but when I do, I'll definitely be back to talk about it, as I've absolutely loved the experience of playing this game. This game has pretty much opened my eyes to the possibility of <strike>dating birds</strike> visual novels and dating sims as satisfying games to play, as in the past I've sort of written them off as being somewhere between a too-short manga and a too-difficult porn. I'm definitely on the lookout for more games like this! <br />
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<br />caro-chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02816959125315317615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-36288749269943667272013-04-25T06:08:00.001-07:002013-06-01T20:16:44.916-07:00Hatoful Boyfriend: Pigeon Dating Sim<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOymXgwtmy6F3056vGAbbNhGQnLnK7mPuy-5OG746xaDZTurwMDQnCm5pCeEzDENHKuQ-k7nl47ZdVHcHUm1VkxETtLrHWYsqlyuYCIPo7aCinEZfbTyiUwcrp4fqvP5oRwAKmiB6eKU/s1600/Start_menu.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hatoful Boyfriend start menu" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOymXgwtmy6F3056vGAbbNhGQnLnK7mPuy-5OG746xaDZTurwMDQnCm5pCeEzDENHKuQ-k7nl47ZdVHcHUm1VkxETtLrHWYsqlyuYCIPo7aCinEZfbTyiUwcrp4fqvP5oRwAKmiB6eKU/s1600/Start_menu.png" height="240" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which one's the bird of your dream?</td></tr>
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Earlier today a ridiculous picture crossed my Tumblr dash of a dating sim where you try to romance pigeons. I thought this was pretty hilarious and other people seemed to enjoy it so I hunted it down and downloaded it (It's probably going to be <a href="http://clione.halfmoon.jp/hatoful-boyfriend/english.html">the best $5</a> you'll spend in a while) and got to playing, about 7 hours later I finally had to call it quits, not because I wanted to, but because I would have just kept playing it all night! <br />
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First, let's set something clear! When you search around for places talking about it you get a lot of places featuring it because it's so weird (and don't get me wrong, it is totally weird) and it's usually followed by "WTF Japan?", but let's get serious for a second here in this conversation about pigeon dating, this isn't some sort of weird perverse game that was created to target some very specific fetish or something like that, it's a game that started as an April Fools joke a couple years ago that took on a life of it's own. It's not so much a dating sim as it is a parody of one that ends up very entertaining and even touching. There's no pixelated bird parts, and despite playing through 4 different routes, the closest I got to a pigeon falling in love with me was (Highlight the black bar for the spoiler) <span style="background-color: black; color: black;">helping one realize his true form of Lord Pudi</span>. This isn't some rule 34 game, made only to fill some completely weird niche you never wanted to know existed, it's a surreal parody that ends up being more than just an extended gag.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMTYVdB_SkxiciMUAnS8Tv_uRvelQskDgh9EuQ74XdFXWlPpGbOvgGTIwLNw1XmadckAGDVCBaEC0eUs88YYsI1xK_iQr5Q7HBIRYjHpf9SJuWh8TPQYsqgDM2_rS0XQ8l18nYKUeBY4/s1600/untitled6556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="BTW, I live in a cave. " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMTYVdB_SkxiciMUAnS8Tv_uRvelQskDgh9EuQ74XdFXWlPpGbOvgGTIwLNw1XmadckAGDVCBaEC0eUs88YYsI1xK_iQr5Q7HBIRYjHpf9SJuWh8TPQYsqgDM2_rS0XQ8l18nYKUeBY4/s1600/untitled6556.jpg" height="240" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cave sweet cave!</td></tr>
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The very basic back story behind Hatoful Boyfriend is that classic harem situation of a school full of datable anime characters, except instead of being the only girl in a school full of boys, or vice versa, you're the only human in a school for ultra intelligent pigeons. Welcome to Saint PigeoNation's Institute! Monkey jokes are frequently made at your expense, and you apparently live in a dank cave that the birds clearly find very uncivilized. However, you're bigger than the birds (although you somewhat frequently end up last place in both races and fights with some of the birds),capable of moving heavy objects, and are relatively spry enough to come in second place during a 3 legged race with a pigeon, so the birds find your presence to be pretty useful, and somehow not weird at all.<br />
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For those who need to be eased into the idea of a pigeon dating sim, there's actually an option at the beginning of the game to enable gijinka portraits for each of the characters (except Okosan, who is based on the creator's own pigeon, in his case you just get a cartoon version of a pigeon in a suit), so you can sort of imagine them as anime boys throughout the game. But don't think this is some way to totally avoid the fact you're trying to date pigeons and make the game something that it's not (you know, a <i>human</i> dating game), because these portraits only pop up the very first time you meet a datable character, and the game repeatedly reminds you that you are, in fact, at a school for actual pigeons. <br />
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Why exactly are you the only human at a school for pigeons? The game apparently manages to explain this very unusual schooling situation later in the plot, and you're given hints, as well as unlockable files, about the real reason you're there throughout the game. This game promises more than just wacky bird humor and surprisingly manages to deliver! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJBZu8fpUhwSkzSsVGp2RiLSqlzMgFAAS6EmnpdinlROuDuQffVuVH36q5BfpcZPFGvMe7KgKnteM0nUWm708EUDiW_Y7siM4XyNtp6pbncQAmLzZ142wJW7GycV102czfw12XEFF0TE/s1600/sanlovespudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Okosan really loves pudding." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJBZu8fpUhwSkzSsVGp2RiLSqlzMgFAAS6EmnpdinlROuDuQffVuVH36q5BfpcZPFGvMe7KgKnteM0nUWm708EUDiW_Y7siM4XyNtp6pbncQAmLzZ142wJW7GycV102czfw12XEFF0TE/s1600/sanlovespudding.jpg" height="475" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let this screenshot fool you, Okosan is the only one that speaks in bird. </td></tr>
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In my experience, with the exception of one epic pudding adventures, the routes in this game tend to range from heartbreaking to pitch black, if you can believe it. In the 7 hour pigeon romance whirlwind I experienced, I managed to clear 4 of the 8 romance routes: 2 were touchingly sad, 1 was pudding filled, and in the final one <span style="background-color: black; color: black;">I was serial killed by the pigeon I was trying to woo</span>. <br />
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The first time through this game, after flirting around with different birds, I decided to attempt to romance my Math teacher, primarily because I just couldn't decide and he was the first bird to offer to walk me home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEr_R2HgzlD4HlvBDhYOUaXxPGgUvA3ysojJOzFcPOCy4b4XzeaTSIcJd-AEOWVYW8lbB9sichyphenhyphen6Ti9XecyApELrDPRExLFOudAkgPJVx7i0jrcrgxS3hHtIiAGT5hK_fcDa9Y24lOXGo/s1600/forgivemesir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Nanaki Kazuaki-Math teacher, pigeon" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEr_R2HgzlD4HlvBDhYOUaXxPGgUvA3ysojJOzFcPOCy4b4XzeaTSIcJd-AEOWVYW8lbB9sichyphenhyphen6Ti9XecyApELrDPRExLFOudAkgPJVx7i0jrcrgxS3hHtIiAGT5hK_fcDa9Y24lOXGo/s1600/forgivemesir.jpg" height="481" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, my first love!</td></tr>
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During the first play through, despite the fact that the individual play throughs are rather straight forward and give you little chance to get to know the other pigeons in your school, I noticed a lot of things happening that seemed to indicate a larger storyline, and quite possibly something sinister going on at St. PigeoNation's Institute. I had fully planned to maybe spend an hour or so going through a single romance and calling it quits, but I was honestly really intrigued by what was going on at the school! <br />
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I had read a few reviews before playing that insisted that you really enjoy the characters, despite the fact that they're depicted as photos of various birds. I was totally suspicious of this claim, but I honestly found it to be true. Sure, these are just pictures of birds, but the game really sucks you in and you learn to look past their feathery visage. <br />
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Despite the fondness that I was feeling for the character, and how interesting these mysterious school events were, I found the my first bird-romance to be a rather short quest, and bittersweet. But I definitely wasn't ready to put the game down now, if anything, the quickness it took to get to the end of the particular romance just made me determined to go another round and see if different play throughs would give me more clues as to what exactly was happening at the school, I was also determined to find a bird that would love me back! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8wLHMkP9NlLvwjToIki-UUfvda1SXUuVsjUIBtlViFe21iozyvXIfYsS8DI_yxmPNGYHpnQ-oNZkOt3J6RdNmsmsTeMxLXVmRdzjm6SCVC-U_O8wnnL99Fs07xnoXtAQlNUnkaCks9o/s1600/whyiloveudon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ryouta offers me udon. And his love? " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8wLHMkP9NlLvwjToIki-UUfvda1SXUuVsjUIBtlViFe21iozyvXIfYsS8DI_yxmPNGYHpnQ-oNZkOt3J6RdNmsmsTeMxLXVmRdzjm6SCVC-U_O8wnnL99Fs07xnoXtAQlNUnkaCks9o/s1600/whyiloveudon.jpg" height="478" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not only is he a good cook, but he also enjoys crossdressing. Could he be any more tropey? I guess maybe if he wasn't a pigeon.</td></tr>
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In my second play through I chose to woo Ryouta, the classic sickly childhood friend character. He's described as the most "normal" of your school mates, and despite the fact that he happens to be a photo of a bird, the story is a pretty classic anime romance. He's a nice bird who's been your friend for a long time, but he's chronically sick and mysteriously sad. Again, despite what looks like is going on on your screen, his story manages to be incredibly heartfelt and just downright depressing. <br />
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Pretty much totally bummed out at this point by my adventures in trying to date birds (will it <i>ever</i> be meant to be?!) , I was told by some other Hatoful Boyfriend fans, who were very excited to welcome a new fan into their ranks, to try Okosan's romance, because it has a happy ending. <br />
