AzureWolf

I don't think it's an issue of where you buy - it's more of an issue of [I]what[/I] you buy. Even legitimate stores sell illegitimate things. Those are the Chinese/Hong Kong versions of the DVDs, where there is no real legitimate copy in the first place due the Communist regime. At least, that's what I've been told. You can usually spot illegal versions a mile away. Yes, in recent years, they have been getting more sophisticated and more professional-looking, but even then, the packaging should be a dead giveaway. If an entire series is sold in one-three DVDs, you know it's not legitimate because companies always want to squeeze every penny from you. If there's a blurry line between that, then you can always fall back on the pricing. Let's take the .hack series for an example: Each DVD is roughly around 20 bucks, right? There's 6 DVD encompassing 26 episodes, so that's .hack for 120 bucks. Now, if you can find a version that has all 26 episodes on 1-3 DVDs, and for only 20-40 dollars, you know something has to be illegitimate about that deal. Of course, there are places that have very nice discounts and other ways to save. So, you can expect 40% off of something that's over $100, but you should raise suspicion if it's anything more. [size=1]psst... Ani_Freak, advertising isn't allowed.[/size] :sweat:

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dan Rugh [/i] Hey, has anyone seen the Naruto special about the 4-leaf clover? I'm curious to see it. [/B][/QUOTE] You aren't missing much. You should watch it after the Mist Saga (first 20 episodes), because that's where it fits in the best. However, it's not all that special anyway: just a side story about Konohamaru trying to get a four-leaf clover for a girl who's leaving the village. There's no themes, no interesting character development, no nothing. It's not right-out bad, but this stuff isn't on par with the rest of Naruto. [quote]Wow your at 62 ^^ Stupid 56k modem ^^[/quote] Eh, I started watching Naruto over the summer (I think they were up to episode 40 or something). Haha, I still remember that annoying hiatus they took around July 4th (or were they coming back on July 4th?): they did it at such a cliffhanger. So, it's not really a connection issue, I just started earlier than you. Also, I think it was more enjoyable to watch Naruto in bulks, rather than 20-minute weekly airings. So, the later you start, the better it is, IMO. :)

I'm a huge Naruto fan, and although I haven't read all of the manga, I have watched all 62 episodes (as of this writing, only 62 episodes have been made, I should say). Heh, I think 62 is the episode everyone waits for in the back of their minds. ;) Hope that's incentive enough for all of you who just started or are still dilly-dallying to rush and catch up to the anime series (yeah, I mean you, OtakuSennen). :p

It's my favorite book, hands down. First off, it can be finished within a day easy (I like short stories :)). Secondly, just the "nothingness" mood in the entire story is a unique angle that I've yet to see in any other book. Holden is going through a [I]trans[/I] period, where he cannot discern sureties from possibilities, and everything is variable for him. I think all of us go through this, one way or another. Just thought I'd add some interesting tid-bits of info: J.D. Salinger (the author) has shut himself from the world. He's an interesting character himself. When he saw one of his works turned into a Hollywood video, he swore, "NEVER AGAIN." To this day, producers are waiting for J.D. Salinger to croak so they can make Catcher in the Rye into a movie. Of course, you have to wait 75 years after the author dies before it becomes a public license. Additionally, no one knows too much about Salinger. The last person to interview him was a High School girl, and he clearly lied in several areas of the interview. His answers always change, so no one really knows many tid-bits about this elusive author.

Heh, you're funny. I said "pi[B]c[/B]k," not pink. :) Yeah, but it's not all bad. I have no complaints about that new banner. That's a very nice piece of work. Keep it up!

You have a strange "soft" effect on your recent banners. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm wondering if it's intentional. The girl in the middle actually seems depressed that the holidays are here. What's up with that? It was smart to use green in the background, but something more... enchanting would be a nicer pick - still green, but more enchanting.

