tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936576989340728352024-02-20T12:20:35.973-08:00Future DiaryAnimonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-2163283653863080242014-01-29T00:32:00.001-08:002014-01-29T00:32:22.931-08:00Mirai Nikki Yuno Black Cosplay DressNormal 0 car through 7.8 battling 0 2 dealing because of false false false riding through deeply much littered indulge in the particular of doubtlessly encountering suggestions in with the prospect throes of totally incredibly drowning in relatively obtaining affected by intensely MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 under looked at as influence of Since summer vacation appearance of summer term the time cute but bloody and cruel girl who called Yuno Gasai in summer total series of Mirai Nikki (Future Diary), there suffer as take advantage of the new result the bigger and much more beautiful and characteristic cosplay girls suffer quit result of into the budget intriguing anime cosplay. Normal 0 tormented by 7.8 running 0 2 too much water in false false false littered the award of quite take advantage of the fully troubled by truly surprisingly plagued by slightly battling united states certainly under because of the most wonderful thing new influence of utterly declining pretty MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 the most wonderful thing new decrease of up triggered<br><br /><br><br />Without mister doubt, there probably will wear more completely than definitely the best cosplay costume as the award of quite an excellent result each the advantages of in each series, season same the ebook is in fact well described Yuno. This trendy and wonderful black fit is definitely right of summer popular plan as obtaining quite the best thing girls, which has become in summer months form of one-piece dress up as the most as any specialized in suspenders. As for cosplayers, your ability to buy nicely outcome has become obviously straightforward but eye-catching.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Plus summer season entire length recognizable pink hair, your capacity to purchase is definitely the most wonderful thing welcome and superlative cosplay in because hot months activity. If you suffer to paraphrase going for a cute girl and also want to endure something remarkable and exciting, try the cost Mirai Nikki cosplay.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwVESABEIANATxb%2FbtBiaKFP5cPt9b0ackjNToOBIMck3CnlDGd30elIbeZMhgRAzwbui8C2sDFX9LHzQrLunGXv9vjEecw%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-90297933789406558322014-01-23T07:10:00.001-08:002014-01-23T07:10:43.603-08:00"Y ta Hiraoka"Profile<br><br /><br><br />Name Yuta Hiraoka<br><a name='more'></a><br><br />Japanese:()<br><br />Profession: Actor<br><br />Birthdate: September 1, 1984<br><br />Birthplace: Waki, Kuga, Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan<br><br />Height: 178cm<br><br />Weight: 65kg<br><br />Star Sign: Virgo<br><br />Blood Type: O<br><br />Talent Agency: Amuse<br><br /><br><br />Movies<br><br />Kids Return Saikai no Toki (2013) - Shinji<br><br />It's a Beautiful Life - Irodori | Jinsei, Irodori (2012) - Haruhiko Eda<br><br />Bread of Happiness | Shiawase no Pan (2012) - Tokio Yamashita<br><br />Neck | Nekku (2010)<br><br />Last Operations Under the Orion | Manatsu no Orion (2009)<br><br />Subaru (2009)<br><br />Happy Dining Table | Kofuku na Shokutaku (2007) - Nao Nakahara<br><br />My Sister, My Love (2007) - Haruka Yano<br><br />Presents: Unisenbei (2007)<br><br />Christmas on July 24th Avenue (2006) - Oji<br><br />Trick: The Movie 2 (2006) - Kazuhiko Aonuma<br><br />Check It Out, Yo! (2006) - Tetsuo Tamashiro<br><br />A Day Beyond the Horizon (2005)<br><br />Nana (2005) - Shoji Endo<br><br />Be with You (2004) - Yuji (18 years old)<br><br />Swing Girls (2004) - Takuo Nakamura<br><br /><br><br />Drama Series<br><br />Ando Lloyd - A.I. Knows Love ? | Ando Roido A.I. knows LOVE ?(TBS / 2013) - Hajime Kadoshiro<br><br />Asakiyumemishi (NHK / 2013) - Kanzo<br><br />Vampire Heaven (TV Tokyo / 2013) - Hayato<br><br />Tokyo Airport : Air Traffic Service | Tokyo Eapoto : Tokyo Kuko Kansei Hoan Bu (Fuji TV / 2012) - Keisuke Honjoh<br><br />Ataru (TBS / 2012) - Takuro Kimihara (ep.4,10)<br><br />Thursday Theater Keigo Higashino Mystery | Mokuyo Gekijyo Higashino Keigo Misuterizu (Fuji TV / 2012) - Hisashi Morita (ep.7 - "Shiroi Kyouki")<br><br />Future Diary | Mirai Nikki - Another : World- (Fuji TV / 2012) - Yosuke Kurata<br><br />LADY - The Last Criminal Profile | LADY ~Saigo no Profiling~ (TBS / 2011) - Keisuke Nibori<br><br />Flower in Bloom | Sakuya Konohana (NHK / 2010)<br><br />Godhand Teru (TBS / 2009)<br><br />Kiina | Kiina: Fuka no Hanzai Sosakan (NTV / 2009) - Takeru Yamazaki<br><br />The Naminori Restaurant (NTV / 2008)<br><br />Monster Parent (2008)<br><br />Daisuki!! (2008)<br><br />First Kiss (2007)<br><br />Operation Love | Puropozu dai sakusen (Fuji TV / 2007) - Miko Enokido<br><br />Tokyo Tower (2007)<br><br />Love of my Life | Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (NTV / 2006)<br><br />My Dangerous Sister | Kiken na Aneki]] (Fuji TV / 2005)<br><br />Night School | Medaka (Fuji TV / 2004)<br><br />The Lion Teacher | Lion Sensei (NTV / 2003)<br><br /><br><br />TV Movies<br><br />Mottomo Toi Ginga (TV Asahi / 2013) - Ryoichi<br><br />Yaa ni Naru Nichi - Toba Toshijima Paradaisu (NHK / 2012) - Hisashi Narumi<br><br />Hataraku Gon! (NTV / 2009)<br><br />Akuma no Temari Uta (Fuji TV / 2009)<br><br />Average (Fuji TV / 2008)<br><br />Operation Love Special | Proposal Daisakusen SP (Fuji TV / 2008)<br><br />Kiseki no Doubutsuen 2008: Asahiyama Doubutsuen Monogatari (Fuji TV / 2008)<br><br />Ai no Rukeichi (NTV / 2007)<br><br />Waterboys 2005 Summer (Fuji TV / 2005)<br><br /><br><br />Awards<br><br />"Rookie of the Year" (Swing Girls) - 2005 (28th) Japan Academy Prize - February 18, 2005<br><br /><br><br />Source : http://asianwiki.com/<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwcENgDAIAMCJhNb4chtqjJAWIYU%2B3N47zvQTMVaPO0Rd6IU27Am3hMsU91IPLBW%2FlbSxTLJOwKnjB3LDFOE%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-91372105757631501102014-01-02T04:30:00.001-08:002014-01-02T04:30:35.493-08:00[Review] Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)The most popular image of Yuno is overused, so I'll use this one instead.<br><br /><br><br />I'm almost two years late to watching this series (mainly because I refuse to watch a series until all the Blu-Rays come out; unless the series is known to not be worth it, due to being an upscale), but I must say, this is one heck of an Anime. I knew right away after watching the first episode that I'd absolutely love this Anime, but HATE the main character, Yukiteru Amano. I know it's quite common to dislike the main protagonist of an Anime (especially the male ones), but this is something beyond any level of tolerance.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />As per usual, there will be minor spoilers here and there. But not any spoilers that wasn't already obvious from the images and screenshots all over the internet.<br><br /><br><br />Reasons why is a terrible :<br><br /><br><br />* He is a pussy. Common trait (Also, he cries too much, which is uncommon, no?).<br><br />* He is indecisive. Common trait.<br><br />* He has no pride. Uncommon trait.<br><br />* He has morals, but does not have the actions to back up his beliefs. Uncommon trait.<br><br />* He isn't badass. Common trait among male protagonists nowadays.<br><br />* He has a wonderful psychopathic lover (Gasai Yuno, the other protagonist, which is debatable) who will do anything for him, but he won't believe 90% of what she says. She has a future diary dedicated to you, does things only for you, and really, she truly has eyes only for you. You DIPSHIT!<br><br />* He wears shorts 95% of the time with his horrendous long socks, which is not appealing in the least.<br><br /><br><br />Reasons why is an awesome protagonist:<br><br /><br><br />* She is strong-spirited; never gives up. Common trait.<br><br />* She is quick to make decisions best for the parties involved. Common trait?<br><br />* She protects the one she loves no matter what happens. Common trait.<br><br />* She does more than the main protagonist does. Uncommon trait.<br><br />* She is a bloody psychopath. Uncommon trait.<br><br />* She is hot. Common trait.<br><br />* She is cruel, which is even hotter. Uncommon trait.<br><br />* She has two ponytails, something I actually very much dislike in girls (more so pigtails), and is still hot. Uncommon trait.<br><br />* She has pink hair. Not hot pink. Still hot.<br><br />* I think we're getting out of hand now.<br><br /><br><br />We also have Kousaka. Look at the confidence he's emitting! Brilliant!<br><br /><br><br />Reasons why is an awesome character:<br><br /><br><br />* Brilliant!<br><br /><br><br />Reasons why is an awesome character:<br><br /><br><br />* She's sly.<br><br />* She's hot.<br><br /><br><br />Mur Mur and Deus Ex Machina, the "Game Masters" of the "Survival Game."<br><br /><br><br />Moving on to the ANIME review,<br><br /><br><br />* SEASON COUNT: 1 + ()<br><br />* EPISODE COUNT: 26 + OVA<br><br />* PRESENTATION/APPEARANCE - 5/5<br><br /><br><br />* There were scenes where the artwork and animation seemed inferior, which was understandable. I will say, the scenes were spectacularly done, overall. Brilliant!<br><br /><br><br />* CHARACTERS - 4/5<br><br /><br><br />* Besides what I've mentioned of Yukiteru and Yuno, the characters were all an interesting bunch. You eventually meet new characters (as you would in any series). One of the characters always has this smirk on his face, and I rarely was ever able to get a screenshot of a different facial expression on his face. Then we have Kousaka, pictured above Tsubaki. Brilliant!<br><br />* , who is dubbed as God in this Anime universe, is pretty well done. Watch it and you'll see why I say it.<br><br />* Mur Mur, his "servant," is one sneaky bastard. She's lovable, though.<br><br /><br><br />* PLOT/STORY/GENRE (ACTION AND DRAMA) - 5/5<br><br /><br><br />* Where do I even begin? The director and/or writer sure knows how to blow the minds of viewers. Each time I think to myself, "no more surprises in this episode?" I get corrected very soon after. This Anime has plenty of action, drama, and definitely nailed the thriller aspect of it. Has some mystery going on, too. Brilliant!<br><br />* While the overall idea was amazingly well played, there were plenty of questionable aspects that occurred in the series. I'd mention them all here, but they're blatant spoilers. If anything, I guess I can say, the "power" of these Future Diaries kind of contradict one another, if not Deus Ex Machina himself.<br><br /><br><br />* MUSIC/SOUND - 5/5<br><br /><br><br />* The opening and ending theme songs are perfect. Nothing much else to say regarding that.<br><br />* Then we have the BGM. Um... Brilliant!<br><br /><br><br />* FINAL VERDICT - 5/5<br><br /><br><br />* If not for Yukiteru being a little bitch, I'd watch this series again. Kind of like how makes me never want to watch the amazing Anime, ever again. But then again, it wouldn't be the same without him. I'd watch Fate/Zero again and again, though. Shirou's father, , is the polar opposite of him. He's a badass, but I digress. Anyhow, it wouldn't be the same without Yukiteru or Yuno. Yukiteru because Yuno is nothing without him, unfortunately... I love that crazy nutcase, and you would/will, too. In a sense, she definitely pulled this series together fabulously. If it was Yukiteru and someone else, I wouldn't be as into this series. Oh, Yuno... Brilliant!<br><br />* I'd recommend this series to just about anyone. No doubt in my mind.<br><br /><br><br />I should add, the characters all get better as the episodes fly by. Eventually, you may develop mixed feelings between all of the characters... I know I did.<br><br /><br><br />Just look at her. Doesn't this just make you want to give her a big ol' hug?<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwVEOgCAIANATKdr66jZYlEwNh1jr9r2XzfoGkBgHHWJYpk9VrtHF%2FC4NlhBXCBGUHqbXNVZkd3Mp7M5pU8kdjPr5bK3%2BHbsbpA%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-35769377624660876422014-01-01T20:15:00.001-08:002014-01-01T20:15:44.292-08:002013 Anime Wrap Up and 2014 Backlog GoalHappy new year!What are you looking forward to in 2014?Personally, I've got another Disney vacation in the planning stages and a move.Ooh, scary.Also, I want to spend as much time with my baby nieces as possible unfortunately, they live in a different time zone, but I'll figure something out.I've got my anime backlog project to keep me busy, and here is the starting number:<br><br /><br><br />That's right.240 anime currently being watched.(It would have been 241, but I finished something this morning.Whoops.)I will not go over this number.I'd like to cut it down to 200 by the end of the year, but I have no idea if that's even possible.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />As for 2013, I finished more than I thought.After a few calculations (aka: I scrolled through all my Anime Mondays post and counted off all the shows I marked as completed), I figured out my magic number of shows I finished: 32.Of course, that includes 7 short OVA series and movies, but that's still pretty good.As you can see, I never finish anything.I have to beat last year by 8 titles to hit my goal, and I'm pretty sure I only have a couple OVA series in my list, which means I have to watch entire series.The countdown is on.<br><br /><br><br />Speaking of countdowns, here is a list of my favorite anime of 2013.Please keep in mind that these may not have been made in 2013, but they are ones I finished.Feat in itself.How about seven of them.Does that sound good?Anything to put in a NANA reference.<br><br /><br><br />7.BTOOOM!<br><br /><br><br />I almost put DIABOLIK LOVERS here, but I cared about this show so much that I made an actual review on it, so BTOOOM! wins.My love for the survival game premise knows no bounds, and even with an unfinished ending, this deserved a place on my top list.Sure, it was OVER said top on multiple occasions, but where else can you watch a bunch of people chuck bombs at each other and get a love story out of it?Don't say FUTURE DIARY.That got left off the list for its shitty ending.I guess unfinished trumps shitty.<br><br /><br><br />6.DANGANRONPA: THE ANIMATION<br><br /><br><br />What did I tell you?It's like survival game-a-palooza up in here.I watched this show weekly, and it was the only one of the season where I screamed at my tv wanting more immediately.I really hope the game sequel gets an anime because I need more Junko in my life ASAP.Also, this has one of the best ending sequences I've seen in a long time.It was decidedly simple, but I loved that moment when the camera panned out and you got to see who had gotten killed and what they were like before the shit hit the fan.And the song THE SONG.I loved it.<br><br /><br><br />5.SAY 'I LOVE YOU'<br><br /><br><br />It was between this or MY LITTLE MONSTER to put in the #5 spot, and although they are both pretty similar, SAY 'I LOVE YOU' made the cut.I loved the premise of this show, and it reminded me of one of my favorites, KIMI NI TOKDOKE, but with a less annoying female protagonist.And I love Yamato.I have no shame.He has absolutely everything, but he loves Mei, and that's all that matters.It did start to fall apart some towards the end, but if you like the shoujo romance shows, you should not skip this one.<br><br /><br><br />4.LOVELY COMPLEX<br><br /><br><br />Speaking of shoujo romances ugh.I LOVE LOVELY COMPLEX.It's right up there with NANA as one of my favorites of all time.I've said it before, but Risa is pretty much me in anime form.So if anyone wants a really tall girl who doesn't give up, please, take my number.I don't have a thing for bunnies, though.Anyway, this show made me cry more times than I am willing to admit, so you know it's got to be a lot.It also has one of the best anime kisses ever and it gives me the feels.You know.Lord.All the underground hype for this show is completely worth it.<br><br /><br><br />3.INTERSTELLA 555<br><br /><br><br />Yup, this is a movie, but what a fantastic movie.Firstly, it's entirely scored in Daft Punk music.Secondly, it takes place mostly in space, and I DON'T HATE IT.And, lastly, it's about a band, which I always love.If you watch one anime movie in the next few months, this should be it.Find it while you can, because, sadly, it's going out of print.I could watch this every week and not get bored.My love for INTERSTELLA knows no bounds.<br><br /><br><br />2.SOUL EATER<br><br /><br><br />This was the longest series I completed in 2013, and it only got finished because it was SO GOOD.I could not stop watching this.Death the Kid has one of my favorite character designs of any anime ever, and even if the ending is kind of bogus, I still loved this show.And there is a spin-off coming!Here's to hoping it has a few cameos from the original cast.And I think I'm the only person who didn't think Black Star was annoying.I should get a medal.<br><br /><br><br />1.MAWARU PENGUINDRUM<br><br /><br><br />Best show of my 2013 hands down.No contest.PENGUINDRUM had absolutely everything I could have ever asked for in an anime wrapped up into two awesome box sets.It's got the sense of fucked up that I like, has beautiful characters, a psychological storyline, and PENGUINS.YEAH, PENGUINS.Seriously, though, it won't be for a lot of people, but it was my most favorite thing.I encourage everyone to watch this, but only if you're prepared to get your mind fucked for hours upon hours.If that's your cup of tea, you won't be sorry.<br><br /><br><br />And I have definitely posted way too often this week.I'll be back on Monday with my first completed show of the year.Spoiler: it wasn't a very good one.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVilsOgCAMwE40BuqXtxmPIBHcAjNcX0z60Sa9VOVEzLWopu5Zh5nco%2FQ0hgnccLPuQOt%2Blu5AT2kJZieBV1ZF%2BA%2FwFO7KGTJTxQ%2Fgexwe' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-78289296498156230922013-12-30T06:15:00.001-08:002013-12-30T06:15:58.185-08:00Top 10 Anime of 2013I thought 2013 was a pretty weak year for anime. Of course there were certainly a decent amount of things that I liked and enjoyed. It was difficult compiling the top ten list this year. For the first time I have movies and specials on here simply because I didn't have enough TV series that I loved this year. Number ten was, again, a fight between a couple of series.<br><br /><br><br />2012 CARRY OVERS<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />* Fairy Tail<br><br />* From the New World<br><br />* Girls und Panzer<br><br />* Jojo's Bizarre Adventures<br><br />* Little Busters!<br><br />* Psycho-Pass<br><br />* Robotics;Notes<br><br />* Smile Precure<br><br />* Space Brothers<br><br />* Zetsuen no Tempest <br><br /><br><br />WINTER<br><br /><br><br />* Ai Mai Mi<br><br />* AKB0048 Next stage<br><br />* Amnesia<br><br />* Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Next<br><br />* Chihayafuru 2<br><br />* Maoyuu Maou Yuusha<br><br />* Minami-ke Tadaima<br><br />* Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara kuru sou desu yo?<br><br />* Nekomonogatari: Kuro<br><br />* Ore no Kanojo to Osanajimi ga Shuraba<br><br />* Sasami-san@Ganbaranai<br><br />* Senran Kagura<br><br />* Tamako Market<br><br />* Vividred Operation<br><br /><br><br />SPRING<br><br /><br><br />* Attack on Titan<br><br />* Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge<br><br />* Devil Survivor 2 the Animation<br><br />* Flowers of Evil<br><br />* Ginga Kikoutai: Majestic Prince<br><br />* Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W<br><br />* Hataraku Maou-sama!<br><br />* Hentai Prince & the Stony Cat<br><br />* Namiuchigiwa<br><br />* Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga nai.<br><br />* Red Data Girl<br><br />* Suisei no Gargantia<br><br />* Valvrave the Liberator<br><br /><br><br />SUMMER<br><br /><br><br />* Bakemonogatari 2<br><br />* Blood Lad<br><br />* Danganropa the Animation<br><br />* Day Break Illusion<br><br />* Eccentric Family<br><br />* Fantasista Doll<br><br />* Fate/kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya<br><br />* Free!<br><br />* Gatchaman Crowds<br><br />* Love Lab<br><br />* Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist<br><br />* Senki Zesshou Symphogear G<br><br />* Silver Spoon<br><br />* Stella Women's Academy<br><br />* Yellow Mosaic <br><br /><br><br />FALL<br><br /><br><br />* Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova<br><br />* BlazBlue: Alter Memory<br><br />* Coppelion<br><br />* Galilei Donna<br><br />* Gingitsune<br><br />* Infinite Stratos 2<br><br />* Kyoukai no Kanata<br><br />* Kyousogiga<br><br />* Little Busters!: Refrain<br><br />* Strike the Blood<br><br />* Valvrave the Liberator 2<br><br />* Walkure Romanze<br><br /><br><br />TV Total: 62 completed (counting both Valvrave seasons as one), 3 on hold, 2 dropped<br><br /><br><br />OVA'S/ONAS/MOVIES/SPECIALS<br><br /><br><br />* 009 Re:Cyborg<br><br />* Accel World OVA<br><br />* Accel World Specials<br><br />* Ao no Exorcist Movie<br><br />* Arve Rezzle<br><br />* Asura<br><br />* Attack on Titan Recap<br><br />* Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent<br><br />* Blood-C: the Last Dark<br><br />* Blood Lad OVA<br><br />* Chihayafuru 2 OVA<br><br />* Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!: Depth of Field<br><br />* Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai: Kirameki no Slapstick Noel!<br><br />* Control Bear<br><br />* Corpse Party: Tortured Souls<br><br />* Dareka no Manazashi<br><br />* Death Billiards<br><br />* Evangelion 3.0<br><br />* Fairy Tail OVA<br><br />* Fairy Tail x Rave <br><br />* Fuse Teppou Musume no Torimonochou<br><br />* Future Diary Redial<br><br />* Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou: Fumikome nai Kokoro<br><br />* Genshiken Nidaime OVA<br><br />* Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border1: Ghost Pain<br><br />* Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border2: Ghost Whispers<br><br />* Girls Und Panzer Specials<br><br />* Haiyore! Nyaruko-san OVA<br><br />* Hal<br><br />* Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home<br><br />* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku: Outbreak<br><br />* Humanity Has Declined Specials<br><br />* Inferno Cop<br><br />* Joshiraku OVA<br><br />* Kamisama Kiss OVA<br><br />* Kick-Heart<br><br />* Kotonoha no Niwa<br><br />* Little Busters! OVA<br><br />* Little Witch Academia<br><br />* Magical Star Kanon 100%<br><br />* Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's Movie<br><br />* Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Recap<br><br />* Mardock Scramble: The Third Exhaust<br><br />* Monster Seated Next to You OVA<br><br />* Namiuchigiwa OVA<br><br />* Naruto: Road to Ninja<br><br />* Nerwareta Gakuen<br><br />* Nozoki Ana<br><br />* One Piece Film Z<br><br />* Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga nai. Specials<br><br />* Pokemon: the Origin<br><br />* Precure All Stars New Stage 2: Kokoro no Tomodachi<br><br />* Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Beginnings<br><br />* Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Eternal<br><br />* Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion<br><br />* Ryo<br><br />* Saint Young Men OVA<br><br />* Saki Achiga-hen Episode of Side-A Specials<br><br />* Sankarea: Wagahi mo.. Zombie de Aru <br><br />* Smile Precure Movie<br><br />* Space Battleship Yamato 2199<br><br />* Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Deja Vu<br><br />* Suisei no Gargantia Specials<br><br />* Tamako Market: Dera's Bar<br><br />* Tiger & Bunny: the Beginning<br><br />* Tight Rope<br><br />* To Aru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki<br><br />* Vanquished Queen<br><br />* Vanquished Queens Specials<br><br />* Vassalord OVA<br><br />* Who is Imouto? Episode 13<br><br />* Wolf Children Ame & Yuki<br><br /><br><br />2013 TOTAL: 134 completed, 3 on hold, 2 dropped<br><br /><br><br />PRE-2013 TOTAL: 273 completed<br><br /><br><br />OVERALL TOTAL: 407 completed, 3 on hold, 2 dropped<br><br /><br><br />10. LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA - It was between LWA and Jojo's Bizarre Adventures for this spot. As much as I enjoyed Jojo, I had to be in a certain mood to fully enjoy it. Besides, LWA is awesome. One of the best Anime Mirai has given us and I can't wait for the sequel.<br><br /><br><br />9. FROM THE NEW WORLD - I certainly had a ton of issues with From the New World, especially concerning the characters. However I can't deny that its story was original, interesting, and one of the best endings and revelationsI've seen this year.<br><br /><br><br />8. GENSHIKEN NIDAIME - Even with the fujoshi invasion, this newest Genshiken installment proved to be just as good and entertaining as the original crew. (Even if I still think there was a bit too much focus on the trap.)<br><br /><br><br />7. SENKI ZESSHOU SYMPHOGEAR G - A step down from the first season, but retained pretty mucheverything that made me love and enjoy it. And Nana-chan. I hope the upcoming third season will be better than this one.<br><br /><br><br />6. PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA FILMS - Even though I felt unsatisfied with the first two recaps, it was nice to see the original Madoka story with upgraded visuals. I'm still not completely sure how I feel about the third movie, but I can't deny that it was probably the most memorable anime viewing experience I've had all year.<br><br /><br><br />5. VALVRAVE THE LIBERATOR - Another one of those "so bad it's good" series. Valvrave uses almost every overused cliche and trope in the mecha genre arsenal, but it's very proud and unashamed of that fact. So yes while this obviously made the show dumb as hell, it was also thoroughly entertaining.<br><br /><br><br />4. NEKOMONOGATARI / BAKEMONOGATARI 2 - Monogatari had two excellent installments this year. I'm still mad that the latter felt the need to have a recap episode at the end of every arc, but aside from that it was great to see all of the girls receive more development.<br><br /><br><br />3. MAHOU SHOUJO LYRICAL NANOHA THE MOVIE 2ND A'S - Once again, this second Nanoha film proved more to be a simple retelling and money maker. Entirely new and amazing animation, plus some new character designs, a brand new soundtrack and more made Nanoha A's the Movie 2nd a worthwhile endeavor.<br><br /><br><br />2. ECCENTRIC FAMILY - A charming family-centric anime with a lot of great mythological and fantastical elements. If I ever have time, I'll probably revisit it in the future.<br><br /><br><br />1. KYOUSOGIGA -I'm so happy this received its own TV series. The story finally feels complete.Definitely told the most emotionally touching story for me this year. With a cast of memorable characters and gorgeous visuals, Kyousogiga is my favorite anime of 2013.