Waah!! T-T Too kawaii! I can’t take it!! Why why why why KyoAni?! Why must you make me fawn for such unprecendented levels of moé that I’m clearly not prepared for?! I want a Nayuki! Demand moar Nayuki!

OMG sleepy Nayuki! She’s too much…I have to get on to less fanboying rabble and on to some actual thoughts cuz this was actually more than just a Nayuki episode. (although as Jason put it, if they ever made a 24/7 Nayuki TV you know I’d be so up for that)

Um, yea so I just rewatched the previous Kanon scene where Akiko got hit, and it’s nowhere near as graphic as this. I mean, the first time we see a car and the camera zooms into Akiko’s eyes. This time it was crazy with the whole Burnout Revenge/GTA thing you know? Kimi Ga Nozomu Kanon, this episode was indeed (at least that’s what #eclipse said)

anyway, this episode I completely loved because we see many parts of the Nayuki story that was kicked to the curb in the first Kanon. It’s good to see Yuuichi isn’t a total jackass to Nayuki like he was the first time. GOD, the first time it was just…horrible.

But you know…Kanon has killed off every other girl…or nearly incapacitated them, up to the end of this episode with Akiko. Nayuki’s the only one left! As AoMM says, with Mai there was a dance. With Shiori there was a peck on the cheek. With Ayu there was a passionate kiss. That means the next step for Nayuki is…WIN!! XD Mwhahahhahahha Nayuki pwns all.

So anyway, Nayuki’s so awesome that she’s supporting Yuuichi with Ayu even though she fully realizes his feelings for her and Yuuichi was such a dick to her in the past with her childhood confession. It’s too bad Jun ruined a potentially awesome moment between them when Yuuichi was beginning to remember why Nayuki cared so much about the broken snow rabbit.

and…OMFG Nayuki falling asleep in front of Yuuichi…and going all moe Nyuu~~ Goddam Yuuichi shoulda tapped that she was all willing too how could he resist???!!! Oh well at least in the game we know he doesn’t. XD

yeah I want a cousin like Nayuki…onegaishimasu!

anyway next episode is gonna be very difficult, now that Nayuki’s gonna be put through suffering. Wahh…

Blah…wow, three weeks again without posting. Semester’s winding up too, so it’s not like it’s gonna get any easier.

Anyway, I’ve wanted to say this for a while, but for some reason was too lazy to say it even though it’s so short. I don’t know if anyone reads this blog anymore, but if you do you may have noticed the About page having a slight edit. This blog is now about anime…if that wasn’t obvious enough. I mean, sure 2 posts ago I wrote about something other than anime, but I think it’s pretty clear now that, contrary to what I’ve previously claimed, this blog is not evenly split between life and anime.

Speaking of people still reading my blog, I think I’m gonna change the way I’m gonna blog for a little while at least. I think I haven’t been up to posting because I usually feel some kind of obligation to find some sort of screenshot for almost everything I post. It doesn’t require that much effort, but effort it does take up, especially with WMP’s new missing feature…so I put off posting so I can watch some other anime for a bit, and it ends up I don’t post at all. It’s lame, yes.

So to increase my posting frequency, I’ve decided to just post. If I feel it’s convenient or necessary to provide pics, I will. But for screenshots, we all know there’s hundreds of better blogs out there that can provide a screenshot for every 5 seconds in the anime. They do it better, so I’ll let them do their job. Meanwhile I’ll remain here posting my thoughts and commentary, hopefully more often now - starting with some news on my recent weekend at the New York Comic Con.

It is unbelievable how much difference Kyoto Animation has made. The first time I saw Kanon, Mai and Shiori were nothing special. Now what do we have, we have Mai’s Honey Bear and Chubby Racoon, her quiet demeanor and brilliant one-liners, and we have Shiori’s new insanely cute kohai personality. they really took the whole underclassmen thing and gave her a schoolgirl crush of epic kawaiiness.

and remake indeed, the resolution of Shiori arc is extremely different from the first time. i remember the toei version could not sustain too much enthusiasm during this arc (although both versions contained probably the most poignant quote of the entire anime in this arc “Every person has to depend on someone else to live.”) This time this episode was absolutely wonderful. Yuuichi x Jun make an awesome dance show, and everything just felt really good. Congrats KyoAni, you’ve won the year.

And now that Shiori’s arc ended gracefully, next ep we will begin the Nayuki/Ayu arc! Why do we see so much Jun though o_0? Get your tissues ready!

Okay I want to do some more blogging…but Microsoft, WTF?! Why the hell would you take away the screenshot hotkey ctrl-I in Windows Media Player 11?! Why??? According to the FAQ now to take a screenshot I have to disable overlays, do a printscreen, and image edit? Phail!