Oh man, you were on a roll with your latest banners, and then you go back and make the same mistake that was in your first few. Yeah, that's right, you need to remove all things Eva in this banner and it will then be possible to be considered "good." ;) Nah, in all honesty, it's very vibrant, and possibly one of your best works to date. You are improving, keep it up!

I just stopped playing a few minutes ago, and I can tell you that it's a very nostalgic experience. I'm not going to say it's a great must-have game, but this 3D re-creation is everything the original Prince of Persia was and should have been. Take that in any way you want.

Please: Zelda games were fun, not frustrating! I think all of you are forgetting the first Street Fighter II (yeah, only with Capcom can you say "the first" before a sequel). Oh man, Sagat and M. Bison were intolerable. Still today, I can't get "Hyper!, Hyper!, Hyper Uppercut!" out of my head. Man, they were like some sort of... of... computer! Always reacting perfectly to whatever you were doing. Of course, I'm talking about Level 8. Haha, any other difficulty is a joke.

That's very nice and soft. However, that far-right person seems a little dull next to Kite and Mistral's luster. If you can fix that, it would be even better. Also, b-b-b-b-b-border! :)

It really depends on how "translated" the subs are. If they are translated to the extent that a lack of knowledge of Japanese culture doesn't hinder entertainment, then I prefer subs. However, dubs tend to be more "Americanized," and therefore easier to associate with. Still, assuming that the subs are true and close to the original meaning (and do not try to reassociate meanings to English trends), then I prefer watching both the dub and sub to get the full effect and understanding. With time constraints, though, I tend to go with whatever I started with because I'm lazy. :p

BTing as we speak (01-08 done!), but only because [url]www.animenfo.com[/url] has had this anime in the #1 spot for the longest time. Additionally, I need to see this before they run out of the limited edition box (first DVD just came out). :D Apparently, you are supposed to read [url=http://www.last-exile.tk/]this[/url] after every episode. That's just weird, haha. Still, it does add more to the episode and anime overall if you do. I still think it's weird. :p

[CENTER]Have you tried using CENTER tags?[/CENTER] Cool, yep, that's how you do it. Hehe, figured it was worth a shot. Yeah, just use [ CENTER ] and [ /CENTER ] without the spacing of course (and it doesn't have to be in caps, but it helps to differentiate it from normal text when you go back and edit your sig).

Limited vocabulary dude: when they say Pokemon, they mean anime. They just don't know that big word yet. Correct them when they do and increase their library of words by +1. ;)

Ok, as I said before, your FFXII banner lost all originality and coolness points when you mentioned that she wasn't picking her nose. Sigh, what a disappointment. :o Hopefully it's the first and last Final Fantasy banner you make. Nah, I'm just kidding with the "first and last" comment (and nothing else :D). I think the size of the banner made it obvious that James was involved. ;) So, did you make that soft effect on the entire picture? That's pretty nice. Still, no border bothers me.

Yes, aren't the characters just great? I'm glad you like Mia and Yuki, but I would really have liked some input on the banner itself instead of information about the characters in it. :p Yeah, a version two already because I'm pathetic like that. I adjusted the character's on the far right and left so that only half their face is showing, and made the background less confusing (getting lost in the blue...). Oh, and also added outer glow to Kite (in the middle). [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=524299[/IMG] What do you think? Better or worse?

Dagger, I think Katana was referring to comedy anime's, considering that "guy chasing girl" comment.

This little piece is something I started a long (LONG) time ago, but never finished. It was supposed to follow after my WAVEMASTERS banner, but I just couldn't get a background that played well with the theme and pictures. I dropped it after a good struggle. Finally, I believe I may have hit the nail on the head with this background. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=524237[/IMG] All comments and feedback welcomed.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Syk3 [/i] [B][color=teal]I am still deciding whether or not I'm going to keep the white pixel corners, so feedback would be great. :)[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] I think you should keep the white pixels because they make sense going along with that affect you have. It does look like footage from one of those camera's, you know?

