QuincyArcher

I just finished the series. without even realizing it i watched episodes 4 through 13 without even stopping. But i loved every minute of it and eagerly await for ADV to release the DVDs. I especially loved the last episode [spoiler]when Kuruma said "that's my daughter" i was almost certain he was referring to Lucy, and when it ended up being Mariko i was blown away (i also thought Mariko was going to kill him) it was kind of a touching ending. I also really liked the closure between Kouta and Lucy and i really think she was the one behind the door at the end ;) [/spoiler] with all that being said, i hope there is a second season. there was enough left open to give them room for a second season anyway (imo).

wait wait wait... first you say: [QUOTE=James] It's okay; marginally okay. It's an obvious rip-off of Ring. [/quote] And then you go on to say: [QUOTE=James] And don't even start comparing the American Grudge with the American Ring -- there is no comparison, lol. The Ring had a significantly different plot. [/quote] so you're saying it's an obvious ripoff, yet its completely different? or are you saying it's a ripoff because there's a slight correlation between the ghost woman in the Grudge with the zombie ghost girl in The Ring (was the ring the first movie to come up with the concept of ghosts?) get serious man. and whats wrong wtih comparing a horror movie with a horror movie? I guess i shouldn't go comparing Rice Crispies with Crispy Rice then either huh? i might end up offending a dedicated cereal fanatic. All that aside, I don't know the Ring really didn't do anything for me (except Naomi Watts *drool*) neither did 28 Days Later. But for me The Grudge was amazing and the first movie to actually scare me in years. So i guess we'll just have to let Mr. W00t,iM uNbAnNd decide for himself ne?

my suggestion would be to start small. Start with an ebay store or a website. if that goes well move up. My best friend is 19 years old and he started a business selling LEDs through ebay. he did so well with that, that he moved up and created a website and started selling them there. The website that he made is Lsdiodes.com he even turned it into a completely legitimate business and pays income taxes and everything. And though i wont say how much he makes a year, i'll tell you that its more than me and my parents make combined. hes supporting his family with it [I]and[/I] putting himself through college! at the age of 19!!

Favorite bands eh? don't get me started on this topic.... i'll try to be brief anyway. #5) [B]Menomena[/B] Local band from my hometown, first heard of them when they were the opening band at a concert i went to a while ago, their performance was so amazing that i even forgot who it was that they opened for. [B]Recommended songs:[/B] Cough Coughing, E. Is Stable, Trigga Hiccups, The Monkey's Back. #4) [B]Mogwai[/B] Very mellow rock band, they use very little to no vocals at all and are purely electric guitar & drums with some synth. Excellent music for falling asleep to or just wanting to relax to. [B]Recommended songs:[/B] Burn Girl Prom Queen, Close Encounters, Ex-Cowboy, Stanley Kubrick #3) [B]Minus The Bear[/B] Was introduced to this band fairly recently, unlike the first two, this is a fairly upbeat pop/rock band that probably has the most original sound and best use of electric guitar that i've heard (aside from my #1 band) [B]Recommended songs:[/B] Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister, Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!, Hey Wanna Throw Up? #2) [B]Stereolab[/B] This band is the best thing to come out of France since..... well this band is the best thing to come out of France ever to put it bluntly. Its hard to label Stereolab under any genre because once you think you've got them tagged, you here another song that completely blows you away. But for the most part I guess they fall under the catagories of Techno/Electronica/Pop/Rock/Soft Rock. [B]Recommended Songs:[/B] Cybele's Reverie (my all time favorite song), Captain Easychord, Hallucinex, Tickertape of the Unconscious, Too many songs too name... #1) [B]Radiohead[/B] [Quote]Originally Posted by [B]Mitch[/B] : If you're a fan of the band, then you know what I feel. I've listened to pretty much every song of theirs, and like each one in its own way.[/Quote] Couldn't have said it better myself, ever since the release of [I]The Bends[/I] back in '95 i've been madly in love with Radiohead, the first song I ever heard by Radiohead was 'Just (You Do It To Yourself)' off that album and when i heard that song i had to track down that band and buy the album. Every single one of their albums is superb with it's own unique style and sound. Every single one of their songs is amazing and obviously born from extremely deep thoughts and raw emotions... unlike most of the cookie cutter/assembly line/mass produced punk, rap/rock, heavy metal/hate rock bands i see so many of and hear so many of these days. Radiohead is easily the greatest band of all time. period. [B]Recommended songs:[/B] Radiohead has no bad songs, i recommend them all.