Yea well here’s a big FUCK YOU to Microsoft because now guess what? I’m gonna use VLC. Yeah. Whatcha gonna do about it? Aw damn, your new WMP skin looks too awesome, guess I’ll keep watching anime on it. But no more screenshots!

And I am so not getting this new bloatware known more commonly as Vista…at least as long as I can hold out…

Fuck this Microsoft monopoly.

Let’s face it. Da Capo is one of the lamest harems out there, at least of the ones I’ve seen. The plot and overall structure of this series is so bad…so horrible in almost every aspect with blatantly clichéd moments (or moments where you’re like…w…t…f…) that it’s actually enjoyable and even funny watching the entire train wreck occur.

Somehow though, this series manages to sustain my interest (up to episode 11 now at least)…either because Eternal Fighter Zero has been causing me to crave bishoujos like no tomorrow, because I’m excessively biased towards harems, or because sometimes you just need to watch a piece of crap so pure masterpieces like Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu and Kanon can stand out.

One thing is definitely keeping me going, that makes this series barely stand on it’s own: siscon! Yea that’s right, you may shoot kei now for advocating and enjoying the idea of incest, but wait! It’s not incest! No…it’s not, because they’re not blood related. Yup, just like those lolis you see in every eroge are all “over 18″ LOLOL

Seriously though, it’s really the moments of forbidden love between Junichi and Nemu that keep me going. It’s definitely more interesting to watch then, say…Shirakawa Kotori. Yes yes I know everyone loves Kotori, but face it, she’s just a perfect girl. Yes, I’d pick her if I was playing Da Capo the eroge as well, but guess what, that wouldn’t make for a very interesting anime would it?

But now… yes! Nemu X Junichi! The forbidden incest! Haha, something about it just makes me feel good, that two people have a certain connection that’s even more than just romantic…it’s family AND romantic! Yes I’m slightly messed up, but you know what…I’m gonna root for Nemu and Junichi, and I’m gonna enjoy the whole commotion that’s gonna happen when they finally bonk each other.

I am officially lolicon. *cries*

How did I come to this horrible realization that that I probably knew all along? I noticed that the first thing I thought after reading this article was “Holy crap! Infinite lolis! Lolis forever! O shit lawl!”

…then it was like, “Damn…curse you 4chan!”

Well, guess lolicons around the world can fap in ungodly anticipation after hearing this news. Now you can pick up a chick shorter than 5 feet and looks like she’s 9, but ohhhhh…she’s legal and don’t you know it!

Oh you sick bastards.

EDIT: okay after a number of responses I’ve been getting to this post, lemme just say that I am not a pedophile. I’m tempted to say in the words of Hung that I just like cute…little…girls, but unfortunately I don’t have the benefit he had of allowing everyone to hear his voice. Ah, internet humor, so easily misinterpreted.

A new year brings new things, new anime, new moe, and all that sort of stuff. New drama is one thing I didn’t expect however, and that ushered in 2007 as well.

First, a bit of domain war.

Now, observe the wrath of 4chan, 7chan, and ebaumsworld. I start this year with new respect for these communities. Those lolicons actually can do more than just fap to 6 year old girls.

2007 will prove to be as conflict ridden as 2006 it seems.

Happy New Year all. Haruhi Bless Everyone.
kei-clone

It’s here. The ASOSBrigade Video. I for one applaud these efforts. If these people were to actually voice the characters it’d be horrible but luckily it’s quite obvious they will not be. As energetic as Patricia Ja Lee is here her voice just won’t fit if we don’t see her actual enthusiasm. Frankly, she’s not a voice actress.

However, Bandai and Kadokawa, from what we see in this video, seem to be making an unusual effort to please existing anime fans - that’s been something rare in anime dubs since anime was introduced to the world. They even have online polls actually asking us which Mikuru/Yuki english voice sounds better. Thank god they asked us too, cuz if these were in order from 1st choice to 4th choice, it wouldn’t have been pretty.

Kudos, Kadokawa. Kudos, Bandai. You have broken ground in reaching to the American otaku.

Haruhiism has reached the Middle East!

I did say something amazing has happened yesterday didn’t I? Global permeation! The answer to peace in the Middle East is to convert everyone to Haruhiism!

So apparently Haruhi willed the world into existance today, December 18th, 2006. That’s the date proclaimed by the Gospel of Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu. Whatever memories before today you think you had are not real. They didn’t actually happen. They’ve only been implanted in your brain. The universe was created today because Haruhi wanted it to exist. We must do our best to keep her satisfied shall we? ne?

Many websites seem to be aware of this massive event. AnimeonDVD’s post for today has all the S’s and O’s highlighted in red and linked to asosbrigade.com, which ominously points to the end of the world as we know it.

Haruhi.tv is also down (intentionally)…with a nice hidden message at the bottom of the source code as well.

What is this world coming to?

