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There's not going to be a new comic for a little while (give me a week) due to me being on vacation and trying to do some AzuDai fanart for Otakon. I do however have a preview for the next comic. Here's the sketch for panel one (stars and hearts probably WON'T be in the final version.)
---------------------------------- Rets is known for highly opinionated evaluations of American anime fandom, but him quoting classic American literature is a bit of a rarity. No, I haven't actually read The Catcher in The Rye but I am familiar with the quote through the Ghost in the Shell TV series. It's sad, I know. I can't say for certain that Gaia is filled with Narutards, as I don't post there. Let's just call it an educated guess. I can say for certain that the Anime News Network forums are filled with sheep that stroke and lick the phalluses of companies such as ADV and the like. It's not that I don't want to give decent companies my business, but I also don't think that downloading a show as it airs in Japan is a crime punishable by hanging. As far as art goes, this comic is a lot better than last week's installment. The difference could be that I actually felt inspired this time, rather than just drawing something to kill the passing hours. I did recycle backgrounds, but recreating Rets' room comic after comic is rather tedious, and would also suggest that his room is constantly changing. I'd like to create some concrete locations here! In other comic related news, we finally got our location for the Artists' Alley at Otakon. It is indicated in the graphic below.  What a lovely location! We're grouped with a ton of other webcomics, I'm not sure how well that'll go. I'd like to echo Shingo a little here; NHK ni Youkoso! is most definitely an adequate successor to the Haruhi timeslot. Like many others, the main thing I was worried about right off the bat was "the Gonzo factor." We all know about Gonzo and their reputation, so anyone would be worried, right? Well, I am happy to report that they have not "fucked it up", at least not with the opening number. The show begins with a wonderfully animated opening sequence, which probably rivals that of Cowboy Bebop, in my opinion. While people have shunned it, saying it doesn't fit NHK, I'd like to challenge that. The NHK opening has a very magical and almost surreal air to it, partly created by the ROUND TABLE Feat. Nino song, "Puzzle" (which is the new Featured Song, by the way) and by the unique look of the animation. In a way, it represents escape from society. All of the people shown (save Satou and Misaki) are faceless, which suggests society's cold rejection towards these characters. All the scenes with Satou have him in his room (with his head exploding, at one point) while one scene with Misaki has her in a rather magical looking place, done up like an angel. Satou's escape is his room, while Misaki's escape is her act as Satou's saviour. Ugh, this made a whole lot more sense last night. What I'm trying to say is that it fits, dammit! And even if it doesn't, it's still directed brilliantlly. Especially the last part. I swear, Japan is the only country that can make a boob-jiggle artistic. This first episode pretty much followed the manga, save the inclusion of a new opening scene (which is apparently inspired by an old Shounen Ace omake) and the shuffling of some events (they seem to be saving Yamazaki's introduction for episode 2.) Animation wise, NHK is fairly decent. While it's certainly not as fluid as Yuuutsu, it has specific look that works real well. The music is above average, and is integrated well into each scene. In fact, the entire audio mix for the first episode was incredibly well done, from Yamazaki's Pururin theme intruding into Satou's room to the sounds of Satou's hallucinations. NHK is already my favorite of the season; let's hope it stays that way. Did I mention that the ending sequence is fucking nuts? In order to kill some time yesterday, I made an NHK wallpaper in honour of the first episode. Slightly NSFW. Chocotto Sister is pretty much the lolikon fun-fest I thought it would be. If there is any hook, it's this. I rather enjoyed the first episode, especially considering I have about 6 Japanese lessons under my belt (there is no subtitled version available right now). The animation is below average, which was painfully apparent from the opening sequence, but I am able to forgive that given I like everything else about the show. The only instance where the show has high quality animation is in the ending sequence, which contains a dance. Yes, a dance. I am getting Haruhi vibes here, but I heard that this dance is a nod to the original comic, and not an attempt to capitalize on Haruhi's popularity. Riiiiight. As much as I'm loving the new season of Hachikuro, I can't help but feel I'm being spoon-fed by this new director. Here's an example: at one point in episode 2, Yamada asks Shuuji what she should talk about with Rika. Shuuji goes on for a bit on how Rika doesn't talk much with people that she likes. A little bit after that, let's say 30 seconds later, Yamada is walking back home. The director then cuts to a scene where Miyama tells Yamada that he doesn't talk about much of anything with Rika. Ok, this would usually be fine, but the problem is that this scene happened about 10 minutes ago in the same episode. Mr. Director, I'm sure I can remember what happened some 10 minutes ago and make a connection between that and what Shuuji said. I actually did, right when he said it. What I'm saying is, this director isn't subtle enough. I'm not sure if the original Honey and Clover series did this (I haven't seen it in quite a while) but I'm not sure if I like this spoon-feeding. The director also flashed back to parts of the original series, too. Gah, I'm getting Gundam Seed Destiny flashbacks. Zac Bertschy is an asshole. That's really all I have to say. Before I close this rant, I'd like to post the calendar pics for July and August.
