Friday, December 2, 2005

wow,,I don’t think I got any comments the other day,,that would be a first O_o

Comments (4) | Permalink

Thursday, December 1, 2005

Weapons of Anime
__________________________________
fighting is very common in anime with many shows revolving around it. Far from being something that takes place of character development these fights often contain hidden meaning for those who know what to look for. One aspect overlooked by those not in the know is what a character's armament and fighting style say about his or her personality. As developed by Japan's long feudal history and many home grown martial arts Japanese martial arts have many subtle meanings going far beyond simple battlefield applicability. Although this article is far from comprehensive these are some of the inferences I have found from watching anime. Some shows will feature most of the cast using the same type weapon thus rendering character insights based on weapons almost useless so take these explanations with a grain of salt.

The katana is the traditional weapon of the Samurai and is considered a symbol of Japan. The symbology of the katana and the samurai are so complex that discussing them in full would go far beyond the scope of this article. Since it's association with the samurai and thus nobility in general it is very common for the main character or leader of a group to choose the katana as his weapon of choice. Anime characters that wield a katana often take after the samurai in terms of personality. This generally means that they are straightforward in manner and very determined in their goals. Even when villainous characters wield a katana, such as Vicious from Cowboy Bebop they will tend to express villainy in terms of cruelty rather than deception or betrayal.

Other swords are also found in anime. The European long sword is typically found in fantasy anime and almost nowhere else. Something important thing to note is despite that they are European swords they are typically wielded like the katana using both hands instead of being wielded with one hand and the other using a shield. One simple interpretation is that they are simply samurai in a foreign garb.

Even though it is a European sword the rapier is also fairly common in anime. Unlike the long sword when the rapier appears in anime it's European connection remain in place. Characters that wield a rapier often are European themselves. Even if they are not they tend to exhibit a refinement in character, which is markedly different than the more sanguine nobility portrayed by those that wield a katana.

The bow and the Naganita (a type of pole arm) are women's weapons. As can be expected they are almost always in the hands of female characters. When the majority of the show's cast is female these weapons are in the hands of the more reserved, cultured and effeminate characters as opposed to the more tomboyish characters that use swords and other such weapons.

Although the trend is so inconsistent as to make me wary about including it in this article is that gun wielders are often dishonorable. While this is definitely not the case in shows depicting the modern era (Taisho onwards) or the future the case is true with shows about the past. The reason behind this is that long ago guns were considered a threat to the power of the samurai and were suppressed. A similar but less effective trend also occurred in the west. At least this can be said, an honorable character would never use a gun against an opponent armed with a sword. This may be part of the reason why even in mecha shows melee combat is so common





Comments (1) | Permalink

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Cheap and Easy
__________________________________
Perhaps the most common complaint that I know of among anime fans is that their hobby is too damn expensive, especially if you want to watch stuff that isn’t on cartoon network. At a cost of around $15-$25 to a dvd ,being a fan can really hurt the wallet. and can give a real temptation to just download the stuff from the internet . However for those with a good conscience or just a fear of what “The Man” might do to you, there are ways of getting anime cheaply with out breaking the law . How you ask,,well it is rather easy, just look at some of the stuff as you go down

1.Renting, might be one of the first things you want to try. just check out the local video stores and libraries. They are great sources of cheap anime. Although the selection might not always be topnotch, there is always the possibility of finding something good. Even after you see everything .you might want to check back every couple of months or so, to see if they have anything new that might be what your looking for

2.Online renting. There are sites that allow you to rent from their library of dvds for a monthly fee. When you are done watching them you simply mail them back and they will send you more dvds. The cost per month is around 18-30 dollars a month. This is a good way to see a lot of great anime, for a cheap price, especially those you are not that interested in seeing more than once. There are several places you can go but one that you might want to check out is
"http://greencine.com/main"
They have a great selection of anime and non-anime

3.Box sets and thin packs While a lot of us might be tempted to rush out and buy the latest and greatest anime series , I have found out from experience that there are a lot of somewhat older shows that are just as good as the newest thing. What is more important for the thrifty spender is that these older shows are often cheaper to get, especially when they come out in box sets. I have found box sets of twenty six episode long shows for as low as fifty dollars. And some times, you can get them lower then that if you know the right spot to look

4.Game Stop, Best Buy, used , and online stores . While the Standard market price for an anime dvd is usually around $25 dollars or so ,the savvy consumer can find them for less than that. A good place to look is the nearest Best Buy or Game Stop. They often stock new dvds at less than normal prices. They don’t have everything but their selection is some what decent. There are also places you can get them used (*Game-Stop being on of them*). Also just about any online store I have seen offers anime dvds at a lower price than in video stores. But One thing you do want to check and make sure of, is that they aren’t bootlegs, nothing is dumber than paying for bootlegs, The easiest way of checking this is to look at the cover art and see if it matches the art advertised on the licenser’s website.

