Finally cleared this. Record: 1/254. I guess "Laser is not Difficult" if it's Marisa killing me ^^;

Well, for anyone who was wondering...site got overrun by spammers again. Moved the subdirectory again, hopefully this will put an end to it. I made a new header to celebrate being back up; Shakugan no Shana (灼眼のシャナ) is a pretty good show, go watch!

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this free online golf game that's currently in open beta. Originally Korean, it has since been translated into several other languages, including Japanese, and most recently, English.

Almost reminiscent of Gunbound (but with far fewer bugs), it presents a friendly atmosphere and is quite relaxing to play. Like any game of this style, RPG elements are integrated into the design, and you earn in-game currency to upgrade and decorate your character. While it's still missing most of the items that are in the Japanese and Korean versions, I'm sure they'll add them in as time goes on. Check it out at Albatross18.com.

I'm using the name YoumuKonpaku, so feel free to say hello if you see me online!

Status Report:
Well, after getting overrun by referrer hits from a random spammer, I have banned him and reset the hit counter to a more reasonable number. Next step - a better method of tracking unique visits. Maybe I'll be able to see how many "real people" actually see this site. (You're all bots, aren't you! >_>)

Misc. Fact: I now write random things for Anime Secrets, a growing review site that covers anime, video games, and manga. Go visit them!

Mai Otome (舞-乙HiME(オテメ)) Episode 1 first reactions:
It's different - but in a (seemingly) good way, so far. The artwork and animation are done nicely, and the music by Kajiura Yuki works well as usual. The OP/ED themes are jpop-ish, but catchy enough without being grating.

Mai Otome's storyline seems to take place in an alternate universe, with many characters returning from Mai HiME in different capacities, but with similar personalities (or at least, character design). So far, 3 'new' main characters have been established, Arika Yumemiya (who mysteriously appeared in the closing moments of Mai HiME 26), Nina Wong, a "serious type" character, not unlike Natsuki from Mai HiME, and Mashiro, who seems radically different from the Mashiro in Mai HiME, aside from a smiliar appearance. Also, she appears a bit manly for a princess >_>; These characters will likely be developed further as the storyline progresses. There's some sort of plot involving a mysterious conspiracy or group of evil people or something. Sounds pretty standard so far, but given what happened with Mai HiME, I've got good expectations. I'll definitely continue to watch this series.

Line of the day: Akane (to Shizuru): "...Shizuru-Onee-sama!"
I almost did a spittake upon hearing that one. Regardless of the fact that they're using that as a standard term of address among the otome, I guess Shizuru hasn't changed too much at all ^^;

Wow, I have really been neglecting this. Let the writing recommence!

I had the opportunity to attend the two biggest anime cons in Toronto this year, Anime North 2005 and CN Anime 2005. Both of them were both enjoyable events. AN05 was better overall, having many relevant activities and panels, and was much more focused than it's multi-con counterpart. I stayed the whole weekend for AN, and it was a blast. Having a press pass was a fun experience. I also managed to snag Asami SANADA's (真田アサミ) autograph on some hotel stationary ^^;

CNA05 didn't really have as much in terms of things to do, though it did have a huge dealer's room; albeit divided between the other cons that were part of the Expo. The reedeming event was definitely the angela concert! It was an hour of bliss that made the constant waiting in lines bearable. Oh, the lines were fun alright. 45 minutes to get a ticket, 10 minutes of waiting in the wrong line to get up to the dealers room area, 5 minutes lining up for the escalator, a mass of people in the dealers room making it nearly impossible to move about, an hour long line for decent seats in the concert, and another 30 minutes for autographs!

By the time I got an autograph, the line for the masquerade had already started, and streteched as far as the eye could see. I ended up skipping it and heading back early. Next year, I'm getting a press pass.

My autographed copy of angela's album "sora no koe" (ソラノコエ) has finally arrived! Many thanks to mira for making this possible! I'm a big angela fan, and this CD is one of their best. The 3 Stellvia (宇宙のステルヴィア) OP/ED tracks are included, and the other 7 tracks are solid as well. I know this isn't a very comprehensive review, but I'd heartily recommend that every angela fan get a copy. As an aside, I wonder what the signature on the right says... any idea? KATSU's perhaps...

For those who are unfamiliar, angela is headed up by atsuko on vocals and KATSU doing arrangments and guitar. They write their own songs, and manage to infuse each of them with a "dynamic energy", complementing atsuko's powerful voice effectively.

