Haha, no, my Tumbling Toyboxers, I’m not leaving the Toybox. However, I must say…

R.I.P. WordPress.com. R.I.P. Facebook. R.I.P. Twitter. Thanks for the short but sweet memories, March-July 2011. Follow me on Google+ @ https://plus.google.com/100244940787002926656/posts

If you remember in my Blog 225 several months ago, I wrote: “… To explore the bright blue bubble… I feel it’s time to move onto the next phase of my extracurricular life… I no longer have the blocks of time and energy to spend. The days of pulling a heavy wagon have drawn to a close. And the days of carrying a simple backpack have begun. In other words: a new WordPress, a new Facebook, and a new Twitter… By freeing myself from a heavily-centralized self-hosted ‘wagon’ of computer files and folders, I can leap lightly from site to site with a simple but liberating ‘backpack’ of ideas and expressions. Free to pursue and explore exotic new territories along my technical path. At least, that’s the theory. We’ll see what the bright blue bubble offers…”

Unexpectedly, all three paths led me to the same sparkling destination: Google+. See you there.

Aww, thanks, Aki-chan! Happy Belated Birthday to you too! Sadly, Aki-chan’s message is genuinely fake, hehe. But yup, 5 days after Aki-chan’s March 14th birthday, on March 19th, I climbed another year higher, wiser and more tuned to the ways of live-action J-drama, K-drama, Asian gravure idols, and Japanese onigiri. Not bad, huh? On that note, my Tender Toyboxers, let’s step away from “fake” 2D anime and animation this week, and instead, sit back, relax with a bowl of sticky rice, and enjoy a refreshing bottle of “real” 3D entertainment. Ready? Then let’s do it. Let’s start the show…

Part 1 of 5 > My 44 Live-Action in 2009

During my last mega-cast, you might remember what I said about “fake” anime.

Fake? Has anime started to feel fake yet? Yup, you heard me, hehe. The reason I ask this is that… the unexpected and inexplicable sensation swept over me that: “Anime [is] starting to feel fake”. It lasted for only a few moments. But this was the first time I felt anything like this before, after 4-or-5 years of unwavering anime loyalty. Even during real-life disruptions… But perhaps, over the recent months, my rising consumption of 3D live-action J-drama and K-drama, as well as the growing influence of Asian friends, co-workers, culture and cuisine have collectively caused a greater impact than I realized. An impact both visual and emotional. Perhaps. Thus, for those few moments, 2D anime felt “fake”. It no longer felt “real” to me.

Oddly, despite finishing several more anime titles over the last couple months, I haven’t experienced another “inexplicable sensation” since then. Nevertheless, to highlight my “rising consumption of 3D live-action”, in the tradition of my “annual anime lists”, I now present for the first time ever, my “annual live-action lists”. Yup, to complement My 41 Anime in 2009, here is My 44 Live-Action in 2009. Hey, did you catch that? I wrote “44″ live-action, 3 more than my “41″ anime. Fascinating, huh? From ancient warriors to eccentric pianists to moody lovers to galactic trekkers to insatiable pirates to high-school delinquents to super-rich schoolboys, it’s been a lively live-action year! To be specific, here are my live-action faves of 2009!

Next, here are my complete lists of live-action faves and 44 live-action titles-seasons of 2009. Hmm, while my anime titles witnessed a striking monthly drop after September 2009 through December 2009, my live-action titles witnessed a strong presence during those same months. Whether or not there’s a genuine personal “fall of anime”, it’s tough to ignore a personal “rise of live-action”. And tougher to ignore just by the very existence of this list!

My Live-Action Rating

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

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

• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) > Honorable Mention!
• [39] +++++ Jumong – Season 3 (41-60) > Fave K-Drama!
• [36] +++++ Jumong – Season 2 (21-40)
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9)
• [33] +++++ Jumong – Season 1 (1-20)
• [29] +++++ Torchwood – Season 3 – Children of Earth (2009, 1-5) > Fave UK-Drama!
• [27] +++++ Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008, 1-12)
• [20] +++++ Terminator – Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season 2 (1-22)
• [16] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Live-Action (2006, 1-11) > Fave J-Drama!
• [09] +++++ Battlestar Galactica – Season 4 (1-20) > Fave US-Drama!

My Top-5 Films or Specials > 5 of 5 stars!

• [31] +++++ In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa, 2000) > Fave Romance Film!
• [26] +++++ Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005)
• [25] +++++ Star Trek (2009) > Fave Sci-Fi Film!
• [21] +++++ Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special (2009) > Fave Comedy Special!
• [14] +++++ Red Cliff – Part II (Chi bi xia: Jue zhan tian xia, 2009) > Fave Action Film!

My Top-2 Adult Films > 5 of 5 stars!

• [06] +++++ Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge (2008) > Fave Adult Film!
• [05] +++++ Pirates XXX (2005)

My 44 Live-Action Titles-Seasons in 2009

December 2009

• [--] Tomb Raider 2 – The Cradle of Life (2003) – Finished (again) 29 Dec.
• [--] Tomb Raider (2001) – Finished (again) 27 Dec. Yup, finally finished “Tomb Raider” again.
• [44] ++++ Sherlock Holmes (2009) – Finished 26 Dec. Heyyy, not bad, not bad! Maybe 4 of 5 stars?
• [43] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final – Director’s Cut (2008) – Finished 25 Dec. Aww, added or extended scenes, 4-5 of 5 stars!
• [42] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) – Finished 24 Dec. Ahh, the film finale to the TV series. Should I give 4 of 5 stars? Or 5 stars?
• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) – Finished 22 Dec. Wow, another dramatic 5 of 5 stars!
• [40] ++++ Evanescence: Anywhere but Home (2004) – Finished 17 Dec. Wow, not bad, I’d say 4 of 5 stars!
• [39] +++++ Jumong – Season 3 (41-60) – Finished 14 Dec. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 3″, episodes 41-60. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [--] Star Trek (2009) – Finished (again) 13 Dec. Yup, watched the film again, a better version of the downloaded movie file! Yup, 5 of 5 stars again! Wallpapers and review at Blog 214.
• [38] ++++ Equilibrium (2002) – Finished 05 Dec. Hey, finally watched this “Matrix” clone. Not bad, I’d give 4 of 5 stars!

November 2009

• [37] ++++ Doctor Who – Planet of the Dead (2009) – Finished 22 Nov. Hey, 4 of 5 stars!
• [36] +++++ Jumong – Season 2 (21-40) – Finished 17 Nov. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 2″, episodes 21-40. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9) – Finished 15 Nov. Wow, dramatic, amusing and emotional 5 of 5 stars!

