Angel Beats. The beats of an angel. Beats. Wild. Guns. Hurt. Girls. Dead. Monsters. All the key ingredients of a brilliant anime series, eh? Haha, like my last mega-cast, that pretty much sums up another super-quick speed review. Inspiring. Mind-boggling. Heart-breaking. Four of five stars. My maximum for a short 13-episode season. But nonetheless impressive. Yup, about two-and-a-half months ago, on 23 July 2010, I finished my 18th anime title or season of the year. Now, two-and-a-half months later, Angel Beats! still resonates. Huh, haven’t seen it yet? Well, let’s fast-forward through this intro! One-two, one-two-three-four, let’s start the show…

Part 1 of 3 > Vertical Beats

Let me repeat: Angel Beats! Never heard of it before? If not, I’d say the May 2010 cover image (shown above) from the Japanese anime magazine Newtype is a nice visual sample of the anime series. Feel free to enlarge it! In fact, here’s a brief summary from Wikipedia.

Angel Beats! (エンジェルビーツ! Enjeru Bītsu!) is a 13-episode Japanese anime television series produced by P.A. Works and Aniplex and directed by Seiji Kishi. The story was originally conceived by Jun Maeda, who also wrote the screenplay and composed the music with the group Anant-Garde Eyes, with original character design by Na-Ga; both Maeda and Na-Ga are from the visual novel brand Key, who produced such titles as Kanon, Air, and Clannad. The anime aired in Japan between April 3 and June 26, 2010.

Yup, indeed! From the minds of Key, the same creators of Kanon (Blogs 122, 134, 188, 200), Air (Blogs 103, 108, 122) and Clannad (Blogs 168, 182, 195, 211, 212, 219)! As you can tell from all of my blog references, these are three of my favorite anime titles of all-time! So when I stumbled across this Key-noted background tidbit, I said, “Ahh.” Indeed, despite the unique afterlife-oriented action-violence, the style and flow of Angel Beats! carries the same familiar depth of character development and breadth of emotional interaction as these earlier titles. Nice.

Vertical beats. What do I mean by “vertical beats”? Essentially, by gathering over 150 wallpapers and images (wow), I needed to find a logical way to break them down into some categorized structure. For my own convenience. Ultimately, I split them into three sections: (1) vertical poster-type images and their wallpaper derivatives, (2) horizontal magazine-sourced images and their wallpaper derivatives, and (3) larger groups of about 5 or more elements or characters and their wallpaper derivatives. Makes sense? It does? Oh well, if not, simply enjoy the ride!

To celebrate the action-packed Angel Beats! series, here are over 40 high-resolution “vertical beats” ranging from 1000px to 8900px! Huge! Enjoy and feel free to enlarge!

Damn! Amazing set, huh? How’d you like that last massive vertical beat? But here’s another question: Don’t Yuri-chan and Kanade-chan remind you of Haruhi-chan and Yuki-chan from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series? Then again, doesn’t every anime character remind us of another anime character? Haha, I mean, that’s the nature of Japanese animation, isn’t it?

Part 2 of 3 > Horizontal Beats

Horizontal beats. This time, the “horizontal beats” represent the horizontal magazine-sourced images and their wallpaper derivatives, including a few more fantastic fan-art pieces from a few random artists. Quite impressive. To further celebrate the brain-bending Angel Beats! series, here are over 70 high-resolution “horizontal beats” ranging from 1400px to 6400px! Do you think you can find the “Pizza Hut” ad? Enjoy and feel free to enlarge!

Wow, another awesome set, eh? So did you find the intriguing “Pizza Hut” ad? Hard to miss it! Ever since the “Pizza Hut” shots first appeared in the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion series, these ads have been a source of debate and amusement across subsequent anime series. Of course, I’m assuming that Code Geass was the first victim. Does anyone know if “Pizza Hut” or another real-life advertiser ever invaded an even-earlier anime?

Part 3 of 3 > Multiple Beats

Multiple beats. Now, for this third and final section, the “multiple beats” represent larger groups of about 5 or more elements or characters and their wallpaper derivatives, including even more fantastic fan-art pieces from even more random artists. There might be one or two exceptions, but you get the idea of multitudes. Rather amazing. To further celebrate the heart-pounding Angel Beats! series, here are over 30 high-resolution “multiple beats” ranging from 1100px to 6000px! Got cats? Got grass? Enjoy and feel free to enlarge!

Got cats? Got grass? Yup, gotta love the huge group scenes! So how was the 150+ wallpaper-poster-and-magazine-art ride? Definitely a memorable anime series which deserves another 150+ wallpapers. But not from me. I think I did more than my share, hehe. Multiple thanks to all the women, from Yuri-chan to Kanade-chan to Yui-chan, Shiina-chan, Yusa-chan, Masami-chan and Girls Dead Monster! But most of all, let’s not forget my Tasty Toyboxers. Thanks for reaching this part of the ride!

Does anyone know if “Pizza Hut” or another real-life advertiser ever invaded an even-earlier anime?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Not really a flashback, but here’s a fictional computer product from the Angel Beats! series: “Macrosoft Winding XO”. Gotta love that logo! I guess “Winding” software is another way to get “screwed”, haha.

Black Rock Shooter. Yup, she’s attacked and blasted the anime world like a tornado-twisting thunderstorm. While I’ve ducked and dodged through the barrage of irresistible PVC figures, even I couldn’t avoid the hype surrounding the “Black Rock Shooter” (OVA, 2010) anime, released last month, haha. So why not shoot out my own speed review, right? While my text might be short and sweet, rest assured that my gigantic volley of images will pummel and pump you up! Well, enough said, let’s get ready to rock and go!

Part 1 of 3 > Black Rock Shooter > Origin

While you and every other anime or figure fanatic might already know the origin and development of the “Black Rock Shooter” phenomenon, for those who haven’t caught up yet, here’s a brief summary from Wikipedia.

Black Rock Shooter (ブラック★ロックシューター Burakku Rokku Shūtā?), stylized as “Black★Rock Shooter”, is a 2010 Japanese original video animation (OVA) produced by Yutaka Yamamoto’s studio Ordet and directed by Shinobu Yoshioka. The 50-minute OVA is based on the song of the same name by Supercell and its accompanying music video with illustrations by Huke. Musical composer Ryo and Huke, both members of Supercell, collaborated on the project. A “Pilot Edition” of the anime was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) in September 2009, and the full version was released on DVDs bundled with select magazines from July 24, 2010 and is subtitled in seven languages.

The origins of Black Rock Shooter date back to an original character illustration titled “Black Rock Shooter” by the artist Huke, who posted it on his blog and the online artist community Pixiv on December 26, 2007. Ryo of Supercell was inspired by the illustration and created the song “Black Rock Shooter” based on that character. Huke joined Supercell and provided the illustrations used in the music video of the song, which was later posed online on the Nico Nico Dougavideo sharing website on July 13, 2008, which as of August 2009 had over 2.2 million views. “Black Rock Shooter” features vocals from the Vocaloid singing synthesizer Hatsune Miku.

Produced by Yutaka Yamamoto’s studio Ordet and directed by Shinobu Yoshioka, an original video animation (OVA) project based on “Black Rock Shooter” and its music video was announced on August 22, 2009. The screenplay was written by Nagaru Tanigawa and Shinobu Yoshioka, and character design was done by Yuusuke Matsuo. The music was composed by Ryo and the ending theme song is “Braveheart” performed by The Gomband.

If I’m not mistaken, here’s the original illustration by Huke once more. Mesmerizing. Enlarge it.

Meanwhile, here’s an impressive high-res rendition by Joeian @ DeviantArt.

Wow. Now that you’ve refreshed your memory, or taken your first taste of “Black Rock Shooter”, get ready to rock!

Part 2 of 3 > Black Rock Shooter > Anime

Black Rock Shooter (OVA, 2010) [23]. Last weekend, on Saturday, 21 August, I finally watched and completed my 23rd anime title of the year. And the first thing I have to say is, “It rocked!” While the real-world high-school plot was rather simple, it was nonetheless presented and portrayed gently and genuinely. Contrasted with the bleak battles of a punk-gothic and apocalyptic parallel other-world, both extremes enhanced and played off each other well. Mesmerizingly. Stylishly. Beautifully. In a nutshell, my speed-review is: “Wow, a black-rockin’ and jealousy-battlin’ ride, 4 of 5 stars!”

To celebrate, here are 113 cool screen captures from the first half of “Black Rock Shooter” (OVA, 2010). Enjoy, and feel free to enlarge!

Once again, wow. Yup, 113 screen captures blasted by so fast! Haha, and that’s only from the first half of the OVA! Still want more?

Part 3 of 3 > Black Rock Shooter > Figures

Ah, the figures! Can’t forget the stylish “Black Rock Shooter” figures, can we? In fact, we’re gonna rock to a total of 7 irresistible figures.

• [01] Black Rock Shooter | Pre-Painted Kit – e2046
• [02] Black Rock Shooter – Original Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search
• [03] Black Rock Shooter – Black Blade Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search
• [04] Black Rock Shooter – figma Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search
• [05] Black Rock Shooter – Animation Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search
• [06] Dead Master – Original Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search
• [07] Dead Master – figma Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search

[01] Black Rock Shooter | Pre-Painted Kit – e2046. First, let’s start off with the garage kit based upon the original illustration by Huke. Wow, originally almost $200 USD, she’s now in the $140-150 USD range.

[02] Black Rock Shooter – Original Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search. Next, here’s the 1/8-scale PVC yet slightly more-affordable version of the garage kit above. Scheduled for December 2010 re-release, she’s currently in the $90-100 USD range.

[03] Black Rock Shooter – Black Blade Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search. Third, here’s another 1/8-scale PVC, but even more affordable than the figures above. More skin too, haha. Released in June 2010, she’s currently in the $60-70 USD range.

[04] Black Rock Shooter – figma Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search. Fourth, we have the smaller figma-scale PVC, but even more affordable. Not only that, she’s highly poseable and playable, with her interchangeable “blue fire” eye, “Rock Cannon” and “Black Blade” weapons. Nice. Released in August 2010, she’s currently in the $20-30 USD range.

[05] Black Rock Shooter – Animation Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search. Fifth, here’s another 1/8-scale PVC, portraying an entirely new action pose based on the anime. She too includes an interchangeable “blue fire” eye. Scheduled for October 2010 release, she’s currently in the $90-100 USD range.

[06] Dead Master – Original Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search. Now, let’s take a peek at Black Rock Shooter’s just-as-striking rival and deadly opponent, Dead Master. She’s a 1/8-scale PVC with removable weapons. Scheduled for November 2010 release, she’s currently in the $80-90 USD range.

[07] Dead Master – figma Version | PVC Figure – Hobby Search. Lastly, but not least, we have the figma-scale PVC, even more affordable than her 1/8-scale PVC above. Like her “Black Rock Shooter” rival, she’s highly poseable and playable with her removable “Dead Scythe” weapon and accompanying giant flying skulls, haha. Scheduled for October 2010 release, she’s currently in the $20-30 USD range.

Wow. Double wow. Gotta love that final figma battle scene! Well, did you survive the multiple-wave mega-broadcasted “Black Rock Shooter” attack? Nevertheless, multiple thanks to Huke, Ryo, Supercell, Hatsune Miku-chan, Black Rock Shooter, Dead Master, e2046, Hobby Search, and of course, my Tempted and Toyed Toyboxers. Thanks for surviving!

P.S. Satoshi Kon-sensei. May you rest and dream in peace.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Hmm, of the four battle girls who appear in the “Black Rock Shooter” anime, isn’t this yet-unnamed girl the hottest? Not that I’ll order one, but I wonder if they’ll ever make a PVC figure of her too, hehe. What do you think?

Sayonara, 2009! Konnichiwa, my Tirelessly Tumbling Toyboxers! Got onigiri? Are you ready? Ready to endure a tumbling tidal wave of tear-jerking titles, blood-splattering titles, angst-ridden titles, and titles not worth mentioning? Ready to slash and slay another dragon-sized mega-cast of 99 wallpapers? Ready for some onigiri? Hehe, then what are you waiting for? Let’s start the show…

Part 1 of 3 > My 41 Anime in 2009

Fake? Has anime started to feel fake yet? Yup, you heard me, hehe. The reason I ask this is that last week, on Monday, 08 February 2010, as I was watching episode 17/26 of “Madlax”, the unexpected and inexplicable sensation swept over me that: “Anime [is] starting to feel fake”. It lasted for only a few moments. But this was the first time I felt anything like this before, after 4-or-5 years of unwavering anime loyalty. Even during real-life disruptions. Hehe, no, there’s nothing wrong with “Madlax”. I’m pretty sure about that, since it’s actually a rather intriguing anime. Gotta love the music.

But perhaps, over the recent months, my rising consumption of 3D live-action J-drama and K-drama, as well as the growing influence of Asian friends, co-workers, culture and cuisine have collectively caused a greater impact than I realized. An impact both visual and emotional. Perhaps. Thus, for those few moments, 2D anime felt “fake”. It no longer felt “real” to me. Hmm, so rather than an external “downfall of anime” (Blog 201), not only have I outgrown anime as an “escape”, am I beginning to outgrow it as “entertainment” after all? Hehe, who knows? But for now, I’ll try to enjoy the battle between 2D and 3D. Ah, the never-ending battle.

What? Only 41 anime? Yup, I can no longer resist the attraction and distraction of real-life work and play, lol. Nevertheless, the universe continues to be sprinkled with, yes-yes, anime, more anime, and even more anime, lol. In the tradition of My 58 anime in 2006 (Blog 017), My 49 anime in 2007 (Blog 122) and My 56 Anime in 2008 (Blog 182) posts, I now present My 41 Anime in 2009. From shrine maidens to soda-pop girls, from roaming samurais to despairing senseis, not to mention lots of angsty high-school teens, it’s definitely been another vividly animated year. Without further ado, here are my anime faves of 2009!

Next, here are my complete lists of anime faves and 41 anime titles-seasons of 2009. Ahh, notice the striking drop in monthly titles after September 2009 through December 2009? Not only does this coincide with the stunning drop in my Toybox mega-casts, but it also reflects the rising real-life influences of office responsibilities and social distractions. Yup, like I said, real-life work and play. Not to mention, the recent attraction of live-action Asian dramas, lol.

My Anime Rating

• +++++ DOUBLE WOW! 5 of 5 stars! Maximum for full seasons or films!
• ++++ WOW! 4 of 5 stars! Maximum for half seasons!

My Top-10 Full Seasons > 5 of 5 stars!

