gettin' vocal

Hey, remember Final Fantasy? I do. The music, anyway.

And guess what I discovered? Remember the world map theme during the World of Ruin after you get the second airship? Len and Miku have a version of that! (Song starts at 1:25. Before that, you hear a Miku version of the Fat Chocobo theme from FF4) But wait, I'm not done! Two songs from FF3 by Miku and Luka! And My Home Sweet Home from FF5 by Miki! And Miku singing Terra's theme from FF6! And lastly, something from Legend of Mana (Never played it, sorry.) There are other of these styles of videos, but they're all on Nico Nico Douga, which I don't have an account for.

But fear not! For I found more Vocaloid stuff for you! Check out the profile of studioEKO. Whoever's in charge of the profile is terrible in English, but spectacular in rock! View the Return to Zero videos if you don't mind your rock being voiced by Rin and Len . . . or is that Lin and Ren? Who cares!?

And yes, I know about the concert that's about to be held at Los Angeles. However, I learned something; only Vocaloids from Crypton can appear in one place, due to licensing issues. This means that English Vocaloids, as well as Gakupoid and Gumi, can't appear together with the Crypton products.

You know what my dream concert would be? Every single vocaloid ever made, regardless of origin, and even regardless of a lack of avatar, would all get together on one big stage, and they would all perform We Are The World. Okay, I'm kidding about the song I just mentioned, but wouldn't that be nice? Sure, that might be costly, and a legal jigsaw puzzle to allow, but I can dream, can't I?

Oh, also, I am aware that supercell's first album is now available on MP3 on iTunes and Amazon, and that it's been selling like hot cakes. Good to know that the digital revolution isn't dying anytime soon.

Engaging Blabbermouth Mode

Good news, everyone! I got to see the premiere of the newest season (sort of) of Futurama earlier today!

"And?"

Let's just say I still consider Futurama the best animated tv series of all time.

Oh, I already know that there's a new episode that is broken down in three segments: a segment that looks like the Fleischer cartoons from the 1930s, a section that looks like 8-bit video games graphics, and a segment that looks like a Japanese animation. I wanna see that just for the 8-bit section, but I also gotta see how they poke fun at anime.

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So, I played Little Busters some more.

Oh wait, more good news, everyone! Key's next game, Rewrite, was released in a limited-edition without a hitch!

Okay, when I am finished with Umineko, I'll just wait for however long it takes to translate Rewrite . . . even though that may take years. ERGH! How devilish can you be!? Releasing a game with cute girls with long hair and making me unable to play it!? You should be ashamed of yourselves!

Yeah, I don't feel like talking about LB right now.

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You know that song that no one will shut up about, "Friday?" I recently listened to that.

"Wait! That got taken off of youtube!"

Hold up. I didn't listen to the Rebecca Black original. I listened to a cover. A cover . . . by Big Al. VOCALOIDS TO THE RESCUE!

Now my review.

Good lord, these lyrics are inane! The instruments are entirely synthetic, which I don't normally mind, but the instruments are just . . . there. But Azuralunar and Big Al make the song a little tolerable. I heard the original producers made poor Ms. Black auto-tuned into oblivion, but you don't hear that here. Check out the other videos in the profile if you're bored enough.

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Oh, but I'm not done with Vocaloids yet! Oh no!

Did you know the programs can be used for normal talking, not just music? Yeah, there are "Talkoid" videos too. (So Miku is also a synthetic voice actor. Should've figured.) I found one that's short, but hilarious. Here.

But guess what? I found something else funny Vocaloid related. There are videos set to a song called, "I'll quit singing." Most of them are in Japanese, but one of them is in English, and by Luka! Never stop, Luka. You are my . . . either my second or third favorite Vocaloid for a reason.

Now for more listenable music. I found a cool Miku song called Sweet Devil. The video looks cool, but . . . isn't Miku supposed to be like, 16 in appearance? Her movements are a little sultry in this vid. For a more cutesy video, try Chaining Intention, probably the best-looking Vocaloid vid out there. Another Miku hit for you: Secret Police. Is it just me, or do the characters look like they belong in Soul Eater in that pic? Two last Miku songs: I Love You Very Much. and I'm a Fluffy Flying Girl. They're sweet.

Oh, how about something humorous again, and by my favorite vocaloid, Gumi? Sorry For Being a Closet Otaku. Oh yeah, life is good right now.

