Monday, July 28, 2008

   Haibane Renmei
One of my favorite anime. Not because it's particularly adventurous or action oriented. It's actually a bit slow-paced, but the message is fairly deep, and the characters are interesting and fun.

I first saw this anime series late in 2005 and knew it was something I wanted to own for myself. I rented it again a little over a week ago. I needed to see something comforting and not crapish.

I rent so many series of anime that it's inevitable a sizable chunk of it is total CRAP. Sometimes the show has too much blood. Sometimes I can't see the show for the breasts. Sometimes the plot or characters are so depraved that I feel faintly sick (these I eject immediately and cancel the remaining discs from my queue). And sometimes the show is so stupid that it gives me vivid flashbacks of Teletubbies! (The most sickening of the baby shows!) But I keep renting and trying out new anime 'cause every once and a while I find one that I really like; a gem among the bracken. Haibane Renmei is one of these.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most of the anime I watch. It's just that sometimes my tolerance for idiocy dries up, and I have to see something worthwhile. So I take out my list of must-buy anime, and move a series I've already seen to the top of my rental "queue." Then, after I've watched it, I feel better, and move on to the next anime on the list. It may seem circuitous, but it works for me.

I recommend Haibane Renmei to anyone who's sick of senseless anime, and needs a reboot.

Until next time, this is frabjousarcher[) signing off!
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Friday, July 18, 2008

   The Hakkenden...ew
I did not appreciate this series. Thankfully I cancelled the rest of the DVDs after I viewed the first one.

Here are the reasons behind my cautious cancellation:

First off, there was too much blood for me to feel comfortable watching the show for very long.
Second, there was a marriage between a woman and a dog as payment for the dog's services. Gross.
Third, the dog seems to have impregnated the woman, while she was sleeping. She is horrified. (Naturally.)
Fourth, the story-line is a bit confusing as to what the "children" of this union are.
Fifth, the woman is killed before she can give birth, so how can there be children anyway? It's supposed to be mystical or something, but it just seems strange and forced.

I think the story is based off Japanese folklore, but I wouldn't know, not growing up with much of that. Anyway, I didn't feel good about watching this series, so I stopped and don't feel the need to see the rest. I would not recommend this anime to anyone.

And on that low note...

This is frabjousarcher[) signing off.
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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Ah! My Goddess: the Movie
Sometimes I cannot believe my obsessive self. When I find a movie I like, I will watch it until I tire of it, or decide I have to give it back to Netflix so that I can try something new.

I watched "Ah! My Goddess: the Movie" (first shown in theaters in 2000, or thereabouts) four or five times. I just had to. I don't own it, I had to rent it from Netflix. I have now put it on my list of anime I have to buy someday when I have money.

The thing is, I had rented it before...towards the end of 2005. I hadn't seen the show that it came from before I saw the movie, so it didn't mean much to me. It was interesting to a certain degree, but I had no idea what the history of the characters had been.

This time I had seen the show, and it was completely different. I must admit that the OVA entitled "Oh! My Goddess" from 1993, was not as great as the "Ah! My Goddess" seasons one and two from 2005 and 2006. I realized that this movie was the turning point. The show that started in 2005 was of the same quality as the movie which was produced as a continuation of the OVA made seven years previously.

I've looked around the internet and I cannot see that the series continued after the second season. If anyone knows anything please let me know through my guestbook.

I know I've said it before, but I love this series, it's sweetness, and innocence with respect to the relationship between the two main characters is something unique. The only anime I have met that has come anywhere close was "Ai Yori Aoshi", which had a similar feel, if not exactly the same kind of situation. ("Ai Yori Aoshi" was not a fantasy anime, the main romantic couple was comparably respectful, though there was the hint that they might have spent the night together at a hotel once. In "Ah! My Goddess" this is never even suggested.)

