Dagger

0--249 = Newbie 250--499 = Junior Member 500--999 = Member 1000--???? = Otaku Sorry, that's all I can tell you. Hope it helped. ~Dagger~

People like to criticise what they don't understand. It's quite simple, and has nothing to do with Pearl Harbor. Not all parents "bash" anime. It's annoying when they do, but you'll probably be out of the house in a few years, anyway. I'm sure that your grandparents' generation also had their share of complaints about popular culture. No matter the era, some things never change. ~Dagger~

The character designs "disgust" you? My goodness, that's pretty harsh. Well.... each to his or her own, neh? You're not missing that much. As shows go, Inuyasha is on the same level as Yu Yu Hakusho (although I personally prefer the latter). Its animation is [i]very[/i] erratic, and even the best of its fight scenes are far from astounding. The characters, though compelling, are fairly cliched: a cheerful, seemingly normal schoolgirl who just happens to possess extraordinary powers; an ornery, hot-headed anti-hero; a cold-hearted, silver-haired pseudo-villain; a beautiful female demon-slayer...... and the list goes on. I've been following Inuyasha, and have seen up to Episode 52. It's over 140 episodes long and still running strong, which I personally find rather daunting. The series is likeable enough, but it's no Evangelion. ~Dagger~

Hmm. Is there any way you could color future pictures with colored pencils or Photoshop? I love the skull's expression and pose, but the markers make it look a little.... crude. Black-and-white inking might have been more effective; because of the image's macabre subject material, it doesn't need to use vibrant colors in order to engage the viewer. ~Dagger~

Well, in the end, it's ultimately a matter of one's personal tastes. There's no clear-cut right or wrong. I have a question for all of you DBZ fans out there: How does the dub compare to the original Japanese? I've heard that the Dragonball dub is atrocious, but since I've never made an effort to follow the series, I can't offer an opinion of my own. ~Dagger~

I disagree with the idea that Kagome is some kind of Valley Girl. She's merely an ordinary teenager: she loves her family, gets nervous around boys, and struggles in math. She tries to be a good student and doesn't seem to care very much about popularity. But that's just my take. Kagome's seiyuu has the same bubbly, cheerful tone as Moneca Stori, but her delivery contains shades of subtlety which make it seem as though Kagome actually does some serious thinking (once in a while). Sango's VA sounds a bit [i]too[/i] mature. After all, Sango is supposed to be only a year older than Kagome. ~Dagger~

Nah.... in the end, it doesn't really matter. But it does bother me when people claim to have magical abilities or whatnot, because they usually refuse to admit the possiblity that they might be wrong. You, WS, seem to be a bit more reasonable. Just because they believe it doesn't make it true..... unless you're a proponent of one of those complicated infinite-parallel-universes theories, which I am not. Maybe I'm just jealous. ^_~ ~Dagger~

Actually, Daigo, I don't really like her dub voice all that much.... >_> This could have something to do with the fact that Moneca Stori also does the dub voice of Laura (from Hamtaro). To me, anything associated with that show will always be slightly annoying. I'd say that she generally just makes Kagome sound a little too young and whiny. Kagome is a strong, optimistic, principled girl, and her seiyuu does a better job of portraying her as such. I would also venture to guess that most people dislike Ms. Stori's voice, which is rather high-pitched for an English VA. But overall, her acting isn't too bad. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Double_B_Daigo [/i] [B]Another subject I'm looking to is if and when the Naruto series comes to America, which I hope will, who will play the Dub. I'm hoping that Naruto himself will be played by the voice actor who did Bit Clouds voice in "Zoids". I'm not big on voice actors names, so I can't give there direct names. I'm hoping htat Sakura will be played by the Dub of Ninamori from FLCL. As for Sasuke, I'm thinking Heero Yuy's actor. Any comments? [/B][/QUOTE] Bit Cloud's NA voice actor is Richard Ian Cox, who also plays Inuyasha and Ramna Saotome. I've only seen a few episodes of Zoids, but I thought that his performance in Inuyasha was certainly one of the dub's highlights. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by wiccansamurai [/i] [B]I like to try, but the fact is I have very little ESP. Except between me and my twin, and the occasional glimps of a classroom full of aura's (it was like a rainbow of colors and emotions!) I have no luck of having ESP. Some of my friends can create energy balls (BTW, this has nothing to do with DBZ, GaurdianStorm is wiccan) but I have yet to be successful making one. [/B][/QUOTE] Heh, I'm perfectly aware that it has nothing to do with DBZ. I should just never make a quip again.... In my opinion, human beings can talk themselves into believing that they've done just about anything. There aren't [i]that[/i] many people at OB, and a surprisingly large number of them claim to have ESP--which strikes me as being somewhat dubious. If such a large percentage of society in general had genuine psychic powers, I'm sure that we normal folks would probably be hearing a lot more about it. ~Dagger~

