The Legend of Zunderella

Sabre Rattling?

2011-12-15T04:34:00.010+08:00

If you think i'll be ranting about Sabre's (Saber) epic cuteness in a meidofuku then i'm really sorry to say that i won't. Not today. Today, we talk about mystical katana forging out in the deserts of US of A.

clickhere

Zoom in on the comment by USAF Luke Air Force Base commander BG Jerry Harris Jr.

"the [Sunny Island South of Truly Asia]AF, like the United States Air Force, is an expeditionary force..."

So they've come right out and printed something that is almost universally known but not discussed much publicly. Correct me if i'm wrong, but at least i don't remember having ever seen it in the national newspaper.

wow.

Contrast that with this:

"... to recapture an offshore island that had been occupied by an enemy force..."

Right.

Actually, "expeditionary" can just refer to operating far from home, and can refer to "friendly" and "helpful" activities like disaster relief. The juxtaposition of laser JDAMs and other things that go pew pew pew with the word "expeditionary", however, conjures up some other mental image.

Then again, the whole point of the rather extensive media coverage is to do some macho chest-thumping. Seen in that light, the use of the E-word by the media, whether deliberate or not, probably won't cause anyone in the ministry to lose sleep.

Unless, of course, someone makes a big fat deal out of it.

I did some digging on google, and the only response to the above quote was some forum post on a Hong Kong business newspaper's website, and even then the focus wasn't on the E-word. One comment on the page did go like this though:

“小國還是儘量避談"戰"字, 殺人三千自損八百已很厲害, 小國沒本錢消耗”

hehehe.

So, anyway, non-issue. Case closed.

(Though not apparent in this case, the military does not seem to exert as much influence over the government-friendly media as one would think. Always fun to dig around.)

Kalafina was in Sunny Island South of Truly Asia

2011-11-18T04:09:00.013+08:00

And i still refuse to do work.

Ok, so the cartoon convention came and went. Didn't turn up, despite the fucking awesome band Kalafina making an appearance. Yay. Perhaps it's something to do with having to pay ten times of what i paid to watch may'n and aniki just 3 years back. Yes, i'm a cheapskate.

I realise at this point that i need another word for 'awesome'.

Never mind.

A trio of cute chicks who can sing is fecking awesome, no? Actually, pieces written by Kajiura tend to sound the same after a while, but THREE CUTE CHICKS AWESOMES!!

(Neglecting the literary aspects of my education in my earlier years was probably a bad idea. Kind of regret not having acquired the breadth of vocabulary necessary to describe how awesome a band is without resorting to the word 'awesome', which i actually picked up relatively recently. I probably said 'nice' or something back then. Funny how we assimilate speech patterns from people around us.)

Let's talk abt the band. Pic up there on the right shows the whole gang, from left, Hikaru, Keiko and Wakana. Some nuggets of trivia off the top of my head abt each of them:

1) Wakana likes sharks! She can go on and on abt them, apparently regardless of whether the audience is actually listening. Not very good at reading moods, according to Kajiura haha. In a cute way of course. She sings the high bits (vocab, vocab...lalala).

2) Keiko is damn hot! Ok doesn't really count but that was seriously the first thing i tot of. just google 'keiko kubota', man. Er, keiko plays tennis. She sings the low bits. And though she looks like she's got legs that go on forever, she's only 1.55m tall! tiny!

3) If Hikaru could do magic, she'd want a spell that could freeze time, i.e. the Level 9 arcane spell Timestop in D&D. So what would she do while everyone else was frozen? Catch up on sleep. She sings the high bits too.

One thing i noticed is that when japanese artistes visit sunny island they typically blog about the food and clean, green streets. Itou Shizuka mentioned Tiger Beer, but that's just her being her drunkard self. Probably the safest and most politically correct topics to talk about i guess. Anyway, keiko blogged about chicken rice. This was her discription of the dish:

"Chicken on rice cooked with chicken stock served with 3 sauces. Chilli, ginger, soy sauce. Yum yum." Reminds me of this food writer who wrote that " 'chicken rice' is not a dish; it's a list of ingredients". =p

Speaking of clean, green streets, i found, while jogging in the park last week, what looked like a giant porn mag centrefold depicting a blond fondling her intimate bits downstairs. She was clean shaven, so i guess that still counts as a clean street? It made me freeze mid-stride and do a really obvious backtake, so this had better not be some Candid Camera prank.

Oh well.

Back to work, work.

Oh before i forget, Carnival Phantasm is really awesome. I spent the whole of mon watching and re-watching the eps instead of doing any real work. It's this spoof OVA with crossovers from Fate Stay Night and Tsukihime. Hilarious. See ep4 i think to see a really cute Tohsaka figuring out how to use a blu-ray recorder! haha. And did i mention that it's distratcting me from work?

I still refuse to do work

2011-10-30T06:13:00.053+08:00

Something's been bugging me about this conscription thing. The thing about not really fucking off for good after doing your time. Service obligations up till 40 didn't seem so bad in the immediate euphoria of getting the hell out of uniform but it sure is irritating now. mildly.

Point 1- The annual fitness test.

So the annual run and 8 nice body lifts didn't seem too bad while in uniform. Seemed like a good idea to keep myself trim and fit too. Totally didn't count on developing "os naviculares syndrome" or something like that during a friendly football game back in January. So i thought i'd rest the supposed sprain for a week and get back into my training routine. Turns out i couldn't walk properly months after. Dragged my own ass to the public clinic for a referral to the specialist around Apr/May. Specialist appointment secured in Aug, dingdong a few weeks and paid half a grand for MRI and followup, voila, doctor says rest your foot until it recovers. "How long?" i ask. "Dunno, maybe a year", he said. So i got the nice fella to write me a letter since defaulting on the annual test is actually an offence.

All well and good, till a check with the army turned up the unpleasant news that i'll still be charged with defaulting anyway since the doctor's letter does not cover at least 6 months of my test window. FYI, i sought medical attention in May and only got the diagnosis in Sep. Test window ends January, so i'm quite the defaulter as far as the rules go. Curse my unfamiliarity with the system, should have gotten the doctor to backdate it somehow. The only reason i can think of for the six month rule is to prevent malingering, but given the quirks of our nice healthcare system (took me five months to get a diagnosis), i think many genuine cases would run afoul of this particular regulation. Yes, i do think my case is genuine, thank you very much.

Of course, if i were willing to stump up the cash for a specialist in private practice, i could even get myself certified unfit for service forever, but that's a story for another time. One story i will tell, however, is of how my last CO was able to skip his test by producing a doctor's letter TWO WEEKS before his test deadline. No charge for defaulting. In fact he got around the rule which says promotions are denied to personnel who fail their fitness tests. Yup, he promptly got promoted to half colonel. Leadership by example it is.

Not all is doom and gloom though. There is a provision in the rule for people with more than 3 months MC coverage to be reviewed by a medical panel. I just need to arrange for it through my unit and hope i know some fuckers on the panel (joking). Once again, the onus is on powerless little me to prove my innocence. Fine. And don't get me started on how MCs issued later are magically less legitimate, or how inefficient it is for army doctors to have to review the opinions of their peers who actually HAVE WAY MORE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE. Ok, granted I did mention stumping up money for a private doctor's letter earlier but it still doesn't explain why MC's issued earlier in the test window are magically beyond reproach.

OR...

I can just hide my medical status, take the test, and fail it on purpose, GETTING PAID IN THE PROCESS. Actually i'll get paid by the hour when i go for compulsory remedial training after failing the test, which is actually hell of a hassle. I just find the idea of being paid for failure very amusing. Not that i'll go through with this, funny as the experience might be, since my ankle seriously can't take any of the high impact stuff. And did i mention it's a hassle?

Then again, if i remember correctly, there's a rule that says it's an offence to hide your medical status, so i'll be committing an offence whatever i do, short of getting cleared by the medical panel.

Yeehah! I'm an outlaw!!

Hell, writing this post is an offence, skipping the chain of command and all. Man, they think of everything when drafting those rules. Well, everything except poor old me.

That much said, i haven't actually found out what the penalty is for defaulting on the test, so maybe i'd just let myself get charged. Who knows, man. From the level of logic we've seen thus far, they might actually pay me for defaulting.

Nah.

Actually i'll probably clear the medical review. The medical corp has largely been reasonable in my experience. Just wanted to point out some of these wacky regulations that i never knew existed.

Point 2 - Reservist Training at Inconvenient Timings

Keeping soldiers up to date with new technology is fine. Calling said soldiers up for training during the local varsity exam season is not so fine, especially when almost every single man will be sitting for university exams. (Somehow the educational profile of the unit is such.)

Ok, i know national security is above personal interests. Yes i know we're wimps for not being able to juggle studies and reservist training (you'd have to admit though, that being physically in two places at the same time is some feat). And of course, i know we're a nation of champion whiners.

So let me do what i do best and whine, k? This is my take on the situation:

Is the training time-critical? No.

Could it have taken place at some other time? Yes.

Is there any apparent reason why that particular time frame was chosen? No.

Is the unit aware that most of the reservists called up are in local universities? Yes.

Is it reasonable to say the training officer has some idea of when the exams will be? Yes.

It's anybody's guess then why the timing was chosen. I'm not blaming the training officer, really. It's very easy to overlook something like that when the problem is somebody else's. Honestly, i might have done the same. Checking the varsity calender for possible clashes is quite easy to do. It does not come naturally simply because it is somebody else's problem. Perhaps the officer would be more mindful of such considerations after receiving feedback this time.

It does give the impression that the unit doesn't care though. Heck, someone from the unit could have just checked with one of us before the order was issued and saved the gang a whole lot of anxiety.

And i thought we were family.

I refuse to do work

2011-10-29T23:07:00.004+08:00

random pic too start the post as per (not much followed) Standard Operating Procedures.

One of the best fandubbed songs i've ever heard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFwvpC4cq5E&feature=related

the singer, 西国の海妖, is the most awesome singer i've heard on youtube. She (at least i think it's a she) can actually sing! wow! The video has no audio for the second part, irritatingly.

Compare with original:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIA-BLl6mdw&feature=related

i actually like the fandub singer's voice better.

Check out her dubs of Shinkai no Kodoku and Hoshi no Tobira from Gundam Seed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2xkNg3gnx8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMQ8WoVvkSs&feature=related

ZONE's Secret Base:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ou0Q8D2-Q

and Natsukage from AIR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNFR9F45Mt4&feature=related

Good lyrics + Good voice = godly fandubs. The lyricist is super good too.

Bonus Material for the Perverted Oyajis haha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b_2Uf7ERkc

Uncle ai kwee ji kee Tiger Mai!!

HAHAHA.

School kids can do better

2011-10-21T08:06:00.001+08:00

at their studies.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/chen%E2%80%99s-chinese-analogy-sparks-pap-debate.html

Quibbling over an analogy...

ha. ha.

Check out the debates in the paper of record today for the lolz.

By the way, Last Exile 2 is pretty nice going by the first ep. Weird though that the first thing you see is some loli chick's pantsu. i'm also quite sure the Miyukichi princess was going commando in the lake scene. Too strike witchy?

Fate/Zero's ok. Tad slow. Watching nothing else at the moment.

Life's good.

(note to future self: sarcasm)

Me Fail

2011-08-22T04:11:00.014+08:00

Itou Shizuka lounges by a Sunny-Island-South-Of-Truly-Asia pool sipping Tiger Beer. What the fuck am i doing?

Recently, there's been some hooha over some fella's military service record on the net. Nothing more to add, besides nikuman having served in the same post as the fella in question. Congrats to you, nikuman, you are offically recognised as an exceptional individual, all according to proper guidelines, of course hahahaha.

Okie, i'm much poorer now compared to when i last blogged, and maybe about 10kgs heavier. Leaving the army probably had much to do with both; soft tissue damage from a football match way back in Jan is another convenient excuse for the latter change. Note to self: do not attempt to stop big towering strikers built like battering rams.

Thanks to the supposedly inflamed tendon i ended up with, i have the delightful opportunity to get an MRI scan next month. In the words of this very amused student of mine, i'm going to get microwaved. i think they actually use frequencies nearer the radio end, but i'd have to agree that it was a pretty amusing notion.

Less amusing is the bill i'll be receiving. MRIs are not cheap, this one will set me back by almost half a grand. I have a feeling the scan results will not change the diagnosis or management one bit, but when the expert tells me to spend the money, i go along, just in case. Makes one wonder how humans got by until the MRI machine came along though. Maybe the ancients just amputed their feet at the ankles after colliding with big towering strikers built like battering rams.

Oh well. At least the guy who saw me was pleasant and nice. In the examination room next door, there was this young girl, probably an MO, brusquely asking every single one of her patients "what's your name?" in the most irritatingly nasal tone i have ever heard. Oh come on, she wants them to report their ranks and ID numbers too? She had their files right in front of her, I'm sure there are more polite ways to confirm the patient's identity. And she should introduce herself first, for goodness sake!! I don't expect kowtowing and a 21-gun salute, but a "hello" is the bare minimum level of courtesy we should extend to a fellow person, no?

Imagine waiting 90minutes past the appointed time (we'll save this one for another time), and the first thing you hear when it's your turn is someone rudely asking for your name while talking through their nose. Not very pleasant. (Actually i've been told my voice sounds pretty nasal too. Maybe nasal voices grate on my nerves cos i subconsciously fear that they'll muscle in on my ecological niche haha. But let's not confuse the issue.)

Finally... YAY!! i've forgotten how much fun it is to rage and rant online!!

Shizukagozen fondles Rierie. Double YAY!!

IrodoRie

2009-07-02T20:19:00.003+08:00

Somehow the legs came before the body.

From the Photobook.

Ponyo Post - Paedo Bear Edition

2009-07-02T18:58:00.000+08:00

NGRP

2009-06-17T23:06:00.008+08:00

The Next Generation Rierie-replacement Programme. That’s what NGRP is.

Rierie is 30 this year, and has published a photobook commemorating 10 years in the business. So let’s assume rierie decides to call time on her career at 40. That leaves us with ten precious more years of rierie in the limelight. What next?

Here's what's next:

Taketatsu Ayana (竹達彩奈), aka voice of K-On's Azu-nyan!

Her Wiki Page
Her blog (where the pics came from)
Interesting Trivia: She’s 149 cm tall. Loli-sized. Kagamisumi will be pleased to hear that.

What else can i say besides "Moe Moe Kyun~"?

(Actually i can say that K-On aside, she's been appearing in semi-prono anime like Queensblade and KissXSis. But i shan't.)

Enjoy the pics. =)

Suppin Rock

2009-05-25T05:38:00.005+08:00

This is Ogawa Mana. (Duh it's written on the pic.)

She sang the infectiously cheerful OP for Hyakko, Suppin Rock, and had a bit part in the show too, if i remember correctly. I dun know much about her actually, besides the fact that she sang about B-cup bishoujo (bishojo? i can't remember which is 少女 or 処女). Seems to be a newcomer; after all, she is only a teenager still. (But a cute one nonetheless.)

Interestingly, Ogawa sported a giant afro in the PV for Suppin Rock, as can be seen in the bottom left of the pic. My first impressions of her some months ago were thus, "Hey that's a cool rebel rocker girl." After coming across this pic it's more like "moemoekawaii!!!" Amazing what changing hairstyles can do for one's image.

Random Note: Hirohashi Ryou kind of looks a bit too "normal" without her afro.

Long Time No Post

2009-05-19T12:02:00.005+08:00

This blog has totally become a staging area for Ops SA, i.e. there's nothing besides random spam of seiyuu pics. At least i think most of the guys can now recognise Nazuka Kaori from a mile away. But they think she's disgusting though. Hmmm... Maybe i should stop using that .gif of her kissing the camera while half drunk.

Beyond the clouds blah blah blah

2009-05-09T00:10:00.002+08:00

Trying to resist spamming Mio's images here...

Just finished watching this show. The visuals are pretty, but the plot... not too bad, but the climax was weak and very cliche. Storyline was relatively simple enough, and throughout the middle of it, very depressing, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience. Oh yes, some of the music, like the violin part played by Sayuri and Hiroki later was nice, and the ending was nice too. The voice for Sayuri is pretty sweet too, great for movie-style show. One lacking part was we never got to see what the enemy was doing ultimately, and hence tension was kind of lacking. Only depression.

But I quite like it.

Forehead Moe Is Going Nowhere. Time for Plan B.

2009-04-29T05:04:00.003+08:00

B for Bangs, that is.

今日のお額ちゃんはりえりえです～

2009-04-28T05:40:00.006+08:00

萌え萌え～

今日のお額ちゃん (Ops SA)

2009-04-26T17:38:00.005+08:00

名塚佳織さんです。

Forehead Moe (OPS SA)

2009-04-23T06:02:00.004+08:00

What the title said.

Itou Shizuka comes to mind quite naturally. Why forehead moe? It's a stupid running joke i've kept going in the office for a while. There's a daily Forehead Fun newsletter too, and today's cover girl will obviously be Itou.

Sigh. What can a guy do when there's too much politics going on?

a) Stand up and make things right (model answer)

b) Enjoy the show (what most of the guys seem to be doing)

c) Serve and fuck off (recommended [and most logical, IMO] answer)

d) Indulge in Forehead Moe

That said, i'm still fired up about get my stuff done right. Just felt like bitching for a bit.

Sekushi

2009-04-21T05:53:00.004+08:00

I dun know what else to say actually. Rierie's a healthy girl? This 10th anniversary photobook will be on sale 28 May 09.

Long time no post actually. Been at the end of some really stimulating criticism at work. Never felt so good getting my ass pwned before. Lame yaoi jokes aside, i'm really fired up about the upcoming projects. Been feeling like there's something to be done that can really make a difference somewhere down the line. Even though whatever we do now might end up in the trash can with the next change of command, that's not something i'm worried about now.

[However, that won't stop me from drooling over sekushi rie nee-san characters in Hatsukoi Limited (Yamamoto Misaki) and Asura Cryin (Kurosaki Shuri). Two sekushi rie nee-san characters plus Maria all in one season! Bumper rierie harvest, i would say. And that's on top of the upcoming photobook. *drools*]

Wow

2009-04-11T12:06:00.003+08:00

Wow it's been quite some time since I've posted. Busy busy busy stupid exams. New season just started, so I shall comment on the 3 shows that I've caught so far.

