New Link Post

Hey all! For those of you who enjoy manga scanilations will enjoy the new link I've added on my side bar there: One Manga. I like it because the scans are large, easy to see, and nicely translated. There is an incredibly large index of manga that's been translated and scanned (and completed!) as well as some search functions and all other kinds of neat things. No chapter summaries, though. Still, this site is worth its weight in gold just for the sheer volume of manga you can choose from. Er, if things on the internet weighed stuff, at least. ^_^

Because Namco Gets My Obssessive Clothing Fetish

I forgot to mention that Tekken 6 has been announced for the Xbox as well as the PS3. So, one less PS3 exclusive there. Also, there's about as much custom creation in Tekken 6 as Soul Calibur IV, and possibly more so. Namco understands my need to play with ass kicking dolls and shiny graphics.

I swear, I'm getting an Xbox this holiday season. Possibly saving for an HDTV too. Otherwise I'll drive Tony bonkers by kicking him off the Xbox to character customize. I mean, look at the pretty!

First Season of Ouran Review

I purchased the first season of Ouran High School Host Club (henceforth known by OHSHC or simply Ouran) on Sunday. I was pleased as punch over the price ($42.00) for thirteen episodes on two discs. The box art is adorable, as are the individual thin pack dvd cases. I had to spend a good fifteen minutes staring at all the art because it was just too cute.

As I've noted before, the animation and sound quality are top knotch. The colors are bright, and fit very well with the tone of the series. The character designs are less awkward in the anime than the manga, and Bones works very well in employing their action shots or slow pans with flowers. The satire is subtle in both the art direction as well as the actual story/characters/plot. Beautifully done.

Here's the real shocker: the dub is actually decent. I know, take a second to get those socks that just blew off. I'll wait. Seriously though, it's not bad. I still love the japanese better, but if I were forced to listen to the dub it would still be enjoyable. Haruhi actually sounds indistinct enough to possibly be a male, but still comes across as female when she needs to be. Caitlin Glass really nails her well. Honey is played by a girl (just like in the sub) and it still fits. Mori's dubbed voice is actually the sexiest--too bad he has almost no lines. Tamaki is the only one I have issue with--Vic Mignogna just can't pull of the sexiness needed for the pick up lines Tamaki spews so sincerely. He can do the upset/crazy/silly Tamaki, but not the sexy one.

For the extras...I haven't listened to episode commentary (haven't had time as of yet) but I did listen to the outtakes by the dub actors and they are hilarious. Fifteen minutes of non-stop fun. Especially for someone like me who's interested in breaking into that field. No good running gags like the Berserk ones, I'm afraid (and no one breaks out into song, either), but still fun/cute all the same.

These DVDs are a steal, and the series is one that everyone will enjoy (seriously, if Tony can enjoy it than only the truly depraved will hate it). Jill gives her gold inked rubber-stamp of approval on this one. ^_^

It's Almost Like An Epidemic...

Recently I've encountered three female adults who are into anime because of their children. I was astounded. My personal trainer (it feels weird saying that, or typing in this case) has a daughter who's basically a younger (14 years-old), cuter version of me when it comes to manga/anime/Japanese culture. Which is awesome. I can give tips on good series that the both of them would enjoy that's also age-appropriate, and so far they like it. ^_^

Another was a patient who spotted my desktop background (currently Saya and Haji from Blood +) and recognized them. Her children are five and seven and are into Pokémon and Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service. She became interested in the stories they were telling ("But I'm sick to death of Pokémon") and began to rent stuff, one accidentally being Blood +. I typed out a list of things I thought she'd like (with some recommendations for her kids as well) while she met with the doctor, and though the list wasn't long (I had trouble thinking of age-appropriate and shoujo titles in the twenty minutes I had) she was thrilled with it. I'll have to go through and find more titles that'd work.

The third was a woman in Subway who was reading a Wallflower manga. I saw it, shyly stepped over and recommended Ouran High School Host Club to her if she liked that one, and she was thrilled for the rec. "I'd heard about it! It's just my friend owned these and lent them to me. Thank you though--if it's funny like these are I'll have to check it out." I assured her that it was humorous (though in a different way) and she wrote it down with a happy look on her face.

It's like anime has begun to spread over the masses. Quite frankly it's about time.

Soooo...I've Apparently Been Busy...

Sorry about the monthly absence. That was rude of me. I also missed informing people of some important dates beforehand, so in case you didn't know, let's get some of this out of the way.

