OtakuSennen

[color=midnightblue]I am sorry to say it, but I don't know that much British comedy, but from what I have seen I have absolutely loved. I was first introduced to Monty Python by my father about two years ago. My mother finally gave in to our protests and let us watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Honestly, I had expected it to be pointless and un-funny, but I was pleasantly surprised. Holy Grail turned out to be perhaps the funniest movie I have ever seen. The fact that it blended intelligent material, such as that one commoner's monologue regarding forms of government early on in the film and the fact that horses were so rare in England during that period with such moronic, mindlessly violent scenes such as the Death of the Black Knight and The Man-Eating Rabbit Battle so easily is what drew me to this film. I suppose, now that I look back, that intelligent humor mixed with such idiocy is the essence of a lot of British Humor. We also have the first two volumes of Monty Python's Flying Circus on VHS.. It certainly met my expectations I established after I saw Holy Grail. "The Dead Parrot" and the aliens who turn people into Scotsmen are two particular sketches that stand out in my mind. I can't think of one sketch that I didn't like, in fact, so in a sense I may like Monty Python's Flying Circus over Saturday Night Live. And, to my dismay, that's about all of the British Comedy I am well-acquainted with. We may be getting BBC America soon, however, so that may change.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine accidentally left his Game Boy Advance at my house, with his recently purchased copy of Mario & Luigi in it. I had a difficult little moral conflict- For about two minutes. I then began playing what has come to be perhaps my favorite GBA RPG of all time. For a while I thought that the battle system was very easy. In the early parts of the game, countering and dodging were extremely simple. I would go for an hour without even getting hit once, and call my friend and griped for a while about the simplicity of the battle system. Later on, though, I found it to be an amazing, intriguing system that takes an above-average amount of hand/eye coordination to use effectively. It didn't take me long to get very far. In fear of my friend wanting the game back, my GBA was on whenever I had a moment to play.. I believe I finished off the [spoiler]Mushroom Kingdom Colony / Luigi going out on his own to save Mario[/spoiler] thing within three days' time. I didn't find Mario & Luigi to be as humorous as the original Super Mario RPG back in the days of Super Nintendo. Maybe my taste in humor has gotten more mature since I played that game, or something, but the only thing I've found really funny is [spoiler]The Prince's poses and overall bishounen, fangirl-attracting persona.[/spoiler] I sadly returned the game to my friend on Tuesday. I do think that he is done with it now, and I may ask for it later this week. Bravo, Alpha Dream. You created an addition to the Mario RPG series without it seeming like an entirely different kind of game.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Ah, another fine piece of work courtesy of Baron Samedi. This banner is just the kind of thing I love- It has a somewhat abstract background, a well-defined foreground, and a stylish font that, with the assistance of some heavy editing, makes a very eye-catching display. I don't think the clock man and the font fit together extremely well, honestly. Clock-Monster seems like he'd be in a more sterile-looking, cheerier banner, and the font seems more gritty. That's just a small gripe of mine, though. Also, I'm not too fond of the cut-out in the corner. That sort of thing, in my eyes, does not work well with a border that's holding everything inside of its boundaries. [b]9.3/10[/b] Yes, Baron, I would advise you to use this in your signature. It's top-quality work.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Well, that is pretty good. Not great, but good. The image seems to have resized well, and the image is very Resident Evil-ish, but it leaves a lot to be desired. The background is extremely plain. Though it does, in a way, show off the dark tone to Resident Evil, you could probably make something much more effective. May I suggest a very dark urban alley; something that looks like it could be easily placed in a Resident Evil game? The font, too, is rather plain. If I were making this banner, I would move the text down to the bottom-left corner, but that's just my personal style. [b]7.8/10[/b] Good job.