xJAYMANx_toybox > Never forget how to play... http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx Never forget how to play... Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:46:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 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/ 14 Blog 207 > Angels, Badasses & Cyborgs http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/21/blog-207-angels-badasses-cyborgs/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/21/blog-207-angels-badasses-cyborgs/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:58:47 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3294

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

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


Part 1 of 7 > Juri Ueno & Nodame Cantabile

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

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

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

Hehe, shall I present my traditional fake captions?

Why am I showing the ending credits first?

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

Ah, Europe!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nodame-chan: “It means he loves me…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nodame-chan: “Whah-whah-whah?”

POWWW!!!

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

DOUBLE POWWW!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Part 2 of 7 > Juri Ueno & Anime Adrift

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

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

 

Part 3 of 7 > Chronicles of Cyborgs & Terminators

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now, here are a stockpile of terminating wallpapers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A real-life demonstration!

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

 

Part 6 of 7 > Thankful Fridays & Tasty Sundaes

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

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

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

Haha, Michelle, nice motorcycle catch!

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

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

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

Hahaha, whatever!

Hey, Michelle, got enough salad?

Got enough soup? Umm, could you stop moving?

LOL, finally, that’s better.

Mmmm, my delicious salmon pasta!

My tasty French onion soup!

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

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

 

Part 7 of 7 > Otaku Outlook & Battling Toyboxers

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

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

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

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

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

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Girl G33k

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

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Furudango

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

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Aprilius20

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

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Rhythm Emotion

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

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

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

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – The Coco Cafe

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

Website Outlook
18 June | Website Outlook – Lovely Duckie

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

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

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

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

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/21/blog-207-angels-badasses-cyborgs/feed/ 46 Blog 206 > Anime Adrift http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/15/blog-206-anime-adrift/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/15/blog-206-anime-adrift/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:59:35 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3279

 

When anime arcs drift towards earth
Like spiraling sakura petals
Do you sift for the prettiest dance?
Or do you embrace the orchestral trance?

When anime flames ignite into dust
Like twinkling firework sparks
Do you blink at the fiercest light?
Or do you bathe in the fountains of flight?

When the anime waves finally wane
Whispering in the sunset mist
Will you sink beneath the soulless shores?
Or will you soar beyond the moonlit stars?

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/15/blog-206-anime-adrift/feed/ 11 Blog 205 > Crows, Castles & Chaos Ahead http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/09/blog-205-crows-castles-chaos-ahead/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/09/blog-205-crows-castles-chaos-ahead/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:04:23 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3207

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


Part 1 of 5 > Crows, Prophecies & Revelations

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

 

Part 2 of 5 > Tales, Tears & Abysses

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

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

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

 

 

And here are a few wallpapers.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

Part 3 of 5 > Howls, Hearts & Castles

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

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

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

 

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Howl | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

 

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

 

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

 

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Heen | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

 

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Castle | Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

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

 

Part 4 of 5 > Dreams, Delusions & Chaos

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

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

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

Well, don’t they all?

 

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

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

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

Here are a couple of impromptu images, lol.

 

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

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

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

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

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/09/blog-205-crows-castles-chaos-ahead/feed/ 47 Blog 204 > Sankaku-Shikaku Otakulypse http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/02/blog-204-sankaku-shikaku-otakulypse/ http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/02/blog-204-sankaku-shikaku-otakulypse/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:39:33 +0000 xjaymanx http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/?p=3095

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


Part 1 of 3 > Omens of the Otakulypse

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

Then the next article. His fourth “daughter”.

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

 

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

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

Then the “Angry Mimi” article.

Followed by the “Sankaku Complex” article.

 

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

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

Then the second “Sankaku Complex” article.

Then the “Danny Choo” article.

Followed by the “Angry Mimi” article.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Part 2 of 3 > From Sankaku Complex to Shikaku Otakusphere

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

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

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

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

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

 

Part 3 of 3 > Saturday Bug Bash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.

 

Final Flashback

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

 

]]> http://www.xjaymanx.com/toyboxx/2009/06/02/blog-204-sankaku-shikaku-otakulypse/feed/ 28 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/ 39 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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