AzureWolf

Oh man! I completely forgot about registering! Haha, good thing you reminded me. I should have posted this earlier so people could do the pre-registration if they wanted to go, but the whole convention escaped my mind. I'm seriously considering going, but I wanted a little more time to know if I could spend an entire day having fun during the start of the school year. Here's hoping... I hear there's going to be a yugioh tournament, and the people are planning to teach the voice actors to play so the stars can be seen playing the yugioh game. I haven't heard anything else specifically about this event, but I'm sure they'll be lots to do and see. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this convention being my first.

Well, believe it or not, I've changed my banner and avi into something that's NOT .hack-related. Unbelieveable, I know... [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/avatar.php?userid=5284&dateline=1063487637[/IMG] Someone's fanart, but it was normally in a white background. I think I did a decent job on the border and background. :D [IMG]http://home.earthlink.net/~azurwolf/images/Azure-Naruto-Banner.jpg[/IMG] Banner's a bit of a spoiler, but it shouldn't be a problem if you can't identify everyone. For the background, I fiddled around with a lot of the effects. I'm a bit annoyed that the "#1 Rookie" text isn't just a little bit more to the left, but that's just me. The baner is the main thing I want comments on. [IMG]http://www.myotaku.com/upload/53.jpg[/IMG] Picture taken from some Naruto scene. It's for the "My Picture" thing at myOtaku. [IMG]http://home.earthlink.net/~azurwolf/images/Naruto-Chibi-Logo.gif[/IMG] Another fanart thing turned into a mini-banner for myOtaku advertising. The only thing I did was shrink it, add the "AzureWolf's myOtaku" on the last frame, and put a border. Thanks for all comments. :wave:

[quote]a bit exaggerated (hair style, eyebrows, his skin suit and his quickness) but nonetheless reminds me of bruce lee.[/quote] :twitch: I think that's why he was named "Rock Lee." Haha, I wonder, when they bring the series over to the US, if they'll actually shift Lee's name over to "Lee Rock." :laugh: Anyway, Rock Lee is drawn in the old anime style and is supposed to look ridiculously uncool. That's why [B]that[/B] episode surprises everyone. Gaara, on the other hand, is just chock-full of [I]freaky[/I] symbolism... [quote]how is it in manga version?[/quote] All I have to say is ignore those who say the manga version is better. The only thing the manga has over the anime is story: it is further in the Naruto story-line, and there are [I]A LOT[/I] of surprising, developing, and intriguing aspects still unseen in the anime. To give you an idea, the Naruto manga is up to volume 21, chapter 185 - the anime is up to volume 10, chapter 83-84. Anyway, when you compare what has been shown in the manga and anime, the anime's foresight is definately taken full advantage of, and you get a more thorough and fuller experience. Personally, I would be disappointed if the anime didn't follow the manga so closely. The small changes made, so far, are for the better, but the overall story is too cool to mess with. :D [quote]too many flashbacks to exlplain the background of characters especially during critical fight moments ruins the flow of the story...just bad timing or do less of them.[/quote] Meh, I think the "rewind" at the start of every episode is unneeded, but it is understable. Besides that, the flashbacks are fine. Mindless fighting is great and all, but fights are more enjoyable if you have some kind of backstory and understanding, IMO. EDIT: Here's to SaiyaMan! :excited: [spoiler]Wait until you see episodes 49 & 50[/spoiler]!

To make words stand out more, you should add an outline (if that's possible in Photoshop 5.5 :therock: ). You'll notice in almost all of my banners, I have some kind of outline for the text, whether it be subtle or bold. I recommend either a red or black outline (subtle one) for the words on the upper left.