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I guess we're gonna get a lot of angry people at Otakon this year. Seeing how most of them love Naruto. And Rets opinions are pretty much the opinions of Wildarmsheero. So, unless you find it hilarous to make fun of us, don't come to us shouting "NARUTO ROXXORS", because you will be shot.
Like Wildarms I have seen NHK ni Youkoso! I was impressed. Mostly because I have never seen a T.V. and a refrigerator argue. I had never heard of a NEET before, though I wasn't too surprised to hear that they exsist in Japan. I guess you could call some of my friends 'Mediocre NEETS': they do go outside, just not that often.
My week has been long. It's not that I have been working a lot, I just am incredibly tired of work. I had a long year of school and all the other work that I have been wroking just has seemed to catch up on me. I was practically sleeping at Wildarms' house on Tuesday when I came over (at least I think it was Tuesday, my memory is a bit off right now). In preparation for Otakon I am designing a banner, name-tags, and cards. I am also printing off what little comics we have of Mistakes of Youth. Finally, despite never posting a rant and being quite absent in the online community, Gundamsucker will be making an appearance.
So, a friend of mine, "Ron" has got me hooked on Battlestar Galactica (credit also given to Geekson). This show is so well done it's taken me only 5 days to watch everything up to half of season 2. The hardest part of this show is recommending it to an Otaku. Since, there really isn't any anime like it. So, let me phrase it this way: "Gundam was inspired by Star Wars. The original Battlestar Galactica was inspired by Star Wars. The remake of Battlestar Galactica is better than the original." To describe the plot in Otaku terms: 50,000 survivors, searching for earth, and their only defense is the White Base...without the Gundams. Have I convinced you to watch it now? No? Oh. You already have seen it and you're watching it and all you can do is laugh at me for not realizing it's genius sooner.
Ok time for:
That's right! It's time for CM to talk about the shows that you all probably don't watch. But you should. First off we have the ending to Haruhi. Sad that it has ended. This is one show that I can honestly say was too short. I miss Kyon and Haruhi arguing. I miss Mikiru's massive tities.
Why did I just link to that?
Anyway, on to the ending. I loved it. When they wake up in the school I was absolutly excited. Haruhi's fantasy world is the school. Where she has the most fun. Where she lives. and while they where being chased, I loved the entired moment when all Haruhi could do was smile. but when that choir music came up, I laughed. I laughed my ass off. It wasn't really funny, it just was over the top. Not sure if that's what the creators wanted, but I found it hilarous.
I've decided to refer to Ergo Proxy as the montage show. This show has become a series of montages which do not push the story and constantly try to be deep and meaningful. What actually happens is meaningless. They make pointless obscure references which function more as an attempt to make themselves look incredibly deep. That's about it.
Anyway, I need to go see 'A Scanner Darkly'.
- BAI!
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