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I was a bit suspicious of this, because up until this point I had only known Okosan as the spazzy pigeon hanging out at the track yelling about pudding all the time, not exactly dateable material, even if he wasn't a bird. At this point I was getting more serious in my attempts to woo these pigeons, so I had a wiki up with tips on how to woo them. To romance Okosan and get the good ending, I was instructed to forgo studying and just hang out at the track all the time. Sounds good to me! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nxXtnM0HkPc4784d3mf8NxNkxmixOdgPw6FfqMqmNOMv19mXVUzdeX2pX0hv8iERDryTRTeXaDcSe4ZsphtCI0ONXz9QWvjOdcmQTPFBZmAammLcRbhUEJJOwFgBtKySeuu7itbOfeU/s1600/lordpudi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lord Pudi" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nxXtnM0HkPc4784d3mf8NxNkxmixOdgPw6FfqMqmNOMv19mXVUzdeX2pX0hv8iERDryTRTeXaDcSe4ZsphtCI0ONXz9QWvjOdcmQTPFBZmAammLcRbhUEJJOwFgBtKySeuu7itbOfeU/s1600/lordpudi.jpg" height="478" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most conversations with Okosan went like this. I also spent a lot of time breaking up the fights he constantly got into.</td></tr>
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Besides being one of the more hilarious routes in the game, I also found Okosan's romance to be a testament to how well this game really gets you all emotionally wrapped up in these bird's lives. I didn't think I would really care about how this particular romance went, just because this bird is seriously weird, but towards the end of his route, when he all the sudden turned on me and told me how much he hated me and felt betrayed by me, because I had given him some bad advice on where to find pudding, I felt my heart sink. I was determined to make this stupid bird happy! Luckily he changed his mind and decided to devote himself to me after I gave him some of his favorite kinds of beans, like I said, he sort of is a really stupid bird. Not that I really want to spoil anything, but, yeah, we dropped out of pigeon school together to go on the search for ultimate pudding. It was totally worth it and a much needed break from the, well, heartbreak of the other two romances I got myself mixed up in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTFPkgCqwz16pncvmnDhE6_jPlIH4y0zg9u-r3MXo622M57RMxX5gSi3rogGzsOQUVmUHpsUwIG5W7qSU0LiwvZQl_ln6O4DGuHPmHVRP4a2GlwPPIb4df84CpRKJIm7o_kAgNHpSuxQ/s1600/whywontyouloveme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
My final play through of the evening is apparently a fan favorite, Shuu- the terrifyingly creepy doctor quail who works in the infirmary and had spent the last three play throughs making creepy comments and mysterious threats towards me and the rest of the students.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTFPkgCqwz16pncvmnDhE6_jPlIH4y0zg9u-r3MXo622M57RMxX5gSi3rogGzsOQUVmUHpsUwIG5W7qSU0LiwvZQl_ln6O4DGuHPmHVRP4a2GlwPPIb4df84CpRKJIm7o_kAgNHpSuxQ/s1600/whywontyouloveme.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="I will make you love me, Shuu! No matter how much it hurts! " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTFPkgCqwz16pncvmnDhE6_jPlIH4y0zg9u-r3MXo622M57RMxX5gSi3rogGzsOQUVmUHpsUwIG5W7qSU0LiwvZQl_ln6O4DGuHPmHVRP4a2GlwPPIb4df84CpRKJIm7o_kAgNHpSuxQ/s1600/whywontyouloveme.jpg" height="480" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how I felt about pretty much everybirdie in the game. </td></tr>
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Shuu's play through, and this was absolutely no surprise, was pretty much pitch black. I spent about 90% of his play through being ignored, rejected, and emotionally abused by this fat little quail. However, I also got to learn about one of the bigger mysteries at St. PigeoNation's in his play through, namely <span style="background-color: black; color: black;">what has been happening to the missing students</span>. I also sort of accidentally helped him commit a few crimes too, oops. The ending was definitely the darkest in the game and very much an homage to the guro and psychological horror genre. The extended ending was particularly grisly, but touching in an incredibly creepy way. <br />
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The game also has some reoccurring, non-dateable, characters that pop up in various story lines that are absolutely fantastic characters. Kenzaburou, the gentlemanly parakeet who runs a cafe you can potentially decide to work at, is not only a totally charming character, but the particular bird that's used as his picture is just totally adorable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMMUejbIaeauRJ0iC3L4SHYFb_kxpuMUzBhzxR_lQJnMzvqaBCfGqy1urB1u3J3LNQMCrDFEQqxvwwZ_yIUQ2iaeTgcMTP-7RrnctqgqdXFaQD_PzIIOH4ODSDUxfR-DRvlCOEZZaRVI/s1600/omgthoseeyes.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kenzaburou, the gentlemanly parakeet" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMMUejbIaeauRJ0iC3L4SHYFb_kxpuMUzBhzxR_lQJnMzvqaBCfGqy1urB1u3J3LNQMCrDFEQqxvwwZ_yIUQ2iaeTgcMTP-7RrnctqgqdXFaQD_PzIIOH4ODSDUxfR-DRvlCOEZZaRVI/s1600/omgthoseeyes.png" height="480" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those eyes! They're so sparkly! </td></tr>
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Parakeets are sort of like the puppy dogs of birds and I loved working at his cafe just because I sort of wanted to giggle with delight every time he was on the screen! <br />
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However, my absolute favorite side character was definitely Azami, the bad ass, traffic law abiding biker finch. She saves your ass a couple of different times. Once because you stupidly got lost, and once because a bunch of delinquent city pigeons were hassling you. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmuWgqYy_JChcjAocyZw84m-LF9ykVZpxvh7WYcyq8kAd38vADNLkKoKqsrB-Hgxi_PTw6wizI-Z-eqz38Leugmt29Asna2za9xgeZBB8S-za3FamigXyXRWnli19EO2DvKT7bwPmoyo/s1600/scooterfinch.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Azami, the badass law abiding biker finch. " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmuWgqYy_JChcjAocyZw84m-LF9ykVZpxvh7WYcyq8kAd38vADNLkKoKqsrB-Hgxi_PTw6wizI-Z-eqz38Leugmt29Asna2za9xgeZBB8S-za3FamigXyXRWnli19EO2DvKT7bwPmoyo/s1600/scooterfinch.jpg" height="482" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes. Very intimidating.</td></tr>
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If you're lucky enough to go through the game a certain way, you get to reward Azami for her bravery, and well-below-the-speed-limit scooter rides, with helping her find her own long lost love. The scene is both hilarious and sweet. Azami also sort of marks the point where the game let's you know it's a bit more than just a dating game with pictures of pigeons instead of boys, as up until she shows up the game is sort of still in setting-the-scene mode and is a bit slow up until this point. On my secondary play throughs, I actually just fast forward through most of the text until Azami comes in. Personally, when I first met her, my doubts were erased and I knew I would really enjoy the game.<br />
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All-in-all, so far I've found Hatoful Boyfriend to be a ridiculously enjoyable game and was so much more than I was expecting. I thought I was just going to have some laughs at the weirdness of a pigeon dating sim, and don't get me wrong, I laughed a lot over it, but I also found it to so far be a very satisfying and fun game. <br />
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Over the next few days I plan on trying to finish the other 4 endings and trying to complete any other alternate endings before going onto the legendary <i>Hurtful Boyfriend</i> AKA <i>Bad Boys Love</i> section of the game, which is supposed to be a wild ride through rip-your-heart-out-ville. I have tried not to spoil it too much for myself, and again, I can barely resist taking peeks at the wiki, but it looks like the world of Hatoful apparently has been some sort of Battle For The Planet of the <strike>Apes</strike> Pigeons apocalyptic world all along, which actually seems to be hinted at during some of the scenery you run by during one particular scene. <br />
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I look forward to my heart being ripped out, stomped on, and pecked at like inferior non-legendary pudding! And then I look forward to coming back for more with the sequel <a href="http://hatoful.wikia.com/wiki/Holiday_Star"><i>Holiday Star</i></a>, which is apparently a non-dating sim visual novel. caro-chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02816959125315317615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-47826016512671696072013-04-07T22:17:00.000-07:002013-04-07T22:17:31.852-07:00Negima Sudden Death<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUSHlE0-QPa6mwYqK8O3YY5OmswC83yWFIfGQDylgvVKtjHCNdvgg3SuoTvSJjUDufogcQcRhHNFBh1D_BSyJhqTKvSB76RkK8Ff7g298KkLzFmSZHqlB1V4jQ4nxxKovZSlLyYzg_k0/s1600/230px-NegimaMagisterNegiMagi_vol1_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUSHlE0-QPa6mwYqK8O3YY5OmswC83yWFIfGQDylgvVKtjHCNdvgg3SuoTvSJjUDufogcQcRhHNFBh1D_BSyJhqTKvSB76RkK8Ff7g298KkLzFmSZHqlB1V4jQ4nxxKovZSlLyYzg_k0/s320/230px-NegimaMagisterNegiMagi_vol1_Cover.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Negima Vol. 1. When I bought this I was<br />
16.</td></tr>
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Hello everyone! Today I'm going to talk about something that I've been reading for the better part of a decade, and that will be coming to an (abrupt) this month. The series in question is Negima! a manga first serialized in the spring of 2004 (almost exactly 9 years before when the series will end). This series follows the adventures of child prodigy Negi Springfield, as he attempts to earn his stripes as a mage, by taking over teaching a class at an all girls academy (because that's what you do DUH). Initially more about exploding clothes and gags, Negima slowly evolved from Akamatsu's gag ecchi roots into something... else. More like a fan servicey battle manga really. How do I feel about the end of a series? Pretty desolated. Let's give this story some context.<br />
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The first manga I ever read was Love Hina. I started reading it somewhere around when they released volume 4 of it stateside (It was published by the fledgeling Tokyopop, starting in May of 2002, take note that means I wasn't quite 15 yet). This series was my introduction to manga, and my beat-to-hell copies of it still have a very special place in my heart. This was sort of my introduction to a lot of things, not the least of which was agonizing while I waited for the next volume of the manga to be published (in hindsight, they put out new volumes of Love Hina pretty fast compared to the pace Del Rey kept with Negima) When Love Hina finished, despite it only being a journey of less than two years, I felt... well like a space had been hollowed out of my chest. I should also say though that I thought the ending to Love Hina was great, and I was crushed by my feels. It was a glorious end to something that, to my still green 15 year old otaku mind was profoundly amazing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0CH9e14qqbFjCln7uJT7WvajnSC57fMC-_KJK8h41a4_AedTVk2ywIYenn59UAQIfRGnQPUBs9Jo_ZUdsqQiFcc7JPWRWrxUkxX1ligGTEtXB0NFB0Qqg7g-Ga3gnGZi1R6xS1FW87M/s1600/060804_negima02.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0CH9e14qqbFjCln7uJT7WvajnSC57fMC-_KJK8h41a4_AedTVk2ywIYenn59UAQIfRGnQPUBs9Jo_ZUdsqQiFcc7JPWRWrxUkxX1ligGTEtXB0NFB0Qqg7g-Ga3gnGZi1R6xS1FW87M/s1600/060804_negima02.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Careful Asuna, you've got Naru all over your face.</td></tr>