October 2009

• [34] ++++ Battlestar Galactica – The Plan (2009) – Finished 24 Oct. Not perfect but not bad at all, 4 of 5 stars! Images and review at Blog 218.
• [33] +++++ Jumong – Season 1 (1-20) – Finished 19 Oct. Wow, finished my self-defined “Season 1″, episodes 1-20. Epic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [32] +++ Densha Otoko (2005) – Finished 17 Oct. Didn’t quite pay attention to it, due to some physical distractions, hehe. Poster and review at Blog 218.
• [--] Forbidden Kingdom (2008) – Finished (again) 04 Oct. Not bad for a second viewing! Poster and review at Blog 218.

September 2009

• [--] Jumong – Started 20 Sep. Epic! Even though this was only the first episode, I felt I had to mention when I started such an epic series! Wallpapers and review at Blog 218.
• [31] +++++ In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa, 2000) – Finished 20 Sep. Yup, watched the film plus the DVD extras. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! Maggie and Tony remind me sooo much of us! Uncanny! I mean, how did I avoid watching this? Since I already watched “2046″ before, how? After meeting her, must be fate? Poster and review at Blog 218.
• [--] So Close (Chik yeung tin si, 2002) – Finished (again) 11 Sep. Yup, finally finished the film plus the DVD extras again. I don’t remember what rating I gave when I first saw it, but I’d give it 4 of 5 stars today, hehe. Images at Blog 217.

August 2009

• [--] Death Note 2 – The Last Name (2006) – Finished (again) 29 Aug. Yup, watched it with her, hehe. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [--] Death Note (2006) – Finished (again) 29 Aug. Yup, watched it with her, hehe. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [30] ++++ The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) – Finished 22 Aug. Yup, watched it with her at Sunset Station Casino. Hey, not bad, 4 of 5 stars! Several moments of near tears. Wallpapers and review at Blog 216.

July 2009

• [29] +++++ Torchwood – Season 3 – Children of Earth (2009, 1-5) – Finished 31 Jul. Whoa, didn’t tear up, but still emotional 5 of 5 stars!
• [28] +++ Lord of War (2005) – Finished 29 Jul. Just okay, 3 of 5 stars.
• [27] +++++ Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008, 1-12) – Finished 24 Jul. Watched the 2008 TV series, followed by the 2009 extra episode. Wow, 5 of 5 stars! With the first ending, so many tears streaming down both my cheeks. Screencaps and review at Blog 213.
• [26] +++++ Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) – Finished 24 Jul. Wow, two-hour reunion! Teared up too, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 213.
• [25] +++++ Star Trek (2009) – Finished 21 Jul. Yup, finally watched the downloaded movie file. And I’m glad I did, 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 214.
• [24] ++++ Watchmen (2009) – Finished 12 Jul. Wow, finally watched the film-version of the break-through comic, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 211.
• [23] ++ L – Change the World (2008) – Finished 11 Jul. Ehh, nice to see “L” again, but such a poor plot, 2 of 5 stars. Wallpapers and review at Blog 210.
• [22] ++++ Smallville – Season 8 (1-22) – Finished 03 Jul. Haha, a six-episode marathon till the 22nd-episode finale! Whoa, intense 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 209.

June 2009

• [21] +++++ Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special (2009) – Finished 27 Jun. Awww, wild, wacky yet warm. Yup, no doubt, another 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 208.
• [20] +++++ Terminator – Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season 2 (1-22) – Finished 19 Jun. Wow, the stylistic reverence and cinematic adherence to the original film trilogy is uncanny! An impressive 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 207.
• [19] ++++ Blade Runner – Director’s Cut (1982, 1992) – Finished 14 Jun. Hehe, after “Hard Boiled”, I was then inspired to watch “Blade Runner” again, starring Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos. Still a cyborg-gunning 4 of 5 stars! Posters and review at Blog 207.
• [18] ++++ Hard Boiled (Lat sau san taam, 1992) – Finished 14 Jun. Hey, finally watched this film! Directed by John Woo, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. A bullet-flying 4 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 207.
• [17] ++++ Nodame Cantabile – Special in Europe (2008, 1-2) – Finished 13 Jun. After the live-action series, watched the two-episode “Special in Europe”. Awww, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 207.
• [16] +++++ Nodame Cantabile – Live-Action (2006, 1-11) – Finished 12 Jun. Haha, the live-action version of the extraordinary anime! Wow, sublime 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 207.
• [15] ++++ In July (Im Juli, 2000) – Finished 06 Jun. Ahh, a random non-Asian change via Netflix, finally watched this German romantic comedy. Aww, hard not to fall in love with Christiane Paul. A colorful 4 of 5 stars! Images and review at Blog 205.

May 2009

• [14] +++++ Red Cliff – Part II (Chi bi xia: Jue zhan tian xia, 2009) – Finished 04 May. Double-wow! Spectacular 5 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 201.

April 2009

• [13] ++++ Shinobi – Heart Under Blade (2005) – Finished 25 Apr. Ahh, the live-action film alternative to the novel or anime. Too few ninjas, but not bad, 4 of 5 stars! Wallpapers and review at Blog 199.
• [12] ++++ Police Story 3 – Supercop (Ging chat goo si 3: Chiu kup ging chat, 1992) – Finished 19 Apr. Wow, Jackie Chan’s third police-punching action-packed roller-coaster ride, featuring the dazzling Michelle Yeoh, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 198.
• [11] ++++ Battlestar Galactica – Caprica – Pilot (2009) – Finished 18 Apr. Heyyy, the pilot for the 2010 series! Wow, wickedly impressive 4 of 5 stars!
• [10] +++ Seven Swords (Chat gim, 2005) – Finished 10 Apr. Stunning imagery, but ehh, not bad, 3 of 5 stars.

March 2009

• [09] +++++ Battlestar Galactica – Season 4 (1-20) – Finished 21 Mar. Wow, glorious final episode of the final chapter! Wickedly breathtaking, heart-stoppingly mind-blowing, with twists, turns and surprises till the end, haha. For a full 90 minutes too. A galactic 5 of 5 stars! Wallpaper and review at Blog 194.
• [08] +++ Snakes & Earrings (Hebi ni piasu, 2008) – Finished 21 Mar. Hmm, a revealing yet startling window into soul-searching underground characters. The plot wasn’t too bad, 3 of 5 stars. Screencaps and review at Blog 194.

