[23:36:53] <Zeroblade> anyway, yeah, it’s good.
[23:37:06] <Zeroblade> it hits so close to home, even though I’m not even working or anything

PS: how did i not have a manga category until now.

This image just amused me.

You know, this one.

So, all the stuff I’m still watching.

CLANNAD ~after story~
I find that the show’s been rather consistent in delivering. It’s constantly been able to… bring out some sort of emotion in me. At the least, it keeps me glued to the screen the full 25 minutes. It ellicits some sort of emotional response in me that gets me attached to the characters. Sort of like, how even if they don’t normally get a lot of screen time, each appearance somehow gets me to care more about them, and when their route comes, you feel for them, in a sense. Sort of like how you see this one person, say, a classmate, and even if you don’t really see him all that much, you sort of have some sort of concern for him. That sort of thing, perhaps? Anyway, it’s always a good mix of slice-of-life, comedy, and drama, all within a (more or less) realistic world. I think that is what keeps CLANNAD going strong, even through its second season.
Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, aka: AkaSaka
Yuuhi is cute. She’s a much better tsundere than most of the usual fare lately - Shana, Louise, Taiga, and so on. Unlike the latter, she doesn’t act all high-and-mighty and actually shows her deredere side more often, which is what I believe to be the charm point of a tsundere. Furthermore, the show’s pacing is relatively smooth, though I haven’t the slightest clue as to how the game goes anyway (and I’m sure most of us don’t either). Finally, the show is, bluntly put, enjoyable to watch. Yuuhi, in particular, whenever she gets flustered, or things like that.
Kannagi
While CLANNAD is the show that I put off for a nice day for viewing, Kannagi is the show I have to watch as soon as I get it. Why so? It’s a very fun show. Nagi’s antics, Tsugumi’s being flustered, and so on - essentially, the general tone of the show - give off a very light mood, which is perfect for watching any time of the week. Some people have pointed out that the show is definitely above average, but it doesn’t yet reach the levels of awesomeness. Perhaps, this is why KyoAni had fired the former director of Lucky Star (whose name eludes me as of this moment). Controversy or not, the show is definitely a joy to watch, and hopefully will continue to be.
Toaru Majutsu no Index
I honestly am not totally sure what the draw to the show is for me. Objectively (as far as I can push it, at least) speaking, the story is more or less original, the characters are unique, most of them likeable (railgun girl is love), and production values are pretty high. Perhaps it’s just a combination of those. Unfortunately, as many people have pointed out, the series is very, very exposition-heavy, which makes it godawful boring sometimes. The way it is paced, on the other hand, constantly keeps me on edge, wondering just what the freakin’ hell is going to happen next, which is probably why I still watch it.
Toradora
I haven’t been watching this lately, probably because Taiga being tsun all the fucking time is pissing me off.
Kemeko DX
Apparently, the director for the show was also the director of a similarly nonsensical show years and years back (I forget what it is, as usual). And it is. Kind of fun to watch, but the crazy slapstick levels have been dying down recently. I may keep going with this, but maybe I won’t.
Macademi WAsshoi
I thought it was weird, as in, Kemeko DX weird, but it’s not. At least, not of that kind. It’s more of Seto no Hanayome-like humor. Which is good. Very good. MWA however, seems to have a lot more otaku-centric and sexual jokes compared to Seto, which had lots of gay jokes and overall insanity. Plus, there is a giant nekomimi maid mecha that fires boob missiles which equals to INSTANT AWESOME. It’s fun to watch, like Kannagi, but it definitely needs a high energy level, because while Kannagi is sort of like “laid-back humor”, MWA is “high-on-drugs-and-shit humor.”
Hakushaku to Yousei
Also known as Earl and Fairy, but it sounds kinda weird to me. Anyway, it’s a very shoujo-y show, which isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, I find it quite watchable - when I watch it. I seem to keep putting it off over and over, which doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s quite good in comparison to some other things. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I’ll keep going with this one, as I don’t really find the level of enjoyment quite as comparable as to say, MWA.
Tales of the Abyss
Likewise, I can’t get myself to watch it as often as I should. Luke is still a prick (someone tell me when he stops being one in the show), and I already know all the major events that happen, so it’s not as… suspenseful as it should be. Again though, it’s above-average compared to a lot of stuff we’ve had the pleasure of seeing over the last season or two.
Ga-rei Zero
So we have two episodes of bloody action, and then hot yuri action after that. Not really sure what direction the show’s taking anymore.
Gundam 00
I don’t even know why I’m watching it. Maybe to fill up the complete and utter lack of action I have in my lineup.
ef ~a tale of melodies~
Memories was more enjoyable for me, but then I marathoned it, so it doesn’t really work as a valid comparison. I’ll marathon this too.
Chaos;Head
I only watch this for the laughs and for comparison. Really. Just play the visual novel.
Shikabanehime Aka
… is on probationary status due to lack of subs.

