chibiforte

Been playin' a little o' Mario Kart Wii.  I'm doing pretty well, actually.  I've raced a few online matches against Ted and beat him a few times.  I'm actually getting fairly adept at playing with the Wii Wheel.  I'm still better with the Gamecube controller, but the Wheel helps make it feel more real, if you can call kart racing while throwing shells and dropping banana peels "real". :P

I received my Myself; Yourself OP CD Single, yesterday.  Along with the anime's opening theme, it also had the opening theme for the visual novel.  Both are actually really engaging songs, and I'm glad I made the purchase.  I still haven't received my H20 ~footprints in the sand~ OP CD single, but I expect to get it tomorrow.

I'm also thinking of purchasing the 2006 "LEGEND OF DRAGONWORLD" CD set, which contains a lot of songs from the Dragonball anime.  It seems to have a lot of songs, and when I was listening to the Daizenshuu EX Podcast, the hosts agreed that it was the CD set that you want to get if you're just looking for the main movie themes, OP and ED themes, insert songs, image songs, etc.

Speaking of Dragonball, I actually just finished reading the series last night.  42 volumes worth, as a matter of fact.  It was nice to just get through the entire series in a non-stressful, easy go.  Reading it was the best choice, since it would be extremely expensive to get all the DVDs right now.  I easily breezed through dozens of episodes worth of material in only a few hours each night.  Now, I have the entire series fresh in my mind, and that's nice to have.

Still don't have the pictures of little Matthew.  I'm hoping they'll send them sometime tonight.  I actually talked to my brother on the phone today, and he held the phone up to the baby while he was making noise.  It was so cute! <3

Don't you just hate it when your router gets completely fried, thus driving your internet use to a grinding halt for almost a week?

Yeah, that four-year-old router I bought when my first laptop was given to me finally burnt out last week, never to work again.  I'll miss the thing, since it did its job (never really worked properly with my DS, though).  Now we have a new installation set up and everything, but it took my brother several days to do it since he finally moved out and had to come back from his new place of residence in order to hook it up.

It wasn't really that terrible to be without the internet, but it was annoying that I couldn't get my podcasts daily.  I honestly didn't mind that much, since it gave me time to read the entire original Dragonball series in manga form.  That was cool, since I never saw most of the Red Ribbon arc, or the 22nd or 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, or the Piccolo-Daimao arc, or pretty much most of what happens after the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai.  It was good to really get the whole story.  I'll start on the "Z" era next, since I'm not totally familiar with the Namek, Freeza, Android, or Cell arcs.

I found my Johnny Cash CD.  It's really neat, and I'm listening to it right now.  Of course I ripped it to my laptop, since I don't want to lose it again and be without the songs.  I should buy more of his albums, they're really neat.

I'm also really getting back into Petra and DC Talk, lately.  I really want to find our old "Free At Last" CD, and I want to find the CD that had Petra's "No Doubt" song on it.  I'm anxious to see if it really was as awesome as I remember it to be.

I'm becoming disenchanted with so much of anime, it seems.  I just tried to watch the first episode of kure-nai.  I got about six minutes into it before I just shut it off, bored out of my mind.  The opening theme reminded me of "The Nanny" with Fran Drescher, which was an immediate turn-off.  The animation reminded me of what I very strongly disliked about Samurai Champloo.  Which was, of course, the animation, or most of it, at least.  I don't know, it just bored me to death.  Maybe I'll read some blog posts about it to see if I missed anything, but if the small portion I watched is indicative of the series as a whole, then it's safe to say that I'm not going to watch it.  It's sad, too, since this is one of the series' that I was looking forward to seeing.

And I didn't care for the first episode of To Love-Ru, either, but at least I made it to the end of the first episode.  It struck me as typical fanservice, with not much more thrown in.  I've read almost all of the manga so far, but it's also somewhat boring and typical.  Bleh.

Hopefully Allison & Lillia will be put up soon.  I'd enjoy watching something good, and hopefully it'll BE good.

Anyway, since this Spring Season is pretty lackluster, I might just start devoting my night times to video games, again.  I'd like to complete EarthBound before going to college, as well as try to get into Chrono Trigger a little more.

I don't know why I made an entry, but it's time I have to kill.

Basically, I'm writing a "light novel"-esque story.  But, what does this mean, you might ask?  Let's ask Wikipedia...

"A light novel (ライトノベル, raito noberu^?) is a novel with anime or manga style illustrations, primarily targeting teens and young adults. The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called ranobe (ラノベ, ranobe^?) or rainobe (ライノベ, rainobe^?) for short."

Okay, that was a bit too much on the katakana side, but you get the idea.  And how are these written (when not in Japanese, of course)?

"Light novels also frequently have very short paragraphs, often only one or two sentences in length, and are usually driven by dialogue. The overall effect is for a very fast read."

That's the basic effect I'm trying to master.  I just want it to be read quickly, to where the audience doesn't have to spend days trying to finish a single volume.