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]There have been many cases in which I've wanted a game desperately-- As in I'd buy it over any other game at the time-- Yet it wasn't being released for the US. The fact that foreign CD-based games can't play on local consoles has always been a bit of a problem with me. There is a place on the other side of my town that installs mod chips to consoles, and apparently they give you a rebate on your console if the unthinkable happens to the lost patient (also known as my friend's unfortunate PlayStation 1), but I'd rather not risk it. I know I could get a replacement GameCube if my current one gets destroyed at the hands of others, but I don't think I could bear to part with the poor thing. We've been through a lot together. But think of all the Evangelion games I could play! So, if you ask me, yes to using mods for imports, no to using mods to copy games.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]That article you read was simply speculation on what the magazine people thought.. And even then, they're probably just basing their choices upon how they look in relation to the characters from Evangelion. Such articles really are annoying. I do, however, feel a few of those choices are pretty wise. Hugo Weaving, if he gets to know the role well, would probably portray a decent Gendo. After all, as former Agent Smith, he's already trained to have a rather emotionless, pseudo-angry expression. Ian McKellan as Fuyutsuki.. It may work. I don't know if he'd take on the Eva project, though. We shall see, I suppose. However, my belief is that through casting calls unknown actors and actresses will be found that fit the roles better than most famous movie stars we are familiar with. After all, a few of the actors from The Lord of the Rings were not exactly famous, and gained great recognition and prestige for working with Weta Workshop on the trilogy. *shudders at the thought of Daniel Radcliffe and Haley Joel Osment playing off each other as Shinji and Kaworu*[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Well, you could always check the [url=www.tokyopop.com]TokyoPop webpage[/url] to check up on recent releases. The third volume of .hack//Legend of Twilight, however, has not been released. It's strange, though. I have never actually seen the cover for even the Japanese volume three. I heard a rumor from Black_Phoenix, which he got from a different message board, regarding the Japanese .hack//LoT 3 release. It may not even be out in Japan.. I personally think that's a little strange, that the manga has been postponed so long even when the anime adaptation has already run its course. Or, perhaps, Tokyopop and Bandai are waiting to release the final volume until the rest of the .hack series has been put on shelves, considering it's the finale to the entire franchise. As in, perhaps, once the final .hack//SIGN DVD is out they will sum up Legend of Twilight as well. I'll do some digging around on the net, and if I find anything I'll post it here.[/color] [color=white]Dude, improve your post quality. Just a friendly suggestion.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Recently, I had to choose a novel I have not read for a book report, chosen from a list of the top 100 novels college professors would like their students to have read by the time they graduate high school. My literature teacher suggested Fahrenheit 451, and I can't say that I was displeased with her proposal at all. If you aren't familiar with the novel, Fahrenheit 451 takes place some time in the relatively near future; a time in which the masses are glued to their "parlor" walls, watching television and listening to radios placed in their ears. Houses are fireproof. And, because there's nothing to prevent from burning, firemen now burn the taboo books that have been made illegal to read. The story follows Guy Montag, a fireman who ends up wrecking his entire life over a novel that he finds. Piece by piece, those around him fall victim to his plunge into isolation. This novel had me completely enthralled from the moment I saw the intriguing cover art a week ago. By the time I got to page eleven I utterly refused to put that book down. I was first introduced to Ray Bradbury's work earlier this year when we read a short story of his entitled "Dark They were and Golden-Eyed".. Bradbury's sense of imagery and ability to create such original, vivid metaphors made me want to read more of his work in an instant. The fact that a novel written over fifty years ago that still seems like a viable future today is an admirable feat. Bradbury created a world that was the perfect mix of realism and fiction that paralells our world today in an eerily close fashion. Only some of the names, such as Mildred, for example, seem a bit out-dated. The fact that the masses are glued to their media is just like today- Let's just hope books (or, at least this one) are never shunned by the public. I feel the ending was a little too open, however. The description of the nuclear attack was a good way to finalize some things, but Montag just walking along with the Book Readers left me rather angry. I have heard that Bradbury wrote a screenplay that carried the story a little further, though, so I may search for that some time in the near future. If you've read the book, how do you feel about it?[/color]

