Tuesday, November 4, 2003

Sigh...
College stuff sucks. Searching for scholarships sucks. Having to look into schools I don't want to go to sucks. the whole process sucks.

Being prepared for a big honkin' Microeconomics test, on the other hand, kicks arse. Having to create a work scheduale for a customer support center sucks, though. As does monitoring weather patterns.

Going to Astronomey next semester will rock, but AP tests at the end of the year will suck. (Spending six hours testing in the same day will most surely suck.)

Not understanding the ending of the Big O sucks. Bandit's RPG does not suck; it's quite fun. Girl problems suck.

Not being able to blow cash on toys anymore sucks. Armada Tidal Wave looks like he rocks. Not being able to get him sucks. The Decepticons rock. Rad sucks.

Mark Miller's new Spider-Man book looks like it will rock. For the desecration of Amazing 500, JMS still sucks.

I think that's all.

Thought of the moment: Not being able to update my site like I wanted sucks...

Quote of the moment: "Oh, puppy Googoo, fetch me a dream!" -Milhouse, "THe sImpsons"
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Sunday, November 2, 2003

Reviews
I'm pressed for time, so this'll be short. Sorry to my loyal fans. =)

Comics:

Shonen Jump: Dang it, this whole issue is a cliffhanger!! DBZ: Piccolo's about to fight 17! YGO: There's a serial killer in the basement! SK: Amidamaru v. a possessed Ryu! Naruto: Ninja showdown!! YYH: Well...okay, not so much there...but still!!

Venom #7: Venom's going to lay some smack down on Wolverine, baby. Place your bets! This was a solid issue, but I'm getting a little confused with the various people after Venom; are we ever going to find out what's up with them?

Ultimate Spider-Man vol 7: Irresponsible: After loosing his costume in his showdown with Venom, Pete's not looking too snazy. But, good things keep happening to him: MJ gets back together, he gets to meet the X-Men, and he sets a foreign exchange student back on the right path.

The best part, though, is Aunt May's therapy session. Excellent writing.

Shows:

Smallville: This was one of the better episodes. Perry White proceeded to piss off the whole town, then comes to the conclusion that maybe Clark ain't as super as he thought. I used to lament the loss of "freaks of the week", but if they keep putting out nice episodes like this, I'll get over it.

Angel: This episode was just fun. =) I loved Spike's line: "Hey! Angel's gettin' some! Good on you, mate!"

Friends: Pheobe's engaged?! No! If she gets married, she'll never end up with Joey!! I always wanted Pheobe and Joey! Noooooo!!!!

Scrubs: Aw, cripes, Elliot, dump the fish guy! And, Janitor man, stop breaking things with bats! Sure, it didn't go the way I wanted, but it was still a solid episode.

Anime:

Yu-Gi-Oh: The conclusion to the Yami Marik/Yami Bakura duel kicked serious arse. Seriously, the best ep of Yu-Gi-Oh I've seen in a while. It actually made Kaiba seem like slightly less of a jerk, what with his patrental issues. Minor gripe: What was wrong with "Alkatraz"?

Jackie Chan: While I love having Valmont in an episode, Im' a wee bit confused. Didn't Tarokudo say that Jade would become Queen of the shadowcon, because of her use of Dark Magic? Should'nt that have been followed up?

Other than that, nice job.

Enter The shadow Realm: The new intro rocks!! They finally got rid of Exodia in the background! I mean, Yugi hasn't used him since, what, the first episode? This ep was pretty routine, (stun blasters? Yeah, right!), but it was just setting things up for what's to come.

This is interesting, because I know what happens in the manga, but b/c this isn't based on the manga, I have no idea what to expect. Which is good! (I've decided to ignore the huge inaccuracy in the title of this season.)

Sonic X: Routine episode, but we got to see Ami and butler guy kick butt! Nice.

Shaman King: "Go Tray Racer! Go!" Ehh...not really a lot happened, except for a new character. I'm waiting for the next episode, with Ryo and the lizard guy!

Ninja Turtles: Aliens!! And Seinfeld references! And multi-part stories that aren't needlessly padded. We have a winner!!

Thought of the moment: I want Tidal Wave. And I may not be able to keep up with the YGO card game anymore...

