xJAYMANx_toybox > Never forget how to play... » Sankaku Complex http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx Never forget how to play... Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:06:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Blog 216 > Time to Embrace, Rock or Die http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/01/blog-216-time-to-embrace-rock-or-die/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/01/blog-216-time-to-embrace-rock-or-die/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:15:09 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=4246

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


Part 1 of 5 > Time for Another Otaku Outlook

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

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

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

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

 

Part 2 of 5 > Time to Read or Die

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Part 3 of 5 > Time Traveler’s Wife

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another magical moment between Clare and Henry.

Here’s a close-up view.

A wallpaper version.

Another wallpaper version.

A more heart-breaking wallpaper.

Finally, a wallpaper version of my favorite poster above.

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

 

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

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

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

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

Not even some semblance of gravy paste?

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

Faster than a speeding gullet!

Heyyy, watch where you point that thing!

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

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

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

Umm, “heading” into some trouble?

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

Okay, who’s making sense?

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

Where were we “heading” again?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

A decadently tempting close-up!

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

Umm, yeah, not bad…

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

Come here, Guiness. Wanna taste?

Come a little closer!

Here ya go. Come on.

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

Mmm. See that? Mmm, mmm, tasty!

Come on, Guiness… Bahhh, I give up.

What? Not even the chocolate crumbs?

Ahh, there you go! Finally!

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

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

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

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

Ah, see Guiness stretch.

See Guiness snore.

See Guiness fart. Ewww, lol.

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

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

“Trinity” rocking the drums!

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

A reverse angle.

Another reverse angle.

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

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

Let’s try it again!

“Trinity” rocking the mic once more!

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

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

 

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

Fair enough? Foul enough?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

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

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/09/01/blog-216-time-to-embrace-rock-or-die/feed/ 27 Blog 211 > Moe, Watchmen & You People http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/21/blog-211-moe-watchmen-you-people/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/21/blog-211-moe-watchmen-you-people/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:05:06 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3689

Hello-hello! Welcome back, folks, friends, and fellow Toyboxers! Are we there yet? Is it time for another weekly mega-odyssey into medieval mayhem? Of course, why else would we be here? This week, our mega-cast catapults us into the far-reaching heights of the blogging otakusphere, ricochets through the wildfiery depths of the watchful anti-hero underground, and crash-lands into a rowdy crowd of indie-film partiers. Yeah, just another normal week, lol. What else is new? So sit back, relax, crack open a can, and let our broadcast take control…


Part 1 of 5 > Moe, Otaku Outlook & Featured Posts of the Week

Otaku Outlook. Moe! Otaku! Posts! First of all, let’s start the show with our latest look at the otaku blogosphere. If you’ve been following the “otaku blog battles” for the last few months, you should be somewhat familiar with the general trends flowing since April’s Supercops (Blog 198, Part 1) to May’s Tales (Blog 202, Parts 1-2) to June’s Angels (Blog 207, Part 7) mega-cast. Consequently, here’s the latest “otakuspheric” batch of estimated theoretical values, according to Website Outlook.

As you can easily see in the first chart, “Sankaku Complex” yet again continues to mega-shred the otakusphere while “Danny Choo” continues to float weightlessly in a pilot-less Gundam, lol. Feel free to enlarge the chart. While it’s taking longer than anticipated, my Tales (May 2009) question still remains: Will “Sankaku Complex” finally double the theoretical value of “Danny Choo”?

Okay, as always, let’s omit the “Sankaku Complex” and “Danny Choo” paths to get a closer view of the smaller mortal blogs. Again, feel free to enlarge. Luckily, it looks like almost all of the otaku blogs across-the-board have either stayed level or rose in value. Yup, I think we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief, lol. Based on these specific trajectories, the overall otakusphere seems to be generally stable, if not healthy. Congratulations! With special congrats to “Happy Soda” who still manages to reign the theoretical $10K-to-20K range!

Ah, now let’s focus on the theoretical $0K-to-3K range. Do you remember who won our little “race” last month? Yup, Duckie-chan won, lol. So who’s our theoretical $0K-to-3K winner this month? Well, if we can trust Website Outlook, our winner is: Coco-chan! Congratulations, Coco-chan! Like with Duckie-chan, we don’t know what prize you’ve actually won, but we’ll figure it out eventually, lol.

Remember, my Titanic Toyboxers, once your otaku-blog exceeds an estimated worth of $3K, it no longer qualifies for this little “race”. Just to keep it interesting, hehe. So there it is. Good luck, next month! Now from our general otaku outlook, let’s leap to “moe”.

 

Japanese Moe. Moe! Otaku! Posts! Second of all, what does the Japanese term moe mean? Here’s one definition according to Wikipedia.

Moe (/mo.e/, pronounced “mo-eh” literally “budding”, as with a plant) is a Japanese slang word originally referring to a strong interest in particular types of character in video games or anime and manga. For example, meganekko-moe, “glasses-girl moe“, describes a person who is attracted to fictional characters with eyeglasses. “Moe!” is also used within anime fandom as an interjection referring to a character the speaker considers to be a moekko. It is even used in some anime, such as Ouran High School Host Club, Ai Kora, Lucky Star, Kaichou-wa Maid-sama!, and K-On!. There are various interpretations of what moe is today. Joseph L. Dela Pena argues that moe is a pure, protective feeling towards a character.

Hmm, what does the term mean to me? To me, to restate the above definition in my own words, “moe” can be likened to the word “cute”, especially as it applies to cute girls. But perhaps a fonder, more emotional or more protective form of “cute”. Something like that, lol. So why am I bringing up the term “moe”? Well, we’ll see in the following featured posts of the week!

 

Featured Otaku. Moe! Otaku! Posts! Wow, it’s been a while since my last “Featured Otaku Posts of the Week”! Well, the wait is over, hehe. Here’s my latest batch of “Featured Otaku” since April’s Supercops (Blog 198, Part 4), May’s Redheads (Blog 201, Part 1) and Succubi (Blog 203, Part 2), and June’s Shikaku (Blog 204, Part 1).

Let’s begin with Otaku Dan’s post “The Anime That Defines The Decade” (14 July 2009).

So what was Otaku Dan’s ultimate choice? Sadly, he chose “Gurren Lagann” (5 of 5 stars), lol. Not that it’s a bad anime. In fact, it’s a great one. But it’s not quite one that “defined the decade”. Inevitably, alternative choices flooded the scene. Here’s a couple by the notoriously Angry Mimi-chan.

Mimi: It definitely has to be “Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu”. Haruhi changed the anime world so much, in so many ways. Haruhi was the first to start the online (and everywhere else) dance trend, which now continues on in other anime. She brought tsundere to a different level, and started a religion.

My runner up would be “Code Geass”, which brought Nietzsche and every other type of philosophy into an anime that had sex-appeal, mecha, comedy, and strategy. CLAMP = geniuses.

While Angry Mimi-chan’s choices of “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” (4 of 5 stars max for a short season) and “Code Geass” (5 of 5 stars) are both outstanding contenders, I have to disagree. I mean, “outstanding” isn’t necessary the same as “defining”. Although “Haruhi” undeniably comes close! Alas, here’s my choice.

xJAYMANx: @Densha-Dan: Great question. Although I think you missed the mark. “Gundam” is obviously a contender alongside “Mazinger” for the 70′s. But clearly, mecha ruled. Next, while the film “Akira” definitely caught American audiences, can’t forget the “Robotech” series for that same reason in the 80′s. Ah, then the 90′s saw the likes of Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), Hideaki Anno (Evangelion), and Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicaa), so any of their masterpieces could qualify, lol. At this point, it wasn’t simply mecha anymore, lol. But for the 00′s? That’s pretty tough. Was there truly a masterpiece?

Well, if a studio ruled above all else, it would probably be Kyoto Animation. Not only with their “Haruhi”, “Lucky Star”, “Air” and “Kanon” hits, but probably their flagship series “Clannad” as well. Not mecha at all! But rather, based on a dating-sim visual novel. And if any genre defined the 00′s, it wasn’t mecha-related. Alas, if the growth of “Sankaku Complex” is any indication, it would probably be related to moe, an eroge, or a dating-sim, wouldn’t it? In that light, “Clannad” takes the title of “Anime That Defined the Decade”. A decade of moe, eroge and girls-girls-girls, lol. So far.

So what do you think? Does “Clannad” (5 of 5 stars) define the “moe and eroge” decade?

Next, let’s visit Angry Mimi-chan’s post “80% Akiyama Mio Cosplay Goodness” (14 July 2009).

While it isn’t a terribly intellectual post, it’s still a rather adorable one. Oops, I meant “moe”, lol. Here’s our brief exchange. Including my goofy final pun on the “K-On!” ending-theme song.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Heyyy, here’s my 80% congrats!… Honestly, I agree with a couple of comments above. You look like a different girl each-and-every post, especially from each-and-every angle, lol. Boggling. >_<;

Mimi: Thanks!! Yeah I’m tired of looking different :’P Am trying to take better pics recently. ^^;;;

Btw i stored all of my figures, including Haruhi, in my basement ^^;;;;;;;;;;; which is why THAT post is taking sooooo long ;_____;

Stupid lazy me…

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Awww… “Please don’t say you are lazy”, lol.

Next comes Angry Mimi-chan’s post “If You Were a Girl For a Day” (14 July 2009).

Hahaha, while the topic isn’t shockingly new, it’s still definitely one of the more mind-boggling (and body-boggling) questions: What would you do if you were the opposite gender for a day?

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: LOL, ummm, let’s see… (1) Hire you for some wardrobe advice, then (2) walk into a bar of hot lesbians?

Mimi: Oh i forgot you’d still be attracted to females ^^;

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Haha, interesting point! Would my attraction change for a day too? Gahhh. >o<;

Altair.Hashan: so then when u turn back does it make you gay if you slept with a man? xP

Mimi: lol i don’t think so since you were a girl..

xJAYMANx: That’s why it’d be “safer” to find hot lesbians, lol.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: So now, I think it’s time to turn it around… What would you do if *you* were a guy for a day? Don’t hold back, lol. ^_~

Mimi: I’d win a piano competition and experience the sheer joy of being a man for a day ^^ … nahh I’d just masturbate all day ^^;

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Awww, lol, that’s it? All day? I mean, I can name a couple things that’d probably feel better than that, lol.

Hahaha, next is Angry Mimi-chan’s post “Angry Mimi Dot Com 1st Birthday (+ Q&A)” (17 July 2009).

Congrats, Angry Mimi-chan! Although technically, while your original “Angry Loli @ Blogger” blog was created one year ago, your current WordPress-based “Angry Mimi Dot Com” hasn’t reached one year yet. Just an observation, lol. And now the “Question and Answer” session.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Oops, I better add that note to your “Mimi’s Rage” Facebook group! But rest assured, for the past year, you’ve been one of the livelier colors in the otakuspheric rainbow. Awww. So let’s see. Questions, questions, questions…

1> If you traveled faster than the speed of sound and approached the speed of light, would Mozart’s “Requiem” still be an auditory masterpiece? Why or why not?