A long overdue post. So where has been kei-clone been lately? Has he given up blogging? The answer is a downright NO…T yet…

But anyway, all of my faithful readers (that’s right, both of you) have a right to know what’s been keeping me lately. Yes, I’m still watching anime (currently on Kanon obviously, Death Note, School Rumble Nigakki, and recently started Da Capo). I am, however, starting to get an overload. Too many things to do!

As if FFXII wasn’t enough, I’m sure you all can tell from the uber-kawaii image above that I got a Wii. w00tness all! Waited 4 hrs the day it came out at ToysRUS in Times Square, and damn is it paying off! Many thought it was a waste of time, as they thought they could just get it easy later, but nope, that’s not the case! Who cares though! Twilight Princess rocks, as expected, but Wii Sports is a surprising little piece of work…tons of fun, that free game was!

So yea, Twilight Princess is supposed to be long as hell (at least 30 hrs)…and I still gotta finish FFXII…Kingdom Hearts, FFIX, Katamari Damacy, and later some MGS3…wow, I got games to play…

so yea, that’s what’s been keeping me lately…some good stuff:

I took this video on the night of the launch. Despite at least 4000 units there that night, I still couldn’t get my hands on a console, but at least I took this crappy quality video showing me taking 6 minutes to walk down the entire Wii line at the ToysRUs in Times Square. Luckily Nintendo much smarter than Sony in terms of keeping the supply going, so I was able to get the next shipment which arrived noon the next day.

…the line was at least this long

It’s fine though, cuz now every night I’m fappin’ to my Wii!

OMGs! It’s a Hideo TV! Could this symbolize a coming of Metal Gear Solid to Nintendo (other than Smash Bros. Brawl, we all know that already…) Or could this just be one of Kei’s crappy ass photoshopping jobs?

Heh, in conclusion, as Cartman says (South Park’s perking my interest lately, and it’s been around for almost 10 years. Why did I wait so long? Oh yeah…no cable T-T) “It’s like … waiting for Christmas … times a thousand.” Mwahahahah! Now…experience the fury of a thousand Christmases!!!

Likewise, Nayuki…don’t look at me with those eyes that launch a thousand otaku. Good GOD!!! Too 可愛です!! Have I mentioned how much I love Nayuki?!

KAAA!! More Nayuki luv for all!

O Nayuki-chan
Did I ever let you know
How I love you so?

HO…LY..CRAP! I just saw the first 3 eps of School Rumble Nigakki (after finishing the first series like 2 days ago). Hot dayam! It’s even better than the first series!! Absolutely LOVED the Battle Royale parody of eps 2-3. It’s CRAAAAZZYY, especially since I loved Battle Royale itself.

Harima x Yakumo ftw!

(One of the reasons I’m liking this one more than the first I think is because it’s conveying the whole nostalgia feeling quite well. Nostalgia goes pretty far for me when I’m judging an anime, especially in slice-of-life animes such as this. The ED of School Rumble Nigakki, with the emotional ballad and the silhouettes of each of the main characters, that really warmed the soul.)

god…why is college so hard?!! Times like these it’s just anime that keeps me alive. That, and perhaps FFXII and then the Wii when it comes out. That’s the paradox though! It’s also that stuff that’s killing me, taking time away from my studying!!

In any case, I’m going to keep blogging, but I may have to decrease posting frequency. It’s been happening lately anyway, and anime that I’ve planned to blog (namely Kanon) I haven’t been able to because it’s been so tough. I shall persevere! and if not I shall find a way!  Ganbare, kei-clone!

Two things to show for today. Both WTF’s. Firstly, on a random trip to the supermarket in Chinatown today:

No, you are not reading that wrong. That is indeed an Ox Penis for sale at my local grocery store for $4.31. Why anyone would pay for this shit I have no idea…but this is some fucked up shit. Two foot long dick sliced off of an ox? What is this supposed to be, some sort of chinese Viagra?! Yo seriously, I know chinese people regularly eat shit, but this…I dunno…

Fucking “eat ox penis, and yours will become same size~!

Good ol’ chitown.

EDIT: turns out my prediction was actually right…it is for increasing virility…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/5371500.stm

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next up is something a large number of us gamers have been waiting for (well, not me really…) at least a year. Today, also in chitown, I make a random purchase…

…and somehow land with the most anticipated game of the year (that’s still in this generation) two days before its official release. No preorders. No planning. I just walked right into the first videogame store I saw just to browse around, saw my FFXII, and made the $50 purchase. Actually, my friend and I split the price cuz it’s supposed to be a birthday present. heh

I know what you’re all thinking. Bootleg? I thought so too given the location of purchase. However, one and a half hour of playing this game, and it’s just cocaine for your eyes. After sitting with a couple of friends to drool at the first half hour of FMVs, the gameplay certainly delivered as well. The manual is there, along with its wonderful fresh-out-of-the-box smell. Even a comment postcard to Square Enix is inside. The disc itself doesn’t have the telltale blue/purple underside, but white like a legit PS2 disc. The inside clear ring even has the Playstation logo on it. I dunno what the hell happened guys…but this is legit, and I somehow stumbled on this gold way ahead of time. XD

(I’ll have to say though, if this thing dies on me prematurely, I’m gonna be pretty pissed)

…legally now that I’m no longer a minor, that I couldn’t do last night? XD hmm….

