Dagger

I haven't played the original Valkyrie Profile (and probably never will, unless I get a PSP). Luckily, this is a prequel. Actually, I don't play many games in general, but you know that sensation you get when you're a few hours into one and all of a sudden the battle system makes sense--and it's entertaining & just right and you can't get enough of it? That's how I feel about VP2 right now. I don't know whether the story will be any good. The characters are mostly blah (albeit very pretty), and the cut scenes are terribly directed (unfortunate, as it's nothing if not a good-looking game). Right now I'm eager to go on because dashing around the battlefield is so much fun. Aside from that, it's great that attack spells are powerful enough to be more than worth their cost. For once I like having sorcerers in my party. (It helps that magic, like physical attacks, draws from group AP rather than something like MP.) I do have some gripes, but since they might get ironed out over the course of the game, I don't want to air them just yet. I'm itching to play more. ~Dagger~

1. Light (Death Note) 2. L (Death Note) 3. Roy Mustang (FMA) 4. Kyouya Ohtori (Ouran Host Club) 5. Yuuko (xxxHOLiC) 6. Integra (Hellsing) I should add that, even on a hypothetical level, I disagree with most of these choices. But at least I have two women. :) ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lunox][color=dimgray']And, you know... the really bad animation lol. [/color][/quote] There are some gorgeously animated hentai... Front Innocent / Another Lady Innocent is probably the example that most people would think of. It's like seeing a Satoshi Urushihara artbook come to life. The curious thing is that despite its beauty, it doesn't exactly succeed as a hentai. It's shiny and much better looking than any TV series, but ultimately it comes off as being kind of sterile and boring. It's pretty without being titillating. Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro is very well-animated but gives off much the same feeling. Maid in Heaven has trappings like a fantastic OP sequence and still works great as a hentai--a little too well, maybe. I have pedestrian tastes and am easily put off my dinner. Even Panchira Teacher (also nice-looking) ended up being a bit too mean-spirited for me. For similar reasons, I'm way too much of a coward to try out the classics (i.e. Urotsukidoji). [quote name='Meggido']Hmm...Fate/Stay Night, Utawarerumono, Kiminozo, Tsukihime - Lunar legend...they're the series that i can think of off the top of my head that were originally ero-games but were adapted as clean anime. Seen all but Tsukihime.[/quote] I remember marveling at the fact that AIR was an eroge; it kind of turned me on to the fact that quite a few of these games really have fulfilled that old porn joke. People [i]do[/i] play them for the story. On that note, I'm super super excited for the (clean) anime adaptation of ef ~ a fairy tale of the two. Preview screencaps [url=http://eg.nttpub.co.jp/news/20070605_10.html][u][B]here[/B][/u][/url]. You can also see the game's stunning and totally family-friendly animated sequence (done by Makoto Shinkai!!) [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvNlpnM79n4][u][B]here[/B][/u][/url], although doubtless any TV series will be unable live up to Shinkai's quality. (He's also made OPs for other minori games, such as Wind and Haru no Ashioto. I recommend checking them out if you liked the lighting effects in Voices of a Distant Star and so forth.) The game is split into two parts (the first tale and the latter tale). So far only the first tale has come out. It's not a normal visual novel in that there aren't branching paths. You can make the occasional choice, but it doesn't affect the linear direction of the story. So instead of a harem set-up, it plays out more like an anthology of linked love stories. It was also groundbreaking in a visual sense--there are no 'event' CGs. Instead the whole story plays out with the kind of visual quality that you'd only see in rare, important parts of other games. Some scenes almost trick you into thinking they're animated. (The prologue to Shinkai's OP, in the church, is an example of this.) ~Dagger~

Check out the deluxe cover art [url=http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/books/covers/art7deluxe.htm][u]here[/u][/url]. It's pretty great stuff. Almost makes me wish they would come out with collector's editions for Books 1 through 5. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Fasteriskhead] *Cough*[/QUOTE] Buddy! But last I checked, you weren't one of [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=57211&page=1&pp=15][u]them[/u][/url]. :animesmil Boku no Pico? F'real? :catgirl: ~Dagger~

Just curious. Let's rule out visual novels & static pictures & manga for the time being. How many of you terrorist agitators actually watch hentai? (To be generous, "watch" equals "has seen more than one or two full episodes.") ~Dagger~

