Blog 216 > Time to Embrace, Rock or Die

Time. Space. Grace. Rock. Death. Life. Love. Welcome, my Tragic Toyboxers to yet another timeless mega-cast! Time for another revealing look at our otaku outlook, another animated moment to read or die, another intricate instant to travel through a temporal labyrinth, another warmth embrace in the arms of an autumn night, and another screaming rush of the rock-band spotlight! Fair enough? Foul enough? Well, then, ready or not, worthy or not, crazy or not, it’s time to kick-off the show!

Part 1 of 5 > Time for Another Otaku Outlook

Time! Anime! Otaku! Well, it’s finally happened! While it took a month or so longer than anticipated, the question I posed back in my Tales (May 2009, Blog 202, Part 2) mega-cast, and in my recent Watchmen (July 2009, Blog 211, Part 1) mega-cast, has finally been answered. The question: Will “Sankaku Complex” finally double the theoretical value of “DC”? The answer: Yes, without a doubt. As always, feel free to enlarge the graph.

In our next graph, if we focus the estimated theoretical values upon the $0K-to-20K range, you’ll notice a slight decline across most of the listed otaku blogs. Ah, yes, including my own “Toybox”. No excuses there, lol. Just the embrace of an autumn night, right?

Beyond that, in our final graph, if we focus upon the $0K-to-3k range, our newest winner is: Rhythm Emotion, a.k.a. Lene-chan! Congratulations, Lene-chan! Like with our first winner Duckie-chan (in Blog 207, Part 7) and second winner Coco-chan (in Blog 211, Part 1), we don’t know what prize you’ve actually won, but we’ll figure it out eventually, lol.

So what have we learned from all this? Hmm, not much, I’m afraid. But if indeed you’ve learned anything new, feel free to let me know what it is!

 

Part 2 of 5 > Time to Read or Die

Time! Read! Die! If you haven’t learned anything new, here’s a bit of overdue anime to mend your merry way. From merry blogging to merry reading. Now read and learn something new, dammit! Or else, lol.


Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) [32]. You know, I first started this series quite a while ago. Years ago! But after a handful of episodes, I had given up. Why? Well, the story didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Luckily, over the last couple years, I’ve learned to finish what I start. And “Read or Die” was one of the titles that popped back into my primary memory. So, on 05 May 2009, I finally restarted the series via Netflix. And a couple of weeks ago, on 14 August 2009, I completed my 32nd anime title-or-season of the year. Sequel to the “Read or Die” OVA (2001). Full season with 26 episodes. Yup, I finally finished it! And I gotta admit, it’s really good! From the heart-breaking sisterly relationships to the imaginative paper-cutting battles, wow, the series earns an unexpectedly impressive 5 of 5 stars! Who would’ve guessed?

To celebrate, ranging from 1024px-to-3500px resolution, here are 30 wallpapers, vectors, scans and other images to satiate your paper-based soul, lol. Feel free to enlarge. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So did we waste enough paper yet? LOL, okay-okay, forgive me, it’s animated paper.

 

Part 3 of 5 > Time Traveler’s Wife

Time! Travels! Wives! So after our first weekend (15-16 Aug) at the mall, Autumn-chan and I decided to try our second weekend (22 Aug) at the movies, hehe. Namely, The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) which opened just a few weeks ago (14 Aug). Autumn-chan had heard from other sources that it was better than what the critics thought, but I had no expectations whatsoever, lol. My only reference was that my ex-wife loved the original 2003 novel. Which may or may not translate well onto the big screen. Nevertheless, we were intrigued enough to take a chance. And I must admit, both Autumn-chan and I thought it was pretty good! Very good! Despite the intricately-interwoven paths of time, the story was still impressively clear, convincing and mesmerizing. Including a few teary-eyed moments for me, lol. Wow, a heart-breaking yet heart-warming 4 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, ranging from 1280px-to-3000px resolution, here are 11 posters, wallpapers and related photos to both shatter and soothe your fragile heart, lol. Awww. First off, here’s my favorite poster from the film. Feel free to enlarge!

Here’s the cover of the book as “National Bestseller”.

Next, here’s the cover of the book as “International Bestseller”.

Aww, here’s one of Clare’s earliest magical meetings with Henry.

Here’s one of Henry’s earliest meetings with Clare. Confusing yet?

Another magical moment between Clare and Henry.

Here’s a close-up view.

A wallpaper version.

Another wallpaper version.

A more heart-breaking wallpaper.

Finally, a wallpaper version of my favorite poster above.

