tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20337307448066719302024-03-14T06:55:26.393-06:00I ♥ 高橋 啓介!B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-4705002516657236182021-02-28T00:00:00.007-06:002021-03-01T00:02:26.278-06:00Fallacies: "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr0zVhAdmwsht5VOVQkXX6UDD-spAFtYRLP8ErKXPE2XqNGtj5j_ouyigGPdFF1DD4qXj2PYr2VHoesHJoIMXoDxC_ZzLnHIGnlL9VEvXhydKi9oqhd68uSLDPXCJhDN3d95G2gx1YZ8/s1600/978-1-60774-730-7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLr0zVhAdmwsht5VOVQkXX6UDD-spAFtYRLP8ErKXPE2XqNGtj5j_ouyigGPdFF1DD4qXj2PYr2VHoesHJoIMXoDxC_ZzLnHIGnlL9VEvXhydKi9oqhd68uSLDPXCJhDN3d95G2gx1YZ8/w449-h640/978-1-60774-730-7.jpg" width="449" /></span></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I've been meaning to write something about Marie Kondo's book ever since I first read it the summer of 2015. In going through this moldy old blog, I found a post saved in my drafts that I had been meaning to finish since November of 2016. As Marie Kondo has been a thing ever since, the intent of this post back in 2016 is still relevant now. There's a sequel book and a manga. There's a Netflix show. There's deals with the Container Store and her questionably shilling over-priced goods. So let's talk about her a bit.</span><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The gist is that it's a how-to book on decluttering that keeps your life as well as your home neat and tidy. That's it. This gets conflated with minimalism a lot but it is not a minimalism book. Marie Kondo does not advocate minimalism, she advocates only spending your time, energy, and providing space to the things that actually make you happy and ditching the shit that doesn't.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I won't go so much into the hows of it. You gather your stuff by category and sort through it all at once group by group in a specific order. I read this book years ago and loved it. I've re-read it multiple times since and have listened to audio book several times as well. I used to pick it up again whenever I need a little <i>clean-spiration</i>. Years ago, the book itself ended up Kondo'd and that's a-okay.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Something that keeps popping up around this book, however, are click-bait type articles saying how Marie Kondo is full of shit. I'll be going through some of the arguments they bring up one-by-one. Because while Marie Kondo may shilling and hustling, but she is not wrong regarding her tidying method. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFX3XWKxb1OMgPfWI6bGep0Qpt4cPQciBzZuJRCBagR98emt3ngSrY7AXenmCmUqoFEzIQDY-lFAbZvWee3vSgcbaUKJrbnECofsgawBeudsIONBJRFIJ2IamUKU1bMPstms2VzHkQ58/s468/zengarden.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFX3XWKxb1OMgPfWI6bGep0Qpt4cPQciBzZuJRCBagR98emt3ngSrY7AXenmCmUqoFEzIQDY-lFAbZvWee3vSgcbaUKJrbnECofsgawBeudsIONBJRFIJ2IamUKU1bMPstms2VzHkQ58/s16000/zengarden.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>brb, gotta go buy $140 desktop zen garden from Kondo's store, lol</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>#1. "She wants me to deal with an entire category at once? I have to get every book in the house and put it on the floor? It's overwhelming."</i></b></span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I came across another blog that talked about this and it was all "hur hur, if u can't do it, <b>don't</b>! Know yerself, hyuck. U go girl." What a shitty train of thought. "Don't even try." That's the gist of the advice. Great.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's it's overwhelming is the whole point. You're <i>supposed </i>to look at the pile of clothes, shoes, books, whatever and go "Holy shit! How do I have so many? I haven't touched half this shit in years." You need the shock to realize you have too much fucking stuff you don't use. It's generally said we only wear 20% of the clothes we own. That means the other 80% eats into our space, our money, and our time. If you're rich or something and have a mansion to store stuff in and a maid to clean everything, then fine. But the rest of us sure as hell don't.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Make your stack of books/clothes/whatever and go through the entire stack quickly. "Can I part with this? Will I ever read this again? Have I ever read it?" Ask whatever you need to ask yourself to decide. If there's any doubt, keep it. <b>KEEP IT.</b> </span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't know why but some people think if they have doubts about keeping something they need to stop. As in stop, justify their choices, and question everything. This is <i>your</i> stuff and you only need to justify for yourself. When in doubt, keep. This is to minimize regrets. You can always choose to get rid of it later.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Some of these Kondo naysayers think the whole process is literal magic. That they're supposed to gather the entire pile and</span>—poof!—they'll end up with a room out of a magazine. They don't understand you make the magic yourself. It's all a matter of...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i><b>#2. "Keep things that spark joy? My frying pan doesn't spark joy. Should I throw away my frying pan, smart guy?"</b></i></span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">...taking things too fucking literally.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I0uD6v8eA6Z2E3UkAzrEheAKxeH4n8Pk-qT5CH_bkbfPEiLxtV5fx8QsVWrwPH5qZh_sBNL_X2OeWwOUGiTMhDD4LQ11PqgKhTYgD90ceNn0YautptDkJ8dOtqoSuTbrAOPnlDkIbsE/s468/junkroom.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I0uD6v8eA6Z2E3UkAzrEheAKxeH4n8Pk-qT5CH_bkbfPEiLxtV5fx8QsVWrwPH5qZh_sBNL_X2OeWwOUGiTMhDD4LQ11PqgKhTYgD90ceNn0YautptDkJ8dOtqoSuTbrAOPnlDkIbsE/s16000/junkroom.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Frying pan, y u no spark joy?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Some readers have gone through Kondo's books and really latched onto every dumb line they could. Like when Marie Kondo got rid of her screwdriver only to need one later and used her ruler instead. Or how Kondo prefers to put shampoos and soaps away inside of leaving them in the shower despite the fact that Japanese-style showers are different than Western-style showers and her bottles would slime. Or how she empties her purse at the end of the day. </div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I can't empty my purse every day. I'm too forgetful. (But I can certainly compromise and clean shit out more frequently.) As for your frying pan, if you get plenty of use out of it, it IS bringing you joy. I know fried eggs bring ME joy. Items that are useful to you are bringing you joy. It's not in the <i>ra-ra</i> way but in the "happy to have fried eggs" way. Stop expecting to orgasm over your frying pan already. It would never be that kinda joy unless you're a chef.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><i><b>#3. "Okay, but that folding thing she does looks stupid. She really expects me to fold my clothes so they stand up? That's crazy. Imma busy mom/whatever, waah."</b></i></span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are dozens of videos about the fuckin' folding technique. Search "Kondo fold" in YouTube and you'll get a plethora of demonstrations. Most of Kondo's media appearances feature the folding technique so it's unsurprising the folding "correctly" has become synonymous with Kondoing itself.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For whatever reason, how well one Kondos (yes, Kondo is a verb now) has been tied to folding things right. That completely misses the takeaway: most clothing storage works with folded clothes standing up in a drawer rather than stacked or crammed hanging in closets. AND IT DOES. Kondo just wants to make sure you can properly <i><b>see</b></i> what you own so that you wear it. </span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">She's not wrong. Now, I do not do the fold like she does. I actually do my own modified version of her fold and then line my clothes up in my drawer like a bunch of tacos lying side by side.</span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UHCd0cU806XcX-OhFAGMZyoouLua8NJCQ0dq-94WE2ofuruH1qVmjj6NtfMbQLIJ2lrAfsgdSohGmbUAvX-EefSJCfxxL2-C9PVGind9R9urx90556c4Ufo_mtRaplBD_Sr4peqUXkU/s700/funny-marie-kondo-konmari-method-memes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="700" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UHCd0cU806XcX-OhFAGMZyoouLua8NJCQ0dq-94WE2ofuruH1qVmjj6NtfMbQLIJ2lrAfsgdSohGmbUAvX-EefSJCfxxL2-C9PVGind9R9urx90556c4Ufo_mtRaplBD_Sr4peqUXkU/w400-h308/funny-marie-kondo-konmari-method-memes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>People who complain about the fold are being too meticulous. Honestly, they are probably trying to keep too many clothes. I'm using this pic <a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-marie-kondo-konmari-method-memes/" target="_blank">from a Bored Panda article about Kondo memes</a> (or whatever) just for the visual of the inside of that drawer. I could never live like that either! Whoever's drawer that's supposed to has too many damn clothes. And a lot of people are like this. You just need to Google "Konmari folding in drawer" and you will see loads of people pridefully posting drawers packed with clothes. The folding method itself is not to blame here. The mooks cramming up their dresser drawers are.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIa8ulz2xebzhY4KZNHHzIycOWI04DD9y57xa2PLaNTcG6jAF97Nu4E4fAnbyFdikCT1apQVVJ_rdtLlGTY3nDRHwNyZkOyQ8i4z4lpJCTzAkVRcI1Hc6QCZsehyphenhyphenwfuommx1AOoRXYss/s457/drwhosocks.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIa8ulz2xebzhY4KZNHHzIycOWI04DD9y57xa2PLaNTcG6jAF97Nu4E4fAnbyFdikCT1apQVVJ_rdtLlGTY3nDRHwNyZkOyQ8i4z4lpJCTzAkVRcI1Hc6QCZsehyphenhyphenwfuommx1AOoRXYss/s16000/drwhosocks.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thanking these socks will literally send you to hell. So will buying these socks.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div><b><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">#4. "She wants me to thank old socks. I can't thank socks. That's stupid and I'm a Christian."</span></i></b></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Then don't thank the socks. You're being kinda ungrateful tho'. I mean, they covered your stinky feet at least once and you can't utter a thanks before chucking them in the trash bag? But whatever. The world won't stop spinning because you don't thank the socks. Thanking objects is a cultural thing anyway. She used to be a Shinto priestess. And you're Christian? So what? You ain't going to hell for thanking some socks unless you're, like, shanking someone as you do so. Jeez, thank God if it bothers you that much.</span></div>
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<i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>#5. "Wait, I gotta throw things away? I can't recycle or donate my old items? What if I try to resell things instead?"</b></span></i></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Knock yourself out. Nothing says you can't recycle, donate, or resell items. What I suggest you do is look at the cost in doing so, especially when it comes to reselling. </span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For example: It doesn't make sense to have a garage sale to sell $30 bucks worth of knick-knacks when you need to pay for the permit, set up your sale space, get up in the morning, and work the sale for several hours. It wouldn't be worth it for me. Plus, it's best to get the old stuff out of the house asap. Nothing worse than junk hanging around and cluttering the floor.</span></div>
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<b><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">#6. "I'm not rich. I can't just get rid of things I might need later. It would waste money."</span></i></b></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is a big myth and it's easy to get sucked into it because the face of Kondoing in the US (at least) is about people who have lots of stuff and lots of money. They may not admit they have money, but it's obvious. I'm part of a few Kondo groups online and I see before and after pics all the time of big spacious houses, fancy furniture, and sleek appliances. Lots of these folks have closets bigger than the room I live in. They can easily get rid of something and go repurchase it later.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Look, I'm pretty much fucking poor. I get it. It doesn't <b>appear </b>Kondoing is for you when you see people of means making Kondoing videos on YouTube because, like, it's sooo hard having so much stuff and the means to buy it. Right? What a hard-knocks life. But I was surprised at the things <b><i>I</i></b> owned. Old keychains. Purses I hadn't used in years. Shirts and pants I wore as a teenager. Old shitty drawings I made. Pens that didn't work. Childhood toys. Yellowed, old, blank paper. Every pay stub from every job I've ever worked. Rich or poor, we all actually have junk we don't use and need.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We are the caretakers of our stuff. Even the useless junk. We have to clean around it. We have to sort it. We have to launder it. We have to give it space in our homes. I have better things to do with my time than be a caretaker to a bunch of old shit I don't even use anymore. I hate dusting. The only thing I hate more than dusting is having to dust items. The fewer things I have to dust around, the better.</span></div>
<div><br /></div><div>The fact is if you haven't needed or used something for years, you aren't likely to need it in the future. We keep a lot of things out of guilt and fear and rarely out of actual need. Google "sunk cost fallacy." The money or time you've spent to acquire your stuff is gone already. And if you can't find something because it's crammed in a pile of junk, what do you do anyway? You buy a new one. This just wastes more time and money. So cut your losses and move on already.</div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmwImng41nUWdbGK-SAEr1zyiFzCxCQpUnfveW4yxg3Q_wSkCDYPhtamqfZl5IlDEBKNpxX5YQMP_nEI57a3xKlMQ95JksQV70rWdrfbXH4a7B6uGQNw1ODkb79lNNXw75vGA80va7kA/s496/timeenoughatlast.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkmwImng41nUWdbGK-SAEr1zyiFzCxCQpUnfveW4yxg3Q_wSkCDYPhtamqfZl5IlDEBKNpxX5YQMP_nEI57a3xKlMQ95JksQV70rWdrfbXH4a7B6uGQNw1ODkb79lNNXw75vGA80va7kA/s16000/timeenoughatlast.gif" /></a></div><b><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><div><b><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></div>#7. "I'm a book lover and lurv muh books. She wants me to get rid of my books."</span></i></b></div>
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<div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">You are surrounding yourself with things that make you happy. Unless you're a hoarder, there's no way every piece of crap you own could make you happy. If you're a collector of dolls, spoons, or whatever, then keep your collection because it makes you happy. No one is arguing with you. </span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The people who love books are the most vocal because Kondo doesn't think we should hang onto a bunch of books and papers. "Meh blerb blerb, but I luv muh books. I luv tah read." Then keep the damn books if they make you happy. But what about that sweater you haven't worn since 1987? That used paper cup from Burger King? The shoes you don't wear anymore because they pinch your toes? Your backpack from high school? You know damn well all that shit don't bring anyone joy except a hoarder and we all know hoarders are sick people. (I'm saying that in the kindest way possible. Hoarders have problems and need professional help.)<br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But I think we need to be honest with ourselves here: most Americans do not read books. They just don't. A lot of us have books to make ourselves look smart. You're <i>supposed</i> to own books. Smart people own books. Sophisticated people get large, overpriced books to plop on the coffee table they never use and display the candle they never burn. If we don't want to look stupid, surely, we must own books. "Look at my perrrrrrrsonality showing on these shelves!" I guarantee most people are not bibliophiles who just love books so damn much.</span></div>
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</div>B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-43532895011394381312021-02-27T00:00:00.006-06:002021-03-24T21:47:19.254-06:005 Anime I Like That You Should, Too - #4. Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! (2000)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKjZk0Zi58qtQYWWKQVlWaie0r72hl2if6D8Do0RuMEKWMCFs34GcKaD6Zht9GL827JExO2fVdg6UquTO2EMWMX-DzETfI2jKjrACitq0_VtPzxvUR4Acjw4TkKtsXndbvrOq_4RINH0/s468/hajimenoippo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKjZk0Zi58qtQYWWKQVlWaie0r72hl2if6D8Do0RuMEKWMCFs34GcKaD6Zht9GL827JExO2fVdg6UquTO2EMWMX-DzETfI2jKjrACitq0_VtPzxvUR4Acjw4TkKtsXndbvrOq_4RINH0/s16000/hajimenoippo.png" /></a></div><b data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><div><b data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></b></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Based on</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">:</span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"> the manga by</span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #2e3234; background-color: white; color: #252525;"> </span><a data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Morikawa" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #dcdad6; --darkreader-inline-bgimage: none; --darkreader-inline-color: #37335a; background: none rgb(249, 249, 249); color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="George Morikawa">George Morikawa</a><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">. 1989 - present/ongoing.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">Claim to fame</b><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lk2dXDQwnE">Denpushii rouru! **jet engines**</a></span><br data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><b data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">Dubbed</b><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">: Yes, but it's a mixed bag.</span><br data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><b data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">Subject</b><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">: Boxing.</span></span><br />
<span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><i>Hajime no Ippo</i> is a modern day classic and if you haven't seen at least one episode of the first series, put everything down right now and go find some of it. Like <i>Initial D</i>, I've heard good things about this show for years and delayed on watching it. At the time, Netflix was always missing the discs of the series or had it on long wait. (Yes, this was back when mailed DVDs were primary for using Netflix.) My Internet connection was lousy at the time too so I couldn't go find it online either.</span></span></span><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWByFAdAH_8S_r7b-sYsiRYFVXAs4bjJfVXENfGWduuRVJ5Ud9suQQ3Fh6TkGcECdyP5OFOIDskjNBKfQoFyhXgVZR9dLc-VL_u7l4BQ1LS4O2j5y1xVTbFLi2-812otkxvdD43GAWK8/s500/n8U.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWByFAdAH_8S_r7b-sYsiRYFVXAs4bjJfVXENfGWduuRVJ5Ud9suQQ3Fh6TkGcECdyP5OFOIDskjNBKfQoFyhXgVZR9dLc-VL_u7l4BQ1LS4O2j5y1xVTbFLi2-812otkxvdD43GAWK8/s16000/n8U.gif" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like Initial D, I thought "meh, boxing? Who cares?" in the same manner I dismissed a show about illegal street racing. It's old, it looks kinda lame, and doesn't have anything to offer me. Even these days, in trying to introduce this show to others, I see the same dismissiveness with them as I used to have. But passing on this show is a big mistake.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Hajime no Ippo</i> is about Ippo Makunouchi, a limp noodle of a highschool kid that has a bit of a nervous personality and a good heart. He's a hard worker, helping his mother before and after school to keep their business afloat and inadvertently honing his physical strength in the process. He gets bullied and in the first episode, boxer Mamoru Takumura comes to his rescue.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9s2hT130eigrxvrDAsCsWqUn7nEnLQtSEr5Xin6s6B9YGqoymhbQzPInBVZsTZpjejAv6AjUS3qX-IrYF7AlHjoigvCpswE6z2S9faeqakbV81tG8nSBZnWVwvp88gGXInSv6ssROp_Y/s500/ippotakamura.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9s2hT130eigrxvrDAsCsWqUn7nEnLQtSEr5Xin6s6B9YGqoymhbQzPInBVZsTZpjejAv6AjUS3qX-IrYF7AlHjoigvCpswE6z2S9faeqakbV81tG8nSBZnWVwvp88gGXInSv6ssROp_Y/s16000/ippotakamura.gif" /></a></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Long story short, Ippo's meeting with Takumura ends up jumpstarting a passion for boxing. Ippo gains strength and confidence (well, some confidence) as we watch him persevere towards his new dream of being a professional boxer.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;">So some various points here...</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;"><b>1. This story is on-going.</b> My recommendation is actually for the first season of this show. It's over 70 episodes long but it tells a single concise story with a beginning, middle, and end. There's other seasons and OVA but as the narrative progresses in subsequent media, we get into longer (sometimes outright sillier) fights and it honestly feels pointless at times. The story is reduced to "x has to fight y" and the sense of direction is kind of lost. I have watched all of the available Ippo anime and will continue watch more, but I don't blame anyone for checking out after season one.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;"><b>2. This show is now more readily available. Legally.</b> It's been on YouTube for a long time in its entirety but I fully see the YouTube uploads being pulled as </span></span><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><a href="https://comicbook.com/anime/news/hajime-no-ippo-original-anime-coming-to-crunchyroll/" target="_blank">it was recently announced Hajime no Ippo will be on Crunchyroll</a>. Um, yay. Don't get me wrong, I like Crunchyroll way more than some of the other available services. I assume the app is supposed to be garbage if you're a free user so you can pay for better service. Which is fair. But I'm biased and Crunchyroll just likes to freeze on me way too much.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9PjO-Boc-7jMUFshSKUSjJp2B2z_79uAqvUtrq0vTKDCcyhGN1KhWbnG4N0ZiszK9zeSsIwe5ubmVCOWpiLgvMEtWCofxKGsOSWLSLHcWA3MUvP49NnX8pcbyoCUm76uL0SCtU16Fks/s500/ippofighting.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9PjO-Boc-7jMUFshSKUSjJp2B2z_79uAqvUtrq0vTKDCcyhGN1KhWbnG4N0ZiszK9zeSsIwe5ubmVCOWpiLgvMEtWCofxKGsOSWLSLHcWA3MUvP49NnX8pcbyoCUm76uL0SCtU16Fks/s16000/ippofighting.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Me vs. Crunchyroll</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;">If Crunchyroll isn't your thing, Discotek Media picked up </span><i data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333;">Hajime no Ippo</i><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"> for 2021 home media re-release. I wanted to link to their site but I can't find an entry for Ippo there. Their website just advertises to buy from Rightstuf or Amazon anyway so you can find it there with a simple search.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3. You don't need to know shit about boxing.</b> Like Initial D, this show is willing to hold your hand. Ippo doesn't know anything about boxing either so as the other characters hold his hand, this show holds your hand.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>4. The English dub is so bad it's good.</b> It's a bit garbage, not gonna lie. The actual voice actors themselves aren't terrible actors or anything but delivery, the lines themselves, and the casting is all a bit off. Be prepared for that if you insist on an English dub. I do find myself amused by the English dub tho' because of those reasons. I've seen the Spanish dub too and that one's pretty solid. </span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTwySgyuyclGQGb25ZiUPoFRV3Zw2M8vo7YmnNkaHpWS0YTD51fxmhwcmVHGk9qGI2ZSpW6I52DAlvhrNs7zurXZ0aFVUZsvgHk4Ky1RwyYkyJKqfPy2fPhjJ3bR8SOvg55WIlKqBQ3w/s400/sendoandippo.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTwySgyuyclGQGb25ZiUPoFRV3Zw2M8vo7YmnNkaHpWS0YTD51fxmhwcmVHGk9qGI2ZSpW6I52DAlvhrNs7zurXZ0aFVUZsvgHk4Ky1RwyYkyJKqfPy2fPhjJ3bR8SOvg55WIlKqBQ3w/s16000/sendoandippo.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You will never have a nickname as cool as Rocky the Naniwa Tiger.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This show, however, is best experienced in Japanese and has some powerhouse Japanese voice actors including Rikiya Koyama as Mamoru Takamura, who manages to be both a guiding force for Ippo as well as, uh, another bully; Wataru Takagi as Masaru Aoki and Keiji Fujiwara as Tatsuya Kimura, gym mates along with Takamura and Ippo; Tomokazu Seki as Ichiro Miyata, former gym mate turned rival except not really; Kenji Utsumi as Genji Kamogawa, owner of the gym and Ippo's boxing coach; and Masaya Onosaka as Takeshi Sendo--a.k.a. Rocky--a hot-head boxer who challenges Ippo to a fight. All of their performances really bring the comedy and drama home. These actors have all collectively done tons of voice over work and if you watch anime you're bound to find several great characters among their resumes.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_x06TWLrJMwq20kNLM_5zNlzKrZo3FFQhjmggqjKLmMSQfljdYqaUUEZA-VPdPKW8ve6sGBcb0QljjE2KDtQqbvz8n92YltaP0Njo-xkaPskAKxZmztzn412BctmzH3Xezh61rlxPEHo/s500/ippohitshisjunk.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_x06TWLrJMwq20kNLM_5zNlzKrZo3FFQhjmggqjKLmMSQfljdYqaUUEZA-VPdPKW8ve6sGBcb0QljjE2KDtQqbvz8n92YltaP0Njo-xkaPskAKxZmztzn412BctmzH3Xezh61rlxPEHo/s16000/ippohitshisjunk.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>** pained elephant noise **</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>5. The humor can be low-brow.</b> There are dick jokes and naked dudes in this thing. Neither of these is bad and everything in this show is funny. Even Takamura being a creep is presented in a way that doesn't glorify his behavior but shows he's a d-bag. (He's still my favorite character.) This point is just here for full disclosure.