(LATE EDIT: a now-defunct blog talked about blogging cliches. I have preserved its memory for all to see.)
Alright, let's see what I'm guilty of:
"7 - Don't use spell check."
Gillty. Sometimes, I just fly rite through my entries when I right them. Sometimes I dont detect the erors until many months later. It sux, I no. Still, I (sometimes) corect errors when I find them, although some typoes may still be uglifiying this hear blog of mein.
"6 - ALWAYS USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS."
Always? No, I don't. He also points out how "YELLING and (being) ANGRY" is considered cool, which is ironic, considering that always constantly yelling on the world wide web gets you branded as "emo", and I know the connotations of being considered "emo." Still, even when I'm at my angriest, I don't always type in all capital letters.
Unless if I've spotted a cute girl. Then I scream BECAUSE I'M SO OVERJOYED!!! Not out of anger.
"5 - Don't Do Research. EVER!"
Okay, unlike some internet denizens, I can't pull up links to obscure statistics every time I bring up an argument, but I (usually) do my research before writing something. And, if I should find out something that contradicts what I've written, I usually correct it after the fact.
"4 - Force Humor."
I love writing humor. But I don't shoehorn in humor when I don't feel it appropriate. I love this guy's example, "People like laughing, mainly at the pain of others. So belittle what ever subject you're doing with a really distasteful joke. When writing something about gay rights remember to squeeze some jokes about butt-sex. Because gays have butt-sex and that's always funny." See? I don't do that right there. And I usually avoid topical humor, for exactly the reason he mentioned.
"3 - Always Have the Blog Be About A Negative Experience/Thought."
Always? No. One might get that impression if all you've read were my thoughts on Slayers, the Code Geass anime, the Sailor Moon anime, and the storyline of Metal Gear Solid, but I talk about positive stuff, too. If all I did was negative stuff, I'd sound like a broken record, and I wouldn't have much variety in terms of content.
"2 - Give The Reader Too Much Personal Info About Yourself."
Riiiiiight, especially considering that there are some things I will never reveal over the internet due to plain common sense, and I'm not comfortable with revealing the really bad things that have happened in my life, so there. Ha.
"1 - Make It ALL about YOU."
"Make everything you write about you and how good and awesome and right you are." Because you're never wrong."
Sure I'm awesome (to an extent), but I'm not always right.
"Never the bad guy."
Don't be so sure. I always preferred to play as Nod in the Command & Conquer games, as well as the Soviets in the Red Alert games. Being bad is great fun, comrades!
"Always the victim or the lone hero standing up to an unjust society."
There's been times in my life that I've been a victim, but I pull through somehow, and while society is some ways is unjust, I am not a lone hero. For I am not alone.
"You're Jesus. You're Hercules. You're Chuck Norris. You're Elvis."
Sorry, I'm not a religious figure. I'm not a person from Greek mythology. I'm not the star of one of the worst tv shows ever. (Seriously, try to stomach one episode of Walker: Texas Ranger. Just try to. I can't. Neither can my older brother.) And I'm also not The King. But, I can kick serious ass at Duke Nukem 3D, Mario Kart 64, and Megaman 3.
"You are all things great and mighty and have to remind us, your servants, every-fucking-day about how cool you are because you told some guy who cut in front of you at the [insert fast food place here] off."
Uh, I don't describe such details here.
"Or how you are able summon the will to live even when you get a parking ticket you think you didn't deserve."
Again, too insignificant to talk about here.
"Or how you're the only person who's right and everyone else is stupid and needs to think YOUR way to have a meaningfully existence."
My mom, dad, grandma, and my mom's cousin ain't stupid, and I interact with them constantly. And . . . my way of life can lead to a significant life, but so can other ways of living.
"Tell us about your amazing life, like the time you put 50 cents into a soda machine and you got TWO sodas or when you found twenty dollars on the street and blew it on smokes."
Again, too insignificant.
"The world needs all the details of your boring ass life because you are the best gift the world has ever had. You. You. You. No one else. Just you. Self important, egoistically you."
But I'm not egotistical. Haven't you figured that out by now?
So, except for the occasional typos, I don't make the same mistakes that most other bloggers do. Isn't that great?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
More preview
There's something else I want to do with my Touhou fanfic.
It's this: have you ever noticed how the characters of Touhou always seem to look different depending on the artist? Ever noticed how they'll look different, even when they're drawn by the same artist? Yeah, especially you, ZUN. I understand, artists like to take creative liberties, and that's fine. It's just that, many details of a character's design get altered depending on who's drawing whom.
For example, Reimu. In the actual games, Reimu seems to fluctuate between having black hair, and dark auburn hair. Fan artists can't seem to decide whether she has black, brown, or auburn hair either. I've also seen her with somewhat light brown hair, as well as dark brown. And also, in the PC-98 Touhou games, Reimu had purple eyes and hair, and she wore an actual shrine maiden uniform too!
When I describe the Touhou characters, I will describe them as how I picture them in my mind. You'll get to see what kind of hair I think Reimu has, for example.
But yes, this is something else interesting about the Touhou franchise. The characters have a certain look, but details here and there will be altered depending on the artist. I've seen pictures of Hong Meiling with normal-sized breasts, as well as pictures of her with gag boobs, and I've seen pictures of Alice with red eyes, blue eyes, and brown eyes, and so on. The amount of fanmade material is almost on an unimaginable scale.
And soon, I will contribute. Make of that what you will.
It's this: have you ever noticed how the characters of Touhou always seem to look different depending on the artist? Ever noticed how they'll look different, even when they're drawn by the same artist? Yeah, especially you, ZUN. I understand, artists like to take creative liberties, and that's fine. It's just that, many details of a character's design get altered depending on who's drawing whom.
For example, Reimu. In the actual games, Reimu seems to fluctuate between having black hair, and dark auburn hair. Fan artists can't seem to decide whether she has black, brown, or auburn hair either. I've also seen her with somewhat light brown hair, as well as dark brown. And also, in the PC-98 Touhou games, Reimu had purple eyes and hair, and she wore an actual shrine maiden uniform too!
When I describe the Touhou characters, I will describe them as how I picture them in my mind. You'll get to see what kind of hair I think Reimu has, for example.
But yes, this is something else interesting about the Touhou franchise. The characters have a certain look, but details here and there will be altered depending on the artist. I've seen pictures of Hong Meiling with normal-sized breasts, as well as pictures of her with gag boobs, and I've seen pictures of Alice with red eyes, blue eyes, and brown eyes, and so on. The amount of fanmade material is almost on an unimaginable scale.
And soon, I will contribute. Make of that what you will.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I am evil
I have read a few Discworld novels. They were . . . okay. They didn't suck, but I expected a little more. Consequently, Terry Pratchett is not one of my favorite authors, and yet, I still like him. He's not a hack, and he does have my respect. (Especially when you consider that his fantasy universe, unlike Slayers, actually can make me laugh, and actually does a good job of spoofing fantasy cliches.)
So it is my pleasure that in the next fanfiction I publish here, I will imitate Pratchett's style.
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!
And you wanna know what I'm gonna do a fanfic of? Go on, take a guess. What's a series I like that practically begs for a fan interpretation?
Touhou.
That's right; I'm gonna write a Touhou fanfiction, and not in a script style either. I will write it in standard 3rd narrative, but imitate Pratchett's tongue-in-cheek style while I'm at it. Here are some things to expect:
-It's a comedy, first and foremost. I'm in no mood for writing angst at the moment. I'm still on vacation, after all!
-There will be no shipping. Yes, it's true, I am a Reimu/Marisa shipper, and a Yuyuko/Yukari shipper, but there will be no romance because, well, I want to focus on other things. And also, if you do different ships than I do, then you'll be able to enjoy it if I don't interject my interpretations on the subject.
-Don't expect every single Touhou character to appear. Only the ones I'm familiar with will show up.
-Expect at least three parts to it. It's gonna be a little lengthy. Not too lengthy, but don't try to read the whole thing at once.
I don't know when this will be finished. I can't even guarantee that it will be any good, either. I'll try to have everything finished before the end of August, when my vacation ends.
So it is my pleasure that in the next fanfiction I publish here, I will imitate Pratchett's style.
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!
And you wanna know what I'm gonna do a fanfic of? Go on, take a guess. What's a series I like that practically begs for a fan interpretation?
Touhou.
That's right; I'm gonna write a Touhou fanfiction, and not in a script style either. I will write it in standard 3rd narrative, but imitate Pratchett's tongue-in-cheek style while I'm at it. Here are some things to expect:
-It's a comedy, first and foremost. I'm in no mood for writing angst at the moment. I'm still on vacation, after all!
-There will be no shipping. Yes, it's true, I am a Reimu/Marisa shipper, and a Yuyuko/Yukari shipper, but there will be no romance because, well, I want to focus on other things. And also, if you do different ships than I do, then you'll be able to enjoy it if I don't interject my interpretations on the subject.
-Don't expect every single Touhou character to appear. Only the ones I'm familiar with will show up.
-Expect at least three parts to it. It's gonna be a little lengthy. Not too lengthy, but don't try to read the whole thing at once.
I don't know when this will be finished. I can't even guarantee that it will be any good, either. I'll try to have everything finished before the end of August, when my vacation ends.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
I'm on to your game, publishers
Now then, I'm in a CLAMPing mood. (I apologize for that pun, readers) Recall back to last year. I watched the anime version of Cardcaptor Sakura, and I loved it. Shortly after that, I started reading Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. And I also tried watching its anime version, which left a bad taste in my mouth after having read Tsubasa vol 1. However, I waited to read Tsubasa on purpose. According to my research, Tsubasa wasn't just a mere mega-crosover series; it was actually a sort of sequel to CCS, only Darker and Edgier. And guess what? That's true. Hence why I also started to collect XXXHolic, because the two series interact with one another.
Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, and XXXHolic all have two things in common. One, they're by the same authors and artists obviously. Two, they all revolve around a character named Clow Reed. Unofficially, I like to refer to the three series collectively as The Clow Reed saga. (No, you can't trademark that.) CCS takes place at least several years before TRC and XXXHolic. It's much lighter in tone, there are no villains, nobody dies, (although Sakura's mom died in the past) and everyone lives happily ever after . . . . . . .
OR DO THEY!?!?!?!?!?!!?
Oh, sorry. You see, the Clow Reed saga is unfolding the same way Harry Potter did. CCS is like the first Harry Potter books; the characters are kids, nothing too bad happens, and life goes on. Then we get to the early volumes of TRC and XXXHolic. Characters are a little older, things are a little more serious, but people manage in a way. Then you get to the later volumes, and holy shit, they're like the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and everything that happened afterwards in HP. Also, keep this in mind; J.K. Rowling intended her readers to grow up with the book series, hence why Harry is a child in the first book, and eventually matures into his late teens in the end. The first volume of CCS came out in 1996. Sakura and Shaoran are 10 years old. The first volume of TRC came out either in 2004. Sakura and Shaoran, or rather, the TRC Sakura and Shaoran, look like they're in their late teens. This strategy worked really well for Rowling, and it seems to be working for CLAMP too.