Quote of the moment: "Anyway, you killed me, I'm still mad, and if you move, the boy dies!" - Tokagero, "Shaman King"
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Tuesday, October 28, 2003

   My last TF rant for a bit...promise...
Tonight, on the first (hopefully) regular installment of "No Life", my Geek column, I'm going to look over that great line, those robots in disguise, the Transformers! Yay!

Specifically, i'm going to post what I thought to be the best of the line, from 1996 (the beginning of Beast Wars) onward. Were there Transformers before 1996? You betcha'. Do i know anything about them or care at all? Nope.

My criteria is simply what I thought was cool, and cheap. Iv'e decided to only consider Deluxe and Basic toys in this assessment; nowadays, I dopn't have the cash to blow on $15+ TF's. Not to say that a lot of them are'nt good (any BW Megatron is worth the cash), but I have to have a criteria.

Oh, and I'm also a decepticon booster, so my choices may be slanted in that direction. ^^;

1996:

Optimus Primal v. Megatron 2-pack: Who does'nt love 2-packs? I mean, they're awesome! Granted, Ops is a lil' bat and Megs is a gator, but hey, it's all fun! Oh, and a free little comic thingee! Bliss! Of the two, Megatron is deinatly the better toy, with a big frickin' gun (in proportion to the figure, anyways.)

Dinobot: The best deluxe figure from the first year, and also one of my favorite characters. We all saw Jurassic Park; he's a velociraptor that can whip out a sword and lay somew smak down. What's not to love?

Insectacon: The best small-sized toy of the first year, Insectacon is a beetle with a crossbow. Sure, that doesn't make sense, but I played with the little bugger for hours. He'd eat the Bettleborgs for breakfast.

1997

Lazorbeak: A repaint of Terrorsaur, Lazorbeak has better colors, IMO, as well as still being a cool pterodactyl.

Powerpinch: the second most original beast form, (the first was Retrax the rollie-pollie bug), Powerpinch is an earwig. the difference between him and Retrax is that Retrax sucked, and Powerpinch is really nifty.

Jetstorm: Before there was Jetstorm, there was Jetstorm!! This guy is a dragonfly that had tiny missile and shot water. Toys that shoot water own, especially if they're big orange bug things.

Razorclaw: There are twoversions of RC: the original, and a repaint packaged with a video. I prefer the video version, because the colors are cooler.

Yes, I'm aware all of the top toys this year were Predacons; is it my fault that they're cool?

(Solo: There was no UK Razorclaw video recolor; ya'll accross the pond got video recolors of Claw Jaw and Spittor, as I'm told.)

1998 (The single biggest year.)(Transmetals/Fuzors)

Transmetal Cheetor: My fave BW Cheetor, this guys had a fricki'n awesome cat mode. And hover-jets! The robot mode was'nt perfect, but it was darmn near close.

Transmetal Rattrap: My fave Rattrap toy, he's got the most functional third mode; his dragster actually rolls! Wish he came with a gun, but you can't have everything.

Transmetal Terrorsaur: Rather than rant about this guy, I'll just count how many times he's been recolored in the US: twice within four years. There's someone out there with a whole fleet of Terrorsaur varients...

Silverbolt: It's Silverbolt, and he's not purple/neon green! 'Nuff said.

Sky Shadow: A dragonfly/iguana fuzor, this guy's downright underappreciated. He has no "kibble" in his beast mode, and has two different attack features in robot mode. Oh, and his tech-spech character is very cool.

Quickstrike: Cobra? Cool. Scorpion? Cool. Water squiting toys? Cool. All three together? Very cool.

Terrorgator: This guy could have been a normal turtle TF, but the fact that he's a turtle/alligator TF raises his coolness factor. He's one of the few Preds to carry a shield; Waspinator could learn from him.

1999 (TRansmetal II)

Transmetal II Dinobot: It's a cybernetic velociraptor!! They took the most deadly killing machine in history and made it a cyborg! Yay! (There was a white varient released later, which is much better).

Scarem: I like to think of him as TMII Insectacon. he's one of the few bug bots that can stand on his own legs.

Transmetal II Spittor: Later known as "Slapper" in RiD, I prefer the original. He can beat the crap out of you with his tounge...