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>6. Don't be fooled by #5, because this show does drama pretty well. </b>There's some tense scenes, some sadness and legit depression. It all arrives organically without being hamfisted. The story's twists and turns come naturally. Going into the show, some characters feel unimportant and while there are characters that stay that way, others actually come back or have a moment that makes you appreciate how it was approached.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While I don't want to spoil everything in this post, an example in particular that stood out to me was Ippo's school bully Masahiko Umezawa. This is the bully we see in episode one; the same bully Ippo has to be saved from.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; --darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingZl-X4eYCax_XrrX1IiNvgiAzzFT2DiUhLpW4S-gawC9sPFTmZQoNIhlTYb6ryE1Dfxivp0030Rtn7b79aCEoB3DhlwcU4DI3FzFwGbsSoC9ZXIkLqKhqcikaMJliBJL8dsIZ1ImRp0/s641/ippoumezawa.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="641" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingZl-X4eYCax_XrrX1IiNvgiAzzFT2DiUhLpW4S-gawC9sPFTmZQoNIhlTYb6ryE1Dfxivp0030Rtn7b79aCEoB3DhlwcU4DI3FzFwGbsSoC9ZXIkLqKhqcikaMJliBJL8dsIZ1ImRp0/w400-h281/ippoumezawa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All bullies should be made to rock the pomp'. Even the girls.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;">Normally, this type of character would appear and serve his purpose as he does in the first episode. And then maybe he'd appear later so we get some contrast to Ippo-then versus Ippo-now. But, no, this show does one better. Like, this guy gets actual character growth. I had seen some images of him later in the series and didn't even realize he was the same guy. I was really surprised. Without giving away much more, he actually becomes a decent person. Touches like this throughout any series are just very nice. While it doesn't happen with everyone (some of them do stay kinda random), it does happen with more than just Umezawa's character. It's immersive to have a character come back and be a bit more important than the viewer first thought.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;">Btw, if you like the old school pompadour delinquent look, Takamura pretty much rocks it the entire show. Putting it out there because I just dig that type of design.</span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="--darkreader-inline-color: #393e41; color: #333333; font-size: medium;"><span data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" style="--darkreader-inline-bgcolor: #e1dfdb; background-color: white;">Since you have no excuses, go watch this show. The first part of Discotek's series re-release is currently available, you can go to YouTube now, or wait for it on Crunchyroll soon.</span></span></div>B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-48476519630711146042021-02-26T13:57:00.019-06:002021-03-24T22:00:58.337-06:00My Favorite Studio Ghibli Films<p>On the back of my recent <i>Earwig and the Witch</i> review that I just posted, I'm making this new post for my top five Ghibli films. This is based on my own opinions and personal enjoyment. It has nothing to do with what films were the most impactful to the industry, made the most money, or are beloved by the majority. These films are my comfort food. I've already given my basic opinion on <i>Laputa: Castle in the Sky</i> and <i>Princess Mononoke</i> in my <i>Earwig</i> review. Sorry, but I stan Lady Eboshi and would burn that entire forest to ashes for her smile.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlGFiMWTsuFHqoFfNhVfojj-4e6gqWT9OKuysS4x_lD4Axt_E5OK6dyJVX6hxZ-bDtT0SSjC3JYsCK3cTX3zcLhTx2MoOHGBgG2UzEef3ITbCAkODJMvQgKIs_WoNbRSNr8HTxWXR0ag/s801/lady-eboshi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="801" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlGFiMWTsuFHqoFfNhVfojj-4e6gqWT9OKuysS4x_lD4Axt_E5OK6dyJVX6hxZ-bDtT0SSjC3JYsCK3cTX3zcLhTx2MoOHGBgG2UzEef3ITbCAkODJMvQgKIs_WoNbRSNr8HTxWXR0ag/s320/lady-eboshi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>She's my Queen. No homo. :)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>So, uh, with that out of the way, I'm gonna start listing my faves. I'm not really giving too much thought to the specific order.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEw96X6A2M69cYVAsDyTYr0ECQ6IOENTKMcYvUPXa7HOTUy3wgYWu0T_W07rTDzQJ6P5AqsH5CsJzdzT3425-PVcvDhJBTC1_ectP3khza5UWus14N-K0fVnNPpC4R96AfbjGZY0lWRoo/s468/howlsmovingcastle.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEw96X6A2M69cYVAsDyTYr0ECQ6IOENTKMcYvUPXa7HOTUy3wgYWu0T_W07rTDzQJ6P5AqsH5CsJzdzT3425-PVcvDhJBTC1_ectP3khza5UWus14N-K0fVnNPpC4R96AfbjGZY0lWRoo/s16000/howlsmovingcastle.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A village so comfy you'd expect a Titan to come and smash it.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)</b></span></p><p>I'd say this is my current top favorite. I say "current" because I think it changes sometimes. Before, it might've been <i>Kiki's Delivery Service</i> or something like that. I recall seeing this in the theater when it came to the U.S. and being kinda disappointed. So it's really grown on me in the past few years to say the least.</p><p>I think what I look for the most in my Ghibli films these days is the pure aesthetics. This film has quaint villages; the "moving castle" which is the most comfy hunk of junk I've ever seen in a film; the beautiful flower field; and the castle grounds that are stately without being intimidating. This film makes me want go to the hat shop and trim hats with Sophie or sit down with a cup of coffee and a blanket in front of Calcifer's fire.</p><p>I like the characters for the most part. Sophie is bland and inoffensive without being boring. I think in part because she takes things in relative stride. "Oh, I'm old? Better go" and then she just packs her food and leaves. She has a tiny bit of mischief in her that balances her well with the apprentice boy, the snarky fire, and the dramatic Howl. The Witch of Waste evokes a sense of danger at the beginning of the film, sympathy after being stripped of her powers, and then anger when she takes Howl's heart. (Though I forgive her when she gives it back.)</p><p>I don't really watch the dub. Billy Crystal and Christian Bale kinda pull me outta my vibe. They aren't terrible or anything but I prefer the Japanese language.</p><p>Sophie and Howl falling in love is a bit weird. It feels too sudden but they do mesh well together so I can buy it to an extent. I don't really watch this film for the love story or lack thereof anyway. I just like to sit and chill out with it.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzie_3RK_pAJGBekI5nX_omGG3POvr-YXn6hwpBfCywvFeRG2-jEv-aCOUybyC3rkCTSw9pcnz9SFeOiqBy2nh2UsCmTgGQUzzXZ63s6pz5Vpx1mQwpT3L3F3DBUYdhH1R8fd83eidbS0/s468/secretworldofarrietty.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzie_3RK_pAJGBekI5nX_omGG3POvr-YXn6hwpBfCywvFeRG2-jEv-aCOUybyC3rkCTSw9pcnz9SFeOiqBy2nh2UsCmTgGQUzzXZ63s6pz5Vpx1mQwpT3L3F3DBUYdhH1R8fd83eidbS0/s16000/secretworldofarrietty.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This room has the best use of weed I've ever seen.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)</b></span></p><p>Just look at that room, man! Look at that room. This film <b><i>vibes</i></b>. All sort of beautiful settings abound: the houses of both Arrietty and Sho exude with coziness and the fields, garden, and wildness outside is such a treat. The story's not exactly impactful so I think that's why this one doesn't really win people over. Like Totoro has a dying mom and Spirited Away has a little girl saving her family and you know this stuff from the get-go of those films. This film is all "little people can't let the big ol' human <b>beans</b> sees thems." And thus, it doesn't feel like much despite that it does get some stakes at the ending half. </p><p>Apparently, there's two English dubs including a Brit dub with Saorise Ronan and Tom Holland and I really want to watch it some day. Like <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i>, I don't care for the English dub we got so much. But with this film, I like the dub even less so. It's probably the music that does it to me.</p><p>I don't recall if this movie came to theaters in my area at all and I don't remember watching it in a theater. If it ever gets a re-release (post-pandemic), I would love to go see it on a big screen.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxGF9akbG6cHyVwtgnu1PTOaQVQvUi6Ymsqzqm1YA2pfqgg4hE4bSuJjwQ4v8HW078bYXUi8kDRuxz2eZFD0-srxCQFVF42r6mda5ECynLb3ZgaE11JhqL8NGa-xaTyaVjhkeCg-LhCo/s500/whisperoftheheart.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxGF9akbG6cHyVwtgnu1PTOaQVQvUi6Ymsqzqm1YA2pfqgg4hE4bSuJjwQ4v8HW078bYXUi8kDRuxz2eZFD0-srxCQFVF42r6mda5ECynLb3ZgaE11JhqL8NGa-xaTyaVjhkeCg-LhCo/s16000/whisperoftheheart.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lofi Beats to Study and Relax To. No takedown pls.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Whisper of the Heart (1995)</b></span></p><p>This film is really damn touching. It, above most other Ghibli films in my opinion, feels incredibly personal but not like <i>Only Yesterday</i> which smacks your face with the protag's past. This film feels like we're being silently invited into an important period of time in this girl's life, omnisciently recounting this girl's childhood when she starts becoming the writer she knows she is. Or maybe it's more bias on my part because I like to write, too. Either way, it's a sweet little story with a touch of fantasy and young love.</p><p>Of course it has those Ghibli aesthetics: Shizuku's family's cramp apartment; the school grounds and the library; the quaint shop full of curiosities; and the snug, homey streets of town. The characters are nice with some of them having a light touch of sass. </p><p>The dub's okay and has a Cary Elwes cat. You can't say no to a Cary Elwes cat. Sadly, it's the only film ever directed by Yoshifumi Kondo. And double-sadly it has a sequel (<i>The Cat Returns</i>) that left me feeling kinda meh. I think it's due to the sequel being a much more fantastical story than this film and I liked this film for the opposite reason. The sequel exclusively follows the Cary Elwes cat so it's still worth a watch. I have yet to find anyone that has <i>The Cat Returns</i> as a favorite tho'.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQWS_NPUZb_uRzbY_8KG-58y5jH7oASC9CnoEExg-Gwaj6H0h8U_FescT1asGJT6j_Cj8PElfrjwyDiObooc3eAUiYWfnpRFICHRa2lRxrisHf4Bjl4B1oQOpBXshn7XL_whz4ia3pfc/s468/kikisdeliveryserv.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQWS_NPUZb_uRzbY_8KG-58y5jH7oASC9CnoEExg-Gwaj6H0h8U_FescT1asGJT6j_Cj8PElfrjwyDiObooc3eAUiYWfnpRFICHRa2lRxrisHf4Bjl4B1oQOpBXshn7XL_whz4ia3pfc/s16000/kikisdeliveryserv.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That feel when has talking cat but you can no longer understand him.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think this might've been the first Ghibli film I ever watched and for that reason was my first favorite by default. Not that it's a bad one to have as a default favorite. I would say it's a nice gateway Ghibli film. It's fantastical without being too fantastical: Kiki rides her broom and can talk to her cat but I can't think of any other instances of magic we actually see. It's also adventurous without being too adventurous: Kiki leaves home for a quaint seaside city. Aside from a jaunt in the forest, she doesn't really go anywhere else. And it has drama without being too dramatic: Kiki loses her powers, becomes depressed, but then is happy again. </div><p>I think a lot of the other Ghibli films, for better or for worse, have a level of Japanese culture that makes them a little less accessible than Kiki is. Not that I don't appreciate Japanese culture but films with less cultural nuance do feel more universal.</p><p>As for the English dub, the actors do a good enough job. This movie was released in an English dub on VHS in 1998. Phil Hartman voices Jiji and while I love Phil Hartman, I can concede he's not really right for the role. (RIP Phil Hartman. Jiji was his last voice role and I was a Simpsons fan at the time so I was very familiar with who he was.) To add insult to injury for fans of this film, the English dub did make some changes and take some liberties which was more common back in 1998. So even though I'd say this is the most accessible Ghibli film, there was a need to make it more accessible. This film's dub was then tweaked for later re-release to sort of course-correct back in 2010. Which is fine... because I stick the subs for this one now anyway.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX0BtBk8RtJIeCRQtpNzB9saYvuGdB80I1WUGoyHD45GWSF2WDBwt37LzYBT8gjeYf2SXLm0OYGyUgZGd1v0QqexgL8ZET8R-iREEJsxrp0E3hptJ5d9e75ulW3CG1bOkMq8fn4v9jZw/s640/Catbus.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX0BtBk8RtJIeCRQtpNzB9saYvuGdB80I1WUGoyHD45GWSF2WDBwt37LzYBT8gjeYf2SXLm0OYGyUgZGd1v0QqexgL8ZET8R-iREEJsxrp0E3hptJ5d9e75ulW3CG1bOkMq8fn4v9jZw/w400-h214/Catbus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>License and registration please. Just kidding. No one drives me.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)</b></span></p><p>Gonna be honest here. I did not like My Neighbor Totoro when I first watched it. Firstly, it took me forever to actually watch it. When it was released in the U.S., I just didn't care. The pictures you see in regards to this film show this weird, round rabbit-looking thing and two little girls. And it's just... what is this? And why would I watch it?</p><p>I ended up taking Japanese classes in college and our sensei put on some of this film. This brings me to the second issue: those opening credits started and I wondered what the hell I was looking at. Hearing that song, it sounded like this movie was for toddlers or something. Again, what was this about and why should I watch it? So I zoned out. I didn't know what to think of this back then.</p><p>I don't know what exactly made me watch this again. It was many years later and probably when my sister and I were going on a Ghibli binge. So we watched <i>My Neighbor Totoro</i> with the Disney dub around its release in 2006 and we really loved it. I definitely see the appeal and timelessness it has now.</p><p>That cozy house, the beautiful country side, that sweet family, and those odd forest critters give this film such a nice touch. I don't really care for Totoro himself but he's actually not in the film all that much. Susuwatari and Cat Bus for the win.</p><p>While it may be heretical to say this, I like the English dub more than the sub. I'm not even a fan of the Fanning sisters and the older girl plays her role kinda stiff in my opinion. Even so, the English dub is prettty damn decent and the younger Fanning girl does a fantastic job as Mei.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguE9tHYVycwHSl3G1a180zpTyGcNVE_eQy5sAriClZJCK2gNDySK_GXD0MB5_Q29x7hU3zv2fZ-0Vghxucz9IJRjkEWfZZaD_ZPoq5sEO72FVQMc3zc4PcNZaJoYgD_gcXj9EqyqAHQg8/s700/kushana.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="700" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguE9tHYVycwHSl3G1a180zpTyGcNVE_eQy5sAriClZJCK2gNDySK_GXD0MB5_Q29x7hU3zv2fZ-0Vghxucz9IJRjkEWfZZaD_ZPoq5sEO72FVQMc3zc4PcNZaJoYgD_gcXj9EqyqAHQg8/w400-h245/kushana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kurotowa and Princess Kushana are best. No lies detected here.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: large;">Honorable Mention:</span></b><p><b>Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) </b>- Does this really count as a Ghibli film? No? Yes? Well, I really like it either way. Especially Kushana and Kurotowa, played by The Bride and Jack Skellington in the English dub. Princess Kushana is everything I really look for in a fantasy princess: she has a sense of personal duty, she's tough, she suffers, she becomes ruthless and then she becomes understanding. Nothing against Nausicaa herself, but Nausicaa didn't feel like she had growth the way Kushana did. Beginning of film: Nausicaa love forest. Nausicaa protect bugs. End of film: Nausicaa love forest. Nausicaa protect bugs.</p><p>Also in the dub is Patrick Stewart as Lord Yupa. I liked his performance here, too. The English dub does have Shia of all people as Asbel but, er, just ignore him. I feel like this movie pulls off the themes that <i>Laputa</i> and <i>Princess Mononoke </i>tried to much better.</p><p><b>Spirited Away (2001)</b> - I had a lovely time watching this in the theater when it came to the U.S. and I dig the aesthetics. I'm just not into the story so much. After halfway through, I kinda check out. It's like once she gets on that train, my brain also got on the train but never got off of the train. Heh. But it's really a beautiful film about two disgusting pigs and their nameless daughter.</p><p><b>Earwig and the Witch (2020)</b> - Yes, I liked it enough to make it a favorite. I wrote a review in my earlier post. I think it's flawed but still solid.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whatever else I've not discussed, I either still like it but not as a favorite (such as <i>From Up on Poppy Hill, Porco Rosso, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko</i>) or haven't seen it (<i>The Tale of Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There</i>) or am indifferent for one reason or another. If you're so inclined, comment with your favorite Ghibli film and why you love it. Unless it's <i>Princess Mononoke</i>. Ha ha.</p>B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-16138257802267365872021-02-25T21:13:00.017-06:002021-03-01T15:57:37.702-06:00Earwig and the Angry Inch<p><i>Note: The following blog post adapted from a post I made over at my lil' dead forum. </i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4lwiXSnljcJEu9xj0pdKaJFWLqhghmlskGShyphenhyphensXkbRLl58UrLUDiztzRCajXd19_CxM-hM2EOgTGp6quRpXkGiHhEp0Nv-7AxUZffi9sdNFc66KAtO7Frk9Jd-8gdp0_tek-lJpuzMk/s819/earwigposter.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="576" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4lwiXSnljcJEu9xj0pdKaJFWLqhghmlskGShyphenhyphensXkbRLl58UrLUDiztzRCajXd19_CxM-hM2EOgTGp6quRpXkGiHhEp0Nv-7AxUZffi9sdNFc66KAtO7Frk9Jd-8gdp0_tek-lJpuzMk/w450-h640/earwigposter.png" width="450" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Six inches forward and five inches back/ I've got a, got an angry inch."</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>I don't like <i>Laputa: Castle in the Sky</i> and I don't know if that's okay. I also don't like <i>Princess Mononoke. </i>San is annoying. She's literally "bitchy Nausicaa raised by wolves" and I only rewatch that film because Lady Eboshi's my girl-crush. If all of that invalidates my opinion (and my taste), so be it. Read no more.<br /><p style="text-align: left;">That being said, I think this little film is pretty nice. It had heaps of expectations on it and on director Goro Miyazaki as well. It's a Ghibli film and people are hungry for the next <i>Spirited Away</i> or <i>Kiki's Delivery Service</i>. We're in trying times right now and we want the comfy vistas; awesome bg music; an adorable plucky heroine; and other forms of Ghibli cuteness to sort of be this big ol' hug telling us things will be okay.</p><p><i>Earwig and the Witch</i> is not that hug. It's a reassuring pat on the back by a very good friend and I'll take it. The film story is an adaptation of a book of the same name by Diana Wynne-Jones, the writer of the book <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i> which also became a Ghibli film. I like <i>Howl's Moving Castle</i> so I decided to check out <i>Earwig and the Witch </i>but only found an audio book.</p><p>It's actually not a very long story at all. The gist is "little spoiled orphaned witch Earwig unslaves self from weird-ass foster parents Bella Yaga and the Mandrake." There's some magic involved. Emphasis on <i>some</i>.</p><p>So going bit by bit here...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvoK6DIZx82003D5SGh5NOdc2Q2ukhtsBvksTEluuvtQp7tg_KH8LvEfJyEJfwywgXiX31kaT55h42OWzSemYzWw21DdIVBmFd4RosRdJdCq71rcfM7UfQnHiZ3ksg_4QgRgX7J4nDHc/s468/earwig2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvoK6DIZx82003D5SGh5NOdc2Q2ukhtsBvksTEluuvtQp7tg_KH8LvEfJyEJfwywgXiX31kaT55h42OWzSemYzWw21DdIVBmFd4RosRdJdCq71rcfM7UfQnHiZ3ksg_4QgRgX7J4nDHc/s16000/earwig2.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Look at that beautiful 3D animation, folks. It's love. It's life.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Animation/Visuals</b> - This would've been much better with a more 2D look but I'm sure we all knew that already. The fact this was 3D grinded a lot of gears. The CG unfortunately does look a bit like a cheap Direct to DVD featurette from the early 2000's but it actually has a quality I can appreciate. The weird playdoh liquids, the stiff hair, the rubbery-looking plants, Bella Yaga's strange high-heeled Wellies... like, it's not beautiful but it's not ugly either. The textures sorta fascinate me.</p><p>2D, however, would've allowed a greater range of expressions and more cuteness than what the 3D here was able to give us. Earwig can only arch those pencil-thin eyebrows so many times until we need her to make a different facial expression. The movements sometimes feel a bit stiff. And while we're given nice settings such as the quaint village orphanage, Bella Yaga's spell room, the house garden, and the comfy kitchen, they don't quite have the vibrancy of similar settings provided to us in 2D such as the inside of Howl's Castle or Kiki's bedroom. Every background in Earwig feels dull like the town is perpetually cloudy or the rooms don't have enough light in them. </p><p>And as for the food, there were no complaints. Only Vanillaware rivals Ghibli when it comes to yummy-looking food. The fish and chips, fry bread, and bread and cheese legit made me hungry.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1GX2h5d2krfpOS_5J8eO1TSpC6JXBCp-FCB2Ic7yl-lJ6AgucympvC7MCahsBGKggRjFJpoOc0qdyZTIsS7q95MXgj7an2h3iVdHJ2zpqulhyR0s1nf-XkMm1oXhTVZ7flDGl8OuezU/s468/fishnchips.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The picture's shitty but it's delicious, trust me." border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1GX2h5d2krfpOS_5J8eO1TSpC6JXBCp-FCB2Ic7yl-lJ6AgucympvC7MCahsBGKggRjFJpoOc0qdyZTIsS7q95MXgj7an2h3iVdHJ2zpqulhyR0s1nf-XkMm1oXhTVZ7flDGl8OuezU/s16000/fishnchips.png" title="The picture's shitty but it's delicious, trust me." /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It looks dingy in the picture but it would in my belly, too.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>Music</b> - I found the music jarring and I actually like jarring music. I guess I don't expect loud twanging electric guitars to be mixed into a Ghibli film. I think they got the era right (sorta like a 60's/70's thing) but the instruments are clashing about and I don't find it suits the story. What's there isn't awful but it's not very Ghibli-esque. People expect Joe Hisashi and they're not gonna get him. He's busy on Papa Hayao's film.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6iXWLl_XP-0uub1rgahwqv4X1Qs4iIxSNJRiAuawa8dw66Bbh_tPoPopqjdD0Bl4xWuqlienmfOl8D-zKlSN8_RfZSFMlXWXQSTnXT72IahvNtxGhEPJOIUYs2WiLuTjrBj38ufVNiw/s468/earwigsmomband.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6iXWLl_XP-0uub1rgahwqv4X1Qs4iIxSNJRiAuawa8dw66Bbh_tPoPopqjdD0Bl4xWuqlienmfOl8D-zKlSN8_RfZSFMlXWXQSTnXT72IahvNtxGhEPJOIUYs2WiLuTjrBj38ufVNiw/s16000/earwigsmomband.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cool, it's my favorite thing ever: a neato band that's completely irrelevant!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The music could've been "fixed" by making the musician characters folk rock types and matching the incidental background music to the general vibe. Think Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" or Heart's "Dreamboat Annie." As is, I'm not feeling it. "Don't Disturb Me," the main track that plays, is really overplayed by the end of the film. It's a nice song but I found myself sick of it by the end. This could've easily been fixed by writing a couple of short snippets to play from Earwig's cassette tape as if the band had other music and were more fleshed out. As it is, it seems like these people literally wrote and recorded one song. Maybe that was the point through.</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zTsOcDGUgv2FJpP5qS7xkK0EyTemx9BVDAMo5izwo_sDnOpSuY0oIZwLdaa63JLWYaS7B6c2yWNfzZ4DZGcQqypnXXssu3d5HXYjInJyn07NoGdCaMcMgpgvIkSA4Vm-xxR979wc8-M/s468/earwigandthomas.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zTsOcDGUgv2FJpP5qS7xkK0EyTemx9BVDAMo5izwo_sDnOpSuY0oIZwLdaa63JLWYaS7B6c2yWNfzZ4DZGcQqypnXXssu3d5HXYjInJyn07NoGdCaMcMgpgvIkSA4Vm-xxR979wc8-M/s16000/earwigandthomas.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Matthew Crawley died so Thomas the Cat could live. Or something.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p><b>Voice Acting </b>- "Nonsense!" said in English by Japanese ladies is gold. Everybody was good. Both the English and Japanese tracks. I saw someone picking on Dan Stevens. Pick on him for leaving Downton Abbey. I'm salty, okay? He was my favorite character. But he's just fine as Thomas the Cat. Jiji's the superior Ghibli black cat anyway. Thomas having another voice actor wasn't gonna change that. Didn't care for the English singing but the actress worked with what she was given.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lRvCzYTtK3BhoFjg2rApWbymhrHlKxzvglmGS4S4gOpVQhVc475QRLzvRfVJVKRsKPED17UxM6YwLA-ixxp1MUkUVM_w-R6d7KkJTa5W74sUcfXmfWAjjBWZ4b11yXzQ6RM55Qjr3jk/s468/earwig3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="468" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lRvCzYTtK3BhoFjg2rApWbymhrHlKxzvglmGS4S4gOpVQhVc475QRLzvRfVJVKRsKPED17UxM6YwLA-ixxp1MUkUVM_w-R6d7KkJTa5W74sUcfXmfWAjjBWZ4b11yXzQ6RM55Qjr3jk/w468-h252/earwig3.png" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is such a lovely scene. Enjoy it for two seconds at the end of the film.