See, this idea came about out of the blue, and even I don't know exactly where I got the idea.  I guess part of the inspiration came from reading the translated Haruhi Suzumiya light novels, and because I liked the style of writing so much, it stuck with me.  Now, I think this would be the best way for me to write a novel series.

Considering how few light novels there are out there that are actually translated for an English-speaking audience, shouldn't we English-speakers have our own alternative?  I've been looking around the internet, but I gotta tell you, I haven't found a single idea like mine.  I've found fan manga written and drawn in the way I'm doing so, of course, but not a full blown literary series like I'm planning.  I think I've essentially cornered the market on the subject matter I'm going to tackle.

And while I know I'm going to get shellacked on this choice, I'm obviously going to go with Japanese names, terms, and overall culture as the backdrop to the series.  It just makes sense, considering I'm lifting the entire writing style from them, so why not just go all the way?  And, in a way, it feels like I"m going something every other anime fan wants to do: create my own series.  Sure, it won't be animated, but this is the next best thing.  If I can also find a decent artist to make illustrations to go along with the chapters, then so much the better!

This project is basically an outlet for ME, so I can do what I like (write) and have fun with it.  I'm making it available to the masses simply because it'd be nice to have feedback.  I can't edit my mistakes by myself, you know!

Just for the record, I'm not even done with a single chapter yet.  I'm doing so much preliminary work, like character personalities, designs, storylines, settings, character arcs, etc.  This is the sort of thing that's done by serious writers. :P

I'm thinking of doing all this preliminary work while I'm still in high school, and once I'm in college, I'll start the actual process of writing it.  Sound good?

 I'm going to be talking about media items I've partaken in within the last few weeks, which means I'm be giving little mini-reviews on them.

Premiere - Enjin Sentai Go-onger
The premiere of the new Sentai season!  And, like many were guessing, it's, more or less, a parody season.  And I actually liked it, even if I did watch it RAW.  It was fairly simple to understand, and I enjoyed the Henshin sequence and fights.  It seemed to be a bit over-acted, but I can only guess that it's part of the whole parody motiff.  From what I can guess of the story, it's mostly some kind of fight against pollution-making monsters, which just screams Gaoranger to me, but whatever, it's not a big deal.  I just hope somebody subs the episode, soon...

Premiere - Kamen Rider Kiva
It's a new Kamen Rider.  What else do you need to know?  It's got vampires, action, organizations, a rival dedicated to bringing down Kiva, all that fun stuff.  I'm up to episode #4 right now, and I'm really enjoying it.  I like having Tomokazu Sugita in the role of Kivat, and I really enjoy the actor who plays Wataru's father, Otoya.  He's just such a funny character, I found myself laughing out loud most of the times he made an appearance.  And having the young-looking and innocent Wataru as Kiva was just an interesting choice, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this show goes.

Premiere - Powers Rangers Jungle Fury
Yeah, baby!  Another new season of Power Rangers!  And wouldn't you know it... I fell in love just by watching the first two episodes.  This show has got it goin' on.  While it is, more or less, a translation of it's Sentai counterpart, it just seems to work, for some reason.  I'm not diggin' the sunglasses as morphers, but I'm sure it'll pass (I don't know why they changed from the wrist morphers, but whatever).  I'm really impressed by how they kept in so many Japanese and Chinese names for various aspects of the series, instead of localizing them as simply "Jungle Weapon ______" (which they did do for some things, but they were necessary changes)
I like the rangers, especially the Blue Ranger, Theo, since it seemed that they wanted to translate the character of Retsu in a way that worked in America, and it does work.  The supporting characters are actually interesting, including Fran and R.J. and Master Mao, and the villians are good counterparts of the originals.  I even enjoy listening to the theme song, which is a first in a long while.  Can't wait to see what they do with the Kensei, Violet Ranger, Chopper, and some various other things.
One more thing, though: I'm actually really confused as to why they kept in a few certain parts that happened in the original.  I'm talking about things like the FLOODING of a MAJOR CITY, in particular, which is strange considering how recent the New Orleans Hurricane has been.  Usually Disney wouldn't touch something like that with a ten-foot pole, but they seemed to not have a problem using it this year.  I'm also speaking of how the giant monster DESTROYED the TOP of a SKYSCRAPER, which just shocked me to no end.  I mean, they stopped using exploding building footage ever since 9/11, but now they actually have a monster committing the act intentionally?  Woah... that's all I have to say.  Quite impressive, Disney.  Now, let us use the word "kill" instead of "destroy" and you'll get your teenage audience.

General Thoughts - Rosario + Vampire
I'm a bit disappointed on how this anime is proceeding.  I was so interested in this show before it aired that I went and read what was released of the manga just so I knew how this whole plotline would go.  And yet, they're not only diverging from the manga on what I consider important points, but they just throw faaaaar too much fanservice in the mix, as well as rushing through manga chapters to the point that you lose any emotional connection to the characters.  I'm disappointed at that.  They should've chose an animation studio that would NOT turn it into a typical fanservice show and give it to one that would actually take the story that was given to them and make something out of it.

