Summer Break, Apps, and Random Pics

It's the one week summer break, and I find myself with nothing to do. Yesterday, I finally uploaded the simple updates I made to my Meister stock tracker iPhone app. It's now undergoing review. There were no radical changes, so I'm not expecting any major feedback. Hopefully, v1.10 will hit the App Store soon.

Then this morning - as you can see below - I just took some random pics for a bit of blog update. (^_^

Unfortunately, these are just cellphone pics. I planned to buy a new camera, but the one I wanted - the Canon S95 - is out of stock right now. (-_-'

My workspace with Madoka mouse pad recently bought from Animate

Mami, Madoka, and Homura

Recent unopened loots (I'm out of shelf space!) - Figma Kirino and Kuroneko

 Loved the art in this morning's coffee cup

What do you call this art style?

The One Wish - Thoughts after watching Madoka Magica [Spoiler Alert]

I just finished Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. Don't let the title fool you. It's one wickedly beautiful anime, with what definitely is one of the most meaningful anime endings I've ever watched. °ω°

I should say this is the Mahou Shoujo of all mahou shoujos.

Now, if you were to sell your soul for eternity for just one wish, what would that wish be?

「私ー　全ての魔女生まれる前消していたい！

全ての宇宙、過去と未来の全ての魔女、この手でー！」

「神さまでも何でもいい、

今日まで魔女と戦っていた皆を、

希望を信じた魔法少女、

私は泣かせたくない、

最後まで笑顔でいて欲しい。

それを邪魔するルール、

壊してみせる、変えてみせる！

これが私の祈り、私の願い！」

Sometimes, a truly special person comes along with a simple wish in her heart, but a wish so powerful that it elevates her not to a state of godhood, but to a universal law of nature.

I wondered what would happen if one of the Mahou Shoujos asked for a contradiction. Now I know. I'm still wrapping my head around that mind-blowing yet logical conclusion.

In one shot. The scene as Madoka, completely transformed, unleashes her barrage of arrows through all time and space in order to end all the suffering was astounding. Coupled with the melancholic background symphony, that scene was simply stunning.


In the end, it was not about defeating the bad guys, for there were none - not even Kyuubei. It was about living your life, and finding and fulfilling your greatest desire; and in so doing, change everything and everyone that you've ever shared your life with.


The last episode simply left me awe-inspired.

Snapshots, Bits, and Pieces

Mina Tepes (Wikipedia Image)

I'm thinking how I can, and should, blog. I want to post more of my thoughts, and more snapshots of my efforts and hobbies. However, I am too compulsive lately to sit down and type things down. I will be experimenting with this and succeeding posts. Will see what works. ^_^









Finished these anime lately, and here's what I think of them:

• Dance in the Vampire Bund - Grade:A+
• Sexy, lovely, exciting, and romatic. One of my favorites.
• Sekimatsu Occult Academy - Grade:A
• Sengoku Basara 2 - Grade:B-
• As expected. Nothing new here people. Just passing by.
• High School of the Dead - Grade:A
• Not bad at all; and not just because of the rich fan service.

Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Wikipedia Image)

Things to do:

• Start (and finish) SAM's Teach Yourself iPhone Application Development
• (Re)Learn Mandarin
• Listening to audio lately. Just have to keep it up.

• Finish Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• More than 50% through the book. Unexpectedly engaging and thought-provoking. Very mature work. A lot of introspection. I'm really liking it a lot.

Reflections:

• Until when will this life of peace and bounty last? Is it possible for humanity to forget the horrors of war? I am not speaking of just regional wars, but truly great wars much like the World Wars. And similarly, when I say "forget," I do not mean mere memory, but the experience and feeling of the horrors of war. Can humans who were born and raised during a time of relative peace truly conceive of a world at war? I mean, beyond mere idea, or fantastical day dream; to truly imagine oneself scared witless for one's life - that at any time, a stray bullet, a wrong decision by a leader, can end it all; to see all around you death and inhuman suffering. When one looks at a historical timeline, one will notice that great wars come and go. From this standpoint, it seems it is merely a matter of time before global suffering will once again cover the world. So sad, but so undeniable. Should I worry? Should I prepare? Or should I just live as if it will not come to pass - to cross the bridge when we get there, as they say?

And yet I while away time:

• TowerMadness
• So addicting. Got the Spooky and Marshland packs for free via FB. Bought the flamethrower and flash bait too!