HnG2:
So far... this season of HnG has been quite the same to me as the previous season, save for the lack of "genki-ness" as previously mentioned. Character designs are quite similar, though why, oh why did they change Maria's uniform to blackish?! Blue was very fine, thank you. Isumin was cute, though kind of lacking in lines, and little screentime. Izumi stole the show for me though. ED was noticable for the emphasis on Hinagiku, though since Hina and I got not much affinity, it doesn't really work for me. I can imagine the millions of Hina fans grinning in glee though.

K-On!:
Awesome. Saw the preview and immediately discovered who will be my favourite one already. I believe this is the first time this happened to me. ED was catchy and caught my interest fast, and of course, Mio being the main character could be the reason for its awesomeness. OP took a little longer to grow on me, but the catchy tune helped and some Minami-ke vibe. Show was simple enough, and I thought the seiyuu work was pretty cute at some parts. "nani sore ba iin daro~?" Aww...

FMA Brotherhood:
Yay for the return of the Elric brothers (and Winry). It wasn't a particularly interesting episode, I feel there is a bit too much emphasis on the Chibi-Ed joke. Can't say I appreciate the change for Winry yet, but can't wait to see how the new Winry would be like. Storyline was so-so, kind of like setting up the stage for the next episode. Oh yes! And Roy Mustang's aide is cute standing there by the side. She needs more screentime. OP and ED aren't worth mentioning.

Can't wait for TMOSH2. Considering between Hatsukoi and Valkyrie too.

Untitled

2009-02-27T12:23:00.001+08:00

Rierie got her long hair back. Hair extensions actually.

This pic is just some random old one but it's cute so what the heck.

Odie & I

2009-02-08T22:07:00.003+08:00

My plan to finish up the Winter study guide over Chinese New Year didn't materialise, cos my place in Truly Asia didn't have an Internet connection! Kind of wish someone had told me before hand that the subscription was cancelled.

I did watch Ponyo over there, and i grew really fat too so it wasn't a wasted trip. Or was it?

Work these past 2 weeks was really slack, cos i just wrapped up a few projects. Like er, last month. Need to find something to do fast or i'm going to start feeling bored and jaded.

I did send out some really obscure seiyuu lame joke spam through the office mail which no one understood. If you're interested, it goes like this:

Q: Which place in Sunny Island South of Truly Asia is named after a Seiyuu?
A: (Inoue) Marina Square

Need more stim packs....

Winter 2009 Study Guide (Part 2)

2009-02-08T22:03:00.001+08:00

Rideback – Must Know. Ogata Rin (Mizuki Nana) is just too GAR. I know chicks can’t be GAR by definition but I can’t find a better word. Rin is quickly becoming my favourite Nana role. The first few eps looked like they were about a young ballerina who retired due to a torn ankle ligament then discovers a new passion in motor racing. What made this series a Must Know was how Rin really seemed to be enjoying herself on the bike (I’m not being sick or anything. Really.). Her passion, never-say- die attitude and the way she pulls off spectacular ballet-inspired stunts with her mecha-bike Fuego makes me feel like I’m watching TTGL all over again. Rin’s got Spiral Energy, man. It helps, of course, that she wears an otherwise rather modest white one-piece dress, except that it tends to flip up nicely in the wind as she tears down the road, for those interested in the service sector. Animation wise, the show looked fine. The CG mecha-bikes didn’t look out of place at all, so kudos to Madhouse, or whoever did the CG.

Ep 4 was a bit less enjoyable bcos somehow terrorists got into the picture and there were battles involving the mecha-bikes. There were hints of this in earlier eps, but I was just hoping they would ignore the terrorists and just get on with the racing. Oh well. We’ll see how it goes from here on. Let’s just hope Rin doesn’t get recruited into Celestial Being as a Gundam Meister. That’s when I’ll stop watching.

Maria Holic – Must Know, cos I’m partial to yuri. =) I dunno whether the original manga had such a random off-tangent style of perverted humour or it was Shaft’s doing, but the show sure reminded me of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. I’m not complaining though, I love this show. The dick-grab in ep 1 had me in stitches.

Almost the entire cast being SZS alumni certainly didn’t help to differentiate the two shows. Miyukichi is wonderfully menacing in an off-handed kind of way as GOD, while Marina was delightfully poker-faced and foulmouthed as the meido. Maybe she can play both Kana and Chiaki in Minamike. Kobayashi was good too, switching btw bishoujo and otoko modes effortlessly. I keep forgetting the name of the main character’s seiyuu, but I know she played Tamaki in Kurenai. Her ero-jiji act was nose-bleedingly good haha.

Druaga 2 (Update) – on the verge of being downgraded to Good to Know. As expected, once the RPG plot starts the fun stops. We need more scenes of Kayi jabbing Fatina’s butt to boost this back to a definite Must Watch. Bespectacled OL Coopa was a highlight. The OP, Question, is growing on me. Awesome song to go with the opening animation, which has become the best part of the show, as of ep 5. Got to say the fight involving the shadows was quite creative though.

Minamike Okaeri – Must Watch. Same old M-I-N-A-M-I-K-E!!! Even the OP theme sounded the same as Season One’s. Needs more Mako-chan, Touma alone is carrying the responsibility of generating gender-bending fun. Probably needs more Haruka as well. Can’t have enough Banchou Haruka.

More to Come…

Truly Asia Here I Come!!

2009-01-24T15:34:00.003+08:00

Back to Truly Asia again for the Lunar New Year. Will be lazing around for 3 days and doing some DVD/game shopping. Maybe i'll even update the Winter 09 study guide cos there's really nothing to do where i'm going!

Well, of course that is provided i get through tonight unscathed....

リムジ少佐は非常に煩いです。

THIS MEANS WAR!!

2009-01-24T14:48:00.017+08:00

The first phase of Ops SA is now over. After 3 weeks of cloak and daggers intrigue, Miyukichi's identity has been exposed. Never underestimate the capability of conscript int guys; they simply have too much time on their hands. No matter, for Phase One has achieved it's purpose - to cause a buzz and open some eyes to the wonderful world of seiyuu fandom.

Alright, the time for subtle covert ops is over. Ops SA has now moved into its second phase - indiscriminate carpet bombing. Who gives a damn about DIME and white phosphorous when you've got these fellas for ammo?

Oops.

Rations are important too.

11 pairs of pantsu. One for each day of field camp.

Little Nonya?

Objective: to spread the joy of seiyuu fandom, and maybe overload the office server.

Operation Deadline: Gotou Saori's 23rd Birthday.

FAILURE IS ALWAYS AN OPTION.

Operation SA

2009-01-20T05:50:00.003+08:00

Just found two rather charming pics of Miyukichi which will come in very handy in Operation SA (Seiyuu Awareness). Uploaded for easy access from work.

Operation details are TOP SECRET at the moment, so all i'll say is it will be the most elaborate April Fool's joke i've ever tried to pull. I'm kind of waiting to see if anyone can call my bluff before 1 Apr, though either way i win. Kind of like what Mr. Hamas is doing.

Winter 2009 Study Guide (1st Edition)

2009-01-11T15:27:00.004+08:00

Pretty self-explanatory title. (not really, since I’m explaining it now, but wth) Topics assigned “Must Know”, “Good to Know” and “No Need to Know”. “Must Know” means it’s appearing in the test for sure, “Good to Know” means mug this you’re gunning for a good grade, “No need to Know” means if you know this you’re either really bored or a distinction viva candidate. Basically, this is a suggested priority list for the busy guy.

Druaga 2 - Must Know. The first ep of was awesome. Then again, the first season’s ep 1 was awesome too. Oh well. Even then, this first ep is worth a watch for its own sake regardless of how the rest of the season turns out. On to the specifics (some spoilers):

1) OP animation ROCKS. There are even little comedic moments inserted throughout that 90-second long sequence. (FatinaXroper tentacle rape dakimakura, lol) Who wouldn’t be interested in a spin-off series with the Druaga guys as normal, maybe slightly MMORPG addicted, high school kids? The song was okay, I guess. Maybe not as catchy as Swinging(?), cos I can’t quite remember what it sounds like right now.

2) JilxFatina Woo Hoo! Coconut Jam and Jil were both a bit too nice for anything exciting to happen the first time round. JilxFatina, on the other hand, is somehow just the right comedic mix of tsundere and cluelessness. Down side is I’ve got a feeling we’re going to end up back at the season one pairings again somewhere down the line. “Neeebaaa~!” (yucks)

3) Unemployed ex-heroes! Job Change Time!! Imagine if FFT had an advanced job class like Souvenir-Peddling-Tour-Guide or Hikkikomori-Living-Off-His-Girl. Interesting take on how our heroes are getting on in their currently mundane lives. I seriously dun want them to go off on some other adventure cos this is just a darn lot of fun, but alas…

4) LOL Utuu’s actually a handsome dude! Those who recognized the signature deep voice of Kyouran’s Lion-san before the in-show revelation would be basking in otaku pride right now.

5) New loli chara with morphing boob size. Actually she’s got both loli and adult forms somehow. The most entertaining new character. I mean, she gropes Fatina, does totally random loli stuff and says “GAO!”. What’s not to like?

6) Sorry, this video is not available in your region… =( WTF? So the Crunchy distribution thingy didn’t work out or is Gonza just racist? Haha. Haven’t been keeping up with my anime industry news lately. Anyway… get your plane tickets to Japan ready! =p

Marimite – Good to Know. Same old Marimite. Probably a bit hard to get into without watching the previous 3 seasons, downgrade to “No Need to Know” if you haven’t been following the series. Love the yuri imagery.

Asu no Youichi – Good to Know. Pretty standard harem fanservice show. Looks good to me. I’m not too picky about my fanservice. The guy has sword techniques named “Hayate” and “Nagi”, but, no, I don’t think that counts as a HnG reference. Satou Rina is in another onee-san role (nice…), Hanazawa is another loli, Tamura Yukari is some doujin-drawing hentai girl, while Tomato seems to be all over the place and I can’t recognize her voice. One funny bit in Ep 1 was when the guy was trying to find the loli’s onee-san through descriptions of her boobs, i.e. “What about this one? Too small?...”.

Sora wo Kakeru Shojo – Good to Know. Sci-fi Moe? I dunno. The show’s got frantic pacing and lots happening in the first ep. Gives me Idol Master Xenoglossia vibes, and I can’t say that’s a good thing. I’m more interested in the voicework though, the cast list is fantastic. Yukana was somehow outstanding though she only had one line, haha. Getting Fukuyama Jun to play the crazy narcissistic(?) AI was a great idea too. Note the very obvious rierie ninja cameo (Counselor B or something, hope she gets a regular role). Others I can name off-hand are Endo Aya, Nonaka Ai, Nanri Yuka (!), Yukari Tamura, etc etc. Looking forward to some great performances, though I seriously have no idea what this show is about.

Akikan – Good to Know. Watched this a few days back and, frankly, I can’t remember much. Seems like fanservice but there’s more male nudity than anything. Prepare for strategic concealment of male genitalia. Fukuyama plays the wacky male lead. I think he’s more entertaining in such crazy roles than in the LuluXSuzaku emo shit.

Shows waiting to be watched / Shows I’m pretending I haven’t watched: Maria Holic (awesome Show actually), Kuro Kami, White Album, Shikabane Hime (doesn’t really count as new since there’s not even a break in btw seasons), Natsume Yuujinchou (not done with first season).

Notes: This is a work-in-progress, updates to be issued as necessary. In fact, no show is going to get a “No need to Know” by the first episode unless it is really bad or yaoi. The length of an entry is possibly a good surrogate indicator for my interest in the series, or I could be cutting corners so I can go play Capitalism II.

What if Seiyuu were Mobile Suits?

2009-01-02T03:55:00.016+08:00

MSM-07S Z'Gok Commander Type “Miyukichi”

What else can MS stand for besides Miyuki Sawashiro? This is one of the most awesome mobile suits in Zeon’s arsenal during the One Year War. Well, at least in my Zeon Campaign in Giren no Yabou anyway. Need someone to smash through some tough naval defences to land an invasion force? The Z’Gok’s your MS. After that’s done, you’d normally expect it to make way for specialized ground fighters… but guess what? It continues to kick ass on land, leading the way, all the way. This exactly sums up Miyukichi’s performance in Kannagi: She started in a familiar young male role (shota Jin) in episode one, but once that’s done, she shifts into a rare high school osananajimi loli mode in Tsugumi that totally caught me by surprise. She was a fish out of water (just like the Z’Gok), but put up a commendable performance nonetheless. Probably the only thing that the Z’Gok absolutely couldn’t do was fight in space, which is why the job of selling Kannagi DVDs in the omake specials was left to Hanazawa and Tomato. =p Why the commander variant, you ask? Well, even Suigintou admits that she’s the boss, that’s why!

Here’s Miyukichi and her mecha counterpart:

まだまだ地．味．だ．NE！

MS-06F Zaku II “Mamimami”

Introduced early during the One Year War, the Zaku IIF was the most heavily mass-produced and well-known of Zeon's mobile suit forces. (176 cast entries listed on ANN. ‘Nuff said.) Technically designed to fight, and has fought, everywhere. (176 cast entries listed on ANN.) The actual mileage varies greatly depending on the theatre of operations though. Respectable performances can be observed for offensive ops in open terrain where the F-type has decent mobility (Moyashimon, Mnemosyne, Witchblade); or in defensive operations where it simply is not required to move much (School Rumble, Ichigo Mashimaro). On the other hand, the F-type is currently taking 3 long seasons to trudge through the dense jungles of Hellgirl with no sign of victory in sight. At least the promo video for いちぬけwith mamimami in a wedding dress was quite enjoyable. Then again, I was watching it at 2x speed for the very cute chipmunked mami voice.

Jungle green camo pattern for Earthside ops.

MS-14A Gelgoog “Tomato”

A next generation design intended as a replacement for the ageing MS-06F Zaku II (see above) as Zeon’s mainstay mobile suit. It eliminated 37,443 other designs, including the YMS-15 Gyan, during the 6th 東宝 Cinderella audition in 2006, which I believe is the codename of the tender for Zeon’s next-gen MS acquisition. It had a limited production run due its late introduction into the war, and subsequently had little role to play (24 since 2007 actually) in the war’s outcome. Served with distinction in the last battle at Kannagi in an AAM (Archaic Accent Moe) role. Reputed to be a high-performance MS on par with the RX-78 Gundam, though more exposure in theatre is required before we can accurately assess its capabilities. Nice legs, er I mean uh, beam rifle, a feature which its predecessor, the MS-06F, lacked (or did not want to show off for some reason, I dunno). This MS has much potential, and looks poised for mass production at zergling levels in the foreseeable future.

Really nice pair of beam rifles. Note the tummy bulge in both photos where the power plant is located.

A venerable Zaku IIF flanked by a prototype Gelgoog

GAT-X105 Strike “Rierie”

A product of the Earth Alliance’s secret project to develop mobile suits as a counter to ZAFT's mass-produced ZGMF-1017 GINN, the Strike is designed to operate in various configurations through the use of Striker packs. The MBF-02 Strike Rouge is an almost identical Orb copy of the original Strike.

GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike

GAT-X105+AQM/E-X03 Launcher Strike

GAT-X105+AQM/E-X02 Sword Strike

MBF-02 Strike Rouge

GAT-X105E+AQM/E-X09S Strike Noir

GAT-X105+P202QX Strike IWSP

Note that the basic chassis is still largely recognizable even under the impressive armament load of the IWSP striker pack. That said, we are not really interested in how the IWSP pack was attached. In fact, we might even start denying the existence of the GAT-X105 chassis by claiming it’s actually the RX-78-2 in disguise.

Two more, just to piss off Kagamisumi:

MSN-02 Zeong “Emirin” (Note Promininent mouth cannon)

MSM-03 Gogg “Minorin” (Note pronounced ballast tanks)

This is the kind of post you would write if you spent the New Year holiday playing Giren no Yabou.

Bibliography:
Burke's All the World's Mobile Weapons
http://seiup.net/

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T12:10:00.003+08:00

(Not that i give a damn actually, but it makes a good title when I can't think of anything else.)

Nine days till Rierie hits the big THREE-O. I've been enjoying her role as Yuri sensei, Toradora's resident 30 y/o ticking biological time bomb. Didn't think she needed to act for that one. =p

Earlier in the month, in a blog post regarding a live-recording for Hayate Radio, Rie quipped that she's totally pumped at getting such young roles (Maria, 17-sai) when she's already pushing 30. As usual, she'll 頑張って行きます～～！

(The post featured a rierie in Miko mode too, but no pics here cos i left the high quality version behind at home. Maybe later. I'm loafing at work now. Edit: fixed.)

Btw, she claims to have spent Christmas eve playing Dissidia: Final Fantasy. How romantic. I love her even more now.

Kebab = Dubai?

2008-12-23T05:43:00.010+08:00

Realise I’ve been awol for a while. Time sure flies. Everyone in the office is in a festive mood by now - not much is happening. Managed to complete (to some extent) all three projects I had on hand at the beginning of Dec too, so I’m going a bit easier. Got to come up with new stuff to write about soon though; I’m way behind the rather unrealistic target of two papers a month.

How I wish I could submit a paper like this:

RESEARCH REPORT: A LOOK AT KATO EMIRI’S
IMAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

OVERVIEW

1. Seiyuus are getting cuter, especially the chicks. Using Kato Emiri as a case study, this paper is an excuse to showcase her cuteness though it pretends to examine how seiyuu manage their image in the media so as to appear cute at all times.

BACKGROUND

2. Kato Emiri (加藤英美里, born 26 Nov 1983) is a female (I hope) Japanese voice actress working for 81 Produce. Kato hates bugs and loves Snoopy. Google Translate thinks she is Hirano Aya for some inexplicable reason. (Actually this would make a nice research topic in itself; unfortunately, it is outside the scope of this paper.) She has played Maid in Pumpkin Scissors, in addition to Announcer; Female High School Student 1; Friend B; Housewife B; Maid; Shop assistant; and Voice of Flower in xxxHolic.

KATO EMIRI’S IMAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

3. From our observation of her promotion photos, it is likely that Kato Emiri’s image management strategy is anchored upon a single core tactic: she keeps her mouth shut. Real tight. Like so:

4. This has proven to be a rather successful strategy, for she looks really cute in these photos.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STRATEGY

5. This strategy is not without its drawbacks. Candid photos and television screenshots by mean otakus offer the greatest challenge to Emiri’s image control attempts. Observe:

6. The proliferation of such mean-spirited screenies on image boards like Seiup (and this blog) is possibly the greatest threat to the preservation of Emirin’s kawaii image. (Note: No one has actually done the threat assessment. I’m just saying that there might be an iota of a chance that it might have been possibly so in a remotely probable kind of way - so that you can’t fault me if it’s not true in any way.)

