Pleiades Rising

I find this slightly difficult to give an answer to, since there are multiple questions being asked, all not the same. As such, I'll have to ask for some clarifications on some things. First of all, what's your thesis and what observations support it? From what you've written and linked to, I can make some assumptions on what it might be, the most obvious being this: Japanophiles tend to have political ideals associated with the far right, usually involving nationalism and jingoism. But that doesn't quite square with that Yahoo link, since that person just seems to be a naive and brazenly ignorant fellow who shows no coherent political leanings. Nevertheless, your post makes it clear that you're concerned with a political outlook that some people find attractive. You'll have to tell me if my statements are close to what you're hypothesizing. The other problem I have is figuring out exactly what is meant by your use of the term "Japanophile". Of course, some links to examples were given, but giving examples isn't the same as actually giving a workable definition of what something means. All you provided were links to a questionable profile and two sites. Again, I can guess they refer to something like "Japan total kawaii ~^_^~", but maybe not. Moreover, you've linked to examples which might be [i]atypical[/i] of whatever a Japanophile may be. Is there something about anime/manga and modern Japanese pop-culture that somehow commits a person to ultranationalism and xenophobia (both of which are elements found in far-right politics that lean heavily towards fascism). I'm skeptical if that's being implied here. However, if you're asking if there's something essential or compelling about Japanese culture, society, politics, etc. that attracts certain people, then perhaps there is. But I would argue that it might not be something that's peculiar to Japan alone. You've mentioned Stormfront, and I have little doubt that some the people there have an historical interest in late19th early 20th century Germany. Maybe some idolize Mussolini's pre-WWII Italy and its heavy handed tactics of political suppression. Maybe some look back to American history itself and nod with misty-eyed approval at the line in the Declaration of Independence that speaks of "the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions." Maybe some are just unemployed beer-swilling jerks. Basically, I don't think this is strictly a Japanese problem concerning the "Japanophile". The last thing I'll comment on is what is meant by "this community". Is this community [i]this[/i] actual community, or those you've linked to? Perhaps a collection of everything? Okay, otakuboards.com isn't 4chan.org or sankakucomplex.com. (Stormfront is something altogether different.) They're all aspects of a broader community loosely joined together by a common admiration of Japanese culture (itself broadly defined to be close to what you're getting at). Some people really love Miku Hatsune and don't care less about Sino-Japanese territorial disputes. Others also love all almost all things Korean, but stop short of putting up Kim Jong-un posters on their wall. In a community so broadly understood, you'll find people with clashing ideals, rather than there being one homogenous heap. To understand "this community" as being exemplified by those linked examples and in terms of far-right activism, well, that's quite unfair to those of us who aren't prone to political jingoism and hawkish foreign policy. Unless I'm sure I know what's meant by "Japanophile" and "this community" and how they relate to your hypothesis (again, unstated), I find it difficult to give clearer answers to the questions you ask. If the community you write of is populated by jingoistic chauvinists, and that's not your cup of tea, then maybe it's a good thing to not belong to it. But keep in mind, those examples don't define the larger community out there.

I remember this being merely a concept at one time (I read it in a magazine some years ago, but can't remember which), but now the basic technology is a reality. It's an interesting development, which could have even more wide ranging uses as this sort of technology develops. The magazine I read it in speculated that it could be used in the medical industry, and now taking a glance at some news articles, it's now being suggested that this sort of 3D printer could be used to create artificial blood vessels. Another use that I've come across for these things was, of course, related to nerdy toys, haha. Clone Factory in Japan makes dolls/figurines with those kinds of printers, where they scan a person's head and then print out a miniature copy of that person's head! Once that's done, they stick the head on a doll, for whatever reason. Some brides have made miniatures of themselves this way, capturing the way they looked on their wedding as a memento. Others - fantastic nerd Danny Choo - used it to put their own miniature heads on their favorite action figures, like a Stormtrooper. If I remember, they have two 3D printers, one which prints out a better quality item than the other. Yeah, I can't wait to see how this will evolve when the technology becomes better, and thus capable of producing more functional items.