- Ryles

My Memorable Anime Openings and Endings

Somehow, I just suddenly felt the urge to blog about my favorite anime openings (OP) and endings (ED). I noticed that really good OP/ED helps a lot in determining what I decide to watch and how long they stick in my consciousness. In a lot of cases, I decide to find and watch the anime simply because I saw their great OP/ED preview! It's usually the catchy song that appeals to me, but on some occasions, the animation blends so well with the song and my life that I find it unforgettable. These excellent (and personally relevant) OP/ED's make me pause and recollect when I suddenly hear them outside.

And among all I've watched (and I have seen many), here are my most memorable anime OP/EDs arranged in chronological order starting with the most recent. I included links to any information I can find. Enjoy!

1. My Soul, Your Beats (Lia) from Angel Beats OP  
Video Lyrics Full
This song just flows so beautifully. I loved this song so much (along with #2 below) that I was compelled to buy the album brand new. (Usually I'd wait for a second-hand one from Book-Off.)

2. Brave Song (Tada Aoi) from Angel Beats ED
Video Lyrics Full
Life can be so sad and yet so wonderful.

3. Friends (Aiko Nakano) from Dance in the Vampire Bund OP 
Video Lyrics Full
I like the song, animation, and artistic touches of this OP so much!

4. Paradise Lost (Chihara Minori) from Ga-Rei Zero OP

Video Lyrics Full

I never tire of this song. Something about it gets me going. It rocks, yet it's also sad, and at the same time hopeful. Did I mention I completed all the manga because I loved the characters and story so much? ;P

5. Vanilla Salt (Yui Horie) from ToraDora! ED
Video Lyrics Full
Favorite part: Tenori Tiger!

6. Diamond Crevasse (May'n) from Macross Frontier ED 
Video Lyrics Full
Brings back memories. T.T

7. Northern Cross (May'n) from Macross Frontier ED 
Video Lyrics Full
A really stylish blend of animation and real-life performance! ^_^

8. NEXT LEVEL (YU-KI) from Kamen Rider Kabuto OP
Video Lyrics Full
Now THIS is how Kamen Rider should be. Cool. The airing of Kabuto marked the 30th anniversary of the Kamen Rider franchise.

9. Unmei no Yoru (Fateful night) (Kawai Kenji) from Fate/Stay Night
Video Lyrics Full   
This is not really an OP/ED, but it was what made me look for Fate/Stay Night. The teaser for the series had this enigmatic and alluring song as BGM.

10. A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Yoko Takahashi) from Neon Genesis Evangelion OP
Video Lyrics Full
Classic. 'Nuff said.

11. Moonlight Densetsu (DALI / Moon Lips) from Sailor Moon OP
Video1 Video2 Lyrics Full
Is there any anime-lover who hasn't seen/heard this?! I was surprised to hear this song recently being played in a MiniStop store near my office. ^_^

12. Cha-la Head Cha-la (Kageyama Hironobu) from Dragonball Z OP
Video Lyrics Full
The first time I saw the OP was during an uneventful afternoon, while channel surfing for anything interesting. Then I stopped at channel 9, caught by the powerful music. I watched as Kuririn and Tenshinhan fire an impressive blast, and then I saw Goku charging, and boom! Sparking! I didn't know who they were back then, and what the show was, but right then and there, they got my attention. Next thing I know, I was following the series. Coincidentally, they were airing the first episode of Dragonball Z!

Btw, this does not mean I don't like other anime's OP/ED's. Mind you, I love a lot of others. However, these are so far the most sticky and memorable. (^_^

Review: Magical Girl Lyrical NANOHA The Movie 1st

It was only quite recently that I learned of the Nanoha series. It was when I noticed lots of Figma figurines coming out for the series, and when I saw the official movie commercial. I got interested and finished the first season a couple of months before the movie came out. It was only recently that I started watching Nanoha A's. Yesterday I went to watch the NANOHA The Movie 1st, expecting it would be a re-imagining of the first season. Apparently, it was not a re-imagining, but a retelling! I have mixed feelings for the movie, but overall, I enjoyed it. Here are my impressions:

Theater: I watched NANOHA The Movie 1st at Shinjuku Milano 1. The theater itself is big, and wasn't completely filled (which was good). The theater was clean, as expected. The lobby could use some decorations to improve the mood. It still was not Toho or Warner MyCal, but it did not disappoint as much as Musashino. I still don't understand why they did not just show the movie in those 2 theaters. Anyone know why?

Animation: The whole first season was redrawn, bringing the animation and artwork quality up to modern theatrical standards. Settings, character and costume designs, and magical attacks (particularly Nanoha's) were all modernized and improved.