General Thoughts - H20 ~footprints in the sand~
This show has impressed me soooo much within the last few weeks.  Not many people were expecting anything from this show, but I don't know where all this dislike comes from.  This show can pack so much drama and humor into the episodes that I'm amazed it's not one of the top shows this season.  And even though it's supposed to be a short series, I don't feel that it's being rushed at all, and it's proceeding at a pace that's not too fast or slow.  I know for a fact that I'll be buying these DVDs when/if they are licensed here in America, I find it that enjoyable.

General Thoughts - true tears
This is another show that I'm impressed with.  At the beginning, I thought it was somewhat boring and not too interesting, but these last few episodes have really piqued my interest, to the point where I don't find it the least bit boring, anymore.  I love how they always end the episodes with SOME kind of cliffhanger, and while some may see it as a cheap trick to get more watchers, it just grabs my interest all the more.  Since this series is actually licensed, I'm definitely going to pick up the DVDs, as I'm curious as to which voices they'll choose for the dub.

And... that's all I have.

I actually spent a good half hour on some preliminary work on the novel series I'd like to make.  Yes, I believe I'm actually going to write this thing.  I had such great inspiration last night and earlier today as to one of the big story elements I'd like to implement.  I think I'd like to create that particular scene I envisioned in my mind as a test chapter, since it's such an emotionally gripping moment, and if I do well enough with that, I know I'm able to write somewhat coherently.  It'll be great, but I don't know who I'd make it available to.  I guess I could put it up as a download in this journal for anyone to come by and read, as long as they comment on it after they finish.  It'll be awhile before I can get that done, I'm pretty sure, however.  Unless I surprise myself and actually come up with good names for the characters.  Considering that it is going to be illustrated with anime-styled artwork (once I find an artist, of course), I'll just go with Japanese names.  Just a stylistic choice on my part, and I'm not one of those fans who insist that Japan is the end-all, be-all awesome country.  I prefer America, thank you.  And English, of course.

...What was I doing, again?

Oh yeah, so, I'll make a test chapter available when I'm finished, for critiquing and whatnot.  Look forward to that.

I got an opportunity to view a screening of a horror movie, today.  It was one of those test screening deals where the filmmakers allow an audience to watch a movie that is still in development in order to get data in order to make the movie better.  I filled out a questionaire and everything, it was neat.  The movie was decent, but there was far too much cursing and blasphemy, and I really hate that sort of thing (I even mentioned it on the comments section, so maybe they'll take heed).  I took Ben, Jay, and Bronson, and I was going to take Steven, but he bowed out at the last minute in order to finish homework, so that was pretty sad.  It was kind of funny when we got there, though, since the movie theater wouldn't let anybody inside for almost an hour AFTER we arrived there, so we ended up buying chips and salsa from a nearby Mexican restaurant and just snacked and talked during that time on the tailgate of Bronson's truck.  It was a fantastic bonding moment. :3

I can't get over how awesome this Dragonball CD is.  It's my first Japanese CD purchase, and I'm so content with the songs on this album.  I've listened to the album at least once today, and I'm relistening to it right now.  I really like the remastered songs, specifically "CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA", "We Gotta Power!", "Hikari no Tabi", "HERO", and especially "Kimi no Sora e".  They are just adorable songs.

I'm going to be taking piano lessons pretty soon, hopefully.  I started playing around on the keyboard a couple days ago, and I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner.  I really, really like the piano, and it's the one instrument that I could see myself playing as a hobby.  I can already somewhat play Nagisa's Theme from Clannad, as well as part of the Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 song, and the Twoson Theme from Earthbound, and the first group of notes from the Forest level in Super Mario RPG.  And some other various parts of other songs.  And it's fun!  I want to mainly play video game music, but I'm good with anything, really.  I just want to be "that guy", the person who is able to play the piano at a party that is housed in a place that has a piano.  I think it'd be neat.  I can kinda read sheet music, though I have to study it beforehand before I can actually play anything.  I need to read it better, as well as learn finger placement and work on my timing, although timing won't really be a problem with songs I know.

I'm going to be a piano man. :3

Y'know, I was thinking about it, and I actually think I could get into something like that...

Remember one of my previous entries, where I answered the question about what creative or artistic thing I'd do if I had the opportunity, or something like that?  And I mentioned how I'd like to create something like a light novel series?

I think I could actually pull something like that off.

I've been taking walks every day, and I've been able to think about things to do, and for some reason, I'm able to unravel an entire plotline in my mind for this story I've thought up.  Now, granted, I'm not sure how interesting it is to other people, but it's still something, right?  And while it may have some tangential similarities to some other shows, it really is quite stand-alone when it comes to content (haven't seen anything close to it since SuperBook, honestly).  Also, because it's only a light novel, illustrations don't have to be the main priority, and can instead be used without suffering from a quality loss, correct?

As for the content, again, it's not something I've ever seen before, and I'm sure I would've seen something like this, if it already existed.  I developed an idea while reading some certain American-made manga online, and while their story is still developing, I've already thought up years in advance.  My focus is constantly shifting from the beginning of the story, to later parts of the story, back to earlier parts, all the way to the end, how I get to the end, and back to the beginning.  My thought process is strange like that, I realize, but that also means that I have a good handle on the characters and events.  And I'm also capable of rendering high quality art in my mind, so I can picture it exactly how I want it.