But, where does XXXHolic fit in all of this? Yuko claims to have met Clow when he was alive. Not only that, but she always speaks of a concept called "Hitsuzen", which means that certain events are pre-ordained, but what people decide to do with said events is all up to them. Since CCS existed before TRC and XXXHolic did, the term, "Hitsuzen" is never mentioned, but the way things play out would obviously allude to that. The fact that Cerberus chose Sakura to collect the cards, that he and Yue would watch over her, Kaho's gift to Sakura, and the fact that she eventually became Master of the Clow Cards would all be examples of Hitsuzen. None of these things were acts of coincidence.
And now, the central character in all of this, Clow Reed. First of all, who is he, really? We don't really know that much about him. All we know is his father was English, his mother was Chinese, he was superbly gifted in magical powers, and he created the Clow Cards. Other than that, we don't know much about him. Shaoran, or, the CCS Shaoran, said that Reed had an eccentric personality. Yuko said Reed was a creep. And also, what exactly is he trying to accomplish? He could do magic yeah, but did he have an underlying goal of any kind? And what of Fei Wong Reed? He has the same last name as Clow Reed, and his first and middle name would allude to Clow's Chinese background. How are they connected? I can't say.
But still, in my mind, the Clow Reed saga is CLAMP's masterpiece, even though it's still not finished. I have seen Chobits and part of Angelic Layer, but I didn't enjoy them as much. And while Tsubasa does reference other CLAMP works, most of these involve alterate realities as opposed to the "real" versions of most of their characters and worlds.
Is your mind blown yet?
Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, and XXXHolic all have two things in common. One, they're by the same authors and artists obviously. Two, they all revolve around a character named Clow Reed. Unofficially, I like to refer to the three series collectively as The Clow Reed saga. (No, you can't trademark that.) CCS takes place at least several years before TRC and XXXHolic. It's much lighter in tone, there are no villains, nobody dies, (although Sakura's mom died in the past) and everyone lives happily ever after . . . . . . .
OR DO THEY!?!?!?!?!?!!?
Oh, sorry. You see, the Clow Reed saga is unfolding the same way Harry Potter did. CCS is like the first Harry Potter books; the characters are kids, nothing too bad happens, and life goes on. Then we get to the early volumes of TRC and XXXHolic. Characters are a little older, things are a little more serious, but people manage in a way. Then you get to the later volumes, and holy shit, they're like the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and everything that happened afterwards in HP. Also, keep this in mind; J.K. Rowling intended her readers to grow up with the book series, hence why Harry is a child in the first book, and eventually matures into his late teens in the end. The first volume of CCS came out in 1996. Sakura and Shaoran are 10 years old. The first volume of TRC came out either in 2004. Sakura and Shaoran, or rather, the TRC Sakura and Shaoran, look like they're in their late teens. This strategy worked really well for Rowling, and it seems to be working for CLAMP too.
But, where does XXXHolic fit in all of this? Yuko claims to have met Clow when he was alive. Not only that, but she always speaks of a concept called "Hitsuzen", which means that certain events are pre-ordained, but what people decide to do with said events is all up to them. Since CCS existed before TRC and XXXHolic did, the term, "Hitsuzen" is never mentioned, but the way things play out would obviously allude to that. The fact that Cerberus chose Sakura to collect the cards, that he and Yue would watch over her, Kaho's gift to Sakura, and the fact that she eventually became Master of the Clow Cards would all be examples of Hitsuzen. None of these things were acts of coincidence.
And now, the central character in all of this, Clow Reed. First of all, who is he, really? We don't really know that much about him. All we know is his father was English, his mother was Chinese, he was superbly gifted in magical powers, and he created the Clow Cards. Other than that, we don't know much about him. Shaoran, or, the CCS Shaoran, said that Reed had an eccentric personality. Yuko said Reed was a creep. And also, what exactly is he trying to accomplish? He could do magic yeah, but did he have an underlying goal of any kind? And what of Fei Wong Reed? He has the same last name as Clow Reed, and his first and middle name would allude to Clow's Chinese background. How are they connected? I can't say.
But still, in my mind, the Clow Reed saga is CLAMP's masterpiece, even though it's still not finished. I have seen Chobits and part of Angelic Layer, but I didn't enjoy them as much. And while Tsubasa does reference other CLAMP works, most of these involve alterate realities as opposed to the "real" versions of most of their characters and worlds.
Is your mind blown yet?
Fasten your seatbelts
So everybody everybody, what manga series did I order off the internet? Well, it's a book series I haven't been able to find in the bookstores, and my library only has a few sparse volumes. On Amazon, though, I can get the whole series. I started off with the first 6 volumes. By the way, I have seen the anime version of this manga, which, despite its flaws, I still loved. This manga, it's a 12 volume manga published by Tokyopop in America. You wanna know what I own? Actually, I think it's best I show you a picture instead. This is what I now own:
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! NOT SAKURAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"
Oh yes, that's right; I have finally gotten around to collecting the manga series, and this time, I'll be able to read every volume from start to finish!
Well, before I continue, I think I should point out the obvious: I have an addiction to kawaii-ness. Between this, Sailor Moon, and Touhou, I have indulged in enough cuteness to suffocate a blue whale by now. The fact that I can tolerate such cuteness is either because of my exposure to Nintendo games as a kid, or because I'm special.
Anyways, I want to cover the differences between the manga and anime versions of CCS. And I'll be honest; the anime has a better startoff than the manga. The anime handles the introduction of Sakura's world better than the manga did. Also, like with most manga-to-anime transitions, the action sequences look better in the anime than the manga. Also, you get to hear Tomoyo-chan sing in the anime.
The manga differs in some ways. For example, Tomoyo is more overt in her adoration of Sakura. There's a scene in volume 2 that I'm pretty sure wasn't in the anime, a scene that was hilarious, cute, and sweet all at the same time. Also, there's a famous scene that doesn't exist in the anime; a scene wherein Sakura and Shaoran play one-on-one badminton to compete with each other over Yukito's attention; comes complete with shonen sports manga stylistic flair and these words from Tomoyo, "Competing for love really brings out their best." And the manga handles the subtext between Rika and Terada differently, including, yes, the part where he gives her a ring. It makes one wonder, is he just being really nice to her, or does he have something else in mind? I'm hoping it's the former. Most fanboys assume the latter. ("Lololololololol! teh PE teacher is a lolicon! lololololololol!") Then again, I read that student-teacher relationships is something Japanese people really treasure. I mean, just look at Toya and Kaho. (The black-and-white imagery makes Kaho look blonde, even though she's supposed to be red-haired.) And the first scene with Yue is quite different. For one thing, it doesn't take place in Tokyo, but rather, in the Tomoeda shrine. Secondly, Shaoran can't collect Clow Cards in the manga, (So much for Cardcaptors) so it's strictly between Yue and Sakura. But, speaking of which, the character artwork is better in the manga. It's not as good as some of CLAMP's later artwork, but it's really nice. Also, there's less filler than in the anime.
Okay, yeah, this isn't as good as Tsubasa, but it's still CCS; it's still one of the cutest, sweetest franchises ever. There are many scenes in both the anime and manga that will uplift you.
And the best part? When I read the CCS manga, I can picture Kero-chan with my own voice. Never fear, dear readers, for Sakura-chan will never falter! Why? Because everything will be all right!
". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! NOT SAKURAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"
Oh yes, that's right; I have finally gotten around to collecting the manga series, and this time, I'll be able to read every volume from start to finish!
Well, before I continue, I think I should point out the obvious: I have an addiction to kawaii-ness. Between this, Sailor Moon, and Touhou, I have indulged in enough cuteness to suffocate a blue whale by now. The fact that I can tolerate such cuteness is either because of my exposure to Nintendo games as a kid, or because I'm special.
Anyways, I want to cover the differences between the manga and anime versions of CCS. And I'll be honest; the anime has a better startoff than the manga. The anime handles the introduction of Sakura's world better than the manga did. Also, like with most manga-to-anime transitions, the action sequences look better in the anime than the manga. Also, you get to hear Tomoyo-chan sing in the anime.
The manga differs in some ways. For example, Tomoyo is more overt in her adoration of Sakura. There's a scene in volume 2 that I'm pretty sure wasn't in the anime, a scene that was hilarious, cute, and sweet all at the same time. Also, there's a famous scene that doesn't exist in the anime; a scene wherein Sakura and Shaoran play one-on-one badminton to compete with each other over Yukito's attention; comes complete with shonen sports manga stylistic flair and these words from Tomoyo, "Competing for love really brings out their best." And the manga handles the subtext between Rika and Terada differently, including, yes, the part where he gives her a ring. It makes one wonder, is he just being really nice to her, or does he have something else in mind? I'm hoping it's the former. Most fanboys assume the latter. ("Lololololololol! teh PE teacher is a lolicon! lololololololol!") Then again, I read that student-teacher relationships is something Japanese people really treasure. I mean, just look at Toya and Kaho. (The black-and-white imagery makes Kaho look blonde, even though she's supposed to be red-haired.) And the first scene with Yue is quite different. For one thing, it doesn't take place in Tokyo, but rather, in the Tomoeda shrine. Secondly, Shaoran can't collect Clow Cards in the manga, (So much for Cardcaptors) so it's strictly between Yue and Sakura. But, speaking of which, the character artwork is better in the manga. It's not as good as some of CLAMP's later artwork, but it's really nice. Also, there's less filler than in the anime.
Okay, yeah, this isn't as good as Tsubasa, but it's still CCS; it's still one of the cutest, sweetest franchises ever. There are many scenes in both the anime and manga that will uplift you.
And the best part? When I read the CCS manga, I can picture Kero-chan with my own voice. Never fear, dear readers, for Sakura-chan will never falter! Why? Because everything will be all right!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Revival
As a gamer, since until recently I didn't own any of the more recent consoles, I wasn't able to play games when they first came out. I read an article somewhere, stating that an essential part of gamer culture is being able to play a game when it is first made available to the public, and then relating to your fellow gamers what you think of it. For several years, I haven't been able to do this. Now, now I will be able to again. I rented a game last Tuesday, and took it back earlier today. Let me give you my thoughts on Ghostbusters: the Video Game.
