Dagger

Well, you know what they say about the Kinsey Scale... ;) More seriously, my answer to your question is no. A lot of the women who experiment with their own sex or call themselves bi-curious are just wannabe "Girls Gone Wild" who do it primarily because most men find that sort of thing attractive. However, there clearly are plenty of people who feel genuinely uncertain about their sexuality. Sometimes this gets sorted out as you grow up; many, many adolescent girls go through a fleeting period in which they have crushes on female teachers and so forth. Sometimes it lasts longer and you end up developing strong romantic relationships with members of both sexes, or only women. Numerous people, both straight and gay, feel very strongly about and are quite confident in their sexual orientation. Because of this, I think it's a little silly to say that everyone is inherently bisexual. ~Dagger~

Okay, guys, please take note of the fact that the thread in which you've been posting is entitled "Rate My Deck." Simply posting your own deck isn't enough; you should at least make a cursory attempt to comment on others' cards. This goes for everyone. ~Dagger~

[quote name='maladjusted][color=firebrick'] Hehe...Kyou Kara Myou is like Fushigi Yuugi without Miaka and a double order of shounen-ai from what I've read about it.[/color][/quote] Well, sort of. It's an amusing, silly show that rarely takes itself seriously and has little in the way of genuine drama. Fushigi Yuugi and other series in which the main character ends up in an alternate world are among the anime that Kyou Kara Maou parodies, however. You're quite right about the shounen-ai; when watching the show, it's hard not to suspect that the creators tried very hard to hint at nearly every conceivable male/male pairing. [quote name='Camlaren']I haven't even READ Death Note yet, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it should be an anime. heh...[/quote] Right you are. [B]Death Note[/B] would make a spectacular anime. :) ~Dagger~

For some reason, I seem to remember Navi having pink hair. If this is completely wrong, just let me know. ^_~ -------------------- "I do hope that you haven't thought of trying to bed my [i]brother[/i]." Yes, the family resemblance was certainly there--she had the other's lithe build and verdant eyes. "My mind, dear lady, is as pure as the driven snow." At those words the shards wormed through the channels they had opened in his flesh, erupting from his skin and tumbling, lacquered in blood, to the floor. She had wasted little time in delivering on her promise. Vestemona was not inclined to like him, but she very nearly returned his smile. "At least you lie with style." ----------------------- The nobleman contemplated Rani solemnly, amused in spite of his anxiety. He could not claim encountering the girl had disrupted his plans, as he really had no idea where he was going or what he would do when he got there. It suddenly occurred to Arveragus that Navi might not even have entered the palace; he briefly considered this idea, decided he disliked it, and then knelt down to address the pink-haired girl. Though rather delicate in appearance, she carried herself with an air of determination. "Looking for someone?" Arveragus asked, pitching his voice just high enough to make certain that she heard. She crossed her arms and raised her chin, but offered him a nod. "I suppose it's the man who tried to kill me," he said lightly. "I'm no longer certain what he wants. Since you'd like to find him, perhaps you ought to tag along with me; I'd venture to guess that he's already on my path." If worst came to worst, the girl might make a decent hostage--provided Arveragus was nimble enough to seize her. He did not possess a tremendous amount of faith in his agility, but this was better, he supposed, than trotting around alone with a sword made by someone who hated him serving as his only means of defense. "I'm looking for someone as well. My bodyguard, that is. Have you seen him recently?" Still frowning, she shook her head and yanked impatiently at the hem of his jacket. Arveragus blinked at her, taken aback. "Yes, you can lead the way. Maybe we'll all bump into each other at once, hm? This could be as fun as a family reunion."

[quote name='Okita']Firstly Tenchi isn't a shoujo, though the amount of female character might make it seem like it, a key to recognising shoujo would be the protagonist, which is almost certainly female.[/quote] Plenty of shoujo anime and manga lack a female lead, and some have casts which are almost entirely dominated by males. The opposite is often true of shounen shows. It's usually pretty easy to judge these things by other elements; the Tenchi franchise's fanservice, for example, is rather obviously not aimed at heterosexual women. The presence of a female protagonist may be indicative of [I]something[/I], but it really can go either way. ~Dagger~