2> If a composer could mathematically translate the human genetic code into a symphony of music notes, would that symphony be a masterpiece? Why or why not?

3> If your blog had never survived the first 6 months, where would you be, and what would be doing, right now? If one isn’t satisfactory, then the three most probable outcomes, lol.

Mimi: Oh eff I have to leave seriously right now so uhm Jay those are too confusing I don’t like comprehend fast enough >.< K see you next week. I really have to go (to a far away place for some fun business that’s a secret but will tell when the time comes). : P

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Heyyy, no worries. Though a “confused” answer would’ve been just as illuminating and amusing as a “comprehending” one, lol. Good luck on your secret-spy trip! ^_~

Mimi: Ok Jay here are my attempts!

1) Uhh sure, although I have no clue what Mozart’s Requiem sounds like because I’m less musically adept. :’D

2) Yeah it would, cuz it would be quite popular.

3) Hmm. 1. On Nico Nico Douga. 2. On SanCom. 3. On DC.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Hehe, nice!

1> Clue: Ahh, but would you still be able to enjoy music if you traveled faster than music? Double clue: If a tree falls in a forest, yada yada, lol.

2> Really? Isn’t it possible that our “human genetic symphony” might sound like an insane “Nico Nico Douga” video? Nooooo! ^o^

3> So basically, no change, haha. >_<;

Confused yet? Hahaha, finally, here’s Angry Mimi-chan’s post “Angry Mimi Signs” (18 July 2009).

Of course, I couldn’t resist a good musical challenge! After a few listens to Angry Mimi-chan’s masterful piano performance, I wandered a bit through YouTube to try to confirm my suspicions, lol. While I felt good about the composer, I couldn’t verify the exact piece. So I had to go with my gut below!

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Hmmm, intriguing game! Will you collect responses before approving them? Or will you let other commenters see previous guesses? Whoa, I gotta admit, when I heard the 2nd half of this “mystery piece”, certain themes felt like Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2! Very similar!

So based on my limited knowledge, I’ll guess Liszt. If I had to guess further, it’s probably one of the 19 Rhapsodies? ^_~;

To my surprise, since she hadn’t moderated my comment as other comments appeared, I must’ve guessed right! Right?

Mimi: We actually have one winner so far. Just fyi.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: {Innocent eyes, feigned surprise} Whoa! What? So soon?

Mimi: Someone here is quite musically adept. ^^ I’m surprised.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: {Tilted head, raised eyebrow} Hehe, I wouldn’t know. But I probably wouldn’t be surprised who the “angry influence” is.

Mimi: Haha.. wait, really? O.o

Mimi: To the person who got it right.. I still can’t believe it. If I hadn’t learned this piece, I never would’ve guessed THAT closely to the actual piece. That was so seriously close! :’O!!

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: LOL, why? I thought you were the virtuoso. Must’ve been a “perfect storm” of passion, perception and coincidence.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Hahaha, okay, you don’t have to moderate this comment yet either, since I can see that my first one is still being held, lol. But it’s a pretty winding and amusing story. The 1st seed was back in January when you were trying out for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. I mean, I played some piano as a teen. But somehow I found myself analyzing your “Waldstein” piece, lol. The 2nd seed was probably in April. I don’t know how, whether it was random YouTube searches, or if you mentioned Liszt in your blog posts, but something made me add “Hungary Rhapsody #2″ to my Pandora.com Radio Stations on April 7th, haha. Shortly thereafter, I watched the YouTube Symphony Orchestra performed on April 15-16th. Then the following week, you mentioned Liszt in your April 22nd post “Why why why do you blog?”. So it’s possible that you might’ve mentioned Liszt earlier, between January and April. In any case, it stuck in my brain that he was one of your favorite composers, lol. But here’s the funny thing, when I heard “Hungary Rhapsody #2″ again, it was something I already recognized as a kid! One of those old Looney Tune cartoons with Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry where the occasional story revolved around classical music. But I never knew what it was called or who composed it. I mean, I haven’t listened to classical music in years. At least, not regularly, not since college. Until earlier this year, lol… In other words, if you had never tried out for the YouTube Orchestra, I never would’ve guessed who wrote this “mystery piece”. Hahaha, such a strange world.

Then finally, in Angry Mimi-chan’s next-day post “All Your Mudkips Are Belong To Me! A Mudkip Miracle” (19 July 2009), she announced the winners.

P.S. The winners are Jay and unellmay who both guessed “Franz Liszt.” Jay was closer than even I would have been had I never learned that piece, with a more-specific guess of “Hungarian Rhapsody #2.” I’m impressed beyond words. Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Fantasy (or Fantasy on Hungarian Themes) is actually based on a Hungarian Rhapsody. :’O!! So there you go. Congrats you two! ^__^

P.P.S. I’m gone this entire week but will be back on Sunday to make signs and throw some PMS into this blog.

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Gahhh, so damn close I could taste it. And thanx! Yeah, I was hoping it was one of the later “Hungarian Rhapsodies”, but I’d definitely welcome a sign based on a “Hungarian Fantasy”. Who wouldn’t? Especially if it resembles your top “80% Mio” pic, lol. Mudkips and PMS not included.

Whew. That was a mega-ton of Japanese moe, Hungarian music, and Angry Mimi-chan! But enough about anime and otaku, let’s hyper-leap from angry teens to aging anti-heroes, lol.

 

Part 2 of 5 > Watchmen – 2007 Flashback

Ahh, “Watchmen”. Before we dive into the 2009 film, let’s flashback to my ancient mini-cast “Blog 115 > Who Watches the Watchmen?” (28 October 2007). Here’s one of the first posters that appeared back in 2007.

Here’s what I wrote back then.

Wow. A couple months ago, on August 26th, 2007, an email subscription sent me an eye-popping article on the “Watchmen” movie coming in 2009! For those of you who know the title, you know what I mean! … When I first read the award-winning “Watchmen” comic back around ’87-’89, I was immediately drawn in and amazed by the violence, psychology and complexity of a world where superheroes grew middle-aged and cynical. Not only that, but the symbolism — especially of the watch — within the comic and how frames seemed to meld from one to the next definitely made an impression on me. I think this was the first time I was exposed to such darkness in comics, manga or anime. And coming in 2009, I new “Watchmen” CG film will hope to live up to the highest expectations!… Below, here are 6 photos of the old “Watchmen” comic I’ve kept since high-school…

Awesome, huh? Here are the 6 photos I mentioned.

Ten to midnight!

A peek at Chapter IV.

Four to midnight!

A peek at Chapter IX.

Another bloody angle.

Now that we’ve flashed back for a tangy taste of the “Watchmen” past, let’s flash forward for a spicier spoon of the “Watchmen” present, lol. Are you ready?

 

Part 3 of 5 > Watchmen – 2009 Film

Like I mentioned above, I’ve known about the oncoming “Watchmen” (2009) film since 2007. Then in March 2009, it finally premiered. Well, just a little over a week ago, on Sunday, 12 July 2009, I finally found the time to watch it! And guess what? It’s freakin’ good! Once again, I was “amazed by the violence, psychology and complexity of a world where superheroes grew middle-aged and cynical”. If I had never read the original comic, I’d definitely give this film at least 3 of 5 stars, if not 4 of 5 stars (which is my “official” rating, hehe). But having actually read the comic, this faithful film also deserves 5 of 5 stars in the eyes of its comic-book fans! An outstanding and blazing adaptation! To celebrate its epic anti-heroic glory, here are over 30 of the “biggest and baddest” high-res posters, wallpapers, and other images from the “Watchmen” film. Be warned! And enjoy!

Ah, one of the signature scenes from the comic and film.

An early poster of the intense cast.

The international poster at 5800px. Notice the muscular enhancement of Dr. Manhattan?

Next, the Spanish version. Quien vigila? (Who’s watching?)

A lone mask in an unmasked city. At 5500px.

Another version of the city. Notice the replaced “elephant” blimp?

The Romanian poster. The same unmasked city. The same intense cast.

The music album cover. Again, Dr. Manhattan is slightly different from the above.

An awesome up-close IMAX version.

The stunning cover of “Entertainment Weekly”.

Next, here are some vivid 3600px snapshots of the individual characters. The Comedian.

Rorschach.

Nite Owl.

Silk Spectre.

Dr. Manhattan.

Ozymandias.

Next, here are some intense 1920px wallpapers of the cast. Again, the Comedian.

Rorschach.

Nite Owl.

Silk Spectre.

Dr. Manhattan.

Ozymandias.

Haha, even more 1920px wallpapers of the cast. The Comedian at war.

Rorschach on the street.

Nite Owl under the ground.

Silk Spectre under fire.

Dr. Manhattan on Mars.

Ozymandias in the sky.

Finally, some memorable stills from the film. The Comedian is not laughing.

Rorschach has had enough.

The Minutemen in their prime. Decades before evolving into the Watchmen.

Wow, and there you have it! A spicy sample of the intensely multi-layered comic-book film. Next, let’s swoop upon the seafaring “story within the story” within the “Watchmen” world. Do you get seasick?

 

Part 4 of 5 > Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter

So do you get seasick? Haha, whether you do or don’t, we’re not done with the “Watchmen” world just yet! In fact, on Tuesday, 14 July 2009, just a couple days after watching the film, J85-man left a couple of “Watchmen” comments on my Keion (Blog 209) mega-cast, mentioning the “Black Freighter” as follows.

Jusuchin85: @ Jayman: Well, it does follow the graphic novel intensely (minus The Black Freighter story; that was released on BR and DVD days after the premiere). The only difference is the ending. So, apart from that (despite the ending), it really did stick to its customary conspiracy theories. Really a sight to watch!

Jusuchin85: @ Jayman: The film covered every arc perfectly. I think the same way as you. When I watched the movie, I realised that some aspects have to be adjusted to cater for the modern logical sense. Then again, they should make the whole destruction much more…futile. I remember reading the graphic novel, and upon reaching the end, I was having the “Oh shi… That is UBER destruction on a wide scale!” expression. Yeah, they should have done that. But nothing’s perfect, right? It’s still impressive in my books!

Have you watched “The Black Freighter” already?

Well, after reading his comments, I downloaded and watched the “Tales of the Black Freighter” that same night, haha. While the animated feature can never be as impressive as the film, it’s still a grotesquely mesmerizing tale, and a revealing backdrop for the “Watchmen” universe, earning a twisted 3 of 5 stars. To celebrate, here are a few snapshots from the feature.

Of course, I haven’t forgotten my fake captions, lol.

Tales? Plural? Maybe just one tale, lol. Should’ve been “Tale of the Death Loli”.