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Around a year later, Negima! was picked up by Del Rey, which was trying to get itself a slice of the anime boom pie, and I naturally latched right on to it. The art was familiar, the setup was familiar too, but Negima grew into something else. It was clear from something like the last quarter of Love Hina, that Akamatsu was interested in some more... fighty elements in his manga. Negima was his chance to do that. Sure it was couched in the same harem ecchi style, but that was just I think his comfort zone. As the story progressed, there was a lot more fighting, mixed in with all the fan servicey outfits and shipping (Negima is a shipping MESS let me tell you what). I absolutely DIED waiting for the next volumes to creep out at a glacial pace (38 volumes over something like 8 years averages to about 4 volumes a YEAR) and become more and more invested into the characters. Good so far right?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volume 36, which I bought about 2 weeks<br />
ago, and only just got around to reading.</td></tr>
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Well yeah, for a long time it was. At some point late in the final arc though something happened. I was still craving the stories of these characters, but it seemed clear that there was some hasty wrapping up going on. This was... not how I wanted to see all these characters and their stories ending. After 38 volumes, all we get is a vague wave off for our trouble? "Stuff happened and then the end they lived happily ever after." What the hell man. What happened here? This is a series that was so popular that was adapted to a second freaking manga (Negima! Neo in the US), so why can't the manga get a proper ending? I feel like I don't understand a lot of what happened with Negima! behind the scenes really. It's seen numerous animated adaptations (all of them pretty lousy) 2 different mangas, and a live action drama (I haven't seen it no) and several game adaptations, but the general quality was always kind of low outside of the original manga. Eventually that too seemed forced into an unsatisfying ending that's squandered something like 35 volumes worth of build up with a resolution that felt really half thought out. Now part of me suspects that Akamatsu himself let the story get away from him. He had so many balls up in the air, and such a mixed up plot, that he just couldn't find his way out, resulting in the vague ending to the series. While I accept that as the most likely answer, I just hope that it isn't how the story ends for Akamatsu.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's too late Negi, they laid all their<br />
fingers on the plot, until it suffocated.</td></tr>
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It's been a little bit over a year since Negima! ended it original Japanese run. Since then, Akamatsu has had his hands in several pies, working on various projects but not actually announcing or starting a new manga of his own (one of these projects is the launching of J-Comi, a web service that will allow readers to download PDFs of and read manga that are out of print, free of charge. Love Hina's 14 volumes were the first posted to this service, and I think it's a fantastic idea). This has me nervous. For one, I have ALWAYS been reading a series written by him, since I've been reading manga. It would be sad after all that time to end on such a sour note, with nothing to wash that taste out of my mouth. I know that he can do better, he HAS in the past, and I want to see something new and good from him. I've heard some suggestions that he might start work on another tangent of the Negima! storyline, but I kind of hope he goes for something simpler, after the catastrophic mismanagement of the ending. Really it was probably an impossible errand. No series with as many characters as Negima! can really be expected to resolve gracefully, but I still had hoped. At this point I'm ready to regretfully let Negima go, and hope for a bright new beginning on some other series. (As an aside Bakuman will get its last volume, Volume 20 released in August, so this summer is rough all around for my reading list).<br />
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I believe that he has another Love Hina in him, and the 15 year old goober in me wants to see it. I hope I'm not left out in the cold.<br />
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In case you're interested, Love Hina has been collected in Omnibus format by Kodansha Comics, check it out here (the last volume was released last month): <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Hina-Omnibus-Ken-Akamatsu/dp/1935429477/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1365397463&sr=8-3&keywords=love+hina">Love Hina Omnibus Vol. 1</a><br />
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Negima is also being gathered into omnibus, and even if I wasn't thrilled by the end, its worth a read for all that came before: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Negima-Omnibus-Magister-Negi-Magi/dp/1935429620/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365397531&sr=1-2&keywords=negima+omnibus">Negima! Omnibus Vol. 1</a><br />
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That's all this week, see you later gang!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-27655287022928931802013-04-03T17:08:00.000-07:002013-04-03T17:08:13.795-07:00An Otaku's Daytrip to New York City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't live too far from New York City, so every now and then it's not too unreasonable to hop a train into the city for a few hours of adventure. Somewhat recently we decided to make an impromptu trip to New York City to hit up a couple anime, Japanese, and generally pretty nerdy shops. Being the cheapskates that we all are (hey, all our money was planning on going towards mangas and DVDs), we planned this day trip without having to pay for the subway, so everything we planned was within walking distance. Granted, by the train ride home, we seriously wished we didn't walk so far. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first stop was Nintendo World, which Google Maps misleadingly told us it was in Rockefeller Plaza. This isn't exactly untrue, but Rockefeller Plaza is sort of a big place and the entrance to Nintendo World is actually a street over on 48th street. Our trip to Nintendo World was supposed to be a sort of "Well, we're going to be here anyways" sort of thing, but after the 40 minutes or so of walking in circles we were kind of invested in the idea of going there. Unfortunately for us, Ninetendo World is sort of a flashy tourist location that's really only fun to go to so you can say you went. With the exception of maybe a few specific Pokemon plushies that might be hard to find, there's almost nothing you can buy at Nintendo World that you can't buy at a trip to almost any mall, or even Walmart. It is Nintendo after all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The one really cool thing about Nintendo World is the mini-museum on the 2nd floor that showcases some really interesting pieces of Nintendo History, including some really neat retro systems and games. My favorite part was what looked like the "display case of shame" that featured a virtual boy and some merch from the Super Mario Bros. movie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nintendo World isn't really a place you should just not go to if you're making a day trip to NYC and want to hit up some neat places, but it's really no reason to make any sort of special trip. In retrospect, we sort of regretted not just going to the Lego Store a few streets over instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The second place we went on our trip was <a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/us/">Kinokuniya</a>. If you could only hit up one shop on this list in NYC, make it Kinokuniya, it's like a weeaboo's dream. It's 3 floors packed with Japanese books, manga (in English and Japanese), magazines, and various gifts ranging from anime figures to traditional Japanese gifts. There's also a Japanese style cafe on the top floor. If you're looking for a particular Japanese language book, Kinokuniya is probably one of the few places you're going to be able to find it without ordering it directly from Japan. The prices are pretty typical of what you would expect to pay for rare import books, but it's the mere fact that you <i>can</i> find them here that makes it special. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first floor of Kinokuniya is mainly Japanese language magazines and a small selection of English language books that I've honestly not even given a second glance in all the times I've been there. If you're coming here for the manga and the true Otaku experience, you're going to want to head to the top floor where the manga, anime figures, and classy traditional Japanese gifts and cafe are located. This is probably going to be one of the largest selection of manga that you're ever going to find in a retail location outside of an anime convention (unless you live around some really spectacular manga shops, in which case I hate you). If you head to the basement you're going to find a massive assortment of Japanese Language books as well as some more Japanese gifts, stationery, and craft supplies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a bit easy to feel overwhelmed and completely unprepared when stepping into Kinokuniya. But it's sort of an awesome feeling being surrounded by so many cool things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.bookoffusa.com/">Book-Off</a> was actually the last place we went to, but it's near enough to Kinokuniya that you can hit them both up one after another, we just happened to visit on our way back. Book-Off is a lot like Kinokuniya, only to the extreme and for the more hardcore Otaku. It's a, mostly used, Japanese book, music, and DVD store, and just like Kinokuniya, 3 stories as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The main floor has a pretty large selection of used English Language books, as well as a large selection of used DVDs, video games, and CDs in both Japanese and English. Back in the dark ages, this was pretty much <i>the</i> place to go to buy Japanese music, as there are hundreds of different bands that were impossible to buy elsewhere