TwistedChick

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]You have to wonder if this isn't all just part of Aizen's plot...[/SIZE][/QUOTE] He sure does act like he has the whole in his hands. That little filler episode of the anime where those arrancar attempted to steal the hougyoku did raise a good point - surely not all the espada, or at least all the arrancar, are all hunky dorey about following Aizen's commands. That being the case, wouldn't it be far simpler for him to just create his own army using the fully developed hougyoku and then kill off all the original espada (or have them killed off by ryoka, perhaps?), that way his new army could be fully groomed according to his standards and methods and there would be no worry of insurrection? Doesn't that just feel like him? He might keep Gin around, though I think a standoff between those two would be highly intriguing. It all comes down to Aizen's disposition. He's a betrayer - headstrong and puffed up with pride. He [I]is[/I] the world and the future, at least according to his opinion, and isn't that all that matters?

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]I don't think it's going to happen, not only because if Kenpachi dies, then Ichigo and everyone else there apart from Orihime dies too...[/SIZE][/QUOTE] I'm sorry. Apparently, sarcasm is harder to express through text than I thought.:animesmil There's no way he's dying. It would be stupid, pointless, and completely against Kubo's style. Plus, as you said, Gavin, one strike won't take him out. His interchange with Ichigo proved that. It will be much more cinematic to see him "level up" than anything else would. I love how seriously people take me. Makes me feel valued.

I stand corrected. It [I]was[/I] an accident, ripping off his eyepatch. So, who's willing to bet (especially with spider-man referencing Kenpachi's sword) that this sequence truly will result in Ken's long overdue sword release? He doesn't give that final expression of wonder and surprise very often, so if ever a battle were to drive someone to a higher level, I think this would be it. Or, Kubo might kill him. 50/50. We haven't had a "good guy" die in a while, neh?

I can't say I'm surprised one bit that all this was genjutsu. I said earlier that this kind of battle was the biggest cop out a mangaka could do. I have to say though, I like Sasuke's line about a stone and shuriken. Eloquently put, and point taken. Now, if this [I]really is[/I] the start of the physical battle, I'll be a happy person. Itachi's technique terrified even Jiraiya. Let's see how Sasuke will cope.

Shippuuden isn't what I'd call fast-paced. They definitely take their time getting things accomplished. The story itself is still pretty good, but they could improve when it comes to moving everything forward. It can be hard to stay patient at times, knowing what is coming from having read the manga, but since I [I]did[/I] and am [I]still[/I] reading the manga, I realize where the story heads, and that's enough to make me settle down and wait for it. Key fight sequences that were astounding in the manga can and have been made even more enjoyable in the anime. The scenes I most want to see are yet to be animated. That's really why I'm hanging in there.

You would think that after his claim that he'd acquire power "his way" and not Itachi's way that he'd show us this way of his more forcefully than he's seemed to. His ingenuity in battle is definitely top tier - his battle with Deidara was intriguing in that aspect. Plus his blend of the three jutsu types is impressive. I still find the way Shikamaru now handles himself to be more even more impressive, but perhaps that's just me. We just need Sasuke to pull his head out of his rump and let all this stupidity go.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]...I have to admit, the second Nnoitra cut off Kenpachi's eyepatch by accident with that strike, I just laughed...[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Does anyone besides me think Kenpachi shifted slightly to cause that slash to take it off? Isn't he insane enough to allow his opponent's blade to remove it for him? Quite the delicate procedure, but I'm sure he'd do it. Oh, and I won't be using spoiler tags. This late in the game it would seem kind of ridiculous.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]It's pretty obvious I'm not a fan of Sasuke isn't it ? ^_^'[/SIZE][/QUOTE] That goes without saying. ^^ By no means are you the only one. My sister, for one, detests him. I can't bring myself to. If Kishimoto loves him so much, he must have something up his sleeve, something that will redeem him in the reader's eyes, either morally or kickass-edly. I want to have faith in Kishi's choice. Sasuke's bullheadedness can make that hard at times, but I'm stubborn too. As far as his not being original goes, there are plenty of ninja out there, especially those who would still be considered apprentices, that seem to be small-scale copies of their instructors. Lee (obviously) strongly resembles Gai in fighting style; Shikamaru - his father and the Nara clan; Sakura - Tsunade; Chouji - his father; etc. They all have aspects of their teachers that come through strongly in their styles. When I really think about it, one of the few that seems completely different from his sensei (minus one technique) would be Naruto. Jiraiya fit his training style around Naruto's unique abilities. He didn't just form a replica of himself. So, maybe, just maybe... the fault lies with the instructor. Only to a point, true, but it could heavily rely on the one teaching whether or not the student reaches out for original techniques and styles. And if Orochimaru was truly planning on transferring into Sasuke, he probably was pushing to get Sasuke's body accustomed to performing Orochimaru's own style and array of techniques. Or maybe Kishimoto is running out of ideas. Now I'm just BSing. I still think Sasuke plans to surprise us. I hope I'm right, or this could be really anti-climactic.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]That's one of the things that's disappointed me the most about this fight so far, that Sasuke is using none of his own original moves, they're all variants of moves he knew already i.e. Chidori from Kakashi and the snake-jutsu from Orochimaru. I really expected after two and a half years he'd display something new in this fight, I mean we saw stuff from Jiraiya nobody ever even dreamed of, and yet Sasuke for being a genius is just spamming the same moves he's always used. It's a little lame, I want to see something that shows his treason was worth it.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] We have to remember that this is a shounen manga, and what's the formula for shounen manga? Build, build, reveal. So from the start of the fight, we needed to expect that Sasuke's techniques would continually build in power, then right when it seemed hopeless, he would reveal whatever he had to reveal. Right now we've come to that point. Kishimoto will have [I]something[/I] happen. I do agree it gets old when we see awesome characters simply mimicking their teachers, but it's only realistic that Sasuke would have incorporated some of Orochimaru's techniques into his fighting style. And, let's give Kishi a break. At least he's showing us variants of snake-jutsu that are new.