Stinkbomb: A skunk transformer....and a darn good one. Later known as Stinkor, the original is always best.

Jawbreaker: A hyena; you only had to say "hyena", and I'm sold. A hyena with a jagged sword bigger than he is? Im' sold twice. tHey should have kept the original name of "Cackle", though.

2000 (Beast Machines)

Blackarachnia: The best deluxe Macimal released this year, and the most show-accurate.

Obsidian: I love this guy. He's not much like Obsidian on the show (who I also love), but he's so cool...

Night Viper: Maximal cobra. Best basic BM Maximal. He's got fangs! Yay!

Sonic Attack Jet: A repaint of Jetstorm who looks more like TV Jetstorm than the first Jetstorm. Follow me? This release also fixed the bugs in the first Jetstorm.

2001 (BM: Battle For the Spark/Robots in Disguise)

Night Slash Cheetor: If they'd just made it the original Cheetor's colors, this toy would have been the best Cheetor ever. As it is, it's still very nice.

Stryka: The only girl Vehicon, and a nice ATV thingee.

Motorcycle Drone: Similar to Jetstorm, this dude is more like Thrust than Thrust.

Spy Streak: A Vehicon bomber who would have been kick-arse on the show.

2002 (Robots in Disguise/Armada)

Megatron Megabolt: This was supposed to be released in BM, but wasn't. It's also the only toy on the list for this years, which gives you an idea of how much RiD thrilled me. The show was okay, but the toys put me to sleep. Ditto to the original wave of Armada.

2003 (Armada: Unicron Battles)

Thrust: Jets are generally cool, and this guy reminds me a lot of Obsidian, as well as Jetstorm.

Wheeljack: A black sports car who sliced through his Autobot symbol and became a Decepticon? He's in. >:)

Well, i'm tired of typing. Here's to 2004!!

Thought of the Moment: Who'd win in a fight, Jetstorm or Jetstorm? Definatly Jetstorm...

Quote of the Moment: "I'll keep fighting for every spark on Cybertron...even yours!" Cheetor to Thrust, "Beast Machines: Endgame"
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Sunday, October 26, 2003

   It's that special time again!
Time for....reveiws! Wh00t!!

Today, I'm going to do something a little different, and review as much material as I have. The following is basically all the TV I watch all week.

Smallville: Ah, Smallville. What can I say about it this week? Fairly pedestrian, and pretty predictable, although I loved that dawning moment of realization Clark had in the truck: "Wait...if I'm seeing you right now...I must be sleeping..." *Crash*

What was so above average was the soundtrack. REM rocks!!

Angel: Ah, the show I watch even though the title character puts me to sleep. I can't believe there was a nudity warning, and the nudity was Spike's! Gah!

On the whole, a good episode; glad we got that whole "going to Hell" thing cleared up; you know how having that hanging around can screw up a place's atmosphere.

Friends: Oh my God...Friends was actually funny! Wow! It's been mediocre for so long, but this episode reminded me why I liked the show in the first place. Everyone was in character, no one overshadowed anyone else, and the part with Joey's gift to Emma was kind of sweet. And the cake thing was just..odd.

Scrubs: I continue to love this show. If you don't watch this show, watch it. "Hey, why don't you just paint over it?"

South Park: The Queer Eye guys are Lobster People? It's odd, but that just makes so much sense to me....

Yu-Gi-Oh: It's a little too late to make Marik a sympathetic character. So he was a sweet kid? So what? You know who else was a sweet kid? Mai! And she's in the Shadow Realm!

However, any duel with Yami Bakura is cool. You'd think he'd be a little more concerned that he was going to pieces on us, but hey, he has a plan. Doubt it will work, though.

Anyone else notice that Yami Bakura is quickly shaping up to be *the* evil guy in YGO? I mean, he takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'! Betcha' after Yami Marik's gone, it's Yami Bakura that threatens the world. We don't even know his story. Potential...

Jackie-Chan Adventures: i'm actually surprised that they got away with Diablo saying he would cut off Jade's face. I mean, he did'nt say it, but it was implied.

Terokudo as the "Great Pumpkin" was unexpected and a bit hilarious.