Sea Captain: “Nooo! My ship! I must survive! I must find the Death Loli!”

Sea Captain: “Why has the Death Loli forsaken me?”

Sea Captain: “Sorry, my dead friends. I must make haste!”

Dead Friend: “Find the Death Loli! Find her for us!”

Sea Captain: “Ugh. The birds. The smell. The Death Loli taunts me.”

Sea Captain: “But I shall survive her Death Game.”

Sea Captain: “I shall survive her Death Game even at the cost of everyone else.”

Sea Captain: “Death Loli! I am here!”

Sea Captain: “Death Loli! Where are you?”

Sea Captain: “Dammit! Where’s the Phantom of the Opera when you need him?”

Haha, did you enjoy the fake Death Captions? Ahh, of course you did! Especially you, Kris-chan, since I know you “loved” Gerard Butler as the Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera” (2004), hehe. I think your exact comments on my Angels (Blog 207) mega-cast went something like this.

Kris: I’ve even seen the disastrous movie-musical version they did a bit ago. It was HORRID, but I saw it. I was in agony the entire time though. Gerard Butler should never EVER sing EVER again. The girl (Emmy Rossum) wasn’t impressive either. Actually, Butler should just stay out of movies (and theatre) all together.

Kris: Anyway, I was not entertained by the Phantom film. The singing was atrocious. Some of the set designs were absurd. They threw out Maria Bjornson’s gorgeous and brilliant costume designs from the Masquerade scene and replaced them with these horridly bland gold and white messes. And Butler’s makeup design was pathetic (too concerned with him still being “pretty” I guess). I spent the entire film rolling my eyes and shouting at the TV in anger.

Now, Kris-chan, you didn’t have to hold back, did you? LOL. ^_~

 

Part 5 of 5 > You People – Revisited – Part 3

Heyyy, you people! Yup, yet another wacky episode in the life of filming “You People” (2010). Continuing the “You People” saga from my Tales (Blog 202) and Gravure (Blog 208) mega-casts, here’s our latest batch of random snapshots, lol.

First, here’s another handful of still photos from 17 June 2009. Yup, Charisma finally found time to post them on Facebook, hehe. In the foreground, that’s Kelly the director, also known as Charisma’s husband. A quick rehearsal, lol.

Remembering what I have to do!

Waiting for the director’s instructions.

Removing my distracting cell phone, lol.

Ah, preparing for the scene. Random pose?

Staying out of their way, haha.

Then one month later, on 18 July 2009, the “You People” wrap party over the weekend!

Yup, my half-hour drive begins. Beautiful 7pm sky!

Haha, “You People” the cake!

Yup, you got it. The “Race Card” and “Reality Check”, lol.

Another angle of the impressive icing!

The party is under way!

Some food…

Some conversation…

Some cheese burgers. Some macaroni and cheese…

My clever mac-and-cheeseburger! Although you can’t really see the macaroni smashed in my burger, lol.

More conversation…

More food…

More burgers. More hot dogs. More slabs of pork!

Another view of the stacks of meat, lol.

Everyone involved in the film, everyone I met, was nice.

Yup, the cast, the crew, the extras, friends and family, even the dogs, lol.

The stacks of meat continue to grow!

But if the stacks of meat weren’t enough, here’s some dessert.

Oops, almost forgot the apple pie back there.

Ah yes, “You People”, the Game of Stereotypes!

Midway through the party, time for the “You People” bloopers! A full half-hour of bloopers, lol.

Setting it up.

Still setting it up.

Yup, still setting it up.

Introducing it.

Still introducing it.

Kelly the director still finding his seat.

A-ha! Ready to begin the show!

I think this dog’s name is Abby?

Abby searching for food?

Kelly shaking hands with Will, the robe-wearing star of the comedy film.

Clearly, Kelly is having a heck of a time, haha.

Ah, Mark setting up the “Rock Band” drums for Logan.

Is John Paul ready to go already?

Kelly’s wife, Charisma, is starting to look tired.

Yup, definitely tired, haha.

Trying to look cool with the “Rock Band” guitar.

Clearly, Charisma is an expert blur-ographer. At least, tell me when!

Again, such expert blur-ography! Please tell me when!

Luckily and finally, Charisma manages to take a clear snapshot. Goofy but clear.

This time, it’s Charisma’s turn to be goofy, lol. Hey, Logan, where are ya going?

Yup, the inevitable mirror shot.

Umm, upon closer inspection, Charisma is indubitably tired. Nuff sed, lol.

What? Logan is still awake?

I must admit, the “You People” wrap party was fun after all! After the delicious plates and hilarious bloopers, I managed to play some “Rock Band” with Charisma and Logan. Charisma stayed for only a few songs, including my signature vocals for “Sex Type Thing” by Stone Temple Pilots, hehe. But afterward, Logan and I rocked out for the next 10-to-12 tracks, including songs by Blink-182, Flyleaf, Garbage, Nirvana and The Police. Although Logan took the microphone, it didn’t stop me from singing along too! In fact, if I had worn a headset-mic, I might’ve beat the vocals-plus-guitar for a few of those tracks. After an hour or hour-and-a-half, my throat felt raw! And at 12:30am, I finally hugged and waved my good-byes, lol.

 

Damn, yet again, that was fast and furious! Yet another weekly mega-odyssey into medieval mayhem ends in a flash. Another mega-cast catapults us into the far-reaching heights of the blogging otakusphere, ricochets through the wildfiery depths of the watchful anti-hero underground, and crash-lands into a rowdy crowd of indie-film partiers. So once again, thank you. Of course, let’s not forget to thank the glowing guest-starring gals who graced our mega-cast! Thank you, Duckie-chan, Coco-chan, Mimi-chan, Kris-chan, Haruhi-chan, Silk Spectre, Death Loli, and Charisma. What would you do if you were the opposite gender for a day?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Sea Captain: “Nooo! My ship! I must survive! I must find the Death Loli!”

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/21/blog-211-moe-watchmen-you-people/feed/ 24 Blog 207 > Angels, Badasses & Cyborgs http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/21/blog-207-angels-badasses-cyborgs/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/21/blog-207-angels-badasses-cyborgs/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:58:47 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3294

Heyyy! Hello, my Ticklish Toyboxers! What’s up? What’s been going on? As a few of you might already know, I took a mini-break to rest, recharge, and most importantly, let my elbows recover and ring-and-pinky fingers relax from an irritating twinge of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. So like I told Kris-chan last week: “I don’t think a planned 70-100 pic post would be in my best interest right now, lol. Besides, gave me stuff to think about. Hence, a new experimental post.”

Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed my experimental Blog 206 > Anime Adrift. Not only an experiment, but it transformed into quite an intriguing Toyboxer test, haha! Congratulations to those of you who commented poetically and passed! But enough about last week. Just because I took it easy last week, doesn’t mean I won’t launch a massive 7-part 120-image cybernetic “mega-cast” or “giga-cast” this week. Including a deadly barrage of Japanese angels, gunslinging badasses, angelic cyborgs and otaku bloggers for every taste. So I hope you’re healthy, ready and willing enough to withstand the light-speed onslaught. Well, then? Let the battles begin…


Part 1 of 7 > Juri Ueno & Nodame Cantabile

Wow. Comedic. Dramatic. Inspiring. Sublime. What more can I add? What else can I say about the live-action Japanese drama “Nodame Cantabile” (2006), starring the irresistible Juri Ueno, eh? Here’s my speed-review for the anime-version back in my December Blog 178.

Nodame Cantabile [50]. My 50th anime title-or-season of the year. Oh wow! Now this series is an extraordinary tapesty in the romantic-comedic styles of the classic “Kare Kano” and the rock-and-roll “Nana”, but colored and interwoven through searingly sublime piano, violin and orchestral music. Probably one of the most original, breathtaking, and utterly unforgettable series in a long time. Easily 5 of 5 stars!

So how does the 11-episode live-action drama compare? Well, let me answer it this way. While I watched the first episode on 24 May 2009, I finished the remaining ten episodes from 7 June to 12 June! Less than a week! And then I finished the 2-part “European Special” the next day on 13 June, haha. I mean, the over-the-top physical comedy sets up the profound emotional dilemmas perfectly. And this only works when the actors and actresses can portray the orchestral roller-coaster tale just as flawlessly. Like I said: Sublime. I’m even tempted to give my first 6 of 5 stars ever. But I mustn’t break the rules too often, or it defeats the purpose of the rating system, lol. Very well, let’s go with 5 of 5 stars. To celebrate, here are a series of screencaps from Design Chronicle and a couple of promotional shots from Sony Music Japan.

Hehe, shall I present my traditional fake captions?

Why am I showing the ending credits first?

Eh, why not? To give an initial impression of the overall series?

Ah, Europe!

Ah, young Shinichi-kun before the terror and the trauma.

Ah, the college-aged Shinichi-sempai: “Who stole my porn?”

The next-door Nodame-chan: “You mean, *my* porn?”

Shinichi-sempai: “You threw my porn where?”

Shinichi-sempai: “I’ll have to teach you a lesson! A bath should do it!”

Nodame-chan: “Ahh, the piano feels like shampoo…”

Nodame-chan: “Is it true? The piano is nothing without porn!”

Nodame-chan: “Hehe, or is porn nothing without the piano?”

Shinichi-sempai: “Take that! You porn-stealing piano-playing fruit-cake!”

Nodame-chan: “Awww, I love it when he smacks me…”

Nodame-chan: “It means he loves me…”

Nodame-chan: “Oh no, I can’t find the porn I borrowed…”

Nodame-chan: “Maybe a little make-up will help?”

Shinichi-sempai: “Ah, porn is nothing without the violin!”

Nodame-chan: “You’re right! I thought the violin was nothing without porn!”

Nodame-chan: “Nooo, how can I be sick now? I need to find his porn…”

Mine-san: “Shinichi-san’s right. Porn is nothing without the violin!”

Shinichi-sempai: “Nodame-chan, let’s find the porn together.”

Stresemann-sensei: “Hahaha, what do you mean? I haven’t finished your porn yet!”

Stresemann-sensei: “But Nodame-chan, you can have it back in exchange for one kiss…”

Nodame-chan: “Whah-whah-whah?”

POWWW!!!

Stresemann-sensei: “Nodame-chan, are you sure you don’t want your porn back?”

DOUBLE POWWW!!!

Stresemann-sensei: “Ahh, porn is nothing without an orchestra!

Nodame-chan: “I have to find it. I have to find it…”

Shinichi-sempai: “What? You couldn’t find my porn? Wait! You know where it is?”

Nodame-chan: “But I want to watch it too!”

Stresemann-sensei: “What!?! They stole back my favorite porn!?!”

Shinichi-sempai: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken the porn from you.”

Stresemann-sensei: “You should *all* be sorry! That was mine-mine-mine!”

