xJAYMANx_toybox > Never forget how to play... » You People http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx Never forget how to play... Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:06:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Blog 211 > Moe, Watchmen & You People http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/21/blog-211-moe-watchmen-you-people/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/21/blog-211-moe-watchmen-you-people/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:05:06 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3689

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stupid lazy me…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mimi: Ok Jay here are my attempts!

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

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

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

xJAYMANx: @Mimi-chan: Hehe, nice!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Part 2 of 5 > Watchmen – 2007 Flashback

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

Here’s what I wrote back then.

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

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

Ten to midnight!

A peek at Chapter IV.

Four to midnight!

A peek at Chapter IX.

Another bloody angle.

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

 

Part 3 of 5 > Watchmen – 2009 Film

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

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

An early poster of the intense cast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

An awesome up-close IMAX version.

The stunning cover of “Entertainment Weekly”.

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

Rorschach.

Nite Owl.

Silk Spectre.

Dr. Manhattan.

Ozymandias.

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

Rorschach.

Nite Owl.

Silk Spectre.

Dr. Manhattan.

Ozymandias.

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

Rorschach on the street.

Nite Owl under the ground.

Silk Spectre under fire.

Dr. Manhattan on Mars.

Ozymandias in the sky.

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

Rorschach has had enough.

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

Have you watched “The Black Freighter” already?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sea Captain: “Death Loli! I am here!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

Remembering what I have to do!

Waiting for the director’s instructions.

Removing my distracting cell phone, lol.

Ah, preparing for the scene. Random pose?

Staying out of their way, haha.

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

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

Haha, “You People” the cake!

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

Another angle of the impressive icing!

The party is under way!

Some food…

Some conversation…

Some cheese burgers. Some macaroni and cheese…

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

More conversation…

More food…

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

Another view of the stacks of meat, lol.

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

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

The stacks of meat continue to grow!

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

Oops, almost forgot the apple pie back there.

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

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

Setting it up.

Still setting it up.

Yup, still setting it up.

Introducing it.

Still introducing it.

Kelly the director still finding his seat.

A-ha! Ready to begin the show!

I think this dog’s name is Abby?

Abby searching for food?

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

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

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

Is John Paul ready to go already?

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

Yup, definitely tired, haha.

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

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

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

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

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

Yup, the inevitable mirror shot.

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

What? Logan is still awake?

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

 

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

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

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

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/07/21/blog-211-moe-watchmen-you-people/feed/ 24 Blog 208 > Gangsters, Grads & Gravure http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/29/blog-208-gangsters-grads-gravure/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/29/blog-208-gangsters-grads-gravure/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:46:56 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3405

What’s up, my Tangy Toyboxers? Ready for another weekly mega-cast of Japanese live-action comedies, pretty lead actresses, and former gravure idols? Ready for another massive 100-plus photo onslaught? If not, better get back to sleep. But if you are, then lean back, turn on the frequency, pump up the volume, and plug in your otaku-lobes, haha. Okay, let the mega-cast attack begin…


Part 1 of 3 > Gokusen, Gangsters & Graduates

Haha, oh wow. If you thought I raved about “Nodame Cantabile” and Juri Ueno last week (Blog 207), think again. Even more than “Nodame”, I truly love the “Gokusen” live-action drama starring the captivating Yukie Nakama! All three seasons! Plus their specials! Wow, it all began in November 2006, when I first watched the anime version. Here’s my anime speed-review back then.

Gokusen (1-13) [50]. Finished 25 November 2006. WHOA! Hilarious high-school-meets-yakuza hijinks! Maximum 4 of 5 stars for a half-season!

Here are a couple of large wallpapers to give you a tiny taste of the anime style.

 

Now, since the “Gokusen” anime download was already packaged together with Season 1 of the “Gokusen” live-action drama, I couldn’t help but watch the comedic drama immediately, lol. And with the first episode, I was hooked! Yup, Yukie Nakama‘s performance as the double-edged Yankumi is captivating and mesmerizing. But not only her, the rest of the cast of gangsters, teachers and delinquents are laughingly colorful and unforgettable as well, lol. So much so that I’ve followed their five-star antics from Season 1 (2002) to Season 2 (2005) to Season 3 (2008).

Here are a couple of Season-1 wallpapers.

 

And here are several Season-3 images of Yankumi’s family, colleagues and students.

 

 

So earlier this year, when I learned of the existence of a “Gokusen 3 – Graduation Special” (2009), I just had to look for the download! Although I found an unsubbed version a few months ago, I finally located an English-subbed version a couple weeks ago. And finally watched the 90-minute special yesterday on 27 June 2009! 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. Incredible. Yup, no doubt, another 5 of 5 stars!

To celebrate, here are 81 screencaps from the 90-minute special. How many times can you spot the infamous Aki Hoshino? Here’s the first screencap.

Here’s the second screencap. Let the fake captions begin!

“Mmmm, what hentai should I buy today?”

“Mmmm, what hentai store should I try first?”