So now that Google owns YouTube, they’ve finally begun massively delete japanese videos.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061020-8038.html

Personally, I welcome this action. I love YouTube for watching random videos online, but I’ve always hated watching anime on it, and strongly believe in downloading high quality anime rather than cheaping out and watching crappy quality crap on YouTube.

Too many ppl I know are just too lazy, however, and I feel theres just something missing when quality is below a certain level. You just can’t get the same wonderful experience of a Ghibli or Kyoto Animation production from those dam .flvs, but the world is lazy, and the art suffers for it. I’m delighted when I hear a friend decides to watch Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, but then dismayed when I hear that he will be watching it on YouTube. How?! The pretty eyes, the carefully animated hair! Injustice, I proclaim!

I’ll admit I’ve watched YouTube anime before. Twice. The first was with Full Moon wo Sagashite, because I knew that was gonna be crap that wasn’t worth downloading, and I was right. The second time was watching Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien in Hong Kong, because my laptop didn’t have internet access, and I had to make do with the computers around me. Afterwards, I compared the quality with the downloaded subs, and the difference was horrible. So many subtle gestures and details were missed from my first viewing, because it was not possible to catch them with that kind of quality…it’s a shame indeed that a significant number of poser anime viewers watch anime like this on a regular basis.

This may be the pot calling the kettle black of course. Those on the other end of the spectrum, the DVD buyers, may flame me for cheaping out and watching fansubs. You know what, they may be right. However, I’ll put up some defense by saying it’s a matter of cost per gain ratio. The thing is, what’s the difference in cost between DVDs and fansubs? Enormous. More than $100 per series. What’s the difference in cost between Youtube and fansubs? A bit of space on your hard drive (which you can later free up by burning to cheap DVDs or transferring to some external HD), and slightly more time. Both free. Really not that much difference, but the quality is SO much better. The difference in quality is definitely more significant between fansubs and .flvs than (good) fansubs and DVDs. I mean, I know this doesn’t completely justify downloading fansubs anyway, but what can you say when most of us are college students strapped for money?

So yeah, hopefully this gets people to start downloading anime the right way again, and experience the work of the creators in a more honorable (or at least less shameful) manner.

A recent forum discussion on the MyAnimeList Forums, in a thread discussing our predictions for the winner of this generation’s console wars.

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running_lemon :

So, the seventh console generation is among us, with the release of the Nintendo Wii on November 19th and the PS3 on November 17th and of course the XBOX 360 already almost 1 year old.

The PS3, with its power and fancy new Blu-ray drive (albeit high, high launch price) and the Wii with its greatly innovative gameplay, this generation promises to be a good one.

So I ask you, which are you looking most forward to? and which do you think will win this generation? Personally, I’m looking most forward to the Wii, I’m a big fan of innovation, and Twilight Princess is a must play for me. I already have a 360 (although I kind of regret that decision) and I will eventually get a PS3 as well (Metal Gear Solid 4, and FFXIII). Another big factor for me is the priceing. With the Wii clocking in around $250-$300, I refuse to pay $500-$600 for PS3 on launch date.

Although I think I’ll like the Wii more, I would still have to say that in the end, the PS3 will emerge victorious in sales.

What are your opinions? Discuss!!!

EDIT:Also, I should have asked, What games are you looking forward to in the next generation?

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kei-clone:

I cannot see how sony will win in sales this generation. They’re banking way too heavily on their fanbase, but no parent would ever buy their kid a $500 video game console, much less $600. It’s like an 85% chance Nintendo will take top honors this generation. They’ve been getting all the good press, while it’s been nothing but bugs and exploding batteries and failing HD-DVD and Blu-rays for MS and Sony.

Brawl ftw. Snake!!! SSNAAAAAAAAAAAKKKEE!!!

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running_lemon:

I still think in the long run, PS3 will win in sales. If you think price matters to people so much that they will pass up on it, think again.

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/gamestop-our-ps3s-soldout-nationwide-206625.php

Apparently gamestop is sold out (through pre-order) of all PS3 in their 3600 stores across America. I’m not saying the Wii won’t do the same, however I’m willing to bet there are also alot of people (like myself) waiting for the prices to go down.

On a different note, I have my Wii pre-ordered, do you?

