Another Madoka-less Thursday


Another week goes by, another week without Madoka. Apparently, spoilers are out for the last two episodes, but I've been staying away from these. It kind of ruins anime that are like these; it really loses its punch if you know what's coming. Instead, I'll post about the random anime episodes that I've watched recently but never gave the time of day for a post.

A Look Back at Harem Mains This Season


I realized today, that coincidentally, I followed pretty much every harm-ish anime this season (other than Freezing, although I'm a little inclined to go back to watch it for this post). As such, I've decided to rate them based on their harem lead. It's just some random fun before the next season kicks in, with lots of sampling many first episodes of the new season.

Infinite Harem In Review [5/10]


So, Infinite Stratos is finally over. All I can say is that I really need to pick better anime to blog about. I'm still a fledgling blogger, so maybe one day I might be able to tell earlier if it's worth my time. I can say this much, at least: I liked how things played out in the last couple of minutes of this anime. I really felt it was done very well. I'm not much for Houki's weird parting hairstyle though; I think she looks better with her hair down...but I guess all that matters is Ichika's taste. lulz

Canto Movies Give Me an Appreciation for Fansubbers

More random pictures, 'cause I can.

I guess the first thing is that this will be a long-ass rant that goes all over the place, topic-wise. You have been warned.

The first thing to mention is that Cantonese is a language I can speak fluently, but I can only read/write at a 3rd/4th grade level (this also allows me to be able to read the majority of kanji). I mentioned yesterday that I found a site that lists Chinese movies chronologically, wherein I proceed to weed out all the Mandarin ones. I mean, if I can't understand it without subs, then I might as well be watching it in any language (although I can pick up a bit of it here and there). I started with the 2010 movies, and have been going down alphabetically at this point.

Korean Zombie Desk Car In Review [7.5/10]


I think this is first time I've made 3 posts in under a 24-hour span. Owelz, should always be pushing the limits...

So, I had a pleasant surprise today when I found Episode 12 floating around already, even though it probably won't show up on Crunchyroll until next week. I duess I'll mix in the ep12 review right here as a small blurb instead of separating them into two posts.

So I Learned About Anime Sales in Japan Today...

Just some random pictures to make my boring post look better~

So, I just came upon this as I was browsing 4chan: a former manager of Madhouse (animation studio) comments on how fansubbing and 3D animation is putting anime out of business. (Source: ASCII)

Dragon Crisis In Review [2/10]


This anime started off with some decent prospect that quickly turned worse than those generic anime. Hey, at least by the last episode, Ryuji didn't just wave his little dagger and fix the problem magically. This was probably the worst anime that I followed this season.

Korean Zombie Desk Car 11


Ayumu in his emo corner, followed by a trash ending.
So, this ends the plot-based portion of this anime. I didn't really expect it to end this week - but, instead, they chose to end it a week earlier and thus have a hot spring episode next week. So now, every anime other than Madoka gets a swimsuit episode. Fanservice ftw? I'm pretty disappointed with how this episode ended. It left me feeling empty.

days past our megaten lives ~ 1.0


To start off: today marks the 2-year anniversary of this blog. Yay...? I kind of forgot about it a year ago. I was reminded of it a month or two ago (for a reason that I've now forgotten), and since then intended to at least make some sort of post about it. Before a trip down memory lane, I decided to (finally) change the name of the blog slightly. Since people still look for it by the old name, I deviated it by one word, thus making it a more accurate description of the blog today. It was the work of a pure genius. *pats self on back*

Some Big News?


I guess this is pretty big news for manga viewers like me. A couple of months ago, Onemanga closed down. Various other (smaller) online manga sites closed down too - or, at least, took some small action after being given a Cease and Desist.

I'd already heard rumours of this, but there didn't seem like anything solid until today. This seems like a legal alternative to scanlating, kind of like what Crunchyroll is trying to do for anime.

I don't think this will outright end scanlating, but it will change things up quite a bit. I guess a big factor would be how well localization will be for every country, which is a huge issue for Crunchyroll. I guess we'll see how this plays out when the site is actually launched.