February 2009

• [07] ++++ Police Story 2 (Ging chat goo si juk jaap, 1988) – Finished 21 Feb. Wow, Jackie Chan’s police-punching sequel, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 190.
• [06] +++++ Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge (2008) – Finished 20 Feb. Wow, spectacular big-budget adult film, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 190.
• [05] +++++ Pirates XXX (2005) – Finished 10 Feb. Wow, impressive big-budget adult production! Haha, except for the explicit sex, almost like a “real” movie, 5 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 188.
• [04] ++++ Battle Royale (2000) – Finished 06 Feb. Whoa, with all the bloody violence, unexpectedly complex and layered, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 188.

January 2009

• [03] ++++ Police Story (Ging chat goo si, 1985) – Finished 28 Jan. Wow, Jackie Chan’s police-punching classic! Even after 24 years, the stunts are still insane, 4 of 5 stars! Screencaps and review at Blog 187.
• [02] ++++ Doctor Who at the Proms (Special, 2009) – Finished 11 Jan. Heyyy, not bad, pretty entertaining! Such moving and memorable musical pieces for the reimagined sci-fi series, 4 of 5 stars!
• [01] ++++ Sarah Jane Adventures – Season 2 (1-12) – Finished 04 Jan. Ahh, a more child-oriented version of the reimagined “Doctor Who”, but still quite an entertaining 4 of 5 stars!

Part 2 of 5 > Hana Yori Dango to Dae Jang Geum

Congratulations to “Hana Yori Dango”! Although “Nodame Cantabile” stole the prize of “Fave J-Drama”, I couldn’t overlook “Hana Yori Dango” either. So I gave this J-drama an “Honorable Mention”! Let’s take another look why.

• [43] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final – Director’s Cut (2008) – Aww, 4-5 of 5 stars!
• [42] ++++ Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) – Ahh, 4 of 5 stars? Or 5 stars?
• [41] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 2 (1-11) – Wow, 5 of 5 stars!
• [35] +++++ Hana Yori Dango – Season 1 (1-9) – Wow, 5 of 5 stars!

Yup, not just two seasons, but also a film finale. In the same effective “dramedy” style seen in “Gokusen” (Blog 208 and Blog 213) and “Nodame Cantabile” (Blog 207), “Hana Yori Dango” likewise dances playfully between exaggerated over-the-top comic-violence and heart-breaking-heart-warming tears. Especially captivating are Mao Inoue (as Makino Tsukushi, 牧野 つくし) and Jun Matsumoto (as Domyouji Tsukasa, 道明寺 司), also a graduate of “Gokusen”. And oftentimes, successfully frustrating too, hehe. But yeah, an undeniable 5 of 5 stars overall, across both seasons and both film versions.

To celebrate, ranging dramatically from 1024px-to-3000px resolution, here are 13 wallpapers, scans and other images. Feel free to enlarge!

Inevitably, following the success of the “Hana Yori Dango” (2005, 2007) J-drama series, the K-drama version “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) was born. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy its slower pace. Especially on the treadmill. So after willfully enduring 7 of 25 episodes from January 13th to January 20th, I finally gave up. Ugh, the 7th was the slowest episode thus far. That’s when I switched back to another K-drama, the classic “Dae Jang Geum” (2003) series, hehe. Nevertheless, here are a couple of images for your idle and idol enjoyment!

Coincidentally, on March 2nd, while Autumn-chan was strolling through the library, she managed to pass by an aisle of manga, thought of me, and snapped some shots on her iPhone, haha. Not just “Hana Yori Dango” (Boys Over Flowers), but “Kare Kano” (His & Her Circumstances) too! Wow, it’s been ages since I blogged about “Kare Kano”. Let’s see, Blog 184? Yup, I think that was the last time!

Speaking of the classic “Dae Jang Geum” (2003) K-drama, I also started it on January 13th. But unlike the “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) K-drama, I’ve stuck with it for over 2 months, enjoying over 40 of 54 episodes thus far! Especially on the treadmill, haha. I can definitely see the interrelated influences with other Ancient Korean K-drama favorites like “Damo” (2003) and “Jumong” (2006). I’ll probably discuss it in more detail next time, but for now, here are several wallpapers for your wondering and wandering eyes.

Haha, got enough live-action J-drama and K-drama to fill your bowl?

Part 3 of 5 > Miss Actress to Aki Hoshino

Once again, Happy Birthday to you, Aki-chan! I didn’t forget your photoshoot, hehe. Ahh, my Tantalized Toyboxers, if you’ve peeked at the Toybox often enough, you’ve already seen a few of my posts featuring Japanese gravure-idol photoshoots. Haven’t you?

• Juri Ueno from the hit J-drama “Nodame Cantabile” (Blog 207)
• Yukie Nakama from another hit J-drama “Gokusen” (Blog 208 and Blog 213)

So finally, in the tradition of my previous photoshoots, I present Aki Hoshino (ほしのあき / 호시노 아키 / 星野亞紀) from the Miss Actress Photo Book #070 (2005). Enjoy!

Oh, before I forget, here’s an interesting side note. When I first stumbled upon Aki-chan’s photoshoot months ago, perhaps half a year ago along with Juri-chan’s or Yukie-chan’s photoshoots, I noticed how artsy-and-dark this shoot was compared to other standard bright-and-sunny idol shoots. Very cool. But when I began composing this mega-cast, I somehow lost the link! Fortunately, on February 28th, I found it again! Along with an intriguing interview I hadn’t seen before. Thus, I requested the assistance of Autumn-chan to translate and summarize the text. Thanks Autumn-chan!

Autumn-chan: finally made sense

xJAYMANx: awesome

Autumn-chan: sorry it took so long

xJAYMANx: ohh, no time at all, want to add any comments for those 6 pages?
(for blog)

Autumn-chan: i don’t have anything to add…

xJAYMANx: np, then would it be okay to ask for a brief summary?
or does the english parts sum it up

Autumn-chan: she talks about when she was in middle school and high school, how she didn’t like studying but liked to go to school because her friends were there
she didn’t know how to be friends with boys or go on dates because she didn’t know how to have a relationship with a guy (she didn’t have a father)

xJAYMANx: interesting

Autumn-chan: and then when she was 18 she had a crush on a guy that was 23
she thought he was his boyfriend until she found out that she was only one of his several girlfriends

xJAYMANx: ahh
(sent a final question) [Via email: Here are 2 more without much text. Would they fit better at the start, end or somewhere in between (about being an "all-boys girl").]

Autumn-chan: so he broke her heart and she lost a lot of weight

xJAYMANx: aww

Autumn-chan: then she went to his home to pick up her stuff and when he saw how thin she was, he was kind to her, so she thought if she looked sick he’d like her
she was 35kg which is less than 80 pounds

xJAYMANx: wow

Autumn-chan: but she got over that and started modeling

xJAYMANx: thats super skinny isn’t it?

