Anime Blog Saturation 2

Relevant Links
[http://renegade.animeblogger.net/?p=432->]
[http://animeotaku.animeblogger.net/?p=61->]
[http://that.animeblogger.net/2006/11/13/episode-summaries-bad-my-random-thoughts/->]
[http://azureflame.wordpress.com/2006/11/14/tuesday-rumble-november-14th->]
[http://chrome.ikimashou.net/?p=427->]
[http://huamulan03.blogspot.com/2006/11/its-sunny-side-up-with-digression.html->]
[http://cuteproxy.wordpress.com/2006/11/13/the-nymphs-er-my-reply-to-the-episodic-brouhaha/->]
[http://chibinonothing.blogspot.com/2006/11/op-ed-nothing-better-to-write-about.html->]

This again?
Continue reading Anime Blog Saturation 2

Monomane

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http://www.ntv.co.jp/monomane/
http://wwwz.fujitv.co.jp/b_hp/monomane/index.html

I wished I could share with you this happiness, but the best I could do is direct to you to search for “monomane” on the usual video streaming sites. Do it. Now. Then go back here.

I love spoofs. When there is something that ‘mimics’ some other popular thing, I really squeal like a pig in laughter. That’s why when I saw a couple of monomane (mimicry of something) TV specials… I JUST CAN’T STOP LAUGHING!

Basically, these are TV specials where some people or group does a comedic act using various kinds of mimicry of some artist/singer/fictional character. There would be a couple of acts going head to head against each other, and some audience would vote on who they like, in which the person/group will win whatever.

But enough about that, what I saw in those TV specials would be something I’ll never forget. They basically spoofed everything I knew about Japanese artists/singers/characters I can’t take it anymore (dying of laughter). Of course, there were some acts I didn’t get because I didn’t know about the spoof, but I still laugh with their weird acts. But wait, there’s more! Not even international artists/celebrities/singers/characters can escape. They spoof popular world stuff too!

From SMAP to KAT-TUN (boybands) to Tamori (famous TV host) to Hard Gay (comedian) to DJ OZMA (singer) to Utada Hikaru (singer) to even some girl from an early Gundam anime series. Jack Sparrow to Bruce Willis to Michael Jackson to even some soccer player who headbutts. They basically make fun of virtually anything… I wish there were more, much more. I don’t know if there are other shows like that besides the specials, which might just be once a year. Sad… so sad that it’s probably the last I’ll ever see of those monomane.

If, by any chance, you see some internet video or know of any programming schedules about monomane, please do comment or contact me. Please. I need all the laughter I can get. It was such a nice laugh… haaaaah… I need some sleep now.

Impulse Buying

As you probably know, I’m in Japan. So when I’m in Japan, I want to buy something… anything. But I’m poor. But still, I just can’t resist. So I save some money by not eating sometimes. I lost a lot of weight actually. Don’t worry, I’m joking on the not eating part… I’m not that hardcore…

I have this rather impossible sickness called “impulse buying”, where I buy something I probably won’t even need or treasure later on, but still buy just for the heck of it. If there were a way to resell these stuff to you, my readers, I would gladly, but shipping charges are not cheap. So basically, I’m stuck with these items myself, and someday, it will be JUNK. Yes, TRASH.

Most impulse buys I have ain’t related to anime at all, so I won’t mention some. And of course, I won’t tend to buy too much anime stuff, because I don’t have a hikkomori or otaku room.

This post is a collective of all the “impulse buys” I made during the entirety of my stay here in Japan. Of course, this will update as time progresses, so check it out sometime.

Continue reading Impulse Buying

The blogger whose name is written in this note shall…

Burned out. Has a big project at work, so has no time to blog. Said blogger will not die soon, but is currently killing himself in symbolic sort of way. He apologizes for not updating frequently, as life in Japan seems so harsh.

By the way, He’s currently watching NANA now, still wondering if his viewership is being counted in the amazing 4-6% TV ratings of this otherwise late-night anime. He also wonders if the NANA2 movie would even be a success without the old actors around. He watched Miyazaki Aoi’s TV drama and cried a lot at the bittersweet ending. Still crying that she can’t be Hachi again for the sequel.