Alright, the flaming stops here. If you want to refute Okita's points (and while his tone is not something that should be imitated, it's not nearly as vitriolic as yours), describe your counter-examples calmly and with respect for his opinion. Insulting another member is simply not acceptable; rather than taking Okita's comments about Beyblade so personally, I'd advise you to focus solely on telling us about the show's positive elements. Being snippity won't solve anything. Thank you for your time. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[quote name='Ouka][size=1]Some forums(such as the Art Forum) when posted in don't increase your post count...[color=indigo]-Ouka[/color'][/size][/quote] Posting in the Art Studio does increase your post count, if I recall correctly. Posting in the Art by Request sub-forum should not. ~Dagger~

I'll be honest and say upfront that this isn't a terribly innovative show. When it comes to long-running shounen action series, Prince of Tennis falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. However, it does have its merits and ends up being oddly addictive. The main character, Ryoma, is a twelve-year-old tennis prodigy and the son of a man who could have dominated the sport but chose to retire young instead. He's something of an underdog due to his age, but he also has a very refreshing personality. Ryoma is self-assured, remarkably calm and manages to infuriate people simply by ignoring them. While he possesses a great deal of faith in his (admittedly remarkable) abilities, he never shows off except to prove a point. Prince of Tennis isn't really about tennis, per se; it features a jazzed-up version of the sport complete with "secret techniques" and a number of other shounen-action stereotypes. Fortunately, it doesn't totally insult the viewer's intelligence. Unfortunately, the female characters--which are few and far between--succeed only in being annoying. The background music is adequate but nothing special. This anime is one of my guilty pleasures--I like the artwork, predictable matches and many of the characters (particularly Ryoma and Tezuka). I can only hope that it's cancelled before it becomes obscenely long. -_- ~Dagger~

Advice noted, and taken. :) Now that I look at the two banners again, it's pretty easy to see that you, Boo and Tony are right. My usual 1-pixel black border (which can be chalked up to either laziness or minimalism) has almost no visual effect in the first version, due to the overall darkness of the image. doukeshi03: I shifted the demons around and removed some of the more distracting aspects of the picture; for example, there was originally a giant blue-torsoed guy standing behind Raito. But this was basically clean-up work, and didn't require a great deal of finesse. I really like your idea of adding a burnished gold frame, as it would complement the colors already present in the sig. I just wouldn't know how to go about doing that, heh. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Mord_sith']wow i most identfy with Faye off trigun because she has my name! i am also called Faye really.[/quote] Welcome to OtakuBoards, Mord_sith. ^_^ Sorry, but as far as reasons go, the one you gave simply won't cut it (is there even a character called Faye in Trigun?). While I like the idea behind this thread, lately it's received a lot of sloppy and/or overly truncated replies, and I want that to stop immediately. Seeing how as you're new to OB, you might benefit from reading our Rules and FAQ. These can be found by simply glancing at the navigation bar to your left. Since it possesses very few redeeming qualities, your post has been deleted. Further spam will receive similar treatment. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators. ~Dagger~

One thing the article failed to mention is that in Japan, most anime air either very late at night or very early in the morning. An eleven-year-old would probably find it far easier to watch [B]Naruto[/B] (which is actually fairly violent in its own right) or [B]Doraemon[/B] than something like [B]Gantz[/B] or [B]Elfen Lied[/B]. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that placing the reporter's remarks about cell phones equipped for Internet access in the same paragraph as his reference to [B]Gunslinger Girl[/B] was a bit misleading. Few anime are actually streamed online, and if a child wanted to download episodes of a certain series, he'd probably use Winny and a PC rather than his cell phone. ~Dagger~

