I rented a game recently. A game called Atelier Iris 3. It is, quite possibly, the most generic RPG ever made. It has good 2D graphics, and decent voicework, but that's it. There's not much else to hook you in, and not much else to hold your interest . . . well, aside from the fact that the main female protagonist is unusually pretty. Stop trying to steal my heart, Iris Fortner!
However, this, being yet another product of Japan that has received a proper English dub, and after some quick research, I now have another excuse to indulge in . . .
VOICEOVER TRIVIA!
In the opening sequence alone, I recognized the voices of Vic Mignogna, Michelle Ruff, and Derek Stephen Prince. My first question was, "Weren't these people in the last game I played? (Persona 3:FES.)" Yes. Yes they were. These professionals sure get around.
There's a girl character in the game, one Yula Ellis, who is played by Wendee Lee. Let's see, she was also Faye from Cowboy Bebop, Haruhi Suzumiya, Tatsuki from Bleach, and Rozalin from Disgaea 2, to name a few. That's quite a repertoire. I'm hoping at one point in in AI3 Yula says, "You're late! Penalty!" in Haruhi's voice. That would be funny. There's another character in the game named Manna, who is played by Sandy Fox. She is also the Tachikomas from Ghost in the Shell, Flonne from Disgaea, and Mieu from Tales of the Abyss.
But, kinda like when I saw Code Geass, it seems like I'm having more fun recognizing the actors and actresses behind the characters rather than actually enjoying the show or game in question. Something's gotta be wrong if I'm doing that.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
"That's 'one who protects', NOT 'Strawberry!'"
I may not be into the Bleach anime, but I rather enjoy the Bleach manga. Why is that?
Probably because the Bleach anime is like a Cliff's Note version of the manga. I swear! They cut out so many things! And I don't like what was changed or added either. The manga's not perfect, either, but it's much more nuanced, and, I think, has even better artwork. It's not striking to look at, but it's really cool artwork, at the same time.
True, Bleach may be yet another shonen serial with a bunch of kids with crazy powers (and crazy personalities) fighting to save the werold(tm) without anyone else knowing it, but in terms of quality, it's a lot more enjoyable than the shonen fluff of my teen years. I mean, why read about The Legendary Super Saiyan, (funny, considering nearly every Saiyan character goes SS eventually.) kids playing dangerous card games, or Feudal Japanese demi-humans fighting for fangirl raves when you can read about a boy coping with his zany family? Bleach is one of the funniest manga I've read.
There's also a few great characters, too. My favorite is Rukia, although I think that's a given. When she's around Ichigo and no one else, that's when she's showing her true self. When she's posing as a high school girl, though, then she's putting on a hilarious act. It's funny, because she's close to 150, and lived in the Soul Society all that time, yet is trying to behave how she thinks teenage girls of Earth behave. In a way, her act reminds me of Clark Kent. And yet, when she's her true self, she's just a total badass.
Of course, there's other characters I like. Ichigo, unlike most shonen leads, isn't an idiot like Son Goku, nor irritating like Naruto Uzumaki. Kon is the requisite perv, yet his antics always gets him into hilarious situations. Orihime is almost too sweet to be real, yet lacks any common sense whatsoever. Chad is just plain cool. Ichigo's family is crazy fun: Yuzu is motherly, Karin trash talks everyone, Ichigo's dad is childish, yet insightful at the same time. Urahara looks, and talks, like a slacker, yet is probably the smartest person in the Bleach universe.
However, I must say one thing in defense of the Bleach anime; its voice acting in English is totally awesome. A lot of dub superstars in that. The dub's so good, I never bothered to watch it in Japanese. When I read the manga, I do my best to picture their voices from the show.
So yeah, kids, you can like any long-running shonen series you want to . . . so long as they're Naruto, or Bleach. Or FMA, if that counts.
Probably because the Bleach anime is like a Cliff's Note version of the manga. I swear! They cut out so many things! And I don't like what was changed or added either. The manga's not perfect, either, but it's much more nuanced, and, I think, has even better artwork. It's not striking to look at, but it's really cool artwork, at the same time.
True, Bleach may be yet another shonen serial with a bunch of kids with crazy powers (and crazy personalities) fighting to save the werold(tm) without anyone else knowing it, but in terms of quality, it's a lot more enjoyable than the shonen fluff of my teen years. I mean, why read about The Legendary Super Saiyan, (funny, considering nearly every Saiyan character goes SS eventually.) kids playing dangerous card games, or Feudal Japanese demi-humans fighting for fangirl raves when you can read about a boy coping with his zany family? Bleach is one of the funniest manga I've read.
There's also a few great characters, too. My favorite is Rukia, although I think that's a given. When she's around Ichigo and no one else, that's when she's showing her true self. When she's posing as a high school girl, though, then she's putting on a hilarious act. It's funny, because she's close to 150, and lived in the Soul Society all that time, yet is trying to behave how she thinks teenage girls of Earth behave. In a way, her act reminds me of Clark Kent. And yet, when she's her true self, she's just a total badass.
Of course, there's other characters I like. Ichigo, unlike most shonen leads, isn't an idiot like Son Goku, nor irritating like Naruto Uzumaki. Kon is the requisite perv, yet his antics always gets him into hilarious situations. Orihime is almost too sweet to be real, yet lacks any common sense whatsoever. Chad is just plain cool. Ichigo's family is crazy fun: Yuzu is motherly, Karin trash talks everyone, Ichigo's dad is childish, yet insightful at the same time. Urahara looks, and talks, like a slacker, yet is probably the smartest person in the Bleach universe.
However, I must say one thing in defense of the Bleach anime; its voice acting in English is totally awesome. A lot of dub superstars in that. The dub's so good, I never bothered to watch it in Japanese. When I read the manga, I do my best to picture their voices from the show.
So yeah, kids, you can like any long-running shonen series you want to . . . so long as they're Naruto, or Bleach. Or FMA, if that counts.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Trigunometry
I finished watching all 26 episodes of Trigun. Best retro '90's anime series I've seen. I give it 8 out of 10.
The animation was really good, for a tv series without any CGI whatsoever. The series finale was good, better than the finales of most anime series.
Now though, I can't decide who I like more, Vash, or Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Both were awesome in their own right.
Y'all should see Trigun if you haven't. It's actually a good show. One thing I particularly like is the anime trappings are few and far between.
But say it with me on one, two, three.
LOVE AND PEACE!
The animation was really good, for a tv series without any CGI whatsoever. The series finale was good, better than the finales of most anime series.
Now though, I can't decide who I like more, Vash, or Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Both were awesome in their own right.
Y'all should see Trigun if you haven't. It's actually a good show. One thing I particularly like is the anime trappings are few and far between.
But say it with me on one, two, three.
LOVE AND PEACE!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
I have something to ask of you
Why didn't anybody tell me the Trigun anime is good? I would've really enjoyed this show as a teenager. But noooooooooooooooooooooooooo, you had to recommend fucking DragonBall Z instead. Yeah, watching constipated musclemen sure is great stuff, when I could've been watching pre-Matrix gunfights instead!
You fuckers are in for it now.
Trigun is like the best retro '90's anime series I've seen. Not as good as my favorites of this decade, but Trigun, having come out in 1998, seems to bridge the 1990's, when anime series sucked, to the 2000's, when anime series finally started getting watchable. Cowboy Bebop helped with that transition, too. (even though I don't like the CB series anywhere near as much as the CB movie. I said it.)
That's it. I wouldn't have avoided Japanese animation for four years straight if it weren't for mentally defective otaku. Know this; if I ever encounter a psycho nerd in the real world again, things will get ugly. No, not ugly in the literal sense of the word, just, ugly as in me saying in my best Napoleon Dynamite impression, "You're such an idiot! GAWD!"
I'll come back when I'm finished with Trigun.
You fuckers are in for it now.
Trigun is like the best retro '90's anime series I've seen. Not as good as my favorites of this decade, but Trigun, having come out in 1998, seems to bridge the 1990's, when anime series sucked, to the 2000's, when anime series finally started getting watchable. Cowboy Bebop helped with that transition, too. (even though I don't like the CB series anywhere near as much as the CB movie. I said it.)
That's it. I wouldn't have avoided Japanese animation for four years straight if it weren't for mentally defective otaku. Know this; if I ever encounter a psycho nerd in the real world again, things will get ugly. No, not ugly in the literal sense of the word, just, ugly as in me saying in my best Napoleon Dynamite impression, "You're such an idiot! GAWD!"
I'll come back when I'm finished with Trigun.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Answer
I've played the Answer in P3: FES a little bit. First the bad news: there are no social links. Because of how the story is setup, you can't go around and hang out with guys with personal problems, go for walks with koro-chan, and hit on teen girls. Then again, Aigis isn't quite as social as your character was in The Journey, anyways.
The Answer is just one long dungeon crawl, but instead of crawling through Tartarus, you crawl through The Abyss of Time. The Abyss is just like Tarturus, except there is no time limit. You can take your sweet time leveling up and not having to worry about full moons and such. The bosses are like the bosses in Tartarus; very strong.
Oh, also, monsters in the Answer are way stronger than in The Journey. Even the same monsters from the Journey that appear in the Answer will now be a lot stronger and harder to kill.
Almost every character from the Journey re-appears in The Answer: cute and lovable Yukari, crass but fun-loving Junpei, sultry and cool-headed Mitsuru, master jock Akihiko, boy wonder Ken, Koro-chan the dog with a Persona, and Aigis, the new main. A new character appears: Metis, a Shadow-hunting robot girl similar to Aigis. She's great in combat.
The story is still top notch, despite lacking the social link side stories. And also, Aigis does have one advantage over your character from The Journey; her grenade launcher has better range than any of 'his' weapons, making getting sneak attacks on Shadows much easier.
I'll keep playing until I'm satisfied. Nice to know there's more to do.
The Answer is just one long dungeon crawl, but instead of crawling through Tartarus, you crawl through The Abyss of Time. The Abyss is just like Tarturus, except there is no time limit. You can take your sweet time leveling up and not having to worry about full moons and such. The bosses are like the bosses in Tartarus; very strong.
Oh, also, monsters in the Answer are way stronger than in The Journey. Even the same monsters from the Journey that appear in the Answer will now be a lot stronger and harder to kill.
Almost every character from the Journey re-appears in The Answer: cute and lovable Yukari, crass but fun-loving Junpei, sultry and cool-headed Mitsuru, master jock Akihiko, boy wonder Ken, Koro-chan the dog with a Persona, and Aigis, the new main. A new character appears: Metis, a Shadow-hunting robot girl similar to Aigis. She's great in combat.
The story is still top notch, despite lacking the social link side stories. And also, Aigis does have one advantage over your character from The Journey; her grenade launcher has better range than any of 'his' weapons, making getting sneak attacks on Shadows much easier.
I'll keep playing until I'm satisfied. Nice to know there's more to do.
It's not over yet
"Hey xm, you haven't talked about Persona 3 for a while. Is something wrong? You and Yukari-chan haven't *gulp* separated, have you?"
Separation? What? No, no, it's not like that.