X-Men: Evolution: Is this supposed to be the last episode? It had a 'last episode' feel, what with Prof. X's visions at the end.

Anyone notice that they didn't actually fight Apocalypse? They just shut him down before he succeeded. You know they could'nt beat him mano y mano. Interesting...

Sonic X: I was a bit ready to give up on this series if this week's episode was as pointless as the last two. I mean, last week, *nothing happened at all!!*

But this week everything was ooookay. Tails did some stuff instead of just getting captured, and Sonic blew something up by running around inside of it really fast. Yay!

Still no Shadow, though...

Shaman King: I continue to be impressed with this show, but today's episode left me hanging. Specifically, what was up with Jenny's...well, I'm not sure what it was. And how could she beat Bailong but be destroyed by Yoh when Bailong kicked Yoh's arse? And why didn't Bailong shatter into dust when he was on the ropes? I don't think Jenny's fighter is the same kind of Doushi that Bailong is...a little explanation would have been nice.

other than leaving us in the dark (intentionally?), this was a good episode. Ryo had a lot of good moments.

Ninja Turtles: Hey, a multiparter that actually feels like it isnt' padded for time! Sadly, it does feel like last week's episode was just filler, as it was'nt even mentioned. Ah, well.

I loved Casey as the "Crazy raving guy", and I'm quite interested in whatever's up with this crazy coorporate place. A solid episode.

No comics this week that weren't covered earlier....

Thought of the moment: I'm showing my sister "Trigun"...let the indoctrination begin!

Quote of the moment: "Never Knows Best"- the enigmatic label on Mamimi's ciggarettes in "Furi Kuri"
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Thursday, October 23, 2003

Marv-El-Oh
Upperdeck, the company that releases Yu-Gi-Oh both stateside and across the pond, is going to begin production of a new card game, The Marvel CCG.

As a comic fan, his strike me as good news. the gameplay seems similar to Yu-Gi-Oh, but that's okay; I like Yu-Gi-Oj.

The problems: They're using my least favorite part of the YGO game: the rarity system. Yup, Super & Ultra rares of the most popular cards. Dang it.

Oh, and their first expansion is X-Men themed. (Their first expansion should so totally be Spider-Man themed! Am I right?)

Either way, it'll be cool to be on the ground floor of a CCG. =)

Thought of the moment: Trans-Tech...the Transfomers that never were...

Quote of the Moment: "When you're rich, you're not crazy; you're ecentric." -Lionel Luthor, "Smallville"
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Wednesday, October 22, 2003

   Disappointment so great....
I am so, so peeved at J. Michael Stracyzynski...I'll explain why.

JMS is the current writer of "The Amazing Spider-Man", the wall-crawler's first and longest-running comic. It's been ongoing since 1964.

Now, most of you know I'm big into Spider-Man; beemn a fan since ish 407. (My first ish of Amazing, in late '95). As such, there's no way I'd miss out on something as big as the 5ooth issue of "Amazing".

(Quick math lesson: publishing 12 issues every year, it takes two + years to get to 25, then 4+ to get to 50, then 8+ years to get to 100. Ergo, to get to 500, Spidey's been in publication 40+ years.)

Anyway, JMS, given his shot at the 500th issue, proceeds to do something totally unforgivable:

He's boring.

The double-sized 500th issue was completely and totally dull. The story was fine, but there was absolutly no drama at all. The artwork was great, but the plot was so trite. The only nice part was the end, but the gimmick had been used before. (In the last ep. of the '90's cartoon).

JMS was a pretty decent writer, but this is just ridiculous. 100th issues deserve to have some sort of dramatic twist, or something important happen in them.

With the exception of #100, every 100 issues so far were landmarks. (Stan Lee was burnt out on the title by ish #100, which was why it wasn't really up to snuff.)

#200: Peter confronts the Burglar who shot his Uncle Ben. (In the original comics, the Burglar didn't die, as he did in the movie.)

#300: First Venom, as well as Pete moving into an apartment with his new wife, Mary Jane. asso, Pete ditches the black costume and returns to the classic red-n-blues.

#400: The death of Aunt May. (Since undone...don't ask.)

#500: Uhhh....a clip-show, basically. Not even a really good one; the flashbacks are innaccurate to the original comics.)