[i]I[/i] am the last person on the Earth who needs to be lectured at about the roots of the 2D complex. But regardless of that, "be a man" remains a silly argument. :rolleyes: ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=The Boss][color=darkred][size=1] I called Shy on his bluff, you guys... so please... help me now! Anime Lounge, check it.[/color][/size][/QUOTE] You aren't doing anything that hasn't been done before, bud. We've had hentai discussion threads in the past. ETA: Haha, wow, for some reason I thought this was in the S&F forum. (Damn tabs.) Sorry for jumping in on your topic, guys. ~Dagger~

There are those who would argue that acting like a man--in the stereotypical sense, anyway--might be better served by looking at real women. ;) ~Dagger~

Oh boy, Wind. (There is the requisite ero content toward the end, but I think you can opt out of it when installing). On some level I wanted to like it, but on others it really, really pissed me off. It had all the makings of what could have been this amazing, epic story, but it just doesn't hold together very well. You have to play through at least four mediocre storylines to get to the best ending, and by that time I'd lost all my enthusiasm. Hikari is a really cool character. It's too bad that she got stuck in a lame game. But there are some riveting, suspenseful scenes and places where what the plot could have been shines through so strongly that it's maddening. I wandered away from Kana ages ago. I like tearjerkers, though, so I do mean to finish it at some point. I've heard that at least one of the routes lets you avoid having any kind of physical relationship with Kana. Ever17... someday. It's sitting on my shelf as I type. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Nonentity'] I belive that's what you call bringing in convenient evidence.[/quote] I channel the spirit of Hercule Poirot to ask: what, so they're supposed to bring in [i]inconvenient[/i] evidence? :p ~Dagger~

Yeah, pornography in general is illegal for minors. The "they're not real" argument stands on rather shaky ground nowadays, too... people have been arrested on this continent using loli hentai as the basis for child porn charges. I doubt that discussing seiyuu would be very fruitful, as many of them use aliases for hentai or eroge work. And hentai dubs really just should not be spoken of. *shudders* I like ero-games better than regular hentai, since a good segment of them are totally character and story-driven. Many superb clean anime are based on ero-games (and said eroge in turn often come out as all-age versions, too). It's funny, though--a while ago I watched Suika, a hentai OVA based on an eroge, and I just couldn't enjoy it very much. The story was too good... it was way too moving & depressing. Maybe some people can enjoy heavy emotions in conjunction with the occasional sprinkling of explicit sex (and all in half-hour episodes), but it kind of kills the mood for me. In animated form, at least. Anyway, I'll waddle off and let you anti/terror types hash out the main issue. Aren't you guys supposed to listen to your mother(s)? ~Dagger~

[quote name='Aaryanna][COLOR=goldenrod']Oh and I'd join the terrorist group, just so I could see what type of bounty Dagger would offer to do I'm Not Nomura in. Though perhaps I should just freelance and offer to do it just the same? :p[/COLOR][/quote] I'm certainly willing to entertain offers from any party... ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=I'm Not Nomura][SIZE=1] Nomura hug-glomped Dagger and set off the charge. Everybody saw a big explosion coming from Suggestions & Feedback.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Ghost!Dagger strokes her incorporeal chin and wonders what kind of bounty might get Nomura's terrorist buddies to turn against him. Revenge does not end at the grave. :animeangr ~Dagger~

[quote name='Neuvoxraiha][font=times][COLOR=DarkOrchid]I'm trying to see how tentacle monsters are a bad thing. They have feelings too you know. [/font'][/COLOR][/quote] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/e44dc906121b995.gif[/IMG]

What's all this stuff about [i]human[/i] sexuality? Please, won't someone think of the tentacle monsters? I can guarantee that they're thinking of you... ~Dagger~

I liked the 7 & 8 arc a lot better than the first two arcs. Amazingly (to me, anyway), it was the first arc that I had some real appreciation for as a story--not for the cool side characters, grittiness, smooth battle scenes, quirky touches or whatever. The relationships between the widow, the husband and the ex-wife were characterized a lot more richly than, say, Mai and her dad. There was an ambiguity here that you just wouldn't get in [spoiler]their parting scene[/spoiler] or Havoc's disappointingly typical [spoiler]quasi-redemption through peeling beans with a nice family.[/spoiler] In a way it's ironic, but this arc--which was supposed to be comedic--struck the most human chord for me. The garbage mansion was an incredible image--one that worked well even when they kept returning to it. I loved the fact that [spoiler]the widow [i]didn't[/i] actually kill the ex-wife. Her bitter speech about wanting her rival to rot and be forgotten & tainted was a lot more resonant and meaningful than a simple revelation of murder.[/spoiler] I admire writing that brings real, recognizable emotions out of absurd or surreal scenarios... hence my affection for the last episode of Evangelion, and hence, probably, my enjoyment of DtB 7 & 8--which was, after all, done by the Ouran team, which overlaps not a little with the Utena team. Tra-la. Time to go see episode 9. But before that... I can't be the only one here who's addicted to Howling. Possibly the best OP of the season. Barring that, it's at least one of the catchiest. I've watched the otherwise unremarkable OP sequence too many times because of that song. ~Dagger~