I rented it the other night and honestly i loved the movie so much that i went out and bought it. Like The Ring, The Grudge is actually a remake of japanese horror movie called 'Ju-On'. but the main difference between The Ring and The Grudge is that for the Grudge, They actually brought on the original Japanese Director from Ju-On (Takashi Shimizu) to direct this film and 'americanize' it in a sense. In fact, aside from the core actors/actresses, the entire production staff of this movie was japanese and it was filmed entirely in japan. So you tend to get a real sense of authenticity when watching rather than feeling its some sloppy remake exploiting a decent foreign license (like the Ring). Getting to the actual content of the movie, this is not a blood and gore horror movie, its actually even rated PG-13, but i really wouldnt suggest it to anyone under 18-19. I've seen nearly every horror movie out there and none of them are really able to scare me at all, and going into this movie not expecting much it literally scared the pants off me. Rather than using over-the-top special effects, blood/gore or jump tactics like most american made horror flicks, The Grudge uses more psychological horror that just makes you feel uneasy throughout the entire film and it makes it much more suspenseful in my opinion. [spoiler]the stairwell scene in the office complex in this movie was probably one of the best scenes i have ever seen in a horror movie[/spoiler] anyways, i would highly recommend this movie if you're looking for a good horror flick. anyone who says it was boring or not scary is either lying or had their eyes closed throughout the movie.

I live in Portland, OR. and although there is really no major history behind this town, probably one of the best things about portland is.... nothing happens here. Portland has a realy Big City/Metropolitan feel to it, but since nothing really momentous happens here (no major crimes, no natuaral disaters, fairly consistant weather) it also has a nice small town/homely feel to it. One of the only real recreational things to do in portland though, is to go to concerts. so if you're gonna live in portland i hope you like music because theres not much else to do around here. During the summer me and my circle of friends go to concerts on a weekly basis. Plus portland is home to one of my favorite bands, Menomena

I just watched the first 2 episodes of this series and i have to say that im floored by it. Although the first episode was a bit more gruesome than i was expecting, it appears to be a great series with a very interesting and original plotline going for it. Although Nyuu (or Lucy is her real name i guess) really reminded me of Chii from Chobits, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. I heard that this series was licensed by ADV? have they announced anything about the release of the first volume yet? Im dying to get my hands on this one.

Im really not sure anything will come out of this joint venture for a international anime, and i think many of the reasons for it relate back to this thread: [url]http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=45135[/url] if its an anime with an american target audience in mind i don't think the end product will be the same or as good. There are a lot of common things in anime that just wouldn't fly in america and visa versa for american animation in japan, so the end result just may be kind of awkward.

Im half Japanese, half English. my mom was born and raised in Japan and moved to america when she married my dad, who was from Georgia attending college as an exchange student in Japan. 20 years later you have me living here in Portland, OR. My dad left my mom when i was 5 and i really dont care for my English blood so i consider myself full japanese and i intend on taking my mom's maiden name once i turn 21 (next year). I have been to Tokyo several times and i love it there, everything about the city is amazing from the culture to the city itself. and i hope to live out there some day after i graduate from college.

