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I figure it's a bout time I put up some info about my favorites in the world of music. Music is my biggest passion after all. I'm big into wierd stuff, experimental, and underground/indie stuff. My biggest fav's are Pink Floyd, Coheed and Cambria, and Mars Volta. However I like punk rock alot as well. Rancid, Ramones, AntiFlag, Against Me!, Rise against. Classic Rock. Zepplin, Rush, Pink Floyd. Some of my other Favorites include: Bush, Del The funkee homosapien & Hieroglyphics, Fear Factory, NIN, Gorillaz, The Protomen, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Radiohead, The Offspring. All of the above artist I can say that If I don't own all of their stuff that I'll buy it at some point.

Stuff that catches my interest: Rock Opera's and Concept Albums. Even if it's not that great a sound or to my liking I'll give it a once over to see if it's interesting.

No Heroes Left in Man

First of all if you haven't heard The Protomen's Album yet, you need to. I've always liked the Megaman series but nothing of this caliber has ever come of it (and that's saying ALOT), but perhaps I hype it up to much. Try them out at least... Free demo on their site: www.protomen.com/breaking%20out/ The song in particular that caught my interest in them was The Stand(man or machine).

Now to what I really wanted to do. Detail in Text from their albums the story of The protomen. These lyrics can be found on lyricwiki.org/the_protomen

Chapter I: Hope Rides Alone

Narrator: No one was left who could remember how it had happened,
how the world had fallen under darkness.
At least no one who would do anything.
No one who would oppose the robots.
No one who would challenge their power,
or so Dr. Wily believed...

Twenty floors above the dark streets of the city, Dr. Light lived in a run-down tenement.
An eccentric and brilliant man.
Light was a loner, a thinker, a man of ideas.
Ideas forbidden in Wily's society.
The society for which he worked.
The society in which he lived.
The society that he would set free.
And so Light worked, far into the night, when the watchful eyes of Wily's robots weren't upon him.
He'd set his skillful hands to the task of creating a device to bring about a change, to create a machine to bring freedom, to create a man to save the world.
Twelve years Light worked and on a cold night in the year 200X, Protoman was born.
A perfect man, an unbeatable machine, hell-bent on destroying every evil standing between man and freedom, built for one purpose, to destroy Wily's army of evil robots. Ready, willing, prepared to fight.

Cutman
Gutsman
Elecman
Bombman
Fireman
Iceman
Proto

Fireman: Attack!

Narrator: And as the smoke cleared!
Wily rose above the countless robots remaining. Protoman was wounded, low on energy, struggling to remain standing as Wily ordered the final attack.
The death of Protoman.

The crowd had gathered there to watch him fall, to watch their hopes destroyed.
They watched them beat him, they watched them break him, they watched his last defense deployed.
There was not a man among them who would let himself be heard.
But from the crowd, from thier collective fear, arose these broken words:
We are the dead
We are the dead

Human Choir: What have we done?
Narrator: We are the dead
Human Choir: What will we do?
Narrator: We are the dead
Human Choir: Where will we turn?
Narrator: We are the dead
Human Choir: Is there nothing we can do?
Narrator: We are the dead
Human Choir: How did it come to this?
Narrator: We are the dead
Human Choir: How did we go so wrong?
Narrator: We are the dead
Human Choir: We are the dead

Chapter II, Part I: Funeral For A Son

Between the gaps in the trembling and calloused fingers that cradle his heavy head, Light watches the mob of cowards carry Protoman's scarred helmet -- all that was left of the Man Machine who would have been their savior. As the crowd marches somberly back -- some to their homes, some to the makeshift grave where Protoman's helmet would remain, all to slavery -- Light notices a tear streaming down the dorsum of his hand and feels a breathtaking weight in his chest. What is this? Frustration? Humiliation? Hatred? Certainly, these are there too. But no, this is more than that. These emotions are his life. He has lived with them for so long that they no longer affect him. Over the years he has learned to fight them, then ignore them, and finally channel them into his work, his creation, his machine, his son.

So that was it. The source of tears and the pain that caused them. This time he had built more than a machine. He had sent more than a robot to battle. He had sent a man, his own son, to do the impossible, to save those who could not be saved, to die.