[color=midnightblue]I don't mind CG in anime that much, as long as it's done so that it looks half-presentable. For example, I enjoy the series Witch Hunter Robin. The plot, background and action sequences are all very intriguing and fun to watch. However, the animation really throws me off. Many of the backgrounds are three-dimensional, computer generated models. I wouldn't care as much if they looked half realistic, but no. They are very simple polygons with poor textures that are basically screaming "Look, we're using modern techniques! Make note of us and buy our merchandise!". Blue Sub Number 6, however, had some impressive Computer Graphics that enriched the experience of the miniseries for me. It came out before Witch Hunter Robin, and yet has CG that was leaps and bounds over what we found in the more recent series. I don't like backgrounds being three-dimensional, though. My belief is that mechanical objects, such as airplanes or robots, don't seem out of place if they are three-dimensional. More natural objects, such as trees or mountains, keep their "natural" aura if they are drawn with a more ancient, polished medium such as paint brushes. I would rather have the series be entirely hand-done, at least until technology reaches the point that a series can not look like garbage when the studio has some extra special effects money to blow.[/color]

[quote]I imagine quite a few people laughed when they saw the thread title.[/quote] [color=midnightblue]I know I did. For about fifteen minutes. But the mere thought of somebody creating a thread such as this is a perfect display of a decline of desire for intelligence in our society. I've heard a lot of senior citizens around me rant on and on about the lack of work ethic among today's youth- How most of the young ones of today would sit around and watch television and vegetate instead of doing anything relevant, important, or for the sake of a bright future. People only need English classes up until middle school, then they don't need it ever again? My god, if that's the case, my school examplifies what a bleak and dismal future our society will have. Every day I find two or three notes in the halls and read them, just to see what stupid things people have to say, and see how they write it. What I've found many times, is a letter that may go like this. "Hi, itz Michelle waz^ U gona b at the mal this friday??? ya cuz i herd jasonz gona b dere and hes soe kyute!!" Keep in mind, that was [i]not[/i] an over-exaggeration. In fact, that is a direct quote from a hand-written letter I once found by my fourth period classroom. It's not the only one I've found like this, either. There were so many that were poorly written, with awful grammar and sentence structure that would make Shakespeare roll in his grave. We only need basic addition and subtraction? Sure, if you want to work the cash register at Kwik-E-Mart and get paid a few hundred dollars a month. For most high-paying, stable jobs you're most likely going to need a college degree of some sort to apply. And to get into college you need a decent Grade Point Average. Along with English, Science and History, Math is a major factor on one's GPA. To be successful, you'll have to understand high school math to some extent, even if you won't need to use it in your life past college. And won't you feel foolish when your children twenty years from now will ask you for help with studying for the next big History or Science test? You, yourself, will not know half of the stuff you're talking about when you're quizzing your poor daughter about Flagellum, Bacteriophages and Napoleon. You'll think she's taking sex ed if she's learning about these "flagellums", and you'll hear the word Napoleon and think about that funny episode of Just Shoot Me you saw last week on TV Land where that one guy made a crack about short French conquerors.. Won't that be a sad living? Won't you look back, and ask yourself why you just didn't sit down for an hour every night and read up a bit on the Revolutionary War? Then you'll remember that you looked at the clock, remembered Jackass was on, and dropped your History book on the floor without ever bothering to look at it again.[/color] [quote][i]Semjaza Azazel originally wrote:[/i] [b]As if none of you thought this way at that kid's age.[/b][/quote] [color=midnightblue]..Wow, I must really be an outcast.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Ah, Foxtrot. The greatest daily comic strip since Calvin and Hobbes. I first started appreciating this comic about a year ago, when I first came to terms with the fact that I'm a nerd-esque person, when stereotyped. The fact that this series often focuses primarily on satire of.. Not always "popular" culture, really, as much as the most recent nerd flicks or a video game-related issue. The segment where Paige got to beta test a game Jason had been highly anticipating for a long time still holds a place in my heart. I haven't gotten too tired of Jason, honestly. The recent "space colony" thing is getting extremely corny, though. I haven't really laughed at one of those strips with Jason wearing an astronaut helmet. They seem rather cheesy and predictable. The Christmas strips are always good, though. The situations the Fox family goes through around that time is very similar to what happens around most American nuclear families, it would seem. Yes, I too bought the 2003 daily Foxtrot Calendar. That little tablet of paper brought me many a laugh. I, however, had flipped through each page of that thing at least five times by January twenty-fifth, and after that my dad and brother read it daily. Here's to you, Bill Amend. May you go down through the ages as a great comic strip writer.. Wow, what an honor.