Shinmaru

I beat [b]Mass Effect 2[/b] last week, although there are still some sidequests and stuff available for me (I'm in the middle of [b]Lair of the Shadow Broker[/b] at the moment). Very much enjoyed the game, and the final mission is just so damn satisfying -- it really does feel like you've built and unstoppable team of ass kickers, and if you approach it the right way, you can just march in and rip **** up. I remember the first time I stumbled across the Collectors, Harbinger, etc. on Horizon and was like, "oh craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap" half the time. During the suicide mission? Totally tore them a new asshole. It really is the best feeling. (For the record, I went with Thane and Legion the whole time. Three snipers, two of us with Warp, and Legion with the Widow to kill [i]everything[/i].) I really cannot wait for [b]Mass Effect 3[/b], both to see how my choices shape the story, and to hopefully see the action take another step up in awesome.

I probably had a really stupid reason for not contributing to this.

Why is my birthday Have a Bad Day Day? :(

Quarians aren't playable, unfortunately. I'm guessing it's because they're technically not one of the Citadel races (at least, that seems to be the rationale behind which races are playable). You can play as an asari, turian, krogan, salarian, drell or human. I wonder how many people will actually play as humans? Don't know why anyone would want to since you play as a human in the main game all the time, anyway, haha.

Female Paragon biotic here! As our foreign friend mentioned, I am a recent convert to the world of [b]Mass Effect[/b]. I'm a good ways into the second game right now: I've recruited everyone except Kasumi Goto (and I recently grabbed that bit of DLC, so I'll have her soon), and Legion. I'm at the point of the game where [spoiler]the Illusive Man wants you to examine the Collector ship[/spoiler]. After I take care of that business, I'll continue with loyalty missions and all that fun stuff. So far I've done the loyalty missions for Grunt and Garrus. Grunt's is OK, but Garrus' is pretty fun. Definitely liking the second game more than the first, outside of a couple of things: It seems like you get your XP after the mission rather than during it, so you don't get to level up during a mission. Not really a huge deal, but it's something that bugs me. Also, I know the story requires mostly limited contact with the Collectors (and I'll be banging on their doors soon enough), but I wish there were just a bit more exposure to them. I've killed like 10 billion mercs already, haha. I bring this up only because the geth are such a strong presence in the first game. Again, though, just minor grievances. Really loving everything else about the game so far -- the story is solid, even though you're mostly picking up folks, and there isn't quite the same driving force as in the first game. It's made up for, however, with the sheer variety of teammates. I enjoy everyone save bland ol' Jacob, and even he's a vast improvement over freakin' Kaidan in the first game. And I do enjoy how the loyalty missions give everyone at least one chance to shine. I decided on my team of Wrex and Garrus pretty early on in the original game, and never really used anyone else, so even though they had their parts in the story, I didn't really feel like I was actively involved with them. And the decisions you're making with the characters feel much more far-reaching than most of the choices made in the first game, too. And of course the combat is awesome. Executing combos with my biotic powers is fun when I have the wherewithal to actually pull them off, and because of the defensive layers enemies have, I'm actually getting use out of Warp, where I didn't really use it much in the first game. I'm actually using my teammates powers much more, too, which works to make combat much more engaging. I've even died a few times! Totally hyped for [b]Mass Effect 3[/b] in March. I'm eager to see the end results of the choices I've made throughout the series! --- I'm sure more than a few of you have been keeping up with [b]Mass Effect 3[/b] news. What do you all think about the multiplayer mode? I'm definitely interested in it and actually excited about it, because I've got very little use out of my Xbox Live account so far. Just not much of an online multiplayer guy (which probably makes that a stupid purchase, but details lol); however, the [b]Mass Effect 3[/b] multiplayer could be pretty damn awesome. Taking on missions, storming waves of enemies, and, most importantly, playing as something other than a human! Been hoping that one day I'd be able to play as one of the alien races, and here's my opportunity. I almost don't know which I will play as first. (Probably a turian, though, if only so that I can pretend I'm Garrus.) One thing I'm wondering about is how the match of class and race will work ... BioWare says that class will be what determines abilities, and not race, but throughout the series certain classes and races have been matched together, both with enemies and allies. For example, when you fight biotics, it's almost always an asari, and if not them, then likely a human, or [i]maybe[/i] a mid-boss krogan. When you fight an engineer, it's almost always a salarian or a human. And so on. I wonder if all races will be as naturally adept (pardon the pun) at each class as the other, or if certain races will do better as certain classes? I don't doubt that throughout their history that there have been some badass salarians who could rip apart anyone on the field of battle as well as any human solider, or whatever, but it would be kind of weird to play as a salarian soldier in the context of the series, right? Not that it's such a big deal in the grand scheme of things -- just something to think about. I've seen some complaining about the multiplayer mode, and honestly, it seems silly to me at this point in time. From what BioWare has said, multiplayer is optional and not required to achieve the best ending or any of that other fun stuff. Shouldn't that end the bitching right there? If you don't like it, then pretend it doesn't exist. Plus, nobody can even play it yet! If the game comes out, and the multiplayer sucks, then sure, complain away. But right now? Internet in action, as always.