Autumn-chan: (yes) and she started when she was 24 and no magazine wanted her, but she somehow made it

xJAYMANx: really
that’s late to start modelling

Autumn-chan: yes
very late, she says that’s when girls stop doing bikinis

xJAYMANx: yeah
(anywhere in between, so not start or end)

Autumn-chan: i think it should start with 107

xJAYMANx: i agree
which text page talks about “all boys girl”

Autumn-chan: 107

xJAYMANx: ahh, so you’re right, anywhere in between

Autumn-chan: the second picture is probably in high school which is on 105

xJAYMANx: you mean 102 goes w 105?

Autumn-chan: yes

Without further ado, here’s Aki-chan’s photoshoot! As always, feel free to enlarge the images. You’ll notice the original interview soon enough, hehe.

Hehe, got enough lively bikini idols to fill your cup? But here’s a more intriguing side note. It occurred to my cross-circuited brain: Doesn’t Aki Hoshino remind you of a modern-day Japanese version of the innocent-yet-curvy Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe?

Part 4 of 5 > Japanese Souvenirs to Birthday Dishes

Okay, my Toasty Toyboxers, enough about live-action dramas and lively bikini idols. Let’s talk about food! During my last mega-cast, you might remember how I acquired my rice cooker.

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

Well, over the rest of January through February and March, I’ve experimented with quite a few variations of onigiri, ranging from plain Calrose white rice, to Calrose white rice with shiso seasoning, to Calrose white rice slightly browned with soy sauce plus shiso seasoning, to Calrose brown rice with wakame (seaweed) mix. Thanks Autumn-chan for the shiso and wakame! In fact, here’s a two-month-old snapshot of my Zojirushi. At near-daily use, it’s still going strong!

Back in mid-January, here were my early attempts at oddly-shaped “cubic” onigiri, haha. Calrose white with shiso.

One month later, mid-February, here were my more traditionally shaped “triangular” onigiri. Plain Calrose white.

Ah yes, souvenirs from the “Tokyo Loot Fairies”! After Autumn-chan came back from Japan, she brought back quite a few intriguing trinkets. A stack of tourist brochures, curry and shiso mixes, a shopping guide and other boxes. Unrelatedly yet relatedly, my close co-worker friend Allie-chan also happened to bring back a little gift. Can you guess which one it is?

Haha, first, let’s talk about the orange box with feet on it! This was Autumn-chan’s primary present for the winter season. Any educated guess what it is? Yup, a type of gel-pack bed warmer! Just take the gel-pack, heat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, throw it under the bed covers, and you’re good to go for the night. You have the option to stick it in the orange sack to protect your skin from any prolonged contact. But since I wore sweatpants and socks anyway, the toasty heat didn’t bother me. I must admit, it was a nice companion to my portable heaters. But it doesn’t quite exist in the States, does it? At least not on Amazon.

Ah, second, the curry mix! But not just the sauce, the mix also includes the meat, potatoes and veggies. Very convenient! Unfortunately, only enough for one plate. One, maybe two servings. Definitely not something I can find at the local grocery store, even in the “international” or “ethnic” aisle, hehe. Oh yeah, if you look closely, or enlarge the image, you can see the “3″ in the bottom-right corner. That’s a mild or medium “3 out of 5″ in the spiciness range.

Third, the shiso mix! Made from the shiso plant, this seasoning adds a very consistent saltiness to your onigiri. Actually, let me correct that, you can control the density and consistency of the saltiness depending on how you mix up, or don’t mix up, your cooked rice. In any case, mmm, tasty.

Fourth, the “Dessert Pocky”! Why is it called “Dessert”? Who knows? I guess it must be the cheesecake flavoring? Or the very un-dense packing? Haha, I mean, come on, even though they show 12 sticks on the box cover, any reasonable consumer might expect more than that, right? Well, nope. It’s exactly 12 sticks, or 3 sticks in each of the 4 packs. That’s all. Just 12 sticks!

Fifth, the “Super Skinny Pocky”! I forgot what the translation on the big red arrow was, but I think it was something like “Super Skinny”. Is it really “Super Skinny” compared to the traditional standard “Pocky”? Hmm, maybe slightly. But then again, I don’t eat it often enough to immediately notice the difference, unless you told me.

Ahh, here’s another curious side note. I forget who told me, either Autumn-chan or Allie-chan, but “Pocky” treats are normally considered “very girlie” in Japan. I never knew this until last year! How girlie? Well, probably as “girlie” as buying and putting on make-up. Yup, no joke. Which explains why you see only girls enjoying “Pocky” in anime and drama. Which also explains why they came out with a specific “Men’s Pocky” to target male consumers. Like I said, no joke. If I were strolling though Tokyo, I’d probably not want to be seen eating “Pocky”. For example, take a peek at the back of the box. Where Mizuki Kuroda is showing you how to add tiny hearts to your “Strawberry Pocky”. Awww, how cute and sweet. So the next time you have a craving for these chocolate sticks, don’t forget to put on your lipstick and nail polish too, haha.

Sixth, even more onigiri “accessories”, hehe. In the pink packet, sake (salmon) seasoning for mixing into the rice. In the first green packet, wakame (one type of seaweed) seasoning for also mixing into the rice. And in the second green packet, nori (another type of seaweed) for covering an exterior section of the onigiri.

Seventh, the “Japan Shopping Guide”! Covering English, Korean, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Hardly any Japanese at all! Including train lines, bus lines, maps and product information for all your favorite shopping sites! Featuring Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Ikebukuro, Akihabara, Makuhari, Funabashi, Yokohama, even Narito Airport, and bits of Osaka too, hehe.

Ahh, so do any of these Zojirushi rice cookers look familiar? Hmmm?

Well, that’s all of the “Tokyo Loot” souvenirs, folks! Can you guess which gift Autumn-chan didn’t bring me? The gift that Allie-chan brought back? Haha, like a needle in a haystack! Or, hint-hint, like a stick in a pile of chocolate? Meanwhile, speaking of impossibly random finds, one day, while I was flipping through the April 2010 issue of “Reader’s Digest” (yeah, a gift subscription from Dad), guess what I found on page 123? A life-sized android Miku-chan! Imagine that! If you have no idea who or what Miku-chan is, check out Otaku Dan’s post “Miku Hatsune Wallpaper Dump” (24 March 2010). Of course, “Reader’s Digest” doesn’t have any idea either.

Another month later, mid-March, here was another tasty onigiri experiment. Calrose white slightly browned with soy sauce plus shiso.

Then another two weeks later, on March 29th, I finally opened the green packet of wakame (seaweed) seasoning above. Calrose brown rice with wakame. Mmm, brown rice definitely makes a difference. Seems to add another layer or texture to the flavor. My favorite onigiri so far!