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Come on, Mal, I was going to make this thread today. That's just cold. :p Apparently, ADV is releasing only two of the DVDs from the Evangelion renewal project. It seems they don't think that their customers will even bother buying [i]another[/i] Evangelion series. The first one, Resurrection, was released two weeks ago, and the second one will be released some time in late March, if I heard the Suncoast woman correctly. So, if you want the whole series, you'll have to buy the Japanese version. Or some sort of pirated thing. Well, yesterday I bought Evangelion: Resurrection at Suncoast. It is basically a remake of the seventh Eva DVD, holding episodes twenty-one through twenty-three. On the main selection screen, however, you can choose between the original Evangelion and the Director's Cut. In this version, however, not [i]everything[/i] is redone. In fact, nothing is technically RE-done, animation-wise. It shows the original episode, and adds the beautiful new scenes inbetween the original material. It's not like there are huge new fight scenes or any fifteen-minute-long plot twists or anything. It's more like five five-to-ten minute segments that add depth to the emotions of the characters, and small bits of information are revealed that explain the relations between the characters to a deeper level. For example, [spoiler]in Episode 22, when Eva 02 gets "Mentally defiled", we get an approximate eight-minute glimpse into Asuka's mind as she's being probed. She sees several images of herself from the past cycle over and over, and she seems to have a revelation and realises how bothersome she can be to others. She then sees Kaji's shadow in an empty train station, and starts running to him, but is pushed back by a horde of hood-wearing people. Then, after a scene transition, the five-year-old Asuka is interrogating 14-year-old Asuka about who she [i]really[/i] hates. We then leave the whole self-interrogation, philosophical Eva mode.[/spoiler] It just sort of gives more background to the characters, and explains their relations with each other further. The animation from the new scenes are extremely well-done. Some of the highest quality animation I have ever seen. The [spoiler]Second Impact scene, where Adam awakens,[/spoiler] is utterly brilliant. For a while, before I paused the DVD, it looked almost as if they made three-dimensional models and added a computer-generated [spoiler]Adam[/spoiler] into the scene. But the big thing for me and this DVD is the interview with the WETA Workshop founders. They revealed a lot of information about designing their "Westernized" live-action Evangelion movie. Yes, it's official, WETA Workshop has officially begun work on the design for the official live-action Evangelion movie. It's not a rumor. Throughout the interview they revealed about fifteen concept art pieces, mostly of NERV headquarters and, logically, Evas 00 through 02. Apparently they are "Westernizing" a lot of things, including characters' names. Rei is now spelled "Ray", Asuka is now "Kate Rose", and Misato is "Susan". For about two days I wanted to go send razor blades to Weta, but it won't matter much in the end. But, if you are an Evangelion fan, (i.e., if you're not AzureWolf) I highly advise that you purchase this DVD.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]I wrote these poems today while taking notes in Social Studies. I was looking at a.. Friend for inspiration, as she sits next to me, and I decided to write these. These obviously don't rhyme, and really don't have much of a rhythm. I made them in about fifteen minutes, with very little revision. Two of them are here, and I may make more later if I get positive response. If not.. Ah well. It was worth a try, huh? [center][i]Ai no Mizu[/center] [center]Like the flow of the river, This passion seems to change. It runs swiftly without hinderance, But moves past obstacles with silent protest. Cold, lifeless, without remorse one moment And warm with love the next. While the stones and sand around us, So different from the water, Ridicule us, judge us, ignorantly comment, We needn't take notice, we've no reason to care. Water only needs itself. We needn't rely on the stones. For two rivers can form one. As may our souls. -- Foggy Emotions Your emotions seem like a dense fog. So gray, and bleak, yet so intriguing. How I wish to travel through your hazy thoughts, To penetrate that darkness. To see what's three feet away from me, And yet so unknown. The veil of silence blinds me, In your swirling sea of mind. And yet, I persevere, For I know at the end of the fog Is the reward of understanding.