Look out for sharp-toothed individuals

Remember a long-ass time ago I talked about how much I missed Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Well, I'm not alone. My brother loved Buffy too, and even my mom! But, she wasn't as hardcore about it as Brother and I were, but she liked it. (She is, however, a huge fan of Firefly. I think she likes it more than I do.) After we saw all the Buffy reruns on FX, all three of us eventually moved on to other vampires series to get our blood fix.

I moved on to Tsukihime, obviously. I would know, for Mangafox came to my rescue earlier today. I've gotten caught up on the Tsuki manga via scanlations. Good god, some scanlations are pure shit. (And you wonder why I don't default to fan translations . . .) Also, because some elements of the Tsuki VN are still absent, there are a few moments that make me shout, "Explain, manga! Explain!" But the action scenes are much better, but it's all so very disturbing, too. Also, Arc's boobs; That right there is going to increase sales. As for me? Eh, I still think her eyes are her best physical feature. And maybe her thighs, but I'm getting off-subject.

As for my brother? He moved on to True Blood. Do not mock his tastes. He doesn't watch the same movies/shows that I do, but I respect his taste in entertainment. I've never watched True Blood, but he's collecting the DVDs. He explained that, "It's like Buffy, but with more sex and blood and cussing!" (Keep in mind, his two favorite directors are Quentin Tarantino, and the Coen Brothers if you count them as one) I said the same thing about Tsukihime, but he didn't seem interested. The only piece of Japanese pop culture he ever liked were Capcom games.

And my mom? She moved on to the Underworld movies. STOP MOCKING HER! My best friend from high school also loves Underworld. I've seen parts of one of the films on tv, and it did look pretty interesting. An entire way of life shaped by prejudices and hatred; almost feels too much like the real world, even though I don't encounter werewolfs Lycans and vampires Half-Immortals on a daily basis. (Okay, vampires calling themselves "Half-Immortals" is a reference to the light novel version of Trinity Blood . . . or was that the manga? I know they didn't say that in the anime version, but I digress.)

Of course, our vampire interests aren't just limited to that. We all love Dracula, (but different versions, though.) and I'm writing another blog on FF.net from the perspective of a vampire. (Don't fret, Ask Rachel Alucard isn't dead yet.) None of us have experienced Twilight, but my brother thinks my mom would like it. ("All the young chicks at work won't shut up about it; maybe you's like it, Mom!") I dunno, though. If what the Spoony One says is correct, the main problem with Twilight is that it has interesting secondary characters, but lame primary characters. If that's really true, then I'd say it's got what I like to call Naruto-syndrome (Yeah, imagine if Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had a shred of the awesomeness of Kakashi, Tsunade, and Orochimaru . . . . I can dream, man!). If not . . . then why does everyone hate it? I still like Rachel's rant against Twilight in my fanfic, though.






I'm still sad about Sacchin, though. Where is your route, Yumizuka-chan?

The Startling Conclusion!

Wikipedia, you are my friend.

Do you all remember when I tore apart an anime entitled Battle Athletes way back in the day? Well guess what? I finally figured out what version it was: the OVA version. And, if you go on MAL, you can see my score for BA. Oh, also, get this, BA was actually originally a Sega Saturn game that never got released outside of Japan. So I actually saw an adaptation of an obscure game for an obscure system, and the show itself is incredibly obscure in America. Yes, you can see how much the R1 anime industry has changed since then. Now you know why Geneon is dead in America now; because they were stupid enough to license, and even dub(!), an anime based off a game that never even saw the light of day in America! Well, like I said in my initial review, what few people I know who even have heard of BA gave one of two reactions:

"Oh em gee! It's an anime! Anime are awesome, because they are so much better than cartoons! U HU HU HU HU HU!"

or

"these gurls are hawt i need my lubricant stat!"

Only I and one isolated anime freak on the web see it for what it truly is; a good idea that instead got turned into wank fodder for pervs and/or otakus.

And with that, my obsessive hatred has finally come full circle.

Pity Geneon USA. Your only good offering was Trigun, and I "only" gave that an 8. Truly a pity, ladies and gentlemen.

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And now, let's focus on something I love, namely, free manga from the web!