There was the hatred again, the rage, welling inside of him. No more, he thought, as he tore down the tools and parts that framed his apartment workshop. Never again. "Mankind deserves the hell that they have brought upon themselves" He smashed and cut, metal against metal, metal against flesh, in an effort to destroy his own means of creation. He allowed the tears to pour from his cheeks and mingle with the blood seeping from the cuts in his torn and battered hands. He had set out to use these hands to destroy his workshop but he now watched as they seemed to be creating of their own accord. Pieces of machine from the floor were seized and fused. They began to take form - the form of Light's anger, the form of his guilt, the form of his grief, the form of his love, the form of a son.

Years passed. Nothing changed. The human race seemed weary but content to suffer under Dr. Wily and the robot army. In whispers, they still spoke of Protoman. Eventually, Megaman would find out the truth. Dr. Light knew this.

When Megaman was old enough, Light called him into the workshop and began to explain...

Chapter II, Part II: Unrest In The House of Light

You have heard me tell this story
Many times before you sleep
This time listen carefully

And I will tell you once again
But this time understand that what I'm telling you.
Every single word is true.

You need to know.

There was another who came before you
He was a hero and your brother and my son.
He fought the darkness, the darkness won.

And he fought bravely, and he died bravely
But he was forsaken by the ones he wished to save.
And when he died he died in vain.

You need to know.
You are not him.

That time is coming, and I must warn you
Though it's something that you may not understand
They can be saved by just one man.

And I am sorry, cause I was wrong
And I'd take away the weight his shoulders had to bear.
Cause when he fell I was the only one who cared.

You need to know.
You are not him.
His fight's not yours.

That story's finished. That story's ended.
Understand there's no more that we can do.
And I will not risk losing you.

For if you leave now, you will be fighting
for a people that refuse to comprehend
They have chosen their own end.

So you will stay here. You will obey me.
And I will keep grieving for the son I sent to death.
You are all I have left.

You need to know.
You are not him.
This fight's not yours.

You cannot win.

Chapter III: The Will of One

Megaman: I have seen this city a thousand times. Through the glass twenty stories high,
I have watched this city burn. If everything that you said is true,
there is no hope someday they will learn. But if I stay here with you, then I will never know the truth

Dr. Light: Do not say this is how it has to be.

Megaman: But as I walk through the city streets, these frightened people watching me pass;
there is an evil that holds them here, yet they won't try breaking its grasp.
But if I stay here with you, then I will leave them to their doom

Dr. Light: Do not say this is how it has to be.
Megaman: You do no better than the fools of this burning city.

Dr. Light: You have heard me tell this story
Many times before you sleep
No matter how dark it seems
Even now, there's hope for man

Megaman: Even here it is not safe
Even this grave has been defaced
Someone has written on this stone
In some angry hand

Hope rides alone.
Hope rides alone.
Hope rides alone.

The buildings fly past him now. Megaman rushes towards the east side of the city,
towards the fortress, towards his fate. The rusting metal loudspeakers mounted at intervals on the side of the stone wall are humming, chanting now words to settle the stir created by a new hero. Words to quell a potential uprising. Words to inspire fear. Words to drive back the idea that freedom is within the grasp of one angry mob headed by one unstoppable leader. One perfect Machine.

Megaman: Do not say this is how it has to be
You do no better than the fools of this burning city.

And as I live
There is no evil that will stand
I will finish
What was started: The fight of Protoman

Loudspeaker: We have control
We keep you safe
We are your hope.
We have control
We keep you safe
We are your hope

Human Choir: We have control
We keep you safe
We are your hope

Chapter IV: Vengance

Human Choir: We are in control.

The voices of the men and women carry him forward. Megaman has no fear now that freedom is near.
Standing between the sea of men and Megaman's final purpose is an army of robots, commanded by one leader. This is not Dr. Wily. Wily has no power on a field of battle. This is Wily's second in command. His face is shrouded in the shadow of the fortress, his rough features and solid construction obscured by the void of light.
The robots advance.
One by one they will fall. No mercy will be shown. No hesitation. These are machines. They cannot feel pain. They cannot understand what drives Megaman onward. The rage is lost on these soldiers. Megaman has his target now. The Commander of this army will fall. All the wreckage he must wade through to get there is insignificant.

Megaman: Send your armies.
There's no man or machine
who can stop me,
and you'll soon see.
I come for vengeance
for the first Son of Light, and I'm ready, and I'm willing, and I'm prepared to...

Send me the best you've got. Send me your strongest machines.
The fight my brother fought, here, now, will end with me.