[/center][/i] Well, there you are. Enjoy.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]You know, Shippo, that is definitely the best banner you have ever made. What exactly did you do to the background to give it such a strange, ice-like effect? It turned out brilliantly. The font fits the scene, as does Naota's color scheme. By the way, you made a great choice of image, and made a pretty good cropping job. Maybe it was how Yoshiyuki Sadamoto originally drew it, but Naota's left sleeve's crop is sort of.. Uneven. Part of it has a thick outline, and then there's barely one at all a few pixels down. I agree with Dan Rugh on the speed of the information to an extent. It's not so fast as it is uneven in its movement. When "Brown" gets about halfway up the banner, it sort of jumps farther in the next frame than the rest of them. Just try and smooth out the movement some and this'll be nearly flawless. [b]8.9/10[/b] Awesome job, sir Shippo. You have vastly improved.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]For those of you who don't know, Yuki Kajiura is a keyboardist/composer who has been a professional musician in Japan since 1993. Her career began when she became part of See-Saw, a trio of singers known for their originality. She has composed nearly the entire OSTs for Noir and the .hack series, along with several video games. Last July she performed in concert without the other two thirds of See-Saw for the first time ever at the Anaheim Anime Expo. Unfortunately, I woke up an hour late, and was not able to get to the Expo in time to see the concert. I would have killed to get in there, but.. Alas, my internal clock thought otherwise. Anyway, I would like to analyze Miss Kajiura's most recent album, entitled Fiction. I bought this CD for 12 dollars at Suncoast, and I must say that I've received my money's worth, and then some. This is a truly beautiful album overall, and each song has its own way to add to the impact. [b]Track 1: Key of the Twilight[/b]-- This isn't.. My favorite song on the CD. It's certainly up there, but not quite the best. The vocals, as is the case with many of the tracks on Fiction, are definitely the strong point. The harmony between the vocalists in some segments are truly beautiful, and exhilirating. The violin segments also heavily add to the beauty of the song. [b]Track 2: Cynical World[/b]-- I heavily respect the vocalists on this disc. They all have extremely wonderful voices, and 90% of the time they have flawless English. No trace of a Japanese accent to be found, except for in Vanity, but I'll get into that later. The actual lyrics hold a strong meaning, as well. [b]Track 3: Fake Wings[/b]-- This is, by far, the greatest rendition of Fake Wings I have ever heard. It is also, in my opinion, the greatest song in Fiction. The vocals are much more soft, and calming, but unlike the Fake Wings from the .hack//SIGN OST, they are not the focal point of the piece. The guitar makes up the most moving portion. The crescendos and diminuendos give it a highly dramatic effect. I normally listen to this song repeatedly at midnight when I cannot fall asleep. It's [i]that[/i] calming. Like a sort of romantic lullaby. [b]Track 4: Fiction[/b]-- Eh. I don't like this song as much. It's still a great piece, as is every song in the album, but something about it doesn't excite me as much as the rest of the tracks. Its bridge is very catchy, but it doesn't seem quite as original as the other tracks, for whatever reason. I tend to skip this one, because it gets caught in my head too easily. And it's not one of those songs i like playing through my head over and over for hours at a time, until it is replaced by Winter or Salva Nos. [b]Track 5: Vanity[/b]-- This is a good song, particularly the bridge's melody line stands out, but I don't like it quite as much. At one point there's a vocalist who had a rather atrocious Japanese accent. It ruins the track for me. [b]Track 6: Cante Per Me[/b]-- Yeah. I don't like this song. I tend to skip it. It's just not a particularly outstanding song, and I'm too impatient to listen to the entire CD in one sitting. I always want to get to Winter. [b]Track 7: Zodiacal Sign[/b]-- This song.. Is probably the the most techno-oriented song on the disc. For a long while this was my favorite track, but I ended up preferring the slower, more vocally based songs. I still listen to this one, though. It is a truly enjoyable song, with a rather trance-like undertone, to an extent. [b]Track 8: Awakening[/b]-- When I was writing this post I looked at the back of the CD case, saw "Awakening", and realised I didn't know this song existed. I listened to it, and then remembered