Haha, sorry with the lame titles. :D Anyway, after viewing all 26 episodes, what are your thoughts about what happened just before .hack//SIGN starts? We are obviously introduced to the series in the middle, where a lot (or little?) has happened to Tsukasa, characters and their relationships have been established, and The World is "in." How do we know something's happened to Tsukasa? Because he's unconscious at the beginning of the series! :p He has vague memories, and he [spoiler]never fully remembers what happened[/spoiler]. So, what do you think happened to Tsukasa before we enter "The World?" Spoiler tags should be used in this thread should you be using/saying something that is not in the first five episodes.

Ahem... I guess all of you are wondering why I haven't posted on the final episode thread... Well, I will when I have a chance to make a ridiculously long post that no one will want to read. :D I suggest anyone who hasn't seen episode 26 to turn around right now because I don't want this entire thread covered in black. Anyway, I thought I'd get people's input on the final reality. What I mean by that is the scene in episode 26 where Tsukasa leaves the hospital and crosses Subaru. Yeah, I want to hear anything and everything that can be said about this wonderful finale. This reality was the only one that had color. However, the color didn't come until later. It was not colored from start to finish. Why were we not allowed to see Tsukasa and Subaru touch? The ending credits (DVD version) obviously came from this aspect, so I wonder why, storywise, we don't see Tsukasa and Subaru make physical contact, but we do in the ending credits.

Haha, there were two really good posts about this similar situation on one person's myOtaku (I'd give you the link, but she'll do it if she wants them publicly displayed). Anyway, it's not uncommon for separation to happen to best friends, especially when high school rolls along. Sure, you guys may have somehow been great friends with such big differences, but those differences will widen when high school gives you the classes you need to pursue your goals. Chances are, if you have a friend who was as different as mine, you will part ways, dissolving whatever strong bond you had built over many years in just four. I say you should just go with the flow. Worrying isn't going to help, and if the friendship is meant to stay, both of you will feel it instinctively; you won't need to think or put any extra effort to keep it alive. That's my cents, talking from experience.

[quote]well they are banned at tournaments of course![/quote] Sephiroth, yes, you certainly seem to be the tournament goer. How do you go about finding and applying to these official tournaments? I'd love to go since local tournies seem to promise that I would get far (yeah, I don't win them all).

I highly agree with you with the grades thing. I have suffered the same thing with video games. However, your desire to succeed, or your life's goals, should definately be able to override this addiction when the time is nigh. Take myself for example: all through high school, I procrastinated and made it through lazy street (with A grades). However, the same thing doesn't fly in college, and the current situation makes my blood boil. There's an extraordinary # of students aiming for med school (more in my Class of 2006 than ever before). I'm taking the most crucial courses to my future this year, and the fact that a greater percentage of the students must fail than pass gives me a great feeling of exhilaration. If you get a C in Orgo (either I or II), you can kiss your chances for med school good-bye, and that's the 50% mark for curves. So, I've worked like a dog this week alone, and I'm on top of my courses. I'm nervous as hell, but I'm arrogant and stubborn enough to know I can Ace this and beat out the competition. The point is that it's mind over matter: if you want something strong enough, you will sacrfice your entertainment for it. EDIT: I can't draw for squat, so, personally, anime doesn't have an artistic affect on me. :)

Well, my school's anime club is showing this series for the month of September - the entire series, cramming so many episodes into every Friday night. Reading all the posts, this anime sounds enjoyable, but I'm wondering if there's anything I should be forewarned about before viewing. That is, is there anything that isn't in your everyday anime, or some type of mindset I should discard before watching the series? Thanks in advance.

