It is widely known that Google is a fairly good indicator of public sentiment. Actually, I made that up. The truth is that google trends offers only a hint of what the public’s feelings are about any particular issue. If anything, the best we can get from these charts is time-based popularity metrics.

Nonetheless, it came as a surprise to this blogger that Mr Ron Paul has surpassed hentai in popularity at the current time. Of course, this is only in the US. Overall, hentai is still dominant many times over when all metrics for the world are compiled, which you may test for yourself.

Also of note is the incredible dominance that Ron Paul has over hentai in the news (bottom section of plot).

Revolution…indeed.

-

This post does not constitute an endorsement of Ron Paul or any other political figure, country, person, thing, idea, color, hue, luminosity, or Hillary Clinton.

People look to the past to find themselves. They search their memories for hints of hope but often find despair. The mind wonders through a singly linked list of thoughts. One event building upon another until the present is reached. We ask, what if I had done it differently? We think, what if I had changed this? More often than not the truth is that we simply couldn’t do anything to change the happenstance of our past.

They say we must learn history or else, surely, we are doomed to repeat it. I’m sure most of us can relate to that mantra. How often I have wondered the truth of that mantra. How much control is there? How much leverage do we hold over our own destiny, our lives?

If I be more poetic, this one may believe in fate. To love one thing less myself, that would be great. I feel that a long year, nay, many long years have chilled mine heart. The now cold weather has engendered a start. That is a start to reflect on the past.

Can it be that there are actually key moments in any of our recent memories having to do with anime? Did one moment, one second, leave such an indelible mark on our thoughts as to define that simple instant as a key part of our life? Was it that important? Is it not simply an escape from those moments that would or do? Having simply some fun? Wasting some time? Running away?

If I be a more cynical person, this may seem a bit of a downer. I don’t believe that we are as simple as that. I don’t think that we are tools of fate. It may be so that we are defined by our past, but we don’t live there. Even though some may exist there, it would seem. Don’t play those memories repeatedly in your mind else they become your world.

I think what I’m trying to say is that one should live in the moment. I think that makes me a hypocrite. At any rate, School Rumble is a pretty good cure for the winter blues.

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.

-

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

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…)

Actually, it’s pretty much one blog that I frequent that is talking about it. It reminded me that I hadn’t seen a good romance in a while. I had not put myself through the long repeating, albeit explicitly stereotypical, wondering of a teenage girl’s heart through use of this medium we call anime. I hadn’t found myself vicariously longing for the boy I adored from afar. That feeling of forlorn love sinking into my soul. The knowledge of pending crisis only being alleviated by the thought that something better maybe, just maybe, lay ahead.

I thought about re-watching Utena or Kare Kano again. Then again Banner/Crest of the Stars has become more appealing recently due to having been mentioned in my presence. How about a selective run of Fushigi Yugi? It’s been a while. Then again, something like Ai Yori Aoshi may do; however, I don’t think that’s what I’m looking for.

I’ve said it before. I had hoped that Rome x Juliet would suffice, but it did not. To think, the story for which no other had more woe, that love story of Juliet and her Romeo would disappoint me so. My heart cries out for more. More heartache. More loneliness. More sorrow.

Am I a masochist? Do I enjoy it? I enjoy the experience because it isn’t my experience, it is a simple story. I’ve argued in the past that by experiencing a story one becomes part of it. That’s not at all at odds with what I’m saying here. I could sit back and relive old memories of lost love, pain, and heartache. I’ve done that hundreds of times. They’re the same memories without revelation, no new information. It just becomes a caustic song of all my ineptitudes.

Truth be told, this has little to do with finding a good show of a specific genre. I want to be moved, if just a little, by a story. That hasn’t happened for a good while. There hasn’t been an NHK, Honey & Clover, Kare Kano, or even a Koi Kaze (don’t hit me) recently. At least not one that has past by mine eyes.

I last recall a post along these lines not too long ago. Sometimes I just have to vent a little, I guess.