AzureWolf

There was a big discussion about it a few months back, and I don't think there was a sound conclusion. [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31304]Here's a link[/url] to that thread, but it's closed now...

Interesting, I never knew that. I honestly can't think of anything that would be considered a "Mature Sexual Theme" within the game itself - maybe they are referring to that one scene within the LIMINALITY DVD that accompanies the game? A guy and a girl are alone in a room, the guy wants to kiss her, but the girl doesn't want to kiss him, and it ends there. Besides the suggestion of a sexual theme, I can't think of anything else.

I can't believe no one has commented on this yet. That's just amazing work you've done: you can't even tell the original was hand-drawn. I think you could have used more constrast, though, since it's a little hard to make out some parts from others. It reminds me of [I]Aliens[/I] more than mosiquitoes, though. :sweat:

CompletelyRando (can I call you CR?), you should at least take into consideration that he used MS Paint and no other program. Try to make comments that take that into consideration. You can't blame him for the bad compression, if that's what you are referring to.

Perfectly understable, Shinmaru, but why didn't you just type the text instead of manually/handwriting it?

That $500 price tag is like when Photoshop was first released: you're really getting ripped off if that's what you buy PS for now. I've seen PS go for as low as 30 bucks at some websites. I think it's because 1. it's been out for so long, and 2. there are newer versions (or there will be newer versions soon). Anything around 50-100 dollars would be a reasonable price today, IMO. As for which one I prefer, I never used PSP, so I can't give an unbiased opinion. However, Dark Death used to say that while PS is harder to learn, you do get significantly better with time. He added that PSP users don't tend to improve all that much. I thought that was an interesting comment - something you might want to think about before you decide.

[quote]I was just wondering if anyone knew if these were really part of these series or just a way of packaging the OVA that comes after the series, wherein Bear, Mimiru, and BT are in a sponsored event.[/quote] What? What are you talking about? I have never heard of those OVAs. Anyway, episode 27 (called INTERMEZZO) happens roughly 6 months before the .hack video games begin, in which Mimiru reminisces about when she first started playing "The World." She meets up with an interesting character, might I add... ;) Episode 28 occurs after the video games are completed, and the video game characters and SIGN characters meet up. That's all I know, since I'm trying my best not to watch it until after I've played all four games. Don't tempt me. :)

You want to know how to do that black thing, huh? [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23594]Here you go[/url]. [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SasukeUchiha [/i] [B]I have a question for you ^^ Who is your favorite characters right now and who do you despise![/B][/QUOTE] This may sound strange to hear from a 19 year old talking about a 12/13 year old, but I really look up to Naruto. He's everything I wanted to be when I was younger (except for that whole demon and town-hating-you fiasco). Haha, I used to tell people that I wanted to be a legend. I mean, that's still my dream, but I don't phrase it like that anymore. :o So yeah, while I truly admire Naruto, Cool Kakashi is easily my favorite character in Naruto. Something about his laid-back personality just shows that he's got some awesome sense of completion, and he doesn't suffer from vanity or arrogance. I mean, his "literature" is questionable, but that just adds to his comical nature. Who I despise? Well, I absolutely abhor Neji, especially after we see him fight for the first time - that jerk. I don't like Sasuke all that much, but I wouldn't say I [I]hate[/I] him. Everyone else in Naruto is amiable in their own, unique way. I would have to say, though, Hinata's one of the cooler people in that list of "hard to hate" Naruto characters.

Actually, most of my time during these very cherry days is just enjoying the [STRIKE]death[/STRIKE] end of school. Doesn't leave much room for other kinds of celebration, if you ask me.

Yes, Dagger, that is exactly what he is saying: non-Japanese fans of a series should associate JAPANESE-NAME-HERE with ANIME-CHARACTER-HERE instead of any english voice actor. Haha, what a strange comment. I have to side with Dagger IX1 on this one.

