Sol-Blade

Update on the Russian hostage crisis: The crisis was brought to an end (a rather violent one) today. The terroists agreed to allow Russian soldiers to enter the building to (get this...) clean up the bodies of the dead. Well the soldiers entered the building, but their intentions were a little different. They immediately opened fire on the terroists, killing 4 of them and sent 11 on the run. The soldiers took over the building slowly and began to search every room for any terroists in hiding. The hostages were released (which was well over a 1000, contrary to what I had originally thought earlier). The death toll now totaled over 50 hostages, and some terrorists and a few injured Russian soldiers. I don't know the specifics (ie: children killed, adults killed) but I heard that they said it could have been much worse. Note: This info was from news I saw around 9am, it is now 3pm and I have not seen any news updates on this at all :rolleyes: . I don't know if they caught the rest of them or not.

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet']What about that school stand off/ hostage situation in Russia where they've already killed 7 kids. They finally let 31 women and children out today, but they still have hostages in side and people are still hearing shots fired. Anyone have a comment on that?[/color][/quote] From what i've heard so far: 15 men armed with fully-automatic assualt weapons stormed a Russian school at approx. 9am this Tues. (we, ie: Americans, learned of this crisis on Wed.). Some apparently have bombs strapped to their chests and are threating to kill over some 200+ students and 30+ adults (teachers and parents) for reasons unknown to me. I heard them say the Russian police think they are Czech rebels. I haven't heard of any demands or anything.

I thought the lyrics to Armageddon, of Evangelion were pretty interesting. Great song if you haven't heard it. The lyrics seem to deal with religion, prejudice, and other issues. I never really knew that until now. This is for the english verison of the song... [I]Armageddon[/I] by [U]Vox[/U] [I]-Lyrics from animelyrics.com-[/I] ------------------------- Verse 1: How many times must we start again The creation of the world from beginning to end What will it take before we learn We gotta wake up now 'n' show some concern What will the future hold How many untold stories will be told Just what will the future bring How many species of birds will have a song to sing Man 'n' man can't even get on 'N' man 'n' womans been at war for far too long Superior race all this black 'n' white vision Catholic. Muslim. There's too many religions Too much hatred too much greed Ignorant people pollute the air that we breathe We've gotta wake up now before it's much too late Hungry people need food on their plate People being killed for just a few pence Can you justify that 'cause it makes no sense to me You're growing up much too fast The destruction of mankind - how long will it last Verse 2: Perfect - that's what I'm striving to be The next best thing will do for me I do my best you disagree Holier - than - thou holier - than - me Commiting crimes with no remorse As good as gold now an evil force One word description is a dis You lick a boy down for his bag of cheese 'n' onion crisp And you don't even stop to think Whatever happened to the dinosaurs could make us all extinct I'm being judged by the clothes that I wear We gotta educate those with a grudge to bear But I'm content to a certain extent You're condemned for life it's too late to repent Inna - most beauty such a terrible waste Caught between a rock and a hard place. Verse 3: Be judged according to what you've done Live this life the next is a better one Eat the fruit from the tree of life 'Cause if you live by the sword... you'll die by the knife How great and wonderful are your days How right and true are your ways... No more death, grief, crying or pain 'Cause only the good things will remain... Heed my words 'cause what I'm saying is true Treat them exactly as they treated you - Wipe away the tears from your eyes Be proud, lift your head up - reach for the skys. Verse 4: Condemned for what you did to them Now see how quick they fall to worship him There's a place in my heart that makes me understand Prepared and ready like a bride dressed to meet her husband Treat life as a learning process I said turn right so you took a sharp left Wake up and we'll all sleep peacefully The sun shines but it still seems bleak to me You tell a lie and convince me it's the truth I'm well mannered yet you still call me uncouth I believe that there's got to be much more I hope I'm ready when death comes knockin' on my door Mabye tonight mabye as I sleep It can drive you mad if you think too deep But don't have a breakdown 'cause I called you a clown You threw a punch 'n' missed I killed you with a kiss What on earth will you do then The hour of your death amen 'N' all the prejudice that I've sustained I know it sounds funny but I just can't stand the pain Six foot below Reap what you sow Grim without grief Sad without sorrow ------------------------- [url]http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/eva/ngearm.htm[/url]

[QUOTE=EVA Unit 100]FUNimation: Cartoon Network Bandai: Cartoon Network Geneon: TechTV or Cartoon Network ADV Films: The Anime Network 4Kids: The FOXBox or Kids' WB, with optional cable airings on Cartoon Network Tokyopop: Showtime or Cartoon Network Viz: Cartoon Network Right Stuf: The Anime Network[/QUOTE] That seems about right. CN probably gets "[I]priority[/I]" over other networks because of it's popularity and exposure. TechTV is getting more popular (I think :rolleyes: ) and god knows how many people get the Anime Network... :D Im not really interested in One Piece so that isn't necessarly on my "To Watch!" list. Then again, I have never seen the show so I'll probably check that out. Anyone have the exact showtimes yet?