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNodyUEKwCAMBMAXxY1662%2BkTatgjGig3y90rlPd5wFsU%2FHaxiMua5QeXlvXXLJ3OE2ROGbEhMxwmxSZymgqZDf99QF88Bca' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-70139702392732933092013-12-22T15:53:00.001-08:002013-12-22T15:53:14.652-08:00Write you own Future!I recently re-read a book from 1980 titled Future Diary, by Mark Victor Hansen (co- author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and many other books).There are many great points in this book about goal setting and some tips and techniques to develop effective goal setting.<br><br /><br><br />One part of the book that I particularly liked was early in the book.Mr. Hansen wrote about how we all daydream and think about the great deeds we will do, how famous we will be, how many homeruns we will hit, and all those wonderful things that seem so possible and uncomplicated when we are children.The point he makes is that the one "magic" tool we didn't know how to use was the principle of writing it down.As he points out, we grow up and leave our childhood dreams and goals behind in most cases, and often we leave behind our enthusiasm for living like we lived as children with a "no mountain too high" attitude.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />For many of us goal setting has become a dull, meaningless routine that some supervisor or corporate VP has thrust upon us.We often look at it as a time where we box ourselves into a corner.We may feel that we were forced into agreeing with someone else's goals, which are often unattainable in our minds.I doubt there are many of us in that type of situation who can say that they are "enthusiastically" devoting a major part of their workday to meeting those goals.<br><br /><br><br />Mark Victor Hansen proposes that you write down your personal goals.You can't have too many!And not just business goals, but goals for your family, your health, your spiritual side.They should be YOUR goals.Don't worry about prioritizing the goals; your mind will do it for you. As you complete each goal write "Victory" next to it.The goals will become magnets that pull you toward meeting them.<br><br /><br><br />Mr. Hansen recounts a story to illustrate his ideas.In 1974 he started speaking professionally.One of his goals became to have his own television show.He didn't have the money to cover the production costs associated with starting up that sort of project.But, nine years later, he got a call from a local cable television station that wanted to do the Mark Victor Hansen Show.His response: "Thank you.I've been expecting your call."<br><br /><br><br />It's the fourth quarter of the year.Why not start working on your goals right now?You can hit the ground running on January 1.And remember, these aren't your one year goals; these are your life goals - much more important.Put a lot of thought into them.<br><br /><br><br />"Nothing happens unless first we dream."<br><br />-CARL SANDBURG<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwdENgCAMBcCJ4En9cxujVQlKSVskbu%2Fd5d4WwNab7c0l1zMO0b0pm8VNHtCUZiQCEYZm5%2FBJDzJqOLp3ZfwCIBbz' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-182041941636287262013-12-21T20:49:00.001-08:002013-12-21T20:49:09.064-08:00THIS JUST IN! LATEST SPIN!&-- THE KOOL-AID TABLE<br><br /><br><br />AS HIS INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR NELSON MANDELA CONTINUES TO RESULT IN CRITICISM, CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O CONTINUES TO ATTEMPT TO OFFER NEW EXCUSES.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />THIS MORNING, THESE REPORTERS AND SEVEN OTHERS WERE INVITED INTO THE OVAL OFFICE TO HEAR THE LATEST EXPLANATION.<br><br /><br><br />"CHARLES NELSON REILLY," BARRY O EXPLAINED."THAT'S WHO I THOUGHT THE MEMORIAL WAS FOR.THE SELFIE AND THE GRINS AND LAUGHTER?I FELT I WAS HONORING THE SPIRIT OF CHARLES NELSON REILLY.IT WAS ONLY AFTER THE SELFIE THAT MICHELLE INFORMED ME THE MEMORIAL WAS ACTUALLY FOR NELSON MANDELA -- NOT CHARLES NELSON REILLY STAR OF MATCH GAME, MATCH GAME '74, MATCH GAME P.M. AND LIDSVILLE."Granted, the April hearing wasn't a Senate VA hearing.That's probably why it was an important hearing. , Senator Patty Murray, as Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, chaired a hearing.It is the most important hearing for veterans in 2013.It was, it remains, the most important hearing.Committee Chair Murray, of course, is the former Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and she continues to serve on the Senate VA Committee.<br><br /><br><br />In real time, we covered the pertinent exchange at length.I'm both (a) not in the mood and (b) not going to waste space on it.So we'll do a small excerpt.<br><br /><br><br />For those who don't know, just to set this up, the VA claims system had a huge backlog and, at this hearing, Shinseki and the always laughable Alison Hickey explained a new way of doing things.And the press just ignored it and continues to.It's a shell game.Let's go to the excerpt.<br><br /><br><br />CHAIR PATTY MURRAY:AS I MENTIONED, YOU HAVE A NEW ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW INITIATIVE TO EXPEDITE CLAIMS THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR OVER A YEAR.AND THAT'S ENCOURAGING AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S TAKING ACTION BUT I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW IT IS GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED.AND I WANTED TO ASK YOU, IF THE VA DETERMINES THE VETERAN'S FINAL RATING IS LOWER THAN THE PROVISIONAL RATING, WILL THE DEPARTMENT SEEK TO RECOVER MONEY THAT'S ALREADY BEEN PAID TO THAT VETERAN?<br><br /><br><br />SECRETARY ERIC SHINSEKI:MADAM CHAIRMAN, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A QUESTION.I, UH, I-I, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, I -- OUR -- HISTORICALLY, WHEN WE'VE ESTABLISHED A STANDARD FOR A VETERAN, WE'VE USUALLY STAYED WITH THAT AND, UH, LET ME CALL ON SECRETARY HICKEY HERE BUT MY-MY INTENT IS THAT THE PROVISIONAL RATING THAT'S PROVIDED WILL BE ON THOSE ISSUES FOR WHICH WE HAVE CLARITY AND DOCUMENTATION AND WE CAN RENDER A, UH, A DECISION.FOR ISSUES THAT, UH, WHERE DOCUMENTATION ISN'T PROVIDED, THOSE ARE THE ISSUES THAT REMAIN OPEN UP TO A YEAR, FOR VETERANS TO LOCATE, WITH OUR HELP EVEN, DOCUMENTATION THAT WOULD, UH, ALLOW US TO,UH, MAKE A DECISION THERE.UH, SECRETARY HICKEY.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: CHAIRMAN MURRAY, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, FOR YOUR, UH, INTEREST IN THE INITIATIVE WHICH WE THINK IS, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT TO, UH, ENSURE THAT WE'RE, UH, TAKING CARE OF THOSE VETERANS WHO HAVE WAITED THE LONGEST WHILE WE COMPLETED THE MORE THAN 260,000 AGENT ORANGE CLAIMS TO TAKE CARE OF OUR VIETNAM VETERANS OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS.WE-WE, UH - WE ARE USING THE PROVISIONS THAT ALLOW US TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS SO WE WILL CONTINUE, UHM, UNDER THIS PROVISIONAL CRITERIA TO HAVE -- TO USE SERVICE TREATMENT, TO USE PRIVATE MEDICAL RECORDS, TO USE THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO OUR, UHM, ON OUR VETERANS IN TERMS OF THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF THEIR SERVICE.SO ALL THE SIMILAR EVIDENCE WE HAVE USED IN PREVIOUS DECISIONS WE WILL USE AGAIN TO ENSURE THAT WE, UH, DON'T MAKE ANY OF THOSE KINDS OF DECISIONS.I DON'T EXPECT TO SEE ANY OF THOSE DECISIONS, UH, WHERE WE OVERCOMPENSATE FOR, UH, FOR A CLAIM.UHM, THE OTHER THING THAT THAT WE WILL DO IS WE WILL, UH, KEEP THE REASON FOR THE PROVISIONAL DECISION, WE PUT A REALLY HUGE SAFETY NET UNDER EVERY ONE OF OUR VETERANS, WE'RE, UH, GOING TO KEEP THE RECORD FOR A WHOLE YEAR THERE -- THE ABILITY FOR OUR VETERANS TO COME BACK WITH ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE.UH, UHM, UH, AND WE WILL KEEP ASKING IF --<br><br /><br><br />CHAIR PATTY MURRAY:SO THE ADDITIONAL YEAR WILL ONLY BE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CLAIM, NOT TO LOWER THE CLAIM?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:UH, TH-THE, UH, THE REASON FOR THE YEAR IS TO ALLOW TO INCREASE THE RATING, UH, IF NECESSARY SO I THINK IN -- THE ADVANTAGE IS OUR VETERANS FOR THE ADDITIONAL YEAR.UH, AND THEN THEY STILL HAVE AFTER THAT, THE SAME APPEAL, UH, PROCESSES THAT THEY'VE HAD IN THE PAST.SO WE DON'T ANTICIPATE, UH, HAVING, UHM, UH, CONDITIONS WHERE WE OVERPAY VETERANS UNDER THIS INITIATIVE.<br><br /><br><br />In real time, reporting on that hearing the day it took place, I wrote:<br><br /><br><br />What the VA is proposing is that a temporary rating be created.This temporary rating may become permanent.Or it might increase or it might decrease.If you're a veteran qualifying for some small-business program based on your rating, how does this impact that?Hickey gave no response about that or how the temporary claim would effect anything.<br><br />Now I think she's an idiot who should be fired.But can you be that stupid that when asked a direct question, you completely miss it?Maybe so.Maybe Allison Hickey is The Dumbest Person In The World.However, I just see her as deeply dishonest.<br><br />As deeply dishonest is the new program that's being discussed.<br><br />Murray is correct.This is going mean "increasing the workload by requiring two" or more "ratings decisions instead of one." And this is only more clear when Hickey asserts that after a veteran receives a rating he or she finds less than satisfactory and they return with more information, Hickey's words, "we will expedite that claim to the front of the line."<br><br />What's really going on here?<br><br />The VA has bad press because they've not eliminated the claims backlog, they have not reduced the backlog.They have been given everything they've asked for.Congress has actually spent the last years asking them, "Is that all you need?What else can we do to help you with this?"VA has insisted they had all they needed.<br><br />So this is VA's problem.At the hearing, Senator Tammy Baldwin observed, "Veterans don't want to hear about new claims or new processes, they want results and so do I."She's correct.However, this program's not about veterans, it's about the press.This is a distraction that will create the illusion of something new which, the VA hopes, will garner good press.<br><br />In what world, when you're failing at the claims system, are you allowed to create a new system that will pull more employees away?<br><br /><br><br />There were members of the press at that hearing.<br><br /><br><br />They ignored this significant development/change.<br><br /><br><br />They have since falsely reported on the 'success' of the VA with the backlog.<br><br /><br><br />And Chair Sanders was praising them yesterday.'Oh, goodness, you're reducing the backlog.'<br><br /><br><br />No, they're not.<br><br /><br><br />They're slapping on 'provisional decisions' to rush these through so they can move them into the 'decided' column.Even though they're not.<br><br /><br><br />I have no problem with a hasty VA decision -- which comes with a real appeal process.I have no fear that veterans are trying to game the system.Unlike Senator Jon Tester, I don't have visions of them smoking and drinking and see that as abuse of the system.I think -- whether they smoke, drink, dip, what have you -- they're trying to get the health care they were promised.Promises were made, promises need to be kept.<br><br /><br><br />But the provisional 'ratings'?The VA can change them themselves -- even if the veteran doesn't appeal.Why are these temporary calls being issued?<br><br /><br><br />It's a shell game to move the numbers without really doing so.<br><br /><br><br />"Reducing the backlog at the expense of accuracy is not acceptable," Chair Sanders declared Wednesday morning.<br><br /><br><br />Two days after the April 23rd hearing, on veterans fears (justifiable) about the VA's new rating:<br><br /><br><br />UNDER THE NEW PLAN, VA WILL ISSUE A "PROVISIONAL" RATING WITHIN 60 DAYS ON CASES TWO YEARS OLD OR MORE. VETERANS WOULD THEN HAVE A YEAR TO SUBMIT NEW EVIDENCE TO INCREASE THEIR RATING, OR ASK THAT THE RATING BE MADE FINAL SO THEY CAN FILE AN APPEAL.<br><br />THE APPARENT CATCH IS THAT ISSUING THE PROVISIONAL RATING MAY LEAD TO CREATION OF A NEW CASE, THUS LETTING VA "CLOSE" THE OLD ONE WHEN IN FACT THE VETERAN'S CLAIM REMAINS OUTSTANDING.<br><br />RONALD ROBINSON, PRESIDENT OF THE AFGE UNION LOCAL THAT REPRESENTS VA CLAIMS WORKERS IN COLUMBIA, S.C., SAID THE NEW RULES ARE NOTHING MORE THAN AN EFFORT TO MAKE THE AGENCY'S SINKING STATISTICS LOOK BETTER.<br><br /><br><br />Chair Sanders declared at yesterday's hearing, "Veterans are still waiting too long for a decision.And the Inspector General to find issues with the quality, with the quality of the work.I am concerned by the most recent IG findings which found significant problems with the provisional decisions reviewed at the Los Angeles regional office."<br><br /><br><br />Imagine that.<br><br /><br><br />Problems with the provisional ratings?<br><br /><br><br />Who could have seen that happening?<br><br /><br><br />I said we'd cover a December House Veterans Affairs Subcomittee and I never did.Sorry.I don't like writing about this topic.I can go on over and over about -- so much for the 'withdrawal.'<br><br /><br><br />But this nonsense?Senators were present when this new 'system' was announced.The press was as well.And yet they've both failed on this issue.Veterans groups have raised concerns and yet both groups continue to fail and every other month some mouth breathing press loser is trumpeting 'the numbers' and 'the reductions' and never noting provisional ratings or what's really going on.<br><br /><br><br />At the December 4th hearing, the VA's Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Sondra F. McCauley was one of the witnesses.<br><br /><br><br />DEPUTY ASSISTANT IG SONDRA MCCAULEY:ON APRIL 19, 2013, VBA IMPLEMENTED A SPECIAL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS THE OLDEST PENDING DISABILITY CLAIMS IN THE CURRENT BACKLOG. VBA STATED THE INTENT OF THE INITIATIVE WAS TO WORK ALL CLAIMS PENDING FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS WITHIN 60 DAYS, BEGINNING APRIL 19, 2013. VAROS WERE DIRECTED TO DEVOTE ALL RVSRS AND AS MANY VETERANS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES AS NEEDED TO ENSURE ALL CLAIMS PENDING OVER 2-YEAR OLD WERE PROCESSED AND COMPLETED. ACCORDING TO VBA, RVSRS WERE TO IMMEDIATELY PROCESS THE 2-YEAR OLD CLAIMS BASED ON THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE IN THE VETERANS' CLAIMS FOLDERS. FURTHER, RATING DECISIONS PRODUCED WERE TO BE CONSIDERED PROVISIONAL RATINGS UNLESS ALL EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF THE CLAIMS HAD ALREADY BEEN RECEIVED (AND THE CLAIM WAS CONSIDERED READY-TO-RATE) OR THE RATINGS ASSIGNED PROVIDED THE HIGHEST EVALUATION FOR THE PARTICULAR DIAGNOSTIC CODE FOR EACH CLAIMED ISSUE. HOWEVER, IF MEDICAL EXAMINATION REPORTS OR OTHER FEDERAL RECORDS WERE NEEDED, THESE OLDER CLAIMS COULD NOT BE PROCESSED AS PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS.DURING ONE REVIEW ERRORS WERE IDENTIFIED AT THE LOS ANGELES VARO WHEN LEADERSHIP PROVIDED CONFLICTING GUIDANCE ON THE PROPER PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS. WE DETERMINED 10 -- 91 PERCENT --OF 11 PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS WE REVIEWED WERE NOT COMPLIANT WITH VBA'S GUIDANCE RELATED TO THE 2-YEAR CLAIMS PROCESSING INITIATIVE. EIGHT OF THE 10 PROVISIONAL DECISIONS WERE DETERMINED TO BE NON- COMPLIANT BECAUSE THE RATING DECISIONS WERE MADE WITHOUT SUPPORTING VA MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AS REQUIRED. ONE CLAIM WAS DECIDED WITHOUT SERVICE TREATMENT RECORDS, WHICH ARE CONSIDERED FEDERAL RECORDS AND MUST BE OBTAINED BY VARO STAFF PRIOR TO RENDERING A PROVISIONAL RATING DECISION. IN THE REMAINING CASE, THE PROVISIONAL RATING WAS CONTROLLED BY A FUTURE DIARY THAT SCHEDULED THE CLAIM FOR REVIEW IN 2 YEARS INSTEAD OF 1 YEAR AS REQUIRED.REQUIRING A RATING DECISION TO BE RENDERED BEFORE A MEDICAL EXAMINATION IS OBTAINED AS A BASIS FOR A DECISION IS IN CONFLICT WITH VBA POLICY. ON MAY 14, 2013, CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS SENT TO THE LOS ANGELES VARO STAFF VIA AN E-MAIL FROM THE VARO DIRECTOR'S OFFICE. THE GUIDANCE INCORRECTLY STATED ALL 2-YEAR OLD CASES REQUIRING A MEDICAL EXAMINATION MUST HAVE THE MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS ORDERED BY MAY 15, 2013. THIS CONFLICTS WITH VBA GUIDANCE BECAUSE IF A MEDICAL EXAMINATION WAS REQUIRED TO DECIDE A CLAIM, THE CLAIM COULD NOT BE COMPLETED AS A PROVISIONAL DECISION UNTIL STAFF OBTAINED THE NECESSARY MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS. THE GUIDANCE ALSO INCORRECTLY INDICATED THAT ANY CLAIMS WITH MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS NOT COMPLETED BY JUNE 3, 2013, WERE TO BE DECIDED BY A PROVISIONAL RATING.<br><br />WE ARE CONCERNED SIMILAR ERRORS MAY EXIST AMONG OTHER PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS COMPLETED BY THE LOS ANGELES VARO AFTER THE CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS ISSUED. VBA PROVIDED DATA THAT REVEALED THE LOS ANGELES VARO COMPLETED 532 PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS BETWEEN APRIL 19 - JUNE 19, 2013. VARO STAFF COMPLETED 470 OF THOSE 532 PROVISIONAL DECISIONS CLAIMS AFTER THE CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS DISSEMINATED ON MAY 14, 2013. ALL 10 PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS THAT WE IDENTIFIED AS NON-COMPLIANT WERE COMPLETED AFTER THIS DATE. WE RECOMMENDED THAT VBA REVIEW ALL OF THE PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS COMPLETED BY THE LOS ANGELES VARO AFTER THE CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS ISSUED TO ENSURE THEY ARE ACCURATE.<br><br /><br><br />So in the only examination thus far, 90% of the provisional ratings in the LA area did not follow the (limited) procedures and are most likely incorrect.The new rating is prompting the IG to call for all of the LA area's provisional ratings to be reviewed.<br><br /><br><br />"In fact, it appears the employees were encouraged to violate VA policies," Senator Johnny Isakson noted yesterday of the IG findings on the LA area.He noted that the IG recommendation of a review of all provisional rating decisions had been completed and the VA founds"100s that contained errors."<br><br /><br><br />Hundreds.Plural.And we're only talking 532 decisions.<br><br /><br><br />Senator Patty Murray noted what she's hearing from veterans in Washington state, "[. . .] I have heardrepeatedly from veterans that they were confused and frustrated with the provisional rating process. Some believe their claims have been flat out rejected and others didn't understand that they have a year to submit additional evidence. Secretary Hickey, we need to hear more from you today about how the VA's going to improve outreach and communication with veterans [. . .]"[Note, at the end of , the press release issued by Senator Murrary's office can be read.]<br><br /><br><br />"During Committee oversight," Chair Sanders declared yesterday morning, "my staff has identified clear and unmistakable errors in provisional rating decisions."<br><br /><br><br />Appearing before the Committee was the VA's Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey.In her opening remarks, Hickey declared, "In June, VA completed the first phase of the initiative, which focused on all claims that had been pending over 2 years. While some claims from that category were still outstanding due to the unavailability of a claimant and other unique circumstances, approximately 99 percent of these 2-year claims (over 67,000) had been processed for Veterans, eliminating those claims from the backlog. Since that milestone, VBA claims processors have focused on completing the claims of Veterans who have been waiting over 1 year for a decision. VA has processed approximately 96 percent of all 513,000 claims pending over 1 year."<br><br /><br><br />Chair Bernie Sanders noted Shinseki's proposed goal for 2015, 125 claims processed within 125 days processed with 98% accuracy.Sanders wanted to know if VA was "on track to achieve the Secretary's goal" by 2015.Hickey responded that "we are on track barring any implications to our full" budget request for 2014 Fiscal Year, she stated they would meet the goal.We'll note this exchange.<br><br /><br><br />CHAIR BERNIE SANDERS:IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR, VA ROLLED OUT AN INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE DECISIONS ON THE CLAIMS THAT HAVE BEEN PENDING THE LONGEST.WHILE I APPRECIATE VA'S EFFORTS TO PROVIDE THE VETERANS THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING THE LONGEST WITH DECISIONS, I CONTINUE TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE.THE IG, THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S, RECENT FINDINGS REGARDING PROVISIONAL RATINGS DECISIONS AT THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL OFFICE WHICH FOUND A NUMBER OF ERRORS WAS VERY, VERY CONCERNING.I UNDERSTAND THE OFFICE CORRECTED THE INAPPROPRIATE GUIDANCE THAT WAS ISSUED TO STAFF IN JUNE AND IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF CORRECTING ANY ERRORS IN CLAIMS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY ADJUDICATED.SO THIS IG REPORT IS VERY, VERY CONCERNING TO MANY OF US.CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THIS COMMITTEE THE ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO REMEDY THE PROBLEMS IN LOS ANGELES.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: UH, CHAIRMAN, I ABSOLUTE CAN DO THAT BUT LET ME FIRST --<br><br /><br><br />I'm not Bernie Sanders.I don't give a damn about Allison Hickey whose ass should have been fired long ago.She was asked a question.I'm not going to waste my time including her distractions and her efforts to avoid answering by eating up time.She said "the regional office knew in one week."In one week of implementation, the regional office knew. May 14th<br><br /><br><br />The obvious question there is, if they knew one week after it was implemented, (that would be May 21st) why did the IG find errors June 19th?<br><br /><br><br />If, as Hickey stammer, "they themselves identified within a week," why weren't they fixed.How incompetent is management at the VA?<br><br /><br><br />I guess the answer to that question was staring at the Committee members (Allison Hickey).<br><br /><br><br />3 veterans at the hearing that I spoke with yesterday self-identified as Democrats but stated that maybe the answer for veterans is to have one party in charge of the Senate and another in charge of the White House?It was felt that the Committee is largely toothless, offers supposed indignation ("weakly stated," one veteran said) and then smooths over everything with ridiculous comments like Brown's that a lecture is not needed. It was noted that Ranking Member Richard Burr would be better right now as Chair Burr because he's not "playing footsie" with the VA.Let's move to some of his exchange.<br><br /><br><br />Ranking Member Richard Burr corrected Hickey's claims (lies) that the leadership knew in one week of the LA problems and immediately addressed them.Under strong questioning from Burr, Hickey did admit that the same mistakes continued to happen for weeks<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:WERE PROVISIONAL DECISIONS INCLUDED IN DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF CLAIMS VA HAS COMPLETED DURING THE CALENDAR YEAR 2013?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:I'M GOING TO ASK -- WELL -- SHE'S JUST TOLD ME "YES" SO I WILL ANSWER "YES" ON BEHALF OF DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY.THERE WERE 14,000 OF THOSE CLAIMS WHICH WERE 3% OF ALL OF THE CLAIMS WE HAD DONE IN THE OLDEST CLAIM INITIATIVE WHICH WAS 67,000 TWO-YEARS-AND-OLDER 512,000 ONE-YEAR-AND-OLDER.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:YOU - YOU HIGHLIGHTED 90% QUALITY OR ACCURACY, YOU USED BOTH WORDS.LAST WEEK, THE AMERICAN LEGION TESTIFIED AND I QUOTE, "VA'S ACCURACY STATISTICS FROM THE MONDAY ACCURACY REPORTS ARE NOT CONSITENT WITH THE REVIEW OF RECENTLY ADJUDICATED CLAIMS AS CONDUCTED BY THE AMERICAN LEGION.ACCORDING TO THE LEGION, THEY REVIEWED 260 DECISIONS AND FOUND ERRORS IN 55%.ALSO NATIONAL VETERANS LEGAL SERVICE PROGRAM TESTIFIED THAT CURRENT ERROR RATE WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 30 AND 40% -- IN SOME RO'S IT'S HIGHER.ARE THEY WRONG?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: UHM, UH, SO SENATOR BURR, THEY -- IT'S AN APPLE AND ORANGE DISCUSSION, IF I MAY HAVE A MOMENT TO CLARIFY THAT. FIRST OF ALL, LET ME JUST STATE FOR THE RECORD AND FOR EVERY TIME I TALK ON THIS SUBJECT ANYWHERE: WE WILL NOT TRADE PRODUCTION FOR QUALITY. IT IS AN AND EQUATION.BOTH MUST RISE WHICH IS WHY IT'S 125 AND 98.BUT THERE IS A VERY DIFFERENT WAY THE IG AND OTHERS ARE LOOKING AT ISSUES THEN WE DO.I WILL TELL YOU THAT OUR PROCESS HAS BEEN VALIDATED BY AN EXTERNAL AGENCY --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: MA'AM, LET ME ASK MY QUESTION AGAIN: ARE THEY WRONG?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: UHM.UH-UH-UH.[LAUGHING] SENATOR BURR, THEY ARE RIGHT FOR THE WAY THEY LOOK AT IT, WE ARE RIGHT FOR THE WAY WE MEASURE IT WHICH IS STATISTICALLY --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: GENERAL, GENERAL.THEY'RE THE CUSTOMER, AREN'T THEY?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:ACTUALLY, THE VETERAN, THE FAMILY MEMBER AND THE SURVIVOR ARE MY CUSTOMERS, SENATOR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: YEAH AND THESE ARE THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT REPRESENT THEM --<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:THEY ARE, SENATOR<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:-- AND -- SHOULD THIS COMMITTEE BELIEVE THAT THERE'S ANY VSO IN AMERICA THAT BELIEVES THAT THE ACCURACY OR THE QUALITY IS AT 97% RIGHT NOW?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:UHHHH, SENATOR BURR, I WOULD ASK YOU TO ASK THEM FOR THEIR OPINIONS, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEM.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: THEY TESTIFIED ON IT. BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT COMPUTES.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:SENATOR BURR, I HAVE A STATISTICALLY VALID VALIDATED PROCESS THAT GOES FURTHER --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: I ASKED -- I ASKED A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION: ARE THEY WRONG?AND I GUESS THE ANSWER IS "YES" BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING YOUR STATISTICS ARE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THEIR REVIEW HAS BEEN.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT PROCESS, SENATOR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:OKAY.ACCORDING TO VA'S MONDAY MORNING WORKLOAD REPORTS, THERE ARE AT LEAST 266,000 APPEALS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RESOLVED. THAT'S ABOUT 100,000 MORE THAN WERE PENDING FIVE YEARS AGO ALTHOUGH APPEALS ARE NOT COUNTED IN VA'S BACKLOG STATISTICS, THEY REPRESENT INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE YET TO KNOW WHAT BENEFITS THEY WILL RECEIVE. DO THE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR REGIONAL OFFICE DIRECTORS AND SERVICE CENTER MANAGERS INCLUDE HOW QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY THEY'RE HANDLING APPEALS<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:SO SENATOR BURR THE ANSWER IS -- THE SIMPLE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS YES, THEY DO.HOWEVER, I WOULD ALSO TELL YOU THAT A VETERAN DOES KNOW OUR OPINION TO AN ANSWER ON THEIR CLAIM.UHM, UH, THEY GET AND, UH, MANY CASES, THEY ARE DERIVING RESOURCES UH-UH ASSOCIATED WITH THAT CLAIM ALREADY EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT BE APPEALING ONLY A PART IN PIECE OF-OF OUR DECISION.