EDIT: I found a Lily song I like! Lily's cover of the opening of the second Project Diva game, better than the Miku original! The profile "Miraclemilktea3" has more kickass Vocaloid vids. Oh, also, I found a longer version of Sweet Devil. Enjoy.

ANOTHER EDIT: Yukkuri Shiteitte ne!!!!! Thank me later.

Rant Incoming, duck and cover!

You wanna know what grinds my gears? Thinking that only fictional stories on film are worthwhile.

This belief has been around a long time. But it still aggravates me. There's a large contingent of people out there who feel that novels, comic novels, and video games on their own are not entertaining, but . . . if they are converted to a movie, a television series, or some film format, then it's worth following, like somehow, being on film legitimizes a work of art.

This I sometimes agree with. Sometimes, I prefer the movie version of a book. Not often, but some stories work better on celluloid than text.

However, I keep seeing people again and again (and again) keep clamoring for a movie of a book series, or an anime of a manga series, or a film of a video game time and time again.

Well, I already know the answer to this. It's because people don't like using their imaginations. With a film, the images and music and sound effects are already done for you. Now, I will say this; if a film is so well made, it exceeds what you are capable of imagining, I can see why someone would prefer a movie to a book. I've stated before that I prefer the anime versions of Trigun and Death Note because their anime counterparts were much more engaging to me. Also, although overall, I prefer The Lord of the Rings in novel format, I will say, the battle sequences really come to life in the Peter Jackson films, more so than I could imagine from Tolkien's prose.

But now comes the part that truly mystifies me; why some people clamor for a film of a video game. Now, this argument may've made sense back in the 1980s and 1990s, when video game production values were still limited. Imagine how excited kids must've felt when they learned there were Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons airing in 1993. However, this doesn't make sense anymore. Games have the same things movies have: music, sound, imagery, acting, et cetera. Some games have production values that rival huge budget Hollywood movies. And yet, they still want a film of some kind.

Like for instance, look at all the people who keep begging for a Little Busters anime. The visual novel/game already has images, sound, music, voice-acting, and a complete story. What could an anime do? Showcase animation? Aside from that, what could it add? Sure, I wouldn't mind seeing an anime adaptation of LB, but it wouldn't kill me if there wasn't either, because I'm enjoying the VN just fine.

Despite what a lot of people believe, books are not always boring. Video games can function as art. I'm just saying, if you want to spend your free time enjoying yourself, remember, there's more than movies and tv shows in the world. That's all I'm asking.

What I have and what I want

There's still a rant I want to write, but I'm still feeling too positive to write any rants. Two subjects today.

--------------

I played another baseball game in Little Busters. Wanna know how that game went? 6 to 3, LBs won! I am the best! But that didn't seem to accomplish anything. I was expecting a bonus CG or music track, but no. So what was the point of that?

The finished the first of Rin's (Rin Natsume) routes. The Rin1 route is short. Basically, you get up to a certain point, then the game tells you, "You need to explore other paths first." Not in those exact words, but close enough. Then it just dumps you on the title screen. And yet, to complete Yuiko's route, as well as the Rin2 route, (Which is her true storyline) you . . . have to fail. You have to fail to win. Weird.

So now I'm doing Kud's route. I can't get over how cute she is!

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But now, let's talk about what I really want to talk about. But first, I wanna describe a dream I had recently. I already mentioned this on Beast's Lair back on the 11th, but I will reprint it here.

I dreamed I was traveling in an airship. The passengers and I were enjoying ourselves, when all of a sudden, we see that one of our passengers is none other than John Madden, coach/announcer/Tinactin spokesman extraordinaire. He spoke at length about football, but all of a sudden, I noticed something was fishy. When I figured out something, I shouted, "OBJECTION!" Everyone looked at me. I posited, "The man before us is NOT John Madden! The real Madden is afraid of flying! He travels in a custom-made bus! Or . . . did you get over your phobia, Mister Madden? If you have, then repeat this in red, 'I am John Madden'!" The Madden figure hesitated. I said, "You can't, caaaaaaan youuuuuuuuu!? THIS IS CHECKMATE!" The Madden phantom disappeared. The airship landed right after that.

In a little less than two months, I already had my first dream about Umineko. It would seem the translation for Chiru, the second half, is still unfinished. Not only that, the translation for Umineko Tsubasa (NOT a crossover between When They Cry and CLAMP's Tsubasa. If such a thing happened, the multiverse would collapse from sheer what-the-fuckery.) isn't complete either Not only do I want to read Chiru, I want to read the Tsubasa shorts too!