Plot and Storyline: I'll say it again: it is a retelling! Even the setting and angle of shots look the same. Since I just recently watched season 1, it felt like deja vu despite the redrawn animation. Some minor things were expectedly altered to compress the whole season into a 90-120 minute movie, particularly the jewel seed collection at the beginning.

A notable addition in the movie is Raging Heart giving Nanoha what I would call a "Quick Tour" of its features during her first battle. Now that's what I call a real-time Help system.

A new flashback scene was also added that showed Precia creating a new character from her cat. She (the new character) trained Fate and created Bardiche for her. (From my Googling, it would seem the character was probably introduced during the second and/or third seasons... but I haven't watched those, so she is new to me.) Other than these and some insignificant changes, the storyline of the movie was practically the same as the series.

Best scene: The transformations! This wouldn't be a magical girl series if it did not have transformation sequences! Although the original Nanoha transformation was already great, the movie trumped that! I have always thought that Nanoha had a good blend of design ingredients that appeal to both male and female audiences. ^_^

And of course there was Starlight Breaker! The new Starlight Breaker was simply awesome!

Something I would like changed: A new plot twist wouldn't have hurt. I have to admit some talking parts bored me (I was already blinking, blinking, blinking... to keep my eyes open), because I already know what was being discussed from the TV series.

Others: The products on sale at the theater store did not catch my fancy. So I decided to buy the Nanoha Figma figurine at Yodobashi instead. Then again, that was probably just an excuse to buy one. v(^_^

Final Grade: A-

Review: Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Fate/Stay Night is one of my favorite anime of all time (as you can see in the side-bar). ^_^ So I knew I had to watch Unlimited Blade Works when it came out - which is exactly what I did just this Tuesday. I watched it at Musashino Theater over at Shinjuku. So how did it turn out? Well, in summary, it was great, but it did not overwhelmingly blow me away, unlike Evangelion 2.0. Here are my impressions:

Theater: I wished they were showing Unlimited Blade Works in Toho or Warner MyCal cinemas. At the very least, they would have been nearer. At best, their theaters were bigger and better - for the same price! I had a hard time finding Musashino. The theater is small and feels a little cramped. It could fit only around 150-200 persons. Honestly, the theater sort of turned me off.

Animation: Unlimited Blade Works features far superior animation quality than the Fate/Stay Night TV series, as expected from a theatrical release. Swords clashed, sparks flew, and blows reverberated. Characters were all well-rendered. Well, mostly. Mr. Holy Grail Shinji seemed oddly drawn; but who cares, I wish he just died or something anyway.

Plot and Storyline: In the visual novel (which I never played and only read in Wikipedia), Unlimited Blade Works is a alternate scenario that can be unlocked after finishing the primary scenario ("Fate"). True to this, you should have watched the original Fate/Stay Night TV series (or played the visual novel) to easily make sense of what was happening. Scenes were being fast-forwarded and skipped especially at the beginning. The movie seems to be true to the original Unlimited Blade Works storyline. Some minor details were probably changed, but overall, it's the same.

I didn't know the whole storyline prior to watching the movie, so everything was new and fresh at that time (although I did already know Archer was Emiya). Some scenes surprised me completely though: Rider just dying like that (with so little screen time!), Berserker being defeated easily by Gilgamesh, and best (worst?) of all, Ilya's heart being plucked out afterwards! o_O Now that was creepy.

Unlike the TV series, Saber takes a lesser role in Unlimited Blade Works, with the focus instead being on Archer, and the relationship between Emiya and Tohsaka. It should be noted that Archer and Emiya are vastly more skilled and powerful in Unlimited Blade Works - with Archer/Emiya being capable of duplicating and countering Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon moves. All these sort of unbalanced me for a while since I was expecting more Saber screen time.

Best scene: Berserker going all-out against Saber. Wow. ^o^

Something I would like changed: Why was Saber wearing a backless wedding gown and bent over like that??? o_O That was weird. Caster was supposed to be "torturing" her... not seducing her. But hey, it was originally an adult visual novel, so I guess it's understandable.

Others: Honestly, I got lost in the plot twists because of my rudimentary Nihongo skill. I had to read Wikipedia afterwards to completely understand what happened in some parts. v(^_^

Final Grade: A

First 2010 Updates

Can't seem to sleep again. I haven't resumed work. Will start working again at the beginning of February. I've been going around town lately with mom, to let her see the nearby sights in Tokyo. I'm really grateful for her begin around, and I want her to also enjoy the Japan experience.