I bet they at least have an option on it, but I seem to recall one of the ADV higher-ups (over at AoD or a con or something) mentioning that whether or not Kanon gets licensed will depend on how well AIR sells. And AIR... well, I very much hope it sells brilliantly, but... ~Dagger~

On that topic, Near's best toys are, of course, the little dolls. Have they appeared in the anime yet? If not, they make their grand debut in episode 34. I liked the scene of Near filing down Mello's doll. He's quite the craftsman, haha. I got a set (Kira, L, Mello, Near, Misa) of finger puppets based on them with the Death Note manga box. As for episode 34: PINCHI PINCHI! DAI PINCHI!!!

Most of this post will be written in full-on fangirl mode, but hopefully it'll be of value to someone besides me regardless. :p Here's my Kurau story. Watched the first episode (and part of the second) in June 2004, when the show first aired. Decided that a) it would definitely get licensed, and b) I liked it enough to hold off on watching the rest until it came out on R1 DVD. Cheered when ADV licensed it almost immediately. Waited in growing horror and astonishment as ADV sat on the license for [i]over two years[/i] with no explanation. Pinched myself when they said they would finally start releasing it. The first episode must've made quite an impression on me, because as I re-watched it today, I remembered almost every detail. Setting that aside, it's kind of funny--I was thinking to myself how much I liked the character designs. Turns out that they're by Tomomi Ozaki, who also did the character designs for Le Chevalier d'Eon (which was also licensed by ADV, and whose second disc I watched yesterday, all the while marveling at how gorgeous the designs were!). There are a couple of factors about this show that appeal to me. Kurau is an important one--I love her unconventional bishounen-esque looks, for one thing, and then there's the fact that she's just really damn cool. Her in a tuxedo in episode 2? And a slim spacesuit in episode 3? Or effortlessly carrying Christmas bridal-style? So swoon-worthy. At the same time, she's no hard-nosed, frigid cynic with trust issues. She's warm & human & responsible. The best part is her relationship with Christmas. Of course, I couldn't overlook Christmas herself--amusingly named and adorably voiced, she's sweet, brave, cuddly and pretty much the epitome of moe. They have the pure-love soul mate type of connection that can be way deeper than sexually charged relationships of any flavor. The last scene of episode 4 shocked me. I don't know if it meant quite what I thought it meant--but if it did, well, color me impressed. Shows that they won't hesitate to move the plot ahead. ~Dagger~

Hey, Mask, are you counting Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X as separate properties? Because that really changes things... 1. Rurouni Kenshin / Samurai X 2. Samurai Champloo 3. Bleach ~Dagger~

Just finished volume 3. I'm not sure what to think at this point. There are still a couple of characters I like (Pino, Vince, Daedalus)--but Re-L has lost all attraction for me. A lot of what she does vaguely pisses me off. I have to admit that I loved the bookstore episode [spoiler]that took place in Vince's head.[/spoiler] I have a huge weakness for that type of Utena-esque surrealness... so much so that I can't tell if I'm evaluating it fairly; I don't know if I liked the episode because it meant something or just because it was presented cleverly. (In a way, that comment applies to the whole show.) There was a lot of philosophical language in it, but I was left uncertain about what the dialogue was driving at. ~Dagger~

Volume 2 pressed a lot of my buttons. Okay, maybe just the haughty older woman & cross-dressing buttons, but it was still quite effective, leaving me a) in love with Empress Elizaveta and b) laughing in pure joy at the fact that the masquerade ball was femlib central. [spoiler]Robin makes a charming young lady. I'm just disappointed that Teillagory didn't dress up, mustache and all.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Yeah, I like his performance so far. His strawberry sundae lines cracked me up because they were so incongruous, with that cool-sounding voice. The rapid repartee between him and Mori(sson) was the best non-action part of the episode. ~Dagger~

Question: Was the character called Patty in any of the games? [spoiler]Loli-Patty verged on obnoxious in a couple of places, so I hope she vanishes from the picture, unlikely though that seems at this point... adult Patty was rather cool, on the other hand. Sounded as if Yukana was playing her.[/spoiler] ~Dagger~