that you could pick up here for relatively cheap used prices. The basement here is a collection of used English and Japanese language manga, as well as used Japanese magazines. Since this was our last stop of the day, we were completely exhausted by the time we got here, so unfortunately I didn't get a real chance to dig through the thousands of Japanese manga here, but in the past whenever I have I've always left with something interesting, and for $1. English language manga tends to cost between $6 and $9. The top floor is Japanese language books, and unless you're fluent in the language and keeping up on a Japanese novel series, probably not a whole lot of use to you. However, if you are, there's a ton more Japanese language books for $1 on the top floor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite being so thoroughly done with NYC by the time I got to Book-Off, I left with a volume of <a href="http://ithinkimightbeanotaku.blogspot.com/2013/04/ghost-stories.html">ADV's dub of Ghost Stories</a> and a volume of <a href="http://www.somethingawful.com/d/feature-articles/madness-oh-mikey.php">The Fuccons</a> for a pretty cheap price. Not too bad if you've ever tried to hunt either of those things down outside of the internet, because they practically don't exist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.imageanime.com/">Image Anime</a> was actually the reason why we planned a trip to NYC in the first place, in hopes of hunting down some figures. Image Anime is sort of a typical "con goods" store, which is pretty exciting to find in the real world. If you need that con fix in the off season, it's definitely a place you're going to want to check out. It's a relatively small store (especially with the multiple 3-story-tall Japanese bookstores we visited that day), but it's filled with with figures, merch plushies, DVDs, and more plamos and paints than you'll typically find at a convention. DVD prices were a bit cheaper than you might find at Best Buy or another video store, the rest was pretty much what you would expect, or a bit more, to pay for otaku goods. </span><br />
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To take a bit of a break from the otaku, and to venture into general nerdom, we visited <a href="http://www.thecompleatstrategist.com/">The Compleat Strategist</a>, which is a traditional game store. Pretty much whatever game you want to play that doesn't involve a console or a computer you're probably going find it here from table-top war games, to boardgames, to card games. This was one of those typical NYC stores that has a tiny storefront and just keeps going once you're inside, only it was literally packed to the ceiling with game boxes and books. I've honestly never seen more games and game resources in any one place. Prices were typical of retail, but many of these games are almost impossible to find even online, making a store like this something pretty amazing.</span><br />
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If you're determined to pack your nerdy NYC day trip with as much weeaboo stuff as you can, we actually found a box of <a href="http://www.tantocuore.com/">Tanto Cuore</a>, a maid-centric deck building game packed away between some decks of Magic Cards. It looks like a game to guarantee that you're friends will never want to go to another game night with you again! Or maybe not, I guess it depends just how chummy you are with your friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The final stop on this tour-du-otaku is Midtown comics, specifically the 2 story on on 7th avenue. Midtown comics is a great comic book shop if you happen to be in the area, especially if you get roped into a more touristy trip to NYC that doesn't venture far from Times Square. It's obviously a more Western comics oriented place but it's big enough to have a pretty large selection of all sorts of stuff. If you're there for back issues and graphic novels, you're most likely going to find what you're looking for, and then some, as well as a pretty large selection of action figures and impressive collectibles. If you're going for manga, you're still going to find a pretty good sized collection, as well as a number of figures and some merch up on the top floor. Midtown comics is probably like you're typical local comic book store, only much larger. One of the most notable things about Midtown Comics was how incredibly friendly and helpful the staff was, despite the fact that the store is almost constantly packed full of both regulars and tourists. <br /><br />
There are, of course, dozens of other otaku and nerd shops in New York City, including some absolutely amazing restaurants, but we tried to pack what we could, without spending anything on transportation, into the 6 or so hours that we were in the city and I would say that pretty much every place we went to was well worth the trip. With even an ounce more planning (because we sort of decided to go the night before and just used a combination of Yelp and a "Japanese things to do in New York" magazine we found along the way we sort of just did everything on the fly) and a $10 subway ticket, you can fit so much more into the same amount of time. Living close to NYC, I tend to go a few times a year but usually in groups of people who all have different things they want to do, so it was really nice getting to experience the city with a group of people who just wanted to buy manga and look for some new figures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're interested in checking out the places we visited, check out <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Grand+Central+Station,+New+York,+NY&daddr=Nintendo+World,+10+Rockefeller+Plaza,+New+York,+NY+to:Book-Off,+West+45th+Street,+Manhattan,+NY+to:Kinokuniya+Bookstore,+1073+Avenue+of+the+Americas,+New+York,+NY+to:Midtown+Comics,+New+York,+NY+to:Image+Anime,+242+W+30th+St,+New+York,+NY+to:The+Compleat+Strategist,+East+33rd+Street,+New+York,+NY&hl=en&sll=40.753694,-73.981504&sspn=0.031794,0.081711&geocode=FZPVbQIdlzGX-yGLQCEYfztRNymFHAH7IVrCiTGLQCEYfztRNw%3BFS_rbQIdxSmX-yG1rxNyDTuTByndFe7l_ljCiTG1rxNyDTuTBw%3BFT7lbQId5iGX-yFTfQ0b7msgBymtrmW7_1jCiTFTfQ0b7msgBw%3BFX7bbQIdlRSX-yFNnDkN7tOLbSmfQGHA_ljCiTFNnDkN7tOLbQ%3BFUbebQIdVQeX-yHHGbLUvPwZ3SkTWWJbq1nCiTHHGbLUvPwZ3Q%3BFZXIbQIdZO-W-yEDZvM3YrbyFSlfY2TTr1nCiTEDZvM3YrbyFQ%3BFRzCbQIdvBaX-yETv1pNRKPa6imhH6A2qFnCiTETv1pNRKPa6g&dirflg=w&mra=ps&t=m&z=14">this map</a>.
It's almost a 3 mile walk, taking about an hour of city walking to get
from place to place, but only between 5 and 15 minutes of walking
between each individual place. So if you include a few breaks, and plan
your path much better than we did, it's really not so bad of a walking
trip. </span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>caro-chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02816959125315317615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-19216961537299166332013-04-01T22:57:00.001-07:002013-04-01T23:12:53.102-07:00Ghost Stories<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiES2dcMI9G560VACbBBY5hRS4aNHasD1WfhKo1KKq5naDJ42dZVB2vX3KIx7pCxMoTAQnxk5gzdNGSk14xXILn8T3ziHNvUKjeJgZYRVy4_6QSZRI8xQkqQLxXwn1QG2Z0ZKlg14QtAtc/s1600/tumblr_m5u1sfjXQI1qi107t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiES2dcMI9G560VACbBBY5hRS4aNHasD1WfhKo1KKq5naDJ42dZVB2vX3KIx7pCxMoTAQnxk5gzdNGSk14xXILn8T3ziHNvUKjeJgZYRVy4_6QSZRI8xQkqQLxXwn1QG2Z0ZKlg14QtAtc/s320/tumblr_m5u1sfjXQI1qi107t.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aww just look at those adorable little racists.</td></tr>
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Heya everyone! This week I want to talk about a series you've maybe heard about, most likely for the very funny (if totally vulgar) dub it received from ADV. I'm talking about Gakko no Kaidan, translated in the ADV dub as Ghost Stories. It was later redubbed by animax under the name Ghosts at School. This anime was created in 2000, based on a series of books about paranormal occurrences centered around a school setting. People who have seen this anime, might have noted that it was unrelentingly shitty, in just about any way a show could be. You might also note that it was only 20 episodes long, and that the story suddenly wraps itself up in a rushed conclusion that takes place more or less entirely in episode 20. Having seen episode 19, that isn't surprising because the whole episode makes basically no sense. This is besides the fact that it, and every episode in the series other than episodes 1 and 20 are "monster of the week" type filler bullshit. The story doesn't stop there though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04SB0ySOlh8d5YI14P529N-bydJA1984Cci1fw0gTceS2ZVM3kzVyrvVwLmeMp_h8pdIqYBOqOnT8B5STTPSrruy6Wx2D8Byq9ecM-lx6neZi9V3WVhL6hpe3nOmpZxwFM_suphVsyuM/s1600/ghoststories3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh04SB0ySOlh8d5YI14P529N-bydJA1984Cci1fw0gTceS2ZVM3kzVyrvVwLmeMp_h8pdIqYBOqOnT8B5STTPSrruy6Wx2D8Byq9ecM-lx6neZi9V3WVhL6hpe3nOmpZxwFM_suphVsyuM/s320/ghoststories3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
So in 2005, with the boom of the American anime industry still in full swing (though soon ADVs star would wane and go out, and the heady days would crash to a halt) ADV dubbed Gakko no Kaidan. They obviously recognized however that the show was purile shit, and so rather than dub the show with a translation faithful to the original script, they created a new script (written by screenwriter Steven Foster) which maintained more or less the central plot, but drastically changed the personalities of the main characters, making them a pack of vulgar racists and bigots, held together by circumstance, despite the constant verbal abuses they inflict on one another. This version is without a doubt superior, and is frankly goddamned hilarious. The problem is that with ADV long gone, the dub of this series is really expensive to get a hold of. You can find a few of the volumes for reasonable prices, but for whatever reason volumes 3 and 4 are priced outrageously. If you can obtain it though, I recommend it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroIQz2PwyvVGiLMFmy93uXjH9G1oKWRbF5zXJnfTbK0J8GjF76uugajtEzGwqob1WwtWeD7QSj85bBdfZsNw-pWQS3l8K1-G4Cb98ZawuJ4ShIer7nU_omzhzHs6UIn3kFUD-dXsoN8E/s1600/normal_GakkounoKaidan-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroIQz2PwyvVGiLMFmy93uXjH9G1oKWRbF5zXJnfTbK0J8GjF76uugajtEzGwqob1WwtWeD7QSj85bBdfZsNw-pWQS3l8K1-G4Cb98ZawuJ4ShIer7nU_omzhzHs6UIn3kFUD-dXsoN8E/s320/normal_GakkounoKaidan-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I always like to see the panties of middle schoolers. Thanks<br />
Japan.</td></tr>