Dubs have definitely been improving over the years. Nowadays, most of them are fairly tolerable (with the notable exception of Yu-Gi-Oh and several other shows). Whenever I like a series enough to buy it on DVD, I always watch the dubbed version first, and then the subtitled Japanese. Out of all the dubs I've ever watched, Yu Yu Hakusho would have to be my personal favorite. All of the leads are voiced by excellent English VAs, who provide their own interpretation of each character rather than trying to sound exactly like their Japanese counterparts (which would be an exercise in futility). I especially appreciated the fact that the people who played Hiei and Yukina are actually siblings in real life. John Burgmeier plays Kurama--whose Japanese seiyuu is Megumi Ogata, a woman. Their voices obviously sound very different, but I enjoy listening to both. The same thing applies to Kenshin's English VA, Richard Hayworth (since that character's seiyuu is also female). ~Dagger~

First of all, clarify what you mean by "seiyuu". Your use of the word makes it sound as though you're referring to a Japanese voice actor or actress, but Kagome only sounded like an air-headed school girl in the Inuyasha dub. I was thinking of making this thread myself, so I'll be more than happy to contribute. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by GuardianStorm [/i] [B]GO DARK KING!!!!!!!!!!!! w00tw00t!!!!!!!!!! ::dances:: Anyway, a lot of ppl say, ' I have to see it to believe it.' Albert Einstien himsefl said that,' Somethings have to be believed to be seen.' I quoted him in my sig. ^^ ::huggles dark king:: YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [/B][/QUOTE] *blinks* That's a [i]lot[/i] of exclamation points. I hate to break it to you (wait... no, I'm actually rather enjoying it)--but neither you nor dark king possesses ESP. How old are you, anyway? Thirteen? Fifteen? Although you don't have to answer that question, I think it's safe to assume that you're not yet out of high school. Let's suppose that it's possible to levitate objects with your mind, or whatever. Well, that would indubitably require a level of self-discipline that no adolescent could achieve. It sounds to me as though you've convinced yourself that you have extraordinary powers simply because you [i]want[/i] to be different and special. Hey, I'd be quite happy if I miraculously developed psychic powers. All the same, I'll never believe your claims. If you lack the restraint necessary to avoid over-using punctuation, there's no way that you can create..... energy balls. Out of curiousity, have you been watching a lot of DBZ lately? ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Heaven's Cloud [/i] [B][color=indigo]Edit: Dagger, what is your point? I strayed off topic a bit, granted, but I didn't need a history lesson that isn't accurate. The reason why we are attacked by middle eastern terrorists is because we (the US) have a constant habbit of muddling in their affairs and exploiting their economies. We have chosen sides in civil wars and supplied weapons to further our own agendas. That is why terrorists hate us, not because of the Crusades. Sure Bin Laden might reference the Crusades and the injustice that occured at the hands of the infidels, but never once has a terrorrist bombed us because America had anything to do with the Crusades. Sorry to be so harsh but jeez, use some common sense[/color][/B][/QUOTE] I wasn't trying to say that terrorists are motivated solely by the Crusades, because that clearly can't be true. And I don't agree with all of TN's statements, but it wasn't entirely inappropriate for him to mention the Crusades, considering that Bin Laden (as you said) also does so. Radical Muslims are angry at the US not only for its actions in their homelands, but also because it represents all the cultural and military clashes between the West and the Middle East which have taken place over the centuries. America's social environment is almost a caricature of everything that conservative Islam claims to oppose. The Crusades ultimately have very little to do with anything, and I apologize if I made it seem otherwise. However, I think it would be safe to say that most terrorists hate America for the reasons you listed, [i]and[/i] because they harbor a deep grudge--that they have been taught to carry since they were children--against the Western world.... in part for the violent history that it shares with them, which does include the Crusades. They're not a primary factor or anything, just one small reason amidst a whole sea of motivations. I agree, James--people love to hate Bush. Most Democrats are still [i]very[/i] bitter about his electoral victory. Petty though it may be, they refuse to let go. Bush-hating stems from a certain liberal mob mentality which makes me, as a liberal, very uncomfortable. I wish that people would think more before they speak, and criticize Bush's policies, not his personality. ~Dagger~

CI, I must once again state that you are an [i]incredible[/i] artist. I'm completely awed.... you drew that after watching a TV commercial? His pose looks very natural, and I like the cloudy background--it adds to the picture without cluttering it up. Goku's face and expression (particularly the eyes and mouth) are very Inuyasha-esque, which I found amusing. ^__^ ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Heaven's Cloud [/i] [B][color=indigo]No. I am more intelligent than to blame a set culture for the indiscretions of a small community. Unfortunately many Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan have been programmed to hate Americans and they have little if no linear rationale behind their actions. So to put it simply, I?ll never care if people hate America for logical or even illogical reasons. Our army is not around to placate other countries and make them our buddies; it is around to ensure that our way of life is protected. I think America?s track record for building allies out of enemies more than speaks for itself. I don?t understand why the Muslim community would be upset about the Crusades, at least not at the US. We had nothing to do with the Crusades. I don?t think that even the most fanatical of Muslims hates the US because of the Crusades, they have plenty of other reasons to dislike us.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] You pretty much answered your own question, HC. Certain fanatical Muslims do still care about the Crusades. They harbor a hatred of the entire Western world--the United States is simply the focal point of that anathema, due mainly to its military might and fame. No, it makes little sense to use the Crusades as a potential justification for terrorism..... but then again, what about terrorism makes [i]any[/i] sense? It isn't something that most intelligent, rational people could ever truly understand. I recognize that many Middle Eastern Muslims have suffered greatly throughout much of their lives. Some of them are brainwashed into following extremist religious sects, groups which the average worshiper of Islam would be horrified to identified with. For all I know, in a similar situation, I, too, might want to be a "martyr." However, that is an explanation, not an excuse. Radical Islam cannot peacefully co-exist with the United States or the remainder of the Western world. Terrorists' reasons for attacking us are often near-impossible to comprehend. The Crusades happened hundreds of years ago--but some Muslims speak of them as though they occurred just yesterday. When you come down to it, America is their easiest scapegoat. ~Dagger~