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kei-clone:

it seems only gamestop sold out their pre-orders so far. this is probably why.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=4497

notice their cited source Kotaku as well.

and trust me, price matters. Die-hard Sony and Final Fantasy fans will pay anything for the PS3, but for most reasonable people, $600 falls way out of their budget. The majority of the video game market consists of 1) college students who scrap quarters for food (like me), or 2) kids who are getting their consoles paid for by their parents.

I for one know MANY are not getting PS3 simply because of its price (and it’s not the worst in the US either, Norway’s got like what, a $900 price tag?), if not for the mere price, simply the fact that they believe $500-$600 is too much for just a machine that plays games (and just the console too! add games and accessories, and you’re almost at a grand!). They’d rather get a nice PC for that price.

and how many parents are willing to purchase one console for the price of the Xbox and Wii combined? they certainly won’t be happy about that.

and if you’re still not convinced, consider the fact that the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer adopted a similar approach to the gaming market in 1993, touting its superior technology in a saturated market. Unfortunately, its $700 price tag is attributed to its quick demise.

We’ll see if Sony drops the price fast enough to keep the sales going. It’s not gonna be easy either, cuz apparently they’re already gonna be selling the console at a loss. So any further drop in pricing means further into the red for exploding battery company.

and…yea ima wait a little while to get my Wii. too lazy to preorder.=P

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running_lemon:

I’m still not convinced, at first the Wii may out sell it, but in the long run, over the course of the entire generation, I think Sony will come out on top. I assume the price will be dropped eventually (hopefully soon) if not sony’s in trouble. Also, Panasonic trying to release an over priced console back in the early 90’s isn’t the same as Sony trying to do it today. Sony has already built a fanbase while Panasonic went in with nothing. Also, I’m sure gaming is much bigger today then it was in 1993.

Well, it doesn’t matter, I’m just happy I got my Wii

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kei-clone:

Well as they say, damned if you do, totally owned if you don’t lol. Sony’s really in a catch-22 situation then isn’t it? If your assumption is true, that Sony does drop the price sooner than later, that’s even more debt for a company that’s already suffering from the largest recall in history.

and how much should prices be slashed before it becomes competitive again? How much more superior is the PS3 than 360 or the Wii? Superior hardware rarely equates to a superior gaming experience (see: first Xbox), so say Sony prices the PS3 at just $50 over Xbox: $400. There goes 20% of Sony’s console revenue…and it’s still the most expensive console on the market. By then, would it matter if the PS3 sells out? Would Sony be able to afford producing anymore of these consoles and underselling them? The video game market is not inelastic: prices will affect demand. Prices will have to drop 30% before being able to compete on par with 360, and 50% before the Wii. That is not gonna happen for at least a year. How much market share will Sony have lost by then?

btw, I don’t hate Sony as much I seem (or as much as I hate Microsoft =P, and am a Nintendo fanboy XD). I just like console war discussions. and I think this generation Sony’s being a bit too overconfident with their successes of the previous two generations, thus they’re kinda pursuing an “arrogant” marketing strategy: forgetting what the market really wants. Nintendo suffered this mindset as well after their successes of the 8bit and 16bit generation when they eschewed Squaresoft and insulted them. Seems these companies can only survive two generations on top without screwing up majorly.

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running_lemon:

lol, yeah I do agree that Sony does seem to arrogant. I also don’t want to come off as likeing Sony to much, I’m much more excited for the Wii and I think what sony is doing is a joke, really. I also agree that superior hardware does not create a superior gaming experiance, in fact, imo, superior hardware has nothing to do with it. Innovation is what gameing really needs, I think, and Nintendo seems to be delivering just that.

I’m still gonna stick to my opinion, even if there is nothing much to support it, maybe just because I don’t think Microsoft has what it takes to win this generation, and I just can’t imagine Nintendo pulling it off. To the hardcore gamer, the Wii seems to be the better choice to most. However the casual gamer seems to still be under the impression that Nintendo is “Childish” and a name like the Wii will only put them off more. Even as recent as tonight, my sisters fiance was laughing at the name “Wii” and asking me how come I didn’t pre-order a PS3 instead. On the other hand, the PS3 is a name the casual gamer can trust, they know exactly what to expect, and Sony will probably deliver it. If the price becomes to much of an issue for them and they decide not to get it right away, I don’t see them automaticly turning to the Wii.

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calismenreth:

I can see that argument to an extent. My question in response would be “What percent of sales does the casual gaming group represent and what percent of sales does the hardcore gaming group represent?” My intuition tells me that the hardcore gaming group represents the greater percent of video game sales (both in systems and games, but ESPECIALLY games), but I have nothing to back this up.