Nodame-chan: “Hehe, I can’t wait to see it! Can’t wait to see it!”

LOL, okay-okay, enough of the fake captions. Here’s the cover of what looks like a Japanese TV guide. For the week of 21-27 October 2006. Featuring Juri Ueno and Hiroshi Tamaki from “Nodame Cantabile”. Aww, lemons.

Here’s an inside page from that TV guide. Feel free to enlarge the image, hehe.

Next, here’s a couple of promotional shots from Sony Music Japan, lol. From the week of Christmas 2007.

Here’s another high-resolution shot. Feel free to enlarge the image, hehe.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my flurrying musings of “Nodame Cantabile”. It’s definitely hard *not* to fall in love or feel protective of the carefree Nodame-chan or actress Juri Ueno, lol. In fact, according to her Wikipedia page, 2 live-action “Nodame Cantabile” films are coming soon in 2010! Really? I’m not surprised at all. LOL, we can’t get enough of Juri-chan, can we?

 

Part 2 of 7 > Juri Ueno & Anime Adrift

Heyyy, speaking of Juri Ueno, I mentioned my experimental Blog 206 > Anime Adrift at the top of my giga-cast, right? Well, during my search for some high-resolution “Juri Ueno” pics to accompany my “Nodame” discussion, I stumbled across an online stash of her old pics from her “JURIfirst” (2004) photo book. Which means Juri-chan was 18-years-old when her photo book was released, two years after her 2002 television debut. Which also isn’t surprising, since many famous Japanese actresses began their entertainment career as a gravure idol. Actress Yukie Nakama, from the comedy “Gokusen” (Live-Action Drama, 2002, 2005, 2008), is another name which comes to mind. But some girls start as early as 12 years old, if not younger!

In any case, here are 2 brief photoshoots from her photo book. Feel free to enlarge the high-resolution scans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, here’s the cover *without* the additional cover flap.

Then here’s the cover *with* the cover flap, mentioning her fame in TV and commercials (CM), haha. Why not mention it, right?

Well, that’s all for now. Just a quick 9-page glimpse of the near-100-page photo book. Hmm, maybe I’ll trickle a few more photoshoots in the near future? Who knows? But now, from live-action romantic comedies and gravure-idol photo books, let’s leap 180-degrees into post-apocalyptic cyborg technologies!

 

Part 3 of 7 > Chronicles of Cyborgs & Terminators

Drama. Desperation. Terror. Horror. Sublime. What more can I add? What else can I say about the American sci-fi drama “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2008), eh? Back in my Blog 203 last month, I mentioned that the series had been sadly cancelled before I even had a chance to finish it. But now that I’ve finished it, it’s even more sad. Within one month, I began the first episode of “Season 2″ on 23 May 2009, then finished the final revealing episode just a few days ago, on 19 June 2009. Despite the expectedly heavy atmosphere within such a post-apocalyptic time-shifting saga, the acting amongst all of the actors is top-notch. And the stylistic reverence and cinematic adherence to the original film trilogy is uncanny! An impressive 5 of 5 stars! To celebrate, here are a series of high-resolution promotional wallpapers, photos and other images, many of which come from TV Spoilers Center.

Yup, here are a ton of huge images, including a bunch that are larger than 3000px, and a few that are 4000px! Gotta love the shotgun. A nice reference to the films, lol. Do you want to live?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, here are the leading and killing women of the series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now, here are a stockpile of terminating wallpapers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, do you really want to live? Despite the cancellation, I must congratulate the cast and crew of “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2008) for a job well done! After 2 time-gripping mind-bending seasons, it’s sad to see it end. But maybe now, I can finally catch the latest “Terminator 4 – Salvation” (2009) film. Maybe?

 

Part 4 of 7 > Chronicles of Shirley, Summer & Stephanie

Ah, the deadly actresses of “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles”! Shirley, Summer and Stephanie! Let’s begin with Shirley, lol. Wow, I first remember Shirley Manson when she was the lead vocalist of Garbage, back when I bought their debut album in 1995! Loved their music and especially her voice! Enough to buy their follow-up album “Version 2.0″ in 1998, lol. So when I saw Shirley appear in this sci-fi series, in her first professional acting role, I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised! A 14-year arc, lol. Pretty awesome.

Next, remember Summer? Haha, like I mentioned a few mega-casts ago, I first remember Summer Glau from her previous sci-fi series “Firefly” (2002). And like I mentioned, this will be her *second* sci-fi axe. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted, right? A 7-year arc, lol. Still pretty awesome.

By the way, here’s a hilarious NSFW-pornographic composite image I stumbled across in my “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles” searches, lol. Be warned! Don’t enlarge the image unless you’re willing to subject yourself to some humorous nudity! But still, despite the poor spelling, the Photoshop quality is remarkable, lol. “Cum with her if you want to live”, lol.

Ah, last but never least, Stephanie! My favorite, lol. So why do I say “favorite”? Well, if you remember a couple of months ago in my Steampunk mega-cast (Blog 196, Part 4), I posted about my favorite “Firefly” fanfic character, the Anglo-Asian genius pilot I created and illustrated in 2004, named Akiko “Lucky” Yoshikawa. While Angry Mimi-chan may remind me of Lucky’s appearance and personality, Stephanie Jacobsen, based on her performance in “Battlestar Galactica – Razor” (2007), would be the perfect actress to play Lucky. Not only with her combined Portuguese, Chinese, Norwegian, and British heritage, but especially her Aussie accent!

So when I saw Stephanie appear in this series, yet another sci-fi series, I was immediately drawn into her particular strand of the “Terminator” saga. Here’s a still from the “Terminator” set.

Next, here’s a still from the “Battlestar Galactica – Razor” set. Impressive.

Finally, here’s a shot in a softer outfit, from neither “Terminator” nor “Battlestar Galactica”, lol.

So that’s it! The quick and dirty “Terminator” chronicles of Shirley, Summer and Stephanie linking “Garbage”, “Firefly”, and “Battlestar Galactica”, as well as linking Scottish, British and Australian accents, lol. Wait, did I mention I have a thing for European and European-based accents? I did? Oh, sorry then.

 

Part 5 of 7 > Hard-Boiled Cops, Blade Runners & Battling Angels

Oh yeah! Extending the exterminating trajectory of badass gunslingers and gunslinging badasses, let’s take a one-eyed aim at the classic Hong Kong action film “Hard Boiled” (1992), directed by John Woo, and starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Haha, yup, last week on 14 June 2009, I finally managed to watch what many critics consider to be “one of the greatest and most influential action films ever made”! And I can’t disagree! Not only that, Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai are so young, lol. Especially since mentioning Tony Leung in my Red Cliffs mega-cast (Blog 201, Part 3), lol. Consequently, I’d have to award the film a bullet-flying 4 of 5 stars!

In fact, here’s the front cover of the 2007 DVD-version I watched.

Here’s a similar cover including both the front and back.

Finally, here’s a famous still from the classic action film.

Now, after watching “Hard Boiled”, and noticing many of the elements that influenced later films like “Terminator” (1984), “Die Hard” (1988) and “The Matrix” (1999), I couldn’t escape one particular motif. After seeing Tony Leung’s paper cranes, I couldn’t help being reminded of the origami figures folded by Edward James Olmos in “Blade Runner” (1982). So guess what? What did I do? Immediately after finishing “Hard Boiled”, I decided to watch my old DVD copy of the classic American sci-fi film “Blade Runner – Director’s Cut” (1982, 1992), starring Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos, for the first time in years. Yup, years! Too funny. Funny how seeing Edward James Olmos’ “pimped” humanoid form and the “skin job” reference to cyborg Replicants, both reminded me of the humanoid Cylons in “Battlestar Galactica”. Even funnier how Harrison Ford’s piano managed to remind me of “Nodame Cantabile” too, lol. Funny how everything I watch is somehow related to everything else I watch! From gun battles to paper cranes to killer cyborgs!

Here’s the front cover of the 1992 “Director’s Cut” DVD-version I watched.

Next, here’s the poster of the 2007 “Final Cut” version.

Finally, here’s the front cover of the 2007 “Final Cut” DVD-version I still haven’t watched.

Coincidentally, in yet another related piece of post-apocalyptic possibilities, just a few days ago, I finally managed to finish the ninth and final volume of the original cyberpunk-splatterpunk manga series “Battle Angel Alita” (Gunnm, 1990) created, written and illustrated by Yukito Kishiro! Damn, after years of delay, I finally resumed “Angel of Chaos” (Volume 7) on 27 March 2009. Three months later, I finally finished “Angel’s Ascension” (Volume 9) on 19 June 2009! An undisputed and masterfully executed 5 of 5 stars! One of the rare manga gems I’ve ever finished, lol.

Here’s the cover of “Rusty Angel” (Volume 1), which magnetically caught by eye all those years ago, and never let go.

Ah, here’s a cool fanart wallpaper version of the manga cover.

Here’s another rustier-and-bloodier fanart version of the manga cover.

Finally, here’s an amazing 3D CG-rendered fanart version of the manga cover. Wow.

Aww, and of course, here’s a close-up of Alita herself.

The following day, on 20 June 2009, I snapped a few random photos of my “Blade Runner” DVD, “Battle Angel Alita” manga, and the FUTURO elbow and wrist supports which facilitated (and continue to facilitate) my recovery.

A slightly different angel. Oops, I meant, “angle”.

A real-life demonstration!

Whew, that was exhausting! Hard-boiled cops, blade runners and battling angels! All we need are “hard-boiled cyborgs”, and the circle will be complete, lol. Right, Vader?

 

Part 6 of 7 > Thankful Fridays & Tasty Sundaes

Okay, my Tireless Toyboxers, time to take a break from Japanese angels, gunslinging badasses, and angelic cyborgs, lol. Time to talk about myself! To be specific, on Friday, 19 June 2009, I decided to treat my co-worker friend Michelle with lunch to celebrate her birthday over the weekend. Where did we go for lunch? Since I was treating, I let her decide. And ultimately, she decided on “T.G.I.Friday’s”, of course! I haven’t been there in years!

I have no idea what I’m explaining in this first shot, but that “Park, Ride, Relax” sign is pretty funny.

A thoughtful pose! Check out the plane taking off beyond my windshield!

Haha, Michelle, nice motorcycle catch!

A-ha! Wearing my FUTURO elbow support, lol.

There’s the next airplane! Can you capture that?

Hehehe, there it is! Just landed on the runway!

Hahaha, whatever!

Hey, Michelle, got enough salad?

Got enough soup? Umm, could you stop moving?

LOL, finally, that’s better.

Mmmm, my delicious salmon pasta!

My tasty French onion soup!

And finally, our free birthday sundae! Free! Awww.

Wow, that was too quick! Hmm, I think the lack of killer cyborgs had something to do with it, lol.

