Dagger

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by ChibiHorsewoman [/i] [B]Yes, Kikyo and InuYasha had something once, but I think that Kikyo would only completely love InuYasha after (if) he used the jewel to become human. Kagome on the other hand (doormat tho some people may see her to be) cares about InuYasha unconditionally She doesn't care if he becomes human or not. And she doesn't push him to give up Kikyo which I feel shows some strength of character. And a bit of a doormat persona.[/B][/QUOTE] I have a few questions for you. 1) Let's suppose that Inuyasha and Kagome manage to collect all the shards of the Shikon Jewel. Well, their ultimate goal is to get rid of it, aye? And the only way to do that (which we know of) is by using it to make Inuyasha human. So what other option do they [i]have[/i]? 2) Kikyo ALREADY completely loved Inuyasha. Why else would she even want to be with him in the first place? He's annoying, immature, overly suspicious--almost to the point of paranoia--and emotionally stunted. Not to mention the fact that he's a half demon, and associating with him would be practically taboo. Why put herself to all that trouble if she weren't already in love with him? 3) Actually, this isn't a question. But I wanted to say that I do support Kagome/Inuyasha, despite all my fiery rhetoric, and I don't think she's a doormat. She is, as you suggested, a very strong character indeed. ~Dagger~

A forty-item list of favorite pairings? I'm impressed. One of my favorite het couples is Miyu/Larva, from the Vampire Princess Miyu OAVs and manga. They're clearly devoted to each other, and Larva (nice name, neh?) often reaffirms his love for her, but due to extenuating circumstances, it would be very difficult for them to ever develop a true romantic relationship. I guess I'm just a sucker for tragic love. ~Dagger~

Ah, I like the Chi banner much better. The images flow together very nicely. It'd be even better if you added a border--dark blue, black, or perhaps pink, to match the text. Speaking of the text, did you anti-alias it? It was clever of you to make it the same color as her ears, but its lettering is a little too crisp. Overall, good work. ^_^ ~Dagger~

[spoiler]Charlotte died. I [i]wish[/i] that she had just passed out.... but no, she's dead as a doornail. I like to think that Meier might find some way to revive her, and perhaps make her immortal while he's at it. The love story was already very bittersweet, even when she was actually alive.[/spoiler] Meier is indeed a very cool character. And I have my own question: is the black thing on his back (you know, the stuff that can cut through solid rock) a pair of wings, or merely a very powerful cloak? ~Dagger~

I suddenly had the urge to make a Chobits banner, and here it is, in all its dark and moody glory. If you're thinking, "Dark? Moody? Chobits??"..... well, you'll see what I mean. ~Dagger~

Heh, I was probably the one who mentioned Read or Die. It's three episodes long, and the most expensive OAV ever made. The expenditure definitely shows, too; RoD's fight scenes are simply sublime. RoD can be a little hard to explain. Suffice it to say that though the plot may sound quirky (and it is), the characters are generally either endearing, extremely attractive, or both. It's entertaining and has plenty of replay value. Summary: Yomiko Readman, the main character, is a British secret agent. She also happens to be utterly obsessed with books (reminds me of myself X_x), and has the ability to manipulate paper. Now, this superpower ends up being a lot cooler than it sounds--for example, she can use an index card to stop bullets. On her latest mission, Yomiko encounters the mysterious Ms. Deep (aka Nancy Makahari), a woman with a outfit that even Faye Valentine would envy. She fills it out rather nicely, too. ^_~ A good deal of RoD revolves around their friendship. Nothing explicit is ever stated, but there are some very, very heavy shoujo-ai vibes. I'd definitely recommend Read or Die. It's short, it's cheap, and overall, it just kicks ***. Unfortunately, I can't shed any light on the other series mentioned. ~Dagger~