5. Another way to watch some of your favorite anime is to find a friend of yours that might have what your looking for, and simply ask if they will lone them to you ,then just return them once you are done, not only does this take no money and is easy to do, but it will also help you to figure out what kind of anime your friends are into




__________________________________

see ya


Comments (4) | Permalink

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

History of Anime


One of my favorite hobbies is anime. Anime or short for Animation is, a French word even though it is used to describe animation from Japan. Anime is an interesting and varied from of entertainment that appeals to all ages. However like all art forms, anime did not form in a vacuum, but instead had various stages of development. It is the purpose of my report to show the various stages in the development of anime.

The elements that formed anime stretch back for hundreds of years, as they are found in the various other forms of Japanese art. The art form that has the most connections with anime, both in the past and still today, is manga. Manga, Japanese for Irresponsible pictures, is Japanese comic books. Manga arouse in the Edo Period (1600-1868) with the rise of the merchant class. Manga is different from American comics in the art style, which has the characters drawn with very large eyes. This is done for artistic impact as the eyes help portray the character's personality.


The other element important to the foundation of anime is Japanese theater. Theater, in it's various forms is partially responsible for the extensive use of symbolism in anime. It may also be responsible for certain character designs, most prominently bishonen, or the beautiful boy style. The reason for this may be that two forms of traditional theater Kabuki and Takarazuka, feature men or women impersonating the other sex.

Anime officially began in the early 1960'sWhen a man named Osamu Tezuka produced a show based of the manga he created. The series is called Testuwan Atom or Astro Boy in the American version of the show. Astro Boy was the story of a little robot who fought evil. Astro Boy was followed up by Jungle Emperor Leo or Kimba the white lion in the American version. Kimba was such an interesting show that almost 30 thirty years the show began Disney ripped off Kimba an made the Lion King, even if their Lawyer's deny it.

One of the most important Genres in anime is Mecha or giant robots. The first giant robot show was Tetsujin 28 or Gigantor in the American version. One of the perceived reasons behind the popularity of Mecha in Japan is that it is a result of World War II. Many Japanese citizens felt that they lost the war due to inferior technology and Mecha was an outlet for the desire of technological progress among the Japanese. There are also other theories based on the idea that the giant robot is symbolic of the power of the Hero.

One of the most important Mecha show is Mobile Suit Gundam, or Gundam for short. Gundam has a history parallel to Star Trek, in that it had mediocre ratings but had a growing popularity in syndication, growing into a cult classic that spawned several spin-offs. It is also important in that it marked the maturity that anime often possesses. Gundam was one of the first anime shows that adults watched as well, due to the complexity of the story and the characters.

Another Important show in the development of Anime was Macross, or in the American version the first part of Robotech. Macross is also a Mecha show but It's Mecha designs are not the most important contribution it has made to the development of Anime. The biggest change Macross made is through Mari Iijima one of the voice actors on the show. This was the first series in which music played a large part in the series. Today most anime has popular singers voice acting the characters.

Of course not all anime is giant robots. One of the most pivotal shows in the development anime is Sailor moon. Sailor moon is a shojo anime, an anime title directed at girls. One important feature of shojo anime is that while it is targeted for girls “...boys don't really mind female heroes either, provided they are doing something a bit more interesting than sticking sequins in a plastic horse's mane.

One of the other aspects that makes anime an attractive form of entertainment is the tendency toward moral Ambiguity. A very good example of this is found in Princess Monoke. Princess Monoke resembles many shows about environmentalism but unlike the other shows the antagonist, Lady Eboshi, is trying to help the disadvantaged rather than simply make profits. This trend is possibly do to the fact that Japanese religion does not believe in an absolute good or evil

~not done






Comments (4) | Permalink

Monday, November 28, 2005

Trigun, as most of us know, is one of the most popular anime series in the U.S. Part of what helped it gain popularity is the awesome gunfights, amazing animation, wonderfully creative character designs, and Vash .Vash the Stampede is a complex guy and can change moods very quickly. Maybe that is why so many people are attracted to his personality

Why wouldn't Vash be a popular character? He is definitely different than most main guys of anime and manga. He cries and he can be some what dorky from time to time. But at the same time, he has many of the same attributes as the others. He's what you might call “a pretty boy”, he has a terrible past, and he's lecherous. Sounds like most characters in anime, right? But it is his beliefs that really get to people.

Vash doesn't kill !. It is some-thing that goes against his morals. Even if he doesn't know the person, he'll be terribly upset if they die. An example would be episode nine-teen. Vash begged for another man's life, even though it was a man he had never met before .. Now that's something new.


now lets move on to his past. As most of you know, he has a very sad past full of death and destruction. With the death of Rem and the rest of the crew, he and Knives were left stranded on the Planet Gunsmoke. This was tough for Vash, because Knives wanted to wipe out the human race, yet Vash, as we all know, is against such ideas.

So, eventually, Vash finds someone related to Rem. He heads off to a city called July. There he finds Knives, who beat him there, and has killed this man that was related to Rem. Vash's reaction is crying, and asking Knives why he murders. Knives eventually shoots Vash's arm off (this would explaining his mechanical arm). Then, that sets off the Angel Arm, what you might call “the big daddy of guns in the series”. It goes off, and BANG! There's the destruction of July. His first criminal record.