So did we waste enough time yet? LOL, okay-okay, forgive me, it’s fictional time. Or is it?

 

Part 4 of 5 > Time for Another Autumn Embrace – August 22

Time! Autumn! Embrace! After Autumn-chan and I enjoyed “The Time Traveler’s Wife” at the “Sunset Station” cinema, we decided to take a lazy stroll to the “Sunset Cafe” at the other end of the smoky casino. While she didn’t feel hungry enough to order more than a cup of tea, she was content enough to watch me devour my hot turkey sandwich, lol. And to capture some embarrassingly random moments of me doing so!

Why, thank you for the half-eaten view! Again, Autumn-chan’s too shy to appear on camera, lol.

Come on, are you sure you don’t want some processed turkey?

Not even some semblance of gravy paste?

Ah, forget it! The cranberry-based substance is mine!

Faster than a speeding gullet!

Heyyy, watch where you point that thing!

After dinner, we strolled back out to the sunset-lit parking lot. Damn, that palm tree is huge!

After a quick stop to rest at my house, she drove back to her place. But an hour later, we were crazy enough to video-chat, lol. For the next five hours! Here’s a screen-cap sample of my insanity from Autumn-chan’s point of view. Don’t pay attention to the time. It’s set to a different time zone, lol.

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Umm, “heading” into some trouble?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Okay, who’s making sense?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Where were we “heading” again?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Are you talking to me? Are you sure? Because I’m not available, am I?

Saturday Night on Video Chat
22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Haha, another three hours of video-chat insanity on the following night.

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

Yup, she’s trying to capture my Diet-Coke pose, lol.

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

What? Okay, Autumn-chan, this isn’t a Diet-Coke commercial, lol.

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

Yeah-yeah, I know. Can’t leave Guiness out of the fun, can we?

Sunday Night on Video Chat
23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

So yeah, that was our second weekend! What else can I say? Hours flew by like minutes. Minutes like seconds. Yet the following weekend, some moments felt timeless.

 

Part 5 of 5 > Time for Another Autumn Embrace – August 29

Time! Another autumn! Another embrace! Most recently, for our third weekend (29-30 Aug), we decided to just relax at home with Guiness, lol. Including a sushi party tray, some chocolate lava, and a mini-marathon of the live-action films “Death Note 1” (2006) and “Death Note 2” (2006) on my 24-inch iMac!

Of course, let’s not forget the intriguing-and-intrigued Guiness the Menace, haha.

After our random sushi party tray of California rolls, surimi, shrimp ebi, and edamame, Autumn-chan revealed her decadent lava-centered “Heart of Darkness” chocolate cakes! After 20 or 30 seconds in the microwave, the lava centers were perfectly melty, lol.

A decadently tempting close-up!

Hmm, I was skeptical. Are they really that good?

Umm, yeah, not bad…

Well, not quite life-shatteringly mind-blowing, but tasty nonetheless!

Come here, Guiness. Wanna taste?

Come a little closer!

Here ya go. Come on.

Come on, Guiness, can’t you smell the decadence?

Mmm. See that? Mmm, mmm, tasty!

Come on, Guiness… Bahhh, I give up.

What? Not even the chocolate crumbs?

Ahh, there you go! Finally!

Yeah, finally! What took you so long? Hey, wait, is that Autumn-chan’s arm?

So after lunch and dessert, Autumn-chan and I finally sat in front of the iMac, settled back against our pillows and cushions, and began our “Death Note” marathon. For those who have no idea which films I’m talking about, here’s a “Death Note 1” wallpaper from my Blog 210 (13 July) mega-cast.

Then after “Death Note 1”, we leaned back into the inseparable sequel “Death Note 2”. Similarly, here’s a “Death Note 2” wallpaper from the same Blog 210 (13 July) mega-cast.

Wow. While this was my second time enjoying the films, Autumn-chan was surprised at how much she actually liked watching them for the first time! That’s pretty cool! Hmm, and I think it helped to have her head on my chest, and my arm around her shoulders, hehe. Awww. Here’s Guiness the Menace still resting in Autumn-chan’s spot during the “Death Note 2” closing credits, haha!

Ah, see Guiness stretch.

See Guiness snore.

See Guiness fart. Ewww, lol.

After her six-hour visit, Autumn-chan poked and prodded me to hurry up and attend the “Rock Band” party of my co-worker. Even though she didn’t feel brave enough to join me, she also didn’t want me to miss out on all the rock-and-roll fun. So after some hesitation, I finally took her advice and got ready. Haha, she even waited for me to leave, so I wouldn’t chicken out! Awww. So at about 6:30pm, we left my house in our respective cars.