 

Part 7 of 7 > Otaku Outlook & Battling Toyboxers

Did someone say “killer cyborgs”? Nahhh, none here. Just some blog-battling otaku. Same thing? Nahhh, lol. Nonetheless, continuing our traditional otaku-blog coverage from last month’s Tales (Blog 202, Part 1) mega-cast and previous month’s Supercops (Blog 198, Part 1) mega-cast, here’s the latest batch of estimated theoretical values in the otaku blogosphere.

As you can plainly see in the first chart (enlarge if necessary), “Sankaku Complex” continues to seduce the otakusphere and reduce “Danny Choo” to a seemingly pilot-less Gundam, lol.

Meanwhile, in the second chart (enlarge if necessary), “Happy Soda” and “xJAYMANx_toybox” continue their irregular rise. However, based on these specific dozen-plus trajectories, the overall otakusphere seems generally stable.

Hehehe, now, let’s have some fun! Until now, I’ve always focussed on otaku-blog trajectories in the theoretical $5K-to-10K or $10K-to-20K range. This time, let’s focus on the theoretical $0K-to-3K range! In fact, let’s turn this into a little “game” or “race”. Why not? Why not wonder who theoretically “wins” next month? Just for fun, of course.

Let’s begin with Girl G33k (Kris-chan) at $876 USD.

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Girl G33k

After her is Furudango (Koshiko-chan) at $1569.50 USD.

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Furudango

Third is Aprilius20 (A20-man) at $2372.50 USD.

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Aprilius20

After him is Rhythm Emotion (Lene-chan) at $2438.20 USD.

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Rhythm Emotion

Fifth is One and Only Jem (Jem-chan) at $2489.30 USD.

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – One and Only Jem

After her is The Coco Cafe (Coco-chan) at $2868.90 USD.

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – The Coco Cafe

Finally, seventh is Lovely Duckie (Duckie-chan) at $2905.40 USD. Since her new domain at www.lovelyduckie.com hasn’t fully taken hold yet, I’ll use her WordPress.com blog for now.

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Lovely Duckie

So who’s the theoretical $0K-to-3K winner this month? Duckie-chan is! Congratulations, Duckie-chan! I don’t know what prize you’ve actually won, but I’ll figure it out some time, lol. Remember, my Trembling Toyboxers, once your otaku-blog exceeds an estimated worth of $3K, it no longer qualifies for this so-called “race”. Just to keep it interesting, hehe. Good luck, next month!

Heyyy, how are you doing? Are you okay? Did you survive my massive 7-part 120-image cybernetic “giga-cast” this week? Did you survive my deadly barrage of Japanese angels, gunslinging badasses, angelic cyborgs and otaku bloggers for every taste? Well, I hope so! I mean, if you withstood my light-speed onslaught, then you are truly a Trooping Toyboxer! As always, let’s thank the glorious guest-starring girls who graced my broadcast! Thank you, Nodame-chan, Juri-chan, Sarah, Cameron, Shirley, Summer, Stephanie, Alita-chan, and Michelle (Happy Birthday!), as well as Kris-chan, Koshiko-chan, Lene-chan, Jem-chan, Coco-chan, and lastly, Duckie-chan (Congratulations!)… Whew, this was definitely massive. Quite a massive attack.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Nodame-chan: “Maybe a little make-up will help?”

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/21/blog-207-angels-badasses-cyborgs/feed/ 69 Blog 204 > Sankaku-Shikaku Otakulypse http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/02/blog-204-sankaku-shikaku-otakulypse/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/02/blog-204-sankaku-shikaku-otakulypse/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:39:33 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3095

Otakus! Apocalypses! Otakulypses! This week, our melodramatic mega-cast launches a three-stage nuclear warhead into the outer edges of the otaku blogosphere. The otakusphere! No anime speed-reviews. No figure photoshoots. Just otaku, more otaku, and even more otaku. Unloading their celebrity, anonymity, sanity, and insanity like there’s no tomorrow. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Because even I don’t know what’s gonna happen. Hurry up, my Terrorized Toyboxers! Hurry up! Shut your windows. Lock your doors. And let’s hack into the cyber-scrambled broadcast frequency…


Part 1 of 3 > Omens of the Otakulypse

In the beginning, Japan created anime. And it was good. In the mid-1980s, a man named Hayao Miyazaki launched the environmental rocket “Nausicaä” into the stratosphere. And it was good. In the mid-1990s, two men named Hideaki Anno and Mamoru Oshii launched their respective apocalyptic missiles “Evangelion” and “Ghost in the Shell” into the cybersphere. And it was good. The land of anime grew fruitful. And the world of otaku multiplied.

Inevitably, in 2006-2007, a new force named Danny Choo launched the international warhead “Tokyo Dance Trooper” into the lower blogosphere. And it was good. It was better than good. Ultimately, in 2008-2009, a new storm led by “Artefact” launched the global warhead “Sankaku Complex” into the upper blogosphere. And it was better than good. It was great. The land of anime grew fruitful linearly. And the world of otaku multiplied exponentially.

But is it still good? Is such exponential growth leading to exponential decay?

Hmm, maybe it’s just me and my imagination. So let me ask you this. Does anyone else see any signs? Does anyone else feel the four corners of the otakusphere beginning to vibrate, rumble and crumble? Perhaps the warning signs of an otaku apocalypse? Omens of an oncoming otakulypse?

First Omen > Anime Bubble Burst. The first major sign to catch my eye, rumbled last month. In early May 2009, news of the “Anime Bubble Burst” spread like wildfire. Like a roaring and rumbling wildfire. Here’s a screencap of the “Sankaku Complex” article (04 May 2009) from my Blog 201 (12 May 2009).

 

Second Omen > Danny’s Daughters. The next unsettling sign to catch my eye, spanned from early-to-late May 2009. Lingering across several “Danny Choo” articles from “Dollfie Ryomo Shimei” (04 May 2009, 3rd Dollfie) to “Dollfie Nanoha” (25 May 2009, 4th Dollfie) to “Dollfie Eyes” (31 May 2009), Danny refers to his Dollfie acquisitions as “daughters”. While I don’t mind his understandable pride in owning such pretty works of art, I still find it rather unsettling, if not bordering on the edge of creepy, to refer to such dolls as “daughters”. Whether or not they’re humor-based terms of endearment. I can understand female collectors doing so. But male collectors? I mean, throughout my own figure collection, from the 1st to the 92nd figure, I found each character to be sentimental, inspirational or beautiful. But never thought of them as “children”. I can also understand “following one’s passion”, but then again, “with great passion comes great responsibility” too, right?

Here’s a screencap of the first article. His third “daughter”.

Then the next article. His fourth “daughter”.

Then the last article yesterday. Very “persocom-ical”, lol.

 

Third Omen > Melonpan’s Melancholy. The third twisted sign to catch my eye, rumbled in late May 2009. Drilling from the “Danny Choo” article “Otaku Graduation” (27 May 2009) to the “Angry Mimi” article “Leaving the Anime World” (27 May 2009) to the “Sankaku Complex” article “Uber Otaku Melonpan Abandons Otaku Ways” (29 May 2009), we witness the photo-by-photo crumbling of an otaku mind called “Melonpan”. Whether the incident was an elaborate practical joke or not, the believability of such a phenomenon is unmistakable. Unmistakable and unsettling. Which doesn’t reflect very well on “Melonpan” either. How unfortunate.

Here’s a screencap of the “Danny Choo” article.

Then the “Angry Mimi” article.

Followed by the “Sankaku Complex” article.

 

Fourth Omen > Rage Over Rapelay. The fourth burning sign to catch my eye in a month, also rumbled in late May 2009. Struggling from the “Sankaku Complex” articles “Rape Eroge Banned” (28 May 2009) and “Media Invents Eroge Ban” (29 May 2009) to the “Danny Choo” article “Rapelay” (28 May 2009) to the “Angry Mimi” article “Knowing How to Debate Intelligently” (29 May 2009), we experience the flame-by-flame battling from both sides of the “Rapelay” eroge ban. Does it defend the dignity of women? Does it degrade the freedom of expression? Does one override the other? Simple or not, complex or not, the issue is undeniably intense. Like the intensity of a whirling inferno.

Here’s a screencap of the first “Sankaku Complex” article.

Then the second “Sankaku Complex” article.

Then the “Danny Choo” article.

Followed by the “Angry Mimi” article.

Well, there you have it. The first four “Omens of the Otakulypse”. The spreading perception of twisted otaku by fellow otaku. A perception from not simply outside the otakuspheric community, but within it as well. Am I imagining things? Or are these the first few signs of things to come? I wouldn’t be surprised if the next few years witnessed the rabid rise of politically-driven witch-hunts which severely restricted the production (via higher risk and lower profit) of not only Japanese games, but anime, manga and figures as well. Saddened. But not surprised.

Trembling Temporal Tangent. Taking a trembling tangent off the paved path, let’s take a closer look at the “Angry Mimi” screencap immediately above. Enlarge if necessary. Do you notice the “Shoutbox” in the far-right column? As of Saturday, 30 May 2009, 7pm, here’s what Mimi-chan and Chie discussed.

Chie: DC’s sucking as always and careless blogger. disgusted how he pretend to be familiar with Japan, not considering how japanese people’s feeling… I mean he’s hypocrite wearing a mask of pro-Japan.

Mimi: @Chie: Danny really is pro-Japan. I don’t understand how he didn’t consider their feelings.

Chie: A sentiment to japanese people only. I’m sick of person who look down on us, even as it’s “tabloidish material”… would mad at this if it were an insult for their own country. WaiWaicolumn – the lost articles… demagogic media, Mainichi, TBS, hentai rag forced to back down, media invents eroge ban… I’m not saying DC’s demagogic or something, but I want him to beware of fictional info about japan.

Whoa. This got me curious. I mean, which “Danny Choo” article? When? So last night, my best guess was his article “Kawagoe” (2008/06/12, re-posted 2009/05/26), in which he discusses the town of Kawagoe below.

Why this article? What’s so bad about it? Well, consider his carefree use of the word “flattened”.

Kawagoe was originally a castle town of the Kawagoe clan. Many buildings still stand after many centuries surviving the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and bombings in 1945.

The 1923 earthquake pretty much flattened Tokyo where 105,000 died in the magnitude 7.9 – 8.4 quake that lasted over 4 minutes. Pics of flattened Tokyo at Wikipedia.

Then Tokyo was re-flattened again in the B29 bombings where another 100,000 people were killed – pics of re-flattened Tokyo at Tokyo Uni.

Ouch. Yup, I cringed too. Not the most considerate choice of words, is it?