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Story</b> - It's kinda hard to really adapt this story to be a comfy film when it's a weird abuse narrative. There's also no major climax to the story other than Earwig getting the Mandrake pissed off enough to make Bella Yaga agreeable so Earwig can go to normie school and learn magic on the side. She's basically a slave but in the "I'm a slave and that's kinda annoying" sorta way. Bella Yaga just goes to an orphanage to get this forced child servant and the Mandrake doesn't give a shit as long as he's not "disturbed." (In other words don't piss him off. Yikes.) All that shit's just weird. I guess cause I expect it more from a Dahl story than a Ghibli adaptation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><div style="text-align: left;">Earwig's mother doesn't play a real part in the book although the reader is informed clearly the woman's a witch and on the run from other witches. The author died before she could write any sequels so unknown what the plan was regarding reuniting Earwig with her mom or if that'd even happen.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The main story itself was adequately adapted and the musician angle was actually a nice touch. (<span style="text-align: center;">The musician element in this movie is absent from the book.)</span> It rounded out everything and gives the viewer more on the mother. And while that's all great, it feels like this movie never revs up and goes anywhere. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I saw and read a few reviews and the guys reviewing it all had that general consensus of "okay, now what" after it was done. I think becoming familiar with the book tempered my expectations enough to enjoy this for what it was and appreciate the extra tidbits we got.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJMYsKjF9kMzvxIZ0YrdfDzOlqKYDm_687RoeFi4zjX-1w7JkQH2jX-6yewQAQhVFjZU6uD6WmKqb6QBxAdf8UNndmi3EA2xK9ja26IS0_fVfdf_MUyMmQ01J4rcllZVvzl9CGcIJWls/s468/earwigandmandrake.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJMYsKjF9kMzvxIZ0YrdfDzOlqKYDm_687RoeFi4zjX-1w7JkQH2jX-6yewQAQhVFjZU6uD6WmKqb6QBxAdf8UNndmi3EA2xK9ja26IS0_fVfdf_MUyMmQ01J4rcllZVvzl9CGcIJWls/s16000/earwigandmandrake.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Earwig scrubbing me.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Characters</b> - The main heroine Earwig's about two degrees less likeable than Sen/Chihiro from <i>Spirited Away</i>. She's brattier and manipulative but not completely unlikeable. She certainly will be few people's favorite witch or Ghibli heroine. She at least has a personality which, in an age full of graham-cracker crust heroines, is all I really ask.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Thomas the black cat is all right but I think they could've made him much cuter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Bella Yaga is The Witch of the Waste + the two old witches in Spirited Away + Manic Panic Rockabilly blue hair dye + some retro-looking clothes. Put all of that in a bowl, age her down, give her a drum kit, and make her perpetually on the rag. That's Bella Yaga in a nutshell. She seems okay in the end but it does leave the viewer wondering if she's mentally ill. Like she'd just adopt a slave from the orphanage and be an asshole when she's capable of being cool and nice? It's weird. I wanted more "cool Bella Yaga" and way less "jerk Bella Yaga." And she's a giant jerk-ass for most of this movie.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The Mandrake (a.k.a the tall dude with glasses) doesn't have much to him but I like his general design. His personality is MEH. "Don't disturb me." I wish Earwig had kicked him in the pants. Him summoning demons to bring him food of all things is neat though. The little demons are adorable and wish we got more of them. Shame we didn't.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Earwig's Mom seems both really awesome and really awful. On one hand, she a gorgeous red-haired rocker chick. On the other, she ditched her kid at an orphanage. Was there a reason she couldn't leave the kid with Bella Yaga and the Mandrake? Why was the Mandrake's car chasing her? I hope you enjoy unanswered questions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxCoUVm_USR0TwkMcscjinaz2ax68f18HQDg2YnX_Vddr2CPdXcHVoyGaP0YAwQxjkfCSwU0U5ePMsgi2A6QF8p28TaaGDHewF3D7_sDecNRgoMkCsvycFui5nZmQRS7y2VgXweozZj8/s468/earwig4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxCoUVm_USR0TwkMcscjinaz2ax68f18HQDg2YnX_Vddr2CPdXcHVoyGaP0YAwQxjkfCSwU0U5ePMsgi2A6QF8p28TaaGDHewF3D7_sDecNRgoMkCsvycFui5nZmQRS7y2VgXweozZj8/s16000/earwig4.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This demon here givin' me some Sheldon from "Garfield and Friends" realness.</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Advertising</b> - Gotta add this because we gotta talk about it. The way this is being marketed is crazy as hell. It appears to be a rock musical and it's not. It also appears to be sold as a "find your mom" narrative and it's not that either. It's not Harry Potter but it's also not Kiki.</div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Kids will like this movie. People familiar with the story knows it's not going anywhere and will appreciate this adaptation. But the majority that aren't in one of those two categories is in for some confusion and disappointment. The ads showing Earwig with a microphone in front of a band really did it a disservice. I know the name of the game is to make people want to watch it but you can't promise some rock 'n roll adventure and not deliver on it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Supposedly, Goro would like to do a series. I can't find where I read that or verify it's true but this being a tv movie in Japan lends credence to that, I think. If so, I'd love to see more. Since Diana Wynne-Jones didn't get to finish this story, it'd be nice if Goro Miyazaki did.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Using my acorn rating scale, I give it a 4 out of 5 for a solid effort.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLrrsLWCrlLbXYze7gHj6zVSgROAcIzmxb0cqiLyspKG07fy2-eZW_KAzRP7m43_5sx7_Rmae1hew2GW73QlWPmO8B4DOkhbkvmFjETCaLlEfIKlkjkwm-o-T_ZV1Kj_0Uq7SDZf1ixs/s107/fouracorns.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="28" data-original-width="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLrrsLWCrlLbXYze7gHj6zVSgROAcIzmxb0cqiLyspKG07fy2-eZW_KAzRP7m43_5sx7_Rmae1hew2GW73QlWPmO8B4DOkhbkvmFjETCaLlEfIKlkjkwm-o-T_ZV1Kj_0Uq7SDZf1ixs/s0/fouracorns.png" /></a></div><p></p>B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-67122117553941819062016-11-19T06:43:00.005-06:002021-03-01T00:04:18.032-06:005 Anime I Like That You Should, Too - #3. One Outs (2008)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcbQPONRV0nHtSQytKDqc0cNdqTYDiokVNjsC03tewWYVgExuRLxK61G278-UbeYGo_rV2SidFRrz9MzGmGgkyJ6ne9Kh-l6GxN1CcNjoktrhaTX_ogft7HHSLJnEwJdvtgMSb0j9nwk/s1600/oneouts-sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcbQPONRV0nHtSQytKDqc0cNdqTYDiokVNjsC03tewWYVgExuRLxK61G278-UbeYGo_rV2SidFRrz9MzGmGgkyJ6ne9Kh-l6GxN1CcNjoktrhaTX_ogft7HHSLJnEwJdvtgMSb0j9nwk/w361-h400/oneouts-sm.jpg" width="361" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Based on</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: the manga by</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinobu_Kaitani" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Shinobu Kaitani">Shinobu Kaitani</a><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">. 1998-2006.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Claim to fame</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdbunAfRweU">Insanely homoerotic opening credits</a>.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Dubbed</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: Sadly, no.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Subject</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: Baseball.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Not since the high school football anime Eyeshield 21 have I ever felt so cheated about not getting a proper adaptation of a series. I'm still undecided on which was worse: that Eyeshield 21 had 145 episodes of censorship + watering down Yusuke Murata's artwork + long, drawn-out filler-rama that progressively meanders to Nowhere'sville; or that in 145 episodes the Devilbats never fulfilled their goal of getting to the Christmas Bowl even though they get there, totally win, and their journey there is fuckin' sweet. (Come on, that's not even a spoiler at this point.)</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">"Wait, what are you doing, Beck?" you ask as you look back at the title of this post. "What about One Outs?" Similar to Eyeshield 21, the characters of One Outs also play a sport hugely popular in America (American football vs. baseball); have a seemingly impossible end goal championship game (Christmas Bowl vs. pennant); and are also comprised of a group of generally low-ranked underdogs (Deimon Devilbats vs. Saitama Lycoans). They have one super-talented semi-stoic dude (kicker Musashi vs. ace batter Kojima), a kind-hearted naive catcher guy voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi (Monta vs. Ideguchi), and a wicked fan-favorite motherfucker with crazy bleached hair whose underhanded schemes improve the performance of the players as well as keep the team whole and running (quarterback Hiruma vs. pitcher Tokuchi). And like Eyeshield 21, the manga version reaches the end game while the anime ends prematurely.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">"So, why would I want to watch this?" you say. "Also, why do you keep writing dialogue for me?" Well, One Outs--even partially adapted--is still bad-ass. The fact that this is only a partial adaptation means you have no excuse to <i>not</i> watch it. It's like watching The Matrix and saying "well, he didn't liberate all mankind yet so fuck this movie." And like The Matrix taught us, sometimes it's better not to continue shit. Anyway, </span><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">it's not as if I'm recommending Eyeshield 21. There's only 25 episodes of One Outs. And another benefit of only being 25 episodes means every episode progresses the story. Like one of my other recommendations--Initial D: First Stage--One Outs still feels like a full story with a beginning, middle, and end. Only someone who knows zilch about baseball would expect them to win the championship at the conclusion of 25 episodes. </span><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Now that I'm three paragraphs in, maybe I should write about the show itself, eh?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kojima and Tokuchi chillaxing in the dugout.</i><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">I know I keep making Eyeshield comparisons, so let's get to where they differ. Firstly, what this and actually every show on my "5 Anime" list have in common is that none of them are centered on high school kiddy bullshit. Initial D had high school kids in high school, but it centered more on the racing and had several adult characters. We never had to sit in class with the main character or go to a school festival or something shitty like that. Akagi starred a young boy but every other character is an adult, including Akagi himself once the timeskip kicks in. The Saitama Lycoans are a pro baseball team. Ace hitter Kojima has been on the team for 21 years. Even if every show on my list primarily focuses on younger men (several racers in Initial D are in their early twenties, Akagi is 19 after the timeskip, One Outs' Tokuchi Toua is 20, and characters in the last two shows on my list are also early twenties), that's a small price to pay to not be in a damn high school.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Secondly, there is no stammering doormat protag in the form of a Sena counterpart. </span></span><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">The star of the show is undoubtedly this guy: Tokuchi Toua. Tokuchi's not a baseball player. He knows the game and he can throw deceptive pitches, but he is a gambler at heart and uses his pitching talents to earn illegal wads of cash. The funny thing is that his pitching isn't even that spectacular. His batting is passable but not great. He's not a super-fast runner. His stamina for an actual game is shit. But Tokuchi uses his sharp wits and smart mouth to make things go his way and I love him for it.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Let's get to the meat: One Outs starts out with two guys from the Saitama Lycoans pro baseball team looking for a replacement pitcher after one of them hurts his widdle finger while training in Okinawa. </span><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">They meet a woman called Big Mama (nice name) who takes them to a bunch of--mostly American--dudes gambling in the dark of night at a baseball field. They then proceed to gamble. </span><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">This is not a great start.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I bet you can't guess which one's Big Mama</i>.</td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></span><div><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">There's nothing more grating than a show that begins with what are basically throwaway characters and makes us spend too much goddamn time with them. Now, these guys aren't true throwaways in the sense we never see them again. I'll call them Nakane and Glasses, because I'm pretty sure one of them </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">was</i><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;"> named Nakane and I'll be damned if I remember the name of the one with glasses. Neither one is all that important. In retrospect, we should've had Kojima and catcher Ideguchi as the ones who look for a new pitcher because Kojima and Ideguchi are the two members of the team that kinda become Tokuchi's boys. They keep secrets with him and strategize privately with him and it just seemed like having them meet Tokuchi first makes the most sense. If I recall correctly, the anime even improved on the manga because I don't think Nagane and Glasses were even on the main team and the anime made their roles stronger. To make another Matrix comparison, it'd be like opening the movie with Apoc and Switch instead of Trinity and Cypher. The latter two were waaay more important to the story so using them made the most impact and the most </span><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">sense. But I digress.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">This is the part of the show where it'll probably lose you if you didn't already leave while Tokuchi was flying around shirtless in the OP. Nagane, Glasses, and Big Mama have all sorts of conversations which just sounds like a bunch of prattle. "This is why you Japaneseses lose at teh gamblings. Blah blah blah." This show can get so damn verbose and over-explainy that your brain tunes it out automatically. It is heavy in the beginning and just when you think you're out of the woods, someone's explaining something else. Sometimes even with diagrams.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Explanation of the One Outs gambling game.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">In rewatching the show, I can absorb what they're saying and it makes sense but upon my first viewing, it just felt like characters were talking just to hear one another speak. It's a problem that resurfaces and if you're not a viewer that can handle wordy explanations, this might not be for you. The good thing about the explanations tho' is that they definitely guide the baseball novices. The viewer certainly can't complain that the show never told them what's what.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;">Another reason the beginning might lose you is that it takes too long to get to the damn point, the point being getting Tokuchi Toua on the team and playing his special brand of baseball. Nakane and Glasses lose a bunch of money, Kojima comes to defend their honor or whatever, Kojima loses, Kojima rechallenges Tokuchi and only <i>then</i> does Tokuchi join the Lycoans. All that shit takes three episodes with things not really up and running until episode 4. It's not boring by any means but it's the weak part of the series and when I rewatch this show, I typically start with episode 4 for that very reason.</span></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">Episode 3 is still important for first time viewing since it does a lot of the set-up. Tokuchi joins under strange conditions: the One Outs contract. He makes an arrangement for compensation with the team owner by using the number of outs, with the contract getting alterations as the games progress. While the anime unfortunately doesn't get the point where this all explodes spectacularly in the owner's face, we still get to see that bastard lose his shit.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxtjxTSXLKnEFwBs33m-9LuOMZ_QmZcmp7sFiIQJ3Imx6dHSJxyrx2pSeyzD0dcFOJafUIrX9iwyTOltptBzS5lr3dCHpbABkUJzPAT8kAljjkKNTHwpN92Bm02K_gfei1vm_9j5L0oE/s1600/mizuhashi.jpg"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxtjxTSXLKnEFwBs33m-9LuOMZ_QmZcmp7sFiIQJ3Imx6dHSJxyrx2pSeyzD0dcFOJafUIrX9iwyTOltptBzS5lr3dCHpbABkUJzPAT8kAljjkKNTHwpN92Bm02K_gfei1vm_9j5L0oE/s400/mizuhashi.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.85px;">One quality that really makes the show a favorite of mine is that sometimes Tokuchi resorts to deceptively simple trickery to get results. It almost felt like he was teaching me something to use in my everyday life. A single heard sentence or a single white bandage can completely change the outcome of a game. It was this show that got me jonesing for anime that use psychological solutions but Akagi was the only one that came close to what I was looking for. (Coincidentally, or not, Tokuchi, Akagi, and Kaiji are all voiced by the same guy: </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masato_Hagiwara" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Masato Hagiwara">Masato Hagiwara</a>.) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Maybe it's just me but a lot of the time when a show or movie (anime, live action, whatever) tries to be "smart," it turns out to be this over-elaborate Rube Goldberg-esque mess of a plot. From Episode 4 onwards, we got into game after game. Can the Lycoans beat the Mariner's awesome clean-up roster? Can the Lycoans overcome Dennis Johnson's godlike speed? Do the Lycoans have any hope against an entire team of dirty cheaters that will use every trick in the book? Of course, but the fun is finding out how, so pick this series up and enjoy it.</span></span></div>
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</div>B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-15062298318155877232016-11-09T02:09:00.004-06:002021-02-26T17:31:16.172-06:005 Anime I Like That You Should, Too - #2. Akagi (2005)<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Based on</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: the manga by</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuyuki_Fukumoto" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" title="Nobuyuki Fukumoto">Nobuyuki Fukumoto</a><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">. 1992-present.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Claim to fame</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: Is this the only thing selling </span><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"><i>Kindai Mahjong</i> for the past twenty-four years?</span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Dubbed</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: Nope.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">Subject</b><span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">: Japanese Mahjong.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px;">So... some preliminaries to get outta the way here. This show is technically called </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">アカギ 〜闇に降り立った天才〜 which translates into </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">"Akagi: The Genius Who Descended into Darkness." Or at least this is what Wikipedia has told me. That's one long-ass name. The guy in the picture is Akagi Shigeru and he's the star of this shindig. Is he a genius? That's probably up for debate. I mean, if he were a genius, I'd think he have better things to do than keep courting that death wish he's had since puberty. Also, being a "genuis" has neither relied on luck and coincidence as much as it does here. However, he's a smart cookie and plays some psychological games, so he gets to keep the genius title. I saw a review or two that didn't like that he's not above cheating but cheating's a pretty genius thing to me. It certainly beats relying on luck. As for the whole "descending into darkness" thing, I mean, meh. He's already a dark kid before any sort of descent occurs. He "descends into darkness" the way my teeth descend into those pumpkin pie bagels at Panera Bread. Goddamn, those are delicious.</span><br />
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">Now you're thinking "this show's about a genius? And he descends into darkness? That sounds pretty hardcore for a show <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n8zaq4bahU">about a game best associated with little old Asian ladies like in the Joy Luck Club</a>." Okay, yeah, I hear ya. This is the other thing that I need to get out of the way. This is Japanese Mahjong as played by a young sociopath against yakuza and, later, a fuckin' murderer. This makes it intense high-stakes gambling, which brings the tension and makes this shit fun.</span><br />
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">Now I tried this show and the anime based off of one of Fukumoto's other works, Kaiji, at around the same time. It's very difficult to find a bad review of Kaiji. At least it was for me. I wanted something a bit brainy to watch. Not really "brainy" as in book-smart but "brainy" as in "plays mind games." In my opinion, Kaiji didn't deliver on that. I was sick of seeing the main character cry like a bitch and he was kind of an idiot that lucked into "not dying." I was going to say "lucked into life" but nothing about that guy's life other than not dying could be considered lucky. At one point, his survival is enabled by the fact a naked guy taped valuable jewels to his shoulder instead of sticking them in a condom and shoving them up his @ss like a smart person in that scenario would've done. I dumped that show and moved on to Akagi trepidatiously. I was not hopeful it would be that different and very happy to be proven wrong. Akagi pretty much gives me everything Kaiji could not.</span><br />
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCm4n5I6f_qEypesoUSVAnADa9c9QSusOT-dCvqJui1WUY_auMWbecp7PQgMwg7ADNH9WB1Isb41xcKwyFtoSZhfmtwWGS-xoZnXbUd4eLBhOWLGrNzh-v3hXqZWENd1nK_Q2Mb9E03Q/s1600/akagi.jpg"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCm4n5I6f_qEypesoUSVAnADa9c9QSusOT-dCvqJui1WUY_auMWbecp7PQgMwg7ADNH9WB1Isb41xcKwyFtoSZhfmtwWGS-xoZnXbUd4eLBhOWLGrNzh-v3hXqZWENd1nK_Q2Mb9E03Q/s400/akagi.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">We never learn much about the character of Akagi, but at least Akagi never relies on some naked asshole to save him. Maybe Fukumoto had Kaiji cry so much because Akagi doesn't. If it weren't for his enjoyment in seeing others squirm and wallow in defeat, sometimes I'd swear the guy has no feelings at all. </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">We first meet Akagi when Akagi's thirteen years old but he doesn't look it. Or, rather, he doesn't look different from when we see him again at 19/20. He never undergoes any dramatic shift in personality or any great catharsis either. We never learn what makes him tick.</span><br />
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">He's fucking crazy. Even as a child, he's just fucking nuts. In the first episode, we find out he drove off of a cliff. That's frickin' cray and this show never tells you why he's wired this way, so don't go looking for it. F</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">rankly I prefer it this way. I don't need his edgy fuckin' origin. </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">I can imagine an American remake of this shit starring Benedict Cucumber-batch (gotta whitewash that cast, y'all, 'cause Hollyweird says so) where two thirds of the movie is Akagi's tragic, abuse-laden origin and </span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">subsequent life as a street urchin and "omg, it's so sad." In other words, shit nobody gives a fuck about. Don't get me wrong, the viewer cheers on Akagi but Akagi doesn't feel sorry for himself and neither should you. At the end of the day, we just wanna see him cream his competition. Not knowing shit about him is part of his appeal.</span></span><br />
<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">Anywho, after playing lemming, thirteen-year old Akagi stumbles into a mahjong parlor where some poor, indebted sap named Nangou is about to cark it. The dude's losing bad. If he doesn't win, the yakuza are gonna kill him and collect his insurance payout. </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">Nangou is desperate for a miracle and Akagi Stu becomes that miracle. Wait? "Stu?" Yes, because he's never played mahjong in his life yet he becomes a fuckin' master in, like, two seconds.</span><br />
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ccpgZTn_T58lf0dbX7ES9Luz30Ido7a6Whf6N7X5CbN-fqWwx0wuXrLJRt_6lWLvSBzmnGia6DVrQHYH1mvyox4m0C8sWlgHfjJqD2XEq0lB_-AvGEmiIEi_XLqmSMLpi0-qBgUgLvU/s1600/nangouandakagi.jpg"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ccpgZTn_T58lf0dbX7ES9Luz30Ido7a6Whf6N7X5CbN-fqWwx0wuXrLJRt_6lWLvSBzmnGia6DVrQHYH1mvyox4m0C8sWlgHfjJqD2XEq0lB_-AvGEmiIEi_XLqmSMLpi0-qBgUgLvU/s400/nangouandakagi.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">My bad: five minutes. Not to mention I just told you Akagi drove off a cliff and later just walks into the fuckin' mahjong parlor. The narration likes to hype him up a lot, too. We're pretty much told Akagi's legendary over and over again. I mean, sheesh. </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">At least, in terms of my stu-meter, Akagi's pretty low on it. While he does have some huge luck that comes into play, he's not above cheating or tricks to win when that luck's not on his side. And it's not as if all the women want him and all the men want to be him. Well, one guy wants to be him but not in the way you're thinking. I don't even recall a single female character in this show. It's a sausage fest if I ever saw one.</span><br />