This morning's Washington Post ran an interesting front-page article about the rise of youth violence in Japan. The reporter implied, albeit indirectly, that Japan's pop culture (and specifically anime/manga) are at least in part responsible for some of the killings which have taken place. On a side note, I edited the title of the thread so that it would reflect the better (i.e. more open-minded and calm) aspects of this discussion. [quote=WashingtonPost.com] [B]Youth Violence Has Japan Struggling for Answers[/B] [I]11-Year-Old's Killing of Classmate Puts Spotlight on Sudden Acts of Rage[/I] [SIZE=1] By Anthony Faiola Washington Post Foreign Service Monday, August 9, 2004; Page A01[/SIZE] [B]SASEBO, Japan --[/B] On a cloudless afternoon in this sleepy port city, an 11-year-old girl drenched in blood and clutching a box cutter walked into the lunchroom at her elementary school. Teachers and students froze, assuming the sixth-grader known for her lighthearted nature had gravely hurt herself -- but she quickly dispelled that impression, witnesses said, by uttering a few chilling words: "This is not my blood." Minutes later, teachers found Satomi Mitarai, a 12-year-old girl, lying in a pool of gore in an empty classroom overlooking the sandy playground at Okubo Elementary School. The 11-year old killer, according to her own admissions as recounted in interviews with school officials and counselors, had led Satomi, remembered for her toothy grin, into the room. The attacker drew the curtains before slitting her victim's throat and brutally kicking the dying girl's head and sides, according to those interviewed. The killing two months ago marked the latest and one of the most extreme in an extraordinary series of youth crimes in Japan -- including a number perpetrated by children who did not show unusual behavior beforehand. In many of the cases, the children involved seemed to snap without warning, in fits of [I]kireru[/I], sudden acts of rage. The surge in youth violence has sparked calls for a reassessment of the increasingly violent and sexually charged youth culture in Japan, now exported worldwide through animation, comic strips and video games. The young killer in Sasebo, whose name is being withheld under Japanese law, was an avid fan of "[B]Battle Royale[/B]," a popular teen movie turned Internet game in which students kill one another through blood sport. Although the girl is still undergoing psychological evaluation, she is believed to have been set off by a seemingly minor offense: The victim, one of the girl's closest friends, once called her "overweight" and "prissy" on a Web site. "What is so scary is that she seemed normal to us in every way," said Masashi Watanabe, head of the Sasebo Children's Counseling Center, whose staff interviewed the girl after the killing. "She did not seem like a troubled girl; there were no warning signs picked up by her teachers or parents. She could have been any of our children." The youth crime wave is damaging the national sense of personal security in a country so safe that young children often ride subways or walk home through teeming cities unaccompanied by adults. In recent years -- particularly since 1997, when a 14-year-old boy cut off the head of an 11-year old and left it at the entrance gate of his school -- Japan has experienced a rising tide of serious youth crimes, including arson, assault, rape, manslaughter and premeditated murder. Incidents of violence on school grounds have increased fivefold in Japan over the past decade to 29,300 in 2002, leading the national Mainichi newspaper to warn of Japanese schoolyards descending "into battlefields." Violence by younger children in particular has risen rapidly, with the number of minors under 14 processed for violent crime increasing 47 percent in 2003 from a year earlier. One study by a children's research institute found that as many as 30 percent of high school and middle school students had experienced sudden acts of rage at least once a month. In response to rising youth crime, Japan lowered the age for criminal prosecution in 2001 from 16 to 14 and might lower it further. Experts blame the violence on low self-confidence among children, and cite pressures on family life during the country's 13-year economic slump. Finances in Japan, the world's second-largest economy, are on the rise, but years in the doldrums sent divorce, domestic violence and suicide rates soaring, tearing at traditional family life and alienating child from parent. "In Japan, youth crime is not a problem related to poverty," said Akira Sakuta, a noted criminal psychiatrist. "But rather, you can say it's more related to stress and developmental problems from children feeling they are not wanted or are lacking attention." Many youths have