After watching the 2nd ep. of [i]Haiyore! Nyaruko-san[/i], I think I'll stick with it, as weird and obscure it may be! It makes me laugh, and that's all I really want from it. I've also decided to add [i]Tsuritama[/i], but I've yet to watch the 1st ep. I might also add [i]Sakamichi no Apollon[/i] to the list, regardless if I drop anything or not. (And I might drop the [i]Gakkatsu![/i], but considering how short the episodes are, I'm not really dropping much. I've sensed it's the best it'll be, and it's not quite enough.) Last of all, based on the 1st episode alone, [i]Jormungand[/i] could be the series that really holds my attention, making me wish it gets licensed domestically - [i]right now![/i]

I'll leave some quick thoughts on some series I've finished over a week or so ago, since they're still fairly fresh in my mind (for good and bad reasons - and in one case, both). I enjoyed [i]Black Rock Shooter[/i]. I also liked the OVA, too, so that coaxed me into watching the series when it came out. I noticed that the battles in the series are animated in CG, with a style slightly different than the illustrated battles in the OVA (which had a more sketchy, rough look, but not in a bad way). Those scenes really popped out on the screen, so that was fun to watch. The tone was also slightly darker in some places too, which gave it more emotional weight. All in all, I'm giving it a 7 out of 10. [i]Ano Natsu de Matteru [/i]was surprisingly good. I don't know how many people watched it, but if you didn't, then now's the chance! At first, it looked and felt like a cut-and-paste job from various slice-of-life anime, which in a way it continued to be right to the end. However, it gradually became more than that with each episode, with the later episodes being genuinely itself. And when it was itself, it resonated. Overall, this also gets a 7 out of 10, but a [i]very strong[/i] 7, haha. Also, Lemon (or Remon) might be one of the most adorable jerks I've ever seen. Oops, edit time! I mentioned one being both good and bad, and I hand that dubious achievement to...[i]Another[/i]. I know this was a horror anime, but I found myself actually laughing out loud with each new episode: e.g. lightning is attracted to idiots, I guess. For all the times I've slagged this anime, though, it sure as heck was entertaining! You really wanted to tune in to the next episode just to see how they were going to drive the story off the cliff. It gets a 6 out of 10, nevertheless, since it could have been much more than dumb (unintentional) fun.

I was just recently mulling over what to pick up now that I've got more time. Series that I might look into: Medaka Box, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (I've watched the 1st ep. so I'll see how this rounds out), Jormungand, and Hyouka (actually, I've been looking forward to this one, for some reason). I'll might add more as time goes on, but I'll keep my list of current shows fairly short.

Oh, this isn't "food" but a drink, rather: Crystal Pepsi! I bet even Biggie Smalls drank this stuff too. I loved this drink when Pepsi used to make it, which is odd since I didn't like regular Pepsi at all. My friends and I would buy this all the time every day non-stop can't stop won't stop.

Oh it was pretty good actually. Maybe I'm wrong about it being oatmeal cookies, but it was something similar. After writing this yesterday, I still wanted one today - even though it's winter. But hey, they're [i]near perfect[/i] summer snacks.

I used to watch game shows, but now I don't that much...except I do love watching old episodes of [i]Takashi's Castle[/i]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure if anyone "won" any fabulous prizes of any sort, other than pain or humiliation (or both). There are few things funnier than watching people get steamrolled by paper mache boulders. I do like checking out [i]Jeopardy[/i] once in a while. I was especially interested in when they had contestants compete against IBM's computer Watson. From a language standpoint, it was quite interesting to see how some systems could react in a natural language setting. If more game shows did things like that, then I'd probably watch them more often than I do now.

Most things I can think of can't even be fairly called "food", unless we're generous to include candies of some sort, haha. There were some chocolate bars that are no longer around that I liked when I was quite young. Of course, they went the way of the dinosaur and the dodo-bird, and are now but a misty-eyed memory to one now older fellow. Another thing I liked (and I don't know if the things are still around) were these ice cream sandwiches called "Snack and a Half". It was just some ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies, and then coated with chocolate. Nothing spectacular in itself, but it when you're a kid it's like tasting what Zeus himself ate on a hot day after much battle and strife.