You see, I got to the end of the Journey. I got to face the final boss . . . and . . . . . . . I cannot beat him. Not even with all of my items and my Personas and the fact that I'm playing on Easy. The final boss of the Journey is NES-era RPG hard. He's hard to the point that it's humanly impossible to defeat him, no matter how high leveled you are, and no matter how good your equipment is. Way to screw up what was up 'til then an awesome game, Atlus.
But I did not despair, Internet, (no really. I did not despair.) for we have Wikipedia for a reason.
What I like most about P3 is its storyline, so I read a summary of what happens at the end of The Journey. Now I was prepared . . . for The Answer.
I started The Answer not too long ago. Now I'm in direct control of Aigis, the robot girl who went from being a KOS-MOS ripoff to an interesting character in her own right. Most of the other characters return, (Including Yukari-chan.) but I haven't played that far yet.
Let's just hope The Answer is doable.
"Uh huh huh huh huh. You said, 'doable.'"
Separation? What? No, no, it's not like that.
You see, I got to the end of the Journey. I got to face the final boss . . . and . . . . . . . I cannot beat him. Not even with all of my items and my Personas and the fact that I'm playing on Easy. The final boss of the Journey is NES-era RPG hard. He's hard to the point that it's humanly impossible to defeat him, no matter how high leveled you are, and no matter how good your equipment is. Way to screw up what was up 'til then an awesome game, Atlus.
But I did not despair, Internet, (no really. I did not despair.) for we have Wikipedia for a reason.
What I like most about P3 is its storyline, so I read a summary of what happens at the end of The Journey. Now I was prepared . . . for The Answer.
I started The Answer not too long ago. Now I'm in direct control of Aigis, the robot girl who went from being a KOS-MOS ripoff to an interesting character in her own right. Most of the other characters return, (Including Yukari-chan.) but I haven't played that far yet.
Let's just hope The Answer is doable.
"Uh huh huh huh huh. You said, 'doable.'"
Saturday, May 24, 2008
more guns all over the place
Normally, when an anime series or movie based off a manga is made, it's usually inferior to the manga original. Before today, the only anime adaptation of a manga series wherein I thought the anime was better was Death Note. Today, I have discovered a second anime based off a manga where the anime is superior.
Its name is Trigun.
I have bashed the Trigun manga in the past, yes. You must understand, though, I don't dislike the setting of Trigun, nor its dual-personality hero. However, the manga's artwork is rather rough, the action sequences were confusing, and since the sound effects aren't translated, that only added to the confusion. The anime, on the other hand, has much better action scenes, and I even got a better understanding of the characters. I've only seen the English dub, and while a few characters sound great, (Especially Johnny Yong Bosch as Vash the Stampede.) a few players sound over-exaggerated. Its dub job may not be as good as, say, Cowboy Bebop, but anything that beats the majority of Saturday Morning cartoons (be they anime or not.) is a winner.
True, Trigun the anime may not span as long of a time period as Trigun the manga, and may have less characters, but damnation, it works better on film I tell you!
P.S. I think Naruto the anime is as good as Naruto the manga. The Naruto manga is uncensored, while the Naruto anime has better artwork, and better-looking fight scenes. As for which version is better, it's really a matter of taste, if you ask me.
Its name is Trigun.
I have bashed the Trigun manga in the past, yes. You must understand, though, I don't dislike the setting of Trigun, nor its dual-personality hero. However, the manga's artwork is rather rough, the action sequences were confusing, and since the sound effects aren't translated, that only added to the confusion. The anime, on the other hand, has much better action scenes, and I even got a better understanding of the characters. I've only seen the English dub, and while a few characters sound great, (Especially Johnny Yong Bosch as Vash the Stampede.) a few players sound over-exaggerated. Its dub job may not be as good as, say, Cowboy Bebop, but anything that beats the majority of Saturday Morning cartoons (be they anime or not.) is a winner.
True, Trigun the anime may not span as long of a time period as Trigun the manga, and may have less characters, but damnation, it works better on film I tell you!
P.S. I think Naruto the anime is as good as Naruto the manga. The Naruto manga is uncensored, while the Naruto anime has better artwork, and better-looking fight scenes. As for which version is better, it's really a matter of taste, if you ask me.
Friday, May 23, 2008
I have learned the truth
I have learned the truth about Evangelion, ladies and gentlemen, and that truth is this: Anybody who proclaims Eva to be a masterpiece of animation; is a freak of nature.
Ever since the last few minutes of ep. 19, Eva's been doing what Eva's famous for again; screwing with our minds. I've seen up to ep. 20 now, but according to my sources, the show only gets worse from here.
So no more Eva for me, gents. Besides, I don't like Eva a whole lot, anyways. Yeah, the fight sequences were cool, and my favorite episode, ep. 18, was powerful, but, this just isn't anything like the anime series of this decade. This doesn't hold my attention like FMA, TB, E7, HS, and especially DN. (I'm too lazy to write out the full titles right now.)
So my article was spot on. Maybe Eva may not display Evangelion Syndrome at the annoying frequency of the Matrix and Xenosaga franchises, (or does it? Maybe the last six episodes do. I don't wanna find out.) but it still does, nonetheless, and I don't like that.
But, there's something I wanna ask; when people discuss Eva, why do they only talk about the weirdness? Or how screwed up the characters are? Or how "hot" the females are? (I'll grant you Misato's a lot better looking than most other anime chicks, but what's all this I keep hearing about Rei and Asuka being "desirable"? They aren't my type. And they're too young, anyways.) Nobody talks about how cool the Angels are.
The fights between the Evas and the Angels is what's best, but nobody talks about that. Well I am. What I enjoyed was the pilots had to actually use strategy to defeat each Angel. It wasn't ever simply, "BITCH! THAT ANGEL'S COMING FOR YOU! SHOOT 'EM IN THE HEAD! SHOOT 'EM IN THE HEAD!" And every Angel was different. Each one had its own strengths and weaknesses, its own appearance, and its own method of attack. They were like boss enemies from an action game. It kind of reminded me of all those Saturday Morning cartoons that would feature a "Monster of the Week." Except these Angels, unlike most Saturday Morning fodder, were actually dangerous. No Eva ever got out of a fight unscathed.
So, if I had to rate the Eva anime series right now, I would score it 7 out of 10. It is a decent series, but it's not godlike.
But, ya know, I hear the Eva anime is being remade right now. Hopefully this time, it won't be as screwy.
Ever since the last few minutes of ep. 19, Eva's been doing what Eva's famous for again; screwing with our minds. I've seen up to ep. 20 now, but according to my sources, the show only gets worse from here.
So no more Eva for me, gents. Besides, I don't like Eva a whole lot, anyways. Yeah, the fight sequences were cool, and my favorite episode, ep. 18, was powerful, but, this just isn't anything like the anime series of this decade. This doesn't hold my attention like FMA, TB, E7, HS, and especially DN. (I'm too lazy to write out the full titles right now.)
So my article was spot on. Maybe Eva may not display Evangelion Syndrome at the annoying frequency of the Matrix and Xenosaga franchises, (or does it? Maybe the last six episodes do. I don't wanna find out.) but it still does, nonetheless, and I don't like that.
But, there's something I wanna ask; when people discuss Eva, why do they only talk about the weirdness? Or how screwed up the characters are? Or how "hot" the females are? (I'll grant you Misato's a lot better looking than most other anime chicks, but what's all this I keep hearing about Rei and Asuka being "desirable"? They aren't my type. And they're too young, anyways.) Nobody talks about how cool the Angels are.
The fights between the Evas and the Angels is what's best, but nobody talks about that. Well I am. What I enjoyed was the pilots had to actually use strategy to defeat each Angel. It wasn't ever simply, "BITCH! THAT ANGEL'S COMING FOR YOU! SHOOT 'EM IN THE HEAD! SHOOT 'EM IN THE HEAD!" And every Angel was different. Each one had its own strengths and weaknesses, its own appearance, and its own method of attack. They were like boss enemies from an action game. It kind of reminded me of all those Saturday Morning cartoons that would feature a "Monster of the Week." Except these Angels, unlike most Saturday Morning fodder, were actually dangerous. No Eva ever got out of a fight unscathed.
So, if I had to rate the Eva anime series right now, I would score it 7 out of 10. It is a decent series, but it's not godlike.
But, ya know, I hear the Eva anime is being remade right now. Hopefully this time, it won't be as screwy.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Stop screwing with my mind, Internet!
Well now, it would seem Neon Genesis Evangelion deserves to have a Syndrome named after it. However, I didn't see anything major that existed just to screw with the audience for quite a while. I was beginning to think that this was just another mecha series, albeit one with excellent animation during the fight sequences.
Then I saw episode number 16. Yeah, I had a definite WTF moment. Like I was playing Xenosaga again. Or the last sequence of Metal Gear Solid 2 again.
However, I remain undeterred. I feel like watching this a little more. Even if I don't like it as much as Eureka 7, I think after seeing the first episode of FLCL, I can probably handle whatever more weirdness Eva has in store for me. Hey, it's free if I keep watching it on the internet, and I'm on vacation; I deserve to keep up with all these hep cats who seem to know everything about the anime left and right.
Now for something amusing. I found an old Eva discussion on a messageboard not too long ago. People were, you guessed it, making fun of Shinji. I remember someone jokingly said, "Yeah, if I was in Shinji's position, I wouldn't be depressed at all! I mean, I pilot a giant robot for fuck's sake! How many kids get to do that!? And every night, I get Elle. Aye. Eye. Dee. With Misato and Asuka like it's The Second Impact all over again! Nevermind the fact that I face life and death every time an Angel shows up! And nevermind the fact that my dad is closer to some emotionless blue-haired chick than me, his own son!" The poster was, in a sarcastic manner, illustrating why poor Shinji-kun is usually in the dumps. But when I read the part about getting Elle. Aye. Eye. Dee. With Misato and Asuka, I LOL'd. Yes, I LOL'd. A lot. I was practically ROTF.
Then I saw episode number 16. Yeah, I had a definite WTF moment. Like I was playing Xenosaga again. Or the last sequence of Metal Gear Solid 2 again.
However, I remain undeterred. I feel like watching this a little more. Even if I don't like it as much as Eureka 7, I think after seeing the first episode of FLCL, I can probably handle whatever more weirdness Eva has in store for me. Hey, it's free if I keep watching it on the internet, and I'm on vacation; I deserve to keep up with all these hep cats who seem to know everything about the anime left and right.
Now for something amusing. I found an old Eva discussion on a messageboard not too long ago. People were, you guessed it, making fun of Shinji. I remember someone jokingly said, "Yeah, if I was in Shinji's position, I wouldn't be depressed at all! I mean, I pilot a giant robot for fuck's sake! How many kids get to do that!? And every night, I get Elle. Aye. Eye. Dee. With Misato and Asuka like it's The Second Impact all over again! Nevermind the fact that I face life and death every time an Angel shows up! And nevermind the fact that my dad is closer to some emotionless blue-haired chick than me, his own son!" The poster was, in a sarcastic manner, illustrating why poor Shinji-kun is usually in the dumps. But when I read the part about getting Elle. Aye. Eye. Dee. With Misato and Asuka, I LOL'd. Yes, I LOL'd. A lot. I was practically ROTF.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Well, I suppose kids can save the world, after all.