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:SO YOU HAVE A METRICS THAT YOU USE TO DETERMINE THIS?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE METRICS ON --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:WOULD YOU PROVIDE THAT METRICS FOR THE COMMITTEE?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:WE WILL DO THAT, SIR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:ON AVERAGE, HOW LONG HAVE THOSE 266,000 APPEALS BEEN PENDING?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:UH, SENATOR, THE CHAIRMAN CITES SOME, UH, 800 DAYS SO I WILL, UH, ACCEPT TH--<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:DO YOU TRACK, DOES THE VA TRACK THAT?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:WE DO, SENATOR BURR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:OKAY.AT WHAT POINT IS AN APPEAL -- IS AN APPEAL CONSIDERED TO BE BACKLOGGED?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:WE DO NOT HAVE A BACKLOG NUMBER FOR APPEALS.<br><br /><br><br />We need to stop it there.But hopefully you're getting what the press didn't.The VA does not include "appeals" in the backog.In April, they came up with the 'clever' (dishonest) policy to just slap decisions on claims -- provisional ratings.And that moved them out of the backlog.Every one of those 'provisional ratings' may be appealed.The VA doesn't care, it doesn't count appeals as part of the 'backlog.'<br><br /><br><br />You'd care if you went from an unacceptable 200 day wait to an 800 day wait.<br><br /><br><br />But the press whores for the VA.They're too stupid to do their damn job.This was all apparent at the April 23rd hearing.I'm not a genius and it was obvious to me then.This is a con game and veterans are getting very outraged while it continues and people like Senator Sherrod Brown look the other way and insist that the VA doesn't need a lecture.<br><br /><br><br />RECOMMENDED: ""<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyjEOgCAMBdATQQU3b4NKpKTQJv0O3l62N7wG2EGEVu%2FC8nVFPEUft4VLB%2BUt7ZTyCuyhv47AM0hBXXLjGRuG%2FGboGOg%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-73402918527203946632013-12-21T19:51:00.001-08:002013-12-21T19:51:53.512-08:00His new line of defense&-- THE KOOL-AID TABLE<br><br /><br><br />AS HIS INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR NELSON MANDELA CONTINUES TO RESULT IN CRITICISM, CELEBRITY IN CHIEF BARRY O CONTINUES TO ATTEMPT TO OFFER NEW EXCUSES.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />THIS MORNING, THESE REPORTERS AND SEVEN OTHERS WERE INVITED INTO THE OVAL OFFICE TO HEAR THE LATEST EXPLANATION.<br><br /><br><br />"CHARLES NELSON REILLY," BARRY O EXPLAINED."THAT'S WHO I THOUGHT THE MEMORIAL WAS FOR.THE SELFIE AND THE GRINS AND LAUGHTER?I FELT I WAS HONORING THE SPIRIT OF CHARLES NELSON REILLY.IT WAS ONLY AFTER THE SELFIE THAT MICHELLE INFORMED ME THE MEMORIAL WAS ACTUALLY FOR NELSON MANDELA -- NOT CHARLES NELSON REILLY STAR OF MATCH GAME, MATCH GAME '74, MATCH GAME P.M. AND LIDSVILLE."Granted, the April hearing wasn't a Senate VA hearing.That's probably why it was an important hearing. , Senator Patty Murray, as Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, chaired a hearing.It is the most important hearing for veterans in 2013.It was, it remains, the most important hearing.Committee Chair Murray, of course, is the former Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and she continues to serve on the Senate VA Committee.<br><br /><br><br />In real time, we covered the pertinent exchange at length.I'm both (a) not in the mood and (b) not going to waste space on it.So we'll do a small excerpt.<br><br /><br><br />For those who don't know, just to set this up, the VA claims system had a huge backlog and, at this hearing, Shinseki and the always laughable Alison Hickey explained a new way of doing things.And the press just ignored it and continues to.It's a shell game.Let's go to the excerpt.<br><br /><br><br />CHAIR PATTY MURRAY:AS I MENTIONED, YOU HAVE A NEW ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW INITIATIVE TO EXPEDITE CLAIMS THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR OVER A YEAR.AND THAT'S ENCOURAGING AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S TAKING ACTION BUT I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW IT IS GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED.AND I WANTED TO ASK YOU, IF THE VA DETERMINES THE VETERAN'S FINAL RATING IS LOWER THAN THE PROVISIONAL RATING, WILL THE DEPARTMENT SEEK TO RECOVER MONEY THAT'S ALREADY BEEN PAID TO THAT VETERAN?<br><br /><br><br />SECRETARY ERIC SHINSEKI:MADAM CHAIRMAN, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A QUESTION.I, UH, I-I, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, I -- OUR -- HISTORICALLY, WHEN WE'VE ESTABLISHED A STANDARD FOR A VETERAN, WE'VE USUALLY STAYED WITH THAT AND, UH, LET ME CALL ON SECRETARY HICKEY HERE BUT MY-MY INTENT IS THAT THE PROVISIONAL RATING THAT'S PROVIDED WILL BE ON THOSE ISSUES FOR WHICH WE HAVE CLARITY AND DOCUMENTATION AND WE CAN RENDER A, UH, A DECISION.FOR ISSUES THAT, UH, WHERE DOCUMENTATION ISN'T PROVIDED, THOSE ARE THE ISSUES THAT REMAIN OPEN UP TO A YEAR, FOR VETERANS TO LOCATE, WITH OUR HELP EVEN, DOCUMENTATION THAT WOULD, UH, ALLOW US TO,UH, MAKE A DECISION THERE.UH, SECRETARY HICKEY.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: CHAIRMAN MURRAY, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, FOR YOUR, UH, INTEREST IN THE INITIATIVE WHICH WE THINK IS, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT TO, UH, ENSURE THAT WE'RE, UH, TAKING CARE OF THOSE VETERANS WHO HAVE WAITED THE LONGEST WHILE WE COMPLETED THE MORE THAN 260,000 AGENT ORANGE CLAIMS TO TAKE CARE OF OUR VIETNAM VETERANS OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS.WE-WE, UH - WE ARE USING THE PROVISIONS THAT ALLOW US TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS SO WE WILL CONTINUE, UHM, UNDER THIS PROVISIONAL CRITERIA TO HAVE -- TO USE SERVICE TREATMENT, TO USE PRIVATE MEDICAL RECORDS, TO USE THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO OUR, UHM, ON OUR VETERANS IN TERMS OF THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF THEIR SERVICE.SO ALL THE SIMILAR EVIDENCE WE HAVE USED IN PREVIOUS DECISIONS WE WILL USE AGAIN TO ENSURE THAT WE, UH, DON'T MAKE ANY OF THOSE KINDS OF DECISIONS.I DON'T EXPECT TO SEE ANY OF THOSE DECISIONS, UH, WHERE WE OVERCOMPENSATE FOR, UH, FOR A CLAIM.UHM, THE OTHER THING THAT THAT WE WILL DO IS WE WILL, UH, KEEP THE REASON FOR THE PROVISIONAL DECISION, WE PUT A REALLY HUGE SAFETY NET UNDER EVERY ONE OF OUR VETERANS, WE'RE, UH, GOING TO KEEP THE RECORD FOR A WHOLE YEAR THERE -- THE ABILITY FOR OUR VETERANS TO COME BACK WITH ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE.UH, UHM, UH, AND WE WILL KEEP ASKING IF --<br><br /><br><br />CHAIR PATTY MURRAY:SO THE ADDITIONAL YEAR WILL ONLY BE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CLAIM, NOT TO LOWER THE CLAIM?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:UH, TH-THE, UH, THE REASON FOR THE YEAR IS TO ALLOW TO INCREASE THE RATING, UH, IF NECESSARY SO I THINK IN -- THE ADVANTAGE IS OUR VETERANS FOR THE ADDITIONAL YEAR.UH, AND THEN THEY STILL HAVE AFTER THAT, THE SAME APPEAL, UH, PROCESSES THAT THEY'VE HAD IN THE PAST.SO WE DON'T ANTICIPATE, UH, HAVING, UHM, UH, CONDITIONS WHERE WE OVERPAY VETERANS UNDER THIS INITIATIVE.<br><br /><br><br />In real time, reporting on that hearing the day it took place, I wrote:<br><br /><br><br />What the VA is proposing is that a temporary rating be created.This temporary rating may become permanent.Or it might increase or it might decrease.If you're a veteran qualifying for some small-business program based on your rating, how does this impact that?Hickey gave no response about that or how the temporary claim would effect anything.<br><br />Now I think she's an idiot who should be fired.But can you be that stupid that when asked a direct question, you completely miss it?Maybe so.Maybe Allison Hickey is The Dumbest Person In The World.However, I just see her as deeply dishonest.<br><br />As deeply dishonest is the new program that's being discussed.<br><br />Murray is correct.This is going mean "increasing the workload by requiring two" or more "ratings decisions instead of one." And this is only more clear when Hickey asserts that after a veteran receives a rating he or she finds less than satisfactory and they return with more information, Hickey's words, "we will expedite that claim to the front of the line."<br><br />What's really going on here?<br><br />The VA has bad press because they've not eliminated the claims backlog, they have not reduced the backlog.They have been given everything they've asked for.Congress has actually spent the last years asking them, "Is that all you need?What else can we do to help you with this?"VA has insisted they had all they needed.<br><br />So this is VA's problem.At the hearing, Senator Tammy Baldwin observed, "Veterans don't want to hear about new claims or new processes, they want results and so do I."She's correct.However, this program's not about veterans, it's about the press.This is a distraction that will create the illusion of something new which, the VA hopes, will garner good press.<br><br />In what world, when you're failing at the claims system, are you allowed to create a new system that will pull more employees away?<br><br /><br><br />There were members of the press at that hearing.<br><br /><br><br />They ignored this significant development/change.<br><br /><br><br />They have since falsely reported on the 'success' of the VA with the backlog.<br><br /><br><br />And Chair Sanders was praising them yesterday.'Oh, goodness, you're reducing the backlog.'<br><br /><br><br />No, they're not.<br><br /><br><br />They're slapping on 'provisional decisions' to rush these through so they can move them into the 'decided' column.Even though they're not.<br><br /><br><br />I have no problem with a hasty VA decision -- which comes with a real appeal process.I have no fear that veterans are trying to game the system.Unlike Senator Jon Tester, I don't have visions of them smoking and drinking and see that as abuse of the system.I think -- whether they smoke, drink, dip, what have you -- they're trying to get the health care they were promised.Promises were made, promises need to be kept.<br><br /><br><br />But the provisional 'ratings'?The VA can change them themselves -- even if the veteran doesn't appeal.Why are these temporary calls being issued?<br><br /><br><br />It's a shell game to move the numbers without really doing so.<br><br /><br><br />"Reducing the backlog at the expense of accuracy is not acceptable," Chair Sanders declared Wednesday morning.<br><br /><br><br />Two days after the April 23rd hearing, on veterans fears (justifiable) about the VA's new rating:<br><br /><br><br />UNDER THE NEW PLAN, VA WILL ISSUE A "PROVISIONAL" RATING WITHIN 60 DAYS ON CASES TWO YEARS OLD OR MORE. VETERANS WOULD THEN HAVE A YEAR TO SUBMIT NEW EVIDENCE TO INCREASE THEIR RATING, OR ASK THAT THE RATING BE MADE FINAL SO THEY CAN FILE AN APPEAL.<br><br />THE APPARENT CATCH IS THAT ISSUING THE PROVISIONAL RATING MAY LEAD TO CREATION OF A NEW CASE, THUS LETTING VA "CLOSE" THE OLD ONE WHEN IN FACT THE VETERAN'S CLAIM REMAINS OUTSTANDING.<br><br />RONALD ROBINSON, PRESIDENT OF THE AFGE UNION LOCAL THAT REPRESENTS VA CLAIMS WORKERS IN COLUMBIA, S.C., SAID THE NEW RULES ARE NOTHING MORE THAN AN EFFORT TO MAKE THE AGENCY'S SINKING STATISTICS LOOK BETTER.<br><br /><br><br />Chair Sanders declared at yesterday's hearing, "Veterans are still waiting too long for a decision.And the Inspector General to find issues with the quality, with the quality of the work.I am concerned by the most recent IG findings which found significant problems with the provisional decisions reviewed at the Los Angeles regional office."<br><br /><br><br />Imagine that.<br><br /><br><br />Problems with the provisional ratings?<br><br /><br><br />Who could have seen that happening?<br><br /><br><br />I said we'd cover a December House Veterans Affairs Subcomittee and I never did.Sorry.I don't like writing about this topic.I can go on over and over about -- so much for the 'withdrawal.'<br><br /><br><br />But this nonsense?Senators were present when this new 'system' was announced.The press was as well.And yet they've both failed on this issue.Veterans groups have raised concerns and yet both groups continue to fail and every other month some mouth breathing press loser is trumpeting 'the numbers' and 'the reductions' and never noting provisional ratings or what's really going on.<br><br /><br><br />At the December 4th hearing, the VA's Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Sondra F. McCauley was one of the witnesses.<br><br /><br><br />DEPUTY ASSISTANT IG SONDRA MCCAULEY:ON APRIL 19, 2013, VBA IMPLEMENTED A SPECIAL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS THE OLDEST PENDING DISABILITY CLAIMS IN THE CURRENT BACKLOG. VBA STATED THE INTENT OF THE INITIATIVE WAS TO WORK ALL CLAIMS PENDING FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS WITHIN 60 DAYS, BEGINNING APRIL 19, 2013. VAROS WERE DIRECTED TO DEVOTE ALL RVSRS AND AS MANY VETERANS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES AS NEEDED TO ENSURE ALL CLAIMS PENDING OVER 2-YEAR OLD WERE PROCESSED AND COMPLETED. ACCORDING TO VBA, RVSRS WERE TO IMMEDIATELY PROCESS THE 2-YEAR OLD CLAIMS BASED ON THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE IN THE VETERANS' CLAIMS FOLDERS. FURTHER, RATING DECISIONS PRODUCED WERE TO BE CONSIDERED PROVISIONAL RATINGS UNLESS ALL EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF THE CLAIMS HAD ALREADY BEEN RECEIVED (AND THE CLAIM WAS CONSIDERED READY-TO-RATE) OR THE RATINGS ASSIGNED PROVIDED THE HIGHEST EVALUATION FOR THE PARTICULAR DIAGNOSTIC CODE FOR EACH CLAIMED ISSUE. HOWEVER, IF MEDICAL EXAMINATION REPORTS OR OTHER FEDERAL RECORDS WERE NEEDED, THESE OLDER CLAIMS COULD NOT BE PROCESSED AS PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS.DURING ONE REVIEW ERRORS WERE IDENTIFIED AT THE LOS ANGELES VARO WHEN LEADERSHIP PROVIDED CONFLICTING GUIDANCE ON THE PROPER PROCEDURES FOR PROCESSING PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS. WE DETERMINED 10 -- 91 PERCENT --OF 11 PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS WE REVIEWED WERE NOT COMPLIANT WITH VBA'S GUIDANCE RELATED TO THE 2-YEAR CLAIMS PROCESSING INITIATIVE. EIGHT OF THE 10 PROVISIONAL DECISIONS WERE DETERMINED TO BE NON- COMPLIANT BECAUSE THE RATING DECISIONS WERE MADE WITHOUT SUPPORTING VA MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AS REQUIRED. ONE CLAIM WAS DECIDED WITHOUT SERVICE TREATMENT RECORDS, WHICH ARE CONSIDERED FEDERAL RECORDS AND MUST BE OBTAINED BY VARO STAFF PRIOR TO RENDERING A PROVISIONAL RATING DECISION. IN THE REMAINING CASE, THE PROVISIONAL RATING WAS CONTROLLED BY A FUTURE DIARY THAT SCHEDULED THE CLAIM FOR REVIEW IN 2 YEARS INSTEAD OF 1 YEAR AS REQUIRED.REQUIRING A RATING DECISION TO BE RENDERED BEFORE A MEDICAL EXAMINATION IS OBTAINED AS A BASIS FOR A DECISION IS IN CONFLICT WITH VBA POLICY. ON MAY 14, 2013, CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS SENT TO THE LOS ANGELES VARO STAFF VIA AN E-MAIL FROM THE VARO DIRECTOR'S OFFICE. THE GUIDANCE INCORRECTLY STATED ALL 2-YEAR OLD CASES REQUIRING A MEDICAL EXAMINATION MUST HAVE THE MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS ORDERED BY MAY 15, 2013. THIS CONFLICTS WITH VBA GUIDANCE BECAUSE IF A MEDICAL EXAMINATION WAS REQUIRED TO DECIDE A CLAIM, THE CLAIM COULD NOT BE COMPLETED AS A PROVISIONAL DECISION UNTIL STAFF OBTAINED THE NECESSARY MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS. THE GUIDANCE ALSO INCORRECTLY INDICATED THAT ANY CLAIMS WITH MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS NOT COMPLETED BY JUNE 3, 2013, WERE TO BE DECIDED BY A PROVISIONAL RATING.<br><br />WE ARE CONCERNED SIMILAR ERRORS MAY EXIST AMONG OTHER PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS COMPLETED BY THE LOS ANGELES VARO AFTER THE CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS ISSUED. VBA PROVIDED DATA THAT REVEALED THE LOS ANGELES VARO COMPLETED 532 PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS BETWEEN APRIL 19 - JUNE 19, 2013. VARO STAFF COMPLETED 470 OF THOSE 532 PROVISIONAL DECISIONS CLAIMS AFTER THE CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS DISSEMINATED ON MAY 14, 2013. ALL 10 PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS THAT WE IDENTIFIED AS NON-COMPLIANT WERE COMPLETED AFTER THIS DATE. WE RECOMMENDED THAT VBA REVIEW ALL OF THE PROVISIONAL RATING DECISIONS COMPLETED BY THE LOS ANGELES VARO AFTER THE CONFLICTING GUIDANCE WAS ISSUED TO ENSURE THEY ARE ACCURATE.<br><br /><br><br />So in the only examination thus far, 90% of the provisional ratings in the LA area did not follow the (limited) procedures and are most likely incorrect.The new rating is prompting the IG to call for all of the LA area's provisional ratings to be reviewed.<br><br /><br><br />"In fact, it appears the employees were encouraged to violate VA policies," Senator Johnny Isakson noted yesterday of the IG findings on the LA area.He noted that the IG recommendation of a review of all provisional rating decisions had been completed and the VA founds"100s that contained errors."<br><br /><br><br />Hundreds.Plural.And we're only talking 532 decisions.<br><br /><br><br />Senator Patty Murray noted what she's hearing from veterans in Washington state, "[. . .] I have heardrepeatedly from veterans that they were confused and frustrated with the provisional rating process. Some believe their claims have been flat out rejected and others didn't understand that they have a year to submit additional evidence. Secretary Hickey, we need to hear more from you today about how the VA's going to improve outreach and communication with veterans [. . .]"[Note, at the end of , the press release issued by Senator Murrary's office can be read.]<br><br /><br><br />"During Committee oversight," Chair Sanders declared yesterday morning, "my staff has identified clear and unmistakable errors in provisional rating decisions."<br><br /><br><br />Appearing before the Committee was the VA's Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey.In her opening remarks, Hickey declared, "In June, VA completed the first phase of the initiative, which focused on all claims that had been pending over 2 years. While some claims from that category were still outstanding due to the unavailability of a claimant and other unique circumstances, approximately 99 percent of these 2-year claims (over 67,000) had been processed for Veterans, eliminating those claims from the backlog. Since that milestone, VBA claims processors have focused on completing the claims of Veterans who have been waiting over 1 year for a decision. VA has processed approximately 96 percent of all 513,000 claims pending over 1 year."<br><br /><br><br />Chair Bernie Sanders noted Shinseki's proposed goal for 2015, 125 claims processed within 125 days processed with 98% accuracy.Sanders wanted to know if VA was "on track to achieve the Secretary's goal" by 2015.Hickey responded that "we are on track barring any implications to our full" budget request for 2014 Fiscal Year, she stated they would meet the goal.We'll note this exchange.<br><br /><br><br />CHAIR BERNIE SANDERS:IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR, VA ROLLED OUT AN INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE DECISIONS ON THE CLAIMS THAT HAVE BEEN PENDING THE LONGEST.WHILE I APPRECIATE VA'S EFFORTS TO PROVIDE THE VETERANS THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING THE LONGEST WITH DECISIONS, I CONTINUE TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE.THE IG, THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S, RECENT FINDINGS REGARDING PROVISIONAL RATINGS DECISIONS AT THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL OFFICE WHICH FOUND A NUMBER OF ERRORS WAS VERY, VERY CONCERNING.I UNDERSTAND THE OFFICE CORRECTED THE INAPPROPRIATE GUIDANCE THAT WAS ISSUED TO STAFF IN JUNE AND IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF CORRECTING ANY ERRORS IN CLAIMS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY ADJUDICATED.SO THIS IG REPORT IS VERY, VERY CONCERNING TO MANY OF US.CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THIS COMMITTEE THE ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO REMEDY THE PROBLEMS IN LOS ANGELES.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: UH, CHAIRMAN, I ABSOLUTE CAN DO THAT BUT LET ME FIRST --<br><br /><br><br />I'm not Bernie Sanders.I don't give a damn about Allison Hickey whose ass should have been fired long ago.She was asked a question.I'm not going to waste my time including her distractions and her efforts to avoid answering by eating up time.She said "the regional office knew in one week."In one week of implementation, the regional office knew. May 14th<br><br /><br><br />The obvious question there is, if they knew one week after it was implemented, (that would be May 21st) why did the IG find errors June 19th?<br><br /><br><br />If, as Hickey stammer, "they themselves identified within a week," why weren't they fixed.How incompetent is management at the VA?<br><br /><br><br />I guess the answer to that question was staring at the Committee members (Allison Hickey).<br><br /><br><br />3 veterans at the hearing that I spoke with yesterday self-identified as Democrats but stated that maybe the answer for veterans is to have one party in charge of the Senate and another in charge of the White House?It was felt that the Committee is largely toothless, offers supposed indignation ("weakly stated," one veteran said) and then smooths over everything with ridiculous comments like Brown's that a lecture is not needed. It was noted that Ranking Member Richard Burr would be better right now as Chair Burr because he's not "playing footsie" with the VA.Let's move to some of his exchange.<br><br /><br><br />Ranking Member Richard Burr corrected Hickey's claims (lies) that the leadership knew in one week of the LA problems and immediately addressed them.Under strong questioning from Burr, Hickey did admit that the same mistakes continued to happen for weeks<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:WERE PROVISIONAL DECISIONS INCLUDED IN DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF CLAIMS VA HAS COMPLETED DURING THE CALENDAR YEAR 2013?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:I'M GOING TO ASK -- WELL -- SHE'S JUST TOLD ME "YES" SO I WILL ANSWER "YES" ON BEHALF OF DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY.THERE WERE 14,000 OF THOSE CLAIMS WHICH WERE 3% OF ALL OF THE CLAIMS WE HAD DONE IN THE OLDEST CLAIM INITIATIVE WHICH WAS 67,000 TWO-YEARS-AND-OLDER 512,000 ONE-YEAR-AND-OLDER.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:YOU - YOU HIGHLIGHTED 90% QUALITY OR ACCURACY, YOU USED BOTH WORDS.LAST WEEK, THE AMERICAN LEGION TESTIFIED AND I QUOTE, "VA'S ACCURACY STATISTICS FROM THE MONDAY ACCURACY REPORTS ARE NOT CONSITENT WITH THE REVIEW OF RECENTLY ADJUDICATED CLAIMS AS CONDUCTED BY THE AMERICAN LEGION.ACCORDING TO THE LEGION, THEY REVIEWED 260 DECISIONS AND FOUND ERRORS IN 55%.ALSO NATIONAL VETERANS LEGAL SERVICE PROGRAM TESTIFIED THAT CURRENT ERROR RATE WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 30 AND 40% -- IN SOME RO'S IT'S HIGHER.ARE THEY WRONG?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: UHM, UH, SO SENATOR BURR, THEY -- IT'S AN APPLE AND ORANGE DISCUSSION, IF I MAY HAVE A MOMENT TO CLARIFY THAT. FIRST OF ALL, LET ME JUST STATE FOR THE RECORD AND FOR EVERY TIME I TALK ON THIS SUBJECT ANYWHERE: WE WILL NOT TRADE PRODUCTION FOR QUALITY. IT IS AN AND EQUATION.BOTH MUST RISE WHICH IS WHY IT'S 125 AND 98.BUT THERE IS A VERY DIFFERENT WAY THE IG AND OTHERS ARE LOOKING AT ISSUES THEN WE DO.I WILL TELL YOU THAT OUR PROCESS HAS BEEN VALIDATED BY AN EXTERNAL AGENCY --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: MA'AM, LET ME ASK MY QUESTION AGAIN: ARE THEY WRONG?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: UHM.UH-UH-UH.[LAUGHING] SENATOR BURR, THEY ARE RIGHT FOR THE WAY THEY LOOK AT IT, WE ARE RIGHT FOR THE WAY WE MEASURE IT WHICH IS STATISTICALLY --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: GENERAL, GENERAL.THEY'RE THE CUSTOMER, AREN'T THEY?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:ACTUALLY, THE VETERAN, THE FAMILY MEMBER AND THE SURVIVOR ARE MY CUSTOMERS, SENATOR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: YEAH AND THESE ARE THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT REPRESENT THEM --<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:THEY ARE, SENATOR<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:-- AND -- SHOULD THIS COMMITTEE BELIEVE THAT THERE'S ANY VSO IN AMERICA THAT BELIEVES THAT THE ACCURACY OR THE QUALITY IS AT 97% RIGHT NOW?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:UHHHH, SENATOR BURR, I WOULD ASK YOU TO ASK THEM FOR THEIR OPINIONS, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEM.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: THEY TESTIFIED ON IT. BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING THAT COMPUTES.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:SENATOR BURR, I HAVE A STATISTICALLY VALID VALIDATED PROCESS THAT GOES FURTHER --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR: I ASKED -- I ASKED A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION: ARE THEY WRONG?AND I GUESS THE ANSWER IS "YES" BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING YOUR STATISTICS ARE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THEIR REVIEW HAS BEEN.<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT PROCESS, SENATOR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:OKAY.ACCORDING TO VA'S MONDAY MORNING WORKLOAD REPORTS, THERE ARE AT LEAST 266,000 APPEALS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RESOLVED. THAT'S ABOUT 100,000 MORE THAN WERE PENDING FIVE YEARS AGO ALTHOUGH APPEALS ARE NOT COUNTED IN VA'S BACKLOG STATISTICS, THEY REPRESENT INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE YET TO KNOW WHAT BENEFITS THEY WILL RECEIVE. DO THE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR REGIONAL OFFICE DIRECTORS AND SERVICE CENTER MANAGERS INCLUDE HOW QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY THEY'RE HANDLING APPEALS<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:SO SENATOR BURR THE ANSWER IS -- THE SIMPLE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS YES, THEY DO.HOWEVER, I WOULD ALSO TELL YOU THAT A VETERAN DOES KNOW OUR OPINION TO AN ANSWER ON THEIR CLAIM.UHM, UH, THEY GET AND, UH, MANY CASES, THEY ARE DERIVING RESOURCES UH-UH ASSOCIATED WITH THAT CLAIM ALREADY EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT BE APPEALING ONLY A PART IN PIECE OF-OF OUR DECISION.