The priest rushed to Lissa as she fell, and her head struck his bony old arms rather than the flagstones of the floor. Salome closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Is the girl alright?" she finally whispered, not bothering to look up. Her words were soft and haunted; the priest shivered at their very sound. He gently propped up Lissa's body, channeling what remained of his power into her weakened spirit. "Yes, but she'll need rest. Lissa is rather extraordinary... not even I can safely perform that spell." Salome let out a low chuckle. "She passed out. I would not call that 'safe'. But I agree; it's impressive all the same." "What about you?" She stared steadily at the ground. "I will manage." A familiar hint of steel had crept back into her voice, and the priest sighed. No use arguing with the Lady Gray, although he would eventually need to ask her what she'd seen. This was a disturbing development.... What force could possibly overwhelm the Skye Gods? What great tide might they be unable to stem? "Let's take her to the infirmary, or whatever manner of sick bay you have here." The priest glanced sidelong at Salome, startled. Her clear eyes, the same color as her surname, had grown dark and determined. She climbed slowly to her feet, brushing briskly at her clothing, and lifted her cloak from the stone floor where it had fallen. "You don't need to come," he said mildly. "I insist." Salome offered him a tight sort of smile. "She may have just risked her life for my sake. It's the least I owe her, and I dislike being in debt."

I like everything except the green dots. Like Haze said, they do add a little something to the banner, but that particular shade of green just.... clashes..... with the blue. I'd use dark blue or violet instead. ~Dagger~

terra raises an excellent good point, Dragonstar. I bought the first five Inuyasha DVDs before realizing that (a) it's still showing on CN, and (b) no series, particularly one that's as-yet-unfinished, is worth such inordinate amounts of money. If you want it, though, go ahead and get it. Inuyasha is a very cute show, and I'm sure you'll like it. ^__^ Oh My Goddess! may be difficult to locate in Manchester, but that's what Amazon.com and other online retailers are for. Never let an anime's relative rareness discourage you from hunting it down and/or buying it. Some of the best shows are sleeper hits. ~Dagger~

I generally end up blowing all of my carefully saved money on R1 DVDs, although one of my friends watches almost nothing but fansubs. I've been fairly impressed with the quality of most of the fansubs in his collection, but I also like having the (occasionally meager) extras found in a show's official American release. Contrary to popular belief, dub tracks [i]do[/i] sometimes come in handy--particularly if you're trying to introduce a subtitle-fearing non-fan to the wonderful world of anime. Other than that, I'd have to agree with Cahoots. No SD Gundam or Justice League for me, thank you very much. ~Dagger~

I generally enjoy watching shows that include all kinds of relationships, whether shonen-ai, shoujo-ai, or het. And I've seen or heard of numerous series with yaoi-esque undertones, from Descendants of Darkness to Mirage of Blaze. The most popular of these is probably Gravitation, which centers around a boy/boy couple. Shoujo-ai seems far less common, and although I own some anime that seems to hint at girl/girl pairings--for example, Read or Die and Shamanic Princess--whether or not those relationships actually exist is usually pretty debatable. Are there any shows that focus on or prominently feature shoujo-ai couples (in other words, what might be the female equivalent of Gravitation)? Revolutionary Girl Utena comes to mind as a possibility, but I haven't watched it yet, so I can't really judge if Utena/Anthy would qualify as canon. Anyway, thanks for your time. ^__^ ~Dagger~

Wait, terra, did you say that Quon was Itsuki Kisaragi's daughter? I thought she was his sister..... Then again, it's very late at night. Maybe my brain has just decided to start making things up. About Kisaragi--sure, he's creepy, but he's also very good-looking. ^_~ I really like RahXephon's character designs. Nearly all of the characters, both male and female, are nicely attractive without being overly... er, flashy. On a side note, Ayato is one of the most likeable characters I've ever come across. He has his angsty moments, but for the most part, he's just a nice, polite, ordinary guy. The reason I mention this is because so many people compare RahXephon to Evangelion--but isn't Shinji a lot more whiny? ~Dagger~

Yeah, you really have to dig for the answers. Speaking of which, I have several questions, for anyone who might care to answer them: 1. [spoiler]Who was controlling Paradigm City? It seemed to be Angel, but could it also have been Roger?[/spoiler] 2. [spoiler]When Angel "reset" everything at the very end, did Dorothy become human? In the control room with Roger and Angel, she still seemed to be an android, but when she and Angel were standing in the street during the credits, she definitely looked different.[/spoiler] 3. [spoiler]It seemed to me that Angel was something of a Lucifer figure--don't get me wrong, she's one of my favorite characters--but there was the whole business about her being a fallen angel, and if the Megadeuses possess the power of God, what would that make her Megadeus?[/spoiler] 4. [spoiler]Is the Roger we know the original Roger Smith, or is he a copy? Is Roger actually an android, or was that hallucination nothing more than a hallucination?[/spoiler] Heh.... it's chock-full of spoilers, in case you couldn't tell. ~Dagger~