Ya know, when I wrote that essay about what I call "Evangelion Syndrome", I took a gamble. You see, I never have seen the Eva series, or the Eva movies, and I've never read the Eva manga. However, I do know about how it mindscrews with the audience towards the later episodes, (Since people everywhere on the internet won't. fucking. shut. up. about Eva.) and also, I have played Xenosaga I and III, and people did describe it as "inspired by Eva" and I know for a fact that XS loves a mindscrew.
Nonetheless, that did not deter me from watching a few episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion on veoh.
Good news! NGE doesn't suck! It's actually a decent action/drama series! More good news! I have seen the first 8 episodes so far, and I haven't seen very many things that exist only to screw with my brain! (yet.)
Bad news, when it comes to "mecha" serials, this pales compared to Eureka 7. But, ya know, considering that NGE came out during the '90's, and considering how I feel about a lot of retro '90's anime, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
It's a typical sci-fi action show about mechas that must fight these strange creatures. However, there are a few twists (What if the main hero doesn't want to save the world? And why does everything not go according to plan? And why fourteen year olds?) that set NGE apart. Of course, because of the show's blatant spoilering, I already know a few things I shouldn't. (for example, I already know the truth about the existence of the Evas.) And yet I keep coming back.
It may be because I'm watching "remastered" episodes, but the animation's pretty good. Close ups look great, and the fights between the Evas and the Angels are awesome. The sound design is fantastic; rarely have I seen a show with the ambiance NGE has. The music is decent, but doesn't come in surround, so it sounds tinny on my computer speakers. I'm watching the show in Japanese with English subtitles, and most of the characters have very good voices. So far, my favorite character is Misato. She's the most fun to watch. (please don't snicker like Beavis and Butthead and say, "uh huh huh huh huh, you like watching Misato. Misato's body! Uh huh huh huh huh." If you do, you will die.) I love how her apartment is a total mess. And, I know that fans love to make fun of Shinji and say, "LOL! Shinji's a pussy! LOL!" But, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: when I was 14, I was a lot like Shinji. Okay, I didn't hate myself, and I didn't have any issues with my father, but I can relate to his isolation from his peers.
So, I think I'll keep watching NGE, at least until it starts screwing with my mind. However, if my research is incorrect, that NGE really can be comprehended, I'm gonna have to rewrite my essay. Definitely have to change the title.
So here's a bet, Internet. I will keep watching NGE until I see an episode that does nothing but make me stare at my monitor with a puzzled expression and say, "what just happened?" If I do, I will keep the name "Evangelion Syndrome" as my own. If not . . . well then I'm gonna have to rename it something like Xenogears Syndrome or Matrix Syndrome, 'cause I'm on a roll so far.
P.S. I already changed my "Evangelion Syndrome" essay. I just added two paragraphs to the end. Hoepfully, I won't have to change anything else.
Nonetheless, that did not deter me from watching a few episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion on veoh.
Good news! NGE doesn't suck! It's actually a decent action/drama series! More good news! I have seen the first 8 episodes so far, and I haven't seen very many things that exist only to screw with my brain! (yet.)
Bad news, when it comes to "mecha" serials, this pales compared to Eureka 7. But, ya know, considering that NGE came out during the '90's, and considering how I feel about a lot of retro '90's anime, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
It's a typical sci-fi action show about mechas that must fight these strange creatures. However, there are a few twists (What if the main hero doesn't want to save the world? And why does everything not go according to plan? And why fourteen year olds?) that set NGE apart. Of course, because of the show's blatant spoilering, I already know a few things I shouldn't. (for example, I already know the truth about the existence of the Evas.) And yet I keep coming back.
It may be because I'm watching "remastered" episodes, but the animation's pretty good. Close ups look great, and the fights between the Evas and the Angels are awesome. The sound design is fantastic; rarely have I seen a show with the ambiance NGE has. The music is decent, but doesn't come in surround, so it sounds tinny on my computer speakers. I'm watching the show in Japanese with English subtitles, and most of the characters have very good voices. So far, my favorite character is Misato. She's the most fun to watch. (please don't snicker like Beavis and Butthead and say, "uh huh huh huh huh, you like watching Misato. Misato's body! Uh huh huh huh huh." If you do, you will die.) I love how her apartment is a total mess. And, I know that fans love to make fun of Shinji and say, "LOL! Shinji's a pussy! LOL!" But, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: when I was 14, I was a lot like Shinji. Okay, I didn't hate myself, and I didn't have any issues with my father, but I can relate to his isolation from his peers.
So, I think I'll keep watching NGE, at least until it starts screwing with my mind. However, if my research is incorrect, that NGE really can be comprehended, I'm gonna have to rewrite my essay. Definitely have to change the title.
So here's a bet, Internet. I will keep watching NGE until I see an episode that does nothing but make me stare at my monitor with a puzzled expression and say, "what just happened?" If I do, I will keep the name "Evangelion Syndrome" as my own. If not . . . well then I'm gonna have to rename it something like Xenogears Syndrome or Matrix Syndrome, 'cause I'm on a roll so far.
P.S. I already changed my "Evangelion Syndrome" essay. I just added two paragraphs to the end. Hoepfully, I won't have to change anything else.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Not much left
Since I realized I can watch anime stuff on veoh, I'm been trying it out more. However, there's not really that many anime series and movies out there that I'm interested in that I haven't already seen . . . or have tried to watch.
In my naivete, I tried to watch FLCL.
I got up to about halfway through the second episode, then shouted the following:
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!!!!!!!!??????????"
I can't say I like FLCL. I can't say I hate it, but I can't say it's enjoyable either. Then again, I'm not a fan of randomness. Still, FLCL, or Fooly Cooly, does have one thing going for it.
It is the weirdest thing ever produced by human hands.
You need to be on some seriously strong shit to be able to properly enjoy FLCL, which may be my problem, since I'm not a junkie. I don't hate FLCL, so I won't place it in my "anime shows and movies that suck and don't deserve any of the hype surrounding them" master list, but I'll save FLCL for the fans of weirdness out there.
"Say, what is on your 'anime shows and movies that suck and don't deserve any of the hype surrounding them' master list?"
Well, I'm about to copy and paste one of my forum posts for this, since it's hard to memorize all the names off the top of my head, and also, the list is updated, since I've seen more anime stuff since then, and also I have this site to remind me of franchise names, but be prepared, Internet. This ain't a pretty sight:
Pokemon, Digimon, DragonBall, DragonBall Z, DragonBall GT, Sailor Moon*, Yu-Gi-Oh, Fruits Basket, Battle Athletes, Wild Arms, Kirby, Sonic X, Inuyasha, Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Code Geass, Slayers, Kiddy Grade, Azumanga Dai-Oh**, Akira, and Princess Mononoke. Keep in mind, I was forced to watch some of these programs against my own will. Do you honestly think I'd watch Fruits Basket or Little Snow Fairy Sugar on my fucking own!?
Oh, also, I don't like the Trigun manga, Slayers manga, and the Rurouni Kenshin manga series. As such, I avoid their anime counterparts. Although . . . I've read that this straight-to-video adaptation of Kenshin is good, even if you aren't a fan of the series. I'll have to look into that.
EDIT AS OF MARCH 6th, 2009: Actually, I have seen the anime version of Trigun, RK, and Slayers. Slayers and Kenshin, I did not like. But the Trigun anime, though? A LOT better than the manga it was based off of. And I added a few more shows I hate.
*Just, remember, I like the Sailor Moon manga. It's just . . . the SM anime . . . *cries like a girl*
**Please bear in mind, I like the AZ manga. It's just that the anime port was unbelievably butchered. And do they all have to scream in such annoying voices all the goddamn time!?
So there you have it, otaku of the world. I didn't get into FLCL, I refer to OAVs as "straight-to-video" movies or series, and I don't like Akira. Get off me.
In my naivete, I tried to watch FLCL.
I got up to about halfway through the second episode, then shouted the following:
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!!!!!!!!??????????"
I can't say I like FLCL. I can't say I hate it, but I can't say it's enjoyable either. Then again, I'm not a fan of randomness. Still, FLCL, or Fooly Cooly, does have one thing going for it.
It is the weirdest thing ever produced by human hands.
You need to be on some seriously strong shit to be able to properly enjoy FLCL, which may be my problem, since I'm not a junkie. I don't hate FLCL, so I won't place it in my "anime shows and movies that suck and don't deserve any of the hype surrounding them" master list, but I'll save FLCL for the fans of weirdness out there.
"Say, what is on your 'anime shows and movies that suck and don't deserve any of the hype surrounding them' master list?"
Well, I'm about to copy and paste one of my forum posts for this, since it's hard to memorize all the names off the top of my head, and also, the list is updated, since I've seen more anime stuff since then, and also I have this site to remind me of franchise names, but be prepared, Internet. This ain't a pretty sight:
Pokemon, Digimon, DragonBall, DragonBall Z, DragonBall GT, Sailor Moon*, Yu-Gi-Oh, Fruits Basket, Battle Athletes, Wild Arms, Kirby, Sonic X, Inuyasha, Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Code Geass, Slayers, Kiddy Grade, Azumanga Dai-Oh**, Akira, and Princess Mononoke. Keep in mind, I was forced to watch some of these programs against my own will. Do you honestly think I'd watch Fruits Basket or Little Snow Fairy Sugar on my fucking own!?
Oh, also, I don't like the Trigun manga, Slayers manga, and the Rurouni Kenshin manga series. As such, I avoid their anime counterparts. Although . . . I've read that this straight-to-video adaptation of Kenshin is good, even if you aren't a fan of the series. I'll have to look into that.
EDIT AS OF MARCH 6th, 2009: Actually, I have seen the anime version of Trigun, RK, and Slayers. Slayers and Kenshin, I did not like. But the Trigun anime, though? A LOT better than the manga it was based off of. And I added a few more shows I hate.
*Just, remember, I like the Sailor Moon manga. It's just . . . the SM anime . . . *cries like a girl*
**Please bear in mind, I like the AZ manga. It's just that the anime port was unbelievably butchered. And do they all have to scream in such annoying voices all the goddamn time!?
So there you have it, otaku of the world. I didn't get into FLCL, I refer to OAVs as "straight-to-video" movies or series, and I don't like Akira. Get off me.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A little more about me.
You know what two staples of my diet are? Melted cheese, and hamburger. I don't eat either everyday, ('cause, you know, I don't wanna develop health problems.) but when I'm young and still have a fast metabolism, I enjoy anything made of melted cheese and/or hamburger: Macaroni and Cheese, Hamburger Helper, any of the cheeseburgers from In N Out, four cheese Rice-a-Roni, beef burritos with cheese, the list goes ever on. It's something that gets me, high. Like a kite.
I'm skinny, but not overly skinny. I have very little muscle mass. When I was younger, I had even less muscle mass. Back in elementary school, I was occasionally mistaken for a girl. ("WHAT KIND OF GIRL USES THE BOYS' ROOM!!!!!!???!?!?!?" Say it like my homeboy E.E.) However, my lack of pronounced mammaries means I don't get mistaken as such anymore. My hands are lithe, and almost feminine. I think that comes from playing videogames for most of my life. Though they lack the strength of, say, my older brother's hands, (Which are ginormous) my hands and fingers are quite dexterous, and can pull off maneuvers that dazzle the eye.