I'm not going to commit to anything right now, but if I do end up making some trial chapters, I'll make sure to post them.  Obviously, I'll put a disclaimer and say that "this story is heavily influenced by Christianity", but anybody who's watched Evangelion, Haruhi Suzumiya... uh... episode #19 of Samurai Champloo... what else... I don't know, but anybody who watched those shows shouldn't have any qualms about this.  My story isn't violent, though, so you don't have to worry about seeing samurai, or Children, or espers/time travelers/aliens (...maybe).  This is something that can actually be rooted in reality, so don't worry. xD

Why, it would be the manga and/or light novel series that I have a shaky plotline for in my head.  It'd be called "Law/Grace", and it'd be an awesome little series.  I can't draw, though, so it'd be tough to make a manga.  However, a light novel series would be pretty easy to make, provided I get illustrations that look nice and are made by a decent artist.  If I start dating a really good artist (or just hired one), then I could always make an online version of the series.  

That'd be fun, actually.  I'd provide the plotline and overall story, and she could provide the images.  It could be like how the folks at Baka-Tsuki put up the Haruhi novels.  Read a little bit, then you get an image, and by having a minimal amount of images, the quality wouldn't have to suffer.  Hmmm...

I'm definitely taking a break from Clannad, tonight.  I've spent quite a few hours digging into that game, but it's kinda taking over all of my spare time to watch anime and play video games (which is, anytime after 8:00PM).  I need to catch up on my Digimon viewing, not to mention the various other shows I need to watch.  I can't help that I love the game so much, but moderation (at least, my definition of the word) is definitely something I need to practice.

I can't believe all this Super Smash Bros. Brawl news that's been coming out.  I mean, I expected it, considering that this is a blockbuster game that just came out in Japan and will be out in a month and a week here, but the amount of spoilers is overwhelming.  I'm kind of disappointed by the secret characters, but eh, it's not that big of a deal.  I'll get over it.

There's not much to say about the Vegas trip we took, last weekend.  We just stayed down for a single night, saw little Sarai and Kasandra, and left.  Nothing too big, but still enjoyable.  We're waiting for Kasandra to send the pictures she took of Sarai to our e-mail address, so maybe I'll post a few pictures up of her when I get them.  Can't wait until she has the little boy, because then I'll finally have a baby nephew to teach all sorts of cool stuff. :3

I'm just tired of all this school stuff.  I don't feel like all this applying and whatnot.  And financial aid and everything... it's just a pain...

I'm doing fairly well in Harvest Moon: Boy and Girl.  I decided to go after the Doctor's assistant, Elli.  She's one of the girls that I never married in the games based on Mineral Town, so I thought it'd be a change of pace.  I'm at the end of Spring in the first year, and I already have her at a light blue heart, so, go me.

You know what?  I think I'm just going to go legit.  I want to legally buy my music from now on.  I should have morals, I should have integrity.  Even though most of what I listen to is expensive Japanese music, I should still purchase it.  That's what I'm trying to do.  But now that I'm trying to do that, I can see quite clearly what all this excessive downloading has done to the import music market.

You see, I've been trying to find the Clannad anime CD single.  I really enjoy the music that's on it, so I thought it'd be good to import it.  But, you see, I've looked around about eight different websites, and only ONE store has it.  I mean, I can't even find the CD single from Play-Asia, and that's concerning, to me.  I can't even find it on eBay or Amazon Japan, and the CD was just released back in October!  I mean, Play-Asia and eBay still have the CD singles from Digimon Adventure!  Why is Clannad the only series that I can't find hardly anything for?  Or, for that matter, most of the Key Sounds albums in the first place?  The only place I could find the CD single at was HimeyaShop, and it costs $14, plus $19 to ship it to America, which equals $33 to buy the CD.  Now, I want to buy it legally, and I will probably end up buying it soon, but c'mon, $33 for seven songs?  I know that's the norm in Japan, but at least cut down the shipping a bit and don't get my hopes up with the base price, you know?  Play-Asia has cheap shipping, so why don't they have the CD at all?  It's just mind-blowing, to me.

I'm assuming this is all because the constant downloads that these songs have, that they're not even trying to sell them to America, which makes me sad because I would like to spend money, now.  I see quite clearly what I've been doing, and I'd like to atone for what I've done, but I guess I'm reaping what I sowed.  I just wish it didn't have to come at the cost of not being able to listen to songs that I really, really enjoy...

I just really want to listen to the "Dango Daikazoku" song in some way, shape, or form...

I ended up ordering the Digimon Adventure CD Single for "brave heart", in the meantime.  It was cheap, only $9.90, plus $3.60 for shipping.  That's pretty cheap, especially for Japanese CDs.  Hopefully they'll put up the Clannad CD Single soon, or else I'll be a Sad Wesley.