Sasuke could and perhaps has lost [I]an[/I] eye, but not both. Kishimoto wouldn't strip his favorite character like that. But, really, this fight is the cheapest thing a mangaka can do - have a conflict where he can portray absolutely anything happening but can then just pull back and say "Got ya!" as we realize it was genjutsu. It's the old "this entire series was a dream" stunt. It's great for allowing you to put in any crazy thing you can conceive, but gets annoying to the reader. I'm to the point where I can't think of a way for Kishi to actually kill one of them off and I'll believe it. Even if someone else shows up and witnesses it all, that person could also be under genjutsu. Don't get me wrong. I'm enjoying the interchange. Itachi is definitely being portrayed as absurdly powerful. And Sasuke has some freaky Orochimaru-esque moves. But ending this scene in a satisfying manner will be hard to pull off. If Itachi dies, I will be disappointed, because then Sasuke will have lost a part of his humanity that Naruto would never be able to regain. That would crush Naruto, and we can't have that. [I]Someone else[/I] needs to kill Itachi. And we know Sasuke won't die. He and Naruto have to go at it again. Zetsu will have to come into play somehow. Exactly how hasn't even been hinted at, though. And then we have the whole Madara-facing-off-against-the-others thing. Will we learn something from Madara about Itachi's situation or what? I just have no patience, I guess. Toodles for now.

I'm definitely not in WA, but we little folk here in eastern Kansas have had one slap in the face after another when it comes to the weather. Three times now, I repeat, [I]three times[/I] since the beginning of December the temperature has reached 70 just to drop below 30 the next day. Even though this is pretty standard for this area, it can get really annoying. We haven't had anywhere near two feet of snow, but because of the flutctuating temperatures what all we have had keeps melting just to freeze into a lovely sheet of ice that works wonders on the roads. What you get in snow, we get in ice. And all the poor trees in this area have taken a real beating. Poor things.

I also will prove unhelpful, but I know I've seen that second one when doing image searches. For what, I couldn't tell you. Sorry. Question: You want to know more about the little girl who hanged herself for what reason now?

[quote name='AzureWolf'][U][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia]...Synesthesia[/url][/U], but doesn't look like any of the particular ones listed in the wikipedia article.[/QUOTE] I've also seen how studies indicate there is a likeness between this condition and autism - not that one accompanies the other, but that they both shape the way someone interprets things around them. My case seems to be unique, but I'm fine with that. Funny though, how a person like me who was barely able to hear until age three would no more than five years later have a condition in which [I]everything[/I] I hear is impressed upon me with twice the emphasis. It's like I'm making up for what I'd missed out on before. Another strange thing (while we're on the subject of my abnormalities), like Face mentioned, I've also had some memory lapses. There are specific things I still remember, but within the first few months after I graduated high school, most all of my memories up until that point simply disappeared. It's as if I've repressed them, but there'd be no reason for that. The only thing "traumatic" that happened during school was the whole experience. I stress over things far more than is healthy for any individual. Everyone had high expectations for me, following after my "genuis" brother, expectations I knew I'd fulfill and did, but I never would have guessed that would lead to latent stress that once released would have catastrophic results. Now that it's been a few years, it saddens me to realize how much I've lost. Maybe a psychologist could help bring some of it back, I don't know. My younger sister has mentioned dozens upon dozens of things we did together growing up that I simply have to take her word for. (Now if you couldn't tell, this is the part where you feel sorry for me. ... yeah, right. Who am I kidding? I'm out of school! Bye bye, childhood memories. Hello life.)