My eyes are bluish-green. I also live in America, so people usually stand in awe of my "pretty" eyes. However, I never really found blue or green or any combination of the two to be an attractive eye color. When I look in the mirror, I see a boy with rather ordinary eyes. No, I'm not loathing myself. It's just the way I feel. And yet, for some odd reasons, I can't ignore girls with a certain shade of brown for their eye color. (Not too light, not too dark, but somewhere in the middle.) If you're a lady and your eyes are pure brown and the right shade, a part of me will feel faint. Why, I don't know why, it just happens. I also like pitch black eyes, too. And yet, people in my family think I'm crazy for believing this. Can't we all just be colorblind?
OH! One last thing before I go! I discovered something really awesome you can do when you're reading scholarly texts!
This is for all you Death Note fans out there who, like me, aren't dub haters either. When you read a passage detailing something in an impartial manner, read the passage, in L's English voice. It's so funny, man! Before the end of the spring semester, I researched something on the internet, and I came across a scholarly text, and I imagined L reading it aloud, and it just nearly killed me! Here, I'll provide an example. Not last semester, but sometime last year, I wrote an essay about the abolition of slavery movement in 19th century America. I came across some scholarly texts. Observe:
"The American Anti-Slavery Society was established in 1833, but abolitionist sentiment antedated the republic. For example, the charter of Georgia prohibited slavery, and many of its settlers fought a losing battle against allowing it in the colony, Before independence, Quakers, most black Christians, and other religious groups argued that slavery was incompatible with Christ's teaching. Moreover, a number of revolutionaries saw the glaring contradiction between demanding freedom for themselves while holding slaves. Although the economic center of slavery was in the South, northerners also held slaves, as did African Americans and Native Americans. Moreover, some southerners opposed slavery. Blacks were in the vanguard of the anti-slavery movement. Abolitionist literature began to appear about 1820. Until the Civil War, the anti-slavery press produced a steadily growing stream of newspapers, periodicals, sermons, children's publications, speeches, abolitionist society reports, broadsides, and memoirs of former slaves." (taken from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam005.html)
Read that passage in L's voice. It's so funny, because most of the time, he talks like he's reciting from a textbook! Is it no surprise he's also my favorite character from Death Note?
I'm skinny, but not overly skinny. I have very little muscle mass. When I was younger, I had even less muscle mass. Back in elementary school, I was occasionally mistaken for a girl. ("WHAT KIND OF GIRL USES THE BOYS' ROOM!!!!!!???!?!?!?" Say it like my homeboy E.E.) However, my lack of pronounced mammaries means I don't get mistaken as such anymore. My hands are lithe, and almost feminine. I think that comes from playing videogames for most of my life. Though they lack the strength of, say, my older brother's hands, (Which are ginormous) my hands and fingers are quite dexterous, and can pull off maneuvers that dazzle the eye.
My eyes are bluish-green. I also live in America, so people usually stand in awe of my "pretty" eyes. However, I never really found blue or green or any combination of the two to be an attractive eye color. When I look in the mirror, I see a boy with rather ordinary eyes. No, I'm not loathing myself. It's just the way I feel. And yet, for some odd reasons, I can't ignore girls with a certain shade of brown for their eye color. (Not too light, not too dark, but somewhere in the middle.) If you're a lady and your eyes are pure brown and the right shade, a part of me will feel faint. Why, I don't know why, it just happens. I also like pitch black eyes, too. And yet, people in my family think I'm crazy for believing this. Can't we all just be colorblind?
OH! One last thing before I go! I discovered something really awesome you can do when you're reading scholarly texts!
This is for all you Death Note fans out there who, like me, aren't dub haters either. When you read a passage detailing something in an impartial manner, read the passage, in L's English voice. It's so funny, man! Before the end of the spring semester, I researched something on the internet, and I came across a scholarly text, and I imagined L reading it aloud, and it just nearly killed me! Here, I'll provide an example. Not last semester, but sometime last year, I wrote an essay about the abolition of slavery movement in 19th century America. I came across some scholarly texts. Observe:
"The American Anti-Slavery Society was established in 1833, but abolitionist sentiment antedated the republic. For example, the charter of Georgia prohibited slavery, and many of its settlers fought a losing battle against allowing it in the colony, Before independence, Quakers, most black Christians, and other religious groups argued that slavery was incompatible with Christ's teaching. Moreover, a number of revolutionaries saw the glaring contradiction between demanding freedom for themselves while holding slaves. Although the economic center of slavery was in the South, northerners also held slaves, as did African Americans and Native Americans. Moreover, some southerners opposed slavery. Blacks were in the vanguard of the anti-slavery movement. Abolitionist literature began to appear about 1820. Until the Civil War, the anti-slavery press produced a steadily growing stream of newspapers, periodicals, sermons, children's publications, speeches, abolitionist society reports, broadsides, and memoirs of former slaves." (taken from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam005.html)
Read that passage in L's voice. It's so funny, because most of the time, he talks like he's reciting from a textbook! Is it no surprise he's also my favorite character from Death Note?
Friday, May 16, 2008
Laws and a question
Universal Internet Law #3742: If you try to talk about a product of fictional entertainment that has human-like animals in it (Sonic the Hedgehog, various old Disney cartoons, et cetera.) and you do it long enough, someone will come from out of nowhere and shout, "LOL! Furries!" This individual will contribute nothing else to the conversation, save for that quote. If the original poster continues talking about products of fictional entertainment that have human-like animals in them, someone else, not the same person from before, but someone else will come from out of nowhere and shout, "LOL! Furries!" And then also quickly disappear. And this will continue forever more until the conversation has ended.
An example:
[poster] Hey guys, I hear a new Banjo-Kazooie game is coming out! Is anyone excited?
[random guy 1] LOL! Furries!
[poster] I remember Banjo-Tooie for the N64. That was so much better than the first one. It's my favorite N64-exclusive of all time!
[random guy 2] LOL! Furries!
[random guy 3] (originally posted by random guy 2) LOL! Furries!(end quote) Indeed.
[random guy 4] (originally posted by random guy 3) Indeed. (end quote) Thirded.
[poster] And to think, there's a new one coming out! I'm psyched! Are you psyched!?
[random guy 5] LOL! Furries!
And now, to answer the question you were too afraid to ask,
"r u a goddamn furry?"
No. I am not. I know, you're all disappointed beyond belief, but I'm not. It's just not my thing. I got nothing against the furry movement, though. If you wanna be a part of it, I won't stop you. However, I am not, and never have been, and never will be.
Granted, we do all have our proclivities, but mine do not lie there. Breathe a sigh of disappointment, Internet, and get on with your lives.
An example:
[poster] Hey guys, I hear a new Banjo-Kazooie game is coming out! Is anyone excited?
[random guy 1] LOL! Furries!
[poster] I remember Banjo-Tooie for the N64. That was so much better than the first one. It's my favorite N64-exclusive of all time!
[random guy 2] LOL! Furries!
[random guy 3] (originally posted by random guy 2) LOL! Furries!(end quote) Indeed.
[random guy 4] (originally posted by random guy 3) Indeed. (end quote) Thirded.
[poster] And to think, there's a new one coming out! I'm psyched! Are you psyched!?
[random guy 5] LOL! Furries!
And now, to answer the question you were too afraid to ask,
"r u a goddamn furry?"
No. I am not. I know, you're all disappointed beyond belief, but I'm not. It's just not my thing. I got nothing against the furry movement, though. If you wanna be a part of it, I won't stop you. However, I am not, and never have been, and never will be.
Granted, we do all have our proclivities, but mine do not lie there. Breathe a sigh of disappointment, Internet, and get on with your lives.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Come on, dance dance, come on, dance dance, BAY-BEEEEEEEEE!
Now I have seen all 14 episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It was crazy.
The last episode I saw was the movie Haruhi made. That thing looked like it was shot on a cell phone camera. And Kyon's "narration" was hilarious. "And now . . . the camera is panning up again." Itsuki sounded much more flat than he normally does, and it was just silly. And of course, shots of Mikuru running and camera positioned to see her breasts jiggle! Not that I enjoy that sort of thing, but I've never seen a show make fun of sexual fanservice like this.
But, for all of its silliness, there were some episodes that were, sweet. You know how people often forget that the older episodes of the Simpsons often had genuine moments of warmth to them? Haruhi kinda does, too. Episode 6 (which I'm told was the actual season finale in the Japanese broadcast.) ends on an almost heartfelt note. And "the one where Haruhi sings two rock songs" was awesome, and made me smile more often than laugh. You see, despite all of the weirdness, this show has real emotional development, too, and that allows for the viewers to get more attached to the characters. I like that.
Then again, not every episode was great. The two-parter on the remote island was a bore, save for a few one-liners from Haruhi, ("I stole every pillow from every room, so I'd be ready for a pillow fight!" or some such.) and the last episode, if you go by the DVD version episode order, was quite literally about nothing. And lastly, if you aren't intimately familiar with anime cliches, you may not get a big kick out of many of the gags.
But, despite such faults, I had a blast watching Haruhi Suzumiya. I now look forward to the next season. Although I'll probably wait for an (inevitable) English dub again. By the way, if a program has about the same acting quality in both Japanese and English, I will prefer to watch it in English. The reason being, I understand English a little better than Japanese.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Final Score: 9 out of 10. I won't compare this to Futurama, or the older Simpsons, or my favorite episodes of South Park, but it's definitely the funniest anime series I've seen.
The last episode I saw was the movie Haruhi made. That thing looked like it was shot on a cell phone camera. And Kyon's "narration" was hilarious. "And now . . . the camera is panning up again." Itsuki sounded much more flat than he normally does, and it was just silly. And of course, shots of Mikuru running and camera positioned to see her breasts jiggle! Not that I enjoy that sort of thing, but I've never seen a show make fun of sexual fanservice like this.
But, for all of its silliness, there were some episodes that were, sweet. You know how people often forget that the older episodes of the Simpsons often had genuine moments of warmth to them? Haruhi kinda does, too. Episode 6 (which I'm told was the actual season finale in the Japanese broadcast.) ends on an almost heartfelt note. And "the one where Haruhi sings two rock songs" was awesome, and made me smile more often than laugh. You see, despite all of the weirdness, this show has real emotional development, too, and that allows for the viewers to get more attached to the characters. I like that.
Then again, not every episode was great. The two-parter on the remote island was a bore, save for a few one-liners from Haruhi, ("I stole every pillow from every room, so I'd be ready for a pillow fight!" or some such.) and the last episode, if you go by the DVD version episode order, was quite literally about nothing. And lastly, if you aren't intimately familiar with anime cliches, you may not get a big kick out of many of the gags.
But, despite such faults, I had a blast watching Haruhi Suzumiya. I now look forward to the next season. Although I'll probably wait for an (inevitable) English dub again. By the way, if a program has about the same acting quality in both Japanese and English, I will prefer to watch it in English. The reason being, I understand English a little better than Japanese.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Final Score: 9 out of 10. I won't compare this to Futurama, or the older Simpsons, or my favorite episodes of South Park, but it's definitely the funniest anime series I've seen.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The weirdness; it won't stop!