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">The artwork is a mixed bag. Most characters look decent from the front but the profile shots will kill you. It really threw me off when I watched Kaiji so at least by Akagi I was used to it. This guy below's not even one of the weirdest ones in the show.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNXzDHIt1SOJtl6IEYf7XAGE0haN6duebRvKh2avvT4sLRVV_i9SFNhaUZMZVp-Q0oxvIaKcollNgFnL3ihaUh4BTwIdxl_W6VJpQ8nEo6ctW46pX0YRD5ksJeVjUqBVsWqHBSnGhEUE/s1600/yasaoka.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNXzDHIt1SOJtl6IEYf7XAGE0haN6duebRvKh2avvT4sLRVV_i9SFNhaUZMZVp-Q0oxvIaKcollNgFnL3ihaUh4BTwIdxl_W6VJpQ8nEo6ctW46pX0YRD5ksJeVjUqBVsWqHBSnGhEUE/s400/yasaoka.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Unlike your face.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">Now, I don't know anything about mahjong, but I've never been so invested in guys going "Pon!" "Chi!" "Ron!" I looked up rules and can't begin to tell you what the fuck some of it means. This show explains very little and you rely on the character's narrations, reactions, and expressions to tell you everything else need. And there's a lot of reactions. A lot of shock and maniacal laughter. Even with fansubber notes tho, it almost doesn't feel like enough sometimes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoOCNoeQ7uQlej8Pdq086fx_C0xjB6hWCV0G9zLjpCjeycJQaub5TlUcgsDehQYeRhyphenhyphenQcJ9GyxWyZTA6AnnYx1ZEgnqHL8jvZquaayyoyJszb4IUB5GID3k4qpgn5Pmd7A04G3Cpe4uU/s1600/fakeakagi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoOCNoeQ7uQlej8Pdq086fx_C0xjB6hWCV0G9zLjpCjeycJQaub5TlUcgsDehQYeRhyphenhyphenQcJ9GyxWyZTA6AnnYx1ZEgnqHL8jvZquaayyoyJszb4IUB5GID3k4qpgn5Pmd7A04G3Cpe4uU/s400/fakeakagi.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And a hey nonny-nonny, coo-coo cah-choo.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">I mean, I don't know half of what they're saying. I had to go look up Japanese mahjong rules to help me out on some of this. I enjoyed Akagi enough that I didn't mind doing this and rewatching stuff, but I see the complication of mahjong as probably the biggest hurdle folks will have with this show. "Why wud i watch muh-jzong wid ROOLS when i can see dragon ball super instead?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">Music and voice acting is pretty good. Nothing stood out as bad in that regard. There's an interesting set of characters but no one sticks around consistently. Akagi doesn't have a mentor, sidekick, or anyone in that role. He interacts with Nangou, a crooked cop, and later on a naive co-worker from a toy factory. All of them participate in their own way in the story but we can't exactly pile them together and call them Team Akagi or something. Meanwhile, any opponents of Akagi's just take the train to Fucked Off Land. We never see them again with the exception of one who finds his ass on a slab in the morgue. It would've been nice to see some of them come back for a rematch or become friends or allies with Akagi. But alas, Akagi is a dark genius and dark geniuses don't have friends. Lose a mahjong match to Akagi and you might just go crazy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQk_OwKUx9QTfcRRmf5_PQeVVtz3wpNH-V7tscs1P62RxfdBMLi8Cc8X7ZAmnn9SCIN-bTcREUlkKZCBuebUld_DK1mUhmZ8_H8-pwWuXZwxD6VeI70OWDQMr4DPrCpmimaEGM-RHxvw/s1600/yagi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQk_OwKUx9QTfcRRmf5_PQeVVtz3wpNH-V7tscs1P62RxfdBMLi8Cc8X7ZAmnn9SCIN-bTcREUlkKZCBuebUld_DK1mUhmZ8_H8-pwWuXZwxD6VeI70OWDQMr4DPrCpmimaEGM-RHxvw/s1600/yagi.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Guy in purple lost so badly at mahjong he can't stand up without help. [Not a joke.]</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">For just being mahjong, the matches are actually kinda thrilling. If anything, there's too few matches despite this being a 26 episode series. While the first batch of episodes keeps a decent pace, the latter half of it is focused on a single match with no end. Why doesn't it end? Because it's still going on in the manga today. <b>Seriously</b>. Not only has Akagi not won yet, we already know he <i>doesn't</i> lose because this entire series is a sorta-prequel to another of Fukumoto's works</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-size: x-small;">—</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">Ten</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-size: x-small;">—</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-size: 14px;">which has an older Akagi as a character.</span></span></div>
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<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px;">So, uh, why was I recommending this again? Oh, yeah, cause I liked it. But, really, was it necessary to name one character Ichikawa and another Ishikawa? I almost got as lost with <i>that</i> shit as I did the mahjong.</span></div>
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B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-20390587634783917252016-11-05T05:49:00.002-06:002021-02-25T17:24:41.562-06:005 Anime I Like That You Should, Too - #1. Initial D: First Stage (1998)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ30e_lu8flHdxjfoabEbigCpefEfufffPOXoGdSQ-GOL_syE1C9QbpiBfz8z7bbtBW2h7_KgVh5tJXoAlX2gRkrfVDkWBuzX_FS5fWAzUYvpinmGM-GoKJizuywoGvz8MazifnWVKnU/s1600/firststage.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ30e_lu8flHdxjfoabEbigCpefEfufffPOXoGdSQ-GOL_syE1C9QbpiBfz8z7bbtBW2h7_KgVh5tJXoAlX2gRkrfVDkWBuzX_FS5fWAzUYvpinmGM-GoKJizuywoGvz8MazifnWVKnU/s200/firststage.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
<b>Based on</b>: the manga by Shuichi Shigeno. 1995-2013.<br />
<b>Claim to fame</b>: Dated CGI cars and uptempo Eurobeat.<br />
<b>Dubbed</b>: Yes. Twice, actually.<br />
<b>Subject</b>: Illegal street-racing.<br />
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I first heard of this show over ten years ago while taking a Japanese course at my local community college. Several of the other students loved it but I didn't get the hype. I was <i>initially</i> (ho!) put off by the artwork and subject matter. The characters looked goofy and, well, street racing? Why would I want to see a show about street racing? Then, during the 2015 Super Bowl, I wanted something to watch. (Texan that doesn't do football: ho-ho!) I noticed three seasons of Initial D were available dubbed by Funimation on Sony's Crackle service. (It's not there anymore so don't bother. Crackle's really—ahem—<i>cracked</i> down on their anime offerings. Ho ho ho!) Having nothing to lose and wanting to drown out my neighbors, I turned up the TV and started the show. Less than half an episode in, I was hooked.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cauOMqMYvByTYDjNR5edQVLdmksCoNqwB45UHRKWNwmn8lIUGKZberKdLDQH3gY7NN8UTLYNR0hm8lGmsipdrgL7zhDe6HrojTLnf5IPyQXGOq_41jZ76zmZQGX3TUbJUY_SqQc3Iuc/s1600/takumi.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cauOMqMYvByTYDjNR5edQVLdmksCoNqwB45UHRKWNwmn8lIUGKZberKdLDQH3gY7NN8UTLYNR0hm8lGmsipdrgL7zhDe6HrojTLnf5IPyQXGOq_41jZ76zmZQGX3TUbJUY_SqQc3Iuc/s200/takumi.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>
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The main character is this guy: Takumi Fujiwara, the meh-faced teenaged son of a local tofu shop owner. He makes tofu deliveries up and down the roads of Mt. Akina (fictional stand-in for Gunma prefecture's Mt. Haruna) for the family business using his father's Toyota Sprinter Trueno a.k.a. dat <i>hachi-roku</i>. That the car's an AE86 apparently means something in their universe but not in mine since I'm not a car person. No, you don't have to be a car person to watch this show. The characters explain all the important shit for you. While Takumi <i>initially</i> (ha!) has no interest in the local street-racing scene, his natural mad drifting skillz end up catching the eye of twenty-one year old Keisuke Takahashi.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Keisuke's a member of a visiting rival team—the Akagi Red Suns—and the younger of a pair of good-looking, rich, popular and uber-talented racing brothers. The show tells us the Takahashis are also called the Rotary Brothers but then exactly no one ever refers to them as such. They also have a cute female cousin who is sadly cut out of the show. Anyway, the Red Suns planned on wiping the floor with the local racers the Speed Stars, but tofu-schlepping Takumi is someone Keisuke can't immediately beat.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFv8KYQFCtd_aN-WJTuXnnuyvQkKINAUsoTWZyz-QKTz4X93oLgVOwI6R-iKawVto8zpgIHnIsHN36Wptl1lvFeu0kSGkNGwp7LrEAJDU47ytb_CNkZ8GJ1Nbv1rMREYhTs7ugsve4ANM/s1600/nofuckingway86.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFv8KYQFCtd_aN-WJTuXnnuyvQkKINAUsoTWZyz-QKTz4X93oLgVOwI6R-iKawVto8zpgIHnIsHN36Wptl1lvFeu0kSGkNGwp7LrEAJDU47ytb_CNkZ8GJ1Nbv1rMREYhTs7ugsve4ANM/s400/nofuckingway86.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"No fucking way, y'all!"</i></td></tr>
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The dynamic between these two is probably what I enjoy the best and I wish First Stage had more of it. Takumi's general apathy clashes wonderfully against Keisuke's firey personality but they don't interact nearly enough. The series then follows Takumi's emergence onto the street racing scene which includes multiple battles with various challengers, a bit of showboating, and a bit of love in the air, too. And also a singular panty shot. Oh course, <i>that</i> was the scene my dad walked in on. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯<br />
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Now "First Stage" refers to "Season One." I love First Stage and it really feels like a complete story. It even got re-adapted a couple of years back as three movies with completely different voice actors. Along with the two English dubs that were done, that means each of the main characters has four different voice actors. (Not counting other language dubs, of course.) If you're a viewer that follows Japanese and/or English voice actors, there's someone for you in each version and you'll probably recognize a bunch of the names here without me listing their other credits.<br />
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<td align="center" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Original (1998)</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Tokyopop Dub</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Funimation Dub</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">New Initial D (Movies)</span></td>
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<td align="center" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Takumi Fujiwara</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Shinichiro Miki</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Dave Wittenberg</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Joel McDonald</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Mamoru Miyano</span></td>
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<td align="center" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Keisuke Takahashi</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Tomokazu Seki</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Steven Jay Blum</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Todd Haberkorn</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Yuichi Nakamura</span></td>
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<td align="center" height="17" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Ryosuke Takahashi</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Takehito Koyasu</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Lex Lang</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">J. Michael Tatum</span></td>
<td align="center" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-style: solid; border-top: 1px solid #000000; border-width: 1px;"><span style="font-family: "arial";">Daisuke Ono</span></td>
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Takumi's racing friend Iketani is voiced by Crispin Freeman in the Tokyopop dub. Ayako Kawasumi (Saber, <i>Fate/Stay Night</i>) and Wataru Takagi (Eikichi Onizuka, <i>GTO</i>) voice Takumi's love interest Natsuki and one his friends—Kenji—in the original Japanese version. Fans of Funimation dubs gets the duo of Colleen Clickenbeard and Monica Rial voicing the female racing team Impact Blue and Vic Mignogna voicing Shingo Shoji.<br />
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I actually prefer more of Tokyopop's casting choices—except for Takumi's dad, I mean, were they trying to pretend to voice a muppet or what—but they really fudged things up with all of their dumb changes. As was standard with lots of 90's era dubs, Tokyopop tried to make Initial D more marketable by adding weird lingo, completely changing the originally poppy music into wannabe rap/hiphop junk, visually altering the races the way your kid brother would, and giving a bunch of the characters new or altered names. Takumi, Keisuke, and Ryosuke become Tak, KT, and Ry. <b>Those</b> are the names they went with: they renamed them tack, Katy, and rye. Why not just go with Terry, Keith, and Ryan or something like that? It's like they wanted to keep their names but <i>not</i> keep their names, I guess. In one scene, Iketani—renamed "Cole" or all things—even refers to "KT" as "Keisuke Takahashi." So his name's still Keisuke Takahashi, he just doesn't go by, uh, his name? Bwuh?<br />
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Also, the altering of the races and music just takes a bunch of the tension and suspense out of it. Show me someone who doesn't get hyped when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OwOQ0TY2T4">"Get Me Power"</a> starts up before Takumi drifts (<span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">♫ </span><i>Do it, baby. Get me power!</i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">♫</span>), and I'll show you a fucker without a soul. You know how Rocky IV is pretty much a bunch of music videos strung together? Now let's cut out all the music and re-edit all the montages! Tragic, amirite?<br />
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As a result of the above bs, there was a mostly negative reception for the Tokyopop dub and it makes me think maybe I got into Initial D at the right time: when Funimation had already picked up the license and put out a faithful dub and sub release. Bear in mind that if you poke around the Internet for an English dub, you might end up with the older dub. Unless you go to YouTube where Funi has the entire First Stage subbed for free. If dubs are your style, you'll find four free dubbed eps to try out as well. Funimation's version, as of this writing, is available on DVD for $17 and change over at Amazon.<br />
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Now, there are subsequent stages of Initial D after First Stage: Second, Third (which is an ova), Fourth, Fifth, and Final along with two Extra Stages and Battle Stages. You'll notice tho' I specifically list First Stage as my recommendation. Honestly, the quality declines in each subsequent stage. First Stage really feels like a full story with a beginning, middle, and end. Everything that comes after just feels like sequelitis even though the story continued for a long-ass time in the manga. I mean, Takumi comes into his own as a street racer so what's left in the other stages? Lots of neat folks we meet in First Stage really get pushed aside later. I wanted to see those guys improve or at least provide further racing commentary and interaction with Takumi, but the show proceeds to care about them less and less. There's also a radical art shift. In Second Stage, the character of Ryosuke actually becomes a doppelganger to the main character of Takumi. It's super creepy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr4vBXRkX5byjpL1o5F1cIn17H2yr0-fCtocM_qEFuc7XYvLT444_jYPUCwxIWjSDG1J_2EYXQUppPyS4qqou5A7Izdpu8SqrOVQLdukQ7DqJdK8y4rmG12x2vq_MnSsBRpzZJwh-9M4/s1600/ryosukewhatwhat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr4vBXRkX5byjpL1o5F1cIn17H2yr0-fCtocM_qEFuc7XYvLT444_jYPUCwxIWjSDG1J_2EYXQUppPyS4qqou5A7Izdpu8SqrOVQLdukQ7DqJdK8y4rmG12x2vq_MnSsBRpzZJwh-9M4/s400/ryosukewhatwhat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The first two pics are Ryosuke Takahashi and the last one is Takumi. What-what. Why did they mess with the first design? It was perfect! Meanwhile, his brother Keisuke becomes more and more Super Saiyan. And they aren't the only ones that get changed. Shigeno's original artwork, as dopey as it can be, is most faithfully adapted in the First Stage. I do wish the show went even further will making the characters visually as expressive as Shigeno does. I really came to like the duck mouths, the smug faces, and the beady eyes. Shigeno can render a smug face like nobody's business.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hyphenhyphenTc4oZ0S7Vg1K8rgKAsQig3qWeKLZ2lCjWyTpR1D_ic5goRK-XY8Zp-Os8b5MmzMPCTRkMKDrvxhYZGOFnJHBF4_661a9KL7cphAapXpNtHXCEctIotSLY7Fc7ZpVgBtYbtqgboozI/s1600/smug.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hyphenhyphenTc4oZ0S7Vg1K8rgKAsQig3qWeKLZ2lCjWyTpR1D_ic5goRK-XY8Zp-Os8b5MmzMPCTRkMKDrvxhYZGOFnJHBF4_661a9KL7cphAapXpNtHXCEctIotSLY7Fc7ZpVgBtYbtqgboozI/s400/smug.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, as little as First Stage adapts his artwork, the further stages do so even less. The character's faces actually get stiffer and stiffer and by Fourth Stage, it's like watching cardboard talk. This is where Funimation stopped dubbing, with the last Tokyopop dub at the end of Stage Two. Really, nothing of value is lost. You're fine proceeding as far with it as you like. For what it's worth, there's still some cool moments, some laughs, some awesome music and some nail-biting races in the later stages. None of it comes together like in the First Stage. Probably not a popular opinion, but there ya go. By the time I got to the end of Fourth Stage, it felt like enough. If you want the rest of the story, you'd probably be better served reading the manga. And certainly, if you're a viewer looking for a more modern-looking, slicker anime with trendier music, look no further than the three movies.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l4YcHfOlBRw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l4YcHfOlBRw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Okay, at first, I was really pissing on about the movies not having the original voice actors from the '98 series or any Eurobeat music. Plus, being movies, they condense a lot of material. The movies also keep the characters pretty stiff-faced. Compare a scene from episode 1 of First Stage with a scene from the movie adaptation:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtC1F8cZOehWXsSc_aAu8HWqTijCwgbCmYbAfQC7XJo0NANr_AXKbarbkE7RUQVoyq_lXhZUpQlV4N4Zs1RqaaC9VO2aNYCwoaqGnu-mkMIN7VwlQBAfJgYviDEDF_mBnzgVihxt7bFcU/s1600/takahashibrothers-sm2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtC1F8cZOehWXsSc_aAu8HWqTijCwgbCmYbAfQC7XJo0NANr_AXKbarbkE7RUQVoyq_lXhZUpQlV4N4Zs1RqaaC9VO2aNYCwoaqGnu-mkMIN7VwlQBAfJgYviDEDF_mBnzgVihxt7bFcU/s640/takahashibrothers-sm2.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Initial D: First Stage (1998) vs. New Initial D Legend 1 - Kakuksei.</td></tr>
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The '98's artwork gets more "love points" or whatever from me. It just looks more expressive and "snug," I guess. The movie's artwork still has merits of its own: crisp, with clean lines and bright colors. I also got a better feel for the races in the movies. While the '98 version brings fun with the Eurobeat, these races felt more dramatic visually. Just look at this lighting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAh1M4OkM2YOWyADdF54y_4Se2lo6jHcKHziwx4lK0CII2VktWipxyiWxcPEY-Xv0QXnpys-aMoNpL7H2yv5XzQUi7_jrUih7ydOzbG8SjsQ5vioiyxw_A50fShhMYLyjfRMGapfzy1w/s1600/3d41bdb56a5b26a1758a866999839123.jpg"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAh1M4OkM2YOWyADdF54y_4Se2lo6jHcKHziwx4lK0CII2VktWipxyiWxcPEY-Xv0QXnpys-aMoNpL7H2yv5XzQUi7_jrUih7ydOzbG8SjsQ5vioiyxw_A50fShhMYLyjfRMGapfzy1w/s400/3d41bdb56a5b26a1758a866999839123.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And with the '98 series, it was pretty easy to forget these dudes were racing on dangerous mountain roads. Sometimes it felt like flat, straights with nothing to them. The steepness of the mountains, the lack of proper visibility, the hairpin turns, and the spectator pov all feel more accurately rendered in the movies. Honestly, while watching some of the '98 series, I'd wonder how the hell the spectators could even see what was going on with the race. The movies are even a bit more faithful to the manga in terms of sequence of events, with the '98 version inserting a few races out of place to fill up the episode count and reach the end with the race it wanted to.</div>
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The movies really endeared themselves to me. Although different, the voice actors and music are still pretty darn good. Cliffnotes Initial D is still a cool story and probably plays better for the younger crowd and n00bs vs. the nostalgia crowd. The latter had such a hard time accepting the shift that there's actually fan-made Eurobeat editions. No complaints, but I did actually come to like the new music almost as much as the Eurobeat. Here's one of the featured songs:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9v62zegzhJY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9v62zegzhJY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Anyway, lots of personality, thrilling races, humor, and snappy tunes make Initial D a treat and one of my favorites. Definitely worth you checking it out. Either or both versions.</div>
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B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-3781325135721014582016-10-28T00:56:00.002-05:002021-02-25T21:48:46.532-06:00Book Review: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyVKKPPWVkRmh8bwEXIUfyyGNvlss85_zJR6Hq1ousSfp1qqDBkmfbbJiuAGMotRsoQiFL6brvRZ2DpVore93qyCZYMNeD-yHIyJfTDSsTXhtc6wzK2oXUmLLRccxwlPccKRMM_3fM8Y/s1600/kouga-ninja-scrolls.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584526603884794130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyVKKPPWVkRmh8bwEXIUfyyGNvlss85_zJR6Hq1ousSfp1qqDBkmfbbJiuAGMotRsoQiFL6brvRZ2DpVore93qyCZYMNeD-yHIyJfTDSsTXhtc6wzK2oXUmLLRccxwlPccKRMM_3fM8Y/s400/kouga-ninja-scrolls.jpg" style="float: right; height: 280px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a>Wowwee, this post is actually old and moldy and was sitting in my drafts for years. I don't know why I never published it. I love the action and intrigue that can be found in Chinese wuxia literature like "The Book and the Sword" and Japanese ninja stories like this one. I really wish more of it would find it's way over here. I can't even think of similar story off the top of my head, but there's gotta be a whole bunch of 'em. If you know of any with official English translations, send 'em my way.<br />
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"The Kouga Ninja Scrolls" was written by Futaro Yamada and was published in the late 1950's. It is the first in Yamada's <i>ninpou chou</i> series and appears to be the only one as of yet officially translated and published in completion in English. The story is basically "Romeo & Juliet" + Ninjas. It's a real quick read. Seriously, fast readers are gonna finish this puppy in one day. Do not bring it while waiting for Jury Duty. Anyway, the story is probably better known as one of its numerous adaptations:
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUgMzT35QPyMceb4YkLl3T_RqEZa39l1ek8BF0Q-Oo9PmvJrbEEGlFBy-_2kluxdlsnBFedsKjoMO-Z8VYNDD_OQn3MHUltGaJfhYhDOtTVeyT1AibYoozUQ037i5Hnd25gcaTpS38TU/s1600/basilisk-manga.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584525869838590818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUgMzT35QPyMceb4YkLl3T_RqEZa39l1ek8BF0Q-Oo9PmvJrbEEGlFBy-_2kluxdlsnBFedsKjoMO-Z8VYNDD_OQn3MHUltGaJfhYhDOtTVeyT1AibYoozUQ037i5Hnd25gcaTpS38TU/s320/basilisk-manga.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The manga "Basilisk"... which is great.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHMNA1ZirU5ltHOxsWqDthSxzPkvfKOgpBfdC82FRsANvFmCksaleK5s_gh6GKhOh8oV3sEbNJt-xQUFXcRnOdFgw3BIuQVnVduDCZWEfF9NikdzPnVjS2Wx6xg3FX8mUDXZYj-W9UwI/s1600/basilisk-anime.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584525696650642002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHMNA1ZirU5ltHOxsWqDthSxzPkvfKOgpBfdC82FRsANvFmCksaleK5s_gh6GKhOh8oV3sEbNJt-xQUFXcRnOdFgw3BIuQVnVduDCZWEfF9NikdzPnVjS2Wx6xg3FX8mUDXZYj-W9UwI/s400/basilisk-anime.jpg" style="display: block; height: 340px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 340px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The anime "Basilisk"... which is effin' awesome.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQMCzoA_zP5gm0DyXOtSnNYkxtQ8pDEr8CpXBHRZNRqv03uSpk7oQds6bHFsFscQaQN3aU_tm71MYjg3uHAlMDZ4FrVGmGFkG360Z_5w713SLTWAC1eR0fcgLb1TWM71CMqxLQQG3u_4/s1600/shinobi-heartofblade.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584526178024461314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQMCzoA_zP5gm0DyXOtSnNYkxtQ8pDEr8CpXBHRZNRqv03uSpk7oQds6bHFsFscQaQN3aU_tm71MYjg3uHAlMDZ4FrVGmGFkG360Z_5w713SLTWAC1eR0fcgLb1TWM71CMqxLQQG3u_4/s320/shinobi-heartofblade.jpg" style="display: block; height: 204px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The live-action movie "Shinobi: Heart of Blade..." which I could live without since they changed too much for my liking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But anyway... The Kouga and Iga clans have been at odds for generations and were bound by a no-hostilities pact into a forced peace. Circumstances dissolve this and force ten from each clan into combat: the side with the most survivors determines the next shogun. And the top it off, all twenty of these ninjas are pretty much freaks of some kind. One guy has super stretchy limbs while another man is like some kind of human spider. It's like going to the circus and watching the clowns kill each other. (As they should.) Admist this, Gennosuke of the Kouga and Oboro of the Iga, the future leaders of their respective clans, were in love and to be married. Any hope for their love is undermined by their own allies thirst for battle.