Just one suggestion for next time (like when you post those awesome greeting cards. ;)): put your comments about the banner right below it, so we don't have to scroll back and forth to see what you are talking about. Anyway, that Mimi Awareness Week is just brilliant. Haha, that's originality! Contrary to popular belief, I thought the majority of your stuff would be B&W. Even that Betty one is teeming with color! Anyway, my favorite is the [I]colored[/I] EVA one, with Asuka and Shinji. I think it's the perfect juxtaposition, but in character and expression. Shinji is passive, watching life going by, while Asuka is agressive, living life. And that's all done on such a simple, yet vivid image. That's brilliance. That banner + Mimi banner = brilliant originality. Those two are my favorites.

Not to play mod, but shouldn't this be in the Banner/Avatar Request forum? :sweat: j/k Haha, I can't believe how popular myOtaku has become...

Anime runs weekly starting at 7:25 pm on Tuesdays. Their last hiatus (giving them time to make more episodes) was somewhere around July 4th, so I have no clue when (or if) they'll have another one. The RAWs are released almost immediately after Naruto's airing in Japan, and fansubbers do their best to compromise time and quality (with the exception of Toriyama's World). How could you be getting annoyed with Naruto at that point? Episode 48 was easily one of my favorites. The whole [spoiler]genius vs hardworking[/spoiler] is an interesting premise. Besides, how could you not be interested in [spoiler]Naruto's training for the last half of the Chuunin Exam[/spoiler]? Some unexpected old characters return, and surprising new characters emerge. You can't miss this, haha. My only recommendation at this point is to get some episodes in bulks, because, as you know, Naruto is very gifted with dragging things out. Episodes 60-62, you'll want to get and watch all at once, and some others too.

I think you should make the pic on the left a tad more visible, because it fades too much into the background, IMO. Besides that, adding some text to the middle area would take care of the emptiness. I don't know, maybe you could put "Kos-Mos" at the top left of that light, and then your own name at the bottom right.

Yeah, ED is a commonly used short-hand for ending, just like OP is used for opening. You know, OP-ED Single? In any case, hasn't Leh beat you to making this thread? I think his has stronger variety anyway.

Haha, you don't have to give me any credit: I just got rid of the debris that came with scanning - nothing special. Anyway, this is one of your better works, IMO. The picture is nice, and you captured the essential parts that give the pic its essence. Love the border (not as much as my rainbow borders, though). ;) You should be creative like this more often.

*to Cahoots34: O_o I personally prefer the anime, since it's everything the manga is, but with color, motion, and sound. Sure, some episodes are poorly drawn, but that's because so many different companies are animating it. [quote]In any case, do tell me- Am I missing out if I decide to bypass the anime? Or is it a series I should watch _and_ read to get the full effect?[/quote] You should watch and read the Naruto series to get the full effect because there are details in the manga that aren't in the anime. Conversely, the presentation of Naruto is tenfold better in the anime than in the manga. So, yeah, you should both read the manga and watch the anime (even better would be to follow the manga with the anime, so you are in the same spot in both versions). Yes, things get very interesting during the Chuunin exam. You could say that the entire Mist saga was just an introduction to Naruto's unique world.

I'm in the process of watching it. What I've seen so far hasn't been anything spectacular, though. What's really disappointing is how the first episode fails to grab your attention at all. Maybe it's all the brown-grey coloring style of the series. :D [quote]However, I've read reviews which said that it doesn't really get interesting until around the eleventh episode.[/quote] Really? Well, then, there's still hope for this series. Still, I think it's a standard anime: not bad, but not great. Worth a watch only if you have the time. Heh, but this is my opinion before the eleventh episode.

I don't think it's the right time to judge anime dubbing just yet. I mean, take a look at video games and how, before they hit mainstream, you would have "buh buh blah blah" as comments for "Team, move it out!" Yes, the main cause was primarily technology for gaming, but when video games started hitting mainstream, they had CD quality audio. You got those B-level voice actors for Resident Evil, and today, we are blessed with British Play Actors for games such as Soul Reaver. I think the same principle can be applied to dubbing and anime. It's just hit mainstream, and we gotta give the companies time to realize that anime voice acting is not something B-rate voice actors can be used for. I think there are some shining examples that show what promise future dubbing will bring: Gene from Outlaw Star, and I can't think of any other at the moment thanks to some moderator who will [B]shyly[/B] go unnamed. Also, I don't think the US and Canada are very experienced when it comes to dubbing things from other languages. I mean, what else have they had to translate besides video games?