Ghostbusters! The name conjures memories of a retro 1980's comedy/action flick with an all-star cast, top notch writing, good special effects (provided you aren't too weaned on CGI), and even a few genuinely scary moments. It's considered one of the funniest and cleverest movies ever made, and I believe it. The success of Ghostbusters was followed up by a sequel, a cartoon series, and video games. Let me tell you, I've played Ghostbusters 2 on the NES. Let me warn you; James Rolfe (AKA the Video Game Nerd) was right to slam that title to Hell and back.
You see, the problem was two things: 1, game technology back then could not properly convey a movie-like experience, no matter how hard developers tried. Games didn't become cinematic until the late 1990's, and even then, there's the second problem. 2, back in the NES era, practically nobody regarded video games as an artform. Of course, I am of the opinion that games are only as artistic as the developers want them to be, but on the other hand, a game like the recent Ghostbusters couldn't exist back then. Know why?
Because the new Ghostbusters game is written by, that's right, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis. You can tell, bcause the dialog is just one joke after another. Not only that, but they're constant continuity nods to both of the live-action movies throughout the game. And, not only that, but every character from the movies is voiced by the same actor. That's right, you've got Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Dan Akroyd as Ray Stantz, Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, and every other returning actor playing their parts. And no one phones in their lines; they deliver with the same gusto that they would with a movie. Now, I know, I love to champion lesser known actors who are talented voice actors, but I'm gonna take a break from that for a moment and say this; Ghostbusters: the Video Game is one of the greatest examples of celebrity actors doing voiceovers for a game ever. I mean, think about it, Bill Murray plays a character! One of my favorite comic actors of all time voices a character in a game! And he plays the sarcastic smartass Venkman exactly as he did twenty years ago. All the characters are exactly as you remember them.
The game takes place two years after the second movie, and appropriately enough, all of the in-game character models look exactly as the actors did in the movies. The level of detail in their likenesses is downright scary. It's a sharp contrast with the various ghosts you must fight in the game. The humans are photorealistic (photorealistic in-game graphics still a somewhat new phenomenon in games, mind you) whereas the ghosts are either cartoony, or ghoulish in appearance. Say, remember the Ghostbusters cartoon show? (Entitled "The Real Ghostbusters." I like the title) It was a separate continuity from the movies, but the game does draw one inspiration from The Real Ghostbusters; the guys fought a much larger variety of ghosts in the show than what was seen in the movies. In this game, expect that too. There are some, shall I say, classic poltergeists, such as Slimer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and the Librarian Ghost, but you'll encounter many, many other ghosts along the way, some of them pretty interesting.
But, does any of it matter? Is the game itself fun? Yes. It's a third-person shooter that plays kind of like Gears of War 2. You play not as any of the classic characters, but rather, a new recruit who has no name, (everyone calls him "new guy") no voice, and is basically you the player. The game is basically your career as a paranormal invesitgator/exterminator. You get to use the Proton Pack, and, per video game rules, the Proton Pack can do more than just shoot a continous stream of energy. The different Proton Pack settings are your weapons. You can also use the PKE detector to locate ghosts, paranormal items, and other strange things. The other Ghostbusters are your squadmates; and much like in GOW, they are good partners to have. This game is not really easy. The ghosts are tricky, some of them can be killed just by shooting at them, while others require the ghost trap to be defeated. There are some puzzles in the game as well, but they aren't too difficult.
I believe that only as a video game could Ghostbusters be revived nowadays. Think about it, the actors now would be too old to play these characters in live action, but they can still supplement their voices, and with the magic of real time 3D graphics, can look just like they did when Ghostbusters was still new. Not only that, but being a Ghostbusters is a good concept for an action game. I mean, game makers knew that 25 years ago. This is one of the greatest examples of a movie game that doesn't suck. Any Ghostbusters fan is gonna love this. Yes, they do have the Academy Award-nominated theme song in the movie, and yes, the game's BGM is pieces from the movie soundtrack. And although the gameplay is really similar to GOW, it's not a ripoff; it's a clone. A clone that can stand on its own two feet.
However, if you do play Ghostbusters: the Video Game, do me one favor; don't cross the streams. Trust me when I say that crossing the streams is a very, very bad idea.
Ghostbusters! The name conjures memories of a retro 1980's comedy/action flick with an all-star cast, top notch writing, good special effects (provided you aren't too weaned on CGI), and even a few genuinely scary moments. It's considered one of the funniest and cleverest movies ever made, and I believe it. The success of Ghostbusters was followed up by a sequel, a cartoon series, and video games. Let me tell you, I've played Ghostbusters 2 on the NES. Let me warn you; James Rolfe (AKA the Video Game Nerd) was right to slam that title to Hell and back.
You see, the problem was two things: 1, game technology back then could not properly convey a movie-like experience, no matter how hard developers tried. Games didn't become cinematic until the late 1990's, and even then, there's the second problem. 2, back in the NES era, practically nobody regarded video games as an artform. Of course, I am of the opinion that games are only as artistic as the developers want them to be, but on the other hand, a game like the recent Ghostbusters couldn't exist back then. Know why?
Because the new Ghostbusters game is written by, that's right, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis. You can tell, bcause the dialog is just one joke after another. Not only that, but they're constant continuity nods to both of the live-action movies throughout the game. And, not only that, but every character from the movies is voiced by the same actor. That's right, you've got Bill Murray as Peter Venkman, Dan Akroyd as Ray Stantz, Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler, Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore, and every other returning actor playing their parts. And no one phones in their lines; they deliver with the same gusto that they would with a movie. Now, I know, I love to champion lesser known actors who are talented voice actors, but I'm gonna take a break from that for a moment and say this; Ghostbusters: the Video Game is one of the greatest examples of celebrity actors doing voiceovers for a game ever. I mean, think about it, Bill Murray plays a character! One of my favorite comic actors of all time voices a character in a game! And he plays the sarcastic smartass Venkman exactly as he did twenty years ago. All the characters are exactly as you remember them.
The game takes place two years after the second movie, and appropriately enough, all of the in-game character models look exactly as the actors did in the movies. The level of detail in their likenesses is downright scary. It's a sharp contrast with the various ghosts you must fight in the game. The humans are photorealistic (photorealistic in-game graphics still a somewhat new phenomenon in games, mind you) whereas the ghosts are either cartoony, or ghoulish in appearance. Say, remember the Ghostbusters cartoon show? (Entitled "The Real Ghostbusters." I like the title) It was a separate continuity from the movies, but the game does draw one inspiration from The Real Ghostbusters; the guys fought a much larger variety of ghosts in the show than what was seen in the movies. In this game, expect that too. There are some, shall I say, classic poltergeists, such as Slimer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and the Librarian Ghost, but you'll encounter many, many other ghosts along the way, some of them pretty interesting.
But, does any of it matter? Is the game itself fun? Yes. It's a third-person shooter that plays kind of like Gears of War 2. You play not as any of the classic characters, but rather, a new recruit who has no name, (everyone calls him "new guy") no voice, and is basically you the player. The game is basically your career as a paranormal invesitgator/exterminator. You get to use the Proton Pack, and, per video game rules, the Proton Pack can do more than just shoot a continous stream of energy. The different Proton Pack settings are your weapons. You can also use the PKE detector to locate ghosts, paranormal items, and other strange things. The other Ghostbusters are your squadmates; and much like in GOW, they are good partners to have. This game is not really easy. The ghosts are tricky, some of them can be killed just by shooting at them, while others require the ghost trap to be defeated. There are some puzzles in the game as well, but they aren't too difficult.
I believe that only as a video game could Ghostbusters be revived nowadays. Think about it, the actors now would be too old to play these characters in live action, but they can still supplement their voices, and with the magic of real time 3D graphics, can look just like they did when Ghostbusters was still new. Not only that, but being a Ghostbusters is a good concept for an action game. I mean, game makers knew that 25 years ago. This is one of the greatest examples of a movie game that doesn't suck. Any Ghostbusters fan is gonna love this. Yes, they do have the Academy Award-nominated theme song in the movie, and yes, the game's BGM is pieces from the movie soundtrack. And although the gameplay is really similar to GOW, it's not a ripoff; it's a clone. A clone that can stand on its own two feet.
However, if you do play Ghostbusters: the Video Game, do me one favor; don't cross the streams. Trust me when I say that crossing the streams is a very, very bad idea.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Expect madness in the near future
Remember when I said I was gonna buy some manga novels over the internet? Well, I was able to convince my parents to go ahead and order some before we go to Reno next month. I will get these novels soon, before the Reno trip, and I bought it with my own money, and I still have plenty of cash for when I do go on vacation.
In other words, everything is going according to
*gets shot*
Oh, what!? You're gonna shoot me now for quoting Death Note!?
"Yes, xm. We get it; DN is the most quotable anime ever, but you don't have to remind us of that anymore!!!!!"
Fine, fine. Okay then.
Now then, as for the manga I ordered . . . I'll tell you what it is . . . after I've read the books I ordered. You're gonna want to hear what I have to say about the manga I'm getting.
When I finally get to telling you about this manga, expect an image scan, a hotlink to a website, and my general zaniness. Oh, it's gonna be a fun time, readers. A fun time.
In other words, everything is going according to
*gets shot*
Oh, what!? You're gonna shoot me now for quoting Death Note!?
"Yes, xm. We get it; DN is the most quotable anime ever, but you don't have to remind us of that anymore!!!!!"
Fine, fine. Okay then.
Now then, as for the manga I ordered . . . I'll tell you what it is . . . after I've read the books I ordered. You're gonna want to hear what I have to say about the manga I'm getting.
When I finally get to telling you about this manga, expect an image scan, a hotlink to a website, and my general zaniness. Oh, it's gonna be a fun time, readers. A fun time.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Follow the leader?
Man, imagine if I started doing video reviews, a la The Angry Video Game Nerd.
Imagine a guy flying off his handle just because he thinks Slayers is vastly overrated. Picture a dude throwing his arms up in frustration over the "high art" that is Metal Gear Solid. Imagine my catchphrases becoming memes. [Of course, then you'd get people saying, "OH NO! NOT (insert name of character I really don't think is cute)!"] Imagine a video of me saying, "What I like is the episode of Gurren Lagaan where (describe an episode I particularly like). What I don't like are the fans. *starts jumping up and down, flailing his limbs about as if he was a monkey* AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! KAMINA IS GOD! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! I JUST SHIT IN MY PANTS! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! . . . . . *goes back to normal* I think you get the point by now." And of course, scenes where I rip off anybody and everybody that's appeared on thatguywiththeglasses.com. Yeah, imagine my review of the Slayers manga if that were the case. (me reading from manga: "LOL! Ur bewbs r tinny, lena!" my reactions: "WHAT'S THE JOKE!!!?!?!?!??!?!?!" "This manga sucks!" *listens to Celine Dion whilst bawling*)
But I haven't done anything like that yet. Why? Because the world is not yet ready for me yet. So you'll just get these text-only reviews like you have been getting for now. I'm mean like that.