why. It's not a great song. It's rather dull. Nothing else to say, in my opinion. [b]Track 9: Open Your Heart[/b]-- ..Eh. It's an enjoyable song, though the lyrics are sort of cheap and repetitive. That's not the real focus of the piece, though. The harmonizing between the vocalists is the big thing. It emenates a hopeful, peaceful aura from the song. It seems sort of.. Holy, in a way. I'm reminded of a hand reaching out to a lost, forlorn spirit. [b]Track 10: Winter[/b]-- I utterly love this song. There's not a thing about it that makes me dislike it to the slightest degree. The lyrics, the vocals, the guitar-- It all works together to make an utterly beautiful song. The lyrics remind me of a person I know.. Deb Lyons made a stunning performance as the vocalist for this song. She has an amazing voice. This is, without a doubt, my favorite song on Fiction. [b]Track 11: Salva Nos[/b]-- Salva Nos is a great finisher for this album. Moving, operatic vocals are the focus here. My favorite portion is when the Tokyo Konsei joins in, which makes the track sound very important, and forceful. This is another song I love. So, if you have any comments about Kajiura or any of her songs, feel free to post them here.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Hoorah, it's finally up. [b]Overall Member of the Year:[/b][size=1] Semjaza Azazel[/size] [b]Male Otaku of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Syk3[/size] [b]Female Otaku of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Sara[/size] [b]Staff Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]James[/size] [b]Funniest Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]wrist-cutter[/size] [b]Most Opinionated Otaku of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Poison Tongue[/size] [b]Most Likely to Be Here in Two Years:[/b] [size=1]Adam[/size] [b]Best Newbie:[/b] [size=1]Arcadia[/size] [b]Best Oldie:[/b] [size=1]James[/size] [b]Most Likely to Become a Staff Member:[/b] [size=1]Dagger IX1[/size] [b]Most Improved Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1 Baron Samedi[/size] [b]Favorite Banned Member:[/b] [size=1] Taylor Hewitt[/size] [b]Thread of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Kill Adam[/size] [b]Silliest Thread of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Charles can I be a mod for?? [/size] [b][u]Random Awards[/b][/u] [b]Avatar Award (Best Avatars Overall):[/b] [size=1]Charles[/size] [b]Signature Award (Best Signatures Overall):[/b] [size=1] James[/size] [b]Best Location (Best Specific Location):[/b] [size=1]Charles[/size] [b]Best Otaku Couple:[/b] [size=1]Queen Asuka/Piromunkie[/size] [b]Best Looking Otaku:[/b] [size=1]Juuthena[/size] [b]Otaku Clique of the Year:[/b] [size=1]OtakuBoards? League of Not-So-Extraordinary Gentlemen[/size] [b]Best MyOtaku:[/b] [size=1]James[/size] [b][u]Otaku Writers[/b][/u] [b]Poet Laureate:[/b] [size=1]Charles[/size] [b]Writer of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Mitch[/size] [b]Orginal Story of the Year:[/b] [size=1]OB: Enter the Net. No duh. [b]Role-Player of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Arcadia[/size] [b]Brawler of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Chaos (It's kind of scary how many times he's killed me in one blow via AIM.. And we don't talk that much)[/size] [b]RPG of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Kill Adam[/size] [b][u]Social Otakus[/b][/u] [b]Otaku Social Member:[/b] [size=1]Japan_86[/size] [b]Entertainment Otaku:[/b] [size=1]Dragon Warrior[/size] [b][u]Otaku Anime[/b][/u] [b]Otaku of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Dagger IX1[/size] [b].hack//SIGN Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]AzureWolf[/size] [b]Dragonball Guru of the Year:[/b] [size=1]PiroMunkie[/size] [b]Digipeep of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Ben (Because Shinmaru told me to, in a threatening manner)[/size] [b]Gundam Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Final Flash [/size] [b]Yu-Gi-Oh Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Solo Tremaine[/size] [b]Least Disappointing Yu Yu Hakusho Member:[/b] [size=1]Dagger IX1[/size] [b][u]Otaku Gamers[/b][/u] [b]Otaku Gamer of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Shimaru,[/size] [b]Nintendo ?Mario? Award:[/b] [size=1]Shinmaru[/size] [b]Sony Award:[/b] [size=1]Charles[/size] [b]X-Box Award:[/b] [size=1]PoisonTongue[/size] [b]PC Gamer of the Year:[/b] [size=1]DeathKnight. Hail, Kenneth.[/size] [b][u]Otaku Artists[/b][/u] [b]Best Graphic Designer (Banners, wallpapers, etc.):[/b] [size=1]Syk3[/size] [b]Best "Traditional" Artist (Drawings, paintings, etc.):[/b] [size=1]maladjusted. Her style of animation is inspiring.[/size] [b]Best Spriter:[/b] [size=1]Kazuko[/size] [b][u]Series Otaku[/b][/u] [b]Series Otaku Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Desbreko[/size] [b]Square/Enix Member of the Year:[/b] [size=1]Zidargh[/size] [b]PokéPlaque (Pokemon):[/b] [size=1]Lady Katana[/size] [b]The Triforce Award:[/b] [size=1]Desbreko[/size] [/color]