I wanted to wait to post another entry until I finished these two routes.  The Misae route is somewhat connected to the Tomoyo route, and if you complete her route before Tomoyo's, you get a bonus scene and an extra light.

I really enjoyed myself on the Misae route.  I didn't really expect anything to come out of it, since the anime has hardly ever touched upon her character in the least.  But wow, that was a good story.  It focused on how Misae became the person she is, as the dorm landlady, and it even takes a bit of a detour into the past to when she was the Student Council President, who is being followed by a young boy who wants to grant her wish.  I won't get into it any more than that, since I've already spoiled some of it, but trust me, this is a good little detour from the normal heroine paths.  I definitely appreciate her character a little more, but I have no clue as to how they're going to translate this into the anime.

The Tomoyo route, though... MAN!  I never cared for Tomoyo before, but I absolutely love her character, now.  It's no wonder she's the only one who got a sequel ("Tomoyo After"), because her story was so engaging... and long, don't forget long (took me three and a half hours or so to complete only part of the route).  It focuses on her friendship with the main character, but also how that relationship with him is hurting her chance to succeed not only in the Student Council election, but her academic pursuits, as well.  Getting into it even more would spoil it so much, so I'll refrain.  But this is a fantastic route, and I enjoyed it so much.

Give me a good story, and I'll love it despite its faults, it seems.  There were a few minor quibbles I had with the routes, but nothing that even remotely tampered with my enjoyment.  I just can't get over how amazing this game is, and if there are more visual novels like this, I want to import them all.  I just wish I knew where to get more translation patches, or else it'll kinda be meaningless to play the game without understanding what's going on...

My thoughts?  Clannad is simply beautiful.  It has plenty of humor, but not too much to where it's annoying, and the deep moments are truly gorgeous.

I'm still just worried that they won't be able to do these routes justice.  The Kyou route would be difficult enough to do, but the Tomoyo route?  Nigh impossible, to me, unless you cut out the ending or change it so drastically to where it's a new beast, altogether.  The only remedy I can see for this is if they animate the Tomoyo After story.  That would be awesome, since I can't play it without a patch (and that version has... stuff I don't care for).  I think it'd be awesome if they made an OVA series that tightly wrapped up Tomoyo's story from this first game, and then moved onto the After story.  I'm sure they could make a four-episode series, since the manga is a single volume that wraps up the entire After story, far as I know.  I'm trying to find the manga, but it's difficult to locate something like this that's actually translated, so I'll probably just get it RAW, and look at the pretty pictures.

I'm actually hoping the Clannad anime gets licensed, just so I can watch it legally with subs.  And so I can buy it for a lower price.  That'd be nice.  Since Kanon and Air both got licensed (and Shuffle! is on its way), I don't see why it couldn't happen.  And I want them to translate the games and release them here.  With the release and success of the Phoenix Wright series, it's obvious that visual novel-esque games can succeed here in the states, if branded properly and rightly advertised.  Why couldn't they release one of these games, here?  If the related anime series succeed, people would obviously like to explore the original story, right?  Put 'em out cheap enough, and I'd buy several copies just for myself.  Or they could translate and release the PS2 versions and put them out for really cheap, considering that it's hardly a problem to put out PS2 games, anymore.  It seems to be the go-to video game console these days for putting out low-risk games.  Or just translate the PSP versions and bring them over, for an even lower risk!  I mean, c'mon, Game Companies, we'd love to buy these games, but you aren't making them available to us!  It can't be that difficult to translate these games if you see these fans putting out patches for them, right?  Just get a small team together, with translators and editors, and just sell us something awesome.  I'd buy it legally, no problem, first day of release.  I'd preorder it, for crying out loud.  And I know so many other people would love to indulge in the games.  It wouldn't sell fantastically, I'm sure, but even a modest success is a success, right?  I'd advertise it like crazy, on every forum I could.

I just want something.  Gimme something.  Anything!

Well, anyway... Tomoyo.  Misae.  You gals are great, you gave me good stories.  I'm hoping I'll be able to continue on the former's route someday in the future.



(I'm so addicted to this game... xD)

• Retake SAT; get better score.
• Continue my studies; get into deeper theology.
• Focus more on studying Eastern Religions as opposed to Western Religions (mostly Abrahmic).
• Stay jobless; need my time to enjoy myself before college.
• Actually watch the entirety of Go-onger and Kamen Rider Kiba.
• Read more books from John Wesley, Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, John Bunyan, Ravi Zacharias, John Piper, John Macarthur, Ray Comfort, Dinesh D'Souza, Alistair Begg, and any I've forgotten.
• Apply for as many scholarships as humanly possible, and then some.
• Watch anime in a more timely fashion, and prioritize my viewing.
• Legally purchase soundtracks and DVDs to anime and video games.
• Build up my game collection to a high level so I will have enough games to play during college, so I don't have to buy too many games.

~More to come, perhaps?~

 Just thought I'd post up the names of anime titles I'm going to watch this Winter.

+Ayakashi
It's a visual novel-based show, but it doesn't really look all that... good?  I might pass on this one if it doesn't entertain me with its subject matter.

