tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-234462092011-12-30T12:56:50.094-08:00No longer updated as of 21 November 2006.Michaelnoreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1168554107235703382007-01-11T14:14:00.000-08:002007-01-11T14:21:47.260-08:00

Since "retiring" from blogging two months ago, I've seen a couple of posts pop up that referenced my blog or that dealt with some things I said. One in particular brought a flood of visitors, Stripey's post. Curious to see what had caused all the fuss, I dropped by Stripey's blog and checked it out. What I saw was, I felt, a misinterpretation of what I had meant to say in my final parting words (

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1164085834517178642006-11-20T21:10:00.000-08:002006-11-20T21:34:51.186-08:00

It's been a bit over eight months since I first started writing posts for this blog, and I'd like to think that it has contributed a little something to the anime blogging community through its presence. At all times I have tried to escape the common mold that plagues the anime blogging community, ridden as it is with episode summaries. To this end I focused on the editorial side of the house,

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1161878180187619332006-10-26T08:46:00.000-07:002006-10-26T12:26:21.080-07:00

Everyone has a particular area in which they tend towards obsession. For some it's cigarettes, for others food. Anime, girls, drugs, all of these can become the center of a person's world. And then for some, it's the internet.I just finished watching the latest episode of NHK ni Youkoso!, in which Satou finds himself addicted to an online game loosely based on Final Fantasy XI (Red Mage, Vina

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1161406634366930742006-10-20T21:26:00.000-07:002006-10-20T22:00:09.090-07:00

Note: This may come as a shock to many people who have been reading this blog for a while now, but I have posted two posts on the same night. Yes, it's true. Two. This is the second one, so if you haven't already, check out the other post below (on the "Blogger Identity").I bought the game version of Fate/Stay Night this past week, and received it via EMS on Thursday. There was no choice in my

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1161404747540629522006-10-20T21:10:00.000-07:002006-10-20T21:57:51.943-07:00

This post comes because of a long-running history of efforts to "individualize" myself on the internet. By individualize, I mean that I have made an effort for other anime bloggers to know me by the alias I use. It's not really all that difficult, since the only thing truly involved is making enough intelligent posts for the blogger to take notice and say, "hey, [alias] is involved in my blog

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1160712455137000082006-10-12T20:08:00.000-07:002006-10-13T22:25:18.516-07:00

So...more great episodes (well, one this time, at least). I have another entry that I'm dying to write (about the whole loli fetish thing) but for now this will do.First, why am I devoting a whole post to just a single episode? Well, it comes down to a comment that J. Valdez posted on my last entry, saying that he was just waiting for the Samurai X episode to appear. And here it is. However, I'm

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1160355182826707462006-10-08T16:55:00.000-07:002006-10-08T17:58:04.550-07:00

I think we all have an episode or two from every series we watch that really stays with us, that personally hits home in some way or another. And in some cases, a particular episode from one series will resonate with many people. It doesn't always make sense why those episodes hit us so hard, but usually they speak to a universal human quality - true love, devotion, sacrifice - that epitomizes

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1159974316122341352006-10-04T08:02:00.000-07:002006-10-04T08:05:16.140-07:00

Well, I'm getting eye surgery tomorrow, so I won't be able to see for a while (at least not well enough to write a post). Probably a week, maybe more, until the steroids fix the cutting that's going to be done on my poor eyes. Not that this is bad news or anything, considering my sporadic update schedule. I've been trying to get some posts thrown together, but everything I write seems forced

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1158870435280760432006-09-21T12:47:00.000-07:002006-09-21T13:28:23.826-07:00

It's been a while since my last post (as usual, this shouldn't be anything new to people who've been with this blog from the beginning). In fact, for a while I've been contemplating doing away with the blog, maybe starting from scratch, or broadening the content. However, this blog was created out of my love for the Japanese animated format of storytelling, and for that it will remain.This time I

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1156992505300871122006-08-30T19:12:00.000-07:002006-08-30T21:01:45.860-07:00

Ten episodes away from the end, ten away from what will likely be a lackluster ending. Even after all this time, watching the characters go through struggle after struggle, I can't connect. I've felt this way for a long time, watching this show, and I've been contemplating what might be the cause. Anime, unlike typical film or American cartoons, relies upon the characters above all else to propel

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1156825333576312302006-08-28T20:56:00.000-07:002006-08-28T21:23:58.173-07:00

This post comes as a reaction to the fact that I have not, in fact, returned to my weekly posting schedule unlike what I said earlier this month. There has been no resumption of regular updates, no deluge of intellectually stimulating posts, no return to the "routine." In fact, as I speak, I am as far out of "routine" as I can possibly get. Life seems to be like that boat in The Perfect Storm,

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1155764315439119422006-08-16T14:36:00.000-07:002006-08-16T17:11:43.343-07:00

Considering the fact that NANA is a part of the genre of manga that is taking the American industry by storm, it isn’t doing so well. At least, not that I’ve seen. I’ve spent the past few days checking the web for indicators of its success state-side, as the level of its success in Japan is already clear to me (twenty-five million copies or so as of the last announcement I heard). However, every