So, I've seen up to episode 10 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I wouldn't call this a masterpiece, but on the other hand, this is quite easily the funniest anime series I've ever seen.
I have seen episodes both in Japanese with English subtitles, and episodes dubbed in English. They are both of great quality. Haruhi sounds slightly better in Japanese, while Kyon sounds slightly better in English. Other than that, it's really good, in either language.
So in other words, the English dub of Haruhi does not suck! I repeat, the English dub of Haruhi does not suck! Put that in your pipe and smoke it, dub haters!
The animation is unusually good for an anime series. Not of the artistic splendor of Trinity Blood, no, but it's probably about as good as the animation in Eureka 7. My only beef is the CGI effects look like they're ripped from the pre-rendered cutscenes of a PS1 game. How strange; normally, I prefer computerized animation over ye olde hand-drawn cels, but in the case of Haruhi, I will make an exception. I like how anime series finally don't look like every character is missing 3/4ths of their animation frames anymore.
But man, I finally understand what all the hype is about. Sure, the series is nothing but completely absurd humor, but it works! I really loved the baseball episode, too! It's amusing to see girls in cheerleader uniforms playing baseball against a college team. I don't know why, but it is.
Oh, and boys and girls; I now have an MP3 of the extended version of Hare Hare Yukai. I've gone mad, and I couldn't be any happier.
I have seen episodes both in Japanese with English subtitles, and episodes dubbed in English. They are both of great quality. Haruhi sounds slightly better in Japanese, while Kyon sounds slightly better in English. Other than that, it's really good, in either language.
So in other words, the English dub of Haruhi does not suck! I repeat, the English dub of Haruhi does not suck! Put that in your pipe and smoke it, dub haters!
The animation is unusually good for an anime series. Not of the artistic splendor of Trinity Blood, no, but it's probably about as good as the animation in Eureka 7. My only beef is the CGI effects look like they're ripped from the pre-rendered cutscenes of a PS1 game. How strange; normally, I prefer computerized animation over ye olde hand-drawn cels, but in the case of Haruhi, I will make an exception. I like how anime series finally don't look like every character is missing 3/4ths of their animation frames anymore.
But man, I finally understand what all the hype is about. Sure, the series is nothing but completely absurd humor, but it works! I really loved the baseball episode, too! It's amusing to see girls in cheerleader uniforms playing baseball against a college team. I don't know why, but it is.
Oh, and boys and girls; I now have an MP3 of the extended version of Hare Hare Yukai. I've gone mad, and I couldn't be any happier.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
If you can correctly predict what this post will be about, then you're just what we're looking for.
It's amazing how many television shows there are these days. There are an absurd number of tv networks in America alone. And we do have cable access here. However, I have one issue though; there are only four tv shows that (as far as I know) haven't been canceled yet that I'm interested in. Those four shows are Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rescue Me, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Death Note. You see, my problem is I don't know if and when new Curbs are coming out (and we don't get HBO, so I would have to wait for the DVDs.), the same is true for Rescue Me and Always Sunny, and Adultswim.com only uploads a new episode of Death Note every Friday afternoon, and even then, Death Note will come to an end within several weeks. People do talk about other tv shows, like Heroes, and 30 Rock, and Battlestar Galactica, and Dexter, and Lost, and The Office, but I have no interest in them.
In fact, you could say that I have absolutely no interest in any new tv show whatsoever.
However, that did not stop me from watching a somewhat new show on Veoh earlier today. I saw the first four episodes. I was amused. This . . . somewhat new show is a sitcom, an animated sitcom. It makes fun of a lot of wrong things, for the right reasons. It certainly exceeded my expectations, considering the feverish fan-worshiping I have seen surrounding this program. I hadn't watched it earlier because this show does not air on Cartoon Network, (and thus not on Adultswim.com either.) and, whilst I could buy the DVDs of it, I opted not no. What if I didn't like the show? It would've been money wasted!
However, I remembered that I have cable internet, and that Veoh hosts tv episodes at a fairly high quality. So, I took a gamble, and, lo and behold, I now have another animated sitcom to adore.
"So, uh, what exactly is the name of this show, anyway?"
Figure it out, yourself, knucklehead.
"Hmm. You said it was an animated sitcom, that makes fun of wrong things for the right reasons, it does not air on Cartoon Network, but does on Veoh. You also said it was out on DVD, and the show itself is somewhat new. Lastly, you said you had absolutely no interest in new tv shows whatsoever. Therefore, today, you saw the first four episodes of . . . oh Dear God, NO!!!!!!!"
What? What did I watch for the first time today?
"YOU WATCHED THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA!!!!!!!!"
YES!!!!!!!!!!!
I broke down, everyone. I watched Haruhi for the first time, today, and I loved it! It makes fun of everything I hate in anime: the fetish outfits, the copious amounts of sexual fanservice, the bad cases of Evangelion Syndrome, the 'mysterious transfer student' cliche. AND THE DANCE! That's an awesomely choreographed dance! The show is so bizarrely cute! And hilarious!
It's official. I am now a Haruhi-ist. What hath become of thee, thine readers?
In fact, you could say that I have absolutely no interest in any new tv show whatsoever.
However, that did not stop me from watching a somewhat new show on Veoh earlier today. I saw the first four episodes. I was amused. This . . . somewhat new show is a sitcom, an animated sitcom. It makes fun of a lot of wrong things, for the right reasons. It certainly exceeded my expectations, considering the feverish fan-worshiping I have seen surrounding this program. I hadn't watched it earlier because this show does not air on Cartoon Network, (and thus not on Adultswim.com either.) and, whilst I could buy the DVDs of it, I opted not no. What if I didn't like the show? It would've been money wasted!
However, I remembered that I have cable internet, and that Veoh hosts tv episodes at a fairly high quality. So, I took a gamble, and, lo and behold, I now have another animated sitcom to adore.
"So, uh, what exactly is the name of this show, anyway?"
Figure it out, yourself, knucklehead.
"Hmm. You said it was an animated sitcom, that makes fun of wrong things for the right reasons, it does not air on Cartoon Network, but does on Veoh. You also said it was out on DVD, and the show itself is somewhat new. Lastly, you said you had absolutely no interest in new tv shows whatsoever. Therefore, today, you saw the first four episodes of . . . oh Dear God, NO!!!!!!!"
What? What did I watch for the first time today?
"YOU WATCHED THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA!!!!!!!!"
YES!!!!!!!!!!!
I broke down, everyone. I watched Haruhi for the first time, today, and I loved it! It makes fun of everything I hate in anime: the fetish outfits, the copious amounts of sexual fanservice, the bad cases of Evangelion Syndrome, the 'mysterious transfer student' cliche. AND THE DANCE! That's an awesomely choreographed dance! The show is so bizarrely cute! And hilarious!
It's official. I am now a Haruhi-ist. What hath become of thee, thine readers?
Monday, May 12, 2008
popularity; why must you hate it so?
Okay, this elitism of believing something sucks simply because it's "popular" needs to stop. NOW.
This bullshit never happened when I was younger. "Hey, what's your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?" "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" "Dude, WTF! Turtles suck! It sucks because it's popular with normal people, and normal people have shitty taste in cartoons, so therefore, Turtles suck! AND THEIR NOT REEL NINJAS!!!!!1111111ELEVENTY-ONE!!!!!" How, peoples? How could you backslide like this?
I remembered this happened back when GTA: Vice City, first came out. Everyone outside of angry parents loved that game, save for retarded "hardcore" gamers who didn't like the idea that Joe Schmo was also a fan of GTA. I couldn't believe it when I read it. "Maybe . . . they don't like the control scheme." I thought. Nope. That's not why. "Maybe . . . they don't like how you can't carry every weapon possible like in GTA3." Nope. That's not why either. Some hardcore gamers feel threatened when a game they cherish is noticed by the mainstream. They don't want to be associated with a demographic that doesn't normally play games. Think about it, when you think about hardcore gamer, you don't picture, say, a 40-something husband and father of two, right? Yet, my father was in his forties when we got our old NES, and he played more games on that system than I ever did. (until I got my NES emulator, anyways.) For all intents and purposes, he was more 'hardcore' than me, and he played many NES games popular with 'normal' people, but nobody threw a shit fit over SMB 3, curiously enough.
But yeah, some nerds just don't like sharing their hobbies with the large majority. Think about this, when Naruto and Bleach became popular in America, I started seeing the same bullshit again. Now, granted, I don't like the Bleach anime, and I do think Naruto the manga and anime could be better, but I really like the Bleach manga, and I LOVE the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja games. Their popularity did not faze their quality one bit. But yet some anime nerds will condescend to you if you say, "Yeah, I think Ichigo and Rukia are cool." or, "Hey, remember that Naruto where Neji was fighting that dude with six arms? That was awesome!" If anything, it's the ones who would condescend who are pathetic, not the Bleach and Naruto fanatics.
Do you realize how ridiculous this is, Internet? I mean, there are some popular products of pop-culture I despise, but I don't hate them because they're popular. For example, I don't hate Halo because I know 'casual' gamers who bought an Xbox just to play it. I hate Halo because of its crappy AI, levels, weapons, and unexciting gameplay. I can just as easily hate a game that's only popular with hardcore gamers, and not with the large majority. And as such, don't ever ask for my opinion on Earthbound.
But seriously, do you know how ridiculous you sound when you hate something because it's mainstream? Did people of my parents' generation hate the Rolling Stones simply because they were popular? No. Besides, who hates the Stones anyways?
Knock it off, peoples. Seriously. Just because your mom likes Devil May Cry doesn't automatically mean it's a sucky game.
This bullshit never happened when I was younger. "Hey, what's your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?" "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" "Dude, WTF! Turtles suck! It sucks because it's popular with normal people, and normal people have shitty taste in cartoons, so therefore, Turtles suck! AND THEIR NOT REEL NINJAS!!!!!1111111ELEVENTY-ONE!!!!!" How, peoples? How could you backslide like this?
I remembered this happened back when GTA: Vice City, first came out. Everyone outside of angry parents loved that game, save for retarded "hardcore" gamers who didn't like the idea that Joe Schmo was also a fan of GTA. I couldn't believe it when I read it. "Maybe . . . they don't like the control scheme." I thought. Nope. That's not why. "Maybe . . . they don't like how you can't carry every weapon possible like in GTA3." Nope. That's not why either. Some hardcore gamers feel threatened when a game they cherish is noticed by the mainstream. They don't want to be associated with a demographic that doesn't normally play games. Think about it, when you think about hardcore gamer, you don't picture, say, a 40-something husband and father of two, right? Yet, my father was in his forties when we got our old NES, and he played more games on that system than I ever did. (until I got my NES emulator, anyways.) For all intents and purposes, he was more 'hardcore' than me, and he played many NES games popular with 'normal' people, but nobody threw a shit fit over SMB 3, curiously enough.
But yeah, some nerds just don't like sharing their hobbies with the large majority. Think about this, when Naruto and Bleach became popular in America, I started seeing the same bullshit again. Now, granted, I don't like the Bleach anime, and I do think Naruto the manga and anime could be better, but I really like the Bleach manga, and I LOVE the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja games. Their popularity did not faze their quality one bit. But yet some anime nerds will condescend to you if you say, "Yeah, I think Ichigo and Rukia are cool." or, "Hey, remember that Naruto where Neji was fighting that dude with six arms? That was awesome!" If anything, it's the ones who would condescend who are pathetic, not the Bleach and Naruto fanatics.