Side note: there'll probably be no Infinite Stratos post for ep11; it was just too horrible for me to post about.

~Pearz

Madoka-less Thursday

Another week goes by, and still no confirmed date for when the last 2 episodes of Madoka will air.


So instead, I once again bring you something half-Madoka related. GG's trolling has reached even HON. I now have the Mourning Lescue mod for my HON gaming. There's nothing like a bit of trolling in HON - I mean, the game is filled with trolls and ragers anyways. I'm slowly climbing back up to 1700MMR right now. Although, after dropping so far in MMR, I know I clearly don't belong in that bracket yet. I can now single-handedly win games by dominating the mid lane with ease. It's giving me a chance to practice with heroes I don't normally use, like Tiny (Pebbles) and Gladiator (which is quickly being one of my top picks since I'm getting really good with him).


As I start glancing over at other people's anime blogs and such, I realize things that I have in my area (Toronto) and others are vastly different. Toronto has a large Asian population (me being part of it) and it's the second largest city in Canada. So, naturally, we have various Asian malls and supermarkets. Lots of the things (like Japanese foods, figurines, and even manga) can be found without too much difficulty. I'm hoping that, at this rate, Morning Rescue will show up in the supermarkets. I mean, I can buy those same onigiri (which absolutely awesome, by the way) you see in anime. I guess an environment like this would be loved by most people, but I've just grown to view it as a norm.

I guess this is just a random rant to pass time as I procrastinate doing the IS post. I really shouldn't have picked it to blog about.

~Pearz

Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka 10

So, after a week of anime-drought, a new episode of Zombie is out (along with 2 episodes of Dragon Crisis).

Total War: Shogun 2

Since all the good anime is delayed this week, the usual Madoka post on Thursdays being replaced temporarily by some non-anime post to fill up some space...


So, this is my first time playing the Total War series. Rho pitched it to me as a Civilization-type mixed with RTS, which sounded interesting enough so I decided to give it a try. I played (and won) two campaigns using the Bow Specialty nation (short campaign) and the Cavalry Specialty (long campaign).

This was the first introduction I got to game, wherein I couldn't stop laughing at how bad he was - and even more so now, with the context of just how easy castle-defending is. lolz

HON vs Dota 2


It's been a while since I made a non-anime post...

So, lately, I've been playing a lot more HON matches. A while back when I first made a post about Dota 2, it was before I started looking into the HON Competitive Scene. Lately, I've been watching some of the streams of competitive matches, which has helped improve my game a bit.

Side note: Today, I played in a match with the person (breakycpk) that does the casting of those shows and WOW... Just, wow. Granted, I didn't do exceptionally well at mid - but compared to the fact that he gave a free feed at the start of the game to their mid hero and then handed off a free-farm to bot (to their carry) is by far much, much worse. It was still astounding how well their carry farmed; it was like our heroes weren't even in the lane.

Spring 2011 Anime Preview

Here's a chart of the the upcoming anime, from CartDriver's blog and cowboybibimbop:



It looks like a decent season. What I noticed was that there's a lot more anime this season compared to the winter season (it's almost doubled). This single post probably was the longest post (read: time spent) I have made ever (around 7 hours of pure working).
(Aaro Note~ : It was hard for me to edit too. Curse you, Pearz.)

Small and slightly random note: I have always been an advocate of Photobucket but that (and Picasa, the Google one) likes to resize your image and it wouldn't let me upload charts that are just so big. I had to turn to Imageshack for the first time, so maybe I'll use that one more in the future.

Anyway: I didn't include the description of anything that's a Season 2, since anyone that watched it before will already know what it's about. Anyone that hasn't watched it yet will probably look for the first season before watching the second one.

I'll list them out in the same order as Cartdriver's chart since I'm lazy (though he's missing one anime that I added at the end).

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0


So, in light of recent events, I've decided to watch this series. I saw that it got decent ratings but it never was very high on my list of things to watch. Overall, it was a decent anime; a little slow on the uptake (though that's expected of a slice of life anime) that had a nice strong finish.

