The Tentacle

I've had similar problems with an old co-worker and if your situation is anything like mine (and it sounds like it is) the best thing you can do is confront the issue directly. Â Otherwise you're going to end up resenting your friend until something happens to break the last straw, set you off and then things will get really ugly. I hate to sound cold or harsh with this but if you really can't coexist with your friend you're both better off parting ways. Â That said this isn't something you should settle on so quickly. Â Like I said, confront your friend and let her know that her behavior is becoming a problem. Â The whole issue of her making decisions on your behalf without your consent and the unwelcome physical contact are things she can and should respect your wishes on. Â Those are definitely no one, friend or otherwise, has any right to take with you. As for the loudness, well I doubt that's going to change. Â That sort of behavior is just "in their nature" for some people. Â Asking them to stop behaving a certain way is tatamount to asking a bird to stop flying. Â If you're truly someone's friend you'll overlook such flaws and accept them for who they are. Â If not then friendship just isn't possible in the first place. If you confront her, speak openly without being rude or condescending then she should get your point and take some sort of action to amend the situation. Â But if her behavior persists then you shouldn't feel guilty about ending your friendship with her. Â The fault lies with her. Â Friendship is give & take. Â If she can't respect your wishes then she obviously doesn't place much value on your relationship. Â You don't need friends like that.

That's okay then. Â The site I belonged to prior to coming here was the exact opposite. Â 95% of what went on within our group was done via MSN. Â I didn't want to miss out on anything here on the OB so I just wanted to ask.

I know this was covered in the FAQ but I'm wondering if any of the current membership on OB use the chatroom on The Otaku? Â I've finally been registered for a month but I didn't see anyone from OB logged in. Â Â Do any of you folk have any sort of "unofficial" chat group on MSN or Skype or anything like that or is this a strictly forum-based community? Â

Yes, it was the older Batman series. Â The newer one is being marketed as "season 4" but I've never actually seen any of it. Â [b]Batman Beyond[/b] was pretty good though. Â And I can't believe I forgot about [b]Gargoyles[/b]. Â I loved that series (even though the whole Quarrymen storyline sorta lost me). Â I'd also be interested in the [b]New Adventures of Johnny Quest[/b] and [b]Mighty Max[/b] now that I think about it. Â

While I was out this weekend I scored all three seasons of [b]Batman: The Animated Series[/b] at Best Buy.  Aside from a couple of animated movies this is the only non-anime series I've really felt like adding to my DVD library.  I'm wondering of if the rest of you Otaku have any favorite cartoons that aren't anime.  Aside from the aforementioned Batman series the only other one I'd really be interested in obtaining would be [b]Conan the Adventurer [/b]and possibly the [b]Pirates of Dark Water [/b](that'd be an impulse buy though). Oh, CGI series also count since I'd love to find complete series box sets of [b]Reboot[/b] and [b]Shadow Raiders [/b]that our friends in Vancouver, Mainframe Entertainment, put out. So what about the rest of you guys?  Any childhood 'toons or recent faves stand out in your mind as noteworthy?

I liked [b]Samurai 7[/b] well enough and, on its own, I can't really complain about anything in particular.  But as futuristic remake of [b]Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa [/b]it had some pretty big shoes to fill right from the get-go.  If anything the anime fleshes the characters out more than the original but Kurosawa's work is timeless.  Even if you throw in giant robots and spaceships nothing can compare to that classic bit of cinema. A couple more I want to throw out just because nobody I know of has ever heard of them: [b]Mars Daybreak[/b] - A futuristic adventure that takes place on Mars, albeit it an oceanic version of the planet.  It has pirates with submarines, aquatic robot battles and a plotline that, while it doesn't totally suck, is somewhat generic. The real draw of this series for me was the characters though.  This series it chock full of lighthearted fun that doesn't rely on over-inflated boobs, hyper-violent fighting or gut-wrenching plot twists.  It's a plain old, cut-&-dry adventure that's entertaining despite its flaws. [b]Tideline Blue[/b] - Continuing my submersible theme here.  Tideline Blue is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the survivors of a cataclysmic flood are struggling to rebuild their countries.  The story follows a young man named Keel who has gotten involved with a notorious military captain who seems bent on foiling the reconstruction efforts.  It's a surprisingly deep and moving story with an ending that's truly satisfying.  Despite the underlying tension going on around him Keel is, at his core, a comedy character and his antics will keep you laughing until the end.