POSSIBLE COUNTERMEASURES (See, I said possible again…)

7. The simplest and most straightforward solution would be for Emirin to stop appearing on TV shows or DVD specials or whatever, but that would deprive Kagamisumi of his Emirin videos on youtube, the consequences of which are possibly somewhat disastrous for him.

8. Another straightforward solution would be braces. Buddha knows why she hasn’t got them already. I was under the impression that Japan had pretty good school health services. Maybe the doctors are only interested in measuring school girls’ boobs. Incidentally, Kagamisumi is of the opinion that she needs her teeth the way they are right now to produce her moe voices. I seriously don’t think so.

9. Ventriloquism. Now that would be interesting. Just imagine the “Emirin & Kagamin Show”!

10. Embrace the fact that she has been blessed with a set of menacing incisors plus canines, and audition for the next live-action installment of Resident Evil.

CONCLUSION

11. Actually I like her the way she is. The teeth are kind of cute if you stare at them long enough. As always, there is no point.

Macross Frontier!

2008-12-11T02:03:00.003+08:00

Ok finally finished Macross Frontier (at long last)! Wow I actually missed out quite a bit by not finish this, some of the songs are nice! Now I kind of understand why all the Sheryl fans are all crazy over Motteke! song.

But a song that really caught my ears is Ai Oboete Imasuka. Oboete imasuka! Oh Anata no Oto is not too bad too.

As expected, the plot is... not outstanding and the "plot twist" isn't much of a twist anyway. Vajra becoming human allies? Sigh... Grace the evil one? Wasn't this rather apparent already, only surprise was how that Leon died. Too fast.

Take it as a 25 ep musical and the show excels. So far MF is the show which clocks most songs which I relatively like (not surprising considering the crazy number of songs in the show).

Minorin!

2008-12-09T03:42:00.002+08:00

Wa... 大将 just passed to me soo many Minorin pictures! Waaaa...

Here's a Hinagiku wallpaper!

Doujin lyrics for the ToraDora OP

2008-12-01T22:24:00.003+08:00

Not by me, found the mp3 for this Chinese cover together with the lyrics *cough* “somewhere”. No credits came with the package, though I’d really like to know who the crackpot who came up with this crazy version of an already crazy sounding song was. 佩服，佩服. What I really enjoyed was the bloodthirsty violence that erupted over dumplings. Somehow I find that strangely realistic. And definitely fitting for a Kugimi show. The lady who sang it wasn’t bad either. Well, at least it sounded like a lady.

Here it goes, sung to the full version:
Edit: Here's the short ver dubbed over the OP animation by MoonMai.

燃烧现在就燃烧
莫名其妙被人踩了一脚
菜刀快拿出菜刀
喋血街头后染红了心跳

bye i bye i

今天嗅见味道心血来潮
抛弃大小姐的矜持和外套
墙几米高匍匐街角
成功认定目标东北水饺

从小的家教告诉我不能半途而逃
(不能逃不能逃绝对要吃一个饱)
但是看人潮如此之狂暴世界仿佛充满了野生强盗
(我们饿了)

于是收起了代表人类的微笑
这种时候不(需要)谁来为人师表
举(起了)双(手后)伴(随着)环境胡乱吼叫
饥饿制造真实社交
请你收(回去)代表人类的肢爪(念:找)
这种时候该(祈祷)不要被踩烂脚
如(果有)哪(个人)破(坏了)大小姐粉红鞋凹
小心菜刀火箭炮
注意头爆残人脑
空留骨架被人解剖(念:抛)

bye i bye i

人们看见水饺停止争吵
收敛禽兽态貌手脚仍缠绕
照这样也好我的目标
本来就是吃饱并不是暴躁

终于轮到了伸手拿属于我的水饺
(不要跑不要跑要保住矜持骄傲)
斜刺黑影飘如此之狂嚣伸手瞬间破坏排队的辛劳
(纱布卧槽)

于是收起了理智构筑的段桥
这种时候不(需要)发扬雷锋遗诏
举(起了)菜(刀后)拉(扯着)犯人陷入泥沼
红眼外交鲜血迢迢
请你收(回去)代表人类的肢爪
不要以为大(小姐)天生不会发飚
如(果有)哪(个人)破(坏了)大小姐粉红鞋凹
小心鬼妖望山彪
注意毒药假钞票
空留深山凄厉惨叫

bye i bye i

不要指望现在文明法则有效
只有暴力才(可以)得到东北水饺
举(起了)双(手后)伴(随着)环境胡乱吼叫
饥饿制造真实社交
请你抛(弃掉)正义来欺负弱小
这种时候只(需要)抢夺不要吐槽
如(果有)哪(个人)破(坏了)大小姐粉红鞋凹
小心菜刀火箭炮
注意头爆残人脑
空留骨架被人解剖(念:抛)
小心鬼妖望山彪
注意毒药假钞票
空留深山凄厉惨叫

The Limitations of OS Information

2008-11-30T22:27:00.006+08:00

First up, we have Rierie news. After another 3 weeks’ absence on her blog, finally an update. Said she was too busy with work to update, ごめんねーー＾＾； Also said she’s got zero breaks during the whole of Dec, so it’s a real test of her stamina. Looks like we won’t be getting any more updates in Dec because of that, but she promised to work real hard on her anime, radio and TV programmes (that double R thingy) to make up for it.

Pic of Rierie with Koyama and Hirohashi, her Akasaka co-stars. Actually I wonder what she’s busy with since this season, besides the sucky Akasaka, she again did mostly ninja cameos, e.g Toradora, Yozakura. Contrast that to earlier this year when I could count at least four prominent roles off the top of my head (HnG, Kimikiss, Mnemosyne, KimiAru). Seems like a slump? Then again, she’s got other engagements like miucomi and stuff which I don’t bother tuning in to, so it might possibly be a shift in focus after the agency switch. Who knows?

Oh, mentioned she’s hosting the net radio for online game Get Amped 2 as well. Check out the voice samples on the game’s page. She sounds like a gangster Suigintou.

Speaking of gangsters I’ve started watching Gokusen on crunchy roll. Rather ancient (by internet standards) drama about a Yakuza daughter who becomes homeroom teacher to a bunch of high school delinquents. Hilarity ensues. Kind of like a female version of GTO. Kagamisumi will be interested to know that the female lead played by Nakama Yukie (below) sports jet black twin tails with megane.

There’s an anime version in 2004, but that’s ancient as well (again by net standards). Dun think I’ll be following up on the cartoon version cos it happens to be one of the few shows where I think the 3D actress looks better than the 2D character. Haha, rare point for the 3 dimensional.

Lastly, random Youtube stuff:
Mami says p*nis! And got told off by Ayako. Hahaha….
Saiunkoku OP live by Hirahara Ayaka. Hajimari no kaze. 声音酷酷的蛮喜欢.
愛しい人へ live, Seirei no Moribito ED by Tainaka Sachi. Love her songs, except the hideous ones for F/SN.

Sky Crawlers and more

2008-11-28T22:29:00.003+08:00

Okay so yeah, Sky Crawlers was not bad. As expected, the art for the characters weren't very appealing to me, but the drawing for the backgrounds were surprisingly nice, some looking downright realistic. Not a particularly thought-provoking show, and I also felt quite brain-dead during the show and just let the show bring me around the various places, up in the air and down on the ground. Everyone smokes. Nice music at the end. Mitsuya is cutest.

Also expanded my very limited Gundam knowledge by roughly 300%. Saw the mangas for virtually all the shows I've watched (which was rather shocking to me who lives in the animated world) and saw various figurines here and there (including some very disturbing ones). Oh and a large Asuka Langley figure, which I failed to get a closer look at.

Kusanagi Jr. has the least screentime for a named character.

May'n wasn't around PS when we were there? Aww I'm disappointed, thought I could catch a glimpse of her =P

Emirin's birthday indeed came and gone on Nov 26th. At least I remembered, it's the thought that counts.

Mononoke Hime's soundtrack is awesome. Ashitaka Sekki caught my mum's attention too.

Emo Sounds Too Cute

2008-11-27T13:17:00.006+08:00

Watched The Sky Crawlers last night with the kagamisumi.

Won’t try to review it cos I’m too lazy to think. To put it in a nicer and more pretentious manner so that I’ll hopefully appear less dumb, I don’t see a need to analyse everything down to every nitty gritty detail. Maybe sometimes there’s just no “who, why, when, where, how”. Without thinking at all, I sat through the whole movie simply enjoying the ambience.

And right now I know not why I am so sad. =p Guess it’s one of those movies which leave a long aftertaste.

With that out of my system, it’s time for random stuff which may or may not have anything to do with anything else.

Mendelian inheritance says like begets like. Therefore lolis give birth to lolis.

Wait, or was that Lemarck?

People who don’t stay for the credits miss the ending.

I’m suffering May’n fatigue. Time to move on. Yes, kagamisumi, you can stop shouting “May’n’s over there!”. I won’t fall for it. My sources say she’s gone home.

Emirin's birthday was yesterday.

That onee-san from the ROC rep office is my new idol. Oh, the eloquence! Diplomats and actors/artistes have much in common I believe.

Waifu!

2008-11-26T01:43:00.004+08:00

AHHHHH!

AHHHHHHHH!

Question: Identify the odd Ahhhhh out.

PS: That is Hirano Aya, deshou? My eyes aren't playing tricks on me at 2am, right?

Intelligence Means Winning the War Before a Single Shot is Fired

2008-11-25T18:33:00.007+08:00

She arrives.

She giggles.

Me dies. Good Job to the guys who camped at the airport. Buddha knows how you got wind of the schedule but I love you bros. Whoever you are.

Nyan Blast

2008-11-24T13:44:00.003+08:00

May'n and Nakajima Megumi doing stuff. Guess it's some Macross F promo thing.

公公婆婆请喝茶...

Ranka looks bigger. This is BIG news.

これ、食べていいですか？

Korupsi

2008-11-24T10:31:00.003+08:00

So I went to the cartoon convention.

Truth be told, much of the enthusiasm I had for it had worn out by the time it came around, so I ended up playing Elder Scrolls 3 the whole Sat instead of picking up my pre-reg ticket as planned. Missed Mizuki “Aniki” Ichirou’s concert, which I kind of regret. Missed several screenings of MS Igloo too, though that wasn’t as bad since the DVDs were on sale. (Not that I bought any.)

Got to the convention at 1400 on Sun, the ticketing queue was pretty much non-existent. Started off by recce-ing the place, mainly to locate the main objective, i.e. the concert stage. The gameplan was to be at the stage by 1500 to ensure an optimum view of the concert, so that left me with an hour to check out the other exhibits. The crowd was quite sparse, most of the people were cluster-*ucking at the stage where the Cosplay contest was due to begin.

First thing I looked at was the Gunpla. The Gunpla and figure exhibits were kind of cool, but most of the floor space was taken up by merchandise. Hadn’t budgeted for merchandise, therefore window shop only. Was really itching to get that Zaku if not for the thought of eating nothing but rations for the next 3 months.

The so called Anime Blockbuster zone was a disappointment. This was what the website promised: “This special content area will showcase some of Asia’s best and most successful animes, delivered to visitors via exclusive footage, artifacts, and rare materials behind the creative scenes, such as storyboards, character design, background design, and prop designs.”

This was what I saw: Giant Poster with blurb and mini-intro of main characters. TV screen looping trailers. Obviously aimed at the intro-level for newcomers. Seriously, a one minute visit to ANN is much more informative. Considering that the shows on exhibit (Code Geass, Toradora etc) have been running for some time now or have already ended, shouldn’t they attempt to engage those who can spot the Code Geass spoofs in Lucky Star? Oops, I forgot it’s illegal to spot Code Geass spoofs in Lucky Star.

The Sky Crawlers booth wasn’t bad though, it was the only which delivered. Btw, let’s go watch the movie, I think it’ll be good. Opens on 27 Nov.

I was done with all the exhibits in less than half an hour, there’s really nothing much to do if you’re not into the goods. Off to the stage I went. The amount of unintentional humour at the cosplay thingy was superb. The Knightmare Frame field repair was entertaining. Mizuki, one of the cosplay contest judges, performed three songs, the themes for Mazinger, Babel II and Captain Harlock. One word: GAR. How I wished I had turned up the previous evening.

The crowd dispersed after the Cos thing - my cue to move in and occupy a choice spot for the concert, a spot which I was to occupy for the next 4 hours. Next up was a screening of 次元爆弾 by Studio 4°C. Stunning visuals, but the surrealism just went over the top of my head, i.e. I dun get it. Ya, I’m a shallow bastard who understands only harem comedy and yuri action. Point to note was that one of the seiyuu for that episode was Kanno Youko. Like wow.

The next 2 hours were spent waiting at my chosen spot. I think I had probably gone mad. But thanks to that madness I managed a first row spot in the free section, with a largely unobstructed view of the stage. Local band Quis came on stage at 1830. They sang jap songs, mostly from anime like GTO, FMA, Deathnote. The L’ arc En Ciel-like stuff. They were pretty good, could probably give the band wannabes on TV a run for their money. The lead guitarist needs to work on his “showmanship” stat though. He looked bored.

May’n came on stage at 1920. Fantastic stage presence. I think she’s been working on her performance too cos I see marked improvement since her appearance on TV some time ago (that video with the Original May’n Greeting TM). Scary.

Nothing much more I can add, since you’ve got to see it for yourself to appreciate it. Maybe there's some video on Youtube? Anw, here’s the list of songs performed, from first to last:

Welcome to my Fanclub’s Night
What ‘bout My Star
Infinity
妖精
Diamond Crab Ass
Northern Cross
射手座午後９時Don’t be late

That’s about all of Sheryl’s songs. Oh, someone taught her to speak english sunny island south of Truly Asia style or something. "Many many people", she said.

My voice is hoarse from the shouting and I sprained my left big toe from tiptoeing. Maybe I should cancel my leave and get an MC instead.

Dompet is a Harimau

2008-11-20T22:28:00.005+08:00

Emiri and Shiraishi Minoru's cameo on 女子大生会計士の事件簿. I'm trying to figure out which episode as well.

Went to the National Museum today and realised it has pretty good voice acting for its exhibits. FYI, every visitor is issued a "companion guide" which is essentially a giant walkman which narrates the story behind each exhibit. Risking the label of 汉奸走狗, I decided to be weaboo and select the Japanese language track. Several exhibits attempted to recreate certain scenes from the past, which is where the voice acting comes in. Going by the high standard of voice acting, they definitely got professionals to do it. I wouldn't mind spending a whole day there, since it's almost like a drama CD, haha. Then again, I'm judging by anime standards, so it might sound cheesy to native speakers, i wouldn't know. Found the idea of two leftist chinese school students (hey kagamisumi, look your sempais) conversing in Japanese extremely amusing though. Didn't have time to check out the other languages, but i hope they were just as good.

This is wols but...

2008-11-19T21:10:00.004+08:00

你好，我叫玛丽亚。

Use it or lose it, man.

Tsundere Town Anthem

2008-11-16T14:51:00.007+08:00

ツン　ツン　デレ　ツン　デレ　ツン　ツン
ツン　ツン　デレ　ツン　デレ　ツン　ツン
ヨウガインタ降りてすぐ
お店は九時にはしまいけど
早寝
早起き
いいじゃない！

あかいめがね　くろいかみ　しろいパンツ

2008-11-15T23:34:00.018+08:00

Nah. I just tot it'd be white.

This post has nothing to do with rierie.

I'm turning into a tabloid reporter. Got to say i'm enjoying myself coming up with the most ridiculous and cynical conspiracy theories though. Crazy stuff like armed conflicts being started to justify defence budget increases. Stuff like blogs being used in info ops. Btw, i've got to stop updating from the office. Hits from the ministry in the logs gave me a mini surprise until i realised they coincided with my night duties.

haha.

Indon class is finally coming to an end. Though the lessons were rather draining, I'll definitely miss them; they were tonnes of fun. Over the course of five weeks, several running gags have come into being, providing side-splittingly hilarious moments of distraction.

Firstly, saying "Amb*lat belongs to Truly Asia" gets our nice indonesian lady teacher (who we call Ibu) all fired up, buying us 2 min of nap time while she disputes the offending statement. "What is 'burung unta'?" works as well, coz she was initially confused between ostrich and turkey. She's now absolutely clear that we don't (usually) eat ostriches on christmas. Oh ya, and there's the absolutely random proclamations of "harimau!" (tiger) which crack her up long enough for us to wiggle out of tough questions.

We invented our own words and phrases as well, the theory being adding the letter 'i' to the end of any english word turns it into an Indon one (see: reformasi, etc.). So someone would say something really random like "slashi" (/), to which our dear Ibu would gasp in horror then proceed to explain that it's actually "garis miring". The grandmother of all made-up phrases would have to be "kosong atas kosong" (zero on zero) - used when you can't remember how to say '8'.

It's fortunate that our teacher has got the patience of a buddha and takes all this nonsense in good humour. It's been a long time since i laughed like this.

Busy and Slack

2008-11-11T05:42:00.004+08:00

You missed one pic. Sign seven extras. Wait, since it's one of rierie going Kira!, make it 21.

Michiko and Hatchin is a pretty good show, definitely worth a look at least. Got to admit that the presence of sekushi nee-san always sways my vote somewhat though.

Oh ya, please please cut the tsundere song and Miyukichi's "FU*K!!" for me once you get to Yozakura ep 6. I wanna use it as a HP ringtone.

Trawl...

2008-11-10T17:44:00.008+08:00

Wow, amazingly today, just a brief scan online yielded an amazing field of pictures.

Without further ado, ikimashou!

Wow... Rierie... speechless.

Tomato's smile as sweet as ever. She seems to like pastel-ish colours for background.

Kawaii! Don't know who though.

AHH AHHH AHHHH!

Anyway, I've finally finished Nodame S1 after a long long time. Ending was sweet, rather saccharine, but still nice. The style of humour is fun and cute, and so far, Nodame herself can carry the whole series despite being rather quirky and weird. Her obsession with Purigota is rather... -_-" Chiaki is an ok male protagonist whose rise to fame-dom is rather expected and ok to watch. I like how the characters interact among themselves. Oh and the Special is funny, though I would have thought Nodame would have known of Chiaki's phobia of the sea already.

Toradora-wise, I still think Kushieda Minori is a much cuter character than Taiga herself... And I await with bated breath how Ami would develop as the series proceed on.

