Heyyy, welcome back, my Trickling Toyboxers! What’s new? Well, this time, it’s a new mega-broadcast focussing on the infamous Nathan Fillion, from his current spotlight as the multi-season star of “Castle” (2009) to his previous spotlights as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the retro-sci-fi cult-favorites “Serenity” (2005) and “Firefly” (2002). Why a Nathan Fillion post? Well, why not? First of all, “Serenity” and “Firefly” are two of my personal favorite sci-fi titles. Secondly (on 11 June 2011), when I decided to give “Castle – Season 1″ a try, I was hooked. Thirdly (on 21 July 2011), when I witnessed Nathan as Richard Castle dressing up as his old character Malcolm Reynolds in “Castle – Season 2″ Episode 6, I had no choice but to write a post, haha. So here we go, folks, time to burn up the atmo…

Part 1 of 3 > Castle (2009)

Ah, the world of rich castles and castle riches. Quite a far cry from the universe (or ‘verse) of raggedy fireflies and firefly rags, huh? In any case, like I mentioned, when I watched the fictional character Richard Castle dressing up as the science-fictional character Malcolm Reynolds in “Castle – Season 2″ Episode 6″, I laughed out loud! Hysterical! For a small slice of the scene, here’s the YouTube video “Castle: Space Cowboy” below. Enjoy!

So what did you think? Cool? Geeky? Shiny? Yup, I agree, all three. So for those of you who have no clue what the heck I’m spewing, here’s a quick summary of the “Castle” TV series from Wikipedia.

Castle is an American comedy-drama television series broadcast on ABC and produced by ABC Studios. Castle premiered on March 9, 2009, and the final episode of the third season aired on May 16, 2011. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season.

Castle follows Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist who has killed off his main character in his book series and has writer’s block. He is called in to help the NYPD solve a copy-cat murder based on one of his novels. Stana Katic co-stars as Detective Kate Beckett. Castle, who becomes interested in Beckett as a potential character for a new book series, uses his connections at the mayor’s office and receives permission to continue accompanying Beckett while investigating cases. Castle decides to use Beckett as the model for the main character of his next book series starring “Nikki Heat”. Beckett, an avid reader of Castle’s books, initially disapproves of having Castle shadow her on her cases, but later warms up and recognizes Castle as a useful resource in solving crimes.

Season 2, Episode 6, “Vampire Weekend” – As Halloween approaches, Castle and Beckett are assigned to investigate the death of a young man found stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake in a graveyard. To Castle’s delight, the two must delve into the world of vampires and werewolves to find the killer.

Next, here’s a quick summary of the “Firefly” TV series from Wikipedia.

Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear.

The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a “Firefly-class” spaceship. The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters who live on Serenity. Whedon pitched the show as “nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things”. The show explores the lives of some people who fought on the losing side of a civil war and others who now make a living on the outskirts of society, as part of the pioneer culture that exists on the fringes of their star system. In addition, it is a future where the only two surviving superpowers, the United States and China, fused to form the central federal government, called the Alliance, resulting in the fusion of the two cultures as well. According to Whedon’s vision, “nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems as today.”

Firefly premiered in the United States on the Fox network on September 20, 2002. Despite high expectations for the Joss Whedon-led project, by mid-December 2002, Firefly had averaged only 4.7 million viewers per episode and was 98th in Nielsen ratings. It was canceled after eleven of the fourteen produced episodes were aired. Despite the series’ relatively short life span, it received strong sales when it was released on DVD and has large fan support campaigns. It won an Emmy in 2003 for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series. The post-airing success of the show led Whedon and Universal Pictures to produce a film based on the series, Serenity. The Firefly franchise expanded from the series and film to other media including comics and a role-playing game.

Yup, pretty cool indeed. So now, to celebrate the moment, here are a dozen high-resolution images from “Castle – Season 1″ and “Castle – Season 2″ featuring Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle and the gorgeous Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett. Feel free to enlarge and save, haha. Enjoy!

Part 2 of 3 > Serenity (2005)

Ah, now let’s rewind back in time (or forward into the future) to the universe (or ‘verse) of raggedy fireflies and firefly rags, where Captain Malcolm Reynolds roams free! Here’s a quick summary of the “Serenity” film from Wikipedia.

Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship. The captain and first mate are veterans of the Unification War, having fought on the losing side. Their lives of petty crime are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbors a dangerous secret.

The film was released in North America on September 30, 2005 by Universal Pictures. It received generally positive reviews and was number two its opening weekend, taking in $10.1 million its first weekend. The movie spent two weeks in the top ten, and its total domestic box office gross was $25.5 million with a foreign box office gross of $13.3 million. However, it did not make back its budget until its release on DVD. Serenity won film of the year awards from Film 2005 and FilmFocus. It also won IGN Film’s Best Sci-Fi, Best Story and Best Trailer awards and was runner up for the Overall Best Movie. It also won the Nebula Award for Best Script for 2005, the 7th annual ‘User Tomato Awards’ for best Sci-Fi movie of 2005 at Rotten Tomatoes, the 2006 viewers choice Spacey Award for favorite movie, the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form and the 2006 Prometheus Special Award.

Yes, shiny indeed! So next, to celebrate another moment, here are 19 wallpapers and high-resolution images featuring Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, the eclectic crew of Serenity, and Serenity herself. As always, feel free to enlarge and save. Enjoy!

Part 3 of 3 > Firefly (2002)

Finally, let’s rewind even farther back in time to the origins of Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his eclectic crew! To celebrate yet another shiny moment, here are 82 more wallpapers and high-resolution images featuring Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, the unforgettable crew of Serenity, and the Firefly-class cargo ship Serenity herself. Once again, feel free to enlarge and save. Enjoy!

Well, that’s all, folks! I think we’ve adequately burned and boiled the atmo, hehe. But hey, if you’re interested in some of my old “Firefly” fanart, hop over to my Blog 196 > Art Deco, Retro & Steampunk, and scroll down to “Part 4 of 5 > Firefly Fanart Flashback”. For more Summer Glau wallpapers from “Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles”, skip over to my Blog 207 > Angels, Badasses & Cyborgs, and scroll down to “Part 3 of 7 > Chronicles of Cyborgs & Terminators”. Otherwise, take a peek at my “Possibly Random Links” below. Till next time. Peace. Out.

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