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:SO YOU HAVE A METRICS THAT YOU USE TO DETERMINE THIS?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY: WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE METRICS ON --<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:WOULD YOU PROVIDE THAT METRICS FOR THE COMMITTEE?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:WE WILL DO THAT, SIR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:ON AVERAGE, HOW LONG HAVE THOSE 266,000 APPEALS BEEN PENDING?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:UH, SENATOR, THE CHAIRMAN CITES SOME, UH, 800 DAYS SO I WILL, UH, ACCEPT TH--<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:DO YOU TRACK, DOES THE VA TRACK THAT?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:WE DO, SENATOR BURR.<br><br /><br><br />RANKING MEMBER RICHARD BURR:OKAY.AT WHAT POINT IS AN APPEAL -- IS AN APPEAL CONSIDERED TO BE BACKLOGGED?<br><br /><br><br />ALLISON HICKEY:WE DO NOT HAVE A BACKLOG NUMBER FOR APPEALS.<br><br /><br><br />We need to stop it there.But hopefully you're getting what the press didn't.The VA does not include "appeals" in the backog.In April, they came up with the 'clever' (dishonest) policy to just slap decisions on claims -- provisional ratings.And that moved them out of the backlog.Every one of those 'provisional ratings' may be appealed.The VA doesn't care, it doesn't count appeals as part of the 'backlog.'<br><br /><br><br />You'd care if you went from an unacceptable 200 day wait to an 800 day wait.<br><br /><br><br />But the press whores for the VA.They're too stupid to do their damn job.This was all apparent at the April 23rd hearing.I'm not a genius and it was obvious to me then.This is a con game and veterans are getting very outraged while it continues and people like Senator Sherrod Brown look the other way and insist that the VA doesn't need a lecture.<br><br /><br><br />RECOMMENDED: ""<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwcENwCAIAMCJkGp%2FjqOikqCYQtKO37vpfjJipfZwtcJj8ReK6LCjHqouTFe8MSacbLDpBeFNoB0addpGYfqSH3rMGO0%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-90672751521485328352013-12-19T06:13:00.001-08:002013-12-19T06:13:04.724-08:00Top 10 Favorite Anime SeriesOhayo everyone!<br><br /><br><br />So I've been working on this one for a while. Was supposed to be done earlier this week but what with not having Internet on thanksgiving, and recording auditions for star wars, it got backburnered.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />anyway, here are my top 10 Favorite Anime series of all time. and a few special mentions.<br><br /><br><br />TOP 10 FAVORITE ANIME SERIES<br><br />10. Elfen Lied: This is the most depressing show on the list. It starts like a splatter film, then makes you care about the insane murdering girl and over the course of the show it just keeps twisting as the show goes. Extremely violent and gory and a surprising amount of nudity. but it's one of the best show if you can look past them. I dare any girl to do Lucy from the first scene. I offer to make the helmet.<br><br /><br><br />9. High School of the Dead: Well, Zombies and Boobs. I have a love Hate relationship with this show. It's a lot of fun and has tons of cool action. but the show decides its girls boobs are more important as the show goes on. I'm not complaining, but when you can fire a sniper rifle supported by boobs, at zombies, have it go between two bouncing boobs (horizontally, as they bounce around the bullet) (fully clothed) and head shot another zombie...it begs so many questions about physics and the writers horniness. yet the show was very fun all the way through. Also, try looking for Highschool of the Dead on google images. it took a while to find one I can use.<br><br /><br><br />8. Attack on Titan: Yeah, My favorite of this year, by far. I admit I haven't seen the second half of the season (I have it, it's just getting backlogged with other things. Maybe I'll finish them up this week as well. Anyway the first half of the show is absolutely amazing, gut wrenching and beautiful. not to mention some of the coolest action and props I've ever seen. I'd cosplay the show, but it's too popular for my Hipsterish brain.<br><br /><br><br />7. Ergo Proxy:I loved this series. It's slow and plodding, but has some of the best Animation I've seen for an anime. out of all the shows on this list it has the most Unique feel and felt different than normal anime. The overall storyline was slow and kinda confuzzling, but the show made up for it with it's uniqueness and animation. I even have the Theme song as a Ringtone.<br><br /><br><br />6. Angel Beats: It's been a while since I watched this. The show was Very well made. a bit slow in the beginning but picked up as the series went on. I found myself loving it as it got into the later parts of the show. It has a really weird and dark sense of humor, which is one of my favorite things about it. The 'Life after life' concept was fun and interesting. Kinda wish I remembered more of the ending.<br><br /><br><br />5. One Piece: My first full on long series. Most of the others on this list are around 25 to 50 Episodes. Im on episode 610 of One Piece. It's a massive show, with so much going on. not as complex as I was led to believe, but it is a massive show. I get why it's deemed one of the greats in Japan. it's lots of fun and has a bunch of oddball characters. unfortunately I can't stand luffy most of the time, but I like the rest of the crew. even dedicated fanservice girl Nami. I have three different one Piece characters I'm planning on doing for Cosplays, Trafalger Law, Sanji and Zoro.<br><br /><br><br />4. Mirai Nikki: In a word: Brutal. Mirai Nikki is one of the most brutal anime's I've seen. but I absolutely loved all of it. The concept of journals and cell phones that tell the future is great. and seeing the different iterations of the concept of journals was cool. only amplified by the fact that I was keeping a log of everything I did during the day. never got a future Diary though. I personally Really like Yuno and Yuki as a couple. not because they were a good couple but because they were so dysfunctional. and Yuno Kinda scares the hell out of me. the series does get a bit Farfetched, but I still enjoyed it.<br><br /><br><br />3. Eureka Seven: I'll admit, It's been years since I even thought of this show. until I noticed Astral Ocean, the second Series. I haven't seen AO yet, but I plan too. Anyway, Eureka Seven is an amazing show, Very slow in the beginning, but once you get into the series it just Rolls along. It's a great show. I Wish I could remember more of it. I remember getting really into it and rifling through a lot of it in a very short amount of time. The romance of Renton and Eureka was very well done, and The action scenes were astounding. A very great show all around.<br><br /><br><br />2. Code Geass:Code Geass was a lucky find. I was looking around online and stumbled on a forum with 'favorite anime lists' and I noticed Code Geass. I was decided to give it a go, and after a couple restarts I got hooked, watching almost all of the first season in one continuous sitting. Lelouch is a really cool character. my only issue with the show is it gets really confusing near the end of the second season, it ends up with gods, or people's fathers killing people, it's weird and I can honestly say I don't remember the ending all that well. otherwise the show is absolutely fantastic. I also want a Geass power, it'd be fun.<br><br /><br><br />1. Deathnote:Deathnote was the first show that got me back into anime. before this I only watched shows like Pokemon, Dragon Ball z, and Digimon. Deathnote was the first series that made me realize that anime could be Extremely well written and intense. I had read the Manga first (first, manga ever as well) I was just sucked into the world of Deathnote, the Anime, the manga, the three Movies. I loved it from moment I started it, and even after the Midway point. (That Death that everyone says killed the series) It was still a damn good show. It's also one of the few shows that doesn't get really confusing and convoluted as it came to a close. Nothing has kept my attention near as much as Deathnote. I have a Deathnote too, it doesn't work, damn.<br><br /><br><br />- Honorable Mentions -<br><br />Deadman Wonderland<br><br />- Really got into this show, wasnt able to finish it, but it was the right mix of brutality and intrigue<br><br />Eden of the East<br><br />- Really weird anime, but too many naked old guys to win a place on the list<br><br />Vampire Knight<br><br />- Enjoyed watching it, but Cant remember much about it.<br><br />Sekirei<br><br />- It's hot girls as pokemon. what's not to love?<br><br /><br><br />So, Thank's all of you for reading. Let me know in the comments what your favorite Anime's are. Also, while youre here, follow me, or share this list!<br><br /><br><br />I'll be updating soon with another list, stay peeled.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwdENgCAMBcCJoFT%2F3AZNtSSUEvqi63unwDyIoPJJQNZQN8ln9yemI19utBXeiZngM3FJd319NUiqo5mkkNUkssL6DyB7G0U%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-7421488055903627592013-12-18T22:50:00.001-08:002013-12-18T22:50:31.802-08:00Black Butler Review (English)Remember a couple weeks back, in my Night Raid 1931 review, when I mentioned I hadn't seen Black Butler yet? Guess who finally watched decided to watch it?<br><br /><br><br />Black Butler is an Action/Fantasy/Comedy series based on the ongoing manga by Yana Toboso and Square Enix, with Yen Press as the North American licensor. The 24 episode series, Black Butler, comes from A-1 Pictures and director Toshiya Shinohara for the Fall of 2008. It is currently licensed by FUNimation Entertainment (US), Manga Entertainment (UK), and Madman Entertainment (AUS). An additional 12 episodes and 6 OVAs of the series under the name Black Butler II were released over the course of a year beginning in the Summer of 2010. A-1 Pictures and director Hirofumi Ogura are masterminds behind this series. Black Butler II is licensed by the previously mentioned companies. The OVA episodes will not be covered in this review.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />In Victorian-era London, on the night of Ciel Phantomhive's tenth birthday a fire destroyed his manor and killed both of his parents. In a moment of death Ceil strikes a deal with a demon, his soul in exchange for revenge. This demon becomes his butler and calls himself by name of Sebastian Michaelis, to protect and serve Ciel until the deal has been completed. One month after the fire Ciel returns from being missing, with his new butler Sebastian. Ceil is now the head of the Phantomhive corporation, handling all business affairs as well as the work as the Queen of England's guard dog and looking for his parents murders.<br><br /><br><br />Black Butler II introduces a new butler and young master. The sadistic yet cheerful Alois Trancy has faced some harsh times. He was kidnapped as a baby, and was forced to work in a village as a slave. Gradually, he lost his parents, his best friend, and everyone he knew. Alois eventually returned home and became the head of his mansion, but seemed to exhibit some strange behavior ever since. Even more curiously, he returned with Claude Faustus, an enigmatic, emotionless butler with unfathomable talent...<br><br /><br><br />Even though this is fairly early on in A-1's studio career, Black Butler is a very nice looking series. There are some rough patches here and there, however the animation for Black Butler uses every little thing to its advantage. From the lighting and shadows to color, the series knows what it wants to show. The music is also an interesting delight to listen to. It varies depending on the tone the show currently has (that being serious or comedic), and it manages to pull this off pretty well. I also adore the opening theme song Monochrome Kiss by SID, but I do have to mention something that threw me off a bit. Once we reach episode 13 or so, the song does change, however it's another verse of Monochrome Kiss with the same animation. Then when we reach episode 17, the song remains but the animation changes. Shouldn't they both change around the same time? It seems a little odd and out of place to me. Granted, like the series itself, it does keep me on my toes.<br><br /><br><br />Black Butler II is an entirely different story when it comes to animation. It does keep character models and some of the same techniques in regards to lighting and shadow, however the animation as a whole is much more crisp and clean.This makes sense seeing as how the second season aired in 2010, nearly two years after the original. There are some downsides though, particularly through some CGI use. It stands out to me, and although this is supposed to be better than the original, CGI just isn't the right way to handle this. At least for me it isn't. However there were a few callbacks to the original series which added a nice little touch to the second season. As for the soundtrack, it stays true to the original with a few extra pieces for Alois and Claude. Speaking of, the opening and ending theme is another interesting case. The opening theme for the entire series is the same song, however, depending on who the episode belongs to the animation changes. There's one version for Ciel and Sebastian and one for Alois and Claude. This also effects the ending theme, which are two completely different songs and animations. It's a nice touch really.<br><br />In Black Butler, the story runs on a two to three episode mystery plot of sorts. For most of the show's run, we follow Ciel and Sebastian as they solve many cases for the Queen of England. Some of which are rather familiar. The most well known out of the bunch being Jack the Ripper. But there are a few other gems neatly placed into the series that I loved. From similar plot lines such as Sir Arthur Conan Dole's The Hound of the Baskervilles to the Hope Diamond being used as a plot catalyst towards the show's mid way point, I just can't help but love these little bits and pieces. As the series goes on, we develop our main antagonists and the main plot kicks in. When we've reached this point, the story is developed at a good pace leading up to the wonderful climax of the series. Overall, Black Butler's story was well done even if it derailed from the originating manga after a short amount of time. This is one of those cases where a series making it's own story succeeds.<br><br /><br><br />If you've seen Black Butler, then you're going to appreciate this next question. How in the hell did they manage to make a second season? Well, plot holes abound I suppose... Actually, yeah, plot holes are the reason this second season happened. It's really the only explanation for a decent amount of things. The biggest one being the supposed death of some characters in the first season. Luckily we're given small hints to some, however there is one specific character who was supposedly dead in the first season and is now alive here and we don't get confirmation of this till the final episode, though I won't say who for spoiler reasons. Worse still, the entire first episode of Black Butler II is riddled with even more plot holes that make it difficult to tie the end of one season into the start of the next. It's rather irritating. Hell, it's not even till close to the half way mark that the topic of, oh I don't know, CIEL LOSING HIS MEMORIES IS BROUGHT UP!!! Everyone until that point acts as though nothing has happened and it made my brain hurt. I was fine with only Sebastian knowing Ciel lost his memory, but having everyone else in on it and actually pulling it off flawlessly is annoying. The second half of the series made my brain hurt less, but I still felt those lingering plot holes weighing on me and it distracted me for the entire show. In the end, Black Butler II's story just didn't work for me.<br><br /><br><br />DING!!!<br><br /><br><br />If you have no idea what Black Butler is about and just were to go with basic summaries, then you wouldn't catch the Comedy genre attached to the series. As much as there is a dark undertone throughout Black Butler, you won't be able to resist laughing at every little joke or little piece of slap stick the show has. This is all because of the characters of the series. I'm going to leave Ciel and Sebastian out for the time being and just focus on the minor characters of the show since they are the reason Black Butler has the Comedy label. There are many recurring characters in this series including the Phantomhive servants, members of the Queen's Guard, and other relatives and business associates that manage to carry the comedy of this series all on its own. From Ian Sinclair (Shiki, Toriko), Jason Liebrecht (Black Cat, Eden of the East), Monica Rial (RahXephon, Soul Eater), and R. Bruce Elliot's (Romeo X Juliet, Sgt. Frog) roles as the servants to Lydia Mackay (Full Metal Alchemist, Trinity Blood), Jerry Jewell (Case Closed, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad), and Cherami Leigh (Sword Art Online, Fairy Tail) as other associates of Ciel's they are what make this series a delight in the comedy area and are a huge contrast to Ciel and Sebastian's characters. Instead of keeping the series completely serious which could have potentially made Black Butler into something a little too gloomy, they opted to add wonderful side characters that are more bumbling and, at times, more immature. Again, the perfect contrast to Ciel and Sebastian.<br><br /><br><br />Perfect segway into our two leads? I think so! First let's talk about Ciel. Ciel is, probably, the epitome of vengeance and hate, as these are the constant emotions that follow him throughout the series. This can sometimes lead him into moments of immaturity as his child like desires may hit occasional roadblocks along the way. Since this story is about Ciel, then we gain very insightful glimpses of his life and his motivation for vengeance. There are very few moments where Ciel wavers causing a slight rift between himself and his goal. And also Sebastian. Speaking of, not much is truly known about Sebastian. Not even his memories. He's clouded in so much mystery that, on occasion, Ciel attempts to learn more about his loyal butler. However, in the end, Sebatian doesn't really develop as a character. He has a goal and wants to do everything he can in order to achieve that goal. Between the two leads, Sebastian does tend to jump into the comedy area a bit but more of an oblivious humor rather than slap-stick. I say oblivious, but he knows exactly what's going on. Nothing can ever escape him. It's not until Black Butler II that we gain a little more out of Sebastian. I guess competitions can sometimes make a demon butler angry, huh.<br><br /><br><br />He's certainly one fabulous reaper...<br><br /><br><br />I guess it's as good a time as any to talk more about voice acting. See? I told you we'd be returning to team Tatum/Palencia didn't I? In this case, it's a little bit different than Spice and Wolf but they are the two leads so it still works. This time, Brina Palencia (Fractale, Future Diary) becomes our Phantomhive Earl Ciel. As much as I love Palencia, we have our typical Palencia's little boy voice that we've seen a few other times already. I think this is one of her earlier roles that landed her more young male parts in later years, so it makes sense. I guess I'm just a little tired of the same thing again except in English form. However, for what it's worth she does give a wonderful performance so I have minimal problems. Meanwhile, we have one hell of a butler Sebastian Michaelis played by the ever wonderful J. Michael Tatum (Baccano!, Steins;Gate). This is one of the most surprising roles I've seen Tatum play out. The last time I was in love with one of his performances like this was Baccano except he plays a more serious and devious character compared to his role as Isaac. I knew from the second he first said "I'm one hell of a butler" that I was going to love his portrayal, and boy was I proven right! I know, seeing as how I'm a lady, I can't have a waifu. But if I could, Sebastian would be a contender. A few other mentions of voice acting for the first season, aside from those previously mentioned, I believe credit is also due for Chuck Huber (Mushi-Shi, Full Metal Alchemist), Colleen Clinkenbeard (One Piece, Case Closed), Jonathan Brooks (Hero Tales, Hetalia), Patrick Seitz (King of Thorn, Deadman Wonderland) and Daniel Fredrick (Rideback, Shin-Chan). Overall, the cast was a delight to listen to, even with the interesting accents many of the characters have. It seems that Ian Sinclair and Colleen Clinkenbeard had a lot of fun as the ADR Directors of this series. I say, good show sir!<br><br />Now, I think it's time to talk a bit about our duo from Black Butler II. Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus, played by Luci Christian (Princess Tutu, Full Metal Panic!) and Jason Douglas (Le Chevalier D'Eon, Elfen Lied) are an interesting pair against Palencia and Tatum. Quickly looking at their characters (since I didn't fit them in the character section previously) we have the total opposites coming into play with Ciel and Alois. How Alois is the opposite of Ciel is rather interesting. I see Alois as the light to Ciel's darkness. Now, here me out. I mentioned how Ciel is so vengeance driven that it has caused moments of immaturity and poor treatment of people in his life. Alois isn't so much vengeance driven but driven by his desire for love and affection. His past doesn't help this case in the slightest as, in some ways, it is similar to Ciel but with much more despair weaved in. What Alois also possess is immaturity for days and even WORSE treatment of his servants, Hannah, played by Caitlin Glass (Bamboo Blade, Gunslinger Girl), getting the biggest amount of punishment at the Trancy mansion. It also helps the comparison along that Alois hates the dark and Ciel pretty much thrives on it. As for Claude, he's similar to Sebastian. No real character development to be found here, however he's much more cold and unmoving than Sebastian. For what it's worth, Christian and Douglas did outstanding work in their roles. I've never hated a character within the first five minutes of a series like I did with Alois.<br><br /><br><br />If you haven't noticed by now, a lot of this review has Black Butler and Black Butler II separate from each other. There is a reason for this, and keep in mind this is just how I see the series. For all the amazing pieces neatly placed into Black Butler, it becomes utterly stained by all the wrong things done in Black Butler II. The ideas and concepts in the second season are a nice idea on paper, however the execution was rather poor. While Black Butler II tried to be better than it's predecessor it lost sight of the many reasons why the original was amazing in the first place. The comedy almost disappears, the minor characters are almost never seen, and we get Alois whose past is just terrible and almost inappropriate at times. It's hard for me to make comparisons between the two seasons as a whole because of these vast differences, hence the reason they are separate and why each season will end up with a separate rating from me. Normally, I would average the two together, but I just can't. Not when Black Butler II is such a disappointment that I don't want to downgrade the first season because of this.<br><br /><br><br />Who would like to play chess?<br><br /><br><br />By the time the contract is fulfilled, Black Butler is a lovely little blend of dark mystery with comedic moments that know how to keep the balance and the viewer entertained. The story is wonderful, the characters are a delight, and J. Michael Tatum is standing firmly high on my favorite voice actors list. This series is more catered to a female audience, so ladies have at it! Though male audiences may appreciate what this series has to offer as well.<br><br /><br><br />As for Black Butler II, let's pretend that it doesn't exist, shall we?<br><br /><br><br />Next time, I fulfill a little contract of my own and review a series that's been puzzling me these past couple of months. Until then, otaku on my friends!<br><br /><br><br />BLACK BUTLER FINAL RATING: 9/10 - This is simply one hell of an anime<br><br /><br><br />BLACK BUTLER II FINAL RATING: 5/10 - This is simply NOT one hell of an anime<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNolysENgCAMAMCJaAV%2FbgOkgcYWCFRdXxPvfdVsHIjCEnNsrDTpZnoWJOlljW6Qu2LY%2FI4%2BYPrW6dJlQtP901ErwqtCNZUXaeMcmQ%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-89918165661367224572013-12-18T20:07:00.001-08:002013-12-18T20:07:14.405-08:00Cell Phones that Save the World? That sounds familiar .Two anime, multiple phones<br><br /><br><br />If you take a snap shot, Future Diary and Eden of the East has a lot in common.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Both shows feature a completion to save the world with the use of a cell phone.<br><br /><br><br />While the other elements around this motif are very different they both try to tell a similar stories with similar trappings i.e romance, comedy and so on.<br><br /><br><br />Neither story are what I'd call amazing but both have their own pros and cons, here are a few that come to mind.<br><br /><br><br />Before we get too deep into it, let's recap the plots of both shows:<br><br /><br><br />Eden of the East revolves around Akira, who ends up naked outside the White House with a gun, a cell phone and no memory of his life before then. He then befriends Saki a fellow Japanese citizen who's on a college graduation trip.<br><br /><br><br />The two head back to Japan and Akira slowly finds himself in a game to "save the world."<br><br /><br><br />Akira soon finds that he has a large pool of money at his command to help him in his actions.<br><br /><br><br />However, he isn't the only one with money, as eleven other players have the same advantage. The only thing that separates the competitors are their methods.<br><br /><br><br />What the winner get's isn't made all that clear at any point but what is clear is that the other players want to win for different reasons.<br><br /><br><br />On the other side Future Diary follows main character Yuki.<br><br /><br><br />While he doesn't have many friends, he enjoys writing down the things he sees in a diary on his phone. The one friend he does have is an imaginary god named Deus Ex Manchina.<br><br /><br><br />Deus, as it turns out, isn't imaginary and ends up giving Yuki a gift. His cell phone is given the ability to predict events that'll happen in his day.<br><br /><br><br />A fellow classmate, Yuno who has a similar diary in her possession, soon approaches Yuki, however her diary only tells her things that'll happen to Yuki. This is due to her stalker like obsession with Yuki.<br><br /><br><br />Yep she's crazy<br><br /><br><br />Shortly after that it's explained to Yuki that he's in a game of his own. The winner is the last of the diary users that'll become the new god.<br><br /><br><br />Each of the diary users have different abilities ranging from scrolls telling them the future to digital recorders telling it's user the way a bullet will bounce of a wall.