Sorry for the late reply - school and such. :sweat: [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SadClown [/i] [B]Kaori Yuki wrote a story that is based loosley on Christian teachings. Whether or not she depicts God in the way that he is "supposed" to be is irrelevent; the story is fantasy. She took events and charectors from the bible and used them to create her own story. Personally, one of the things that makes it so creative and original is the fact that they take God, who is the embodiment of all good, and make him, as u said, flawed. Of course everyone isn't going to like the story, especially those who follow the bible becuase it is a perversion of everything that the bible is intended to represent. But that doesn't make her ignorant about anything. As for the topic of the thread, I don't see how talking and reading about Demons and Monsters should have any impact on a person's spiritual beliefs. It's a different story if a person belives what they read, but speaking about them, to me, shouldn't be "taboo". [/B][/QUOTE] Based loosely on Chrsitan teachings?! "Supposed" to be depicted?! Don't confuse the word "God" with the most commonly-associated entity which the term "God" identifies. Those are two completely different things: God = a word that signifies a supreme being What God [I]mostly[/I] refers to = an entity beyond everything (from the popular monotheistic religions) It's ignorant to think that it is irrelevant how Kaori depicted the latter. She could have certainly gone with the former, and her story would not bare such plotholes. However, she didn't, and everyone knows that you cannot "supposedly" depict this God in any other way. To put it simply, you ultimately cannot change the supreme being without losing what you were trying to identify. Sure, you can try, but it will be futile. God is not a human: you cannot take off an "arm" or a characteristic and still be left with the primary constituents. An analogy for God would be any compound, infinitely and uniformly distributed. Every component lies therein, symbolizing God's power, knowledge, etc. You cannot add anything to God: you can only remove. For example, the idea of God being flawed; you would take out God's perfection. God is evil? Take away His good and leave His wrath. However, how do you remove these aspects of God? Simply removing these pieces will not leave everything else intact. The only way is an extraction that demands a reaction, thereby [I]completely[/I] changing the properties and "God." In the end, you no longer have God (the second one)... Hope that made sense. The concept is not unlike putting a character from a story into your own narrative, but completely changing everything that made that character unique, identifiable.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by maladjusted [/i] [B][size=1] Ideas like "Love conquers all, including God." and the existence of demons and witches don't bother me at all. Well...I don't believe they're trying to [i]force[/i] these ideas on you, it's just part of the anime... And you must keep in mind that they are only cartoons; ink on paper. [/size] [/B][/QUOTE] O_o Did you read my post completely? I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, since I do tend to rant on and on like that. However, I think you missed the point. "Love conquers even God" was a theme I was willing to watch, but it turned out only to hold ignorance and an extreme misnomer. The identity of God was targetted to a being that does not match close enough to any version of "God" besides Zeus, which is from a polytheistic environment. Clearly, Angel Sanctuary is based upon on a monotheistic one, and [I]NONE[/I] of the monotheistic religions hold such a flawed view of God (by flawed, I mean just that: the idea that God is flawed). In short, I was saying that everything within my moral and ethical boundary (notice: NOT religious) is ok, but when execution conflicts with meaning, there is a problem.