retreated into the virtual world of the Internet, now easily accessed out of adult view on their cell phones. Children can view popular short animated films -- anime -- such as "[B]Gunslinger Girl[/B]," a tale about murderous cyborg schoolgirls in plaid miniskirts. Japan's top literary prize this year went to "Snakes and Earrings" by Hitomi Kanehara, 20. Shocking youth apathy, sex and violence are central elements of the book, a favorite of young people. To be sure, violent crime is not the only social ill facing Japanese youths. Suicides by minors in Japan shot up for the fifth consecutive year in 2003, jumping 22.1 percent compared to a 6.9 percent increase for adults over the same period. An estimated hundreds of thousands of Japanese students, from grade school to college, are suffering from a behavioral disorder known as hikikomori, meaning they are unable to leave their homes or cope with daily life, according to experts and sociologists who have studied the phenomenon. Thousands of teenagers, mostly girls in large cities throughout Japan, have entered into what authorities describe as voluntary prostitution, marketing themselves to adults through Internet sites accessed by cell phone, mostly to earn money for designer handbags and brand-name clothing. As society searches for answers, the Japanese tradition of discreet affection is coming under fire. A nationwide public service campaign on subways, trains and television is urging parents to hug their children. "We are confronting a serious problem of how to reach out to our children and teach them the difference between right and wrong," said Kohichi Tsurusaki, superintendent of the Sasebo Municipal Board of Education. In a country where parents and children traditionally shy away from expressing their feelings, the power of the virtual world has perhaps had amplified effect, experts said. Children, one government expert said, have become too used to dead characters coming back to life with the touch of a button on a game console. The young killer in Sasebo, for instance, did not appear to grasp fully the fact that she had ended her friend's life, telling the family court that she wanted to apologize to her friend in person for the deed, according to sources familiar with the case. "Many Japanese children live in small block apartments with no pets and are not exposed to real death," said Takeshi Seto, a specialist in youth crime at Japan's Justice Ministry. "They may not understand the concept as much as they should." Without doubt, some youth crimes -- such as a 12-year old who sexually mutilated and then pushed a 4-year old to his death off the roof of a parking lot in Nagasaki last year -- involve disturbed children with histories of psychotic behavior. But many students in Sasebo have commiserated not just with the victim here -- but with her killer. According to school officials, the 11-year-old had been under parental pressure to get better grades and was forced to quit the school basketball team to study harder. Insults from her friend may have seemed slight, but students appeared able to understand the girl's rage. "I wasn't so surprised," one junior high school girl wrote in an Internet chat for students hosted by NHK TV network. "I have experienced the feeling that I hated someone to an extent that I wanted to kill the person . . . a couple of times." During another Internet chat organized by a local television station in the nearby city of Nagasaki, a student going by the handle "Arrow of Pain" wrote: "I understand so painfully how the offender felt. I have experienced being lonely, and being disliked . . . and of course forced to do things by my parents." Sasebo, a city of 240,000 located about 200 miles southwest of Tokyo, was already reeling from the killing in June 2003 of a teenage boy by bullies at a local high school. The community is trying to heal in part by fortifying parent groups, encouraging parent-child conferences, and offering broader counseling to children and teenagers. Part of the process was a recent memorial for Satomi Mitarai, whose father, Kyoji Mitarai, was the Sasebo bureau chief for the Mainichi newspaper and had lost his wife to cancer. Before his daughter's schoolmates placed large yellow sunflowers on a white altar topped with a large portrait of the slain girl at the local community center, Mitarai, fighting back tears, beseeched students to learn a lesson from his daughter's death. "Please do not forget that right beside you are people who love you the most," he pleaded. "Please do not forget that there are people who would be very sad if you disappeared, even if not by death. Please treasure your lives." [SIZE=1]Special correspondents Akiko Yamamoto and Sachiko Sakamaki contributed to this report.[/SIZE][/quote] ~Dagger~