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]I just lack the creativity inherent in creative writing.[/color][/QUOTE] I was absolutely certain I couldn't write creatively all through high school, but when confronted with a fanfic concept by my sister, I quickly uncovered a hidden talent within myself. So, don't decide you can't do it until after you've spent months on something you truly enjoy thinking and writing about, and if after that you it still isn't just flowing from you, then, yeah you probably just don't have the knack. I have some normal talents and some freakish ones that some may consider more of a curse than anything else. I know I have at times. A normal one - after I hear a rhythm once, it can be recalled months later. This proves very useful in the Taiko troupe of which I'm a part. We start writing a new song (none of which is written down - oversight), the weather turns ultra crappy and we can't meet, then a long break means no taiko, leading to a total of over six weeks since we started. Johnie, the main creator, can't even remember what all we'd come up with, and I just pound it out for them on our odaiko. I love receiving applause from my colleagues. A talent I'm very thankful to have (due to my great passion for the musical arts) is the natural ability to harmonize with pretty much any melody. I think this may have been more a learned skilled than I give it credit for, but I'm thrilled either way. I typically enjoy singing or playing harmony while in my trio more than melody. As a musician, I realize that when it comes to recognizable music, harmony is harder to do, straight up. Now the wierd one - for about the last twelve years, I figuartively "see" every word I hear anyone say. So, if you're talking to me, I visualize each word as you speak. I see the shape, the way the vowels flow. Depending on how you stress the word, it may be italicized or bold. I see punctuation, drop-downs for new trains of thought. You get the picture. You also get how it can be distracting at times and therefore a hinderance. If too many people are carrying on conversation around me, I get overwhelmed. For this reason, I prefer to be in smaller groups, not so much enjoying parties with dozens of people. There are other people with this "gift". One woman was even published reporting that she sees [I]different colors[/I]. If I had to name a color, it would black. Oh, and pretty much it's always in Times New Roman. I don't know why, so don't ask. It can come in handy. I rarely, if ever, can't properly spell a word. I mean I've been seeing it spelled for over a decade. And in my family, I get quite the plethora of terms set before my eyes. Since I've begun learning some Japanese, I now see most Japanese words spelled out in romaji. And because I've taken some Spanish, I see that too. Any other language just rolls off and I don't visualize it. If there's a word I [I]don't[/I] know how to spell, it kind of sticks out at me, as if it were flashing, perhaps. So far, I haven't actually met anyone that shares this quirk with me. With a little research, we discovered it's linked to a mild form of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder, for you non-Monk fans). Oh well. Mystery solved.

[I]but making the [spoiler]La Lungas[/spoiler] CG was a biiiig mistake.[/I] Yeah, I wasn't too thrilled with that choice, but they made up for it in skillfully capturing all the characters' reactions to them. I had this deepset fear throughout that last long sequence that [spoiler]Tanda was going to get himself killed.[/spoiler] It seemed inevitable to me. [spoiler]Thank God it didn't happen.[/spoiler] Overall what this series did was make me want to read the books. Mission accomplished, I guess.

I've only managed to see the first episode, but it seemed intriguing. I'm all for detailed action scenes. No two-toned background stills during my fight scenes, thank you much. Volume one's in my queue. I'll definitely be seeing this one.

[quote name='Andy'][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="2"]Yeah...umm.....how about the[spoiler] Fourth Hokage?[/spoiler][/SIZE][/FONT]:animestun[/QUOTE] I totally agree with you. We [I]do[/I] know enough about him to be saddened. What we've seen in Kakashi Gaiden and then some flashbacks in the most current manga provide plenty of evidence. From what I saw, he reminds me of a more open Kakashi - a good guy, extremely skilled, but someone who cares more about those around him than himself. Add to that the smile he gave Jiraiya in that flashback and I'm sold. It's terrible when the coolest character in an anime dies in the first 30 seconds.

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]God help the Espada if he's actually achieved bankai.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] Not just the Espada, God help the [I]world[/I]. Do we really need someone that maniacal and blood-crazed running around with bankai? He should just take on Aizen by himself if that happens. I mean, if his reiatsu is as crazy insane as it seems, and if we can base the jump one's spirit pressure takes when going from shikai to bankai off of Ichigo's growth from before and after, he would become an absolute monster, in every sense of the word. Man, now I want to see it. Tite, what would his bankai look like? How much more impressive would his appearance become? Is it [I]possible[/I] for someone to be more intimidating than him? Let me see it!

