I decided to see what was going on over at a geek by any other name a while ago. It appears that some previous posts about a possible anime link with Zac Efron has attracted some unwanted attention.

Quote: “It’s all rather terrifying because some of them take the idea rather seriously, and others seem to actually think that by leaving a comment at my blog they can somehow get through to Zac Efron.” (my emphasis added)

Now, I can’t say that I actually know anything about this Zac kid. No one is immune to mass media who watches a bit of television here so I was somewhat familiar with the name. The same way that I’m familiar with that Hanna Michigan girl, ya’know.

I think what we can take away from this is that we shouldn’t mess with the affections of teenage girls because they are crazy. No offense intended to any non-crazy teenagers who may be reading this entry.

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I had to post something about this because it’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day.

I’ve been watching UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 3 (ADV release). This show gets a lot of flack for being pretty much the same thing as the other installments with little real substance added. There is a point to be made here. That’s three incarnations of this show and there just isn’t anything new.

This actually comes down to a simple issue of viewer awareness, as in the viewers not being aware that the show isn’t supposed to have substance. It is supposed to be a comedy. The only thing that actually passes for a plot is the relationship between Valkyrie and Kazuto. Let’s face it, that is the least interesting part of this show.

Things more interesting than Valkyrie + Kazuto:

1. Valkyrie’s Hat – That hat is freak’n cool
2. Hydra – because Hydra is freak’n awesome
3. This blog post
4. Spottenheim
5. The image print on the front of the DVD.
6. The back of the DVD.

I can’t say it really bothers me. I like the show. Although, Valkyrie irritates me a bit. If they were trying to make her character seem annoying then they did a really good job.

I’m voting Sanada as best catgirl maid ever. Until I finish the third installment of Valkyrie at which point I will probably forget all about her, but for the time being the title holds.

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I was trying to think of a really good poetic line to start this post. The only thing I could come up with was, “The world is an oyster.” I find this strange because the closest thing to an oyster I’ve ever eaten was clam chowder. It was none too pleasing either. I’m not much of a seafood person to tell you the truth.

Except for fish sticks. I love me some fish sticks.

“…crying school girls…” – check!

It’s rather embarrassing that I would do a mid-season review of some of the shows I’m watching and coincidentally not watch episode eight of Myself; Yourself. This episode turned out to not only be a very good episode but also a turning point in the story.

Many of the other bloggers who did Fall ’07 reviews mentioned the necessity to not rush one’s judgment based on superficial content. Something I don’t recall being mentioned was the intentional way a story is structured to put all of the really good stuff at the end, near the climax. It seems evident that Myself; Yourself will not have multiple story arcs (or subplots apparently). Those facts initially lead me to expect something “big” towards the end of the series. This is fairly standard stuff. For the most part I still expect a quick climax and conclusion.

I think the key point here is Nanaka. Naturally, with all the buildup around her character, I’m enticed to discover what it is that caused her so much pain. Nanaka’s emotional outburst added the emotional charge that this show needed. It was all about our expectations. We knew that she was suppressing her feeling, and we could tell that those emotions would burst forth eventually.

Watching it finally happen is a release for the audience as much as it is for her character. It should have happened earlier. Although, then we wouldn’t have been treated to a moody evasive Nanaka. Honestly, do we not all like moody evasive Nanaka.

I was expecting a gradual escalation of the story line and was totally unprepared for a transient point in the series where the story would get even “better.” Silly me, it looks like that’s exactly what happened.

On another note, Aoi’s tendency to jump to conclusions makes me think she has a dirty mind.

It’s another group blogging effort where we each write about something given a topic. I know it’s a little soon since the last group blogging thing was only a few days ago; you’ll live. If you haven’t guessed, the topic is “Autumn Season, 2007.”

I thought about comparing this season’s shows to others aired this year. Despite my efforts, it didn’t seem like a worthwhile cause. There are good shows, and there are bad shows. Overall, the survey is made of a common ilk. That is to say, the types of shows are fairly common. The stuff we have grown used to seeing. Myself; Yourself can be seen as a continuation in a long line of high school dramas. Ghost Hound is another sci-fi show that seems destine to fail where it showed the most promise, a captivating story. You’ll find that isn’t exactly my problem with the show. Finally, Shugo Chara is plainly excellent shoujo comedy, something that has been missing from my viewing schedule for a while.

For this post I’m going to talk about three shows I’ve been watching. Then there will be a little discussion about viewing and blogging. Of course, I haven’t seen every episode of every show that has aired this season. I’m simply going off history and those that I have viewed.

Myself; Yourself:

The story of the boy returning to his home town a little older but not the least bit wiser is fairly standard stuff. If not common, it isn’t groundbreaking with regard to building a plot. One of the issues I’ve had with the story is that it hasn’t produced any unique aspects that would set it apart from other high school dramas of recent memory.

We have the inept male lead and a couple of possible romantic options given by two of the female characters that will, or already has, lead to a love triangle. Everyone thinks the heart is the most romantic shape, but I think the triangle is severely underrated. I may not be the first to express this sentiment, as I seem to recall reading it elsewhere. I doubt many would disagree. We all love a good love-triangle.

Beyond all else, this show has what has come to be known as, “Very good ‘nice boat’ possibilities” (actually, I just made that up). Put another way, will we be able to categorize this as a “slice-and-life” show?

If it ends with Sana and Nanaka getting together combined with a lot of crying school girls then I’ll be happy.

(more…)

Part A: Impression

There are aspects of us that make us human. For that there is no doubt. Upon closer examination we see that our actions are rife with instinctive behavior. How much of what we do is guided by those actions is debatable, and how much that driving force we can consciously willfully deter is also debatable. One can make no argument that human beings are driven by forces other than conscious controllable thought. We have a heart; it beats whether we want it to or not.

We are simply and completely at the will of our memories. They haunt us and teach us about ourselves and those around us. To some the haunting fog of our past is a shadow cast upon it all. All the images and sounds of our history become a hazy dull coating on those irrepressible moments in time. Those key events that shaped the beings that we are today. They are uniquely us. They define us. They literally are us in the sense that we are more than a body. We are more than a beating heart.

We understand others only when we come to understand ourselves. It starts with the child who has no sense of others. It ends with the adult who by virtue of simply being human understands the concept inherent in the word, “other.” We are painfully aware that others don’t understand us. We are comically unaware that they actually do. In a paradox the scope that encompasses the entirety of humanity we see that it is actually easier to understand others than it is to understand ourselves. After all, our eyes can only see outward.

One could make a very good case that our being is simply the total sum of our memories. The lives lived are a combination of thoughts, events, and times intermingled with those of others. We share our memories. I’ll tell you a story. Once upon a time, I lived. (more…)