9 Months later.

Hello again. I am back and it has been, hmm let's see... 9 months since my last blog post. 9… That’s incredible. I can’t really say why though. I’ve been super busy since October last year earning minimum wage (I think) at a video store, which subsequently put everything else I was working on, on hold.

I haven’t worked on my book in months. It is really quite depressing considering the fact that I have so many wonderful ideas for it.
Actually, that is quite an interesting story in itself.

I was busy working on it like I normally did, 50000 to 60000 words or 200+ book pages in total at the time, when suddenly I stopped and decided to read through my work. About 4 hours later I came to a very clear conclusion. Save for a few chapters, the story was developing into something SO incredibly corny, I am sure one would get whiffs of corn when opening the book for the first time if it ever did get published. Normally I would get all depressed and scratch the whole project, but corny as it was, I had grown attached to the characters I had created. I couldn’t just cast them aside.

Basically, I was inspired to radically change the story and to radically change the characters. They needed more life, more purpose and more, well, character. It was an epiphany. An epiphany that succeeded in exciting the hell out of me, so even though my writing has been put on hold for the time being, the project is still very much alive in my mind.

Anyway, moving on… Lets face it. It has been 9 months since my last post, and in that 9 months my love for Anime and Manga has not evaporated into thin air. No… if I were to list everything that I have watched and read over that period of time, the culmination of that list would take roughly 9 months to read. So instead of doing that, I will only mention the shows and stories that have stood out among the others.

First up, Green Green… the most perverted show you will probably come across. Honestly, if there were three boys in the world who did the things three of the characters did in this show, it would become international news and they would be castrated and locked up forever. Or so I would think.

Instead, they get away with a severe beating only. In all honesty it is actually pretty funny. As far as the story is concerned, it goes as follows: Somewhere up in the mountains of Japan, where no Cell phone gets reception and no TV or radio probably works, an all-boys high school gets a surprise. Their school is considering going co-ed. Meanwhile down in the city an all-girls high school is contemplating the same thing. In order to find out if it would be easier to just merge the two schools, they propose a one month trail run. A bunch of girls soon gets on a bus and heads for the boy’s school. Chaos ensues.

In the end, the show is shallow as hell, but if you can get past that, it is funny as hell. Upper-class ladies should probably steer clear though. There is a reason why the show was aired at 1 in the morning.

Next we have To Aru Magutsu no Index and its spinoff To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. Here is one seriously awesome anime series. Both are based on light novels of the same name and both are, as Barney would say, Legen- wait for it… wait for it… still wait for it… dary!

I don’t want to say much about the story, but I will say that both are your typical good vs. evil shows, and both take place in a city called Academy City which consists mostly of teachers and students. It really is worth the watch, so I am not going to say any more.

I do have one warning though. While Railgun has non of this, Index does touch a bit on religion. What I mean is there are numerous well known religious factions in the magic community of the show and we all know that in the real world, most religions have a strict magic-is-a-no-no policy. Keep an open mind when watching it and don’t take those things to heart. Do what I did and simply ignore it. If you do that, you’ll be fine. (Also keep in mind that this explanation makes it sound a whole lot worse and more prominent than it really is)

Lastly there is K-On!! (note the extra “!” in the title) 
Yes, the second season is airing as we speak, and although it is still far too early to report on it, from the 6 or so episodes that I have seen,  you can expect the same fun that we had in season 1.

That’s all from my side for now, so, be it one or two or nine months from now, I will post again soon.

Till next time…

Jya ne!
Gideon

August Entertainment

Well! Its been almost two months since my last update, hasn’t it?
I admit, for the most part, I just forgot about this blog, ha ha! Imagine my surprise when I saw it on my list of bookmarks this morning.

Over the course of the last two months, I have kept myself rather busy. I wrote a lot on my book, watched movies, watched a lot of anime and read a lot of new manga series. I also tried to get a job, but that’s a story for another time.

First of all, I haven’t written anything for my blog in a while, so I can’t remember whether I have mentioned this before, but my book has headed in a whole new direction, and as such, I have had a LOT of stuff to cut, rewrite, work out and more. It’s a lot of work, but it really is heaps of fun! The book is nowhere near complete though, so nothing more to report on that.

The last movie I reported on was the reboot installment of
Star Trek. It really was a great movie… Since then though, I have yet to see a film that has had me quite as excited (which makes it rather hard to try and find one to report on here), so I am not even going to try to think of one to recommend today.

As for Anime and Manga… There are a couple of notable things out this season.