All you wounded, those of you who can, pick yourselves off the ground,
Hurry back, tell your leader you'll need more men.

Send me the best you've got. Send me your strongest machines.
The fight my brother fought, here, now, will end with me.
Is this the best you've got? Is this your strongest machine?
Now with one powershot, you'll see what vengeance means.

Nearing the gate and the leader of the Robot Army, Megaman's fury yields to confusion. This Commander is not just a machine.

The shadow, it covers your face but your eyes shine just like mine.
Step forward, step into the light if you're ready, and you're willing, and you're prepared to fight.

So be it, send your armies. There's no man or machine who can stop me, and you'll soon see.
I come for vengeance for the first Son of Light and I'm ready, and I'm willing, and I'm prepared to fight.

Send me the best you've got. Send me your strongest machines.
The fight my brother fought, here, now, will end with me.
Is this the best you've got? Is this your strongest machine?
Now with one powershot, you'll see what vengeance means.

Just before the shot rang out, the blast that would end this battle, the commander stepped out of the shadows and into the light. This was a face our Hero had seen before, in visions and dreams. This was not the face of evil. This was the face of a Hero, the face of a Son, the face of his Brother.

This was Protoman.

Chapter V: The Stand (Man or Machine)

Megaman dropped to his knees and lowered his weapon. Dr. Light stepped quietly out of the crowd.

Dr Light: You're trying to understand. I told you your brother had been killed.
Yet, here he stands in the very shadow of the man you came here to destroy.
You came here to avenge his death. You came here to save mankind. You see now, you cannot do both.

Megaman's eyes raised to meet his brother's. Protoman met his stare, held it for only a second and turned his attention to the bloodthirsty crowd.

Protoman: Tell me now. Is there a man among you here?
Is there no one who will stand up and try to fight?
Tell me Man, is there not one in all your ranks? Is there not one who values courage over life?

Protoman turns his attention back to his brother.

They looked to me once. Now they turn to you. Do you understand now?
Do you see that the truth is they don't want to change this?
They don't want a hero. They just want a martyr, a statue to raise.

I've given every thing I can. There are no heroes left in man.

So it begins!

No matter which one of us lives, the ground we're standing on will crack and blow away.
You will fight. And when you fight, you'll fight alone. And in the end you'll see there was no other way.

I've been here before. I've stood where you stand.
They called me their hero, The Hero of Man. But why should we save them
when they stand for nothing? If they deserve life, LET THEM STAND FOR THEMSELVES.

We've given everything we can. There are no heroes left in man.
They'll watch you die to save their lives. They will not stand here by your side.

Suddenly Protoman stops. His eyes fall on his father. His face changes almost imperceptibly. Nothing changes but his eyes. Then, as quickly as he'd stopped, Protoman leaps off of the shattered robots and lands in the midst of the remaining army. Throwing his bare hand into the side of one robot, Protoman sends him flying into the ranks. Three, four robots fall under Protoman's powerful blow. He destroys his own legions as he makes his way to the front of the line. He stands alone in front of Megaman.

Protoman: We've given everything we can. There are no heroes left in man. So let them watch as we decide the very fate of all mankind!

The air is thick with smoke. Protoman makes no move, but stands, still at some distance, at the ready. Megaman, still fighting to fully grasp the truth of the situation, raises from his knees. His weapon raised hesitantly, Megaman locks eyes with his brother but breaks free seconds later. His eyes dart over the crowd searching for Light. His father's eyes are on the ground.

Dr. Light can watch no more. The crowd watches with fiery intensity.

Megaman's eyes fix once again on Protoman. His weapon drops to his side.

Chapter VI: The Son's of Fate

Megaman: I will not fight you. (Protoman: You have no choice.)
I'll stand beside you. (I stand alone.)
You're still their hero. (Then they are fools.)
This cannot be the only way! (You will see.)

They don't deserve this. (When this is through,)
Now more than ever, (Mankind will fall.)
We are their hope! (They would not stand.)

They know no better. (They would not fight.)
They are not ready. (They never will.)
Even now there is hope for man! (My father's words!)

Your father loved you. (He still believes?)
His heart was broken. (His only weakness.)
His greatest strength! (Now we shall see)
You are not evil. (if they will stand)
You are not broken. (beside their hero)
Megaman: We both know they'll never fight!