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1155158844310376302006-08-09T14:26:00.000-07:002006-08-09T14:28:39.516-07:00

I heard a story once, about how once an otaku stood up to boast to Hideaki Anno of how much money he spent on anime. In response, Anno told the young man that he should use that money to continue his education. More people should have listened to Anno.The otaku culture is spreading, gaining more and more converts in this day and age. There are manga and anime that celebrate it (the

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1152151239479104182006-07-05T18:57:00.000-07:002006-07-05T23:08:41.470-07:00

Every anime studio has some sort of reputation associated with it, and a certain style they try to go by. For manglobe, it's highly stylized shows with a strong thematic base, whereas GONZO is known for putting together very appealing beginning and middle portions of series before faultering at the end. And Sunrise - they do giant robots, whether it be in the traditional sense or the

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1152014858000298652006-07-04T04:35:00.000-07:002006-07-04T05:33:57.070-07:00

Long post. Haven't posted a real good solid post in a while though, so this should make up for my lack of activity.So first, the HYDE concert (sadly, I did not bring a camera with me to this, so instead I present you with pictures from the DVD that comes with the FAITH album).So yeah. Just imagine that guy, on a stage, in a relatively small venue (with a couple hundred people packed inside),

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1151513305818582632006-06-28T09:43:00.000-07:002006-06-28T09:53:04.383-07:00

I managed to sneak an internet connection long enough to post this to the internet. Hope you enjoy it, just four more days till AX 2006!If you don’t have a video iPod already, this should convince you. One day, I was getting ready to embark on a fourteen hour plane flight to China (my third within the past year). I had finished packing my clothes, thrown some books into my backpack, and laid down

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1151199538463106142006-06-24T18:36:00.000-07:002006-06-24T18:38:58.476-07:00

Yep. I just got back today from Air Assault school (if any of you need something airlifted by helicopter, let me know), and tomorrow morning I'm off to China. If I can drag myself away from the sights of Shanghai long enough, I may throw out a quick post, but otherwise you won't be hearing from me until the 3rd of July (after I go to HYDE's concert and check out the Anime Expo in Anaheim).

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1149865037117178132006-06-09T07:56:00.000-07:002006-06-09T07:57:17.116-07:00

Okay, yeah, I screwed up and had my RSS feed supplying the entire post when called upon. Big oops right there. Now I've got my first post to appear on animenano...and when you expand it...it's huge. I feel like an idiot.

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1149820465588166212006-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:002006-06-09T07:29:34.180-07:00

Well, it turns out it's a lot more accessible than it used to be. Still not a walk in the park, but accessible to whoever wants to be one. The funny thing about the Japanese rock scene is that it didn't really kick off until the mid-90's. Not unless you count company-owned talent as "real" rock music. In the past, entertainment companies would scout out talent and then begin the corporate

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1149619996963345742006-06-06T11:50:00.000-07:002006-06-06T20:42:05.716-07:00

Note: Before I get into the regular post, I'd like to take a moment and thank everyone who reads this blog. I put up a tracker to see how many people were dropping by, and more importantly, how many people were coming back. For the group of you who do keep returning, thanks so much, it really makes doing this worthwhile. I know my method of blog writing is not for everyone, and tends to focus on

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1149083596340241072006-05-31T06:47:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:53:16.343-07:00

Okay, so I'm making some actual changes for once to the site layout, so don't be suprised if the site looks a little wacky for the next few hours or so as I experiment. Up until now I've been using the default blogger settings, but now I'm branching out. One of the most obvious changes is that now the entire post is not displayed on the main page - my posts have been getting longer and longer,

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1149026386509373962006-05-30T14:19:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:24:14.606-07:00

Note: This post goes into similarities between Wolf's Rain and Hinduism - I do not claim to be an expert on Hindu philosophy. There are undoubtedly many things that I'm not getting right, or which appear right only on a surface level. Please point those things out.There have been a few forays by anime into mythology. The feeling of mysticism and fantastical unreality pervades Texhnolyze, for one.

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1148618592348483182006-05-25T20:00:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:23:38.716-07:00

Note: Okay, first off, my apologies for being so late with this. I said Wednesday would be the day I did this, and now it's Friday (technically) and I finally have posted this. Well, it's going to be a multi-part post, first of all. I'm going to first do this piece on Haibane Renmei, then follow it up with Wolf's Rain, and hopefully finish up with one of my favorite anime films: Jin-Roh: The Wolf

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1148444737010241532006-05-23T21:24:00.000-07:002006-05-23T21:25:37.020-07:00

Okay, so tomorrow this will become an actual post. I feel like I've been getting worse and worse at updating on time, as the weeks have passed. Last week I missed posting on Tuesday, and put it off till Wednesday also. Well, starting next week I will post on time again! As for this week, I'm going to be discussing literature that served as inspiration for anime series.