So, so much wasted potential. At least the art was nice. *Sighs*

Thought of the moment: Venom #6, on the other hand, was very good.

Quote of the moment: "I know you've got one good scream in you." -Venom, "Venom #6"
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   Big Changes A' Comin'
Well, I've decied to change the way I run this blog. I'm going to possibly add three regular columns, in order to get more me-content to all five people who come here.

"My Life:" Naturally, a regular update/expose on the happenings of my life. You will come to know personally the maddness that is DeathBug.

"Real Life": My opinion on actual issues that matter. Because current issues cause arguments, and perspective isn't gained until several months after an event takes place, most of these issues will be several months old, so that they may be looked at objectively.

"No Life": My rant on geek things, like comics, games, anime & manga.

"PQHS": My quiz results. :)

Of course, my weekend psudeo-reviews of important stuff will remain. =)

I'll be playin' around with various parts of the site. Stay tuned.

Thought of the moment: Font colors! Which one is best?!

Quote of the moment: "My lack of skill in the botanical arts is irrelevant." -Pleakly, "Lilo & Stich: The Series"
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Sunday, October 19, 2003

   Ah...June....
Well, nothin' but reviews today, folks...

Sonic X: Two words: Borrrr-innngg. There wasn't even a conflict. At least it only gets better from here.

Shaman King: Now *this* is some good stuff! Li Bailong must be a real man; I mean, he beats up on little kids, teenage girls and old men. :P It was an interesting diversion from the manga to see Ryu (but what's with his accent?), and I continue to be in love with June.

Ninja Turtles: You know, they really shouldn't throw filler episodes with such large plot threads dangling in the air. That'd make them....well, X-Men: Evo. Like most filler, it was predictable, and pleasant, but I'm still waiting for them to start the search for Splinter.

I've also decided that Sonic X has the best theme music, but Ninja Turtles and Shaman King have really annoying music. What can you do?

Thought of the moment: Obsidion pwns you.

Quote of the moment: "I will kill you when I am positive that you will remain dead." -Seth, "Digimon: Cursed" RPG
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Saturday, October 18, 2003

Bug Biz
Well, I gots lots 'a stuff to cover today, so let's get right into it!

First, a rant: I don't know why, but every single time I venture into the "General Discussion" part of any message board, all I see is nastiness. Only the most mundane oif topics don't end in horrible arguments.

To that end, I've decided not to go into such areas anymore, even at otakuboards. It only ends badly.

Oh, and good news! One of my RPG buddies, psycho_rayne, (player of such characters as the psychotic-yet-tragic cathrine, the young Terumi and the sweet & perky Megan, as well as a dozen others), is getting married. Yay! I'm happy for her. ^_^

One of my new loves is the online comic strip, "Player vs. Player"< about the antics of the employees of a video game mag. To check it out, go here: www.pvponline.com .

Friday, we were off, so I went to the mall. I don't know why I went to the mall alone; it always bums me out. I did buy manga, though; I got Excel Saga vol. 1, and The All New Tenchi Muyo vol. 2.

This was my first encounter with Excel Saga, but I'd heard of it. I firmly believed that nothing would be wierder than Furi Kuri (FLCL), and I was right. Excel was pretty close, though.

Now...reviews...

The All-New Tenchi Muyo! vol 2: Another solid volume of Tenchi fun. As usual, Sasami and Ryo-Oki remain cute but not obnoxiously so, Tenchi is bland as a...really bland thing, and the rest of the cast is quirky.

The highlights were Mihoshi's adventures at the bank, and the arrival of Dark Washu.

It should be noted that this volume has a very, very risque cover featuring Ryoko.

Excel Saga vol 1: This is exactly the kind of thing I like: an incompetant organization beant on global domination. Really, what's not to love? Excel is eager but not annyoing, and the fact that we get to hear Mince's thoughts is a plus. Hyatt is the Kenny of the manga world, and Lord Il Palazzo...is just kinda' odd. Good stuff, kiddies.

No comics this week, but cartoons!!

Yu-Gi-Oh: I swear, I wanted Kaiba to have his arse handed to him. Really. The only reason he even beat Ishizu was because he acted in a very un-Kaiba manner. The guy's just a jerk!

