Raiyuu

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]It's set in France during the reign of Louis XV (or Louis Thereabouts, anyway). But it's got zombies, alchemy, secret organisations, conspiracies and a conveniently effeminate lead character possessed by the wandering soul of his sister! Not your average period drama. I needed a decent supernatural epic to fill the void left by [i]Blood+[/i] and this pretty much fits the bill. Basic plot: D'Eon de Beaumont is a French knight, and we join him just as his sister, Lia, washes up on the banks of the Seine, dead, pumped full of mercury and floating in a coffin with the word "Psalms" written on the lid in blood. It becomes clear quite quickly that Lia was involved in some huge conspiracy, which presumably has something to do with the mercury-filled zombie "Gargoyles" that keep trying to kill D'Eon and company. The first episode moved a little quickly for my taste - Production IG had clearly decided on the ending cliffhanger, and rushed a little to get there in 25 minutes. And some of the characters seem a little underdeveloped, but I'm only six episodes in - and it's certainly good fun, with some excellent imagery and good creepy villainy. It's not afraid to be brutal or macabre, which is a plus point in my book. And the swordfighting choreography is quite pretty most of the time. This is up there with the [i]Death Note[/i] TV as one of my favourites of the new season. What about the rest of you?[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]I haven't felt the need to do this for a while... [color=red]The quality in this thread is dropping! The three posts above this one are all lacking in basic capitalisation [b]at least[/b]. As stated in [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]THE RULES[/u][/URL], we at OtakuBoards like to be able to read your posts without squinting, thinking too hard or saying "whut?", and you can help us by using proper spelling, punctuation (including appropriate Caps) and grammar. Cut out the abbrev. like "u" and "ppl". Do all this stuff and then maybe our members will respect your opinion, instead of saying "yeck, n00b post" and skimming past without reading it, which is (I guarantee) what's happening now. Shape up or ship out, bad quality posters![/color] NB - Further poor quality posts will be deleted without warning, and offending members may be recommended for a ban. You have been warned.[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Hey, here I am modding a thread about New York and [i]Englishman in New York[/i] by The Police pops up on my mp3 player random playlist. Funny thing, coincidence, isn't it?[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]I don't go out of my way with costumes - just cobble them together from whatever I've got around the place. So this year I'm planning a sort of [i]Punk Grim Reaper[/i] deal. All in black - black T-shirt, black jeans, long black coat - with silver death's-head jewellery (pendant and belt buckle, if possible) sunglasses and a scythe. And I'll point out to people that the cloak and skeleton dealie is so fourteenth-century, so impersonal, and that people these days demand an approachable face - they demand [i]customer service,[/i] man.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Unfortunately, I think of food poisoning. I've been to New York City once, for five days, and spent three of those days laid up in my Helmsley hotel room with salmonella or similar. I blame bagels. Bread should not be that shiny, it's unnatural.[/FONT]

[font=trebuchet ms]Gender separation in school stunts you socially in later life. That's speaking from first-hand experience. It just isn't productive in the long run.[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]There's already a thread on Hallowe'en in general, and I don't think this topic is different enough from what's being discussed there to warrant a separate thread. Merged.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]I'd move this to Suggestions & Feedback like Dodeca suggested, but instead I'm going to lock it, because if I moved it it'd just get locked there, and I like to be efficient like that. Here's why it's getting locked. Listen carefully! 1) Triple post. inuyashaXDkiss, please read the [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/rules.php?][u]Rules.[/u][/URL] You'll notice posting straight after yourself ('double posting') is against the rules! Don't do it, please. And in answer to your question, the reason no one replied is because you only left 15 minutes. It's a message board, not a chat room! Be patient! 2) Bad quality. Again, in the Rules, you'll notice we have policies on post quality, meaning we demand proper use of capitalisation (which you didn't do), spelling and grammar (which are poor in your case). Improve, abide by the rules, and re-post in Suggestions & Feedback. And when you do, make it clear what you're asking. I've no idea, from your first post, what the problem is. What are you trying to do with your signature? Turn it on? Put links in it? Add pictures? Let us know and we'll try and help. [b]Thread locked.[/b][/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Sorry, we don't have an AMV section here or on myOtaku. Try signing up at [url]www.tokyopop.com[/url] if you want to share with lots of other anime fans - it's all the same coding as mySpace, but they have sections for uploading your videos (as well as fanfiction, original manga, blogging, etc).[/FONT]