+H20 ~Footprints in the Sand~
This one looked interesting to me.  I suppose it's mostly the art style that gets to me, since it looks really nice.  If nothing else, it'll look good.

+Rosario + Vampire
Oh man, I'm definitely looking forward to this.  I've already read the first four or so volumes of the manga, and it looks pretty awesome to me.  Hopefully the story moves along quickly, which it probably will since they show that ninja girl on their home page, and since she doesn't show up for quite a few volumes, they'll either change the story or move it quickly.

+Shigofumi
I don't know what it's about, but it looks cool.  That's all I have to say, really.

+They Are My Noble Masters
I don't really have anything to say about this one.  It's eroge-turned-anime, and that's all I can describe it as, since I've never played the game.  I'm sure it won't have THAT much fanservice... or, I can HOPE they don't have very much...

+true tears
Yeah, baby!  This one is the show I'm most interested in watching.  I can't explain what about it attracts me so, but reguardless, it'll be awesome, I'm sure.

There'll probably be other shows that I watch, but these are the biggies for me.  I'm going to be so loaded down once they all air...

Oh, and of course, I'm going to continue watching Clannad, since it's the only one that continues into the New Year that I'm watching right now.

The internet connection was pretty spotty, today.  Something happened to the modem, I thought, but it turned out that we forgot to pay the internet bill, so they cut us.  But, we were able to pay them to get it back up and running.  Wouldn't really matter to me, since I can tap into the neighbor's unsecured wireless connection, since I'm a techie ninja and all. :3

Oh, and it turns out that Mr. Chow Yun-Fat hasn't actually read the Dragonball manga, which kinda disappoints me, since I think you should actually know about the character BEFORE you agree to play it.  And c'mon, Master Roshi HAS to be played true to the manga, or else the whole character falls apart!  He has to be a lecherous old man, or this movie will bomb! D:

Wow, I just realized that a lot of anime that I'm currently watching are going to end soon...  let's see, what was there?  Myself; Yourself, Kodomo no Jikan, ef -a tale of memories-, Goshushou-sama Ninomiya-kun, and Genshiken II are all pretty much over, it seems.  Wow.  But it was a good Fall season, I'll give it that.  The Winter 2008 season looks pretty spiffy, with four different shows based on visual novels, which, as we all know, are my favorite types of shows.  It's going to be a busy Winter, then, since I'm also going to be watching Clannad, which makes five series that I'm watching for certain.  And with the GekiRanger finale right around the corner, with Kamen Rider Kiba and Enjin Sentai Go-onger both airing immediately after that's done... woah, I'm going to have my work cut out for me in terms of shows I have to watch and critique.

Oh yeah, can't forget about Prison Break and Smallville, either.

Christmas is only four days away, not counting today, correct?  Boy, this month actually flew by rather quickly.  Usually time goes about as slow as molasses stuck with bubble gum on a piece of flypaper at this time of year, but time flew by me, this year.  Lookin' forward to the Candlelight service, but I'd actually prefer it to be longer than half an hour... I was thinking more like three and a half hours would be more fitting for a candlelight service. :3

I need to start playing Pokemon Pearl, again...

Oh my goodness... I can't stop laughing at this news... it just fits so, so well... he would totally make a fantastic Master Roshi... xD

The Live Action version of Master Roshi will be played by...

And I hope he looks like this. XD

Check my previous entry to get the links and stuff.  I'll just approach this from how I think everything should go down, plus I'll give my thoughts on what they are doing.

First off, I'd like to get into the little tidbit about when the show might air.  Here's the quote from Random Curiosity.

"MOON PHASE notes that the copyright for three years (2007-2009) might mean that they’ll be animating two seasons from the fall of 2008 into the spring of 2009" 

Okay, wait... why in the world would they wait until next Fall (at the EARLIEST, it sounds) to get the new season?  I mean, yes, it does say on ANN that the previous season was "cancelled" and "replaced" with this new season, but really, how hard could it be to actually animate this show?  I mean, they have the story pretty much scripted out line-by-line in the novels, which is eons further than the previous season.  How difficult is it for them to just pick and choose which scenes to animate, and then DO it?  I really hope that this just means an unspecified time frame, and that I won't have to wait until this time next year in order to watch it.  I got into the show quite a bit later than most fans, but if it's making me this annoyed, can you imagine the anger from the fans that have watched from the beginning?

Second thing: I thought it was quite clever of them to wait until now to announce the new season, since it coincides with the fourth novel's starting events and all.  I've been impressed by the company's marketing strategy, and this just makes fans like me, who have read the novels and understand the intricacies of the series, giggle like little fanboys and fangirls.  I have to give them their "props" for keeping in touch with the fanbase.