My girlfriend won't be coming as planned, since her visa application got disapproved. It's really sad and depressing, but it can't be helped, I guess. We will be planning an alternative vacation instead, but that will already be around May since I probably can't file any multiple-day vacation leaves - not after this two-month leave for the operation. I'll also need those vacation leaves for my monthly medical check-up.

In any case, I decided to update my long-neglected blog. I've been lazy lately.

First of all, I already changed the picture on the side bar. (Finally!) I also changed the header of that section, since I don't update it weekly anyway.

The list of anime I'm currently watching has also been updated. This time, I added some rough grading of the shows for those interested to watch them. No updates to the all-time favorite anime list, but some of those I'm currently watching may bump some of them out of the list.

Lastly, I already updated the Countdown section - the Macross Frontier movie has come and gone, and I wasn't able to watch it. :( It was still showing last January 1, but I decided not to watch it since I just finished watching Avatar then. And I thought that the theater might already be empty that late into a movie's run, which is no fun. I'm really looking forward to the 2 new movies showing next week! Although I was hoping to watch them with my girlfriend. T.T

*Sigh* Life goes on. (Key in "Life Goes On" from Gundam SEED)

I'm now getting into drawing/sketching again, after DannyChoo's Otacool2 mascot contest announcement. I don't expect to win, but I'm eager to revive that old hobby of mine. To prime things up, I bought myself a manga design book (in Japanese, as the english version is not available in Amazon.jp), and a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch tablet. Will see where this goes.

Picture Archive: Euphie and Arthur

"Princess Euphemia looking for Suzaku's cat, Arthur. :) A cute little setup of one of my few Code Geass figurines."

Ryles' note: I love this picture so much! The "Code Geass" label, the cute cat, and Euphie simply looks... *ahem* stunning. I think I kept the pic posted for too long. v(^^'

Haruhi Morning

The day is sunny now that Typhoon Melor is out of Tokyo. Oh, wait... We did have a sunny day even while Melor was around. It would seem the typhoon decided not to give Tokyo some soaking. She did cause some disruption though - there was wanton destruction of beloved hairdos and, *gasp* a lot of people late for work due to ruined train schedules (Oh! The deadlines! The deadlinds!). She didn't even provide people a reason for needing to go home before work has been compensated in the form of more OTs. Oh well. I did wake up to the news that there will be a Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie next year, so sunny days may be ahead... then again, they may vanish. Pun intended. (^-^)v

Break from Work

It's Monday, but I'm glad to be getting some rest today instead of being at work. Will be in vacation mode until Wednesday since it's officially the Silver Week holidays (a name I think they only recently came up with to match the other week long holiday here in Japan, Golden Week).

It's been a hectic two weeks of debugging with late nights. As such, I've been indulging myself with some stress buying over the past two weekends. I did however limit myself to low cost purchases.  ^_^ So budget is still intact... more or less.

Total damage of recent loots pictured above is just a bit over 4000yen. These include:

• Revoltech Frauline Rin Tousaka,
• Revoltech Frauline Nagato Yuki (to match my Frauline Haruhi),
  
• A basic di:stage set (which I am now using with Haruhi, since I broke her stand)
• Books 5 to 8 plus a Special of Ga-Rei manga (been waiting for this to turn-up in Book-Off, so I'm glad they finally did. Although I still don't have book 9)
• Book 2 of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi... although I don't have book 1. Lol!

Other than that, I've also been posting figurine pictures over at Figure.fm, a site for figurine lovers and collectors. It's a popular community for posting high resolution figurine pictures. ^^

Feel free to visit my recent posts and comment on them:

• Fairy of the Galaxy, Sheryl Nome
  
• More Sheryl Nome Weekend
• Futami Mami Pics
• Weekend Pics: Natsuki Kuga

The first two posts are actually similar to the pics here in my blog. Although you might be interested to view them in higher resolution. v(^^

Ah, times like these, I wish I could buy a professional camera. I just use my 3-year old Canon IXY to snap those pics. It takes quite some time to get a decent shot.

In any case, I will most probably be posting all my figurine pics over at that site from now on. Will just place links here to them. Enjoy! :)

「銀河の妖精」シェリル・ノーム

Unpacked my Sheryl Nome figure yesterday, and was she worth it! The figure is simply lovely..! The sculptor and painters over at MegaHouse did a magnificent work with her face and hair. I really love the hair; and the resemblance to the anime is perfect. :)

For those who don't know, the Fairy of the Galaxy ("Ginga no Yousei"), Sheryl Nome, is one of the lead songstress from the Macross Frontier anime. The figure shows her wearing the costume from her first performance in one of the habitable island ships of the Macross Frontier fleet. You can find a video of her performance here.

