Dagger

[quote name='Tical Blue']>_> *secretly likes it ^.^* (not your motivation, but the pic)[/quote] Which one (the one with the kanji in the upper left-hand corner or the one that gives Ed big loli eyes)? She switched them on the sly... I'm not going crazy after all! I think. Sangome, I liked the first picture better. But here's a hint: "[I]I[/I] before[I] E[/I] except after [I]C[/I]." ;) ~Dagger~

This first one's for you, Sangome. :animesmil [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/motivator1256561.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/motivator9130616.jpg[/IMG] Granted, that picture is not particularly steamy, but believe me--it was either that or an eyeful of nekkid boobies. I guess there isn't much of a middle ground when it comes to FF fanart. :animenose [B]Keyblade Wielder:[/B] Is the guy in your "Bishis" poster from Eternal Sabbath, by any chance? ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=bellpickle][SIZE=1] (Though if it's any consolation, at least it gets better from that point on instead of more depressing.)[/SIZE][/QUOTE] So it seems. :) I waited until after I got back from my trip to watch episodes 19 & 20, and although some parts of them were quite painful (the wound is still fresh, I guess), they were painful in a more uplifting and bittersweet way. And the writing is just so damn good, yet again, that I could accept almost any kind of twist at this point. Episode 20 could have been [i]so[/i] awful, but it was [i]so[/i] great, and although I would have rolled my eyes at the [spoiler]bridal-hefting[/spoiler] scene under ordinary circumstances, I can only offer it my most enthusiastic endorsement when the male party is [spoiler]wearing a maid outfit.[/spoiler] Albert for the win. Speaking of which! I marveled at how his growth was depicted purely through showing rather than telling. Even his face was drawn differently--not in a way that would make character design sticklers like myself run screaming for the hills, but just enough to show his maturity. [spoiler]Because of Franz, he was able to understand the role he should assume in the future; he came to realize what it means to stand by someone's side. The way his other friends stepped in to help and the contrast between the nightmare in episode 19 and Franz's farewell letter at the end of episode 20, and even the childhood-trio flashback with Franz's ridiculous cereal bowl haircut... argh.[/spoiler] It was all too perfect. And [spoiler]Peppo!!![/spoiler] Talk about piling on ache after ache. But man, [spoiler]s/he was in absolute top form.[/spoiler] Gankutsuou excels at small, telling physical gestures, and the way [spoiler]she slipped off her shoes[/spoiler] is exemplary of that. I'm looking forward to finding out why you like Andrea so much--or rather, I'm curious as to whether he'll remain a [spoiler]Dilandau[/spoiler] type in the last four episodes, not to mention whether he'll have a happy ending (unlikely, I suppose?) or go down in flames. Drain away my emotions, stopper my ears so I can't hear the superbly chosen music, and 20 episodes in, I am still humbled by the show's visual beauty. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Aaryanna][COLOR=SeaGreen]I?ve noticed that since Squall has had Shiva the whole time that his compatibility with Ifrit has dropped to zero. Are there any other GF?s who don?t get along like that? [/COLOR][/QUOTE] I noticed the same thing! Except that for me it was the reverse--I have Squall with Ifrit and Zell with Shiva, and neither of them is at all compatible with the other anymore. I assumed that it had something to do with opposing elements (fire and ice), so I gave the other water-related GFs that I've gotten (Siren and Leviathan) to Zell. Then again, I used to have Siren junctioned to Squall, and his compatibility with her rose to 700-something without affecting his compatibility with Ifrit. Is it even possible to have a compatibility of 1000 with more than one GF? I have Diablos and Ifrit junctioned to Squall, and he uses both of them much more frequently than his other GFs, but if one reaches 1000 the other will be at 998, and vice versa. Bullet: Haha, I innocently came across one of those right after I got the [spoiler]Mysterious Ring[/spoiler] from that place with [spoiler]Tear[/spoiler] in its name (you can see that I have a great memory for this kind of stuff). Afterward, I developed the habit of saving [i]very[/i] frequently while running through that area. :animeswea ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Sandy] But honestly, you'll do just fine with the GFs from the beginning and the hard-to-get GFs from the end. All the rest are just fillers who give you extra junction-slots.[/QUOTE] It's just my inner completionist talking, heh; I guess it's because getting all the GFs seems like a more achievable and rewarding (and easy!) goal than comparable RPG tasks, such as finding every single item/treasure or synthesizing the highest-level weapon(s). But thanks for the tip--that'll save me a little angst. :animesmil ~Dagger~