Infinite Harem Ep10

So, first off, the earthquake in Japan is pretty big news. I was able to hear about it instantly since I was browsing 4chan at the time while waiting for the Merry episode. This, combined with the new episode of Madoka being a big hit, led to a lot of puns combining both. The only known anime delay is for JC staff stuff (Merry/Index), 'cause their building got wrecked. I haven't seen much else confirmed.

Puella Magi Homura Magica Ep10


Madoka Magica
This has got to be the best episode this season; I was so stunned after watching it that I had to rewatch it again...and, along with it, the first couple episodes of the series. It shines a different light on the first episode, one that makes it much more enjoyable with it being in context. To show how awesome this episode was: the 4chan boards are racking up about 300+ replies in the general thread every 30min, which is roughly a post every 6sec. So, if you haven't watched, watch it now before hitting that read more button. XD

the Idea

And here we are again: upon the precipice and looking down.

A raging torrent courses through veins, crashing around the bends, fighting against gravity, attempting to drown the system. The mind blanks, there is now a detachment from the focus and the peripheral.

Motions slow, like many wonderful balloons they hang in the air, drifting through space, less than audible. The racing mind consumes oxygen faster than the torrent can deliver, thoughts bleed into the consciousness uncontrollable. Emotions, images, words from dead languages the author swore to fiction.

In there it breaks, the maelstrom of thoughts circle the proverbial drain into oblivion. In there it is: amongst the chaos, lying in fear in the eye of the storm, trembling and shaking violently with the platform it drifted here upon.

It is this moment the mind waits for, her name is Clarity, named by her brother Madness, whom precedes and proceeds her. The mind is ablaze with conviction, it snatches from Clarity her moment, and abuse her talents to it's sickest desires. It reaches into the maelstrom for it, into the eye, and rips it from a turbulent socket. The screaming tendrils is in reaction to the offense, thrashing with wild abandon as it slinks away back into the darkness.

The whirling vortex stops, like in a video and someone hit pause, except that time here crept on. The entire volume now without purpose, and strength, can no longer maintain equilibrium. It crashes down on the mind as a monstrous wave, seeking pathways downwards, filling the deepest and darkest recesses. The mind does not care, it is occupied with a far more interesting plaything.

With a new throne and a new puppet, the mind carelessly shoves it back into reality, like a brick worker who cares little for the piece it is replacing, the fit was a coincidence. Time releases itself, faster than observation at first, but then gradually thins out. The mind drafts endlessly while looking upon it's new plaything. The plaything knows it's place, it will sit upon the apex with absolute stillness, lest it slips and be strangled by it's own leash. It waits patiently until the mind is finished, when it will be discarded, plunged into an unseen undertow and dragged back into the void.

And here we are again: Madness, his breathing labored, pressed against the door. A turning key, clicking into place.

~*+ Rho

Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka 9

To start off, I'm trying out the new editor for Blogspot (which isn't even new; it's been around for a year). So, instead of the spoiler button, I'll just page-break. This should also shrink the blog, keeping it from being so long on the original page.


America's Greatest Otaku


So, I only discovered this show yesterday, and decided to watch it. Now, it is streamed for free on the Internet if you're in the US - but, since I'm not in the US, it is much harder to watch. Since it's already free, it's rare to find it re-uploaded elsewhere. I eventually found someone willing to stream the second episode on livestream.com and let me say WTF.

Since the post that he was streaming it for was on 4chan, other people came to watch him stream it too. It was nothing but TROLLING in the chatbox on the side. Sadly, the commentary in that chatbox made the show more bearable and funny.

I mean, as I watched the first episode, I couldn't stop screaming at my screen at all the WTF moments, and there were SO MANY OF THEM.

I guess I too am a troll at heart. Either way, it's interesting show to watch. XD

~Pearz

Infinite Harem 9


Infinite Stratos
So, this episode was pretty much the embodiment of what is slowly eroding away anime. It was nothing but fanservice, and yet I couldn't stop watching. I just add to the growing problem, don't I? XD


We get short scene where we get to see Houki's sister. I totally imagined something different, like a more science-y person.