Well, it turns out volumes 5 and 6 of Type-Moon Complex by Crazy Clover Club are available in English. However, I couldn't find a zip file for either of them. You know what I had to do? I had to go to Gate of Babylon, which can be accessed from Beast's Lair, load up every page individually, and save them to my hard drive. Every. Individual. Page. Good thing I had a steady supply of Dr. Pepper.

Yes, I know Nasu said that Shiki shouldn't be able to "dot-stab" Servants, but I am willing to overlook that, since sometimes, all I need from my mindless diversions is entertainment. That, and TM Complex is obviously AU if that's the case. Also, Gilgamesh is crazy awesome, even if he is a massive prick.

By the way, since TM Complex references games I haven't played yet, I went ahead on the TM Wiki and got some dirt on F/HA, as well as the PSP title Fate/Extra. Here are a few things I deduced. (Spoilers inbound.)

-Caren is really pretty! I simultaneously curse and bless Takeuchi's ability to make adorable female character designs.

-Did you get a peek at the servants in Fate/Extra? I have but two things to say. One, Do not pursue Lu Bu. Two, ZOMG ITS ARCUEID SHE IS WAY BETTER LOOKING THAN THOSE POSERS IN BATTLE ATHLETES AND MORE DEVELOPED (as a character) TOO HA HA HA LONG LIVE ARC

-I really like Lancer. He needs more love. Now that I know more about him and his original master, Bazett, I really feel he needs more love.

Oh yeah, I have a spinoff of my Blaz Blue fanfic posted now. Enjoy.

"Let's Fighting Love!"

South Park is a strange show. I have never considered it one of my favorite American cartoons, (. . . American anime?) but I still like it. It hasn't quite fallen apart the same way The Simpsons and Family Guy have. And also, if one made a Best Of South Park playlist listing all of my favorite episodes, it would be one of the awesomest things on Earth. And the movie rocks. The one about cussing, and the one about Imaginationland. And yet, on the other hand, when a South Park episode sucks, it suuuuuucks. Laaame.

But recently, I have discovered the fact that the South Park websites hosts most of the episodes for free. And man, have I been having a marathon! And so, I decided to list all of my favorite South Park Episodes Besides The Films.

"ChickenLover" If you want to test a man's sense of morality, give him power. Cartman becomes deputized, and we learn just what kind of man he is. You will respect my authoritah!

"Chinpokomon" The Chinpokeomon craze sweeps America, and the parents struggle just what the hell is the point of the Chinpokomon show? (Gawd, I love their mockery of the anime.)

"Cartman joins NAMBLA" This episode is wrong on every level. And yet, it slays me at the same time. Too bad I don't look like Marlon Brando.

"Something You Do With Your Finger" Boy bands aren't gay, cuz they make money! See Finger Bang's first ever concert in a crappy mall! And Randy being overdramatic again.

"It Hits The Fan" "By the way, you got some shit around your lips." Holy sheepshit! They desensitized the S word! Also, yes Britannia, as an American, I apologize for thinking that "piss" can be synonymous with anger.

"Cartmanland" Cartman's dream comes true, and Kyle loses his faith . . . OR DO THEY!?!?!?!

"The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers" Don't you hate it when pornos try to tell a story? Also my favorite South Park episode of all time. It is that golden.

"Butt Out" I don't smoke, but if someone else wants to, I won't be a douche about it. You can thank Trey and Matt for convincing me to do that.

"Good Times With Weapons" It's in this entry's title. Also, Wardrobe Malfunction is a diseased expression.

"Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset" Sooo, when the Stupid Spoiled Whore craze gonna completely fade away? I'm still waiting.

"The Death of Eric Cartman" Being a "ghost" sucks, doesn't it, Cartman?

"Cartoon Wars" Now admittingly, my writing style is more South Park than Family Guy, but at least Family Guy does(id)n't get up its ass with messages.

"Make Love, Not Warcraft" How do you kill that which has no life?

"Go God Go" Even in a world with no religion, human will still factionalize and make war upon one another. Also, Cartman can't wait to play a Wii, despite being a bane of "real" gamers in the present.