I know "dubbing" sounds catchier... but I've gotta say, I'm pretty sure that the game didn't feature any actual voices. :p ETA: [QUOTE=Tical Blue]I wouldn't imagine so, but why even point that out? [/QUOTE] Because there's no gray area here; it's the wrong terminology. Dubbing =/= translating (or, in this case, mistranslating). ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=AzureWolf][COLOR=maroon] Something Lunox made me wonder, why haven't manga reached the "power" of novels? Is it because they are fairly young, or because they simply can't?[/COLOR][/QUOTE] I'm more inclined to think that it has to do with youth. I mean, novels have a huge head start when you consider how just long they've been around compared to any type of lengthy graphic novel or sequential art or what have you. :animeswea When it comes to manga, I kind of hate to say it, but market forces tend to work against North American readers getting wildly artsy, innovative or unusual material. [strike]Crap[/strike] stuff like Absolute Boyfriend will always attract more attention than material with some real sophistication to it. To my knowledge, not very many seinen or josei titles have been translated, at least in comparison to the huge glut of shounen and shoujo manga. Blue is a one-volume yuri-ish story that looks totally different from your average manga. The character designs are very realistic; they're more like something you'd find in a Western piece, and I don't remember seeing any screen tone. The story is muted, a little painful, and purely about real life (yeah, I know there are lots of slice-of-life manga out there, but most of them skew toward drama, comedy or the whole "healing" anime/manga thing). Naturally, it was translated by some indie publisher I've never heard of--I'm sure none of the established manga companies would've touched it with a ten-foot pole. I'm not saying that I would call it High Art or claim that it measures up to a truly great novel. I could write on and on about its flaws. But it clearly grew out of a very different artistic spirit from that which inspired most of the manga sitting on North American bookshelves. Shifting gears a tiny bit, I've noticed one thing from my extremely limited experience with Western comics (and those of you who read them more often should feel free to correct and/or scoff at me). They--the good ones, at least--tend to [i]read[/i] more like literature, and American writers seem to be somewhat more open to including substantial narration written in a literary style (which could nevertheless be conversational). Most manga, in contrast, feature simple, minimal narration--if they feature it at all--regardless of whether it's in first, second or third person. But I don't think this is inherently an advantage. For me, the graphic novels which really begin to delve deeper into what the medium is capable of are the ones that rely on images to lend meaning and context to the words that accompany them. While that may seem self-evident, what I'm talking about is the perfect synthesis of eloquent images and concise language, and it's not easy to find no matter what country the comics you're looking at are from. Narration, no matter how lyrical it may be, often creates a distance between the reader and the artwork on the page, and there are so many other things that can have the same effect. Manga, and graphic novels in general, [i]can[/i] be totally immersive. Yet when I've experienced this sensation, it's only been in halting bursts--an especially powerful page or two, or a really evocative one-shot. I think you hit the nail on the head in your first post when you suggested that this is difficult to achieve because no matter what else is going on, a graphic novel reader is forced to distribute his or her attention between at least a couple of different things on the page. That said, I don't think it's impossible. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=saiyukigod] one question- is the Loveless anime only in Japanese? because i found and bought the anime and was surprised to find that it was only in Japanese, is an English version coming out or....just Japanese??[/QUOTE] The American DVDs are sub-only; apparently Media Blasters didn't think that the potential audience was large enough to justify ponying up for a dub version. I can understand that in the case of something like Sukisho (which is also sub-only), but as far as I'm concerned, they made the wrong decision for the Loveless anime. Then again, sub-only is better than not having it here at all. chou kuro, speaking of the wait for volume 3, do you have any idea about the actual release date? I'm clueless. :animeswea I also agree with your comments about the layout, by the way. I enjoyed the manga version [i]much[/i] more after I watched the anime and understood more of the story's subtleties (as well as what to look for when the panels become visually confusing). ~Dagger~