I also know there's a spinoff fighter called Ougen Musou Kyoko. I saw some videos. The music during the battles are touched-up remixes of Umineko music! I want my MP3s already!

And speaking of music, I already started sampling music from the Chiru portion off of youtube. A lot of it is remixes of earlier Umineko music, which I certainly appreciate, but there are some original pieces that captivated me with their elegance. This is another reason I'm finding it hard to wait for the release of Chiru.

But I've also been seeing all these characters I don't recognize. Characters that I only know by name, like Erika, Dlanor, Will, Lion, and so on. It's only adding to the mystery for me!

It's already been a month since the last patch came out, but I can't wait any longer! If the translation's not finished toward the end of the year, I'll go ahead and buy Chiru on DVD, and just go by what is translated so far. I won't do that just yet, but if I want to wait three or four months, I will state that in red. Believe it.

(Unless if something big comes up, my next article is a rant. You better watch out.)

Incoming Reem Of Text

I got three things to talk about. Ready steady GO!

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On an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data, the android who was almost human, was noting how the human desire to want something is greater than the satisfaction that comes from actually having something. I am no exception to that rule.

Case in point? I went to Youtube some time ago and watched some videos of somethings. Videos of something I want, but probably won't have for a long time, if ever. Wanna know what I saw?

Footage of the demo version of Rewrite.

It was entirely in Japanese, and I had a hard time following it because of that. However, what I saw was very promising. This may be the best Key product yet, possibly even better than Clannad! My impressions:

-Most of the characters featured were girls. The main one, Kotori, I already knew was cute, but there was this other girl I saw named Chiyaha, and she was really cute too! It's amazing how far Itaru Hinoue has come as an artist. There was one male character featured, he looked alright. Speaking of visuals, this game is the first visual novel I've seen in widescreen, and man, does it make a difference! You can see so much more of the background! Even thought Youtube waters down the picture quality, Rewrite will perhaps be the most beautiful VN out there, even more so than the Fate games!

-The music! Oh lord, the music! I got to hear quite a bit of music from the videos, and it sounds better than the soundtrack of Little Busters, for sure! A lot of the pieces sound like town themes for RPGs, but I'm not complaining, because it was all so awesome! I can only imagine what the full game's music will sound like!

-I got to hear voice-acting. It being in Japanese, it's hard for me to judge. I liked the voice of Lucia, who, judging from her first name, is probably going to be the token foreign girl of the cast.

-I have seen the animated intro movie for Rewrite. This game is going to be more than just high school shenanigans than other Key games. It looks like it could just as easily be an epic RPG. Seeing as how there's input by motherfucking 07Ryukishi, I wouldn't rule out that possibility. Also, if there ever is an anime version of Rewrite, (Not that I'm clamoring for one, but if there was) I want it to be of the visual quality of that intro, for sure.

The retail version comes out on the 24th of this month, assuming there are no sudden last minute delays. If I were Japanese, I would buy my copy on Amazon on release day. Yes, I know VNs aren't super popular in Nihon, and I'm aware buying such a game would make me look like a hikkikomori, but if I did live there, I would risk my reputation to play it! So for my Japanese brothers and sisters who can play the game for me, I have only this to say:

GANBARE!!!!!!

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Did you know the translation for Little Busters has been taking three years now? And that it's not even complete?

By playing through Rin's (Natsume Rin, not Tohsaka Rin) route, I've changed how scenes play out even in the early portions of the route. It's amazing the differences that come about. I'm not finished with her route yet, but I'm making progress.

By the way, I spotted something amusing in the Little Busters Club on MAL. Listen to this,

[Fan 1] "and something totally random: Rin's hair is pretty :D"

[Fan 2] " . . .Yup, Rin's hair is pretty."

Wait, saying a girl's long brown hair is pretty?

THAT'S MY LINE! (Say it in Dr. Zoidberg's voice)

But they're right. Lots of Key girls have nice hair, and even though I used to think I was unique for being drawn to brunette girls, that does not seem to be the case anymore. Regardless, I won't stop playing Little Busters for now . . . provided the second half of Umineko doesn't suddenly get finished in English. I have priorities, after all.

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New season of Red Versus Blue! WOOOOOOOOO!

The first episode of season 9 is reminiscent of seasons 1 through 5, instead of the more dramatic seasons 6 through 8. It is still funny as Hell. Still, I am curious, why are the Reds out of characters, but not the Blues? That is a mystery.

