different ki

A couple days ago when I went to the rental store, I was very bored and didn't know what to watch. I saw Karas and wondered why I hadn't heard of it before. I rented it anyway and was freakin impressed. The action scenes were great, and it all seemed very real... They release sank you into that world. The counting to 10 thing before he can transform is stupid when you think about it but it's so COOL. And i don't usually go for ritual-like things like that. I'll probably buyt Karas when the second-half comes out. Wikipedia says that will be Sept. 26. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karas_(anime)

Mine is Ichigo and Rukia. I think they compliment each other because they're both sfot-hearted and tough but in different ways.

That is true. Most of the problem between the sexes is that men don't get subtleties and innuendo, which are the ways women prefer to communicate. If you want a man to know something, you have to TELL him.

[QUOTE=GoldScorpion78]Also transvestites & transsexuals = not the same. hermaphrodites have both male and female genitals, transsexual means: having or wanting to have a SRS (sexual reassignment surgery, AKA sex change) At least that's the current definition.[/QUOTE] Actually no it's not. Just taking the opposite sex hormones enough for there to be changes qualifies you as transsexual, surgery's not required (I know this because I am one).

[quote name='BKstyles']Hm, i thought she was just a very manly looking woman. When in the episode did they make mention/show a hint of an operation?[/quote] At the beginning he was wearing an open shirt. Anyway, there's no proof that the prostitute was actually transsexual either, instead of just a man dressed up as a woman. Something I forgot to mention, Gren doesn't count because he wasn't actually trying to be/look like a woman. There are men who grow breasts naturally due to hormonal problems, that doesn't make them transsexual.

[quote name='BKstyles]There were actually 2 cases. The one your talking about, [spoiler]Gren, who technically is a male, just with an increased estrogen count due to experimentation (as said already) he developed breasts. And when Spike is looking for "Julia" he is directed to a transvestite prostitute named Julius. It wasen't as big of a part but it defintly freaked Spike out.[/spoiler'].[/quote] Did nobody notice V.T. from the episode Heavy Metal Queen? He looked like a man, but [spoiler]at the end Spike finds that picture of him as a woman with his husband. He was a female-to-male transsexual. That was the point everyone trying to guess what V.T. stood for - He didn't use his full name anymore because it was a woman's name (Victoria something, I don't remember).[/spoiler] EDIT: Oops, spoiler tags added.

Just talking for my personal experience here... If you want to wait till marriage to have sex you have to find other people who think the same way which can be difficult. I know a 30-year-old who is a virgin because of that. A lot of people don't even want to get married these days. In other words... What if you don't meet someone who wants to marry you? I know that's not a nice thing to think about but it can happen. Or what if, God fordid, you get engaged and then your fiancé is killed before the wedding? My mom knew someone that happened to. I'm just saying there are trade-offs to think about. You always hear about the people who had sex at a young age and are sorry they did, but I know I a lot of people who regret NOT having sex when they could have. Casual sex is never worth it, but if you meet someone you really love what's the point of waiting for some arbitrary time, like your marriage day?

I have a hair fetish which is one of the reasons why I like anime. Somebody needs to bring back the samurai hair style! Not just the topknot but the bangs and the hair hanging down on the sides too. I think the most important trait for me is that someone is independent, sure of themselves and knows where they're going in life. I don't like being a parent/counselor/pacifier.

[QUOTE=Kam]Having said that, I think the majority of 'homsexuals' and the VAST majority of 'bi-sexuals' are simply, as previously suggested, experimenting. -Justin[/QUOTE] An experiment that lasts someone's whole life?

[QUOTE=Lunox][color=dimgray] :] Why does homo/bisexuality exist? If indeed it is a biological/genetic thing, why did it ever occur? [/color][/QUOTE] Another thing not a lot of people realize - Human beings are not like most mammals. We are one of the few mammals in which the female can desire sex when she's not fertile - That proves that for us, sex has some other purpose besides procreation. (Other animals like this include some primates, dolphins and goats). Most mammals have a specific breeding season and aren't sexual the rest of the time. So if the purpose of sex for humans isn't just having babies, then why NOT have homosexuality? [QUOTE=Lunox][color=dimgray] :] And I can never throw away the idea that homosexuality is something gained from(traumatic?) life experiences. Examples including Father-Son relationships and nature vs. nurture, or any other sort of experience. [/color][/QUOTE] I don't remember the specifics of this, but I think Kinsey also found that some people's sexual orientation can change in extreme circumstances, for example being stuck with only members of the same gender for years (which would explain why so many priests seem to be gay) or being sexually abused as a child. But I don't think other parental relationships can do it, even if they're bad. Otherwise there would be no gay people from happy nuclear families (like me).

There might be a good reason why homosexuality seems to be getting more common. There has been one or two animal studies in which the incidence of homosexuality increased when the population got too crowded. It might be one of nature's ways of preventing overpopulation. Besides, Alfred Kinsey - the only one who ever did any serious research into homosexuality - found that sexual orientation is a scale, not necessarily an either/or thing. People can score anywhere from 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to 6 (exclusively homosexual) on the scale. The reason why so many people think it's only one way or the other is because early gay activists phrased it that way to try to please religious people... Becausel if there is even a little bit of choice involved in homosexuality then homosexuals must be sinners (of course according to the Bible all people are sinners, but certain people like to ignore that). Now that so many people don't believe in the Bible anyway, and we know that the religious types will not be happy no matter what we do, it doesn't matter so much whether sexual orientation a choice or not. So it's not surprising that more people are coming out as bisexual.

"Actually it's kinda scary to think about, half of the people have STDs....that's crazy." Meningitis and TB can kill people and they're easier to catch than an STD. So is strep throat and it can lead to kidney damage if left untreated. Now that's crazy.