Mmm, doesn’t all of this onigiri make you hungry? But now, let’s rewind back over the past week to my other delicious birthday dishes! Remember the green box of medium curry mix above? Not just the sauce, but the meat, potatoes and veggies included too? Well, here’s the mix when cooked in the microwave for a minute, and poured over nice and sticky Calrose brown rice, mmm. Doubly delicious when shared with Autumn-chan. Awww.

Afterwards, dessert! Chocolate bread pudding and yummy apple pie! Need I say more?

Mmm, if all of the onigiri didn’t budge you, then the pudding and pie must have! So that was Saturday, March 20th. A few days later, on Tuesday, March 23rd, a couple of my coworkers Melanie (in brown) and Michelle (in black) decided to treat me to a belated birthday lunch. Awww. My choice: T.G.I.F. With some strawberry lemonade, fried green beans, a Jack Daniel’s Sampler platter (packed with chicken, shrimp and ribs), and of course, the final ice-cream dessert accompanied with the universally embarrassing T.G.I.F. staff singing. Bahhh.

Happy Birthday, dude! By the way, my Tempted Toyboxers, if you’re curious about last year’s birthday antics, appetizers and assassins, feel free to take a peek at Blog 194.

Part 5 of 5 > Firefox Personas to Google iGoogles

Are we there yet? Last but not least, here are a few random technical updates on the web browsers and websites I’ve been using. Back on February 18th, I finally installed the new Firefox 3.6, played with its cool Persona skins, and ultimately settled on the “Black Catgirl” browser skin. Nice! Next, on February 22nd, I finally explored iGoogle, configured my iGoogle home page, and ultimately settled with a 3-column “Black UI” theme. Double nice! So on February 28th, with everything pretty stable and set in place, I decided to take some screencaps (Photoshop-edited for content). Yup, very black, very cool.

Yup, my “Black Toybox 2007″ blog design is still running pretty well. Three years sticking with the same design, same theme, same look-and-feel. Not too shabby. Not at all.

Heyyy, thank you, my Trusty Toyboxers, for making it this far! I hope you enjoyed my stumble and climb through live-action drama titles, lively bikini idols, and tasty onigiri. Once again, Happy Birthday, Aki-chan! And thanks to the other gracious gals who glided through this mega-cast. Yukie-chan, Juri-chan, Mao-chan, Autumn-chan, Allie-chan, Miku-chan, Maria-chan, Melanie and Michelle. So did you guess which gift Autumn-chan didn’t bring me? The gift that Allie-chan brought back? Yup, the blue-boxed loosely-packed cheesecake-flavored “Dessert Pocky”, haha.

• Doesn’t Aki Hoshino remind you of a modern-day Japanese version of Marilyn Monroe?
• “Pocky” treats are normally considered “very girlie” in Japan. How girlie?
• Of course, “Reader’s Digest” doesn’t have any idea either. Miku who?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Aki-chan: “Happy Birthday, Jay… Got onigiri?”

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1024px

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.

22 Aug | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

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?

22 Aug | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

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.

22 Aug | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

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!

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1024px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1600px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1600px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1600px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 2500px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1500px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 3000px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 2400px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1600px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 3500px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1600px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1900px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 3000px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 3000px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1600px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1900px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1900px

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1280px

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!

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 1500px

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

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 1200px

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

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 2200px

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

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 3000px

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

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 3000px

Another magical moment between Clare and Henry.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 2700px

Here’s a close-up view.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 1280px

A wallpaper version.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 1280px

Another wallpaper version.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 1280px

A more heart-breaking wallpaper.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 1280px

Finally, a wallpaper version of my favorite poster above.

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) | Enlarge 1280px

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.

22 Aug | Saturday at the Sunset Casino | Enlarge

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

22 Aug | Saturday at the Sunset Casino | Enlarge

Not even some semblance of gravy paste?

22 Aug | Saturday at the Sunset Casino | Enlarge

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

22 Aug | Saturday at the Sunset Casino | Enlarge

Faster than a speeding gullet!

22 Aug | Saturday at the Sunset Casino | Enlarge

Heyyy, watch where you point that thing!

22 Aug | Saturday at the Sunset Casino | Enlarge

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

22 Aug | Saturday at the Sunset Casino | Enlarge

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.

22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Umm, “heading” into some trouble?

22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Okay, who’s making sense?

22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

Where were we “heading” again?

22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

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

22 Aug | Saturday Night on Video Chat

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

23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

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

23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

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

23 Aug | Sunday Night on Video Chat

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

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.

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

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.

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

A decadently tempting close-up!

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

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

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Umm, yeah, not bad…

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

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

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Come here, Guiness. Wanna taste?

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Come a little closer!

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Here ya go. Come on.

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

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

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Mmm. See that? Mmm, mmm, tasty!

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Come on, Guiness… Bahhh, I give up.

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

What? Not even the chocolate crumbs?

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Ahh, there you go! Finally!

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

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

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

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.

Death Note 1 (Live Action, 2006) | Jump to Blog 210

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.

Death Note 2 – The Last Name (Live Action, 2006) | Jump to Blog 210

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!

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

Ah, see Guiness stretch.

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

See Guiness snore.

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

See Guiness fart. Ewww, lol.

29 Aug | Saturday Death Note Marathon | Enlarge

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!

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

“Trinity” rocking the drums!

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

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

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

A reverse angle.

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

Another reverse angle.

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

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

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

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

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

Let’s try it again!

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

“Trinity” rocking the mic once more!

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

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?

29 Aug | Saturday Night Rock Band | Enlarge

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?

Read or Die – R.O.D. the TV (2003) | Enlarge 1900px

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Fake Message, LOL | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 750px

Greetings, my Titillating Toyboxers! Welcome to the blaze-and-glory of yet another weekly mega-cast attack upon your immortal soul! Assuming your fragile fingers can survive the infinite click-and-scroll. Hey, that rhymed, lol. Imagine that! Nevertheless, there’s no more room for imagination when you must witness the cybernetic grasp of mechanical lovers, the heartfelt tug of high-school reunions, the soothing smile of bikini-clad idols, the seductive glance of adult-video starlets, and the infectious laughter of cute acquaintances. Like I said, no more room for imagination! But tons of space-and-time for entertainment, right? So lock yourself inside, peel away your pride, and enjoy the ride. Let’s go!