I just got [i]Out Loud[/i] by Boom Boom Satellites, so that's been playing constantly in my ears. I also have [i]Full of Elevating Pleasures[/i], but I like [i]Out Loud [/i]better; on the latter it's just has bigger beats. I imaginr it sounds that way because of the late 90's influence/wave of big-beat UK (and elsewhere) musicians like The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim (and Crystal Method in the US). I can definitely hear that sound in this album, which makes in that much more enjoyable to listen to on headphones! I've always liked the track "Push Eject", which I first heard years ago. It still holds up after all this time. Some other great tunes are "On the Painted Desert" and "Dub Me Crazy Ver. 02". The latter is a bass heavy dub tune (but not dub[i]step[/i], mind you), and I love bass heavy songs that threaten whatever system I'm playing them on. Yeah, I'll be listening to this for a while.

If my day is tranquil (but not headed straight for sleepy-land) then I'm content with a quiet Christmas. I wouldn't have it any other way, actually. I'll spend Christmas with my family, enjoying a nice feast! One thing I've learned (finally) is that when you tell people year after year to not buy you anything, they'll still do it anyways, haha. I don't care about getting presents, honestly. I don't mean that in a Scrooge way, but more that I've found significance in that day in other ways. However, people still insist on getting at least something for me, so I can't really stop them. Here's a hint to those kind folks: I like books. (Okay, it's not much of a hint, and more like throwing the BIG BOOK OF OBVIOUS at them.) Also, a good axe and a pair of gloves are your friends when disposing a real tree.

I reiterate: watch [i]Time of Eve[/i], or remain forever - [i]imperfect[/i]. Okay, it won't overthrow something like NGE or GitS, but it's really impressive for what it does and how it does it in a mere 16 min per ep (the last ep. is close to a full 30 min, though). It's not overly difficult, like some sci-fi anime can be, but it's not dumbed-down and simplistic either. You can just sit back and enjoy it, without even knowing about philosophical problems dealing with rule-following and other minds. [i]Time of Eve[/i] nicely presents age old problems almost anyone can connect with: what are you thinking, and what do you think of me? Recommended. Also, [i]Pale Cocoon[/i] is one of those weirder, slightly abstruse sci-fi anime. However, here too it's skillful enough to not bury itself under ponderous metaphors of Being. I'd rather not elaborate on it, since it's much better if you know less about it, I think.

We Commonwealth countries will be observing Remembrance Day tomorrow, Nov. 11. I'm amused to see that Guy Fawkes day follows immediately after Gunpowder Day.

I think [i]Chaos;Head[/i] had something going for it; otherwise, I wouldn't have finished it if it were completely beyond redemption. But I'm having a hard time putting a finger on that it was, since all I think of is how much I disliked the main character. Okay, [i]Kimi ni Todoke[/i] is watchable so far (I'm on ep. 12), but sometimes it's a little too [i]twee[/i]. If you marathoned this and played a drinking game by taking a shot whenever someone looks at another and blushes, you'd probably experience liver failure halfway through the 2nd. ep. But it does pull back from the brink of being overly light and fluffy, thankfully. Yet, what also bothers me is that it's just [i]too chatty[/i] at times. Sure, you have to express yourself in anything dealing with romance. However, there are times when an anime just has to let a scene dwell poetically on itself, as it were, in silence. It doesn't do that enough, which is a shame. Lastly, why the hell do I kinda like [i]Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful[/i]? I thought the first season was totally average, and for that reason I hesitated for so long in watching the 2nd season. Mind you, it's not great, but GAINAX rarely makes anime that's totally worthless with no redeeming features. Again, I can't put my finger on why I like this one. Please don't fall apart at the end!

Actually, I think I'll also pick up [i]Fate/zero[/i], since I'm only watching one other ongoing series right now. The premise intrigued me enough, so that's where I'll be headed soon. Uh, I'm finally watching the 3rd ep. of [i]Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai,[/i] and it's decent comedy so far. Nothing to rave about (but I agree that the animation is superb), but I just wanted to watch some goofy fun and that's all. It's given me that, and I'm fairly happy with it! Plus, I wanna see the nerdy science girl.