<br><br /><br><br />While these two shows sound very different there are still a few areas they can be compared. Let's start off with a basic idea.<br><br /><br><br />STORY TELLING:<br><br /><br><br />For this one we're gonna have to get into spoiler territory.<br><br /><br><br />Both stories deal with saving the world, however they're both take it in different ways.<br><br /><br><br />In Future Diary, a new god must be found in order to save the world from its own doom. Eden of the East deals more with a one man's idea of what's right and what's wrong.<br><br /><br><br />Both stories deal with the making of a new world, FD takes it literal with the main character having to use his god like powers to create new life while Eden deals with the youth of the world taking the leads from the older generation.<br><br /><br><br />While Eden might have more of a clear message about the world we currently live in, it fails to use the plot to make a solid and well-told story.<br><br /><br><br />For such a large plot and world, the show is only given 11 episodes and two 90 minute films to get to its conclusion.<br><br /><br><br />While a good story could have been told, Eden doesn't really want to tell it most of the time.<br><br /><br><br />Most of the show revolves around the relationship between Saki and Akira rather than the game that Akira is playing.<br><br /><br><br />A large chunk of the show is filled with the couple running around trying to figure out the reasons behind Akira's memory lose. The only time the game seems to move is when another player confront the two.<br><br /><br><br />FD on the other hand has a plot that moves a great deal faster. Story arcs last over the course of a few episodes and many of the other players are shown and have their backstories explained.<br><br /><br><br />The fact that FD has 26 episodes really helps the story development as they can afford to take time to develop more of the plot and the characters.<br><br /><br><br />And you thought you were attached to your phone<br><br /><br><br />Despite the extra time, the overall story and world of Future Diary isn't as interesting as Eden of the East, and that's what's most frustrating about these two shows.<br><br /><br><br />Eden needed to more time to work on its plot instead of focusing on the romance between Akira and Saki.<br><br /><br><br />Instead the show ends with a confusing set of circumstances, which leads to Akira erasing his memory again (for reasons that don't make sense).<br><br /><br><br />Due to the memory lose the next two films end up treading over much of the same territory as the show and ignoring most of the new developments that do happen.<br><br /><br><br />A lot happens in the films that don't get the explained it needs and it leaves the audience wondering what the hell just happened?<br><br /><br><br />To be fair the same can be said about the end of Future Diary as it soon moves from a survivor horror show to a time traveling story.<br><br /><br><br />Despite this, the ending was clear and, for the most part, was explained.<br><br /><br><br />If Eden could of developed more it could have been a much greater show that it turned out to be.<br><br /><br><br />ROMANCE:<br><br /><br><br />Now being the lonely loser that I am, it's safe to say that I'm no expert on romance in fiction or in real life. But it's clear to me that the relationship between Yuki and Yuno isn't that great.<br><br /><br><br />While most relationships are built around love and trust, theirs is built out of fear of Yuno skinning Yuki alive is he leaves her.<br><br /><br><br />At one point in the show Yuno even kidnaps and drugs Yuki and hides him in abandoned hotel and yet the two still end up having a relationship in the end of the show.<br><br /><br><br />However, in Eden of the East the relationship between Akira and Saki is one of the show's strongest features.<br><br /><br><br />Come here often?<br><br /><br><br />The two show an attraction to each other from the beginning and they end up spending a lot of time together throughout the series.<br><br /><br><br />Sure Akira has a kidnapped a bunch of people (see next section) and ends up whipping his memory twice but their relationship is nowhere as messed up as Yuki and Yuno.<br><br /><br><br />NEETS VS. TIME TRAVEL<br><br /><br><br />Both stories have elements that can confuse its audience about characters back-stories. But, once again, one show makes the twist much more clear.<br><br /><br><br />In the world of Eden of the East, a terrorist attack ends up destroying a large part of Tokyo, however no one dies in the attacks despite it happening in a populated area.<br><br /><br><br />Additionally around that time a large group of young NEETs, Not in Education or Training (Geeks and Nerds, my people), disappear from Tokyo.<br><br /><br><br />Over the course of the show it's explain that Akira and other's in the game banded together to unite the world by attacking it (much like Ozymandias in the Watchman) however Akira ends up using a youth army to abandon the area soon to be attacked.<br><br /><br><br />Shortly after he pays for NEETs to be transported (kidnapped really) away from the country and wipes his memory.<br><br /><br><br />This twist ends up being one of the few things that gets explained throughout the show. After Akira uses the NEETs again to stop another attack he soon becomes a folk hero.<br><br /><br><br />Akira's image ends up being used as a new symbol for the youth movement, almost like a new Nike logo.<br><br /><br><br />Air King, Just Do it<br><br /><br><br />This is probably the most interesting part of an Eden of the East and it surprising doesn't come out of nowhere.<br><br /><br><br />Early on in the show Akira is approached by someone who ends up escaping the NEETs and recognizes him walking the streets of Tokyo.<br><br /><br><br />This ends up being one of the few story elements that's setup and paid off in Eden and it's really effective.<br><br /><br><br />On the flip side in Future Diary, near the end of the show the characters find out that there whole reality is one created by Yuno.<br><br /><br><br />The game has already happened to Yuno as she one in her own timeline but was so grief struck by the death of Yuki who she grew close to that she ended up recreating the world in hopes that Yuki will kill her and win the game this time.<br><br /><br><br />Much like the Eden of the East twist this one is also teased.<br><br /><br><br />At one point of the show supporting character Aku discovers that Yuno isn't who she says she is as he finds a body in her house and matches the DNA to that timelines Yuno.<br><br /><br><br />It turns out that timelines version was killed by the current Yuno in order to keep up her story.<br><br /><br><br />Once Yuki refuses to kill Yuno again, she goes back in time again to try once more. Yuki travels with her and ends up having to kill her and win the game.<br><br /><br><br />Both of these twists are interesting and add to their respective shows.<br><br /><br><br />However, while Future Diary's twist is cool it ends up making the show quite confusing in the end.<br><br /><br><br />The show takes a dramatic turn that ends up turning the show into something completely different. While M. Night Shyamalan might think its cleaver, it hurts the show in the end.<br><br /><br><br />However, Eden of the East's twist ends up answering a number of questions and advances the story a great deal.<br><br /><br><br />Again it's just a shame that the rest of the series drops the ball a bit.<br><br /><br><br />IN CONCLUSION:<br><br /><br><br />While there are a number of other things I could examine these three examples best show how these shows use similar ideas and take in different directions.<br><br /><br><br />Eden of the East had a developed world, an interesting plot twist and solid romance it suffered from a lack of proper story-telling. Future Diary took the idea and created a some mystery by teasing the Yuno wasn't who she claimed she was, a over the top premise but went too far in a different direction in the end.<br><br /><br><br />Neither of these anime titles are what I'd call perfect, but they are solid watches, so go give them another look.<br><br /><br><br />Both titles are available through Funimation and Mad Man Entertainment.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoti0EOgCAMBF9UKnrzNwRqIAFKWsT4e3vwstnMzuY5x4kYuZWoFwstkpc7uYclDSFVZxvumz%2FQ72gZqVYY2RyFmcMEDYusEdilpp%2Fx3ZPCFVqpJQh%2BnQQldw%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-89791272376901710242013-12-18T19:16:00.001-08:002013-12-18T19:16:16.486-08:002011: The Year of the 'DokesPatrick George Jones (@) is just another guy on the planet Earth living in the Milky Way. He puts the "Pat" in "Psychopath" every time he spits hot truths into the microphone on his podcast called "Oh Great! Another Podcast" ( if you're feeling dangerous). He also runs a website called , so clearly he is qualified to write reviews.This photo describes 2011 as well as ALL OF ANIME.<br><br /><br><br />As questionable as this phrase may sound, 2011 shook up the anime industry.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />This is the year that Akiyuki Shinbo struck gold and lightning. This is the year that someone finally freed Kunihiko Ikuhara from his cage to make another anime. Most importantly, this was the year Japan was rocked with one of its worst earthquakes. That Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 anime that came out a while back about a "what-if" worst case scenario is now the reality we face.<br><br /><br><br />As we get closer and closer to the present day, some of these titles might invoke recent memories or PTSD flashbacks. Shows from year 2011 include: Haganai (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, literally "I Have Few Friends"); STEINS;GATE, a new twist on time travel; CLAMP's return to anime in BLOOD-C; the superhero-cum-buddy-flick show, Tigerkaruta drama CHIHAYAFURU; the sharp-nosed follow-up to Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji; a bunch of noitaminA shows to fill the crevices (ANOHANA, Bunny Drop, C-Control, Guilty Crown); and terror-by-cellphone horror story FUTURE DIARY.<br><br /><br><br />While this year had its share of manga and light-novel adaptations about Japanese high schoolers who look like white people engaging in wacky hijinks, that was not all the year had to offer. This year saw an excellent crop of original anime not adapted from other sources. Original anime is incredibly essential to the health of the industry, since original anime takes advantage of its format far more than stories that come from other mediums. It also gives anime studios a chance to do something other than adapt some dude's light novel and keeps animators from getting frustrated from constantly doing someone else's work. Without animators, you have no show, so it's important for these animators to make their own thing; otherwise, they'll go into other industries such as video games.<br><br /><br><br />When creators and anime studios do their own thing, it can result in some amazing anime franchises such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Macross, Space Battleship Yamato, and Mobile Suit Gundam. If it wasn't for these original shows, the industry would be in a much different place, and that place would be a wasteland.<br><br /><br><br />2011 added at least two new additions to this pantheon of instant classics, the more notable one being PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA. Much has been said about the Puella Magi cyclone and much more will continue to be said--its interesting, if problematic, deconstruction of the "magical-girl" genre, the way it compares to Evangelion, or that it ran around the time of the Japanese earthquake ().<br><br /><br><br />This show set the Internet ablaze when heads started to roll, when the dark twist erupted out of the cute dolls' mouth. It's hard to believe it now, but when this show was coming out, the public perception was that this was another late-night otaku pandering magical girl show. A lot of people were turned off by the art style and supposedly generic premise, but (SPOILERS!) only a few episodes in, the show dropped the facade and callously killed off one of the shows main characters. That one moment threw out the rulebook and sprung forth one of the cleverest narrative hooks in anime history. From that point onward, the Internet anime fandom exploded.<br><br /><br><br />Shortly after that fateful episode aired, several were formed, forums were stuffed with reactionary posts and speculation, and a whole bunch of people who initially dismissed this show were caught with their pants down and had to reconsider the entire show ("Hey, guys, I was drunk on vodka when I wrote that preview entry"). Looking back on those first few episodes, the signs were there the whole time. From the LCD nightmare designs of Gekidan INU Curry's Witch Barriers and the resume of Akiyuki Shinbo, who directed the 2004 magical-girl show Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, which was unconventional in its own right, this supposedly similar show seemed different than the others when you looked under the hood.<br><br /><br><br />But the part that gave it away was the writer, Gen Urobuchi (or as his fans calls him, "Urobucher".) This man was infamous in the visual novel scene for creating insanely disturbing stories and killing off major characters for little to no reason. For example, before Madoka Magica, Urobuchi's most famous work was Song of Saya, a visual novel about a guy who has suffered brain damage and now sees the world as a literal meatspace filled with disgusting organs and monsters. That kind of resume would spoil the surprise head trauma of Episode 3, so the production studio Digital@SHAFT initially tried to hide his name in the credits .<br><br /><br><br />Perhaps this was for the best, since Madoka Magica was the turning point in Urobuchi's career. He would go on to write for several other original shows such as Fate/Zero, PSYCHO-PASS, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and the upcoming movie Expelled from Paradise. Madoka Magica was also the launchpad for studio SHAFT; Madoka Magica was not their first show, but it was their first original anime, all other shows adaptations of other source material (see NisioIsin's Monogatari series.) With this original anime, SHAFT proved it has what it takes to be one of the best anime studios.<br><br /><br><br />To this day, even though it's been only two short years, in this age of "here today, gone today", Madoka Magica is still talked being talked about. Shortly after the show came out in North America, just about any anime convention had Madoka Magica cosplayers and several panels that talked about its themes and ending. The anime would go on to spawn various manga adaptations covering other magical girls of the same sort, a rouge-like PSP game, and a trilogy of movies (with only one that is a true sequel which hasn't come out at the time of this writing).<br><br /><br><br />While nowadays we are all used to streaming new anime the day they air in Japan, the sad truth is that the "Dokes" wasn't being simulcasted in America. , for some reason no one picked it up for same-day streaming in the West. No one except the licensers knows for sure why this was the case, especially since many other shows were being simulcasted at that time. (Perhaps the show fooled even the licensers with its cuteness.)<br><br /><br><br />While this year featured an increase of simulcasted shows, there were several times when simulcasters dropped the ball this year, having not yet learned the complete craft. It's a shame too, since several of the shows that didn't get picked up were some of the year's best titles. In 2011, American audiences had no legal way to watch Madoka Magica, as well as other shows that would later appear on Crunchyroll. (In addition, AnoHana and Season 2 of KAIJI, two other popular 2011 shows, were not licensed until 2012 and 2013, respectively. If only people in 2011 knew about "Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji: Against All Rules," maybe more people would have watched that show.) While these shows weren't streaming during the day they aired, it's a moot point now, since all of these shows are now legally available in English, but it was during this year that anime became more like American TV watching culture. With video sites, comments, forums and columns dedicated to being an internet water cooler, anime could now be watched and enjoyed on the same level as American TV. The only difference being is that instead of a water cooler, you had flame wars.<br><br /><br><br />Much like the above three shows mentioned in the last paragraph, MAWARU-PENGUINDRUM debuted in Japan and wouldn't get to see the light of legal streaming and distribution until Sentai Filmworks licensed it for release in 2012. The 24-episode TV series done by Brains Base marked the return of Kunihiko Ikuhara, the man who did Sailor Moon R and Revolutionary Girl Utena. He also did the surreal Revolutionary Girl Utena movie, after which he was figuratively barred from doing anime ever again (save for some work on Nodame Cantabile in 2007 and Aoi Hana in 2009). That is, of course, until Brains Base let him out of his prison cell to make Mawaru-Penguindrum.<br><br /><br><br />Describing what exactly Penguindrum is about is nearly impossible, there have entire podcasts that barley describe what Penguindrum is really about. It is a difficult thing to write about, since the show has a lot of moving parts, but to break it down to its bare minimum, the show is about apples, stars, fate, sacrifice, holes in the sky, trains, brothers, sisters, incest, stalkers, exploding bears, gas attacks, terrorism, parents, love, DESTINY, FABULOUS MAX, SURVIVAL STRATEGY...and love potions made by frogs excreting on a teenager's back. Perhaps due to this random mix, even though the show has been out for a few years, there are still things that we don't know about Penguindrum. What does the eyecatch in the middle of the episode really mean? (What the hell are those branching paths?). The ultimate testament to Penguindrum's quality is this mystery--that no one knows for sure what it's about and that everyone can have multiple interpretations on what they think it's about.<br><br /><br><br />This is one of the strong points of original anime, this mystery surrounding it. Since there is no light novel or manga that came before it, there is no way for anime fans to spoil the show for other people. However, even though Penguindrum and Madoka Magica weren't legally available for U.S. residents, they still were able to cultivate a fan base due to the power of Bit Torrent. (There's not much reason to use Bit Torrent nowadays, since the legal option is far convenient than downloading several video codecs, a torrent client and hoping to GOD that someone seeded that 5-month old fansub.) While 2011 was a good year for anime fans that were willing to get their hands dirty to watch overlooked anime, it made it hard for people who only used the legal option, especially when it came to the year-end awards. (However, they still had good things to choose from, such as TigerGate and Chihayafuru to name a few.)It was a great year to be an anime fan in America. However, it wasn't particularly a great year to be an anime fan in Japan, or an anime studio, or really any person in Japan. 2011 was, of course, the year the Great East Japan Earthquake shook the nation, . The resulting tsunami that followed shortly afterward and the nuclear meltdown that happened at Fukushima completed the triple whammy, delivering a demoralizing blow to Japan, the true impact of we won't know for years. This national tragedy did unite the world in helping Japan and even though Japan went through so much that short time frame, they have endured and survived this nightmare disaster. As for the impact that this had on the anime industry, , including and wrapped with final episodes that dealt with a situation unsettlingly similar to the Japan earthquake.<br><br /><br><br />Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, an 2009 anime<br><br />whose 2011 rerun was cancelled<br><br /><br><br />Considering all that happened, it is surprising that the animation industry in Japan was able to push onward after this tragedy. While the industry suffered some obvious setbacks, the animators soldered on and continued to work on anime. There were even some studios like . It is amazing just how resilient these people are and also kind of crazy that they can return to business as usual after something like the .<br><br /><br><br />As such, anime will continue to move on. There may be changes, there may be setbacks, but anime will live on in some form or another, whether it's 2D or 3D, hand drawn or computer graphics, adaptations or original properties. There is some hope in the animation industry; the amazing success of Madoka Magica reminded everybody that original intellectual properties can be successful. This year also put Aniplex USA on the map as the company to eventually license Madoka Magica. The popularity of shows that Aniplex produces would become the core of their business model of selling popular anime for high prices. While Aniplex has been able to succeed where other companies have failed, the trend will be streaming anime for little to no cost.<br><br /><br><br />Whether streaming anime will be the start of a golden era, no one can say for sure. The true impact that 2011 had on anime won't be known for years. Will the earthquake have a lasting effect on the anime industry? Will streaming be the go-to method for watching anime so that we don't have to buy $90 Blu-rays with 2 episodes on a disc? Only time will tell...I guess we should check back in another 50 years.<br><br /><br><br />NEXT TIME: THE TIME MACHINE IS RUNNING OUT OF FUEL! QUICK! BACK TO 2007!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT8%2FPSUnNS8zL1EvKyU8vLsgv0UvOz9U3MjA01jc0AtGGupWpiUW6%2BWm6KfnZqcV6GSW5OQCJaxSP' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-71613089885452278132013-11-26T03:42:00.001-08:002013-11-26T03:42:17.316-08:00Anime MarathonYO HARROWWW!<br><br /><br><br />You may have noticed a complete overhaul of my crappy blog effort with all posts deleted and a revamped theme and all. Finally, a new start. Yes, one that is after the BIG 'O'. (START MOVING START MOVING~ YES~ whaaa)<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />*on a side note:Yoharrow is catchy damn, Yuigahama you qtsun*<br><br />For those who know me, you'd prolly know what I'm up to these days. For those who don't yet... then you oughtta put in some effort to remember me, I can assure you that it is worth it. :)<br><br /><br><br />WALAO WHAT IS THIS SHAMELESS MODE I CANNOT.<br><br /><br><br />Well that's not the point.<br><br /><br><br />Hehehe as what this post's title suggests : I'm doing a hardcore 13h/7d anime marathon. (ya I need 7 hours of sleep, an hour of mealtime and another hour for travelling... wait. Oh yeah I was watching during mock papers too. OH SHIT THAT REMINDS ME : I WAS DOING IT DURING THE *hardcore* O LEVEL PERIOD, too. Oops. :X)<br><br /><br><br />Here's a list of what I've been watching/rewatching recently :<br><br /><br><br />1. Mirai Nikki / The Future Diary + Redial (complete)<br><br /><br><br />2. OreGairu / My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (waiting for next season)<br><br /><br><br />3. Infinite Stratos Season 1 / 2 (ongoing)<br><br /><br><br />4. Date A Live (waiting for season 2)<br><br /><br><br />5. OreShura / My Girlfriend and Childhood Friend Fight too much (waiting for season 2)<br><br /><br><br />6. Monogatari Series (ongoing)<br><br /><br><br />7. Noucome (ongoing)<br><br /><br><br />8. Mayo Chiki (waiting for season 2)<br><br /><br><br />9. Oreimo / My Little Sister can't be this CUTE (complete?)<br><br /><br><br />As you can see...<br><br /><br><br />I'M DYING OH NO SHIAT I MEAN WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT ARHHGHGHGH TELL ME MOAARRRRR<br><br /><br><br />But... waiting is a bliss, a preparation for your titties. This is so that they don't start spraying milk all over the place when the new episodes knock you up. ;)<br><br /><br><br />*guys and gals both included*<br><br /><br><br />Heheh and moving on the next base for the holidays/well-deserved break after 'O's... DATING SIMS!<br><br /><br><br />P.s. WHERE IS MY AYASE ROUTE?! Oh, the psp game. HERE I COME!!!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwdENgDAIBcCJLKJ%2FboMNkSalNOXp%2FN4ZMC8imKbWpfjawhsZ5e7x5AyUGk7Hzicxk4zmurksgcUoBu8%2FIhUX2Q%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-78447635552421123782013-11-26T03:01:00.001-08:002013-11-26T03:01:55.112-08:00King of Thorn ReviewA bunch of people awaken from a cryogenic sleep and struggle to survive.<br><br /><br><br />Survival stories in anime and manga generally don't enthuse me much because they're all pretty similar to each other. But King of Thorn seems slightly more character driven than others. A bunch of them had clear goals and development which is always nice to see.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />The reason why the characters were put into a cold sleep was to escape a deadly virus known as the Medusa virus and hope that they would find a cure in the future.The story behind Medusa and what its effects were pretty cool. Naturally it had its share of cheesy moments, but it's manga. It was also good that King of Thorn was rather short as its story was paced well and never dragged on. It's a decent quick read.<br><br /><br><br />* STORY - C - Generic but entertaining.<br><br />* CHARACTERS - C - Unmemorable but some had good development.<br><br />* ART - B<br><br />* ENJOYMENT - C<br><br />* OVERALL - C<br><br /><br><br />Recommendations: Cage of Eden,Future Diary<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNykEOgCAMBMAXlbV6MPE3BqsQhZLSyPd1zpPc2wZ0LeIp10tcrO5PGGpHM%2Bk9RC2YJ17ADF5x%2F4n0JE9qlUzeLIMiPrzTGWM%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-19675184653512501422013-11-26T02:19:00.001-08:002013-11-26T02:19:42.778-08:00Anime Mondays #38Hello, hello, hello, friends, how was your week?Mine was pretty fantastic, as I discovered the wonderful world of paid vacation time and how to rock carrying a book on your head while talking to a rockstar.I'd explain that, but it's probably better left unsaid.Instead, I'll talk about ninjas and psychotic killers!Awesome.<br><br /><br><br />All images are from , and there are spoilers up to the episodes listed!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />GOOD LUCK GIRL (BINBOUGAMI GA!) - EPISODES 2-7<br><br /><br><br />So, remember how I said last time that I wasn't sure whether or not I would like this show?Turns out I really like it.Holy crap, GOOD LUCK GIRL (and for once, I feel like the Japanese title far outshines its American counterpart) is hysterical.It's not filled with too much fanservice to make it unwatchable, and, instead, comes at you with a ton of allusions to other anime, making it a parody that begs to be watched and paid attention to.In fact, I probably would have finished this via marathon, except the day I got back into it was the same one where there were ridiculous tornadoes that knocked out my cable and internet.Way to make me go back to the stone age to watch Blu-Rays all day, weather.Just kidding. Havoc everywhere.But I highly recommend this show.It'll probably get finished over the long weekend.