[color=midnightblue]When you say movie.. Do you mean an actual one-and-a-half hour long adaptation/add-on to the series? If so, that is very messed up. There is no .hack//DUSK feature-length movie. The televised anime, however, closely follows the manga. And, I repeat, .hack was shown on TV Tokyo, the NBC of Japan. They couldn't have shown sex. Perhaps you read Bandai's information in the wrong way. They might be planning to put .hack//DUSK on Cartoon Network, and they [i]will[/i] have to cut out some of Shuugo's ogling, even if it's on the Saturday Night lineup at midnight. But it's just not going to happen; there's no sex in .hack//DUSK.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Oh, come on. Bee Train and Rei Izumi did [i]not[/i] put a sex scene in .hack//Legend of Twilight. It didn't happen, the series is extremely light-hearted and childish to an extent, and it's not like it was aired on the Playboy Channel. If I'm not mistaken, it was on TV Tokyo some time before 11:00 PM. They seriously couldn't have. It didn't fit project .hack [i]at all.[/i] Rei Izumi animated the story that the main .hack writers created. Project .hack was aimed toward teens- .hack//SIGN is rated 13+ and the games are T (At least here, in America). They didn't want the rating higher. They wanted something that the targeted demographics could get to, so they could get more money. And Black_Phoenix is right, there's no real mature sexual themes in the .hack games. It's just Helba and BlackRose's outfits, among some others, perhaps, and maybe bits of comic relief they placed throughout the games. And I can think of nothing objectionable in the first volume of the OVAs, except for some very mild language. Trust me, I own the first two volumes of manga, and the anime is nearly identical (for the most part) to the comics. The only stuff that's suggestive are people pointing out Rena's outfit, Shuugo's pseudo-pervertedness, and his ogling of Orca (Ouka..?). Oh, and the .hack//PINUPs. Yum. It's just not gonna happen, unless you care to indulge in the darker side of the net. ~_^[/color]

[color=midnightblue]According to the manga's first volume's .hack//PINUP, Balmung and Shuugo are staring at Rena and Mereille, who are bathing in an oasis-esque area. Balmung's enjoying it, but Shuugo is sort of staring at Rena in an akward, blushing way. Also, in the first volume Shuugo feels akward about his sister's outfit in The World. The skimpiness makes him think about what other guys will think of Rena, but he seems to be feeling this way out of brotherly concern. Let's remember that, in the game, there is nothing saying that Shuugo and Rena are related. If anything, our hero is infatuated with his sister's [i]character,[/i] not his sister. And ogling isn't sex at all. It's just looking.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]I think that deeper connections between upcoming Final Fantasy games will become more and more common. We've gone this long with individual installments that had very little to do with each other plot-wise, but all of a sudden (With the merging of Squaresoft and Enix) we've seen more spin-off-esque titles- FFX-2 being the most obvious example. But even Final Fantasy XII, which is shaping up to be a ridiculously anticipated game (but not in a bad way), is taking place in the world of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It seems that with the birth of Square Enix came a different outline to Final Fantasy. More games are going to be related to each other in several ways, instead of each game being standalone and wouldn't even be considered a relative of a different FF game if it didn't have the franchise's name on it. Personally I think it's a fairly good ideal, because now we won't be having to go through the pain of seeing strange, uninspired worlds with each game. We'll be getting the same, complex, interesting worlds we've come to know from some of the series' better games. But, of course, there's a flipside to that. Those same few worlds will eventually get boring and repetitive. Then new locations will have to come into play. I think that most series get kind of tired after seven games, and Final Fantasy has been able to hold on and remain fresh. XII and XIV are looking extremely promising, and a golden age of FF seems to be on the horizon.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Eh, I really don't care about borders. I just put them in so Syk and AzureWolf don't yell at me. :p [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=544925[/img][/center] Here's a third devoid-of-anime banner, but I really don't like it so much. All I did was use Paint Shop Pro's alter hue tool, and it make a plethora of vividly colored splotches. I then made a blue filter, and went from there. It took me maybe fifteen minutes to make, but apparently it's better than I think it is, according to associates. I am all out of inspiration. I need some new influences.