So in other news, I beat Eirin on Megamari. I'm now at the first stage of Patchy's fortress and . . .
HOLY FUCK THERE'S A LOT OF ENEMIES!!!!
Yes, it's like Cave Story in one aspect; retro look, modern day processor. That enables a much higher sprite count than what actual games from that era were capable of. And . . . yeah, a lot more enemies in Megamari than in the actual Megaman series. Okay, can I say it now?
HELP ME EIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!
(I reeeeeeally wanted to post an image of Kaguya here, but could not find one appropriate.) (Not appropriate for the context of my current entry, not inappropriate as in H-doujin. Jesus, peoples!)
I am practically stuck now, even when I do kill all the enemies. I may have to go back to GameFAQs for this one.
Imagine a guy flying off his handle just because he thinks Slayers is vastly overrated. Picture a dude throwing his arms up in frustration over the "high art" that is Metal Gear Solid. Imagine my catchphrases becoming memes. [Of course, then you'd get people saying, "OH NO! NOT (insert name of character I really don't think is cute)!"] Imagine a video of me saying, "What I like is the episode of Gurren Lagaan where (describe an episode I particularly like). What I don't like are the fans. *starts jumping up and down, flailing his limbs about as if he was a monkey* AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! KAMINA IS GOD! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! I JUST SHIT IN MY PANTS! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! . . . . . *goes back to normal* I think you get the point by now." And of course, scenes where I rip off anybody and everybody that's appeared on thatguywiththeglasses.com. Yeah, imagine my review of the Slayers manga if that were the case. (me reading from manga: "LOL! Ur bewbs r tinny, lena!" my reactions: "WHAT'S THE JOKE!!!?!?!?!??!?!?!" "This manga sucks!" *listens to Celine Dion whilst bawling*)
But I haven't done anything like that yet. Why? Because the world is not yet ready for me yet. So you'll just get these text-only reviews like you have been getting for now. I'm mean like that.
So in other news, I beat Eirin on Megamari. I'm now at the first stage of Patchy's fortress and . . .
HOLY FUCK THERE'S A LOT OF ENEMIES!!!!
Yes, it's like Cave Story in one aspect; retro look, modern day processor. That enables a much higher sprite count than what actual games from that era were capable of. And . . . yeah, a lot more enemies in Megamari than in the actual Megaman series. Okay, can I say it now?
HELP ME EIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!
(I reeeeeeally wanted to post an image of Kaguya here, but could not find one appropriate.) (Not appropriate for the context of my current entry, not inappropriate as in H-doujin. Jesus, peoples!)
I am practically stuck now, even when I do kill all the enemies. I may have to go back to GameFAQs for this one.
Monday, June 15, 2009
I make kawaii-ness fashionable
You know, I'm amazed that I've gone on this long talking about Touhou, without lapsing into my feminine voice. You'd think a franchise with even more cute characters than Cardcaptor Sakura would make me . . .
KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!
Reimu-chan as a chibi figurine is so adorable, it just makes me melt!
Oh yes, what can be said about a franchise where both heroines are just too cute for words!? Oh wait, I know! It's a franchise that allows me to overlook its flaws because of just how charming it is! ^_^ Well, that, and it has great music.
Speaking of music, I've had the opportunity to listen to music from the early Touhou games for the PC-98. Amazingly enough, the music is just as good as in the Touhou games for the Windows games! Sure, the sound quality is more primitive, but the composition quality is just as good. That's what's so amazing.
And by the way, I've been making progress on Megamari! I beat Reimu and Yuyuko! In fact, I've completed every stage except Eirin's. Unfortunately, I can't even get to the end of Eirin's stage without losing all of my lives! Help me, Eirin! Oh wait, I'm supposed to be fighting her, silly me!
And . . . . . . .
Okay, I'm back to my usual self. There's something you need to see. Something epic. Look here. And here. Don't read the text; just look at the pictures and read their captions. You can thank me later. And . . . if you're ever interested in a Touhou roleplaying session, you'll know where to get your ruleset from!
Oh, also, anytime I say, "kawaiiiiiiiiiiiii," pronounce it like this: kah. why. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Three syllables, that's all. Just stretch the third one out to put that xm0123 twist to it.
KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!
Reimu-chan as a chibi figurine is so adorable, it just makes me melt!
Oh yes, what can be said about a franchise where both heroines are just too cute for words!? Oh wait, I know! It's a franchise that allows me to overlook its flaws because of just how charming it is! ^_^ Well, that, and it has great music.
Speaking of music, I've had the opportunity to listen to music from the early Touhou games for the PC-98. Amazingly enough, the music is just as good as in the Touhou games for the Windows games! Sure, the sound quality is more primitive, but the composition quality is just as good. That's what's so amazing.
And by the way, I've been making progress on Megamari! I beat Reimu and Yuyuko! In fact, I've completed every stage except Eirin's. Unfortunately, I can't even get to the end of Eirin's stage without losing all of my lives! Help me, Eirin! Oh wait, I'm supposed to be fighting her, silly me!
And . . . . . . .
Okay, I'm back to my usual self. There's something you need to see. Something epic. Look here. And here. Don't read the text; just look at the pictures and read their captions. You can thank me later. And . . . if you're ever interested in a Touhou roleplaying session, you'll know where to get your ruleset from!
Oh, also, anytime I say, "kawaiiiiiiiiiiiii," pronounce it like this: kah. why. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Three syllables, that's all. Just stretch the third one out to put that xm0123 twist to it.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Senior rule
Let's get back to my high school life. Senior year was the best: my classes were easier, because I had completed most of my required courses, I had more friends than ever before, and I was writing what I thought was gonna become a kickass Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic! (sadly, if you'll recall, that project is canceled now.)
Unfortunately, lots of kids still harassed me, and for the same bullshit reasons as always. However, by this time of my life, I finally figured out how to stop the bullying without getting in trouble. Kids, read this: it just might save your life.
You see, unlike most dipshits of my generation, I never say, "I don't care what you think about me!" or "I don't give a shit what you think of me!" I actually cared about how others viewed me. Two reasons: One, my family believes in projecting, if not a good image of oneself, at least, you should present a decent image of yourself. And two, from my firsthand experiences, people who say, "I don't care what you think of me!" usually just use that as an excuse to be a horrible person.
Anyways, I was like this through K-11. I followed the rules, never started any fights, never harrassed anyone myself. And what was my reputation? That I was a gay fag because I didn't like pornography, that I didn't think Britney Spears was "hot", (Now J Lo on the other hand . . . oh wait, that's getting off subject) or because I hated anime, (yep, this was back before FMA obviously existed) (Yes, I am probably the only person alive who has ever been discriminated for not liking anime. I must be the reincarnation of Rodney Dangerfield) or because I liked the original Xbox more than the PS2, (I swear, though! That was only back then! The PS2 has better games nowadays!) or for any other occasion where my opinion differed from what was considered the norm. I realized that no matter what I tried, I had a shitty reputation, no matter what I did. So I figured, I'll just lash out at these people. They'll hate me either way. Even if I have to be an asshole myself to get them off my back, it's gotta work better than what I have been doing. And my friends knew that I was not, by nature, a jerk. I rarely cuss in real life, and I have not done any "lashing out" in over 4 years, but still, I had enough.
It started with the "friends" of mine who were otakus. I've talked about them in the past. Well, I, in a sense, broke up with all of them in the beginning of my senior year. I told them that I hated all of them, I told them why I hated all of them, and then I walked away. They never bothered me again since. And any time someone else harassed me, I used that tactic; I became verbally aggressive. For example, it's lunch. I walk down the hallway alone. A douchebag and his friends see me walk by. They call me a nickname I find offensive. In the past, I would've either ignored them, or told them, "Leave me alone!" Now that I didn't care about my reputation anymore, you know what I did? I stopped and asked, "Hey, wanna do me a favor?" with a fake smile on my face. They say sure *insert offensive name* what is it? I then walk up to who I suspected was the ringleader. I got right up to his face and said, "piss off." with venom in my voice. I then turn around and walk away. They were stunned. They also never bothered me again. I think I did that three times, ex-friends notwithstanding. To the strangers, I didn't have to explain why I hated them. I think they knew.
So by the end of the year, I had a different reputation. The kids who weren't my friends no longer saw me as a "gay pussy." They now saw me as either a hardass, or "a psycho." Again, they had a misinterpreted impression of who I really am, but at the same time, the bullying came to an all-time low for me.
However, ever since I've graduated, I've feared encountering someone that I hated. I still have this fear today. Luckily, I have encountered approximately one asshole from my past since I graduated. I told him to piss off. It worked. (For the record, this happened before I started college.) However, I'm always on guard, so to speak, whenever I leave the house. Not all of my enemies have seen "the new me," so I'm always ready. By the way, I've never reached critical mass when I've been verbally aggresive. Basically, if you see me screaming obscenities at someone at the top of my voice, and I'm not rehearsing for a play, then that means I'm one step away from just wailing on whomever I'm yelling at. Luckily, I've never had to go that far . . . yet.
So this is my advice to those who are bullied; don't fight with your fists. Don't fight with weapons. Use your attitude, your words, your voice, and your body language. Look them straight in the eye. You have to be mean to them. After all, they've already been mean to you, right? Except unlike them, you have a reason to hate them. You have to tell them that you hate it when they call you a faggot. Tell them that you'll never be friends with someone who treats you like shit.
And what if they get the message? They clean up their act? Provided they don't abuse you again, start showing them respect. A former enemy of mine was really put off by my verbal aggression, so he stopped hating me and started treating me with respect. We're still friends, for he's done nothing to offend me since. Tough love can work. But if they hurt you in any way after that? Cut them. Not physically cut them, mind you. Cut them out of your life. You can grant someone one chance after you've told them off. Anytime afterwards? Chances are that person doesn't deserve anything from you.
This worked for me. It just might work for you too. And remember, a true friend of yours would never do anything to harm you. I knew this by my senior year, and that's why it was the best school year ever.
Unfortunately, lots of kids still harassed me, and for the same bullshit reasons as always. However, by this time of my life, I finally figured out how to stop the bullying without getting in trouble. Kids, read this: it just might save your life.
You see, unlike most dipshits of my generation, I never say, "I don't care what you think about me!" or "I don't give a shit what you think of me!" I actually cared about how others viewed me. Two reasons: One, my family believes in projecting, if not a good image of oneself, at least, you should present a decent image of yourself. And two, from my firsthand experiences, people who say, "I don't care what you think of me!" usually just use that as an excuse to be a horrible person.