I'm somewhere in disc 3 now. This game makes me go out of my way to a much greater extent than I normally would--I even did the stupid [spoiler]Shumi village[/spoiler] sidequest (okay, it was actually kind of fun, but still). After getting [spoiler]the Ragnarok,[/spoiler] I took a short break to recruit [spoiler]the Tonberry King and the giant Cactuar[/spoiler] as GFs. It's hard to decide whose attack I like better; they're both hilarious. It would've been nice if [spoiler]Odin had showed up to kill some of those twenty-something Tonberries I had to get through before getting to the king, though.[/spoiler] Although my characters ended up leveling up a lot (right now I have Squall at 75 and Zell at 73 or 74), due to my propensity for dawdling and getting lost, I didn't have any trouble with the regular enemies until a day or two ago, when I [spoiler]started heading back to the main city in Esthar to... actually, I've kind of forgotten what I'm supposed to be doing, haha, but I think it has something to do with the next big task after Squall rescues Rinoa from being sealed away.[/spoiler] Then all of a sudden these [spoiler]Iron Giants and tigers and such started showing up.[/spoiler] While it was an abrupt transition to much more powerful enemies, I think it's nice to be challenged a little after so much of the usual mindless slaughter. I ended up wanting to use Rinoa as my third main party member, but because I kept switching between her and Irvine, both of them are at a significantly lower level than Squall and Zell. The nice thing is that once you load them up with GFs and spells, the difference isn't as striking. Right now I'm using about four GFs per party member (two complete, two still learning abilities) and will be adding more as more are completed. I'd really like to fill up that GF screen, so I have my fingers crossed that I didn't miss the opportunity to recruit one at an earlier point in the game. On a different note, getting to use [spoiler]Matron/Edea[/spoiler] as a temporary party member was ever so awesome.

[quote name='bellpickle][SIZE=1]I just watched episodes 13-16, and it was [I]amazing[/I']. The series really picks up after episode 6, and the plot has been unraveling very nicely. It's apparent how carefully planned out the events are, especially those pertaining to the Count's backstory. And the best part is that I still have no clue of what will happen in future episodes.[/SIZE][/quote] [SIZE=1]I finished this set of episodes recently, and I feel pretty much exactly the same way as you did when you wrote this post. The director seems to be an expert at bringing things to a fever pitch in [i]every single episode[/i]... I've really started to appreciate the choice to use a frenetic ED and a calm OP. The [spoiler]parting[/spoiler] scene in episode 15 might be my favorite moment in the series so far. I won't bother to enumerate all the reasons why, but [spoiler]seeing the Count transition from weeping to laughing psychotically[/spoiler] was so awesome and so, so chilling. Jouji Nakata is a god among seiyuu.[/SIZE] [CENTER]-------------------------[/CENTER] So I saw episode 18, and I'm still crying like a damn idiot. It's amazing how that scene could have so much of an impact even when it was obvious what was going to happen--although maybe that helped it a little. My pulse was going through the roof for pretty much the entire episode. I had planned on watching all of volume 5 tonight, but I really don't think I'll have the heart for it. I need to go drown my sorrows with Ouran or something. :animecry: :animecry: :animecry: ~Dagger~

[quote name='KungFuChan'] i did feel that some parts were some what rushed, not much depth was reached with the explanation of Mikuru from the future and the reason for another future her coming to the present for a brief time.. [/quote] [spoiler]She came to tell Kyon about "Snow White" so that he would be prepared for the time when he and Haruhi became trapped in closed space.[/spoiler] It's been confirmed that the R2 DVDs will have the episodes in chronological order. That's fine for Japanese fans who have seen Haruhi on TV, but I actually think it would be a bit of a shame if the show were licensed and released to DVD in North America in chronological order, instead of the broadcast order. Although the licensee probably won't have much choice in the matter. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=Tical Blue]Well the story hasn't picked up yet really remember, and things are going to change a lot pretty soon. Yes, Kiala's opinion is biased, she's not even such a good girl herself, and she is slightly insane as you will come to find. Sophie's going to be the first real interesting character as she has some serious problems, and Kaia's character is going to get severely dark pretty soon. Trust me, I'm gunna put her trough [COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]HELL[/COLOR].[/QUOTE] But your reader doesn't know that! :animesmil This isn't like an anime series in which you can grab an audience with ridiculous fanservice and then shock them with an abrupt serious turn or sudden violence. At the very least, it would be helpful if you dropped some hints or set a darker tone at the beginning. The masturbation scene could be made weird, disturbing or revealing as to the true nature of her character without actually changing what she's doing--just by changing how you write about it. You could set the tone for her future character development by using cruel or double-edged words when you describe her physical appearance. Either way, it's important to remember that you won't normally be able to sit down and tell your readers, "Just sit tight for a while, the good stuff's coming soon." You have to provide a solid hook at the beginning even if you also wish to surprise them later on. ~Dagger~