PS:

I am now patching ai sp@ce.

FOUR MILLION FILES’ WORTH THAT IS HUR HUR.

Moogy speaks truth.

That is to say, my semestral break.

It’s been fun, even if it hasn’t been meaningful in the slightest. I played a bit of Ar Tonelico, finished Fallout 3 and (will finish) Red Alert 3, and hell, I even started writing a bit of my own novel. And of course, anime. So I get to the actual point of the post. Now.

And now I come to an impasse - which shows to drop, which shows to continue. “Why not just keep watching them all?” one may say. Unfortunately, there are two particular circumstances that force me to drop stuff: One, school’s starting tomorrow and I need to cut down on stuff, and Two, I don’t want to waste my time watching shit*.

*shit, in this case, refers to “stuff I would prefer other things over.”

And so, the list, and a succinct sentence or two detailing its shittiness*:

*shittiness, in this case, refers to “reason(s) why I do not want to watch the show.”

Quartet
Mediocrity at its finest. Unfortunately, shitty raws dissuade me from further watching this.

Hyakko
Of the two episodes subbed I’ve actually seen (haven’t watched ep03), the humor isn’t really all that funny anymore, even by just the second episode. Animation kinda somehow turns me off too.

Casshern SINS
Too much emo, gives off an aura of pretentiousness, all they talk about is eating Casshern, or dying. I’m sick of it all.

Kurogane no Linebarrel
I thought this show had some promise, but I guess I was just expecting too much (something better than the level of “gut-wrenching shit”) but the barren wasteland of an animation studio we can hide under the name GONZO is, well… GONZO. You know.

This list will be followed of course, by a list of the stuff I will watch, and the stuff that’s on hold. Lengthier explanations for the former.

I like the way it looks so run-down and urban while the greenery on top provides a bit of contrast.

But she is sooooo worth it.

Figured it’d be a good excuse to post this.

My new STG setup

Shooters, shmups, STG’s, whatever you call them, have quite a long history in videogames. They were probably the first true genre of videogame, and were pretty much the be all, end all until a decade ago, give or take. Long story short, because people preferred easier games that didn’t hand your ass on a platter 9 out of 10 times, the genre pretty much died out. Except in Japan, where these games are still held in (pretty) high regard (at least, compared to other countries).

Around the end of 2004, if memory serves me right, when I was in Xiamen for an overseas study program, I really got into reading webcomics as a way to pass the time - 2 RMB per hour was a pretty decent rate, and the Uni’s computer lab was practically next-door (and it was) to the dorms. It was around that time that I read dom’s rant which talked a bit about Touhou in one of those Megatokyo strips. Curious, I tried to get the game, but every time I ran Embodiment of Scarlet Devil’s trial edition in the computers, it’d end up crashing, so I never actually got to playing it until I got home mid-December. Having still been stuck using dial-up, I pretty much stayed up overnight (I fell asleep halfway through anyway) downloading a 40mb file. The same goes for Perfect Cherry Blossom. After that, I was totally into danmaku STG’s. That was a few months ago.