Taking the dusty detour even further, if you scroll down the same “Kawagoe” article, you’ll notice a huge gap in the comment time-date-stamps. Jumping from mid-2008 to mid-2009. Why the fuss? What’s the big deal? Well, despite the date of “26 May 2009″ at the top of the article, the first comment was posted on “12 June 2008″, almost one full year earlier. One year. Yup, whether he forgot about it or not, Danny is still recirculating his year-old posts as if they were posted today. Clever. Clever but carelessly misleading.

In fact, the first time I noticed this recirculating mechanism was back in September 2008, with his article “Japanese V Sign” (2007/09/16, re-posted 2008/09/19, I commented 2008/09/23), in which he discusses the origins of the “V sign” hand gesture below. According to the various comment time-date-stamps, Danny first posted the article in September 2007, and it was recirculated in September 2008. So there’s no reason why it won’t recirculate a second time in August-September 2009, just a few months from now.

Here’s the comment gap from April 2008 to September 2008.

And here’s my first realization of the recirculating mechanism. Notice the comment gap from September 2008 to 23 May 2009, just last week. LOL, how did that guy find me?

Haha, enough of the trembling temporal tangent. You get the picture. Clever but carelessly misleading. Unfortunately, according to the latest “Shoutbox” comments, Chie wasn’t referring to the “Kawagoe” article after all. Oh well. A tangent is a tangent, lol.

 

Part 2 of 3 > From Sankaku Complex to Shikaku Otakusphere

Leaving behind eerie omens and tangents, let’s blast through some shiny triangles and squares! Like I stated at the top of “Part 1″: In 2008-2009, a new storm led by “Artefact” launched the global warhead “Sankaku Complex” into the upper blogosphere. And it was better than good. It was great. The land of anime grew fruitful linearly. And the world of otaku multiplied exponentially.

Here’s a screencap of the “About Sankaku Complex” page. Feel free to enlarge the shot.

Here’s my shinier “Sankaku (Triangle)” presentation of “Japanese Media”.

Followed by my “Shikaku (Square)” interpretation of the “Otakusphere”. While Anonymity-to-Celebrity slides vertically, Sanity-to-Insanity slides horizontally. Moreover, while “Danny Choo” enjoys the highest celebrity status in the otakusphere, “Otaku Dan” is blessed with sanity as “Melonpan” is cursed with insanity, lol. Practical joke or not, the idea-and-intent to drill-destroy-and-document still borders on the unhinged.

Naturally, these are conceptual approximations based on my personal perspective. Concepts which rise and fall. Approximations which ebb and flow. Blogs which shift and stretch. Yet, despite everything, the outer edges of the otakusphere seem to be drifting further and further into unbridled-and-unchecked insanity. Myself included?

 

Part 3 of 3 > Saturday Bug Bash

Launching from unbridled blog blasting to unabridged bug bashing, let’s take a peek at how I spent my Saturday, 30 May 2009, from 9am to 3pm. Yup, with the approaching release of our latest software version in a matter of months, our company headquarters held a “Bug Bash” to gather a multi-departmental force to catch and attack as many functional defects as we could. Besides, with morning bagels and afternoon pizza, how could we go wrong?

Here’s one of our executive vice presidents, rockin’ to the beat!

Ah, the company auditorium! Check out the pizza boxes way in the back!

Another angle including the back row. Where is everyone? Playing foosball?

Yup, the back row, lol. Actually caught several decent bugs!

Finally, a shot of my laptop and Bamboo tablet. Nice!

Whoa, that was pretty quick, wasn’t it? But I’m sure you don’t mind, lol.

Otakus! Apocalypses! Otakulypses! Omens! Tangents! Triangles! Squares! Blogs! Bugs! Bashes! Damn, how was our melodramatic mega-cast? Did we successfully launch a three-stage nuclear warhead into the outer edges of the otakusphere? Did we unload our celebrity, anonymity, sanity, and insanity like there’s no tomorrow? Ahhh, the coast is clear. The ominous clouds have lifted. And the shadowy skies have brightened. You did great, my Tense Toyboxers! Everything’s fine! You may open your windows. Unlock your doors. Unleash your sanity.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Speaking of Danny and his dolls, here’s one of my craziest parody posts “Blog 160 > Adventures of Danny Clone” (08 Sept 2008), which explores the question: “What is the difference between figure and doll?” It’s a wild, weird, wicked and wondrous world out there, lol.

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/02/blog-204-sankaku-shikaku-otakulypse/feed/ 29 Blog 203 > Succubi, Samurai & Sci-Fi http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/25/blog-203-succubi-samurai-sci-fi/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/25/blog-203-succubi-samurai-sci-fi/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 23:07:34 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3007

Hey, what’s up, my Trendy Toyboxers? Ready for something a bit different? For this week’s mega-cast, I’m gonna try to cram this truckload of uncontainable content into a crispy 3-course meal, instead of an overflowing 5-course meal. Why? Ehh, why not? Maybe I felt like bending my own rules a little? Maybe I felt like I needed a less-structured more-flexible playground? Or maybe I felt lazy, haha. In any case, we’ve got some stylishly-violent samurais to freeze your blood, a piercingly-random stash of posts and articles to numb your mind, as well as a pair of blurringly-erotic succubi to steal your soul. Hahaha. So what are you waiting for? Let’s tune into the frequency and kick off the broadcast…


Part 1 of 3 > Afro Samurai, Afro Jedi & I

Afros! Samurais! Resurrections! Let’s launch this mighty mega-cast with my latest anime speed-review: “Afro Samurai – Resurrection” [22]. Which brings my total to a respectable 22 completed anime titles-or-seasons this year! Not bad! Especially if I want to hit a total of 50 by the end of the year, hehe.

Afro Samurai – Resurrection [22]. On 23 May, I completed my 22nd anime title-or-season of the year. Full-length anime film (2009). Sequel to “Afro Samurai” (2007). In fact, here’s my “Afro Samurai” speed-review from last year (Blog 152).

Stylishly violent and almost-romantically post-apocalyptic, this 5-episode gem paints quite a refreshingly retro-futuristic view of hell-on-earth, life-long revenge, and inexplicable survival. Haha, Samuel L. Jackson voices the titular lead as well as his babbling sidekick, and why not? A bad-ass playing a bad-ass. Nuff sed, lol. Despite the brevity of the miniseries, the revealing flashbacks cast a shadowy depth to a seemingly simplistic quest. Quite impressive. Four of five stars. Can’t wait for the second season!

So what did I think of the sequel? Oddly enough, while I still enjoyed the swirling mix of sex, violence and apocalyptic technologies, I think I might be getting a little tired with the grating hip-hop barrage. Refreshing at first. But perhaps incessant at last. Earning a downgraded 3 of 5 stars. Nonetheless, I don’t regret seeing it, lol. For more, check out Girl G33k’s review “Afro Samurai” (April 2009) and Otaku Dan’s review “Afro Samurai Resurrection DVD Review” (Feb 2009). Enjoy the violence!

Now that we’ve gotten the speed-review out of the way, let’s step into some fake captions for some stolen screen captures. Well, stolen from *other* sites who stole them, lol.

Afro: “Dammit. Did Master Yoda swipe my favorite porno again?”

Afro: “Yo’ Yoda! You hidin’ in the cellar again?”

Kuma (Bear): “Damn that Yoda! Gotta get my porn back!”

Afro: {Sigh} “Guess I’ll hafta swipe some new porno.”

Hoodlums: “Kya-ha-ha! You’ll never find our Yoda-sensei!”

Hoodlums: “Kya-ha-ha! You’ll never get your porno back!”

Afro: “Punks. I’m gonna get mutha-fuckin’ medieval…”

Afro: “… on yo’ mutha-fuckin’ asses.”

Sio: “Afro. You pathetic epic failure. Yoda-sensei will never give your porno back.”

Ninja Ninja: “Hey Afro! You gonna let her get away with that?”

Ninja Ninja: “Yo Afro! You listenin’ to me?”

Afro: “Yeah, I heard ya. Dammit, that punk Yoda.”

Afro: “By the third sunrise, I’ll get my porno back.”

Welcome to Lady Luck. Or in this apocalyptic hell, is she Frau Fuck?

A taste of neon decadence…

Wrapped in electric emptiness…

Brother 3: “Why Afro, feeling lucky? Your luck won’t find Yoda-sensei here.”

Afro: “Who needs soft luck when I’ve got my hardware.”

Afro: “A man is nothing without his hardware!”

Sio: “Ah, Afro. Our memories of cherry blossoms…”

Sio: “… will never erase my rage against your porn collection!”

Sio: “How dare you collect my old home-made movies!”

Sio: “I was young and foolish. My boyfriend should’ve never filmed me!”

Afro: {Sigh} “Damn that punk Yoda. You lucky bastard…”

Afro: “One more sunrise to go…”

Shopkeeper: “You lookin’ for that Yoda punk too? He’s a slippery one.”

Shichigoro: “If you want to find Yoda-sensei’s porno stash, you’ll have to defeat me.”

Afro: “Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Punks.”

That’s it! That’s the end of the fake captions and stolen screen captures, lol. But I wonder where Master Yoda went? ^_^

 

Part 2 of 3 > Random Stash of Sex, Science & Fiction

Sex! Science! Fiction! Indeed, what other random distractions are there? So here are a few complicated multi-layered flavors of the week, lol.

First of all, congratulations to “Sankaku Complex” and their recent announcement of “50,000,000 Hits” (23 May 2009). Whether their sexually-spiced anime-and-otaku servings are deserving or not, tasteful or not, politically correct or not, doesn’t matter. The number is simply a number, but an immense number nonetheless. Ultimately, its genuine value is in the eye of the beholder. Your eye, lol.

Switching dishes from “Sankaku” spices to “Strike Witches”, here’s the upcoming figure release of “1/8 Yoshika Miyafuji PVC Figure” from the girls-n-guns anime “Strike Witches” (2008).

Yoshika-chan is striking indeed! Just because I was sane enough to stop collecting, doesn’t mean I’ve stopped noticing a few gems along the way. Can you spare 80 bucks plus shipping? No? Why not?

Is she carrying a 13-mm Type 99 light machine gun? That’s what her Wikipedia profile says!

An even closer look, lol. Unlike me, you’ve probably pre-ordered her already, right?

Switching dishes again from “Strike Witches” to super-sultry idols, reader “Henry” was kind enough to send me this “Japan Sugoi” article of “Maria Ozawa’s FHM-Taiwan Video Photoshoot” (18 May 2009). Yup, the same multi-national Miyabi who’s appeared in my Sevens, Hearts, and Assassins posts, lol.

Don’t forget to check out her embedded “FHM 2009 Cover Girl” (April 2009) YouTube video! Love the music! Enjoy her surprising English too, lol.

Shifting gears yet again from super-sultry idols to super-fearless fighters, it’s time to check out the newest “Christine Toledo Promo Video” (19 May 2009) featuring my friend Christine! Okay, maybe it’s more accurate to say my friend Melanie’s best friend Christine, lol. Here’s her website.