• [41] +++++ xxxHolic (1-24)
• [38] +++++ Ouran High School Host Club (1-26) > Honorable Mention!
• [35] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Paris – Season 2 (1-11) (With S1) > Fave Romance!
• [33] +++++ Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Zoku – Season 2 (1-13) (With S1) > Fave Comedy!
• [32] +++++ R.O.D the TV (1-26)
• [24] +++++ Tales of the Abyss (1-26) > Honorable Mention!
• [21] +++++ Ef – A Tale of Melodies – Season 2 (1-12) (With S1) > Fave Thriller!
• [14] +++++ Dennou Coil (1-26) > Fave Science Fiction!
• [13] +++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 2 (1-35 or 28-62) > Fave Action!
• [11] +++++ Clannad – After Story – Season 2 (1-24, +2 Bonus) > Fave Drama!

My Top-4 Half Seasons > 4 of 5 stars!

• [19] ++++ Ef – A Tale of Memories – Season 1 (1-12)
• [18] ++++ Minami-ke – Okaeri – Season 3 (1-13)
• [16] ++++ Akikan (1-12) > Honorable Mention!
• [04] ++++ Kannagi – Crazy Shrine Maidens (1-13)

My Top-1 Film or OVA > 5 of 5 stars!

• [25] +++++ Howl’s Moving Castle (Film) > Fave Fantasy!

My 41 Anime Titles-Seasons in 2009

December 2009

• [41] +++++ xxxHolic (1-24) – Finished 06 Dec. Wow, supernatural 5 of 5 stars!

November 2009

• [40] +++ Gundam Wing (26-49 of 49) – Finished 13 Nov (via Netflix). Yup, finally finished the second half, 3 of 5 stars!

October 2009

• [39] +++ Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Season 2 (New 1-14 of 28) – Finished 27 Oct. Hmm, okay, not bad but failed expectations, 3 of 5 stars.
• [38] +++++ Ouran High School Host Club (1-26) – Finished 19 Oct. Haha, outrageous, 5 of 5 stars! Aww, touching ending.
• [37] +++ Battle Angel (OVA) – Finished 11 Oct. A sentimental 5-star manga, but still a lacking anime, 3 of 5 stars.

September 2009

• [36] ++++ Gundam Wing (1-25 of 49) – Finished 19 Sep (via Netflix). Yup, finished the first half, 4 of 5 stars!
• [35] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Paris – Season 2 (1-11) – Finished 08 Sep. Wow, when combined with Season 1, another 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 217 > Despair.
• [34] ++++ Trigun (1-26) – Finished 06 Sep (via Netflix). Hey, a bullet-flying 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 217 > Despair.
• [--] +++++ Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex – 2nd Gig (1-26) – Finished (again) 02 Sep. Still a cyber-thrilling 5 of 5 stars! But this time, Japanese audio, English subtitles.

August 2009

• [33] +++++ Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Zoku – Season 2 (1-13) – Finished 23 Aug. Haha, when combined with Season 1, hilariously mind-twisting 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 217 > Despair.
• [32] +++++ R.O.D the TV (1-26) – Finished 14 Aug (via Netflix). Wow, paper-slashing 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 216 > Rock or Die.

July 2009

• [31] +++ Maria+Holic (1-12) – Finished 26 Jul. Hilarious outrageous priest in despair! Stolen from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, lol. But still a disjointed 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 214 > Traps & Treks.
• [30] +++ Kuroshitsuji (1-24) – Finished 25 Jul. An unoriginal 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 212 > Butlers.
• [--] +++ Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Bonus) – Finished 14 Jul. Whoa, 3 of 5 stars. But since it’s not quite anime, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol. Wallpapers and review at Blog 211 > Watchmen.
• [29] ++++ Clannad – Another World – Kyou Arc (Bonus) – Finished 12 Jul. Brief yet tearful 4 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 212 > Butlers.
• [28] +++ K-On! (1-13) – Finished 04 Jul. A mindless yet amusing 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 209 > Keion.

June 2009

• [27] ++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 3 (1-33 or 63-95) – Finished 24 Jun. Wow, finally finished, a solidly wandering 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 209 > Keion.
• [--] +++++ Battle Angel Alita (“Angel’s Ascension”, Volume 9/9, 1995) – Finished 19 Jun. After years of delay, finally finished the entire 9-volume manga series! Shockingly violent yet heartfelt 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol. Wallpapers and review at Blog 207 > Angels.
• [26] +++ Chaos;Head (1-12) – Finished 07 Jun. Ehh, not bad, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.

May 2009

• [25] +++++ Howl’s Moving Castle (Film) – Finished 31 May (via Netflix). Finally watched this classic for the first time, in Japanese with English subs (hmm, 4 of 5 stars). But wait, a couple of days later on 02 Jun, watched it for the second time, with English dubs (wow, 5 of 5 stars). Even better, funnier and sadder, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.
• [24] +++++ Tales of the Abyss (1-26) – Finished 30 May. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.
• [23] +++ Karas – The Revelation (4-6) – Finished 27 May. Finally watched the second half of the series. Ehh, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 205 > Chaos Ahead.
• [22] +++ Afro Samurai – Resurrection (Film) – Finished 23 May. Hmm, not bad, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 203 > Samurai.
• [--] +++++ Battle Angel Alita (“Fallen Angel”, Volume 8/9, 1994) – Finished 22 May. Heyyy, finally finished Volume 8/9! Another riveting 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol.
• [21] +++++ Ef – A Tale of Melodies – Season 2 (1-12) – Finished 15 May. Double-wow, combined with the first season, 5 of 5 stars max! Yup, a near-straight 12-episode marathon till 3am in the morning! Wow, reminded me of “Air” (TV) and “Petite Cossette” (OVA)! Incredible! Wallpapers and review at Blog 202 > Tales.
• [20] ++++ Origin – Spirits of the Past (Film) – Finished 14 May (via Netflix). Another environmental yet decent 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 202 > Tales.
• [19] ++++ Ef – A Tale of Memories – Season 1 (1-12) – Finished 14 May. Wow, 4 of 5 stars max for a short season! Wallpapers and review at Blog 202 > Tales.
• [18] ++++ Minami-ke – Okaeri – Season 3 (1-13) – Finished 02 May. Aww, touching 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 200 > Toybox.
• [17] ++++ Naruto – Season 4 (1-26 or 79-104) – Finished 01 May. Wow, still a mindless yet ninja-powered 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 200 > Toybox.

April 2009

• [16] ++++ Akikan (1-12) – Finished 18 Apr. Wow, mindlessly and unexpectedly entertaining, maximum 4 of 5 stars for a short season! Wallpapers and review at Blog 199 > Melons.
• [15] ++++ Samurai X – Trust & Betrayal – Director’s Cut (OVA) – Finished 18 Apr (via Netflix). Wow, a darker more-intense interpretation of Kenshin, 4 of 5 stars! Review at Blog 199 > Melons.
• [--] +++++ Battle Angel Alita (“Angel of Chaos”, Volume 7/9, 1994) – Finished 12 Apr. A-ha, finally finished Volume 7/9. Another riveting 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol.
• [14] +++++ Dennou Coil (1-26) – Finished 10 Apr. Wow, spectacular vision, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.
• [13] +++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 2 (1-35 or 28-62) – Finished 07 Apr. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.
• [12] ++++ Tsubasa – Reservoir Chronicles – Season 1 (1-26) – Finished 02 Apr (via Netflix). Pretty but somewhat lacking, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.

March 2009

• [11] +++++ Clannad – After Story – Season 2 (1-24, +2 Bonus) – Finished 28 Mar. Aww, wow, double-wow, triple-wow! Such an incredibly awe-inspiring, breath-taking, heart-breaking and soul-warming ride, followed by a cute yet fateful flashback bonus-story, and concluded with a still-gripping recap finale! An ever-resounding 5 of 5 stars! My #1 anime of the year thus far! Wallpapers and review at Blog 195 > Pop Anime.
• [--] +++++ Genshiken (Volume 9/9, 2007) – Finished 27 Mar. Oops, finally realized that I hadn’t finished Volume 9 since December 2007! Thus, more than a year later, restarted it on 10 Mar and finished it 27 Mar. Still an engrossing 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s a manga, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol.
• [10] ++++ Mobile Suit Gundam (25-43 of 43) – Finished 24 Mar. Yup, finished the second half! Wow, the story still holds up after 30 years, 4 of 5 stars! On 25 Mar, unexpectedly watched episode 43/43 again (the English-subbed finale), thinking that episode 43/43 would be the finale. Apparently, I’d already watched the finale yesterday! According to Wiki, the English-dubbed release didn’t include the original 15th episode! So what I thought was the 15th was actually the 16th original episode. The 16th was actually the 17th. And so on, until what I thought was the 42nd was actually the 43rd and final episode! But I’m too lazy to renumber everything in my previous posts. Oh well, lol. Still 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 197 > Tsubasa.
• [--] +++++ Star Wars – The Clone Wars – Season 1 (1-22) – Finished 21 Mar. Splendid 5 of 5 stars! But since it’s not quite anime, didn’t “count” it in my list, lol. Screencaps and review at Blog 194 > Assassins.
• [09] +++ Sol Bianca – Legacy (1-6) – Finished 07 Mar (via Netflix). While the first 3 episodes sucked, the next 3 really improved in drama. Not bad, 3 of 5 stars. Screencaps and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.
• [08] +++ Gunslinger Girl – Il Teatrino – Season 2 (1-13) – Finished 04 Mar. Entertaining but ultimately not-as-satisfying as the original season, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.

February 2009

• [07] ++++ Martian Successor Nadesico (1-26) – Finished 20 Feb. Not bad, more-humorous clone of “Evangelion”, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.

January 2009

• [06] +++ Vampire Knight – Guilty – Season 2 (1-13) – Finished 27 Jan. Ehh, not bad, but kinda slow-moving in its over-dramatized soap-opera introspection amongst all the characters, both vampire and human, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 192 > Slingers.
• [05] +++ Devil Hunter Yohko (1-6) – Finished 23 Jan (via Netflix). Hey, still pretty decent for today’s standards, and for its random nudity, lol, 3 of 5 stars. Wallpaper and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [04] ++++ Kannagi – Crazy Shrine Maidens (1-13) – Finished 18 Jan. Wow, beautiful animation, hilarious hijinks, and mysterious high-school drama, max 4 of 5 stars for a short season. Wallpapers and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [03] +++ Maria-sama ga Miteru – Season 1 (Marimite, 1-13) – Finished 17 Jan. Gentle but satisfying slice of an all-girl’s high-school life, 3 of 5 stars). Wallpaper and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [02] ++++ Mobile Suit Gundam (1-24 of 43) – Finished 12 Jan. Yup, finished the first half! Heyyy, the action and drama still holds up after 30 years, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 186 > Harems.
• [01] ++++ Rurouni Kenshin – Season 1 (1-27) – Finished 07 Jan. Wow, even now, still a fulfilling tale of a repentant samurai among hoodlums and bandits, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 184 > Rewind.

Want Even More?

• My Anime Ratings 2006-2009
• My Anime Collection 2006-2009

Part 2 of 3 > Zetsubou to Sayonara

[01] +++++ Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei – Season 3 (1-13). Ahhh, yes, the despair resumes with Season 3! Yup, my 1st anime title-or-season of the year. Finished 10 January 2010. Season 3 with 13 episodes. Haha, I’ll say it again, just as mind-alteringly and mind-frakkingly uproarious as Seasons 2 and 1. Especially with its brain-bending analysis of Schrodinger’s cat, tail, teacher and anything else you can stuff in a box! Don’t forget Naughty Ms. Kaede and Kiri-chan’s national security blanket! So, by combining Season 3 with Seasons 2 and 1, the never-ending manic and maniacal odyssey into psycho-intellectual minutiae once again earns a desperately indubitable 5 of 5 stars! Here was my previous review back in Blog 217 > Despair, Devastation & Delight (Sep 2009).

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Season 2) [33]. Ahhh, yes, the despair! But let’s see, where to begin? Well, about 17 months ago, back in mid-April 2008, I finished the first season of “Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei”. And I was utterly blown away! In fact, I gave it a 4 of 5 stars maximum for a half-season. Plus an Honorable Mention for 2008! So from 27 July 2009 to 23 August 2009, when I finally completed “Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei” last month, I couldn’t wait for more! Yup, my 33rd anime title-or-season of the year. Season 2 with 13 episodes. Haha, just as mind-alteringly and mind-frakkingly uproarious as Season 1. Especially with its psychological cocktail of over-analytical despair-torn classmates plus teacher! Whoa, by combining Season 2 with Season 1, the series earns a desperately impressive 5 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, ranging wildly from 1024px-to-5300px resolution across both seasons, here are over 50 wallpapers, vectors, scans and other images to soothe your over-analytical soul, lol. Feel free to enlarge. Ahhh, bask in the air of despair!

To celebrate once more, ranging hopelessly from 1024px-to-4600px resolution across all 3 seasons, here are 90 more wallpapers, vectors, scans and other images to add to the 50+ wallpapers from our last odyssey in Blog 217 > Despair, Devastation & Delight (Sep 2009). Feel free to enlarge.

Part 3 of 3 > Zojirushi to Onigiri

Ahh, onigiri! Over the months of October 2009 through December 2009, Autumn-chan was kind enough to share her onigiri with me. And over those months, I think it was inevitable for me to embrace the idea of making my own onigiri rice balls for not just myself, but for her too. Unfortunately, the lack of a high-quality rice cooker was a major obstacle. Never owned one before. Well, as my luck would have it, December 2009 witnessed the sending of 3 Amazon Christmas gift cards-certificates — from Amazon itself, my ex-dad-in-law, and my brother Joel — to none other than myself! Totaling over $100!

So several weeks later, on Saturday, 09 January 2010, based on Autumn-chan’s advice, I finally ordered my $122 Zojirushi rice cooker for just $9, hehe. Oddly enough, I found a couple of other bags of rice in the pantry too. Jasmine white rice and Basmati brown rice. Imagine that. Then less than a week later, on Thursday, 14 January 2010, I picked up my new Zojirushi from the office front desk. I opened up the box in the office kitchen and checked it out. Nice. The next night, on Friday, 15 January 2010, I cooked some Calrose white rice, mixed some ume-shiso seasoning into it, and ate half with my leftover sardines, mmm. Then made the other half into two onigiri, hehe.

And guess what? I took pics of both dishes, and resized the best photos in Photoshop, hehe. Shortly thereafter, I wrote a “Thank You” email to my brother Joel and ex-dad-in-law for their Christmas gift certificates, in helping me get my awesome Zojirushi rice cooker. In fact, here are the photos I attached to the email. Not bad at all. The rest is history. One month later, I love Calrose rice.

Well-well, my Tested Toyboxers! Did you survive the desperately dragon-sized battle? Well, if you made it this far, I’ll assume you did, hehe. But amidst the high-flying barrage of wallpapered bullets and multi-starred missiles, you might’ve noticed the plummeting trajectory of monthly anime in 2009 and incoming waves of onigiri rice in 2010. Yup, the battle between “fake” 2D artistry and “real” 3D culture rages on. It’s gonna be fun.

Has anime started to feel fake yet?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Kafuka: “I’ll ask this only once… Got onigiri?”