Thanks for all of your comments! I really appreciate it. Recently, I've been trying to teach myself how to draw the folds in fabric. Here are two sketches (done in Geometry and French III, respectively) in which I focused entirely on clothing--which would be why the people lack faces, hair, and other random body parts. ^__^;; ~Dagger~

I'm not Bush's biggest fan, but at the same time, I honestly don't think that any of the Democratic candidates would make a better President than he. Since I consider myself to be fairly liberal, this is a rather depressing realization. I feel lucky that I'm not old enough to vote; if I were, I know I'd probably end up agonizing over what to do, and would most likely never come to a satisfactory decision. As others have stated, the poor economy isn't entirely Bush's fault. But I do disagree with his tax cuts, and I find it frankly amazing that our nation could have gone directly from having a sizeable budget surplus to accumulating an enormous deficit. Howard Dean seems poised to take the Democratic nomination. The only problem with this is that the tremendous media hype surrounding Dean's campaign has succeeded only in drowning out his actual goals and agenda. Although I make an effort to follow the news, I've learned very little about his positions on various issues. The Democrats are determined to continue squabbling amongst themselves, rather than focus on creating a powerful, cohesive message that can appeal to the average voter. Bush, at least, has opinions of his own. The Democratic candidates aren't pro- anything; they're merely anti- everything that he represents. ~Dagger~

Well, sure, it's ultimately up to you. But breast implants need to be replaced every ten years or so, and the surgery is [i]incredibly[/i] painful. Personally, I have to question whether undergoing it is really worthwhile. It's not as though small breasts are some kind of hideous, life-threatening deformity. Depending on one's body type, they might easily look more natural and attractive than large breasts. The guy (or girl) of your dreams is [i]not[/i] going to automatically fall in love with you simply because you have a bigger chest. Do you really want to attract the type of person who only chases after C-cups? In the end, wouldn't you rather be with someone who will stick with you through thick and thin, even when you both become old and withered? Since you seem to be straight, I must inform you that I've known plenty of hot, interesting guys who had no reservations about pursuing girls with small breasts. Eh..... whatever, it's your decision. I just can't bring myself to approve of it. ~Dagger~

Here's the preliminary version of your Evangelion banner. Let me know if you want me to add anything to it. ~Dagger~

I'm working on your banner at this very moment. In the meantime, here's a Gravitation banner. I'm not terribly happy with how it turned out (too much pink!), but it was the best I could do with the images I found. ~Dagger~

If you don't like the way you look now, plastic surgery won't do a thing. When all is said and done, you'll just find something else to hate about yourself. Learn to accept your appearance; you're only fifteen. Most teenagers struggle with self-esteem issues, and implants are [i]not[/i] the answer. It disgusts me that anyone would spend such exorbitant amounts of money on a cosmetic procedure. There are times when surgery is necessary, but I doubt that you really, truly need it. My advice is to donate those several thousand dollars to charity, rather than waste them on an impermanent solution to a problem that ultimately exists purely in your head. ~Dagger~

The way I see it, if people demonstrate (through both their writing and general comportment) that they possess the presence of mind to participate in and contribute to a discussion about violence or sex, then they should be permitted to create RPGs which contain R-rated content. Maturity isn't something that can be measured solely by one's age. I agree with you, Asuka--something ought to be done about this. However, I'd rather leave it up to the moderators' discretion than force someone to develop a more rigid set of rules. The kind of RPG you mentioned usually doesn't have the most amazing post quality as it is, which might by itself merit some kind of warning. ~Dagger~

I love it. ^__^ The font fits the image perfectly. I'm a big stickler for color-coordination, so I must applaud you for so carefully matching the text's color scheme to that of the original picture. The compression is somewhat noticeable, but it doesn't really detract from the overall quality of the card. And you've timed the animation well, although the fading effects are a little over-used. Like Eclectic said, try to fix that tiny white line at the bottom. Great work! ~Dagger~

Yes..... yes, Eclipse and Raenef [i]do[/i] make a cute couple. Such wonderful characters. I'd expect their relationship to get a little more intense, at least in later volumes. After all, Kara Lim is Korea's top shonen-ai artist. Demon Diary consists of at least seven volumes; I'm not sure whether or not it's still running in Korea. By the way, Kinoko, I love your avatar. ^__^ ~Dagger~