“Hirano Aya is awesome”, he said. Aside from Reira, she also voices in Death Note and Galaxy Angel II. It’s kinda like her year. Her birthday is October 8 BTW. This blogger will rejoice.

He also watched the first episode of Death Note a while back, and was very pleased. He considers this one of the best shounen series, and is a very definite, definite watch. He now will proceed to read the manga… that is… if he still can, because it’s really going to be tight at work.

He promises to be back again for another post within the week, although it is still highly doubtful. This just proves that there is no such thing as destiny in this world, so some kind of Magical Note can’t exist. He just wishes that there’s some kind of Life Note that would get him out of this mess. Why not the Death Note? He doesn’t want to die soon, of course. In any case, he wishes everyone to enjoy the new anime season.

In about 10 minutes, this blogger will sleep.

October Anime Season (Fall 2006)

This [Japan->bluemist-in-japan] thing is really creating a dramatic shift out of me. These days I find that watching anime seems more like a chore than a charm. See, I had to take note of when it broadcasts on TV, which is more likely than not after midnight. How do otaku manage to watch them so late? Do they have no jobs (NHK?), or do they have video recorders or something? Ah, the hardships of being a casual anime watcher who happens to like otaku-themed anime.

Oh, and as the seasons change, some new targets spring up at Fall 2006. And it feels [all-bishoujo->summer-of-bishoujo] again this season… yay for me (oof so many backlog in there).

Galaxy Angel II – Galaxy Angel was the bishoujo Cowboy Bebop, and I’m so sad that it was over. Hopefully this all-new cast would be as good.

Gift ~Eternal Rainbow~ – This should whet my appetite until the next big D.C. anime comes.

Happiness! – Exactly what I feel.

Love Doll ~Lovely Idol~ – A Princess Soft game conversion.

Kanon – Possibly the best bishoujo game ever made… remade by the ever-l33t Kyoto Animation studio. Take my word for it, this will be beyond [Air->air-tv], beyond [Haruhi->haruhiism-tracker], and beyond any other bishoujo anime that ever existed (my bias on [To Heart->to-heart] is another story).

Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru – Crossdressing + yuri = the ultimate Strawberry Panic. Instant win.

Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~ – I never thought I’d see the day. One of the most popular dating sim series of all time is going to have a proper anime series. Now I can know what all the fuss is about.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruri Iro na – A game from the same makers of [Hanihani->hanihani-operation-sanctuary].

And then in my [wishes come true->anime-wish-list] segment:

Negima!? – Yes! Justice! Give justice to the awesome manga that is Negima!

DEATH NOTE – Ah, the catalyst. The only shounen anime in my list. And boy this is as addictive as crack.

Da Capo II: Anzu Yukimura

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Gothloli know-it-all. The female counterpart of Suginami. First impressions tell me that I might not be interested in her (except the loli part). Indeed, her story started out slow, but after the Ski Trip event which I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish, I got some much needed urge to finish her story. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Anzu’s scenario is solid and simple. Moreover, so many characters get involved, including a seeming teaser for the upcoming “Da Capo” story. Very intriguing.

This time, there doesn’t seem to be a direct correlation between Anzu and Minatsu’s scenario, as opposed to the Koko and Nanaka partner scenarios. Minatsu is quite prominent in this one, and I liked her character a bit. I should get started on that one. For now, here’s Anzu Yukimura.

Disclaimer: Lacking Japanese will mean lack of story details. I expect that there will be a LOT of errors in the way I understood some events, because I rely only on the spoken dialogue. To the Japanese-literate game players who may have found this page, please do help me in case I have mistaken in understanding some parts of the story. Please do post a comment or contact me.

Continue reading Da Capo II: Anzu Yukimura

bluemist in japan

Surprise surprise… an update!

I think that since my last update the community of bloggers and viewers got bigger, so first I would like to say hello to all of you. I’m currently in Japan, and I would say that I’m slowly getting the hang of it… not. I really want to learn the language but real conversation is sometimes hard to understand. Indeed shows/movies/games is oversimplified in terms of dialogue. I’d better strut my stuff to up my 5% understanding.

