Tari Tari – “JACKASS!”

I’ve heard many interesting and “stylized” translations of 「屑」 kuzu before as an insult. Rubbish, shithead, puke face, the infamous “dreck” from Tales of the Abyss…

But “jackass” is certainly a new one. xD

Innovative WAIFU TECHNOLOGY

I just might get one of these, since it’s 4 AM and I’m losing control of my life. No, I think I should make chocolate pudding instead. Yeah, that would be a better idea.

Seriously, foreveralone aside, it’s cute and the general idea of this technology would be helpful for games in the vein of Skies of Arcadia, Tales and Valkyria Chronciles (basically, 3D JRPGs) that go for the whole anime/manga-look. SKIES OF ARCADIA 2 A-GO-GO…? Or a no-no? ):

It would defintiely be awesome for visual novels aesthetically, that’s for sure. Interactivity notwithstanding.

Noizi Itou 【Live Drawing】

As an anime/manga fan-artist, I keep myself updated on Wacom’s YouTube channel, a company which produces high-quality graphics tablets (of which I do not own, ARGH), and every so often they upload a video showcasing well-known artists using their tablets such as the Cintiq 24HD.

For fans of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Shakugan no SHANA, Another, various Unison Shift visual novels, etc. that also happen to be fans of their artwork, you have to be familiar with Noizi Itou, the illustrator and character designer for all of these works. Wacom’s recent video just happens to showcase her doing what she does best. So yeah, here’s a chance to see her skills in action through digital media. ^^

Haiyore! Kyouko-san! (Madoka spoilers)

What REALLY caused Sayaka to despair into a witch.

Continue reading Haiyore! Kyouko-san! (Madoka spoilers)…

Visual Novels vs. Dating Simulation Games

A widely skewed image of the visual novel genre. and a commonly incorrect usage of the term “dating simulation,” keeps people from trying out an otherwise excellent method of storytelling.

Take the rather recent “Katawa Shoujo,” for instance. Many people went in thinking it was a “dating sim” about disabled girls. While the story is about disabled girls, it is not a dating simulation game. It’s an emotional visual novel that will break even the most wicked of souls. Calling it a dating simulation game is as correct as calling Half-Life 2 an RPG. Or Eiken a “good anime” (ha ha). Which is why I felt like making this post, “Visual Novels vs. Dating Simulation Games.” For all you savvy folks out there, this post isn’t to put down one or the other, but to educate.

Within this post, I will post both the similarities and differences between visual novels and dating sims, and hope to take down any misconceptions about the former by forming a clear description of what the latter really is.

Continue reading Visual Novels vs. Dating Simulation Games…

Three clichés in Japanese fiction that I hardly ever noticed

…until someone pointed them out to me, and thus I shall never unsee.

Continue reading Three clichés in Japanese fiction that I hardly ever noticed…

I’ll be at Fanime 2012

I apologize for not posting much since the middle of last year and AT ALL this year. I’ve been caught up in college. It’s obvious where I’d place priorities, right? And I’ve been playing more visual novels and reading manga than watching anime during my free time, along with hanging out with people at places that enriches my stomach. Da Capo II and Little Busters for the win! Hard to write about anime when you’re not watching at the same pace as everyone else right?

Starting on May 25, I’ll be going to the 2012 Fanime convention taking place at San Jose’s convention center, which conveniently coincides with the same day I take a summer break from college. I’m expecting to get a good experience from the convention. To atone for my borderline abandonment of this blog, I’ll post pictures and a write-up of my experiences at this year’s Fanime by mooching off any photos my friends take with their cameras.

One thing I’m expecting to see? THE POKEMEN!

Until they get kicked out.

I will become a Megane soon enough

I just went to get my eyes examined. Turns out my vision is so shitty I’ll have to wear glasses everyday.

If only anime tropes applied to real life; that being the case, I would either choose to be the Spectacled Sadist or Stoic Spectacles within my group of friends (or even better, within the interwebz).

Interesting to note, most of my favorite anime characters that wear glasses don’t even friggin’ need them. Yuki Nagato loses her glasses midway through the original run of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (I disagree with Kyon, she looked good with glasses). Jade Curtiss wears his glasses in order to suppress the awesome spell he casted onto his eyes in Tales of the Abyss. I don’t know why Satoshi Hiwatari/Hikari from D•N•Angel wears glasses, but he obviously doesn’t need them.

Glasses seem to either be a completely normal thing, fetish fuel, or a symbol of badassery in the world of anime, manga, and video games. Why can’t my life be like that?! Makes me feel better about my terrible vision. xD Instead of looking at it in a bad way, let’s look at the positives: I’m getting my glasses from a VERY pretty Asian lady in her early 20s (hurray for me being male estrogen brigade jailbait). btw, she smells nice.

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NGE scene that doesn’t work out in *any* language

NGE fans are sure to remember this scene, especially if they watched the English or German dubs. Asuka speaking German and “Japanese” in three different language versions: Japanese, English, and German.

According to German fans, Yuko Miyamura’s German sounds terrible and incomprehensible. Given Asuka’s German descent and the fact that she was raised in Germany, it makes no sense for her German to sound so terrible.

