Dagger

[QUOTE=2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange] 'Black hair; tight pants; punk rock music. Could emo be destroying our youth? News at eleven.'[/COLOR][/QUOTE] Hahaha. Oh god, local news is so painful (sometimes in a good way; sometimes in a "I must now do grievous violence to my eyeballs & eardrums" way). ~Dagger~

Recycle the college mail. Don't decide on a major yet, or at least keep more than one possibility in mind. Think about financial aid. College is to high school as something wonderful is to something significantly less wonderful. Even if you had a good high school experience, which I did. ~Dagger~

Stupid plot, stupid characters... but hey, you might enjoy it. Lord knows plenty of people have. Don't let my bitterness dissuade you. ~Dagger~

Bzzt. Strawberry Panic is probably the most explicit non-hentai yuri anime out there. But that doesn't stop it from being a lame show. :p ~Dagger~

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_Panic!][u]Strawberry Panic[/u][/url], a recent and rather poorly done yuri anime based on a series of light novels. (Hint: they're both girls.) The anime may or may not be licensed (I can't remember; if it is, Media Blasters has it), but the novels are licensed and will be released by Seven Seas (who also put out the Boogiepop novels). The story is serialized in Dengeki G's, a bishoujo magazine. ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xQVnny0LSg][u]Boo-Hoo For You![/u][/url] Funny every time I watch it. I particularly like the fact that the phone [i]looks nothing like a phone[/i]. And if anyone can guess what the heck that mascot is supposed to be, please do chime in. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Meggido] [spoiler]But then when Romeo goes to see his mother the Duke almost seems as if he wants to hold on to at least his son after having lost his wife.[/spoiler'] I could be wrong though. [/quote] I'm glad you brought this up! I meant to mention it but forgot. It's really the first time they've given [spoiler]Montague any semblance of humanity,[/spoiler] although the events of episode 12 make me think that [spoiler]they'll have to try much harder if they want him to be anything other than a pure monster.[/spoiler] I would be pretty interested in seeing some solid backstory for him--what made him turn out the way he did, etc. Now, as for episode 12: - [spoiler]Romeo is so sheltered that he doesn't recognize potatoes.[/spoiler] :animeswea - [spoiler]Hermione has accepted that Romeo cares for someone else, but she can see that he's still suffering. She declares that if it were her, she'd never do anything to hurt him. Even Mercutio is surprised by her intensity--so much so that it knocks the casual, sarcastic mask right off his face.[/spoiler] I liked this moment very much. I wonder if they're hinting at [spoiler]a future alliance--romantic or otherwise--between these two.[/spoiler] - Still don't know [spoiler]who the old man is.[/spoiler] - Juliet is drawn to [spoiler]a cave with Escalus' roots in it, and she reacts in shock at its presence. Did it just cause her discomfort, or did it show her scenes from the city? I half wanted to interpret the subsequent Neo Verona bits as something that Escalus was conveying to her.[/spoiler] Then again, [spoiler]if she saw all those terrible things happening, she'd want to rush back right away,[/spoiler] so maybe not. - Speaking of which, [spoiler]whatever could the absent Tybalt be up to?[/spoiler] - Ouch @ [spoiler]the last scene. I have a sinking feeling that this is the beginning of the end, so to speak.[/spoiler] My theory: [spoiler]Montague will use Juliet's life as bait for Romeo, forcing him into the crusade against her scattered comrades (and perhaps Tybalt!?).[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']Oh my. Geisha is looking pretty nice now. I'm really liking the black with the indigo on the front page -- more of that, please![/color][/quote] Oh yes. Très sexy. As one who used to be faithful to Geisha (until Liquid started getting all the love--and the gradual updates), I'm as pleased as pie about this. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Malkav']Purpose for seduction is mainly to get an A. I made a "D" last semester with a different teacher.[/quote] Aw, man, don't do it just for the grades. Why let ulterior motives sully the noble goal of getting in your teacher's pants? ~Dagger~