I am shocked (shocked!) that I haven't replied to this thread yet. Time to start making amends for that, I guess. There are at least a couple of duplicates in here--such as Boogiepop and Invisible Man--but hopefully that'll give you guys some added encouragement to check them out. [B]Kitchen[/B] by Banana Yoshimoto: If I could get all of you to read just one book, this would be it. Yoshimoto?s writing is clear, gorgeous and moving even in translation. [B] Snow Country[/B] by Yasunari Kawabata: This novel basically grabs you by the throat with its desolate, desperate beauty. It?s the perfect example of why Kawabata won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968. [B] Silence[/B] by Shusaku Endo: Silence is the painful, riveting, horrifying, revelatory tale of a Portuguese missionary working in Japan in the 1500s, when Christians were heavily persecuted. It?s thought-provoking regardless of whether or not you?re religious. [B] After the Banquet[/B] by Yukio Mishima: Watch as love and politics combine in the worst way possible. Mishima is a brilliant writer, and After the Banquet is (IMHO) one of his best works. [B]Naomi[/B] by Junichiro Tanizaki: Searingly, relentlessly funny, sad and pathetic, Naomi is basically the Japanese version of the Pygmalion story. Set in the 1920s, it shows how a Japanese man tries to mold a naïve young girl into a sophisticated, Westernized lady. [B] Boogiepop and Others[/B] by Kouhei Kadono: The Boogiepop books ignited the ?light novel? craze in Japan. Boogiepop and Others, the first installment in the series, has a fascinating structure that plays with time and multiple viewpoints in order to make the reader actively work to piece things together. [B] Hannibal [/B]by Thomas Harris: As a general rule, I hate serial killer novels. But I read Hannibal on a whim, and not only does it have great characters, it has the best ending of any book I?ve ever encountered. The ending was so controversial that it didn?t even make it into the Hannibal movie. Anyway, you don?t need to have read Silence of the Lambs to read this; as long as you know a tiny bit about the characters, you?re good to go. [B]Invisible Man[/B] by Ralph Ellison: Totally different from the sci-fi novel by H. G. Wells. It?s also a total work of genius. No need to thank me for recommending it. [B]Rebecca[/B] by Daphne du Maurier: Romance (and mystery) done right. Lovely characterization, lovely writing and plenty of dark elements to keep things interesting. [B] The Beekeeper?s Apprentice[/B] by Laurie R. King: An aging Sherlock Holmes teams up with a sardonic teenage genius? and it?s actually good! [B] Robot Dreams[/B] by Isaac Asimov: A brilliant collection of short stories from the sci-fi master. It also contains my favorite short story of all time, ?The Last Question.? [B] Howl?s Moving Castle[/B] by Diana Wynn Jones: Hysterically funny fantasy with plenty of eccentricity to go around. The animated movie based on it is entertaining and beautiful in its own right, but the book (which I?ve read at least once or twice a year since I was in middle school) has a much more complex and coherent plot, as well as far more in the way of Jones? biting comedy. She makes Howl into an unforgettable character: vain, cowardly, downright predatory toward women, weepy?and he?ll still charm you. [B]Atlas Shrugged[/B] by Ayn Rand: Personally, I thought this book jumped the shark about halfway through. But your mileage might vary?and up until that point, it was one of the most engrossing novels I?ve read. At the very least, it?s worth taking a gander at how Rand works her over-the-top philosophy into the story. [B] The Mysterious Affair at Styles[/B] by Agatha Christie: Styles was Christie?s first novel, so it?s as good a place to start as any. Read it, love it, and be grateful that you have over eighty Christie whodunits left to explore. She tricks me every time. [B] Ender?s Game[/B] by Orson Scott Card: Yup, it's the Obligatory Ender's Game Mention rearing its ugly head again. Astonishingly enough, there are people in the world who have not read this book. You don?t want to be one of them. Trust me. [size=1]And one last rec, because I [I]so[/I] have to squeeze this in... just ignore the fact that it's manga. ^^;; [B]Banana Fish [/B]by Akimi Yoshida: My #1 favorite graphic novel series. Gritty, dark and violent, it?s set in New York City in the 1980s. Gang wars, corruption in the upper ranks of the American government, drug trafficking, the Corsican mafia, the legacy of the Vietnam War?and it was written & drawn by a Japanese woman! The dialogue is snappy and pitch-perfect throughout. The stark artwork (no big eyes here) may take some getting used to, but the story and characters are so, so worth it. I?ve read fourteen or fifteen volumes, and it has yet to become repetitive or stop packing a punch.[/size] That's all for now. I'm sure I'll come up with more later. :catgirl: ~Dagger~