<br />
<br />
I love, love, love this story so I admit went into this biased. I had devoured the Basilisk anime and manga and didn't really realize they were based on a story published over forty years previously. The book version is very simple to read. Not an insult. I like an easy read where the author doesn't yank out their thesaurus and try to use every word inside. I don't know if this is a function of Yamada's own writing, the Japanese language, or the English translation but it works.
<br />
<br />
While not a ninja story, I think fans of this story will also love the wuxia story "The Book and the Sword" from Chinese author Jin Yong.B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-29545090513787800522011-11-01T22:05:00.005-06:002011-11-02T02:14:44.416-06:00Music Review: Alexandra Stan - "Saxobeats"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowx8VwyKCr9Tivm_XqAm4salqi23wHs4HnQNXM8oRAwz6kKS94JEzQel_NkAQp4QbgqRQh_jNYPH3-ufbQdDplG5HLINCnXeO3QgKaiV9-qXRa8JiJJjGRsZ-PV-2e4_fBnaPvtmetGE/s1600/saxobeats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowx8VwyKCr9Tivm_XqAm4salqi23wHs4HnQNXM8oRAwz6kKS94JEzQel_NkAQp4QbgqRQh_jNYPH3-ufbQdDplG5HLINCnXeO3QgKaiV9-qXRa8JiJJjGRsZ-PV-2e4_fBnaPvtmetGE/s320/saxobeats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I forget how I first heard of Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan. I believe I had bought a couple of songs by Edward Maya or Natalia Kills and she came up in the line of other artists bought by customers. Either way, I'm glad she did.<br />
<br />
Her debut, "Saxobeats" is short (considering the number of different songs totals eight) but sweet. This is the full-listing for the digital version:<br />
<br />
1. "Mr. Saxobeat" <br />
2. "Ting-Ting"<br />
3. "Show Me the Way"<br />
4. "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" <br />
5. "Crazy"<br />
6. "Bitter-Sweet"<br />
7. "Get Back (ASAP)"<br />
8. "One Million" (featuring Carlprit)<br />
9. "Mr. Saxobeat" (MAAN Studio Remix)<br />
10. "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" (Club Version)<br />
11. "Get Back (ASAP)" (MAAN Studio Remix)<br />
12. "Mr. Saxobeat" (Extended Version)<br />
13. "Get Back (ASAP)" (Extended Version)<br />
<br />
"Mr. Saxobeat" is infectious and has that obvious Romanian-pop feel to it more than the other songs imo. "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" is the second single for U.S. although it was Ms. Stan's debut single and a hit in Romania. Someone on YouTube called it the "jacked up euro version" of "Fergalicious" and that's not completely wrong. Still a fun song and while self-indulgent, much less so than "Fergalicious" was in my opinion. The stand-out song for me on this release is "Crazy", which I don't see as being a single since there's already going to be four from this album and I'm not certain if this album will have more than four singles. "Show Me The Way" is also single-worthy and I'd love to hear some serious remixes on it. The remixes and extended versions that are here are nice to have but my ear must be lazy because I don't hear enough of a difference for it to matter other than with the club version of "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)".<br />
<br />
I'll give it 4 out of 5. <img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /> <img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /> <img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /> <img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /><br />
<br />
Music vid for single, "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)". I would've have linked Mr. Saxobeat but YouTube wouldn't let me embed it:<br />
<br />
<center><iframe width="400" height="233" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BnDVtF0gKqg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-40092177846000397782011-11-01T21:01:00.007-06:002011-11-01T21:20:34.885-06:00Book Review: Doukakis's Apprentice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2L2Isy8BMZGxdpVEwgt2wFfzvsXtdK6Q7ZP-0G4Esy3jdj1ae3klo03sJI2numC-xLg5vYDS3AQohviSoxhJKkvR9byvrurJ-NPR-GKoWf65FkzYqGvGLpawgZD3HfQf3TtCxp9vyQE/s1600/Doukakis-Apprentice-by-Sarah-Morgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2L2Isy8BMZGxdpVEwgt2wFfzvsXtdK6Q7ZP-0G4Esy3jdj1ae3klo03sJI2numC-xLg5vYDS3AQohviSoxhJKkvR9byvrurJ-NPR-GKoWf65FkzYqGvGLpawgZD3HfQf3TtCxp9vyQE/s400/Doukakis-Apprentice-by-Sarah-Morgan.jpg" width="253" /></a><i>With her family business in crisis, Polly Prince does her best to keep calm and carry on. But hard work alone can't save her London company from a takeover by the infamously ruthless Damon Doukakis…or her traitorous body from the lethal sensuality of her boss! As his new apprentice, Polly accompanies Damon to Paris to negotiate the most challenging business deal of her life! Worse still, Polly must at all costs resist Damon in the most dangerously romantic city in the world…</i></div><br />
A number of notes before I get to the meat of the review--as lean a cut of meat as it admittedly is:<br />
<br />
1. The title makes me think of two different things immediately.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7OUWon7VDlKS3J-aRl6fkWi3wljosDYgmT0tjKo1JDqFnamgnSJay_vbKhocYqPKzXz8z59RApJ3E4mgWxMkr_1LEMhgF0rv6ocvSOTueKqLugYpfDZcPT19LXlsm9LWl30SmEqX1d0/s1600/dukakis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7OUWon7VDlKS3J-aRl6fkWi3wljosDYgmT0tjKo1JDqFnamgnSJay_vbKhocYqPKzXz8z59RApJ3E4mgWxMkr_1LEMhgF0rv6ocvSOTueKqLugYpfDZcPT19LXlsm9LWl30SmEqX1d0/s400/dukakis.png" width="252" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwWSmHadLrcMyfhRswjpwwXXOLrkQJjf2zxPXDSuHbW5-FzCLyqNRFicIBJtgbzfoxh6eqNeKMLGuUemujJorXqVEqoZUhDmmQrwps0FuO9uaOykWNthEkbIRmiuZWxl2cpIK86263wQ/s1600/apprentice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwWSmHadLrcMyfhRswjpwwXXOLrkQJjf2zxPXDSuHbW5-FzCLyqNRFicIBJtgbzfoxh6eqNeKMLGuUemujJorXqVEqoZUhDmmQrwps0FuO9uaOykWNthEkbIRmiuZWxl2cpIK86263wQ/s400/apprentice.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
2. Now that I have <b>that</b> out of the way, Polly is not his apprentice. He accompanies <i>her</i> to Paris, not the other way around. And the description would be accurate if it said "father's business" instead of "family business" since Polly has no other real family. (Yes, I know she considers her staff to be family. I'll get to that.)<br />
<br />
3. The Harlequin cover is not the worst cover ever by any means but it really makes Damon look like a sleaze coming on to a buttoned-up trollop. The Mills & Boon cover really shows more of the spirit of the book. She's wearing a fashionable little number like she does in the book and is giving him a sweet kiss befitting of her personality. And he even has a tie with pink stripes on it, which is a nice nod to some of the dialogue in the story. The backdrop for the second cover is Paris, which is far more appropriate than the London setting for the story considering the role Paris plays.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOB_W4OnhpMVHBhZKNeATNVtVYNFt3w3t2OxZypnECgvdK-6h2XkWcSaBIUyxy97aVKmnjCtE-ZXxrIPZSJHSc-BUsP499SM0ueFIfV8TxVeeBPpqEFIUo-2kok3NFHmjEwTdqzHvfKA/s1600/doukakis-millsboon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOB_W4OnhpMVHBhZKNeATNVtVYNFt3w3t2OxZypnECgvdK-6h2XkWcSaBIUyxy97aVKmnjCtE-ZXxrIPZSJHSc-BUsP499SM0ueFIfV8TxVeeBPpqEFIUo-2kok3NFHmjEwTdqzHvfKA/s400/doukakis-millsboon.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><br />
4. This book has good reviews at Amazon but one points out the book needed an editor. If you actually click on the cover over at Amazon to look inside the book, sure enough, one of the errors the reviewer pointed out ("two mugs of and a large muffin") is on the first page. I made it into a bit of a Mad Lib by adding a line next to it. Go nuts:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGle2I7r1q0QK5qL7E3ZMBURYwgg_Ewu-Nxf3NhNUyZO-yj3Q_5_3bJ_VyJkV1MMQI9bH2EYvSntYXFX_YEX2crQ9NzyjYS-6iBxuWRHDZkjp9ztBo-dfRKAbQyb3TtvnfsRiRoTjiqE/s1600/doukakis-madlib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGle2I7r1q0QK5qL7E3ZMBURYwgg_Ewu-Nxf3NhNUyZO-yj3Q_5_3bJ_VyJkV1MMQI9bH2EYvSntYXFX_YEX2crQ9NzyjYS-6iBxuWRHDZkjp9ztBo-dfRKAbQyb3TtvnfsRiRoTjiqE/s400/doukakis-madlib.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The reviewer also talked about how names change and in my Mills and Boon epub version both Damon's sister Arianna and his PA change to Analisa and Janey (or was that Jenny). It's certainly no fault of writer Sarah Morgan but the PA's name in particular really confused me.<br />
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I've found Sarah Morgan's stuff to be generally enjoyable even if I found "The Greek's Blackmailed Wife" maddening at times. "Doukakis's Apprentice" thankfully goes in the non-maddening pile with "Blackmailed by Diamonds, Bound by Marriage" and the excellent "Powerful Greek, Unworldly Wife".<br />
<br />
The main character Polly Price is an enjoyable heroine and what I liked most about her is that she seemed to be someone I would have as a friend. (And I can't say this for any other romance heroine so far.) Polly's a quirky yet practical, accessible young lady and doesn't snivel nor stand on a soapbox and list out all of her company accomplishments to Damon despite having every right to do so. While a romance story wouldn't be a romance story without misunderstandings, none of these are the type to induce headdesk or the classic, frustrated throwing of the book into the wall. Polly's reasons make sense and she clearly did everything she could given her circumstances. Most romance heroines don't come off as being generally caring to me. The reader is usually given so much from the heroine's perspective that she comes off as batty, egotistical, or unreasonable. But not Polly. She genuinely cares about the staff at her father's company and I could feel that. Good job, Ms. Morgan.<br />
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Damon, on the other hand, is not unlikeable. However, both Ms. Morgan and the heroine Polly call this fellow out on his crap. I'm so tired of heroes deeming heroines as being over-emotional and illogical that I was happy to see this doesn't get past the radar considering he makes the most over-emotional move in the story: Damon bought Polly's father's company just to get at Polly's father for running off with Damon's sister Arianna. And he later uses Polly herself as bait. What does she tell him?<br />
<blockquote><i>"I suppose you're sitting there planning new methods to use me to flush my father out of hiding. I'm just a worm on a hook." All the horrors of the night before rushed down on her and Polly touched her fingers to her forehead. "Did you put a hook through my head?"</i></blockquote>Nice one, Polly. Also Damon is Greek but I don't see how it matters in the least. He could've been 100% English and it would've been in the same story. In any case, at least this wasn't drummed into the reader like some stories.<br />
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My only real issue with the story is the flow. It felt a little disjointed at times (although that probably isn't the right word for it) and I found myself sorely tempted to skip parts and just move along. The ending was also very sudden and this could've been better if it just moved a little slower. We jump into love and marriage at the end when this story seemed more suited to be a one of the two-book stories. Book One could've ended with declarations of love or at least the promise of a future together while Book Two could involve a hurdle Damon and Polly have to overcome before they get married. Instead, this is another single-story book where it feels like it all had to be shoe-horned in when other parts earlier in the story could've been shortened or removed to expand on the ending.<br />
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I give "Doukakis's Apprentice" 4.5 out of 5 acorns. Not perfect, but close.<br />
<img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /> <img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /> <img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /> <img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif" /> ½B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-57096383311373430122011-08-01T23:14:00.002-05:002011-08-02T02:00:12.894-05:009 Stupid Comments about Part I of the New Thundercats!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVANBkhVBUXf1ls9JOOSGuwGQ4IamdGv5UVWIRxdA0_tPlftyMM_KDXIzJtqeDJ8q_ZNDU4cL4Pe9Otjtg4qZovgnb51nVFDLdwXYn1fD_otA7WNc6d1hUwVWwwoJRXr2GT71BhR1q0NM/s1600/cheetara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="226" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVANBkhVBUXf1ls9JOOSGuwGQ4IamdGv5UVWIRxdA0_tPlftyMM_KDXIzJtqeDJ8q_ZNDU4cL4Pe9Otjtg4qZovgnb51nVFDLdwXYn1fD_otA7WNc6d1hUwVWwwoJRXr2GT71BhR1q0NM/s400/cheetara.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>And on July 29th a new generation of furries were born...</I></center><br />
The freshly rebooted Thundercats premiered on Cartoon Network this past Friday with a special hour-long event. All in all, it is probably one of the best reboots I've ever seen, the second being the last ill-fated reboot of He-Man. Thundercats definetely stomps that crappy new Voltron toon into the dirt.<br />
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The voice acting is good but I wish someone else had been casted as Lion-O because all I hear is Terry McGinnis. The scenary is lovely. Most of the character designs are awesome but Panthro's ugly. <a href="http://www.cheezey.org/thundercats/gallery/panthrogallery.html">He wasn't no supermodel before</a> but, damn, he wasn't freakin' hideous. Lion-O flat-face is kinda creepy. Look at him from the side and he barely has a nose. But this is nitpickery for sure. Now on to the list:<br />
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1. I knew this was going to be a good show when Lion-O punched a woman in the face. Okay, so he didn't quite <i>punch</I> her. Whatever, let's watch it on a loop anyway.<br />
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<center><img src="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/images/blog/thunderpunch002.gif" alt="Go, Rock, go!"><br />
<i>♫ Gonna fly now... ♫</I></center><br />
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2. Snarf tripping one of the baddies like an old lady was classic. Because this is how old ladies with cats and without Life Alerts die. They trip over cats. Then the cats eat the corpse. This is my future. And Snarf looks the type.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSCECtnloXnBrXM1n0qImC_GL4CHRZ_G_zjE3BOmuTltZdJ5AnOqGaTsC-xdTMmzZMMVLLO8_I9ilFrE0SediqScUO3yy-TWK8JevVOGSGzH_gjOpvNveEg8pYIgZSiADzoSfwK61iY0/s1600/snarf-trips-u-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSCECtnloXnBrXM1n0qImC_GL4CHRZ_G_zjE3BOmuTltZdJ5AnOqGaTsC-xdTMmzZMMVLLO8_I9ilFrE0SediqScUO3yy-TWK8JevVOGSGzH_gjOpvNveEg8pYIgZSiADzoSfwK61iY0/s400/snarf-trips-u-up.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>Whatever shuts him up. If you saw old Thundercats, you <b>know</B> what I'm talkin' about.</I></center><br />
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3. So Lion-O is a precocious, disobediant, red-headed, bubble-brain, stubborn royal with a cute, pet sidekick fascinated with pieces of crap that promise a world beyond the kingdom he knows? Hmmm... <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXQx65ucr15p1v9RfyZsummZdqdVx06Q2P3qKazVKgiYpZnhgAEmh6gxuiZDOUrKUPsnYYcsoRv3-4M5AecgRuIaIuGb5P1YouAlcTwyyGS3CL7fNyOL5rkd5L6ll4AucQE2v7sbXA80/s1600/thelittleboobmaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="266" width="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXQx65ucr15p1v9RfyZsummZdqdVx06Q2P3qKazVKgiYpZnhgAEmh6gxuiZDOUrKUPsnYYcsoRv3-4M5AecgRuIaIuGb5P1YouAlcTwyyGS3CL7fNyOL5rkd5L6ll4AucQE2v7sbXA80/s400/thelittleboobmaid.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>At least <b>someone's</B> not interested in her voice.</I></center><br />
<b>And</B> the Little Mer-lion also runs late to important shit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqXYqVwD71Xbia1HCw5YD-2w7b_Hsshpn3cLqWFuB1K1MSFWxN0CEsC9tUHT31sow9JLlydF2Smg9gv0scyPemabGoIKqYXwWmIzo7w4_aVBifLc8ljX7PG_ygn7utLmyNw2jXCkFbAk/s1600/claudusandfriends-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="143" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqXYqVwD71Xbia1HCw5YD-2w7b_Hsshpn3cLqWFuB1K1MSFWxN0CEsC9tUHT31sow9JLlydF2Smg9gv0scyPemabGoIKqYXwWmIzo7w4_aVBifLc8ljX7PG_ygn7utLmyNw2jXCkFbAk/s400/claudusandfriends-sm.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>I bet they all wish they didn't need four for bridge.</I></center><br />
If those bombs he bought from that dog-dude had prongs, Lion-O'd probably be combing his hair with it at the dinner table. And he should. His hair's a mess.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViSkqc3Fy8aeUamM_xQu_CasIEgPJPYMhlnp79pXxOmQJmLDXiRkCiU56QREC4u-KMkdtZm88tpLWRmiRySBhz0KTqD_cjGBvHzMV2AWSehbbBFoGXEU4JvEYJ6zunf9au6zMAY8KjlY/s1600/liono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="226" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViSkqc3Fy8aeUamM_xQu_CasIEgPJPYMhlnp79pXxOmQJmLDXiRkCiU56QREC4u-KMkdtZm88tpLWRmiRySBhz0KTqD_cjGBvHzMV2AWSehbbBFoGXEU4JvEYJ6zunf9au6zMAY8KjlY/s400/liono.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>King Claudus originally wanted to name him Goku.</I></center><br />
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4. At first I thought Tygra knew that was Cheetara he was winking at but in the second part he's all surprised to find out it was her. So he was just flirtin' with some random cleric. That's balls. No, <b>really</B>. That cleric could've been a pretty guy with really smexy eyes. Or had a Mileena-mouth. Or have been an older woman. Do tigers like cougars? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr6UrbFNCig7Ca6SJVDgBBT4ZYfO1p9_Gx5wC4fkbktJr7IQOttQxq7WmXenLuCLLl7DIj7ntCjjUWThzh_989TmR1e8uB_zW5XOK3eOcuhTI6gU-nAXuh5ZbU0KfC4Zk_g6n_6vaAEs/s1600/clericssc-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="226" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr6UrbFNCig7Ca6SJVDgBBT4ZYfO1p9_Gx5wC4fkbktJr7IQOttQxq7WmXenLuCLLl7DIj7ntCjjUWThzh_989TmR1e8uB_zW5XOK3eOcuhTI6gU-nAXuh5ZbU0KfC4Zk_g6n_6vaAEs/s400/clericssc-sm.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>Tygra don't care. Cause that how Tygra rolls. Giggety.</I></center><br />
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5. When General Grune returned, I realized while he and the king cement their bromance that Claudus has odd yellow things above his eyes and I don't know what the fuck they are.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIb8D_xNfERGujJtkw7PxUSTrJfSpKsN0P2gGnRL_B34Jn4HSqDme61itvIwLFrzWDUC3uDWyiOiD36ftl5npnqGuawJ1fO0wxCz622PO9xFV4WVTpQRS1xVfXNywqNIzwO3MTB0PRuhE/s1600/noteyebrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="223" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIb8D_xNfERGujJtkw7PxUSTrJfSpKsN0P2gGnRL_B34Jn4HSqDme61itvIwLFrzWDUC3uDWyiOiD36ftl5npnqGuawJ1fO0wxCz622PO9xFV4WVTpQRS1xVfXNywqNIzwO3MTB0PRuhE/s400/noteyebrows.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>"Dammit, they're WHISKERS. Gross, fat, yellow whiskers."</I></center><br />
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6. Grune has one huge ol' fang. HAH. While I'm sure this implies that he once had two fangs and is a bad-ass who lost one due to the ravages of war, I like to think that dentists in Thundera are just really, really shitty.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGITMJzdUyfiTGBnevhaUwntglNkNaKXFNP3SKj8wXtsWykXZuhV9jr61ksNWxB9gBya53ayFoGpP5gNnuj52ddHrZMsepZ7eZEQXUv8Zu0wYtHP0jcYcE9cjYLktne_oEEtd-Wwa9dHg/s1600/grune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="234" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGITMJzdUyfiTGBnevhaUwntglNkNaKXFNP3SKj8wXtsWykXZuhV9jr61ksNWxB9gBya53ayFoGpP5gNnuj52ddHrZMsepZ7eZEQXUv8Zu0wYtHP0jcYcE9cjYLktne_oEEtd-Wwa9dHg/s400/grune.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>He also opens beer with it.</I></center><br />
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7. Awwww, isn't thievery adorable!?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ5B8-y_vOHOdTRM7TUE30FE6dzShkBYjgicLYjrq8bl2DZCyiK3RFypAZ5YdkHCEUjWKXc448g-E8zde3EKNTLc5fb0ipYSh28a6cRhDSYkbTvB7LIEkYvje597WxSNyWi6-I3bDuS0/s1600/cutethieves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="226" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQ5B8-y_vOHOdTRM7TUE30FE6dzShkBYjgicLYjrq8bl2DZCyiK3RFypAZ5YdkHCEUjWKXc448g-E8zde3EKNTLc5fb0ipYSh28a6cRhDSYkbTvB7LIEkYvje597WxSNyWi6-I3bDuS0/s400/cutethieves.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>"Robble, robble!"</I></center><br />
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8. Apparently, cats are the man, dawg. As in THE MAN. So to speak. Because they is oppressing other species.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9XRG8tXZw8GFfEJeuwZjt3COS8Hn7qT6ZMDS9I1E38QL6bjwza8Z2-LXqAuJAXlwUdpiXxU4lxUWlsSsQh5WUDaERielpKtm7DH_w0EY3vND9MgDyHrPBk5vbTiqx4Cocz49dcFO-aI/s1600/yourthemancat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9XRG8tXZw8GFfEJeuwZjt3COS8Hn7qT6ZMDS9I1E38QL6bjwza8Z2-LXqAuJAXlwUdpiXxU4lxUWlsSsQh5WUDaERielpKtm7DH_w0EY3vND9MgDyHrPBk5vbTiqx4Cocz49dcFO-aI/s400/yourthemancat.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>"This purple shit ain't fruit."</I></center><br />
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9. The conversation on Lion-O's end of the table must SUCK.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyP72Q2NIkNIN0mKn6SxRqlCqOSG99d9eo70AJgw7p7Xo4alxetMVqzxeKYH1MlLIAyoBvGbw0F_qaKu5m87Mutb-Un9nUYtMpTp5POr91FJltqpXFSSbsjhBp6atUK8CtZA9FSrs4xU/s1600/atoasttopanthro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="227" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyP72Q2NIkNIN0mKn6SxRqlCqOSG99d9eo70AJgw7p7Xo4alxetMVqzxeKYH1MlLIAyoBvGbw0F_qaKu5m87Mutb-Un9nUYtMpTp5POr91FJltqpXFSSbsjhBp6atUK8CtZA9FSrs4xU/s400/atoasttopanthro.jpg" /></a></div><center><i>This also makes the footsy a bit awkward.</I></center>B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-13491350445353939352011-05-25T02:36:00.010-05:002011-05-25T03:42:30.993-05:00Music Review - Lady GaGa: "Born This Way"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGid3tgfCxbvDTA0qmX6X0i9wfCe2-or4pS1rxqfbYy1d9KX7i71KRYBn8WB_8wwoZGvBd9RxdyQAQzS41mR6Mwj09mEYFJpxZ7SKYwLfXiNrHhxSbmjNvh5aQPwMhKpV0NAnYqkUF6LA/s1600/lady-shyamalan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGid3tgfCxbvDTA0qmX6X0i9wfCe2-or4pS1rxqfbYy1d9KX7i71KRYBn8WB_8wwoZGvBd9RxdyQAQzS41mR6Mwj09mEYFJpxZ7SKYwLfXiNrHhxSbmjNvh5aQPwMhKpV0NAnYqkUF6LA/s400/lady-shyamalan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610569218666057570" /></a>In many ways Lady GaGa reminds me of M. Night Shyamalamadingdong. When "The Sixth Sense" came out, people--yours truly included--applauded his originality and couldn't wait for the next pile of shit he'd fart out. We were riveted by what twist we'd see next. And as some of us gobbled up "Unbreakable", then "Signs", then "The Village", we began to drop off like flies. Would his biggest twist have been no twist at all? I think so. Lady Gaga could only benefit by taking some notes.<br /><br />In many ways M. Night Shyamalan reminds me of Lady GaGa. When "The Fame" came out, people--yours truly included--applauded her originality and couldn't wait for the next oozy dance-track she'd poop out of her plastic-lined, rainbow-colored keister. We were riveted by what kind of fucked-up outfit we'd see next. And some of us gobbled up "The Fame Monster", then "Born This Way". That's right. "Born This Way" is Lady GaGa's "Signs". I have not tested if it can also be killed with water.<br /><br />Some of our old love for Lady GaGa is still in this album. Each beat is poppy and slick, none of the tracks inspiring me to press the skip button. Unfortunately, they don't really inspire much of anything. Don't get me wrong, I found some of "The Fame" to be lacking as well. But that album bore out some damn infectious hits and I don't see any of that here. "Born This Way", the title track, is pretty much a <s>rip-off</s> <i>homage</i> of Madonna's "Express Yourself". I think most people know that and it's actually okay because GaGa does her own thang. It's catchy and listenable, heads and tails above the rest. I really like "Government Hooker", "Heavy Metal Lover", and "Electric Chapel", too, but not quite as much. "Just Dance" from "The Fame" still kicks all of their asses before school and takes their lunch money.<br /><br />I'd like GaGa to be less daring when comes to costuming and put just as much adventure into her actual music. This album seems determined to showcase Lady GaGa's vocal limitations. She repeats the same words so often you'd think someone taught a parrot to imitate Lady GaGa and it put out this album. Come on, GaGa, you already did this repetitious thing with your last two albums. (Or one and a half if you prefer.) Someone give this woman a meat thesaurus.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYShqUExkRSHo9I6rYJ_lvvtJO_y2clPH7m0iHtj5-btFScacNN1UzS9llKqUpYYsugkutizZrSmj9IFJzBuD_pAl-e07nOw02RGvYA0SPr0uGUivtctnlmZpTiQSoGULqwjamSSYSz8U/s1600/Cov.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYShqUExkRSHo9I6rYJ_lvvtJO_y2clPH7m0iHtj5-btFScacNN1UzS9llKqUpYYsugkutizZrSmj9IFJzBuD_pAl-e07nOw02RGvYA0SPr0uGUivtctnlmZpTiQSoGULqwjamSSYSz8U/s320/Cov.