But seriously guys, the Rooster Teeth crew are hilarious. I am also a fan of the Rooster Teeth Shorts. They're just as funny in live-action as they are in machinimas. The great thing about the Shorts is that they aren't (usually) connected by continuity, so you can jump into any one of them and laugh your ass off.

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I actually wanted to write a rant about something that's annoying me, but I'm waiting for that. RVB, and thinking about Rewrite and LB is making me feel too good to rant! And you stupid teachers in grade school said television (or in my case, internet and games) wouldn't fulfill me! What a crock of shit! I'm riding high now, suckers!

Yes, I know about the E3

The Wii U looks innovative, but let's talk about something more urgent.

I finished Haruka's route in Little Busters.

It's weird. I like Haruka more than Komari, and I liked the romance in Haruka's path more also, but the story itself wasn't as emotional. For too long, you're in the dark as to why all this drama is transpiring. Eventually, you learn the truth, (And in true Key fashion, you learn that there's more to Haruka than meets the eye) and the revelation is a powerful one, no doubt, but after that, you can kinda guess how the ending's gonna play out. I suppose in these sorts of games, there will always be routes you like more than others. I liked Rin's route in Fate a lot more than Saber's route, for example.

For my next playthrough, I'm going through Rin's (Rin Natsume, not Rin Tohsaka) route. Why? Well . . . um . . .

I think she's kind of cute.

When I did Haruka's route, I disabled the minigames, as well as skipped past scenes I already saw. This made the playthrough faster. However, there were some new scenes in the second playthrough that weren't in the first one. As well as more evidence of Kyousuke being a little bit like a certain whiz kid with a notebook. Oh granted, there's no evidence of Kyousuke secretly being a sinister person . . . yet, but there's something fishy about him, to be sure.

This time, I'll keep the fights disabled, but I like batting practice, so I'll turn that back on. But you know what's interesting? Rin (Natsume) actually has two routes. Her second route you have to unlock, so in fanspeak, I'm doing Rin1 right now.

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Okay, back to E3.

I don't like buying a brand new console when it first comes out. [I learned the hard way why that's a bad idea. "Hey! New N64! (one month later) "Where are all the N64 games!?"] Even if the Wii U is like the Wii but awesomer, I think I'll wait some time after it comes out before buying it, if I want to buy it. I'm still fine with my 360, PS3, and PC for playing games.

As for games, the only big name game coming out in the future that I'm interested in is Skyrim, but even then, I'm being cautious. I did NOT like Morrowind, and I was discouraged by a trusted friend of mine from playing Oblivion. ("It was terribly disappointing." I was told.) But hey, if Halo redeemed itself with Reach, maybe Skyrim will be the Elder Scrolls game for me, who knows?

xm gives dating advice

I do think it's a good thing I played a little bit of Clannad before diving into Little Busters. I know how to succeed at winning a route, for it seems to work in all of Key's games.

Here's what you do. First, decide, from the start, what character's route you want to see. As you play, be nice to that one character, and be a jerk to everyone else. It worked in Clannad, and it works in LB also. If you're nice to too many characters, you get a bad end.

So I finished Komari's route earlier today. Luckily, like most Key characters, there is more to her than what you see on the surface. I won't go into more detail, but I do respect the character a little more. However, I am now going down another route; the route of Haruka!

But I can't help it! She's so keeeeeeee-yeute!~

And again like in Clannad (they do run on the same programming engine), when you complete a route, you unlock the CG gallery and music section. Of course, you can only view images and hear music you've heard in the proper game, but it's great! The song that plays at the end of Komari's route is a fantastic alt-rock song.

Oh, also, you get to participate in a baseball game. It plays out automatically when your team is on defense, but when you're on offense, you can call plays like steal a base, sac bunt, hit the ball normally, et cetera. When I played, the final score was . . . 9 to 1, LBs lost. Wow, suddenly all the Major League teams that finished in dead last last year don't seem so terrible anymore.

Also, there's three girls that you can romance in the Ecstasy version, but not my version. Here's some titles for them.

Sasami Sasasegawa = Japanese Mean Girl.

Kanata Futaki = Totalitarian Stick in the Mud.

There's a third girl named Saya in the Ecstasy version who is a no-show in the original edition. Oh sure, hoard all the teenage girls for yourself, updated edition. If the translation weren't so slow, this wouldn't be happening!

This obviously cannot compare with the awesomeness of Umineko (What can at this point!?) but LB has been worthwhile, nonetheless.