Do you realize how ridiculous this is, Internet? I mean, there are some popular products of pop-culture I despise, but I don't hate them because they're popular. For example, I don't hate Halo because I know 'casual' gamers who bought an Xbox just to play it. I hate Halo because of its crappy AI, levels, weapons, and unexciting gameplay. I can just as easily hate a game that's only popular with hardcore gamers, and not with the large majority. And as such, don't ever ask for my opinion on Earthbound.
But seriously, do you know how ridiculous you sound when you hate something because it's mainstream? Did people of my parents' generation hate the Rolling Stones simply because they were popular? No. Besides, who hates the Stones anyways?
Knock it off, peoples. Seriously. Just because your mom likes Devil May Cry doesn't automatically mean it's a sucky game.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
games and more games
So I've been playing more Persona 3. However, after a boss fight in the game, the characters I had with me leveled up so much, that they're way more useful than every other character now. So on my save file, the only useful characters are Akihiko, Yukari, and Ken. Everyone else is too low-leveled to survive.
The only real difference between the other characters is what elements they are weak to and what elements they are resistant or immune to, since you the player can use whatever Persona you want, you can use any kind of ability in battle.
So yeah, this game is like Final Fantasy 12 in one aspect; just pick whatever characters you like the most, and level them up, and buy their best equipment, and ignore everyone else. You'll pretty much have to later on in The Journey.
Oh, but you knew I had to have Yukari-chan in my preferred party, didn't you, readers? Well, you try resisting her charming ways! Oh geeze, I can see fans of this game now, trying to choose between Yukari or Mitsuru much in the same way television viewers of yore tried to choose between Mary Ann or Ginger from Gilligan's Island.
I have a rant about something, but I will save that for another entry.
The only real difference between the other characters is what elements they are weak to and what elements they are resistant or immune to, since you the player can use whatever Persona you want, you can use any kind of ability in battle.
So yeah, this game is like Final Fantasy 12 in one aspect; just pick whatever characters you like the most, and level them up, and buy their best equipment, and ignore everyone else. You'll pretty much have to later on in The Journey.
Oh, but you knew I had to have Yukari-chan in my preferred party, didn't you, readers? Well, you try resisting her charming ways! Oh geeze, I can see fans of this game now, trying to choose between Yukari or Mitsuru much in the same way television viewers of yore tried to choose between Mary Ann or Ginger from Gilligan's Island.
I have a rant about something, but I will save that for another entry.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Coming soon in 2025; Megaman XXIII!
You know a game franchise I was really into? Megaman.
I've played games in the original series, X series, Legends series, and Zero series. My favorite MM games are from the original, X, and Legends series.
Nowadays, anything Megaman-related doesn't pique my interest anymore. I'm happily content replaying Megaman 3 on my NES emulator, Megaman X3 on my SNES emulator, and Megaman Legends 2 on my PS2 forever. Those games are the best.
I did like the Zero series, but not as much as the original, X, and Legends series. I was never interested in the Battle Network series, and the two current series hold no interest over me.
But man, MM3 is my favorite old NES game of all time. I said it. I like MM3 more than Super Mario bros. 3, Castlevania 3, the NES Zeldas, and River City Ransom. Despite running on such antiquated hardware, MM3 to this day remains a phenomenal example of what 2D platformers should aspire to. It's challenging but not too much, it has the best soundtrack in NES history, the Rush Jet is more useful in this game than in later games, and of course, Protoman. Sure, most hardcore gamers say MM2 is the best, and while MM2 has the most fun weapons in the series, MM3 is the better overall game.
Which brings us to MMX3. Much harder than most other MM games, but also much more fun than any other X game. The levels are large and well-designed, the upgrades are cool, the music gets you amped, and X even swears once. ("Damn! It's a dead end!") Because of its difficulty, no one but the most hardcore loves X3, but its way better than the X games that came after it. Most say the first X game is best, and if X3 weren't so awesome, I'd agree. But readers, I am god-like on 2D platformers, and I have beaten X3 numerous times. However, Sigma is a bitch in that game.
And then Megaman Legends 2. One of the few PS1-exclusives I love, L2 is like L1, but with better controls, a better story, and more stuff to do. The cutscenes were really well done in this game, and I daresay L2 is even more epic than most other PS1 games. (Barring FF9, of course.) Oh, also, the Bonnes. If you played the Legends games, you know who I'm talking about. Is there anybody out there who doesn't love the Bonnes and the Servbots? Anybody? Anybody? Guess not.
But it seems like the Megaman name hasn't been totally awesome since L2. And that came out like, 8 years ago I think? Yeah man, what's with all these game series losing their luster over the years? The last good Mario game I played was the GBA Superstars RPG, the last good Sonic game I played was Sonic Adventure (the first one.) for the Dreamcast, the last good Castlevania game I played was Symphony of the Night, and . . . I liked Super Metroid more than Metroid Prime. And now Megaman seems to have "jumped the shark." Oh man. I guess now would be a good time to whistle Protoman's theme . . .
P.S. Speaking of Legends, do you know who my favorite character in MML was? Answer: Tron Bonne. And do you know why? "Oh dear GAWD! You think she's cute!?" Yes. Very much so. Before I was going nuts over Yukari-chan and Arche Klaine, I was going nuts over Miss Tron. True story.
I've played games in the original series, X series, Legends series, and Zero series. My favorite MM games are from the original, X, and Legends series.
Nowadays, anything Megaman-related doesn't pique my interest anymore. I'm happily content replaying Megaman 3 on my NES emulator, Megaman X3 on my SNES emulator, and Megaman Legends 2 on my PS2 forever. Those games are the best.
I did like the Zero series, but not as much as the original, X, and Legends series. I was never interested in the Battle Network series, and the two current series hold no interest over me.
But man, MM3 is my favorite old NES game of all time. I said it. I like MM3 more than Super Mario bros. 3, Castlevania 3, the NES Zeldas, and River City Ransom. Despite running on such antiquated hardware, MM3 to this day remains a phenomenal example of what 2D platformers should aspire to. It's challenging but not too much, it has the best soundtrack in NES history, the Rush Jet is more useful in this game than in later games, and of course, Protoman. Sure, most hardcore gamers say MM2 is the best, and while MM2 has the most fun weapons in the series, MM3 is the better overall game.
Which brings us to MMX3. Much harder than most other MM games, but also much more fun than any other X game. The levels are large and well-designed, the upgrades are cool, the music gets you amped, and X even swears once. ("Damn! It's a dead end!") Because of its difficulty, no one but the most hardcore loves X3, but its way better than the X games that came after it. Most say the first X game is best, and if X3 weren't so awesome, I'd agree. But readers, I am god-like on 2D platformers, and I have beaten X3 numerous times. However, Sigma is a bitch in that game.
And then Megaman Legends 2. One of the few PS1-exclusives I love, L2 is like L1, but with better controls, a better story, and more stuff to do. The cutscenes were really well done in this game, and I daresay L2 is even more epic than most other PS1 games. (Barring FF9, of course.) Oh, also, the Bonnes. If you played the Legends games, you know who I'm talking about. Is there anybody out there who doesn't love the Bonnes and the Servbots? Anybody? Anybody? Guess not.
But it seems like the Megaman name hasn't been totally awesome since L2. And that came out like, 8 years ago I think? Yeah man, what's with all these game series losing their luster over the years? The last good Mario game I played was the GBA Superstars RPG, the last good Sonic game I played was Sonic Adventure (the first one.) for the Dreamcast, the last good Castlevania game I played was Symphony of the Night, and . . . I liked Super Metroid more than Metroid Prime. And now Megaman seems to have "jumped the shark." Oh man. I guess now would be a good time to whistle Protoman's theme . . .
P.S. Speaking of Legends, do you know who my favorite character in MML was? Answer: Tron Bonne. And do you know why? "Oh dear GAWD! You think she's cute!?" Yes. Very much so. Before I was going nuts over Yukari-chan and Arche Klaine, I was going nuts over Miss Tron. True story.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The closest I will ever come to being an otaku in the Westernized meaning of the word is right here and now
Oh my God you guys.
Oh my God you guys.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS!
"Uh, what are you oh-em-gee-ing over now, xm?"
You can date Yukari-chan in Persona 3: FES.
*infectious giggle*
This is crazy, man! I haven't been this attached to a videogame girl since I played Tales of Phantasia for my SNES emulator back two and a half years ago! (Oh yes, we had a lot of good times, Arche and I.) And it turns out you can build up a social link with her, too!
However, I must say, the dating aspect of this game is, not entirely realistic. It seems like its way too easy to make teenage girls swoon over you like there's no tomorrow.
Or maybe, since I the player am the main character, I'm just a very charming guy.
Kidding, kidding. Dates are a lot easier in this game then they are in real life.
But you know what this reminds me of? Remember in Death Note (minor spoiler alert! For reals!) when Matsuda was posing as Misa's agent? But remember how he was really enthusiastic over supporting her? How he'd always call her "Misa Misa" and basically cheer her on when everyone else was annoyed by his antics?
Yeah, it's kinda like that. My fandom over Yukari-chan is like Matsuda's fandom over Misa almost.
But I can't help myself! She is just so cute!
Say, aren't there games in Japan like P3 but without the dungeon-crawling and only the social interactions? I think so. I think they're called dating sims. Considering how much I'm having with P3, even with just the social parts, I think some of these dating sims might actually be enjoyable games, too.
Might, be. I can't say for sure. I got a hunch that many of them are as ridiculous as your average harem "comedy" manga/anime series.
Oh my God you guys.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS!
"Uh, what are you oh-em-gee-ing over now, xm?"
You can date Yukari-chan in Persona 3: FES.
*infectious giggle*
This is crazy, man! I haven't been this attached to a videogame girl since I played Tales of Phantasia for my SNES emulator back two and a half years ago! (Oh yes, we had a lot of good times, Arche and I.) And it turns out you can build up a social link with her, too!
However, I must say, the dating aspect of this game is, not entirely realistic. It seems like its way too easy to make teenage girls swoon over you like there's no tomorrow.
Or maybe, since I the player am the main character, I'm just a very charming guy.
Kidding, kidding. Dates are a lot easier in this game then they are in real life.
But you know what this reminds me of? Remember in Death Note (minor spoiler alert! For reals!) when Matsuda was posing as Misa's agent? But remember how he was really enthusiastic over supporting her? How he'd always call her "Misa Misa" and basically cheer her on when everyone else was annoyed by his antics?
Yeah, it's kinda like that. My fandom over Yukari-chan is like Matsuda's fandom over Misa almost.
But I can't help myself! She is just so cute!
Say, aren't there games in Japan like P3 but without the dungeon-crawling and only the social interactions? I think so. I think they're called dating sims. Considering how much I'm having with P3, even with just the social parts, I think some of these dating sims might actually be enjoyable games, too.
Might, be. I can't say for sure. I got a hunch that many of them are as ridiculous as your average harem "comedy" manga/anime series.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
dot dot dot, ee tee see, dot.