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Konnichiwa minna-san! Greetings, my Tingling, Trembling and Tumbling Toyboxers! Well, enough of the pompous pleasantries. Let’s get to the point. Are you ready? Ready to withstand another soul-smashing tsunami of spellbinding anime, American sci-fi, Hong Kong classics, Japanese comedies, and Korean epics? Ready to digest rock bands, canine menaces, cute costumes, and mouth-watering waves of food-food-food? Ready to battle an unimaginably monstrous mega-cast equaling fifty or more mere-mortal posts? Not yet? Then please leave the battlefield, hehe. But if you are, better polish your psychological shield and sharpen your cultural sword! Prepare to engage! On with the show!

From Autumn to Halloween

Ah, yes, from Autumn to Halloween, let’s navigate through the next 18 days of September and 31 days of October. Alas, a 49-day odyssey through overstated subtlety and understated ecstasy. Abandon hope all ye who enter here!

13 September 2009
Sunday. Somehow, got up 730am. While doing the laundry, worked on Blog 217. Chat too, lol. Napped 1230-230. More chat, lol. Replied to blog comments. Then back to work on blog. Tread w “True Blood” 5/xx. Even more chat, blog, etc.

14 September 2009
Monday. Home. “Ouran” 1/26 (finally started it). LOL, boy is a girl! Opposite of “Maria+Holic”, hehe. Finally installed the magenta ink I received today. Gahhh, when I uncapped it, it splattered! Damn! Luckily, the lemon degreaser I used on my foos table was able to clean the ink from the carpet and my skin. Gah. Tread w “True Blood” 6/xx. Worked on Blog 217 again. While I chatted till 1030pm, lol.

15 September 2009
Tuesday. For lunch, decided on “Burger King” in the Outlet Center food court. Oops, we parked at the wrong end, so we walked-talked across the mall, hehe. But it was fun! Home. “Ouran” 2/26. Near tears! Already? So soon in the series? Tread w “True Blood” 7/xx. Worked on Blog 217. Then sketched a cute little doodle based on our discussion, hehe. More blog work till 11pm.

15 Sept | Burger King | Enlarge

15 Sept | Burger King | Enlarge

15 Sept | Burger King | Enlarge

16 September 2009
Wednesday. Hehe, decided to wear my pink shirt w black striped tie. Why not? Left at my usual 4pm. “Ouran” 3/26, lol. Later, 8:30pm chat. Then skipped my tread-run to finish Blog 217! Hey! Finally done! At 10:45! But we continued to chat till midnight.

17 September 2009
Thursday. Heyyy, visited Kris-chan’s “Bento Bako Weekly“, lol. Left 4pm. Home. Heyyy, Guiness is back! “Gundam Wing” 21/49 w dinner. Napped 6-7pm w Guin, aww. Hmm, Lois’s Facebook comments; offended by my Blog 217 statement about “one girl’s pain, is another’s panic, is another’s pleasure”? Later, tread w “True Blood” 8/xx (still too slow). Then 10pm chat. Till 11pm, hehe.

18 September 2009
Friday. Then after her meeting, 12:30 lunch at TGIF! Mmm, Jack Daniels appetizer sampler and mozzarella sticks! Vanilla cheesecake plus free vanilla ice cream! Haha, photos too, lol. Otsukaresamadeshita! I said it right! Asked her to “Kabuki”? Nahhh, we were still too full from TGIF. And tired, lol. Hugs. Ah, home. Guiness! “Gundam Wing” 22/49. Napped 6-8pm? Tread w “True Blood” 9/xx. WTF? Sam the dog? Dumb. Revealed too late in the series. Should’ve happened in the first few episodes. Forget it. Forget the show. Chat 10pm-130am! Happy Birthday!

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

18 Sept | T.G.I. Friday’s | Enlarge

19 September 2009
Saturday. Wow, got outta bed 10am! Then as usual, let Guiness outside into the backyard. Sunny! “Gundam Wing” 23-24-25/49 (finished [36] first-half of season; 4 of 5 stars!). Ah, groceries! Through her influence, bought tons of fruits (apples: 3 granny smiths, 3 fujis, 3 braeburns; group of 7 bananas, 7 peaches or nectarines) and veggies (celery and lettuce), not to mention, generic low-sodium vegetable juice, lol. Right after that, decided to get a car wash, finally. Napped 3-5pm? Chat, lol. Then 6pm dinner. Since “True Blood” failed, tread w “Trinity Blood” 1/24? (again). Yup, stopped the “True Blood” crap, lol. But wait, after browsing through my Amazon lists with DivX players, decided to check my DivX player. Heyyy, the “Jumong” SRT subs work on my newer (exercise-room) player! Nice. Thank you Amazon! More chat. Till 1am, hehe.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) [36] and [40]. As of 19 Sept, my 36th anime title-or-season of the year. First half of 49-episode series, 4 of 5 stars. As of 13 Nov, completed the second half of the series, my 40th anime title-or-season of the year, 3 of 5 stars. Overall 3 of 5 stars.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 3000px

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 1024px

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 5300px

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) | Enlarge 1024px

20 September 2009
Sunday. Whoa, up 730am! Finally applied Soft Scrub Bleach to the shower tiles. For breakfast, had an apple, banana, pecan spinwheel and yogurt, lol. Did more soft-scrubbing to the shower. Then with her hard-drive situation in my mind, decided to back-up my iMac’s Windows XP files (19GB) to my WP Passport portable USB drive. Followed with some blog comment catch-up. From 1-3pm, watched my Netflix of “In the Mood for Love” (2000) plus extras. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Maggie and Tony remind me sooo much of her and me! Uncanny! I mean, how did I avoid watching this? Since I already watched “2046″ before, how? After meeting her, must be fate? Later, chat while she was studying at the library. Meanwhile, during our chat, ordered “Battle Angel”, “In the Mood for Love” and its sequel “2046″ on Amazon, lol. Lunch w “Ouran HS Host Club” 4/26. She finally left the library at 7pm. Watched more extras from “Mood for Love”. Then tread w “Jumong” (2006) 1/81 (started, 1st half hour). Later, study/chat, hehe. Till 12 midnight.

In the Mood for Love (2000) | Enlarge 1200px

21 September 2009
Monday. Home. Dinner. Celery and lettuce for salad, along w my leftover roast beef sub. “Ouran HS Host Club” 5/26. Napped 6-820pm? Tread w “Jumong” 1/81 (2nd half). Afterwards, chat 10pm-12midnight, hehe.

22 September 2009
Tuesday. Heyyy, wore my blue shirt and purple-blue-striped tie! So I left around 4:30pm. Well, at home w Guiness, I got her call at about 5:20pm, while she was at the parking lot, lol. Basically, she wanted to tell me in private what happened at her meeting. Wow, awesome! That’s the news she wanted to share w me. Dinner w “Ouran” 6/26. Then later, 6-645, chatted w her while she was in class, lol. Tread w “Jumong” 2/81 (1st half). Ah, bills bills bills. Hehe, another chat 920-11pm.

23 September 2009
Wednesday. Around 4pm, my car engine slowed way down. Light indicator: “Service Engine Soon”. Damn, maybe the air intake duct again? Damn. So took the local roads from work, down Warm Springs, all the way to Gibson, then Henderson Nissan dealership at the Auto Mall. Like before, tightening the air intake duct took a quick 15-minute fix! Wow! Dinner w “Ouran” 7/26. Napped 6-7pm. Then around 7pm, she called! She finished her exam! Congrats! Told her it was nice to hear her voice. Tread w “Jumong” 2/81 (2nd half). Later, chat from 915 to 11pm, hehe.

24 September 2009
Thursday. Happy Birthday, Joel! Yup, last night, sent him an Amazon gift email, lol. During my morning commute, noticed the 630-640am sunset in my rearview mirror, aww. Yup, early to office, 640am! Home. Guiness! “Ouran” 8/26. Chat, during her class, lol. Sorries over my earlier behavior! Meanwhile, I continued work on my web “triDocs”, lol. Tread w “Jumong” 3/81 (1st half). Chat from 9pm-11pm.

25 September 2009
Friday. Came to work early, at 645am. Because I arrived early, left early, at 3:45pm. Home. Guiness! “Ouran” 9/26. Later, chat 530-6pm. Tread w “Jumong” 3/81 (2nd half) from 830-930pm. Chat again till 1030pm. Hmm, did she fall asleep? So after an hour, around 1130pm, I wrote: “Sweet dreams.” Aww.

26 September 2009
Saturday. Up 6am. Because of air intake duct issue earlier this week (Thurs?), took the car to Henderson Nissan. Also decided to do the intermediate maintenance ($331.99, ouch). Waited from 8-10am, but did some web “triDoc” work. Afterwards, groceries ($108), including tons of veggies (2 celery stalks, 2 lettuce heads, 3 tomatoes, bag of carrots, container of grape tomatoes) and fruits (10 nectarines, 10 fuji apples, bag of 12 granny smith apples, bunch of 10 bananas). Whoa, 40+ pieces! Hehe, chat from 11:30-12:30. Whoa, napped from 12:30-3:30. Three hours! “Ouran” 10/26. Then intermittent chat throughout the day, as she studied. Later, 530pm tread w “Jumong” 4/81 (1st) since I was going out soon. Then 7pm, sent a bye-bye hug and signed off chat to take a shower, get changed and head to Coley’s “Beatles Rock Band” party! Wow, 730pm till 130am! Six hours! Not just Coley in his orange Sgt. Pepper’s costume (as John Lennon?), but also Vu, Bliss, Sam, Thomas, Andres, Edward, and of course, the cute Kate! Not to mention a dozen or so of Coley’s Asian students, lol. Funny that we rotated through the Beatles songs at least 2-3 times before we got tired of it about halfway thru the night, enough that Vu switched it back to regular “Rock Band”, haha! No complaints from me! Wow, I probably sang about a couple dozen songs! Including “I Am the Walrus” a couple times w Kate, haha. Not to mention, my favorite grunge tunes like “Man in the Box” (Alice in Chains) and “Alive” (Pearl Jam)! Loved singing “Wonderwall” (Oasis) too, but failed “Jane Says” (Jane’s Addiction), haha. Too high! My throat was scratchy and dying by then! Luckily, at my desperate request, Bliss and Kate saved me on that “Jane Says” song, aww. Vu and Kate left about 1230am, but I finally left 130am. Wow, home by 2. Bed by 230am. Whew.

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

26 Sept | Saturday Rock Band | Enlarge

27 September 2009
Sunday. Somehow got up at 730am, lol. After a mere 5 hours of sleep, lol. Grocery shopping. Tons of fruits (10 bananas, 10 nectarines, 10 oversized Fuji apples, bag of 12-13 Granny Smith apples), lol. Laundry day. Called to tell my parents: “Happy 40th Anniversary!” But left the message instead. Oh well, lol. Put together a new Excel spreadsheet and line chart of my various savings and credit account balances. Interesting! Not great, but not as bad as I thought. “Ouran” 11/26 (aww, almost cried) and 12/26. Napped 1230-215pm. Heyyy, opened my last two-pack wrap of Strawberry Frosted Pop Tarts! Wow! While I still have some left at the office, my 3-year Pop Tart phase is drawing to a close! Chat from 230-430pm. Heyyy, Mom and Dad called back! Wished them a Happy Anniversary, talked for a bit. Till 5pm. Later, chatted from 630-8pm. Tread w “Jumong” 4/81 (2nd half). Even more chat, lol. Till midnight. Aww.

28 September 2009
Monday. Heyyy, didn’t wear my elbow pad for the first time in weeks! But then, garage, 7am “Service Engine Soon” again? Headache too. Texted them, asking to pick me up. But they were tied up. In fact, I decided to skip the shuttle and stay anyway, in case it was a quick fix. Which I expected. And which turned out to be the case. Done 830. Work 9am. “Ouran” 13/26. Napped 530-730pm or so. Chat 8-930pm while I uploaded “Rock Band” photos, hehe. Thus no tread.

29 September 2009
Tuesday. Home. Guiness! Texted her: Good grape luck! “Ouran” 14/26. Hey, for easier image-copy-pasting w my web-help project, installed Office Enterprise 2007 on my iMac’s Virtual XP. Also moved files from XP to iMac to make some room for disc burning. Tread w “Jumong” 5/81 (1st). Chat from 930-1030pm.

30 September 2009
Wednesday. Early to work, 645! Chilly for the first time! Got texts from Lisa: She may be picking up Guiness tomorrow night! Home. Guiness! Another huge salad dinner again, mmm, w “Ouran” 15/26. Followed by nap 6-7pm. Tread w “Jumong” 5/81 (2nd). Chat from 845-10pm.

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

30 Sept | Guiness the Menace | Enlarge

01 October 2009
Thursday. Whoa, got to work early, 645am? Then to celebrate Melanie’s b-day, 12 noon lunch at “Kabuki”! Sat in the bright sunny patio, met her friend and Muay Thai fighter Patti, ate colorful sushi “Sunkist” (Patti) and “Firecracker” (Melanie) which made my salmon California rolls look sooo plain, lol. Afterwards, walked two feet away to the “Yogurtland”. I didn’t get anything, but the do-it-yourself process was intriguing! Hehe, took final photos, then about 1:30pm, drove Melanie and myself back to the office. Yup, back to reality. Home. Lisa already at the house to brush and bathe Guiness. Mmm, my 3 Oreo+Cheesecake blizzards! Plus ordered Papa John’s pizza plus Cinnamon Pie! Mmm. Somehow I even took a mini-nap before Lisa inevitably left w Guiness about 7pm. Awww, his last day! Super-brief chat w LovelyDuckie-chan, lol. Tread w “Jumong” 6/81 (1st). Then chat 930-11pm.

01 Oct | Kabuki with Melanie & Patti | Enlarge

01 Oct | Kabuki with Melanie & Patti | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day at my House | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

01 Oct | Guiness’ Last Day with Papa John’s Pizza | Enlarge

02 October 2009
Friday. Wore my elbow pad again, bahhh, lol. At 12 noon, lunch at the “Galanga” Thai Eatery. Wow! Tasty Pad Thai and Peanut Curry. Delicious! Finally decided on Outback Steakhouse, since she wanted “quiet and cozy” and hadn’t visited it before. So I suggested it and we got there about 5:30pm, lol. Nice chat. Until the check came. Apparently I lost or misplaced my credit card! I was so flustered! But after calling to ask the “Galanga” place, she calmed me down and reminded me that I used my card to order pizza yesterday! Whew, felt so much better. We finally left 7pm or so. Dropped her off at her car at the office parking lot. Home. The neighbor’s wife found and gave me the foosball score markers for the table, lol. But told her I already bought new ones from Amazon. Then I asked her and her kids to take a look at my cleaned-up foosball table (one kid said “Whoa!”). Later, realized her markers weren’t complete anyway. Oh well. Napped from 7:30-9:30pm. Then we chatted till 10:45pm. Thus no tread. Finally went to bed at midnight or so.