"Guitar Queer-O" Man, remember when it was about the music? Whatever happened, man? Also, no one cares about Randy's mad skills with an acoustic non-controller guitar.

"You Have 0 Friends" Who cares about friends in the real world!? If I don't have enough Facebook stock, I'll lose all credibility! Also, lol Tron reference.

Okay, granted, I missed the last few seasons, but I'm catching up.

DEY DOOK ERR JEEEEEERBS!!!!

It's finally here

The Touhou one-shot I've been working on since last Spring is finally finished. It can be found on both FF.net and Maidens of the Kaleidoscope.

It is called Eternal Blossom.

It was a first for me. Read it for more details on why that is. I may make a "Behind the scenes" look on EB in the near future.

In other news, I already finished the demo of Eastern Starlight Romance. I want more! I don't mind that Nitori is OOC! That game is pure love! (Funny that a game about Marisa would be about love . . .)

Soooo, exactly how long will I remain a Touhou fan? Is this gonna be something I love for the rest of my life? If so, I don't mind.

another vn?

As much as I'm enjoying the VN version of Clannad, I haven't been playing it seriously. Probably because I already witnessed the whole saga on the anime, but I'd rather hold off before trying to complete. With that said, I picked up another VN. This one is legal to own for free. It's a game that's a doujin . . . of a doujin.

"Oh gawd; more Touhou!?"

But that is where you are mistaken, for one can never have too much Touhou in their life.

Eastern Starlight Romance.

It's told from Marisa's point-of-view. Her unnamed father has died, and she has vowed to avoid his fate . . . by becoming a magician youkai. Okay, this isn't the first time fanon speculated this, but ESR is really well-written for a fan project. The backgrounds are bland, and most of the character art is merely okay, but the story itself is very interesting. It's still a demo, and I haven't gotten that far yet, but any hardcore Touhou fanatic will appreciate it.

One complaint I have is . . . well, it's more of a "this character wouldn't behave this way in my touhouverse" but Marisa seems . . . more serious than usual. Okay, yeah, death in the family, and she is occasionally serious in my fanverse, but Marisa is usually more snarky or silly in the canon, as well as most fanons. However, I love the portrayal of Alice; not only is it very close to my own portrayal, but she avoids the cliches associated with her. Reimu is well done too. She's not easily agitated like my version of Reimu, so it's fresh. Also, ESR's portrayal of Remilia is dangerously close to my own. Although its portrayal of Nitori is . . . unique.

One thing I appreciate about ESR is it's made by the English-speaking fanbase. No, I'm not being ethnocentric, here me out. Many foreign works translated by fans sometimes have the problem of being too literally translated. They get the message across, but in a way no natural speaker of the new language would say it. This plagues some Touhou doujins I have read. I suppose it's one reason Touhou fanfics in English are on the rise, so as to avoid this problem. ESR doesn't have this. It feels like a professional-quality fanwork.

But you know something? I've noticed that I have the ability to criticize stuff that I even love. I mentioned this on MAL. I've noticed this with Touhou fanons as well. No matter how much I may like someone's version, something about it will always be disagreeable to me. Sometimes, it's just because it's not I would portray a scene or character, but watch now as I become nitpicky.

Actual Touhou Canon: There is a lot that is still not known to the world. Explain, ZUN! Explain!

"Touhou Ibunshu" by Usually Dead: I reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaalllllly don't like his versions of Keine and Mokou. And combat sequences almost always lack the two ingredients that make Touhou combat what it is: flying, and danmaku. The action sequences feel more like fight scenes out of a generic fantasy novel because of this. Also, Reimu is not fucking suicidal.

"Touhou Nekokayou" by KimikoMuffin: That many same-sex relationships among that many people is extremely unlikely. Okay, realistically, with as many females as there are in Touhou, a few of them may be lesbian or bisexual, but that many? Puh-leeze! Most of the ships make no sense! Also, long-running arcs can become extremely convoluted, as well as confusing.

"Life of Maid" by Colonel Aki: YOUMU IS NOT A FUCKING FANGIRL! Also, SAKUYA DOES NOT WEAR PADS, GOD DAMN IT!