I've also been watching [b]School Rumble[/b] recently. I'm often hard on anime comedy, because a lot of it is just not funny, but [b]School Rumble[/b] has me laughing consistently. It's such a fun show, and it has a great cast of characters and juggles them well. Can't recommend it enough.

A couple of things about [b]Chaos;Head[/b]: I don't think people are supposed to relate to Takumi (I think that's what his name is). He's supposed to be a creepy, despicable otaku. Also, the series unfortunately falls apart about halfway through. It builds a decent amount of intrigue, but when it comes time to [i]explain[/i] that intrigue, it goes to ****.

Might as well update with rankings! Only show I've dropped so far is [b]Persona 4[/b], because I'm not finding it interesting at all. Maybe I'll play the game one day, but eh. EDIT: Scratch that, I forgot I also dropped [b]Phi Brain[/b]. Really boring, lame puzzles (when they bother to show them to the audience), and irritating lead character. Bleh. 1. [b]Chihayafuru[/b]: My favorite mostly because it makes me unashamedly happy. It has no trace of subtlety whatsoever, and there are more than a few, "YOU SHOULD FEEL SAD FOR THE CHARACTERS" moments, but this show makes me smile when I watch it. Sue me. 2. [b]Un-Go[/b]: First episode is a decent mystery, but the second episode is a better one, and I love how cynical the aftermath of both mysteries end up being. This could be a very interesting show. 3. [b]Squid Girl[/b] S2: Still solid and funny -- the most recent episode might be the funniest in either season. 4. [b]Fate/zero[/b]: Still enjoying this. Waver and Rider are stealing the show for me. They're a hilarious pairing. 5. [b]Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam[/b]: Haven't seen the original yet, but this first episode is all right. 6. [b]Future Diary[/b]: Decent premise, but it's sooooo hilariously unbelievable. Watching mostly due to high amounts of goofiness and cheese. 7. [b]Hunter x Hunter[/b]: Hopefully it will climb higher once the series gets to the stuff I actually like. 8. [b]Mobile Suit Gundam Age[/b]: First episode is a yawner, but the second is better. Mostly looking forward to the succession deal. 9. [b]Ben-to[/b]: Not really getting into it, but it [i]is[/i] something different, I'll give it that. 10. [b]Guilty Crown[/b]: lol butts and boobs lol

Bit further into [b]Mass Effect 2[/b] now -- I've recruited Mordin, [spoiler]Garrus[/spoiler] and Jack. If I weren't a biotic, I'd be tempted to put Jack on my team, but oh well. Jack will be on the team eventually, anyway, once I start going on the loyalty missions. But [spoiler]Garrus[/spoiler] will likely see a permanent spot on my squad, since he is just that awesome. Definitely liking the combat [i]much[/i] more than the first [b]Mass Effect[/b], even if that means I've died a bit more than I'd like, haha. The only one that really gave me trouble is the part where you have to close the gates during [spoiler]Garrus'[/spoiler] recruitment mission ... that giant ass room full of enemies out the ass murdered me a couple of times. >_>; Going to recruit The Warlord tomorrow, and then who knows from there!

[b]Antique Bakery[/b].

Finally beat [b]Mass Effect[/b] last night! Definitely a fun game, though quite flawed -- lots of random slowdown, repetitive environments, awful romance (though I hear this is the norm in BioWare games), etc. But, hey, I was pumping my fist during the finale, so the game did [i]something[/i] right, clearly. Started up [b]Mass Effect 2[/b] last night, too, although I just got as far as beating the tutorial mission. Definitely an intense start to the game, and I have to get used to it being more shooter-like -- gotta be more precise with my shots and use my squad more! Probably the toughest decision was my choice to stay as an Adept. It didn't seem like there was too much variety among classes in the first game, but in [b]ME2[/b], all the classes look fun and distinctive.