My god I saw that game...and it was definitely hard to watch. There should be a warning on all replays of that game: [CENTER][B][U]Warning![/U][/B] [/CENTER] [CENTER]What you are about to see is the worst baseball defeat of 2004![/CENTER] [CENTER]The following material may not be acceptable for [COLOR=Red]Yankee Fans![/COLOR] [/CENTER] [I][CENTER]Viewer discretion is advised![/CENTER][/I] I am not a Yankee fan, but I feel sorry for the Yankees, and the fans who watched that game.

I can't really say I've seen a show completely [I]REVOLVE[/I] around a Christian theme, but there have definitely been little pokes and jokes made about them in some shows. Some shows definitely take their humor (or seriousness...how ever you view it) to an extreme. [I]Trigun[/I] picked the entire premise apart basically...and with Wolfwood being a priest and all...there was definitely a message (A somewhat negative one IMHO...but funny never-the-less!) there. The entire issue im talking about can be found in the Trigun shrine, read all of it there. Im not going to link to it (You lazy bum) as it's on the same site. Really now...religion is great (But I am in no way a pieous person! :rolleyes: ). But I, personally, would perfer not to see it in a show. Good intentions or not, I don't care for it. Well that was my opinions on it anyways...

Personally, I thought Clerks was a great movie and the series was pretty funny. Then again, I saw the movie Jersey Girl and lost faith in Kevin Smith. So I'll be a little skeptical about this next movie. Hope he get his comedic touch back...that he lost ever so long ago! :D

[SIZE=-3]1. What was the first anime movie, series or OVA you ever watched? 2. Do you feel that time has made you more picky about the titles which you like and/or choose to buy? 3. If you had watched some of your current favorite shows when you first got into anime, would you have been able to appreciate them as much as you do now?[/SIZE] [B][SIZE=3]Well...[/SIZE][/B] 1. It was back around in 94-95, I first saw DBZ (not on CN yet) and was hooked into it. The show just oozed style. I wanted more so I began to watch other shows, and thus, this is how I came to be the fanatic :wigout: I am today. 2. Not so much really, It really depended on if the shows sat well with my tastes which, I can safely say, have remained the same for almost a decade. So im not picky at all when going through shows of different genres. Unless the show is [I]too familar[/I]...read my third answer to get what I mean... 3. Actually, if anything, I would compare NEW shows to the OLD ones. I think I can't appreciate a new show if it doesn't really bring anything new to the table, like original music, story, characters, and so on. This seems to be something that plagues a few shows. I mean the whole "[I]Space Outlaw/Freelancer/Bounty Hunter/Hero/Loner[/I]" character is cool and all...but I have seen it done so many times. Cowboy Bebop (not saying it invented it but just using an example) did all that and it did it [I]well[/I]. It practically rewrote new standards for ALL shows. Shows that take on a more [I]fantasy/magical[/I] approach are awesome. They can be some of the most creative shows...when they actually have put some effort into it. How many shows really seem different from any others? After awhile, some of those shows seem to blend together, whether it be the same old guy out to save the world/girl/whatever...or another main character falling in love with another main character...it gets redundant after awhile, and you can almost [I]expect[/I] what is going happen next in shows you have never even seen before. Some shows take the easy way out and copy another show's whole concept and premise and just change a few details here and there, like names and so on. It's hard (IMHO) to find original content these days... :( Basically, what im trying to say is: [COLOR=DarkRed]~Im tired of shows ripping off old concepts and (for lack of a better word) sucking at it. Stop taking the easy way out!~[/COLOR] :mad:

I guess we can expect to see some new shows hitting the [as] lineup around spring time. I know that they are going to air Full Metal Alchemist soon along with Ghost in the Shell. It's nice to see the line-up being refreshed every once in awhile... Sorry but the Cowboy Bebop and Trigun (no matter how good they are) reruns are getting old. Something good to look forward too though. :D

I was originally going to say I started watching anime when I was about 12-13 around when DBZ hit the U.S. but if I were to count the Thundercats then I would say around or about 5-6 'ish. Went to my first anime convention when I was only 12.