First, Pandora Hearts, which actually started airing last season and is nearing its end, comes to mind. I’ll just post the wikipedia synopsis for you here:
“Oz Vessalius, heir to one of the duke houses, has just turned fifteen. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absence of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, he is cast into the prison known as the "Abyss", only to be saved by a "chain" known as Alice, the bloodstained black rabbit. The mystery there begins as Oz unravels the mystery behind Alice, the Abyss and the strange organization known as Pandora.”
I really recommend this show to anybody who likes a little more mystery and darkness mixed in with their comic moments.
I did notice one rather interesting thing about the show, and that is that this anime has numerous references to Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Watch it, and you’ll see what I mean.

Then, there’s Sora no Manimani. A charming little show about a freshman guy in high school who is drafted by his rather energetic childhood friend into the astronomy club, adventures (and chaos) ensues. It’s funny, it’s energetic and it’s fun to watch.

In contrast to a comic show such as Sora no Manimani, I have also been watching a new show called Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. The show is a lot more deep. Not at all a comedy, but definitely touching:
“The series is set in Tokyo after an earthquake measuring a magnitude 8.0 on the Richter scale shakes the city's foundations and landscape, resulting in the Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge and other noted landmarks falling. Amidst the chaos, siblings Mirai and Yūki, who were visiting a robot exhibition in Odaiba at the beginning of their summer vacation, struggle to reach their parents in their house in Setagayaassisted by a female motorcycle courier named Mari, who is striving to reach her own daughter and mother in Sanjengaya.”
This show can, sometimes, be downright tear jerking, but it is oh so worth it. Check it out!

Lastly, there is Valkyria Chronicles, but I have already reported on that one… Suffice to say, if you’re not watching it, your missing out.

I have also dabbled in some new Manga series, but I’ll tell you about those in my next update (in another month or two, ha ha).

Thanks for reading.
Till next time…

Jya ne!
Gideon

Time off.

There is not a whole lot of new things to report on from my side, but in between my doing other things, I played around in Photoshop, and created a wallpaper based on my favorite K-On character, Mio.

I present it to you here so feel free to use it… By clicking on the smaller version bellow, you will find the 1024x768 version.

Enjoy!
Till next time…

Jya ne!
Gideon

I love the Entertainment Industry!

I will start this post with a very important fact.
The new Star Trek movie, is the best Star Trek movie EVER!
Whether you are a returning fan from the days of ‘The Next Generation’, or a newcomer to the franchise, there is just no being disappointed when you walk out of the cinema… Go and see this movie as soon as you can… No really, go… In fact go right now… That’s right, stop reading this post, turn off your computer, get into your car and drive to your nearest cinema… It really is that good…

Leave yet?

Okay, for those few who are still here, lets move on to other things.

I realize that I have been quiet over the last month or so, and the reason for that…

…is my book. I have really been putting all of my time and effort into it and if I do say so myself, it is shaping up to be very nice indeed. I remember posting my character names at the end of a post, a while back… Well, in the end, the names have changed. *laughs*
I did say they were subject to change, did I not?
I’ll let you in on the name names sometime in the near future.

Even though I have been working on my book like crazy, I did crave a Manga of the romance variety a while back, and was able to find two specific gems. The first was called ‘I's’ (yeah, I know, strange name indeed…) and the last was called ‘Kare First Love’.

‘I's’ is a story about a guy who falls in love with a classmate and goes through all sorts of adventures to try and confess his feelings to her.
While reading it, you won’t be able to stop. You will have an uncontrollable urge to see what happens next and, for the most part, will be rewarded for that urge. 
When you come to the ‘end’ of the series however, you will sadly be left wanting more. Still, it is worth the trouble. The series also features a few, potentially, nose bleeding scenes… *winks*

‘Kare First Love’ on the other hand, is nothing short of brilliant. It follows the growing love of two young people from the moment they first get together, right up to when they- whoops, almost went too far. (I will not spoil it for you here.)
This series was a joy to read, from start to finish, and it will remain on my list of all time favorites for many years to come. (not to mention my ‘when-will-they-make-this-into-a-wonderful-magnificent-stupendous-incredible-anime-series’ list…)

Speaking of anime, I have started on three new series this season: K-On, Valkyria Chronicles and Hatsukoi limited, all of which is worth checking out.

K-On is about four girls who join the ‘Light Music Club’ at their school before it is abolished due to a lack of members. There was just one snag, their fourth, and desperately required member, could not play any instruments!
It is a charming series that will leave you tearing up from laughter over and over again. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

Valkyria Chronicles is the anime adaptation of the exclusive PS3 game with the same name. It is set in a fictional European country which has been invaded by an evil empire. The show features a wide variety of interesting characters, and lots of action. (not to mention a rather catchy theme song at the end!)