Protoman: You finally get it.
There are no heroes.
Mankind is doomed.
You will never have another Hero. You will never have another chance. You will fall because you never tried to stand for yourselves!

Human Choir: Destroy him!
You can save us!
Destroy him!
Do it for us!
Destroy him!
You're our only hope!

KILL PROTOMAN!!!

No man saw the blow. The light was blinding. The crash was deafening. The two brothers stood feet apart. Both in pain. Only Protoman fell. His knees hit the ground. His weapon followed. Before he could fall any further Megaman was at his side. The brothers, the Sons of Light, embraced. Protoman was dying. Nothing could stop that now. Protoman looked up through strained eyes and tried to speak. At first nothing came. Summoning all his remaining strength, Protoman whispered these words into his brother's ear:

Protoman: If these people...tell this story...to their children...as they sleep...maybe someday...they'll see a Hero...is just a man...who knows he is free.

Protoman was dead.
The crowd seemed pleased.
Megaman finally understood.

There are no Heroes left in Man.


Human Choir: He could not save himself.
How could he save us?
For all the blood he shed, (Megaman: As I live)
Your brother failed us. (There is no evil that will stand.)
There's nothing you could do. (And I will finish)
You had no choice. (what was started:)
Why do you cry for him? (The fight of Protoman!)
You are our hero.
You are our hero!

Megaman: And you are the dead.

The fallen body of his brother at his feet, Megaman removed his helmet and began to walk away from the fortress. The remaining robots looked at their broken leader, then at Megaman. Without orders, they would neither advance nor retreat. With eyes full of rage, Megaman looked over the whole of Mankind, turned his eyes back to the robot army and lowered his head. Slowly, he loosened his grip on his battle-scarred helmet, letting is drop from his hand to the ground. The robots immediately turned from Megaman and cast their eyes towards the fortress. Dr. Wily stood high above the robots, high above the crowd of men, high above their broken heroes. With a wave of his hand, the robot army had their orders. They advanced on the crowd to punish them for their thoughts of rebellion. Men fell in waves. Those most eager to watch the bloodshed were the first victims of the slaughter. The sound of Machines marching into a screaming mass did not cause Megaman to turn. The sound of children crying for their mothers would not pull his gaze from the far edge of the city. The sound that finally caused Megaman to pause long enough to look back on the burning city was the voices raised over the din, chanting almost in unison:

Human Choir: We are the dead.

We are the dead.

We are the dead.

There, That's all of it so far. The Protomen do however plan on finishing up ACT II, the prequel story to this one sometime this year.

I would also like to mention that I am in no way offiliated with The Protomen nor was I given anything to promote them, I am merely a fan and wanted to show my enthusiasm for such a great up-and-comming band.

Dreams

First off. It's been a while mainly due to work, laziness, and a good heaping helping of depression...

Anyway. I've been thinking lately that as an Otaku, I'm in grave danger of many a threat.

Moe seems to be taking over the new Anime market, due to economial issues Anime is being cut back to top 20 sales in the majority of Best Buys, and the true classics are becomming more and more forgotten.

I know that my opposition to Moe and top 20 Anime puts me in a very early generation of Otaku but I'd like to believe I'm not alone in thinking Anime could take a turn for the worse in the future.

An idea of mine has been busting at the seems since it first came to mind. Recorded Audio Commentary for Anime. The basis of this was that listening to commentary that is seperate from the specified medium can be made and disturbuted without breaking copyright laws (i.e. Rifftrax) and Commentary has always been my favorite special feature for any film/series, and 3 I don't think there's enough Anime commentary. However, to list a few greats: Megazone 23, Cowboy Bebop: Remixed, and Puny Puny Poemi (it's even in 5.1, however the anime isn't).

Maybe someday I'll get to listen to some commentary during some of my favorite Anime. Better yet, maybe I'll be part of it.

Oh, Well.

HardGore!!!

This is yet again a praise post for my favorite two Chris' on G4.

Chris Hardwick and Chris Gore(see what I did there?).