Boo-- The image used in your avatar has been down-sized a bit too much for my tastes. Is it by any chance something FF-related? For whatever reason, the picture is vaguely reminiscient of Final Fantasy XII's official artwork, but it's honestly hard to tell who the people it portrays are (not to mention what they're doing). I really like your sig, however. The border, tiny crosses and overall pixelation give it a strong atmosphere. It's quite good for an abstract piece: eye-catching without being garish and slightly muted without being boring. ~Dagger~

Death Note is one of the best manga I've read in a very long time, so I thought I'd make a banner using images from the series. This turned out to be really easy--all I did was fiddle around with a scan of some colored artwork. The original picture looked really amazing, and I didn't want to change it very much, so instead I simply re-arranged some elements and altered the balance of colors in order to prevent it from clashing with my current avatar. They still don't suit each other very well, but I like my avi too much to give it up. :p I tried creating a version with text in addition to the sig I'm using right now (mainly for practice, since text is by no means my strong suit). Unfortunately, Death Note has a pretty bizarre-looking logo. [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20645&stc=1[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20644&stc=1[/IMG] Comments and criticism would be greatly appreciated. ^_^ ~Dagger~

I'd love to see a second season of [b]Yami no Matsuei[/b], also known as Descendants of Darkness. The manga contains more than enough material for thirteen or twenty-six episodes' worth of short arcs similar to those found in the original anime. While the show's ending is decent, it definitely doesn't foreclose the possibility that Tsuzuki and Hisoka will take on other cases. Besides, I like the anime better than the manga (it has superior artwork, for one thing) and would rather watch more of the series than start purchasing the manga for my Yami no Matsuei fix. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Okita']Though I still would have prefer the shinigami to be a bit 'manga-fied' the one in the manga looks like a reject from a low budget b-grade horror film...[/quote] I felt the same way at first, but the shinigami's appearance actually paves the way for some really amusing dark humor. There are chapters wherein he acts almost like a giant shoujo mascot, albeit one that's unusually freakish-looking and wholeheartedly approves of mass murder. Death Note feels refreshing because its protagonist is also the series' main villain, while his arch-enemy plays the hero. L, a mysterious figure who basically controls Interpol as well as numerous other intelligence agencies around the world, is Right's only true opponent. Both L and Right are stunningly brilliant, and I love seeing how these two genuises indirectly thwart and frustrate one another. Once L reveals his face for the first time (I think this occurs somewhere in chapter 11), the manga completes its transformation into the portrayal of an increasingly convoluted mind game. Among Death Note's most powerful themes is duality, as embodied by Right and L's rivalry. They act completely different--Right is conventionally handsome, with a very disciplined, organized and driven personality, while L dresses sloppily, has a number of bizarre quirks and looks like some kind of reformed Goth. However, each of them firmly believes that he is on the side of justice, and they use similar logic to justify their actions. Orange Tangerine has now translated up to chapter 29. I can't wait to see what happens next. ^_^ ~Dagger~

Vashluver, the message you just quoted is from 2002. ^_^;; Please attempt to check that sort of thing in the future, and help us make sure that the discussion in this thread continues to focus on television line-ups rather than on the shows themselves. If you'd like to talk about Trigun, post in the forum's official Trigun topic (which can be found by using the Directory sticky). Feel free to PM me or one of the other moderators with any questions, concerns, etc. ~Dagger~

Thanks for the reply, Solo. ASHS is already turning out to be a ton of fun. Anyway, while I'm sure we'll eventually start advancing the passage of time by larger increments, I wasn't sure how far forward I could safely jump at this point in the RPG. Since not everyone has introduced his or her character(s) yet, I'm not clear on whether we should wait for them to get settled in or start moving things along. Don't worry, though--I doubt we'll end up going through classes one minute at a time. ;) ~Dagger~

[B]Sept. 5, 11:45[/B] Humming innocently, the very picture of good cheer, Soushi sashayed up to Takahashi and planted his luggage at the aggravated janitor's feet. This feat was considerably more difficult than the long-haired senior made it appear, as Takahashi was currently defending Kyoto House against a mob of unwashed freshmen. Soushi sidled around the clutching hands of one particularly strong-smelling specimen before tugging at the janitor's sleeve. "And how are you doing today, Takahashi-san?" he asked sweetly, fending off a gaggle of rainbow-costumed magical girls. "Shoo, you brown-noser," Takahashi growled, unmoved. "I have a horrible migraine, thank you very much." Clinging to a nearby female android for balance, the senior rose to his tip-toes and leaned over to whisper in the janitor's ear. "It's only fifteen more minutes. Don't be [I]mean[/I]." Soushi drew back, drooping, and gave Takahashi a glimpse of the most lethally miserable look in his entire arsenal of plaintive puppy-dog eyes. Janitor Takahashi, eternally stoic, unswayed by the tearful pleas of countless adorable young students, almost cringed. He sternly suppressed a sympathetic shudder and pointed at his watch. "Have you ever known me to change my mind?" The senior glanced skyward, frowning thoughtfully. "But just last year, you let me in an hour early." "Because you were climbing up the goddamn fire escape, that's why!" Soushi's lip began to quiver. Takahashi stared doggedly at a pair of squabbling mecha pilots, each of whom seemed determined to out-angst the other. After a moment the senior straightened, resumed his gentle humming, and reached inside one of his bags. "What are you doing?" Takahashi asked cautiously. Soushi never gave up that easily. The boy looked up and flicked his hair over his shoulder before giving the janitor a disturbingly clever grin. Normally fluffy and playful and rather prone to dithering, Soushi rarely showed others why he had never taken more than thirty minutes to finish an exam. "Oh," he said airily, "As long as I'm here I thought I'd practice some drills. For kendo, you understand. I bought a new set of practice swords over the holidays--Oof!" He made that last exclamation as Janitor Takahashi shoved him hurriedly inside. Immediately afterward, the man whirled around and shot him a furious glare, almost too angry for words. "You little--" Soushi threw his arms around Takahashi's neck, beaming. "I knew I could count on you, Takahashi-san. Thanks!" And by the time the janitor realized what had happened, Soushi was sauntering up the stairs, his waist-length hair swishing happily behind him.