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kei-clone:

I think the answer to that question will ultimately decide the winner of this generation’s console war, calis.

ill break this down, cuz I have nothing better to do:

The Demographics from Which Each Console will be Hoping to Draw It’s Support From
Xbox360:
casual gamers
xenophobic americans
sports gamers
“mature” gamers
gullible <– (in other words, those who believe superior specs = superior gaming)

PS3:
Final Fantasy/RPG fanboys
Sony fanboys
rich people
casual gamers
japanese
“mature” gamers
blu-ray jumpers

Wii:
nintendo fanboys
children (and their parents)
cost-conscious
non-traditional gamers
hardcore gamers
japanese

thus, with an increase in the percentage of videogame consumers in any of these categories will benefit its respective console. this is an incomplete list of course.

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I have to say, despite much of my logic, running_lemon indeed does have a point with the whole image thing. This should turn out to be quite a war indeed, with numerous upsets, and revelations at every turn!

…32 days left till the Wii release!

First I will concede that Ouran High School Host Club, the anime that too many of my female (and male for that matter) friends have been preaching to me that I’ve been intentionally avoiding because of its gay twincest screenshots that scared me (I refuse to post examples), actually is turning out to be quite decent. Tamaki is quickly turning out to be one of the most well-developed characters I’ve seen, with his pompous and arrogant facade casting a thin mask over his vulnerable interior. Haruhi Fujioka is no Haruhi Suzumiya, but she’s quite a nice break from the typical female leads, with her androgynous tendencies hiding her cute (relatively, compared to the rest of the art in this series) exterior.

OMG kei’s actually watching a shojo anime and liking it!!!

Secondly, I am also gonna concede that I may be beginning to understand the aversion many people have against the uber-moe loli characters such as Nayuki and Mikuru with loli faces and childlike voices. Put on the other side…Honey kinda pisses me off with his shota image…why must these things makes sense?! Walking in the other person’s shoes…

ahem, that said, it’s plothole time.

Exhibit 1
Episode 2 of Ouran featured Tamaki complaining that Haruhi should not be attracting girls, and it’s not fair cuz she’s already a girl. However, she must remain as a host, and she prefers that way, since repaying her debt is much easier as a host then as a dog doing trivial work. Tamaki takes advantage of this situation to force Haruhi to learn to waltz, something she is not thrilled to learn. Tamaki employs coercion tactics, and if Haruhi refuses to learn waltzing…

End of Exhibit 1

Exhibit 2

Episode 3 (one episode later) featured upcoming physical examinations, and Haruhi faces yet again another threat to the privacy of her gender, but this time not from the host club itself. The host club, in fact, takes an opposite stance, and somehow forgets the logic of the previous episode, and suddenly decides that it’s in their best interests to keep Haruhi’s gender hidden?!

Honey: If they find out that Haru-chan is a girl, she won’t be able to stay at the Host Club anymore…but if Haru-chan wore girl’s clothing, she’d look more and more cuter!

Kaoru/Hikaru: In junior high, she walked around in girl’s clothing normally, so she must’ve been popular among the guys, huh?

Kyouya: Yes, according to my investigations, she usually received a confession from someone around once every month.

Kaoru/Hikaru: Ahh, then our lord won’t be able to get close to her anymore. Well, we don’t mind since we’re in the same class as she is.

Tamaki: *eyebrows twitch* How can that be?!

Haruhi: *enters* Sorry, I’m late!

Tamaki: *grabs Haruhi* Don’t worry Haruhi! At tomorrow’s physical examination, your secret about being a girl…

and then they proceed to hatch out the “Great Strategic Plan to Hide Haruhi’s Gender.” But Haruhi seems less than enthusiastic about complying…

Haruhi: The amount remaining that I have to repay is 5,333,332 yen…

so…now she gets the idea that she’ll think of another method. I mean, sure she did get relieved of a third of her debt from episode 2, but 5 million yen is still quite a bit…

I dunno, perhaps I’m taking this too seriously, but IMO at the very least the core premise of any story should stay consistant. The whole premise of Ouran is Haruhi’s career and obligations as a host, and now they’re screwing around with the whole concept already? Yes I understand that perhaps relationships change, and now the members actually like Haruhi as one of them, as a host, but after one episode? It seems highly likely that there was much greater development in the manga, and if that’s the case, then maybe this whole reversal of logic could be overlooked, but even then I’d probably see that this doesn’t flow. So in the anime the 180 degree turn happened over two episodes, which forced me to go back and look over to make sure I’m not misunderstanding Haruhi and the club’s whole reason for keeping her working. The problem in short:

Ep 2: Tamaki willing to expose gender. Haruhi much rather remain a host.

Ep 3: Tamaki desperate to hide gender. Haruhi apathetic about remaining a host.

Did that much happen in these two episodes? It would seem that way, from the whole attitude change, but the fact is that really not much has happened, or we weren’t made aware of a significant passage of time.

So there we have it, maybe not a plothole (but I use the term for simplicity’s sake), but a near-contradiction nonetheless. I now welcome anyone to comment on this and explain what happened. In the meantime, I’ll continue watching Ouran, in a less serious perspective now perhaps, but that’s probably how it’s meant to be viewed.