So, Persona 3 . . . still playing it.
However, I have noticed there's some, shall I say, sexual fanservice present in the game.
I am not a fan of sexual fanservice. Unless if it involves someone like Charlize Theron or J Lo, I usually shy away from it.
But, in a way, Persona 3 actually kinda makes fun of the most common form of fanservice out there. Junpei, the joker of the bunch, can't get his mind off of girls in bikinis. Also, if you daydream about a girl taking a shower, prepare to get slapped. I'm just sayin'.
But if there is something I can appreciate, it's that the girls aren't, as a good online friend of mine would say, boobtastic. You know what I'm talking about; females with mammary glands so huge, there's no way in real life they could even move without being crushed by their own bosoms. The kind of women who make Tsunade from Naruto seem flat-chested by comparison. Man, boobtastic chicks used to be everywhere in the game industry. Nowadays, you don't see them as often, and good riddance. I like my women to have real breasts, thank-you-very-much. Both real life women and videogame women.
Oh yeah, between you and me, (and the rest of the internet.) because of P3's lack of boobtastic flair, Mitsuru, the game's obligatory cool and mature woman, is by default the sexiest red-haired lady I've ever seen in a game. Now, I've never really been partial to red hair, and this game (and Yukari-chan) won't change that, but I'm really digging the anime artwork of this game. Unlike some other people, I don't automatically go "WA HAI!" every time I see videogame people with the characteristic moon-shaped eyes and tiny noses common in modern anime and manga, but if done right, it can be really striking. Or simply nice to look at.
By the way, can you tell I'm totally loving Persona 3: FES yet? If not, play it yourself and find out why I can't shut up about it.
However, I have noticed there's some, shall I say, sexual fanservice present in the game.
I am not a fan of sexual fanservice. Unless if it involves someone like Charlize Theron or J Lo, I usually shy away from it.
But, in a way, Persona 3 actually kinda makes fun of the most common form of fanservice out there. Junpei, the joker of the bunch, can't get his mind off of girls in bikinis. Also, if you daydream about a girl taking a shower, prepare to get slapped. I'm just sayin'.
But if there is something I can appreciate, it's that the girls aren't, as a good online friend of mine would say, boobtastic. You know what I'm talking about; females with mammary glands so huge, there's no way in real life they could even move without being crushed by their own bosoms. The kind of women who make Tsunade from Naruto seem flat-chested by comparison. Man, boobtastic chicks used to be everywhere in the game industry. Nowadays, you don't see them as often, and good riddance. I like my women to have real breasts, thank-you-very-much. Both real life women and videogame women.
Oh yeah, between you and me, (and the rest of the internet.) because of P3's lack of boobtastic flair, Mitsuru, the game's obligatory cool and mature woman, is by default the sexiest red-haired lady I've ever seen in a game. Now, I've never really been partial to red hair, and this game (and Yukari-chan) won't change that, but I'm really digging the anime artwork of this game. Unlike some other people, I don't automatically go "WA HAI!" every time I see videogame people with the characteristic moon-shaped eyes and tiny noses common in modern anime and manga, but if done right, it can be really striking. Or simply nice to look at.
By the way, can you tell I'm totally loving Persona 3: FES yet? If not, play it yourself and find out why I can't shut up about it.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Remember, guns are not toys
The Grand Theft Auto series is one of my all time favorite game series. It has been since the first GTA came out for the PC and PS1 way back in 1997. Granted, the series was flawed until GTA3 hit the market and made the franchise a success. I know what you're thinking, "How could someone as hardcore as you declare a mainstream franchise like GTA one of your favorites?"
The games offer a lot of freedom, lots of things to do, replayability, longevity, humor, and are just plain fun. GTA: San Andreas is my favorite, but I loved Vice City, also.
Of course, I won't deny GTA's controversy. These games are violent. And vulgar. And lots of other nasty things. There's a reason I don't play GTA in front of my baby cousins.
But, at the same time, I am going to defend one thing. The games have a lot of stereotypes in them. If you took these stereotypes at face value, GTA would be very racist, sexist, homophobic, and other kinds of bigotry. However, it doesn't bother me, because the games often show just how ridiculous these stereotypes really are. I mean, come on, is every black and Hispanic person you know either a gangbanger or a prostitute? Is every gay man you know extremely effeminate? No, of course not. Bottom line; if the content of Chappelle's Show didn't offend you, GTA shouldn't either*
Now then, you probably guessed I'm writing this because of the recent release of GTA 4 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. A lot of people are proclaiming it to be videogaming's first true work of high art.
Sure, just ignore Chrono Trigger, Starcraft, Grim Fandango, the first Knights of the Old Republic, Final Fantasy 9, System Shock 2, Shenmue 1 & 2, and Tales of the Abyss while you're at it! Hell, I'll bet the game I'm playing right now has better characterization than GTA4! GO YUKARI-CHAN!
However, it does seem like GTA4 does take itself a little more seriously then its predecessors, (I've read the main protagonist isn't supposed to be a psychopath like Tommy Vercetti and CJ.) but you gotta remember something. You have to remember what GTA is, beyond being an action game that lets you do more than run and shoot your enemies. GTA is a parody of modern gangster shows and movies, as well as a scathing satire of modern American culture. Always has been, probably always will be. Sure, the stories in VC and SA were enjoyable, but nothing classic. I doubt GTA 4 could break that trend. I could be wrong though. Maybe it does have better writing. But considering GTA's history, I doubt it.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying GTA games. I still play my PC copy of SA every now and then.
*A place I went to online recently had a debate on "When do stereotypes become offensive?" They were referring to the content of things like GTA. Now, as I said, if you can somehow joke about how ridiculous these stereotypes are, I don't have a problem with that. Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan somehow pulled that off better than anyone else I've seen on Comedy Central. However, if you crack a joke about a stereotype like it's supposed to be factual, well, I take offense to that. Example, if you make a joke about how Asians supposedly can't drive very well like it's a matter of fact, well, not only is that not funny, it's offensive. And offensive to my best friend from Taiwan, too. It's possible to make jokes about peoples' backgrounds, but only if you make fun of the stereotypical views themselves. That's my take.
The games offer a lot of freedom, lots of things to do, replayability, longevity, humor, and are just plain fun. GTA: San Andreas is my favorite, but I loved Vice City, also.
Of course, I won't deny GTA's controversy. These games are violent. And vulgar. And lots of other nasty things. There's a reason I don't play GTA in front of my baby cousins.
But, at the same time, I am going to defend one thing. The games have a lot of stereotypes in them. If you took these stereotypes at face value, GTA would be very racist, sexist, homophobic, and other kinds of bigotry. However, it doesn't bother me, because the games often show just how ridiculous these stereotypes really are. I mean, come on, is every black and Hispanic person you know either a gangbanger or a prostitute? Is every gay man you know extremely effeminate? No, of course not. Bottom line; if the content of Chappelle's Show didn't offend you, GTA shouldn't either*
Now then, you probably guessed I'm writing this because of the recent release of GTA 4 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. A lot of people are proclaiming it to be videogaming's first true work of high art.
Sure, just ignore Chrono Trigger, Starcraft, Grim Fandango, the first Knights of the Old Republic, Final Fantasy 9, System Shock 2, Shenmue 1 & 2, and Tales of the Abyss while you're at it! Hell, I'll bet the game I'm playing right now has better characterization than GTA4! GO YUKARI-CHAN!
However, it does seem like GTA4 does take itself a little more seriously then its predecessors, (I've read the main protagonist isn't supposed to be a psychopath like Tommy Vercetti and CJ.) but you gotta remember something. You have to remember what GTA is, beyond being an action game that lets you do more than run and shoot your enemies. GTA is a parody of modern gangster shows and movies, as well as a scathing satire of modern American culture. Always has been, probably always will be. Sure, the stories in VC and SA were enjoyable, but nothing classic. I doubt GTA 4 could break that trend. I could be wrong though. Maybe it does have better writing. But considering GTA's history, I doubt it.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying GTA games. I still play my PC copy of SA every now and then.
*A place I went to online recently had a debate on "When do stereotypes become offensive?" They were referring to the content of things like GTA. Now, as I said, if you can somehow joke about how ridiculous these stereotypes are, I don't have a problem with that. Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan somehow pulled that off better than anyone else I've seen on Comedy Central. However, if you crack a joke about a stereotype like it's supposed to be factual, well, I take offense to that. Example, if you make a joke about how Asians supposedly can't drive very well like it's a matter of fact, well, not only is that not funny, it's offensive. And offensive to my best friend from Taiwan, too. It's possible to make jokes about peoples' backgrounds, but only if you make fun of the stereotypical views themselves. That's my take.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
more Persona
To score with the ladies in P3, remember, don't take things too quickly. Other than that, be yourself, and you'll win over whoever's Social Link you're trying to build up.
Also, I love the dialogue in this game. It's exactly how I'd imagine kids in present-day Japan would talk, ("You've been reading too much manga!") which, isn't really a whole lot different from how American teenagers talk.
Many people throughout my online haunts are proclaiming P3: FES to be "The best game ever!" "The best PS2 RPG ever!" "The best Japanese RPG since Chrono Trigger!" These are all bold claims, but, I respect anybody who feels this way about P3. It is really enjoyable. To think, there would be one more big name PS2 release after Odin Sphere and God of War 2. The PS2 has truly had an amazing run as a game console. I only wish it had a built-in hard drive . . .
But enough of that. I have more P3 to play. And I've only been playing "The Journey" so far! On easy! Man, this game could last me a long, long time. Lots of opportunities to hang out with cute (digital) girls!
Also, I love the dialogue in this game. It's exactly how I'd imagine kids in present-day Japan would talk, ("You've been reading too much manga!") which, isn't really a whole lot different from how American teenagers talk.
Many people throughout my online haunts are proclaiming P3: FES to be "The best game ever!" "The best PS2 RPG ever!" "The best Japanese RPG since Chrono Trigger!" These are all bold claims, but, I respect anybody who feels this way about P3. It is really enjoyable. To think, there would be one more big name PS2 release after Odin Sphere and God of War 2. The PS2 has truly had an amazing run as a game console. I only wish it had a built-in hard drive . . .
But enough of that. I have more P3 to play. And I've only been playing "The Journey" so far! On easy! Man, this game could last me a long, long time. Lots of opportunities to hang out with cute (digital) girls!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Everyone, I have an announcement to make
I like Yukari Takeba! She's really cute! And smart. And strong-willed. And positive. And sweet. And . . .
Oh geeze, it almost sounds like I have a crush on her, doesn't it? Sorry, but I can't form that kind of attachment with someone from a videogame. But, I gotta say, in a cast of memorable characters, Yukari from Persona 3 is my favorite so far.
Isn't that something? Sometimes, your favorite character is a boy, sometimes, your favorite character is a girl, and sometimes, your favorite character is genderless.
EDIT AS OF JULY 17TH, 2008: Actually, that's a lie. I did (and still do) have a crush on Yukari-chan. Granted, it wasn't of a sexual nature, (so you can get your minds out of the gutter now, you freakin' pervs,) but I certainly liked her a lot. I mean, it's pretty obvious. I was raving about her throughout all of May.