Episode 36: So epic, it left me shaking... but not nearly as epic as 37 is going to be!! Honestly, I think this episode qualifies as my cardio workout for the week. The direction and voice acting were OFF THE HOOK. Mamoru Miyano and Masaya Matsukaze [i]brought it[/i]. In particular, [spoiler]Light's struggle not to burst out laughing[/spoiler] was the best example of perfectly synched visuals & acting emotion I've seen, well, ever. This week's [spoiler]SAKUJO and "Omoi doori!"[/spoiler] will go down in history. Also, it ends on the grandfather of all cliffhangers. And here I was scratching my head over how they'd split the climax. The downside is that the dialogue I was looking forward to won't be heard until next week. The upside is that it's coming next week! A huge, albeit tangential spoiler: I find myself wondering if they'll flesh out [spoiler]the aftermath. For instance, the epilogue chapter of the manga didn't deal with Misa's fate, although the writer later said that she probably committed suicide. I'd like to see that in a scene or at least a still. I also hope they find some way to distinguish clearly between the anonymous girl at the end and Misa, since that was a bit of a problem in the manga.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Inkstitchling][COLOR=DarkOrchid][SIZE=1] What do you think [I]is[/I] his best work? [/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] On a personal level, I would say Paranoia Agent. On a more objective level, I would say Millennium Actress; it's a stunning piece of work but not as much to my tastes. [QUOTE][COLOR=DarkOrchid][SIZE=1]Even for the Japanese culture obsessed?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] That's for you to decide. I would be interested in seeing an alternate take on this aspect of the movie, actually. What got me thinking about this was a scene (inconsequential; not a spoiler) in which a Daruma doll stands on a platform and asks for votes. I have no idea if that kind of street campaigning for small-time elections is still common or more old-fashioned, but the connection between its brief lines & local Japanese politics isn't especially obvious unless you've already been exposed to that type of scene/image elsewhere (minus the surrealism, haha). Its line about votes also references its uncolored eye--which would seem totally nonsensical to those who don't know about the Daruma eye tradition. Really made me wonder what I was missing in the rest of the dialogue. The Hina dolls & Shinto torii & Maneki Neko etc. were recognizable and all, but I bet a lot of the chanted lines a) made a tiny bit more sense than they seemed to, and b) contained allusions that flew over my head. Some of them sounded like kotowaza--nothing that I could recognize, though. ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/paprika/][u]Rotten Tomatoes[/u][/url] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paprika_(2006_film)][u]Wikipedia[/u][/url] Anyone else see this in theaters? It's far from Satoshi Kon's best work, but still worth seeing just for its sly humor and freewheeling visuals. I have the feeling that it would've benefited from extensive cultural notes--a lot of the dream-babble in particular seemed to lose something in translation. Unfortunately that's not something you can include in the subtitle script, and having jokes explained tends to kill them... kind of a lose-lose situation. (Megumi Hayashibara is a real treat as the main character.) Not that I didn't enjoy Paprika, but I'm kind of surprised by how positive most of the mainstream reviews have been. I think it might be more impressive if you only watch anime occasionally. ~Dagger~

After episode 10, I desperately want to see a no-holds-barred battle between Mr. Elf [spoiler](he is still alive, albeit somewhat melty-faced, right?)[/spoiler] and November 11. [spoiler]Although Hei won, I got the impression that the elf presented more of a challenge for him than anyone else in the show so far.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

I love the new blue header. Much better than the gray. ~Dagger~

Slow down. Take a deep breath. Glance at the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=55649][u]guidelines[/u][/url]. Thread [strike]euthanized[/strike] closed. ~Dagger~

I loved Tokikake as well (I watched it at some point after seeing Fasteriskhead recommend it). It's really a jewel; I don't get along great with movie length productions in general, much less anime, but this had exactly the right running time. When the credits rolled, I felt as if I had just sat down. ~Dagger~

1. FLCL 2. Azumanga Daioh 3. Excel Saga 4. Naruto 5. Love Hina As much as it kills me to call Naruto a comedy... ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=MistressRoxie][color=#9933ff][size=1] I've always thought it would be SO cool to be bilingual, and I COULD have been, had my father only spoken to me in Thai as a baby and child. X_x; But nooooo, I don't get to speak anything but English.[/size][/color][/QUOTE] It's not as if you've lost your only chance. :p Re: your yearbook, I could ask my parental unit if no one else replies, but I don't know how good she is with written Korean. ~Dagger~

I feel so evil and cruel doing this* but... Merged. :catgirl: *Especially since I never got around to watching El Cazador. ~Dagger~

Episode 11 was so beautiful & wonderful & pitch-perfect that, in a way, it ended up being much more heartbreaking than any kind of tragic developments. You just [i]know[/i] that it's all going to be downhill from here. My heart was pounding all (*´Д`)ﾊｧﾊｧ during the [spoiler]wedding[/spoiler] scene, which was just right even though (if you'd asked me at any point earlier in the series) I'd never have guessed it would happen. It more or less correlates to the play, and yet I'd totally forgotten about it until now. I loved the [spoiler]soft comedic moments with Romeo & Juliet, especially when Juliet vowed to do a shirt next time! Romeo definitely has his hands full, haha.[/spoiler] It was also amusing to see them [spoiler]bond over beating up sketchy dudes. I like how they've snuck in proof that Romeo isn't a wimp (just look at him casually ninja-chop that guy--awesome!!) without contradicting what we've already seen of his peaceful nature. Also, Cielo kicks butt.[/spoiler] I fear that [spoiler]letting the men get away may come back to haunt them, though.[/spoiler] And who could be [spoiler]the old guy with the pipe? Is he in the OP scroll?[/spoiler] My inner romantic is lying in a puddle of goo on the floor right now. Normally I disdain stuff like [spoiler]little girls dreaming of being pretty brides, and objectively speaking, the cheese factor for that last scene should've been off the charts,[/spoiler] but it hit all the right notes for me. Lovely, lovely, lovely. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Ikillion][COLOR=#5d0b08][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS] Just how do you find these things anyway? lol[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] By cheating and letting other people lead me to them, haha. I have the RSS feed for the Anime Nano blog aggregator plugged into Google Reader... although for some bizarre reason I now find myself unable to locate the post that first mentioned the vid. [i]This will bother me for the rest of the day.[/i] I need to unwind... [QUOTE=2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange] Shiraishai's speech was great, though not laugh-out-loud funny or anything. and .... wait... was Akira just SCRATCHING HER CROTCH?!?!?!?!?!?! WTF?!?!?![/COLOR][/QUOTE] I am drastically behind on Lucky Star, but that does sound like it'd fit in with her ossan (cantankerous old man) personality. :animesmil ~Dagger~