02 Oct | Galanga Thai Eatery | Enlarge

02 Oct | Galanga Thai Eatery | Enlarge

02 Oct | Galanga Thai Eatery | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

02 Oct | Outback Steakhouse | Enlarge

03 October 2009
Saturday. Happy Tsukimi (based on an earlier chat), hehe. Up 8am! Somehow felt like searching for “In the Mood for Love” wallpapers and other images. “Ouran” 16/26 (whoa, moved to near tears). Heyyy, a surprise discovery, downloaded “Clone Wars – S2″ episodes 1-2! Grocery time from 11:30am-12:30pm, tons of fruits, veggies, even a couple of Asian DVDs (“Forbidden Kingdom” [2008] and “Memoirs of a Geisha” [2005]), hehe. Chat while having lunch, salad and slices of leftover pizza, hehe. While we chatted throughout the day, each did our respective house-cleaning, lol. I did my laundry, vacuum, washing Guiness’ intensely smelly blanket, the same one knitted by my Mom, lol. Finally moved out the various plastics bins to keep Guiness out! Yup, my anti-Guiness defense walls (around my iMac desk area, and at my bedroom door), haha. Meanwhile, we chatted and chatted all day. Then at around 7:20pm, she decided to call my cell. And we talked and talked. Fortunately, we picked up our Gmail chat at 9pm, lol. And we chatted and chatted all night, as I moved myself and my work laptop from the couch to the kitchen table, back to the couch, then on the floor, lol. Chatted till 12 midnight! Thus no tread.

04 October 2009
Sunday. Hmm, restless sleep. Not really dreaming, but waking and falling back to sleep, thinking about her. Ah, finally found time to replace the ceiling air filter. Dusty! Fiddling and fixed the main light timer. Vacuumed the dust off the exercise-room treadmill and fan. More dusty! Aww, chat during lunch. Napped from 1:30pm-3pm. Heyyy, from 4-5pm, watched my downloaded “Clone Wars – S2″ episodes 1-2 of 22 episodes (?). After that, decided to watch one of the DVDs I bought yesterday, “Forbidden Kingdom” (2008). Not bad for a second viewing! Till 7:30pm. Tread w “Jumong” 6/81 (2nd) and 7/81 (1st) till 9pm. Yup, two half-episodes, but still 1.25 miles treading plus interspersed biking. Aww, followed by chat from 9pm till 11:30pm.

Forbidden Kingdom (2008) | Enlarge 2800px

05 October 2009
Monday. Based on last night’s chat, wore my blue shirt and blue-purple diag-striped tie, lol. Heyyy, radio station FM 107.9, “The Alternative” began its commercial-free Mondays. Sweet! “Ouran” 17/26 w huge bowl of salad again. Ham shreds and ranch dressing, mmmm. Chat. “Jumong” 7/81 (2nd) and 8/81 (1st) till 9pm! Wow, 2 miles, 360 calories! Even more chat till midnight, lol.

06 October 2009
Tuesday. Left eye was a bit red, runny nose, allergy? Left 4pm, left eye bothering. “Ouran” 18/26. Nap 6-8pm. Chat. Tread w “Jumong” 8/81 (2nd). She went offline 1030 (fell asleep?). Resumed till 11pm. Hmmm, Vacation Mondays? Again?

07 October 2009
Wednesday. Left 4pm, eye bothering. Vons, green and red grapes, lol. “Ouran” 19/26 w huge salad & BBQ meat, lol. Nap 7-8pm? Brief chat. Tread w “Jumong” 9/81 (1st). Eye bothering less. Chat till 11pm?

08 October 2009
Thursday. New clock alarm setting at 4:27am. Still somehow got up 4:30-5am. To work 7am. Left 4pm. She says she won’t be online tonight? “Ouran” 20/26. Overnapped 8-9:45pm. Brief chat before run. Tread w “Jumong” 9/81 (2nd) from 10 to 10:40pm. Then chat after run, 10:40-11:15pm.

09 October 2009
Friday. Second morning of new alarm: 4:27am. Early to work 6:30am! Dark and gloomy! Haha, 5:30-7:30pm Outback (appetizers+soup) dinner again! Afterwards, during drive back, she said she liked my voice (so I sang ABC’s), dropped her off at office parking lot. Nap 8:30-10:15pm (?), overnapped. Emails. Replied. Fallen for her. Tread w “Jumong” 10/81 (1st, 2nd). Two miles, from 11:30 till 1am.

10 October 2009
Saturday. Up 9am or so. Thinking of her all night. Laundry. Small bathroom, soft-scrubbed the tiles. Chat 10:30am (?) till noon. Lunch chat till 12:30pm. Groceries 1:30-2:30pm. More chat till 3:30pm. Nap till 4:30pm. Finally decided, Fettucini cooking! My first time! Boiled water, add salt, pasta, oil, stir for 15 min. Classico Italian Sausage sauce in microwave. Pics. Done 5:30pm! Mmm, ate tasty bowl. We chatted briefly till 6pm. Intermittent connection. Tread w “Jumong” 11/81 (all), 7-8:15pm (?). Two miles, 360 cals. Replied to emails. Chat from 9:30pm-12:15am. Wow.

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

10 Oct | First Time Cooking, Fettucini Pasta | Enlarge

11 October 2009
Sunday. Up 9am or so. 8am? 9am? Brief chat 10:45-11am. Bills! Lunch time. Mmm, fettucini leftovers. Saved some for Monday, hehe. Watched extras for “Forbidden Kingdom” DVD I got last week. Till 2:30pm. Chat 3-4pm. Watched “Battle Angel” anime DVD 4-5pm (finished [37]; 3 of 5 stars). Sentimental (manga) but still lacking. Afterward, 5:30pm, watched “Densha Otoko” (2005) film (from Netflix) w my big chicken salad. LOL, funny, condensed version of series! So I stopped after the first 20 min to save for later download, save it to watch w her. Planned to mail it back to Netflix. Burned “Haruhi – S2″ DVD. Added Amberlin and Butterfly Boucher to my iMac’s iTunes list. Amberlin amazing. Tread w “Jumong” 12/81 (all). Two miles = 360 cals. Random biking = 200 cals. So 360+200=560 plus 280 (another 50%) = 840 cals. Chat 9:45pm till midnight.

Battle Angel – OAV (1993) [37]. As of 11 Oct, my 37th anime title-or-season of the year. Two-episode OVA, 3 of 5 stars.

Battle Angel – OVA (1993) | Enlarge 2000px

12 October 2009
Monday. No radio, no 107.9, instead played one of my burned Amberlin CDs in my car! “Ouran” 21/26. Download of “Densha Otoko” film done! Burned to disc. Mailed out “Densha” Netflix DVD in the morning? Then watched first 20 min again, lol. Browsed, searched Amazon. Ordered new Philips DivX player for living room! Tread w “Jumong” 13/81 (all). Two miles, bike, 350+350 cals. Chat 9-9:40pm.

13 October 2009
Tuesday. Left 4pm. “Ouran” 22/26. Napped 6:30-8pm. Tread w “Jumong” 14/81 (all), bike only, 14.5-15 mph = 700 cals. That night, no chat. Tried something new: Set my bill reminders on Google Calendar. Till 11:30pm.

14 October 2009
Wednesday. What the fuck! On my way from my car to office door, pulled out my keys and realized I lost my key fob! Dammit! Fuck! Not in pockets, not in car. Heyyy, the fob was found a couple hours later! Left 4pm. Vons groceries, got more grapes, 6 lbs! “Ouran” 23/26, big salad w turkey coldcut slices. Set up new DivX player, 7pm. Tread w “Jumong” 15/81 (all). This time, something else new: Decided to lower tread grade/slope to 1.5% (instead of 7.5%), in case I run w her in a couple months. Tread 1.25 miles = 200 cals (instead of 225 cals w 7.5%); bike 25 min = 300 cals. Chat 9-11pm. Added more bill reminders to my Google Calendar.

15 October 2009
Thursday. Home. “Ouran” 24/26. Napped 6:30-8:15pm. Tread w “Jumong” 16/81 (all) at 1.5% slope. Tread 1.25 miles = 200 cals. Bike = 50-60 min = 600-700 cals. Bike 12 cals/min. Chat 10-11pm or so.

16 October 2009
Friday. Early to the office: 6:30am! I left 4:15pm. Long day. Crashed into a nap 6:30-8:30pm. Text, pix, chat till 9pm, lol. Tread+bike w “Jumong” 17/81. Two miles! Tread: 1.5% grade/slope, 2 miles @ 7.5 mph = 17 min = 300 cals = 18 cals/min = 150 cals/mile. Bike: 10 miles = 38 min = 500 cals = 13 cals/min = 50 cals/mile. Total time = 55 min over 75 min period, 9:15-10:30pm. Aww, more chat 11:30pm-1:20am.

17 October 2009
Saturday. Up 9:30-10am. Chat. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 26/49 (starting 2nd half; while 1st half, 25 episodes, was [36]). Added Amberlin tracks to my home laptop iTunes, yeah! Awesome band. Groceries at 1:30pm. Removed my closed Borders credit card account from my list, confusing! Wow, at 2:30pm, after her meeting, she visited my house! We watched the Japanese film “Densha Otoko” (2005) while laying on the floor against the pillows and couch. Ate grapes. Sooo comfortable as she lay her head against my shoulder. Sooo adorable when she napped for a few minutes. Or when she sat up and recognized one of the plazas in Tokyo, lol. Watched it from about 3-4:30pm. She left about 5pm. But after she got home at 5:30pm, we continued to chat a bit online, aww. Salad dinner w “Gundam Wing” 27/49. Journal catch-up. Tread w “Jumong” 18/81, from 8:15-9:30pm. Tread: 300 cals = 2 miles = 17 min. Bike: 470 cals = 10 miles = 35 min. Chat from 9:30-10:40pm. Napped till midnight. Dozed off again. Overnapped till 1am, bah. I think I waiting for my Trend Micro to finish updating?

Densha Otoko (Film, 2005) | Enlarge 830px

Observation. Having seen both, I still think that the “Densha Otoko” (2005) TV drama starring Misaki Ito is significantly more entertaining and emotional than the “Densha Otoko” (2005) film. Significantly.

Densha Otoko (TV Drama, 2005) | Enlarge 1430px

Densha Otoko (TV Drama, 2005) | Enlarge 1000px

Densha Otoko (TV Drama, 2005) | Enlarge 1600px

18 October 2009
Sunday. Up 9am. Laundry! Extended monitor! Yup, decided to bring my HP desktop monitor to the kitchen table to attach to my Dell laptop, lol. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 28/49. Chat 11-11:45am. Continued chat, hehe. Mmm, big chicken salad lunch 1pm-1:40pm w more “Gundam Wing” 29/49. Chat resumed, lol. Napped about 4:30-5:45pm, during which she sent me a Pocky pic from her iPhone, lol. Brief 7:30pm chat. Tread w “Jumong” 19/81, from about 8-9:45pm. Tread: 2 miles = 300 cals. Bike = 500 cals. Total = 800 plus 50% more cooling-down burn = 1200 cals. Even more chat from 10pm till 12:30am.

18 Oct | Seafood City Pocky | Enlarge

18 Oct | Seafood City Pocky | Enlarge

19 October 2009
Monday. Up 5:15am. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 30/49. To the office 730am. Home. Dinner w “Ouran Host Club” 25-26/26 (finished [38]; 5 of 5 stars, aww, touching ending!). Tread w “Jumong” 20/81 (all; bike only) (finished my self-defined “Season 1″), from 7:15-9pm, 735 cals. Chat.

Ouran High School Host Club (2006) [38]. As of 19 Oct, my 38th anime title-or-season of the year. Full 26-episode series, 5 of 5 stars!

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Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 4000px

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Ouran High School Host Club (2006) | Enlarge 3500px

20 October 2009
Tuesday. Fuck! Woke at 4am the morning because of a god-fucking cramp in my right-leg calf muscle! So instead of 5-5:30am, got up at 4:30am, trying to massage and shake the pain away. Breakfast, shower, dressed, got ready, left 7:45am, arrived 8:15am for our company’s User Conference! UC Day #1. Yup, as greeter and room monitor. Fortunately, my leg ache faded in a few hours. Occasional texts between my cell and her Yahoo IM, hehe. Long but interesting day. Till 5:30pm. Home 6pm. Big salad dinner w “Haruhi – S2″ 2-3/14 (“Endless Eight”) till 7:45pm. Wow-wow, opened my email to see Apple’s brand-new 27-inch iMac! Damn! Worked on journal. No tread, to rest my calf muscle. Wow, watched first 20 min of “BSG – The Plan”! Wow! No chat that night.

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

20 Oct | User Conference | Enlarge

21 October 2009
Wednesday. Up 5am, dressed up by 6:30am. Breakfast w “Haruhi – S2″ 4-5-6/14 (more “Endless Eight”, lol) till 8am. Then left for the User Conference. UC Day #2. Since I’d be there for only a half-day (half-vacation), actually decided to go with blue shirt (no tie), black slacks, and black blazer w brass buttons. Slick! I mean, both Mary and NaTasha complimented me, hehe. Saw Kelly (from IBM) again, haha. We couldn’t figure out what was so funny during our Training class back in March! Nice to see her again. Stayed from 8:30-11:45am. Then left to pick her up from the office to go to Borders. But first, we visited the Apple Store to see the new 27-inch iMac and wireless touch-mouse, wow. Then walked back to Borders. Finally found an open table. Nice long lunch (with fruits? grapes? plus a couple pastries from the UC, lol). Yup, Apple plus Borders from 12noon-1:30pm. Back home 2pm. Random chat from my Yahoo at home to her Yahoo at work, hehe. Napped 4-4:20pm. More chat till her 5pm class. Dinner w more “Haruhi – S2″ 7-8-9/14 (wow, finally ended “Endless Eight”!). Brief chat. Tread w “Jumong” 21/81 (all; started “Season 2″). Tread: 2 miles = 300 cals. Bike: 500 cals. From 8:45-10pm. Plus peeked at the first 5 minutes of my downloaded “Blood – The Last Vampire” (live action), wow.

22 October 2009
Thursday. Ah, arrived at 7:30am to an empty office building, hehe. Due to the User Conference. Left work 4pm. Dinner w “Gundam Wing” 31/49. Napped 6:30-9pm. Chat till 9:40pm. Tread w “Jumong” 22/81. Tread: 11 min, 1.3 miles, 200 cals. Bike: 45 min, 12 miles, 600 cals. Then chat 11-11:20pm, hehe.