Part 1 of 5 > Zettai Kareshi – Absolute Boyfriend

Heyyy, let’s start our glorious ride with some Japanese live-action! Do you remember my Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure (29 June 2009) just over a month ago? If not, let me refresh your memory cells, lol. On that mega-cast, Toyboxer Kris-chan commented how a few of the “Gokusen” actors reminded her of “Absolute Boyfriend (Live Action)”. That’s because two of the actors are on both shows!

Consequently, because of my adoration of “Gokusen” (Live Action, 2002, 2005, 2008), I downloaded “Zettai Kareshi” (Live Action, 2008) plus its extra “Special Ending” (2009). And the rest is history! I enjoyed the first episode, finished the series and the special on 24 July 2009, and finally added the title to this week’s mega-cast! And I gotta tell you, while the pace seemed more relaxed than other J-drama or K-drama series, when I reached the final episode, the tears were literally blurring my eyes and streaming down my cheeks, both cheeks, more tears with this episode than with any single episode of live-action “Gokusen” or any other Japanese or Korean drama. Yup, it was that intense! Yup, no doubt, 5 of 5 stars! Afterwards, the “Special Ending” was a nice bit of closure to tie up the loose strings. But satisfying as well. Amazing. To celebrate, here are 40+ “Zettai Kareshi” screencaps from Design Chronicle to offer a tangy taste of the title. Even more fake captions anyone?

But before the fake captions, here’s the title sequence.

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Yup, both lead guys are from “Gokusen 2″! Okay, next, the fake captions…

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “We’ve done it. We’ve turned the Terminator into the Lovinator!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Yes, the Lovinator!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan {in thought}: “Hmm, I need some lovin’.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Did you say ‘Lovin” as in Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Soshi: “Hmm, I think I need some lovin’ too.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh? What’s a Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Behold! This is my Nightly Lovinator!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Nice, huh? I tested his Nightly Lovinating myself!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “In fact, I tested his Nightly Lovinating all day and all night!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Ah yes, Riiko-chan, don’t forget to read the instructions.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh? My own Nightly Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Hmm, this’ll never work.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {activating}: “Armpits… 1… 2… 3…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {still activating}: “Hmm, something smells like armpits.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Who are you? Are you a Terminator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Terminator? I’m not a Terminator.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! A Terminator is gonna kill me!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I’m not a Terminator. I’m a Lovinator. Wanna smell my armpits?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! I don’t wanna smell your armpits!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Don’t wanna smell my armpits? Wanna have sex?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Gaku: “Sorry about that. I forgot to use deodorant.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Hey Riiko-chan, wanna buy some deodorant?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “No, it’s okay. It doesn’t smell too bad.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “But what am I gonna do with a Nightly Lovinator?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I’m a Nightly Lovinator. Can I buy some deodorant?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {deactivating}: “I think my armpits still smell bad.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “I’m so sorry, Night. Your armpits smelled bad after all.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {deactivating}: “Armpits… 3… 2… 1…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {testing}: “Armpits… Smell… Deodorant…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko-chan: “I’m sorry. I couldn’t get the new deodorant in time.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I can smell Riiko-chan. I can smell the new deodorant. Where?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Ahhh, the deodorant. There it is.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Hmmm, this deodorant is heavier than I thought.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Must repair. Must deliver deodorant to Riiko-chan.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Here, Riiko-chan. The new deodorant you wanted.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko: “Why? Why did you deliver the deodorant?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko: “Wow, I can’t believe they loved the new deodorant fragrance!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko’s friend: “Oh no, I gotta tell Riiko-chan, they didn’t like the deodorant fragrance after all!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “I’m sorry, Night. The new deodorant didn’t work out.”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night {reacting}: “Deodorant… Smell… Bad…”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko {waking up}: “What? Who’s there?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Night: “Good morning, Riiko-chan. Wanna smell my armpits?”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Riiko: “Nooooo!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Hahaha! But I wonder: Would *Nightly* Lovinator armpits smell better or worse than *Daily* Lovinator armpits? Would *female* Lovinator armpits smell better or worse than *male* ones? Okay-okay, forget I asked. Because now, it’s time to hike from one Japanese live-action drama to another!

Part 2 of 5 > Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special

Yup, my Telltale Toyboxers, more “Gokusen”! Why? Well, why not? I mean, I already mentioned my adoration of “Gokusen” (Live Action, 2002, 2005, 2008) above, and I recently speed-reviewed the “Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special” (2009) in my Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure (29 June 2009) just over a month ago. So why not?

In fact, after finishing “Zettai Kareshi” plus its extra “Special Ending”, I decided to watch the two-hour “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special” (Sept 2005) that same night, on 24 July 2009. And once again, all of the memorable emotions bubbled up to the surface. Like I’ve said before: “It’s simply incredible how after its 3 seasons and 7 years, the series can still take me from out-loud laughter to sniffling eye-blurring tears.” Just like the “Gokusen 3″ special, this “Gokusen 2″ special took me to the edge of tears too. Hehe, another 5 of 5 stars! Was there any doubt? To celebrate, here are 40+ screencaps from the “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special”. From only the first 5 minutes!

Since the screencaps already include subtitles, I won’t bother with fake ones, lol.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Isn’t Yukie-chan mesmerizing?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Tonight, “Gokusen 2″ (2005) returns!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Hehe, scenes from the dramatic comedy.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Which aired from January through March 2005.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

A record-breaking 28% average rating!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Six months after its last airing…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The passion has never ceased!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

We want to see it again!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The requests are unimaginable!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Heyyy, the tall guy raising his arms. Hayami Mokomichi! The future “Zettai Kareshi” Lovinator!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Aww, Yukie-chan will always be our “Yankumi”.

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yup, Yankumi-sensei of delinquent Class 3D!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Emotional! Exciting!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Haha, never-before-seen scenes?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

What? Actors-turned-singers too?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The “Gokusen 2″ theme sung live?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Heyyy, the same tall guy in the back. Hayami Mokomichi! The future “Zettai Kareshi” Lovinator!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

You shall understand the entire story!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

And now, the “Gokusen Reunion Special”…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Ready? Set? Gokusen!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The “Gokusen Reunion Special” is finally here!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Welcome back, Kurogin High School!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

A reunion like this is almost never done, right?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Eh? Were you talking to me?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

But something is missing…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Then let us call her…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Let’s call in Yankumi-sensei. Is everyone ready?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yankumi!!!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Awww, Yukie-chan returns!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Closer…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Even closer…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Her hair twirls in captivating grace…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yukie-chan, it’s been half a year!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Yup, half a year!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Already?

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Because “Gokusen” has so many viewers…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Hence this “Reunion” program…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Awww…

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Now, it’s time to recap the first episode!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

The first episode of “Gokusen 2″!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Let’s begin the show!

Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special (2005) | Enlarge 700px

Awww, and that was just the first 5 minutes of the two-hour special! But I think it’s safe to say that Yukie-chan is the undeniable reason why “Gokusen” is the fan-favorite phenomenon it was back then, and still is today. To further our celebration of Yukie-chan, let’s rewind even further back in time, back 6 years, from 2005 to 1999. To her 20th birthday!

Part 3 of 5 > Nakama Yukie-chan – Revisiting Idol

Ahh, ready for more Yukie-chan? Of course you are! According to Wikipedia, she was born in October 1979. And according to Channel Gravure, the following “gravure” photo sets come from (I’m guessing from the Korean text) her “20th Birthday Photo Book”. Which should be 1999, a full 6 years before her “Gokusen 2 – Reunion Special” (2005) appearance. Remarkably, like many Asian women, she has hardly changed at all!

Having said that, enjoy these 14 stylish photos of Yukie-chan! Feel free to enlarge them!

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 1200px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 900px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 1200px

Yukie Nakama | 20th Birthday Photo Book (1999) | Enlarge 1200px

Well? Did you enlarge them? Haha, or maybe you’ve enlarged something else? Still, can you tell the difference between Yukie-chan in 1999 and Yukie-chan in 2005? Because it’s pretty tough, even for me, lol. But now, it’s time to ride the waves from Japanese gravure idols to Asian porn starlets!

Part 4 of 5 > Question of the Week – What Type of Asian Porn Girl?

Wow, it’s been ages since my last “Question of the Week”. When was the last one? Maybe in my Blog 188 > Kanons, Pirates & Bloodbaths (08 Feb 2009)? Six months ago? If any Toyboxer can verify this, please do so, lol. But why do I bring this up? Well, it’s time for my latest “Question of the Week”!

The question: What type of Asian porn girl do you like?

Of the 3 choices demonstrated below, do you like: “Starlet A”, the quiet-yet-sharp sophisticated type? “Starlet B”, the wilder-and-crazier ganguro-bleached type? Or “Starlet C”, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type?

Here’s an example of the “Starlet A” type.

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet A | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Next, here’s an example of the “Starlet B” type.

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 900px

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1100px

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 900px

Starlet B | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 900px

Finally, here’s an example of the “Starlet C” type.

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

Starlet C | What Type of Porn Girl Do You Like? | Enlarge 1200px

To repeat, of the 3 choices demonstrated below, do you like: “Starlet A”, the quiet-yet-sharp sophisticated type? “Starlet B”, the wilder-and-crazier ganguro-bleached type? Or “Starlet C”, the cute-and-bubbly girl-next-door type?

Haha, I look forward to your answers! Can you guess mine? By the way, depending on your preferences, there’s also a hidden test within the test. So if you know what it is, don’t reveal it. Or you shall be banned! Okay, maybe not banned, but we’ll see. Ahh, I just realized this! Funny how all 3 types have bleached their hair in one form or another, lol. Finally, it’s time to ride the rippling waves from the international shores of Asian entertainment to the local shores of the xJAYMANx stage, lol.

Part 5 of 5 > Angry Mimi-chan, Allie-chan & xJAYMANx

Huh, the xJAYMANx stage? What the frak is that? LOL, ahh, be quiet. But a couple of weeks ago, on Tuesday, 21 July 2009, I met a few of the seven new employees fresh out of college. And guess what? One of them was a cute Japanese girl named Allie. Well, over the course of that week, and since their cubicles were in the same area as mine, I managed to organize a Friday lunch at “Chipotle” (24 July 2009) with her and Martin, another employee-in-training who happens to be half-Korean. Both are awesome! Not just funny and intelligent, but both are quirky enough to match my comedic wavelengths, lol.

Oddly, on the following Wednesday (29 July 2009), one of the trainers was sick. So while I was waiting outside the training room for Allie and Martin to join me for lunch at “T.G.I. Friday’s”, I decided to take a few pics of Allie “leading” the training class, hahaha.

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

This was only their second week learning the software, so the scene is quite amusing!

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

I think she’s wrapping up the video session…

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

But I think that chair is set a bit too high, lol.

29 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

Then a couple of days later, on Friday (31 July 2009), I was asked to proctor the training class during their exam, lol. Yup, since I’m part of the Training Department, I managed to monitor the trainees from 7am to 10am. Allie arrived first at 7:30am. The others followed till 8am. Next, the 8am study session. Then the 9am exam. Pretty painless.

Haha, Allie tries to avoid my digicam around 9am!

31 July | Allie-chan in Training Class | Enlarge 750px

Here’s the empty training room around 7am.

31 July | xJAYMANx Proctoring Training Class | Enlarge 750px

And here’s a fake but amusing composite with Angry Mimi-chan, hahaha.

14+31 July | Angry Mimi-chan & xJAYMANx Saying Hello | Enlarge 750px

Here’s the original photo of Angry Mimi-chan from her post “80% Akiyama Mio Cosplay Goodness” (14 July 2009) as well as my “Blog 211 > Moe, Watchmen & You People” (21 July 2009). Rather stunning, huh?

14 July | Angry Mimi-chan Saying Hello | Enlarge 640px

Finally, here’s an original “sign” prize by Angry Mimi-chan to myself from her post “A Small Liszt of Thank-You’s” (27 July 2009), after I correctly guessed the composer of her piano recording. Awww, thanx again, Mimi-chan!

27 July | Angry Mimi-chan Sign to xJAYMANx | Enlarge 640px

Well, I guess that’s the xJAYMANx stage, huh? From Allie-chan to Angry Mimi-chan. Not too bad. Not bad at all, lol.

Guys! Gals! Gravure! Ganguro! Well-well, my Tentacled Toyboxers, how was the blaze-and-glory of yet another weekly mega-cast attack upon your immortal soul? Did your fragile fingers survive the infinite click-and-scroll? Did you escape the cybernetic grasp of mechanical lovers? The heartfelt tug of high-school reunions? The soothing smile of bikini-clad idols? The seductive glance of adult-video starlets? Or the infectious laughter of cute acquaintances? Like I said at the top of the mega-cast, no more room for imagination! But tons of space-and-time for our thanx, lol. Thank you. Once again, let’s not forget to thank the gushing guest-starring gals who graced our mega-cast! Thank you, Kris-chan, Riiko-chan, Yankumi-chan, Yukie-chan, Starlet A, Starlet B, Starlet C, Allie-chan, and Angry Mimi-chan!

What type of Asian porn girl do you like?

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

Final Flashback

Riiko-chan: “Ehhh! Help me! I don’t wanna smell your armpits!”

Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend, 2008) | Enlarge 700px

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 5800px

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”?