I had a fit during the episode 36 preview. SO. EXCITING. How does it feel to watch this part and not have read the manga? I'm curious because episode 35 starts with a long montage that drops a lot of hints (such as [spoiler]Hal's reaction to Mello's phone call[/spoiler]) but probably makes little if any sense if you haven't read the more detailed chapters. If I imagine I don't know anything about it, I think it still holds together, but it's hard to be sure. [spoiler]Matt's death[/spoiler] was [i]brutal[/i] animated, coming bare seconds after [spoiler]he showed us his l33t driving skills.[/spoiler] And then [spoiler]Mello and Takada, too.[/spoiler] They stuck closely to the manga in how they (very very vague spoiler/hint) [spoiler]downplayed Mello's death.[/spoiler] It's hard not to feel sorry for [spoiler]Takada.[/spoiler] I mean, there are certainly times when one wants a character to be merciless, but I just don't know [i]how[/i] someone could [spoiler]feel good about Light after what he put her through. Actually I was surprised by how much her death hit me in the gut. I'm not a particular fan of hers. I guess it's just that she seems like a much more human character than Misa. All of the deaths in this episode had more of an impact by virtue of being in color, animated, with music, etc., which is just what I was hoping for.[/spoiler] But anyway, all this paves the way for the absolute best scene & dialogue in the whole series, which will be coming NEXT EPISODE. *hyperventilates again* Oh damn, I need to watch that preview again. And again. Eeeeeeee!! Just for good measure: :wigout: Preview narration: [spoiler][i]With this it ends. No--today, Kira's perfect world begins. All those who know of the Note's existence will die.[/i][/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Oh my gosh. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rChjzxa3NZU&eurl][u]This video[/u][/url] is hilarious. Watch it even if you've never heard of Rozen Maiden. I wonder how long it took to make? RM spoilers. None for Lucky Star, if Lucky Star even has spoilers. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Meggido] Edit: No ep run down this week Dagger?[/QUOTE] I could've sworn I posted. I think my brain is leaking out my ears. Luckily, episode 10 can be summed up in two easy words: [spoiler]BALCONY SCENE!!11!!![/spoiler] Music to the aforementioned ears. :animesmil Perhaps not as much happened as I expected--[spoiler]Tybalt tells Juliet that he'll do things his own way[/spoiler] (phrasing which reminded me very much of Mello from Death Note, haha), [spoiler]she wanders around in depression and gets rescued from the rain by Portia, etc.[/spoiler]--but I enjoyed it very much because of the above. I hope they come up with a good explanation for [spoiler]Juliet running into Portia (or vice versa), since a) didn't Portia have a suitcase or something at the time? and b) I am so willing to forgive coincidences, especially in Shakespeare-related stuff, but it would be nice if there were a greater framework behind it.[/spoiler] I have no idea how the writers will [spoiler]get Romeo and Juliet to fight one another now, knowing each other's identities and what Montague has done. I assume they'll go for that angle eventually... it makes for a rather more compelling story than the young lovers eloping to overthrow Montague.[/spoiler] On the plus side, I think we are now guaranteed that future conflict will have to be [i]real[/i] conflict, not something derived from mistaken identities or a misunderstanding. Which can only be a good thing. ~Dagger~

[SIZE=1][center][i]A night sky full of cries Hearts filled with lies The contract--is it worth the price? A soul pledged to the darkness... Now I've lost it; I know I can kill The truth exists beyond the Gate[/i][/center][/SIZE] Just for kicks. Episode 9 didn't do much for my opinion of Misaki. Or maybe it's just that [spoiler]bonding over righteously snatched cigarettes[/spoiler] has kind of outlived its usefulness as a plot device. Oh well. Hei continues to casually radiate awesome. I do like Alice, with her sharp features and mad [spoiler]bee-catching[/spoiler] skillz. Does Mr. Elf's character design have anything to do with anything, or did they just give him pointy ears because they could? ETA: New OP and ED coming down the pipeline, by the way. OP by An Cafe; ED by High and Mighty Color. ~Dagger~