Panda

I am pretty much the same no matter where I am in reference to my personality. I am fairly outgoing, don't have a problem talking to people, just kinda go with the flow. I guess the only difference would be at which "level" I let my personality show through. For instance. If I am at work I am friendly and outgoing, chit chat about the weather and the news with the clients. It is friendly, but not personal. With my friends I would be abit more open with them and share things at a different level. The personality is all me, just toned down for some people. :wigout:

I agree 100% on the Grave of the Fireflies. If you want to have a movie that will leave you feeling very uneasy and depressed...that is the film for you. Great animation and wonderful story, you can't help but fall in love with those two kids. Sheesh, just thinking about the film is making me sad. The Vampire Hunter D movies are also great. Amano is a wonderful character designer and I love his style. The stories are great and if you like a dark and brooding lead male character, Vampire Hunter D and Bloodlust are a must see. While I am on the vampire train of though, I recommend Blood: The Last Vampire. The animation is unbelievable! The only down side to that movie is it leaves you wanting to see more. If you watch the extras on the DVD the talk to the crew who made it and it sounds like they loved the challenge, but would never do it again since it was so difficult. Bummer. I haven't seen Voices of a Distant Star yet. After reading what others here have said about it, I will definately have to check it out. Thanks. :D

If money and time allow for it, I enjoy to watch a series in a sitting. A sitting for me would be like one DVD of a series a day. I think because when I was younger and would watch a series like Robotech on tv (back in the mid 80's) it was only shown one episode a day during the weekdays. I knew if I had it on tape I would just watch it all. Now that I have the chance to see an entire series in just a matter of days, I take advantage of that opportunity. :D Of course, as many of you, finances are a big issue. I can only marathon as fast as my bank account says I can....which isn't very much at all. Bummer. :( There are exceptions to this rule of marathoning though. I would never ever think about trying to watch all the Ranma 1/2 episodes in a row!! Now that has me thinking, does anyone know how long that would take? How many hours or days would it take to watch all the Ranma 1/2 episodes and OVAs? Now that is a scary thought!

There is no such thing as a "happy ending". I know it sounds really pessimistic, but let me explain. Here are a couple of examples... Happy ending: The end of Robotech's Macross saga had you watching Rick and Lisa looking towards the future. It leaves you with a "what happened to them!" feeling at the end of the series. Did they live happily ever after? Did they get killed? It leaves you longing to know what happened to them. I say this is a happy ending since they finally get together and have a future to look forward too. Sad ending: Spike in Cowboy Bebop. When the star fades out during that pan up at the end, you get the answer. It leaves you with that "no! that can't be the end!" feeling. I don't think I really need to explain why this is sad. When you look at these two examples, you can see that both are not happy. If an anime has you loving the characters, whether they live or die, you are going to miss them and want to see more about them. It leaves you longing for more!! Happy ending, tragic ending, if the anime stays true to itself, the ending will just leave you wanting more. edit: I like an ending that stays true to the anime. But if I had to choose, I would have to say that I like a sad ending. If the ending makes me cry I know the anime was good because I really loved the characters. Sorry, I forgot to add that when I originally posted! My bad. :(

There have been some great couples already listed. Of those I agree with many of them. To add to the lists of couples I would have to say my personal favorites would be... -Rick and Lisa from Robotech. They are in that love triangle with Minmei, fight with the Zentraedi, watch friends die, travel through space...that is alot for a relationship to go through! I just can't help but support them getting together! -Hideki and Chii from Chobits. There isn't a girl sweet enough for Hideki. He is such a nice guy that it would take someone as sweet as Chii to love him. Another thing I love about this couple is they show us that love is blind. It doesn't matter who or what you are, you can be loved for being you. -Ryoga and Uchan from Ranma 1/2. I know, they are not official couple. But they just seem so cute together. Especially when they were in the "Tunnel of Lost Loves" episode. They just worked so well together against those evil spirits! -Kuno and Nabiki from Ranma 1/2. Yet another couple that isn't an offiical couple. Nabiki needs a guy who a)has lots of money, b)has lots of money, c)can put up with her using him and d)has lots of money. Plus, I think it is cute the way she calls him Kuno baby. That is all I can come up with at this time. :)

IRL I am a well liked person. In school I got along with everyone, never got picked on. That could also be because I knew most of my classmates from kindergarden AND they all knew I was a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do! I guess I would just be that person who didn't stick out in a crowd. Middle of the road is where I travel. Online. I think I am pretty much the same. I don't act any differently online than I do in real life. I know there are people who will put on a front when online because of the "safety" of being infront of a computer versus infront of a human being. I wouldn't say anything to hurt someone just to be mean. I am not that kind of person. I am in the same lot in my real life as my online life. Middle of the road, just one of the guys, part of the herd, yaada, yaada, yaada....you get the idea. My goal in life, on or offline, is to have fun, hang out with people who like the same things I do, and be myself. Whatever clique that puts me in, I will be happy since I am with people who are the same as me. Some people take things to seriously....who wants to hang with them? :p

No matter how old some people are, they will NEVER be mature. From what I have seen, I am one of the older members of this board. I am 28 and have always "seemed older" than I really am. I agree with many of the above posts that age and maturity do not go hand and hand. I have seen senior citizens who act more immature than a 2 year old throwing a tantrum in a toy store! I love anime, I am 28, does that make me immature? I don't think it does. There is a time and place for every action and response. If you can't tell how you are suppose to act in that situation then you are not mature.