These ideas and beliefs are tolerant [I]to an extent[/I]. However, I can't say I appreciate it when an ignorant bashing of monotheism commences. For example, Angel Sanctuary takes "love conquers all" to a whole other level - that is, "love conquers even God." Ok, not exactly what I would like to see/hear, but let's give it a chance... What resulted is a flawed archetype of God, giving Him an extremely limited capacity of thought and power, as well as removing most of His characteristics that are widely accepted in the five major monotheistic religions. "What the hell is that?" I ask you. If what you are calling "God" is not what 100% of the world identifies as God, then couldn't you have just labeled your pseudo-deity "Bob?" Immediately, you can be sure that the target audience will be confused when God is mentioned. Second, the anime appears to have been made only for the sake of doing something taboo/unbelieveable. Congratulations, you succeeded at failing... :rolleyes: Certainly not all takes on demons and super-beings is bad. Whenever you are watching/reading/hearing a story, what you have to do is leave your world, your ethics, and your ideas at the door. However, some shows demand that you bring your belongings with you, and Angel Sanctuary is one of those. They don't define "God" - they expect the viewer to know that already. Unfortunately, the creators seem to live in a cave, where "God" is that guy who can make fire. Ok, so I've been attacking Angel Sanctuary this whole time, :D so let me give a better example of my tolerance level. Funny enough, it's Witch Hunter Robin. I had the pleasure of watching the first episode of this promising series. I can't say I accept the use of witchcraft by the main character, Robin, but she's not hurting anyone (spiritually, I mean): she's passive in her craft, and she's not trying to make people accept her for it. However, this disparity will keep me, the viewer, always a step away from being completely absorbed into the series (which isn't a good thing). This one character (who will probably be my favorite in the series) does not appreciate Robin's "gifts," since they are of the same nature as the enemies'. Unlike Angel Sanctuary, there's no "we are doing wrong for the sake of doing wrong" nature, and definately no holes in terms of universal truths/ethics. Witch Hunter Robin looks promising, as Robin's past will be an interesting road to travel. However, I can easily say that Witch Hunter Robin will not be making my "Top 3" list of animes. The reason, though, will not be Robin's practices. EDIT: Wow, that really seemed more like a review of two animes than my opinion... :sweat: Sorry about the extra tidbits of info, but just in case anyone wants to know. Oh, btw, doesn't this: [quote]you cant make people change ther ideals[/quote] and this: [quote]I personally think if you have such a close-minded view of that, then you should seperate yourself from that. [/quote] imply contradiction? If you are an open-minded fan of anime (or any type of story-telling), how can you believe that no one can change? In every anime, does not every main character go through some kind of change, whether it be radical or developmental? In anime and all other stories, a main character always changes, and sometimes it is a complete transformation of philosophy and belief.

I think the myOtaku Portfolio thing should be able to hold more than just art. It's called a portfolio, so it sounds like it would span multiple mediums of expression. My suggestion: we should be able to submit poetry, articles, and/or fanfiction that can be placed in our portfolio. To not mix things, we could have sub-sectons, but for those of us artistically-impaired, just being able to somehow show our appreciation for anime would be grand. Well, call me obsessive-compulsive, but I can't stand having that little thing at the bottom of myOtaku being empty. If it said Art instead, maybe you could put in "This fool has no artistic talent whatsoever," and I wouldn't have any problems. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/images/icons/laugh.gif[/IMG] And if this idea was already the plan for the Portfolio section, sorry for bringing it up. :o EDIT: Oh yeah, one more question: are we allowed to direct link (I think it's called that) OB smilies to our myOtaku?

[quote]Nightmare does not have an inability to adapt, at high level play Nightmare is up there with the best, this inability to adapt you speak of is based on the player, not the character. There isn't even any real point in fighting the computer in my opinion, except for the missions, since the AI sucks and you can keep doing one abuseable move repeatedly to win. SC2 less fluid than SC1? Are you insane or are you playing SC2 on 50hz?[/quote] By inability to adapt, I mean that Nightmare's moves depend primarily on the control of the fight: if the Nightmare player cannot retain the pace of the fight (i.e., he's the lead dancer ;)), then it's incredibly hard to win. I never said Nightmare was bad: he's got speed, range, and power. However, I was warning G/S/B Master that everyone has a weakness, and that he should at least keep that in mind when he's trying to master the game. I know of only one Nightmare player who doesn't fall to excessive cancelling. As for the fluid comment, you can feel it when you are playing. It's not [I]that[/I] noticeable (just like you saying Tekken is relatively fast :rolleyes: ), but in the heat of battle, there is definately a [B][I]SLIGHTLY[/I][/B] greater stiffness in control/gameplay.

[quote]But as for the banner.. well I dont really think it looks to much like a anime chick.. she looks old lol ^_^ If you ever change the banner again and need anime chick pics I got good ones (they arent bad ethier, there just cute)[/quote] I don't see anything wrong with the [B]girl[/B], but I don't like the layout (the options at the side). I'm too used to the Industrial style. Haha, I didn't even know how big my sig was (why didn't anyone tell me?)! Anyway, I have to say that grey always reminds me of "same old, same old." So, I agree with jblessing that the red should mean new, not old.