Anyway, I’m a bit out of touch over here. As expected, Japanese life is a busy one. I only watch four series (NHK, School Rumble, [Nana->], Ouran), and I catch most of them on live TV. Makes me drowsy on mornings because they’re all late-night. Plus, despite semi-popular belief, anime stuff is really not that mainstream. The Densha Otoko fad seems to be over, and all I see here is those freaking annoying boybands. However, Akihabara (the popular electronics district) seems to remain the otaku mecca, with blatant bishoujo posters all around, maid cosplays, and crazy foreigners admiring them. Everywhere else… seemed to look like my hometown, except cleaner, less English, and with more unreadable Kanji. Expensive too.

So next week expect a post about ganguro in Shibuya, the [Futako-tamagawa->futakoi-alternative] picnic spot, and how KAT-TUN is threatening SMAP in terms of TV popularity.
^
THAT’S ALL A JOKE!!!

Seriously though, skimming the surface of various aspects of this culture is becoming quite interesting, that too much anime seems like a waste of time. I can get all the stuff I wanted back home anyway, and so I should make the best out of the remaining time I have over here by doing something else.

Oh no, will this mean that this blog is in limbo? Will you really start seeing some j-pop and gravure idols instead of bishoujo? Or will I just post once a month? Still dunno, time may tell.

First and foremost though, I should have a stable connection next week, so I’ll be able to stalk the internets again, and hopefully participate in some nice dorama. Kudos to all sides of that issue btw for peaceful resolution. And, yes… [Da Capo II->summer-of-bishoujo] scenarios will return! I just finished Anzu, you’ll see her soon. [Doremi->]? I think I’ll need a format change in that project, it was taking too much time. The [CCS->sakura] project would probably be dead, sorry.

Secondly, the site is horribly out of date. I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with my outdated Blogroll, apologies to all not in there, but rest assured I see your site through our anime aggregators. Thanks for linking me even if I don’t link you. Layout seems to be ever the same bleh, I should change the banner someday.

Finally, if there’s anything interesting about Japan ((inexpensive) places, events, stuff) that you would like to share, please give me a ring, and I hope to check it out. Right now I’m gearing up for the Tokyo Game Show. Wish me luck on the LONG LINES.

Well, that should be it for now. See you sometime.

Project Japan

Since this is more or less confirmed already, might as well say it.

I’m going to Japan.

I’m going to Japan for training in my work, and I am going to be stuck there for about a year. While this may be no big deal to others, to me it is. In a way, this will radically change the way I live, and in effect, this anime blog of mine might render a lot of changes in the near future.

First and foremost, I really do hope that I will not stop blogging anime and related stuff. But getting nearer my points of interest does not necessarily mean that I’ll experience more. It is rather obvious that any kind of otaku behavior in Japan would be looked down upon by other people. While I don’t consider myself one, I am ‘dangerously’ close, particularly my certain likehood for bishoujo games. I shouldn’t put my real-life work in jeopardy, although reportedly my company there is rather open-minded when it comes to these things. The fact that I was allowed to work in Japan is already even too kind for them. If they don’t care that I’m a foreigner, the more they don’t care what my hobbies are.

I also have lots of things to consider. Would I be able to watch those late-night anime? Would I muster courage to buy stuff since I don’t know 95% of the language? Japan is the dream of many-an anime fan, but facing reality is a nightmare. Especially the ‘price’ of entertainment. I would break-even with my allowance using it for food alone. No moyism for me.

Am I thinking so negatively about this? Well heck I’ll look at the bright side now… I’M IN FREAKING JAPAN! Entertainment heaven! Technology! Sights! Sounds! Hot springs! Mountains! Amusement parks! Shopping! (Girls!) WOW! Let me tell this from a 3rd world perspective. To go to a 1st world country is nothing short of AWESOME. I’ll stop now before this becomes mere bragging.

So what’s the future of this blog? Well, since I will leave my entire fansub collection back home, I only have the space to carry [Da Capo II->summer-of-bishoujo] and [Ojamajo Doremi->] along with me. Those projects should remain active. Hopefully I will have internet in my apartment so I can build some new collection to enjoy. First I need a laptop…

And so that’s it, life goes on. Apologies for holding it in for so long, since I wasn’t sure of this a few weeks back. I’ve been preparing for this recently and that’s why I took a break. Plus my birthday is drawing near and all. I would certainly love to be back in the scene again, so please come back for more. I’ll be back when I get things settled.

Thanks for your continued support.

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