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I finally published the first half of Grief is the Fuel of Vengeance! A fanfic that takes Fate characters and . . .

did I just make a parody of one of my brother's favorite movies? As well as the one Gundam series I tried to watch?

The idea came from the Heaven's Feel True End, when Rin (Tohsaka Rin, not the Rin from LB) noticed how powerful she and her friends were. She imagined overpowering the Mage's Association, then the Church, and then . . . the world.

OF COURSE!

However, she dismissed that idea. In this fanfic, she doesn't. She, Sakura, and Rider use their powers to fight evildoers. However, as I was writing this, I intentionally wanted to make a parallel between the Tohsaka Sisterhood and the Kiras of Death Note. However, as I wrote, I noticed more and more that this was reading like a Fate do-over of The Boondock Saints.

Weird. I spoofed a movie my brother loves. Personally, I think the Boondock Saints is good, but not great. I wouldn't list it as a classic, despite what my brother and some of my college friends say. (I really think they just love it because of the cussing . . . motherfucker.) Not only that, the Sisterhood also reminds me of Celestial Being from Gundam 00. However, I would never, ever, emulate the style of 00, good god no! Do you know what would happen if Grief was written like 00!? Well, let's examine a typical episode, shall we?

(A group of bland, emotionless characters talk about made-up politics. And talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . .)

(Another group of bland, emotionless characters talk about made-up politics. And talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . .)

(Yet another group of bland, emotionless characters talk about made-up politics. And talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . .)

(Some Celestial Being Gundam pilots park outside of an unstable region, and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . . and talk . . .)

(Two warring factions start fighting, but Celestial Being comes out of nowhere, powns the factions with no effort, and claim they're ending war in spite of their actions.)

(Yet another group of bland, emotionless characters discuss the ramifications of the most recent Celestial Being action. And discuss . . . and discuss . . . and discuss . . . and discuss . . . and discuss . . . and discuss . . .)

(Roll credits)

It's pretty pathetic when the only character I gave a damn about was a guy with a split personality with the same English voice as Inuyasha. (Richard Ian Cox just doesn't get enough credit, I swear.) Yeah, you know what? I'm gonna keep spoofing Death Note and The Boondock Saints.

Oh, but I won't be stopping my Type-Moon fics after that, oh no! I got another what-if scenario in the making!

Why does this method of advertising keep working on me!?

Let me start off with something someone on MAL said, in describing a feeling I know all too well.

". . . it's that point when something is so cute, it fills your mind with an overload of dopamine. You just feel an almost panic-y feeling trying to release all the cute. Like you wanna prance around and hit your head against a pillow. That you're just bursting at the seams with the feeling it's given you."

That's what happens to me whenever I perceive something cute. And it would seem that advertisers know that, for . . . I did it again.

I used utorrent.

I grabbed an English patch.

And you wanna know what I got now?

The original non-ero version of Little Busters! for the PC.

Sure, nevermind the fact that I haven't even come close to finishing the VN version of Clannad yet. Sure, also nevermind the fact that I'm only really playing LB to pass the time until the second half of Umineko is translated. Why nevermind all of this? Because cute girls, that's what!

Since there is no anime version (yet), and since the manga isn't exactly popular, LB is not quite that well known, despite being a product of Key Visual Arts, and being primarily scripted by Jun Maeda, the man responsible for Kanon and Clannad . . . as well as Air and Angel Beats . . . No no! Don't go! LB is (as of right now) better than Air and AB! Honest! And due to its cult status, I'm gonna describe it for you without spoiling.

LB is about a boy named Riki Naoe. (Cut the jokes about The Story of Ricky right this second.) He is a second year high school student at a boarding school. He is a part of a band of friends that call themselves the Little Busters. The LBs consists of the leader Kyousuke, Kyousuke's younger sister Rin, a musclebound doofus named Masato, and a kendo club member named Kengo. They've been friends since childhood, yet don't seem to be friends with anyone else. The plot begins when Kyousuke decides to start a baseball team. The baseball club is active, yet he wants his friends to start their own team, independent of the club. Only problem is, there's five of them, and you need nine people for a baseball team. So the LBs go through the school, trying to recruit new members, and this gets the plot rolling.

Now, LB does have something no other VN has. It is the funniest VN I have played. Right from the get-go, it was making me rolling on the floor in laughter. Holy shit, this game is funny! I can guarantee you that if there was an anime version (since otakus avoid anything that isn't an anime like the plague), several phrases would become memes, I know it! Just about every character does something at least once that will have you rolling, if not several times!