Wow…I don’t even know if I can write objectively about this series…should I even try? At least I’m glad that episodes come out on fridays, ensuring that I will always be up-to-date in the episode count.

To put it in simplest terms, this was 24 minutes and 9 seconds of pure bliss. Every second I was giddy from watching it, from the first two seconds of the stunning animation of just a train, to the love and eff0rt Kyoto Animation put into this Nayuki-centric episode…I can’t remember the last time I was this happy. Kanon just makes me forget the troubles of a stressful week (and a calculus exam failure…), so even the time slot of this series…everything just clicks with me. I have no doubt that by the end of this series, Kanon will hold a special place in my heart.

Shall we begin with episode commentary then?

That first minute, of Nayuki arriving late. I still remember when I saw that in the original (around Jan 2006). ah, the nostalgia pours in…

The original OP, Florescence, wasn’t bad. Last Regrets is nice as well. But nothing beats sweeping camera-angles of girls in the wind. XD
Very cool that we already have foreshowing of theupcoming tragedy right after the OP. That whole scene that it’s referring to still gives me the chills, but first-time Kanon viewers will forget this till the end.

Episode title: ~overture~, definitely brought back memories from Air, especially those piano chords playing into the episode, those chords that are so wonderful at setting the mood. More nostalgia.

And of course! Nayuki fanservice~~! Fanservice was definitely missing from the original version (not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, but a little bit here and there is always nice)

Air imagery, classic Misuzu grin.

Just loved this shot.

Should also note that less emphasis is placed this time on Nayuki’s difficulty of getting out of bed in the morning like shown above in the original. I always thought that was cute (and identified with her). But perhaps it didn’t fit in this episode?

And here we have the level of detail that was missing the first time cuz of time constraints. The snow shoveling, small things like this do wonders for setting the wintry mood.

Original’s full text: “I don’t know if I’ll be here that long though.” Nayuki o_O? “I don’t know when my parents will be back…and I can’t just stay here forever.”

One thing to be noted about Yuuichi: yes, he’s basically Kyon now, but that’s a good thing ain’t it? Honestly, while this Yuuichi is infinitely better than tactless Yuuichi of Toei, he’s still definitively Yuuichi, with his own style of sly comments throughout the episode, as opposed to Kyon’s nihilistic sarcasm (although Sugita does let some of the Kyon attitude permeate to Yuuichi). However, compare the responses that he gives to Nayuki’s comment on him staying forever: the diction is subtle, but it’s MUCH nicer than the first time, and I’m liking it. Clues that we’ll be going down the Nayuki path this time?

Absolutely loved watching them go to town together. And the punching too! XD Once again, brilliant mood-setting.

And while they’re walking around town, all the other girls make their appearances well-woven into the episode’s pace, starting with Sayuri and Mai at the school.

At the hospital is Shiori, which fits very well. (is this the level of detail that I missed in Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu cuz I didn’t read the novels?!!!)

Heh, some homage to Air. Check out the peach juice on the bus. Gao~

hehe, and interaction between Jun and Kaori that we barely saw in the first version. Loved it. I’ve already commented my thoughts about these two before, and it seems some of the predictions are coming true. God, Kaori’s so awesome now!

Now that I see her again though, perhaps it is possible that she’s voiced by Ayako Kawasumi (or just that I was wrong before…)

Makoto in fox form.

Loved the Nayuki goin after kitsune~~

arite wth, I remember this look…how could anyone forget after reading this? Hah, now what? Nayuki is Mikuru and Imouto-chan’s third cousin? And Yuuichi is, in fact, Kyon?

seriously, we’re seeing a LOT of images from SHnY. From the Mikuru declaration look:

to the exasperated Kyon:

Get the cinematic camera action ready, cuz here comes Ayu charging in.

Once again, another sign of a nicer Yuuichi. Actually apologizing to a random stranger in the original? Unheard of!

haha YES! Loved the flashback. THIS is the new material I’m expecting from KyoAni (expections I’m expecting to be surpassed of course).

More SHnY imagery, now of Mikuru/Ayu being dragged by Yuuichi/Haruhi.
A note about all these similarities, taken from Sushi-Y from the Aquastar forums:

As a whole, the style is supposed to mimic Hinoue Itaru-san’s art style, so Kanon’s character design is supposed to look the same as the Kyoani AIR anime. Similarly, Haruhi’s anime character design is supposed to imitate Itou Noizi-san’s art style.
Kyoani’s character designer/head art director for AIR was Aratani Tomoe. For Suzumiya Haruhi, it was Ikeda Akemi. For Kanon, it’s Ikeda Kazumi. However, all three of them (+ other Kyoani art directors) have worked on all three animes.
For example, Aratani-san was the art director for the overall AIR anime, while Akemi-san and Kazumi-san were both art directors who worked on the individual episodes.
When Haruhi came around, Akemi-san became the “head” art director, and Aratani-san became the art director for episode 4 and 6.
For Kanon, Kazumi-san has taken helm as the character designer/head art director, while the others circle over to directing individual episodes.
So, although the character designs within the animes are supposed to imitate the original creator’s art style, you might see some similarities here and there because the same character designers have worked on all the animes.
Incidentally, all the people mentioned in this post are females.”