Anyways, I was like this through K-11. I followed the rules, never started any fights, never harrassed anyone myself. And what was my reputation? That I was a gay fag because I didn't like pornography, that I didn't think Britney Spears was "hot", (Now J Lo on the other hand . . . oh wait, that's getting off subject) or because I hated anime, (yep, this was back before FMA obviously existed) (Yes, I am probably the only person alive who has ever been discriminated for not liking anime. I must be the reincarnation of Rodney Dangerfield) or because I liked the original Xbox more than the PS2, (I swear, though! That was only back then! The PS2 has better games nowadays!) or for any other occasion where my opinion differed from what was considered the norm. I realized that no matter what I tried, I had a shitty reputation, no matter what I did. So I figured, I'll just lash out at these people. They'll hate me either way. Even if I have to be an asshole myself to get them off my back, it's gotta work better than what I have been doing. And my friends knew that I was not, by nature, a jerk. I rarely cuss in real life, and I have not done any "lashing out" in over 4 years, but still, I had enough.
It started with the "friends" of mine who were otakus. I've talked about them in the past. Well, I, in a sense, broke up with all of them in the beginning of my senior year. I told them that I hated all of them, I told them why I hated all of them, and then I walked away. They never bothered me again since. And any time someone else harassed me, I used that tactic; I became verbally aggressive. For example, it's lunch. I walk down the hallway alone. A douchebag and his friends see me walk by. They call me a nickname I find offensive. In the past, I would've either ignored them, or told them, "Leave me alone!" Now that I didn't care about my reputation anymore, you know what I did? I stopped and asked, "Hey, wanna do me a favor?" with a fake smile on my face. They say sure *insert offensive name* what is it? I then walk up to who I suspected was the ringleader. I got right up to his face and said, "piss off." with venom in my voice. I then turn around and walk away. They were stunned. They also never bothered me again. I think I did that three times, ex-friends notwithstanding. To the strangers, I didn't have to explain why I hated them. I think they knew.
So by the end of the year, I had a different reputation. The kids who weren't my friends no longer saw me as a "gay pussy." They now saw me as either a hardass, or "a psycho." Again, they had a misinterpreted impression of who I really am, but at the same time, the bullying came to an all-time low for me.
However, ever since I've graduated, I've feared encountering someone that I hated. I still have this fear today. Luckily, I have encountered approximately one asshole from my past since I graduated. I told him to piss off. It worked. (For the record, this happened before I started college.) However, I'm always on guard, so to speak, whenever I leave the house. Not all of my enemies have seen "the new me," so I'm always ready. By the way, I've never reached critical mass when I've been verbally aggresive. Basically, if you see me screaming obscenities at someone at the top of my voice, and I'm not rehearsing for a play, then that means I'm one step away from just wailing on whomever I'm yelling at. Luckily, I've never had to go that far . . . yet.
So this is my advice to those who are bullied; don't fight with your fists. Don't fight with weapons. Use your attitude, your words, your voice, and your body language. Look them straight in the eye. You have to be mean to them. After all, they've already been mean to you, right? Except unlike them, you have a reason to hate them. You have to tell them that you hate it when they call you a faggot. Tell them that you'll never be friends with someone who treats you like shit.
And what if they get the message? They clean up their act? Provided they don't abuse you again, start showing them respect. A former enemy of mine was really put off by my verbal aggression, so he stopped hating me and started treating me with respect. We're still friends, for he's done nothing to offend me since. Tough love can work. But if they hurt you in any way after that? Cut them. Not physically cut them, mind you. Cut them out of your life. You can grant someone one chance after you've told them off. Anytime afterwards? Chances are that person doesn't deserve anything from you.
This worked for me. It just might work for you too. And remember, a true friend of yours would never do anything to harm you. I knew this by my senior year, and that's why it was the best school year ever.
My graduation next year better be awesome
or I'm gonna be super pissed.
Because of my painful past in grade school, every time I graduated at this time of year, I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy when I graduated elementary and middle school, because I knew I'd just be going to a different school, filled with its own assholes and dipshits. Even when I graduated high school, I wasn't happy. Only relieved. Relieved until the next time people started giving me shit for no god damn reason.
However, that might change.
Granted, it won't be until next year, but if I graduate with an associate's by next year, I'll actually be graduating, happily. Because, even as of right now, I've learned more at my college than I ever did in K-12 schools. And it was my college that partially restored my faith in humanity.
And even if, for whatever reason, the school doesn't let me earn my associate's, I'm still gonna party with my family as if I graduated anyways. I'll still have more education than anyone who's never been to college of any kind.
But let's look back at me when I graduated from the previous schools, eh?
When I Graduated 5th Grade:
Actually, I am not gonna tell you what happened. I'm not comfortable with divulging such information at the time.
When I Graduated 8th Grade:
I was suffering from depression. Yes, I graduated from middle school during the first time I was clinically depressed. If you're wondering, my first depression was between late 1998 and the end of 2000. (I don't know why, but by January of 2001, I had suddenly snapped out of my first depression spell. I guess I had a really good Christmas and New Year's party that year.) So, because of my depression, during the graduation, I appeared a lot more bored than all of the other students. I had no friends to speak of. Everyone hated me, even though I wasn't a bad person. They only hated me because I could think for myself, and form my own opinions. Yeah, when I said I was like Shinji Ikari when I was 14, I wasn't fucking kidding. Outside of my family, I was driven away from the very society I lived in. In fact, I'm lucky. A few months before I graduated, I came this close to suffering a nervous breakdown. Luckily, I didn't. My mom, dad, and grandma stood by me no matter what. Jesus, my middle school graduation was more painful than my elementary grad. Why am I recounting this one?
When I Graduated 12th Grade.
This time, I had friends. And this time, I wasn't depressed. I wished my friends good luck on their future endeavors, and they wished the same on me as well. I still wasn't happy when I graduated, because at that time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I wouldn't decide on that for another 4 years. But still, I figured, I shouldn't be around as many assholes as I was accustomed to, so maybe I was happy in a way. Satisfied in knowing that I survived grade school intact.
I predict that when I graduate college, it'll be like my high school grad, only better.
LATE EDIT: Except I didn't go to a graduation, and I didn't "win" until early 2011. Better late than never, though.
Because of my painful past in grade school, every time I graduated at this time of year, I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy when I graduated elementary and middle school, because I knew I'd just be going to a different school, filled with its own assholes and dipshits. Even when I graduated high school, I wasn't happy. Only relieved. Relieved until the next time people started giving me shit for no god damn reason.
However, that might change.
Granted, it won't be until next year, but if I graduate with an associate's by next year, I'll actually be graduating, happily. Because, even as of right now, I've learned more at my college than I ever did in K-12 schools. And it was my college that partially restored my faith in humanity.
And even if, for whatever reason, the school doesn't let me earn my associate's, I'm still gonna party with my family as if I graduated anyways. I'll still have more education than anyone who's never been to college of any kind.
But let's look back at me when I graduated from the previous schools, eh?
When I Graduated 5th Grade:
Actually, I am not gonna tell you what happened. I'm not comfortable with divulging such information at the time.
When I Graduated 8th Grade:
I was suffering from depression. Yes, I graduated from middle school during the first time I was clinically depressed. If you're wondering, my first depression was between late 1998 and the end of 2000. (I don't know why, but by January of 2001, I had suddenly snapped out of my first depression spell. I guess I had a really good Christmas and New Year's party that year.) So, because of my depression, during the graduation, I appeared a lot more bored than all of the other students. I had no friends to speak of. Everyone hated me, even though I wasn't a bad person. They only hated me because I could think for myself, and form my own opinions. Yeah, when I said I was like Shinji Ikari when I was 14, I wasn't fucking kidding. Outside of my family, I was driven away from the very society I lived in. In fact, I'm lucky. A few months before I graduated, I came this close to suffering a nervous breakdown. Luckily, I didn't. My mom, dad, and grandma stood by me no matter what. Jesus, my middle school graduation was more painful than my elementary grad. Why am I recounting this one?
When I Graduated 12th Grade.
This time, I had friends. And this time, I wasn't depressed. I wished my friends good luck on their future endeavors, and they wished the same on me as well. I still wasn't happy when I graduated, because at that time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I wouldn't decide on that for another 4 years. But still, I figured, I shouldn't be around as many assholes as I was accustomed to, so maybe I was happy in a way. Satisfied in knowing that I survived grade school intact.
I predict that when I graduate college, it'll be like my high school grad, only better.
LATE EDIT: Except I didn't go to a graduation, and I didn't "win" until early 2011. Better late than never, though.
Friday, June 12, 2009
It would seem our personalities are at a deadlock, for we cannot agree on that which we think is cute
Okay peoples, going off of my essay which was based on Usuallydead's playthrough of Perfect Cherry Blossom, it would seem that I am either a very unique person, or I am extremely eccentric. One need not look further than by list of anime girls I think are cute or not so cute. (I really need to update that.)
Let's look up "cute", shall we? My Wordperfect program defines cute as an adjective to describe something that is, "Endearingly pretty." It also lists cute as an informal noun meaning sexually attractive. It also lists another informal noun meaning clever and shrewd.
I've always believed cute was that first definition, "endearingly pretty." Okay, so I wouldn't describe guys like Kirby, Yoshi, and Kero-chan as "pretty", but they are definitely endearing nonetheless. And what does endearing mean? "Inspiring love and affection."
Okay, that's a better definition: someone who is cute is someone who inspires love and/or affection.
So then, let's change subjects. You know that I own the video game version of Kung Fu Panda right? I've beaten that. I've (now) also seen the movie. It was pretty good. Now is where my frustration sets in, not about the movie itself, but something else.
Before I had seen the movie, or even played the game, one of my mom's cousins briefly mentioned Kung Fu Panda in conversation, saying it was, "The cutest movie." A few months later, in one of my classes last semester, some people were talking about the movie, and this girl said "It was so cute!" (You could tell it was females who said this, for guys would never admit to anything being cute.) You know what my reaction is?
Oh yes, because a movie where the villain is a scary dude that beats the crap out of rhinos and wants to kill his master and obtain an all-powerful scroll is always the first thing I think of when I think of a cute movie!
Wait, what?
Okay, my real internal reaction was "WHAT THE FEE YUCK, PEOPLES!? KUNG FU PANDA IS NOT CUTE! Funny, yes. Beautifully animated, yes. BUT CUTE!? NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"
Of course, then again, this is coming from a guy whose idea of cute is either Nintendo characters, or magical girls. But I gotta ask, what is so cute about Kung Fu Panda? Is it because all the characters are talking animals? That in itself isn't cute!
Man, I swear, if any of you people saw something I thought was cute, you'd probably either go into diabetic shock, or suffer a heart attack.
Let's look up "cute", shall we? My Wordperfect program defines cute as an adjective to describe something that is, "Endearingly pretty." It also lists cute as an informal noun meaning sexually attractive. It also lists another informal noun meaning clever and shrewd.