Lastly, we have Hatsukoi Limited, which, pretty much, follows the Manga of the same name, down to the letter. 
The story involves a series of intertwined short stories all featuring a different main character’s first experience with love. (Translation Check: Hatsukoi = First Love)
The Manga’s ending was a little disappointing, and as such, you may as well expect the same from the anime adaptation, but it is still worth watching.

That is all I have for you for today, so, in conclusion, be sure to head to your nearest cinema complex, buy a ticket for Star Trek, and commence operation ‘blow-your-mind’ as soon as you can.

Till next time…

Jya ne!
Gideon

A somewhat boring month finally comes to an end

It’s been more than a month, so I suppose I should try to think about something to write on my blog.

To be perfectly honest, the last month was not really packed with newsworthy events. I am still writing. My story has gone in a new direction that will take a lot of planning, and as such, I have decided to take a little break from writing with the hope that it will clear my head and give me some new ideas.

I still watch my anime and read my manga, though its still the same shows and stories that I have discussed in past posts, so there is no point in bringing them up again. I do have one thing that has been bothering me though. I am sick and tired of some of these wonderful anime shows that suffers severely from the lack of proper endings. Two of my favorite shows ended blander than a dehydrated cream cracker on a Sunday! It is infuriating!

Let us hope that they learn from these mistakes in the future! If one more show has to end like that again, I’ll cry for sure.

That is all from me this time. Perhaps April will bring exciting new adventures that might lead to more interesting posts from me.

Till next time

Jya ne!
Gideon

Moving hurts

Wow I am really sore today. Yesterday was moving day and i can’t remember the last time I worked so hard. Manual labor, it is tough!

I have been going over my story, reading it from front to end (end being somewhere in the middle of the actual storyline) and I have found lots of places where I could make little improvements. I am nowhere near finished though, I have so much work to do, its insane. More on this in the future.

Before writing this post, I read through my previous one. I have to say that I am pretty disappointed in it as a whole. The content is about what i wanted to discuss, but the grammar is awkward, the style is abysmal and overall, I just plain think it failed horribly. The point of this analysis, is, I will try to be better. In my defense, however, that whole post was written in a rush. Sure, I could have waited until after Grey’s Anatomy was over, but why do that when you can rush to finish the post before the show’s intro was over.

Anyway, on the anime front, I have already discussed Toradora, Clannad After Story, which is getting more and more interesting, and Minami-ke. That leaves me with White Album and Asu no Yoichi.

Lets start with White Album. This is a show about a carefree college student and his relationship with a rising idol. The show is super slow paced and very relaxed. You may want to get the entire series before you start watching it, because the episodes end abruptly and they almost always leave you wanting for more, but by wanting more, i mean you can’t wait to get your hands on the next episode. However, not everybody is going to like it. If you don’t like a slow romance with a hint of comedy here and there, you won’t like this show, but for those who would like to watch a show that is a little more emotionally charged, this show is for you. I enjoy it very much.

Next is Asu no Yoichi. The show revolves around a character named Karasuma Yoichi, Yoichi being his first name, (in Japan, people’s names are written and pronounced in the order of Surname, Name…) Yoichi is a samurai in the modern era. He was trained by his father on a mountain, but his father sent him down to the city to further his training and to give him experience. He goes to the city where he lives in a dojo with a family that consists of three girls. Need i say more? Comedy ensues. It has only just started airing, but its definitely worth a look.

That is all I have for now. so, until next time

Jya ne
Gideon

February is here…

It's February already… Time doesn't like to loaf around, does it?

I have been pretty busy lately, but this is mostly thanks to my book.
It’s coming along nicely, to date I have written exactly 24465 words, which is worth 50 A4 pages or 100 A5 pages. The best of all is I am not even half way yet! One thing is for sure, I’m enjoying every moment of it!

As for anime, I am still avidly following a couple of series. I don’t know if I have ever mentioned this before, but when it comes to the entertainment industry, I am very easily pleased. Having said that, sometimes you just find a show that is above what you expected it to be. Clannad After Story is one of those shows.

Off the top of my head, I cannot remember if I have discussed this show before, but I'm not going to delve into in detail. Yesterday I watched episode 16 and it was as good as the rest of them, save for one thing. It was the episode that I knew was coming and dreading to see, the one with the sad ending. Potentially spoilerific, I know, which is why i wont say any more about the plot. I will say this, however, if they do not pull some Sci-Fi tricks out of the hat, to undo the tragic ending of this episode by the end of the series, i will hate this show forever.

After watching that episode, i had to find someway to lift my spirits a bit. This came in the form of Minami-ke, or The Minami Family.