Hmmm.. for most romantic scenes, I would have to say most of episode 3 of Ai Yori Aoshi was really good. Probably the best part though, was when Aoi is forced to return home with Miyabi, but Aoi runs away from her and Kaoru runs to the train station through the rain to meet her once again. Another one would have to be the last episode of Chobits. [spoiler] when Chii's body is taken over by Freya, and Hideki is able to bring Chii back by explaining to her his idea of the true meaning of love. [/spoiler]

I was watching this series a couple months back when [a-s] was doing subs for it, i got up to episode 21 and then it seemed like [a-s] vanished into thin air. I had pretty much forgotten about this series up until now, has the series been licensed? I'd really like to see the last 3 episodes.

If you're gonna be in the Tokyo area i wouldnt highly suggest visiting Akihabara (the electronic district) at least once, my god was that place amazing. Also if you're a fan of Miyazaki's work (Totoro, Spirited Away, etc) you should visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. As for restaurants, these are kinda fast food places but i went to Mr. Donut pratically every morning for breakfast. Mos Burger was a really good burger joint, they're all over the place. And if you want some really good Japanese Curry, Ichi-ban-kan was the best i've ever had in my life, i think its in the Shinjuku area. and of course, if you're over 18, don't forget to hit the Pachinko parlors ;)

I really dont have any single genre or 'storyline style' that i would call my favorite. I like various series' from almost every genre and there are also series' from each genre that i don't like. For instance there are some of Sci-fi animes that i really enjoy, like Neon Genesis, FLCL, Last Exile, Cowboy Bebop. But there are others in the same catagory that i really didn't like, Most of the Gundam series' didn't appeal to me, and i heard a lot of good things about Kiddy Grade but i couldnt even finish the first episode. same thing with the .hack series. But if i had to pick a single genre, i guess i would go more with the romance/comedy genre. Maybe I'm just a softy, but i like animes with lighthearted themes and good laughs. everything from Azumanga Daioh & Mahoromatic to Chobits & Ai Yori Aoshi.

i remember the first system i ever had was the Turbo Graphix 16, played Bonk 1, 2 & 3 countless times, that was a great platformer. Then i got a Super Nes many years later and the RPGs on that console turned me into the gamer that I am today. Chrono Trigger, FFVI, Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG. all great games that i played through many times.

i think the main difference between American and Japanese animation is that in america there are many censorship laws, guidelines and standards for everything that airs on TV as well as in theaters and also for what is released on dvd/video. In america they are constantly having to worry about political correctness and whether it is suitable for all ages. Where as in Japan, the standards aren't nearly as strict as they are here in america. sex, nudity, violence, religious themes and language are much more 'accepted' (for lack of a better word) in japan than they are here and that allows much more flexibility for anime producers, and (IMO) creates and much more entertaining show.

the game could be kicking around a bucket, but if it had the most amazing graphics and physics i've ever seen. i would choose it over the game with the with the story and the gameplay. Thank god Half-life 2 is the best of both worlds

[quote name='Morpheus'] The XBox is a commercial failure and the new xbox will cost at least $700[/quote] I dunno man, if anything the gamecube is a commercial failure. it has sold the least out of the 3 consoles and it relies completely on it's first-party titles (i.e. Mario, Zelda & Metroid) good third-party titles on the gamecube are few and far between. Microsoft may be loosing money on each console they make, but what they loose on the console production they make up for it in publishing, licensing and xbox live subscriptions. Whether you want to believe it or not Halo 2 was the best selling game this year, even the 3-year-old original Halo was #9 in the top 10, but not a single GC game made the top 10 in sales this year. Also in regards to the xbox costing over $700, i understand you were exaggerating, but no console has ever cost more than $300 brand new and i don't think either sony, microsoft or nintendo is stupid enough to make that move now, it would just be bad marketing. although i do think multiple versions of a console, low end costing less and a high end version costing more, is entirely possible. I loved nintendo growing up, i grew up on the original Nintendo, then the Snes (still the greatest console of all time), the N64 was alright, but then the GC was utterly horrible. They design it with a target audience of 10-15 years old (in both hardware and software, i mean come on.... a purple console?!) and the only thing holding nintendo together these days is Pokemon/Gameboy sales.

