http://patrickmacias.blogs.com/er/2008/06/date-waru-zoku.html
http://2chan.us/wordpress/2008/06/08/14-people-stabbed-in-akihabara/
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/08/japan.stabbing.spree/index.html
You’ve probably already heard about this, but I figured I’d spread the word some more. Man, Akiba seems to be heading down the tubes. I hope by the time I make it over there it would have at least recovered somewhat.
This shit is pretty fucked up.
In the midsts of my Shuffle! merch buying frenzy some months ago, I came across this “Clear Sheet Collection” over at CDJapan. I noticed that of the fifteen “clear sheets” available, two of them were rare images that I really wanted highres copies of (Kaede in naked apron and Kaede in maid outfit) and a quite a few others were images I liked but didn’t have highres versions of. Though, there was a catch: of the fifteen images available, the most you could get from each set was twelve, so you’d be missing out on three of the images no matter what. But despite that little hang up, I snatched this up without a thought and hoped for the best. After a few weeks, it finally arrived at my doorstep (gogo SAL shipping.)
Turns out my luck wasn’t totally horrible like it always is, and I at least got one of the two rare images I wanted. Alas, Kaede in a maid outfit seems forever out of reach, save for bad Yahoo auction pics. If anyone has that one, I’d love a scan of it. Anyways, on to the review…
This “Clear Sheet Collection” is really just a set of transparent pencil boards with various pieces of Really? Really! promotional art on them. Of the fifteen offered, only five of them are the same old recycled art you’ve seen everywhere, with the other ten being rarer images. So, no matter what kind of batch you get, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get some good stuff.
And what good stuff this is! Aoi Nishimata is in top form here with a bunch of cute Kaede renderings along some hot Primula, Mayumi and Sakura action for good measure. Hiro Suzuhira makes some brief appearances with a few Asa and Ama pics, but is mostly absent from this collection considering she apparently left Navel a while ago due to health issues. If I had to say anything negative about this set (aside from the fact that you miss three of the images >:((( ) is that the transparency thing seems pretty pointless. All it really does is make the art look faded, which isn’t a good thing. However, if you’re like me and tape up pencil boards, these look decent against a white surface. They’re also good to collect in an album of some sort!
I’d recommend these to any serious Shuffle! fan such as myself, but good luck finding them now. CDJapan is out, and I have no idea where else they’d sell these. Your best bet is Yahoo auctions, probably. In fact, I should go there right now and see if anyone is selling the Kaede maid “clear sheet”!
Bonus
As a distinguished member of the interwebs, I’ve decided to scan some of the rare images for my fellow otaku. I’ve uploaded all of these to danbooru (18+), but this blog post has a better scan of Naked Apron Kaede. Get ‘em while they’re hot!
Currently bugging Link to turn me into a Touhou fag by any means necessary. This is basically an attempt to up my nerd cred– after that, I just gotta step up my Japanese and read 2ch regularly. Also, I don’t want to get lost whenever some thread gets Touhou hijacked on the Megatokyo Forums.
Best part is they use this image for June; my birthday month. It’s like they knew all my favourite characters???
I installed Perfect Dark a while ago, and was instantly turned off when I found I couldn’t read a thing given the font size was entirely too small. Absolutely disgusted, I immediately parted ways with the program and went back to using Share. Recent news prompted me to brush the dust off of PD, and thanks to the help of a certain troll, all is fixed. Man, this program rocks. You get a whole bunch more results than Share, and you can even search within results. But the thing that really sold me was the fact that I found the Cymbals’ out of print EP MISSILE&CHOCOLATE with little issue. Thanks, PD. Thanks.
Since I actually know how to find The Important Things on Nico Nico now, I’ll probably be posting shit from there a lot when I have nothing else to do. That said, I did not find the video I’m about to post– it was brought to my attention by Link down at Super Youkai Warhead. If you have an account, click away. If not then… I’m too lazy to find it on YouTube. Besides, this shit’s better with wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww all over the screen.
So apparently after a lot of fan yelling FUNi’s going to put out a box for The Best Series Ever. I was kind of bothered that DVD 1 lacked a box, but I had other things to be angry about so it didn’t phase me too much. A box is splendid news, though, and I hope they do a good job. By that I mean I hope they don’t pull an ADV and just put random pretty pictures all over the place.