As a general rule, characters without any physical imperfections are invariably boring unless they possess notable mental and/or psychological quirks, defects, etc. to make up for it. Another general rule is that apparent self-insertions will tend to take your audience way out of the story. When you write a piece which clearly isn't autobiographical and put your own name or username in it, a lot of people are going to automatically think [i]bad fanfiction[/i], even if the content is original. (I know nothing about Gaia Online, so I have no idea whether the premise of this story is firmly rooted in the site's world, thereby qualifying it as actual fanfiction, or not). Try to do more showing and less telling (for instance, the parts about Sophie didn't resonate at all with me, because it's just Kiala delivering her obviously biased opinion--the references to knocking up twenty guys and using illegal drugs do absolutely nothing to prove that she really is greedy, mean-spirited or a "bad kid"). One last point: this reads like such a stereotypical male fantasy that the female viewpoint is--at least for me--a little squicky. Anyway, those are a few things to think about. :) ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=chou kuro] I do have a suggestion though. I get my anime for free online. I just download the episodes, and then watch them on my computer. Not as awesome as having it on a DVD and watching it on your tv, but it's free! (sometimes membership fees for sites though).[/QUOTE] It's also illegal. Fansubs are not meant to be regarded as substitutes for the legit DVD release, but if you want to treat them as such, it's your prerogative. However, I would suggest that a site which makes users pay membership fees to get fansubs or whatever else is in some ways an even worse rip-off than bootlegs (and the proprietors are certainly just as sleazy as bootleggers!). I dunno... to me, the basic concept of it is simply absurd. ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=bellpickle][SIZE=1] WHY, HELLO THAR. I love that last one, and I'm not even an Itsuki/Kyon fan. XD[/size][/quote] I am of the opinion that Haruhi and [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11506381856301ng.jpg][u]Yuki[/u][/url] [size=1](

[quote name='bellpickle][SIZE=1]Now that the second season has [I]really[/I'] gotten started, what's everyone's impression of it so far?[/SIZE][/quote] Taking a step or two backwards... Say something that'll make me watch this show. You have five minutes. Go! :animesmil Seriously, although I've been meaning to see H&C since the first season aired, I've tragically never gotten around to it, and there always seem to be a billion other shows I need to watch. I keep telling myself that it'll get licensed at the next big convention, but that's obviously a little delusional. I actually get this little pang of guilt every time I see someone mention the series. Argh. :animeswea [size=1]And, uh... sorry for being totally useless as far as the thread's original purpose is concerned. Eheh.[/size] ~Dagger~