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Yeah, I watch some childrens' movies. Sometimes these films have things a lot of mature people will enjoy, whether it's historical accuracy or simply things that take them back to when they were younger. Sometimes, if a movie like Cats Don't Dance or maybe even Atlantis is on television, I'll stop and watch for a little while. Some movies that are aimed towards children really appeal to me, for no real reason. Maybe it just takes me back to the days when I was six, when I watched Aladdin every day for a year while eating sausages. I've seen a few of these movies with interesting sub-morals. No corny believe-in-yourself stuff, but a more subtle sort of philosophy that applies to me. And, when that happens, I tend to like that specific movie more. I'll watch any movie, I guess, as long as it's not cheesy and too childish. If something has absolutely nothing but fuzzy little animals hopping up and down and singing happy, silly songs for one and a half hours, I would rather jump off a skyscraper than even see a commercial for it. So.. That's the case with all movies for me, I guess. If the movie's good, despite the genre, I'll at least rent it.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Many people find me to be highly intellectual, and I agree on some levels- I refuse to watch any reality show other than The Apprentice, and I prefer VH1 over MTV (Yeah, really mature of me, huh?). I haven't found an anime yet that really gave me a headache. [/egotystical rant] :p Evangelion was a very thought-provoking anime, I must admit, and its depth really provoked me into thinking a lot more about a series, and looking past the action-oriented surface material. I actually spent more time reading sites explaining Judeo-Christianity and Evangelion religious references in general than actually watching the 26-episode series. I really learned a lot from this series, just because I took the time to evaluate the depth. FLCL wasn't as philosophical or religiously based as Evangelion, but it also made me think. There were a lot of scenes that were not in order, it seemed, and I had to watch the series several times over to fully understand what was happening. I spent maybe twenty hours trying to figure out the first volume of manga alone. The confusion was the essence of this series. Its complication was its strong point. .hack//SIGN was the first mystery anime I ever saw. Heck, it was the first (if not only) 26-episode series I ever saw that wasn't butchered after editing. From the very first episode I was enthralled-- The original setup and dialogue-oriented script drew me in, and I was blown away by the end. It was a series not based entirely on fights and yelling. It had deep thoughts, metaphors, analogies.. It's a very complicated series. Do I think complication is bad in an anime title? For people like myself, no. I enjoy a deep series with complex character relations and philosophy. Other people may disagree. They can go watch something a little more shallow, and I haven't a problem with that. That is the beauty of anime- There's something for everyone.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Wow, what a rumor. I'm not a fan of Trigun, I never really even saw one episode all the way through of it. I [i]do[/i] know, however, that at the moment there are only 26 episodes of Trigun-- No movies, no hidden episodes, none of that extra stuff. Just the manga. This is the name of the theme song, if I'm not mistaken. It's kind of a song of the rock/thrash-esque genre, I suppose you could say, but it's certainly not the greatest anime song ever. There is talk of a sequel to Trigun, but I don't think it will ever happen. If you're a fan, keep your fingers crossed, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. This is most likely a rumor. It's one of the many, many false anime rumors on the net. That's the big thing about the net: 95% of the stuff on it is utter crap.[/color]

[color=midnightblue]Wow, two replies without me having to make a new banner. That hasn't happened since I first created this thread. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=542247[/img][/center] Well, here is a second banner that's not Evangelion- Heck, it's not even anime (I threw that in because I'm sure Azure would comment on that again). I made this one on a whim, with no particular motive, except for some stuff going on in my social life right now and a boring phone conversation that sort of led me to make the quote. All I did was make a gray background, put in some interesting text (I reversed the N for effect.. Also for no real reason), and used a paint brush and the softening tool to finish it off. Personally, I prefer Industrialization. It had more reason and motive behind it, coupled with the fact that it had some sort of message and took me more than half an hour to make. I kind of like where I'm going with these more pseudo-abstract banners, though I suppose I'll eventually lose interest and move back to my anime roots.[/color]