Its all about three ordinary sisters going about their daily lives, and as the show says itself, “please don’t expect to much!”.
Do not worry though, it is funny, sarcastic and energetic. A joy to watch. So much so that I am already busy with season 2 and have almost destroyed this month’s bandwidth allocation in the first three days as a result…

Other shows i am following this season, includes Asu no Yoichi, Toradora and White Album, but more on them later.

Other than that, everything is pretty quiet. I am sincerely hoping to get a new Computer soon so that this one can be laid to rest (use evil imagination here).

Please look forward to my next blog post.
Till next time

Jya ne… <-- (See ya or Bye in Japanese…)
Gideon

Books and Assassins

Hello again...

Its been a while since my last "real" update, hasn't it. I can't say that things has been overly busy, but I have been working on my book like crazy. I am very excited about my story and when I get excited about something, I really have a hard time doing anything else. As of this moment, I have written more than eleven thousand words in total, and that is just the opening chapters. I still have a long way to go before it is finished, but who knows, maybe I can get it published, so wish me luck.

Recently I visited my cousin in Wellington, and I had a go at Assassin's Creed on his computer. It was awesome. I really want to get my hands on that game. I haven't finished the main story yet, and as a result, I am suffering from major withdrawal symptoms! If you are eighteen years or older, you simply have to try out this game, trust me, it's rockin!

As for anime, I started on a show called Girls High yesterday. I only downloaded two episodes thus far, but it looks promising. I Can't really say anymore about it than that, I'm afraid since its still to early to tell. I did finish with Kurozuka though. It was cool, but had a truly disappointing ending. Maybe I'm just stupid, but I still don't really get it. I get it, but it just doesn't make any sense from a "here is some closure" point of view. Perhaps they are planning a second season, because the first one ended where the whole thing began...

Other than that, it has been the most quiet Christmas and New Years eve in years. It wasn't bad, just not what I would prefer.

Here's hoping that 2009 will be the best year of my life, and that is also my wish for you...

Till next time

Ittekimasu
Gideon

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all.

Not much is going on at the moment, since it is the season of family, friends and a whole lot of laziness.

I have been working on my story like crazy. As such I have not downloaded any new anime series other than the ones I was already following. In all honesty, I hope that next year will be a far more exciting one than this past year.

That is all I am going to say, so till next year.

Have a good one

Ittekimasu
Gideon

Kurozuka and Hakushaku to Yōsei

Two posts in two days you ask? I haven't done that in a while. Don't let your expectations wander to high though, I am sleepy and only came to finish what I started yesterday.

So the other two shows I am currently indulging my time in are called Kurozuka and Earl & Fairy.

First we have Kurozuka, a popular manga series authored by Yumemakura Baku. To save some time for myself, here is the description copied and pasted straight from Baka-Updates Manga

"Escaping from a brother who had just ascended the throne, Yoshitsune, along with his servant, comes across a house in the middle of a desolate mountain. Oddly enough, only a young woman lives there, who seems to possess a very dark and ominous past.
This long journey of more than a thousand years focuses on our main protagonist Kurou. It can be somewhat confusing at the beginning, but once you understand the plot this story can be quite entertaining.
The main thrust of the story goes like this: Kurou meets a beautiful woman by the name of Kuromitsu, and begins a relationship which transcends life and memory. Kurozuka tells the tale of a journey undertaken by immortals, and those who chase after immortality.
The majority of this story takes place many centuries in the future, after Kurou has been separated from Kuromitsu. Having lost almost all of his memories, Kurou seeks to understand why he cannot die, to rediscover his identity, and to find the woman that haunts his dreams."

Its full of vampiric action and is well worth a watch...

Next on my list is Earl & Fairy, also known as Hakushaku to Yōsei. This show is set in Victorian England and follows the adventure of a fairy doctor. Full synopsis to follow. The show is a typical Romance anime set on a Sci-Fi backdrop. Its entertaining, and that is all one really wants from anime.

"Earl & Fairy follows the adventures of 17-year old Lydia Carlton, who is nicknamed the "Fairy Doctor" due to her interest in fairies. Her life takes a 180-degrees turn when she meets Edgar J.C Ashenbert, the "Legendary Blue Knight Count" and his crew on a sea voyage to London. Edgar hires her as an adviser during his quest to obtain a treasured sword that was supposed to be handed down to him by his family." Courtesy of wikipedia.

Well other than that, I spent the day drawing a picture. This time I chose to draw an Angel crouching down. I have always wanted to draw an Angel, so I am rather proud of what I have created. It is not quite finished, since I still need to do the background, but it looks good in its present state and I feel like showing it off anyway...

That is all from me today...

Till next time

Ittekimasu
Gideon