Monday, February 27, 2006

"I only know two phrases in Italian: 'I am a lesbian,' and 'You have an ugly face.'"
First off, a comic Katana made that I think is cute.

Second, you can search for videos, among other things, on Google! *is currently searching Christian Bale*

Olympics related prattle FINAL part:

Me: Mom, look! It's Ricky Martin... for some reason.
Mom: You're kidding, right?

-several minutes later-

Mom: And he performed TWO songs? He must have bribed the government.

The Closing Ceremonies. It was kind of like Mardi Gras, wasn't it?

EDIT: Almost forgot to mention that I had a dream involving Shaun White a couple nights back. That's kind of scary, you guys.
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Friday, February 24, 2006

she's being constricted by a Mistake that won't go away
Olympics related prattle Part III: Watching the figure skating exhibition. My mother is insisting that the men be "half-naked, just like the women." I agree completely.

If all goes according to plan, I'll be seeing Johnny Weir in person during spring break. (I think I like him too much.)

And come the first weekend of May, I may see Katana in person as well. :D

Random Honey and Clover screencap ahead. I call this one "Post-Frat Party Fun."



EDIT: Arakawa's pretty. :D
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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

for the first time in my life i heard the sound of someone's heart being crushed
Note: No angry rant in this post. (Sadly?)

The titles of my last couple posts, this one included, all came from Honey and Clover. In fact, I think all of my post titles from now on will come from H&C because the script is just THAT awesome.

And I got the most awesome idea for an article yesterday. It's an analysis, of course, but it strays from my usual work. This one will focus more on theme than character interpretation, which will probably be a bitch to write, but hey.

Anyway, earlier today I went to the dentist to get the monthly adjustments on my braces, and she has me on rubber bands now. I hate it already. On a positive note, this is probably a sign that this whole braces thing will be over soon, right? ...Right?

Somewhat Olympics related prattle: I need to get ahold of the songs the women figure skaters were performing to last night. Seriously, that's good stuff. *dork*
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Sunday, February 19, 2006

and i keep blinking, like snapping the shutter of a camera, wishing to imprint this moment somewhere in my heart
Long rant on a HUGE peeve of mine: It seems that after losing his chance to medal, Johnny Weir recieved a lot of bad press. It's to be expected, all things considered, but I can't help feeling upset over it. Of course, I've stumbled upon similar situations in the past, but this case in particular bothers me.

First off, I'm not the type of person to get even slightly annoyed when, say, others mistake anime for being solely hentai. In most cases, it's a simple misconception on the part of the author. There's no malice in their words, just bad research, and while others may be annoyed by the incompetence of others, I'm likely to find it humorous more than anything. Even when certain people use anime/video games as a scapegoat for the cause of the problems of today's youth, again, it's more misconception and ignorance than blatant defamation.

When journalists, however, purposefully villainize someone, it pisses me off. And even then, the target is normally either:

A) ...someone who did something so stupid that they, to a certain extent, had it coming, or
B) ...so famous/respected that a bit of bad press would do little to hurt their fanbase.

In the case of Weir, he is neither an A-list celebrity nor is his situation terribly unique. He's an outspoken kid, who was hyped up by the press following his short program. Then, for whatever reason, he screwed up his free skate, which triggered an explosion of misquoting and outrageous accusations on Weir's personality and its affect on his abilities. (And it's not as if most journalists know jackshit about the technicalities of skating, which raises the what-the-fuck-o-meter to even greater heights.) All throughout, Weir seemed to handle himself maturely, unlike the majority of the goddamn journalists who wrote on the issue.

It's not that I pity Weir, since anyone who's opinionated, flamboyant, and even somewhat famous will need to deal with this situation at one point in their lives.

I'm just angered that writers, of all people, would so readily destroy a person's reputation just to garner readers or add "spice" to their writing. I'd expect this from tabloid articles and radical Christian fundamentalists, but reporters from respectable news sources? It's sick, it's pathetic, and it's just plain disappointing.
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Saturday, February 18, 2006

sore wa [Waltz] no you da ne - fushigi sa
Got more discs of anime from my sister. According to the little list, there's:

- Grenadier
- Planetes (WOOHOO.)
- Ah! My Goddess
- Naruto Movie (Now I, too, can see Saucekay looking like a poof.)

Though, I still have GitS:SAC and Azumanga Daioh to watch, as well as Honey and Clover to finish.

I've watched six episodes of Honey and Clover, and I must say, it's quite refreshing to see a shoujo anime that isn't totally over-dramatized. It's difficult to describe the tone of the series in only a few words, so I'll just say this; while the characters certainly have their hardships, that's life, and they simply accept it.