He basically said he was stealing Obelisk, and constantly put Ishizu down; you'd think that even *he* would be a little greatful to the person who gave him his God card. Ugh.

On another note, I still continue to see no reason why we should feel any sympathy for Hikari Marik. Oh, you're begging Ishizu for help? Gee, what about when Arkana and Rare Hunter and the others begged for help?

Despite my personal pet peeves, a very solid block. ^_^

Jackie-Chan Adventures: Re-run

X-Men: Evolution: The beginning of this episode was excellant. Then...it kinda' fell apart. So, so much build-up, the, rather than get started with The Big Fight when the stage was set, they wasted the second half of the episode showing Apocalypse's Horsemen destroy the Sentinels.

Excuse me? Was there any doubt that they'd win? Why did we have to watch all of that, just to be left hanging another week? The pacing of the show is really frustrating me this season....

And now, a Yu-Gi-Oh deck, built around a theme I've never tried before: dragons.

Megatron's Imitations, v1.0

Tribute Monsters:
Tyrant Dragon

Monsters:
Luster Dragon (#2) x3
Spear Dragon x3
Cave Dragon x3
Lord of Dragons x2
Witch of the Black Forest
Sangan
Sinister Serpant (He looks kinda' like a dragon...)

Traps:
Imperial Order
Call of the Haunted
Destruction Ring
Dragon's Rage
Burst Breath

Magic:
Monster Reborn
Pot of Greed
Dark Hole
Regeki
Change of Heart
Harpie's Feather Duster
Graceful Charity
Heavy Storm
Premature Burial
Flute of Summoning Dragon x2
Mystical Space Typhoon x3
Stamping Destruction x3
Dark Core x2
Super Rejuvination

Whew.....

Thought of the Moment: Why are the characters I role-play all psychotic loners?

Quote of the Moment: "Crickets! Horrid, horrid cave crickets! Everywhere!"- Excel, "Excel Saga"
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Wednesday, October 15, 2003

   Well, here I be
Nothin' big going on, just a general "howdey" to my loyal visitors. (All five of them...)

Oh, oh, go see "The Runaway Jury" when it opens! I absolutly love the book, so you know I'll be checking out the movie.

For Yu-Gi-Oh fans, I bought my first pack of Magician's Force today. I must say, this set totally kicks arse. I really only need two "Dark Blade" and a "Breaker the Magical Warrior", but still, the rest of the set is friggin' cool!

I got:

Disarment: Destroys all equip cards, and it's a trap. Not too great, but could be useful. "Eternal Rest" would be better, though.

Old Vindictive Magician: It's Man-Eater Bug, but in Spellcaster form. I hate flip effects, but I know a lot of people will find this guy useful.

Autnomous Action Unit: For 1500 LP, I equip this card to a monster in my opponents cemetary and use it on my side. Kinda' like "Premature Burial", but too costly and too situational to use in every deck.

Kiryu: Level five union beastie that joins with Dark Blade. Provides an upgrade and, as a bonus, you can tribute him to attack your opponent directly. You could build a good deck around these guys.

Vampire Orchis: Union monster that can summon its buddy to your hand. Average.

Burning Beast: Another Union guy. Can be brought out with UFO Turtle.

Dimension Jar: Unlike most Jars, this one sucks. When it's flipped, you and your opponents remove three monsters from each other's graveyard. It might be useful, but I sure don't see it.

Zombie Tiger: Another Union guy, can be brought out with Giant Rat. Gives its host hand depletion abilities.

And my rare: Big Bang Shot! A very nice equip. It increases the attack by 400 points, plus provides Trample. (Fairy Meteor Crush) If it's destroyed, the monster its attached to is removed from the game. It's an even trade, but it also means that BBS + MST/HFD/HS can destroy an opposing monster. It's not really an even trade, but hey, whatever works.

Anyway, Smallville is on. =)

Thought of the moment: I want to find a Dark Magician Girl for my galpal Myssy...

Oh, and apologies to Bandit. I was trying to reply to a comment you made, and I accidentally deleted it. ^^;; My bad...

Quote of the moment: "Remember this name: Rem Seibrem. The reason any of us are able to live here...it's all thanks to her." - Vash the Stampede
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