I gotta admit, I enjoyed the party! Not only the “Rock Band” room, but once I ran out of tunes to sing, I hopped over to the “Guitar Hero” room too. Ah, there’s Charlene on the microphone! And there’s “Trinity”, the wild-and-crazy Australian goth-chick-in-blue on the drums!

“Trinity” rocking the drums!

Here’s a shot of the “Rock Band” screen.

A reverse angle.

Another reverse angle.

Oh yeah, “Trinity” rocking the mic! There’s co-worker Dave rocking the drums!

Something wrong? You guys didn’t fail out, did you? Haha.

Let’s try it again!

“Trinity” rocking the mic once more!

Yup, “Trinity” truly-truly-truly rocked. Second to me, of course, lol. During the four hours I was there, I probably sang at least 20 of the 30 songs across both “Rock Band” (on “Hard” difficulty) and “Guitar Hero” (on “Medium” difficulty). Without failing. Most in the 90% range. Nice! I think I found my calling?

So yeah, that was our third weekend! What more can I say? Another timeless weekend of food, films and fun. Too bad that Autumn-chan couldn’t share in my spicy helping of fist-flying rock-and-roll!

 


Time. Space. Grace. Rock. Death. Life. Love. So, my Textless Toyboxers, another timeless mega-cast has spun and gone! Did you miss another revealing look at our otaku outlook? Miss another animated moment to read or die? Another intricate instant to travel through a temporal labyrinth? Another warmth embrace in the arms of an autumn night? Or another screaming rush of the rock-band spotlight? If you didn’t miss a beat, then I congratulate you! And thank you. Just as we should thank the gracious girls who glittered across our gleaming mega-cast. Thank you, Lene-chan, Duckie-chan, Coco-chan, Yomiko-chan, Nenene-chan, Michelle-chan, Maggie-chan, Anita-chan, Clare, Charlene, Trinity, and of course, the charming Autumn-chan. I think I’m beginning to fall for her…

Fair enough? Foul enough?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Read or Die! Well, it might help to write a bit too, wouldn’t it?

 

27 thoughts on “Blog 216 > Time to Embrace, Rock or Die

  1. OMG! Don’t feed your dog CHOCOLATE! If you give them even a tiny bit, they get instantly addicted. And it’s VERY unhealthy for them – meaning in the wrong amounts it could kill them.

    Since I’m about to go to bed….. I saw the original ROD and I enjoyed it, but never got around to the longer series. I’ve been meaning to, at some point.

    Not interested in The Time Traveler’s Wife. Not a fan of the actors either. Not my kind of movie, I don’t think.
    .-= Kris´s last blog > Tokyopop Dismay =-.

  2. ROD tv was something unique for it’s time. Had and will always be a fan. Being still fresh to animes at that time, I was amazed how they managed to turn an anime without guns or robots (maybe a little) into such entertainment!

    Even still remember how the slightly Apocalyptic ending left me with unbalanced eyes… o.0!

    And as always… Thanks for the cool wallpapers! Downloaded 7 of em to satisfy my anime wallpaper fetish!
    .-= blur´s last blog > Home Sweet Home! =-.

  3. @Kris-chan: Ah, I never actually gave him a bite. Just a few licks of the final crumbs. Luckiliy, no ill effects. But you’re right! Thanx for reminding me! Lisa never actually warned me specifically about that. Or I don’t remember it. But I do remember something about chocolate from somewhere. Thanx again!… Ah, I agree. “Time Traveler” wasn’t typically my kind of film. But we were in an experimental mood. And were pleasantly rewarded! Gotta take a chance sometimes, right? Or we’ll never change, lol. ^_~

    @Blur-man: Agreed! Very tough to make a gun-less mecha-less series into an enjoyable one. Even tougher to make one without an “apocalyptic” ending, haha. But yeah, still pretty impressive. Hey, no problem. Take as many wallpapers as you need for your fetish. I never said “fetish”, did I? Good. Whew, lol.

  4. I really like the Read or Die but I have not seen Read or Die TV, I wonder why?
    It seems that my ranking has fallen, stuff like that happens. I wonder if its connected because I’m not been very active in the community?
    .-= Otaku Dan´s last blog > R.I.P. ADV =-.

  5. @Kris-chan: Yeah, gotcha. I think I saw “theobromine” via Wikipedia or a Google Search too. Sorry, Guiness, no more chocolate for you!