<br><br /><br><br />NARUTO - EPISODES 31-33<br><br /><br><br />Last week, I talked about how useless Sakura is as a character.Apparently, the writers of this show must have agreed with me, took a time machine to go back to the past, and inserted AN ENTIRE EPISODE ABOUT HOW USELESS SAKURA IS.And, you know what?All that happens is she cuts off her own hair, bites some dude and then gets kicked in the face a lot.Her friends still have to save her.It was nice to see some fairly interesting flashbacks, but other than that, she's still completely incompetent.Dear random ninjas, please kill her soon.My undying thanks, ~glitterbots.<br><br /><br><br />THE FUTURE DIARY (MIRAI NIKKI) - EPISODES 14-26 (COMPLETED!)<br><br /><br><br />I had to re-watch the first three episodes on the second DVD set of this show because I wasn't paying attention at all the first time, and I knew that I would probably have to in order to understand this show, or, at the very least, keep straight which diary numbers were assigned to which characters.You know what helped with this?The second opening.Now, I know, the first one is almost universally known as one of the greatest anime openings of all time.I have grown to like the second one better just because you can see all the characters and have either gotten to know them previously or know which ones you need to pay attention to.Also, the lyrics pretty much tell the entire story of the anime.It's true.They said it in the Funimation commentary, okay.And once I realized that, I appreciated how bad ass it really was.In other I-need-to-pay-more-attention news, I didn't realize that Seventh actually shared one diary, as opposed to the two lovebirds each having one, until the very last episode.I'm a dumbass.Anyway, the second half of this series pales in comparison to the first.I had more fun watching it when I didn't try to rationalize what was going on, but still.Holy crap.Like the last five or six episodes, what even happened??All this shit started coming at me from out of nowhere, and it was just a huge clusterfuck.I really wanted to love this, I really did, but as all my favorite characters got killed off, I just started hating it more and more.I wanted to believe that there was a plausible explanation for everything, like Yuno had a twin or Yuki would not be a pussy in the end, but .ugh.And yes, THE ENDING WAS AN ABOMINATION.I would have to track down that OVA to see how it really ended, except I accidentally read spoilers on Wikipedia when I was trying to give a shit about what the fuck had just happened, so now I don't have to.THE FUTURE DIARY could have been a great survival game anime, but turned into one giant hot mess.I ranked it 7/10 on MAL for its first half and my desire to marathon it.I'm still really disappointed, though.<br><br /><br><br />ELEMENTAL GELADE - EPISODES 1-4<br><br /><br><br />This title came to me via the newest Crunchyroll Mystery Box, where I actually got a lot less duplicates than I did the last time I ordered one.(I did get TWO more copies of that BLUE SUBMARINE movie and yet another EX-DRIVER movie, I think I have like five copies of it now, but I digress.)And um I did "watch" these four episodes, if by watch, you understand that I pretty much had them on in the background while I read a bunch of blogs online late at night.I can't tell you anything about this series other than one of the English voice actresses has my real first name, and that's pretty awesome.Maybe I'll pay more attention to the last episode on the disc, but I wouldn't count on it.That's what happens with most of these mystery box titles.<br><br /><br><br />Best of the Week: GOOD LUCK GIRL<br><br /><br><br />Love it or Leave it: NARUTO, THE FUTURE DIARY<br><br /><br><br />Hope it Gets Better: ELEMENTAL GELADE<br><br /><br><br />Wow, I didn't realize how short and sweet this would be.I guess that's what happens when your weekend gets packed.PS: Catching Fire was even better than The Hunger Games, even if the theater we went to was sold out of Peeta cups.If you're in the US, have a happy Thanksgiving!This is the first Black Friday I won't be working in six years.HAPPY THANKSGIVING, INDEED.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwQEKgCAMBdAT6W9KEN3GUkpoTrZBdPveu93nDlxPd296iFt8RevUZhZPYaSFMoiQVpTRuQWWUctnIW%2F4AajFFNQ%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-45822288712894642832013-11-26T01:39:00.001-08:002013-11-26T01:39:00.663-08:00ANIME: Brief Opinions and Reviews 03WataMote - Watashi ga Motenai no wa dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!<br><br /><br><br />ENGLISH TITLE: No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br />RELEASE DATE: July, 2013<br><br />CREATOR: Tanigawa, Nico (Manga, 2011)<br><br />GENRE: Slice-of-life, Comedy, Tragedy<br><br /><br><br />STORY: Otome game obsessed Kuroki Tomoko has extensive experience in relationships and dated hundreds of boys... in otome games.In reality, Tomoko has never dated a guy and has lost contact with many of her friends from middle school.Now she's starting her first year of high school.What will become of (extremely) socially awkward Tomoko?<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW: This is the first time I've ever watched a tragic comedy genre anime.Combining the two themes creates an entirely new flavor which is something along the lines of bittersweet and sarcastic.<br><br /><br><br />Tomoko is a character that touches the lonely soul in all of us.I can only cheer her on as she stumbles through the social obstacles of life.The way that she overly fantasizes and mentally spites those around her who seem happy gives her character a certain realism that isn't often seen.Sort of like what a person could be thinking deep down but never actually shows it on the outside.<br><br /><br><br />Despite Tomoko's many tragic failures at trying to fit in and make friends (and the depressing mood that comes along with it), there are some instances where she does succeed in her own way; there's also many hilarious moments created in her attempts to socialize.One of my most favorite parts of the series is how Tomoko childishly torments her younger, more mature brother.She basically forces him to interact with her every so often or else she gets super dramatic and threatens to kill herself, lol.<br><br /><br><br />Mirai Nikki<br><br /><br><br />RELEASE DATE: October, 2011<br><br />CREATOR: Esuno, Sakae (Manga, 2006)<br><br />GENRE: Supernatural, Horror, Action, Romance, Psychological<br><br /><br><br />STORY: Amano Yukiteru AKA, "Yuki," is a loner who spends most of his time blogging on his cell.He doesn't have any friends so he makes up two imaginary friends by the names of Deux Ex Machina, the God of time and space, and the servant Murmur.One day, Yuki's phone starts to post blogs before he can write them, clearly detailing events before they actually happen.At first Yuki is elated to find he has the power to tell the future with his new 'Mirai Nikki' or "Future Diary."This feeling soon ends when he discovers he's been put into a battle royale game with 11 other players by Deux who's not so imaginary after all.The last player living will be pronounced the new 'God' of time and space.<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW: I was looking for another 'survival game' kind of anime and eventually stumbled across "Mirai Nikki."What hooked me at first was the main character being a socially awkward boy who spends most of his time on his cellphone, blogging about his life.I guess I'll always love the socially awkward ones.The idea of mixing a supernatural power with modern technology such as a cellphone was really cool and I love the strategies they came up with.Personally, I had to pay really close attention to what was happening so I could understand explanations that came later.<br><br /><br><br />The element of horror presents itself early in the series with the mystery behind the girl Yuno who's crazy obsessed over Yuki to the point of stalking him and doesn't bat an eye when it comes to killing.I really like the Yuki/Yuno story because she's so crazy yet he has to trust her as she's the one protecting him.<br><br /><br><br />The stylized animation and facial expressions are very well doneIt's impressive what the animators did because of what little they had to work with; the manga doesn't have nearly as much expression in characters' faces compared to the anime.<br><br /><br><br />I highly recommend people to watch "Mirai Nikki."It's a great survival game anime that has a nice blend of tactics and psychological horror.<br><br /><br><br />Psycho - Pass<br><br /><br><br />RELEASE DATE: October, 2012<br><br />CREATOR: Shiotani, Naoyoshi; Urobuchi, Gen; Production I.G. (Anime, 2012)<br><br />GENRE: Sci-fi, Dystopia, Cyberpunk, Psychological, Drama, Action, Crime<br><br /><br><br />STORY: What if an individuals' criminal potential could be measured?Psycho Pass takes place in the future where a person's 'crime coefficient' can be measured through a cymatic brain scan.Tsunemori Akane starts her first day of work as an inspector for the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, Unit 1.She learns that she'll be working with people known as 'latent criminals' who have had their crime coefficients deemed too high with no chance of recovery.They use a weapon called "The Dominator" which can only fire at criminals with a high enough crime coefficient.Violent and disturbing crimes are being committed within the city and they suspect there is a mastermind pulling the strings.<br><br /><br><br />REVIEW: I got seriously mind-raped by this anime.I guess it's because I haven't watched a good psychological genre in a while.I love the high-tech environment and how society was under oppression by a higher intelligence.It's quite familiar, being a theme I see a lot in sci-fi.<br><br /><br><br />The idea of people getting measured for their crime potentials or how dangerous they are is an intriguing proposal for 'the better of society' and I like that this anime explored what would happen if this system were to exist.All the characters were interesting and the antagonist was well fleshed out and had some understandable motives, despite how twisted he was.<br><br /><br><br />There were some truly freaky episodes in this anime and it's scary because there's a high possibility that the messed up, psychotic people just like the ones in this show, exist in reality.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVy0ESgCAIAMAXIVq3fqNFyiTgqNX3m%2Fa%2BZc62IQpft0KnhzSTS9XyaDbdboKLDyuGgFFZCFJnOsEaK5sOiHr8i%2Bkd4FdXptQPwJcdMA%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-52717258296315985972013-11-26T00:50:00.001-08:002013-11-26T00:50:09.392-08:00Why Do I Torture Tai So Much?SPOILERS ALERT!<br><br /><br><br />RAMBLING ALERT!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />WHEN I HATE, I HATE. JUST A WARNING.<br><br /><br><br />He does look like he's in heaven of sorts<br><br /><br><br />Tai had been a victim of my story a lot. The first time he was in my story Birth by Sleep, he plays Ventus or Ven, sharing a role with a companion. Now, I am planning a story I want to write anyway despite knowing that it won't get much reviews anyway that would end up traumatizing the players in the story.<br><br /><br><br />One word: Persona. I would be leaning towards a certain game than any other with a central focus on tragedy. Given it's Persona, tragedy would remain a large part of this story.<br><br /><br><br />Despite Persona-users are the heroes of this story, almost all that I knew of from past and present, they are broken from trauma due to the events. They did grow strong though from all the events.<br><br /><br><br />Anyway, Tai...<br><br /><br><br />Ehh, couldn't find the right pic for this.<br><br /><br><br />Taichi "Tai" Yagami or Kamiya in the English Dub was the leader of the Digidestined and grew up to be a politician... I know Tai is a good leader and all, but I can't see Tai in a suit like I can't see Sora as a fashion designer or Matt as an astronaut. I have words for Zero Two ending. I could rant to hell about just how the writers just don't know where they are going with the story; it was all over the place with lack of character development and plot threads left dangling. One of its saving points was Ken and he wasn't able to save the series to some extent. Others can see the flaws on the obvious perfect ending so I'll just allow them to say it...more with JesuOtaku since her views are pretty much leveled compared to other fans.<br><br /><br><br />In Zero Two, he still remains a good leader but passed on the role to Davis or Daisuke. While Sorato is one of the AssPulls I would forever hate, one of its saving graces was Tai letting go of Sora no matter how much that hurts him. It's still clear that he's hurt but he allows love to go gracefully unlike those psychotic love interests like Yuno from Future Diary.<br><br /><br><br />Ahh, the daily life...<br><br /><br><br />In my future story, I plans to have Tai transfer to another school to get away from his friends and family who moved on without him, going to the place where he had once visited with his parents (Kari wasn't born yet so Tai was like a toddler at best) and experienced a car accident that nearly killed them and left them hospitalized for weeks. He transferred without telling anyone except the school faculty and left during April, leaving behind Agumon who he felt will not be a wise choice to his new school, feeling that there is just something there will not be great for Agumon or for any Digimon. Agumon was devastated with Tai moving away and wanted to go but he can't really go due to how faraway and foreign the place really is and the fact everyone is busy to even visit the town (although they respected his decision to move to another school; in his letter before he left, he said that he needed some time away from Odaiba a bit, wanting to see the world which is a lie (not that they thought much of it)). At least they have contact to them even though the school he's going to is very faraway, quite a distance from Tokyo. Little did Tai know, he will be thrown into a battle of Shadows with his new friends in their secret club, SEES.<br><br /><br><br />Yes, everyone will not have their own digimon. To have everyone with a Digimon will defeat a purpose of a Digidestined. Only a selected few could be given a digimon in my opinion. Heck, even Savers/DATS has only a lot of people and some used Digimon for crime, something Zero Two never even thought of.<br><br /><br><br />But I digress...<br><br /><br><br />Anyway, what Tai gonna do in my story doesn't seem original. In another story I reada YGOGX and Digimon crossover, Tai ran away from home to get away from family and friends who just never found him good enough. He reconcile with them later. I decide to take a different route sort of because all the characters that are in SEES are from various anime and some are opposite personalities from the actual SEES. I don't know why but the players in my story are mostly protagonists from other anime, maybe I am more familiar with their characters. I still haven't choose the location of the school yet. I will be keeping some things from Persona 3 (Evoker, Shadows, Apathy Syndrome, erm...that thing) but I still have stuff to make sure that these characters react differently and some circumstances are different too. After all, it would focus on Tai and his new friends, and his old friends and his new friends' on the side.<br><br /><br><br />The anime I am choosing from for SEES are totally different and you don't need beforehand knowledge of those characters and where they came from. No, they are not OC's; again, various protagonists from various anime/manga; all you should know is the name...I'll do their backstory on the actual story since it is AU.<br><br /><br><br />However, this different route is something you had to see for yourself if you read it. I'm still gathering notes in between classes and homework. The classes are killing me.<br><br /><br><br />Anyway, since it's an AU of Zero Two, then the ending would never ever happen. Yes, I am still on about that.<br><br /><br><br />I still haven't gotten to the part why I torture this guy so much...<br><br /><br><br />Perhaps, it was the fact he's hurting inside. For some reason, Tai seems stagnant among his really backwards friends with an exception of a few. He cares for them and they care for him but lately these friends have been going on their own direction (which is nothing wrong) but rather he stayed the same. Him being a politician is totally out of nowhere and had no circumstantial hints towards it; no, being the leader of the gang is just stretching it. I don't think Tai has that much of a passion to become a politician... a soccer coach or a minor philanthropist maybe but not really a politician. Don't get me started on the incredible idiocy of a ramen place landing on Time's front page. Like most fans, I want to ignore it. There are some good things like Cody as a lawyer and the expected futures of Izzy, Kari, Joe, and Ken (no problem with that because he can pick any career he choose really).<br><br /><br><br />Oh, and one thing, writers of Digimon Adventure 02?<br><br /><br><br />You can think of that the ending is canon and all with Sorato and the future of all the Digidestined but you still have no evidence of foreshadowing of any of these events. Almost all are so ludicrous and just so damn cruel to their characters that the bittersweet endings of Adventure, Tamers, and Savers stick out like a sore thumb (meant that both story-wise and character-wise).<br><br /><br><br />While I do not understand the Sorato thing, I don't blame Matt for that. It's Sora's choice.<br><br />We fans have to think what happened between Tai and Sora during the time skip.<br><br /><br><br />There is one thing to hate a character but to hate a character due to shipping reasons is just stupid. Shipping is just subjective; people can simply choose to ship due to its "Kawaii!"-ness, "smexiness", canon-based evidence, whatever they are thinking in their minds. I am trying to handle this maturely and trying not to blow up on the faces of such immaturity.<br><br /><br><br />I like stories that show respect for certain characters. Even though I had a hard time making the characters in-character, I can recognize in-character actions which is just plain weird.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwVsSgCAIAMATIVl%2F3obsAaOEozhNt2%2BX3VtCLFTpkocGFVEKe7V7NPOQTXFd4oYx4ssfHAYCbt1nP8FJYBjozBzYtf4XtBsn' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-90765196751692655262013-10-31T22:08:00.001-07:002013-10-31T22:08:37.158-07:00The Future Diary / Mirai Nikki (2011-2013) Anime Review***StartOfLog***Here a review that I didn't thought i do Future Diary or Mirai Nikki.<br><br />I found out about this series by total accident by seeing this image on facebook.<br><br />So I thought to myself:"so she is like Lucy from Elfen Lied wow she must be brutal" and also thought they kinda look similar as well so i looked the anime up and found the Wikipedia page and I was intrigued about the concept (witch i 'll explain in a moment) then i found the English dub of it done by Funimation so i gave it a watch and now I'm here making this review.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />The concept Future Diary is exactly what is sounds like a diary that can predict the future the name of the show is translated perfectly into English mirai =future and nikki =diary.<br><br />I have the English dubbed version with some glimpses on the subbed version i will mostly talk about the dubbed version with some mentions of the sub.<br><br />Some lines from original were changed for better or for worst you decide but I have enjoyed the dubbed version.<br><br />And BTW the dub version of the show is more pervy than the sub version this blows my mind usually the sub or the original version is balls to the walls while the dub wimps out like a little pussy.<br><br /><br><br />**THE PLOT**<br><br /><br><br />The plot of Future Diary involves Deus Ex Machina the God of Time and Space giving 12 people(13 in one version) the power to see in the future with the use of the future diary and those 12 people must fight to death in order to become the new god of time and space and if no replacement is found until the day 90 the world ends .<br><br /><br><br />Deus Ex Machina<br><br /><br><br />A death battle and a contest from a god that sound familiar (i mean those 2 elements sound familiar)<br><br /><br><br />The battle to the death plot reminds me of...well<br><br />and the part with a god organizing the contest reminds me ofthe Avatar<br><br />wrong avatar let's try again<br><br />goddammit even wronger i mean the Avatar fromban Star-Racers<br><br /><br><br />this Avatar ,how many Avatars are there?<br><br /><br><br />I am not saying that this series is a rip-off i am pointing out similar series for you to watch and plus in my opinion this anime is pretty unique with the diaries and with the characters.<br><br /><br><br />Speaking of characters let's talk about them for a bit.<br><br /><br><br />**THE CHARACTERS**<br><br /><br><br />So let's start well with First Yukiteru Amano(Yuki for short ) he is a loner who talk with his then imaginary friend Deus and Muru Muru.Then one day Dues gives his dairy the ability to see into the future without telling him about the survival game.He owns the Random Diary or indiscriminent diary I will talk about his relation with the dairy when talk about the diaries.<br><br /><br><br />Next up is Second Yuno Gasai ,she is a riddle wrapped up in an enigma i won't spoil to much about her here but I will give you the basics : she is at first glance he is Yuki's stalker but she actually loves him she owns the Yukiteru Diary and guess what that does.Her diary kepts track of Yuki's every move, hey you know what's worse that a stalker that takes note of your every move the one that can predict your every move.<br><br />Yuno is a very interesting character most of the anime's surprises revolve around her.<br><br />And btw this<br><br /><br><br />Yuno's Yandere Face<br><br /><br><br />become a meme on the internet seriously look it on deviantart you'll see tones of parodies of this.<br><br /><br><br />Remember when I said that the anime is about fighting to the death in order to replace Deus well that is major part of the plot but there more like the evolution of the Yuno/Yuki relationship from stalker and victim to lovers.<br><br /><br><br />Now I know that there are more characters on the show but I wanted to focus on our main cast and plus some of them only appear in the show forfew episode for instance 3rd was only in the 1st episode and even fully in it.<br><br /><br><br />The otherdiary users are sympathetic in their ownright except for 1 or 2 and I will talk about him in a moment.<br><br />Like i said some of the other users have some sort of a tragic past that led them to this contest some are evil because of something that happened to them while others are stronger a a result of those bad things.<br><br /><br><br />Now let's talk about 11John Bacchus.<br><br />If you don't want spoilers don't read this it's kinda hard to talk about him without spoilers so you are still here let's begin<br><br />He his the....and I repeat SPOILER ALERT.....the mayor ofSakurami City (the city in witch most of the action takes place )and his diary is called The Watcher (who watches the watchers much ) it doesn't tell his future but it can spy on other diary users say what you are probably wondering how did he get an advance like that well he is the co-creator of the game of course that he will give himself an advance did i mention that he is a politician.<br><br /><br><br />One more then I will talk about something else<br><br /><br><br />9th or Minene Uryu she is just badass in the show.<br><br />She is a terroristand uses explosions as her main weapons my favorite quote from her is "dying is for pussies"(she says this in the dub anyway)<br><br />Her status in show is all over the place is starts as a villain then hero sort of then villain again then hero again.<br><br />BTW she kinda resembles Misato Katsuragi from Evangelion.<br><br /><br><br />Now let's talk about the Diaries since they are one of the most memorable things of the anime.<br><br />Their relationship with time has been distorted in order to give the users a window into the future.They were designed by 11 and Deus 11 provided the base concept while Dues provided the power to make them.<br><br />The diaries seem to reflect the users personalities for instance Yuki's diary takes note of everything surrounding him but it doesn't notes about his reactions or his feelings thus reflecting his nature as a loner,Yuno's diary take notes of Yuki's every action and his feelings and state since Yuki is the center of her world this makes sense,she barely writes about her.<br><br /><br><br />Now there are some exceptions to the rule about reflecting the personality of the users like 9th for instance she is a terrorist and owns the escape dairywitch doesn't make a lot of sense to me.Wouldn't she write about were to place the explosives for maximum effect or who she'll kill next just saying.<br><br /><br><br />**THE MUSIC**<br><br /><br><br />Well i am not music master or anything but I'll give my thoughts on the music.It's good it fits with the atmosphere of the show the sad moments feel sad while when there an action scene it amplifies the awesomeness of set scene.The music does the job right so no complains from me.<br><br /><br><br />While I am in the audio department let's me compare the dub with the sub for bit.While in the sub the voice sound like actual teenagers they seem kinda silly at times (my opinion) they dub has them sound more serious and the voice work is pretty good.<br><br /><br><br />**FINAL THOUGHTS**<br><br /><br><br />This is an pretty awesome anime, awesome concept, good action ,good characters and some good twists for good measure I can't recommend this anime enough it's pretty good. And please watch the OVA in order to get the true ending and closure and if you can't get enough watch Mirai Nikki Another World it doesn't have the charm of the original but it's okay.To me Future Diary is (until now ) one of the best animes that I've ever seen it's action packed,a gore fest ,a love story and some pretty good SF it's awesome and I love it.<br><br />If you want a funny version of the anime watch the abridged series it's pretty funny but watch the anime otherwise you won't get the jokes.