[quote name='Sandy']*has been planning to make a photocomic of the figurines*[/quote][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Please don't. Every time you post a photocomic, an angel loses its wings. Seriously. They just fall out of the sky. Sometimes ... sometimes they fall onto church spires ... imagine the irony. Just remembered! I have a [url=http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/12/12074.jpg][u]Cowboy Bebop branded Zippo lighter[/u][/url]. I don't smoke, I use it light my wicks when I go [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_dancing][u]fire twirling[/u][/URL], and also if I'm sitting at a bar and someone asks 'do you have a light' I can flick it out and light them up, eyes still on my double Scotch on the rocks... Okay, that's never happened, but I'm sure it'd be a good way to make new friends...?[/FONT]

[quote name='Adahn']I'll use a metaphor to describe what you've done with the above statement. You squatted over the floor, and emptied your bowels upon it. You then proceeded to argue with your new creation, and found something flawed in its argument. The next time you pull something it out of your ***, please don't hold it out to me and say, "Here, this is yours."[/quote][FONT=Trebuchet MS]That was an image I think we could [b]all[/b] have done without. Besides, historically, using analogies and metaphors in OB debates always ends in confusion, misunderstandings, endless clarifications, and eventually tears and tantrums. I think it comes down to this: cosmetic surgery for non-reconstructive purposes is not something I necessarily agree with, and it's certainly not something I'd ever consider doing to myself; looking objectively, however, I can empathise with the reasoning behind it, which allows me not to get judgey with people. There's a marked change in the wind coming anyway, at least in the UK. Models whose Body Mass Index is below World Health Organisation standards are being banned from catwalks; a recent survey showed that 'normal, healthy-looking models' are actually more effective at selling products. People seem to have noticed that filling magazines with unnatural beauty gained through excessive dieting or surgery is detrimental to public body image - and that rake-thin-with-botox-frozen-face is totally last year, and not attractive in the least.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Yes. Disappointing third episode. There are some nice visual images and concepts in the show as a whole, but it's got repetitive by episode three. Pull your socks up, Gonzo. I know you can do better than this. At least there wasn't a tank in this episode.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Where can you find the novels in English? Since watching the series I've been interested in reading them, but I've tried Amazon and drawn a blank.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]F*head, you just made my day. One more to add: - Every time Randall shrugs off something that would blow a normal human into bite-sized meaty chunks, take a sip.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Having now seen episode two, I am a little worried that they're going to meet a crazy tank-toting ex-military type every episode, and Randall's just going to [spoiler]turn on his lantern, defeat it[/spoiler] and learn a new lesson about living in peacetime each week. I'll reserve judgement until the larger story arc (assuming there is one) starts showing through. There have been hints that the higher echelons of the military see the Scissors as more of a [spoiler]face-saving propaganda unit than actual war relief[/spoiler], which may have a larger bearing on later episodes.[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms]I lose myself in a book. Pratchett and Gaiman's collaboration [i]Good Omens[/i] is my go-to volume when I'm in need of a release, but anything will do as long as it gets my mind out of the world I'm actually in. Dare I be the first to say it...? Yes, anime and manga are useful releases. An episode of something light-hearted like [i]Haruhi Suzumiya[/i] can really lift my spirits - especially the ENOZ episode - or I'll pick up [i]Bleach[/i] and read one of the really stellar fight scenes. Non-Japanese art is also good, obviously. An episode of [i]Farscape,[/i] Zach Braff's [i]Garden State,[/i] Ben Stiller's [i]Mystery Men...[/i] or a meal out with friends. I think that last is probably the most effective, if I'm feeling particularly down about something, but if it's just a getaway I'm looking for then books are the way to go.[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]Mm-hmm, Ouzo's nice with black coffee, as I've learned on holidays in Greece. I couldn't drink a lot of either, though. I tend to go for spirits over beer, and try to avoid lager (it's beer for wimps!). Southern Comfort is good - sweet, and not as harsh and choking as proper whiskey. Though once I'm already drunk, a couple of Jack Daniels' are a good end-of-evening, farewell-inhibitions kind of drink.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]I adore the atmospherics. The creepy incidental music, the [spoiler]thunderstorm when Ryuk shows up, and yes, the writing scene[/spoiler]. The anime's added a whole new level of uncomfortable spookiness I just didn't feel when reading the manga. Let's face, it, with the source material at hand the anime couldn't go far wrong. But it's good to see that it looks slick and professional. I enjoyed the contrast colouring in the OP, and there's an image in the ED of [spoiler]Light, seen from below, with Ryuk behind him, crouched in the branches of a tree[/spoiler], which was visually stunning. I'm not totally sold on Light's [spoiler]evil laughter[/spoiler] - he always comes across as completely in control, of both the situation and himself, so it jarred a little that he does it at all. But if I was making the show and the director said [spoiler]"Light has to have an evil laugh"[/spoiler] then the way Mamoru does it - [spoiler]a soft chuckle, entirely to himself[/spoiler] - is exactly how I'd want it done, if that makes any sense.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]The bizarre title and the fact that GONZO made it drew me to start watching this series. There's only been one episode so far - the next one airs tomorrow - but it looks quite promising. It's set in the aftermath of a war between the Empire and the Republic of Frost. No one won or lost - the Emperor signed a peace treaty, leaving the soldiers wondering what they were fighting for in the first place. Many of the soldiers from both armies have become bandits, terrorising villages in the absence of any real conflict in which to participate. The main characters are Alice, a young officer in the eponymous Pumpkin Scissors unit, which was formed to handle war relief and deal with bandits and postwar unrest; and Randall, a hulking, scarred soldier with some unusual (and quite creepy) skills and equipment - I won't spoil the first episode with details. Alice likes laying siege to things and has a romanticised view of how a soldier should act. Randall likes to eat, and is about as indestructible as Chad from [i]Bleach,[/i] though not as indestructible as Excel from [i]Excel Saga[/i]. The world is pleasantly reminiscent of [i]Fullmetal Alchemist,[/i] and there are noticeable traces of [i]Last Exile[/i] in some of the character design (Alice looks a fair bit like Lavie). The postwar setting is refreshing, and should make for some interesting thematic gubbinz, provided GONZO can break out of their style-and-no-substance stereotype. Anyone else seen it? ANN says it's based on the manga of the same name, anyone read that? I'll certainly be watching tomorrow's episode, just to see how it pans out.[/FONT]