“Hmmm, traditional hentai?”

“Let’s ask Aki Hoshino. Aki-chan, what’s your favorite hentai?”

“Ohhh, nice ecchi sketch!”

“What!!! Ecchi sketch of Yukie-chan?”

“Hahaha, nice ecchi sketch of Aki-chan!”

“Umm, okay, we’re ecchi dorks.”

“Don’t give up hope! Think of hentai!”

“Umm, okay, we’re dead ecchi dorks.”

“Fear not! I am the Ecchi Rider!”

“Oops, wait, Ecchi Rider? No-no-no, I’m not the Ecchi Rider!”

“Ecchi! Ecchi! Ecchi!”

“Heyyy, stop crowding my hentai!”

“Awww, I look good in this hentai!”

“Fight-oh! Ohhh! More ecchi!”

“Yo, that’s my bread. Like my Pops used to say, ‘No bread, no hentai’.”

“No bread, no hentai? Huh? What the frak is that?”

“Bad news. Someone found Aki-chan’s hentai.”

“Heyyy, let go! No food, no hentai!”

“Ahh, I miss the good old days of ecchi.”

“More bad news. I admit it. I found Aki-chan’s hentai. But I enjoyed it.”

“No, I don’t like gay hentai. Not anymore.”

“But I spent my allowance to get the gay hentai for your birthday!”

“Dammit. Why didn’t we get any gay hentai too?”

“Hmmm, not sure. He might’ve spent his entire hentai allowance.”

“Sigh. Ecchi is so expensive nowadays.”

“Hey bastards! Give our gay hentai back!”

“Sorry. We couldn’t help it. They stole our gay hentai!”

“I am so disappointed in you boys. I’m supposed to take the first peek!”

“Forget it! No hentai, no friendship!”

“What am I supposed to do, Gramps? They took my ecchi sketch.”

“The only thing you can do. Draw yourself a new ecchi sketch.”

“Yo bastard. If we return your bread, will you return our gay hentai?”

“Too late. The gay hentai is ours now.”

“Yours? Since when?”

“Since we’re the ones who actually created that gay hentai.”

“If I spend less on food, I can spend more on ecchi.”

“Ah, boys, here you are. Why so serious?”

“Us? Oh, we don’t have any money to buy gay hentai.”

“Watch out. If you don’t watch out, the Ecchi Rider will beat you down.”

“Hey boys! What’s up? Why so satisfied?”

“They bought what? Hetero ecchi?”

“So they gave back Aki-chan’s hentai? Awww.”

“Impressive! The gay hentai they created is exquisite!”

“I’ve finally decided. I want to become a gay-hentai artist!”

“Are you serious? A gay-hentai artist? What will your sister say?”

“Funny you should ask. She wants to become a lesbian-hentai artist!”

“That’s right! We’re heading there now! We found the hentai thieves!”

“No hentai, no friendship! No hentai, no friendship!”

“Boys! Boys! Where are you?”

“Whoa! Look at them go! Such ecchi friendship!”

“Huh? Want a piece of me? Want a piece of my hentai?”

“No ecchi, no friendship! No ecchi, no friendship!”

“Aki-chan? You want to become a lesbian-hentai artist too?”

“Hmm, now that you put it that way, a gay-hentai artist doesn’t sound so bad!”

“Freeze! Don’t move! Where’s my ecchi sketch?!?”

“I’ll ask one more time. Where’s my precious ecchi sketch?”

“Don’t you realize how precious ecchi is?”

“Please. We’re so sorry. We needed to take back our ecchi!”

“Please believe us. No ecchi, no friendship!”

“Very well. You may enter. After all, I used to be a lesbian-hentai artist myself.”

“Aki-chan, I never told anyone before. But your lesbian hentai is the best!”

“Like Ecchi Rider always says, ‘Ecchi is sooo precious’.”

“Ecchi is as precious as friendship. No ecchi, no friendship.”

“Yeah, I’ve finally decided. I want to become a gay-hentai artist!”

“Yeah! Let’s do it! Let’s all become gay-hentai artists!”

“Hooray! They did it! They’re gonna become gay-hentai artists!”

“Hey boys. What’s up?”

“Oh my god! You didn’t have to!”

“Awww! Thank you sooo much!”

“Your very first gay-hentai production!”

“Fight-oh! Ohhh! No ecchi, no friendship! No hentai, no friendship!”

“Ahhh, another class of ecchi haters.”

“Fight-oh! Ohhh! More ecchi!”

“Hey boys. Do any of you know just how precious ecchi is?”

“Huh? Precious?”

“Like my Pops used to say, ‘No bread, no hentai’.”

“No-no-no, I think he meant to say, ‘No ecchi, no friendship’. Right?”

Hahaha, so how’d you like my fake captions? Didn’t you learn something new about life, friendship, brotherhood, hentai and ecchi? No? Well, then, you didn’t let go of reality and sanity long enough, lol.