"If members post a message and wish to post another directly after, we ask that they edit their original message rather than create a new one." *coughs* Well, as long as you know the drill... I didn't notice this originally, so there's no real point in merging your replies now. I've now seen up to episode 4, in which Mansairaku proves that he is unbelievably cool, and Tsuna continues to grow exponentially more aggravating. A grown warrior simply should not be so hot-headed, humorless and touchy. On the other hand, it's a lot of fun to watch Sadamitsu antagonize and tease him. The animation is still pretty strong, although I could have done without the incredibly lame stills in episode 3. I love the realism of Otogizoushi's character designs--there are some scenes that feel almost like live-action cinema. ~Dagger~

Volume 2 came in the mail a couple of weeks ago, but I only recently finished watching it in Japanese as well as English. There are fewer subtitle errors this time around. However, I'm still irritated that the OP and ED lyrics are left untranslated. While I recognize the tragedy of Saikano's story, seeing it play out on a television screen doesn't seem to affect me much emotionally. Chise could use more depth--I really liked the scenes which showed glimpses of her [spoiler]other personality or self.[/spoiler] The anime's artwork and animation continue to be top-notch. I love the way Saikano is directed, and it does a great job of combining sheer visual crispness with rounded, gentle-looking character designs. In any case, I'm excited about reading the manga. ~Dagger~

[quote name='KarmaOfChaos][color=deeppink][size=1]As for learning all about a series on the internet - no thank you. I have way too many series ruined by spoilers that way, plus, I just don't have the time to research every interesting anime or manga that I happen upon. It's much easier for me to go to the store, read through the first volume to decide if I like it or not and then go from there.[/size'][/color][/quote] It does take considerably less time to visit Amazon and glance over a few editorials and reader reviews (which rarely, if ever, contain spoilers) than to visit a store and read a 200-page manga. I can definitely understand your desire to see the product before purchasing it, but I doubt time is a consideration for the people who choose to hulk between shelves, consuming volume after volume. Tony-- Yeah, it's not that hard to find previews online. Amazon has a lot of manga samples in their "search inside this book" feature (usually for the more established series like Gravitation and X/1999), as do the websites of Tokyopop and other manga companies. The number of pages provided on these sites is pretty much the equivalent of what you'd get by briefly opening a single book... Tokyopop in particular has a wealth of previews. EDIT: I just noticed that Tokyopop's site also includes samples of manga which haven't yet been released, such as CLAMP's Legal Drug. ~Dagger~

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex consists (or will, by the time it's finished) of two twenty-six episode seasons. The second season, 2nd Gig, is still running and hence won't be available in the States for a little while. As far as I know, Bandai plans to release all fifty-two episodes on DVD without any significant lag between seasons. Although the special edition volume 1 DVD comes with some puzzling errors--the Japanese DTS doesn't distribute sound evenly between the right and left rear speakers, and some of the OST's tracks were merged or erroneously split--I'm still glad I got it. Hopefully Bandai will implement some kind of replacement program, though. J-Bird: I don't think Motoko ever struck me as being "robotic," heh. I [i]really[/i] loved the original film's character designs, but that's not to say I don't appreciate SAC's high-quality artwork and gorgeous CG. SAC's dub is also noteworthy. While it features a different cast than the first movie, so far pretty much every character has been consistently well-acted, and none of them sound drastically different than they did in Ghost in the Shell (with the possible exception of Togusa, who is played by Crispin Freeman). The Tachikomas' English VAs are surprisingly great, and I surprised myself by enjoying the Tachikoma-centric omake which appear at the end of every episode. ~Dagger~

While I would also be very happy if the Last Exile thread were more active, the fact is that your post has nothing to do with the actual show. By this forum's standards, it's basically spam and would normally have been deleted. Since you're new and seem to be a fan of the series, you should feel welcome to wax eloquent about Last Exile after checking out OtakuBoards' rules. Please private message me or one of the other moderators if you have any questions. Thank you very much. ^_^ ~Dagger~

I had almost no interest in this series until I was told that it had certain things in common with Gravitation. I realize, obviously, that Ceres isn't a shounen-ai anime. However, apparently the main pairings in Gravitation and Ceres are somewhat similar--i.e., both shows feature a young, perhaps slightly naive teenager blindly chasing after an older man. I don't know how accurate the comparison is, but it really piqued my curiousity. I tend to love rooting for those kinds of unbalanced relationships. Anyway, it'd be great if someone could comment on the romantic aspects of Ceres (preferably without giving away any spoilers). I've never seen Fushigi Yuugi or read Yuu Watase's various manga series, so I don't really have anything to contrast the anime with. Does it have a satisfactory ending? ~Dagger~