AnimeRev Batch 3

Elfen Lied

Browsing thru Animenfo's top 200 list This title caught my attention as having the highest place among 2004 releases and having been licensed too quickly.
Overall, this anime was amazing, distinct and developing characters, underlying pasts and great visuals. As I was watching, I came to realize the reasons in its popularity: nudity, violence, bloodshed, decapitation and even sensitive topics. Disturbing is a term i'd like to use, at the level of Evangelion or beyond it.


This is Nana (the number 7 in jap) and is Matsuoka Yuki's character. She's obedient and affectionate, having only the love of her 'foster' father to carry her through all her suffering.




I can't help but crave to post these caps. Its from episode 13 and was done by [ghetto-subs]. I laughed hard at how they inserted linux awareness in an anime (these 2 lines had nothing to do with the real dialogue).


Grenadier: The Smiling Senshi

I couldn't help but cringe while watching this. "To win the fight by vanishing the opponent's will to fight". Rushuna is a gunslinger with huge racks who shoots a revolver not killing opponents and reloads her gun by popping out bullets from in between her bussoms. It took 5 episodes to introduce Matsuoka Yuki's character Kurenai Mikan, a balloon expert orphaned by a gang when her father refused to pay for protection. Skip this anime if you can...

Mikan is on the left, Rushuna right.

Gundam Seed

I was avoiding this anime for no apparent reason. People around me liked it and the series was ongoing so I put if off until recently. It has great mech/fight scenes and teenage hormones and angst flying around. Friend becoming foe, foe becoming ally... it relays the message that going the extra mile to understand people could eliminate unnecessary conflict. A memorable line goes "What are you fighting against?".

Wolf's Rain

"Amazing". It tells the story of wolves capable of disguising themselves as humans who are in a journey to reach paradise. The only complain I have about it is 4 consecutive summary/review episodes, making it 30 eps other that the normal 26. But hey, just skip those 4 and enjoy an absolutely beautiful anime.

Haibane Renmei

"Slow, Sad yet Beautiful". I liked the soothing feeling that this anime gave me. Despite loss, pain, suffering there is always hope and redemption.

Near Death Near Christmas

BANG!!!

A resounding crash was heard as the apartment manager and his assistants bashed the front door and stormed inside the house. The noise both inside and outside the house was high. Half-asleep and half-shocked, a resident of the house ran down the stairs to assess the situation. Gas fumes had saturated the house unnoticed by the slumbering residents. A faulty hose was found, a tragedy was avoided.

Thus were the events of this morning. I'd hate to admit that we were all saved by the nosiness of my neighbors. They alerted the apartment manager because they could smell the gas although the doors and windows were shut.

An accident like the one in fight club was averted. What a way to wake up to the day of Christmas eve.

TANG INUMIN MO!!!

(this is not a paid advertisement)
We should be thankful for little things that get us by everyday. I'm taking time now to list some of them.

1) Litro Packs of Tang. A 'healthy' addiction. I prepare it to almost the consistency of flavored water, with 3 liters of water to a pack. Why so diluted? Dunno. Cost-effective, I guess. Also drinking it straight is easy, just the right amount of flavor and blandness. On a busy day, I can consume 3 packs=9 liters (and they just suggest only 8 glasses a day :)) ).

2) Audio Books. While programming or any activity requiring less than 100% concentration, I listen to all 5 Harry Potter books (read by jim dale). Having listened to each dozens of times, they provide a consistent amount of background sound, partially devoid of mood compared to music. Im trying out the dune series right now, but I prefer jim dale as an audiobook reader.

3) Downloaded Watchables. Be it anime, smallville or whatevers, watching stuff entertains my otherwise bland life. Watching too much makes one dumb, but wasn't I already to begin with :))

Osaka wo Sagashite

(Searching for Osaka)
If you've been following my posts, you should have noticed that my favorite anime character is Osaka-san (aka Kasuga Ayumu) of Azumanga Daioh. Why, you may ask. Because I see myself in her personality and frequent "spaced out-ness". Following the trail of her seiyu(voice actress), Matsuoka Yuki, I've found some amazing anime which employed her voice for their characters:

[Azumanga Daioh]Kasuga Ayumu (aka Osaka):



[Appleseed 2004]Hitomi:



Hitomi is the dark haired girl in the pics. She is probably the character with the most speaking lines. This movie is special because most characters are 3D-rendered and celpainted. It takes some time, even after the movie to get used to celpainted 3D. Maybe its because I've gotten accustomed to how they mix them in Macross Zero. But thats not to put down its Mechs and incredible battle scenes, as they are some of the best I've ever seen. As for the story pace, it was uneven: slow on some parts, and too rushed in others. Overall, it is a landmark, a view of what anime can become in the future.

[Bleach]Inoue Orihime:


Bleach is an ongoing anime and is generally about a teenage boy with above average spiritual powers who after some turn of events inherits the job of Shinigami (soul reaper). I find it interesting so im tuning to it every week, with [Lunar] fansubs in the lead in translations. Yuki here is a spaced out girl who silently grows an interest in the lead character.

[Maburaho]Kazetsubaki Kuriko:


Another Harem setup (one guy fawned over by lots of girls) but with a twist! Its in a world where magic is limited and overuse leads to death. With an average use of 8000 in a life time, how's our lead to survive with only 8 to start with? Yuki here is a confident and capable heir who has interest in the lead character.