I've always believed cute was that first definition, "endearingly pretty." Okay, so I wouldn't describe guys like Kirby, Yoshi, and Kero-chan as "pretty", but they are definitely endearing nonetheless. And what does endearing mean? "Inspiring love and affection."
Okay, that's a better definition: someone who is cute is someone who inspires love and/or affection.
So then, let's change subjects. You know that I own the video game version of Kung Fu Panda right? I've beaten that. I've (now) also seen the movie. It was pretty good. Now is where my frustration sets in, not about the movie itself, but something else.
Before I had seen the movie, or even played the game, one of my mom's cousins briefly mentioned Kung Fu Panda in conversation, saying it was, "The cutest movie." A few months later, in one of my classes last semester, some people were talking about the movie, and this girl said "It was so cute!" (You could tell it was females who said this, for guys would never admit to anything being cute.) You know what my reaction is?
Oh yes, because a movie where the villain is a scary dude that beats the crap out of rhinos and wants to kill his master and obtain an all-powerful scroll is always the first thing I think of when I think of a cute movie!
Wait, what?
Okay, my real internal reaction was "WHAT THE FEE YUCK, PEOPLES!? KUNG FU PANDA IS NOT CUTE! Funny, yes. Beautifully animated, yes. BUT CUTE!? NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"
Of course, then again, this is coming from a guy whose idea of cute is either Nintendo characters, or magical girls. But I gotta ask, what is so cute about Kung Fu Panda? Is it because all the characters are talking animals? That in itself isn't cute!
Man, I swear, if any of you people saw something I thought was cute, you'd probably either go into diabetic shock, or suffer a heart attack.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
"Hakureimu Hakureimu Hakureimu Hakureimu!"
You know you're a Touhou fan when you use a quote from a Flash vid that features Yukari and Reimu in a manzai routine for the title of your blog entry.
I suck at Touhou games, it's a fact. All the games I downloaded? I baleeted them. Too hard. And like I said, not a big fan of Shmups. Still, I got music. By the way, I also have the MIDIs from the first three Touhou games for Windows that had them. It's all good. Then I discovered a Touhou game that, while not by ZUN, is still enjoyable.
Megamari.
If you don't know, Megamari is basically Megaman 1 and 2, but with Touhou characters. The plot is absurd, and the twist is your characters are the bad guys! (bad girls?) All Patchy wants is to protect her books! Why must Marisa and Alice fight everyone for them? Whatever. It's a Touhou game, the story isn't what's important.
The game plays like Megaman 2 more than anything else. You can change between Marisa and Alice on the pause menu, kind of like how you can change between X, Zero, and Axl in Megaman X8. The bosses are all characters Touhou fans will recognize, and recognizable characters also show up as baddies in the stages. The graphics are pretty good. It's about the quality of a latter SNES-era title. The music is great. It's all original, although it doesn't sound like Touhou music. It sounds more like . . . Megaman music, but it's great though.
There's just one problem with Megamari:
IT'S FUCKING HAAAAAAAAAARD!!!!!
Yeah, they kep two traditions alive; the difficulty of MM2, and the difficulty of Touhou games. But my god, the actual MM2 wasn't this hard. I was able to beat MM2 back in the day, on an actual NES no less. Megamari isn't quite as hard as MM1, but that's because it's not as imbalanced as MM1 was. (Oh, FYI, I can't beat MM1 without save states. You try completing Iceman's stage without save states. Go on, I'll wait.) Oh man, the Angry Video Nerd would have a field day with Megamari's difficulty. I have completed Sakuya's stage and Reisen's stage, but every other stage kills me. Reimu's stage isn't too hard, but Reimu herself is lethal. And Yuyuko cheats, I swear. Oh, and don't get sucked into the gaps, if you want to preserve your sanity.
Oh, also, there is no save feature. You have to use a password, just like in the day. I know this is tradition, but come on; I haven't use a password in a commercial video game since 1998. (MDK for the PS1 is the last game I ever played that used a passcode of any kind. And even then, I think saving on the memory card was an option.) It's an inconvenience, yes, but you'll just have to live with it.
So why then haven't I given up on Megamari yet? Simple. You see, I'm actually good at 2D platformers. I suck at Shumps, but 2D platformers? I can handle that. Megamari is not impossible, it just requires a lot of practice.
And besides, who doesn't want to pass up a Megaman clone where every character is a magical girl? Exactly. And the music, I definitely love the music. That's something else Touhou and Megaman are known for.
P.S. the portraits for the bosses on the level select screen are cute. Even Youmu looks cute. Hmm. If that's the case, she may very well be my favorite Touhou character.
I suck at Touhou games, it's a fact. All the games I downloaded? I baleeted them. Too hard. And like I said, not a big fan of Shmups. Still, I got music. By the way, I also have the MIDIs from the first three Touhou games for Windows that had them. It's all good. Then I discovered a Touhou game that, while not by ZUN, is still enjoyable.
Megamari.
If you don't know, Megamari is basically Megaman 1 and 2, but with Touhou characters. The plot is absurd, and the twist is your characters are the bad guys! (bad girls?) All Patchy wants is to protect her books! Why must Marisa and Alice fight everyone for them? Whatever. It's a Touhou game, the story isn't what's important.
The game plays like Megaman 2 more than anything else. You can change between Marisa and Alice on the pause menu, kind of like how you can change between X, Zero, and Axl in Megaman X8. The bosses are all characters Touhou fans will recognize, and recognizable characters also show up as baddies in the stages. The graphics are pretty good. It's about the quality of a latter SNES-era title. The music is great. It's all original, although it doesn't sound like Touhou music. It sounds more like . . . Megaman music, but it's great though.
There's just one problem with Megamari:
IT'S FUCKING HAAAAAAAAAARD!!!!!
Yeah, they kep two traditions alive; the difficulty of MM2, and the difficulty of Touhou games. But my god, the actual MM2 wasn't this hard. I was able to beat MM2 back in the day, on an actual NES no less. Megamari isn't quite as hard as MM1, but that's because it's not as imbalanced as MM1 was. (Oh, FYI, I can't beat MM1 without save states. You try completing Iceman's stage without save states. Go on, I'll wait.) Oh man, the Angry Video Nerd would have a field day with Megamari's difficulty. I have completed Sakuya's stage and Reisen's stage, but every other stage kills me. Reimu's stage isn't too hard, but Reimu herself is lethal. And Yuyuko cheats, I swear. Oh, and don't get sucked into the gaps, if you want to preserve your sanity.
Oh, also, there is no save feature. You have to use a password, just like in the day. I know this is tradition, but come on; I haven't use a password in a commercial video game since 1998. (MDK for the PS1 is the last game I ever played that used a passcode of any kind. And even then, I think saving on the memory card was an option.) It's an inconvenience, yes, but you'll just have to live with it.
So why then haven't I given up on Megamari yet? Simple. You see, I'm actually good at 2D platformers. I suck at Shumps, but 2D platformers? I can handle that. Megamari is not impossible, it just requires a lot of practice.
And besides, who doesn't want to pass up a Megaman clone where every character is a magical girl? Exactly. And the music, I definitely love the music. That's something else Touhou and Megaman are known for.
P.S. the portraits for the bosses on the level select screen are cute. Even Youmu looks cute. Hmm. If that's the case, she may very well be my favorite Touhou character.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Someone needs to set the record straight
Whoever said that Hong Meiling is really weak for a youkai is completely full of shit. I always lose a life against her in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, and I always play on the easy mode! If she's "weak", I don't even want to imagine what the Scarlet sisters are like.
But yeah, since I found out that you can download the retail versions of Touhou games off of Doujinstyle.com for free, I've been taking advantage of that. Gives me a chance to immerse myself in the world of Touhou even more. By the way, in some of the games, you can choose to listen to either WAV versions of the music, or MIDI versions of the music. Curiously enough, some of ZUN's music actually sounds better on MIDI than on WAV. The first stage BGM of Perfect Cherry Blossom particulary sounds much better on MIDI. On the other hand, Mokou's theme in Imperishable Night is forgettable on MIDI, but kicks ass on WAV.
By the way, my favorite Touhou game that isn't a fighter is IN. Some complain that it's "too easy." I say that's precisely why I like it. Keep in mind, I'm not really a fan of "shmups." The only Shmup I ever loved was Galaga for the arcade. You remember Galaga, the Space Invaders clone Namco made way back in the early 1980's? Well, imagine me going from Galaga to Touhou, which has hundreds of shots onscreen at once. Yeah. Not a very pleasant introduction, mind you.
Oh, also, some of the games that can be downloaded from Doujinstyle come pre-played. What do I mean? Well, imagine my surprise when I unzipped IN, and found that all of the lockables were already unlocked: the levels, the extra stage, the music, and every character. Isn't that nice? To be able to acquire a game, and its unlockables are already unlocked, and you don't have to use a GameShark to achieve that effect? Sure, it defeats the fun of unlocking content, but it also saves me a lot of frustration. Of course, whoever last played my copy of IN set some insanely high scores, making it practically impossible for me to set a high score for any character the previous player didn't play to death. Oh well.
By the way, I've been downloading more Touhou music. I now have Tsurupettan on MP3. The sound quality is so much better than the sound quality in the video. And I can sing along to it! Well, I can only sing, "Pettan, pettan, tsurupettan." "Youjo, youjo, tsurupettan youjo." and "Suika, Suika, tsurupettan Suika." The other lines go too fast for my English-speaking ears. The only other Japanese song I can sing part of is the 1st opening of Cardcaptor Sakura. Soon, I will become fluent in Nihongo!
(Sarcastic side of me: that will never happen. Considering how disastrous my attempts to learn French were, it's likely I'll be only able to speak English and very basic Spanish for the rest of my life.)
I can't think of anything else to write right now. Maybe I'll come back when I think of something.
But yeah, since I found out that you can download the retail versions of Touhou games off of Doujinstyle.com for free, I've been taking advantage of that. Gives me a chance to immerse myself in the world of Touhou even more. By the way, in some of the games, you can choose to listen to either WAV versions of the music, or MIDI versions of the music. Curiously enough, some of ZUN's music actually sounds better on MIDI than on WAV. The first stage BGM of Perfect Cherry Blossom particulary sounds much better on MIDI. On the other hand, Mokou's theme in Imperishable Night is forgettable on MIDI, but kicks ass on WAV.
By the way, my favorite Touhou game that isn't a fighter is IN. Some complain that it's "too easy." I say that's precisely why I like it. Keep in mind, I'm not really a fan of "shmups." The only Shmup I ever loved was Galaga for the arcade. You remember Galaga, the Space Invaders clone Namco made way back in the early 1980's? Well, imagine me going from Galaga to Touhou, which has hundreds of shots onscreen at once. Yeah. Not a very pleasant introduction, mind you.