• Fallout 3 has already descended on the masses. Having played a bit of it myself it is by all means a fantastic game and I'll get more in-depth on it later. I have some personal issues with the game, but I'm spoiled (apparently) when it comes to RPGs.
• Fable 2 has also hit shelves. Since Peter Molyneux actually kept his mouth (more or less) shut on what happens in this one it has been delighting fans instead of disappointing them. I want to play (very badly) because I'm missing my fantasy RPGs, no thanks to Bioware delaying Jade Empire 2 indefinitely, but that's a different matter entirely...
• Ouran High School Host Club (season 1= episodes 1-13) has finally come out Stateside and so far it's bloody fantastic. I haven't bothered to listen to the dub yet because I adore the Japanese voices to pieces, so I don't know how it sounds. It's a Funimation dub...so chances are it's okay but slightly irritating. Anyway, not having to rely on my dubious Internet connection to watch one of my favorite series is a true joy, and I get to see it on a whole TV screen! The subtitles are incredibly well-translated, even funnier than what the fansubbers translated. I know, I was floored too. The colors pop, the sound editing is amazing, and the extras are fun. The animation is stellar (it is Bones, after all) and the humor is over-the-top, but in a good way. I highly recommend this series, and I personally hate shoujo. Combine that with 13 episodes crammed on two DVDs for the low price of $42.00 and you have a winner. Seriously.
• Prince of Persia by Ubisoft has been pushed back by another week or two. Gametrailers has been updating regularly with gameplay videos and trailers that are fun to goggle at. I'm excited for it. I'm hoping that it gets back to the Sands of Time aesthetic. (And yes, I played a little bit of Two Thrones but had to quit when I heard Farah with a replaced voice. WTF!?)
• Lego Batman came out and was suprisingly fun. Pure fun. Except I hated the vehicle sections. Why do games do that? No matter what genré it is games always have a vehicle section. And they're always annoying as hell and pull you right out of the game. Especially that POS in Mass Effect. That thing would be a law suit in real life with all the whiplash it could hurl out. Plus all the puke smell from passengers emptying the contents of their stomachs...

Okay, so I promised more in-depth on Fallout 3. It's a FPS RPG (though you could switch to 3rd person view, and you don't have to fight with guns) made by Bethesda (Oblivion: the Elder Scrolls). You create a hero (they can be female too!) that you will pilot for the rest of this adventure and there are literally too many frickin' choices for a face you'll almost never see. The game is incredibly deep with about a million game-play choices for literally everything you do. And not the fake choices most games give you where you have to choose between doing the good or evil thing. There is a real neutral path in this game. The choices you make are governed by a karma system in the game. Nice choices (helping others, not killing people, etc.) lead to good karma while nasty choices (blowing up a town, killing NPCs, eating corpses (yes, you can become a cannibal)) lead to bad karma. No karma is neutral, or karmic choices that balance out leads to being neutral.

The game doesn't discriminate against any of your choices. You can kill anyone you meet (except for children, that's the only line the game draws). You can destroy entire towns (not the actual town, but those in it). You can become a ninja fighter (there is a perk for it!), and fight only using stealth and your bare hands. You can wield swords, or guns, or even make a mini-nuke launcher. You can mutate yourself with enough radiation to grow back limbs...and other stuff. You can sell you companions or kill them, develop relationships with NPCs, or decapitate them using the VATS system. The dialogue options are hilarious no matter what side you play on, and entertainment is unceasing. There's literally too much to do, or you could skip it all in favor of just doing the main quest.

The world is varied and beautifully rendered, and your environments are often chilling as you survey how the nuclear blast caught people unawares. It's strange to see downtown D.C. as a virtual wasteland with roaming super-mutants and feral ghouls. The monuments are eerie reminders of a more stable time and seem to have lost all meaning in this hellish day and age.

Now for the flip side: the uncanny valley rears its ugly head here. As great as the voice acting is (and it's truly award-winning) looking at any character (including your own) will cause you to shudder as their dead eyes stare unceasingly into the camera. NPCs and enemies (as well as yourself in third person) move in a really stupid way, and the ragdoll physics will glitch about half the time. I could get over it except that I learned most character interaction is mainly for taking quests and no actual character development whatsoever. No real romance here, folks. No friends, either, unless you count Dogmeat (the dog) and he's not much for conversation. Now, those who read this know I'm all about character development and connecting with the characters in every story I play. And while I'm incredibly impressed with Fallout 3's story, aesthetic, and game play, this is a huge downer for me. If I can't find a character to connect with I tend to care a lot less what's going on around me. What sucks is that a lot of thought and about a million details went into the making of this game, and it shows. So why would adding character connection be so hard!? Bethesda hit all the right notes literally everywhere else except here. I can overlook it, but not as easily as others. I guess that's my real downfall.

I did pick up one fun perk called Black Widow for being a female that gives me 10% more damage against male enemies as well as extra dialogue options. It has proved entertaining so far.