23 October 2009
Friday. Breakfast w “Gundam Wing” 32/49. Office at 7:30am. Later, Outback w her, 5:30-6:30pm. Mmm, coconut shrimp, French onion soup, salmon! Back home around 7pm. Brief chat. Napped 7:15-9pm. Up a bit. Then napped again 9-11pm, lol. Thus no tread. But some work on typing up journal. Meanwhile, for the past week, still listening to Battlestar Galactica (BSG) soundtracks (since 10/18), Plumb (since 10/18), Amberlin (since 10/17) on all 3 of my iTunes (iMac, home Dell laptop, and work Dell laptop), hehe. Journal-typing till 2:30am. Bed about 3am.

24 October 2009
Saturday. Up 9am. Chat. Breakfast: Bagel, apple and anime. “Gundam Wing” 33/49. Decided to skip Lowe’s (thought of canned air and multiple sockets). Vons groceries (got multiple-socket surge protector). Continued chat 11am-3pm. “Gundam Wing” 34-35/49. Cleared out the numerous blog items in my Google Reader, whew. “Clone Wars – S2″ 3/22(?). Bills bills bills! Tread w “Jumong” 23/81 from 8:30-10pm. Chat till 11pm. Then decided to watch “BSG – The Plan” (4 of 5 stars) from 12-2am! Not perfect but not bad at all! Afterwards, browsed through Amazon for glass L-shaped desks till 3am, lol. Hmm, instead of using the kitchen table (for the past month)?

Battlestar Galactica – The Plan (2009) | Enlarge 1000px

Battlestar Galactica – The Plan (2009) | Enlarge 990px

Battlestar Babes in Maxim (Nov 2009) | Enlarge 950px

Battlestar Babes in Maxim (Nov 2009) | Enlarge 930px

Battlestar Galactica Promo Shot | Enlarge 1900px

Battlestar Galactica Promo Shot | Enlarge 3000px

25 October 2009
Sunday. Up 9:30am or so. Checked Gmail and cleared more from Google Reader. Otaku Dan asked where I’ve been, lol. Chat. “Clone Wars – S2″ 4/22(?). Cooked fettucini! My 2nd time in 3 weekends! From 11:30am-1pm cooking! Ah, saved some pasta for tomorrow’s lunch. Some grapes too, of course. Nice call w the parents. She left about 1:40pm to do her groceries. Meanwhile, did some more Amazon browsing for external hard drives and headsets, hehe. Decided to continue “Haruhi – S2″ 10/14. Chat 5pm till treadmill. Tread w “Jumong” 24/81 (2 miles = 300 cals) from 6:30-8pm. Back to chat, hehe. Till 10:30pm. Hmm, why have I been using my kitchen laptop more often than my iMac?

26 October 2009
Monday. Left 7:05am. But halfway to work, realized that I almost forgot my fettucini lunch! So drove back home by 7:25am. Then drove back to work by 7:45am. Gahhh, annoying! Then 11:20am lunch downstairs. Mmm, fettucini w Spicy Tomato & Basil, but I think I like Italian Sausage better. Hehe, while I heated it up, NaTasha was surprised that I cooked it myself. Nah, not the sauce, just the pasta, lol. Left 4:30pm. Dinner w “Haruhi – S2″ 11-12-13/14. Almost done. Then tread w “Jumong” 25/81 (2 miles = 300 cals) till 9:30pm. Brief chat till 9:45pm. Created her “To-Do List” and my “To-Watch List”, lol.

27 October 2009
Tuesday. Breakfast w “Haruhi – S2″ 14/14 (finished [39]; hmm, okay, not bad but failed expectations, 3 of 5 stars). Whew, getting cold! Left 4:15-4:30pm. Wow, freezing outside! Even texted her, lol. Dinner w “Goong” 1/24 (started; not too bad, Kris-chan recommended it). Tread w “Jumong” 26/81 (2 miles = 300 cals). Hmm, laundry my 80′s shirts for Melanie’s Halloween Party? Chat. Sweet. Warm.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) [39]. As of 27 Oct, my 39th anime title-or-season of the year. Season 2 with 14 episodes, 3 of 5 stars! Can I hit my typical target of 50 anime by the end of the year?

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The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009) | Enlarge 8200px

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Observation. The infamous “Haruhi 2 – Endless Eight” arc. What’s the big deal? When you strip away all the impatient whining and restless ranting of short attention spans, it is incredibly unique. I remember an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” which follows a similar premise, looping through time for 17 days. But with the “Star Trek” episode “Cause and Effect“, you never get the feeling of “endlessness” depicted in this 8-episode “Endless Eight” sequence. Genius? Tragedy? Insanity? Or dare I say, esoteric art? If you’ve seen a favorite film at least 8 times, and have always found something new, then maybe you shouldn’t whine so much, hehe.

28 October 2009
Wednesday. Up 8:30am. Vacation Wednesday! Jaw still sore but okay. Like I said, felt like an over-extended muscle that just needs time to heal. Then 9am chat after I sent a text to her. Around 11am, took out all the house trash! Worked on journal. Needed to catch-up. Hmm, leverage journal for my blog too? Chat. More journal. Lunch w “Goong” 2/24. Still not a great K-drama, but okay. Ahh, Amazon, intriguing DVD binders? She left 4:45pm for her exam. Browsed Amazon for knitted beanies? Ah, ordered the classy-looking leather-ish DVD binders! Since spending $50 to store 150 DVDs in binders is cheaper and more compact than $100-150 of cases to store the same amount! Napped 6-7:30pm. Hehe, her call woke me up. Decided not to tread. Instead, cleared iMac hard-drive space and virtual XP space, burned Asian dramas to DVDs, cleared more XP space by moving these files to iMac space. Ah, she was back 9:45-11pm. Ordered a brown beanie to match my brown jacket and brown moccasin shoes. Plus ordered my 3rd Lasko portable electric heater. Nice.

29 October 2009
Thursday. Happy Birthday, Jeff! Heyyy, found a decent table on my neighbor’s curbside! So why not grab it? I was looking at tables on Amazon anyway, lol. Ah, back to work. Home. Ah, Lisa had already stopped by, took her books and ivory coat. Laundry: olive bed sheets. Dinner w “Goong” 3/24. Halfway through, napped around 7:30-9:30pm. Must’ve finished “Goong” afterwards. No chat. No tread again. But played w my foos stats on Google Docs till 1:11am, lol.

30 October 2009
Friday. Brrr, another cold night and morning. Hmm, should I wear a black outfit for the Halloween office lunch? Matrix style? With my air gun? Nahhh, maybe not. Just blue jeans. Especially when I’m going to be running around and printing. In prep for the office move, extracted my personal 20-inch Dell monitor out of my cube and carried it to my car. Haha, Paul jokefully shouted, “Stop thief!” Noon. Halloween lunch! So I went downstairs to check it out. Pizza! Kids kids kids! I passed out candy. Took photos too, haha. Relaxing after-work chat. Aww. Till 6pm. Home. Cleaned up the curbside table. Moved my laptop and monitor onto it. Chat 8:45-10pm. Done 10:15pm. No tread for the 3rd night straight.

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

30 Oct | Halloween Friday Office Lunch | Enlarge

31 October 2009
Saturday. Up 5am! Happy Halloween Saturday! Breakfast w “Outlaw Star” 6/26. Readied for Melanie’s math study at Barnes & Noble by Seafood City. Yup, location was my suggestion since I was in the mood for Jollibee Filipino food. Especially if she was paying, hehe. Arrived at Barnes & Noble by 9am. Found Melanie, met Brad. Surprised how much geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus, probability and statistics I still retained! (But not matrices, lol.) Impressed Brad too. Dozens of math problems till noon, wow! Most of which I just looked at for a few seconds, before finding a solution or direction! Afterwards, Melanie paid for our Jollibee lunch. Mmm, ChickenJoy, Palabok, Shanghai Rolls (lumpia)! Lunched 12:15-1pm. Including food photos, lol. Then we finally left. Groceries 1:30-2:30pm. Afterwards, checked emails, torrents and Amazon. Browsed for desk chairs? Napped 4-6pm. Chat till 7pm. Salad dinner w “Outlaw Star” 7/26. Brief chat. Then tread w “Jumong” 27/81 (2 miles = 300 cals, bike = 500 cals) from 9-10:30pm. Wrote an email to Kris-chan about 11:30pm. Another chat till 12:30-12:40am. Started filling my new DVD binders (received them yesterday?), plus DVD burning. Till 1:10am. Stayed up till 3am. But due to Daylight Saving, actually 2am, lol.

31 Oct | Barnes & Noble Math Study with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Barnes & Noble Math Study with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Jollibee with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City’s Pocky with Melanie | Enlarge

31 Oct | Seafood City with Melanie’s ALIAS Fight Wear | Enlarge

From Goong to Jumong and Beyond

Ah, this time, from “Goong” (2006) to “Jumong” (2006), let’s weave our way through my week-long email exchange with Kris-chan, author of her “Bento Bako Weekly” column. Why? So we can see how much I was disappointed by “Goong” yet utterly amazed by the epic “Jumong”!

Goong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Song Ji-hyo in Goong (2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Song Ji-hyo in Goong (2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Song Ji-hyo in Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 1200px

Anna Tsuchiya, Song Ji-hyo’s Japanese look-alike? | Enlarge 1024px

27 Oct 2009

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: In case you’ve been wanting to buy any of these. They do have Jumong. I just ordered Goong/Palace. ^_^

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Hey, thanx! Actually, it’s a coincidence since I started downloading “Hana Yori Dango” last night. I even peeked at the first 5 minutes of rich kids and limousines, lol. Seems to be very “Ouran Host” like! Hey, I might’ve mentioned I already burned “Jumong” and “Goong” to disc. Oh man, “Jumong” was exactly what I was looking for to continue my “Damo”-style craving for ancient wartime dramas. Awesome, already up to episode 25 out of 81. Makes my nightly treadmill runs sooo much easier, lol.

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Oh, well, I have (most of) it burned, too. But it’s a good show, a fantastic production. And it was on sale. I kind of just wanted to support the distribution company, so they’ll keep licensing that sort of thing over here… By the way, when will you have a column again? I miss them… Speaking of columns, I missed my Girl G33k blog this week, because I ran off to get married. ^_^ I did get a Bento Bako out, though! I made an indirect reference to you, lol. You and your silly Moon Phase.

28 Oct 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Haha, Kris-chan, r u crazy? If I’m supposed to believe u got married, I’m also supposed to believe that u still needed to get your blogs and articles out? What kind of priorities do u have, hahaha. Yeah, Skip Beat is still on my list, but haven’t moved in that torrent direction yet. Though I do have a question: I’m planning to download the Korean “Boys Over Flowers” after I download the Japanese “Hana Yori Dango – Season 2″. Have u compared the two Asian versions yet?… Oh yeah, congratulations! I think… ^_^

P.S. Heyyy, Kris-chan, just finished “Goong” episode 1 last night. A little slow, but not bad… Now I see where “Jumong” got some of its locations and archery scenes from, haha. “Jumong” is way cooler, like “Goong” injected with a shot of “Lord of the Rings”, hehe.

29 Oct 2009

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Heh, well, my Bento Bako post I had been working on for over a month (along with the one going up next week). But yeah, I’ve been really busy with getting that together, and wedding crap, and haven’t been watching much anime lately…so I haven’t had anything to review anyway! I just finished the AIR movie though, so maybe I’ll get that up for next week. ^_^ My priorities are…well…. I mean, the wedding didn’t take much work, since it was really small. And I didn’t work on either website during the days we were gone. I did the Bento Bako post well before hand… I tried some Japanese food for the first time. Turns out I don’t like salted plum rice balls (when they say salted, they mean SALTED). I liked the curry sauce (it was actually kind of sweet in a way), and I LOVED the Tamago (egg omelet). I didn’t eat any sushi (I don’t like fish), but I did eat some veggie Maki-Zushi which was really delicious.

I was talking about the Skip Beat manga, lol, but the anime is good, too. I hope it gets another season. I thought there was going to be a live action from Taiwan but…I haven’t seen anything about it since I saw an announcement about it. I wonder if it was ever made, or if it’s going to be? Because I’m ready to drool over some hot Asians again… And I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about Boys Over Flowers; I haven’t seen the live action, or the anime, or anything. It’s certainly something I plan on getting to eventually, though. Just threw the anime on my Netflix list… Yeah, Goong is a little slow at times. It probably could have run a bit shorter and been OK. But the production value is so high, you tend to forget the pacing… I’ll get to Jumong someday, too. I was just way overwhelmed by the number of seasons and discs there were, so it will have to wait some time, until my Netflix clears up… And thank you! I mean, things don’t really feel any different, because we’ve been together for so long, and have been living together for 4 years or so. But now we can get a tax break. ^_^ How is your autumn of Autumn coming along?

30 Oct 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Happy Halloween!… Ah, no worries! After 5 years together, my ex and I had a small wedding too. In Vegas. Not as small, but small. Did u eat those onigiri correctly? Just teasing, but when I take a bite of rice, I only bite a little bit of the salted umeboshi to balance the rice. Little bit of umeboshi at a time, not all at once. Otherwise, saltiness can be too intense, hehe. Mmm, onigiri. Simple yet tasty. Especially when Autumn-chan makes them. Hmm, if not sushi, have you tried California rolls? Those are just as tasty too. Yeah, up to “Goong” episode 3. Still pretty slow. Especially when the characters are sleepy after their ceremony, lol. Well, I think the production value simply enhances what’s already there. In this case, it might actually enhance the slowness. Just as high production value would enhance the action in a action-based series. This might be bad advice, but if u downloaded or burned the first episode of “Jumong”, just watch the first 15 minutes to get a taste. Can’t hurt. Then u can drop it, continue, or do what u want after that. I won’t bother u again, lol. Ah, Autumn-chan. She’s been swamped by both work and classes, so I’ve been supporting her as much as I can, while trying not to be selfish with her limited time. Which can be frustrating. But understandable. Not just me, she thinks she’s selfish too. Eventually, when her last semester ends, she should be more free and flexible. Otherwise, we chat almost every night. Plus telling her “Osaki ni shitsureishimasu” (I’m finally pronouncing it to her standards) or telling each other “Oyasumi”. Which is always comforting… Haha, hot Asians… ^_^

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Yes, Happy Halloween! Will you be doing anything? I don’t know that we will, but I have a costume anyway, which I can just wear around the house, lol… No, no! I totally only took a little bite of the plum with some rice. I chewed it for a couple of seconds, then spit it out. It was VERY salty. The rice itself was salty too. I’ve had regular plums before, and I liked them. I guess something about the salt and the tartness of the plum just didn’t work for me… Isn’t a California roll sushi? What I basically mean is, I don’t like seafood… Well, I hope Goong doesn’t disappoint you! I’m afraid it will likely remain at that slow pace. It annoyed me on occasion, but it didn’t turn me off. I still really enjoyed it; it’s a lot better than most of the stuff on TV here, at least… Haha, no…I’m afraid to even glimpse at Jumong. If it’s that good, I might abandon everything else and just absorb myself in it, which would be bad, lol. So I’ll wait until I have the time to devote to it.