Admittedly, this is one long preamble of a story, so now we get to the actual substance of this entry.

Enter Cave (Official Site).

They’re well-known for their insanely difficult shooting games, Mushihime-sama, DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou, ESP Ra. De., and of course, the well-renowned Ketsui.

Of the many games they’re developed, released, and had ported, I have copies of four - Mushihime-sama, DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou, Ibara, and ESPGaluda.

Spurred by the interest generated from seeing people talk about the games - Mushi, DDPDOJ, and Galuda in particular - I took it upon myself to play the games. First, I had to actually get a copy of the game. Given my low (zero) income, I had to resort to “aquiring” a copy through the internet. That done, I needed to get a decent arcade stick - one by Hori (because you know, they make some awesome peripherals) - so I did.

Initially, Mushi was loads of fun. I was able to make it through to the third stage, if I was balancing scoring and survival. Fourth if I got lucky. But then that was it. It was just too hard. I’d known Cave games to be unbelievably tough, but it had just gotten to the point of ridiculousness. So then I moved to Ibara… and quickly dropped it. Bombing on bosses, planning deaths, and ranking systems were just too complex, too detaching from the STG as a game. Even worse, the game had bullets as thin as a hair, shrouded by the clouds of smoke, all aimed at you. And even Mushi’s scoring system was just a little too complex for the lay gamer. So then I tried DDP DOJ. Still no good. The game wasn’t insane like Mushi, but I just couldn’t help but die. Bombs are incredibly useful in any shooting game, but for some reason, I’ve conditioned myself to not bomb (blame Perfect Cherry Blossom). And I slowly drifted away from shooting games in general - even Touhou wasn’t spared (the fact that the series as a whole was taking a radically different direction as compared to before doesn’t help either).

Almost all the fanart I’ve seen is of Seseri

And then I found ESPGaluda.

First thing I noticed about the game was that it was actually played off a CD. No more than 400mb in size, in fact. This was before I made myself a copy. Second thing was that the characters changed sex upon entering Kakusei mode. This was when I read a guide. Third thing is that the game is damn fun.

The difficulty curve this time ’round isn’t so unforgiving, unlike Mushi or DDPDOJ. The scoring system is very simple in execution. You can either collect gems and then enter Kakusei mode to convert enemy bullets to gold ingots, thereby increasing the score, or you can go into Kakusei overmode for much of the game, and well, good luck.

I’m not at all qualified to write a true review of the game. I’ve yet to 1cc the game, and I haven’t played enough shooters to sharpen my still-rough and unrefined tastes. However, I can definitely say it’s one of Cave’s finer offerings for those unfotunate enough to not have any arcades smart enough to get cabinets of their work (yours truly included). Go play it.

And some Tateha for good measure.

Just a really quick one before I go to bed - quarterly tests and all. I’ll keep all the unknown-to-first-timer stuff censored, unless you guys don’t mind me spoiling everything.

More or less the same, but with a different viewpoint. Different placements and one nurse less.

The anime sword doesn’t have the presence that the game’s did. Slight variations in design as well.

As is obvious, they take place at different times. If I remember correctly, in the game, Kozue also just stood there staring, rather than having a breakdown.

Yeah, I loved this scene. It doesn’t feel as right when it’s over the shoulder though. Also, I just realized that her eyes are of a different color in the show.

I’m actually worried about the pacing, at this early phase of the show. I’m not totally sure they can squeeze in all of the revelations and the expositions found in the latter (more awesome) part of the game, it’s not always good to keep hopes up, but well, what other purpose do they serve?

I figured I ought to try something like this. Perhaps it’ll be a good motivator for me to take pictures.

click for larger version

A shot from my bathroom window. I was a little scared to climb to the roof to get a nicer shot.
For the love of god, somebody get me an EOS 1000D.