"Didn't come out great" is an understatement! Geez, dude, you can do SO much better. I've seen your work, you are amazing! Don't settle with this incomplete version. I do like the little lighting of the words, though. That's an nice effect. :D Can't wait for a version that's to your standards.

I was wondering where that banner was from (yeah, I didn't notice "Snatch" across the left there). I like the line/dot thing you did over the entire thing: gives it character and makes it stand out, especially over your previous one (it was completely clear). That's as far as I can comment, since I haven't seen Snatch. :sweat:

My dad's been a Civil Engineer for years, and now he's even going in entrepeneur stuff, which, judging by his generousity, is doing really well. Haha, I've never seen him this relaxed about his work before. It's a good thing to see when you've completed a safe, comfortable future. So, in terms of having a guaranteed future, I would love to follow my father, but things aren't so solid for me right now... My mom's a housewife that is actually more liberal with religion than I am, which is interesting. A midwife? That stuff you need a good stomach for - the patient too. ;)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Syk3 [/i] [B]Quick fact: I don't make my backgrounds, heh. It's such a big peice to make in the first place, and I know if I did, I'd find all of these flaws with it and have to look at it everytime I started up my computer. So I don't even bother with it and use [url]www.animewallpapers.com[/url]. [/B][/QUOTE] Haha, I didn't think you did make that background, but I don't doubt your ability to do so either. I was just making a reference to that short chat we had before about me wanting to get the box set of Hellsing. The only person I might wonder if they did their own BG right now is Kinetic... Hmm... Now that you mention it, I do that too (find a mistake everytime I see my own work), so I guess that's something I should consider.

Yeah, I really like this show and the "flat" style. I can't believe no one has mentioned Tuck (the younger brother)! "Why did I have to go and make a [I]teenage[/I] robot" pretty much sums up the humor in this show, as you get to see a robot be a teen. I like how it does a good job of showing teen pettiness - on a robotic scale. My two favorite episodes have to be the one where she loses her English speaking disc so she can only speak Japanese, and the one where she gets infected. Haha, it's so funny how the characters react to Jenny talking Japanese. As for the latter, just Brad's "where're you going, Sally - I mean Jenny" bought me over. Let's not forget the Kindergarten one! If you're wondering, I watch this show whenever they have those mini-marathons during the weekends. There are quite a few episodes, because I keep seeing one or two new ones everytime I watch.

I don't know, I thought EVA being a mecha show or not is important to it being the best because it shows the difference between being superficial and being deep. Good stuff, Qukey, good stuff indeed - especially since you ignored my post completely... -_- Ok, what you aren't getting is that the mechas, times, and technology influence and directly affect what happens in Gundam shows: they are the reason for everything, and the story you get is actually a miniscule part of a larger world and story. With Evangelion, however, the EVAs and angels only emphasize and enhance feelings and that are already there. They are not the cause of anything. [quote]I don't think these posts have any value at all because I am telling reasons and examples where no have seen or even heard of. Mechas or not, it is not an opinion, but fact. If you don't think EVA is mecha, it is because you do not know the gerne well enough. Anno himself is a fan of mechas and I don't think he sees mecha as an insult. Watch some more mecha shows will definitely help because you will see how overgeneralize is your assumption. BTW, in a poll a few years ago, EVA was voted one of the most tragic mecha shows in Japan. Looks like people in Japan agreed EVA is mecha.[/quote] Yeah, that's so true. You pointed out your own problem in this discussion: you are trying to mention things that are "exceptions to the rule," so to speak. Things that aren't universal enough to be known by anyone but a handful of people should not be used to prove a point. What's worse is the fact that you consistently use only one series to argue what's mecha and what's not. I'm getting the feeling that you have the story the other way around, where the show you are mentioning is a bad example of a mecha series, and other, more widely-spread series (such as 08th MS Team, Gundam Wing, and Stardust Memory) would be a more accurrate representation of the mecha genre. Try using one of those as an example and you'll convey your point more strongly.