When Scott and I were first dating, I was still in college. We only saw each other on weekends. I would drive out to see him (we lived about 40 mins away in different cities) after classes on Friday, and stay until Sunday, then go back to school. I don’t think we talked just a whole whole lot during the week, because he worked all day, and I had classes, then homework, and sometimes theatre crap. So I get the being busy thing… What does “Osaki ni shiklajdiohjdisdi” mean? I’ve heard “Oyasumi” …that’s goodnight, right?… And yes, hot Asians! They make everything better. ^_^

31 Oct 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Konnichiwa, Kris-chan! Happy Hallow’s Eve! Still 11pm in Vegas. Nah, too dead tired to do any trick-or-treating. Instead, woke up early to help a software coworker at 9am study for her math exam (her last of several exams, applying to be a teacher when she leaves our company soon). Man, I can’t believe how much trigonometry, geometry, algebra, logarithms, statistics and calculus I still retain from high school Mathletes, AP Calculus and college, haha. Melanie and her friend Brad were shocked at how I could look at a graph, function or equation for 2-3 seconds and guess correctly. Several dozen problems for 3 hours. Flew by. My brain hasn’t been so math-fried in ages, lol. But enough about my math skills…

Maybe it wasn’t the best or typical onigiri? Who knows? Typically, California rolls are made with tasty crab meat. Mmm, unfortunately, I guess you wouldn’t really know. Ahh, seafood. I miss Red Lobster’s salmon and lobster… No worries, I’ll stick with “Goong” for now. While still mixing my Netflix’s of unfinished “Gundam Wing” and “Outlaw Star” along the way. Still treading to “Jumong” episode 27. So while it makes exercising fly by much easier, it never really drowns out all other shows or anime either, lol. I mean, I can ship you a disc copy of the first 12 episodes as an early Christmas present, if you’re willing? Somewhere in Texas, right? Free of charge.

Ah, yes, “oyasumi” is “good night”. A little bit different from “konbanwa” (also “good evening”). While “konbanwa” is more for greeting, “oyasumi (nasai)” is more for departure, like the end of the night, before going home or going to bed. Meanwhile, “osaki ni shitsurei shimasu” (“excuse me for leaving before you”) is typically said when leaving the office earlier than other coworkers. And their reply would be “otsukaresama deshita” (literally “you must be such a tired person!” but translated as “thanks for your hard work!”).

01 Nov 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: P.S. Well, I gave “Goong” another shot w episode 4. While the brotherly intrigue is getting deeper, I think it’s time to switch gears w “Hana Yori Dango” (Japanese version) anyway. Sorry. I’ll come back to it in 3-4 weeks (since “HYD” S1+S2 has 20 episodes plus a film)! ^_^

Kris-chan @xJAYMANx: Aaaaah! I hate math… I am SO terrible with numbers. It’s funny, because my mother is a math teacher, and my father is all into science (he’s a uh…chemical engineer maybe?), but I’m AWFUL with both subjects. I don’t remember any math from high school or college, and in HS, I went all the way up to AP Calculus, and was taking some Calc in college too (it was a class called uh…business math or something… it was the next one up from Algebra, and I had to take it). Much, much better with books (fortunately my boy is excellent with numbers). ^_^ But that’s awfully nice of you to help your coworker study.

Maybe the onigiri was off. Who knows… Anyway, totally against sea food here. Only fish I eat is tuna fish, out of a can, and mixed with boiled egg, relish, miracle whip, and a touch of mustard. I’ve thought about giving salmon a try, since I hear it’s very good for you. But there’s no way I’d eat it uncooked. Anyway, I had an opportunity to try new food, and I’ve been wanting to try Japanese for a while, so I ordered various things to taste. Scott hates that kind of food, so I can only ever order it in for myself… I’m sad you’re not enjoying Goong like I did. But I can’t deny its slow pacing. Haha, you don’t have to send me any Jumong! I promise I’ll get to it! It’s just that my Netflix currently has 426 DVDs in its queue. I’m going to start the Beserk anime tomorrow morning… By the way, been meaning to say, feel welcome to add me to your Facebook, Netflix, or whatever you’d like.

Oh! I’ve seen “osaki ni shitsurei shimasu” translated in manga and anime. Usually as “I’m leaving first.” It’s one of those funny sayings like “Please take care of me,” when a character visits someone else’s house. Unfortunately they don’t explain those sayings very well, so the cultural aspects sort of pass me by most of the time. I kind of just assume that the Japanese are exceedingly polite (which they do seem to be).

02 Nov 2009

xJAYMANx @Kris-chan: Thanx Kris-sensei, although I feel bad for Melanie since she didn’t take calculus or probabilities in high school. So she’ll have a really tough time, even if the passing grade is 50% of 50 questions… Ah, as a Filipino, I grew up on seafood. Mmmm. So it’s not a big leap to enjoy Japanese dishes… What?!? Umm, 426 in your Netflix queue? Actually, here’s an idea. In case the 81-episode “Jumong” is too large a main course, what about the earlier Korean TV drama “Damo” as a 14-episode appetizer? Many of the same historical, stylistic and cinematic themes are presented in it. And much quicker to enjoy, hehe. If you enjoy this Korean appetizer, you’ll definitely be ready for the full course, haha.

While I rarely check my Facebook or Netflix pages or friends, there’s nothing stopping you from adding me either. I have an inkling that you’ve already verified the existence of my accounts… Ahh, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of the Japanese culture. For me, after watching anime and Japanese drama on Jap-audio and Eng-subs, almost non-stop since 2006, you can’t help picking up the sayings and holidays and foods. Even the mentality. Both the good and bad. Both admirable and repulsive. Fortunately, it prepared me. As if I was meant to meet Autumn-chan. ^_^

P.S. Would you mind if I reprinted excerpts or entire sections of this email discussion in a future blog post? Anything I shouldn’t mention? That is, if I ever make another blog post, of course.

“Ja ne!”

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1024px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 700px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

Jumong (Korean Drama, 2006) | Enlarge 900px

LG ad featuring Song Il Gook from Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 900px

LG ad featuring Song Il Gook from Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 900px

LG ad featuring Song Il Gook from Jumong (2006) | Enlarge 900px

In fact, due to the overwhelming international success of “Jumong“, not only has Hawaii declared a “Song Il Gook Day”, “Jumong” is aired in Iran with ratings of 70-85%! Unreal. I’ll even make the following recommendation: If you only see one Korean drama in your lifetime, then let that drama be “Jumong”. I mean, if “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy was toned down in special effects, yet stretched out into a day-to-day yet emotionally-wrenching 81-episode epic odyssey, wouldn’t you watch it too?

So my Treasured Toyboxers, did you survive? Did you withstand the soul-smashing tsunami of spellbinding anime, American sci-fi, Hong Kong classics, Japanese comedies, and Korean epics? Did you digest the rock bands, canine menaces, cute costumes, and mouth-watering waves of food-food-food? Did you battle the unimaginably monstrous mega-cast equaling fifty or more mere-mortal posts? You did? Then I applaud your strength and stamina! Likewise, let’s thank the glorious girls who graced our gleaming mega-cast. Thank you, Maggie, Kate, Bliss, Melanie, Patti, Lisa, Alita, Hermes, Misaki Ito, Haruhi Fujioka, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, NaTasha, Haruhi Suzumiya, Song Ji-hyo, Anna Tsuchiya, Kris-chan, Duckie-chan, and of course, the adorable Autumn-chan.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Kozu-pii | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1400px

Greetings, my Fellow Toyboxers! Why? Why do I watch anime shows? And foreign films? Why? Because these forms of artistic entertainment always reminds me how there must be something “magical” or “supernatural” hidden within our everyday reality. If it can be “seen” or “imagined” in our creative minds, then it’s only one step away from being “touched” and “felt” in our physical world. New technologies. New languages. New relationships. New loves. New frames of mind and heart. So enough of this grand delusional monologue! Let’s strap-on our seat-belts and launch ourselves into a free-falling whirlpool of imaginations both tantalizing and terrifying, both mind-boggling and heart-stopping…

Part 1 of 5 > Crows, Prophecies & Revelations

Crows! Chasms! Castles! Chaos! Making up for my utter lack of speed-reviews last week, I’ll be sling-shooting no less than 4 anime speed-reviews plus 1 foreign-film speed-review for this week’s mighty 5-part mega-cast! Hopping from Japan to Germany to Turkey and every fictional city in between, lol. Yup, 4 anime titles, which brings my total to a blazing 26 completed anime titles-or-seasons this year! Nice! I’m already ahead of my 50-per-year pace, lol. Here are the titles: “Karas” [23], “Tales of the Abyss” [24], “Howl’s Moving Castle” [25], and “Chaos;Head” [26]. Well, let’s begin!

Karas – The Prophecy (2005) & The Revelation (2007) [23]. On 27 May 2009, I completed my 23rd anime title-or-season of the year. Due to the oddly-spaced nature of its releases, I watched the first 3 episodes about 1-3 years ago. But only watched the final 3 episodes a couple weeks ago. Yup, oddly released. Nonetheless, despite its lush 2D-to-3D animation, its enigmatic and powerful tale of spirits and battles still seemed to lack a heart. Or if it did have one, it failed to express it. No heart. No bond. No connection. Like a violent knight without a voice. Thus, 3 of 5 stars. In any case, here are a few images and wallpapers to transmit an electric taste of the story!

Here are a few scenes from “Karas – The Prophecy” (2005).

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

Here are a few wallpapers from “Karas – The Prophecy” (2005). Feel free to enlarge.

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge 1600px

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge 1600px

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge 1600px

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge 1280px

The Prophecy | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge 1280px

Next, here are a few scenes from “Karas – The Revelation” (2007).

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge

Finally, here’s a wallpaper from “Karas – The Revelation” (2007). Feel free to enlarge.

The Revelation | Karas (2005 & 2007) | Enlarge 1600px

Yeah, “Karas” felt quite “Batman”-esque indeed. Dark knights. Sad fates. Heartless souls. Hmm, Christian Bale wouldn’t mind starring in the live-action version (if there ever is one), would he? LOL.

Part 2 of 5 > Tales, Tears & Abysses

Hmm, I don’t quite remember how “Tales of the Abyss” leapt onto my list. But I suspect that Trendy Toyboxers such as Otaku Dan or Girl G33k probably mentioned it once or twice along my otakuspheric odysseys in the last few months, lol.

Tales of the Abyss (2008) [24]. On 30 May 2009, I completed my 24th anime title-or-season of the year. Based on the original PS2 videogame (2005) and animated by Sunrise, this colorful 26-episode odyssey of wild hair, wicked outfits and oversized weapons reminded me of the classic “Thundercats” (1985) as well as the epic “Code Geass – Lelouch of the Rebellion” (2006), another Sunrise production! Yup, a strange cocktail, but an impressive bit of storytelling nonetheless! The characters are multilayered. The relationships are complicated. And the identities are not always what they seem. Even the otherworldly pseudo-science is metaphorically understandable, lol. Unlike “Karas”, there’s a heartfelt and lyrical warmth that makes you want to follow their struggles through sand and snow. A brilliantly entertaining 5 of 5 stars! To celebrate, here are a few images and wallpapers to tickle your anime skin!

Here are a few PS2 and DVD covers for “Tales of the Abyss”.

PS2 (2005) | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 2200px

DVD Cover | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1000px

DVD Cover | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1000px

And here are a few wallpapers.

Luke | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Tear | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Guy | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Natalia | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Jade | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Anise | Tales of the Abyss (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Heyyy, if you’ve seen “Tale of the Abyss”, can you guess which character reflects me the most? Three seconds, 3, 2, 1. Got the answer? Jade Curtiss, of course! LOL, can you guess why?

Part 3 of 5 > Howls, Hearts & Castles

Speaking of Christian Bale from “Batman”, listen to this! Five years after its original release, I finally managed to watch Hayao Miyazaki-sensei’s classic fantasy film “Howl’s Moving Castle”. Finally, lol.

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) [25]. On 31 May 2009, I completed my 25th anime title-or-season of the year. I watched it for the first time with Japanese audio and English subs. Then two days later, on 02 June 2009, I watched it for the second time with the English dub, including Christian Bale as Howl, lol. And guess what? I decided to raise my initial 4 of 5 stars, to a full 5 of 5 stars! Yup, after familiarizing myself with such a richly-layered, steampunk-painted and magically-flavored world, my second viewing allowed me to enjoy the subtle details in Sophie’s elderly childishness and her newfound anachronistic wonderment, lol. Quite a surprise indeed! I mean, it finally makes sense that Madame Suliman was the one who turned the Prince into a Turnip, in an elaborate battle to capture Howl, right? Haha, a fantastical 5 of 5 stars indeed. In another celebration, here are a few “howling” images and scenes to warm your fiery starlit heart!

Here are a few images of “Howl’s Moving Castle” itself, lol.

Castle | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) | Enlarge 2000px

Castle | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) | Enlarge 1000px

Castle | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) | Enlarge 1400px

Here are a couple of high-resolution (1400px or higher) scenes.

Sophie | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) | Enlarge 1400px

Howl & Sophie | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) | Enlarge 2000px

Finally, here are a few scenes from the official Disney website.

Sophie | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Calcifer & Sophie | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Sophie & Howl | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Sophie & Howl | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Howl | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Sophie | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Sophie & Calcifer | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Heen | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Castle | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Haha, I guess it isn’t so wildly far-fetched for Christian Bale to move from this animated “Howl” to a live-action “Karas”, is it? Nooooo!

Part 4 of 5 > Dreams, Delusions & Chaos

Sliding from romantic dreams to raving delusions, we finally reach the psycho-maniacal main event! Yup, after stumbling across a couple of recent “Chaos;Head” reviews, including *Toyboxer* Girl G33k’s post “Chaos Head” (25 May 2009) and *Toyboxer* Aprilius20′s post “Chaos;Head: Delusion=Reality” (29 May 2009), I decided to chase my curiosity and take a blind peek. To be clear, I haven’t fully read their reviews yet. But in the past, I’ve tended to slightly-to-overly disagree with their perspectives, hehe. But that’s okay. That’s the beauty of artistic interpretations. The endless variety! Now enough of the back-story babble. Here’s my chaotic speed-review!

Chaos;Head (2008) [26]. On 07 June 2009, I completed my 26th anime title-or-season of the year. Based on the original visual novel (2008) and animated by Madhouse, this schizophrenic 12-episode spiral into hallucinatory madness reminded me of a skull-full of anime titles. Virtual pieces of “Persona – Trinity Soul” (2008), obsessive bits of “Ef – A Tale of Memories” (2007), psychotic shards of “Perfect Blue” (1997), as well as the blue-haired shades of “Evangelion” (1995). But if I had to pick two highly-colliding titles, I’d say this anime is a poorly-executed puddle of the sublimely-cyberpunk “Serial Experiments Lain” (1998) mixed with a grimly-diluted form of the romantic-comedy “Akikan” (2009). Yup, like mixing two of my favorite intense colors into one muddy mess. Especially when compared to the impressively high-quality shots from its original visual novel (see images below). In this light, the “Chaos;Head” anime could have attained the quality of the “Fate/Stay Night” (2006) anime. But it didn’t. Thus, a mediocre yet mildly provoking 3 of 5 stars. Not too bad. Luckily, here’s a striking collection of wallpapers, visual-novel scenes, and fan-made art to soothe your desperate illusions!