Thirdly, I'm quite happy that they decided to make the story from the fourth novel the main storyline this season.  If you don't know the story to that novel, just stop reading my LiveJournal this minute, go to Baka-Tsuki, and read all the novels in chronological order.  They are fantastic, and the novels are some of the best I've ever read.  So well-written and such a great story, even though it's translated into English by fans.
Anyway, the fourth novel is my absolute favorite.  It has the entire parallel dimension story, with the changed personalities of the main characters, and it's just so interesting.  Time travel, alien technology, it's just awesome.  The fact that they are choosing that novel for the main storyline just excites me, because it deserves to be animated the most (a smiling Yuki?  So cute! n_n)

This leads me into my fourth statement, though.  I really, REALLY hope they don't go the same route as last season's.  What I mean is that I was really annoyed by the fact that the episodes were aired out of chronological order.  Yes, it was an interesting concept, and it made the show more original, but it just confused me to no end, and when you go into a series being confused, it really turns off a lot of people, and perhaps potential fans.  I mean, I guess it would be okay if they broke up the storyline with some filler-esque episodes in-between non-pivotal points in the story, but... I dunno.  I guess it wasn't really a BAD thing, but it just kinda annoyed me a bit.  But, I suppose it would the best thing for this kind of story.

...I know I'm in the vast minority in that reguard (annoyed by it), but hey, it's just my opinion.

Anyway, here's a list showing how I think they should break up the episodes.  Yes, I realize I do the exact thing I railed against in the paragraphs above, but I figure that they are going to do it anyway, so I may as well give my thoughts on it.  It's in a rough order, but you'll get the gist of what I'm going for.

Episode #1:] "The Disappearance", Part 1 (Prologue and Chapter One)
Episode #2:] "The Disappearance", Part 2 (Chapter Two)
Episode #3:] "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody"
Episode #4:] "The Disappearance", Part 3 (Chapter Three)
Episode #5:] "Endless Eight"
Episode #6:] "Snow Mountain Syndrome", Part 1 (First half of Chapter)
Episode #7:] "Snow Mountain Syndrome", Part 2 (Second Half of Chapter)
Episode #8:] "The Disappearance", Part 4 (Chapter Four)
Episode #9:] "Where did the Cat Go?"
Episode #10:] "Charmed at First Sight LOVER"
Episode #11:] "The Melancholy of Asahina Mikuru"
Episode #12:] {Original Episode} (like Episode Nine of the past season, an original story)
Episode #13:] "The Disappearance", Part 5 (Chapter Five)
Episode #14:] "The Disappearance", Part 6 (Chapter Six and Epilogue)

That's assuming that they will make it 14 episodes, again.  I dunno, something about the list doesn't feel right to me, but eh, it's been awhile since I've read the novels, so I can't remember the precise storyline.  My apologies, but hey, it's something to think about, right? :3

...when are they going to release the tenth novel, again?  Next May or so?  Ugh... x_x

 

(Click on Picture for Larger Version)

Finally... the new season of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu has updated news... and it concerns Nagato and the events in Book #4. :O

I'll have a full write-up on this occasion soon, probably tonight.  I'm pretty excited about this, but I'm also concerned about the proposed air times.

Links to Various Sites with the News: [Random Curiosity]  [ANN]  [Moon Phase]  [Official Site]

 1. The person who tagged you is...

minakoelric AKA Alex

2. Your relationship with him/her is...
Friend, and fellow gaming nerd. :3

3. Five impressions you have of him/her...
+Funny!
+Awesome Cosplayer
+Horror Fan
+Friendly
+Hard Worker

4. The most memorable thing he/she has done for you.
Made me realize that I don't know hardly anything about Resident Evil video games. xD

5. The most memorable words he/she has said to you.
That she thought I would know more about video games sooner than her.  Anybody who gives me that much credit is too nice. :3

6. If he/she becomes your lover, you will...
Make her cosplay!!! n_n (specifically: Mizuho Kazami [Onegai Teacher], Mai Kawasumi [Kanon], and ESPECIALLY Roll Caskett [MegaMan Legends])

7. If he/she becomes your lover, things he/she has to improve on will be...
I really couldn't say. o_o;

8. If he/she becomes your enemy, you will...
Uhh... put on some Power Ranger garb and start an epic battle.

9. If he/she becomes your enemy, the reason will be...
She didn't cosplay as Roll. D:

10. The most desirable thing you want to do for him/her now is...
Give her a Wii and start some Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles action!! :D

11. Your overall impression of him/her is...
Really cool gal. <3

12. How you think people around you feel about you...
They are in awe of my theological knowledge and video game know-how, especially when concerning areas of science and history.  And my intelligent-sounding vernacular might be a character trait they ponder.

13. The characteristic you love about yourself is...
I am studious, and I enjoy studying for the sake of simply bettering myself.

14. On the contrary, the characteristic you hate about yourself is...
I'm far too introverted, and need to become more sociable.

15. The most ideal person you want to be is...
One who has studied enough to where I can recall crucial knowledge concerning a myriad of topics at the drop of a hat.

16. For people that care and like you, say something to them...
You still have no idea what my true nature is. :3

17. Pass this quiz to 10 people that you wish to know how they feel about you - TRY NOT TO PEEP AT THE QUESTION BELOW BEFORE WRITING DOWN THE NAMES.