Yesterday's Attack of the Show was one of the most entertaining hours of TV I've seen in a while thanks to the witty dialog of Chris Hardwick and his chemistry with Kevin Perierra. It's HARD not to like Hardwick(I think I'm clever, so hush!). He really does have a flair for improv comedy and I really admire that. An example from yesterday, Kevin and Hardwick were playing a game where you had to simulate drunkeness(by spinning around with your head on a bat 5 times) then tossing a "Baby"(it's a doll) into a basket. During this Kevin failed misserably at beating Hardwick's score and Hardwick had quite the intersing response( http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/comedy/65770/Aussie-Rules-Baby-Swinging.html ). I hear he even does stand-up so I'm anxious to check it out. If you haven't seen him on AotS, I promise you that your missing out. The episodes that Hardwick replaces co-host Olvia Munn are some of the best. Most of the time she's on screen she's throwing her opinions intothe subject material and usually they are more negative than positive leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. No disrespect to Olvia, but her opinions don't always have to be heard.

Chris Gore is awesome. He's created Filmthreat.com, Three magazines, and been on various film related programming on FX and G4. The guy has very good and informative reviews of films and DVD releases and it's rare to find someone who I agree with when it comes to film. He also rates by Buy/Rent/Pass which I think is a far superior process than Star or point ranking. Why? If you buy something your saying this is something I must have for various reasons. A game/movie/product could but well above quality standards but not have enough with it to be considered a permenant collection item. For example, A great movie that has a small amount of special features would be worth watching right? but why own it? RENT! Giving that same movie a rating of 5 stars or 5/5 or 10/10 rating just shows that it's a great film. I personally add both elements to reviewing. breaking down elements and rating them individually then ending it with buy/rent/trash.

Favorite Pilots

Char Aznable(Gundam)
Kai Shiden(Gundam)
Ramba Ral(Gundam)

Karen Joshua(Gundam 08th MS Team)
Norris Packard(Gundam 08th MS Team)

Yazan Gable(Z Gundam)
Haman Karn(Z Gundam)
Jerid Messa(Z Gundam)
Paptimus Scirocco(Z Gundam)

Judau Ashta(ZZ Gundam)
Rakan Dakaran(ZZ Gundam)
Roux Louka(ZZ Gundam)
Glemmy Toto(ZZ Gundam)

Marbet Fingerhut(Victory Gundam)

Harry Ord(Turn A Gundam)

Treize Khushrenada(Gundam Wing)

Roy Focker(Macross Zero)

Maximilian Jenius(Macross)
Miliya Jenius(Macross)

Allen Schezar(Escaflowne)
Dilandau Albatou(Escaflowne)

Dingo Egret(Z.O.E.)
Ken Marinaris(Z.O.E.)
Ridley Hardiman/Nohman(Z.O.E.)

Schwarzwald(Big O)
Alan Gabriel(Big O)

Kallen Stadtfeld(Code Geass)

Lufy(Gall Force)

Gene Starwind(Outlaw Star)
Harry MacDougall(Outlaw Star)

Ernest Cuore(Pilot Candidate)

My Favorite Mecha

MSM-04 Acguy(Gundam)
RX-77 Guncannon(Gundam)
MS-05 Zaku I(Gundam)
ANUBIS(Z.O.E.)
ZMT-S28S Gengaozo(Victory Gundam)
MSN-04 Sazabi(Gundam: CCA)
OZ-00MS Tallgeese(Gundam Wing)
AFX-V301 Gawain(Code Geass)
Oreades(Escaflowne)
Alseides(Escaflowne)
RX-78GP01FB Gundam Zephyranthes Full Vernien(Gundam 0083)
ZM-S14S Contio(Victory Gundam)
XXXG-01H Heavyarms(Gundam Wing)
MSN-06S Sinanju(Gundam Unicorn)
MS-18 Kampfer(Gundam 0080)
NZ-000 Quin Mantha(ZZ Gundam)
RPI-209 Gloucester(Code Geass)
PRI-00S/C Gloucester Cornelia(Code Geass)
MAFFU-09 Falguen MAFFU(Dragonar)
Escaflowne
OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon(Gundam Wing)
Teiring(Escaflowne)
SDF-1 Macross
MS-107 Bawoo(Gundam ZZ)
Zangetsu(Code Geass)
Jehuty(Z.O.E.)
AMX-014 Dooben-Wolf
NZ-666 Kshatriya(Gundam Unicorn)
ORX-005 Gaplant(Z Gundam)
AMS-129 Geara Zulu Angelo Sauper Ver(Gundam Unicorn)
MS-06K Zaku Cannon(Gundam)
Queadluun-Rau(Macross DYRL)
RMS-108 Marasai(Z Gundam)
MS-07 Gouf(Gundam)
RX-110 Gabthley(Z Gundam)
MAFFU-08B Jagd Gelf MAFFU(Dragonar)
MSM-07 Z'gok(Gundam)
AMX-004-3 Qubeley Mark II(ple two)(ZZ Gundam)
CONCEPT-X 6-1-2 Turn X(Turn A Gundam)
Scherazade(Escaflowne)
OZ-13MSX1 Vayate(Gundam Wing)
OZ-13MSX2 Mercurious(Gundam Wing)
RMS-141 Xeku Eins
GF13-011NC Dragon Gundam(G Gundam)
Wryneck(Dunbine)
Sirbine(Dunbine)
ZMT-S16G Memedorza(Victory Gundam)
MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai(Gundam 0080)
MRX-009 Psyco Gundam(Z Gundam)
VA-3 Intruder(Macross 7)