"Though the Wind Cries" by Iyokan: I like Usually Dead's explanation of Sanae's lineage more.

"Eastern Starlight Romance" by Dai-Sukima Dan: What the hell is with Koishi's appearance? She looks exactly like Satori when you first encounter her! Also, the portrayal of Nitori is just a biiiit OOC.

This Really Cool Sakuya Story I Read On FF.net Whose Name Escapes Me: UPDATE IT ALREADY! It had a really great interpretation of Sakuya and Remilia's relationship! (No, it wasn't shoujo-ai.)

"Moon Series" by Jasper Star: What's with the random boob shots?

"(Insert fancy Japanese name that will come later)" by xm0123: Why is Reimu so irritable? Are you trying to portray her as a tsundere? And why is Alice more of a woobie than she was in canon? And what's with all of the random Gratuitous Japanese? Also, what did Yukari write about in her memoir!? Explain, xm! Explain!

Whoa. I can even criticize myself.

November rolls in

There's treachery afoot! Disney knows about my past when it comes to video releases of the Toy Story movies! Toy Story 3 came out on blu-ray on my 25th birthday! It's like they're taunting me, "Let's see your family get that in time for your birthday!"

THIS IS A CONSPIRACY! A CONSPIRACY . . . wait . . . the first anime I truly loved enough to score a 10 out of 10 was Disney's version of Castle in the Sky. My god! THIS IS A CONSPIRACY! NOT ONLY DOES DISNEY CONTINUE TO STEAL MY MONIES, THEY ARE ALSO IN THE BUSINESS OF TURNING ME INTO AN OTAKU!

But that's not what I want to talk about. This birthday has been bountiful. Observe.

October 31st: Few kids come over for Halloween this year. All the candy we didn't hand out is mine now. Sweet!

November 1st: The San Francisco Giants win the World Series. Granted, I don't care for sports, but everyone in my family loves the Giants, and this was an unexpected turn of events for them. And they were really good this year, I'll say that.

November 2nd: My parents did manage to get me two movies I absolutely love on blu-ray. I'm not gonna say what they are, because if I start on either of them, I'm gonna be writing for a loooooong time. About how much I love them. I'll save that for another entry. And no, neither of them are Toy Story 3.

November 3rd: Election Day is over! Political ads vanish overnight! YES!

But now, I just realized something; I've never posted my desktop, have I? Well, now that I'm 25, here's a glimpse of my computer.

I don't like having clutter on my desktop, so I keep the number of icons to a minimum. This way, the wallpaper itself becomes a poster in my room, ready to display its grace before watchful eyes. And how appropriate that I'm using an awe-inspiring pic of my favorite Touhou character. But I will say, Audacity is a fun program to mess around with. heh heh! You can find that image on safebooru, by the way. Or was that one from one of the Touhou imageboards? It was one or the other.

Oh, and look out! I have another remix to link! This is a remix of the final boss theme from Great Fairy Wars. I haven't played the game, but I like this remixed version more. It sounds like it's from an SNES game, but I find it more appropriate for a fight theme than the ZUN score. Still, awesome.

Getting to my fanfictions now, if I don't receive a worthy question for Ask Rachel Alucard come next Monday, the "Guest" entry is getting uploaded. If any of you don't want me to do this just yet, send me a PM asking about a possible animated adaptation right now if you don't want that. Otherwise, the people have spoken; they really wanna me talk like a different Blaz Blue character.

Also, my Yukari oneshot is not vaporware, I swear! I have been writing more of that! I'll even tell you what it is: it is basically a memoir written by Yukari about herself and Gensokyo during the Heian era. I can't say more than that.

Also, I've been writing ahead for Mentor & Protege. If I ever finish the Mystic Square storyline, the next (and last) arc will be finished more quickly, I assure you. The last arc will take place after Mystic Square, but before Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, an era in Touhou history / that is shrouded in mystery! Yes! I can write poetically!And I even became unblocked in A Touhou Fanfiction About Nothing! Even though I only have plans for one more chapter, I have been writing that as well. Life is cool right now.

EDIT: Screw waiting until Monday! I'll update Ask Rachel Alucard right now! Enjoy, kiddies! You have spoken!