Marriage is NOT a guarantee of safe sex - or love or fidelity for that matter. I know this because I'm gay and I've been to gay dating sites (yes I'm over 18, way over!)... You wouldn't believe the number of married men looking for boys on the side so to speak (or transsexuals). If there's an equal number of men cheating on their wives with other women, then I guestimate that less than half of married men are actually faithful. I'm still a virgin though. I don't like the idea of casual sex for safety reasons - and I don't just mean STD's but also people being violent. Even though I don't approve of marriage I will wait for someone I really like. (This is unheard of in the gay community and probably means I'll die a virgin, but I've made my choice).

Where are you guys getting the latest episodes from? I only see up to 62 on the Lunar bittorrent site.

[QUOTE=Chabichou][COLOR=#004a6f] I find it odd how many people nowadays seem to be only choosing aspects of religion that appeal to them than the religion as a whole. Why is it that some christians believe that the Bible is the word of God, yet at the same time don't believe in hell? The Bible states that evil-doers and infidels will go to hell doesn't it? It just doesn't make sense. What are your views on this?[/COLOR][/QUOTE] You're right, it doesn't make sense. Polytheistic religions are different kettle of fish, but the type of religion we're more familiar with, the monotheistic ones, are supposed to be package deals. You either believes that a) the religion's particular definition of God is the real one b) any religious scriptures that the religion claims as theirs are the word of said God (contradictions notwithstanding), and c) that the officials of the religion speak for said God - or you don't. Some denominations of Christianity allow people to pick and choose between certain beliefs, but if the one you follow doesn't and you do pick and choose, you're not following your religion correctly. Period. HOWEVER, in my personal opinion this picking and choosing that people are doing is a good thing. It's going to decrease the power of the actual religious institutions, which generally speaking are all corrupt.

There are communities like that; they're called communes. They aren't very common, but they do exist. EDIT: Actually, regular condominiums count as group living. The people live in the same building, there are rules for everyone to follow, and everyone pays the fee to use common facilities and pay for repairs.

[QUOTE=Raiyuu][color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Personally, I think the end of episode 63, as the end of the Soul Society arc, would have been the perfect spot for a season break, instead of giving us filler. I don't want to see Bleach - which I've been following for quite a while now - become one of those crassly commercialised anime like Naruto or Inu Yasha, which seem to continue airing purely to line their creators' pockets. What does anyone else think of the upcoming filler arc? [/font][/color][/QUOTE] I agree. Fillers really degrade the quality of the series. Plus it means more DVDs to buy once it's licensed. I didn't read the manga first. I had the feeling Bleach was going the way of Inuyasha during the Soul Society arc, so I decided to start buying the manga instead of the anime when it gets here.

I like yaoi, but I agree that some of the bishounen are too girlie. Actually the only yaoi I really like the animation style of is Ai no Kusabi, and I don't think that's really yaoi... i.e, made for women. I also don't like it when fan fiction writers pair off guys who obviously aren't into each other... or other guys generally.The Gundam Wing boys are pretty sexually ambiguous, but in most series the characters' orientations are pretty clear.

I don't like guilt. I take my pleasures straight up.

[quote name='KKC][size=1']My aunt is a teacher and was telling my mom that there is a 1st grader at her school who she thinks is someone who is born homosexual. When ever he gets the chance he takes the teachers purse and carries it around acting like a girl and he isn't like most of the other boys. Of course this doesn't prove that this little kid is homosexual. [/size][/quote] That sounds like transsexual behaviour, not homosexual.

Man times must have changed. When I started watching anime in 2001 dubs and the people who watched them were completely evil. I usually watch both if it's a series I care about. But, I find that I remember everything much better when I watch something dubbed. I still think it's ridiculous how they won't play dubs at cons even though usually half the audience can't see the subs.

[quote name='Nomad][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Speaking of being born, I do not believe that anyone is born gay, but learned. Not learned as in, "Johnny, at the age of 14, suddenly awoke one day to find himself attracted to the other boys in his grade.", not like that. I'm saying that at a early age, when your brain is developing, it develops in a way that influences how you think, and therefore how you will think in the future, and certain developments can, in a sense, teach you to be attracted to the same sex. This is just my opinion, and a tired one at that, so I'm sure there are flaws in it, and I'm sure not everyone will agree with me on this one, it is how I see it.[/SIZE][/FONT'] :animesmil[/quote] I find that interesting... Can you explain more what you mean by how you think?

Well said. I like to compare how transsexuals feel about their physical bodies to phantom limb syndrome. When you have a limb amputated, the part of the brain that controlled it is still there (obviously). That's why people have the sensation that the body part is still there or they are still moving it. Transsexuals feel the same way... Transwomen have phantom breasts and transmen have phantom penises (peni?)

Hermaphrodite isn't a derogatory term (as you probably already know) and it certainly doesn't apply to transsexuals or cross-dressers. I think it's funny that some people are so uneducated they can't even get their (attempted) insults right. Even better is that the people who are against sex changes don't want to get educated about it because they know all the evidence contradicts their views. Not that it would matter if it didn't, because like a lot of people said it's a free country. I am disappointed however that there still aren't really any derogatory names for trannies. You're not on the map until you get your own derogatory name, darn it.

I'm not against porn, but not because it's a free-market economy. I'm OK with it because the ideas that people who watch it are sick or that it's degrading to women are opinions, and making laws based on opinion is a really bad idea. It might be true that some porn actresses are exploited and they only do it because they can't find anything better, but both those things are true of a lot of jobs. I bet most waitresses would rather be doing something else. Also, speaking from experience, I can tell you that computer programmers are exploited too, since they don't have a union either.