Tsubasa Chronicles 1 was a bit of a disappointment for me; visually it was decent, but overall I had expected a bit more. Chalk another one up to hype! Yui Makino's performance wasn't stellar, but it sufficed. I hope to see some improvement as she gains experience in this role.

Ok I know I said I would post about Mai HiME, but I've become too busy to do a proper post. I'll put something up after the series ends on the 31st. Here's a riposte of something I stuck on the AnimeAcademy forums, regarding Makino Yui, the seiyuu for Sakura Kinomoto of CCS fame in CLAMP's upcoming crossover filled anime, Tsubasa Chronicles (ツバサ・クロニクル):

Although Makino Yui hasn't done much work in anime, she has done a few things as a "seiyuu in training," including the voice of a character in a 1996 NHK mini-animation called "Book on Babel," 「バベルの本」, which apparently won several awards. She has also made a number of TV and commerical appearances, and has done a few voiceovers for CMs. I do agree though, she is relatively unproven as far as seiyuu go. This wary sentiment seems to be shared across the Pacific, based on my brief survey of a small selection of bbs postings by a number of disgruntled otaku in a language I can't fully understand.

Nonetheless, I read up on her; she seems reasonably talented at the very least. Here's a brief profile I have scraped together based on my attempts to dechiper Japanese websites. Incidently, this may very well now be the most comprehensive English profile on this aspiring young talent! And if she turns out to be decent, all the better! 頑張って、由依ちゃん!

Name (First/LAST): Yui MAKINO
Kanji: 牧野　由依
Birthdate: January 19th, 1986
Origin: Tokyo
Height: 154 cm
Size: B 83 W 60 H 85
Blood Type: O
Hobbies: Cooking, Bassoon, English Conversation, Swimming
Specialty: Playing the piano (She started playing at the age of 4)
Favourite Colour: Pink, Pastel colours
Dream for the Future: Be a person who does musical activities, and an actress! (rough translation)

Well it's finally reading week, which means some time to breathe! A few things to comment on today. First off, the Bleach OP is finally out! Though the Asterisk single was changed a bit from the TV version, it still makes for a good listen.

Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place is also out, albeit unsubbed (as of yet). A quick glance at 2ch, and my limited Japanese has revealed that some people loved it, and others weren't so impressed. In other words, I'll wait till I see it before passing judgement. Most did agree that the visuals were quite impressive, so at least it's got that going for it.

The anime Galaxy Angel (ギャラクシーエンジェル) is an amusing little gem. I finished watching the first season, and I must say, I love all of the characters! And almost each one of the 26 half length episodes (13 min or so) had me laughing out loud. The slapstick comedy may not appeal to all, but due to the non continuous format, each episode can stand alone. Perfect for injecting a bit of anime into an otherwise hectic schedule!

Alas, I must depart for now, but the next update will feature some My-Hime (舞-HiME) info! Here's a random School Rumble (スクールランブル) 4 koma (4 panel comic) as a reward for your patience! Even if you can't read it, i think it speaks for itself ^^

Yeah, I'm still around No time right now, but will update soon!

Happy New Year! Well, I certainly have neglected posting here for a good while. Blame Immaterial and Missing Power (東方萃夢想) for taking up a good chunk of my time. I only wish that there were more than the current 10 characters in the game. Perhaps we'll see some additional ones in a future expansion. Also, there are a few balance issues that need to be addressed. But enough about IaMP for now. On to more content!

Releases, Releases, Releases!
So it's finally 2005, and though the New Year's celebrations have come and gone, we can now turn our attention to the coming year. Here's a brief overview of some of the things that I'm looking forward to this spring.

Ah! My Goddess (TV) (ああっ女神さまっ) looks interesting. I saw some of the manga, and it was pretty funny. I've also played a Skuld "action game" which provides some amusing entertainment. I'll say more once I watch some of it.

Beyond the Clouds, The Promised Place (雲のむこう、約束の場所) is getting it's R2 DVD release Feb. 17th. Finally! After being pushed back at least a year and then flying under the English language radar after it's Japanese premiere, it's glad to hear something about it. The R1 release shouldn't be too far off. Or perhaps it'll be in 2007 =/

The Bleach OP, asterisk, according to unconfirmed reports, will be released Feb. 23rd. About time! After browsing through vague information about it for so long, it's great to have an actual date. I can only hope my source is reliable.

FFVII Advent Children is coming out March 14th, according to 1up.com. Yet another long overdue feature, and one can only hope that it lives up to the lofty expectations associated with it. Ah, who am I kidding, no matter how bad it is, I'll watch it anyways (and so will millions of FFVII fanboys and fangirls). Not that I am one of them of course...honestly!