    @Densha-Dan: Well, like I wrote, I gave up on the series the first time too. So if you’re patient enough through the first half of the story, you’ll have a better chance of enjoying the overall development. Just like I did… As for falling ranks and inactivity, you shouldn’t worry about it too much. I mean, I don’t. Look at my falling numbers. Just like you’ve been spending time with Kararu-chan, I’ve been spending time with Autumn-chan. Not to mention our respective responsibilities and social lives. So don’t sweat it. Reality is just as important as the fantasy world. Or more so. Don’t tell anyone else, lol.

  6. Eek, the Guinness chocolate bit scared me for a bit. Oh, wheee, my numbers are dropping too:)

    So Autumn-chan is the type of girl who doesn’t mind chatting by video? That’s nice. Most of the girls I know wouldn’t even hear of it.

  7. @A20-man: Ahh, yeah, luckily, I never intended to give him an actual bite. But I’m also definitely fortunate to be reminded of that risk!… True, seems like a bunch of our blogs are dropping. Due to the start of school again? But I’m not worrying about it… Video-chatting? Well, to be accurate, I’m the only one on video. She’s on audio-only since she’s too embarrassed to be on camera (again), haha. ^_^

  8. Gah, she really is extremely camera shy, isn’t she? I don’t think I’d be able to chat with someone who can see me while I can’t do the same. Shows incredible fortitude on your part, I suppose:)

    p.s Just noticed the disclaimer down there, sure it’ll come in handy sometime^^
    .-= aprilius20´s last blog > Announcement: Out With It. =-.

  9. @Rich-man: My “Rock Band” room? Ahh, it’s not mine. It’s the friend of a co-worker. But yeah, a party isn’t a party unless there are actual girls around, right? ^_^

    @A20-man: Yeah, she’s definitely shy! Which is why I feel so fortunate to “steal” the few photos I do have of her, lol. Really? Fortitude? How is being in a one-sided video-chat any different than posting one’s self-photos on a blog seen by anyone? Or maybe the distinction isn’t as significant to me?… Hmmm, which disclaimer is this? Come on, man, why so cryptic? Haha.

  10. @Densha-Dan: Nahhh, that math doesn’t seem to apply to me, lol. Even without a “significant other”, fapping to 2D is not my thing. Rather, 3D is more effective, lol. Meanwhile, I’ve always striven to spend more time around women than men IRL anyway, whether I’ve been blogging or not. But recently, the hugest dent into my leisure and blogging time has been the presence of a “significant girl”. Now *that* makes sense, doesn’t it?

    P.S. Hmm, I guess I don’t know anyone to whom this “otaku math” applies, do you? Did you mean, yourself? Or someone you know?

  11. @Jay: I guess you don’t feel the ‘strangeness’ of talking to someone who can see you while you can’t… I can’t help but think of some ‘remote interrogation’. Plus it just feels unfair: “If I’m gonna show you my face, you better show me yours too”, that kinda thing.

    By the disclaimer, well, warning, actually- wrong word there- I meant the ‘greater than’, ‘lesser than’ may mess up your comment warning.

    @Dan:
    spending time with women + blog = drop in hits = Jealous male otaku community?
    Lonely + fapping to 2d girls = rise in hits = Some sort of sadistic pleasure in communal suffering:3
    .-= aprilius20´s last blog > Announcement: Out With It. =-.

  12. So what exactly is that chocolate lava?
    Youve got me interested now ^^

    Wow so one of your buddies actually shelled out the 180€ for a complete Rockband Kit?
    Dont tell me he also has the complete Guitar Hero kit

  13. @A20-man: Nope, not strange at all! If it’s someone you’ve already met often in person, and someone you care about, and you understand that she doesn’t feel comfortable on camera, then it’s hardly strange… Oh yeah, the “Caution” footnote! Yeah, after Kris-chan and yourself encountered some of those “greater than” and “less than” problems, it was time to add that note. Hope it helps others too… So wait, I interpreted Otaku-Dan’s “otaku math” as: more socializing time leading to a drop in hits, and more blogging time leading to rise in hits. However, you’re saying that it has less to do with socializing-or-blogging time, and more to do with reader jealousy-or-camaraderie? Interesting!

    @Flying-Blow-man: Well, from what I tasted, the “Heart of Darkness” is like a mini-cupcake with a warm-and-melty chocolate core. Thus, “lava”. Make sense?… Actually, I believe these systems are owned by my co-worker Dave’s friends Charlene and her husband. Yup, I sang on both systems that night. So yeah, they have both! But “Guitar Hero” feels clunkier. “Rock Band 2” is way better. Can’t wait to try out the “Beatles Rock Band” coming a few days! Since I grew up on my Dad’s “Beatles” albums, haha.