The artwork is pretty good. It's perhaps the second-best-looking VN I've played, behind only Fate/Stay Night. LB has the best male character art I've seen from Key. The female character designs aren't as good as Clannad's, or any of KyoAni's versions of Key franchises, but I still like it more than the original iterations of Kanon and Air. (Uguu . . . a version of Nayuki who's not cute is still hard for me to swallow . . .) Although it's only in a 4 by 3 ratio, the screen can go up to 1200 by 900 pixels, allowing for some clean and detailed backgrounds.

The music again does not disappoint. Not quite as spellbinding as Clannad or Umineko's score, but I definitely like it more than the soundtracks of Kanon, Air, and Planetarian. (Even though I only have the animes of Kanon and Air to go off of.) LB's music is mostly jovial. How shall I describe it? It sounds like the background music from kid-friendly video games that came out for the SNES and Sega Genesis back in the early to mid 1990s. Ever played the obscure cult classic Plok for the SNES? Or the underrated Ristar for the Genesis? Or the better known Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, as well as Tetris Attack for the SNES? The music in LB sounds like the music in those kinds of games. Well, not exactly; most 16-bit games didn't have CD-quality clarity, but the style, man! The style reminds me of the happy moments of my childhood! Especially Haruka's theme! (more on the characters in a moment) Her theme really does make me feel like a kid again, and in a good way!

There is voice-acting in LB. Sadly, I don't like it as much as Clannad's. It's only in Japanese (obviously), so it's difficult to judge, but I'll say what I do like. I do like the voices of Kyousuke, Masato, and Kengo. As for the girls, I like the voices of Yuiko, Mio, and Kud. However, there's something weird. One actress does the voices of three characters: Riki, Rin, and a girl named Sasami. Rin sounds rather childish, and honestly, I don't think it is a good fit for her. You only hear Riki's voice during the mini-games, and he (a 16 year old dude, mind you) sounds exactly like Rin. (It should be noted that the characters do note that Riki has a feminine voice, and I'm guessing he hasn't finished puberty yet, but the vocal resemblance to Rin is bizarre.) The voice for Sasami is actually quite good; not a stereotypical moe voice like what most of the other female characters got saddled with. Okay, it would make sense for Komari and Kud to have moe voices, but Rin and Haruka, too!? If there is an anime version, I do hope for a partial recast. But you know what's cool? Just like in Clannad, you can actually disable certain characters' voices in the options menu if you want. Didn't think I'd actually use that.

Unlike other Key products, there are mini-games to play, offering a little more gameplay, on top of choices for Riki to make in the story. You can play baseball. All you can do is bat as Riki, but it's entertaining. You can build up the stats of the Little Busters through baseball. Hit the ball, and also hit the other members (whether they catch the ball or not), and their stats will also increase. I wonder why EA Sports never thought of advertising with cute girls for a game of theirs.

There's a couple of random mini-games for events, but the most common one is fighting. Characters can get in one-on-one battles with each other, for whatever reason. Battles happen automatically. If you have items or accessories, they are used automatically. At the start of most battles, a weapon is randomly chosen. Most of the weapons are innocuous; you can fight with liquid soap, paper airplanes, toilet paper, chopsticks, all sorts of odds and ends. The weapons have different effects, and it influences the luck. If a strong character picks a sucky weapon, even a weak character could still win. There are also certain weapons only certain characters can use. In fights between the Little Busters, whoever loses receives a title by the victor. Titles are chosen randomly, even if you win a fight. Then again, if I was Riki, and I could give whatever title I want, I imagine my friends would receive the following titles:

Kyousuke = Light Yagami's Inferior Clone Brother.

Kengo = Failed Tsukkomi.

Rin = Stereotypical Tsundere.

Masato = Moronic Jockstrap.

Komari = Useless Moeblob.

Yuiko = Girl Who Failed the Mai Kawasumi Audition.

Haruka = Air-Headed Rulebreaker.

Kud = Dog of the Loli Brigade.

Mio = Rei Ayanami/Ruri Hoshino Ripoff.

But like I said, I actually like most of these characters, so it's just a joke on my part. Now, we get to the most important part, the thing I like most about Key's products, the characterization. First, let's get the obvious out of the way. There is only one reason I was initially interested in Little Busters. Here is that reason now.

She looks so pitiful, I want to take her home with me! And I'm not alone, either! On the tvtropes page, it says this!

"Moe: Admit it, you want Kudryavka."