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One really has to wonder while watching, who exactly the original series was aimed at. The show presents a brightly colored face, and is interlaced with wacky animu antics, but has monsters that are clearly meant to be pretty legitimately freaky. The characters are middle schoolers (like 6th graders I think?) but despite that Hajime and Reo are always trying to catch a glimpse of the girl's goods, which is I guess a thing young boys do? I'm just wondering why the audience would want to be seeing that. As a modestly depraved individual I still find that to be... weird. Does the series want to be funny, or scary, or what? Also the ending theme is a song called "Sexy Sexy" which is exactly what it sounds like and the lyrics are super gross when you once again consider that the characters are in middle school, and the opening theme is called "Grow Up" WHO IS SUPPOSED TO WATCH THIS SHOW JAPAN?!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrthBAUQyJEeeSxaf0mT-VvYzeXIyKWzuRZlvakXDhZR6a-Bdla0EnwFq-lpCue4JzfTqIwbYdDPGpms2yOsItliMOfGvt-8yDgJ6NHLscAzrjgot6uuSfqmLkZ0yqXGIay2G1T6QlNA/s1600/tumblr_mcrqe7q7C01qlpteuo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrthBAUQyJEeeSxaf0mT-VvYzeXIyKWzuRZlvakXDhZR6a-Bdla0EnwFq-lpCue4JzfTqIwbYdDPGpms2yOsItliMOfGvt-8yDgJ6NHLscAzrjgot6uuSfqmLkZ0yqXGIay2G1T6QlNA/s320/tumblr_mcrqe7q7C01qlpteuo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pretty much says it all man.</td></tr>
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Apparently there was a subset of American viewers who were mad about ADV's handling of the show. This would perhaps explain why later, Animax would bother to redub the whole show. I just find this hard to comprehend because it implies there were fans of this show. While I'm glad for the hilarious joke dub, I'm dubious about the show even needing to be dubbed ONCE much less twice. Yet somehow we still will never get Macross Frontier. Where is the justice in this fucking world?<br />
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That's all for now, I have to get back to writing fanfiction. See y'all later. Oh, P.S. here's a clip of some choice moments from the ADV dub:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroIQz2PwyvVGiLMFmy93uXjH9G1oKWRbF5zXJnfTbK0J8GjF76uugajtEzGwqob1WwtWeD7QSj85bBdfZsNw-pWQS3l8K1-G4Cb98ZawuJ4ShIer7nU_omzhzHs6UIn3kFUD-dXsoN8E/s1600/normal_GakkounoKaidan-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-42684484643886366282013-03-24T13:41:00.002-07:002013-03-24T14:35:06.160-07:00Genshiken Afterparty<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPjX3hq5u2WweWDBKi5kPIBA-ZzRfJtnpeaLPVQYa-y48QsamtJslUlbQb4Py9pBxOviZbpfsyGLbvSZWn4sf8aXiuLE-1LOStCHjO12WUTpAWi0V1xR2qXmTbhvXaeqvZ52K_IfsUTU/s1600/genshiken-1512618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPjX3hq5u2WweWDBKi5kPIBA-ZzRfJtnpeaLPVQYa-y48QsamtJslUlbQb4Py9pBxOviZbpfsyGLbvSZWn4sf8aXiuLE-1LOStCHjO12WUTpAWi0V1xR2qXmTbhvXaeqvZ52K_IfsUTU/s320/genshiken-1512618.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fujoshis for a new generation</td></tr>
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First published in 2002 and finishing its initial run in 2006, Genshiken is (for those not acquainted) a manga that follows the activities and lives of a group of college otaku, who are members of the <i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"><b>Gen</b>dai <b>Shi</b>kaku Bunka <b>Ken</b>kyūkai </i>or the "society for the study of modern visual culture" their fancy way of saying that they're all obsessed with games, manga, and anime (along with various other related meta-hobbies like cosplay). I remember first picking up the manga when it began its run in the U.S. in 2005 and being instantly taken in by it. Genshiken had appeal to me because unlike many other 'slice-of-life' style manga and anime, it wasn't abstract or surreal in its style. As a person moving from high school into college (and deeper into the deep dark cave of otaku-dom) I could really relate to the disaffected weirdos in the Genshiken, and how their lives were centered around their hobbies. At the time I was getting really involved in the anime club at my school, and so I could see my own life paralleling the lives of the Genshiken goons. (I'd like to imagine I was like Sasahara, but I think in the end we're all probably Madarame).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2RBvMGWXY_f08AoHI_wLCzn379i2S0buWdAopZVslfOJ5p8Md_pASKbIUfdAfF12yurfUITW4SNriCeZXdj1ZSOzaXf6aFbafkn3db_5gt3oj8T-KmXdJrmB-jgONnE4G_ETKe0jj34/s1600/Genshiken+-+OVA+13+-+Large+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2RBvMGWXY_f08AoHI_wLCzn379i2S0buWdAopZVslfOJ5p8Md_pASKbIUfdAfF12yurfUITW4SNriCeZXdj1ZSOzaXf6aFbafkn3db_5gt3oj8T-KmXdJrmB-jgONnE4G_ETKe0jj34/s320/Genshiken+-+OVA+13+-+Large+22.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I feel the same way when gay porn spontaneously appears<br />
in my possession.</td></tr>
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As the manga goes on (and the anime follows the course of the manga) one of the major things that the members of the Genshiken have to deal with is the idea of moving on. Eventually, they all graduate, and have to find jobs, move to new apartments, and otherwise just generally cope with and address getting on with the rest of their lives. This transition goes more smoothly for some than others, and that was something that I found myself having to deal with. If I'm being real, I'm <i>still</i> trying to deal with it. The feelings that the members had about not wanting to move on was one I shared, both in regards to my own college/anime experience, and also in regards to Genshiken itself. I had grown really attached to the characters and didn't want to let them go.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9O0zQPKwFg4G6G5x62d-E7bB5y6k4ZN-6ebDIv49LH70ubSjnVlXbiH1xdHeD3jOCtSFBFaKGQrkjwc3r_c-LOe031VA2AiXzu8eBBnE6Zf7m0c6KURYMVK6S5IUUOgHVbtOl5dMFvMw/s1600/242060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9O0zQPKwFg4G6G5x62d-E7bB5y6k4ZN-6ebDIv49LH70ubSjnVlXbiH1xdHeD3jOCtSFBFaKGQrkjwc3r_c-LOe031VA2AiXzu8eBBnE6Zf7m0c6KURYMVK6S5IUUOgHVbtOl5dMFvMw/s320/242060.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saki really mellows out as the series goes on that's for sure.</td></tr>
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Fortunately, I haven't actually had to yet, and it doesn't look like I'll need to any time in the near future either. Starting in December of 2010, and currently ongoing, Kio Shimoku (the manga-ka who pays his bills seemingly JUST with Genshiken) started a continuation of the Genshiken storyline, with old characters returning, but also a new batch of underclassmen ready to carry the otaku torch on into the future. It would seem that I was far from the only person who wasn't ready to move on from the halcyon days in the Genshiken club room, and I have so far really been pleased by the fan-servicey plot arcs that Shimoku has delved into in Genshiken Niidaime.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM3LQ0ManqXvccqA9_q5ush2kQlT8Mwdjc3HswqtOtuNQYGwSagjvfUR7zL0s_j4hCif-mkroI1VXpt-6KM_oEQrFjnyF5k9LjtVCrlilk5-UzETR9MW4BZn9_EsFpCWKQgtDqFZEhy8/s1600/Genshiken-2-Ogiue-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM3LQ0ManqXvccqA9_q5ush2kQlT8Mwdjc3HswqtOtuNQYGwSagjvfUR7zL0s_j4hCif-mkroI1VXpt-6KM_oEQrFjnyF5k9LjtVCrlilk5-UzETR9MW4BZn9_EsFpCWKQgtDqFZEhy8/s320/Genshiken-2-Ogiue-02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Chika Ogiue. She is grumpy and adorbs.</td></tr>
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The last issue of Monthly Afternoon (the magazine Genshiken is serialized in) revealed that there's currently another Genshiken anime in the works as well, which is super exciting. The only real rain on my Genshiken parade is the absolutely glacial pace at which the new manga is being released in the good ole US of A. The first volume was released back in the beginning of September, and only now has the second finally been released. I assume that Del Rey is trying to keep the Japanese release well ahead of them, but still, it is a bummer as a fan to be receiving new manga at a rate of roughly two volumes a YEAR (volume three is slated to come out in September, oof). What am I supposed to do in the meantime? (the answer is read scans online of the released chapters which I do but even those come out SO SLOWWW T_T)<br />
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That's all for now, and for those wondering, Genshiken Second Season Vol. 2 is available now so go buy it and if you don't have the previous volumes, They've been re-released by Del Rey in Omnibus form, so you can snap up the whole series for relatively cheap (certainly less than I paid).<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-67754873988249399152013-03-16T23:36:00.001-07:002013-03-16T23:42:09.485-07:00America a Frontier Too Far<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH2I8FTqoZUWxlRozS2qZ6yOsv-Ca-Vbc8PgLXxi7zi2ue5vkPz5ReLrRfPOEKAUwnL0ooyOAvxCeRVz2ny8jnkRvjLbwSQ02VUsuOe6MJJ-Kd4MXb4g5ts2m0YcIIjt-bRcnvMsECwc/s1600/Macross_Frontier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH2I8FTqoZUWxlRozS2qZ6yOsv-Ca-Vbc8PgLXxi7zi2ue5vkPz5ReLrRfPOEKAUwnL0ooyOAvxCeRVz2ny8jnkRvjLbwSQ02VUsuOe6MJJ-Kd4MXb4g5ts2m0YcIIjt-bRcnvMsECwc/s320/Macross_Frontier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Space fighter jets and singing magic that saves the world with love.</td></tr>
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Hi everyone! I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind a lot lately (and I guess in general for a long time) and that's Macross Frontier. First though, a little history lesson. The original SDF Macross was created and released in late 1982 in Japan by Big West and Tatsunoko. This show would eventually find its way to the U.S. in 1985 as the first part of the 3-series Frankenstein that would become Robotech. Robotech for those who don't know, was an American syndicated cartoon, made up of 3 different mecha-animes with similar styles. Harmony Gold, the company that held (and still does hold) the rights to SDF Macross, wanted to air Robotech on weekday syndicated TV, but the minimum number of episodes required at the time to do that was 65, so to make it work, they mashed three shows together, and spun a tenuous common thread between them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqgHSgaRB1s5nGcXTc350XTKW16gHt9A2KWsjQwtuFMMPUIc6WoUCSNGktwgurv2USr5yZOnxzlukF7IiZWV5OKpKsGkvsPl_FYXiGPLsj_wTtIPIC8VZr0-FxUhZarGAcTcMRLmywIs/s1600/gattai-macross-frontier-01-1280x720-h264-9cd36e28_200804182059461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqgHSgaRB1s5nGcXTc350XTKW16gHt9A2KWsjQwtuFMMPUIc6WoUCSNGktwgurv2USr5yZOnxzlukF7IiZWV5OKpKsGkvsPl_FYXiGPLsj_wTtIPIC8VZr0-FxUhZarGAcTcMRLmywIs/s320/gattai-macross-frontier-01-1280x720-h264-9cd36e28_200804182059461.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behold the glorious VF-25 Messiah. Awww yeah.</td></tr>