2008-11-06T21:37:00.002+08:00

たくさんの思い出がある
他にはなにもいらない

さようなら

Working on Me Tabloid Reporting Skillz

2008-11-06T04:56:00.005+08:00

After a 3-week period of inactivity this time, Rierie's blog is now updated. Seems she took a break bcos of some throat ailment but she's all fine now. In fact, she's fine enough to run around some Meiji University's campus carnival dressed in a nurse outfit. Now that's how a world class institution of learning runs its carnivals.

Kinky.

Btw, Rie's ailment was most likely a URTI but for all we know its actually a UTI. If i'm not wrong bunny suits are a risk factor for UTI because of poor ventilation. The timing was about right too. Then again, another hypothesis could be that she busted a rib in a catfight with amisuke. =p

Kangaroos Know Their Own Dongs

2008-11-05T19:42:00.002+08:00

I just had another one of my retarded seiyuu dreams, i.e. dreamt of one. Been, what, 8 months since the last? Wonder what precipitated this particular one. Anyway, here goes the story this time…

Once upon a time, on a sunny island south of Truly Asia, there lived a guy called I, who decided to go to the shopping mall for some reason I (me) can’t quite remember. I (the guy) might have been attending some anime convention.

At the Entrance to the Shopping Mall was an apparel store. To get straight to the point, Rierie was the sales girl. Oh right! Being an ardent admirer of this Rie, I (the guy) stood there staring like an idiot. Note that I (the guy) is well behaved even if this was a dream. I (me) thinks I (the guy) is an idiot.

Just then, I (the guy) was approached by the Rie.

“What you looking for ah?” asked the Rie in perfect Sunny island south of Truly Asia accent (Ah Lian variant).

Somewhat disappointed but still excited like mad, I (the guy) muttered something incomprehensible and walked off towards the escalators. I (me) seriously thinks I (the guy) is an idiot.

However, a new Boss awaited on the next floor. Kugimi (in an apron and headscarf) was selling pancakes. I (me) forgot which kind, probably bcos I (the guy) didn’t really stay long enough too find out. I (me) really thinks I (the guy) is an idiot.

Fleeing from Kugimi, I (the guy) ran into Kikuko Inoue 17 Sai, who was milling around like an NPC in some SNES era RPG. By that time, I (the guy), was probably bloody sure that this must be the most awesome convention ever bcos even the auntie selling pancakes is Kugimi. I (the guy) was perplexed though, by how no one else seemed to recognize the celebrities(?), yet secretly bloody happy since he can now claim elite seiyuu fan status.

To cut a long dream really short, since I (me) am late for work, the convention was held on the top of the building. Somehow it was already nighttime. I (me) said “already” but I (me) didn’t actually know at what time of the day I (the guy) started climbing the Mall. Highlight of the day was a performance by, of all people, Nakahara Mai. Ya, the sharp-nosed one. But on closer inspection, it’s actually a trap. The trap sang Kohaku (by Shimokawa Mikuni) for some reason. I (the guy) sang along in the audience, even though he knew it was a trap. And despite the fact that he was sucking on a sweet. I (the guy) had one of the happiest days of his life.

The End.

Edit: uploaded 15 hours late bcos my net connection was down for some reason. it's been buggy since i got infected with some bloody spyware/trojan/virus from that supposed PS2 emulator. I think people can stop trying to reach me on MSN for the time being cos i'll most probably only receive the message the following day if i do at all.

Drunken Blogging

2008-11-03T01:04:00.000+08:00

I’m now hooked on 雨が降る(?), the Linebarrels ED by Sakamoto Maaya. Really beautiful song. This is another example of a sucky show with great music. I swear there were others but I can’t quite remember right now. Brain’s a bit addled by alcohol.

Other new songs that are on my playlist this season:

Motto hade ni ne, Tomato Haruka (Kannagi OP). This one got on my radar more because of the dancing in the OP than anything else. Catchy tune, but I’m kind of getting sick of it already.

Discotheque, Mizuki Nana (Pantsu + Vampire OP). Dancing… Churu churu churu payapa… the choreography for the OP and Nana’s PV are identical if I’m not wrong. Love the churu churu churu payapa. Dun like the censor bats.

Pre-Parade, Kugimi + Kitaeri + Hocchan (Toradora OP). I just like the “pari-pari” bits. Otherwise quite retarded.

Forgot the title, Kemeko Gang (Kemeko DX OP). Crazy. Mad man. Imelda. Jesus, jesus, jesus, kami-sama!

Just Tune / Nagareboshi, can’t remember off-hand (Yozakura Quartet OP/ED). Can’t quite remember which is the OP and which the ED. Both are decent but not breathtakingly decent. Meaning they are not indecent. I might be drunk already.

Town Anthem aka Tsundere Song, Hime-chan (Fukuen Misato?), (Yozakura Quartet Insert). Tsun tsun dere tsun dere tsun tsun. Tsun tsun dere tsun dere tsun tsun. I seriously hope this comes out in the OST somewhere. Come to think of it we still dun have that musical number from Kurenai. Totally unacceptable. So unbecoming.

Northern Cross, May’n, (Macross F ED / Insert / whatever). Macross is over? Oops. I can sing the whole song now though. Somehow the tongue twistery bits are really fun to sing. Would you pay 100 bucks to watch her sing it live? Somehow I’m starting to think my $8 two-day pass isn’t even going to get me standing room during the gig. Time to break out my PLA surplus binoculars. Wait. Was it Soviet? Can’t quite remember what the PRC guy peddling it for 20 bucks said.

Gravity, m.e.o.v. (Raki Suta insert). Full version just came out. Amazing that the LS Holstein (I dun mean miyuki) is still being milked after one year. My favourite LS song, besides Sore Ga Ai Deshou, which doesn’t really count actually.

And thanks to okto’s split from Vasantham, I no longer get to watch anime in the office (though I caught bits of Tytania on NHK the other day. Dun think its airing, just some documentary.)

无题

2008-10-23T05:01:00.004+08:00

""Suara"（スアラ）とはインドネシア語で "声" を意味する。"

“Suara” means “voice” in Bahasa Indonesia.

(She’s the singer for OP/2nd ED Utawarerumono)

Wow.

Indon class sure is fun. Guess how many guys shouted “BANKAI!” when the word “bangkai” (carcass) was mentioned. That was seriously rather amusing. Of course, I had to join in the fun as well, though I’ve long given up on Bleach. And as you can see, this language course has a rather morbid focus on terms to do with death and destruction. Krauser II would be pleased.

Btw, I’ve pre-registered for the Sheryl Nome thingy on 22-23 Nov. Note that I call it the Sheryl Nome thingy cos I wouldn’t be going otherwise. =p

蓝绿各打五十大板

2008-10-22T04:22:00.007+08:00

Was bargain hunting for cheap retro games and found Giren’s Ambition PS2 version. Not really retro but it is at least six years old so what the heck. Burned pretty much the whole weekend playing, but got a bit sick of having dirt cheap Type-61s overrun my shiny Zakus through sheer numbers. Makes sense, since for the same weight-class a tank would probably be the more efficient design, it’s just less shiny and less popular with the kids.

I remember one show which did try to “realistically” portray its mecha though. What the scriptwriters for Gasaraki came up with was that humanoid mecha, Tactical Armour (TA), are specialized weapons designed for urban ops in which the TA relies on its flexibility to beat the tank’s superior armour and firepower, e.g. it can fire around a street corner but the tank cannot. What they forgot was that Taliban militants armed with RPGs and IEDs can be stealthier than any mech, even those equipped with mirage colloid / minovsky / GN particle camo. Can’t really blame them, the show was produced pre-2001. Then again, a squad of TAs proceeded to pwn an entire mechanized battalion in wide open desert several episodes in, so what can I say besides “hey, at least Sunrise gave us Gintama”.

Mighty busy with Indon class as well; up to my neck with revision and homework I’m supposed to be doing but obviously not. I don't even want to think about the reports that are very behind schedule and the weekend duty coming up. Fuck, i just did.

Instead of mugging for my vocab test later in the afternoon, I shall now write a rabu reta to Rierie in Bahasa Indonesia. Behold the power of procrastination:

Rierie yang tercinta,

Anda wanita yang tercantik (dan tergarang) di dunia ini. Saya cinta kepadamu untuk selama-lamanya dan tidak akan lupa kepadamu. (Tapi saya juga suka Miyukichi. Dan Kugimi. Dan Mami. Dan Ayako. Maaf.)

Kentang.

Ok, random pic spamming time.

Minorin and Sakakibara "live" in Taipei this Dec. That's good, they avoid mass protests that the DPP is trying to pull off. But who knows what will happen in Dec? Taiwan is so fun.

Mami's room layout apparently, though a few years old. She's got a huge bed. Hmmm....

Meronpan. Wow! Meronpan. Yay! Superduper yummy! (i'm singing the Paddlepop ad jingle from aeons ago if you haven't realised. Anyone knows if they've changed it?)

PS. Title is no indication of my political inclinations, just tot it's a cute little slogan. (Btw, i'm pan-blue cos green is just such a hideous colour.)

2008 Fall

2008-10-21T19:51:00.005+08:00

So far I've only caught a few shows this season, and there are so many more left...

Clannad AS: As expected from KyoAni, this one delivers and I am enjoying this season of Clannad. I'm a little jolted by the RakiSuta faces in ClannadAS 03 though, as it was rather unexpected. All the characters are cute as usual, except Kyou seems to have morphed a little into "dark" Kyou, which is scary... Tomoyo is rather aloof though. Probably a post-Clannad 24 effect. Kotomi-nano is still very cute. Nagisa became rather endearing, and she should wear her new hairstyle more often! I shall not venture into Mei and Sanae's territory lest I start blubbering here.

Kannagi: Great OP, fun storyline. Nagi is quite a amusing character, though I wonder how the story will progress from here as there doesn't seem much that both of them can do other than hunt bugs or start uncovering Nagi's past and fighting "bugs" ala Shana. From the OP, it may well take a Slice of Life-ish comedy turn and then things may be looking good (maybe).

Toradora: Wasn't particularly drawn into this show as I keep getting Shana-vibes everywhere. Actually, just from Taiga alone. I have a little more interested in the Taiga's friend and that is not a good thing I think. Male protagonist is very dull.

To Aru Majustsu no Index: Cute and cute, Index is cute, lightning-girl is tsuntsun and there is a crazy smoking loli who is a teacher which scares me. Male protagonist isn't too bad. Storyline so far is very Shana-ish (again, what's up with that? Must be the JC Staff effect) and the antagonists are beyond dull. Next episode with some nice swordplay may be more fun, but then again, I'm not really into sword-swinging-shojos (I don't hate them, but I don't award points for that). Still, there's quite a bit more character development and history to look forward to, and the animation so far is nice, so it's been enjoyable.

And that's all I've managed to catch up to this season. 4 shows is mad, and still got more. Last season I only caught how many ah... So many kena temporarily dropped. Oh well.

And I spammed Utawarerumono today. A crazy 13 episode marathon to reach the ep15 mark now. Aruru-chan wa kawaii! But the middle of the series is starting to become a little sian because nothing much is happening besides some soldiers slashing each other and house-burning. Also getting a lot of supernatural elements coming into play suddenly which makes the power balance in the show go out of whack. The crazy emperor of the too-long-to-remember-the-name country also has a horrifying which grates me every time he laughs. I like how the transition Hakuoro had from village head to emperor is carried out though, how life changed for him and Eruru/Aruru, how responsibilities changed, and the calm samurai-general is quite a cool character. Yuzuha just needs to open her eyes ala Nunnally.

Oh and the twin archers are cute.

Yes and their gender are (rather) undefined.

So, they better be onna no ko's.

Mutilasi Rambutan

2008-10-16T05:35:00.005+08:00

The Fall 08 study guide has been reviewed and reissued, with changes to the following items.

Tytania – Good to know. Dune-ish Space Opera. There was some attempt at showing large-scale battle tactics but I can’t guarantee that degeneration into mobile suit/knightmare frame duels wouldn’t happen. At least there aren’t any mobile suits yet.

Ga-Rei Zero – Upgraded to Must Know. The action is well choreographed and smoothly animated, plus the WTF factor has got me totally hooked. I have no idea where they’re going with the *spoiler* high body count of characters *spoiler end* and I can’t wait to find out.

Skip Beat – Upgraded to Must Know. The protagonist is a spunky mad girl who is mad. Think of her as a powered-up version of Kasahara from Toshokan sensou with a much less innocent, and crazier, motivation.

Kurozuka – Level of advice remains unchanged. I see a naked woman in ep2.

And the following additions.

Tentai Senshi Sunred – Might need to know. A spoof of the tokusatsu, i.e. “power ranger” genre. The hero Sunred lives off his girlfriend. The evil monsters have part-time jobs at the supermarket because scheming to take over the world doesn't pay very well. Short episodes good for a laugh when you have 15 minutes to spare.

Stitch – Mana ada subs?

Meanwhile, at the Tokyo Game Show…

…Rierie Vs Amisuke Part 2. Can you feel the animosity radiating from Rierie’s cleavage? Let’s just hope Asumi managed to escape the collateral damage.

Refer below for a brief history of the Rie-Ami Feud (?)

The fact that both were looking in opposite directions during the Kimikiss interview has been cited as evidence of less-than-pleasant feelings between them. What a shining example of investigative journalism. Rierie does look bloody fierce in the video though (it’s somewhere on youtube or nico).

My hypothesis is that Rie looks pissed bcos she sprained her neck, which also explains her inability to turn around and face Ami. And no, Kagamisumi, I dun think she’s pissed at Ami for stealing her loot on Monster Hunter because that is just so juvenile. You make her seem as if she’s some 29 year-old gaming otaku who wastes her life away in some MMO-

Oh.

Shit.

My Head Hurts

2008-10-14T04:57:00.004+08:00

A topsy turvy schedule alternating between day and night shifts over the past 2 weeks has split my head in two, i think. Ouch.

But that won't stop me from watching TV!!!

Kagamin, here's your Fall 08 study guide as promised:

Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka - No need to know. Double Rie + Emiri fails to save this show.

Casshern - Didn't watch. It's on TV on Wed nights though.

Chaos Head - Good to know. The bloody loli murder mystery nonsense has my interest piqued.

Clannad - Duh.

Ef - Must know. Seems to be both a sequel and prequel to last season. Naked girl self-portrait wins all.

Ga Rei Zero - Good to know. Brilliant(?) shock ending to first ep. Minorin appears in 2nd ep.

Hakushaku to Yousei - No need to know. You jump i jump, shojo-ish stuff.

Hyakko - Good to know. SOL-ish comedy ala Manabi Straight.

Jigoku Shojo - No need to know. Season 2 DVDs are still sitting on my shelf nearly untouched.

Junjou Romantica - Up to you.

Kannagi - Must know. The OP itself is reason enough to watch if you ask me. Go, Tomato!

Kemeko - Must know. Crazy show with crazy nearly naked girls.

Gundam - Didn't watch.

Kurogane no Linebarrels - No need to know. Great cast, but i dun like the designs, both the character and main mecha. The grunt robots were quite cool though. Going by the first ep, the protagonist is bloody retarded.

Kuroshitsuji - Good to know. Think of it as a semi-gender-swapped HnG with black humour. Watch out for Emirin as clumsy meido.

Kurozuka - Yet to watch. Fast forwarded through it, looks very dark. might watch for Park Romi.

Macademi Wasshoi - Might need to know, but likely to be crap. Feels like a ZnT rip-off.

Mouryou no Hako - Yet to watch. Fast forwarded through it, looks very dark. Might watch if there's yuri.

Nodame - Must Know. Gyabo!!

Noramimi - Didn't make it through season one.

One Outs - No need to know. Didn't like baseball to begin with.

Rosario + Vampire - No need to know, but i'm following for reasons previously stated.

Shikabane Hime - Good to know. I guess you've already got your mind made up on this one, since it fulfils your fetish for seifuku and long black hair all at the same time.

Shugo Chara - What's that?

Skip Beat! - Good to know. Inoue Marina is delightful as the lead, but it's still shojo so probably have to watch out for sparkling guys and stuff. Watch this on TV on Fri nights.

Tales of the Abyss - Yet to watch. RPG-ish stuff tend to turn me off though. Druaga wouldn't have been very good either if not for the humour.

To Aru Majutsutsutsu no Index - Good to know. Naked loli. i guess that's enough reason for you, but just for the record there's Satou Rina too.

Kyou no 5-2 - No need to know. Almost exactly the same as OVA, which was way better (read: ecchi-er).

Toradora - Must Know. Shana/Louise returns. Plus there's Tanaka Rie sensei. Watch this on TV on Thu nights.

Tytania - Yet to watch cos i somehow confused it with Hakushaku to Yousei. Hey, Tytania is a yousei what.

Vampire knight - Screw it.

Yozakura Quartet - Good to know. There's rierie (ninja cameo) and miyuki, plot wise nothing much yet. We'll see.

And some extra stuff to feed your aforementioned fetish.

Even the pantsu is black.

Gadis yang berambut hitam ini seiyuu Makina.

Emiri Has a Swollen Eye

2008-10-10T06:24:00.003+08:00

NO SHIT

2008-10-09T04:53:00.004+08:00

May'n is going to sunny island south of Truly Asia!

Woohoo!

If i had just checked the news a day earlier i would have had an extra day of euphoria. Haha... Every little bit of morale boosting news helps when you're serving the nation, even the lunch menu (it's grilled black pepper chicken today, alright!).

Good thing i've been prepared since Sep and have gotten my annual leave planned out nicely.

Kagamisumi you coming along?

MOTTEKE!!!!!!

いっぺん飛んでみる?

2008-10-08T05:51:00.004+08:00

I see plenty of flighsuits during lunch but, unfortunately, none of them contain a Mamimami. Oh well. Is that suit on auction at eBay? Most prob not, what with the security issues and all.

Coming back to dusty old earth, my long-awaited Indonesian course finally started yesterday. The first lesson was full of fun stuff since we have yet to get to the grammar bits. The instructor, a jolly Indonesian lady, kind of took us on a verbal tour of Indonesia, with a bemusing emphasis on tourist spots. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to know where the prettiest girls can be found. (Java and Bali, according to our teacher. Obviously, she’s from one of these islands.)

Btw, I learnt that “kupu-kupu malam” (night butterfly) means commercial sex worker. Is that some piece of essential knowledge for, like, anyone on an overseas posting? I don’t really want to find out.