Gundam 00 Week 2

Episodes 03-04

So ends another non-advertised week of dual Gundam 00 on Scifi. This week for some unknown reason it ran almost 2 minutes late though, Which caused my DVR to cut off my viewing to record Heroes on another channel. So i missed the very end of Ep. 4. Last thing I saw was Exia go underwater and Graham praising the celesial being for making such a formidable and versatile mobile suit(I later read about the ending online).


The episodes were really good though. I like how realistic the political drama was depicted. "How very much like America" I found myself thinking. Also, I remember thinking to myself. If I heard Celestial Being claiming to destroy all in armed conflict that I'd react similarly as Taribia did.

Some of my first impressions were shaken, others were made more concrete. Saji and his friends are still talking about the events and I'm still left wondering how Saji and his pals make for a good story. Unless Saji takes an Alfred Izaruha plot turn at some point which I would really enjoy. If that happened I would have a much higher opinion of this series. I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.

However, they seem to have dropped the "Phase complete" element(for now at least), raising my hopes that the show will break away from the "Wing" comparisons.

The action is still very intense, however it's all been very short(like Wing) cause of the overpowered Gundam units. However it was nice to see the Creme of the crop pilots versus Setsuna so early in the series. We really see some excellent strategy from Graham this time around as well.

So I'm more than hooked now. I can't wait till next week for more episodes.

Gundam 00

Episode 1-2

Well I'm still sceptical about this show. As anyone should be. The show looks good. As it ought to. The action sequences seem to be pretty good. However, I'm going to start nit-picking at it till it surprises and wow's me again. Curse my fanboyism.

This is the first Mecha series since Macross that I prefer the protagonists and the protagonist mecha over the antagonist and antagonist mecha. I'm not a fan of the mech designs here. the only ones I'm slightly forgiving of is Kyrios and Virtue. Though both of these designs still go too far out there(Kyrios has those ugly Knee Wings, and Virtue is just Fat).

First thing I should address here is that 00 only has a few similarites with wing but it does make it hard to deny them when they are constatly in your face. The most obvious is the many good looking young male pilots. The other thing that bugged me cause it seemed so unnessesary to have in the series but is always heard is "Phase complete" which if doesn't sound like Wing I don't know what does.

I'm really anxious to see the political drama associated with this plot but I'm feeling a bit defensive. How am I going to handle a four-way political drama? Sounds like it's an impossibility. The series is already giving an impression that it's about the youth and their reactions to the events more than the events. Also it seems to be heavy on the action but we haven't seen anything really different or special about any of it yet.

A minor beef with it right now is the Dub. The Graham character's voice doesn't seem to fit at all. However I could be wrong, maybe his character design doesnt fit the character personallity. I don't know but for now, I'm annoyed.

What I'm watching Update!

Deathnote

Ok, starting us off today. We have Death Note. The premise of this show is very promising. However I should mention from the start here the biggest issue as an American Otaku watching Anime on scheduled programming(TV/On Demand/etc)... The English Dub.

With all Anime on TV I have watched the "WTF" moments of disgust always bring the Dub into question. "Was this in the original?", "Is this some lame attempt of making things more understandable for U.S. audiences?". The latter of these two is my biggest concern for this Anime. It seems that half of each episode is used to EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!!! Not to toot my own horn, but I understood movies/anime like Donnie Darko, Akira, and The Matrix upon the first of second viewing. I understood why things happened and what the point was and didn't need someone to explain things to me. This Anime seems like it's short-changed by this on-going explanation of what is happening/happened and why. I get it, OK. Stop treating me like I'm dense. I have an IQ of 130 for God's sake!