Other stuff I'm watching as of right now ... [b]Ben-to[/b]: Watching with a group of friends who also watch [b]Hunter x Hunter[/b] with me. If I wasn't watching with other people, I probably wouldn't see this. Have no idea wtf is happening. [b]Chihayafuru[/b]: Love the style and love the main character, although not that much happens in the first episode. Also, the card game looks boring to me, personally. [b]Fate/zero[/b]: Thought the first episode was boring as hell (it has all the worst traits of Nasuverse stuff), but the second episode is a [i]lot[/i] better. Hoping this is a Nasu-type work I can actually embrace since it's originally written by Gen Urobuchi. [b]Mobile Suit Gundam AGE[/b]: Seems like it will be exactly like every [b]Gundam[/b] ever, except with kids. But I'll watch, at least for now. [b]Persona 4 the animation[/b]: Thought I'd check it out; honestly, though, the first episode is kind of dull. My interest is already wavering.

I've got a [url="http://twitter.com/#!/Shinmaru"]Twitter account[/url] right here! Mainly I use it to interact with anime fans, because the fandom is quite active on Twitter. It's especially fun if you keep up with shows as they air in Japan. Kind of crazy how many different conversations can go on at one time. I do find it interesting as a tool to keep up with news, too, although it's a double-edged sword there. It's so easy for Twitter to be abused and for anyone to post whatever, and for it to trend. The immediacy is enticing -- I doubt many people run tweets past their editors. You just post it and go. Great if something is true; Twitter is among the fastest avenues to get news out to people. But if something is false or misleading? Pretty dangerous.

Westerners do love their gangster fiction. (Including me!) From what I've heard of the [b]Baccano![/b] dub, I wasn't that fond of it, but to be fair, I've heard just a few snippets. Maybe one day I'll rewatch the show in English and see how I like it. [b]Planetes[/b] is awesome, too -- in my top 10, in fact! There are some goofy elements, but I love how low-key it is for the most part, and the intensity of the storyline at the end. It really is one of the greats of hard science-fiction in anime.

Not totally sure what I'll be watching -- I sample everything that at least looks interesting, and if I hear good things about stuff that I'm not watching, then I tend to give them a shot. Right now I'm watching the second season of [b]Squid Girl[/b], because the first season was decently enjoyable. Also watching the [b]Hunter x Hunter[/b] remake, because the original kicks ass, and I'm looking forward to more of the manga being adapted. Also looking forward to seeing how Madhouse adapts the material that's been shown before.

Been playing [b]Mass Effect[/b] for a while and slowly making progress through it (I have the time to play it only a couple of days a week). Right now I've rescued Liara and kicked the Thorian's ass on Feros. I'd probably be a lot further along if I just concentrated on the main story, but I've been sidequesting like crazy along the way, haha. Gotta have that experience to beef up those biotic powers, man! Also want as many paragon points as possible to unlock those final Charm slots ... I get the feeling I'll need them ...

Hahaha, oh how I do miss my naive self who could have called the [b]X[/b] movie the worst anime he had ever seen. Since then I've watched multiple horrors that make [b]X/1999[/b] look like [b]Revolutionary Girl Utena[/b] ... For me, I'd say the worst of the worst is [b]Shuffle![/b] There are undoubtedly [i]worse[/i] anime in terms of the whole package -- writing, characters, design, animation quality, etc. -- but harem series are like poison to me, and pretty much the first half of [b]Shuffle![/b] is the laziest, most retarded harem **** I've ever seen. I spent the first half loathing the very existence of every character, so of course the second half is all "crushing" melodrama that is somehow supposed to get you to cry and feel for the characters even though, again, the first half is stupid harem ****. God damn is this ever painful. Other god awful anime ... [b]Odin: Space Photon Sailer Starlight[/b]: Maybe the most boring movie I'll ever see in my life. A tremendously animated snoozefest. [b]Eiken[/b]: Ugh. Just ... ugh. **** this OVA so hard. Disgusting. [b]Itsudatte My Santa![/b]: Could not be more irritating if it reached out of my computer, peeled my skull open and rubbed a cactus against my brain. [b]Garzey's Wing[/b]: Definitely a candidate for the worst English dub in history. So it should say something when I write that everything else about it is an even worse trainwreck.