<br><br /><br><br />FINAL SCORE:4.4/5<br><br /><br><br />Don't forget to Tweet and Share and post a link to this wherever you want<br><br /><br><br />All the shows and images belong to their respective owners<br><br />**CollectorX loggingout*****EndOfLog***<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVyjEOgCAMAMAXlYJs%2FqYISgMIgZLo75XlposibUeUGB5PQo5GUC7Xa7Qq6qgFN20sGr0GnFNmD%2BCZ%2BguFOzHcnBLDn8zCqiglf%2FHMHJg%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-73431830695382002532013-10-31T21:22:00.001-07:002013-10-31T21:22:54.261-07:00Anime I've Gotten Into/Currently Watching: Fall 2013Hello again. First off: Happy Halloween. I tried to find a General Zod costume in my size (specifically, the version with his battle armor from Man of Steel); but there weren't any. I ultimately just bought an Iron Patriot mask and a Captain America shirt to be a low-budget Iron Patriot. Second, I know my recap of The Heart of the Cards is behind, but I have taken the screencaps and I am in the process of writing the recap. Third: because of the workload I have in school, I will have to postpone the Halloween marathon. I will probably be recapping the Soul Eater episode "The Ultimate Paper Test" to deal with midterms coming up. It has a sort of Halloween theme to it; and it will probably be up in early November; kind of like how The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror sometimes airs then because of being preempted by the baseball playoffs. (note: This year's special was OK. Not quite as good as last year's, but standout bits where the opening guest-directed by Guillermo Del Toro, and the parody of the classic horror film Freaks).<br><br /><br><br />For now, I will give my thoughts on some of the anime that I've started this fall. Both ones from the fall 2013 season and that I started this fall.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Pok mon The Series XY<br><br /><br><br />Once again, I'm starting with something Pok mon-related. This is the newest season of the long-running anime; based on the new video games, Pok mon X and Y. I managed to get a 3DS and a copy of Pok mon Y last week. As of this writing, I am about 16 hours in. I started with a Froakie, who I named Rash (the game wouldn't let me use my original name of Pimple. I know it often makes you change it if you try to name it something vulgar, but I'm surprised Nintendo and Game Freak apparently has some stigma against pimples. Much like that one Best Wishes episode where the gang has to wear afros to blend in among some Bouffalant; and the dub apparently had some stigma against the word "afro." Just as well, I put on "Staying Alive" and they got the message). My Kanto starter for a prospective Mega Evolution is Mako, in honor of the late actor Mako Iwamatsu, the voice of Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender before his death in 2006 and the name of the firebender in Korra's circle in The Legend of Korra (I recommend both, as Mike and Bryan managed to capture the cinematic look and feel of the works of Studio Ghibli and setting new standards for not only anime-influenced western animation; but for animation in general. They both have writing, voice acting, and animation that rival some theatrical productions). I got the wi-fi Torchic with the Mega Stone, and my current roster includes a Pikachu named "Pika", a Spritzee named "Versace", and a Ducklett named "Donald." Word of advice to players: because of how big Kalos is and how the battle system has been changed, your abilities will be tested whether you're a new trainer or a seasoned veteran.<br><br /><br><br />Anyway, I have seen the first three episodes in subtitled form, and the first two dubbed ones when they aired as a 1-hour sneak preview after the Genesect movie (which I haven't seen yet. It's on my backlog). I personally enjoyed how the animation is so slick and colorful; and that Ash once again displays the optimism and courage he's known for. I'm enjoying how Professor Sycamore is depicted more or less accurately as he is in the games. Clemont may have to be one of my favorite male companions yet. The design of his gym is kind of like the Command Center/Power Chamber by way of Deep Space Nine. He also has all these gadgets and this backpack. In essence, he's what Max should have been: he has not only the knowledge of Pok mon, but also the battle skills to back it up. If I had to describe him, he's kind of like a mixture of Wheeljack, Donatello, Billy Cranston, and Brief from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. Bonnie is also very cute; much like the Bonnie in Toy Story 3. Serena is also a very good companion even though I haven't seen the episode where she officially joins the group yet (as it's Thursday, it usually airs in Japan in around 7 or 7:30PM, and is uploaded online within hours of fans getting their hands on the raws. Subtitled episodes can come up within days or weeks, with the dub airing on Cartoon Network a little after that). I like how she has both the snarky attitude and kind of ditzy nature of Ash of May, and that she has the same passion for fashion and a mother that influenced her decision to become a trainer like Dawn. In a sense, she reminds me of Serena from Sailor Moon; in how she actually behaves like a real young woman would and rises to the occasion. In a sense, she was effectively conditioning for my love of Yoko Littner, and other strong women in fiction like Black Widow and Katniss Everdeen. Best of all, she knew Ash before he started his journey, so I'm interested to see where that goes. I did really enjoy Pok mon Origins as an alternate look at the franchise, taking plenty on influence from the games and the various manga; but also used some quirks from the existing anime to draw in viewers from various groups. The fandom has praised Special/Adventures for its plotting, characterization, and more serious treatment of battles and conflicts with enemy organizations. While the memetic scenes of Squirtle biting Charmander's cheek and Team Rocket murdering Marowak on screen are not quite like the live-action Transformers movies in terms of violence, it's at least on par with the 1986 movie killing off most of the cast the audience grew to love; or the part in the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie where the Foot attack the turtles in a fairly realistic fight scene that ends in April's apartment being burned down. I plan to watch both when they come on; as I find it's OK to like more than one adaptation of a franchise. When I was staying with my father this past summer, after watching Star Trek Into Darkness and a TV airing of the 2009 movie, we then watched some of the original series on Netflix to contrast and compare (the original pilot, "The Cage" with Pike, and "Spock's Brain", the start of season 3 where the budget was cut, and it showed. SF Debris pointed out the episode is indeed as bad as its reputation suggests, but it's enjoyable in the same way The Room or Plan 9 From Outer Space is). I also made a video that I'm in the middle of uploading that talks about how different time periods and different directors may interpret a character a certain way. Much like I don't judge Prime Kirk, Alternate Reality Kirk, Picard, Sisko, or Janeway by the same standards, I don't judge Ash and Red by the same standards; since they're essentially different ways of looking at the same character. I'll talk about this more later, but I have other series as well.<br><br /><br><br />Kill la Kill<br><br /><br><br />This is a key standout among the new series of the fall, but also this year. The first project of Trigger, a studio made of former Studio Gainax writers and animators, and made by the team behind Gurren Lagann, my favorite anime. It's a high school slice of life series combined with a shonen fighting series; paying homage to the key works of the genre such as Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star. It depicts a school that takes how the school uniforms are Japan were based on military uniforms and takes it to the extreme of the school and the surrounding areas being their own city where the elite live in fancy houses and are given everything on a silver platter; and the lower class live in the slums and back-alleys. They also give in many parallels with the Nazis, such as wanting to root out bloodlines they deem inferior and want to rule the world starting with their own country. I've noticed this motif pops up a lot not only in anime, but in many fictional works in general. Enter Ryuko Matoi, a drifter girl who wields one half of the pair of scissors that killed her father and has a bone to pick with the system because of their role in her father's murder. To help, she is given a special uniform that draws strength from the wearer by channeling their blood into the suit. I know the hot-blooded nature is a recurring character type, but they've effectively weaponized it here. Like Gurren Lagann, it manages to nicely blend action, drama, comedy, and fanservice into a package that is absolutely glorious to watch. I'm on episode 4, so I plan on working on it soon.<br><br /><br><br />BlazBlue Alter Memory<br><br /><br><br />Based on the popular video game from Arc System Works, this series captures the colorful and over-the-top action of the games and also elaborating more on the story. While it can get bizarre, unlike Future Diary, the characters are easy to understand and have distinct actions. Since I favor Hazama and Jin in the games, I will be looking into following them.<br><br /><br><br />Good Luck Girl<br><br /><br><br />A dub of Binbogami Ga, which I mentioned in an earlier post. I'm almost done with the subtitled version, and so far, I'm enjoying Momiji's vocal performance. Her voice actress manages to capture her attitude toward being assigned to take on Ichiko quite nicely. It sounds a bit like the dubbed Stocking; and it helps they have similar characterization. I am typing this as I watch the first pieces of the dub, so just bear with me. I may do another piece later, but I must move on.<br><br /><br><br />One Piece<br><br /><br><br />My perennial go-to series for each week. I am on the Water 7 arc, so I'm not going to spoil too much. A lot of twists and turns, ins and outs; and Franky.<br><br /><br><br />Attack on Titan<br><br /><br><br />I've only seen half the first episode, but thankfully, it's split into two 11-minute vignettes; and Hulu saves my place. I find that to be very useful for anime. I'm quite interested to see the dark fantasy motif; and I gather it's been a big smash lately.<br><br /><br><br />So, that's all for now. I've made good on my promise to binge on Pok mon and Digimon to detox from the Endless 8; and I will get to work on finishing my recap on "The Heart of the Cards," so I can work on other projects. Christmas vacation is coming up, as is Thanksgiving weekend. I'm also looking into other series with 2014 on the horizon. Considering doing some sports anime, both episodes and with it being the focal point of the series. I'm considering doing some one One Piece recaps to start off 2014, and it seems reception to my recap of "Pok mon I Choose You" was positive. I will do more From Humble Beginnings recaps in the future. For One Piece, I will probably do the character introduction episodes as a lead-in to the Davy Back Fight/Long Ring Island arc around the time of the winter Olympics. I'm also looking into Eyeshield 21 for the Super Bowl, and Basquash and Slam Dunk for the NBA and NCAA season. While I am a nerd and not too big a sports fan, I am capable of supporting a local team, expressing sympathy when they lose and joy when they win. I prefer arcade sports games like Tecmo Bowl and NBA Jam Tournament Edition to simulation ones; and my favorite sports movie is Space Jam. If I can buy into Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes playing basketball; then I think I can handle it as most of the ones I've picked have material. See you around; I'm going back to working on navigating Kalos, finishing Best Wishes and working on midterms. See you around!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNolyksOgCAMBcATlY%2FuvA2SBppAS%2BCp8fYunPVUYBzeJ5XOSdXepJmXO5uVNQwuW%2FdbiLuP4U8kN1MxgJVEYfmakxXtpSchV9HiKnr7AJnGILg%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-79978613570365438672013-10-31T19:56:00.001-07:002013-10-31T19:56:53.585-07:00Issue #22<br><br />October 31, 2013<br><br />North Republic Industries<br><a name='more'></a><br><br />THE MESSENGER"We speak the truth"<br><br /><br><br />Bringing you the truth, the news, the anime and the conspiracies for over a year.<br><br /><br><br />THE END OF AN ERA THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING NEW!<br><br /><br><br />Pretty :3, Yeah right? Mostly<br><br /><br><br />As you know or should know, we just had our General Elections, most recently and the one that mattered more than any other poll, really, is the Presidenital Run-off between Crescellia and Sethanon and Libertarian Washington and Hunteiria. And the result is a new President, after the Era of TNR, the winner was Crescellia with 17 votes to Libertarian Washington's 16, Crescellia just barely getting a majority with 51.5% Now we will have a new President, one who will lead us into the coming term. How will he do? How will he compare? Only time can answer those questions.<br><br />Before we go further I would like to talk about TNR administration and the most recent month, like most administrations it has had it's up and it's down, it's sideways, and it's conspiracies. And How will the region look at this administration in the future? Will it be good? Did it lack? Was it like fall of the Roman Empire?<br><br />When we started this month, things were not going well. Mytzonia, just resigned as Secretary of the Treasury, after being unable to work with TNR and disagreements, this caused Part One of the Financial Crisis of October Then not too long after Icamera resigned from being Undersecretary of Defense to an almost completely inactive military and before that Hunteiria went to the Senate, leaving as the Secretary of State. That coupled with some inactivity from from Icamera and from TNR, a little. And on top of it all the region was loosing nations left and right, dropping down into the bottom of the 160s.<br><br />However thanks to a few key people we were able to pull out. Lewis and Daniel was appointed Secretary of State and Undersecretary of Defense. He was able to bring back activity to those departments and get them going again along with the military. Together with his Director of Recruitment PDS and other recruiters they were able to stop the decline in nations and even get a few back, and was also to get the military moving again. However this meet some head butting and disagreeing with TNR on the Allied Defense Doctrine which was another Cabinet dispute and hurt the military. Crescellia, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, was able to propose a budget and get the region moving again however TNR still didn't appoint a Secretary of the Treasury, which hurt the department that and the transaction system has once again broke.<br><br />So as we look out as this most recent month, we ask ourselves. How was this month? How did this effect the entire administration? How will we look back on this later? Was it good? These can probably be answered now but also should be answered in the future as well as we come to the end of this era, we now begin a new one, with a new President. How will this one go? How many questions will I ask? What will happen? Will it be a good one? With time.<br><br /><br><br />I HAVE TO WRITE IT AGAIN?!<br><br /><br><br />I'm in Despair!<br><br /><br><br />Well, oh, my. Oh, my. Well I'm sorry for having taken so long away from the company and the newspaper. However I have been very busy both with RL and with NS and what time I got used it the best way I know how, I watched anime! I've had a lot of work, and then I have to take on two departments, and at least one that was failing. Not an easy task at all, but Got Sei Dank! we made it and everything is better, for the most part. Now here me out on the other side of things, I started writing an issue almost right after my last one, but I didn't like it and it got put on the back burner and eventually gone. Next yesterday I was writing again, having a good ole' time, finding awesome pictures, writing good. But then I go to save it on here. Come back today and Oh, my. It's gone. Dear God, it's gone. Tony, tony turn around I've lost something that can't be found. Now I'm writing it again, having to go back over what I've already done and lose all that time I could have been doing something else. Luckily though I was only two or three articles in but still! It's a conspiracy to ruin my newspaper. I report that if we never publish another issue, you know what happened. So now enjoy the rest of the paper and may you continue to like it!<br><br /><br><br />TNR'S JOURNEY AFTER OFFICE<br><br /><br><br />TNR all alone<br><br /><br><br />After Crescellia won the election and was confirmed by the Supreme Court, his job began and TNR's term ended. He gave on a winded, cold day to the masses that only 6 people were there including 4 of his split personalities and 2 people who looked lost but had too much pride to ask for directions. After he finished he was given what all former President's are, a coupon for vodka. He looked on his phone, he texted, who? He didn't know, he just send messages that went up to never go down. Perhaps they would go out in space, in the absolute dark, seeing the occasional hydrogen atom, perhaps there it would find it's answers. TNR continued to walk down the empty streets, it took all he had to stop himself from crying out into the night, the things he had wanted to say to her, the things he had hoped he would listen to. Every minute felt like forever. As he continued to walk down the road, he reached the train station and got on, no one but him. It snowed little flurries out side, he felt like he was losing something yet also drifting away. The trained stopped he go out and then pretended to wait for someone. He watched as the cherry blossoms fell, terribly out of season, slowly at speed of 5 centimeters per second. Would he texts ever reach that distant start? Would he ever hear it's voice? Would he ever be able to reach that place beyond the clouds, that place promised in his early days? He walked away with these thoughts slowly ebbing at him as he looked into the night sky and saw the stars oh so bright. The moon still lit his path, as he made his way down to the bar, where he would use the coupon and drown his sorrows Just one more time, one more chance, he thought as the tears started to flow and nothing could stop them.<br><br /><br><br />THE OTHER ELECTIONS!<br><br /><br><br />Right?<br><br /><br><br />What some people are calling them on the street after the Presidential run-off. Some senators were elected too. After a what might be said by some a hard election or rather a musical chair election, it more like it. Four seats were up, the winners are Free States, Daniel J. I. Stewart, Robertsonstan, and Brick Drakan. However with Daniel being appointed as the next Secretary of State, his seat will be filled by someone else, somehow. Next with Crescellia leaving to go on as the President, he appointed Kevo as his replacement, who was also in the election losing by just one vote. It might be interesting to see where this new senate will go and what direction it will take but let's hope that they will be active and that they will do more than vote!<br><br /><br><br />CULTURE/OPINION/GOOD ANIME SECTION - HALF SUMMERTIME EDITION!<br><br />Hello, Hello, Hello we are once again back for another addition to my favorite section. Remember that the names of the new ones are links to MyAnimeList were you can find more information, Synopsis, reviews, average score, Voice Actors, and more! Also I would be happy to talk about any series or movie that you might want to discuss. Also I have found out about a new anime site. Once again I shall list the names of those I have done. Also Lewis and Daniel is always happy to talk about anime with you. Or if you need to know some anime sites just ask! This time you will also be getting a Summer time edition! Why because with summer coming round you might just have more time to spend watching anime and reading manga not just short ones either. Also we have a couple new anime watching fans out there. We will keep up with these Summertime Editions for a while, while the summer and anime always stay in our heart. This might just be our last summertime edition sadly enough but I might just keep things the same and spice things up and put a couple new things in here.<br><br />Spice and Wolf<br><br />Nodame Cantabile<br><br />Code Geass<br><br />School Rumble<br><br />Honey and Clover<br><br />Clannad<br><br />Great Teacher Onizuka<br><br />Eden of the East<br><br />Kimi ni Todoke<br><br />Mushishi<br><br />Ah My Goddess<br><br />Full Metal Panic<br><br />Trigun<br><br />Kino's Journey<br><br />ef - a tale of memories<br><br />The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya<br><br />Toradora<br><br />K-On!<br><br />One Piece<br><br />Guin Saga<br><br />Sekirei<br><br />Rec<br><br />Glass Mask (2005)<br><br />Durarara!!<br><br />Cowboy Bebop<br><br />Angel Beats!<br><br />Usagi Drop<br><br />Itazura na Kiss<br><br />Kobato.<br><br />Ouran High School Host Club<br><br />Princess Jellyfish<br><br />Genshiken<br><br />Hanasaku Iroha<br><br />Skip Beat!<br><br />Kids on the Slope<br><br />Eureka Seven<br><br />Death Note<br><br />Black Lagoon<br><br />One Outs<br><br />Princess Tutu<br><br />Fullmetal Alchemist<br><br />Love Hina<br><br />Hyouka<br><br />Cross Game<br><br />Waiting in the Summer<br><br />Psycho-Pass<br><br /><br><br />What can we talk about this time? What not to! Anyways getting to the point. Movies first, three big directors have in the past year or so released new anime movies, Hayao Miyazaki with his The Wind Rises, Mamoru Hosoda with Wolf Children, and finally Makoto Shinkai with The Garden of Words. First let's start with the wind, this movie yet to be dubbed which probably will is said to be the last full feature fill of Miyazaki with him going into retirement. This movie has been nominated for an Oscar! or at least it will be, he has been nominated twice before with Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away, where Spirited Away won. To bad Howl didn't. I haven't seen this new movie yet but I plan to!<br><br />Next Wolf Children is planned to be dubbed pretty soon, if I remember. It is said to be a good film, I Haven't seen it yet. Plan to.<br><br />Then last is garden of words, I hear this is a shorter movie coming in at about 40 to 50 minutes, but it is said to be good. I haven't seen it yet but I might. It might be dubbed.<br><br /><br><br />On to something else?! What else, I'd like to take the time now to go over the new series I will be recommending for this issue. I don't normally do this but I thought it might be good to start because maybe you want to know more about it or why exactly did I chose it or maybe I just wanted to fill room. But before we get there I want to say that last week the three anime I chose, Cross Game, Waiting in the Summer, and Psycho-Pass are all great anime! Please check them out or any anime on this list. Now let's go!<br><br /><br><br />1. Sword Art Online - An anime that has perhaps seen both good and the bad reviews, people seem to be split on this anime for various reasons however I think a majority, maybe what do I know, think of it as good but failing in the end. So it's mixed but I want to tell you what I think or mostly think.<br><br />The Anime it's self it's good, really good. The Story is about a Virtual Reality MMO, Sword Art Online, the first of it's kind. It's this game everyone is looking forward to, before hand they ran the beta where 1000 lucky players where able to play and now 10,000 will get the first release of it on the first day. From there, they join and are enthralled by it, however soon they find out that there is no log- out button. The creator of the game calls them all together and explains that this isn't a bug but real not only that but this is life or death, if you die here you die in the real world too. Panic ensues, the only way out is to beat all 100 flours. And that is where it beings. It starts out great, with maybe just a little problem, how it jumps time, sometimes it can go pretty fast. However it is great the first half of the anime is wonderful, however it soon takes a little turn down after in the second half. It's good but not as. It has great characters, great music and sound, great animation, however it sort of doesn't make it where it should have gone, but that shouldn't take away too much from the entertainment and enjoyment of this series. It's not exactly perfect but it's good, great? I must say that if I was on a deserted island for the rest of my life but could sustain myself and could only bring one game, that's it nothing else, I would defiantly consider SAO if it was real.<br><br /><br><br />2. Mirai Nikki (TV) --- Also known as future diary. It starts out with the main character writing in his diary being socially awkward. He has his imaginary friends and just writes all that happens around him in his diary. One day, the god of time, who he thought was just imaginary who turns out to be real, tells him that he is dying and he needs a successor, so he gives 12 "lucky" people, I think it's 12 or 11, future diaries. They are able to tell the future, all in different ways. The MC's tells him all that's happening around him, just like he was writing. Anyways the one who is left standing shall be the new god of time. This is where it starts, well actually they get the diaries first, I think, then he tells them. Anyways on to the next MC who is just as important per se and is the one you might know more than the other, Yuno, you know that pink haired, pink eyed girl with blood? Maybe? She loves Yuuki, the other MC. She's crazy, really crazy and yet not as crazy as I thought she would have been, she is likable perhaps to a point, I'm not sure. The Anime is really good, the characters, the story, the music and animation, all are good. The ending, confusing but I didn't hate it. Overall a pretty good anime, great? most people also seem to like this anime.<br><br /><br><br />3. Crest of the Stars --- also known as Seikai no Monshou, this is an older anime about 1999 I think. The Story starts out on a plant controlled by man, somewhere in the galaxy, however here comes the Abh, kin of the stars. Come to take over the planet. Negotiations start and the planet surrenders in exchange for living and other things the MC's father is made Count of the area and his son Count-Prince. Then it jumps a little to where he is going to enter schooling to enter the army so that he can claim his title. Along the way he meets Lafiel. They become friends and the anime goes from there. Showing politics, war, and other thing along those lines. Romance. It's a good anime, characters, sound I really loved the ending song!, animation is a little old but not terrible. The ending was just like the end of chapter and probably because it has two sequels. the enjoyment of it is good, I liked it. An Awesome anime.<br><br /><br><br />ADVERTISEMENTS<br><br /><br><br />Join the Church of Northerntal. We also always looking for new members for the Clergy.<br><br />The Church of Northerntal can fulfill requests such as marriages, funerals, blessings, and etc.<br><br />So We hope to see you at Cathedral of the Light here in TAR or one of our other locations.