Ideally the box will have pictures of either a) Kaede doing house work, b) Kaede naked or c) both
Oh man, I just had a dream where Golgo 13 was fighting Lupin III. It was far more bizarre than that, but I can’t even begin to describe just how batshit this all was. For starters tough, Golgo had emotions.
Maybe this is because I watched an episode of Golgo 13 and a Lupin special yesterday.
[16:02:55] wildarmsheero: like apparently Golgo and Lupin III were fighting in the city of boston but boston was under a giant dome with a bunch of lasers on it that were shooting down on everyone and there were guys like attached to that dome too and there were like disco lights and golgo didn’t use a sniper rifle and aaaaaaaa
[16:03:36] TheBigN: XD
[16:05:15] wildarmsheero: that’s the best that I can put into the words
[16:05:19] wildarmsheero: it all happened so fast
[16:05:29] wildarmsheero: the word
[16:05:31] wildarmsheero: into words
[16:05:32] wildarmsheero: rather
[16:05:34] wildarmsheero: blah
[16:05:37] wildarmsheero: i just woke up
This post will probably be the last of these for a bit.
For the Alter figure, I auto-level’d all the pics, then touched some up individually. As such, the lighting and colours are kind of inconsistent between the photos. For the trading figures I just did the auto level thing and left it at that. The colours still change a bit, but I’ll blame that on my camera. As you can see, I’m still rather new at this.
Alter 1/8 Hazuki Dress Version
Because Photoshop sucks at being easy to understand, I accidentally overwrote my original highres copies of these photos with the 800×600 versions. Blah. Anyway, some photos now that I have a new desk lamp~
Lately I’ve been trying my best to just take it easy. Ever since I left that dreaded hell of high school, I’ve had a giant Space Battleship lodged up my arse. It’s slowly working its way out of there, but as all you readers probably know, I still get my panties in a twist over many things. The main reason why I’m generally just trying my best to “keep it cool, yo” (as the kids say) is because this type of attitude does nothing good for me, and only causes headaches. But enough Live Journaling, I already have one for that. What I want to talk about is favourites.
A lot of bloggers at one point or another make it clear as to why things make it on their favourites list. Jeff Lawson is the first one that comes to mind, but there’s probably more. For a long time being on my list of favourites has been a very exclusive position for the 5 or 6 shows on there out of the 298 completed shows/movies/whatevers I’ve seen so far– kind of like a snobby party for only the elite of the elite of the elite. Basically my favourites list was the landmarks of anime that I’d seen and really enjoyed. Stuff that was approved “good” by various respected anime-watching personalities that just happened to strike me in a profound manner as well. Stuff I wouldn’t be “ashamed” of having on my list of favourites. Well, now I want to open it up. Consider this another step in removing the <Insert Giant Object Here> from my arse.
It just hit me a few minutes ago while I was in the shower– such an attitude is the attitude of a fucking critic. The attitude of Jay Sherman, if you will. I’m not a motherfucking anime critic, I’m a fan. Fans don’t need to operate on logic, they just need to love. That isn’t to say you should abandon the critic mentality as a fan, but you shouldn’t let it take you over. I think my main problem for a while was that the critic mentality and fan mentality were often at odds, which resulted in many confused emotions over shows, along with numerous headaches and other terrible things. But now that’s gone. I figure if I already post shameless pictures of dakimakura covers, I should be allowed to be shameless with my tastes, too. So, as of right now, Shuffle! is a favourite anime. Tsukuyomi is a favourite anime. Futakoi Alternative is… almost a favourite anime!
Of course, with my standards being a lot more loose now, things will come and go from the list a lot easier. One thing that determines a favourite for me is rewatchability, and a lot of the shows going up there I haven’t watched much more than once. However, when I come to the end of a series, I know if it’ll be worth a second look or not. What determines that is what emotions the series brought up in me, and how strongly they affected me. For instance, after Shuffle! I knew I’d eventually come around to it again, but I’ll never pick up Kaiji for another viewing after I’m done with it. Sure, Kaiji’s a great series, but it doesn’t effect me emotionally at all.
Anyway, I’m getting off track here. I guess I should just stop writing this and chill, or something.
Despair
Hope
Slightly more affordable Hope
Less cat ears but Kaede is still cute as hell <3
Man, these things are being re-released. Which means they were released once before. I feel like such a fuckup for not knowing these things even existed. I guess I’m too used to looking for Shuffle! merch on Yahoo Auctions and forget that normal stores carry stuff, too. But I sure as hell ordered them this time around! Now if only I could find the Visual Fan Book anywhere, given it has epic works of art like this.