YES! Yuuichi teases the classic “uguu~”! Pure win!!

Foreshadowing alert: Ayu has wings.

hehe, this time Nayuki stays angry a little longer…all the way home! First time she forgave him in like a minute…what?

eh, why did the alarm clock change. I remember the frog alarm clock, now we have a neko clock…crap, which one was in the original game?!

hehe, the details may have changed, but lolier-Nayuki is ALWAYS totemo-kawaii~~~! Actually, I noticed that they took out the part where young-Yuuichi was being a jackass (and grew up to remain a jackass) to Nayuki, saying shit like, “You tricked me! It’s cold!” Glad that part was taken out, Nayuki doesn’t need that kind of abuse.

And I guess we’ll leave the rest of the Ayu/Yuuichi flashback to the next episode.

You know, I liked the first ED song, Flower, as well, cuz that also got the nostalgic feeling in me, but Kaze no Tadoritsuku Basho is just too ownage. God I love it.

And yea, the preview is just like Air’s again, playing the theme song, same title font. One of the great things to do while watching this series is point out the similarities between Kanon, Air, and Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and then point out the differences between the first Kanon. Just things to do when obsessed.

There are pros and cons to watching KyoAni’s take on Kanon for the first time. While it’s probably best to watch KyoAni’s take first to get the most out of it (since Kanon’s plot is one that banks heavily on its surprises), one of the treats I got out of previous experience that newcomers won’t be able to enjoy is hearing those soundtracks over again. Downloading the entire piano arrange OST of both Kanon and Air, and constantly listening to them while doing homework, it feels great hearing them again. Truly is like coming back to an old town from childhood.

One episode down, 23 more to go. Total times rewatched: 3. So many screenshots. Can I keep up this heavy blogging ? (doubtful) Will kei survive?

One thing I wanna say before I get to my Kanon blogging: fans of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, fans of Kanon…can’t we all just get along? Is it not possible to love both? Why must the anime blogging community be so polarized, and everyone must love one over the other?! Bashing each other will not derive much benefit, and because they are both amazing anime, missing out on either one is truly a shame. Instead, sit down and objectively watch each one. Forget the other exists, unless you have something fun to see, but none of that shit like, “This is what Kyoto Animation cut off Haruhi for?”

Yes, I’ll admit it, at this point I like SHnY a bit better than Kanon, but who knows what I’ll think 24 23 weeks later? Kyoto Animation made their decision to animate both Kanon and SHnY, and since they work up there with the same people who brought us light, the stars, and our daily bread, let’s not second-guess their choices. Come on guys, forget this blogosphere politics, and just enjoy the anime…

I thought the ending of Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni was rushed, and overall dissappointing. While I considered much of the series highly enjoyable, I found it difficult to place a rating for this on my Animelist. I couldn’t ignore the fact that there were TONS of things left unexplained, and that while some of them may be figured out, I’d say the majority of them are not things you would know unless you read the TIPS on animesuki, or played the original game. How then, shall I rate such an anime? Can I fault the original material for having an incomplete adaptation? (I didn’t for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) Is incompleteness just another way to tell a story, but if so, why am I left feeling unsatified?

Skane recently posted a comment on AoMM, and comprehensively sums up the process that should be implemented when judging Higurashi:

“And now we swing back to Higurashi, the anime. Not game. ANIME.

It was NEVER promoted as being a supplement to the game. Unless the producers explicitly states that the anime will not make sense without referring to the game, there is no reason why we, as reviewers, cannot review the anime on its’ own merits( and flaws).

With regards to PotC, I read about it in the newspapers when it was announced that there would a two-parter sequel. So it was, in an official sense, made clear that the 2nd movie would not have a conclusive conclusion.

With regards to Higurashi, or for that matter, any new show, I did some research on it to see whether it would be to my liking. I did not however, read up on spoilers, because I wanted to enjoy the show on its’ own.

It is for this reason that I enjoyed other adaptations such as Chrno Crusade, simply because the anime version was meant to be judged on its’ own, and it succeeded in satisfying me.

To use a more mainstream example, the Harry Potter movies. I read the books first, so I had pretty high expectations for the movies. Realistically however, I knew that it would be virtually impossible to cram every single last detail within the timespan of a movie. While I was disappointed, I was satisfied with how the movie carried the spirit of