I'm frustrated, obviously. At least up to this point they can still keep my interest in what WILL or COULD happen in the series. I just wish I was watching this with the original dialog(translated) so I could see if this is just my speculation.

Now, the next thing on my list...

Hell Girl

I just started watching this as it appeared on IFC and I already like it more than Death Note. Not a big stretch of plot difference however. Hell girl involves an website that is during any time of day except midnight reads as a "Page Not Found". Though, at midnight someone will have the chance to view the page and submit a name into the database... to be sent to Hell. This girl is pretty creepy looking the music even gives it some creepiness. It does however seem very episodic. With each episode having a different plot and characters. Regardless I'm looking forward to more.

On DVD...

Macross Zero

So far I've watched only two episodes at home and I'm really happy I get to watch this on my TV cause I get much better picture definition than when I watched the first episode on my friend's computer. Another bonus to the DVD version is the Full 5.1 DTS/Dolby Surround sound. I'm so happy to have an Anime with such great sound to it. I don't know why more Anime don't focus on better sound.

So far this OVA is a bit disappointing plot-wise with the character focus on (IMO) the WRONG character. Though it seems like they got Roy Focker's character pretty spot on, complete with ass grabbing.

Also...

Macross 7

I Love it already. High octane action, crazy J-rock music, and even some fan-service. I really like the new characters and can see a lot of influence here for Cowboy Bebop with the character relations. All the characters have very high charisma and it's nice to see our favorite Anime couple of all time Max and Miriya Genius. Love it, Love it, Love it!

And the biggest thing since sliced bread...

Gundam 00

To be continued...

I ran out of tissues...

No, I wasn't watching porn. Most of the day anyway. I just finished watching Victory Gundam. I've got to say that one of my favorite things about Gundam is how it/they depict the grit and realism of war. Prior to the finale of this series my favorite Gundam set/series/etc. was 0080: War in the Pocket. Thanks to this, it's been pushed to #2. Congratulations Victory Gundam your #1(Number one with a bullet).

This series really had me sold after episode 31. Before this there was a lot of plot/character development. Granted the multiple occurrences of Shakti's capture/return got a little stale but the amount of realism and heartbreak that is scattered throughout the last 30-odd-sum episodes really bring the viewers in.

Once again, I say, Thank you, Tomino-sama. Thank you.

Corruption and heartbreak

Well It's time for an update about my current watched shows.

Today I finally got around to watching more Victory gundam. and once again I feel my heart crushed. I've never seen something so tragic in any media form. I finished up episode 36 and the next death on the show was one that wasn't very surprising. (spoilers) This episode ends with Uso gripping the helmet containing the brutal decapitated head of his own mother. if that weren't enought it was only about a minute after this happend that a cease fire was called. I swear Tomino gives Uso every chance to lose his mind and to give up all hope. I mean who wouldn't.

The Newest show I added to my list was Death Note. I wasn't sure if I would like this or not but I read up on it and the premise is something I just had to see for myself if it lives up to the sick and twisted asperations that the plot brings to mind. This show is about a kid who finds a note-book with DEATH NOTE written on it one day after school. The first few pages tell him what the purpose of the book is. To kill ppl. Anyone who's name is written in the book will die in 40 seconds of a heart attack if the writter does not list details of how they die. The main character believes he won't be corrupted by this by simply killing off those who commit heinous crimes. But can he pull off this task without being corrupted? can he do it without being caught? Guess I'll see in future episodes.

REAL Life Mecha?

This is the EA-6B Prowler, the aircraft I've been working on/attached to for the past 4 years in my command.

This is theVA-3 Invader from Macross Plus/Macross 7(manga only) in attacker mode.

This is it in Battroid Mode.

Notice the simularities?

THE FUTURE IS NOW!

The realism of the "real-robot" genre that Tomino started is soon to be... well, realized. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5058011.ece This article talks about the new "Gundam Academy" in which members will be pursuing the actualization of most, if not all of the elements of Gundam(except the Minovski particle based technology, obviously). This is a landmark event not only for Gundam, but for humanity.

There is hope for space colonization after all. I now have faith in humanity again!!!

Thanks to Alpha_522 on http://myanimelist.net for this link and for brightening my day/week/life.

What I'm watching, what I stopped, and why

There are a few things that I (try to)watch ever day. These are them:
First, the BIG GUNS!
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam.