Okay, sorry to bring this thread up from so far back...but I have two questions about the show. 1. Does anyone know who sings the ending song of Wolf's Rain? You know, "Gravity"? I have to soundtrack to the show but when you look at the credits...it doesn't say who sings the song "Gravity"!? So, do any of you know? She sounds like the girl, Maaya Sakamoto, in the song "Tell me what the Rain knows", another great song in the show. Or is it Yoko Canno? 2. Is it true that the series's length is 29 episodes but only 25 are going to be aired because 4 of them are somekind repeat of the eariler episodes (or something like that)? Any answers are appreciated!

Yes, I too saw the movie. It was really great. You have to admit, Quentin has an eye for martial arts(or was the director Zhang Yimou? Im confused on that one). I really enjoyed the Kill Bill movies, I thought of them as a throwback to the old kung-fu movies. Anyways, on to Hero. First off, if there is ONE thing that I hated about the movie, it was the length. A little short IMO, just about an hour-and-a-half. I expected a little more...but the fighting was slick and stylish, and the color scheme that changed everytime he went into a different tale was a well-executed concept. Also, I thought it was a great idea to sub it, not dub it. God knows what the hell would have happened then... :rolleyes: [B]Question[/B]: Who played Moon? Nameless - Jet Li King of Qin - Chen Daoming Broken Sword - Tony Leung Chiu-wai (or Chuiwai or something like that) Sky - Donnie Yen Flying Snow - Maggie Cheung Moon - ??? Who is it? I don't recognize that person...

[quote name='Dagger IX1']It's been nearly ten years since then, and I was wondering whether anyone besides me thinks that CN still might benefit from airing family-friendly (and preferably not butchered) shoujo. Supposing they were marketed toward the right audience, anime like Full Moon wo Sagashite could potentially be huge.[/quote] Interesting idea, I like to see that. But who can really say if it would succeed or not? CN has aired some shows that completely OWNED the ratings, while others bombed horribly. Usually once in awhile, they will get a hit-show on their hands. Whether it is a awesome show (like Trigun or Gundam), or a completely crap one (read: Pokemon), is what is seems to get me the most. You have to remember though, CN is a network, and ratings matter to them. They could air the best show of all time, and if the ratings flop, you can kiss that show goodbye. Sadly, I feel this is the case with Case Closed. :confused: The ratings seemed okay by FUNi but [as] is sort of on the verge of pulling the plug. I hope not. I really hope not.

I personally got a kick out of the whole story (The painting being stolen). I can't believe that the crooks got away with it, they spent at least 10 minutes trying to get it off the walls, according to an witness. She said that ultra-thin, clear, super durable filament that was used to hang the painting was built (for lack of a better word) into the wall. They had to repeatedly yank the painting over and over to get it to finally come loose, around 10 mins later. And all the while, people just stood by. Was there not security there? I mean there was ample time to go out and grab someone. They said the police weren't even notified until [I]after[/I] the robbers had gotten away. And best of all, they said the guys walked right out of the building, put the painting in their car, and drove off...again...with people just watching, not doing anything. I've heard the museum's owners say that they don't think that they will end up trying to sell it, since that would be way to obvious.

Ranma 1/2 on Cartoon Network? Im a little skeptical about that...I thought they would never be able to get that past FCC. Yeah, I could see how it might not be considered "adult" material, but things like having Ranma-chan/Ranko-chan often completely naked in the series don't really sit well with them. As for it ever getting on [adult swim]... Ramna 1/2 is on their "[B]Don't bother to ask[/B]" list. They won't say (offically) why they doubtful they'll get it. But it seems that everyone at the [adult swim] boards is putting their money on the nudity. :D

[quote name='Sol-Blade']I heard that the English are very, very protective of...well...books in general.[/quote] Sorry if you were offended by that...but that's why I put I [I]heard[/I]. Not anything like: [I]I know[/I], or [I]I've seen for a fact[/I].

As far as storylines go, the ones that really made me scratch my head were probably Suikoden I, FFTA, FF IX and Dark Cloud(the whole series). I would go through trying to piece together what I could of the storyline...and in the end came up with makeshift summary of what I "thought" just happened. A personal pet-peeve of mine is when the main male and female leads fall in love with each other. It happens WAY too often. Mostly in the Final Fantasy series. First we had Cloud and Tifa (Well it wasn't offical but rather obvious.), then Squall and Rinoa([spoiler]I thought it was rather funny when Squall realized he actually loved her AFTER she goes into her coma-like state.[/spoiler]), and we had Tidus and Yuna with FFX. I can't comment on FF IX since I couldn't even figure out wtf was going on. I got lost after I first saw Zidane.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (the game) looks to be coming along nicely. [url]http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/ghostintheshellstandalonecomplex/preview_6097868.html[/url] Seems to blend run n' gun action with a bit of platforming. And its been spectualated that maybe even a little vehicular combat might be integrated. Multiplayer is still up in the air...sure you have your standard 4-person Deathmatch. But that seems to be all the game offers, as of right now. Has a release date of Oct.25. Still quite a ways away...