I think this post needs a Kaede CG :3
Matt Alt recently put a translation up on Néojaponisme of the first ever article to use to the word “otaku” as a reference to anime fans and geeks in general. The article itself is nothing much, but it’s a very interesting snapshot of history. Give it a read.
In a world…
…where PiQ magazine sits in front of Otaku USA…
…where titles like “Loveless” and “Absolute Boyfriend” are placed on the shelf with their covers facing outwards…
…where “Dramacon” even exists at all.
You would think there is no hope.
But there is. There is hope.
hope
However, hope is always too fucking expensive.
So, today I was bored during my New Media New Markets class. While teach was spouting off nothing in particular, I was googling for things. One of the things I googled for was Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Under “images”, I came across this curious screencap. I’ve recapped it since the original had a watermark.
This is from episode 4 of the first series. Just fresh off skimming episodes of Shuffle! Memories, I noticed an interesting parallel…
I wouldn’t put it past Shaft. It’s just such a good seiyuu_joke. And subtle, too. I didn’t even notice it when watching the episode.
Or maybe I’m thinking too hard.
Three blog entries for the price of one! While reading off these titles, I want you to imagine them on Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei styled title-card illustrations. Hell, here’s some BGM while you’re at it!
———-
Unless you’re a totally new reader to this silly and horrible internet journal of terrors (hi!) then you’ll know that I have something of an affinity for bishoujo dakimakura covers. They’re wonderful little things in that they allow us lonely geeks to feel loved by girls, who in our mind, CARE, unlike the cold-hearted-serpent-women of the real world. Due to the nature of these things and how often they’re used, chances are they should be washed almost as often as your normal bedsheets and the like. Most commercial pillowcases come with an info-card, usually giving you the material it’s made out of and sometimes even washing instructions. For the most part, these can all be dumped into the washing machine and be taken care of on the delicate settings. Limited, event-only covers are another story, though.
It’s a psychological problem more than anything else. My two Kaede pillows, both event-limited items won through heated battles on Yahoo auctions don’t come with these handy info-cards. Sure, if you put them in the wash they’d probably come out just fine (and they’d probably stop smelling just like me) but they could also come out as white sheets like what happened to one of the guys in this thread.
The Internet Itself (read: Cortana) has told me that hand-washing is the safest bet, and I’m inclined to agree with him. I’ll probably do just that today! But seriously Japan– INSTRUCTIONS. You, better than anyone else, should know just how passionately us otaku use these things.
Edit: I looked on the inside of this one after hand-washing it and noticed there was a little tag on the inside that said it was 100% polyester and machine washable. lol. I’ll throw it in the machine next time, then. Not sure about the other one, but I’m sure the machine wouldn’t hurt it either… I guess I’ll actually wash these often then woo!
———-
You’ve heard this all before, but news makes it worth mentioning again. Ok, so Japan has no law against the possession of child porn. Yeah, that’s pretty bad. I’m totally cool with all that shit getting hit with the ban-hammer. Though, this certain quote from the article worried me quite a bit. You know which bit it is, but I’ll quote it anyway.
” But the Japan branch of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) urged Tokyo to beef up its laws by banning child pornography in manga comics, animated films and computer games as well as individual possession.”
Insert argument about how fake loli porn steers pedos off real children and how outlawing it would only make things worse here. I would also insert an argument about artistic freedom, but for the most part this stuff is straight up porn. The most artistic loli-porn I’ve seen would probably be Hizashi no Naka no REAL or any loli Naruko Hanaharu draws.
But yeah, don’t outlaw our cartoon-lolis, please? It’s not really hurting anybody when some guy jacks off to an Inuboshi tankoubon.
———-
Kotono Mitsuihsi is going to Animazment! Unfortunately I won’t be going since I don’t really go out of state for cons. However, I’ll probably get a buddy of mine to get an Eva DVD or something signed. Shame I won’t be able to meet her, though! C’mon Otakon, get some guests like these! A Yuuko Goto would be nice.
(In retrospect, this is the most meaningless blog entry ever)
Probably going to watch it on the weekend, with a fanboi review soon to follow. Maybe.
Also, I don’t know who to throw the “fuck you” to, but the DVD case is a little fucked. Not like I really care, but still.
And yes, my Kaede figures is leaning. It was one of my first figures, thusly I didn’t know how to take care of it and left it in the sun. I’ve since straightened it a bit more, but it’s not completely fixed.