The dragon is a cool mythological creature, with the fire and the stomping and so forth; but so is the phoenix. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/images/icons/puzzled.gif[/IMG] I was surprised that I could not decide between the two, so I wanted other people's opinion on their beast of choice and what they see in their preferred critter. The dragon is a very popular creation, being frowned upon in the Medieval World, while being honored in Far Eastern lands. While I love the Occidental look of the dragon, I favor the symbolic view of their Oriental cousins. :) The phoenix: can't say I have ever seen it depicted negatively. What could be cooler than an immortal bird that is created from fire? On top of that, it sleeps by extinguishing itself, only to return. Anyway, yeah, what's your mythological creature of choice? I'd really like your input on one of these two, but feel free to bring others to my attention. :)

Yay! Solid's back (Welcome Back)! Where have you been? Yeah, I don't know you, but it seems weird when people disappear without a trace (what happened to Koala Su? O_o). Anyway... [quote]How the hell is Crim stuck up?[/quote] I believe these kinds of comments were covered by Crim in episode 25. Simply, by stuck up, dayday means that Crim does not conform to anything and everything like a teenager, and refuses to do so simply for aesthetics. In other words, Crim is himself and refuses to be anything else. Dayday is just calling it arrogance to give a negative connotation to Crim's philosophy. However, IMO, I think it's a good code of conduct. ;) [quote]And how could he trick Sora?![/quote] I have no clue about this one. I thought it was Sora who was trying to psyche-out Crim in episode 25. Crim has fought Sora two times before, and he's figured out that Sora's fighting style relies more on talk than skill. When Crim disregarded Sora's comments, it became clear who was the stronger of the two.

[QUOTE]Actually, there could be another reason Tsukasa doesn't have any powers. He doesn't have any powers [I]when we get to see him.[/I] He could have had powers beyond compare when he first started playing, and they were sealed up for some reason or another. Why he needs a guardian and he can't log out, is the same reason, but he never recovers his powers. It's tempting to think of it that way, since he is the main character. But that's probably not it :p[/QUOTE] Interesting idea... There's really know way to argue against that. I have the strong belief that [SPOILER]Tsukasa has been Data Drained before the series starts (before episode 1)[/SPOILER]. We never get to see what physical effect Data Draining has on Tsukasa, so [SPOILER]Tsukasa could have lost all his abilities at the beginning[/SPOILER]. kyonen, you are the first and only person to give a solid argument to the "Tsukasa is level 99" idea (or at least the first I can remember). :D

[quote]WOW I hardly ever see a wavemaster working alone"[/quote] And that, my friends, is the source of this tired rumor - a simple phrase that has been taken out of proportion: "Wow, you must be really strong! Are you?!" There's your lvl 99 Tsukasa. However, after going through 25 episodes, I think we have all figured out that Tsukasa did not go through that dungeon alone... -_- I've seen almost every "Tsukasa is lvl 99" supporter post an episode 25 spoiler, but lo-and-behold, the public has now seen the truth with their own eyes. So, where's the support? There was not anything in this episode that justified your argument, so why was this chapter so crucial to your claim? In the end, it just seems picked a random episode that won't be seen for a while (but not the last episode, because that would be a dead giveaway) and came up with a random fact. Yeah, sorry about the rude post, but I just find this rumor hard to swallow now that episode 25 aired and nothing happened. If the source the rumor is bogus, how reliable is the rumor itself? [quote]he uses his magic to heal...[/quote] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/images/smilies/peoples.gif[/IMG] I'm not too sure about that. I wanna see that A-20 episode before I make any conclusions (which episode was that?). What's to say Tsukasa wasn't using healing items instead of magic? He didn't even use his staff. :o I don't remember how Mimiru and A-20 heal each other with items, so hopefully that will answer whether Tsukasa was using magic or consummable supplies.