Interesting story. Abit strange...but interesting. Maybe it is a difference of cultures. Different standards and practices.

[I][CENTER]*sarcasm*[/CENTER][/I] Oh yeah everyone cries when [spoiler]Emma, the little girl kicked the bucket[/spoiler]... But did anyone shed tears when [spoiler]Olga got a slug in her head and died near the end of the game[/spoiler]? Uh huh...thought so. :mad: Sometimes people make me sick. [I][CENTER]*end of sarcasm*[/CENTER][/I]

Anime, to me, has always seemed to devulge me into a world of creativity. Whether its my fine appreciation for great artwork, or just a really great story, anime has always captivated me. I love how certain shows can almost completely grasp an entire lifestyle, make you feel understand what a fanstasy life could be like without actually being there. I would probably say Cowboy Bebop pulled off this "Down-to-Earth" feel with the show. Akira sort of did this to me also. Then again...its probably just that mainstream viewer talking in me. There are a few shows I don't like. Yes, you read that right. [I]Don't. Like.[/I] More than anything its probably because I can't get in to the show's mood or storyline. But I can say that I really enjoy watching new shows just to admire the artwork. Even if I don't like it. From the totally cartoonish-cute animes, to the gruff-gritty and dirty maturer animes, I will always like anime. ;)

I heard an interesting rumor on an episode of Pulse on G4(or G4-TechTV, or whatever its called now). They said Konami had plans for yet another ZoE game... Title in progress: [I]Zone of the Enders: The Ultimate Frame[/I] Now I highly doubted this. I really don't know how they could make a third installment. The first ZoE had a sequel coming, since you know in the end [spoiler]Anubis escaped from you and you heard Jehuty had another purpose which was to destroy the fortress Aumaan[/spoiler] and thus we got ZoE: The 2nd Runner and that ended the saga I figured because [spoiler]well...you destroyed Anubis and the compound Aumaan in the game[/spoiler]. So I can't possibly see how the storyline would ever pick-up from there. I searched a little deeper into this and saw no mention of a new ZoE game in the works or even mentioned at all at Konami's website. Have any of you heard of such a rumor?

I would probably go with the 80's anime, but I never really got interested in anime at all until around the mid 90's. I have watched the old (but good!) series Akira and Macross. I think though that anime in the US really hit it's peak around the 90's.

Does anyone know if AS is going to be getting any new episodes of Case Closed (or Detective Boy Conan, however you know it by) soon? FUNi seems to be pleased with the ratings, calling them a success. But then again...they called Blue Gender a success so I don't know bout that one. Since we have entered re-run hell, I figured they might nab another 52 episodes by the time Fall came around. I think I heard that the series is now around 300+ episodes in Japan...you might need to correct me on that.

What are your opinions? I have all the soundtracks for FF 7~10-2 and have played the HELL out of them. To anyone who has listened to them (or just hummed along to the tunes in-game...YOU KNOW YOU DID! :D ) which game had the best composed music? My choice: Final Fantasy X Although my personal fav is Faye Wong's [I]Eyes On Me[/I] from FF VIII. An interesting side note...I didn't even know One-Winged-Angel (the song during the fight with Safer Sephiroth near the end of FF VII...you know the angel) had lyrics to it! Well actually...to be honest it is in Latin but I was able to find a translated version. Interesting lyrics... Key:English/Latin ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Burning inside with violence and anger/Estuans interius ira vehementi Burning inside with violence and anger/Estuans interius ira vehementi Sephiroth/Sephiroth Sephiroth/Sephiroth Burning inside with violence and anger/Estuans interius ira vehementi Burning inside with violence and anger/Estuans interius ira vehementi Sephiroth/Sephiroth Sephiroth/Sephiroth Fate -- Monstrous and empty/Sors immanis et inanis Fate -- Monstrous and empty/Sors immanis et inanis Burning inside with violence and anger/Estuans interius ira vehementi Burning inside with violence and anger/Estuans interius ira vehementi Sephiroth/Sephiroth Sephiroth/Sephiroth (Lower voice part,x4) Come, come oh come, do not let me die/Veni, veni, venias ne me mori facias (Higher voice part, x4) The winged-one of the lower reaches/Haryuu no hanekata (Lower voice part,x4) Come, come oh come, do not let me die/Veni, veni, venias ne me mori facias Sephiroth/Sephiroth Sephiroth/Sephiroth ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [color=#4B0082]Since there are already way too many FF favorite threads, I'm just going to merge this with the "Favorite Game Music" thread, which covers any and all video game music. - [i]Desbreko[/i][/color]