[QUOTE=bellpickle][SIZE=1] EDIT: OH, and I like [B]Itsuki from Haruhi Suzumiya[/B], who no one ever seems to talk about. I don't hang around the fandom, so I don't know whether or not he's truly under-appreciated, but still. He's cool. He likes to breathe on Kyon's face. But he seems to be ignored in favor of Haruhi or any of the other freaks in the SOS Brigade.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Fan [strike]art[/strike] crack to the rescue! :p [size=1][url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/haruhi004a2mi.jpg][u]Part-time job[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/haruhi2076mg.png][u]Cosplay![/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11516899748045ph.jpg][u]Double cosplay[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11515120607687sd9py.jpg][u]Touga?[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11499979648623yw.jpg][u]With chibi Haruhi[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11477627939207sf.jpg][u]With chibi Kyon[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/haruhi0033js.jpg][u]Fufufu...[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11476820971616ep.jpg][u]Haruhi the BL fangirl I[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11501209204627us1.jpg][u]Haruhi the BL fangirl II[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11476213863012st.jpg][u]Kyon's misfortune[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/11516058905679jc.jpg][u]Kyon's nightmare[/u][/url] [url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/copyof11508753452091hx.jpg][u]A motivational poster gone wrong[/u][/url][/size] I really like [b]Leon, Yuri[/b] and [b]May[/b] from [b]Kaleido Star[/b]. Yuri undergoes more changes than (and arguably more character development) than anyone else in the show--he's practically a plot twist machine. And at the beginning of the series, he's only 18! WTF, right? But seriously, he's a cool character who [spoiler]ends up playing a pivotal role in both seasons.[/spoiler] [I] Major[/I] season 2 spoilers --> [spoiler]His stunning swordfight with Leon is one of my favorite scenes in K*. That whole episode is remarkable for how it flips the characters around--Leon becomes the injured, pure-hearted innocent, and Yuri the manipulative bastard (but still, a very different kind of manipulative bastard from the guy we knew in the first season). And yet the sequence ends by showing Yuri's good side.[/spoiler] It's great & very high-intensity stuff in a series whose primary focus is always the female characters. I'm fond of Leon [spoiler]because of how the story about his past came out as well as the aforementioned parts with Yuri. He also gets major points for apologizing to Sora for what he said about Layla early on in season 2.[/spoiler] It's always nice to hear a Takahiro Sakurai-voiced [spoiler]softie.[/spoiler] I also don't see how anyone could continue to dislike him after his [spoiler]clown scenes[/spoiler] in Rosetta's OVA. :animesmil May is adorable. Obviously there were plenty of times when I had problems with her behavior, but between her shouted manuver names and her habit of breaking out into wild barking, I just couldn't hate her. I actually wish that [spoiler]she had more of a role toward the end of season 2; I wanted to see her move toward becoming Sora's partner (or one of them, anyway... that girl is such a two-timer, haha).[/spoiler] If you try to think of May as a tsundere, her actions start to make a lot more sense. ~Dagger~

Wow, disc 1 went by really fast. Well, there are three left, so I don't have to worry about the game being over too soon. I was really intrigued and hooked by the sequences with Laguna, so I'm looking forward to seeing what all that's about. Right now I have Squall, Zell and Irvine about ten or fifteen levels higher than the female characters. I don't like Irvine--although he rose a bit in my estimation when it turned out that he was actually [spoiler]a total wimp[/spoiler]--but I do like having him in my party. This is very silly, but I've been keeping the female characters out of rotation because I really hate their outfits (except for Rinoa's, which is why I've used her more than Selphie or Quistis). In my firm and unbiased opinion, Quistis should be wearing something much more skimpy, and Selphie should be wearing something much less plain. Those orangey-yellow colors deeply trouble my soul. Zell's outfit is also a bit too Kingdom Hearts for my taste (haha, anachronism), but I can live with it. I hope that [spoiler]Rinoa will have gotten all awesome and powerful now that there's been a time skip.[/spoiler] We'll see. Also, is it just me, or does this game have the dorkiest victory dances ever? :animeswea ~Dagger~

I'm kind of mad that I didn't start watching this show earlier (like, a couple of years ago). It's really so much better than I had anticipated, assuming that the quality of the first disc carries through for the rest of the series. I guess I should've paid more attention to all those good reviews. Satelight did a magnificent job of animating Nobuteru Yuuki's distinctive character designs, and I was pleasantly amazed to see that Yuuki had come up with a new psychotic bishounen design that's just as distinctive as Escaflowne's Dilandau. There [I]need[/I] to be more lip rings in anime. And with that thought, on to volume 2! ~Dagger~