Oh, also, some of the games that can be downloaded from Doujinstyle come pre-played. What do I mean? Well, imagine my surprise when I unzipped IN, and found that all of the lockables were already unlocked: the levels, the extra stage, the music, and every character. Isn't that nice? To be able to acquire a game, and its unlockables are already unlocked, and you don't have to use a GameShark to achieve that effect? Sure, it defeats the fun of unlocking content, but it also saves me a lot of frustration. Of course, whoever last played my copy of IN set some insanely high scores, making it practically impossible for me to set a high score for any character the previous player didn't play to death. Oh well.
By the way, I've been downloading more Touhou music. I now have Tsurupettan on MP3. The sound quality is so much better than the sound quality in the video. And I can sing along to it! Well, I can only sing, "Pettan, pettan, tsurupettan." "Youjo, youjo, tsurupettan youjo." and "Suika, Suika, tsurupettan Suika." The other lines go too fast for my English-speaking ears. The only other Japanese song I can sing part of is the 1st opening of Cardcaptor Sakura. Soon, I will become fluent in Nihongo!
(Sarcastic side of me: that will never happen. Considering how disastrous my attempts to learn French were, it's likely I'll be only able to speak English and very basic Spanish for the rest of my life.)
I can't think of anything else to write right now. Maybe I'll come back when I think of something.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
I shoot down more memes
So now Touhou is back in my life. Didn't take very long, did it? However, I've noticed a large number of memes in the Touhou community. Unfortunately, like most internet memes, most Touhou memes are, well, stupid. And I'm gonna point out the ones I don't like.
First of all, I'm aware that Marisa has stolen many a precious things, but last I checked, she only stole the hearts of Touhou fanatics, not the hearts of every character she comes into contact with. Also, Hong Meiling is Hong Heiling, NOT CHINA! Also, anytime someone refers to Rinnosuke as Mannosuke, I facepalm. Also, Ran is not a streaker. I've seen playthroughs of Perfect Cherry Blossom, and I didn't see her naked anywhere! (But that's not stopping the fanboys, by golly.) And FYI, Youmu is not a fucking fangirl! She would never stoop herself to that level! Speaking of which, Yuyuko does have a ferocious appetite, yes, but she doesn't eat people/planets/uneatable objects! And Reisen is useful! She is not mere sexual fanservice for otakus! (Wait, what am I saying? I don't find Reisen sexy. What's so hot about a bunny woman in a Japanese schoolgirl uniform? Oh wait, don't answer that.) Oh? Is Sanae a good girl? Fine by me. I just don't find that to be clever. And I'm pretty certain that Yukari is more than 17 years old.
And don't even get me started on McRoll or the Yukkuris. Just, don't.
So, what does that leave us? Well, I like it when Ran shouts, "CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" And I acknowledge that Reimu has armpits of doom. And Cirno, despite her claims of being a genius, is adorable as the baka she is. And although Kaguya may be considered a NEET in the modern world, she's still alright by me.
But still, Youmu a fangirl? You know what I think of fangirls. Okay Internet, I dare you to listen to this relatively new piece, and look at that image, and tell me she's a fangirl. You can't. She's too cool to be a . . . a . . . you know what? It doesn't bear repeating.
But yes, there's a few Touhou links tvtropes doesn't have (yet) that I can still show you. For example, do you like the sound of the accoustic guitar? Then give this a try. yes.
Now then, I haven't played Immaterial and Missing Power in a while, but I will say this. My favorite character to play as in that game is Sakuya. She's fast, she's good with melee attacks, and her ranged attacks don't suck. She's my style; I tend towards the faster characters in a fighter. Granted, Remilia is the fastest in that game, but she's too hard for me to control to get a good feel for her, (Please don't read that as a double entendre. The first one of you that snickers like Beavis and Butthead is getting Master Sparked.) so I stick with Sakuya instead. I also like Patchouli. Sure, she's slow, and most of her melee attacks suck, but she's the best for spamming ranged attacks. Lady Patchy, bringing danmaku to 2D fighters since 2004! Also, is it just me, or are the Touhou fighters the only fighting games where not only are all the characters female, but also not one of the character dresses like a slut? It's true! I'll take elegant gothic lolita costumes over stripperific ones anyday!
And, even though it's mentioned in that song I love, I am absolutely certain that Sakuya does not wear pads! They don't look fake to me!
First of all, I'm aware that Marisa has stolen many a precious things, but last I checked, she only stole the hearts of Touhou fanatics, not the hearts of every character she comes into contact with. Also, Hong Meiling is Hong Heiling, NOT CHINA! Also, anytime someone refers to Rinnosuke as Mannosuke, I facepalm. Also, Ran is not a streaker. I've seen playthroughs of Perfect Cherry Blossom, and I didn't see her naked anywhere! (But that's not stopping the fanboys, by golly.) And FYI, Youmu is not a fucking fangirl! She would never stoop herself to that level! Speaking of which, Yuyuko does have a ferocious appetite, yes, but she doesn't eat people/planets/uneatable objects! And Reisen is useful! She is not mere sexual fanservice for otakus! (Wait, what am I saying? I don't find Reisen sexy. What's so hot about a bunny woman in a Japanese schoolgirl uniform? Oh wait, don't answer that.) Oh? Is Sanae a good girl? Fine by me. I just don't find that to be clever. And I'm pretty certain that Yukari is more than 17 years old.
And don't even get me started on McRoll or the Yukkuris. Just, don't.
So, what does that leave us? Well, I like it when Ran shouts, "CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" And I acknowledge that Reimu has armpits of doom. And Cirno, despite her claims of being a genius, is adorable as the baka she is. And although Kaguya may be considered a NEET in the modern world, she's still alright by me.
But still, Youmu a fangirl? You know what I think of fangirls. Okay Internet, I dare you to listen to this relatively new piece, and look at that image, and tell me she's a fangirl. You can't. She's too cool to be a . . . a . . . you know what? It doesn't bear repeating.
But yes, there's a few Touhou links tvtropes doesn't have (yet) that I can still show you. For example, do you like the sound of the accoustic guitar? Then give this a try. yes.
Now then, I haven't played Immaterial and Missing Power in a while, but I will say this. My favorite character to play as in that game is Sakuya. She's fast, she's good with melee attacks, and her ranged attacks don't suck. She's my style; I tend towards the faster characters in a fighter. Granted, Remilia is the fastest in that game, but she's too hard for me to control to get a good feel for her, (Please don't read that as a double entendre. The first one of you that snickers like Beavis and Butthead is getting Master Sparked.) so I stick with Sakuya instead. I also like Patchouli. Sure, she's slow, and most of her melee attacks suck, but she's the best for spamming ranged attacks. Lady Patchy, bringing danmaku to 2D fighters since 2004! Also, is it just me, or are the Touhou fighters the only fighting games where not only are all the characters female, but also not one of the character dresses like a slut? It's true! I'll take elegant gothic lolita costumes over stripperific ones anyday!
And, even though it's mentioned in that song I love, I am absolutely certain that Sakuya does not wear pads! They don't look fake to me!
Friday, June 5, 2009
You'll wanna copy and paste this one for sure.
Remember the Touhou website I linked to you, usuallydead.com? Well, turns out he also does Let's Play videos of Touhou games. I've watched the ones he's done so far, and one of them, the one for Perfect Cherry Blossom, was incredibly enlightening.
First of all, as far as I can tell, Usuallydead is a scholar, and not a nerd. Second of all, in that series, he posed a question, "What is it about some characters in Touhou that makes some people like that character, and other character not like that character?" He says that you can give whatever reason you want, but every reason you give will be shallow. For example, take Marisa. She's one of my favorite Touhou characters. Why? Because she's really really really kyute! ^_^ However, someone may read that and think, "What are you talking about!? She's not cute! Hence why I don't like her." Or they might think, "Really? Well, I like Marisa because her Master Spark Spell Card is really useful." or "Really? I like Marisa because she's got a cool theme song." You see, all of those reasons are shallow, even the ones that go into more depth. Yes, my liking of Youmu is shallow, even though I like her because of her personality, character design, method of fighting, and the uniqueness of her Half-human Half-ghost background, not because simply looking at her makes me think, "She's so kyute!" Even all of that is shallow.
UsuallyDead brings this up because his favorite Touhou character, nay, his favorite thing of all time, is Yuyuko. He didn't really try to explain why he loves Yuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuko so much, other than saying she was, "Ghostly hotness." Of course, when I heard that, my first reaction was, "What!?" My second reaction was, "My Lord! He sounds like the Rei worshippers that pervade every anime forum in existence!"
But it was then he offered his answer, why do people have opinions? Simple. There is no reason. There is no reason other than this; there is something in a person's innate personality that draws them to what their favorite character in a video game is, or what their favorite band is, or what their favorite brand of cereal is. As for why people of some personalities will like something, he had this to say, "Just like 'there is no i in team', there is no y in love." Get it? Because the letter y isn't in "love", and neither is an explainable reason why we love the things we do, beyond our personalities? Exactly. Upon this realization, I had a third reaction, "Oh really? Is that any different from your constant gushing of Yukari-chan? Or how you think Zidane is a paragon of what RPG heroes should be?"
By now, you're probably wondering, "Hey wait a second, so all this time, when you were hyperventilating about things you thought were overrated, it was a complete waste of time?" No. Now comes my part of this thesis.
It's true; opinions are influenced by nothing more than a person's personality. However, you can determine some things about a person's personality if you look at their likes and dislikes.
Take, for example, the anime version of Code Geass. You know how much I hate it. I think it's the worst anime series that debuted this decade. Some other people feel the way. Why? Because there is something about Code Geass that offends my sensibilities, and also, it contradicts the things I look for when I want to perform escapism via a television series. However, there are those who enjoy it because of what it does. They will offer their own reasons: because they're whores for anime/CLAMP/Sunrise, because they're masochistic and can tolerate the forced acting and ham-fisted writing, because they think (insert name of character) is "hot", or maybe simply because they like seeing a plot twist every three minutes. There is something within their personalities that draws them to it, and allows them to enjoy it, even though I can't.
However, keep in mind, a person who plays violent video games is not always, by nature, a violent person, just as a person who listens to gangsta rap doesn't always have to be a gangbanger either. My older brother is a fan of movies by "Blood and Guts" directors such as Martin Scorcese, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez. However, he's nothing like the characters in these movies; he's not violent, he's not a junkie, and he rarely cusses in real life. Why does he enjoy these films? Because they're cool. And he likes how they're put together. The style of Blood and Guts movies captivates him. And, ya know what? I like some of those movies too. Some of them are really good.