But man, do i feel sorry for all those fanboys who have a crush on Rei Ayanami . . . Man, some people are screwed up.
Oh geeze, it almost sounds like I have a crush on her, doesn't it? Sorry, but I can't form that kind of attachment with someone from a videogame. But, I gotta say, in a cast of memorable characters, Yukari from Persona 3 is my favorite so far.
Isn't that something? Sometimes, your favorite character is a boy, sometimes, your favorite character is a girl, and sometimes, your favorite character is genderless.
EDIT AS OF JULY 17TH, 2008: Actually, that's a lie. I did (and still do) have a crush on Yukari-chan. Granted, it wasn't of a sexual nature, (so you can get your minds out of the gutter now, you freakin' pervs,) but I certainly liked her a lot. I mean, it's pretty obvious. I was raving about her throughout all of May.
But man, do i feel sorry for all those fanboys who have a crush on Rei Ayanami . . . Man, some people are screwed up.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Persona 3 update
You can date girls in Persona 3. Yay.
Also, in the game, the Shadows leave Tartarus on days that have a full moon. You can't avoid fighting Shadows on full moon days. The whole point of the game is to prepare yourself and your crew for each and every full moon. Hope you know how to prioritize your schedule. ("Ah man! Instead of staring at that brunette with the glasses all day, I should've been buying better equipment and leveling up! Man, I'm a glutton for punishment . . .)
Also, you can collect Personas, level them up individually, and also "fuse" two or three Personas to make a single stronger one. This aspect sounds a little too much like Pokemon, but thankfully, leveling up Personas doesn't take fucking forever like with Pokemon. ("Okay. I just beat 50 wild Rhydons in a row, and I haven't even gained 1 level yet. WTF!?")
The most amusing aspect of the game is one social bond you can form. You can play an MMORPG (you don't really play it, though.) and hang out with an older woman who, over the internet, speaks entirely in Lamerese. OMGWTFBBQ! Liek, srsly! 0_O This game's pretty hardcore to be incorporating chatroom dialect in the dialogue. Either that, or it's specifically targeted to the internet generation. I'm guessing the latter.
And the best part? All of the characters are likable. All of them thus far. No one is annoying, nor zero-dimensional, nor loathsome. Nice work, Atlus. I'll get back to playing more, now.
Also, in the game, the Shadows leave Tartarus on days that have a full moon. You can't avoid fighting Shadows on full moon days. The whole point of the game is to prepare yourself and your crew for each and every full moon. Hope you know how to prioritize your schedule. ("Ah man! Instead of staring at that brunette with the glasses all day, I should've been buying better equipment and leveling up! Man, I'm a glutton for punishment . . .)
Also, you can collect Personas, level them up individually, and also "fuse" two or three Personas to make a single stronger one. This aspect sounds a little too much like Pokemon, but thankfully, leveling up Personas doesn't take fucking forever like with Pokemon. ("Okay. I just beat 50 wild Rhydons in a row, and I haven't even gained 1 level yet. WTF!?")
The most amusing aspect of the game is one social bond you can form. You can play an MMORPG (you don't really play it, though.) and hang out with an older woman who, over the internet, speaks entirely in Lamerese. OMGWTFBBQ! Liek, srsly! 0_O This game's pretty hardcore to be incorporating chatroom dialect in the dialogue. Either that, or it's specifically targeted to the internet generation. I'm guessing the latter.
And the best part? All of the characters are likable. All of them thus far. No one is annoying, nor zero-dimensional, nor loathsome. Nice work, Atlus. I'll get back to playing more, now.
Lost in Fan-ejaculation
The dub haters are out in full force again.
I found a messageboard talking about the English premiere of Code Geass. Some are like me, didn't like it. Others loved it. Then there are the dub haters.
"WTF!?!? They sound nothing like they did in Japanese!!! But I'm not surprised. Did u no in Japan you can get training for just VO acting? It's pretty obvious. They actually care about their craft! PHUK THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!!!!!"
Which of course prompted such backlash as, "Oh yeah, if you adore the Japanese language so much, why are you typing in english!!??!11" Even I would be tempted to make such a response to a dub-bashing troll.
Now, granted, I'm no fan of the dub job in Code Geass, but one must remember, it still sounds a lot better than the dubs of yore. Do you really wanna compare modern dub jobs to the 4kids' hackjobs of my teen years? Seriously!? Holy Moses, if all dub jobs were still like that, even I would be a Japanese-loving sub-whoring freak of nature.
And did you know at the college I go to, there's a drama class that's just about vocal training? You know, for voiceovers, or just when you talk a lot for a performance? Makes sense. How else could the English dub of Trinity Blood sound a lot better than the Japanese original?
But this is coming from a guy who appreciates dubs and subs. I sure feel lonely in this world of ours . . .
I found a messageboard talking about the English premiere of Code Geass. Some are like me, didn't like it. Others loved it. Then there are the dub haters.
"WTF!?!? They sound nothing like they did in Japanese!!! But I'm not surprised. Did u no in Japan you can get training for just VO acting? It's pretty obvious. They actually care about their craft! PHUK THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!!!!!"
Which of course prompted such backlash as, "Oh yeah, if you adore the Japanese language so much, why are you typing in english!!??!11" Even I would be tempted to make such a response to a dub-bashing troll.
Now, granted, I'm no fan of the dub job in Code Geass, but one must remember, it still sounds a lot better than the dubs of yore. Do you really wanna compare modern dub jobs to the 4kids' hackjobs of my teen years? Seriously!? Holy Moses, if all dub jobs were still like that, even I would be a Japanese-loving sub-whoring freak of nature.
And did you know at the college I go to, there's a drama class that's just about vocal training? You know, for voiceovers, or just when you talk a lot for a performance? Makes sense. How else could the English dub of Trinity Blood sound a lot better than the Japanese original?
But this is coming from a guy who appreciates dubs and subs. I sure feel lonely in this world of ours . . .
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Persona 3 FES: my first impression
So I went to a Gamestop and bought a new copy of Persona 3: FES. This is my first Persona game. Let's see how it plays.
First of all, don't play P3 for the graphics. Yes, the anime cutscenes are lovely, but the in-game graphics are about N64 quality. Yeah, I've seen Dreamcast games that look better than this. Also, the soundtrack is unique, and has a lot of Japanese vocals in it, but can be annoying at times.
With that out of the way, let's look at the good stuff.
The story is very promising. The premise is like that of a long-running Shonen manga, a good long-running shonen manga. You the player (you name the main protagonist.) discover a hidden power within yourself known as a Persona. With a Persona, you can fight monsters known as Shadows. Shadows only come out during a time of the day known only as The Dark Hour. The Dark Hour occurs between 12:00 AM and 12:01 AM. Those without Personas do not perceive The Dark Hour. People without Personas transform into coffins during the Dark Hour, and are unaffected by Shadows and people with Personas. Muggles, if you will. However, for those who can perceive The Dark Hour, it makes days 25 hours long, and offers a good excuse to crawl through a massive dungeon Diablo style.
And as per anime cliches, every playable character (so far) is a teenage high school student. Some of the students you meet also have a Persona. You join a club known as SEES, which is short for Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. SEES is a sort of Scooby Gang that investigates The Dark Hour. By day, you are a student in a high school. By night, you and your friends are RPG heroes.
During the day time, the game plays like the Shenmue games. You go to class, study Japanese literature, listen to boys ogle over girls and their miniskirts, and when school is out, you can go to other parts of the city. There's a mall that has a weapons shop, an accessory shop, and an arcade, among other things. When you return to your dorm, you can then initiate The Dark Hour.
During The Dark Hour, you are in a place called Tartarus. Tartarus is where the Shadows originate. You and your party have to go through Tartarus, fight monsters, look for treasure, et cetera. The battle system is pretty standard fare, except you only have direct control over your character. You can only investigate Tartarus for so long, for you and your party begins to tire out after a while. When you return to your dorm, (assuming you survive) you rest, regain health, magic, and stamina, and start another day, probably at school.
There's much more to it than this, of course, but I'm liking it. The game also has strong voice-acting, and thanks to my keen ear, as well as some fact-checking from various websites, I now indulge in more:
VOICEOVER TRIVIA!!!!!
The main character is played by Yuri Lowenthal, who is also the voice of Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, Yukari, one of your party members, is played by Michelle Ruff, who is also the voice of Rukia from Bleach, and Junpei, another one of your party members, is played by Vic Mignogna, who is also the voice of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist. All talented actors, I must say.
So, if you want a game with an interesting storyline and voices that are way better than Tales of Eternia's *shudder*, then give P3 a try. It's only thirty bucks if you get the FES edition.
First of all, don't play P3 for the graphics. Yes, the anime cutscenes are lovely, but the in-game graphics are about N64 quality. Yeah, I've seen Dreamcast games that look better than this. Also, the soundtrack is unique, and has a lot of Japanese vocals in it, but can be annoying at times.
With that out of the way, let's look at the good stuff.
The story is very promising. The premise is like that of a long-running Shonen manga, a good long-running shonen manga. You the player (you name the main protagonist.) discover a hidden power within yourself known as a Persona. With a Persona, you can fight monsters known as Shadows. Shadows only come out during a time of the day known only as The Dark Hour. The Dark Hour occurs between 12:00 AM and 12:01 AM. Those without Personas do not perceive The Dark Hour. People without Personas transform into coffins during the Dark Hour, and are unaffected by Shadows and people with Personas. Muggles, if you will. However, for those who can perceive The Dark Hour, it makes days 25 hours long, and offers a good excuse to crawl through a massive dungeon Diablo style.
And as per anime cliches, every playable character (so far) is a teenage high school student. Some of the students you meet also have a Persona. You join a club known as SEES, which is short for Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. SEES is a sort of Scooby Gang that investigates The Dark Hour. By day, you are a student in a high school. By night, you and your friends are RPG heroes.
During the day time, the game plays like the Shenmue games. You go to class, study Japanese literature, listen to boys ogle over girls and their miniskirts, and when school is out, you can go to other parts of the city. There's a mall that has a weapons shop, an accessory shop, and an arcade, among other things. When you return to your dorm, you can then initiate The Dark Hour.
During The Dark Hour, you are in a place called Tartarus. Tartarus is where the Shadows originate. You and your party have to go through Tartarus, fight monsters, look for treasure, et cetera. The battle system is pretty standard fare, except you only have direct control over your character. You can only investigate Tartarus for so long, for you and your party begins to tire out after a while. When you return to your dorm, (assuming you survive) you rest, regain health, magic, and stamina, and start another day, probably at school.
There's much more to it than this, of course, but I'm liking it. The game also has strong voice-acting, and thanks to my keen ear, as well as some fact-checking from various websites, I now indulge in more:
VOICEOVER TRIVIA!!!!!
The main character is played by Yuri Lowenthal, who is also the voice of Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, Yukari, one of your party members, is played by Michelle Ruff, who is also the voice of Rukia from Bleach, and Junpei, another one of your party members, is played by Vic Mignogna, who is also the voice of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist. All talented actors, I must say.
So, if you want a game with an interesting storyline and voices that are way better than Tales of Eternia's *shudder*, then give P3 a try. It's only thirty bucks if you get the FES edition.
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