That's a good rule of thumb, HC. Most long signatures contain very little meaningful material--just interminable buddy lists, snippets from random AIM conversations, and so forth. ~Dagger~

I absolutely adore RahXephon. Sadly, I've only been able to see the first nine episodes--but hopefully, given enough time, I'll be able to get my hands on the rest of the series. It has the best characterization of any anime I've ever had the pleasure to watch, which is an impressive feat, considering just how many characters there are. The plot can be a little confusing, and it does require thought, but it's so rewarding when everything finally falls into place. And the score is both amazing and addictive. I can't stop humming the opening song ("Hemispheres"). Not only that, but RahXephon's action and animation leave nothing to be desired. It's gorgeously and vividly drawn, with creative fight scenes and well-designed enemies. I agree, this show is definitely a must have. And the dub ain't half bad, either. ~Dagger~

I really, really like "Entwined." The stock image is absolutely gorgeous, and the thick, softly colored border fits it perfectly. Good font choice.... but it seems a little pixellated. Did you anti-alias it? Try doing that, or else just use the blur tool on it--and maybe reduce the opacity a tiny bit. The banner is beautiful.... it just needs some tweaking. Nice work! ~Dagger~

Well, it can take a [i]very[/i] long time to dub an entire series. And that isn't always the problem; deals fall through, all the good shows get liscenced to The Anime Network, etc. But I do agree. CN has moved around a great many shows (hence, I believe, your reference to the ol' bait and switch)--shows which would probably do just as well, if not better, if they stayed on Toonami. On a similar note, I don't really understand why .hack//SIGN, Rurouni Kenshin, and Yu Yu Hakusho are airing around midnight on Saturdays. Anyway, we can keep hoping that a whole slew of new series will appear sometime within the next few months. Who knows? Maybe it'll happen. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by KarmaOfChaos [/i] [B][color=deeppink] After time, having 'a drink before dinner' will become nessicary. You can't go through the rest of your day without that drink. And after awhile, you begin to drink more and more just 'to cope.' Very bad example here. This is one of those 'harmless vices' that slowly turns into a horrible problem.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] Isn't the phrase "harmless vice" something of an oxymoron? I always thought that a vice was, by its very nature, harmful to someone or something. I understand where you're coming from, but drinking [i]in moderation[/i] doesn't really qualify as a vice. Someone who only imbibes alcohol during the occasional social situation or who likes to enjoy a glass of red wine during dinner will not automatically turn into an alcoholic. I won't deny the possibility--after all, if he or she is genetically predisposed towards alcoholism, it's quite likely that the occasional glass could in fact lead to a dangerous addiction. I wouldn't say that drinking is a vice in and of itself (although drinking excessively--to the point of alcoholism--is). In appropriate quantities, alcohol can actually be beneficial to your health; studies show that red wine is good for your heart. It's when you go overboard that you suffer liver damage, brain damage, etc. So alcohol [i]can[/i] turn into a huge problem, but only when it's misused. Smoking, however, is a vice from the very beginning. Not only does it slowly destroy your body, it also affects those around you (through second-hand smoke). In answer to your question, I suppose that certain drugs, such as habit-forming painkillers, could initially be construed as harmless. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mr. Period [/i] [B]I would never do such a thing as to call that...steaming pile, anime. THERE IS AND NEVER WILL BE A TRUE AMERICAN ANIME. [/B][/QUOTE] My, aren't you optimistic. [/sarcasm] I haven't met a single fan who [i]wouldn't[/i] leap at the chance to be involved in the creation of an anime series or OAV. What if that show was based in the U.S.--would you refuse? What if it had 26 episodes, a plot that extended continuously from start to finish, and Japanese characters? What if it centered around giant robots, female androids, or a "magical girl"? That, of course, is a set of very rigid definitions, and I personally feel that anime can encompass so much more. I'm just not sure what it'll take to convince you. Is anime, by definition, something created in Japan alone? Well, what if a show's characters were designed solely by American artists? What if its artistic style more closely resembled that of Disney than that of CLAMP? What, then, would you call it? I'm not saying that Teen Titans is anime. It's more of a hybrid than anything else, and until U.S. companies become more willing to take risks, I doubt we'll see any true American anime. But it's rather presumptuous of you to completely deny the possibility that anime could be produced here in the States. Just look how many American webcomics fall under the category of manga, or at the very least are influenced by it. ~Dagger~