Thanks for the great responses. :) I have quite a few friends who have found renewed interest in their art after watching anime. It is very inspiring to see such beautiful artwork such as Amano's work. I wish all the best to those of you who are working on your art talents. What about cosplayers? Whenever I go to cons I see people who do unbelievable costumes. Many made entirely from scratch. Now cosplayers are definately highly influenced by anime! Anyone know someone who has named a child after an anime character? One of my friends has a son named Goku (DBZ) and daughter named Miriya (Robotech). I would have to say naming your kids after anime characters would denote being highly influenced by anime.

How and what anime(s) have influenced your life choices? I believe that my love of Macross is what influenced me towards finding pilots very attractive. When I was younger I would watch Macross and be captivated by the idea of my "Knight in shining Valkyrie" swooping down to rescue me from danger. Just the way Hikaru would rescue Misa. For many years I wanted to join the military to be more like Misa and hopefully find the pilot of my dreams. Misa, besides getting her pilot was a very strong female character with a sucessful career. I loved seeing a female character that wasn't completely helpless and dependant on a man. I wanted to be that independant and successful in my career. I know, at times Misa did act a bit "weak", but that just made her more realistic. You can be strong, yet vulnerable. Luckly for me while going to college I met and fell in love with a student in the aviation program and didn't have to join the military to find my pilot! My friend Ron joined the Air Force because he was influenced by Macross. He loved planes and figured that the closest he would get to a Valkyrie would be to join the Air Force. Have any of you made decisions in your life because you were influenced by anime? Join the military? Learn a martial art? Or just want to become an animator to make your own anime? How and what anime(s) have influenced your life? Thanks for taking the time to respond. :)

If she truly is your friend you will talk to her before making any judgements. Rumors are a terrible thing and they spread like wildfire. Find out from your friend what is really going on. In her blog she may have made some comments that were off color in the heat of the moment. Being upset about her brother who was hurt in such a terrible way may have lead to a lapse of judgement. Be a friend and reach out to her to find out what is really going on. With the rumors flying around she probably needs a friend right now more than ever. Remember, rumors are just that, rumors. They are not the truth. Find out the truth before making any decisions. Best of luck to you and "Amy", I hope everything works out for the best. Panda

My hubby and I are going to stay in, order a pizza and watch anime. We don't need the jewerly/flower/candy/greeting card industries to tell us when to tell each other that we love each other. LOL Hope everyone has a very nice Valentine's Day! :D

I love coffee! I started really getting into it in college. Late night study groups at the local coffee house. I swear, I should have just put an IV in with coffee!! Black with sugar or any "fancy" coffee. I love Starbucks....I could just live there. Mocha! Mocha! Mocha!

Hot topic here. I am on alot of medications. I pay alot for my health insurance and have a co-pay for all my meds. At the begining of the month they (the pharmacy) had a computer glitch and it wasn't showing my insurance as being valid (something was wrong with the insurance company's computers). I would have to pay full price for my meds if I wanted them right away. The cheapest of the 8 meds I take is $50 for 30 pills! Needless to say I decided to wait until things got sorted out which was only a couple of days....but because I was off my meds getting back on them really made me sick...thus, missing a couple of days of work. It is terrible. I have to work so I can afford my insurance and meds, but without the meds I can't work so things like this really mess me up. (One of my meds is a chemo drug and that just is icky...and expensive.) I do believe people need to try to work to pay for their meds, but there should be some room for special cases. No one should have to go without meds.

Lots of terrible roomies listed, but I would have to say the top of my list would be Sumomo from Chobits. I am not a morning person and having her jumping around, being soooooo flippin' perky would drive me to kill!!!

Sanzo too weird?!?!? Ryu, how can you say that about MY Sanzo!?!?! ] I think Genjo Sanzo is a very strong character who has gone through a lot of trials in his life. He was abandoned by his parents and sent floating down the river, watched the one person he really cared about killed in front of him and is now on a mission from the Gods to "save the world". That is a heavy load to carry. I don't think he is weird, he just has alot of baggage to deal with.