I would have to say my favorite voice actor is Kawasumi Ayako (Mahoro from [B]Mahoromatic[/B], Aoi from [B]Ai Yori Aoshi[/B], Fuu from [B]Samurai Champloo[/B], Miharu from [B]Girls Bravo[/B] and many others) she has a very smooth, somewhat high-pitched voice and can play a vast variety of characters very well. Matsuoka Yuki is another great Seiyuu (Osaka from [B]Azumanga Daioh[/B], Nana from [B]Elfen Lied[/B], Risa from [B]Girls Bravo[/B] and Kuriko from [B]Maburaho[/B]) she plays her characters so well that its hard to tell that it is in fact her doing the Seiyuu for all the other characters. As for music in anime, Orange Range doing the opeing theme for [B]Bleach[/B] was really good. I also really liked both the opening and closing themes for [B]School Rumble [/B] (I had the opening theme from this one stuck in my head for weeks.)

i actually saw Vampire Hunter D a couple years ago. Me and a few friends rented it from blockbuster so theres a good chance you'll find it there. It was an ok show, not bad but not great either. Dont really remember what happened at the very end and i wouldnt want to spoil it anyway.

Just picked up my copy last night. the artbox is probably one of the best looking ones that i've seen, and the artwork on the dvd case is really cool. Theres not much for extra's on the dvd aside from trailers, but i really don't care for extras anyway. The bandana is pretty cool too.... but yellow.... i was kinda hoping it would be red to match the box. Overall it's an excellent package and on top of that, i was able to get it for $19.99 at my local Suncoast :D

I would have to say my 3 favorite developers would have to be Konami, Valve and Square Enix. First off Konami, because the Metal Gear & Silent Hill series' are my two favorite game series' (except for Silent Hill 4) Both Hideo Kojima and Akira Yamaoka are hands down the greatest game developers of our time (imo). Secondly, Valve because they have revolutionized the FPS genre not once, but twice with HL and HL2. And Lastly Square Enix because they set the standards for all other console RPGs, and even the worst RPGs that come out of Square (ffviii) are better than the best that other companies have to offer.

hmmm like my anime collection, my manga collection is small but growing rapidly. heres what i have so far: .Hack //Legend of the Twilight - vol. 1&2 (never got around to reading it :D ) Azumanga Daioh - vol. 1-4 (very funny, but the anime is better imo) Bleach (English) - vol. 1-4 (already read through the japanese versions, but i just had to have them) Bleach (Japanese) - vol. 1-15 (Still the best series i've ever read) Chobits - vol. 1-8 (loved it, very cute series, have read it several times through) FLCL - vol. 1&2 (very far out, great series if kinda short lived) Love Hina - vol. 1-9 (still trying to collect the rest of the series, but kinda embarrasing to buy...) Negima! - vol. 1-4 (a lot of similarites to Love Hina but still pretty good) Neon Genesis Evangelion - vol. 1-3 (just started buying this one recently, heard its very different from the anime)

This thread just reminded me of a bunch of old animes that i used to watch when i was growing up. back in the mid-late 80s my grandpa would tape animes that aired on Japanese TV back then and he would mail them to me here in America. stuff like: Doraimon (i guess not all that rare) Anpan-Man (still pretty popular with little kids in japan) Ge Ge Ge (i'll bet no one has heard of that one) there are a few others but i have no idea what the hell the names of them are. he would also send me tapes of really old-school dragonball, but everyone knows what that is nowadays.

i used to skate through junior high & highschool, and i used to be pretty good. but after college started, skating sorta took the back seat and i havent done it in over a year. maybe i should get back into it...

you're going to have to be a little more specific, and maybe speak a bit more clearly too... i've played through all 4 Silent Hill games, several times, and i have no idea which one you are referring to. but for help with games, i would suggest going to the Gamefaqs.com forums