I've now made it up to the 31st episode. Those who know this series should continue but those who don't skip to the next paragraph. (spoilers) So up till now I've endured the heartless slaughter of every female on the Shrike team(except Marbet, who's quickly becoming a favorite). Now they went and killed the only male member, Oliver. Tomino must have been depressed cause now I am. I'm not even sure if I can watch another episode cause I'm so down. So far this week has been Victory free. sigh...

I went into watching this series with every warning possible. I even read through the reviews on MAHQ.net(every episode). But I can honestly say that NOTHING can prepare you for this. I really love this series. From the storytelling to the mecha designs, all of this is beautiful. God only knows why Tomino would put his distaste for this series on the japanese memorial box set(http://aeug.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_archive.html Gunota headlines). I think it's one of his best. A lot of ppl feel that Tomino showed an dislike of women in this anime but I dissagree. Marbet was a good pilot and she even survived the entire series. She's my favorite female pilot, next to Haman Kahn of course. Overall I recomend this to all anime fans who have the fortitude and strength to endure it's depressing plot elements.

Now to non-anime...
Attack of the Show.

There are few shows that entertain me and I can say that I'm glad I have DVR cause where as I do enjoy this show it's more the improvised/caught on film antics that really keep me interested in this show. That and Chris Gore. I want that guy's job. Also there a few segments that I like and a few I don't. They are as follows:

Around The Net or ATN as shouted by the back stage crew/audience. These are the top 5 clips of the day from the internet. Clips are funny as are the back and forth reactions from Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira. Except the staged gags/skits they have following the #2(usually) clip. These are pretty dull, mostly, and should just be left out. The only thing entertaining about these are the stunts and outtakes by the host of AotS.

ATTACK THIS is a good segment overall that covers some upcoming/new released goodies. These are usually in a spit fire list that seems fairly short(even shorter than The Feed).

The Feed is probably the most interesting thing on the show. However, it's host is just a pretty faced prompt reader. WTF G4? Why? Sigh. This segment lacks a lot of real attention that it deserves.

Epic Fail (also BREAK moments in de-evolution) are of the best segments on the show, however they come off as filler in the program sometimes. These segments as good as they are label the show as an internet clip show. So maybe these segments are good as spaced as they are after all.

The Loop is the #1 reason I'm glad I DVR this show. Sometimes It's entertaining, others I could care less.

The rest is mostly consisted of weekly show elements.

Fresh ink/DVDuesday/Gadget Pr0n(even though this happens more often than weekly). These segments seem to be just right in the weekly spotlight and are the real reason everyone should watch. The co-host that come on for these segments are the cream of the crop as well. Blair butler is a former stand-up comedian that has quite an vast knowledge and interest in comics and it's cool to hear her opinions on these matters. Chris Gore is like a film version of Blair only this guy gives advice on what to buy/rent/pass which I think is the best format for reviewing all media. Gadget Pr0n is kind of a hit or miss segment but Chris Hardwick is a fairly goofy guy that also very charismatic and it is very informative to watch if you are looking for a new camera, computer, or TV considering that's what is normally reviewed.

In Your Pants is a sex life help segment and Women of the web is a showcase of the top 10 women on the internet found during the week. These totally miss the demographic in my opinion. They both seem like a desperate attempt to bring in and keep an audience of viewers they don't need, Troglodytes. Anna David must be getting paid to show up so why don't they just cut her(and the segment) out and save some money.

Wow! AotS really used up too much of my post...

On to X-PLAY.

the reviews are why I watch this show. The commentary and clips of each game with dialog and scenes taking out of context are hilarious. The pop-culture reference material, not so much. Adam Sessler is my favorite host on G4. I wish he'd include the Sessler's Soapbox segments on the show, as well as the "in 60 seconds" segments found during commercial breaks by various G4 hosts. They are all(mostly) related to video games so why not? Recently I've noticed that former EGM editor Dan "Shoe" is now a floor man for the big interviews and floor shows. This guy used to come of as quite entertaining and energetic on pages of the magazine, however now he seems like he's over-medicated or something. The guy seems really dull. Really the only room I see for improvement would be to cut out the full episode exclusives or make them available on G4.com exclusively, or better yet free on On Demand providers. They could use some of the elements of those episodes during the normal episode as a "teaser" so to get the interested party to go online.