Genjo Sanzo in Saiyuki. He is very confident and I find that very appealing. :D

I love Saiyuki! I am in the process of collecting all the DVD's and art books right now and will get the manga after that. If only I had more money! This is the very first anime in a long time that I couldn't wait for the next DVD to come out. I hadn't heard anything about the series until I saw it at the local video rental place. The cover art caught my eye and I decided to rent it to see what it was about. After that I was hooked! I have never been happier taking a chance on an unknown anime before in my life! I love the combination of the drama of all the characters' past and the humor. The way the characters interact is great. I think it was a very invent spin on the "Monkey King" tale. Genjo Sanzo... what a hottie! It's strange, I have never been a fan girl drooling over some anime guy, but I have made an exception for Sanzo. :love:

I really like the series. I have the first two DVD's and plan on getting them all. It is funny if you understand all the inside jokes...ie if you are otaku enough to know when they are spoofing something like the EVA jokes and Macross stuff. Plus, there is a panda that shows up in one of the episodes! LOL

My first "real" job was working as a cashier at a movie theater when I was 16. It was pretty good first job. I got free passes for my friends and family to watch movies, free soda and popcorn. Private screenings of movies before they opened to the public. I met the man who would later become my husband. I would have to say that my first job was pretty good. ^_^

You are all rookies when it comes to scars! Sooooo many scars.....soooooo many stories....where to begin?!?! Quick summary: When I was 2 I ran into a brick fireplace..with my head, got a nice scar right above my left eye. That made my family think I knocked my eye out since it was bleeding so much. Ran into the corner of a glass coffee table...with my head, got a nice scar on my chin. That bled alot too. Tons of bites and scratches from my work with animals at the vet clinic. But the best one: When I was three years old I stuck my right index finger in the gears of some farm equipment, mangled it (not to be too graphic), had to have it amputated. Have a large scar on my hand that runs from my wrist, across the top of my hand, down around the area where my index finger should be, down the palm of my hand to about the middle of my palm. Ok, all I can say is thank heaven that my dad had really good health insurance on me! lol Perhaps he should have kept me in a giant hampster ball...might have been safer that way. Now if someone starts a thread about broken bones....I have some stories there too! :P

I love Excel Saga! It has to be one of my favorites. Puuuuu chuuuuu! If you are otaku you will get most of the jokes in the series which is what makes it sooooo funny. If you don't watch alot of anime it may not be as funny. I love it and highly recommend it. I think Menchi is suppose to be a Pomeranian. They changed the name to Mince to be more like Mincemeat....so it would be more widely know that she is a food sorce. Elrick, my hubby would be sooo happy to hear you mention Dragon Half. He loves that anime. He thinks Mink is cute. LOL If you haven't seen Excel Saga....go now...watch it!!! Hail Illpalazo!!!!! Oh, and one of my favorite quotes from Excel Saga: "Look it's a Panda!" "Pandas are cute" "Pandas are black!" "No pandas are white!" "Pandas are black and white!"

Panda is my nickname. I love giant pandas...collect all things panda...so it kinda fits. ^_^

I would have to go with Nadesico out of the choices...of course it could just be in the mood I am in right now but the comedy in Nadesico I really enjoyed. But I do agree with many of the other posters here that Macross and Robotech should have been included for all of us old school anime fans. Robotech for me was the very first anime I saw in english. Other than that all the anime I had seen was in Japanese...so it kinda has a special place in my heart.

Panda! It has been my nickname for many years. I love giant pandas so my friends just call me Panda. ^_^ My hubby is a pilot and the other boys call him "Manslaughter". It's because they say after a long day of flying he always looked like he was ready to kill someone!

Name: Gail Age: 28 DOB: January 3, 1976 Location: Washington state, not DC One Word: Compassion No, seriously. Describe yourself in one word: Misunderstood Occupation: Office Manager and Vet Tech Color: Blue Food: Homemade Teriyaki Chicken Beverage: White Chocolate Lattes! Alter Ego: One of my other personalities. @_@ Dream Job: Lottery Winner/Billionaire Self-Proclaimed: Otaku Ethnicity: Japanese Extracurricular: Music Hobby: Searching for the best animes out there! Dessert: Mochi! Musician: Hmmm, don't have just one right now. Group: Same thing here, don't have just one. Mac or PC? Mac Nics: Panda, Panda-chan Blog: no Home Page: yes Religion: Christian Book: Geek Love Collections: All things dealing with giant pandas and anime Sport: Tae Kwon Do (3rd degree brown belt) Won't Eat: Raw Tuna TV Show: Right now Iron Chef! Words to live by: Be Yourself, who cares what others think as long as you are true to yourself. Addicted to: Anime, caring for my pets, and coffee. Comic: Calvin and Hobbes Movie: This changes all the time, but most classics I enjoy.