They're working on it, Inuyashagurl. But the American release can't be completed instantaneously, especially considering that the show's still running in Japan. I believe that CN owns the rights for every episode up until 104. It can take over a month to finish dubbing a few episodes, which is why the DVD releases are so spaced out. Just have a little patience. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Baron Samedi [/i]However, a vice is something completely subjective: it exists only in a persons mind. These 'vices' are obviously born into us, but are not bad as such without the personal influence of morals. A person who was raised in a rough town for example, would find little wrong with killing or raping if they were raised this way.[/QUOTE] I can't speak from personal experience. But it seems to me that even in a "rough town," where rape and murder might be common occurences, few parents would tell their children to go raping and killing as they pleased. Vices are definitely subjective--at least to a certain degree. I just don't think that very many people, if any, are raised to find little wrong with killing and/or raping. They may feel apathetic about it, having seen or heard so much of it when growing up, yet I doubt they would actively condone it or argue that it was morally right. [quote]Society shapes the ideas of vices, but they are born of human nature.[/quote] To me, it seems that this statement is somewhat inconsistent with your earlier affirmation of moral subjectivity. It sounds as though you're saying that though vices exist within every human being, it is society which names and defines them. That may be so. Then why do so many different cultures label the same things (rape and murder, for example) as vices? Over the course of history, rape has rarely been viewed as a positive thing, although it was certainly more acceptable during certain periods than it is now. But I don't believe that it was ever considered to be a morally admirable action. ~Dagger~

I've been eagerly anticipating "The Show Must Go On." Big O: Season 1 was interesting, but not particularly astounding in any way. Season 2, however, exceeded all of my expectations. It presented some really thought-provoking situations, and all of the characters underwent far greater development (particularly Angel, whom I used to dislike). Well, I've finally seen it. And it's an ending that's going to require a lot of thought to understand. People are already beginning to compare it to the final episodes of Evangelion. You know what? I absolutely [i]loved[/i] this episode. In my opinion, the better a show is, the less closure it needs to offer, and Big O offered just the right amount. The finale tied together most of its many scattered plot threads, shed light on events of the past, present, and future, and tied everything together rather neatly. On the other hand, it's quite open to interpretation--just as much as, for example, the ending of Final Fantasy VII. I'll go into more detail later. But as of now, I am extremely impressed. ~Dagger~

Thanks, Shroom. That .bmp was making my computer go into convulsions. ^__^;; And I couldn't agree more. Kyo, the second version of your banner looks many times more spiffy than the first. Excellent work, especially when compared to its original incarnation (which was rather lacking in impact). ~Dagger~

I like your font, but the text sort of overwhelms poor Kenshin--I can barely see him. I'd try using a bigger and brighter image, one that can hold its own alongside such a strong font. EDIT: Yes, do add a border. A decent border can make nearly any banner look much more professional. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by KarmaOfChaos [/i] [B][color=deeppink]Very true. But consider the fact that most of the world is born into a society, and out of all those societies, most believe a few, base things are wrong (such as murder, or rape). Since it is so common to see them viewed as 'immoral', it must be taken into account that there has to be [i]something[/i] inherently wrong with those acts, that so many societies and peoples would condemn them.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] That's basically what I was trying to say, but I think you ended up phrasing it far better than I ever could have. The vast majority of people will feel somewhat guilty the first time they lie, cheat, or steal. And no matter what their religion or political affiliation, most people share the same opinions about particular moral issues (with a few important exceptions--for example, abortion and suicide). ~Dagger~