[font=trebuchet ms]There must have been other issues. Maybe the toilet paper was the straw that broke the camel's back, but there have to have been a lot of other little or large problems festering in the air between them, for rifles and hammers to have been involved. The news link isn't working for me, either.[/font]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]It's probably perspective. She's standing in the foreground, and our point of view is near her feet. She's bound to look taller.[/FONT]

[quote name='only1specialed']im sorry but i dont agree with that. im glad that some of those detanees were tortured do you think they care about me and my men when we get captured in iraq...[/quote][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Enough people have pulled apart your argument, only1specialed, but I'm just going to add insult to injury by warning you about your post quality. I suggest you read our Rules and FAQ, located on the left sidebar, as well as the [thread=52331][u]Otaku Lounge Sticky[/u][/thread]. You need to brush up your spelling, and start using capitalisation, punctuation and paragraphing. This will make your posts easier to read and a little less of an obvious target for ripping to pieces like has been happening here ;) Also, can we keep the discussion on the specific bill Retri pointed out, rather than descending into generic Bush-bashing, please? Oh yeah. This line really caught my attention. [quote name='only1specialed]now if these "terrorist" were to [b]follow the geneva conventions like we are forced[/b'] then yes thats wrong but they dont and thats why its easier for them to attack us than it is for us to attack them.[/quote]Unfortunately the US [b]isn't[/b] following the Geneva Convention. They're using Guantanamo Bay, and replacing the term 'POW' with 'detainee' in order to rip open loopholes in the Convention. And this bill, if I've read it right, effectively means American heads of state can't be punished for breaking the Geneva Convention, so even more human rights violations can be carried out in the name of the War on Terror. Torture can't be considered an accurate means of information-gathering anyway. I'd probably admit I was a terrorist to, if I was getting electrocuted every time I denied it.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]@Mewprincess: Ouch. Just ... gah. My eyes. Never do that again. Last year I decided to go to Hallowe'en night at the Students' Union at the last minute, so with about half an hour to go I threw on a hooded jacket and scrawled [b]28.06.42.12[/b] on my arm in marker pen, Donnie Darko style. I was holding out hope that someone would come as Frank the giant horror bunny, so we could do some hardcore quotin', but 'twas not to be. I have a house party to go to this Hallowe'en ... no idea for costume thus far.[/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]The original topic of discussion has been resolved (glad to hear everything's okay now) and we're starting to veer off-topic, so I think it's time for threadlock. [b]Thread locked.[/b][/FONT]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS]I think the geekiest thing I own is probably Star Wars Original Trilogy Monopoly. Yoda's swamp planet is on the cheapy squares! The Emperor's throne at Coruscant is Pall Mall! Who wants to be a boot when you can be Han or Boba Fett? But that was a Christmas present, so I don't know if it counts as my geekiest purchase. I have the giant Farscape box set on order - all four series and the Peacekeeper Wars mini-series. I'm going to have to organise a shut-in when it arrives. That's a heck of a lot of sterling sci-fi to enjoy. Also, it's not an object I bought, but I entered a couple of Magic: The Gathering tournaments recently (dragged there by friends, honestly). I actually managed to make my entry fee back by selling rare cards to spotty overweight forty-year-olds.[/FONT]