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610569529798582210" /></a>There doesn't feel like there's any variety in the sound of this music either. Many of these songs sound like the same damn song with minor differences. She is electro-pop's answer to Nickelback. I wish she had just dialed it back for some of this stuff. You don't have to sing that loud or use a synthesizer all the time. "The Queen" and "Marry The Night" sound like they're going to be something different and then someone decided they needed to be noisy and obnoxious instead.<br /><br />Thematically, "Born This Way" the album feels superficial. There's religion, fashion, and people being who they are and special and loving themselves or some shit like that. Big whoop. We GET it already: you were BORN THAT WAY. I picture the brainstorm session for this: people, Red One, and GaGa around table that looks like a giant egg covered with purple spots and wondering what words sound cool when repeated by chic gays in teh club.<br /><br />Finally, that cover's ugly. Why didn't she ask her monsters for help? I've seen fanpages made by fourteen-year-olds edgier-looking than that... back in, like, 1999.<br /><br />P.S. Stay out of Seinfeld's box.<br /><br />Average album, average rating. 3 out of 5 acorns. <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif">B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-7815686386312977682011-05-24T23:56:00.009-05:002011-05-25T02:30:45.407-05:00Book Review: The Heir From NowhereHeh, heh, come on, you and I know he came from <I>somewhere</I>. *snort* Straight from the back:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7xC0aGpwMOyJG0PC4ZSvVRkwGfz7voaTw1861nAYi3vJT-OhzIuY2lBWA78EztxiIsNcSvk6-L3UPDaLGX4Zki_2Acz2wBue0Ryd16FSAL0Jo8mXiCb5swauRbAys4esgl3jdllMVNg/s1600/heirfromnowhere-harlequin.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7xC0aGpwMOyJG0PC4ZSvVRkwGfz7voaTw1861nAYi3vJT-OhzIuY2lBWA78EztxiIsNcSvk6-L3UPDaLGX4Zki_2Acz2wBue0Ryd16FSAL0Jo8mXiCb5swauRbAys4esgl3jdllMVNg/s400/heirfromnowhere-harlequin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610513990604691042" /></a><blockquote><em>"You don't know me, but I'm having your baby."</em></blockquote>Don't you fellas hate it when that happens?<blockquote><em>Dominic Pirelli's carefully ordered world falls apart when a female stranger phones with staggering news: an IVF clinic mix-up means she is carrying the baby that he and his late wife dreamed of having! Though he distrusts her motives, Dominic is determined to keep waiflike Angelina Cameron close. Taking her to his luxury home, the hardened tycoon reluctantly begins to admire Angie's strength and gentle beauty as her body swells with the precious life inside her. But when their baby is born, who will have custody of the Pirelli heir?</em></blockquote>Both of them, of course. The book can't end any other way!<br /><br />Firstly, I must applaud this book for being one of several new books by Harlequin where someone with a brain finally decided to have names that don't have "billionaire", "mistress", and "secret baby" in the title. Also, that cover actually looks like how I pictured these people, depicting them in the pool. Yay for having an event that actually happens in the book.<br /><br />Author Trish Morey has written a romance novel that won't have you plucking out your eyes or, to use a more realistic reaction, throwing the book across the wall in fury. She presents two flawed people who manage to both be kinda likable.<br /><br />Heroine Angie Cameron is down on her luck. Her rat of a husband is leaving her and taking all of her good shit and half of her home. Angie and her husband used an IVF clinic but her hubby called it the last straw on their strained marriage when the clinic gave Angie the wrong embryo and she decided to have the baby anyway. As we learn later, Angie was once an abortion possibility herself and she doesn't want to deny the baby a right to live. Fair enough. No, but really, whether you're pro-choice or pro-life, you will agree this boner is a total jerkwad. So she contacts the would-be daddy so the baby can live with his or her natural family after entering the world.<br /><br />Dominic Pirelli is handsome and rich like most of these Harlequin alpha-male bastards. However, he started out poor, living a scant neighborhood or so away from despondent Angie's current location. He has a somewhat tragic past and hopes by making a lot of money, he can help the people he loves. Unfortunately, the poor fellow ends up losing everyone along the way. This chap just can't catch a break. And his outlook doesn't improve when the IVF clinic admits their whoopsie. Yowch.<br /><br />So when Angie contacts Dom, he thinks "oh no, this chick just wants to sell me my baby back." She looks sick and poor and while he can't fault her for the poor part, the sick is something else. Dom's deceased wife—that's right, the baby-mama's dead—had an eating disorder and died from it. And poor Dom's all "sigh, not this shit again."<br /><br />Through a sequence of events, Dom gets to know her little by little and decides his best course of action is for his baby to grow somewhere safe: his giant-ass beach-side mansion. Hey, sounds good to me. So he moves Angie in and the whole growing-closer-together thing begins.<br /><br />This book never felt like it had a slow spot and every part serves a purpose whether it be in the over-all plot or establishing the characters in the book. Dom's PA Simone seemed a little useless but that was only because I initially expected her to have a slightly larger role in the book. I actually wouldn't mind if she appeared in an equally superfulous role in several different Trish Morey books. Kinda like that Richard Scarry book "Postman Pig and His Busy Neighbors" where you had to look for that pickle in each picture. Ms. Morey, make Simone your pickle!<br /><br />All in all, this book didn't really stay with me but it was an enjoyable read. Not too much drama and two leads who seemed to be decent people. Because I would've liked a slightly bigger moment to come along and complete the book—we were a little luke-warm here—I'm taking off a tiny sliver of acorn. Also calling the kid AC-DC wasn't cool. That poor child.<br /><br />4.75 out 5 acorns. <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> ¾B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-83516797998258039372011-05-13T22:15:00.005-05:002011-05-14T00:04:27.632-05:00Book Review: The Eleventh Son<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1etFLMwk9fdYCk4yPYCPj7eH36EymE1M7KhPtGIshnADvvChK7LXlvQbWKW0GGHW1CZTpJ5tFAKs1TNV-xtRccaMKVr8PNKnA_eVVLdPbxIPUC9ikjyQ_4QGozr-TKIidY3SSyIkp8iQ/s1600/11th-son.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1etFLMwk9fdYCk4yPYCPj7eH36EymE1M7KhPtGIshnADvvChK7LXlvQbWKW0GGHW1CZTpJ5tFAKs1TNV-xtRccaMKVr8PNKnA_eVVLdPbxIPUC9ikjyQ_4QGozr-TKIidY3SSyIkp8iQ/s400/11th-son.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606406518330546642" /></a>From book description:<blockquote><em>On one of his missions, Xiao (the Eleventh Son, known as the Great Bandit) meets Shen, the fairest woman in the martial world. By the will of fate, he rescues Shen several times, which plants the seed of love in both of them. However, Shen is married to a rich young man who is also an outstanding martial artist. As if things were not complicated enough, Xiao has his own secret admirer, Feng, an attractive swordswoman with a quick temper. <br /><br />Xiao is drawn into a messy fight for a legendary saber, the Deer Carver, and is accused of stealing it. Xiao finds out that the person who has set him up is a mysterious young man with an angel’s face and a devil’s heart. Before he can pursue any further, Shen’s grandmother is murdered, and Xiao is named the killer. It appears that things are spinning out of control… </em></blockquote> "The Eleventh Son" is a <I>wuxia</I> novel written by prolific Chinese novelist Gu Long, who wrote over sixty novels before dying at age 48 in 1985 from too much drinky-drinky. To my knowledge, "The Eleventh Son" is the only one officially translated into English. For those of you unfamiliar with the wuxia genre, wuxia stories are based in the times of long ago, chronicling the adventures of Chinese martial artists bound by honor and full of secret fighting styles and techniques. My usual example when explaining wuxia is to say wuxia stories are the book version of the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", which in turn based on the fourth book of the Crane-Iron wuxia series by Wang Dulu. [And surprise-surprise, it's not published in English either.]<br /><br />"The Eleventh Son" has a great start, the story opening with the reader meeting Feng. Feng Seniang is beautiful, over-30, bitchy and awesome. As much as I wish the entire story were about her, she only features in the beginning and the end of the story. Boo hoo. Feng's BFF is Xiao Shiyi Lang, the titular eleventh son whose eleventhness doesn't figure squat except for the sad fact that the other ten are dead and he's oh-so-ronery. Xiao is a sinfully-clever, notorious bandit who has the misfortune of being the scapegoat of the so-called ideal gentlemen. It's not the name of their gang or anything, it's basically a group of characters in the story thought to be honorable and chivalrous. Except they're all nasty rats.<br /><br />Xiao and Feng begin a mini-quest of sorts for a powerful blade called the Deer Carver, which is being escorted to Shen Manor with the aim of getting an owner. Xiao is blamed for the theft of the Deer Carver and even though he and Feng managed to steal it before the final destination, the one they swiped was an obvious cheap copy. A plot is afoot. It is later that Xiao ends up finding the person who has the real Deer Carver, a fiendish character named Little Mister. Little Mister passes for a scampish, adolescent boy but is actually a beautiful woman and never bothers to change a disguise or anything. She just manages to pass for both and dudes lust for her and shit. Yeah, I'm not touching that one.<br /><br />Xiao also manages to meet Shen Bijun, a woman otherwise known the prettiest lil' piece in the martial arts world. Shen is married to Lian Chengbi, a man who is handsome, refined, reknowned, wealthy, and about as much fun as a box of paperclips. Xiao is constantly rescuing Shen and the two of them eventually form a couple destined to an ill-fated love. You will literally shake your fist as poor Shen is put through hell, with people she thought she could trust betraying her left and right. She in turn betrays Xiao more than once and you really feel for the poor guy. Although Shen's grandmother does indeed die and Xiao is blamed for it, it's really the least of their problems.<br /><br />Despite the depth their feelings grow to, these two break each other's hearts again and again. The love story here is poignant and pretty much rivals any Harlequin I've ever reviewed here, making it ironic that this is also my first non-Harlequin review. The story is strong and sorrowful. That's no spoiler, you <I>know</I> how this will likely end. Though there is some unintentional lulz at Shen telling Lian she will not be unfaithful over and over again. Come on, lady, you're in love with another man. It really doesn't get worse than that.<br /><br />At under four hundred pages, "The Eleventh Son" is a brisk read and a great introduction to wuxia for the uninitiated. It is translated by Rebecca S. Tai and is published by Homa & Sekey Books. I give it my highest recommendation.<br /><br />5 acorns out of 5. <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif">B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-21533303255406920502011-02-13T22:32:00.005-06:002011-02-13T23:26:15.761-06:00Book Review: Stay Through the Night<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjzETZ9fvF1sNJ8bWZMlH4U0ZWpD3CQv7piQUks7vzpGSMcorJT1gScGyxIozeHrqzks9HQNXuMHUSfy6hJ6tSPTOFJDErm3OwAZkZevkiSKsKvOPiqPmOLjKoTdDZeoKEGVw59-0r6U/s1600/anne-mather-stay-through-the-night.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjzETZ9fvF1sNJ8bWZMlH4U0ZWpD3CQv7piQUks7vzpGSMcorJT1gScGyxIozeHrqzks9HQNXuMHUSfy6hJ6tSPTOFJDErm3OwAZkZevkiSKsKvOPiqPmOLjKoTdDZeoKEGVw59-0r6U/s320/anne-mather-stay-through-the-night.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573398606808066578" /></a> <blockquote><I>Liam Jameson is a world-famous writer of paranormal thrillers. But fame has its price, and now Liam lives reclusively on a remote Scottish island. Then Rosa Chantry knocks on his door and throws his world upside down. His desire for her is strong, but his conviction that he cannot satisfy a woman is stronger. But Rosa is persistent, and so is Liam's need for her. She is determined to ease his fear that the past has robbed him of his power as a man...</I></blockquote>Okay, so this book's a bit older [from 2006] as I tend to try to review the more recent fare. I stumbled upon it and I figure I may as well blog about it since I haven't been reading all that many Harlequins of late. It's by Anne Mather, who also wrote "The Greek Tycoon's Pregnant Wife" which <I>did</I> make my Favorites list so I was open to reading another one.<br /><br />Liam Jameson is a male Anne Rice who was attacked by some bat-shit fan who apparently scarred him everywhere but on his hot face. Rosa is an ignorant, too-thin school-teacher with flame-red hair, cheated on by her slimy ex-husband Colin and easily given to wild goose-chases due to her whining mother who favors Rosa's younger sister Sophie. Loose, spoiled Sophie is a Jameson fan and when she disappears, Rosa is pressured into following a noodle-limp lead straight to Jameson's castle.<br /><br />I usually like the idea of a marred hero but I got the feeling Liam fell under the whole "hey, I'm scarred but not scarred enough". Although this book cover is less dumb than the usual lot of them, that dude in the picture doesn't have a single mark on him. Liam wears long-sleeved shit because he doesn't want anyone to see his scarred arms, why don't these damn covers ever get things right? [Also, he looks like he's biting the heroine but I'll just leave that as being purposeful since brother there writes wamper novels.]<br /><br />I found it odd that Liam has some real insecurities about being physically cut up yet the heroine's all caught up with his good-looking face and gorgeous eyes. I know these sorts of books are a fantasy but it comes off a bit of a contradiction, no? Especially when he's hesitant about showing her his body and she's all "ITZ OK I LUV U NO MATTER WUT" about it. Doubt you'd be saying that if he had a donkey's face. While having Rosa have to actually go through more of an acceptance of Liam's scars would have been good, I'll just assume the word limit for the book is why we had to kinda rush on through that.<br /><br />Liam, at least, isn't the standard romance alpha hero who jerks-jerks-jerks all over the place, calls the woman a whore, and then does three to four sentences of groveling and bad explanations before expecting to be taken back. Liam is just understandably grumpy about having his privacy potentially invaded, generally jaded by women after being jilted by his fiancee, and confused about his attraction to a woman he barely knows. I found him amusing and refreshing.<br /><br />At least once, "virgin" is used like an insult. Which is funny because, really, does the hero ever <I>want</I> the heroine to be a slutty tramp? It's kinda, like, which would you prefer, dude? In this instance, the jokes on Liam when he finds out Rosa is a divorcee who left a five-year marriage and not the untouched tenderfoot that usually stars in these sorts of stories. Yay. Finally, a story with a woman in it instead of some daydreaming little girl. Anne Mather, I could hug you.<br /><br />While the book does place Liam and Rosa at odds at times, as what must happen in most romances, it is the tension of two insecure people. It is not done with bile or some action that might overwise be unforgivable like an affair or a hidden baby or stealing daddy's company. The result is that it never made me want to bang my head on the keyboard and made this book a very nice read.<br /><br />4.5 acorns out of 5. <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> ½B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-23359524359695166212011-01-25T23:25:00.009-06:002011-01-26T00:55:47.229-06:00Book Review: Gray Quinn's Baby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj302S7IHTMArog3HGj7VZS1YYDVQNJWu7Ycx4GD9B4RTcnyD2P3WJNCi8tAO0UvCjfD0ZG0LgjCFgImNVaq6RsVly3c-i1iS5BOZ5WQuRFmb0BNm2p-whTxY-KcHkRPc-CDbw_af-SSJU/s1600/grayquinn-medicinewoman.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj302S7IHTMArog3HGj7VZS1YYDVQNJWu7Ycx4GD9B4RTcnyD2P3WJNCi8tAO0UvCjfD0ZG0LgjCFgImNVaq6RsVly3c-i1iS5BOZ5WQuRFmb0BNm2p-whTxY-KcHkRPc-CDbw_af-SSJU/s400/grayquinn-medicinewoman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566362167075742994" /></a><blockquote><I>Magenta knows having a new employer might be tricky. But she isn't expecting the old-fashioned ruthlessness of Gray Quinn! However, plucky Magenta is up for the challenge, and tries to beat the distractingly gorgeous Quinn at his own game…. Quinn is no New Man—</I></blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9piAWvJrJfkdOiT9-36wBUyT8BZOGnWwZnDfRiwgsG9G-3cw5kpPrdxvW7F4Sefx2YTVZF-MfhVAOMuiT8HwJA4tuXFxp_hjcz43RFp7HqyeOQyMnEE3vABzPxt_UitE3k-i07kNNTIg/s1600/newman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9piAWvJrJfkdOiT9-36wBUyT8BZOGnWwZnDfRiwgsG9G-3cw5kpPrdxvW7F4Sefx2YTVZF-MfhVAOMuiT8HwJA4tuXFxp_hjcz43RFp7HqyeOQyMnEE3vABzPxt_UitE3k-i07kNNTIg/s200/newman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566363077620041394" /></a>Bwuh? "New Man"? Is that some sort of Britishism?<blockquote><I>—he wants temptingly innocent Magenta in his bedroom, not the boardroom. But he can make her no promises. He'll give her the night of her life, but he might not be there when she wakes up…. And he definitely doesn't want her taking maternity leave!</I></blockquote>Firstly, lol @ that cover. These covers never cease to slay me. The heroine looks like an alien with that long neck and gangly arm and the dude's all squinty like Brenden Fraser and Gilbert Gottfried's long-lost love-child. That being said, I am glad she has dark hair instead of those covers where the brunette heroine magically becomes blonde.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUingkEwO4gbgusOLV5DZbfmaMs9mbn4u5wL44KceoarI-OHi8o8bOVv8nFT7KGWjKZZyleKxWip533-5HACfska1iKomccwinvBtc0ls2v3NdoggpFAYZna1aGnBEC71ygPLayR7WGA/s1600/quinn.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUingkEwO4gbgusOLV5DZbfmaMs9mbn4u5wL44KceoarI-OHi8o8bOVv8nFT7KGWjKZZyleKxWip533-5HACfska1iKomccwinvBtc0ls2v3NdoggpFAYZna1aGnBEC71ygPLayR7WGA/s200/quinn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566380425595172370"></a>Magenta Steele—yes, I too chuckled at that name—works in Steele Design which is daddy's company though I couldn't be bothered to really learn what she does besides put together "campaigns", have themed office parties, and be the HEEEEEART of the office whatever the hell <B>that</B> tripe means. She meets a smokin' hot biker in the parking lot. This isn't a spoiler, it's Gray Quinn. <em>You</em> know it's Gray Quinn, <em>I</em> know it's Gray Quinn. It's Gray Quinn. Why he's all playing bad boy on a bike in the parking lot when he's, like, thirty-two years old, instead of riding in a car like a normal reclusive rich bloke who just acquired said company is anybody's guess. That's just how Gray Quinn rolls. Do not question the Quinn.<br /><br />Anyway, for whatever reason Quinn's smitten with Magenta. I couldn't tell you why. Maybe I wasn't supposed to be able to. Maybe I didn't read closely enough. Maybe Magenta in her gym clothes is just that damn sexy. Perhaps he just likes the bitchy ones and that ain't no crime. He ends up giving her a ride back to her place and all is well. Until Chapter Four.<br /><br />Chapter Four is the uh-oh chapter. This is the chapter of a perfectly good book where you kinda know something's going wrong but you go into denial and read on anyway in the hopes it will not come to pass. There had already been mention of the sixties hammered in earlier on and I had a sinking feeling it may lead somewhere but I couldn't have imagined this: the heroine gets all dressed up like she's in the sixties, goes to sleep in her office, AND WAKES UP IN THE EFFIN' SIXTIES AND STAYS THERE FOR OVER TEN CHAPTERS.<br /><br />While I commend this twist on the tried and true formula, I would not have picked up the book if I knew this was gonna happen because now Magenta is IN A DREEEEEEEM and can't wake up. Worse, she's in a sexist dream where all the chicks work the typing pool and get the mens coffee. I tried trudging through it all but this stuff just isn't my bag. Gray Quinn comes in and he's the boss, of course, and they form a relationship, do it, and she ends up with a DREEEEEM baby. BWUUUH? HAHAHA. <strong>No, <em>really</em>.</strong><br /><br />Magenta then wakes up in the present missing her dreeeeem baby but she and Quinn—perhaps feeling rushed that they only have about three chapters to tidy it all together—pretty much pick up where they left off in the dream. There's not much mention as to how she knows who he is (for he never introduced himself in reality) and they interact like old lovers. He takes her home, feeds her, and she begins obsessing that things are happening in reality like they did in the dream. She comes off as "hey, crazy lady" but Quinn—despite voicing <em>some</em> protest—seems relatively cool with it. This leads me to believe he rode that motorcyle too many times with his visor up and all of them dead flies choked his brain stem. At the end, Magenta's pregnant and la-dee-dah everything's Cheerios.<br /><br />MEH. This made me kinda sad, I do admit. The writing itself is really top-notch and the hero is really good. I guess it was disappointing to start out with a hero like Gray Quinn and feel like we didn't see too much of the REAL Quinn but instead had to settle for DREEEEM Quinn for the majority of the book. The beginning seemed to set itself up for an interesting meeting when Magenta discovers the biker in the parking lot is the new owner of her father's business, but that tension is never hit upon. And although the parallel is obvious that Dream Quinn and Real Quinn are likely exactly alike, it doesn't change that one was still a sixties dream and a product of his own "era" and real interactions would have made a tastier book. It doesn't help that I'm no fan of the sixties either and I just wanted the dream sequence to GO AWAY. I have to wonder if it might've for a while as I got to the point where I just had to scan over the dream as I found it tiresome.<br /><br />As for Magenta Steele herself, the name sounds pornish and she came through as being sheltered and entitlement-minded. Yeah, her daddy's a sexist pig, but why should Magenta expect to get a company for free? Go work your ass off like Gray Quinn did and get your own company to run, woman. I would like to have been given a reason to like Magenta as much as Quinn appears to. Is it her body, her eyes, her razor sharp wit, her caring heart, her creativity? I DUNNO. If she was even described as being anything other than a "good-looking woman", which could really be ANYTHING, I've completely forgotten. Magenta seems made to be generic so the reader can relate to her, but this quality made her kinda unlikable to me.<br /><br />Because of the length of the dream, the ending felt rushed despite being about three chapters long. It also turns the focus on Magenta's lost dreeeem baby half-way through, which would've been a more enjoyable concept with a little more time. As Harlequin/Mills & Boon have started doing two-part books, this one probably could've focused on the dream in the first one and taken us back to reality in the second.<br /><br />As it is, I'm only docking it an acorn for my own enjoyment value. As I said, this is well-written and you won't be pulling your hair out even if you don't dig it. Someone else will love this book, I just know it. If you have a hankering for a book that takes you into a sixties dream sequence for the majority of it, this is the one for you. As for me, I'd rather just read an older Harlequin than be taken there by a newer one.<br /><br />4 acorns out of 5. <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif">B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-17730865579960371202011-01-17T23:13:00.006-06:002011-01-17T23:30:11.110-06:00Google honors Dr. King with hopscotch doodle. LOL HUH?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA8hiQOYMjrcVpCKhMaZJwYSaZh8takfXJ-7Lot9EsHsR5GpHqz6RYSd0cBydddFqt9_iOdc9pAayo5swLTbXT5U-DwnZSuAirYVEZ8vKimMcZQmndbwb2mj0ysCadYlCE91pBQf9Dcc/s1600/fucking-doodle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 354px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA8hiQOYMjrcVpCKhMaZJwYSaZh8takfXJ-7Lot9EsHsR5GpHqz6RYSd0cBydddFqt9_iOdc9pAayo5swLTbXT5U-DwnZSuAirYVEZ8vKimMcZQmndbwb2mj0ysCadYlCE91pBQf9Dcc/s400/fucking-doodle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563392211921291890" /></a>Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. What problem could this cantankerous bitch possibly have with <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/17/googles-hopscotch-doodle-honors-martin-luther-king-jr/">a Google graphic</a> meant to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? <B>IT HAS NO MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.