Ugh, why does "Open Your Heart" only sound good in .hack//SIGN? I can't stand it as a stand-alone song. Somehow, "Open Your Heart" just fit the part. Haha, very nice, beautiful scene... [quote]Maha had at least some kind of control over them. that's another thing i don't get, not unless Morgana took full control of them which is what i'm thinkin.[/quote] I thought Maha told the guardians to attack her (I thought she was a guy, but she screamed like a girl). The intent was to save everyone, and when those guardians Data Drain someone, they normally are not destroyed. However, when they hit Maha, she must have had/made something to destroy them. Also, going with that idea, and assuming Maha had control over the monsters... [B]Theory:[/B] I don't think Morganna is capable of making the guardians, or at least not an endless supply of them. Consider that Maha could have just sent the guardians away, but that would mean the .hack//SIGN characters would have to deal with them at another time. Additionally, if Morganna is easily capable of producing more guardians, it would have been smarter to just order the guardians to retreat. Maha's actions seem to hint that Morganna isn't as "all-powerful" as she seems. Also, consider the bracelet, and it's ever-enigmatic and numerous roles in "The World..." [quote]I actually cried during that part. I am very emotional when it comes to anime.[/quote] Yes, I was extremely disheartened at that scene. I knew Maha would defect away from Morganna, but I didn't expect such extreme action. The only thing that can mirror, if not eclipse, my spirit at that scene is Noir, episode 25... Hmm... interesting... .hack//SIGN, episode 25, and Noir, episode 25. Relation: same creators. Haha, I'd put my two cents about the plant, but I'm strapped for time. :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Monkeys_revenge [/i] [B]It's a JOKE people, get with the program! LOL [/B][/QUOTE] Well, as I said before, it's not a very clever employment of KISS. However, if you mean the entire "critique my new banner" thing was a joke, then this thread would be considered SPAM, wouldn't it?

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by G/S/B Master [/i] [B]Don't mess with Nitemare. He's wicked cool. I played te demo for Gamecube and almost in every battle the computer didn't even touch me. Love using him. Can't wait till it comes out. [/B][/QUOTE] Haha, I warn you, every character has a flaw (Siegfried's is his inability to adapt). Try the newly-added difficulty before you talk. ;) Trust me, the computer is easy-pickin's on all the levels except that one. I'm surprised that SC2 feels a little less fluid than it's predecessor, but it's not a big deal. Anyone else notice the increase in rigidity? Besides that, SC2 is now my favorite fighting game, taking SC's place on my list. :)

While "keeping it simple" and "not exerting to excess" are good ideas, this banner is just the opposite: too simple, and not enough exertion. Artistically, the font is jaggy, and, with such a simplistic banner, you could have at least opted for a GIF file so the back is transparent. In terms of cleverness, it just isn't. Meh, it might be just me, but I don't like the idea at all.

[quote]There's only a tiny bit of white edge; I don't even see how you noticed. I was even looking for it while making it, and I had to zoom in to see all but a little of it. If you're talking about the white around the SMA4 logo, that's supposed to be there, as it's part of the logo. And I did go around it with the paintbrush set to one pixel, blotting out a lot of the white edge and then making it transparent. And like I said, unless you're really looking for it, you have to zoom in to see it, so I don't really worry too much about it.[/quote] I'm sorry. I should have mentioned that I was on an LCD screen, so everything's a bit crisper. Good example would be my banner: my name, "AzureWolf," is pretty blurry, isn't it? Well, on this LCD screen, it looks fine, but when I looked at it on a CRT moniter, it was a little hard to read. Looking at it again, everything looks great. It fits the Mario theme, and it's sweet, clean, and simple. [quote]And I might take out the SMA4 part, exacept that I've got this overwhelming urge to keep the complete logo.... You know, to keep things "correct," heh. ^_^; That and I just think the left side looks a little too empty without it, since there's that big open space below the SMB3 logo.[/quote] Yeah, I know what you mean with that first reason. As for the second reason: It's a Mario banner - a Mario [B]NES[/B] banner, so open and plain space is more true/nostalgic to the game, IMO.