This selfless act has forever endeared you to me. Â I shall name this cat girl in your honor. I shall call her......Squiffy.

You truly speak to my soul by mirroring my own feelings so perfectly. This is something I've been preaching about for ages. Â So much of the "mainstream" anime that's currently being shoved down our throats (like Naruto, Bleach, DBZ, etc.) might appeal to a lot of people but there are a lot of series out there that fans don't even know about that would blow each of those series off the shelves if they got the same media exposure as they did. [b]Air Gear[/b] and [b]Burst Angel[/b] are indeed titles worthy of attention so here are a few more that I would recommend: [b]Elemental Gelade[/b] - A great adventure series about a young Sky Pirate who befriends a mysterious girl with the ability to transform into a powerful weapon. Â Their quest to find the girl's homeland is fraught will action, comedy and even a dash of true love. Â Awesome story that has something for everyone. [b]Aquarion[/b] - Probably the best giant robot anime I've seen in a while. Â A group of aspiring young pilots train to master their psychic powers and operate the mechanical angel Aquarion to save the human race from the Shadow Angels. Â There's an underlying plotline going on but most episodes are self-contained. Â Reviews and trailers simply don't do this series justice as they can't convey the "fun factor" you'll experience in watching. [b]Basilisk [/b]- A very dramatic and often bloody series that chronicles the blood feud between rival ninja clans. Â Basilisk boasts the best character designs I've seen since Ninja Scroll and the fight scenes are amazing. Â Naruto fans might be put off by the brutality and serious nature of the plot though. Â This is a ninja show for more mature fans. [b]Getbackers[/b] - Probably one of the most underrated yet entertaining shows I've seen to date. Â The character designs are absolutely amazing and are the best feature of the series. Â Even bit characters who appear in only a single episode are fleshed out and everyone in the series has some sort of special power or weapon training that make their battles exciting and original. [b]Solty Rei[/b] - A sci-fi series that didn't get nearly enough exposure when it first came out. Â An all-star voice cast brings a cast of memorable characters to life, making even the mundane aspects of the show worth watching. The series starts off with a bunch of self-contained adventures but there's an underlying plotline that'll sneak up on you around the middle of the series. Â That's when the drama gets turned up a notch. Â Add to that a truly dramatic ending and you've got a series that's definitely worth watching from start to finish. I could go on and on like this but I'll stop for now and give everyone else a chance to pimp their fave series.

I've seen the original anime and I'm currently watching Brotherhood so I can vouche for the quality of the new series. Â Even though it's an alternate retelling (based more on the manga) than a sequel it's still worth watching if you're a fan of the show. Â There's some new material and some of the old material is seen from a different angle. It's definitely worth your time to check this one out.

I just got home from seeing the movie and I'm still geeking out about it. Â It was awesome with plenty of action and comedy with amazingly choreographed fight scenes and awesome special effects. Â I'll probably wind up buying the comics after this. Â Still a little irritated that the game is only available on the PS Network though. Oh, did anyone else catch all the old school game references? Â Clash at Demonhead and Crash & the Boys were names I haven't heard in ages. Â