And here’s Christine’s embedded YouTube video!

Coincidentally enough, when you reach the end of Christine’s video, you’ll notice that it was produced by none other than ProWerks Media, haha. The same Las Vegas media company responsible for my “silent and stoic businessman” scene shoot in Kelly Schwarze’s upcoming comedy “You People” (2010), lol. In fact, here’s their “You People Press Release” (21 May 2009), just a few days ago! Cool, huh?

Sliding once more from silent shoots to sci-fi scenes, I just started watching Season 2 of “Terminator – Sarah Connor Chronicles” (2008), over this weekend. But guess what? During my typical net explorations, I discovered the sad news in this post “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles Canceled” (17 May 2009). Yup, canceled.

Ah, that’s okay, I’ve got 20+ episodes left to watch anyway, hehe. But for Summer Glau, this will be the *second* sci-fi axe after “Firefly” (2002). Oh well. In any case, let’s enjoy the Summer (as Terminatrix Cameron) in the following “Terminator” wallpapers! Gotta love those… joints, lol.

Ah, the edge of the apocalypse never looked so stylish. Where’s Afro Samurai when you need him?

Next, from apocalyptic sci-fi scenes to Victorian sci-fi steam, let’s take a retro-futuristic dive into “Steampunk” cosplay with this post “Costuming Steampunk Infiltrates Cons Everywhere” (04 Dec 2008). Why? Well, why not? Besides, it’s been a while since my last “Steampunk” post back in April, lol.

Haha, but guess what? You’ll never guess! If you leap to that “Costuming Steampunk Infiltrates” post, and scroll down far enough, you’ll see a comment by none other than Fellow Toyboxer Jenn-chan! Here’s her comment.

Last Exile! Yay! Curiously enough I found out about Steampunk independently of watching LE. XD All I thought at that time was, “Flying airships and steam muskets! COOL!”

Good luck with the costuming. (:)) Those’re awesome hats on that site, by the way.

Hehe, which also coincidentally connects us to Jenn-chan’s recent post “Blog Apologising” (18 May 2009) and my previous “Blog 202” (18 May 2009), across which we continued our discussion on “sex” as an advertising vehicle, a complex emotion, and a basic instinct.

Here are a few excerpts from our weird-and-winding discussion, lol. Her turn.

Jenn@Jay-san: Sankaku really is hitting the roof in the ‘Blog Wars’…(buroguozu?!) But it’s really tabloid and rather addictive. -wry-

Panties, Jay? (:P) Either you’re talking to us girls, or you have a strange fetish..hehe…

That’s a lot of wallpapers, though I kinda wonder what’s up with that skirt-lifting one. -wry- I think I’ll stick with my Kara no Kyoukai Shiki ‘I sex my Haagen Dazs’ one. (:))

Then my turn.

xJAYMANx@Jenn-chan: Yeah, while “Sankaku” is smashing the roof, there’s probably a significant difference in reader demographics. Or maybe not? Whoa, but interesting that u find it “addictive” especially with all the porn content! Hahaha, not just porn or panties, but now the “skirt-lifting” wallpaper too? I think you’ve got a very ***** mind, lol…

Then her turn again.

Jenn@Jay-san: Lol! Oversexed? Or I can just have a starry mind. (:P)

Coincidentally, the episode of Gruen Transfer I just watched had a bit on sex selling — something about it being one of the basic emotions, and that advertising’s using emotions to get people to buy the product. So it’s partly the pornoness that sells, I’d say — It’s also easy to read, posts are generally short and/or image-laden, they have links to other pages if you’re curious about more of the same stuff. (That said, good blogs/those that do the time do the same thing as well. =)) I try not to read the comments there, though. :S

It’s just not often I hear a guy say (or write, in this case) ‘panties’. (:P)

Then my turn again.

xJAYMANx@Jenn-chan: A-ha, “oversexed”! You said it, not me! Well, whether “starry” or “naughty”, they both get the job done in the end, right? LOL… Hmm, haven’t heard of “Gruen Transfer”, but I wouldn’t describe sex as a “basic emotion” because it’s a concept not an emotion. In fact, I’d say sex is composed of many layers of emotions, including “love”, “hope”, “desire”, “pleasure”, sometimes “greed”, “jealousy”, even “hate” or “regret”, on top of the physical acts upon which these emotions are based. But in terms of “Sankaku”, yeah, it’s probably the immediately-gratifying, visually-oriented and fantasy-laced “pleasure” and “desire” of posts which attract readers over and over again, lol. And I don’t read the comments either!… Okay-okay, if not “panties”, then what about “pantsu”? Better now?…

Then her turn a third time, lol.

Jenn@Jay-san: Yay, I’m not so late there’s a new post! XD I’m not the one who said it, they were. (:P) On this rather boring ad, “According to Todd Sampson, sex is the second strongest basic human emotion, after self-preservation.” Personally, though, I disagree that love is an emotion. Heh. And pantsu aren’t better. -wry-

And my turn a third time, lol.

xJAYMANx@Jenn-chan: Haha, you’re funny. And not too late! Hmm, now I’m beginning to wonder who *they* are, those who labelled u *oversexed*, hehe. Intriguing… Ahh, I see. Then Sampson should have used the term “instinct” instead of “emotion”. Because when one talks about “self-preservation”, that better fits the definition of an “instinct”. If that’s the case, I would agree that “sex” is more instinctual. Here’s the Wiki on “self preservation“… Actually, while I still believe “love” is an emotion, I’d also add it’s a “complex” emotion not a “basic” one. Coincidentally, here’s another Wiki on the “list of emotions” that actually fits what I’m saying about “layers of emotions”. Wow, not bad…

LOL, from sex to science to fiction, and back to sex again… Why am I not surprised? >_<;

 

Part 3 of 3 > Japanese Twins, Succubi & You

Well, if we’re gonna talk about sex, why not go all-the-way with “Umemaro 3D – Volume 9″ (2008)? What is it? Hmm, let’s just say that a couple of months ago, mid-March, I stumbled across a collection of about a half-dozen “state of the art” 3D CG-animated “hentai” movies, lol. The finest example from this collection is arguably the voluptuous-and-volcanic one-hour “Twin Succubus” mini-movie (warning: site NSFW). For a tiny taste, here are a few “safer” promo images from their site “Gallery”. I’ve blurred away the “riskier” bits, but if you’re uncomfortable at all, leave now!

Feel free to enlarge the images. We both know you want to!

Stunning CG quality, eh?

Doesn’t the darker-skinned girl look Filipina?

The hair rendering is most impressive too!

Here, I decided to apply a foggy Gaussian blur via Photoshop, lol.

More fog, lol. You know, to keep my blog “safe”.

Even more fog! You get the idea.

Finally, my fave. The most-artistic promo image in the bunch. Such a shame I had to blur her, lol.

Aww, that’s all, folks. If you want more, you’re gonna have to get it yourself, lol. Good luck. I can just hear “One and Only” Jem-chan‘s eyes popping out of their sockets! ^_~

So, my Tumbling Toyboxers, how was it? Did it feel different? Similar? Let’s thank Sio-chan, Yoshika-chan, Miyabi-chan, Christine Toledo, Sarah Connor, Terminatrix Cameron, Summer Glau, Jenn-chan, Jem-chan, and of course, the Twin Succubi! Actually and paradoxically, this 3-course meal exploded just as widely and busily as a typical 5-course mega-cast. Gahhh. Oh well. So much for being lazy. Especially with stylishly-violent samurais to freeze your blood, a piercingly-random stash of posts and articles to numb your mind, as well as a pair of blurringly-erotic succubi to steal your soul. Damn punks. Bahhh.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Sio: “I was young and foolish. My boyfriend should’ve never filmed me!”

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/25/blog-203-succubi-samurai-sci-fi/feed/ 41 Blog 202 > Tales, Origins & You People http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/18/blog-202-tales-origins-you-people/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/18/blog-202-tales-origins-you-people/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 08:27:14 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=2908

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.

Website Outlook
14 May | xJAYMANx & xJAYMANx_toybox

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

Website Outlook
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.

Website Outlook
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.

Website Outlook
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.

Website Outlook
14 May | Danny Choo

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

Website Outlook
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?

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!

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.

The wallpaper version.

Here’s Toola.

The wallpaper version.

Finally, the DVD cover.

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!

 

 

 

Gotta love the moonlit halo!

 

 

 

Gotta love the sunlit halo!

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

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

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

Here’s Kei at 1920px.

Here’s Kei at 1600px.

 

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

Here’s the cast at 1600 x 1000px.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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.”

Here’s the ProWerks website.

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

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

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

An office scene.

Yet another.

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

Is that Jeeves behind me?

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

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

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

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?

Intense preparation.

Another office scene.

Preparing for a restaurant scene.

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

The cool non-smiling pose.

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

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

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!

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/18/blog-202-tales-origins-you-people/feed/ 26 Blog 201 > Red Cliffs, Redheads & Ragers http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/12/blog-201-red-cliffs-redheads-ragers/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/12/blog-201-red-cliffs-redheads-ragers/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 06:56:30 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=2793

What’s up, my Traveling Toyboxers? Nothing? Bored? Excited? In any case, here’s another week-swept mega-cast to fuel your anime and otaku flames! We’ll blast through internationally bursting bubbles, dig into personally detonated distractions, escape under exploding red-cliffed enemies, battle between buxom red-headed babes, and scale over red-raging blog-shifting transitions! Lots of red indeed! No, not red Mother’s Day roses, haha. But pretty much everything else! Now enough of this procrastinating prattle. Get ready. Get set. Go! Now let’s start this scarlet-tinged show…


Part 1 of 5 > International Downfall of Anime

Starting off, if you’ve been following the anime news over the past week, you’ll know that the state of the anime industry has been called into question. Beginning with the Anime News Network article “Anime is a Bubble that Burst” (04 May 2009), and followed by the Sankaku Complex post “Anime Bubble is Burst” (05 May 2009) and the Danny Choo post “Anime Decline” (08 May 2009), the ongoing issues of fan-subbing, file-sharing, and quality versus quantity resurfaced with a finger-pointing intensity once more.

Here’s the Anime News Network article.

Here’s the Sankaku Complex post the next day.

And here’s the Danny Choo post several days after that.

But is everyone missing the bigger picture? The bigger point?

While everyone seems to be focussing their attention on the flashy mediocre quality or flooding over-repetition of “moe” and “mecha” titles within anime, there may be a larger concern. It may not simply be a matter of two or three over-saturated genres within the anime spectrum, but in fact, it may be a matter of the over-saturation of the entire “anime” genre within the full-ranged live-to-recorded-to-animated television spectrum! Fortunately, all is not lost, lol. Just as music genres ebb and flow with an over-abundance of “hard rock” then “metal” then “grunge”, television genres fall and rise in the same way with viewers flowing from “sit-coms” to “sci-fi” to “dramas” to “reality” to whatever else might be the fresh flavor of the day.