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So that's SDF Macross. Since then, the U.S saw several other Macross productions that Harmony Gold had nothing to do with (and I'll get to that in a second), the Macross II and Macross Plus OVAs, neither of which were direct sequels to the original Macross. Harmony Gold did not try and assert its distribution rights over these films for whatever reason, only attempting to block Macross merchandise in 2001. Big West and Tatsunoko took it to court in Japan and it was determined that Harmony Gold would maintain distribution rights to the original SDF Macross in the U.S. but no other subsequent series. A lot of people believe that Harmony Gold is responsible for us not seeing Macross 7, Macross Zero, or most recently Macross Frontier in the US. Not so. Those things all happened probably because of the weakened market for anime in North America, and a weakened economy all around in general. So now we've established my best theory for why we don't have Macross Frontier (Which came out in the beginning of 2008 so I think we'd have seen it by now, though it isn't <i>impossible</i> that it still might be localized), and given the whole history of the franchise, why don't I actually tell you what it's about?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U1ayhxDi7vzY1oudz_qsQ6y1pPMxOPNrVXXL4qotQw4_nnfBSXOEselgUD3hWWVNbyX9atIuVzPNnRnkS2xVuXMFkLxxWhKOGpbsLrHuSHv3qUB-63vXqoqGF26V71d6MDYhY_zmI2w/s1600/sdf-macross.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U1ayhxDi7vzY1oudz_qsQ6y1pPMxOPNrVXXL4qotQw4_nnfBSXOEselgUD3hWWVNbyX9atIuVzPNnRnkS2xVuXMFkLxxWhKOGpbsLrHuSHv3qUB-63vXqoqGF26V71d6MDYhY_zmI2w/s320/sdf-macross.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank god animation and art have improved since '82. Ouch.</td></tr>
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The original Super Dimensional Fortress Macross was a mecha series detailing the crash of an alien ship onto Earth. The technology of the ship was reverse engineered to create a variety of advanced weapons, including the reconstructed ship (dubbed the SDF-1 Macross) and the VF-1 Valkyrie, the original fighter jet that transforms into a robot of the series. This ship was designed to allow the Earth forces to fight hand to hand and in space against the 42 foot tall Zentraedi, a race of massive and warlike aliens coming for the ship, and also to kill everyone on Earth while they were at it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOk4fJNg3S5KUmkNIBy-m5NoIfPfkpzd0FusLRfx4welu9OHrEAttFvcK25QCLYUBpnmqCk2DN2KK_NYUmw9P0RFlZtN7HKA1AXjPDO2rAAf4UMXPGEOofGEPwCmET_-Pr3lqeX9pvd80/s1600/Macross+Frontier+-+25+-+Large+44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOk4fJNg3S5KUmkNIBy-m5NoIfPfkpzd0FusLRfx4welu9OHrEAttFvcK25QCLYUBpnmqCk2DN2KK_NYUmw9P0RFlZtN7HKA1AXjPDO2rAAf4UMXPGEOofGEPwCmET_-Pr3lqeX9pvd80/s320/Macross+Frontier+-+25+-+Large+44.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behold the lovely Alto Saotome, in all HIS glory.</td></tr>
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Macross Frontier takes place 47 years after the original, in the year 2059. It follows the journey of the 25th Macross Colonial Fleet, which is part of an initiative to spread humanity throughout the stars, to prevent the chance of extinction (which mankind narrowly skirted when the Zentraedi killed nearly everyone in the original Macross). More specifically, Macross Frontier follows Alto Saotome, as he becomes involved in the defense of the Macross Frontier, when he joins the S.M.S. (Strategic Military Services) after the Frontier is attacked by a mysterious race of bug-like aliens known as the Vajra. Also prominent to the story are two pop-singers: Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVdZXpM471Yfx6uM60MWDiR6xYwN_801iigP-_PPMZIqsi8cTCdq32-qkwA7JaupoQTUu3-bwqrGSZWyod48dsIyhWkrKyHvJxfL6ZdmCLL9Gx-J2-rrMjXPUoJ93zKmyZEAuwV9jx_g/s1600/Macross.Frontier.full.846198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVdZXpM471Yfx6uM60MWDiR6xYwN_801iigP-_PPMZIqsi8cTCdq32-qkwA7JaupoQTUu3-bwqrGSZWyod48dsIyhWkrKyHvJxfL6ZdmCLL9Gx-J2-rrMjXPUoJ93zKmyZEAuwV9jx_g/s320/Macross.Frontier.full.846198.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheryl (left) and Ranka. Kimi wa dare to kisu wo suru?</td></tr>
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So this bears more explanation. Certain things are sort of staples to Macross series. First is the Macross itself, a massive battleship that is also a colony ship, and that can transform into a robot itself. Secondly, the Valkyrie, a fighter-jet that transforms into a robot, and also a half robot/half fighter form commonly referred to as gerwalk mode (I don't know folks cut me some slack here). Music is important to the plot too. There is always a singer (or two) who figure prominently into the plot. Because in Macross-world, music is powerful, because it conveys emotions, and love through the medium of song can and will change and save the world. There is also typically a love triangle between the male lead and two female characters. Macross Frontier is no exception to that, and here Alto is caught between Sheryl, a famous singer known as the Galactic Nymph, and Ranka Lee, a seemingly unimportant girl who becomes a famous singer herself, and whose songs have power on the same scale as Sheryl's.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3kYH9z2dsyZn7msfMxcoC9uJ0l17o9-5aOsBVD5hTHLGb9T7Sh2K2KKGij6wF8F_lc88SAQ48PeCoo8TiWcWzyb3rUGj3n7DZcilUGXKKMAA33MC6Wl7LzccZ7qz7-G0SATgWnPAYtA/s1600/macross-frontier-25-large-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3kYH9z2dsyZn7msfMxcoC9uJ0l17o9-5aOsBVD5hTHLGb9T7Sh2K2KKGij6wF8F_lc88SAQ48PeCoo8TiWcWzyb3rUGj3n7DZcilUGXKKMAA33MC6Wl7LzccZ7qz7-G0SATgWnPAYtA/s320/macross-frontier-25-large-34.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you remember love?</td></tr>
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I mean literal power here. In Macross Frontier, for reasons explained through the series, the singing of Sheryl and Ranka create waves in space that call out to, communicate with, and can influence the Vajra, and that makes the girls important as more than just sources of profit for record companies. So now I've established what it's about, more or less, why is it worth noting? Macross Frontier for starters is a gorgeous looking series. It blends fairly seamlessly 3D digital models (virtually all of the space battles are) with more traditional animation, (no awkward Blue Submarine no. 6 stuff going on here) and both look fantastic. If you are a fan of mecha anime or space battles, this show won't disappoint there either, with fantastic, grand scale space combat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1erzFBDfdk8hfN1PPYJKMu6R6QC2gSFsMnrn08PdCq9kSngxmRzSZoorQZfj_2_iYRyWF1darBr_YlXJ7nNClFquKW0ulV75CvZBNDU-WMyqNOTvzSV3sCh54tO1Od-8M1vN9r8Zguh8/s1600/snapshot20080523170446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1erzFBDfdk8hfN1PPYJKMu6R6QC2gSFsMnrn08PdCq9kSngxmRzSZoorQZfj_2_iYRyWF1darBr_YlXJ7nNClFquKW0ulV75CvZBNDU-WMyqNOTvzSV3sCh54tO1Od-8M1vN9r8Zguh8/s320/snapshot20080523170446.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeez Ozma, take a guy on a date first.</td></tr>
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Those are both great, but Macross Frontier offers something unique that you can't get from just any mecha series. The prominence of the music as actual parts of the plot mean that you have a stirring, grand soundtrack to the space battles, and while I'm sure everyone might not agree with me I think that the music is absolutely fantastic, and really enhances the show for me. There is what I consider to be a very gripping human drama playing out on the backdrop of a war in space, and the music is there to communicate that emotion. All of this combines to make a series that calls back many elements of the original Macross, while being a fantastically modern and superior series all around. It's just too bad that we have not yet, and probably will not see a North American release for it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflUy6AHy-JfiqPB2v9FoiohHhbGqnhfSX7bYBNRaAdkRYE4Kd-mhLI1t-SclWKbBNFolcP8E4RSzAK7isoCSOjjOihmGYXfXll0UOpPWzgXkkLryXICnHVVjlqm7E_PEznKvgdzs_WBI/s1600/Macross+Frontier+-+24+-+Large+27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflUy6AHy-JfiqPB2v9FoiohHhbGqnhfSX7bYBNRaAdkRYE4Kd-mhLI1t-SclWKbBNFolcP8E4RSzAK7isoCSOjjOihmGYXfXll0UOpPWzgXkkLryXICnHVVjlqm7E_PEznKvgdzs_WBI/s320/Macross+Frontier+-+24+-+Large+27.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe they'll find their way to us some day.</td></tr>
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There's a Blue-Ray/DVD collection of it that you can buy off Amazon, but other than that it's the internet for you if you hope to see this show, and really if anything I said here sounds remotely appealing, you should. The anime is 25 episodes, and then there are two movies, and I recommend all of that. While I wait for any new Macross, or for the probably never happening localization, I guess I'll just have to play Strike Suit Zero with the Macross Frontier soundtrack playing in the background.<br />
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That's finally the end of my Macross ranting... for now xD I might put up some unboxing thoughts for a figure shipment I have inbound later this week, otherwise I will see you all next weekend!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-50392757448627978012013-03-10T17:47:00.003-07:002013-03-10T17:47:37.952-07:00Fire Emblem: Awakening<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kf1ZIathSxo_wzSSiBHEk0pA7x7oFu9cxhjUk7md35I_6FkRYUP85-U4XDkiWcREMTVwYURmUKMEXI57SxmIh2NE82qlOT4ouwbuyh6BDmMmk1nKOl9JvRwpqHNLqexDzg3HYvZyi6E/s1600/feawakening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kf1ZIathSxo_wzSSiBHEk0pA7x7oFu9cxhjUk7md35I_6FkRYUP85-U4XDkiWcREMTVwYURmUKMEXI57SxmIh2NE82qlOT4ouwbuyh6BDmMmk1nKOl9JvRwpqHNLqexDzg3HYvZyi6E/s400/feawakening.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fire Emblem: Awakening: Review, Thoughts, Etc.</span></span></div>
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My intense, obsessive affair with Fire Emblem began when I was a junior in high school, more or less by accident. My friend had received two copies of Fire Emblem (in Japan Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken, which was Fire Emblem 7) for his birthday, and so gave the second to me. This would prove to be a very generous gift indeed, and I can remember staying up way too late when I had school the next day, telling myself "just a few more turns..." I am not entirely sure how many times I've cleared Rekka no Ken, but I am sure its probably around the high 20s. I have played to death every American released Fire Emblem since then (and actually a fan translated version of the game <i>before</i> it) and more or less purchased a 3DS JUST so I could play Awakening (I won't even get into how mad I was when they announced the limited edition 3DS ONE WEEK AFTER I BOUGHT MINE) I was pleased to see once I started playing, that I had not made a grievous mistake (Of course I had to digitally download the damn thing because every physical copy in the US was mysteriously lost in the aether, and I wasn't about to wait for an extra week or two oh no siree)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking Gary-Stu/Mary-Sue to a new dazzling height.</td></tr>