“Hey, are we really that depressing? Are we really that weird? Is it a crime to love anime or SFX movies? Why should it be a reason to set us apart? If you’re into playing tennis, that’s just fine and dandy, but if you watch anime, you’re weird? Why?!”
“Kubo…”
“Dammit… Dammit… Dammit… DAMMIT! Tanaka! I quit! No more job-hunting for me!”
“Huh?!”
“If Otaku are going to be discriminated against, then so be it! I’m gonna be a total Otaku!”
“What?”
“I’m not just gonna be an Otaku, but the Otaku of Otaku… THE OTAKING!”
“Otaking…? I like it! I like it! Alright, I quit, too!!”
“Let’s both become… OTAKINGS!”
So goes the end of the first Otaku no Video OVA. Possibly one of the most epic pieces of work ever made by Gainax, even more so than Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. I recently re-watched it a month or so ago, and that re-watch was the first time that I could really tap into its spirit. Viewings years prior weren’t bad, but the show made me feel alienated. I’m not sure if it’s because now I’ve seen more old anime, thusly I can get more of the references, or if it’s just because I’ve become more of an otaku. Probably both. Anyway, I thought I’d preface this post with that small bit of dialogue since it highlights a rather old and tired question, but one I’ve kept meaning to address: What does it mean to be normal?
This question hit me recently as I was laying down with the good Miyamoto-sensei. While staring into her adorable, flat, printed-on-100%-polyester eyes I wondered to myself, “wow, just how low have I sunk?” It struck me that I had spent $200 dollars out of my personal expenses last month on this pillow cover, another of a certain adorable spiral princess and a small figure. Then, it also struck me that rich kids spend roughly that much on Newberry Street weekly, so I felt a little better. But I guess it comes down to just what you spend your money on, right? Spending money on clothes is fine, but spending money on pillow covers with 2D pretreens on them is a touch perverse.
But it could be normal. If everyone was open minded enough. Having a 2D-complex isn’t that weird, right? RIGHT?
Yeah, just a small bit of rambling. Had to get it off my chest. Sorry Mom :(
Cool cats Jeff and moyism recently divulged to us the awful truths behind how much they spend on anime and anime related goods. This, of course, got me thinking about how much I waste on my sick and twisted hobby for devil worshiping sinners. Now, I come from a fairly well-off family (and I’m sure they hate me very much each time they read this blog) so basically all my living stuff is covered. Thusly, any money I make on my own goes towards CRAP, and I’m horrible at saving. That said, it’s not really all that much, at least compared to those two guys. Then again, they have real jobs, and I’m just a stinky, fat and ugly college student. My personal spending quota for the year usually turns out to be something like ~$1500. Now, this usually covers all the stuff I REALLY want, and lesser things such as DVDs are usually saved as birthday or Christmas presents. Still, if I had a real job, I’d probably be spending a lot more. Probably a bit more than Jeff, but not nearly as much as moy (I don’t see how the man does it!) What follows is my ideal anime crap budget.
So, about $5000 total is the hypothetical absolute maximum I’d spend on anime in a year, if I had that kind of money. Not so bad, really. Now, where to get the $5000…
Found the Nanako SOS opening song on Share.
I guess you literally can find anything on there if you look hard enough…
I only really post on one forum these days, but every now and again I complete a piece of work that looks kind of ok and decide to post it on various other forums that I have posted on in the past. Back in the far off year of 2003, I posted on the Anime Academy forums for a period of time. After I figured out the place wasn’t really for me, I left, but I still popped in a few times to post bits of art in their art forum for critique. It seems they have some kind of hilarious anti-pedo sentiment now, and because of this totally harmless sig, plus a link to my art site, I am now temp-banned.
Now, I don’t really care at all. It’s not my type of community, so being shut off from it doesn’t really bother me. What I do find hilarious is how there are still anime fans out there who are genuinely bothered by those of us who have a preference for younger 2D girls. I’d think by 2008 the general American fan community would learn to accept us, given they’ve accept freaks like yaoi fangirls (and fanboys!) quite readily. Near as I’m concerned, if a dude who likes looking at pictures of 2D dudes fucking other 2D dudes is acceptable, then certainly a dude who likes pictures of 2D dudes fucking 2D little girls is acceptable. If the anime fan community is open minded enough to accept faggots homosexuals, then certainly they can open their minds to accept the far more enlightened lolicon men of the world.
It’s just funny, you know?
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