</B><br /><br />Now I realize it promotes his message and blah blah blah, but this dude was a prominent civil rights activist that was fucking assassinated. Can't we have his picture on goddamn Google for a single day? We have nearly all of February to have retarded inter-racial hopscotch graphics. Even Pac-Man got his picture on the front page for his anniversary but Google can't put an effin' picture of Rev. Dr. King? What's more, it's ALREADY GONE. Hell, Pac-Man even got the whole week. Congratulations on being Eastern time, Google, while the rest of the country is behind and STILL IN OBSERVANCE of MLK Day. F A I L.B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-58355074379756894612011-01-06T00:03:00.007-06:002011-01-21T00:39:09.726-06:00I Answer Other People's Letters #5010611<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH-vUAaSVLCf9F-qA-BvZ0pJP8YGAjsJMxvuSkE3CPYUAvO6Rr6OFrb0iYte1OEa8BHN06cK8uSvOHLbvI8BElhsYznVhwgoMM84VG-78VenVtez1e94kyai7u3DXrZOLr7z-nc-tX-k/s1600/deerabby-BW.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 162px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH-vUAaSVLCf9F-qA-BvZ0pJP8YGAjsJMxvuSkE3CPYUAvO6Rr6OFrb0iYte1OEa8BHN06cK8uSvOHLbvI8BElhsYznVhwgoMM84VG-78VenVtez1e94kyai7u3DXrZOLr7z-nc-tX-k/s320/deerabby-BW.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522599031344838754" /></a><a href=" http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20110106">Today’s Victim: Dear Abby [1/06/10]</a> Some of the following shit snipped for useless crap: <blockquote><strong> TAKING ILLICIT PHOTOS COULD LAND GIRL IN LEGAL HOT WATER</strong><br /><br /><em>DEAR ABBY: I would like to share some important information with "Don't Want to Lose Him in the U.S.A." (Nov. 10). She's the young lady who is being pressured by her boyfriend to take photos of her classmates in the girls' locker room. The students at the high school where I teach recently attended a program on Internet and online safety. One of the things that really surprised them was learning cell phone calls don't just go from one phone to another. .... All sent messages and photos are stored on the provider's server. This means pictures deleted from the phone are never really deleted -- and text messages and photos never go away. .... "Don't Want to Lose Him" needs to clearly understand she might be prosecuted for producing, distributing and possessing child pornography. -- A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER IN CHURCHVILLE, VA.</em></blockquote>Because if it's not a deterrent that she'd be the sidekick of a gross, perverted creep, the law surely will be. HO HO. Young people these days DON'T EFFIN' CARE, dumbass. I mean, she named her letter "Don't Want to Lose Him". You <I>know</I> where her priorities lie.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>DEAR ABBY: Refusing to take the photos, but keeping it quiet, is not enough. I think "Don't Want to Lose Him" should make copies of your column and paste them on every locker to warn all the girls they are at risk -- even when they think they have privacy. She should also tell the principal, who may be able to provide extra protection. -- SHEILA IN GIG HARBOR, WASH.</em></blockquote>If there's anything youngins like to do these days, it's TO READ AND FOLLOW DEAR ABBY. LOL RLY? A copy of an advice column on some kid's locker has about as much impact as a copy of The Watchtower wedged in my porch door. And what makes you think the principal gives a shit? Or that he'd even listen. Nice try. What are you? <I>Eighty?</I> For the record, there's never real privacy in the flippin' locker room.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>DEAR ABBY: I think the issue of that young woman's low self-esteem should be addressed. Her boyfriend is holding her hostage to his wishes and desires, and will probably always do so if she continues to stay with him. It's important that "Don't Want to Lose Him" learns to love the principled, intelligent person she already is and continue to stand up for herself. Eventually, someone will appreciate her good qualities and she won't have to settle for less than she deserves. -- BEEN THERE IN ARIZONA</em></blockquote> How is she "intelligent" considering the loser she ended up with? Especially since she doesn't want to <I>looo~ooose</I> him? GAG!<br /><br /><blockquote><em>DEAR ABBY: "Don't Want to Lose Him" should report this to a trusted adult or school counselor. At the very least, this girl needs to know she will be doing a great service if she lets the other girls know so they can be on the lookout for someone sneaking a camera or cell phone into their locker room. She could also use some support and affection that doesn't come from a manipulative, self-serving "boyfriend." -- LISA IN SAN RAFAEL, CALIF.</em></blockquote>School counselors are a fucking joke. You can see how they've helped me. And if she tells the other girls, I guarantee they're all gonna be on the look out for HER sneaking in a camera.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>DEAR ABBY: I am a mental health professional. What "Don't Want to Lose Him" is being pressed to do is called "sexting," and it is a criminal offense in almost every state in the U.S. The young lady and whoever receives and distributes those photos could be convicted of a felony, serve prison time and live the rest of [BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH WALL OF TEXT.] -- JACQUELINE IN GIBSONIA, PA.</em></blockquote> Congratulations on having a degree in IT'S FUCKING OBVIOUS. I hope you at least don't owe much in student loans. Really though, I love how old people define shit for the rest of us as if they discovered it first. Except I'm fairly certain sexting would be the "Lose Him" girl sending pics of <em>herself</em> to her creepo boyfriend.<br /><br />Who the fuck cares what the definition is or the law is in this instance? This poor girl is lonely and has never been loved before. And here's this tool playing with her heart and trying to recruit her to be his skeezy voyeur cam or ELSE. Why is no one telling this chick to love and respect herself? Why has no one asked how "Lose Him" would feel if she found out one of the other girls snapped a pic of her ass and spread it all over school? Or why didn't anyone ask her if she really doesn't like having teeth that much because some of those high school chicks would totally knock them out if they found out those kinds of pics had been taken of them?<br /><br />***BONUS ROUND!!***<br /><a href="http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20110103">From Dear Abby [1/03/11]:</a><blockquote><em>DEAR ABBY: I became a grandmother a year ago. My son told me I have to join a social networking site if I want information about, or to see pictures of, my grandson. He claims I can find out all I need to know on his profile page. Abby, I'm not asking for pictures to be sent in the mail, nor am I requesting constant calls about what is taking place. I'm not completely computer illiterate, but I do have an aversion to being grouped with everyone else. I am his mother, but I don't feel as though he thinks of me as someone special. Am I totally out of touch with today's technology? -- OLD-FASHIONED GRANDMA IN MONTANA</em></blockquote> Dear Granny,<br /><br />If it's any solace, your letter made me seriously fucking mad. If I knew your son, I'd give a kick in the balls for you. Your son is what is known as a technology whore. He is part of the mostly middle-class segment of selfish, spoiled America with too much goddamn time on their hands. These people are so in love with iPhones and Facebook that anyone who doesn't conform to it is inconvenient. "How dare you not answer my text to my convenience! How dare you actually make me visit you and talk to you to communicate!" They take pictures of every other meal they eat and post song lyrics as a status at least five times a week. No, you are not <I>old fashion</I> for not wanting to join his [likely] crappy network of fellow peons.<br /><br />If I were you, I would call him anyway to initiate conversation. Given the a-hole your son is, he'll probably talk to you while driving using his Bluetooth, but hey, make that technology work for YOU and not him. I would also let him know you can't join his profile thingy because <B>"computers are just too dern hard"</B> and you're too confused by that "FaceSpace doohickey". As an older person, make your age work for you! <B>You can get away with it!</B> What is he gonna do: get angry? Only a total dickwad would yell at a granny for not using a computer "correctly". If you're long distance, try reaching out to his wife or any other relative nearby and see if they can score you pics of your grandson that Mr. Pisspants can't be <I>magnanimous</I> enough to send to you.B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-50714659159383455012011-01-05T23:14:00.005-06:002011-01-05T23:39:35.055-06:00Disney's Aladdin: Not as Good as I Remember It.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_P3DIfDtIMpw57trFQ_B_lzcqG9_TLi12NnwJDIp8H1YNzgacnJ2I-cbMhdvUYUOA5z1lpkaiKO-OucQqz8aG6Kz4CQFQ_unWKFUGED-gUCr5AjMmtNOzmy6-RvlUig4O_XXS1JxPNNQ/s1600/aladdin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_P3DIfDtIMpw57trFQ_B_lzcqG9_TLi12NnwJDIp8H1YNzgacnJ2I-cbMhdvUYUOA5z1lpkaiKO-OucQqz8aG6Kz4CQFQ_unWKFUGED-gUCr5AjMmtNOzmy6-RvlUig4O_XXS1JxPNNQ/s400/aladdin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558943376989365154" /></a><center><I>"The starving people of Agrabah can't eat your lousy flowers!"</I></center><br />Firstly, I've LOVED this movie for years. I first saw it when I was twelve, bought the soundtrack on tape, and would sing to all the songs and shit. I wanted to Netflix it recently. It's not available on Netflix as of this blogging and hasn't been for a while. Boo hoo. So I ended up borrowing a VHS, popped it in, and BAM. Upon viewing it for the first time in about ten or so years, there're so many things wrong with it. Now I'm hardly gonna declare this flick a POS. It's not. The voice work is good, the visuals are lovely, the songs are still catchy. Here's a random list of rants that kinda knock this movie down a notch. At least where I'M concerned: <br /><br />1. Cut off my ear if you don't like my face, but I miss that part. Of all of the concessions for Disney to make to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. The edited song is retarded. The heat is immense? It's immense in Arizona, too, but no one wants to sing a frickin song about it. I mean, they put in new lyrics but we still have some fat red-shirt telling Jafar how he had to "slit a few throats". I can live without an ear, but I kinda need my throat. It's very fucking inconsistent. And as far as unfair stereotyping is concerned, wording is a lesser offense when Aladdin, Jasmine, the Genie, and the Sultan are all as Anglicized as possible but Jafar and everyone else are <a href=" http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=283">"are dark-skinned, swarthy and villainous-cruel palace guards or greedy merchants with Arabic accents and grotesque facial features."</a> I remember being bothered by that crap when I was a kid. Most offensive of all? Not enough hot Arab men. Come on now! <br /><br />2. On that note, are there ANY Arab people in this film? That shit's just wrong. Robin Williams doing an Arab accent in absence of real Arabs anywhere in the flick just makes the entire room suddenly uncomfortable.<br /><br />3. What the heck does this movie have to do with the story of Aladdin? We have a dude named Aladdin, a lamp, and a genie and that's pretty much where the similarities end.<br /><br />4. Robin Williams is annoying as fuck. Some of you are all "well, no shit", but he honestly never annoyed me before, believe it or not. I found myself wanting to reach into the TV and strangle him. When someone comes off more annoying than Gilbert Gottfried in under a minute, there's a serious problem.<br /><br />5. Horrible lessons. Such as... <br /><br />* <B>It's okay to steal what you don't got… as long as you share the loot.</B> Aladdin can steal from hard-working folks because he's so damn hungry. In fact, <I>he happily sings and dances about it.</I> Jasmine can steal an apple to feed a child. They are good-looking and heroes and suffer no consequences other than getting some exercise courtesy of the palace guards. If I don't have any bread, it should be well within my rights to endanger someone else's livelihood to feed myself. This is later glamorized when we find out Aladdin's father is KING of THIEVES.<br /><br />* <B>To fulfill your dreams, you must be rich. </B> Aladdin is poor and free and longs for money while Jasmine is rich and longs for freedom. Earlier in the film, we were meant to believe that, by both of them feeling trapped, they both just saw the grass as being greener on the other side. Instead of Aladdin embracing his freedom and Jasmine learning the responsibilities of her position and wealth, Aladdin just gets rich by association AND EVERYTHING IS ALL BETTER.<br /><br />* <B>It's okay to lie as long as you tell the truth later.</B> Um, NO IT'S NOT.<br /><br />6. The Sultan was so damn attached to adhering to the stupid law and then just changes his mind in the end. The fuck? Why'd they even bother making this a plot device? It's like they didn't make the Sultan bat-shit crazy enough and needed to prove in the end that he'd finally snapped. At least adherence to the law meant that he respected traditions. If he didn't like the law and knew the princess didn't, why didn't he change it a long damn time ago?<br /><br />Also, it would have been hilarious if Jafar wishing himself a genie hadn't backfired like Aladdin thought it would. If genies can be free, then why did turning Jafar into a genie simply not make him a free genie? Even if someone had to wish genies free, the wish could've still effed up and made him a free genie. The wish itself never specified either way.B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-72975465757628875302011-01-04T00:11:00.006-06:002011-01-21T00:42:10.111-06:00Music Review - "Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt OST"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiRXOvFFUqu_SXxtEz3Jv_VBCzFvogZ_qRNh_PQ39Va_EJ-OxFldyInxOY2nSB6vn4Fx5FzbI5o8i485TtzkB5Ov2zk7XOaNJfdOWFTjiqE2vWVSEq_jalssVW7vo5MW-FUop9wXusSI/s1600/pandsalbum.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiRXOvFFUqu_SXxtEz3Jv_VBCzFvogZ_qRNh_PQ39Va_EJ-OxFldyInxOY2nSB6vn4Fx5FzbI5o8i485TtzkB5Ov2zk7XOaNJfdOWFTjiqE2vWVSEq_jalssVW7vo5MW-FUop9wXusSI/s400/pandsalbum.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558209886413704914" /></a>The most awesome anime of 2010 was "Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt", hands down. It was awesome, wacky, filthy, stylish, and completely different from a lot of same-old/same-old animu crap that's been chugging its way from overseas. And at thirteen episodes long, it didn't wear out its welcome either. For you poor souls that have never heard of this great fucking show, the premise is that two fallen angel sisters are trying to earn their way back into heaven by destroying ghosts and getting coins (called Heavens) in the process. Panty is a hot-headed nympho while Stocking is a goth-lolita, bondage-loving, sugarholic. They are guided by a bad-ass priest in a 'fro called Garterbelt and sometimes helped by a green, retarded, Gir-rip-off named Chuck.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklohWTcunCDUe8pDUVBSIKgqAZ7YdDDS9MziRB0Pidtxce8OrUPEeA5KT_KkoSYvAxt6PeYyPXarDQ95QycNys8GXvIlwwuv2zVSVRutvt7gKeyHQvpFlmwNiRmQ9x9A-oj-Qs-cBJ6c/s1600/pantyandstocking.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklohWTcunCDUe8pDUVBSIKgqAZ7YdDDS9MziRB0Pidtxce8OrUPEeA5KT_KkoSYvAxt6PeYyPXarDQ95QycNys8GXvIlwwuv2zVSVRutvt7gKeyHQvpFlmwNiRmQ9x9A-oj-Qs-cBJ6c/s400/pantyandstocking.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558211234539974514" /></a>But this post isn't about the show however much I should've made a post about it. Because one of the raddest things about Panty & Stocking was the electro-dance-house soundtrack. By TCY FORCE produced by M-Flo's ☆Taku Takahashi, featuring TeddyLoid, Hoshina Anniversary, Aimee B., Booty Bronx, and a bevy of other peeps, you don't have to know who the fuck any of them are except for the fact that they make some boss tunes.<br /><br />My only gripes…? Firstly, the opening music, "Theme for Panty & Stocking" is TV size at thirty-two seconds long. I would have LOVED LOVED LOVED a full-sized song.<br /><br />Second, the sweet ending tune "Fallen Angel" with the vocals of Aimee B. (who some of you may know from the musically good but otherwise horrid "Devil May Cry" anime) is nearly sixteen minutes long! Why is that a problem? Well, the song itself is nowhere near that long. It's clocks out around four minutes and after about ten minutes of DEAD SPACE, we get a teaser about a possible second season. Come on, now. This ain't a record. People want to rip and keep this music. What was so wrong with having the song at the proper length and the teaser-thingy as its own unlisted track? <br /><br />Third, it seems like there might be some music that didn't make the soundtrack which is bewy, bewy sad.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q2Fjr6wAy8lWTpGzkANvV7Y8nOHAB3BOgS7RGdPZIB6NyqeMwW1I0MXe32fxSh42SwY9QrwiPx_8Y1ORin_ej9uAPcIoYX2sPmDW5Ph3sAZ8O4jVn0GfePjknjc4R1P-sIu_ybJqiYI/s1600/kneesocksandscanty.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Q2Fjr6wAy8lWTpGzkANvV7Y8nOHAB3BOgS7RGdPZIB6NyqeMwW1I0MXe32fxSh42SwY9QrwiPx_8Y1ORin_ej9uAPcIoYX2sPmDW5Ph3sAZ8O4jVn0GfePjknjc4R1P-sIu_ybJqiYI/s400/kneesocksandscanty.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558211956516436994" /></a>But the "bad news" ain't all so bad. The disc is still a great listen over-all. "Theme for Scanty and Knee Socks" wins the grand prize tho'. That track is tiz-zight! Leave it to those demon sisters to steal the show again.<br /><br />5 acorns. <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif">B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-73570899009594266082011-01-03T22:40:00.011-06:002011-01-03T23:42:24.612-06:00I Answer Other People's Letters #4010311<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4blYJWbVCcBteGMltJy3ildfqKb_5fY72MfFhhZ40yahrxPNiYguJEBbALhPqda9p2kubDqc44zJmmHFGJWmZGlU0fbx11Z2LGV4VSGvsvSrFOkkOeqXUIdjQM7XlzN_heFudFDGYlXs/s1600/ask-hairyloon.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4blYJWbVCcBteGMltJy3ildfqKb_5fY72MfFhhZ40yahrxPNiYguJEBbALhPqda9p2kubDqc44zJmmHFGJWmZGlU0fbx11Z2LGV4VSGvsvSrFOkkOeqXUIdjQM7XlzN_heFudFDGYlXs/s400/ask-hairyloon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558194055353318882" /></a><a href="http://www.parade.com/askmarilyn/2011/01/Sundays-Column-01-02-11.html">Today's Victim: Ask Marilyn [1/2/11]</a>:<blockquote><em>Some of my readers’ questions would confound the Oracle of Delphi! Here’s a selection of recent unanswerable ones worth pondering anyway: </em></blockquote>In other words, "here's some stupid questions to amuse people because poking fun at morons is one of the perks of being an effin' genius". None of them are really 'unanswerable' as they are incredibly fucking stupid and have obviously been printed in her column for lulz, which makes it terribly sad that people are getting lulz from Parade Magazine.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>As I travel the highways, I notice signs that read “Deer Crossing.” How do the deer know to cross at those signs? <br />—from a reader in Ovilla, Tex. </em></blockquote>The sign was put there because the deer were crossing there first, asshat. As you clearly don't possess basic logic, please stop driving before you kill someone.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip65BriMX1Vn9FnAvZDCukK24cNJ3HKaie87GquXOre1GxI7lPHPvVCuF1FG4rGAb2eoNLRqEWLjwiqXGW_hwBkHC13yG-Mer6jAQ6yMFM6-P25i1cOTnGQMGvyYNGZ1hy17O2RRyl4Gk/s1600/threemusketeers.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip65BriMX1Vn9FnAvZDCukK24cNJ3HKaie87GquXOre1GxI7lPHPvVCuF1FG4rGAb2eoNLRqEWLjwiqXGW_hwBkHC13yG-Mer6jAQ6yMFM6-P25i1cOTnGQMGvyYNGZ1hy17O2RRyl4Gk/s200/threemusketeers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558195433116649026" /></a><blockquote><em>Why are the Three Musketeers always depicted with swords? Why not muskets? <br />—Burbank, Calif. </em></blockquote>Because it's easier to stab someone than it is to shoot them with a musket. Plus, a sword is cooler. Don't disagree with me, douchebag. A better question would have been why the Musketeers are always last to get eaten when they're so damn tasty.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGBQqw4h26H8MT7tC1AmXUAmCb0W_PPsUTuRVuzdyeb4hMLU0rrqvK525S_Lg-VS-NLbol6l_SpwuBYwdZfqcRd5JVc6loID0mulVwllA13ZrnW1f0-mnaU_EBnZjEqYwyICg7cfsJIQ/s1600/racquetballhatesyouandyourmom.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGBQqw4h26H8MT7tC1AmXUAmCb0W_PPsUTuRVuzdyeb4hMLU0rrqvK525S_Lg-VS-NLbol6l_SpwuBYwdZfqcRd5JVc6loID0mulVwllA13ZrnW1f0-mnaU_EBnZjEqYwyICg7cfsJIQ/s200/racquetballhatesyouandyourmom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558199471944055538" /></a><blockquote><em>I play racquetball. The court is a large, enclosed room with a 20-foot-high ceiling and one small door, which players use to enter or exit during warm--ups, etc. Why—although this door is open only briefly—does the ball go through it about 75% of the time? <br />—Spearfish, S.D. </em></blockquote>Because it hates you and I hate you, too.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Why do the eyes of life-size cardboard figures of people appear to watch and follow you as you pass by? <br />—Tyler, Tex. </em></blockquote>Because they are. No, seriously, bro, it's just you. You're a paranoid idiot.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>I’ve heard that the Earth’s magnetic poles are reversing. Will the strip in my credit card still work? Will my refrigerator repel my magnets? <br />—Portland, Maine </em></blockquote>Send me your credit card and I'll check it for you.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Why don’t eggs taste like chicken? <br />—St. Louis, Mo. </em></blockquote>Because it never formed into a chicken, fuckface. You're eating an abortion. Or as the rich chickens call them, a ski vacation.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Do I have more of a chance of catching a cold if I’m chewing gum and blowing bubbles? In other words, can airborne germs be caught by my bubble and then ingested after it has deflated and the gum is back in my mouth? <br />—Saddle Brook, N.J. </em></blockquote>No. Why the hell would you think you'd have a better chance catching a cold from germy-air touching your gum than by breathing in the germy-air directly? Germ-ass.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PeR22s927wBP9__qx5Y2LolGye73_ghKOESRHpvJb97z-Ct6Q5SdFxZlmGOMSgwG3oSrVayvSPK4WYzGRAqD_qGKQjJ9uWVxl37cio8uVb16opbXtKkPWgqBTJ7s4oRiQL3D2Ykygsk/s1600/pickle.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PeR22s927wBP9__qx5Y2LolGye73_ghKOESRHpvJb97z-Ct6Q5SdFxZlmGOMSgwG3oSrVayvSPK4WYzGRAqD_qGKQjJ9uWVxl37cio8uVb16opbXtKkPWgqBTJ7s4oRiQL3D2Ykygsk/s200/pickle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558200844390445074" /></a><blockquote><em>Do you know whether Christopher Columbus brought pickles with him aboard his ships when he explored the New World? <br />—Cary, N.C. </em></blockquote>That was a pickle in his pants? I just thought he was glad to see me! [RUNNER-UP ANSWER: Who fucking cares? That's not even a legitimate question.]<br /><br /><blockquote><em>The city of Toledo, Ohio, is urging its residents to lose weight to the tune of one million pounds. With that much weight exiting our planet from such a small location, could it alter the Earth’s orbit around the Sun? <br />—Swanton, Ohio </em></blockquote>Yes. We're all going to die. Especially if geniuses like you have bred. We had fewer and skinnier people on this planet for centuries and you think the orbit's gonna be affected by something like that? Maybe you should be more worried about all of that stupid hurling us into the sun.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>In movies, when someone gets out of a car at night, why doesn’t the dome light ever go on? <br />—Sebring, Fla. </em></blockquote>It broke. I broke it. Me so sorry.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>I notice that global warming increased after daylight saving time started in 1974. Well, duh! More daylight is going to make the world hotter, isn’t it? <br />—Altadena, Calif. </em></blockquote>Well, duh, making it 11 o'clock instead of 12 o'clock doesn't affect the actual amount of sunlight. People don't control the sun, dork-ass.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>If a person on television held up a mirror facing a camera, could someone at home see his reflection in it? <br />—Colorado Springs, Colo.</em></blockquote>I'm going to punch a camera and hope you feel it.B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-54886846359460811032010-12-07T22:30:00.005-06:002010-12-10T00:04:50.157-06:00Book Review: Her Last Night of Innocence<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaZTfZbFJki-SV_04xW4Xm95mzJ3GT7g_uKVcTFwI5rFmix3F_kiVIg7Kcd1iybpX7q4dUc2E5Ll2vv5aLzqZMfOpkKAotITVepVfqFWFb07gDJ1iXoh7sapFs0ZpT3eoM9YZbA4PpTU/s1600/Her+Last+Night+of+Innocence+-+India+Grey.