So why not anime too? Cyclically rising and then falling?

Think of it this way. Even if every new anime production shines with spectacularly high-quality animation, vocal performance and fan-subbing at the same high-volume rate of distribution and downloads for the next ten years, does that mean viewers will never be over-saturated with too many titles? Will they never turn to live-action television? Or reality shows? Or sports?

Haha, George Lucas (Blog 195) might have the right idea with his current 3D-animated “Clone Wars” series (Blog 194) and upcoming live-action “Clone Wars” series too! Yup, he’s a genius after all, lol.

 

Part 2 of 5 > Personal Downfall of Anime [Part 2]

Now from “international downfalls”, let’s zoom in on “personal downfalls”, so to speak, lol. To begin painting the consuming context, let’s refresh ourselves with a stream of loosely connected quotes. First, on her infamous post “K-On! Sucks (Rant Rant Rant)” (15 April 2009), one of Angry Mimi-chan’s various comments included the following characteristic quote, haha.

“Geez this is my blog… and it’s the internet. I can say whatever the hell I want.”

~ Angry Mimi (20 April 2009)

Next, from his introspective post “The Disappearance of the Mysterious Youth” (04 May 2009), Aprilius20 made an unexpected reference to an impromptu quote I made on one of his previous posts, lol.

Here’s my impromptu quote.

“A true rebel tends to be a loner. While a true loner tends to, well, disappear.”

~ xJAYMANx (01 May 2009)

With these posts and quotes in mind, I stumbled upon one of Danny’s latest “inspirational” posts “7pm in Tokyo – Lalaport” (04 May 2009), listing his current goals over the next several years. Buying a new house. Opening a new restaurant. Opening a new zakka store. Impressive goals indeed.

Naturally, Danny’s post reminded me of my own humble path. From Architecture student to Civil Engineering student to Technical Writer to Online-Help Web Developer, and if we skip the dot-com-crashing detours into Mortgage Agent and Real Estate Agent, finally returning to Technical Writer by day and Otaku Blogger by night, lol. In turn, these thoughts reminded me of my previous “goals and destinations” post “Blog 128 > Downfall of Anime” (02 March 2008) over a year ago!

Here’s one excerpt from Blog 128.

Nahhh, I don’t think anime itself is falling or failing, but perhaps my ongoing time and energy (and thus need) for anime is fading into my own personal “downfall of anime”. Let me explain… While I still love anime and admire the artistry it symbolizes (and will continue to symbolize) in my life, I no longer feel an overwhelming need to “escape” into it for hours, days, or months at a time. Funny how I didn’t really see anime as a “psychological escape” or “social crutch” until I somehow found myself standing outside it.

And another excerpt.

Danny Choo and his blog still represent a significant part of that artistic admiration. But I also admire him enough to respectfully disagree with his views, as they apply (and don’t apply) to me. I guess that’s the mark of becoming less of a follower and more of a traveller setting out on my own path… Perhaps not everyone can find his “true destination” in life. Some may be “lucky” to find one. But others may be just as “lucky” not to find one. For myself, the journey itself holds more meaning than any destination. Which naturally entails many destinations, whether they’re willfully sought or unintentionally found. Here’s a quote below which still strikes a chord in me.

“If you knew where you came from and where you’re going, it wouldn’t be a real journey. On a real journey, you’ve already forgotten where you came from, and you have no idea where you’re going. That’s what I think it’s like. Yeah, everything is just coincidence on a journey. It’s nothing but a string of coincidences.”

~ Yukito Kunisaki, traveling puppeteer from the anime film “Air” (2005), directed by Osamu Dezaki and written by Makoto Nakamura, based on the visual novel of the same name by Key. See Wikipedia article.

While I don’t think “everything” is comprised of “coincidences”, the idea that a “real journey” holds no “true destination” carries a ring of truth. I admit this could be interpreted as an excuse for sloth or indifference… Not everyone can find their purpose or goal in life, or even be assured of happiness if they do find it. Some are destined to find purpose or happiness through hard work. Some are lucky to find it by chance. But for those who don’t, maybe they can find their meaning simply through the search itself. Not a careless or heartless search, but perhaps a more mindful and heartfelt one.

On rare occasions, I wonder what my life might’ve looked like had I found that one unshakable purpose. And other times, I’m happy where I am, whom I’ve met, and what I’ve accomplished just because I wanted to… But don’t worry, I haven’t given up on my anime figure photoshoots yet, lol.

~ xJAYMANx (02 March 2008)

Hehe, to be fair, a reader on my Blog 128 pointed out that Danny pretty much said the same thing in his New Year’s post “Destination” (01 January 2006) more than two years ago! Which I vaguely remember reading, lol. Here are some excerpts from that post.

One doesn’t have to decide on just one destination and have that as the be all and end all. Destinations may change from time to time but we need a destination, a direction that we should be headed in. If you are interested in getting what you want from life then I recommend that you always have an idea of where you are going and how you are going to get there…

So just an example, one of my “destinations” is to eventually start my own company and be wealthy from the company’s earnings – and at the same time enjoy the path I take…

So how about those who haven’t discovered their destination? Well there are some who don’t particularly care but if you do care then you could start to take a look at what you like and what you do best. You will always end up excelling when you are doing something that you enjoy and are passionate about – passion is like an orb of energy within you that enables you to be engaged and focused on your destination.

~ Danny Choo (01 January 2006)

While the pursuit of material wealth or fame has never been my highest priority as much as nurturing an ongoing relationship or marriage, whether or not it ultimately ended in separation or divorce, I’d be lying if I said I never thought about being rich, lol. Who hasn’t? After all, wouldn’t it be nice to take a few intercontinental cruises every year? Drive a few different luxury cars every week? Especially with a girl I can share them with? Nevertheless, as I write this, I’ve been content to live within my means, create within my imagination, blog within my interests, and love within my passions… Now there’s a decent quote right there, haha.

Having said all that, from “blogs and hells” to “rebels and loners” to “goals and destinations”, here’s one final quote to tickle your fancy and quench your reality.

“Goals and plans are simply organized distractions. After all, everything in life is a distraction, planned or not.”

~ xJAYMANx (09 May 2009)

 

Part 3 of 5 > The Battle of Red Cliff [Part 2]

Speaking of distractions, on 04 May 2009, I finally finished watching the 2009 Chinese film Red Cliff – Part II (2009), the spectacular two-hour conclusion to the first two-hour chapter Red Cliff – Part I (2008). In other words, epic distraction! If you want to see an Asian-flavored “Lord of the Rings” without all of the crazy elves, ugly dwarves and weirdo wizards, then by all means, catch these films now! Indomitable 5 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, here are several glorious high-resolution posters for “Part II”.

 

 

 

 

That was “Part II”. Now here’s “Part I” once more. To refresh your flickering memories, here’s my dazzling review “Blog 163 > Battle of Red Cliff” (21 September 2008) from last year, lol.

Spectacular! Absolutely spectacular!… If you love foreign dramas set in ancient history, weathered with military struggles, and endowed with an epic grandeur reminiscent of “The Lord of the Rings”, you’ll love the 2008 Chinese film Red Cliff (2008).

Centering around two of my all-time favorite Asian actors, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (Chungking Express, 2046, Infernal Affairs, In the Mood for Love) as military commander Zhou Yu, and Takeshi Kaneshiro (Chungking Express, House of Flying Daggers) as military strategist Zhuge Liang, the two must work together to defeat a common imperial threat. Not to spoil it too much, but my favorite scene is when the commander and strategist take a rare moment from inevitable military decisions to indulge in their musical expertise on the Chinese guqin zither. Quite a duet (or duel) to behold! Not afraid of the occasional light-hearted relief or breathless touch of romance to cast the violence into perspective, this film delivers an unyielding 5 of 5 stars!

Here’s the musical duel from “Part I”. Master versus master!

And here’s the riveting trailer for “Part I”!

A couple of pretty posters!

 

Plus a half-dozen wicked wallpapers!

 

 

 

 

 

Need I say more?

 

Part 4 of 5 > The Battle of Redheads

Ah yes! From burning red cliffs to blazing redheads! Before Yoko Littner from “Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann” (2007), there was Ignis from “Chaos Gate Jingai Makyo” (2005 eroge).

Who’s Ignis? What? You’ve never heard of her? You’ve never heard of one of the most-popular figures of 2006? Haha, have you been living in a cave? In a red cliff? LOL, well, I first blogged about her in my pre-Toybox post “Post 427” (30 November 2006) over two years ago. Then two months later, in my Toybox post “Blog 036” (10 January 2007). The pose. The dress. The detail. The hair. The blazing red hair!

So to continue the periodic “unlocking” of my ancient figure photoshoots, here’s my fifth “unlocked” photoshoot. Here she is! Here is Ignis (Max Factory, 1/7th-scale) from the “Chaos Gate Jingai Makyo” eroge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damn! Not bad for a two-year-old photoshoot, eh? Even now, I still think she’s one of the finest figures in any respectable collection. Don’t you agree? I mean, Ignis and her scarlet katana could slice down Yoko and her oversized rifle, any day and any night, lol. Not only that, Ignis’ black-and-white outfit blows Yoko’s wardrobe malfunctions out of the water! Although I wouldn’t mind seeing Yoko in that black-and-white dress either, hehe. Redheaded catfight anyone?

For more eye candy, here are my previous unlocked photoshoots! Enjoy!

Previously Unlocked Photoshoots

I’ll ask again. Redheaded catfight anyone?

 

Part 5 of 5 > The Melancholy of Mimi’s Rage

Haha, nahhh, no melancholy here. Just transitions and congratulations. Yup, congratulations, Angry Mimi-chan, on your move from AngryLoli@Blogger to AngryMimi.com! You finally graduated to WordPress.org, lol. May your blog live long and prosper! Angrily ever after!

So feel free to check out AngryMimi.com. “All hope abandon, ye who enter here.” Hahaha.

 

Yes-yes, my Tiger-Toothed Toyboxers! How did we do? Did we fuel your anime and otaku flames? Yes? Did we blast through internationally bursting bubbles? Dig into personally detonated distractions? Escape under exploding red-cliffed enemies? Battle between buxom red-headed babes? And scale over red-raging blog-shifting transitions? Yeah, I know, I know. Like I said, lots of red! Of course, let’s not forget to thank our guest Toyboxers! Thank you, Sankaku, Danny, Aprilius, the cast of “Red Cliff”, redheaded Yoko-chan, redheaded Ignis-chan, and as always, Angry Mimi-chan! Did we forget to thank our Moms? Did we forget to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day? Nahhh, I’m safe, lol. For now. Are we done?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

“Hi Raquele, lol.”

 

Final Flashback

“Got wings?”

 

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