Bahasa Indonesia and Melayu are almost the same, yet different enough to give me a mini migraine. Like “kerata” is train and “lori” is a small train that carries sugarcane. Wow. And let’s not forget that “awak” might mean “I” in certain Indonesian provinces. Maybe it’s a good thing after all that I’ve forgotten 97.23% of my Malay.

The confusion doesn’t stop there though. The word “nakal” (naughty) came up and the first thing that came to my mind was “cry”. I realized it wasn’t 泣くonly a few seconds later, as in ひぐらしのなく頃に. Just hope I won’t be blurting out “Ini berapa desuka?” in class anytime soon.

Cyber-Loafing on Night Duty Part 2

2008-10-04T02:38:00.004+08:00

Hope you enjoyed my craptastic (mis)traslation of emirin's blog post. Emirin's as cute as ever while Gotou looks like she really wanted to be somewhere else. Asumi looks round. If you think this post is more retarded than usual, it's bcos i've read about 200 reports since the afternoon. I believe that sort of activity kind of fries my brain.

そろそろ眠いので, but unlike emiri, i can't sleep just yet bcos i'm at work you see.

Well, at least payday is next week.

Just for a picture

2008-10-03T16:01:00.003+08:00

Google Translate for Jap to English is fail, and I can't decipher the moonspeak on Emirin's blog, so we'll have to make do with a nice yukata pic.

I Am Cyber-Loafing While On Night Duty

2008-09-30T02:49:00.003+08:00

Before i start cursing and swearing at the people who saddled me with two reports to write by daybreak on top of my regular duties, let's attempt to answer this question:

Why did the chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MCCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.......

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ............ reboot.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

LEE KUAN YEW: I am telling u that the highly paid chicken should cross the road first. It is our right to cross the road..

LEE HSIEN LOONG: Gantry points have been set up. All chickens wanting to cross the road are advised to top up their cash cards first.

ABDULLAH BADAWI: We have to be fair to all chickens. Some want to cross over the road, some do not. ........ Zzzzzz .......zzzzzz ....... Now what were we talking about? Ah yes, chickens. We will form a Royal Commission to decide whether it is right for them to cross the road.

MAHATHIR: Now even the non-bumi chickens want to cross the road? How can they disrespect and disregard the bumi chickens? We must be allowed to cross over first. It is our right! ANWAR: We have enough chickens waiting to cross over in September.

SHAHRIR: All foreign chickens are welcome in Malaysia but they must not cross over the road within 50km of the border.

Wong Kan Seng: I am sorry that the chicken was allowed to cross the road. It was an HONEST MISTAKE. Lets move on.

(Note: Not my joke. Too sleepy to think of any.)

ToyoGumi is Cute, No?

2008-09-28T19:34:00.011+08:00

Random interview I came across somewhere. Translated it as a little exercise for myself, learnt a few new words too. I tried not to misquote her, but can't help but guess outright for one particular paragraph (i'll point it out later). Do check out the original and point out any mistranslations.

豊口小姐是什么时候开始观看动画的呢？从小就憧憬声优这个职业吗？

小学高年级的时候开始就经常看动画。被邻家的小孩问道：“你没看吗？”，而开始追看《七龙珠》，从而迷上了动画。

我成为了扮演“饮茶”的古谷徹先生的粉丝，到处找寻由他出演的作品，终于邂逅了命运中的作品《Dragon Quest》。主角Abel由古谷先生配音。

之后非常喜欢这部作品，简直到了可以模仿登场人物声音的地步（笑）。就在和志同道合的朋友玩模仿的当儿，萌生了“当声优真有意思”的念头。那是中学二年级的时候。

原来如此。豊口小姐喜欢上动画的契机是《Dragon Quest》啊。其他喜欢的动画呢？还有，学生时期有没有热衷于其他的事物呢？

说其他的应该就是《美少女战士》吧。果然还是古谷先生出演的作品。

那时期，动画以外的节目我几乎完全不看。那时流行的音乐也不太记得了（笑）。不过，由声优主持的广播节目我倒是听蛮多的。因为是深夜节目，我老是得用录音带录下来。

听说豊口小姐中学毕业后就认真地踏上了迈向声优的道路，这是真的吗？

没错。中学毕业后便向父母说要上声优校。结果被老妈理所当然的骂了一句“给我上高中！”，于是暂时就上了高中（笑）。

高中快毕业时，我再次向老妈提出要上声优校，这次她却说“上了声优校也未必能当上声优吧”……. 我也奇妙地就接受了。

原来是这样啊。在双亲的反对下贯彻自己的志愿需要很大的勇气吧。但是，就算如此还是没放弃声优的道路是吧？

暂时是放弃了当声优的念头，想想还是希望能从事和声优有关的工作，便报读了专门学校的音响艺术科。

因为常听广播，所以想成为电台工作人员。但是，刚入学便通过了试音！

豊口小姐成为声优的契机是试音？

中学，高中时报名参加了不少试音，不过总是没通过（笑）。我是抱着“这是最后一次”的心情应征了文化放送的广播节目《広井王子のMulti天国》中的火星Girl。

节目中的广播剧因为即将做成Game，为了给游戏宣传造势而公开招募火星Girl一角的配音员。

我就在这次中了大奖。之后在节目中成为Regular，踏出了配音生涯的第一步。

正式作为声优的出道作品是什么呢？

出演动画之前是有为广播剧，游戏配音。第一次接到动画的工作是在加入声优经理公司81 Produce 之后的事。

那部动画是NHK的《Alice SOS》，我的动画出道作。

《Alice SOS》也是通过试音才接到的吗？

是的，这项工作是通过试音才接到的，老实说我从头到尾都搞不清楚状况就完成了试音。

太紧张了吧~。试音不管经历了几次感觉还是一样的。

声优这行，所演役的角色常常会被定型吗？

可能是这样吧。我演的“阳光少女”比较多，不过最近也诠释了较成熟的角色。

随着年龄的增长而角色有所演变，我对这点感到庆幸。

谈到值得庆幸的事，除了碰上好角色外，还遇到了不少贵人。

第一次接到的工作是《広井王子のMulti天国》真是太幸运了。“就算不行也得尽力”之类的想了好多。

虽然没人开口教我怎么做，不过身边有好多可以学习的榜样。指路的向导好多啊。大家全都是Professional，想追上他们…… 不，就算只想接近他们（的水平）一点就已经很不得了了（笑）。不过，把目光放远有助于自己的成长吧。

如果起初轻易地就进了声优校，我觉得对待工作的意识会有所不同。

那么，在什么时候会让你感到“当声优真好！”？

我身边的朋友多数都已经结婚生子。这么一来，可以直接从他们的小朋友口中听到对我演出的感想。

还有，亲戚朋友的小孩会在幼儿园炫耀说“我的妈妈是小光的朋友哦！”。

听到时好高兴哦。 Btw, “小光”是我在《Pokemon Diamond & Pearl》里的角色。

小孩子都很直率，我的演出也不能作假。不努力不行啊。

Btw, 去年为电影配音了吧。和声优的工作有什么分别吗？

为韩国电影《两百磅美女》的女主角配了音。基本上工作是没什么分别，只不过给电影配音时，听得见音乐，效果音，还有演员原来的声音，给动画录音时则是在无音的情况下进行。

电影配音说到底只是为登场人物配上声音，动画方面则可以作为原役者而有更大的发挥空间。

给电影配音时，会带上耳机听原声，习惯了平常的无音状况，耳朵里听得见声音感觉上有所不同。

不过，听得见音乐也让我能更容易地融入剧情。配音字面上的意思虽然相同，可工作时的感觉却全然不同。

海外动画的制作方式，和日本有什么分别吗？

海外动画多数是先录音后作画，也就是所谓的“pre-scoring” 日本方面，则是作画与录音同时进行，怎么说还是对着影像配音较多 (“after-recording”）。

因为配音时得把时间掌握得准确无误，日本声优在这方面的技艺较佳也说不定。

(Note: Examples of anime which used the pre-scoring technique include Kurenai and the new Eva movies. It makes for more natural conversations, as can be seen in the seamless banter among Murasaki and gang.)

去年为电影配音, 今年五月也首次参与了舞台剧吧。

一向来都很想参与舞台剧，演出决定下来的时候好高兴。可是，真正试过以后才知道站在舞台上演出其实一点也不简单。

声音的大小得依据剧场的规模而做出调整，平常演绎动画角色时也不需要肢体动作，但在舞台上却非得靠动作表演不可……。

此外还不能不面对各种媒体。真让人觉得作为演员不能干可不行啊（笑）。

舞台可是活生生的是吧。不过、独一无二的现场演出中的那种Live感很棒吧。对于演员来说的舞台又是怎么样的呢？ (i'm guessing)

从身体状况开始、co-star的tension、到看官的反应、天天都不一样。站在演员的立场，再次体会了舞台上现场演出的感觉。正因如此、it reached the point where I want to watch more theatre for the sake of learning.

那么，豊口小姐所尊敬的女演员是谁呢？

本田美奈子小姐。曾经观赏过一出她出演的音乐剧，本田小姐不论是演技还是歌艺，总而言之好Power。

真的是我好欣赏的人。想到再也见不着了实在是很遗憾。

（Note: 本田美奈子逝世于6 Sep 2005，享年38。）

最后，请分享一下你今后想挑战的事。

至今广播，动画，Event, 电视，配音，种种工作都尝试过了。

今后，我想将其一一巩固。

还有，这十年来，我承蒙不少人的照顾才走到了这一步。为了能报答他们，我要更加努力。

Reasons why Lucky Star OVA was a good laugh:

2008-09-27T11:58:00.003+08:00

1) MMO party
2) The Legend of Tsunderella (Look out for Tohsaka Rin)
3) Tsuakasa-in-a-net
4) “今やみゆきさんは銀河の歌姫。MOTTEKE 違いんなんだよね…”

I was just waiting for the Sheryl Nome reference. Didn’t understand what the Lulu lines were doing there, but loved them all the same. Guess KyoAni did not disappoint.

Good Job!

It was a good day to die

2008-09-23T02:28:00.006+08:00

Yesterday was a good day.

Firstly, I managed to pass me Eye Pee Pea Tea with flying colours.

万歳！

Secondly, I just told a big fat lie. As far as flying colours are concerned, I flew about as far as the crazy chicken girl in True Tears. But a pass is a pass, and I did set a few all-time personal best scores, so some celebratory Lucky Stripes strips are due. Well, as soon as I think of a knockout punch line that fits neatly into the fourth frame, of course. Alternatively, we can just hang on for a few days for the Raki Suta OVA on Friday, which does actually sound a lot better then some half-baked doujin strip.

Thirdly, somehow a day off from work kind of fell out of the sky and into my lap. Amazing nonsense. Now I’m known as the first to get awarded a day off for writing an imba report, which ironically has been praised as an example of a balanced analysis. The thing is, I didn’t actually write the report bcos it’s been edited so many times I no longer recognize it. Awesome, no? Let’s show them the kind of balanced analysis I’m truly capable of.

“Kagamin has a big head, but she’s totally 2D, so that balances things out.”

What a piece of totally awesome balanced analysis!

I shall now award myself a day off from blogging.

"Are you thinking what I’m thinking, R1?"

"I think I am, R2."

"It’s Seiyuu Mutilation Time!"
"It’s Seiyuu Mutilation Time!"

バニーガール

2008-09-21T21:29:00.034+08:00

Decided to sneak a peek at Rierie's blog before catching an episode of Yakuwhatshername Ryoko and ended up writing this instead.

Well, the first thing that greeted me on the page was バニーガール理恵 (who features in this month's copy of some seiyuu magazine i'll never cough up the cash for). Thanks to people with scanners and internet connections, that's no longer news to me. Actually i'm still undecided as to whether i like the pics or not. Somehow i feel bad staring at Bunny Rie.

Moving back one post, we get Rierie looking smart in a mansuit. Koyama Rikiya is in the pic as well but i don't think anyone cares. No, they're not trying to fuel a scandal (google "kakihara+noto"), they're pairing up to host a new seiyuu variety show called Club ATX Double R (Rie & Rikiya) which starts on 5 Oct. According to Rie, they're suppose to be a pair of aliens who go around abducting random seiyuu guests everyweek for some seiyuu mutilation fun.

This show sounds like it was inspired by the latest Gintama arc, where Monkey Hunter-crazy alien gamers abduct everyone and modify random body parts into screwdrivers so they can fix their PSP. Poor Gintoki got his penis upgraded into some kind of socket wrench with which he used to screw the aliens quite literally in the end. As far as i can see, Double R has got all the plot points covered, down to the Mon-Hun fanatic alien. Sounds fun, but I dun think anyone will be interested enough to upload the raws, much less sub it. I mean, mention Club ATX and all Kagamisumi can think of is Yanagino Reiko.

After about 137 posts, I realised that trying to write a proper conclusion to a piece which is essentially about nothing can be quite hard.

So let's just spam yukata pics. This is Rierie, btw. I think. If it's someone else, that's fine too. I'm a free thinker, which means i'm free to worship all the 女神 i want.

Gotou Saori, who plays Random Operator A in Zettai Karen Children. She's got the looks for an idol seiyuu, but me thinks her micky mouse voice kind of lets her down. Hasn't had any memorable roles either. Actually i'm paying so much attention only because we share the same birthday (and i think she's cute). Oh well, 後藤さん加油！

That's 3 languages in one sentence, bcos i feel like i'm being outdone by Kagamisumi recently in the trilingualism department.

Enma Ai, ie 地獄少女 aka Mamimami. To side track somewhat, i made a typo in the previous sentence and ended up with 地獄処女. Let's sell them that idea for season three, might just give the series a much needed shot of epinephrine. To get back on topic (if there was one to begin with), Mamimami is cosplaying Enma Ai - in a way. Maybe she didn't mean to, since it's so easy to look like the character as long as you have long straight hair with bangs chopped straight across, wear a kimono and sound like a ghost. Guess we'll never know for sure.

I really should start with the title next time

2008-09-17T06:20:00.006+08:00

I had the privilege of devising more Truly Asian school exam papers over the weekend, which was a lot of fun since I didn’t have to do it for a living and could afford to sneak apparently innocuous anime references into the questions. For example:

Error Identification

1) Lulu was upset that things did not go his way.

Can you spot the grammatical error in that question? Fans of Code Geass are probably at a disadvantage. =p

Wish I could share the rest of my handiwork here, but it’s an exam paper after all. Even if no one reads this, it’s probably a bad idea. Btw, I still find it amazing that someone who blogs in broken English can get asked to set grammar questions.

(Psst.. here’s a hint for those kids who are lucky enough to randomly come across this post: “The trap had been broken…”.)

Oh well, Lucky Star OVA coming soon on 26 Sep I think, the same day Rierie’s New York gig starts. There’s a nice trailer floating around somewhere on the net. Loved the bit where the gang were in some MMORPG of sorts. And Hatsune Kagamin as well. Can’t wait.

I’ll just spam photos of LS-related seiyuu since cute pics are pretty self-explanatory.

That last one is the best Konata cosplay i've ever seen.

Dearth of HDD space

2008-09-12T02:16:00.007+08:00

So, nowadays my computer is quite disk space-challenged, so unfortunately, couldn't really do much stuff on it as the import for the new drive is taking ages. Anyway, I've finally finished ef - A Tale of Memories. A pretty fun ride, the show raised quite a few interesting concepts and questions such as the the flow of memory and time, and how we take our brain for granted sometimes without thinking of some implications if it ever fails us. Ah oh well, as usual, my favourite character has to be Miyamura Miyako. Adorable, cute, some whackiness and funny voice. Only problem she has is that she kept running away. Why?

[SPOILER]
However, 大将 said that the ending was GAR. I didn't really find it to be gar... thought the ending was rather weird because while Renji's actions were quite... gar, if Chihiro could have just recalled and remember all the stuff to keep it within the 13 hour limit, well, I guess a diary wouldn't have been that critical to her and the novel would have been very much more achievable. I always thought the premise of the show started with Chihiro strictly having a 13 hour limit and thus the story unfolds.
[/SPOILER]

Anyway, I just acquired some pictures from Rie's blog and would like to invite anyone here to play a matching game. Match the hand to the face!

Faces from A-D

Hands from 1-4

I Think Some Otaku Ghost Is Haunting My Workplace

2008-09-11T21:08:00.006+08:00

Ghostly Encounter Number One

One fine morning, as I was settling down in the conference room for our daily brief...

I heard a whisper.

“Bible Black”.

WTF?

Well, of course the phenomenon can be explained by the relatively high concentration of horny adolescents in my workplace, but it’s spooky nonetheless.

(Btw, I don’t belong in the horny group.)

Ghostly Encounter Number Two

Imagine my shock when I saw these headlines:

Air Force Command Institute fosters new-type air commanders

So the Human Reform League has been conducting Newtype experiments after all. Gosh, Sunrise must secretly have the best intel network in the world. Now that the PLA has got Allelujah and Soma on their side (not to mention maybe Char, Amuro and Killer Yamato), Taiwan is so going to get pwned. They should just scrap the F16 deal and go build some Zakus instead.

Ghostly Encounter Number Three

Conference room again, morning brief. Me walks in half-asleep, plonks my ass on usual chair, open eyes.

Two Dangos starring back at me from the whiteboard.

Scary, no?

Oh wait.

Forgot I had drawn the Dangos while on nightwatch. =p (Accidentally in indelible ink too.)

Despite valiant attempts to destroy them, the insoluble Dangos have been regular participants of all meetings big and small for the past two weeks.

Other Miscellaneous Ghostly Encounters

Voice of KOTOKO issuing forth from someone’s car radio; C.C. appearing in my mailbox; hushed murmurs of “Geass”; me developing the ability to sing the tongue twister of a song that is Northern Cross overnight (albeit only the first few stanzas); the mysterious copy of Gunslinger Girls in the guardhouse; bahasa-dubbed Yugi-Oh suddenly streaming on the video wall; someone humming Koi no Mikuru Denstetsu… Wait, I think that last one was me again.

The Ultimate Spooker

All the above spooky incidents culminated in the ultimate shock this evening - when I least expected it.

Shit.

WHY RIE WHY!?!

アリソンとリリア　ドラマCDI

2008-09-09T04:59:00.005+08:00

This drama CD rox. I'm about 2/3 way through the first track and i'm hooked already. I've always thought the best parts of the show were the light-hearted portions where Allison tries to jump Wil, and the first track of this CD happens to be 17 mins of Allison doing just that.