YES! But yeah, most of these characters are very likable. Kyousuke is a diabolical mastermind, Masato is an idiot jock who's awesome, Kengo is a smart jock who's awesome, Rin is a tsundere who's also moe and quite complex, Kud is cute and moe, Haruka is cute without being moe, Yuiko has a twisted sense of humor, Mio is a lot like Rei Ayanami, (she even has short blue hair and a voice uncannily similar to Megumi Hayashibara's!) albeit with some emotional display. The only character I don't like so far is Komari. She's moe . . . and not really that cute. She's a character that reminds me why some fans hate moe.

And guess who's route I'm starting with?

"Oh why oh why did I choose the moeblob!?"

Though to Komari's credit, there is a hilarious sequence with her and Yuiko. On my next playthrough, I'll probably go with either Rin, Haruka, or Kud. So many choices.

This isn't the Ecstasy edition, and as such, there are three less routes. However, there's no smut, and less sexual fanservice in my edition, so I guess it balances out. As of right now, I wouldn't say LB is as good as Clannad, but it certainly has more stuff than Planetarian. Expect more articles in the future.

Next time! I won't have to pointlessly introduce Little Busters, so I can just ramble on about it like I normally do! Oh what fun!

XM Heritage Week: Epilogue

It's funny I was able to write all of these articles, seeing as how most people who have met me in real life assume I'm an alien from another planet. A shame I can't talk about the Orion solar systems.

Of course, in the background, I have been working on my next article for the last week. An entire week devoted to just one article. It won't get uploaded until sometime tomorrow, but it is a subject I'm fond of, and I will most likely (read: 100% certain) continue to write more articles about in the near future.

Then again, really obsessive (read: creepy stalkers types) may be able to find out what my next article will be about already.

Oh, also, I'm thinking about revising a self-imposed rule of mine. Normally, I don't print the names of people I feel don't deserve anymore notoriety. I've already broken that rule a few times on special occasions. I'm thinking about chucking that rule out entirely. I just now gotta find a way of talking about famous people without sounding like a troll.

I suppose once I'm done rambling about whatever it is I'm done rambling about, I will then decide whether or not to keep this rule. Until then, you may await tomorrow with anticipation.

(Watch; tomorrow, my readers skim my masterpiece article, and then say, "What? This shit again!? That's it, I'm going back to /b/!)

XM Heritage Week: Brothers From Other Mothers

And now we get to cultures I have a connection with, even if I'm not blood-related.

First off, if that article about the peoples of the British Isles having the same ancestry is not true, then that would mean I'm not Irish, even though I feel a connection to Ireland. How's that? My step-grandfather was Irish. And when I say that, I don't mean Irish-American; we was from Ireland. His family came to America, lived in New York City for a while, ended up in California. You know Irish folktales, like the leprechauns, and the pots of gold at the end of rainbows? He taught me that as a kid. And being the Santa-worshiping child I was, I believed him. Also, one of my favorite teachers of all time was from Ireland. But now Scotland. What's not to love about Scotland? Golf, bagpipes, Sean Connery . . . funny enough, my brother loves the Scots. Then again, one of his favorite movies of all time is Braveheart, so I understand. It's like I'm the Irish half, and he's the Scottish half.

And here's another connection. America borders Mexico. Mexico was a colony of Spain. The Spanish, like the French, love cooking. The Mexicans are the same in that regard. Hence, I love Mexican food. (I think I committed a logic fail just now.) But it's true, though! There are great Mexican restaurants in town, and I appreciate that! And guess what? The Italians also love cooking, and as such, I too love Italian food! My favorite restaurant in my hometown is an Italian restaurant. You see, there's more to Mexican culture than Desperado, and there's more to Italian culture than, "I knew it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."

But the biggest connection I have to the world where I have no actual lineage would be Asia. Consider this; my best friend from high school was a boy from the Middle East, and my best friend from college was a woman from the Far East. Yeah, I know, two distinct cultural regions, but they're technically a part of the same continent. It would seem I get along with people from the Orient better than I can people born and raised in my home country. And my fascination with Japanese-made games and manga speaks for itself.

I suppose this isn't unusual, though. My dad loves African-American culture of the 1960s and 1970s, my mom loves East Asian cultures, one of my uncles loves the culture of India. (Dude, you need to see Slumdog Millionaire if you haven't!) It's not that we think these places are better, just fascinating, that's all.

I don't know what else to put on here, since writing about all of this is finally making me drained. The epilogue tomorrow will be short, but the article after that, once I get back to my usual material . . .