Here are a couple of high-resolution (1600px) wallpapers.

Rimi | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Rimi | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Here are 6 horizontal high-resolution (1600px) scenes from the visual novel. At least, based on the quality, I *believe* they’re from the visual novel.

Rimi | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Nanami | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Nanami | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Ayase | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Ayase | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Sena & Rimi | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Next, here are 8 vertical high-resolution (1200px or higher) scenes from the visual novel. Again, based on the quality, I *believe* they’re from the visual novel.

Sena | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1400px

Nanami | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1200px

Rimi | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1200px

Yua | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 2400px

Yua | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1200px

Kozu-pii | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1400px

Ayase | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1200px

Nanami | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1200px

Next, here are a couple of fan-vectored high-resolution (1600px or higher) wallpapers.

Seira & Taku | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Rimi | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Finally, here’s a huge-resolution (3300px or higher) wallpaper featuring the fictional 107 Building in Shibuya, followed by a 2006 photo of the real-world 109 Building in Shibuya, Tokyo. Haha, nice!

Girls of Chaos | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 3300px

109 Building in Shibuya, Tokyo (Jan 2006) | Chaos;Head (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Yup, Shibuya! Here’s one of my replies to Girl G33k’s “Chaos Head” post (25 May 2009).

As for Shibuya, that’s the notoriously infamous “shopping district” in Tokyo. The highest mecca of popular fashion, magnetic trends and superficial decadence, lol. In that light, I suppose it could be compared to “Hollywood & Vine” in LA or “The Strip” in Vegas… Don’t all apocalyptic nightmares occur in highly-populated intersections? LOL. ^_^

Well, don’t they all?

Part 5 of 5 > Suns, Moons & Stars in July

What? A live-action film? A German foreign film? Hey, why not? Actually, this film has probably been sitting in my Netflix.com rental queue for years! Maybe even *several* years! So when the rental DVD unexpectedly appeared in my mailbox, it was quite a surprise, lol. After all, to enjoy your favorite things (like anime), sometimes you need to take a refreshing and cleansing break from it, right? Hence, a randomly foreign film that caught my eye, all those years ago!

In July (Im Juli) (2000). On 06 June 2009, I finished the German romantic comedy “In July”. Hahaha, a geeky German physics teacher named Daniel (Moritz Bleibtreu) befriends a free-spirited street-vendor named Juli (Christiane Paul). But when Daniel meets a beautiful Turkish tourist named Melek and spontaneously decides to follow her from Hamburg to Istanbul, what does Juli do? Where does Juli go? To Istanbul, of course! Or doesn’t she? Doesn’t Daniel? I guess you’ll have to find out. Nonetheless, an amusingly charming and unpredictably sweet 4 of 5 stars! Awww.

Here are a couple of impromptu images, lol.

Christiane Paul | In July (Im Juli) (2000) | Enlarge

German Film Portal | In July (Im Juli) (2000) | Enlarge

Wow, I gotta say, actor Moritz Bleibtreu is impressive! In fact, I clearly remember his intensity from “Run Lola Run” (Lola rennt) (1998). But here, he’s even more impressive! Beyond that, it was hard not to fall in love with actress Christiane Paul, lol. Definitely.

Ah, magic! Did we remind ourselves of the “magical” or “supernatural” possibilities hidden within our everyday reality? Did we remember that we’re only one step away from “touching” and “feeling” those possibilities in our physical world? Realizing new frames of mind and heart. The grand illusion shifting into the grand reality. Or not, lol. In any case, let’s thank Tear-chan, Sophie-chan, Rimi-chan, Nanami-chan, Ayase-chan, Sena-chan, Yua-chan, Kozu-pii, Seira-chan, Juli and Christiane! Hmm, wait, how did the 3-star anime titles get the most images?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Speaking of July, here’s one coincidental post “Blog 145 > Vegas in July” (31 July 2008), which otherwise, has nothing to do with anything, hahaha. Well, except for “new frames of mind and heart”. I think?

Blog 145 | Vegas in July | Enlarge

Miyako, Kei & Chihiro | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

Hey, wake up! {Yawns} Come on, my Tyrannosaurus Toyboxers, it’s time to wake up from our Mimiland slumber! Because it’s time for another three-course, nope, five-course mega-cast meal! More boiling otaku-blog battles? Yes, indeed! More web-estimated analytical deconstructions? Well, sort of, lol. More spell-binding speed-reviews and screen-bursting wallpapers from the anime universe? Of course, there are! And more eye-opening snapshots of the real and fictional comedic worlds? Haha, we’ll see! Now there you have it. Let’s go and start the show!

Part 1 of 5 > Ongoing Otaku Outlook

Wow, another month has already passed by? You know what that means! Yup, another month of mindless blog battles, haha. Continuing our otaku coverage from last month’s Supercops mega-cast and previous month’s Assassins mega-cast, here’s the latest batch of estimated theoretical values in the otaku blogosphere.

First, focusing on the 10K-to-20K range, let’s begin with my Toybox at $11855 USD.

14 May | xJAYMANx & xJAYMANx_toybox

Above mine is the Angry Loli a.k.a. Mimi-chan at $12563 USD.

14 May | Angry Loli a.k.a. Mimi

However, last week, with her momentous move to a brand-new WordPress.org blog on a brand-new domain, let’s not forget Angry Mimi-chan at $1073 USD.

14 May | Angry Mimi

At last, leading this otaku wolf pack, let’s welcome the well-established photogenic blog Happy Soda a.k.a. Super Rats at $15760 USD. Can’t believe I missed this one for all of these months! But finally found someone more theoretically valuable than Angry Mimi-chan, lol.

14 May | Happy Soda a.k.a. Super Rats

Next, kilometers above this pack, within the stratospheric 250K-to-500K range, soars Danny Choo at $285232 USD.

14 May | Danny Choo

Yet soaring even higher than Danny’s blog is the skyrocketing Sankaku Complex at a mind-boggling $413749 USD.

14 May | Sankaku Complex

Wow. So what do all of these theoretical numbers mean? Well, like last time, hold onto your panties, and I’ll take a swaggering stab at it below!

Part 2 of 5 > Outlook, Analysis & Deconstruction

So here’s my swaggering analytical stab, dammit, lol. Once again, extending the graphs from my Supercops mega-post, I’ve reduced the “Sankaku Complex” and “Danny Choo” paths by a factor of 10, in order to fit them onto the same graphs with mere-mortal otaku-bloggers like us, haha. But as you can clearly see (enlarge if necessary), the last 30 days represented yet another slow month for otaku blogs in general. And once again, I’m still guessing that the season of final exams, as well as allergies and illnesses, dealt another low blow to bloggers and their readers.

With one major exception. Again. “Sankaku Complex” took another skyrocketing swing upward! I mean, take a closer look. “Sankaku Complex” is on a pace to *double* the theoretical value of “Danny Choo” in a few more months! Despite his advances in other diversified and commercial arenas, is “Danny Choo” rapidly losing his relevance within the penniless otaku blogosphere?

14 May | Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

Okay, let’s omit the “Sankaku Complex” and “Danny Choo” paths to get a closer view of the smaller mortal blogs. As I noted above, almost all of the otaku blogs across-the-board either stayed level or actually fell in value. Yet remarkably, not only “Happy Soda” but also “Angry Loli” (Mimi-chan) managed to enjoy a flourishing leap amidst a general receding trend! Congratulations!

14 May | Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

Good. Now let’s return our focus to “Angry Loli” and “Angry Mimi”. With Mimi-chan’s shift to a brand-new blog and domain, we should expect a steady drop in the theoretical value of “Angry Loli” as “Angry Mimi” steadily rises. Which explains why I’ve decided to insert an additional “Angry Both” path combining both values. Naturally, there’s an initial transitional jump as readers leap onto both blogs. But we should also expect that “double-counting” to dissipate over time.

So what can we look forward to next month? As academic finals end, will the general otaku-blogospheric recession slowly return to growth? Will “Sankaku Complex” finally double the theoretical value of “Danny Choo”? Will the theoretical value of “Angry Both”, combining “Angry Loli” and “Angry Mimi”, finally overtake “Happy Soda”?

Who knows? But stay tuned next time and I’ll tell ya!

Part 3 of 5 > Origins, Spirits & Pasts

Ah, enough of the otaku-blog battles! Let’s leap into the anime world. Yup, 3 more! In the last two weeks, I’ve managed to complete 3 more anime titles-or-seasons: “Ef – A Tale of Memories” [19], “Origin – Spirits of the Past” [20], and “Ef – A Tale of Melodies” [21]. Yes-yes, my Tumbling Toyboxers, a total of 21 completed anime titles-or-seasons in just over 5 1/2 months so far! Hehe, can I hit 50 anime by the end of the year?

Origin – Spirits of the Past (2006) [20]. Yeah, let’s skip to my “Origin” speed-review first. On 14 May, I completed my 20th anime title-or-season of the year. Full-length anime film (2006). Despite the unoriginal man-versus-nature concept, the refreshing scientific premise is terrifying. Moreover, despite the mediocre character designs, this mediocrity probably enhances the hypnotizing landscape and stunning mechanical designs! While it’s tough to pack a huge ecological story into such a short time-frame without becoming too Disney-esque, I think it still earns a solid 4 of 5 stars! Here are a few images and wallpapers to transmit a timeless taste of the film!

Here’s Agito and Toola.

Agito & Toola | Origin – Spirits of the Past (2006) | Enlarge 750px

The wallpaper version.

Agito & Toola | Origin – Spirits of the Past (2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Here’s Toola.

Toola | Origin – Spirits of the Past (2006) | Enlarge 700px

The wallpaper version.

Toola | Origin – Spirits of the Past (2006) | Enlarge 1280px

Finally, the DVD cover.

DVD Cover | Origin – Spirits of the Past (2006) | Enlarge 1600px

Not bad, eh? Oh yeah, here’s a little trick I do, hehe. If I feel myself falling behind in my 50-per-year anime pace, I throw a few full-length anime films into the mix. Because a title is a title, right? And two hours is much quicker to complete than one- or two-dozen half-hour episodes!

Part 4 of 5 > Euphoric Fields, Tales, Memories & Melodies

Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) [19] and Ef – A Tale of Melodies (2008) [21]. From 04 May to 14 May, I completed my 19th anime title-or-season of the year. Season 1 (2007) with 12 episodes. Then on 15 May (into late-night 3am of 16 May), I completed my 21st anime title-or-season of the year. Season 2 (2008) with another 12 episodes. Within one day! Incredible! Couldn’t stop watching it!

Created by Minori with familiar character designs by Nanao Naru (she’s also the character designer for the “Da Capo” series), both “Ef” (Euphoric Field) seasons together weave an elaborately-blended tapestry of stylishly terrifying psychological horror (reminiscent of “Petite Cossette“), stylishly wrenching multi-girl romance (reminiscent of “Da Capo“) and stylishly profound multi-generational bonds (reminiscent of “Air“). Did I mention the stylish perspectives, soft colors, harsh contrasts, heart-stopping abstracts and piano-laced moods? Okay, maybe I said “stylish” a bit too often, lol. I mean, there are several unrelenting scenes of utter despair and frantic desolation, as well as their fierce resolution, that could rival KyoAni scenes for the most memorable in anime history!

Wow. In the end, the 1st season earns a resounding 4 of 5 stars max for a half-season, while the 2nd season, when added to the 1st, deserves an unforgettable 5 of 5 stars max for a combined 24-episode full-season! Yup, these must be watched together like a continuous single season. Definitely. Euphorically. So to celebrate the “Ef” characters and their tales, here are few dozen medium-res (1280px) to high-res (1920px) wallpapers to demonstrate their vivid tapestry. And to show you how much I love them!

Let’s begin with the high-res (1920px and larger) wallpapers. As you scroll down, I gotta admit, I love the use of glowing moonlit-and-sunlit halos which outline the characters and enhance the mystical aura of the story!

Miyako, Kei & Chihiro | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

Cast of Ef | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 6000px

Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Gotta love the moonlit halo!

Mizuki, Chihiro & Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Girls of Ef | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Mizuki & Nagi | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Mizuki | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Gotta love the sunlit halo!

Mizuki & Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Here’s Yuko and Kei at 1920px, with text.

Yuko & Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Here’s Yuko and Kei at 1920px, without text.

Yuko & Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Here’s Yuko and Kei at 1600px, without text.

Yuko & Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Here’s Kei at 1920px.

Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Here’s Kei at 1600px.

Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Next, we come to the slightly-smaller (1600px) wallpapers. Here’s the cast at 1600 x 1200px.

Cast of Ef | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600x1200px

Here’s the cast at 1600 x 1000px.

Cast of Ef | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600x1000px

Yu & Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1680px

Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Hehe, I included a 1280px wallpaper here because this “Yuko” was so similar to the “Yuko” above.

Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Miyako | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Miyako | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Miyako | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Mizuki & Yu | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Finally, we come to the remaining medium-res (1280px) wallpapers. Do you love the style yet?

Mizuki | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Miyako, Kei & Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Miyako & Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Kei & Mizuki | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Miyako & Hiro | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Miyako | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Miyako & Hiro | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

Mizuki, Miyako & Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Chihiro & Renji | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Chihiro | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Chihiro & Renji | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

Oops, here’s a high-res (2000px) wallpaper in the style of the opening and closing credits!

Chihiro, Miyako & Kei | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

LOL, so was it stylish enough? Spell-binding enough? Screen-bursting enough? Along with “Kannagi” (2008) and “Clannad – After Story” (2008), both “Ef” seasons are two of my top faves I’ve seen this year!

Part 5 of 5 > You People, ProWerks & Possibilities

Okay, you people! Time to take a break from the anime world! And time to enter the real-fictional world, lol. Actually, it starts out pretty funny. Back in my Tasty Tales (04 May) mega-cast, Otaku Dan made an amusing comment about one of my laughing photos, lol, as follows.

Otaku Dan @ xJAYMANx: Congrats on your 200 post. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a TV host? It’s not too late to switch careers.

Haha, Otaku Dan made that comment on Wednesday, 06 May. But wait, coincidentally enough, the next day, on Thursday, 07 May, my coworker-friend Melanie called to tell me about a cool opportunity to be an extra in an indie film via her friend J.P.’s media company! What? A non-speaking Japanese or Asian businessman role? Hahaha, xJAYMANx, film extra?

Some of you already know the rest of the story, lol.