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The game starts right off with its neat features. While some purists like to get offended at even the possibility of easier difficulty settings, I think it is both smart and right that this game includes a reasonable spread of difficulty levels (normal, hard and lunatic) which offer a fair challenge to beginners, experienced players, and people who hate themselves respectively (more on Lunatic later) The feature that I feel must have enraged someone is the option to choose between "classic" and "casual" modes. Casual mode turns off character perma-death, whereas classic is your Fire Emblem standard your-character-died-so-restart-the-level setting. More on permadeath issues later too. Once you've chosen difficulty, you make an Avatar, who in this game is actually an honest to god character who is part of your team (and is a very good unit, hence and <i>important</i> part of your team) I have heard people complain about how limited the customization options are for the avatar, but considering you can customize them at ALL, and that the avatar character EXISTS to begin with, I find those complaints to be superficial and frivolous. You can choose gender, have a choice of three builds per gender, 3 voices, 5 or 6 faces for each build, different hairstyles and color choices that encompass all the colors of the rainbow. If you want to make your perfect self as a game player, go play The Sims or something.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes it can. It can hurt a whole fucking lot Donnyboy.</td></tr>
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Once you're done making your character, it's off to the races. I played through the game on hard for my first play-through, and that seemed about the right difficulty choice for me. It wasn't super easy, but wasn't lunatic mode. One of the coolest things that Awakening does in my book, is make supports not just a thing you do so that you can read funny stuff and become obsessed with minor characters (obviously all those things still happen, but there are other benefits too!). In Awakening, rather than always battling 1-on-1, your units can fight enemy units together 2-on-1, which is as great as it is not fair (except in lunatic mode where it barely matters). One character is the primary in the pair, the other is the back-up, and who is in the lead can be swapped. the back-up character has a chance to attack whenever the lead character does (and this chance is improved by a better support level) and they have a chance to block every time the lead character is attacked. The back-up also improves the stats of the lead character, based on their own stats. In addition to making supports a very relevant part of the game, this mechanic opens up a wealth of tactical possibilities, and allows for some neat maneuvers (it also replaces the otherwise sort of useless/desperate rescue mechanic from previous games) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweaty, muscly men unite!</td></tr>
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Now rather than just having units stand next to each other to gain support, they actually do it by FIGHTING TOGETHER IMAGINE. Better yet, the limit on supports has also been removed, so while you can still only have one S support (that's the person you marry to create the second-generation characters more on that in a second) you can have as many other supports as you want, saving me the trouble of having to beat the game 300 times just to see them all (I still probably will though). An S support between a guy character and girl character (sorry all you same gender shippers, but this is for the purpose of procreation! literally!) allows you to recruit children characters of those two later in the game, who have skills and stats/growth rates based on their parents. All in all very cool. The support system in this game felt to me like it had Persona's fingerprints all over it, what with everyone constantly talking about how strong their bonds were, and how they were going to overcome fate with the strength of their bonds... I'm not saying Persona invented that idea, but it was pretty suggestive to me. That being said, I couldn't imagine something I want more than a Fire Emblem game with heavier character aspects.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Ylisse no one has feet apparently.</td></tr>
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The interface is to me the best of both worlds. the mission maps are top down with sprites for your units, like in the older/GBA Fire Emblems, whereas the battle animations are the 3D models of the Gamecube/Wii Fire Emblems (but you can speed them up which circumvents one of my big problems with battles in Radiant Dawn). While I still miss the flashier animations of the GBA games, I admit that Awakening looks good, and the CG cutscenes in particular are very alluring. My one beef with the graphical presentation is that it seems like most characters HAVE NO FEET. They all appear to be standing on little pointy leg stumps, which is pretty weird.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't that just fine looking?</td></tr>
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Character design in Awakening is varied, detailed, and generally at the quality I've come to expect from FE games. As in some other games (Shadow Dragon springs to mind, but ugh that was one butt-ugly game) in Awakening, your characters have options to change to other classes, in addition to the regular classing up (and indeed your avatar character can reclass to every class that isn't specific to the opposite gender). This gives added depth and options for character customization, though if you are a more casual player you don't really need to delve into it, which is nice too. With all the characters, class options, skill selections, child characters and weapons available, there is ample room to have a squad that is just what you want, and that is something I dearly desire in any strategy RPG I play. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I don't make it, tell Lucina I love her.</td></tr>
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In addition to the lengthy single player campaign, and its numerous side chapters, there is a glut of DLC, both free and pay, available for the game, and more is released every Friday. While I'm not a big fan of pay DLC, I think that having such a huge amount of content available is just a really neat option. Some of the features (like the streetpass team swap) are going to be basically never used except at conventions (I ended up swapping teams with about 7 or 8 people just sitting at my vendor's table at Ucon last month) there's just a lot of great game to be had here.</div>
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Now that I've mooned over the game, let's talk about the only thing that really bugged me about it. In a normal Fire Emblem game of the past, when enemy reinforcements arrive, they do so at the end of the enemy turn. That means that you have a turn to react to their arrival, so they don't just pop up behind you and then ream you. In Awakening, for some reason they decided to have reinforcements come in at the BEGINNING of the enemy turn. This means that a safe spot to your formations rear where you were keeping your weaker units can suddenly become full of guys with axes waiting to cram some steel through your back-door. Being totally honest I have to say... not a huge fan of that game feature.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MDZ3UtILzuUn7N2PgAq1feyK8qMB3MHWN7OFZJmpA91JbbSHf2_zbsrJ2_Co_USGAGC93NzVumT-p-HpUUYJOCD1IyYEjHGAFNUSAh7quRklYDOc3tFvgObFO2sOabVktIr5LJmhtfY/s1600/Sallya_(Fire_Emblem_Awakening).png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MDZ3UtILzuUn7N2PgAq1feyK8qMB3MHWN7OFZJmpA91JbbSHf2_zbsrJ2_Co_USGAGC93NzVumT-p-HpUUYJOCD1IyYEjHGAFNUSAh7quRklYDOc3tFvgObFO2sOabVktIr5LJmhtfY/s320/Sallya_(Fire_Emblem_Awakening).png" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark mages wear much less<br />clothing than other mages<br />and hence have higher defense.</td></tr>
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Speaking of being violated, lunatic mode is... clearly a mode for lunatics. I've started playing through the game on this mode and clawed my way to ch. 5 on it, but I have to say that it has been absolutely unfairly punishing. If you are not seriously masochistic... probably just skip this mode altogether, because you will find no solace here, just an eternity of carnage and game restarting. I've read some reviewers talk about not restarting the game when a character dies, and while I've played games where that makes sense, that just is not our way in the Fire Emblems. Anyone I've spoken to who claims to be a fan of this series seems to feel the same way. If someone dies <i>then I guess it's time to restart the level and do it right</i>. Not that the option of not restarting really exists in Lunatic. If someone is dying, chances are that soon <i>everyone else</i> will be joining them, because you have made an error.</div>
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I think I've said all the important things I have to say about this title, except that there have been two figures announced from this game, and I dearly want both of them (find images <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2013/02/10/fire-emblem-awakenings-marth-and-tharja-to-get-figurines-2/">here </a>for "Marth" figma, and Tharja statue sculpt). They can go ahead and release those as soon as possible.</div>
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That's it for now! I will post another update in the week if the chance strikes, otherwise I'll see you here again next Sunday to ramble about some other things I think are cool! -J</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-89811961895772171622013-03-10T15:48:00.001-07:002013-03-10T15:48:59.815-07:00I Want This Blog to LiveHi Everyone! (by which I mean no one)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I HAVE TO HURRY I'M 6 MONTHS LATE.</td></tr>
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So clearly, this blog never happened. I made a post, then got caught up in other pursuits (not the least of which being the maintenance of my OTHER blog) and in the end, while I was always thinking of poor ITIMBAO in the back of my mind, it never emerged in the forefront. Well NO MORE I SAY. I can't speak for Ms. Caro-chan, but I will strive to make a post every Sunday on this blog, about SOME DAMN THING, at the very least, every week. This post isn't that! I'm going to write another post, right now, about something else, what a deal. Also, while I'm at it, let me link you to a post I made on The Tagline last week, which is relevant to this blog as much as it was relevant to that one, if not more so: <a href="http://everysinnerhasatagline.blogspot.com/2013/03/redline.html">Redline</a>.<br />