This short story is set during Fiona's wedding with the hero dude. Allison, inspired by the rabu-rabu mood, schemes with Fiona to, you know, ensure the anime gets an extra 12 eps featuring Lillia. Best of all, the sound-only medium creates some really interesting effects:

Alison: Wanna touch me?
Wil: Alison?
A: It's fine. Look, just go ahead.
Fiona(presumably hiding in the bushes): YES! He's reaching out his hand!!!
W: Here i go...
A: Wil's hand is on me...
W: Here?
A: Yes... Right there...
W: Ah... it feels so soft...

You can imagine the rest.

But knowing Wil, i think you can roughly guess what was really happening. Mamimami's Fiona sounded hilariously 三八 in this episode too, her running commentary under cover is definitely worth a listen.

The CD includes a second drama abt loli Alison enslaving shota Wil but i've no time to go through the whole track. (Got to get back to the office a bit earlier today to clean up the trail of muddy footprints leading from the gate straight to my desk before the RSM gets in.)

There are 2 other songs as well, by Mizuki Nana (Alison) and Kumai Motoko (Wil). Mizuki's song is more to my taste, but not very memorable actually. Grab this CD for the drama. Trust me, it's fun.

First Post Of September, i.e. I'm Rushing Off For Night Shift So There's No Time To Think Of A Proper Title

2008-09-01T11:22:00.005+08:00

Somehow, I don’t feel like writing about anime nowadays. I’m still enjoying my daily dose of cartoon pron though; it’s just that nothing has really made me go nuts enough to churn out a post. Things like Nogizaka Haruka’s dad being connected to Mossad cracked me up, but that’s probably a side effect of daily exposure to bad military puns like Exercise Cold Bra and US Marine Corpse. If you look to the right, you’ll see Merry Time Security right above Rierie.

By the way, it’s the first day of September, and at the point I’m writing this I’ve got 42,647,113 seconds until I complete my service and fuck-off. The ORD date is 5 days after Rierie’s 31st birthday, which happens to be this miko’s 23rd birthday.

Some other random January babies here, I love January babies, especially the ones named Rie and Yukana.

Since there seems to be a glut of pics of stocking-ed seiyuu lately, I was planning to put up a Zettai Ryouikki post. But jimone said she was going to do one, so I’ll wait for it. Definitely wouldn’t mind more stuff like this:

That’s Inamura Yuuna.

Actually I’ve never heard of her till now, the number of shows I’ve watched with her in it can be counted on the middle digit of my left hand (she’s got a bit part in Shigofumi). She’s been around for a while though, which means I’ve still got a long way to go in learning about seiyuu appreciation. But don’t ever believe the teachers who tell you that learning is a life-long process. There’s an obvious conflict of interest here as they’d be jobless if you were done learning.

Anyway…

Quiz time!!

Name the following DFCs:

1st row: Kugimi, Hirano Aya, Kadowaki Mai, Tamura Yukari, Someone who looks really familiar but I can’t quite pinpoint who it is
2nd row: Nonaka Ai, Toyoguchi megumi, Horie Yui, Mizuki Nana, Nazuka Kaori
Dunno, Kitamura Eri, Mizuhashi Kaori, Is she the twin of the first person in the row?, Dunno
3rd row: Dunno, The Miko, Dunno, Dunno, Dunno.

My Score: 12/20
Whew, just made it. To be honest, I cheated on one question so it was really 11/20. I would have said Suara if the words "Nazuka Kaori" weren’t plastered over the pic. =p

Don’t you think they look alike?

(Just in case Kagamisumi is confused already: Suara is a singer whereas Nazuka Kaori is Nunally vi Brittania.)

Twins

2008-08-30T21:03:00.005+08:00

So I've been catching up on some shows that I've been missing, such as ATOM and Keroro. Progress is rather slow, but slowly and steadily, I'm covering some ground. Here's a picture I got:

Kawaii?

But then again, my favourite character (so far) is MiyaMiya. Hilarious and cute.

And the best character in Hidamari also goes by the same name. And cute too.

I have yet to get anything from Comex. Sigh... maybe tomorrow.

Finally, a few pictures full of cuteness from Macross:

Klan showing her girly side

Ranka looking absolutely adorable

Tsun Tsun Klan

MamiMami です

2008-08-28T19:50:00.003+08:00

The 大将 just sent me this awesome picture. じ～～～

Rierie's back

2008-08-28T05:49:00.009+08:00

Her blog's come back alive actually.

Finally a post after more than two weeks, and it seems like she's not feeling too well. I need to know what is a "夏バテ". From context, i'm guessing it's some illness, but i have to know if it's bacterial or viral or immunogenic so that i know whether to mail her a tub of ampicilin or anti-histamines or just plain old vitamin C.

The pic is of Rierie and her Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn co-star, Kokubun Yukari, whom she refers to as Bun-chan. Rierie got Bun-chan Phantasy Star Portable as a present so that they could play together. Bun-chan apparently trained to Lvl 20 on the demo version, moving Rierie to tears. haha. Reminds me of what i did for FFVIII.

Rierie: 旅の仲間が増えたよぉ～ﾟ+｡(o･ω-人)･.｡* わぁい
Translation: Party member has joined~ *incomprehensible emoticon* wai

Besides that, Rierie posted some news on her upcoming roles.

In 茜色に染まる坂 (Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka) as 椎名観月(Shiina Mitsuki, i think). Seems like a visual novel adaptation, i think she mentioned the game going on sale a few months back.

In 夜桜四重奏 (Yozakura Quartet) as マリアベル (Maria Bell?). Alright! another Maria!

She mentioned two game roles as well, but i don't own a wii and i've given up on my PS2 so i'm not bothering with them. She finds it awesome though, that her character in the PS2 Game shares her birthday - 3 Jan.

Looking forward to her next update, and her concert in New York as well.

Seiyuu Appreciation 101

2008-08-26T21:51:00.004+08:00

This is largely for Kagamisumi’s sake, so he’d better be taking notes ‘cos there’s a quiz coming up at the end of the post.

First and foremost, to appreciate a seiyuu, we’ve got to recognize her voice. I say “her” because, seriously, who gives a damn about the guys?

Let’s warm up with a really simple example.

Noto Mamiko, otherwise known as mamimami on this blog and everywhere else, is a good starter seiyuu, for the simple fact that she sounds the same.

In. Every. Single. Show.

The best way to start is to compare these fairly recent examples (you’ve got to go watch the shows yourself, no clips):

Enma Ai (Jigoku Shoujo)
Ichinose Kotomi (Clannad)
Yakumo (School Rumble)
Hecate (Shakugan no Shana)
Kazama Shinji (Full Metal Panic)

After watching these shows, you will most probably find that mamimami has one of the most recognizable voices in anime. Come to think of it, mamimami’s was one of the first seiyuu voices I managed to recognize. Playing “Spot the Noto Mamiko” was quite fun for a while.

If I had to put it in words, I would say mamimami’s roles are characterized by that very distinct airy wispiness, a quality she injects into her singing as well. (Apparently, she enjoys singing that way. The interview is somewhere on ANN.)

Interestingly enough, her voice loses 90% of the wispiness once she’s in spontaneous fast-talking mode. We are able to observe this phenomenon on radio shows and in interviews. Go figure. Here’s a clip from Witchblade Radio showcasing both the ghostly singing and non whispy fast-talk. Click here for clip. The other female voice belongs to her co-host Kanda Akemi.

Alright.

Now that we can recognise mamimami’s voice, the next step is to recognize her in photos, because appreciating (i.e. ogling) them is a big part of seiyuu fanboying.

The one on the left is mamimami. She’s got her hair pulled back in a (delicious) ponytail right here, but she does appear with her hair down quite often, in which case she would remind me of a French poodle. I think the first pic up there is a good example of the poodle look. Good pose too.

Notice I have sneaked Rierie into this post, because we can use every excuse we can get to upload pics of Rierie.

Ok, Quiz Time.

1) Name the following seiyuu.

If you can do it, congrats. You have passed Seiyuu Appreciation 101 with flying colours.

If you can’t, please go watch both very boring seasons of Jigoku Shoujo as homework.

かわいいね！

2008-08-25T22:38:00.006+08:00

So what does one do when one discovers a cute picture? Post it here!

So here are two unknown people (to me) posing. Unable to recognize them or read the moonspeak from the site I grabbed this picture from, you will have to enjoy this picture as it is.

As 大将 said, Rierie hasn't updated her blog in ages (in internet time), so I hope everything is going well for her wherever she may be. Reading about her gushing about Fantasy Star Portable is amusing.

In other non-related stuff, Tonari no 801-chan will be animated by KyoAni in 2009. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonari_no_801-chan . Now, reading the short synopsis doesn't really inspire me that much. But it IS romantic comedy+Slice of Life, so as long as the comedy side works, it shouldn't flop. But more importantly, it is animated by KA, so I'll be watching it anyway.

Somewhat related to KyoAni, here's something for the girls who actually pop by here to enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHy4n3RWqjk . 大将, you can grab this video directly from me if you want, from the usual place.

May'n Live

2008-08-24T22:27:00.010+08:00

Clip: Southern Cross

First half of the clip was some silly talk btw May’n and the hosts, including an intellectual discussion on taiyaki. The taiyaki thesis was followed by a really hilarious segment where the hosts were supposed to help May’n overcome her shyness.

Their solution? May’n should have her own Original May’n Greeting!

“Caffeine. Spain. I’m May’n. OK~!!”

May’n actually trying out her Original Greeting was truly funny, got to see it for yourself.

2nd half was the live performance of Southern Cross proper, and wow, can she sing or what. She actually sounded good live, unless she was lip-syncing. I hope not, this isn’t the Olympics. I would feel so cheated. Oh, and check out her moves too. She’s quite a dancer. Not the best, but good.

Ok, that was a crappy pic.

Clip: Outdoor performance of Southern Cross

More sizzling song-and-dance. Btw, note the bikini-clad members of the audience.

Clip: Diamond Crab Ass (Chinese subbed)

Awesome song, my favourite for 2008 so far. She sounded a bit off at the beginning, but it’s proof that she sings live, right?

I’ve said this before, but I think Nakjima Megumi and May’n really hit the jackpot by landing their respective role in Macross F. (On a side note, you can probably tell by the lopsided coverage that i'm a Sheryl fan.)

Not every artiste associated with the show managed to ride on its popularity though.

Endo Aya doesn’t seem to be getting much attention as Sheryl’s speaking voice. Oh well, she’s doing great with prominent roles in Angelique, Sekirei and what-have-you so she’s not in danger of starving to death soon. Fukuhara on the other hand… haha… she’s probably the least successful of the Lucky Star alumni. At least Lucky Star OVA’s coming up.

Osu!

2008-08-24T00:05:00.009+08:00

Osu! 皆さんこんにちは！私はカガミスミンです！

I've just been added into this blog like... half an hour ago? The Boss, whom I'll address as 大将 from now onwards, has just left the conscious realm and is probably indulging in some private time with his Rierie now. So, what will I be bringing onto the table?

Firstly, I may end up being more focused on shows. Why? Because I actually watch them and am given a free license to comment/rant here. Hence, the question is, why not? Some of my favourite shows thus far (in no particular order): Lucky Star, Full Metal Panic, All Key/KyoAni shows, Azumanga Daioh, Code Geass, Love Hina (why? I don't know myself.), School Rumble, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and lastly (and mostly), The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. How do these shows make it into my favourite list? Most importantly, I'm consistent in watching them, and actually look forward to the next episodes. Also, each of these shows have (at least) a character who is super cute.

Will I be focusing as much on seiyuus? I'll try, but the results won't be fantastic. Why? For one, identifying seiyuus is an epic failure of mine (as proven repeatedly by 大将). Hence, I am unwilling to blatantly flaunt my lack of knowledge here (despite this place having an audience of 1), and much less, to look (too) stupid in the process. Being unable to provide original content for myself, I will have to resort to shameless ripping of images from various sources to entertain you reader(s).

Now what shall I be posting about for my virgin post? Of course (and most expectedly), it will have to be on a character from FMP, Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa. Why does she have this (dubious) honour of being blogged about first? Well, she is undoubtedly my favourite character (as of now) and therefore, she provides ample material for me to rave about. Let us start with a nice picture of her:

There you go. Doesn't she just look so radiant, with her platinum-white hair and glowing skin?

In the Full Metal Panic series, she is the captain of an elite submarine, Tuatha De Danaan, and is part of an anti-terrorist organization known as the Mithril. She consistently provides much humour and hilarity into the show, all the while maintaining her feminine charm and lovableness (otherwise known as being かわいい). She has a love interest, which is unfortunately (for her but not for me) unrequited. 长话短说, she is cute, is very adorable, and ultimately, my favourite.

Personally, I do not have a favourite seiyuu yet, unlike my 大将. This is probably because my knowledge and exposure to all the many seiyuus are still in a very nascent stage, and putting faces and names together happen to be one of my weaker facilities. Out of my fingertips, I can probably just name you around ten of them (and 1 male seiyuu, Ono Daisuke, don't ask me why), and that's about it.

Unfortunately, I have some real-life commitments which do take up quite a bit of my time, and therefore I will not be able blog as often as I may like (unlike some others who can derive sufficient sustenance from blogging[!!!]). Most probably, I will not be posting such long articles very often, unless they kill off C.C. in the next episode (for which I will scream bloody murder and rage here until Sunrise recant of its error). Therefore, this blog will just contain simple posts of me and my 大将, so please do not expect too much.

As it is getting rather late, and I am getting rather tired, I'll end my pioneer post with a nice Tessa-sigh, and I wish that you (all) will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy typing this.

お休みなさい!

Minorin Yukata Montage

2008-08-23T23:51:00.003+08:00

我就废话少说了。请欣赏...

眠れない...

2008-08-11T03:38:00.006+08:00

Weekends are shitty. I look forward to them but somehow they always ends up shitty. Once again, I am suffering from insomnia this week.

Time to blog.

Tamura failed to defend her -48kg title. Oh well, it happens. Haven’t been keeping up with Judo news in recent years, but the Olympics is one of the rare occasions when I get news about unsexy sports like Judo in the papers. Tamura Ryouko was one of those inspirational players whose videos I had studied so closely the images would remain in my mind long after the great-grandchildren of my brand new Seagate External Hdd have failed and gone to hardware heaven. I’m surprised she’s still in the sport though. I remember having read a research paper that said judokas have much shorter careers than kendo players bcos of the shorter “engagement distance”. Since a judo match is fought at closer distances than kendo (you can smell your opponent’s unwashed gi), players need quicker reflexes to stay competitive.

As seen above, with increasing age, the advantage from higher EXP lvls is countered by a decreasing Reflex Stat. Judokas usually peak around age 25, whereas kendokas remain competitive into their 30s. Btw, last season’s S-League top scorer was 39, but I think that has got more to do with foreign talent pwning the local players. Hmm, Tamura won her first Olympic medal in Barcelona at 16. That makes her 32. Maybe she should join her fellow Tamura in the Forever-17 Club. Oh ya, she got married and is known as Tani Ryouko now. Can’t stop calling her Tamura though; old people like me are stubborn.

Live Action Azumanga Daioh!!!

Ya, I know it’s a hoax. Been looking for this pic since I read about it on the most reliable source on the Internet. The link on wiki is broken though. (edit: Was broken. Someone fixed it within the last 2 years or so while I wasn’t looking.)

The (fake) actresses for Chiyo-chan and Tomo would have been great for their roles, they fit the images of the characters to a T. Sakaki looks too “mature”. And the boobs are not American, at most a Hawaii. Kagura is cute and sporty but doesn’t look like Kagura; not dark enough. Yomi doesn’t look bookish at all, the glasses feel like props somehow. Plus, she’s not chubby enough. Doesn’t look like a tsukkomi chara either. Osaka is just plain irreplaceable.

Now I start yawning. Great.

Are you thinking what i'm thinking, B1?

I think I am, B2.

It’s drop dead at work time.

Oh man i've been looking for this...

2008-08-08T05:36:00.002+08:00

Rie i missed you!

2008-08-06T21:32:00.000+08:00

After going AWOL for weeks, Rierie is finally back on her blog. If my sucky jap reading skills aren’t too sucky, it seems like she’s been working so hard, she ended up in hospital yesterday.

Poor Rie!

But she has assured us she’s fine now, so no worries. Sigh, she must have been tired out preparing for the gig in New York this September. Ah, screw the Yankees. I don’t give a damn if their subs are leaking nuclear waste all over the pacific region, just leave my Rierie alone! And they’d better treat her well too, don’t make her cry or strip her at the airport.

Going back to the hospital visit/stay… does it mean that Rierie got probed and prodded by the bloody interns?! And nosy students were flipping through her confidential medical charts to pass the time?!

KNNBCCB&^#%^&!!!

Kagamisumi… Well, too bad, dude. Hug ball, suck thumb.

Btw, I was just wondering… when I mentioned subs earlier, did you think I was referring to fansubs? Haha… the phrase “Indon subs” registers a totally different meaning in my head nowadays.

Oh, almost forgot. Rie says to watch out for her role as ラウリー (Raurii) in the upcoming episodes of Allison & Lillia. Are the producers bringing in reinforcements because they have realized that the Lillia’s story isn’t stacking up very well against the earlier Allison arc?

看什么看！想打架？！

2008-08-05T21:59:00.003+08:00

Let’s just talk about the state of public transport on the sunny island where I live, work and watch anime.

On second thought… let’s not. I dun want the Secret Banana Services (SBS) reading this blog. I’m very sure every single organization concerned with public opinion (against them, mostly) has got people trawling blogs and forums.

And on third thought… it’s probably just a perception problem on my part. What right have I to complain about having to run 2 km every morning to get to work because the buses are always packed to the brim with people getting squeezed by the hydraulic doors? Children in Azadistan are trekking 50km for drinking water everyday!! All hail World Class Public Transport!!! 万歳!!!

Oh, one thing the buses are quite good for is entertainment though. (And fitness too, since thanks to them I’m getting my daily cardiovascular workout.) Let’s talk about the fun things that have been happening to me on my daily bus rides.

Encounter with the Reverse-Trap and her Yuri-Friend. Title says it all. Quite a common sight actually, but this particular pair was rather daring, had their arms around each other and stuff. You can’t really blame me for whistling the tune to Candy Boy (though Shoujo Sect’s theme song would have been more fitting, if it had one. Can’t remember.) How did I know the person was a reverse trap? Look out for the Adam’s apple, or lack thereof. For example, this meido-san has a very prominent one:

Cursing Schoolgirls. You have to hear this yourself to truly appreciate the awesomeness, but a brief transcript is the best I can give.

