I ordered the FMP TSR box set last week. I’m a regular renter of DVD’s, but recently I haven’t found anything I really wanted to buy. That changed when I came across this while just browsing around some online distributors. I don’t usually blog about the stuff I buy, unless I’ve got nothing else to do. In this case, I was pleased with my purchase to such an extent that I thought I would share it with you guys.

First off, Full Metal Panic is a very funny and entertaining series. On the off chance that anyone reading this has not watched the series, just go and buy all the box sets now. If you can afford it.

I have the FMP and Fumoffu box sets already; so, this completes my set. I was a bit surprised by the amount of stuff that was included in the collection. My other two sets are thin-packs with nothing but a fairly good collector’s box (thick cardboard). This pack does away with the cardboard collector’s art box and replaces it with a booklet folder. Included in the collection are “Mithril Reports,” which are standard story introductions, character bios, and equipment specs. The whole thing folds up into a plastic sheath that has some additional art on it.

For some reason I hadn’t expected them to include the hilarious Tessa OVA. It’s on the 4th DVD as an extra.

What a nice surprise.

I often talk about the emotional impact of viewing art. In particular, I put a lot of focus on empathy. It’s almost always used to describe the personal understanding of the plight of another person. This is contrasted with sympathy, which is simply feeling sorrow on behalf or for another person. We may not understand the pain, but we do understand the resultant feelings or distress.

I bring this up because I came across these 5.12 EARTHQUAKE STRIPS. It was a link that appeared on reddit. As always, there is a great spectrum of comments on the post. The comments show a range of feelings on the matter. Some were moved, and others were joking. There are mocking tones, and complete apathy towards the matter.

It shows that empathy and sympathy are dependent on the individual. As for me, the strips were very moving.

I find Nozomu far more tolerable than Chizuru. These two characters are polar opposites; therefore, one is forced to choose between them. It’s entirely possible to like both characters (or dislike), but more than likely one will form a preference.

On the one hand, we have loud, big breasted, dark long haired, fox demon Chizuru. On the other, there is soft spoken, flat chested, silver short haired, wolf demon, Nozomu. One would think that mathematically they should cancel each other out. Obviously, the two characters are necessary for the plot, what plot there is. Love rivals are among the most common plot devices in these types of shows.

What type of show am I speaking of? I could do some work and try to figure out exactly what genre this show falls into. I’m guessing slice-of-life or school comedy. Maybe, slice-of-scomedy? Not that it really matters. Basically, what we have here is a show about two girls trying their hardest to bed Kouta, the male lead, where the end result is a lot of fanservicing.

So, basically, it’s about fanservice.

Also, Asahina is growing on me. It’s the hairpins.

There is a certain amount of time that one is allowed to waste each day in the pursuit of personal pleasures. More often than not, this time is utilized for what many would simply term “relaxation.” This empty time of leisure is to an extent fruitless. Conversely, there are those among us who seemingly work endlessly; still, that endeavor may be just as empty as sitting and doing nothing.

Life is very short when compared to the expansiveness of time; yet, we waste away what little moments we have doing very much useless things. That is to the outside observer. Sometimes, it is seen that way by us. In the end, what is it that we accomplish through these unhurried and unstructured hours?

Maybe the question should be, why do we do it? Some find their comfort in those segments of the days, weeks, months, or years. That comfort of losing one’s thoughts and shifting one’s mind to other things. Many find their reassurances at the bottom of a bottle or in the form of some other chemical self-medication. The goal would seem to be physical pleasure, or is it mental blankness? Others may find it better to keep their thoughts busy by doing other things. Perhaps it is a book, music, or television. Likely, for both, it is some-thing enthralling enough to direct the mind’s attention; that attention being focused, for a time, on one thing.

However, it simply does not work because thought is not so simple. The problem is that our minds don’t turn off. They churn what information is gathered from the senses. It is examined, stored, and reexamined. It is forgotten and remembered. Worst of all, the mind fixates. A single memory can become a lifetime of thought. Its weight, overbearing. Its size, enough to encompass all being.

All this comes in the light of a posited question: has the time we spend for our work or leisure overtaken us? Addiction is defined mostly by a compulsive behavior that interferes with one’s life. It is the chronic wanting, seeking, and exercise of some thing that is harmful solely by its use.

It is us who are addicted to wasting time. To the pursuit of nothing more than watching life’s flame burn out slowly, dimly, without much fuss. The alternative is to make use of that time to better one’s self.

What does it mean to be better than one’s self? It would seem that many have the answer with regard to others, not to themselves. There lay the problem in this line of thought. Who really knows what should be done with our time? What fruit will be the results of our expenditures, and what costs will be wrought? Some would say it should be measured by the end results for all. Another would say it should be weighed by the personal gains.

All may have a preference, but that doesn’t change anything. Whether the goal is right or the gain is good leaves us with only another matter of contention. Perhaps, things should just be taken as they are, and the lot of us should simply carry on.

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In other news: After better than a month I’ve made a new blog header. 

I don’t have much time to write about True Tears at the moment. However, I felt I had to do something in remembrance of my favorite character. Hence, the new blog header.

Now that this is over what we need is a show titled Magical Girl Lyrical Noe. Actually, I’d settle for a Noe centered sequel though.

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Ha! - The original post title for this was “A knew blog header” … I meant “new” header. Oh well, it isn’t like it’s the first time.