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So there you have it imaginary readers! My pledge to you, to actually exist, and write things here, in the hopes that some day you'll exist too. -JUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-31932720314905106232012-09-24T22:25:00.000-07:002013-03-10T15:09:01.000-07:00Intro and Bakuman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51N0QxhPjHVsAIGhAbElr0krvQMMpJ6wYjEksIqNR48nNEj46j1rsmnmDwnqhNcDxENf5i3VYCjYm8IshtUzjx8ZrLDaiINesB-tQ3vcUXPfMWMCCiMibaXUhlcuGkyddviDuF-VhslQ/s1600/bakuman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51N0QxhPjHVsAIGhAbElr0krvQMMpJ6wYjEksIqNR48nNEj46j1rsmnmDwnqhNcDxENf5i3VYCjYm8IshtUzjx8ZrLDaiINesB-tQ3vcUXPfMWMCCiMibaXUhlcuGkyddviDuF-VhslQ/s400/bakuman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hello! I'm JB and I will be a contributing blogger on ITIMBAO. I also maintain the movie blog <a href="http://everysinnerhasatagline.blogspot.com/">The Tagline</a>, if Hollywood movies are also your thing. I'll be using this space to talk about Manga I'm reading, anime I like, and any other related hobby content that I think might be entertaining. Anyway, today I wanted to talk about a manga that I've been reading for a while now that I've really been enjoying, and that maybe you are also aware of (it isn't exactly under the radar but whatever).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUHrjB-RemIueB3TX75-lyIi-ZlLdwBDE1QYWUYIMWyjaI0s12yDbumR3YSy8Ga_ZzsOgnxS-fGRBjnh_WvBnIjDCrMmTzIaM_c7uB-N_TZHm9qzaoP1aapvCVMvBT20ifoZPZJbAAok/s1600/bakuman2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUHrjB-RemIueB3TX75-lyIi-ZlLdwBDE1QYWUYIMWyjaI0s12yDbumR3YSy8Ga_ZzsOgnxS-fGRBjnh_WvBnIjDCrMmTzIaM_c7uB-N_TZHm9qzaoP1aapvCVMvBT20ifoZPZJbAAok/s320/bakuman2.jpg" width="240" /></a><i>Bakuman</i> is an ongoing manga featured in Shonen Jump, authored by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. A lot of you probably know that this is the same duo that produced the smash hit <i>Death Note.</i> <i>Bakuman</i> is a very different beast however, a manga published in Shonen Jump about two teenagers, Mashiro and Takagi who decide to become mangakas and end up published... in Shonen Jump. It's a really meta kind of manga and it gives a really neat (albeit highly exaggerated and dramatized I'd iamgine) insight into the process of making manga. I first picked it up on a whim around when it started being published in 2010, and immediately realized it was something special. Obata's art has always been awesome (I can't believe that a manga serialized in a magazine could have such detailed art really) but I am really drawn to the slice-of-life style mangas (<i>Genshiken</i> is one of my favorite mangas ever and you'll definitely be hearing about that in the near future) so <i>Bakuman</i> was a lot more appealing to me than <i>Death Note</i>. I'm frankly surprised that they are allowed to publish a series that portrays Shonen Jump in such an unapologetic way, but it's also really neat to read about.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKFDmIJ-O7yuhYAz4UZS91cEWH3eLfZJgQPxuEfYlEKLxxD18F2dfCnbqwW1t571YlNA6lX3Py-rFf7BQE4ChjjvzsuwpaW7RTuZ3lOtnCtP7FS9MQzcbdOgvrXXo9mwBvKeCZtax3uE/s1600/Takagi_akito_of_bakuman_by_lizethuchiha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKFDmIJ-O7yuhYAz4UZS91cEWH3eLfZJgQPxuEfYlEKLxxD18F2dfCnbqwW1t571YlNA6lX3Py-rFf7BQE4ChjjvzsuwpaW7RTuZ3lOtnCtP7FS9MQzcbdOgvrXXo9mwBvKeCZtax3uE/s320/Takagi_akito_of_bakuman_by_lizethuchiha.jpg" width="320" /></a>One of the cool things about a manga that is at least partially <i>about</i> manga, is that now when I'm reading other manga, or watching other anime, I can see the tropes and cliches a lot more clearly than if I hadn't been given an inside perspective to making manga. Even more revealing is that a lot of the elements that Ohba implements into the details of <i>Bakuman</i> are clearly biographical (as like the Ashirogi duo in the manga, Ohba is publishing what would be considered a non-traditional manga for Shonen Jump). Now when I'm looking at a series like Bleach or Soul Eater, I'm thinking about them in terms of being serialized, trying to keep their rating up, and how they fit into a manga magazine aimed at a particular demographic.</div>
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It's not all about the manga though, this is also a dramatic story about interesting characters, but again its just so much fun to read and realize that <i>Bakuman</i> is exactly the kind of manga that Takagi and Mashiro are trying to write. While it might not have special powers or flashy battles, at its core <i>Bakuman</i> is about various characters battling against one another, not physically, but with their manga, all trying to be #1.</div>
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If you get the chance, you should really check it out! I just finished volume 14 and it's still as fun as when I picked up the first one. More than that, reading <i>Bakuman</i> always makes me feel inspired to work on my own creative things (I am an aspiring writer). I think that you'll enjoy it too!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check it ouuuuuut.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-39118845827459584542012-09-19T14:13:00.004-07:002012-09-19T14:13:59.229-07:00My Otaku Generation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've often heard references to various anime fan generations, and while these generation names and time ranges are not always agreed on, I've always considered myself a part of the Cartoon Network generation. Despite the fact that my generation got it's start about a decade ago, I still feel like a noob in the world of anime because I waited until it went "mainstream" to get into it. Rightfully, I feel like I should have hopped on the anime banwagon during the Sailor Moon generation (I've actually seen this era referred to as a number of things, but for most girls it was Sailor Moon that really got them into anime, so I think, as a girl, it's pretty fair to call this the Sailor Moon era), especially since back when Sailor Moon hit the US I used to watch it on occasion and ache after the line of toys that were released along side it. <br />
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It wasn't for another year or two that I started to realize that Sailor Moon was something so different because it was anime, a term I had no idea existed until significantly later, thanks to the Sci-Fi channel's use of the phrase "Japanimation" to describe the late night cartoons I used to secretly stay up late to watch. <br />
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<br />So, while Cartoon Network certainly wasn't my first introduction to anime, it was simply the first time that I was able to get it with any sort of regularity and in a quantity that actually allowed me to pick-and-choose what I wanted to watch. Before Cartoon Network's Adult Swim came along my experience with anime was limited to whatever I could get my greedy hands on: the first volume of <i>Mai, the Psychic Girl</i> that my public library had for some reason, <i>Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust</i> because my friend just so happened to own it, and <i>Iria: Ziram the Animation</i> because the Sci-Fi channel played it over the span of a few Sunday mornings, and a small handful of those late night Sci-Fi anime screenings that I simply don't remember the names of, and some smatterings of whatever episodes of Sailor Moon I got the chance to watch. But I didn't even get a computer until 2000, and I had dial-up for years after that, and even if I had a faster connection, this was years before youtube and I had a very small number of friends who were also into anime who were in the same "But how do we get it?" boat as I was, so it wasn't until I discovered Adult Swim's late night anime programing that I really got into anime. I actually caught the last few episodes of their first run of Cowboy Bebop when I stumbled across it.<br />
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<br />Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and shortly later FLCL were the shows that really got me into anime, and while I wish it didn't take me so long to finally <i>really</i> discover anime, I'm content to have been a part of the first truely mainstream wave of anime and manga in the US and to have been able to ride that wave when it was at it's peak, back when TokyoPop was still around and releasing pretty much everything they could get their hands on and there were something like 3 different on-demand Anime channels, back before the whole western anime market sort of imploded in on itself.<br /><br />The generation names might be a bit silly, and ultimately pointless since being an anime fan tends to be a slow and creeping sickness in the west and many of us realize that we had actually been watching anime all of our lives before we even knew what it was, but I still find it's pretty interesting to read about because it paints a picture of what fans that came before you were into and what sort of things were being imported out of Japan. If you're looking to read a little bit more about some of the previous anime fan generations, <a href="http://animeyume.com/blog/2010/07/26/listing-the-generations-of-u-s-anime-fandom-help-would-be-appreciated/">check out this post on Mainichi Anime Yumi</a>, it's a couple years old so it's really only missing this current, as of yet unnamed, anime fan generation.caro-chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02816959125315317615noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7885988157676314195.post-34509549324655173222012-09-18T18:33:00.000-07:002012-09-18T18:33:40.998-07:00Hello!Hello and welcome to<b> I Think I Might Be An Otaku</b>, it's just a little blog where I can go to ramble about whatever otaku and occasionally nerd-related topic I might feel like. I make a pretty poor otaku compared to most but I have opinions about anime and manga that most people just don't care about, a number of hobbies that originated in Japan, and a love of anime conventions so, well, I think I might be an otaku? This blog is just here to explore that possibility a bit more. Hopefully it will feature some various reviews on whatever convention that I happen to attend, my occasional misadventures in cosplay, ramblings about whatever mangaka I'm obsessing over at the moment, showing off whatever totally lame weeaboo crap I just blew my money on, and that kind of thing. <br />
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Besides this blog, I also run <a href="http://fyeahlolita.blogspot.com/">F Yeah Lolita</a>, a blog about the Lolita fashion and lifestyle. While I am not actually a cosplayer myself (wearing Lolita on a regular basis sort of sucks the fun out of the thrill of dressing up!), I do enjoy helping with whatever cosplay project that my boyfriend, who runs both a largely Bruce Willis related <a href="http://everysinnerhasatagline.blogspot.com/">movie blog</a> and <a href="http://jrmcteague.blogspot.com/">writes fiction about supernatural investigation</a>, is working on.caro-chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02816959125315317615noreply@blogger.com0