  14. Thanks for the cast Jay! On R.O.D the TV Series I was pretty unhappy in the beginning. I wanted Yomiko, it felt like it took FOREVER for her to show up! But I got really into it towards the end so the series balanced out for me. I still prefer the OVAs but I love the twist in the series and how the characters Yomiko worked with before in the OVAs changed…or should I say how their true purpose became more clear! Well its been a while since I saw this series so I’m a little fuzzy on the details but I don’t regret watching it.
    .-= lovelyduckie´s last blog > Nendoroids vs Duckie’s Wallet =-.

  15. @Duckie-chan: Aww, you’re welcome! Yeah, not much in the beginning, but gradually grew more sinister and complex… Didn’t even expect Yomiko-chan to appear! That’s how gradual it was, lol… Right, I think the TV series definitely complements the OVA. Hence, the slow-cooked but satisfying 5 of 5 stars, lol.

  16. *Pokes Guiness*

    Whoa, just look at how much Sankaku has grown over time. ( ._.) My blog has dropped so much. ^^; Better pick up the pace! lol. Or maybe not, school is starting oh so very soon.

  17. @Coco-chan: {Pokes Coco-chan back} Haha, was it good for you too?

    “Sankaku”? I know! Plus, if you enlarge the graph legend, both the estimated values of “DC” and “Sankaku” are one-tenth their values, just so I could fit them in the graph! So in fact, “Sankaku” climbs ten-times steeper than shown!… Ah, don’t worry about the numbers. Mine dropped just as much. But it’s all for amusement, and doesn’t reflect personal passion or the distractions of Real Life. Just worry about “picking up the pace” in Real Life.

    P.S. So did you install Gmail video-chat yet? LOL.

  18. I enjoyed ROD TV quite a bit. There’s some cool effects they did with the paper magic and at times some very fluid animation for a tv series. I’ve always liked the whole idea of paper magic. While I think the OVA was more of a wow factor as far as the paper magic, I think I like the relationship amongst the three sisters better.
    .-= super rats´s last blog > Tomopop Interview =-.

  19. @Happy-Rats: Agreed. While it took me two chances, I was ultimately impressed and moved by the heartfelt relationship among the sisters. Sadly, I should’ve watched the OVA again beforehand, to refresh my memory more clearly. Maybe I’ll do so later… if I remember, lol.

    @Duckie-chan: Heyyy, great question! So this might be a long reply, lol. But the short answer is: “Yes, saving money. Definitely.” But here’s the longer more-colorful answer.

    During the first half of 2008, not only did I buy a Nissan Murano (Blog 146), I was actually trying to sell my house. Hence, my elaborate step-by-step “Operation Rebox” (Blog 137, Blog 138). But ultimately, after about 6 months of searching and comparing neighborhoods and homes, I realized that I wanted to keep my house after all (Blog 144). Once I decided that, I needed to refocus my financial situation.

    For example, in November 2008 (Blog 174), I wrote: “Next up, anime figurines. But not just any random ones, these will probably be my final purchases… ever. Time to focus on computers and electronics, lol.” This was about a month before I finally bought my long-desired 24-inch iMac (Blog 178). No other electronics since, lol.

    Then in January 2009 (Blog 185), I wrote: “Yup, final. Final Rei. Final figure. That is, I don’t plan to make any further figure purchases for a long time, if not forever. Obviously, I can’t predict the future, but that’s my current plan until my financial situation blossoms, lol. So to celebrate this *farewell*, let’s bring out all 4 of my Evangelion Gothloli girls in this mega-photoshoot.”

    Like I wrote in my Anime Figure List: “… I started collecting in April 2006, stopped buying in September 2008, and stopped receiving in January 2009.” That’s about it, lol. Does this answer your question? ^_^

  20. Yes! I feel bad you went to so much effort with all those links to answer my question. In a situation of house vs figures the winner is pretty obvious. I’m pulling back on the figure collecting A BIT for various reasons, one happened to be finances ;)
    .-= lovelyduckie´s last blog > Tales of the Abyss Review =-.

  21. @Duckie-chan: Ahh, don’t feel bad! Links or not, it helped me to think back and refresh my brain with how it happened. Yeah, decision was pretty obvious. So you know where I’m coming from. And I know where you’re coming from as well. Good luck! Can’t be easy for you, lol. Did my reply help?

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