Understandably, Melanie didn’t know the details of the role. So she gave me the director’s business card, and I called him back. His name, Kelly Schwarze (IMDB). His company, ProWerks. The same company who video-edited for Melanie’s other friend and Muay Thai champion, Christine Toledo. But to cut a long story shorter, I agreed to meet Kelly the following afternoon of Friday, 08 May, to be the silent “stoic Asian businessman” for his upcoming indie comedy. Hahaha, in fact, here’s the Facebook link for “You People” (2010).

Stoic Asian businessman: “I am not amused.”

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Here’s the ProWerks website.

ProWerks Media Group | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Here’s the “You People” board game, lol.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

A-ha, that’s him. The tall guy on the far right. Director Kelly Schwarze.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Some of the cast and crew. I wasn’t there, lol.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

An office scene.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yet another.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Ahh, this is where my character (or lack thereof) finally appears, lol.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Is that Jeeves behind me?

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

When finally edited together, my character is supposed to be staring at this guy in the crazy work helmet, haha. Crazy, I say!

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

One of the actresses I haven’t met yet, lol.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Say “Cheese”! There’s Raquele in the top left in the black outfit. I met her on Monday, 11 May.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Awww. That’s Kelly’s wife, Charisma. She’s awesome! Not sure if her official title is Set Director or Assistant Director or Production Coordinator. LOL, or maybe all of them?

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Intense preparation.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Another office scene.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Preparing for a restaurant scene.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, returning as a “customer” extra in a few eating and walking shots, lol. Hey, I believe that’s Israel.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

The cool non-smiling pose.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Oh yeah, this is the Monday, 11 May, that I met Raquele. She’s hilarious and adorable too.

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Ah, just minding my own business in the back. Nothing to worry about!

On the Set | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Whew! While the Friday scene “at the office” was painless, no more than a half hour, the following Monday scenes “at the restaurant” were exhausting. Like Kelly said, a lot of “hurry up and wait”, lol. And that’s from about 5pm (after work) till 10pm. Thankfully, the deli food was awesome, the cast and crew were cool, the other extras were funny, and the experience was enlightening! I wouldn’t mind another visit at another location. Hehe, why not?

For more behind-the-scenes photos, here’s the Facebook link for “You People” (2010). So whattaya think, Otaku Dan? Is an indie-film extra similar enough to being a TV host?

Well-well, my Trusty Toyboxers, did you wake up from your Mimiland slumber? Did you enjoy yet another tasty five-course mega-meal! The boiling otaku-blog battles? The web-estimated analytical deconstructions? The spell-binding speed-reviews? The screen-bursting wallpapers? The eye-opening snapshots of the real and fictional comedic worlds? Hehe, of course, you did! Or you wouldn’t be reading this now! Let’s thank Angry Mimi-chan, Toola-chan, Miyako-chan, Kei-chan, Chihiro-chan, Yoko-chan, Mizuki-chan, as well as Melanie, Charisma and Raquele. Guys don’t count, lol. Didn’t you figure that out already?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Gotta love the sunlit halo!

Mizuki & Yuko | Ef – A Tale of Memories (2007) & Melodies (2008) | Enlarge 1920px

Ushio & Her Robot | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 1600px Wallpaper

Greetings, my Trusty Toyboxers! Welcome to another full-scale broadcast and fighter-bomber assault on your dried-up defenses, hehe. But seriously, this week, we take a wrong turn into the animated apocalypse of propagandized “pop anime”, otaku-oriented merchandising, scantily-clad “funimation”, ghostly cyber-digital memories, fiesty Filipina gals and tasty Vietnamese dishes, lol. No-no-no, not tasty gals and fiesty dishes! That was last week, haha. Plus, on top of all this, we’ve got a delicious inter-dimensional serving of high-res “Clannad” and “Clannad After Story” wallpapers! Who can ignore that? Well, enough of the irritating intro. It’s time for our five-part show to begin…

Part 1 of 5 > Propaganda, Pop Anime & Clannad

Pop Music. Huh? What’s “pop anime”? But first of all, before we tackle that, what do you think of “Top Forty” or “pop music“? What do you think of Britney Spears, Mylie Cyrus, and the talented yet mass-packaged stars of “American Idol”? Well, love them as uplifting performers or hate them as soul-less celebrities, they’re an undeniable force in popular culture. Because by definition, “pop music” is popular. Duh. And double duh, lol.

Propaganda. Secondly, according to Wikipedia, here’s the definition of “propaganda“.

“Propaganda is the dissemination of information aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people… Propaganda often presents facts selectively… or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.”

While anime as a whole may not have any clear political agenda, it may have a certain culturally-charged message in its storytelling. Cultural not political. And yet, doesn’t any culture have an embedded political composition?

Pop Anime. So what’s “pop anime”? It’s intriguing. In my brief Google searches, the term “pop anime” doesn’t seem to have any cultural or sociological definition. Not yet, lol. So I suppose I’ll take this moment to coin the term “pop anime” for the first time ever, hehe. Essentially, my definition parallels the Wikipedia definition of “pop music“.

“Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and a conventional structure… Lyrics in pop music are frequently about love, relationships and life experiences. The primary objectives of the pop music genre are audience enjoyment and commercial success.”

Similarly, here’s my newly-coined definition of “pop anime”.

“Pop anime” is the mainstream genre of Japanese animation which features stories about love, sexuality, romance, independence and overcoming personal obstacles, frequently targeting viewers and portraying characters of grade-school and high-school ages. These stories are often highlighted by bishoujo or bishonen characters, as well as a verbally or physically comedic style, rarely dealing with explicit violence or controversial political issues, but revolving around at least one of two central quests — the “quest for love or friendship” and the “quest to be the best”.

Pretty slick and straight-forward, eh? By this definition, “pop anime” would include everything from the long-running commercially-successful “quest” sagas such as “InuYasha”, “Naruto” and “Bleach”, to the shorter one-season “slice of life” comedies such as “Ichigo Mashimaro”, “Azumanga Daioh” and “Lucky Star”. Even “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” could be included. However, by this same definition, “pop anime” would *not* include the more psychologically, politically or violently charged titles of “Evangelion”, “Death Note”, “Code Geass”, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” and “Hellsing Ultimate”. Which makes perfect “pop” sense.

So where does the propaganda fit into the pop? Well, after reading Otaku Dan’s recent posts on the digital format war and the death of another anime magazine, the issues triggered old notions of merchandising, magazines and mnemonic devices I’d written about almost three years ago. In fact, I’ve included three of my articles below, hehe. Essentially, in our current economic climate, when money (or a lack thereof) determines the life and death of magazines and media formats, anime as a marketable and merchandisable industry can only survive in a few directions. One of those sustainable directions is as “pop anime”.

You know where I’m heading, don’t you? As anime gravitates more and more towards commercially-safe “pop anime”, the view of its own culture tends to get skewed. For good or for ill. In American “pop music”, songs seem to reflect an idealized (or demonized) view of life, love and relationships. And American pop performers are both loved and hated for it. Likewise, in Japanese “pop anime”, shows seem to reflect an idealized or supernatural view of Japanese life, love and relationships. One might say, this view has evolved to the point where social concerns, such as xenophobia, misogyny and pedophilia are not simply down-played or over-looked, but often portrayed in playful comedic terms. As if Japan never had a problem with foreigners, women or young girls. We continue to see an endless string of moe maids, kawaii catgirls and lolicon character designs. And anime is both loved and hated throughout the world for it. So while this animated form of entertainment may not be feeding any political battle, one could argue that “pop anime” may still represent a defensive form of propaganda in a cultural war against other gradually-imported cultures. How Japanese life *should* be. How the Japanese *should* live. But like I said, propaganda or not, intentional or not, superficial or not, that’s the definition of “popular”, isn’t it?

So do you love “pop anime”? Do you hate it? Or do you care at all?

Clannad After Story [11]. Having said that, I finally finished one of the most-perfectly-crafted “pop anime” series of all time. At least in my opinion, lol. The “Clannad” and “Clannad After Story” series! Yup, yesterday, I watched the 24th and final episode of “Clannad After Story”, completing my 11th anime-title-or-season of the year. Here’s my quick-and-easy speed-review.

Aww. Wow. Double-wow. Triple-wow. Such an incredibly awe-inspiring, breath-taking, heart-breaking and soul-warming ride, followed by a cute yet fateful flashback bonus-story, and concluded with a still-gripping recap finale. An ever-resounding 5 of 5 stars! My #1 anime title of the year thus far!

I mean, what else can I say? If you’ve seen it, you definitely know what I mean, hehe. Thus, in celebration of the final conclusion of “Clannad” and “Clannad After Story”, here are 11 high-res wallpapers for your otaku consumption, lol. Enjoy!

Ah, here’s the adorable female protagonist, Nagisa.

Nagisa | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 1000px Wallpaper

Here’s another more-dramatic angle, lol.

Nagisa | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 2000px Wallpaper

The five central girls of “Clannad”! Fuuko, Kotomi, Kyou, Nagisa and Tomoyo!

Girls of Clannad | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 2000px Wallpaper

Just three of the girls, lol. Kyou, Tomoyo and Nagisa!

Girls of Clannad | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 2000px Wallpaper

Now this wallpaper might be fan-made. But the detailed quality of the leaves, the haze and the shadows might point to the original studio artist.

Nagisa, Tomoya & Ushio | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 2000px Wallpaper

But here, the lower quality of the leaves, plus the footer signature clearly marks this wallpaper as fan-made, lol.

Nagisa & Tomoya | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 2000px Wallpaper

Wow, I love the detailed texture on the robot. Studio designed and drawn!

Ushio & Her Robot | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 1920px Wallpaper

Ah, another studio-textured masterpiece!

Ushio & Her Robot | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 1600px Wallpaper

But here, the simplicity of the robot reveals the fan-made, but beautifully-vectored, portrayal.

Ushio & Her Robot | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 1920px Wallpaper

Not quite sure about this one. Since the characters don’t quite look like themselves, hehe.

Nagisa, Little Ushio & Tomoya | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 1680px Wallpaper

Ah, no question about this final studio-detailed wallpaper. Simply breath-taking art.

Little Ushio & Fuuko | Clannad & Clannad After Story | Enlarge 2000px Wallpaper

That’s it! That’s the end of Part 1, folks! Now, as I mentioned above, here are three of the anime articles I wrote as a staff writer for the fan-based LasVegasOtaku.org Subarashii blog/zine. Sadly, while I joined in May 2006, LVO disbanded in July 2007. Awww, lol.

Part 2 of 5 > Otaku Merchandising: From Lucas to Vegas

24 October 2006

Fig. 1. May the Profits Be With You! Famous still from the original Star Wars (1977). Click to enlarge.

George Lucas. Whether you admire or avoid him, his name is inescapably tied to material consumption and consumerism. Specifically, by unconventionally acquiring the licensing rights to his original and earth-shatteringly successful Star Wars (1977) three decades ago (Fig. 1) — in a time when film studios held the narrow “could care less” belief that secondary spin-off publications or properties were never profitable — the soft-spoken and once-unknown filmmaker and his sudden skyrocketing fortune undeniably proved to them otherwise. Studios had no choice but to take notice. And as a result of his winning gamble, Lucas — whether accidentally or not — gave birth to a revolutionary new form of consumer industry, and is regarded by many as the pioneer of modern-day entertainment-driven merchandising. Ah yes, as a little kid, I still remember sleeping in my sky-blue Star Wars bedsheets!

Fig. 2. Viva Akihabara! One view of Tokyo’s Akihabara shopping district (2006). Fig. 3. Got Jedi? Star Wars and WWE action figures at Wal-Mart. Fig. 4. A Higher Power! Power Rangers action figures at Wal-Mart. Fig. 5. Figured It Out? Naruto and Tenjho Tenge figures at Borders. Fig. 6. Bearing Fruit! A Fullmetal Alchemist wall scroll and Fruits Basket plush doll at Borders. Fig. 7. Hitting the Books! Fruits Basket and InuYasha bookmarks at Borders. Fig. 8. Coastal Wave! A wide variety of wall scrolls, figures, plush dolls, and other goodies at Suncoast. Fig. 9. T-ing Off! Snakes on a Plane, Samurai Champloo, Fullmetal Alchemist and Trigun T-shirts at Suncoast. Fig. 10. Got the Munchies? Pocky, Pucca, and other snacks at Suncoast.

2006-2007. Three decades later, global merchandising shows no clear signs of stalling. On the contrary, while the free and ever-evolving internet exchange of digital files (MP3, AVI, etc.) may eat away at the conventional sales of DVD titles, CD soundtracks, and disc-based videogames, the industry continues to leap and bound in other branches. Bed sheets may be less common, but toys, models, action figures, dolls, posters, even T-shirts, keychains and cellphone accessories — based on successful and less-than-successful films, shows, tunes and games — have found their way into our everyday consciousness. One can find anything from LEGO Star Wars products to WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) toys to Lost (ABC TV) fan gear to Snakes on a Plane T-shirts, and everything in between! Tokyo, Japan. Consistently one of the top-two or top-three most-expensive cities in the world over the last two decades. The home of the largest most-recognized electronics-based megacorps — including Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic — on the globe. And the cutting-edge mecca of anything related to anime, manga, videogames and otaku culture as a whole. Focusing their consuming eyes and ears on Tokyo’s infamous Akihabara shopping district (Fig. 2), the rest of the otaku world waits in anticipation and jumps in enthusiasm at the latest offerings. In terms of merchandising beyond the standard products of disc deliverables (DVDs and CDs) and paper publications (manga and novels), the multi-billion-dollar otaku-entertainment market (as observed in the December 2004 paper by the Nomura Research Institute) further thrives on these aforementioned toys, models, action figures, dolls, posters, T-shirts, keychains, cellphone accessories, and anything else that’s marketable. For example, let’s take a look at three popular titles. First, the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime (1995-1996). Built upon this classic post-apocalyptic and psychological anime series, one Japanese “Evangelion Store” — http://www.evastore.jp/index.cgi — embraces a more adult-tailored, but nonetheless broad, spectrum of products. Not only does it offer T-shirts and 2007 calendars, but also PVC figures, 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles, white-and-red “NERV” coffee mugs, silver “Angel” rings and pendants, black-and-gold Zippo lighters with etched “Rei Ayanami” dog-tags, silver-and-red “EVA 02″ wristwatches, and even “EVA 01″ bikes! Next, the Fruits Basket manga (1999-ongoing) and anime (2001). Revolving around this endearing mystery-laced and zodiac-based story, the “Fruits Basket Store” at FUNimation‘s Z-Store — http://everything.zstore.com/fruitsbasket.cfm — takes a younger, more school-kid-oriented approach, displaying not only buttons, posters, wall scrolls, T-shirts and 2007 calendars, but also cellphone straps, PVC keychains, Velcro wallets, Bobble Heads of “Tohru”, “Shigure” and “Yuki”,