I wish more anime were like this so that I could feel unsullied at the end of every series or movie. Not that I like romance anime as a rule. I LOVED both of the "R.O.D." series. I own "Read or Die" in Japanese with english subtitles, and "Read or Dream" with English and Japanese audio. Those two series are definitely not romantic. They are action-oriented stories of friendship, loyalty, and determination. Not to mention the awesome power of PAPER! So, when I do watch an anime that centers around the love of two people I would like it to remain pure of stupidity. Of course this applies to live-action films too.....however, I've just about given up on that industry altogether. That's probably a story for a different website...

Well, until next time, this is frabjousarcher[) signing off!
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

   Ah! My Goddess
I've been watching Ah! My Goddess lately. It's wonderful. I love the sweet relationship between Keichi and Belldandy. It may seem impossibly juvenile to many, but I find it refreshing and delightful. Keichi may be a little shy, but mostly he's just really respectful.

And there's humor! The characters are all fun, quirky, and diverse. I could do with less of the large and scantily-clad bosoms which pop up intermittently. But all in all I like the feel of this anime and recommend it to anyone 13 or 14 and older. I only say this because of the breasts and bathroom hilarity.

I can't say how much I appreciate the message of trust and respectful conduct in a relationship this anime shows.

I can't write anymore at this moment, but I hope to post again soon.

Till then, this is frabjousarcher[) signing off!
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

   I haven't felt too well lately, but I'm sorta used to it so...whatever. I don't need to talk about depressing topics here.

I'm watching Record of Lodoss War now. It's alright, the detail on the faces and clothing is pretty good. Parts of it make no sense at all, but if I don't dwell on it the story is engrossing enough. It's a little bloody, but it also talks about the ravages of war.

I'm also having a private marathon of all Studio Ghibli movies I own, which is every film that has been released in America (except for Grave of Fireflies). The only two I have left to watch are Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns. I thought I should watch those two together as the latter is a continuing back-story of the Baron. The only movie made by Studio Ghibli that I'm not watching is Grave of Fireflies. It's a great movie. But it makes me depressed and makes me remember my emotions when I visited Hiroshima. I loved that trip, but it was an emotional one as my class learned about the horrors the Atomic Bomb brought those people. I sincerely hope no one ever uses one of those again, we have enough to worry about without the threat of utter annihilation hanging over our heads. Anyway, Grave of Fireflies is just too good at drawing out my empathetic emotions so I don't own it.

I'm not a big crier. I'm always surprised when people cry at movies. I mean, it's not real, ya' know? But I do get that "if you let yourself, you could cry now" feeling when I watch certain scenes in movies (or even a few books). I've only ever cried while watching two movies in my whole life. I wont tell the name of the first one because it's kinda embarrassing (I was only nine or ten when I saw that one). And the second movie I can't remember the name to and I'm too lazy to try to find out the name right now. It takes a lot for me to cry. I'm pretty good at keeping tears at bay. It usually takes a lot out of me to cry anyway. Rarely do I ever feel better after crying. I'm a reasonably rational creature, so I don't see the use in wearing myself out unnecessarily if I can possibly help it.

There I go again with my annoying introspection. Ah, well, guess there's no helping it. Thought processes are strange aren't they? I had no intention of talking about crying at all.

Until next time this is frabjousarcher[) signing off!
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Thursday, April 24, 2008

   Um...I'm back...yet again
I know I always say this, but...
WOWZA! It's been a really looong time since I've posted anything. A long time. So, here I am. I hope I can do this more regularly from now on.

When I look at the previous posts I've typed I have to think to myself, wow, you've changed girl!

I am older and slightly different now, though no less random and willfully oblivious.
It's amazing what a year or two can do to a person.

Well, as for updates for the one or two people that may read this posting:
I'm still sick, though not so much as I was a the beginning. Thank the heavens.
I haven't seriously sat down to draw anything in three or four months. Just thinking of that makes me cringe.
I'm attempting to write a novel that's been gnawing on the back of my brain for the past few years. I'll be happy if I can just get all my ideas down with some semblance of order, let alone actually try to publish the (currently) jumbled mess.
Deciding to write this novel has opened several doors in my mind it seems. I'm writing poetry and journal entries much more now than I have at any time in the last five years. I hope it never stops. It's a relief to finally use some of my creative inclinations again.
Life is still not "normal" for me yet. Or what would have passed for normal for me had my life continued on the path I was traveling five years ago.
I no longer expect life to "return" to the way it was all those years ago. I just trust that someday I will be able to stand up and continue my journey, whether it's in a different direction from what I had expected or not. And I realize it will probably never be the same. That doesn't mean I can't make the best of whatever happens though!
So I look to the future with not exactly excitement, but a sort of passive optimism. Someday things will change, until then I fill the hours with writing, t.v., movies, reading, manga (my collection is starting to encroach on the territory of my previously prominent paperbacks), and anime from netflix and youtube.