女子生徒A: FUCK YOU.
女子生徒B: Fuck 球? 人家Fuck CB 你Fuck球?

Awesome? Would you rate this higher or lower than fucking job on the awesomeness scale?

Note: I had no idea how CB is written in Chinese. After consulting my trusty dictionary, I found that the archaic word for CB is 膣, pronounced zhi4. That’s probably the ‘chee’ in CB. Googled it and ended up with a bunch of Japanese sites so the kanji is probably used in both languages. And from the context of the sites, I’m guessing it means the same thing in Jap too.

Note 2: I realized I’ve been swearing like a trooper on this blog lately. Well, technically I am a soldier so I guess I’m exempt from politeness, human rights, National Day holidays and all the other trappings of civil society. My vocation?

ASA～ ASA だよ～

Yukana in Yukata

2008-08-04T02:24:00.009+08:00

It’s a Yukana in a yukata. I just thought she looked mighty cute.

Yukanas in yukata are coming down the stairs,
Yukanas in yukata are coming down in pairs,
Yukanas in yukata are chasing teddy bears,
'Cause on Tuesdays they all try to catch them unawares!

Seems like I haven’t updated in ages. Wow. Not that I haven’t been writing, I had just submitted a 15-page report to god-knows-who last week, together with 360+ pages of annexes. Good luck to whichever bastard who’s going to read the damn thing.

I could upload my masterpiece-of-shit report as filler but I’ve got a feeling bad things will happen. So let’s just keep this blog totally apolitical and full of porn. Actually I’ve been churning out proper blog stuff; it’s just that somehow all my draft posts end up as one, two-liners. Since I can’t sleep, I’ve decided to clobber a month’s worth of one-liners into a totally disjointed Frankenstein-like post. Do not expect any logical flow of thoughts ahead.

First up, Rierie’s computer was down for 2 weeks bcos of a virus, explaining the lack of activity on her blog. Kagamisumi says it is bcos she surfs porn. That guy is a paed, I won’t believe his lies. My blog has been lacking activity as well, mostly because of work (or slavery, however you want to put it. Apparently slaves nowadays live pretty well. Just ask C. Ronaldo.)

I was going to finish up my summer first impressions, but since we’re already five episodes into the season - screw it.

Haven’t been watching much anime, wasting time on Battle Moon Wars instead. Akiha (Tsukihime’s resident Tsundere imouto chara) is quite broken, she’s got some youkai ability that just shrugs off the damage. Which reminds me, Itou Shizuka (Akiha’s seiyuu) has got a blog up and running just recently:

http://ameblo.jp/beerlover-shizuka/

What an apt url, cos she seems to be quite a drinker.

I did watch the 3rd Kara no Kyoukai movie though. The first two movies totally didn’t prepare me for the level of explicitness in this one, so I happily started up the movie while everyone else was still up and walking around. The first sight that greeted me (and whoever happened to be looking over my shoulder) was mamimami’s character’s boobs. Yay.

Didn’t realize till last week that I am actually due for promotion, i.e. get paid $70 more a month. Ooh, Level UP.

The catch is I’ve got to clear the bloody Eye Pee Pea Tea first. The longer I take to pass the fucking job fitness test, the longer I have to wait for my pathetic stripes. They really should take pity on old men. Oh well, at least I’m getting time-off to train. Maybe I’ll scribble another Lucky Stripes 4koma to commemorate my character class upgrade to Corporal Potato.

Cookhouse food is nice, bcos it is free of charge. The bus rides are not nice, bcos they aren’t free. Weekend duty is coming up next week, but we don’t get paid for OT, which sucks. And as old as I may be, I think there might be a generation gap between me and my boss. Seriously, I dread speaking to her bcos I have no idea if I’m being understood. Haha… ok, I’m exaggerating a bit. She’s probably a nice lady, if only a bit too pushy when it comes to sharing her faith.

Somehow, Tomoyo has been a real inspiration for me these past 4 weeks. Seriously, I mean it. She’s got a big heart (and I don’t mean pathological hypertrophy). Whenever some bugger pisses me off, remembering how Tomoyo shrugged off all the insults and accusations makes me feel better somehow. Yay for Clannad 24!

Btw, I am scheduled to attend some all-expenses-paid Bahasa courses because, well… you know. It’s a good chance to get reacquainted with the language, letting my training go to waste was quite a pity. Right now, whenever I try to say something in Malay, I’d subconsciously end off with a です or say some other nonsense which is a mix of four to five languages/dialects. Once, I almost asked the auntie selling epok-epok “Berapa desuka?”. This is what happens if your language foundations are as fucked up as mine.

I’m really hoping though, maybe one day Truly Asia’s southern neighbour (the tiny one) would go pick a fight with Japan or something. That way, I can probably con my bosses into sending me for Japanese language classes. Too bad no one gives a damn about Japan in this region, besides anime fans/otaku and probably Odex. Even the local TV stations show nothing but K-drama with bad dubbing.

Oh screw it. It’s 4am and I haven’t slept a wink. I’m so going to drop dead in the office later.

There. Fixed.

2008-07-17T05:39:00.002+08:00

Or you can just go to this random image board where I get most of the stuff from. Not entirely safe for work, cos some jokers do upload rubbish.

Things that came through the inbox at work

2008-07-16T05:36:00.011+08:00

Interesting spam.

In other news, ANN reported on 15 Jul that Rierie will be appearing at New York Anime Festival 2008 from 26 to 28 Sep. Rie hasn't said anything about it on her blog, in fact it hasn't been updated since 6 Jul.

Separately, the freaking tomoyo episode is out. Like now. Finally there's an animated Tomoyo ending. Too bad i'm leaving for work in 10 minutes. I'll be praying for the Tomoyo After H-OVA.

Lastly, the shows for Fall 2008. Hellgirl should really just stay dead. Too bad the link doesn't work. I'll fix it when i get back.

See ya.

茅原実里1st Live Tour 2008～Contact～ LIVE

2008-07-10T05:11:00.005+08:00

Just having fun with the screencap function that i've just discovered.

Dog? Rabbit?

Shut up.

Let me guess... Gintoki!

She looks blur, doesn't she? No, i'm commenting on the video quality.

Diary of an 11 year old

2008-07-09T05:19:00.009+08:00

One evening, while I was at home doing my homework, I heard some people shouting outside. I ignored it and decided to continue solving those horrible calculus problems. Oh wait. I’m supposed to be in primary five. I can’t even do ratios, much less integrate. Anyway, I said what the fucking job and continued with my homework, whatever it may be.

Ok.

I lied.

I was dying to know what happened outside.

So I died.

And went to heaven, which comes complete with Hiro and Sae.

Henrietta and the boob fairy not included. That is a pleasure only hell can offer. Ero no Tsukaima. Tsk tsk.

It's amazing that i'm already getting a bit chubby after just 2 days, must be the high carbo meals served in the cookhouse. Well, at least it's FOC.

綾子ラブ！Seriously, i don't fanboy enough about Ayako.

And Rierie endorses CJ7, perfume and softener. I didn't know that CJ7 actually got renamed Miracle 7 in the Japanese release. So the mention of a Chinese geographical feature is too much for a fanatically nationalistic Japanese audience to take? Hehe. Btw, why is Rierie doing this for free instead of negotiating lucrative endorsement deals? Oh, i forgot she's too busy monster hunting. And that's why i wub her.

See what I mean about them not wearing anything below the waist except pantsu?

2008-07-07T03:28:00.003+08:00

Kagamisumi has been bragging about his meron-pan experience on MSN recently, so I decided to one-up him and go hunt for some “anime food” myself. (For those who have been broken by Jason, it’s not that kind of meron-pan. I hope.)

There’s some Hokkaido Fair going on in this shopping mall, and I saw dango on the promotion brochure, so I thought I’d go down to have a look. Turned out the fair was quite pathetic and packed full of aunties who were bored enough to go shopping on a weekday morning. All I wanted was dango, which I realized was quite dumb, since the bus trip almost cost me more than the dango. Crap. Anyway, after queuing for half an hour I had a stick of tri-coloured hanami dango. Yay. They looked like this (pic stolen from most reliable source on the internet):

As I couldn’t sing with my mouth full, I hummed the dango song while I ate. The taste was pretty good, but nothing special, tasted like mochi with red bean paste filling. Actually, it was mochi with red bean paste since they’re all made from glutinous rice flour. Never mind.

Then yesterday I got dragged on a trip to some Japanese supermarket all the way in town, supposedly to decode the chicken scratch on the packaging. My mistranslation was not needed after all, since when it came to grocery, the pictures were pretty self explanatory. Saw a lot of Japanese expats/tourists around. And these as well:

Mame daifuku, favourite food of Suzu from Nagasarete Airantou. Made from glutinous rice too, so it tasted exactly like a giant dango.

Doraemon’s namesake. Interesting how the connection was lost in the Chinese translation that I grew up on (小叮当 / 哆啦A梦). Disappointingly, it’s just pancake with red bean filling, and there was a strong smell of eggs. It wasn’t too bad; I was just expecting something more special.

Guess the only anime food obsession I can truly understand is gyudon. It’s one of the best things there are, besides curry rice (the South-east Asian kind). Mai has good tastes in both food and yuri companion.

So what other anime food fetishes shall I experience next?

Sukonbu? Maybe.

Oh no. No, Tailbone Cake on my table please.

Let's play guess the seiyuu, since i'm not 100% sure who's who either.

2008-07-05T08:10:00.006+08:00

Yamato Nadeshiko?

Fujibayashi Ryou

Tenma and Eri

???

Allison & Lillia

Maria cosplaying as a seiyuu school guest lecturer in Osaka.

Summer 2008 First Impressions Part One

2008-07-04T22:51:00.001+08:00

Slayers Revolution
Watched the original Slayers dubbed so I didn’t know Hayashibara could sound so goofy. Lol-ed at Goury’s sword. Not too bad for a first episode, I guess. Lina reminds me of all the crazy egocentric anime heroines out there like Haruhi and Kyouka. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

Ultraviolet Code 044
Park Romi’s character seems to be stripping the whole show. I was wondering when she would run out of clothes to step out of. And they stole her nipples. Maybe they’ll give the nipples back in the DVD. Chizuru got hers back. Koyama Rikiya ditches his GAR voice to play a creepy bastard. Yucks.

The character designs were very un-moe, meaning they didn’t have hydromegacephaly like Kagamin. That’s not a bad thing in itself, it’s just not cute. Didn’t find the action very appealing either. 2 more episodes and I might drop this.

Mahou Something I Can’t Remember The Very Long Title: Natsu no Sora
Gorgeous backgrounds. I suspect they have cunningly snuck real-life photos into my 2-dimensional entertainment. And I loved the potato harvester. The idyllic rural scenery made me feel like running off to some peaceful little farm to live out the rest of my short life. Sigh.

Feels like snail-paced slice-of-life fare so far, but the girl’s going to Tokyo next episode. And we all know Tokyo is where the loser guys get lucky, so I wouldn’t dismiss the odds of some action.

For some reason the name that caught my eye in the credits was Takano Urara. “Who’s that?”, you ask. She’s Raichu. Actually the only show with her in it that I’ve watched is Diamond Dust Drops and the name got stuck in my head somehow.

Sekirei
Musubi really sounded like Inoue Marina. I would have thought she was the seiyuu if I didn’t know better. (It’s Hayami Saori, i.e. Kou-chan in Oinarisama) As for the rest of the show, I have one word: Boobs. It looks bloody stupid so I’m dumping this in the same bin as Vampire+Rosario and Kanokon. That means I’m watching every single episode.

Hidamari X365
First episode was chronologically before the 1st season. I’ve always wondered what the point of mixing up the episode order for Hidamari Sketch was. This episode was almost exactly a rehash of the first dozen or so pages of the manga, so I felt the gags kind of lacked punch, though it’s my own fault for having read the manga. Still, it’s nice to see the gang again in animated form. Watched the raw yet managed to catch 95% of the dialogue, which shows how closely this episode stuck to the manga. It’s mostly a Yuno episode, with a bit of Miya. The rest of the characters were not prominently featured, though almost everyone made an appearance. Weird thing is the Landlady sounds like Shinkuro to me now.

X365 used all the first season’s BGM, which made me jump in delight. OP by the seiyuu foursome needs getting used to, I liked Sketch Switch better. The ED, Ryusei Record, sounds like standard marble stuff, which I kind of like.

Strike Witches
Pantsu, pantsu everywhere. Loli Major’s underwear. Seriously, EVERY SINGLE FEMALE CHARACTER walks around in their pantsu / swimsuit / bloomers, maybe except the grandmother. It’s like their uniform or something. And the camera keeps reminding you they’re wearing nothing but pantsu below the waist (except the propeller thigh-high boots) with all the crotch and ass shots. If Sekirei has got the boob aspect of fanservice (un)covered, this show fulfils the pantsu obligation. See, there’s something for everyone.

Really ugly cg. It’s one thing for a half-motorbike-half-mecha-thing to look and move like that. It’s another thing altogether when a half-plane-half-nekomimi loli looks and moves like that.

Plot looks like it was lifted straight out of Skygirls, it’s got the same loli gets scouted by the army and signs on to go look for missing brother/father thing going on. Enemies look just as generic as in Skygirls, so I’m guessing the fighting isn’t really the main point here, as in Skygirls. Anyway, when they do fight, it’s the katana wielding loli that delivers the finishing blow. Just like in Skygirls. You seeing a trend? Oh, and lol at Britania.

I liked Rierie’s Lt. Col, she’s giving me Claudia vibes. She walks around in pantsu as well. (Yay!) Miyukichi’s flat (as in the lack of boobs) character sounds like Reika from Ninomiya-kun, seems to have the same personality as well. Koshimizu Ami was somewhere I think, must have missed her appearance. Saeko Chiba’s “HAHAHAHAHA” was interesting. She played the loli major. I’m not familiar with the lead girl’s voice though (Fukuen Misato). The only roles I can remember are probably Patty (Devil May Cry) and Mayu (Hataraki Man). She sounds passibly cute, though not much of an impression.

マジ？！

2008-07-04T07:23:00.006+08:00

Delivery Health.

In other (possibly related) news, new Ichigo Marshmallow OVA announced.

In yet another piece of (totally unrelated) news, the army is really efficient. Military efficiency is not an oxymoron. But we all know that already, so it’s not really news, is it? I’ve just been given five whole days to say goodbye to my wife, mistress, GF, pokemon, all 6000 HDB flat-mates before I go die for my country or something. How generous of them. Operation Flying Eagle guys got only 24 hours.

They probably figured an old man like me doesn’t have to be coddled like a cute and innocent little 18 year-old. Fair enough. But they really should have at least told me where to turn up for duty. Seriously, there was no mention of my new unit’s address in that cute little computer-generated letter full of typos. Oh well, I’m sure 6.021023% of all taxi drivers on the road will know where XXX-XXXXXX / XXXX XXXXXX CEN is. You can fill in the blanks and guess my new posting if you’re that bored. (Hint: it’s got nothing to do with delivery health. I hope.)

Wherever that place is, I suspect the job description will read something like this:

1) Make coffee and sweep the floor
2) Pick up phone calls and leave them on hold forever
3) Summarise stuff
4) Feed the paper shredder classified waste

(1) I actually kind of enjoy, (2) is torture and (3) might be a pain or quite fun, depending on subject matter. (4) is actually the best of all, I enjoy the shredding noise immensely, though the thing is they might make me take the polygraph lie detector test again. Shouldn’t have to, it’s not a sensitive unit. Still, let’s hope not. Having to go through an intrusive security clearance process just to shred classified pieces of rough paper is quite dumb.

If you want to know how privacy-depriving their background checks are, just imagine the worst possible game of Truth and Dare you’ll ever play in your life, only you can’t choose to do a dare and you’re hooked up to a bloody lie detector. I believe the idea is to dig up all your skeletons in the closet so there’s nothing left for you to be blackmailed into betraying secrets with. Smart, eh? Here’s an idea of the kind of questions they ask, plus what i answered years ago vs. how i would answer now.

Qn: Do you surf gay porn?
19 year-old me: No.
Now me: No. (You didn’t ask about yuri twincest.)

Qn: Have you ever committed a crime and gotten away with it?
19 year-old me: No.
Now me: No. (Actually, several times a day, according to the Temple of Xedo.)

Qn: Do you pay for Delivery Health?
19 year-old me: No.
Now me: No. (But I’m thinking about it.)

Qn: Have you ever received a gift valued at more than $1000 from an acquaintance of the same gender?
19 year-old me: No.
Now me: No. (But I won’t really mind if anyone hands me $1000 this instant. Btw, I just received my GST offset package. All hail the Big Boss!)

Qn: Have you ever been approached by any foreign intelligence agencies?
19 year-old me: No.
Now me: No. (But Rierie visits me in my dreams. I have no idea if she’s working for anyone though.)

Qn: Are you gay?
19 year-old me: No.
Now me: No. (What did you expect?)

As you can see the idea is to pry out your inner GAR. All the questions are yes/no only, and you get to clarify all of them with the interviewer (a lady in my case) beforehand so you wouldn’t be shocked into giving a false positive reading on the detector. In fact, you’re supposed to declare all your deepest darkest secrets to the interviewer before they even hook you up to the machine. Then you answer “No” to everything because most of the questions will be preceded by the phrase “Besides whatever that has already been declared”.

Oh well, it was quite an experience talking dirty to a stranger onee-san, so I’ll have to say it was quite fun, plus I got half a day off to do it. Wouldn’t want to go through it again though.

Unless there’s news that the army has just hired Rierie.

All Thanks to Fernando Torres...

2008-06-30T06:50:00.004+08:00

... i'm 100 bucks richer. Euro 08 final goes 1-0 to Spain.

That's just Rierie in some crazy pig mask.

兰花闪亮BEAM 萌死人不赔命

2008-06-29T07:45:00.003+08:00

What the hell is Mikuru Beam when you’ve got “キラッ!”? I’m seriously tempted to switch camps from Sheryl to Ranka. Let’s try to score the both of them based on the songs they’ve been steadily churning out in the past 12 episodes. Songs are scored out of 5; those that got played during battle get a +1 pseudo Minmay Defence bonus.

What ‘bout My Star
Sheryl’s version made a stronger impression on first listen because of the pumping beats, but Ranka’s slower version won it in the end. I liked the bit where she sang without accompaniment at the beginning, the guitar bits were a nice touch too.