I think I've developed a fanboy crush on Hell Girl. Â I need a girlfriend. Â

While Saio went in search of food Bear headed for the employee's only section. Â He couldn't help but feel a little angsty as he pushed his way through the entrance and made his way, uninvited, into the manager's office. Â Feeling that way probably would have made the Viking angry assuming he could still feel angry at all. Â That too made him feel angsty, thus catching Bear's mind in a vicious circle of angst, then angst again followed by yet more angst. Before he could continue in his downward spiral into depression Bear located what he was looking for. Â Hanging on the wall of the manager's office was a note board covered in sales figures and a to-do list. Â Picking up a marker from a nearby table Bear began to scribble on the board with a shaky hand. Now it was a well-known myth in the Magical Mystery Dungeon that is someone should write their screenname backwards their evil twin would come into existence somewhere on the Internet. Â Of course Bear had tried it the moment he'd heard the rumor. Â But the Viking was a pretty rough customer himself so his evil twin couldn't have been much worse. Â Right? Gripping the marker in his sweaty hand Bear scrawled the letters: [b][size="4"]R - A - E - B[/size][/b] upon the board. Â Then he waited in tense silence for a few moments. Â Bear's forehead broke out in a cold sweat and the room fell deathly silent. Â After a few moments the lights began to flicker and the temperature dropped several degrees. Â Suddenly Bear's shadow began moving of its own accord, sliding across the floor to pool up several paces away. Â The shadow seemed to separate itself from the Viking's body, thickening and writhing upon the floor. Feeling drained of energy Bear flopped down in the manager's chair, watching intently as his shadow slowly began to rise from the floor. Â It grew to the height of a midget, then a woman and then at last to a towering frame of solid black. Â Within the darkness features began to solidify. Â First came fleshy arms and a pale face surrounded by slick black hair. Â Then the shadows resolved themselves into a long, dark robe and a pair of leather boots. Â Finally, as if adding finishing touches, a string of bones and teeth encircled the figure's neck and a macabre helm fashioned from the skull of a horned beast appeared atop his head. When at last the figure was complete Bear raised his hand in greeting. Â "Hiya Raeb, howya doin'?" Â He asked. Â Raeb, Bear's evil twin, opened his eyes and peered icily down at the emofied Viking. Â "Apparently better than you are. Â What the devil happened to you?" Â He asked, his voice thick with contempt. "Got bit by an emo. Â I think I'm cursed." Â Bear sighed. Â "Don't suppose you can help me out can you?" Raeb glared at the Viking for a moment, making him really uncomfortable. Â Then a thin smile born of pure malice began to play across his lips. Â

[b]Life Lesson:[/b] Â When someone is being jackass there's no need to point out to him/her that they're being a jackass. Â In their mind you're the one with the attitude and they'll probably want to argue and/or fight to prove they're in the right. Â

I'm planning to see it tomorrow afternoon and wait until next weekend to watch [b]The Expendables[/b]. Â It was a pretty tough call but Scott Pilgrim just looks more like something I'd enjoy even though I don't know anything about the cast. Â Expendables has an all-star cast of action movie veterans but I've got this sinking feeling that it's going to bomb somehow. Â While we're on the subject of Scott Pilgrim, has anyone read the comics? Â I've been seeing them around a lot more lately with the movie being out and I'm considering a purchase. Â Can someone give me the gist of them?

I watched all five. Â Who knew Rinoa was such a bad@$$? Â But seriously, Tifa stole the show in the last episode. Â Zell from FFVIII really needs to put in an appearance as well. Â He and Tifa would be the perfect tag team. Oh, and I'm predicting that Sephiroth is going to show up sooner or later. Â Whether or not that's a good thing is debatable.

I haven't been here long enough to have actually left yet but I wound up here after the group I've hung out with for the last 4 or 5 years began to break up and move apart. Â I decided it was time to kick my old habits, reinvent myself and start over again. Â A lot of people made me feel welcome when I showed up here so I figured I'd stick around for a while. Congratulations on your one-year anniversary dude. Â Here's hoping you'll have many more.

This is the coolest thing in the history of forever. Â Needs more Yuffie though.

Oh geez, my old circle of friends were obsessed with [b]Robot Unicorn Attack[/b] for a few weeks.  At the time I was still limited to 56K so I could never participate. At the moment I'm playing [b]Mother 3 [/b]for the second time.  Before that I was running around in [b]Majora's Mask [/b]doing random stuff.  Seriously, being able to replay different parts of the game without having to play through from the beginning really increased that game's replay value.  That's probably why I like it better than [b]Ocarina of Time[/b]. Â

[quote name='Shinmaru' date='10 August 2010 - 12:01 PM' timestamp='1281456065' post='699201']And now I'm watching [b]Martian Successor Nadesico[/b], which has surprised me a bit by being more serious than expected. Not that it hasn't been funny, but I expected the scale to tip more in the direction of comedy and parody, and there has been a surprising amount of drama so far. (The end of ep3 is a harsh tearjerker, and the beginning of ep4 is a stomach punch.)[/quote]In that case you may want to skip the Nadesico movie. Â It was far and away more dramatic than the television series and the ending will really throw you for a loop. Â Speaking of stomach punches I finally got around to watching the first half of [b]Hell Girl[/b] this week. Â This series is really screwing with my head for some reason. Â Ai has that haunted doll creepiness going on but at least she's prettier to look at the Pinhead was. Â Still, the idea that someone can have you sent to Hell just for ticking them off is really unsettling.