Besides, it's a slice-of-life show that doesn't focus on high school kids or prepubescent 12-year olds, and that in itself makes it worth watching.

All that aside, I finished both Rose of Versailles and Mai-HiME. I planned on writing about them in length, but I think it can all be summarized in this:

Mai-HiME episode 20 = :(
PO'd!Mai & psychotic!Shizuru = :D
Overall ending of RoV = needs more Marie Antoinette
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Thursday, February 16, 2006

"...more of a vodka shot, let's-snort-coke kind of program."
First off, I went journal stalking, and found the funniest Saucekay-related post I've seen in a long, long time.

And it's been a while since I last icon spammed, so here's something else I lifted off of biz's journal:



Olympics-related prattle Part II: I LIKE JOHNNY WEIR, EHEHEHEHE.

While I'm sure there are those who think his persona is annoyingly flashy, I love sarcastic, outspoken eccentrics, both in fiction and in real-life. Plus, he's a fan of Adrien Brody and Cate Blanchett! OMG I'M IN LOVE.

So, erm, yeah. Sorry for that bit of depraved fangirling. XD

Last but not least, I discovered via YouTube videos that Wang Leehom is in Torino and kicking it with his multilingual rapping!

EDIT: Johnny Weir special tonight on NBC's Olympic Zone! *flails!*

EDIT #2: Just saw the free skate and... ouch. Ah well, I still love him. XD
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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

there will be love there ~Ai no Aru Basho~
My remade profile is dedicated to the incredibly poignant last scene of episode 36 in Rose of Versailles.

I've watched more of Mai-HiME, and dang, that was a NICE twist. (You know, that twist.) Very well-timed. The following episodes are sure to be interesting, to say the least.

Though, it's gotten to the point where Mai makes me want to headdesk every other episode. She spends so much time pitying herself that I just want to yell, "Get OVER it, already!"

At least Akira-kun's awesomeness balances things out a bit. XD

Also, I just got the newest edition of Tokyopop's manga magazine, and there's a preview for Loveless! There's even a few Loveless themed Valentine's Day cards! *hoards!*
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Sunday, February 12, 2006

in which Bell abuses the strike function
I was planning to go to Borders and buy Loveless vol. 1, but my laziness the cold weather kicked in. So, I ended up watching anime for most of my afternoon.

I'm on episode 30 of Rose of Versailles, and I must say, the recent developments are quite intriguing. I've noticed that following the Affair of the Necklace arc, the focus gradually shifted from the aristocrats to the commoners, so Oscar's recent change in position is rather fitting. On the other hand, the issue involving Gerodere is a little contrived, in my opinion, but that can be easily overlooked.

A few days back, my sister gave me burned DVD-R's of Azumanga Daioh and Mai-HiME. I've watched the first ten episodes of HiME, and though it's not the type of show I normally watch, I'm enjoying it immensely.

Olympic-related prattle: Half-pipe snowboarding and speed skating are great fun. Shaun White especially made such an awesome comeback, and his last run was a joy to watch.

And how about that Anton Ohno not making it to the finals? What a disappointment considering how HAWT he is.
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Friday, February 10, 2006

et si tu me quittais demain je serais toujours la
Wasn't planning to post today, but this was too priceless to delay. Death Note fandom crack!

MATSUDA x SOICHIRO doujin

Oh, Death Eyes community, how I love thee.

And while I'm at it, here's a French song from Gankutsuou that took me an hour to find.

[/spam]

EDIT: Holy crap, I had NO idea that the Olympics already started. I'm so out of the loop. :(
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Thursday, February 9, 2006

but i was born with a destiny of roses
One thing that has been bothering for a while now is anime fans' rather liberal use of the word classic.

Most fans seem to forget that a large majority of the American anime fandom have only been exposed to series created in the past ten or so years; there are decades of anime that have completely missed our radar. All things considered, it's a bit presumptuous of us to hail our favorites as "classics of the genre" when the American fandom as a whole is ignorant of older series.

Case in point, a poll was published a couple years back asking the Japanese public which anime series they considered to be true classics. On that poll, Evangelion came in #77, whereas in the American fandom, it would most likely place in the top ten.

All I ask is for other fans to be a little more considerate when praising certain series. Just because someone has been a fan for years does not at all imply that they know everything about anime, and just because a large number of fans agree with a person's views doesn't necessarily mean that they're true.

[/rant]

On a somewhat related note, I've begun watching Rose of Versailles. It's nifty. From what I can tell, the writers did a good job of accurately portraying historical events without sugar-coating, while also adding their own plotlines on the side.

Despite their many faults, Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI are endearing. The French Revolution will be a sad thing to watch. As for background characters, I think the phrase "absolute power corrupts absolutely" is quite fitting a description.
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