Houki, on the other hand, gets nearly zero screentime. All the other girls get pretty equal time compared with Ichika.


Even Pika-tan and the rest of the extra girls get as much screen time as Houki got.


It's pretty clear that he is oblivious to his own harem. At least all the girls know they are in clear competition with each other. Somedays I wonder why I still watch this anime...

~Pearz

Madoka Magica 9


Madoka Magica

We're slowly closing in on the end of this anime. We can clearly see it this episode as everything is spiralling together for the big climax.


Homura's character seems very inconsistent. She had a breakdown last episode, but quickly became fully cold again. This makes you question the random break in composure last episode.


At least we finally learn why she warmed up to Sayaka so quickly. Her change of character seemed to be inconsistent, but this episode does cure most of the confusion.
Spoiler:

I found this very, very, very hard to swallow. For someone that says he doesn't have emotions and can't understand the value of humans, he sure is good at manipulating the girls to do his bidding. It seems more like he understands them perfectly.

This entire alien thing seems to start spanning genres a bit. It's starting to branch a little far and might make this series a bit bad if they expand on it. It would make more sense if he is lying, since he has shown that he can do that.

I guess should expand on Kyouko, since she was pretty important this episode. Her death was unnecessary to beat Sayaka, but she chose to die so that Sayaka didn't have to die alone. She felt she was too similar to her; this combined with the realization of the destiny of all magic girls probably left a sour taste. There's no reason to keep living as a puppet for Kyuube's master plan when you can go out with a bang. It is why she tried so hard to turn Sayaka back from a witch, realized it was a failure and then accepted her fate, choosing to end it all. It's too bad that her death was part of the master plan. I think, in the end, Madoka will end up turning into a magic girl. Her only other choice would be to watch Homura fall before her, which I doubt she would let happen. It would also set up for a Season 2 for the anime if they chose to do so instead of wrapping up.
Either way, it's hard to give solid feedback other than the fact that I like the progress so far. It's hard to say as this can still go anywhere based on how it ends. Story-based anime really rely on that strong ending to bring it home. Case in point: Chaos;Head. I loved it leading up, and then it went to garbage near the end. Sigh, sigh. This episode did open up that can of worms that something retarded could happen...
~Pearz

Claymore



So, Claymore ch113 came out today; it was the most amazing chapter ever. Anything I say will be nothing but spoilers, so if you haven't caught up yet, you have been warned.

Spoiler:
Phantom Maria is back!!!111!!!1 It's kind of a big cop out to have her come back, but I'm still happy. She was one of the best Claymores.
On top of this, there is a huge possibility that Teressa of the Faint Mmile will make a return. Three Rank 1 Claymores will make an appearance soon, with only Cassandra being the one confirmed. The list of the couple to pick from was actually listed out a couple of chapters back. It's great to see these characters again.

Although, they are really pulling the same thing that Naruto has been doing lately by reviving old or famous characters from the history of their story. Either way, the next couple of chapters should be awesome. The two best Claymores are coming back.

~Pearz

asdf

Since it's the end of the month, I decided to look around to see if there were charts up for the Summer Season. I found two, so here they are:

Credits go to the chart makers, which is listed in the chart. These are only the confirmed ones; more anime will probably show up.

Of these, I have definite interest in: Appleseed, Baka to Test, and Blood-C. This is mainly because they are second seasons of anime I have watched.


I'll do a better preview post when it is closer to the Summer Season, since by then the list is more likely to be solidified. This was just an initial list for those interested...like me.

~Pearz

Akiba Manga




So, during my 4chan lurking, someone posted something interesting. Apparently, this magazine is like Weekly Shounen Jump (the most popular manga magazine in Japan), but in French. It features seven manga, all drawn by Japanese Mangaka but written by French people. The art is definitely decent, but I can't read French, so I don't know about story. Either way, I would love an English version of something like this in the future. So, if you can read French, feel free to check it out.

~Pearz