So, how do we sum Vash up? funny,,Nice,, peace-loving, ,,, and, to some fangirls, quite irresistable How his past will effect him in the future is anyone's guess. What he'll do is also a mystery. But one thing we do know is that the Humanoid Typhoon's legacy in anime and manga will always be secure



Comments (5) | Permalink

Saturday, November 26, 2005

i found this for you,,it isn't 100% right,,i say that, for i know all about this , but alot of it is right, so,,,,,i hope you like it
________________________________
Alchemy. When you hear this word, what is probably the first thing you think of? That's it. Fullmetal Alchemist. But what really is alchemy? Some of you may think that this science is very fake, just made up by the creator's imagination. And yet, it has been in this world for centuries. Some of you may think that it is the transformation of a substance into another substance, but it is clearly more than that.

According to my vocabulary, there are three meanings for alchemy.

1. the science of transforming base metals into gold
2. the science of making a remedy to all disease, or the elixir of life
3. the science of transmuting, or turning a substance into another substance

In a way, Fullmetal Alchemist uses the vocabulary of all of these.

Alchemy was dated back to ancient Egypt, around 1900 B.C. It was studied to try to turn metals into gold, and to cure people of all diseases, but that meant little to some of them. Some of them wanted to turn people into gods, free from sin and the limitations of regular people. Alchemic symbols are believed to be found in the documents of the Emerald Tablet, being the primary document of alchemy, the Asclepian Dialogues, and the Divine Pymander, and yet, there are only found fragments of these works.

Alchemy was also found in Arabian culture. This practice was mainly used in the third century A.D., when the practice was common. It teaches that everything is came from one root, or everything had the same origin. The anime states that "in order to gain something, you must give up something equal in value", but this idea seems to claim that everything is equal in value.

Chinese alchemy is used greatly in Chinese myths and legends. In historical records, Lao Tzu, a Chinese alchemist was given instructions on how to make the elixir of life.

Alchemy was used in Europe also. In the twelth century, Artephius, an alchemist, wrote The Art of Prolonging Human Life. In this document, he states that he has already lived a thousand lives, thanks to God's work. But some alchemists were claimed to be "possessed", or received this information from the devil, and many were accused with practicing these magical powers. Many books of alchemists were burned, being called satanic bibles. In the anime, only books that contained information on how to make humans or bring them back from the dead were considered illegal.

But during the fourteenth century, alchemy was seen as a good way to become rich, since most alchemists claim that they can turn metals into gold. Merchants gave these alchemists gold, silver, and jewels to have them multiplied. But the Acts of Parliament were passed in England by the Pope saying that anyone who practiced alchemy would be persecuted. (And yet, some people believed that the Pope at that time practiced alchemy himself.)

The second definition, "the science of making a remedy to all disease" probably was used in the Philosopher's Stone. (Yes, even in real alchemy, people even tried to find the Philosopher's Stone.) In one episode, it was used to cure fossil disease, a disease that turned the body of a person infected into a rocky, "spike" protruding mutilation. This is an example of the elixir of life, or a cure to all diseases.

In England, on 1471, Sir George Ripley, an alchemist, claimed to have created a Philosopher's Stone. But in the sixteenth century, a monk wrote that to create the elixir of life, you need to take the elements earth of earth, water of earth, fire of earth, and water of wood, lie them together, and then part them. To create alchemic gold, you need three pure souls, and turn them into crystal. The body and the spirit of people will create the Philosopher's Stone, but only if the body and spirit are pure. If you pour this onto mercury, it shall become gold. In the anime, the information is basically the same, only they could've used any type of souls, not just the pure ones.

All throughout history, people have claimed to practice alchemy, such as creating the Philosopher's Stone, making alchemic gold, and even finding the recipe to make the elixir of life. But with all this talk of spirits, such as God giving them this information, and sacrificing pure souls, it would seem like alchemy wouldn't be considered a real science in today's modern world.

And yet, if it's not considered a science, why was alchemy practiced for almost 4,000 years?





Comments (7) | Permalink

Friday, November 25, 2005

sorry I didn’t get to your sites or post the other day,,it had some-thing to do with thanks giving,,,,huh,
any-who
I don’t have much to say

but I hope you all had a good thanks giving
and I will try and do a better post tomorrow, and also get to your sites ok

see ya

Comments (4) | Permalink

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

i don't have much to say
and i don't have much time
so i am just posting to let you know i am not dead
and also
i am sorry if i didn't get to your site
i will try and do that today if i get the time

see ya


Comments (4) | Permalink

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

I don’t have any-thing to say right now,,well, I do have one thing,,I sent in a pic, I don’t know if it is up yet, but,,,just letting you know,,and now that I don’t have any-thing to say, I will show you some pics







see ya


Comments (5) | Permalink

Monday, November 21, 2005

hey all
and how are you
as for this one
he is good
and not to bored
so that is good to
any-who
I will try and do a new pic, but the pics that I did do
and send in
they are not up yet
I don’t know why
huh
well
now m,uch more for this one to say
so I will show you a pic



see ya
Comments (5) | Permalink