 

Part 2 of 3 > Yukie Nakama the Gravure Idol

Haha, speaking of ecchi, more gravure idols? Sure, why not? Repeating my search pattern with Juri Ueno last week (Blog 207), here’s Yukie Nakama from her “Pastel” (1997) photo book. And just like Juri-chan’s 18-year-old photo-book debut, this also appears to be Yukie-chan’s photo-book debut at the tender age of about 17-18-years-old. A full 5 years before her smashing success in “Gokusen”!

Here are 21 photos from the 70-80-page book. Feel free to enlarge the pics, lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that’s all for now. Like I wondered last week, “maybe I’ll trickle a few more photoshoots in the near future”. Not only featuring Juri-chan, but Yukie-chan too, lol. Who knows? Maybe even Aki Hoshino? I mean, Aki-chan was in “Gokusen 3″ after all!

 

Part 3 of 3 > You People, ProWerks & Possibilities – Part 2

Heyyy, my Tangerine Toyboxers! Remember my previous “You People” post back in May? Back in my Blog 202, Part 5? Well, to those who’ve forgotten, here’s a friendly reminder. And to those who’ve never known, here’s a tiny taste from Friday, 08 May.

Well, more than a month later, on Wednesday, 17 June, when I thought I no longer had any more scenes to play, I returned to play the silent-and-stoic “Asian businessman” once more, hehe. It was a pain to throw the constricting tie-and-jacket back on. But it was a pleasure once more to see Kelly the bespectacled director, Charisma his production guru (and wife), Will the leading man, Jon the boom operator, and Denise the script writer. And once more, it was a blast! Funny how 5 takes to film 5 seconds can feel so draining! Like a compression chamber! Compressing 5 hours of energy and pressure into 0.5 hours of time and focus.

Here’s Charisma, Jon and Kelly. Photos taken by Will.

Here’s me, the goofy Charisma, Jon and the baffled Kelly. I hardly recognize myself!

Awww, the goofy couple, lol.

A-ha! Denise joins the scene as I fill out some paperwork.

A closer view.

That’s it! As far as I know that’s my final scene for “You People” (2010). Who knows? But one thing’s for sure. I can’t wait to see how the final cut turns out! Can you?

Well, that’s all, folks! Another weekly mega-cast of Japanese live-action comedies, pretty lead actresses, and former gravure idols has come and gone! As always, let’s thank the gracious guest-starring gravure girls who graced my broadcast! Thank you, Yukie-chan, Aki-chan, Juri-chan and Charisma! Okay, maybe Charisma wasn’t a gravure girl. At least, I don’t think so, lol. In any case, time to give my elbows, forearms, wrists, hands and fingers some time to rest.

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

“Oops, wait, Ecchi Rider? No-no-no, I’m not the Ecchi Rider!”

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/29/blog-208-gangsters-grads-gravure/feed/ 71 Blog 203 > Succubi, Samurai & Sci-Fi http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/25/blog-203-succubi-samurai-sci-fi/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/05/25/blog-203-succubi-samurai-sci-fi/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 23:07:34 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3007

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Afro: “… on yo’ mutha-fuckin’ asses.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

A taste of neon decadence…

Wrapped in electric emptiness…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Afro: “One more sunrise to go…”

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And here’s Christine’s embedded YouTube video!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then my turn.

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

Then her turn again.

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

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

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

Then my turn again.

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

Then her turn a third time, lol.

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

And my turn a third time, lol.

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

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

 

Part 3 of 3 > Japanese Twins, Succubi & You

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

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

Stunning CG quality, eh?

Doesn’t the darker-skinned girl look Filipina?

The hair rendering is most impressive too!

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

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

Even more fog! You get the idea.

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

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

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

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

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

 

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

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


Part 1 of 5 > Ongoing Otaku Outlook

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

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

Website Outlook
14 May | xJAYMANx & xJAYMANx_toybox

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

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

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

Website Outlook
14 May | Angry Mimi

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

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

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

Website Outlook
14 May | Danny Choo

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

Website Outlook
14 May | Sankaku Complex

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

 

Part 2 of 5 > Outlook, Analysis & Deconstruction

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Part 3 of 5 > Origins, Spirits & Pasts

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

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

Here’s Agito and Toola.

The wallpaper version.

Here’s Toola.

The wallpaper version.

Finally, the DVD cover.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

Gotta love the moonlit halo!

 

 

 

Gotta love the sunlit halo!

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

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

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

Here’s Kei at 1920px.

Here’s Kei at 1600px.

 

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

Here’s the cast at 1600 x 1000px.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

 

Part 5 of 5 > You People, ProWerks & Possibilities

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

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

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

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

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

Stoic Asian businessman: “I am not amused.”

Here’s the ProWerks website.

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

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

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

An office scene.

Yet another.

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

Is that Jeeves behind me?

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

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

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

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

Intense preparation.

Another office scene.

Preparing for a restaurant scene.

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

The cool non-smiling pose.

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

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

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

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

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

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

Gotta love the sunlit halo!

 

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