I've said this in other threads, but at the risk of repeating myself... [SIZE=1]If it's an issue of licensing, I just don't get why bootlegs would [i]ever[/i] be preferable to fansubs, which don't result in giving money to thieves. There are free alternatives even if you don't have a good Internet connection. I understand that many people purchase bootlegs by mistake and with perfectly good intentions when they're first getting into anime. That's unfortunate, but I can't totally blame them for it. But the reason why they would continue to do so once they've been told about it eludes me, particularly since one can just get the stuff without paying. I mean, if one is buying R1 rips or whatever else because one has no interest in giving back to the original creators, it seems to me a bit illogical to not just download the show in question. If one is doing it because the anime isn't licensed yet, then fansubs are the obvious solution. But spending money when you don't have to for DVDs whose proceeds will never touch the people who poured their time and money into creating that particular anime is at best counterproductive.[/SIZE] Moving on a little, does anyone here watch Anime on Demand--or anime on networks other than CN or YTV (Showtime, G4, Razer, IFC, etc.)? Online, there's now [url=http://www.toonamijetstream.com/][u]Toonami Jetstream[/u][/url]. Plus, you can legally watch the first episodes of Descendants of Darkness, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight and Shamanic Princess for free at [url=http://www.centralparkmedia.com/ipod/][u]CPM's trailer site[/u][/url]. Some online stores distribute free sampler DVDs when you buy anime from them. In the past, I've gotten a FUNimation sampler with full episodes of several series, plus a similar Manga Entertainment sampler with (if I remember correctly) the first episode of Ghost in the Shell: 2nd Gig. But Netflix is really the ultimate way to make sure that you'll be getting your money's worth if or when you buy a certain anime. Plus, the Netflix trial is free. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Morpheus]You know, there is an extension that allows you to open an IE window in Firefox: [URL=https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1419/]IE Tab.[/URL'].[/quote] I don't really like browser extensions or plugins. Which makes me an odd Firefox user, I guess, but there you have it. :p [QUOTE=White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma] I guess I could always give Firefox another shot since so many of you seem to look at it like it's a god. I doubt I'll like it, but I might aswell try.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] I'd use IE if it came with tabs. Tabs are seriously the greatest thing ever--I first encountered them when I tried an AIM plugin some years ago, and I was almost ready to take them as proof of God's existence, haha. Once you get in the habit of using them, there's no looking back. But I've always been the kind of person to keep a ton of windows open at once, so it was to be expected that I'd take to them quickly. ~Dagger~

[url=http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=1079][u]And now it's getting a CN premiere[/u][/url]. Despite its middling reputation, I think Trinity Blood will go over rather well with the Adult Swim crowd--probably more so than thoughtful fare like Witch Hunter Robin or Wolf's Rain. So although I'm not that enthused about the show itself, at least it seems like a smart choice on the part of their programming director. I'll probably watch it casually, since it's going to air right after Bleach, and because the dub will in all likelihood be excellent. The fact that it's getting the 12 AM timeslot does make me wonder where Eureka Seven will go, though. ~Dagger~

[quote name='MrsKakashi']If they are a bootleg, they are one hell of a bootleg. Coming in a fold out cover with a plastic slip over cover, the discs with manufacture information on the cover. Most of the anime coming from singapore, different sellers, is made the same way.[/quote] Er... that's how the majority of bootlegs are packaged (which is why many fans dislike it when genuine licensees use tri-fold packaging or any kind of digipak in general). The mere fact that it's coming from [i]Singapore[/i] and is nevertheless playable on an R1 player is proof positive that it's a bootleg. @Avenged666fold: Yeah, some boots can be very convincing. Nowadays, many of them are R1 DVD rips, so that the bootlegger can advertise them as containing English as well as Japanese audio. Other bootleggers steal and sell fansubs (or simply the fansub translations) so that the quality of their illegal merchandise won't be so obviously awful and they can sucker in more people. Amazon's marketplace is just as rife with boots as eBay, so caution should be exercised there as well. ~Dagger~

[quote name='MrsKakashi']I have found buying anime off of ebay to be a lot cheaper than in the store. I just finished of buying the last season of Sailormoon, I paid 20.00-40.00 per a season, Sailor Stars being the most expensive, though I have found it a lot cheaper now through a seller that I had purchased other anime through :animedepr Lot of the anime I have purchased has come from either the united states or Singapore, all of it being good quality.[/quote] Then you just bought a bootleg. Sailor Stars has never been licensed for a US release (or for an English-subtitled release in any other region). ~Dagger~