What a coincidence! I have to go back to an "early riser" sleeping pattern soon. The reason for me changing from my normal sleeping pattern in the first place was Family Guy and Futurama. Yeah, I know how pathetic that is, but it's basically the only hour of TV I ever watch. I was able to change my sleeping pattern because all of my school days started at eleven in the morning. Next semester, they are all at 8! And I commute... By alternatives I assume you mean coffee and/or soda? No, I don't do either of them. The first sip of soda is always makes my eyes tear, and my body reacts like I just got stabbed. After the first sip, though, everything is fine. Heh, I still prefer OJ and water. Coffee I just can't stand, and I refuse to try any of those coffee derivatives. I'm just going to switch gradually, and I've never heard of better alternatives. Sorry I couldn't help.

[quote]So all dvds that come in sets like that are bootleg? Because I know over here the translated anime is sold in humungous box sets, but I have seen imports not come like that.[/quote] Well, if a DVD has over 5 episodes, it's almost a guarantee that it's a bootleg. While a DVD can hold a lot of data, it can't hold much more than 5 episodes because there's no image compression when an official version is released. So yeah, you could say all DVDs that come like that are bootleg. Box sets are a different story. [I]To my knowledge[/I], bootlegs don't make box sets, so that's another surety. [quote]Is there anything else that you know of that can help me to tell if the DVD is a bootleg? I now know what AzureWolf has told me, But I have also seen DVDS sold in huge sets that are bootlegs according to people. But I still do not understand how they can tell. But later on i found out the store that was selling them had all bootlegs.[/quote] You could always fall back on [url]www.animenfo.com[/url] and see if there's even an official release for the US at all. Take the Naruto DVDs: Naruto (the anime) hasn't been brought over to the US, so there isn't a real version of the DVDs to buy yet. So, every DVD you see people selling online are most likely bootlegs. My biggest recommendation is just run to eBay and see for yourself the difference between authentic and bootleg. Compare the prices, compare the # of DVDs, and compare the pictures. For Naruto, there are authentic Japanese DVDs (which are useless to you since I'm assuming you don't know Japanese) and they will only contain 1-3 episodes per DVD. By contrast, bootleg versions will boast around 26 episodes per DVD. Oh, and biggest giveaway for a bootleg: if one of the supported languages or subtitles is Chinese. Hope that helps. :) If you have any other questions, or are unsure of a specific purchase, don't hesitate to ask.

All of the questions are (or will be) addressed in the .hack video game series. It's a rip, I know, but that's the price for awesome integration. :)

Haha, they are funny! Or, I should say, the first one is funny and the other two are weird. I think some funky background is in order for the Konnichiwa banner, since it's comical to begin with. I think more could be done with the second one. Interesting quote, and interesting character. Nonetheless, I think you can dance around with the background a little more. I know the dulling was intentional, but I think it'd be better with more life. For the last one, I have no comments.

You did the what-what now? I have no idea what you said, but I'll try my best to make a rebuttal. :) It sounds like you had a bad first experience with anime, and have now condemned them entirely. Going by one example is hardly fair. I could turn around and say, "What's up with American cartoons? So few details, and very inactive animation. Example? Fairly Odd Parents." Seriously, I think going by just a few anime series is not reason enough to make such a generalized statement about the diversity that is anime. I'd recommend something from that wacky guy who made Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Watch one of those even, and I'm sure you'll appreciate the animation in anime. Heh, I, an avid fan of Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry, was floored by Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away's level of animation, so give anime one more chance.

I have a filter in place that has so far never failed me: it has never sent spam into my inbox, nor has it sent important e-mails into the trash. I have my e-mail program set to delete any e-mail that has my e-mail address in the subject line (think about it: how many people do you know say "hey ####@####.com, how you doing?"). Until I start getting spam that doesn't have my e-mail address listed, I'm pretty much set. Nonetheless, it should still significantly reduce the amount of spam you have to shuffle through. Until I actually checked earthlink's spam blocker, I never knew that I got spam at my earthlink account. Spam blockers must be pretty effective, so you might want to try some of those too.