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1148004705553257302006-05-18T18:47:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:23:06.420-07:00

The main thing that got me thinking about writing this post is the fact that tj han over at Riuva keeps on talking about Last Exile...and I love that series. There are many reasons for this, but one of the things I love most about it are the memorable scenes - from Mullin's heroic effort to prevent the departure of the Guild pod, to the charge of the Silvana on the Guild mother ship. And then

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1147919095271421902006-05-17T18:55:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:22:35.913-07:00

I'd been thinking about something new and interesting to write about that wouldn't sound so similar to my usual smattering of posts when suddenly inspiration struck me - I hadn't written a single thing about anime fans themselves. Now this is a rare topic to address as most bloggers I've come across do not devote any posts specifically to this issue, but rather mention attributes of otaku in

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1147872110716359422006-05-17T06:20:00.000-07:002006-05-17T06:21:50.733-07:00

Okay, so it's exam week, and I can only get so much motivation in-between exams (and only so much time) to write a blog entry. Thus, this week's entry will be postponed...however, it is in the works, along with about three others, so the end of this week and the beginning of next will see a rush of entries that my blog rarely, if ever, sees.

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1147212167229344332006-05-09T14:25:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:20:07.383-07:00

Update (10 May, 2006): Alright, finally got the full range of images in here...We're up to episode 9 now in Ergo Proxy, and I'm sorry to say that I'm very disappointed (as are others, check out: anime otaku for his take on this). The first episode showed so much promise, with its darkly stylistic vision of the future and some of the most beautiful animation I have ever seen. Things picked up over

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1146625947197399752006-05-02T19:37:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:17:30.936-07:00

I know that the movie has been fansubbed since last year, and I saw it back then, but this blog didn't exist then...and the American release of the movie hadn't yet occurred, so I feel this blog post is actually well timed.Advent Children has gotten a lot of flak amidst all the mindless squealing of FF7 fans. "It's just eye candy," and "ooh, shiny," and "story ripped straight out of

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1146111383679270802006-04-26T13:18:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:17:00.976-07:00

I've been going on about theme for a while, so I thought I'd change things up a little and talk about the anime industry in America, specifically the dub aspect. I'm not quite a "sub" purist, but I do tend to lean towards Japanese seiyuu - and with good reason, as the worst seiyuu are for the most part better than the best American voice actors. There is a good reason why the industry has this

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1145937894100865792006-04-24T20:58:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:16:24.630-07:00

I'll admit it - I'm a huge fan of Shoujo manga. Manga like Karekano and W-Juliet really hit the spot when it comes to my desire to see some good drama and romance. And recently, I've come upon the brilliance of Yaizawa Ai's NANA. It's actually funny, because I first read NANA a few years ago while checking out a scanlation group, but never really thought too much of it until I actually picked up

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1145412409177698492006-04-18T17:54:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:15:48.736-07:00

This post isn't going to be quite as organized and prolific in content as my past entries have been. For one thing, I'm pretty tired, and for another, my brain feels like it's been drained of most useful information for the time being. I have a lot of blog entries I want to add, on different anime series I've been watching or have watched, as well as some comments on the state of the anime

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1144792558702868752006-04-11T14:53:00.000-07:002006-04-11T14:55:58.723-07:00

Well, I came down with the flu yesterday, and at the worst possible time, considering this week is my worst in terms of work.I will post later in the week, probably on Thursday and Friday.

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1144205728248460342006-04-04T19:31:00.000-07:002006-05-31T06:14:24.826-07:00

Wow. I just watched Samurai Champloo this past weekend, and the series left an impression on me. That's not surprising, really, considering that Shinichiro Watanabe, creator and director of Cowboy Bebop, directed it. If his status as a legendary director hadn't already been guaranteed by Cowboy Bebop's success, this show would definitely have propelled him to the front ranks. But in other ways,

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1143586904835529942006-03-28T14:49:00.000-08:002006-05-31T06:13:21.746-07:00

It's been too long since someone tackled the "Blade Runner" theme, whether in live-action or anime. The closest things I can remember, with credible production values and a decent plot, are Armitage and Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, and both of those are about ten years old now. Yes, it has been a long time, and never before have the themes and environment been tackled in such an appealing manner

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1141542094125538712006-03-04T22:32:00.000-08:002006-05-31T06:12:11.596-07:00

"Can you carry her? ... I'm asking you, do you think you can carry Cheza?" - Kiba to ToboeWolf's Rain was not a particularly well-recevied anime at first, and with good reason. The biggest names in anime (at least in the States) composed the creative team that helmed the project, and from what they said, this was going to be big. Advertisements agreed, and so did every visual cue that viewers

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23446209.post-1141539363859138812006-03-04T22:06:00.000-08:002006-03-30T22:15:24.073-08:00

For the unacquainted, the title of this post indirectly refers to the anime, Kino's Journey. In it, the protaganist, Kino (aptly named), travels from one country to the next, learning about their various cultures and customs. In the end, the series does not focus on plot, but rather on the insights one gains from viewing the way that a particular country lives. Anime has a lot to offer - getting

Michaelnoreply@blogger.com0