18 July | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

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!

18 July | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

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.

18 July | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge 800px

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).

14 July | Otaku Dan – The Anime That Defines The Decade | Enlarge 2200px

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?

Clannad (2007) & Clannad After Story (2008) | Enlarge 1600px Wallpaper

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

14 July | Angry Mimi – 80% Akiyama Mio Cosplay Goodness | Enlarge 2200px

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).

14 July | Angry Mimi – If You Were a Girl For a Day | Enlarge 2200px

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).

17 July | Angry Mimi – Angry Mimi Dot Com 1st Birthday | Enlarge 2200px

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).

18 July | Angry Mimi – Angry Mimi Signs | Enlarge 2200px

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.

Watchmen (Poster, 2007) | Enlarge 750px

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.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

Ten to midnight!

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

A peek at Chapter IV.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

Four to midnight!

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

A peek at Chapter IX.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

Another bloody angle.

Watchmen (Comic, 1986-1987) | Enlarge 750px

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.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3300px

An early poster of the intense cast.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3000px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 5800px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009, Spain) | Enlarge 2800px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 5500px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 2800px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009, Romania) | Enlarge 2800px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1400px

An awesome up-close IMAX version.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 2200px

The stunning cover of “Entertainment Weekly”.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3100px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Rorschach.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Nite Owl.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Silk Spectre.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Dr. Manhattan.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

Ozymandias.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Rorschach.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Nite Owl.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Silk Spectre.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Dr. Manhattan.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Ozymandias.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Rorschach on the street.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Nite Owl under the ground.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Silk Spectre under fire.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Dr. Manhattan on Mars.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Ozymandias in the sky.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 2800px

Rorschach has had enough.

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

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

Watchmen (Film, 2009) | Enlarge 3600px

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.

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 2200px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Sea Captain: “Death Loli! I am here!”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

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.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Remembering what I have to do!

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Waiting for the director’s instructions.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Removing my distracting cell phone, lol.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Ah, preparing for the scene. Random pose?

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Staying out of their way, haha.

17 June – On Location | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Haha, “You People” the cake!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Another angle of the impressive icing!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

The party is under way!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Some food…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Some conversation…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Some cheese burgers. Some macaroni and cheese…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

More conversation…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

More food…

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Another view of the stacks of meat, lol.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

The stacks of meat continue to grow!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Oops, almost forgot the apple pie back there.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Setting it up.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Still setting it up.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, still setting it up.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Introducing it.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Still introducing it.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Kelly the director still finding his seat.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

A-ha! Ready to begin the show!

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

I think this dog’s name is Abby?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Abby searching for food?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Is John Paul ready to go already?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, definitely tired, haha.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

Yup, the inevitable mirror shot.

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

What? Logan is still awake?

18 July – Wrap Party | You People (2010) | Enlarge

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!”

Watchmen – Tales of the Black Freighter (Feature, 2009) | Enlarge 1900px

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge

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!

Nodame Cantabile [50] | 5 of 5 Stars | Enlarge 1024px

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?

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Why am I showing the ending credits first?

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Ah, Europe!

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 1 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “It means he loves me…”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

Nodame-chan: “Whah-whah-whah?”

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

POWWW!!!

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

DOUBLE POWWW!!!

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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

Episode 3 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge

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.

Juri Ueno & Hiroshi Tamaki | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2006) | Enlarge 1000px

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

Juri Ueno & Hiroshi Tamaki | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2006) | Enlarge 1000px

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

Juri Ueno | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2007) | Enlarge 1700px

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

Juri Ueno | Nodame Cantabile (Promo, 2007) | Enlarge 2400px

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.

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

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

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

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

Juri Ueno | JURIfirst Photo Book (2004) | Enlarge 2800px

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?

Sarah Connor | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3100px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1800px

Sarah & John | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2700px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 4000px

Sarah | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

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

Lena Headey as Sarah Connor | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Lena Headey as Sarah Connor | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Summer Glau as Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Summer Glau as Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3900px

Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

Shirley, Summer & Garret Dillahunt | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

And now, here are a stockpile of terminating wallpapers.

Sarah, John & Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3000px

Liquid Metal | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Liquid Metal | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

Cameron | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron & Sarah | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron & Sarah | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron, Sarah & Derek Reese | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1600px

John, Cameron, Sarah & Derek Reese | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 4000px

The Cast | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 4000px

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.

Shirley Manson | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3600px

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.

Summer Glau | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 2000px

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.

Fake Summer Glau | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1800px (NSFW)

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!

Stephanie Jacobsen | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1280px

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.

Stephanie Jacobsen | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 1900px

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

Stephanie Jacobsen | Battlestar Galactica – Razor (2007) | Enlarge 1280px

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

Stephanie Jacobsen | Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) | Enlarge 3000px

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.

Chow Yun-Fat | Hard Boiled (God of Guns, 1992) | Enlarge 700px

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

Chow Yun-Fat | Hard Boiled (God of Guns, 1992) | Enlarge 1600px

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

Chow Yun-Fat | Hard Boiled (God of Guns, 1992) | Enlarge 2600px

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.

Harrison Ford | Blade Runner (1982, 1992, 2007) | Enlarge 1000px

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

Harrison Ford | Blade Runner (1982, 1992, 2007) | Enlarge 2900px

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

Harrison Ford | Blade Runner (1982, 1992, 2007) | Enlarge 2200px

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.

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 700px

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

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1100px

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

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1600px

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

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1000px

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

Alita | Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm, 1990) | Enlarge 1200px

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.

20 June | Blades, Angels & Elbows | Enlarge

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

20 June | Blades, Angels & Elbows | Enlarge

A real-life demonstration!

20 June | Blades, Angels & Elbows | Enlarge

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.

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

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

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Haha, Michelle, nice motorcycle catch!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

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

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

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

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

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

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Hahaha, whatever!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Hey, Michelle, got enough salad?

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Got enough soup? Umm, could you stop moving?

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

LOL, finally, that’s better.

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

Mmmm, my delicious salmon pasta!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

My tasty French onion soup!

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

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

19 June | Lunch at T.G.I.Friday’s | Enlarge

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.

18 June | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

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.

18 June | Website Outlook – Blog Worth Over Time | Enlarge

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.

18 June | Website Outlook – Girl G33k

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

18 June | Website Outlook – Furudango

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

18 June | Website Outlook – Aprilius20

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

18 June | Website Outlook – Rhythm Emotion

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

18 June | Website Outlook – One and Only Jem

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

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.

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?”

Episode 2 of 11 | Nodame Cantabile (Live-Action Drama, 2006) | Enlarge