Sheryl - 3 points
Ranka - 4 points
+ 1 impromptu street performance

Nyan Nyan CM Jingle
I can’t stop laughing every time I hear “你好娘”. I’ll have to score it low since this is a 20 second joke track, though I enjoyed it plenty.

Ranka – 1 point
+ 1 Nyan Nyan dance

Ninjin Loves you Yeah!
Another catchy joke track. Go eat your veggies.

Ranka – 1 point
+ 1 carrot suit

Iteza Gogo Kyuji Don’t Be Late
Motteke!!!! Sailor fuku dakara desu ← ketsuron

Sheryl – 5 points
+ 1 私の歌を聞け！
+ 1 cleavage-baring bondage suit
+ 1 instant recovery from near-death fall
+ 1 pseudo Minmay Defence
+ 1 for weekly “Motteke!!!!” during sponsors screen

Watashi no Kare wa Pilot
Preferred this version to the original. I’m a Minmay hater.

Ranka – 4 points
+1 pseudo Minmay Defence
+1 cute choreography

Ai wo Oboeteimasuka
Shimokawa Mikuni’s cover was better.

Ranka – 2 points

Welcome to My Fanclub’s Night
Did this song appear in the show? Didn’t leave much of an impression.

Sheryl – 2 points

Eyemo / Eyemo ~ Tori no Hito
癒される…

Ranka – 5 points
+1 Rierie endorsement

Neko Nikki
Nice and lazy song, currently one of my favourites. I was a bit disappointed when it displaced Diamond Crab Ace as the ED though. The show’s focus is shifting away from Sheryl to Ranka and the people in charge are making sure it’s reflected in the CD sales as well.

Ranka – 5 points

Infinity
i think it might have appeared during Sheryl’s farewell concert around Ep 7. Since I don’t remember, it doesn’t qualify for the pseudo Minmay Defence bonus.

Sheryl – 3 points

Seikan Hikou
Go watch Episode 12. Then go stream the dance steps. Start dancing! キラッ!

Ranka – 5 points
+ 5 TRUE Minmay Defence
+ 1 キラッ!

Diamond Crab Ace
My pick for best of Spring 2008. Absolute favourite of the bunch.

Sheryl – 6 points
+1 pseudo Minmay Defence
+1 special service a capella version
+1 for reminding me of some Cantonese song which I can’t remember

Ranka – 1 point (for the 2 lines she sang)

Ecchi Fanservice Bonus
Sheryl gets +5 for going commando, +5 for the wardrobe malfunction and +5 for telling the Princess to go fap to it.

Tally:
Sheryl – 42
Ranka – 40

So Ms. Sheryl Nome barely wins the contest on account of her shamelessness. Sick and dying Sheryl is no fun though, so get well soon, Ms Sheryl! I hope to hear the song she penned on that pair of Zentradi XXXXXL bikini bottoms soon.

Anyway, the biggest winners are May’n and Nakajima Megumi. Who’s heard of May Nakabayashi before this? And Ranka’s a dream debut role. Both of them seriously lucked out.

Loli News Network

2008-06-28T03:34:00.008+08:00

I had actually thought Karen Girls referred to the Children's seiyuu and was wondering why Hirano & Co. sounded so loli. Imagine my shock on seeing the CD cover for the OP single.

In other news, here's a look at CG R2's resident loli. (with a Yukarin cameo at the end.) She's nine if you're interested. So please back off before you land yourself in trouble. (Kagamisumi, i'm looking at you. Kurenai's loli is possibly quite legal though.)

My thoughts on this real life loli invasion of my hard disk?

二次元万歳！

3D lolis are mostly pesky brats. I'd take micro Klan Klan anyday. Of course, Rie is still first choice. Come to think of it, Rierie hasn't done any loli roles, has she?

The 1000th Summer (Cue 鳥の詩)

2008-06-25T05:38:00.011+08:00

Summer's here (i think). The only seasons relevant to me are the NE and SW monsoons so i'm not entirely sure. Anyway, many of my favourites from Spring 2008 have ended or are ending, which means more reinforcements are on the way!

Strike Witches

i like mecha and i like cute girls. i think that's enough reason for me to want to watch this show. Rierie and miyukichi having supporting roles is just icing on the cake. I have no idea what the plot is about, but if it turns out to be pseudo slice-of-life like Skygirls i'll be happy enough. Both shows have the same character designer, which is a plus for me. Isn't it delightful, the way those girls zip around at mach 2 without even a layer of plastic wrap between their smooth loli skin and the atmosphere? Imagining them slamming into pigeons at 600 m/s is entertainment in itself.

Zero no Tsukaima 3

Siesta single-handedly, or rather double-boob-edly, tipped the balance in favour of this show. NotoMami's boob fairy joining the cast is a good thing (i hope). And of course i'm dying to find out what happens to the Reiji Maigo. Oops, wrong Hino Rie show. The plot so far has been rather blah, so zero expectations there.

Hidamari Sketch x 365

Loved the first season, so this is a no brainer. It's SHAFT, so i'll be be prepared for, uh, random stuff. Actually, i enjoyed SHAFT's recent offerings - Hidamari, ef, SZS - though i suspect the source material were strong enough to succeed regardless.

Slayers Revolution

This is for old time's sake, me having watched the first season on TV almost 10 years ago. The middle two seasons never made it to local TV, so i guess i'll go read some plot summaries. But i'm wary though: the other sequel that i watched out of nostalgia, YUA Full Throttle, showed that reviving an ancient franchise isn't a good idea all the time.

Nogozaka Haruka no Himitsu

Mamimami as an otaku girl. Sounds fun.

Telepathy Girl Ran

Just watched the first episode and my mind is blank.

These are the few that have caught my attention so far, though i know as usual i'll end up following at least thrice that number of shows 2 weeks from now. Not to forget the Lucky Star and School Rumble OVAs, and the finale to Mnemosyne.

Lastly, re-live the memories of that summer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9QupMCvTlM&feature=related

ルーレーイ... ルレーイーアー

2008-06-24T19:00:00.010+08:00

My computer crashed on me. Rest in Peace, Buddy.

Ok, it didn't die permenantly, i managed to get it working again after reformatting but who knows when it's going to die for real. Reformat is my remedy for 90% of all computer-related problems. Like the item Remedy in the FF franchise, it cures all status ailments besides "KO".

Of course, having reformatted the drive all my stuff is gone. Stuff like 30 gb of music, 30+ hours of FF tactics save games and, worse of all, my secret Rierie picture folder. Should have seen it coming since the drive's been acting cranky for the past six months or so. i should be surprised it's held out that long, shouldn't i?

Oh well, time to rebuild my secret Rierie folder.

Shisaa yaibin! Reminded me of Azumanga Daiou again. Rierie has too little starring roles this season, quite a few ninja cameos though. i'm missing her voice badly.

She was on a working trip to Okinawa. Btw, Shakugan no Shana is taking over Azumanga's Arts Central timeslot on thursday nights.

Rierie and the Suigintou doll she had just bought. All the ladies in Rie's family love dolls and, apparently, "Gin-chan" was in grave danger of being kidnapped to Hokkaido by her mother. Haha, poor Rie. These dolls aren't cheap. She said she'll be working harder to get her hands on all the other tiny accesories like dresses and furniture for the doll, which is good for us all, i think.

Nekomimi meido. Not really my thing, but as the saying goes, no fish prawn also good. I lost the Sniper Rie pics from a while back and now the original link is dead. Should have uploaded them instead of posting the link, dammit.

Oh, and she's been crazy over Eyemo. No, not the eyedrop, the song from Macross F. Bought the OST even.

ルーレーイ・・・ルレーイーアー

无题

2008-06-18T03:55:00.006+08:00

刚刚在看《爱莉森与莉莉亚》时，脑子里老是有件事放不下：堂堂公主殿下和鼎鼎大名的救世大英雄在火车上幽会应该是头条八卦大新闻吧！那两个家伙搞在一起这么久还没传绯闻实在是有点不可思议。连盗摄用的袖珍型相机都有了，狗仔队还在跟他们客气什么？难不成在等人发明印刷机？

话说回来，阿Fi 拖着相机到火车上和帅哥开房用意何在？（她是陈冠希fan?） “思い出を残す為に持って来たの。”到底想留下什么样的回忆实在是让人非常期待。 Fiona 小妹妹，做事太冲动的话，长大了可要后悔哦！（话是这么说，不过要是出DVD特典的话我应该会立刻上Amazon 预购吧。）

只看到第九话，接下来似乎又会有什么政治阴谋之类的情节，说实在并不太感兴趣。还是想尽办法要把Will 给XX掉的Allison最可爱。

翠星石です。

Did you notice the Ms. Shinigami in Kyouran Kazoku Nikki says a lot of "desu"s? While listening to her scream "Desu!" on the roller coaster, a few of my neurons made the connection between "desu" and "デス" (Death). Now I know what that two-faced heterochromatic doll from the other anime was saying all along.

Chickens Are Plants

2008-06-17T00:12:00.001+08:00

Because they have roots.

Here's another joke.

Truly Asian Mountaintop Retreat

2008-06-14T04:54:00.008+08:00

As promised, though no one give a damn, here are the pictures from my mountaintop retreat in Truly Asia.

This is the view from my backdoor. Believe it or not, the house is just 10 metres away from an equatorial rainforest. There were monkeys in those trees, I was too lazy too wait for a clear shot. Snakes show up occasionally too, but I wasn’t brave enough to go looking for one.

Another view from between 2 laundry poles. See that fallen tree trunk in the foreground? That’s probably the remains of the stupid tree that punched a hole through the roof on that Dark and Stormy Night 2 years ago. I spent half that night bailing rainwater from the storeroom. Funny it hasn’t rotted away though. Maybe it’s a different tree.

Tarzan the dog.

The very last bottle of that bootleg rice wine I was talking about. There’s no more left in the entire world. I drank the last drop.

Random phantom fish. The fish don’t have names but the dog does. Probably because they keep dying every other week. Had to dig out half a dozen carcasses that got sucked into the filter pump.

Cute Care Bear bed sheets, ya? My old trusty Super Soaker 100, which ceased to function maybe about 10 years ago. Wonder why they’re still keeping it around. I used to shoot marauding monkeys with it, when we had fruit trees in the yard. (banana, jambu, buah ceri etc). Chopped the whole lot down years ago so that the damn primates would stop invading the property.

What colourful students we have nowadays. This is a girl’s essay, btw. Another boy wrote some horrendous Deathnote rip-off which I would have scanned if I could. Felt like penalizing his plagiarism but decided to think of it as a fanfic in the end. The bugger chose the wrong manga to copy from actually; if he had written a story on the Dango Daikazoku I would have awarded full marks. Anyway, I changed his protagonist’s name to Light Yagami just to let him know the examiners might not be as ill-informed about pop culture as he had thought.

Both regular readers of this blog (Nikuman, I know you’re lurking) would probably be wondering what business I have correcting others' grammar when my own written English sucks like a vacuum cleaner. I have no idea either.

“Screencap” from NHK’s overseas satellite broadcast. The guy there is Saotome Taichi, a 16 year-old Kabuki trap. Forgot to take a pic of his trap form, but trust me, he’s quite trapalicious. Sounds like the real-life inspiration for our dear Saotome Alto “Hime” .

Loot: 9-in-1 “Deluxe” edition Haruhi novels. Obviously not-very-original, since I don’t think Kadokawa would give away to some Inner Mongolian publishing house the rights to one of their best selling series. Let’s just pretend I got fleeced unknowingly by unscrupulous pirates. I got this book at a Truly Asian branch of the most Popular local bookstore though. Tsk tsk. =p

Back cover. Price tag at the upper left corner says RMB 45. =)

Here’s what the not-so-very original DVDs look like. The Shana 2 DVDs aren’t even fully released in Japan, are they? The video quality is sharp, probably HD source. Chinese subs are fine. No Shana-tan though. This is the kind of competition that our dear local anime distributor is up against in Truly Asia. A full season of episodes bundled together, available within 2 months of the TV run’s end. I’ve seen Odex’s silver-lined products on the shelves in a few specialist anime retailers up in KL, but based on my observation this is the kind of stuff most video stores are stocking. And I’m not talking about guerilla street vendors; those stores are brick and mortar retailers in shopping malls.

I wasn’t attracted by the quality of the product (No Shana-tan. Boo…). I bought it because it was available. Now if only the “official” distributors can match the speed of the not-so-official ones, the industry wouldn’t be “bleeding to death”, would it?

Inside cover art. I kind of like this picture of Shana. Fiercely determined.

There are no pictures of me peeling mangoes because my hands were occupied you see.

Faint

2008-06-13T17:39:00.002+08:00

I just passed out in euphoria seeing Hayate and Nagi in Ep 9 of Zettai Karen Children. As you can see, i'm quite easily amused.

Planning to upload some pics from my "retreat", but i'm too busy now catching up on 2 week's backlog of anime. Maybe tomorrow... =p

I am boardz...

2008-06-03T11:55:00.025+08:00

I have not watched an episode of anime since 26 May. Did manage to stream the first 27 seconds of Macross Frontier 9 though - after one whole night. I must be suffering from some withdrawal symptoms, because i thought of Kugimi for no apparent reason during a steamboat dinner. Must have been the tray of raw pig liver sitting on the neighbour's table.

This is what i've been up to the past week:

1) Eat
2) Sleep
3) Read a real book for once. The biography of Pu Yi, last Qing emperor.
4) Indulge in alcoholic tendencies with bootleg rice wine
5) Type some worksheets
6) Perform various meido guy-like activities. i actually got offered a meido guy job.
9) Feed mosquitoes
10) Turn on the computer
12) Go for a walk
13) Try to log onto the internet
14) Go for another walk
15) Read about Akesaka Satomi's skirt falling off during a concert
16) Cut up 4,000 pieces of paper which are suppose to be order forms
17) Buy Flag DVD which is suppose to contain the "OVA". Yet to watch.
18) Curse the guy who bought the last copy of Mushishi just hours before i got to the store.
19）Watch Astro 欢喜台. 《神机妙算刘伯温》 uses bgm from Inuyasha.
20) Hope against all odds to find Allison & Lillia on NHK. The international satellite broadcast seems to have different programming. Shit.
21) Sing ani-songs all the way from Batu Pahat to KL.
22) Peel my own weight in mangoes.
23) Grow fat on milk pudding.
24) Mark English compositions.
25) Throw up blood marking English compositions.
26) Splurge RM120 on Shana 2, Mushishi, and half of Nana. Yet to watch, maybe i'll start now.
27) Play Super TextTwist. I've been stuck at 279,930 points for the past 2 hours. Help me form a 6-letter word with the letters A, C, E, L, L, O. I think the answer should be OLACLE but the game doesn't seem to speak Singlish. The game refuses to recognise ERO as a word too.

i'll be back latest by this Saturday. Hopefully.

English Sentence Structure Exercise

2008-05-29T00:18:00.005+08:00

Remember the last time i came back to Truly Asia i spent a whole day marking 80+ exam scripts?

This time i got arrowed to type out some English exercises. Got it done in 10 minutes, so i thought i'd spice them up a bit since they were so generic and boring. (And i was bored.) I kept the original sentence structures (as much as possible), just changed some names and made things a bit more interesting for the poor high schoolers who have to plow through them when school reopens. Help me vet the questions, ok?

Sentence Structure

Instructions: Rewrite the following sentences using the word given in the brackets.

1) Nina lost her self-control over Euphemia but had to make do with furniture. (carried)

2) The weather was so cold that Mako-chan had to hide under the kotatsu. (enough)

3) The censorship board finds it objectionable to look at all the pantsu on display in Kanokon, ToRabuRu and Kamen no Meido Guy. (bear)

4) Maria had just finished tending to her rose bed when Tama and Hayate trashed it. (Scarcely/ No sooner)

5) Horo the Wise Wolf does not like to be ordered about, least of all by measly human Lawrence. (being)

6) Ark Gurren can easily accommodate 100,000 residents should the moon crash onto Earth. (spacious)

7) Is an ophthalmologist treating Lulu for his Geass? (receiving)

8) The boys of Code Geass cannot possibly finish pitching the tents in just two hours. (impossible)

9) Banchou Haruka destroyed the school completely in a berserker rage. (destruction)

10) The rookie seiyuu supported herself by appearing in ero-ge during her free time. (earned)

11) When I heard Kagami’s tsukkomi, I could not hold back thoughts that it is weak sauce compared to Osaka’s. (help)

12) Berserker had too many Continue Tokens, so Sabre could not defeat him without first receiving, urm… mana from Emiya and Rin. (too)

13) It is difficult for us to understand what he is saying because of Odex’s subtitles. (makes)

14) Nodame does not like classical music. (appeal)

15) The boy did not go to school but piloted giant mecha in armed interventions throughout the world in order to end all conflict. (instead)

16) Ueda Kana has not slept for two days because of her 52-hour Halo 3 marathon, so she feels so tired that she did not even notice when a drunken Itou Shizuka pinched her bum. (Not having)

17) It appeared as if the Black Knights were going to get totally owned by Aile Strike Lancelot when Guren Kashoushiki came to the rescue. *cough*plastictoywhoring*cough* (looked)

18) Nice Boat. (survivors)

19) Uguu pimped herself out to Kyon to pay off the taiyaki vendor. (debt)

20) Shana Tan prefers meron-pan to Go-hobi. (would rather)

21) Mai washed her DNA-stained strapless dress thoroughly with soap but the stain remained. (Not even)

22) Toa let out a cute “Kuueehhh!!!” and fled on hearing screams of GIIOOOOO!!!! And JINNNNN!!!! (flight)

23) Konata resembles her father in her love for ero-ge. (takes)

24) The Budoukan was filled to capacity on the night of Mizuki Nana’s live. (taken)

25) My inspiration to compose that song comes from hot yuri twincest. (motivates)

26) Lulu loves Nunally dearly. (eye)

27) There are no solutions to Kagamisumi’s HDD space crunch. (defies)

28) There were Bonta-kuns everywhere in Raki Suta. (infested)

29) Euphemia’s speech declaring the formation of SAR Japan caused a considerable amount of dissatisfaction among snobby Brittanians. (gave)

30) Shinn, in spite of all his emo facial distortions, was unsuccessful in taking down Strike Freedom. (vain)

So are these questions of the appropriate academic standard? =)

I'll try to sneak them into the worksheet, see if i'll get found out before it gets to the xerox machine.