<br><br />Thank you<br><br /><br><br />Read Lewis and Daniel's blog - The Lewis and Daniel of Anime!This ends Issue #22 of The Messenger. We have come a long way because of your support! We thank you for reading and hope that you will read the issues to come. And Thanks to all of you who have said that The Messenger is better that the Imperial Tabloids it means a lot, and we hope that you will continue this support forever and always. We are right now the #2 News out there!<br><br />If you have any comments please feel free to post. If you would like an advertisement in The Messenger the please contact NRI and we can work something out. Also if you want to write your own article in The Messenger then contact NRI or the Chief-in-Editor<br><br /><br><br />Also thank you all we now have had 1342 page views on our blog! Really thanks a lot, it means a lot. I'm just stunned by this, really.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVyUkOwCAIAMAXIS63%2FqYaIiYqBvD%2FTec67H4eRGfyVxeZ0e6koU7pdsRDk4U5poIp4jC7BDmDNJdKCiXBf7BFnUHp3DpHC%2BxrfmXkHno%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-3270631578073592082013-10-29T23:18:00.001-07:002013-10-29T23:18:15.473-07:00Anime recomendations part 1For all the people! i did romance, horror, and comedy. i will do the rest of the genres in part 2<br><br /><br><br />ROMANCE:<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />STRAIGHT ROMANCE:<br><br /><br><br />say i love you- this beautiful series takes a interesting perspective of a bullied girl who has never once had a friend. after a misunderstanding with the most popular guy in school thing in her life take a twist!<br><br />GAY ROMANCE:<br><br /><br><br />sekai ichi hatsuoi- Ristu, a closet homosexual goes into the manga section in his dads publishing company. after a while he realizes his boss was his lover in high school! will there relationship form back again?<br><br />LESBIAN ROMANCE:<br><br /><br><br />girlfriends(manga)- i know im sorry its not a anime ==' but all good yuri is manga! anyways this story is about two highschool girls who fall in love with each other! they keep their relationship secret as they travel the path or true love.(this series is amazing!~)<br><br /><br><br />HORROR:<br><br /><br><br />mirai nikki (future diary)- This series is a lot like the hunger games BUT ITS BETTER!!! (did you know hunger games copied off of a manga called battle royal?) Yuki never had any friends. the only thing he had was a diary he kept on his phone and his imaginary friends who turned out to be VERY real. one day when he checks his phone there are records for the future! shorty after he is hunted by a serial killer where his (serial killer) stalker yuno gasai comes to the rescue. shortly afterward he is summoned to a area where he and 11 other people are told they must kill each other off with their own unique diarys. the last one standing will be god of the universe.<br><br />elfen lied- this series is amazing! even though the anime left off at a huge cliffhanger- its worth your while. a species called the diclonions meant to annihilate the human race inhabits earth. when a diclonion escapes from a lab where she was tortured she gets pelted in her head scrambling her personality in two parts. one is a innocent girl who knows nothing of the world. the other thirsts to kill every human in sight. what will happen if the boy that takes her in realizes SHE KILLED HIS PARENTS AND SISTER IN FRONT OF HIM???<br><br /><br><br />COMEDY-<br><br /><br><br />watamote- okay this anime i fell in love with! in matter of fact i'm rewatching it as we speak (as i write and you read). This series is about a girl who has no friends and is a complete and utter loser. this story is about this young little otaku and her trials to be popular. i won't say if she achieves it or not but i will say this story had me laughing so hard i fell off my bed to moments where i just wanted to hug tomoko-chan!<br><br />that all of 'em. hope you enjoyed.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNyMsRgCAMBcCKSIje7CYqIwyfZODZv%2B5xM%2BAHs0HrC2210tnsWW6gyzpvUXaWyDpKT2Gm%2F9K4FcXGCq4TQSijtw%2BZwxmE' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-87299349396343357642013-10-27T15:51:00.001-07:002013-10-27T15:51:55.643-07:00Promote Yourself:Anime Minneapolis announces Leah ClarkMINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 21, 2013 - THE MINNEAPOLIS ANIME CONVENTION ANIMINNEAPOLIS ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT VOICE ACTRESS LEAH CLARK WILL BE ATTENDING THE CONVENTION IN 2014.<br><br />Leah Clark is a Random Force Of Nature working as a voice actress and script adapter for FUNimation Entertainment and voice artist for DuArt Films. She has also worked as a director for FUNimation as well as a stage actress in the Dallas-Ft Worth TX area. Some of her most memorable voice roles include Nodoka in Negima; Suzuka in Suzuka; Rin in Toriko; Fuyuki in Sgt Frog; Blair in Soul Eater; Minatsuki in Deadman Wonderland; Saki in Eden of the East; Nora in Spice and Wolf; Minami in Baka and Test; Jiji in Princess Jellyfish; Noah in Full Metal Alchemist--Conqueror of Shamballa; Coby and Miss Doublefinger in One Piece; Paris in Shin Chan; Eri in School Rumble; Maron in Dragonball GT; Carlita in Pokemon the Movie: Black/White--Victini and Reshiram; and Maru in XXXHolic.<br><br />Other notable works include: Aria in Aria, the Scarlet Ammo; Homura/Kagari in Sekirei; Akane in Rumbling Hearts; Ruby in Rosario + Vampire; Tenhou in Oh! Edo Rocket; Akagawa/Red Ranger in Level E; Hikari in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (not) Advance; Miyabi in Freezing; Kagura in Ga Rei Zero; Miya Miya in Bamboo Blade; Doyle in Pokemon; and Mayu Otsuka in Darker Than Black. This year, Leah can be heard as Murmur in Future Diary; Yu in Guilty Crown; Giselle in Last Exile-Fam, the Silver Wing; as well as roles in Steins Gate, Wolf Children and Is This a Zombie?<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Some of Leah's script works include Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt, Suzuka, Peach Girl, Sasami--Magical Girl Club, Baka and Test, Strike Witches, and her all-time favorite, B Gata H Kai/Yamada's First Time. As a Director, Leah has worked on Sasami--Magical Girl Club, Tower of Druaga, StrAIN, Case Closed (movies) Captured In Her Eyes and Countdown To Heaven, and Shuffle. Leah is also a producer and co-host of The Red Wine Therapist podcast also featuring Jad Saxton. The show is an interactive open, raw, educational, and hilarious discussion of life, love, wine and (ahem) other stuff.@redwinetherapst on Twitter. Leah would find it oh so magical and lovely if you would keep up with her on Twitter @leahrooo and Facebook--Leah Clark Actress Fanclub. More details and future guest updates can be found at<br><br /><br><br />AniMinneapolis will be held May 23-25, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. With almost 4,000 people expected, this 3-day event brings cosplayers, voice actors, artists, and exhibitors together to create a fan community dedicated to celebrating Japanese anime. Attendees can register atContact: Molly Blue<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykkOgCAMAMAXlYLe%2FE2DNTaWlrCE%2BHvjnOceox6Ia61AJoWGuIl1ObmF7AW3mHZMEWvz4oPh9dk66%2FVnhiJmTNVVOpCZT8vcQZluyErtwQ%2BUqiNk' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-9990082436075815122013-10-26T12:26:00.001-07:002013-10-26T12:26:51.986-07:00In the Making Don't mind my comment on my last blog post. I totally got confused about which week I'm writing what post and announced the wrong post for this week. But hey, my professor did the same thing in class so no judgments! This week, I get to talk about a topic of interest related to this course. My choice then, is to explain some of the process work for my album cover assignment and the reason why I did so. This post may be long but it will have pictures so bear with me.<br><br /><br><br />I decided to do a CD cover for an Anime soundtrack because 1) I love Anime and 2) I love the music. I also wanted to digitally paint something because the last time I actually finished a digital painting, was over 5 years ago. It was terrible, and is thankfully lost in the void that is my old, dead laptop. I wanted to make something I know I'd enjoy doing, as well as brush up my skills at the same time. I will thank my brother for letting me use his tablet until I get my new one soon enough. Really, it saved my life.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />My first design was going to be for the Anime "Ano Hana" and have the main focal point being "Menma". Below will be my rough drawing.<br><br /><br><br />Here, I did two things that totally flew over my head and that I totally forgot about. The biggest one was drawing it on the CD cover file itself. That being, as a layer on top of the background. The other issue was the drawing was WAY too small. When I do lineart, or drawings in general, I usually do them on a very large canvas (above 2000 2000, more or less) with the dpi set to 300. Having it just set to fit the album cover resolution itself made the actual image, although 100dpi, very small.<br><br /><br><br />The issue here is that brushes only go so small and because of this image size, I have to not only be extremely careful, but the actual brushes and strokes will be larger, more visible, and just basically look bad.<br><br /><br><br />I would also have a difficult time painting the parts of the image where it is cut off. By being cut off, it loses the actual shape itself, so I would have a hard time figuring out the proper shading. I also didn't like this idea very much because it was rather boring. Sure, she's cute, but many anime characters are. I left this as practice and moved on to a new piece.<br><br /><br><br />My next piece decided to be for an anime I loved much more than the above, called "Mirai Nikki", Future Diary. I have a love-hate relationship with the main character, she is so annoying yet I love how insane she is, so I decided to draw her. Her name is "Gasai Yuno". I'll try not to explain TOO much of process to save it for the class as well as your sanity.<br><br /><br><br />I first made the background on my actual CD cover with a part of the Anime in mind. When a character's "diary", which is often their phone, predicts they will die, it says "DEAD END". I found a small clip from that anime showing the phone screen.<br><br /><br><br />By comparing text to the picture, I found the font to be "Gautami". To be faithful to the show, I used that font. I wanted to repeat the background over and over and make it similar to the phone screen by adding scan lines. I made them by creating a custom pattern.<br><br /><br><br />I changed the font's angle to make it diagonal because diagonal lines are more appealing to the eye and viewer than horizontal lines. Afterwards, the background was too boring so I darkened it with a gradient to suit thered and black theme that the opening of the Anime has. I changed one of the "Dead Ends" to white to make it stand out and be less confusing. Lastly, I added a bit of a Gaussian Blur to make the words not as crisp and distracting, and to add a small bit of depth for when I add my focal point. I won't continue further on this subject.<br><br /><br><br />Next on the agenda is my main attraction, the character herself. I made her separate of the CD cover so I could paint on a larger image, add more detail, and be able to scale it down and play with its positioning on my seperate album cover file. At first I was fooling around with ideas in my sketchbook and scanning them, but the positions were boring, they looked terrible, and all around weren't good. I soon found a nice reference picture online to draw from because drawing from life, even if it's just an image, is better than drawing from your mind. Unfortunately it wasn't nude so I had difficulties with some parts. Here's the reference:<br><br /><br><br />I made my canvas this time with much better settings and a higher resolution and size so it will be a lot easier to make and look a LOT better. I still used 100dpi. I didn't want to make the image too big because I'd have a hard time re-sizing it on my separate CD cover file.<br><br /><br><br />I don't have my full rough drawing because I was erasing it a bit as I went along but I have a small cropped version along with my first base coat of skin (that I erased soon after).<br><br /><br><br />I like to use colours for different part of the rough lines so I know which layer is which and can have an easier time erasing areas. As you can see, I decided to do the eyes because eyes are fun and doing line art is the most tedious thing ever. Unfortunately, to continue, I had to do so. I used the pen tool for the line art so my lines were a lot more smooth, consistent, and it took less time. It made things a lot more easier.<br><br /><br><br />The following image is both my line art, and a dark green background. I use a dark green background for when I'm colouring light colours so I can see any imperfections by the lines and overall reduce eyestrain.<br><br /><br><br />I also used a copy of the CD cover's background to see how the colours look compared to it as well. Even so, I still turn off the background once in a while, use ctrl+shift+alt+e to make a copy of the flattened image on a new layer without actually flattening it, then I paste and re-size it on the CD cover. I noticed the colours were off and didn't fit the background, so I played with the curves under Image>Adjustments>Curves.<br><br /><br><br />Once again, I won't continue further as to save some explanation for class but this is my process, at least in the beginning. I'm a lot further than this, thankfully, but I still wanted to explain. Until next time, when I do actually explain CRAP, I shall keep working on this and try to focus on my other classes as wellMaybe.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXL84uSsyrTMzWK88vSikoSi0u1kvOz9U3MjA01jc00Dew1M%2FM0y3JSNXNTczOzEvXBwAgthKl' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-37217606790290348762013-10-26T11:44:00.001-07:002013-10-26T11:44:53.536-07:00What is This? A CD Cover!So it's finally done. Yep! I was going to upload it a few days ago when I finished, but there was some blog confusion. Anyways, in addition to this CD cover, I must submit an "Artist's Statement". It's a main explanation of my piece. It's a little text-heavy, so bear with me.<br><br /><br><br />For this assignment, I decided to make an album cover for an Anime soundtrack. I did this for a few reasons. One reason is obviously because it's something I have interest in, something I love, and why not integrate a personal interest into a project? Another reason I decided to do this is because I've done enough manipulation in my grade 12 Photography class, I want to paint in Photoshop instead. I haven't done a lot of digital painting but I really enjoy doing so. I decided to do this project not only for class, as it is necessary, but to improve on my own skills. You can't get any better without practice. I actually did a blog post about some of my process work but I'll save describing that for my critique.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />My album cover is for the soundtrack of and anime called Mirai Nikki, meaning Future Diary.I decided to use the most memorable main character of the series, Gasai Yuno. I first tried sketching her a few times and scanning the sketch into my computer but the sketches looked terrible. I then got a better reference picture and decided to sketch her out in Photoshop. I had the image open beside my canvas so it made it a lot easier to refer to.<br><br /><br><br />One thing I was originally going to do for this, to make it feel a bit more authentic, was to try and re-create the original logo in a way. Unfortunately, it would seem too copied and wouldn't reach my intended audience, people in North America. Most people here don't know how to read Japanese. I had a lot of trouble figuring out what font to use for my title. I searched, and searched, and searched and ended up sticking with what I have now. Most fonts I found and tried were either too elaborate or too simple. It was very hard to get a title that worked. I also had difficulty figuring out what to do with the title and looked at multiple tutorials and tried showing it with different effects and such, but that didn't help much.<br><br /><br><br />Another thing that was difficult for me was completing Yuno's hair. I decided to do hair in a style that required a LOT of brush strokes and at one point, I just wanted to composite her into the CD cover and place her so the hair I didn't finish was cut off. Unfortunately for me, I figured that wouldn't work out well and I just really wanted to see it completed anyways. I never completed the whole image itself, as I'll show in my critique, because her outfit doesn't show on the CD cover other than the strap. I think some day I may finish it, though. The eyes were the fun part and the line-art, although made easy with the pen tool, was the most tedious thing ever. All in all, I'm proud of my painting because it's my third ever try at one. I'm mainly used to traditional art and although some things still apply such as colour theory, it's still difficult.<br><br /><br><br />I feel the easiest thing for me was the background. In the anime, when a character is going to die in the future, their diary (usually a cell phone), says "DEAD END". I found a picture of that online and figured out what the font for it was and integrated that into the background with some subtle scan-lines from a custom pattern I made. I made it diagonal because diagonal lines are more appealing to the eye. In addition, I made a "DEAD END" white to make it stand out a bit more and not be all jumbled up and confusing about what the background is saying. It was originally off-grey, but I made a gradient of black and red to darken it up which also matches the first opening of the show as well.<br><br /><br><br />Altogether, I really enjoyed this assignment. I love using Photoshop and it let me brush up on my digital painting skills, which I've wanted to do for a while now. It allowed me to incorporate my interests creatively into a piece and have fun while doing so. Not all mandatory projects are bland and boring, this one sure wasn't.<br><br /><br><br />Edit: Today in Digital Media, we critiqued all of the CD covers and posters. I'm pretty used to critiques but was still nervous because I'm used to super, long, in-depth ones from art class. Nonetheless, I liked it. It made me feel a lot better about my art. I got compliments on how the skin was done and two people even told me that I "didn't make that". Well, sir, my art may be too good for me but let me tell you<br><br /><br><br />I was really self-conscious about a few things, mainly the title because it caused me a lot of stress and I'm still not please with it. I was also very impressed with a lot of the CD covers and posters. They made me inspired to do more art. Unfortunately, school comes first so I'll have to put art off for now.<br><br /><br><br />Incoming: The rest of my process work with more pictures!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNxNEKgCAMBdAvmleNXvqboYIhNdlG0t%2FXeTjdfR6ADeX75RGWaJ3azEKRCzmmDSki71idnU4j739MpVKRpyk%2B73EWKg%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-293657698934072835.post-29993433260299502442013-10-26T10:59:00.001-07:002013-10-26T10:59:08.200-07:00My Review of Blood CDisclaimer: This reivew contains some spoilers, and since they tie in directly with my most imnportant points about the show, I won't be hiding them. Read with discretion.<br><br /><br><br />Blood C (2011)<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Around this time last year, the long-awaited sixth installment in the AMV Hell franchise was scheduled to be released. An incomplete version was released at some convention, and all but bombed, so it was promised that a revamped complete version would be released a few weeks later. Well, that never happenedThey released the incomplete version in January, and the complete versionfinallyIn April.<br><br /><br><br />As with the earlier installments, AMV Hell 6.66 inspired me to try out a myriad of new shows. Some of them were really good, like Arakawa Under the Bridgesome of them were really bad, like AnotherThere were even some guilty pleasures, like future Diary. But the show I was the most intrigued by was Blood C. It had a few clips, but all I was paying attention to was the one of a black-clad teenage action starlet battling it out with a samurai with a giant eyeball for a head. Because thatThatWas one of the most awesome things I'd ever seen. It's not as cool as the beat-boxing samurai from Shamploo, but damn it it's close. So, upon watching this series, did it hold up to it's own example?<br><br /><br><br />As it turns out, Blood C is a member of the Blood franchise, which contains one awesome movie, one crappy live-action movie, and a fifty episode series I still haven't seen. The star of blood C is Saya Kisaragi, another incarnation of that iconic characterDon't askWho's a super popular, super pretty high school student by day, and a cold-blooded monster slayer by night. She lives with her father, and has five very loyal, very lively, very god-awful annoying friends. As the story goes on, and the monster attacks begin to strike closer and closer to home, Saya slowly begins to realize that there might be more to this situation than meets the eye.<br><br /><br><br />Blood C was animated by a company called Production IG, which has been around since 1988. Taking a look back at their filmography, a lot of their work may look dated by today's standards, but there's no doubt that the majority of their shows were the best looking shows of their time. Blue Seed, FLCL, Ghost in the Shell SAC, and most recently, Attack on Titan. They're known for bringing their A game to most of their projects, and Blood C is no exception. Characters move fluidly, the fight scenes look awesome, and the artwork from Clamp looks equally inspiredBut while Saya and the monsters she faces may look really good, it's her friends that make the art design look a bitawkward.<br><br /><br><br />At first, the story is kind of a mixed bag. You have to deal with Saya's friends at school, as they openly parody Clamp's notorious character design tropesI wonder why they bothered, since they already did such a good job making fun of them in xxxHolic without even tryingBut on the other side of the coin, you have Saya's battles with the monsters, which is a plot seed that starts off with a lot of promise. You see her fighting one on one with some kind of gargoyle, which is a lot of fun to watch, but then you get to see her fight the very monster that drew me into the seriesEyeball Samurai. This is one of the best fights I've ever seen in an anime. It's staged well, it's paced well, it ends on a great note, and Saya actually manages to save some poor girl from being killed. She saves somebody's life. Why am I drawing so much attention to this? Well<br><br /><br><br />Let's not dance around this. Saya Kisaragi is my least favorite character of any anime, ever. That girl she saved from Eyeball Samurai? That's the only character she manages to save in the entire series! I love her character design, but in a show that was already occasionally painful to watch, she is so ridiculously incompetent that she made the show physically painful to watch. She can go through some kind of transformation into a vampiric bad-ass and she proves at one point that she can do it right at the beginning of a fightUnless of course her class is being devoured, in which case she'll wait until only three of them are left to employ it.<br><br /><br><br />I really wish I were making that last part up, because half way through the series, a giant monster attacks her full classroom. So what, does she evacuate the room, tell everyone to spread out and hide, jump out the window to fight it outside, transform, and save the day? No, she just sits there and lets everyone get slaughtered! God forbid a hero takes some initiative in saving innocent civilians! And despite the fact that her teacher is practically telegraphing the fact that she knows something about the attacks, Saya never asks. She never asks why her giant monster battles aren't attracting more attention, either. For the love of God, I'd rather have Captain Hero try to save me then ever rely on her. If I were drowning, I'd have a better chance of being rescued by a pack of piranhas. This girl couldn't save a sandwich with a Ziploc bag!<br><br /><br><br />I'll admit that it's kind of cathartic seeing monsters devour her irritating friends, but it doesn't take very long to see the real reason why she can't save any of them. The real reason why her power is so conveniently inconsistent. As good as this show looks, and as much promise as it shows, it's gore porn. It's not a horror title, it's not an action title, oh no, it's gore porn. The main character's credibility isn't important,The dialogue isn't importantThe story isn't importantThe villain's motivation is certainly not importantAll that blood C cares about is delivering as much gore porn as possible, and if every other aspect of the show has to dumb itself down to accommodate this, then so be it.<br><br /><br><br />That's not to say that it doesn't TRY to be more than the sum of it's body partsThere's a metafictional scene near the end where the whole 'clamp making fun of itself' idea comes full circle, but it's over so quickly that you can't really enjoy it. There's also some social commentary on mankind's relationship to the food chain, but the way it's delivered is just heavy-handed, tasteless, and an excuse for more gore porn. I don't mind gore pornI will begrudgingly admit that i'm a fan of Elfen Lied, a show riddled with problems of it's own. But at least there was more to Elfen Lied than it's fetishy abuse of red paint. The only elements of Blood C that had any real care or effort put into it was the art and animation, because they wanted better looking gore porn.<br><br /><br><br />All in all, Blood C doesn't really have that much to offer. If you're looking for a gory anime that['s centered around epic battles, you'd have a much better experience watching Berserk. If you wanted to see giant monsters gobble terrified people up, you could just watch Attack on Titan,. a show that does an exceptional job portraying the struggle against hopelessness. If you wanted to see an anime that pokes fun at man as a dominant predator, you could get that and so much more out of Madoka Magica, the most perfectly constructed tragedy anime in recent memory. But Blood C dumbed itself down so much to maximize the squicky blood fountains that it unintentionally created one of the least effective heroes in the history of fiction.<br><br /><br><br />It's hard to watch, and not in a good way, which is why I have no choice but to award Blood C with the dubious honor of a 4/10.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwVEKgCAMANATzalBH93GdJIwm2yWdPveu%2BYcB2J9mDvNxHfS3MyaTbdEy1Ayc1k6Rh82DB7jjv0DpbfRAqlwskiBjD%2FlKBnU' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0