[quote name='Shinmaru']I'm not sure why Itachi is going to go after Sasuke now, though. Unless Sasuke has been hiding it, he doesn't have the Mangekyo Sharingan, which means there's no real point to Itachi stealing his eyes right now. That is, unless there's some possibility Itachi can steal Sasuke's eyes and develop the Mangekyo Sharingan again on his own. But if he could do that, then why didn't he just steal Sasuke's eyes when he slaughtered his clan? [/QUOTE] If Sasuke, as an Uchiha, truly has to kill his best friend to attain mangekyou, then no, of course he doesn't have it yet. How could he? But if Kakashi's attaining a form of mangekyou has set a precedent, then perhaps Sasuke does have some form of elevated eye technique that we haven't seen yet. Whatever Itachi is thinking, he believes that taking Sasuke's eyes [I]now[/I] will have his desired results. As for why he didn't take them back when he and Madara slaughtered his clan, well, Sasuke hadn't even activated his sharingan yet. He had another five years of growth before that happened. For all Itachi knew, perhaps Sasuke never would. It would be a real bummer, but you never know. Either way, Sasuke's not having sharingan at that point in time is what I believe kept Itachi from taking them then. But, that brings us right back to Sasuke not having mangekyou right now. Itachi didn't take his eyes back then. There was a reason. If simply taking the eyes of anyone who has the sharingan would be enough to keep mangekyou and not go blind, Itachi could have taken his father's eyes. Which brings us back to Itachi knowing from his interaction with Madara that it had to be Sasuke. Why? Could we be overthinking this? Could it be Itachi's clue that it was Madara's [I]younger brother[/I] that ended up donating his eyes that answers this for us? Do the sharingan users merely need to be siblings for this transplant to work? I mean, surely Itachi didn't make a grave oversight and really believes Sasuke has achieved mangekyou. He must be aware that Sasuke isn't at that level. And yet, he is still confronting him. Aarrgghh!! We just need Kishimoto to come out and tell us. All this speculation is getting me nowhere.

[B]Orson Scott Card's [I]Ender's Game[/I][/B] If they never get around to doing a live action american film, I think an anime would be suitable. Supposedly a film is being done, but I just can't buy that yet. With the main character going from 5 years old to mid-teens, it might be most believable in an animated or fully CG format. Plus, all the Battle Room sequences could be handled really well that way. But, God, I really want a live action film that Card has a direct hand in. That would be amazing.

Obviously the overall revenue an anime or manga takes in can be greatly aided by an American release, but that doesn't necessarily reflect its popularity. A prime example (in the spirit of the one you mentioned): Gensomaden Saiyuki had and still has a great following in Japan. Here, its english dub was released right around the time Fruits Basket surfaced. Whereas nearly everyone has either heard of or seen Fruits Basket, few in comparison could accurately relate what Saiyuki is about. Case in point: Hunter x Hunter has been a rather successful franchise in Japan, albeit an unfinished one. It aired [I]years[/I] ago, and only now are we even getting hints of a possible American release. This deals, not with its popularity, but other factors. I'd say you had the winning hand in that argument.

Gawl was one of the first series I ever saw, and it was definitely my first sci-fi. I really enjoyed it, partly due to Vic's delivery as Gawl. Criticize the overall dub all you want, but Gawl's character was captured beautifully in that dub. Plus, there's this one scene where some cab driver or something is singing a little ditty, and out pops "long time ago when I was a small boy" in this hysterical sing-song voice. It's become a huge inside joke for my sister and I, so we can't help but love the dub. I [I]lamely[/I] enough still haven't seen Eva, so I can't comment with a great deal of accuracy, but from what I can tell there is a vast difference in tone throughout the two series, plus whereas one leaves you with a bad aftertaste, the other becomes all ideal and peachy keen. There are obvious similarities, but calling it a knock-off, even if true, has a bad connotation, something which should never be ascribed to the delightful 12-episode series known as Generator Gawl.

Tonight's episode was amazing. There have been times in the past when I felt the writers were pushing too hard for a young audience, but they've left that all behind recently. They're really sticking very true to the original dialogue. Plus, I think the actual voice acting has improved. They've taken their own journey along the way. The few lines Kakashi had were delivered flawlessly. And the wording, the [I]wording[/I]. Wonderful. And I am so glad to hear other people share my thoughts of putting the fillers straight to DVD. They won't do it, as the altered background stills in the closing prove (images from various filler episodes are key features), but God I hope they don't make us trudge through 80+ eps of crap to get to Shippuuden.