XM Heritage Week: Hey, someone has to keep the bison in check

You wouldn't know it from looking at me, but I'm 1/32nd Cherokee.

I only learned this a few years ago. Even now, it seems hard to believe. I don't anything like someone from the Cherokee nation. And my blood is so diluted, I don't see how I could make a connection.

But I did.

I have a hard time remembering the names of streets. I truly do. This is why I don't work as a deliveryman. And yet, when I go somewhere, I never get lost, so long as I'm in my hometown. How is that? Simple, I navigate by what I see. Tell me to go to the bookstore, and I'll know I can get there by turning left at the school, turning right at the drugstore, and keep going until I see a sign advertising a sporting store. What does this have to do with the American Indians?

In olden times, long before there were any street names to memorize in North America, the Native Americans, including the Cherokee, navigated by by they saw; by landmarks. Go straight to the pond, then head to where the sun sets until you see a lone tree, and then you will be in prime hunting grounds. Or prime gathering grounds, depending on where you were. The Indians did not need GPS and Google Map to travel, for all they needed was the environment, and the same is true with me.

One of my favorite writers is Sherman Alexie, the Native American poet, novelist, and all-around wordsmith. I've read a short story of his, as well as part of an autobiography. Not only are his works great to read, they are also brimming with humor. Despite the stereotypes of yore, the Native Americans are not always stoic. Indeed, they have a sense of humor like anyone else, and the people I've met in real life with more Indian blood than me can attest to this.

Also, one of my favorite movies of all time is Little Big Man. That's a good movie.

I don't have much else to say, since like I said, this is a minor part of my background, but it's there. Tomorrow, I will cover other cultural connections I have. Then, the epilogue. And then, my usual logging schedule.

XM heritage Week: Tut Suite!

I have people, mostly on my dad's side, but a little on my mom's side too, who originally came from France.

Now, I'm mostly German. What's a stereotypical appearance for a German? Tall, chiseled, hugely muscular, blonde hair and blue eyes? Think Major Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist basically. Do I look anything like him? Except for my blue . . . ish eyes, I don't. At all. The people I have met who can distinguish between Caucasian races usually guess that I'm French, and they are right, at least partially. I resemble a Frenchmen more than anything else.

But let's get one thing straight right now; I am not a player. You'd think if I was part French, I would be, but I'm not. Yes, I am a romantic, but I've never made women swoon from my charm. Hell, the only girls who have ever hit on me were sex-obsessed high school girls desperate for anyone, including someone like me. Pity for them, I actually have standards.

But there is one cultural trait I have. I loooooooooooove cheese. I love the taste of cheese. I love Kraft cheese slices. I love Pepper Jack cheese. I love Swiss cheese. I love Mozzarella cheese. I love macaroni and cheese. I love hamburger helper with cheese. I love cheeseburgers I love melted cheese. I love un-melted cheese. Though, to be honest, I think I would still be a fan of cheese even if I was desended from the French, but this does tie in to something else.

The French, much like the Spanish and the Italians, take a lot of pride in cooking. So do I. My mom and dad are experts chefs, and I have trained in their tutelage (somewhat) to succeed them. I am nowhere near their level, but unlike most other people my age, I don't order a pizza (with cheese!) or fast food every evening. I will still have those things every now and then, but when I can, I will make my own meals, and I will savor them. There are health benefits to cooking meals at home, and nothing beats a meal that has simmered for a long time when compared to something hastily prepared. (Oh boy, there's that desire for quality over quantity again.)

However, there's something that bugs me. It's that trope "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys." First of all, that only happened twice; during the Franco-Prussian of 1870 to 1871, and during World War II. Bear in mind, in WWII, no one had anticipated that Germany's army would be as huge as it was. And even after Germany took over, many resistance cells sprung up, fighting back against the Nazis however they could, hence the phrase, "La Resistance." Also note the famous ending of Casablanca. France put up a tough front during World War I, despite going up against Germany (whose army was larger than France's back then also) AND the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the same time. Remember, France was once the most powerful nation in the world, the French Foreign Legion once commanded a lot of fear and respect, and even today, it would be a bad idea to pick a fight with the French military.

And lastly, I don't get the French Jerk stereotype. I know people who have been to Paris, and none of them said they had any trouble with the locals. Hmm, maybe in a different time, and maybe a different place, some French people may have been arrogant, but I don't see it. I'm not arrogant . . . most of the time, and neither is most of my family.

I got one last part of my ethnicity to cover, then I will get to other cultural connections I have, then an epilogue.