(I don't have any other friends on LiveJournal, so I'll just list out people I know in real life, as well)

1. Alex, although I got this from her.
2. Ben
3. Jay
4. Steven
5. Gabe
6. Jeremy
7. Ethan
8. Ted
9. Zach
10. Matthew

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

Who is no. 6 having a relationship with?
A woman named Tiffany.

Is no. 9 a male or female?
I don't think you can mistake him for anything other than a guy.

If no. 7 and 10 are together, will it be a good thing?
...they're cousins.  No.

How about no. 8 and 5?
As hilarious as it would be, they are both straight and already married.

What is no. 2 studying about?
Agriculture.  Farming.  He's the president of the FFA, you see.

When was the last time you had a chat with no. 3?
I can't remember... it has to have been within... a week and a half?  Wow, too long.

What kind of music band does no. 8 like?
He likes Linkin Park.  And rap.  And especially techno.  He likes tons of stuff.

Does no. 1 have any siblings?
I'm sure she does.

Will you woo no. 3?
I'm certainly tempted... or I would be, if I wasn't straight.  But I am straight, so that's that. xD

How about no. 7?
He's my cousin.  So, no.

Is no. 4 single?
Nope.  He's with Kashmir.

What's the surname of no. 5?
I believe his surname is "Miles".

What's the name of no. 10?
Matthew Rea.

What's the hobby of no. 4?
Video games.  Specifically FPSs.

Do no. 5 and 9 get along well?
Oh yes, they get along quite well.

Where is no. 2 studying at?
High school, but he also works on farming stuff on different sites, as well as travels to different cities for meetings.

Say something casual about no. 1.
What's up? :3

Have you tried developing feelings for no.1?
Certainly not.  I've wanted to punch him, but no, I'm straight and non-incestuous, thank you.

Where does no. 9 live?
In our little town in California, with me.

What color does no. 4 like?
I think it might be blue.

Are no. 5 and 1 best friends?
They've never met... o_o;

Does no. 7 like no. 2?
They've only met once.

How did you get to know no. 2?
Met him at a party at the pizza place, played some air hockey, and have been friends ever since.

Does no. 1 have any pets?
I couldn't say for sure.

Is no. 7 the sexiest person in the world?
Definitely not. >_>;

 

It was a good Thanksgiving.  We went over and celebrated it at our Uncle's house, which was nice, actually.  Good food, good company, it was all good.

And now, following up on what Daizenshuu EX posted up ("Top Five Anime Series That We'd Rather Have An American Live-Action Movie Made Of"), I'll make my own! :3

Top Five Anime Series I'd Rather See As A Live-Action Movie
1.] Onegai Teacher (I'll play as Kei!)
2.] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (and I'll play as Kyon!)
3.] Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru (with less fanservice, please)
4.] Kanon (Nayuki's storyline would be preferable)
5.] One Piece (I'd play Sanji, as well!) 

I could go on, but I'm tired right now.  I'll post more tomorrow, don't worry.

=Things I'll Do Once I Get A Podcast With My Future Girlfriend=

+Contests.  Lots and lots of contests.
Because, hey, everyone loves contests, right?

+Street fishin', as long as it's possible.
Just take a microphone with an audio-recording device out on the street, do the fishin', and document all these experiences.

+Review anything.  Video games, movies, TV shows, music, anime, manga, books, toys, anything.
Because everyone loves to hear people's opinions on anything.

+Special podcasts, meaning: podcasting during car trips, during vacations, it doesn't matter where or why.
Wouldn't doing a podcast while driving in a car be awesome?  Or when you're in a hotel room, or at a convention?

+Insert soundboards whenever possible, with audio clips from movies/games/anime/anything audio-based.
Sound effects can totally make a show sound so much better, as long as they are used properly.

+Special video bits, documenting video game segments, first play-throughs of video games, etc.
Especially if my future girlfriend has never played any of the old video games, and that would be hilarious.

+Make the website as awesome as possible, and cover any topic, no matter how absurd.
Good website layout = professional-sounding podcasters.  Somehow.  And a wide variety of topics means anyone can listen.

Yep, I've been thinking about it, and I'm going to totally start a podcast when I'm older, and out on my own, and when I have a beautiful co-host. :D

I'm actually on Volume #26 of the One Piece manga, about in the middle of the Skypeia arc.  Neat, I'm further than I thought.

Did you know that today is the third anniversary of the Nintendo DS?  So cool... I've been playing this video games system since I've moved here to California, just a few short months after we arrived at this house.  Happy anniversary, Nintendo DS! <3

I need to play some Pokemon Pearl.  I haven't played it in awhile, and I know I left off at a place that involved legendary Pokemon or something like that.  It'd be nice if I could use the Wi-Fi mode with my router, since I bought it for the sole purpose of PLAYING games online and all.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, which I'm excited for.  Not sure what we're going to do, whether we stay here or go to my Uncle's, but either way, it'll still be fun, right?  Turkey... mashed potatoes... gravy... yummmmm... n_n

I've gotta finish watching GekiRanger... especially before Gouonger starts.  And Jungle Fury.