Unfortunately, our current level of technology cannot yet duplicate the holographic costume changer she used in the anime. Instead, the figure comes with a variety of manually-interchangeable accessories that will allow us to appreciate her in her various outfits (or at least in two of them). As you can see, the blue costume can be removed, revealing the skimpy black under suit that she also wore in the same performance. And she has the mic, the whip, and a blue cap that matches her blue attire.

The pictures were taken over the span of an entire afternoon, so the sunlight is not consistent across the pictures. Nonetheless, I hope you'll enjoy them. Me, I have the Sheryl Nome figure, in all her 3D glory. (^^,

Sheryl, with her leggings removed.
Her top uniform is actually composed of 3 pieces: the lower half (with the tail at the back) that splits into two halves, and an upper half (with the collar) that you can remove only by detaching her head. Her "sleeves" are actually part of her arm, and are simply replaced as a whole.

She's already wearing her black suit underneath (No, you cannot remove the black suit). However, the red garters need to be attached separately once you remove her blue outfit. You can see that the right garter slips between her fingers, creating the effect of her pulling at it.





 

Sheryl Nome, showing off her curves.

 



She's got a gorgeous back, don't you agree?

 Like in the anime, she sparkles in the limelight.

And my favorite picture - Sheryl Nome, her flowing hair glowing fiery- bright under the light of sun.

Anime Favorites and Evangelion

Decided to put my list of favorite animes on the side bar. (^^,

I don't know why I didn't think of doing it in the first place though. Just thought of it when a friend asked me where he can find my top anime recommendations. After searching the web for online list web tools, I finally just decided to keep things simple and use Blogger's link list gadget*.

The list is arranged with my most favorite at the top. This is not to say those at the bottom are not favorites though! I love them all. The order mostly reflects the impact the anime had on me, and how relevant & memorable they were when I watched them. As an additional guide, the list reflects my answer to the question "If you were to watch only n number of animes in your life, which one(s) would it be?"

So, yes, if I could only watch 1 anime series in my entire life, it would be Evangelion - a mind-boggling series filled with symbolisms, reflecting on issues and questions on what it means to be human, I think it is simply the greatest and most relevant anime to date. Neon Genesis Evangelion lives up to its title and delivers exactly that message to people of all ages (but especially to those growing up): the good news of a new beginning.


* "Link List" was really a confusing name for me who is used to thinking of "Linked-list" as something else. :p I kept thinking "So what's the difference between a list gadget and a link list gadget?"

Evangelion 2.0 Madness

Holy. S**t. Just finished watching Evangelion: 2.0 You can(not) advance. No mincing of words; no spoilers. Man, was it great! This is probably the best remake, hell, the most awesome anime and movie I've ever watched. And to think Evangelion is already one of the most popular anime series ever. Reviews are probably flooding the net right now, and I don't know what they are saying, but for me the movie was Just. Damn. Beautiful. I totally loved it. And the ending... holy s**t (with a silly smile on my face)... still can't get over it.

The ticket was a gift for me from my officemates! Thank you oh so very much! ^.^

It was my first time to watch in the Warner MyCal theater in Shin-Yurigaoka. Shown above is the movie pamphlet I bought from the theater shop.

The 1,500Yen Evangelion popcorn combo set that came with an Asuka figurine:














A closer look at the figurine. The face admittedly needs a major rework, but I don't care, I still love the movie! ^.^














My ticket and a part of the popcorn tray/box:

Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann!!!

I just came back from a short 1 week vacation last Sunday. Still tired, but have to work, work, work.

Last night, I watched episode 25 of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (the 3rd to the last episode), and I just laughed out loud at how cool the anime is. It's one damn hot mecha anime that gets to the point, without all the dragging bits that slow down most popular anime. (If you've ever watched Naruto, or worse, DragonBall, you'll know what I mean.) Gurren Lagann is short (27 episodes), sweet, and kicks ass as no anime I've watched kicks ass. Best of all, it is an anime with a simple yet powerful message that resonates throughout the show.

AnimeBlog: Macross Frontier Episode 10 【鳥の人】

The 10th is by far one of the best standalone episode I've seen. The show features Ranka's first truly big break. It explores Ranka's feelings for Alto - feelings that lift her to a new level. Here, we see the expression of the great potential hidden inside Ranka. I love this episode. An inadvertent glance, a playful kiss, a solidifying conviction, and a maturing of a character - All this makes for one emotional and inspiring 30 minutes that leaves you feeling elated. :)