I got frighteningly introspective there didn't I? I'll try not to let it happen again...unless I feel like it. Ha ha.

Until next time this is frabjousarcher[) signing off!
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Wednesday, June 21, 2006

   Uh....Hi all!
I haven't posted for months! I'm so sorry!
Man, I am so tired, I just got back from a trip to see my cousin get married. I'd never actually been to a wedding before, it was so short! I was so happy to see family, and my cousin was beautiful, of course. I wish nothing but wonderous happines.

Anyway, back to Anime, I have been renting all the Inyasha I can get. Based on what I've seen on "ADULT SWIM" the quality of the animation gets better. I'm 80 episodes in, and it's still the same. Oh well, I suppose I'll see the change eventually, meanwhile I shall continue to enjoy the pradictable plotline and hillarious usage of "SIT BOY!"
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Wednesday, February 8, 2006

   I'm back, for now.
Well I thought it was time for me to post something.
And so I am posting, yay. I'm always trying new backgrounds, some from the backgrounds that members have posted. The problem with picture backgrounds is that it becomes hard to read the words placed on top of them. So to take away that problem I have used a colored background behind the paragraphs I have typed. However, this takes much of the background picture away. Which kind of defeats the point, ah, well.
Here's a frog I think is cool. I know, random, but that's just the way I am.



So, there you are, a blue frog, yay! If only there were blue roses, *sigh*
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Sunday, December 18, 2005

Hope these come out right
Can't choose if I'm one or the other of these
(I'm probably somwhere in-between):


Your Japanese name should be

'Moriko'

which means "forest child".

You
love being in nature and see beauty in almost
everything; the trees, the flowers, the sky,
the sun. You're at your best surrounded by
nature. You love animals and they love you!


Which Japanese name fits you best? [females, 9 results + absolutely stunning ANIME pictures!]
brought to you by Quizilla

Or...


Your Japanese name should be

'Sora'

which means "sky".

You're a real
day-dreamer. You wish you could just fly away
from it all to explore the world... You love to
explore and travel, and if that's not possible
in reality, you'll just think and day-dream
about it. You're probably very curious.


Which Japanese name fits you best? [females, 9 results + absolutely stunning ANIME pictures!]
brought to you by Quizilla

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Friday, December 16, 2005

   In view of the holiday season, I give you:
"You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch"

Your a vile one, Mr. Grinch.
You have termites in your smile.
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a sea-sick crocodile, Mr. Grinch.
(spoken:) Given the choice between the two of you
I'd take the, uh...(sung:) sea-sick crocodile!

You're a robber, Mr. Grinch.
You're the king of sinful sots.
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched
With moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch.
(spoken:) You're a three-decker saurkraut
And toadstool sandwich,
(sung:) With arsenic sause!

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch.
With a nauseous super nast.
You're a crooked jerky trokey
And you drive a crooked horse, Mr. Grinch
(spoken:) Your soul is an appalling dump heap,
Overflowing with the most disgraceful
Assortment of rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up (sung:) in tangled up knots!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty, waspy skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks.
Your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch.
(spoken:) The three words that best describe you
Are as follows, and I quote:
(sung) "Stink, stank, stunk!"

That is exactly how the song goes on the origional, thirty minute TV program, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." the word "nast" in line 15 is pronounced "naust" and "horse" in line 17 is pronounced "hoss."

This is but my humble tribute to one of the best songs of all time, *wipes glistening tear from corner of eye*.

Happy holidays everyone,
~Me
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