Of course, this won't stop me from hating the things I hate, as well as bashing fans of something I dislike. However, I will keep this in mind: Usuallydead worships Yuyuko, just in the same way some Evangelion fans worship Rei, just in the same way I think Bender from Futurama is the funniest cartoon character ever. Why? Well, there is no Y in Love. There's just something about the things we love that connects to us on a personal level.
First of all, as far as I can tell, Usuallydead is a scholar, and not a nerd. Second of all, in that series, he posed a question, "What is it about some characters in Touhou that makes some people like that character, and other character not like that character?" He says that you can give whatever reason you want, but every reason you give will be shallow. For example, take Marisa. She's one of my favorite Touhou characters. Why? Because she's really really really kyute! ^_^ However, someone may read that and think, "What are you talking about!? She's not cute! Hence why I don't like her." Or they might think, "Really? Well, I like Marisa because her Master Spark Spell Card is really useful." or "Really? I like Marisa because she's got a cool theme song." You see, all of those reasons are shallow, even the ones that go into more depth. Yes, my liking of Youmu is shallow, even though I like her because of her personality, character design, method of fighting, and the uniqueness of her Half-human Half-ghost background, not because simply looking at her makes me think, "She's so kyute!" Even all of that is shallow.
UsuallyDead brings this up because his favorite Touhou character, nay, his favorite thing of all time, is Yuyuko. He didn't really try to explain why he loves Yuyuyuyuyuyuyuyuko so much, other than saying she was, "Ghostly hotness." Of course, when I heard that, my first reaction was, "What!?" My second reaction was, "My Lord! He sounds like the Rei worshippers that pervade every anime forum in existence!"
But it was then he offered his answer, why do people have opinions? Simple. There is no reason. There is no reason other than this; there is something in a person's innate personality that draws them to what their favorite character in a video game is, or what their favorite band is, or what their favorite brand of cereal is. As for why people of some personalities will like something, he had this to say, "Just like 'there is no i in team', there is no y in love." Get it? Because the letter y isn't in "love", and neither is an explainable reason why we love the things we do, beyond our personalities? Exactly. Upon this realization, I had a third reaction, "Oh really? Is that any different from your constant gushing of Yukari-chan? Or how you think Zidane is a paragon of what RPG heroes should be?"
By now, you're probably wondering, "Hey wait a second, so all this time, when you were hyperventilating about things you thought were overrated, it was a complete waste of time?" No. Now comes my part of this thesis.
It's true; opinions are influenced by nothing more than a person's personality. However, you can determine some things about a person's personality if you look at their likes and dislikes.
Take, for example, the anime version of Code Geass. You know how much I hate it. I think it's the worst anime series that debuted this decade. Some other people feel the way. Why? Because there is something about Code Geass that offends my sensibilities, and also, it contradicts the things I look for when I want to perform escapism via a television series. However, there are those who enjoy it because of what it does. They will offer their own reasons: because they're whores for anime/CLAMP/Sunrise, because they're masochistic and can tolerate the forced acting and ham-fisted writing, because they think (insert name of character) is "hot", or maybe simply because they like seeing a plot twist every three minutes. There is something within their personalities that draws them to it, and allows them to enjoy it, even though I can't.
However, keep in mind, a person who plays violent video games is not always, by nature, a violent person, just as a person who listens to gangsta rap doesn't always have to be a gangbanger either. My older brother is a fan of movies by "Blood and Guts" directors such as Martin Scorcese, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez. However, he's nothing like the characters in these movies; he's not violent, he's not a junkie, and he rarely cusses in real life. Why does he enjoy these films? Because they're cool. And he likes how they're put together. The style of Blood and Guts movies captivates him. And, ya know what? I like some of those movies too. Some of them are really good.
Of course, this won't stop me from hating the things I hate, as well as bashing fans of something I dislike. However, I will keep this in mind: Usuallydead worships Yuyuko, just in the same way some Evangelion fans worship Rei, just in the same way I think Bender from Futurama is the funniest cartoon character ever. Why? Well, there is no Y in Love. There's just something about the things we love that connects to us on a personal level.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Highlights on Gensokyo
Okay, maybe it's best I don't highlight Touhou pieces I like if you can also access them from tvtropes.
Go here already, damn it!
And now you'll be stuck for hours listening to Touhou music. Am I evil or what?
So I hear the full version of the 12th Touhou game will come out sometime in the near future. I know what that will bring out: more music, more characters, more fan remixes, more doujinshi, more fanfics, more of everything. I'm eager just to hear the music.
I've also noticed people have some characters they like, and characters they don't like. For now, I'll say this: I have five favorite Touhou characters. They would be Marisa, Chen, Tei, Kaguya, and Youmu. My reasons for liking Marisa, Tei, Kaguya, and Chen should be obvious. (THE CUTENESS! IT'S OVERWHELMING MY SENSATIONS!!!!!) As for Youmu? She's a total badass. And her ghost-half gives her unique combat abilities. And also, I like her design. She's pretty, but not in a cute way, and neither in a sexy way either. You know who else is like that, in terms of visual aesthetics? Nausicaa. Oh my gosh, I just compared Youmu to my favorite female manga protagonist of all time. I'm losing it.
I have recently discovered Touhou webcomics via the Touhou Wiki. This must be the doujinshi people talk about. Some is better than others, but if you're bored enough, try it. I won't stop you. By the way, the Touhou wiki is fun! I've learned some interesting things from it.
Go here already, damn it!
And now you'll be stuck for hours listening to Touhou music. Am I evil or what?
So I hear the full version of the 12th Touhou game will come out sometime in the near future. I know what that will bring out: more music, more characters, more fan remixes, more doujinshi, more fanfics, more of everything. I'm eager just to hear the music.
I've also noticed people have some characters they like, and characters they don't like. For now, I'll say this: I have five favorite Touhou characters. They would be Marisa, Chen, Tei, Kaguya, and Youmu. My reasons for liking Marisa, Tei, Kaguya, and Chen should be obvious. (THE CUTENESS! IT'S OVERWHELMING MY SENSATIONS!!!!!) As for Youmu? She's a total badass. And her ghost-half gives her unique combat abilities. And also, I like her design. She's pretty, but not in a cute way, and neither in a sexy way either. You know who else is like that, in terms of visual aesthetics? Nausicaa. Oh my gosh, I just compared Youmu to my favorite female manga protagonist of all time. I'm losing it.
I have recently discovered Touhou webcomics via the Touhou Wiki. This must be the doujinshi people talk about. Some is better than others, but if you're bored enough, try it. I won't stop you. By the way, the Touhou wiki is fun! I've learned some interesting things from it.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Right to left
It has been entirely too long since the last time I purchased manga. So I bought some. I'll tell you all about them.
Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 18.
Good Winry Volume.
If you love Winry, then you'll love FMA 18; she undergoes significant character development in this volume. Not only that, another Homunculus is revealed! OMG, it's almost like Amestris is crawling with those things now! Another excellent volume from the pen of Hiromu Arakawa; she has yet to disappoint me.
XXXHolic Volume 13.
Man, this series just keeps getting better and better! There's more scenes with Kohane-chan, my favorite character, and there's a twist that I guarantee that no one will be able to predict. And the second half of the volume is a veritable Crowning Moment of Heartwarming that isn't forced nor unrealistic. And not only that, XXXHolic has what is probably CLAMP's best artwork, and they don't disappoint with this volume either.
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Volume 21.
Okay, this, like vol. 20, is not quite as good as Volume 16 though 19, but it is still enjoyable. There's some really epic battle sequences in this volume, so have some background music ready for when you're reading. (It makes quite a difference.) Lastly, if you people like Fai and Kurogane, you should enjoy this volume. In fact, it seems like most Tsubasa fans I know list either one of them as their favorite character. Not surprising, considering how awesome they are.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 6.
This volume covers the manga's version of my favorite episode from the anime version; ep. 18. And guess what? The manga's version is even better, even more powerful. Are you sure you otakus want to keep ignoring the existence of the Eva manga? Because you're missing out on the best version of Eva if you do.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 7.
What's this? Angst in an Evangelion manga? Who woulda thunk it!? Ya know something? Something's not right. The creators of Eva, Hideaki Anno and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, have their own versions of Eva. Anno is the more well-known one, yet, based off my observations, Sadamoto is the more talented one. Huh, isn't that the way of the world?
So there you have it. Lots of good manga out there. I'm serious, guys; manga > anime, for the most part.
Oh. And readers; sometime in the near future, I will start collecting another manga series, one I've been meaning to collect for nearly two years now. What is it? You'll just have to wait until I've saved up some cash. But trust me, thing's are gonna get lively around here again come sometime soon. When? Probably after my vacation to Reno. But before I go back to school, come back here for some fun. Heh. Heh heh. Heh heh heh.
Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 18.
Good Winry Volume.
If you love Winry, then you'll love FMA 18; she undergoes significant character development in this volume. Not only that, another Homunculus is revealed! OMG, it's almost like Amestris is crawling with those things now! Another excellent volume from the pen of Hiromu Arakawa; she has yet to disappoint me.
XXXHolic Volume 13.
Man, this series just keeps getting better and better! There's more scenes with Kohane-chan, my favorite character, and there's a twist that I guarantee that no one will be able to predict. And the second half of the volume is a veritable Crowning Moment of Heartwarming that isn't forced nor unrealistic. And not only that, XXXHolic has what is probably CLAMP's best artwork, and they don't disappoint with this volume either.
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Volume 21.
Okay, this, like vol. 20, is not quite as good as Volume 16 though 19, but it is still enjoyable. There's some really epic battle sequences in this volume, so have some background music ready for when you're reading. (It makes quite a difference.) Lastly, if you people like Fai and Kurogane, you should enjoy this volume. In fact, it seems like most Tsubasa fans I know list either one of them as their favorite character. Not surprising, considering how awesome they are.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 6.
This volume covers the manga's version of my favorite episode from the anime version; ep. 18. And guess what? The manga's version is even better, even more powerful. Are you sure you otakus want to keep ignoring the existence of the Eva manga? Because you're missing out on the best version of Eva if you do.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 7.
What's this? Angst in an Evangelion manga? Who woulda thunk it!? Ya know something? Something's not right. The creators of Eva, Hideaki Anno and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, have their own versions of Eva. Anno is the more well-known one, yet, based off my observations, Sadamoto is the more talented one. Huh, isn't that the way of the world?
So there you have it. Lots of good manga out there. I'm serious, guys; manga > anime, for the most part.
Oh. And readers; sometime in the near future, I will start collecting another manga series, one I've been meaning to collect for nearly two years now. What is it? You'll just have to wait until I've saved up some cash. But trust me, thing's are gonna get lively around here again come sometime soon. When? Probably after my vacation to Reno. But before I go back to school, come back here for some fun. Heh. Heh heh. Heh heh heh.
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