The English dub is also pretty strange. While her German is much better compared to the Japanese version, Asuka says Shinji is thinking in Japanese and says they’re switching back to Japanese… while speaking in English. ADV couldn’t make her say “English” without bending Shinji’s nationality in some way, of course, which is understandable. Doing so would make Asuka fluent in English also, which would… gaaaahhh.

The German dub is the most hilarious one. EVERYTHING is in German, so when Asuka says they’re switching the language back to Japanese, they’re still speaking in German.

Is your mind blown yet?

Sometimes, things aren’t meant to make sense in anime. This was one of those moments where you had to kick logic to the curb. Because no matter how much you think about it, it will never work itself out. The best solution is to shrug it off, laugh, and continue to enjoy the show.

Enough with my German rambling: SWITCH LANGUAGE BACK TO JAPANESE.

Top 10 Xenophobic/Ignorant Attitudes Aimed Towards Japanese Media

I’ll give you a cookie if you can name all three characters and where they originated.

The list is in no specific order. #5 may apply to other countries, as well. Also note that I’m against these opinions, not siding with them.

Continue reading Top 10 Xenophobic/Ignorant Attitudes Aimed Towards Japanese Media…

Whatever happened to the 520 Cens Promise?

Seriously, I totally forgot about it. Apparently Arakawa forgot about it too… or didn’t bring it up on purpose because Mustang hasn’t become the Fuhrer yet. A mention of it would have been nice, though. I guess she left it up for the readers to decide.

So, do YOU think Roy will ever get his money back?

Or did that smart bastard Ed manage to get away with not paying the Flame Alchemist back? F-F-F-F-F

How far would you go for the sake of your hobbies?

Haruhi, what has your crazy antics done to our world?

Nishinomiya Kita Senior High School has posted a warning against trespassers on its website after fans entered its premises and scrawled graffiti on the sports ground.

-Asahi

It should be noted that this is fairly old news, and that real life attempts at reenacting Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody have been happening quite a lot in Nishinomiya. This is a pretty good example of unhealthy obsession.

Continue reading How far would you go for the sake of your hobbies?…

Top 10 video games that can easily become anime

Honestly. You know, despite how horrible or loose video game adaptations tend to be… Within hundreds of video games, there are those certain gems that are pretty much playable anime. They would have no problem making the transition from one medium to the other. And then, of course, there are those games which actually have better stories than what you would discover in a lot of anime…

(Numbers hold no importance, although #1 is the most wanted one. Also, happy 4th of July!)

Continue reading Top 10 video games that can easily become anime…

Hey guys, it’s my birthday…

…So instead of posting a generic wishlist detailing some of the weaboo goods I so desire, I will post the top ten most awesome things that could happen to you on your birthday. Since this is an anime blog, be sure to expect some of the most nonsensical and impossible things you could ever imagine.

(Alright, my birthday technically ended a few hours ago. But hey, this is better than sitting around playing Disgaea and Touhou all night~)

Continue reading Hey guys, it’s my birthday……

Norio Wakamoto singing Cruel Angel Thesis

You heard it hear, folks. The universe just f***ing exploded.

BUUUUUURRRRRRRA

I LOL’d at “Bejita”. Dammit, someone either has awesome talent or this really is Wakamoto.

Lex as in Lex Luthor? Wait, no it’s just that Asian kid.

xxstevenlexx = Steven Lex

Lex = Lex Luthor

Ergo, I am Steven Luthor Lex. Something like that. Unfortunately, my name is Steven Le, so that kind of ruins the whole gag. Some a few none of you may remember me, but I was a shortlived video game reviewer here on The Weaboo Otaku Spot, until I was savagely euthanized by Mikoto.

Continue reading Lex as in Lex Luthor? Wait, no it’s just that Asian kid….

The Lucky 7 Anime Gimmicks. Learn them. Love them. Hate them.

1. moéblobs
moéblob \’mō-ā-ˈbläb\ noun, moéblobs

noun
A person, usually a female character, that is considered cute and/or beautiful by many (“moé”), usually men. However, most of the time, they serve no purpose to the overall story and are created solely for the purpose of inducing erections for adolescents going under puberty, horny men, and/or 30-year-old virgins (see: fanservice) and in some instances, lolicons (see: loli). In rare cases, they are guys (see: trap).

Example: Mikuru Asahina from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a moéblob.

Not to be confused with moéblob ANIME, which are usually filled with a shitload of win if you’re looking for cute stuff.

Example: Potemayo is a moéblob anime.

Continue reading The Lucky 7 Anime Gimmicks. Learn them. Love them. Hate them….

hey gaiz. guess wut??? im a apparently “faggot” (’-’*) フフ

Supreme non-anime-related dramatic rant ahead.

(lol The way this appeared on AB Antenna made it sound like I’M the pedophile...)

Continue reading hey gaiz. guess wut??? im a apparently “faggot” (’-’*) フフ…

Mononoke… dansen?

You know it’s slowly taking over the world when the last anime you’d expect to get a Caramelldansen video… gets a Caramelldansen video.

The Chipmunks… are anime fans?

What’s more amazing is that The Chipmunks learned how to sing in Japanese. Hmm, I’d like to see someone mess with the audio of “Let The Bodies Hit The Floor” (NOT an anime song to those music-illiterate) and see how that comes out as. I’m laughing just thinking about it.