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 248px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaZTfZbFJki-SV_04xW4Xm95mzJ3GT7g_uKVcTFwI5rFmix3F_kiVIg7Kcd1iybpX7q4dUc2E5Ll2vv5aLzqZMfOpkKAotITVepVfqFWFb07gDJ1iXoh7sapFs0ZpT3eoM9YZbA4PpTU/s400/Her+Last+Night+of+Innocence+-+India+Grey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548165280459824882" /></a>One of the latest out of Mills & Boon, fairly certain to be published over here as a Harlequin at some point in time:<br /><br /><I>World-famous racing driver Cristiano Maresca always spent the night before a race in the arms of a beautiful woman… Three years ago that woman was Kate Edwards, and her time with Cristiano awakened her to unimaginable pleasure. But the following day the untameable Cristiano had a near-fatal crash…and then Kate discovered she was expecting his baby… Now Monte Carlo is set to celebrate Cristiano’s return to the track. Shivering with nerves, Kate braves the paparazzi to find the man who set her body aflame – and tell him her scandalous secret… That Italy’s most notorious playboy has a surprise love-child!</I><br /><br />Firstly, I tend to like the UK covers better but this cover made me rofl. Seriously, dude looks like a Head Boy from <i>Harry Potter</I>. Of course, most of the people on the covers of these things don't work for me anyway but I liked this cover better when they cut off part of his face <a href="http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Modern/Her-Last-Night-of-Innocence.htm">as seen on the M&B website</a>.<br /><br />"Her Last Night of Innocence" is another foray by India Grey, a relatively new author first published by M&B in 2006 with "The Italian's Defiant Mistress". The only book of her's I've read besides the one in this review is "Powerful Italian, Penniless Housekeeper", which if I recall correctly didn't wow me but certainly left me open to try her other stories.<br /><br />I have to say I really, really liked the prologue, which must be a 5-acorn beginning fer sure. We meet the hero—Italian race car pimp Cristiano Maresca—and the heroine—British bottled-water marketing assistant (I guess) Kate Edwards—and immediately jump into the action, which literally ends in flames and derails Cristiano's career.<br /><br />Four years later, we discover Cristiano baked his ciabatta loaf in Kate's oven, resulting in a son named Alexander. Kate was never able to see Cristiano since the fateful day of his crash and has the chance to confront him now that he's re-entering the racing game. I liked how both of the main characters have a heavy personal demon to fight. Kate lost family due to reckless driving, which creates a conflict when it comes to her feelings for Cristiano. Meanwhile, Cristiano has esteem issues from a learning disability and on top of that is struggling to race again. He lost a small chunk of his memory from before the crash and it's screwing with his ability to race. Additionally, that particular chunk of memory was super-important and without it he remembers virtually nothing of Kate or their magical evening.<br /><br />Side characters like Kate's boss Dominic and Cristiano's lady-doc Fournier do their part to move the story along without feeling forced upon us. The moment when Kate becomes sick at a particular "art display" is strong and when Cristiano kisses Kate and she believes he remembers her was one of the top genuinely heart-breaking moments I've read in one of these books. Kate's urgency to return home when Alexander gets sick was also well written. All that said, this book isn't without its flaws.<br /><br />It was maddening that during Kate's subsequent stay with Cristiano, telling him he had a son took priority under getting herself some hot Nascar lovin'. It was only through a misplaced letter—which you <B>know</B> is getting misplaced the minute the idea of writing down a secret is mentioned—that Cristiano follows Kate and meets his son. From then on, it gets a little... well... <I>boring</I> actually. I found myself struggling to read through the rest of this about as much as Cristiano would.<br /><br />Cristiano's vampish assistant Suki was also underused. I really wanted the claws to come out with her and she was kinda "meh" throughout the whole thing that I saw no point in including her in the first place. I saw the stepping stones for some high drama in her character as Suki was at least somewhat infatuated with Cristiano but that never came to fruition other than she MAY have told a little lie. It would've rocked if she had somehow gotten that letter first but alas, she doesn't do much but snark here and there and help move Cristiano's career forward.<br /><br />More drama also should've come into play with Cristiano trying to win Kate's love. As I've seen in a lot of these books, the heroine becomes a bit of a jaded pill (and rightly so) but the hero's all "I'm here now, deal". I wanted him to be more dashing and romantic! He has his jerk-modes at times and it makes him difficult to love. There was also a tidy helping of father-son mush between Cristiano and Alexander that will make fans of that sort of thing go "AWWWWW" but made me kinda stick in my finger in my mouth. I don't read these books to read about keedz.<br /><br />For those that may be wary of the whole race car romance thing, the racing and the cars of said racing really take a backseat to the story so there's nothing to worry about on that front.<br /><br />In any case, I felt this book was among the more decent ones I've read. Despite that it lost me in the last few chapters, there are parts of it that are pure gold. While it doesn't make my keeper list, I'm giving it a solid 4/5 acorns and will definetely check out more by India Grey.<br /><br /><img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif"> <img SRC="http://www.rabbitinasuit.com/acorn.gif">B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-22970213181611341722010-11-13T15:39:00.006-06:002016-10-28T00:59:01.553-05:00"Mean Bloggers" Make Steve Harvey CryWarning, this is over 8 minutes long and watching the whole thing may be painful. Not in the "poor Steve Harvey" way or "Oh, jeez, grown man blubbering on TV. AWKWARD" way, but in the "why the hell am I watching this? Oh God, is this my life? I should go bang my head in the wall" way:<br />
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Firstly, I haven't heard of Steve Harvey since commercials for episodes of the Steve Harvey show back in 2002 or whatever. So I see this video and he's all "boo hoo, mean bloggers". Apparently he was being called out for being a bigot, among other things, and the internet is flooded with smack on the guy. Why?<br />
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Well, apparently not believing in God means a person has no moral compass. Note Tyra's uncomfortable rendition of the "polite titter":<br />
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[VIDEO ORIGINALLY HERE WAS TAKEN DOWN, BOO HOO.]</center>
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<a href="http://www.isabigot.com/2009/06/new-steve-harvey-video-on-larry-king-where-he-calls-atheists-idiots/">He also called atheists "idiots" on Larry King.</a> Ironically, the transcript on that page has Joy Behar telling Steverino: "'Cause it’s a free country, thank goodness." Then Stevie wants to cry later about "mean bloggers"? I didn't see him considering any atheists' feelings. Don't dish it if you can't take it.<br />
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He has also profited from the above through a best-selling book, a paper brick with large font and a larger name <a href="http://tauriqmoosa.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/unfunny-bigot-how-steve-harvey-is-doing-injustice-to-women-and-critical-thinking/">full of gems like this one</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
<em>M]y girls and my concern for the future inspire me [to write this book] as well. They will all grow up and reach for the same dream most women do: The husband. Some kids. A house. A happy life. True love. </em></blockquote>
He forgot baking cookies, sewing ripped crotches on pants, and giving head dressed as June Cleaver.<br />
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Let me make it clear that I am not an atheist and don't really care what them or anyone else gets called by Steve Harvey, a person of modest celebrity that has never had a place of relevancy in my life. But sheesh, Steve, if you're gonna go calling a whole group of people idiots and dogging on their beliefs, don't be so damn surprised to find them biting back at you. What's more, who says you even have to read it? Doesn't your religion teach "turning the other cheek" or somethin'?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3ZnZCF9AiuJTmgnnz6-MNC5y7tT51yXUozD4gVZcWTO7j1z8_guYUwPd-jaHKVTEex7KdMuaDTD8Ocd2Y7IvBquDmkuu7VePCceRtnNE4S0aUp3V3nWiSO32MnyxI-o5KH68PJQ4YS4/s1600/steveharvey.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539157290120934322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3ZnZCF9AiuJTmgnnz6-MNC5y7tT51yXUozD4gVZcWTO7j1z8_guYUwPd-jaHKVTEex7KdMuaDTD8Ocd2Y7IvBquDmkuu7VePCceRtnNE4S0aUp3V3nWiSO32MnyxI-o5KH68PJQ4YS4/s320/steveharvey.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 297px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 237px;" /></a>I will close with <a href="http://www.isabigot.com/2009/10/update-meanbloggers-make-steve-harvey-cry/">a quote from our pal Steve Harvey</a>. Remember children, haters gonna hate, players gonna play, bloggers gonna blog:<em></em><br />
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<em>You know, the Internet has become this place for evil to dwell. Y’unnerstand? They… people who blog… who have no sense of reality… they just blog about you–don’t even know you! I got kids, man, be reading stuff that ain’t true ’bout their father. You understand? I know you know. Because they–they–they–people just blog!</em></blockquote>
B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-81550292555033269692010-11-11T17:10:00.010-06:002016-10-31T08:57:32.499-06:00Frisco bans the Happy Meal; Fat-asses RageIn case you haven't heard about this already, straight from the horse's mouth... the horse in this instance being a reliable old nag known as the Associated Press:<br />
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Or for the simpler, readable version, here's a quote from <a href="http://topnewsbuzz.com/san-francisco-bans-mc-donalds-happy-meal/92449/">Top News Buzz</a>:<br />
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<i>San Francisco recently passed a law which states that breaks down the concept of giving away free toys accompanies with unhealthy restaurant meals for children. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the law last Tuesday and had an 8-3 vote. This law would take effect on December 1, 2010.</i></blockquote>
The crazy thing is that people are actually all, "Boo, our personal freedoms! Y!" HUH? Child obesity in this country is nuts, everybody knows that. Why should a business be allowed to profit from this?<br />
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From <a href="http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/happy-meal-insa.html">Happy Meal insanity</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
<em>"When George Orwell wrote about government control in his novel 1984, McDonald's hadn't even invented the Happy Meal yet."</em></blockquote>
I KNEW blankety-blank Orwell would come up somewhere. This is because Orwell supported the U.S. becoming OBSCENELY FAT. Four legs good, two legs baaaad!<br />
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In <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/11/how_san_francisco_is_making_mo.html">How Banning Happy Meals Could Make Kids Fatter</a>, the guy's reasoning is that kids will get their fattening meal plus toy elsewhere. Um no, it's not just the Happy Meal, it's all kids' meals. Nice try. Unless little Katelyn wants to ride her Schwinn to Oakland.<br />
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From <a href="http://westpalmbeach.injuryboard.com/miscellaneous/fast-food-happy-meals-and-legislating-personal-responsibility.aspx?googleid=285956">Fast Food, Happy Meals, and Legislating Personal Responsibility</a>:<br />
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<em>It should be your right to make bad choices for your child; send them into a lifetime of bad habits; foster your child’s life of gross obesity; and set the stage for your child’s early death.</em></blockquote>
Look, I am not a parent, I speak out as someone that was often tossed a Happy Meal when I was a child. My parents' idea of fostering healthy living was buying skim milk to go with my giant slice of chocolate cake and half-dozen Oreos. I rather wish that, when I was a child, SOMEBODY had made the available food choices healthier.<br />
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As a person who developed weight problems as a child and then had it balloon to 210 lbs. in early adulthood, no, I do not think it's okay to preserve a parent's right to completely ruin their child's health. As a little girl, I was never educated by <strong>anyone</strong> on what to eat or how much. According to public opinion, this is clearly because I didn't have any "personal responsibility". Sure, I was only nine years old when I started packing on weight, but I should've had personal responsibility and demanded broccoli! Since you can't see me, I'M ROLLING MY EYES.<br />
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I mean, shit, did you really expect my parents to do it for me? My dad's idea of a "snack" is pieces of breaded, fried catfish in between two slices of white bread. My mom's idea of desert is half a cake, a pack of M&M's, and an ice cream cone. (But only one because she already had cake.) Hyuck! "But it's the right of people like that to fuck up your health!" You know what? FUCK YOU.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVpYsoeHbT3eVgF7Ski_8hI8n9HYVtU-CzMFRYHCvVvSAl2M0QQzVAlV3KCwSMF7P_Ib7gDeeKRsmUb8813t8KVtWVMGl-wnlifMbsD5TZo123qyCAiy3GzfdlNVCV6pOTQVgE4HlIIU/s1600/sad-meal.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538777959216765330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVpYsoeHbT3eVgF7Ski_8hI8n9HYVtU-CzMFRYHCvVvSAl2M0QQzVAlV3KCwSMF7P_Ib7gDeeKRsmUb8813t8KVtWVMGl-wnlifMbsD5TZo123qyCAiy3GzfdlNVCV6pOTQVgE4HlIIU/s400/sad-meal.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 256px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 211px;" /></a>Saying crap like "America, learn responsibility!" makes the assumption that everyone has the tools, knowledge, and ability to make healthy eating choices. Of course, upper middle-class and rich people are especially stupid in this regard since the bulk of them are ridiculously <a href="http://blog.case.edu/singham/2010/11/01/understanding_the_bad_choices_of_poor_people">blind of their own socioeconomic advantages</a>. This is a country where you can't even give away rye and pumpernickel to poor people! How much control do you think a kid has in a household with other obese people? Adults who refuse to change? No money, no support of any kind in the home, so what chance do these children have? Can we at least start with the damn kids' meals?<br />
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The notion that this is ruling somehow Orwellian in nature is utterly ridiculous. Nobody's made it illegal to buy junior a Big Mac with fries and a large Coke. Nobody's made it illegal for McDonald's the repackage the current Happy Meal as a Mini-Combo and sell the toy seperately. You can buy the toy on its own already. The nature of the Happy Meal is in that it's aimed at children. By packaging the toy, it is specifically branded to children. Why was it okay for them to nix Joe Camel (which I don't agree with at all, but whatever) but Ronald and the ol' Golden Arches can throw a bunch of breaded salt into a fryer and market that shit directly to children? The least that can be done is to make the actual meal healthier. Why should stuff marketed to children be allowed to contribute to serious health issues later on in life?B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2033730744806671930.post-13492110230628362212010-11-11T15:47:00.006-06:002016-10-31T06:54:53.037-06:00Why I don't like it when you drink...<center>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgTaAPgRXSzamITB8HWJAWqabeRaqwd1NslcHLlH0e0ezWb8OVivxXUoTtboev-gRWRvvRGOeN2SekmWcSSwgS96lgKPP6hK5t-LVZknHbBBL5ZqyrIEQiSUQDnfjlpo7AhcQnAylzPQ/s1600/no-alcohol-plox.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538431780126811714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgTaAPgRXSzamITB8HWJAWqabeRaqwd1NslcHLlH0e0ezWb8OVivxXUoTtboev-gRWRvvRGOeN2SekmWcSSwgS96lgKPP6hK5t-LVZknHbBBL5ZqyrIEQiSUQDnfjlpo7AhcQnAylzPQ/s400/no-alcohol-plox.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 400px;" /></a></center>
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If anything has added to my "lame" status over the years aside from my lazy excuse for fashion sense and generally quiet, anti-social nature, it's been when people realize that I'm pretty much a teetotaler. I swear, it's like you grow an extra head when you tell people you don't consume alcohol. You're a leper and no one wants to touch you. You can't "loosen up". I've been shown pictures of people boozing away and been "regaled" with stories of them vomiting and driving drunk and I'm supposed to clap and award these losers medals.<br />
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You see, I'm clearly not "living life" or so I'm told. I find this ironic considering the people who tell me that have been proven to drink to ridiculous excesses, presumably to escape the very life they so claim to luuuuuuuuuve livin'. If you need liquor to get over your inhibitions that damn badly, I hate to break it to you<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span>okay, actually, I'd luuuuuuve to<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">—</span>but you haven't made any progress. You're like an old man and his viagra: needing a dose of something-something to get the job the done but still pathetically and woefully impotent.<br />
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Anyway, I digress. The fact is I just don't like it.<br />
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1. It tastes like crap. I like to call liquor "Bath & Body Works" because it tastes like some body spray I accidentally tasted. (HA HA ho, no.) I like to taste alcholic drinks out of pure curiousity and frankly I haven't found anything I'd consume on its own without using it in food or something. You may as well tell me you eat paprika by itself.<br />
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2. It ruined my birthday party. I was a little kid and a bunch of my relatives came over and got drunk. At a CHILD's party? I mean, I'd go to school and learn the dangers of alcohol and how it's killed people and then I get to celebrate my eighth or ninth or whatever birthday with a bunch of booze-hounds. That put a worse taste in my mouth than actually tasting the stuff as an adult. Beer and cigarettes do not belong at a child's birthday party and any time I see them there, I die a bit inside. And I thought getting packs of notebook paper one year for a birthday present made me a bitter pill.<br />
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3. No respect for moderation. "WHY CANT I HAS A GLASS OF WINE?" First of all, no one's talking about a glass of wine, stupid. This is clearly about people who just chug it away like it's water that's gonna win them a Wii, conveniently forgetting <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16614865/">that woman died</a>. Anyway, do you think me or anyone else for that matter gives a rat's ass about someone who only has a beer or two or sips a glass of wine with their dinner? Don't be retarded.<br />
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4. It's a ridiculous status symbol. Like a douchetastic pair of over-priced sunglasses or a groovy national landmark, people can't resist posing with it in pictures with a smug sense of pride. And then they actually publish these online! Do you see me smugly posing with a gallon of milk or a quart of juice, dumbass? You DO realize it makes you look STUPID, right? And unless you're an avid wine connoisseur or the owner of Budweiser or something, you don't need to pose with any alcohol.<br />
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5. It makes you indignant of the law. My favorite one? When people are all bitching about going to jail or paying fines on multiple DWI offenses. "Damn the law! Trying to save innocent drivers by punishing me! It'soooooo unfair!" BAAAAAAAAAAAAAW.<br />
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6. It ruins sober people. I've met a lot of funny, smart folks at work and school. Or at least I thought they were. Get these folks liquored up and watch out, bro! "OHHHHH, but I'm just livvvvvin' life." Sad, because I liked you <i>before</i> you turned into a babbling, potato chip-spewing drunken asshat with no self-respect. Lots of awesome actors, singers, and talented people wasted by this crap. Come on, you know it. Rehab this and rehab that.<br />
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7. Point, stupid counterpoint. "But they do it in EURRRROPE!!" Then solve both our problems and MOVE TO EUROPE. "I can DIE for my country but I can'ts drink!" The fact that you compare the lost lives of our military men and women in service to our country to your legal inability to get hammered shows why you have not been deemed mature enough to drink. "Why can't I HAS A GLASS WINE?" Because in loads of lovely, retarded internet arguments, it always comes down to a damn glass of wine. Hey, I think we all know it's not about "a glass of wine" so shut-up.<br />
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8. It smells... like broken promises and dreams of Christmas past.<br />
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9. I do not feel safe on the roads on weekend nights. I really don't do it and it makes me a bit apprehensive when I am out there. <a href="http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/adolescent/teenage.html">"Fifty-four percent of all teen motor vehicle deaths occur on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Thirty-five percent occur between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m."</a> And those are just teens! Boo! I don't wanna die, homes.<br />
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10. My uncle almost hit me in the head with a plate. Drunk people + repressed problems is the recipe for a made-for-tv movie on Lifetime. Tons of people with crappy lives tend to turn towards firewater, denying the fact that once they leave Beer-Narnia or wherever they go, their problems will still be waiting for them. Hey, I haven't seen anybody's life improved by the stuff either.<br />
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11. People destroy themselves and then want free organs. Truth, I tell you, truth! These people whine and whine about dying and needing a kidney or a liver after forty years of hard drinking and get all bitchy when you won't let them farm you for parts. Then they get their whatever and don't curb their bad habits. Aren't there better people these organs can go to? If you want to destroy your liver, fine, but don't make it everyone else's problem. Don't make people pony up for your medical care when you didn't give a damn about your body in the first place. Speaking of which...<br />
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12. It wastes money. (1) How much more government bread are they gonna spend on "prosecuting" spoiled rich jerks when John Law doesn't even mete out any real punishments? Let's just leave Lindsay and Paris alone. Then, when they hurt someone or destroy property, sue their asses for a megaton of cash. Rehab is a joke. Jailtime is a joke. Ankle bracelets are a joke. Stop wasting tax payer dough unless you're serious. (2) If you're so damn poor, stop buying beer and pay your rent! If I bought $50 worth of gum each week for myself, you'd think I'd have a serious problem, right? $50 worth of beer isn't any better.<br />
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13. Ridiculous level of public acceptability. In an era of "Jackass" and other MTV garbage, it's no small wonder why these antics are lauded. There is no sense of shame anymore. In fact, it's a worse crime to be a virgin or live at home than it is to have a drinking problem. This is because people who drink, like shoplifters and constantly pregnant welfare moms, are just "livin' life".<br />
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Hey, if all that crap ^ is "living life", no thank you! :)<br />
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EDIT: Forgot one! #14. Free license to act like a jerk and talk trash. But you didn't mean it because YOU WERE DRINKING. Hey, you chose to drink sober and you probably really think those things anyway, so you meant it by proxy. Prefacing insults with "He's a really nice guy but" don't help either. Especially when you then crack a joke at his expense and expect the whole table to laugh. Boo.<br />
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Yeah, I know, I'm a jerk, too. Hey, at least I own up to my shit and don't hide behind a bottle.B E C Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02070674385508223870noreply@blogger.com1