[Stelliva of the Universe]Glennorth Arisa:


Yuki here plays a loud and friendly character who while not being as talented as the lead, is the one that supports her the most.

I'll probably post more as I exhaust Matsuoka Yuki's discography :D

TSFD, a review

I started both this blog and intensive taebo due to the realization that my belly was protruding far beyond normal. Due to some unfortunate events, I eased out on exercise nearing the start of the 3rd month. I couldn't really blame myself, I was doing taebo everyday to the point that I got bored and even did it while still half asleep. Well, after the break and restarting taebo again, I'm realizing how much my body missed it. So the primary goal of this blog is still intact: that beyond working hard to look good on the outside, feeling good and healthy on the inside definitely rules.

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I haven't posted any images recently so I hope you enjoy this one. I call it "Dune-ruto". The original is from the 1984 movie of Dune and the one I stole the body from is Gurney Halleck, played by Patrick Stewart. I look horrible being old and bald =))

A teacher's smile

My vague recollection of Sir Alix is that he reprimanded my entire first year class for running in the corridors. But beyond this is his smile which he brings seemingly effortlessly. May you continue to live through your students.

X X X

Don't fly off the handle now... its XML XSL XMLStarlet. Three Xs I had to relearn to pluck out Playlist Information out of an iTunes XML file. Why do it? Coz there's challenge in it XD.
I'll leave XML and XSL for you to read on, but I'll discuss the last one. XMLStarlet is a command line XML toolkit that one can use to manipulate xml in a multitude of ways. Although I hardly delved into its full functionality, it served my purpose of transforming the iTunes XML to something I wanted.
Basing my XSL from Niel Bornstein's, I modified it to produce html code that contained the Song Name and Artist. Here's a link to the XSL.
To make an html version of a playlist, put the iTunes xml and the xsl file in the same directory as the executable of xmlstar. For example the title of your playlist in iTunes is NarutoOSTs then type xml tr bmaciTunes2html.xsl -s playlist="NarutoOSTs" library.xml >NarutoOSTs.html walah! html file XD
Problem is, for infreakncredibly large xml files, you can sleep then wake up to the program still converting it *rotfl*. Maybe I'll make an optimized version if i get the time :D

Of the Universe, Right Hands and Sanctuaries

Uchuu no Stellvia (Stellvia of the Universe)

I downloaded and watched this anime following the voice actress of my favorite character: Osaka of Azumanga Daioh. The story follows the life of a girl named Katase Shima who is slow, occasionally panicky and with only programming skills up her sleeve. The setting is hundreds of years in the future where mankind is at peace and united towards one goal: to prevent the annihilation of the solar system from a wave of fragments produced by a massive supernova explosion. Why "stellvia of the universe"? Its the name of the space station where most of the story unfolds.

I like this anime because of the realism in some of the human situations and emotions. It also shows that even in groups of 'elites' there are still those who stand-out, either thru hard work, underhanded tactics or true genius.

Midori no Hibi

A guy's "devil's right hand" mysteriously turns into a girl who has a crush on him; the idea is a bit strange, but it held my attention for its whole duration. The main point it drives is that feelings will not reach the person unless you speak/show/act on it.

Hani-Hani Operation Sanctuary

Normal school life entangled in a web of sci-fi conspiracy. I'd like to put in a good word for this, but can find none. Nothing that bad either.

That Purple Haired Girl

I've been incredibly busy these past weeks due to the style-finds project and have been missing out on posting a lot good stuff. Well anyway, I've been asked numerous times: "Who's that purple haired girl whose picture you always use?" She's Kyoko Fukada a japanese actress whom I dicovered because she had a significant role in Ringu 2.

Back to work for me then...

Hermione Kawaii

I found the grayscale version of this image while browsing through some errr.... dodgy stuff. I can take credit for the coloring and layout though so here is my 2nd blog released wallpaper. I hope you like it!



Kowaii Harry. He looks scary and evil... oh well.

The journey itself is more meaningful than the destination

My feature for today is two movies directed by Satoshi Kon, whose style of direction and storytelling rivals that of Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. I'm saying this because I've seen majority of Ghibli films and Kon's movies give a unique appeal that shows how things are, instead of how they should be.



Millennium Actress is a story about the life of an actress and what drove her to become one. The scene transitions/mix between her past, her movies and the present show masterful story weaving and keeps the viewer asking for more information and detail.




Tokyo Godfathers is an amazing story about the journey of three homeless folk (a queer, an alcoholic bum and a runaway kid) to return an abandoned baby. It is set during Christmas and in Tokyo's slums, which one would think dull but the way it was presented made it incredibly interesting.



I'm looking forward to more of Satoshi Kon's works, for I have seen that his perspective on things is so different from most of everybody else's.


Links for further reading:
Times Article
List of Works

You're Under A ... Grudge

Our babe for today plays Hitomi Tokunaga in the horror film "Ju-on: The Grudge" and Officer Natsumi Tsujimoto in You're Under Arrest Live Action. Her acting for horror is shabby but she was an acceptable berserker natsumi :D

I still have to watch Ju-on: The Grudge 2 and the american remake of The Grudge.

Tomorrow I have some sort of a shoot and I'm both excited and anxious. I'll sleep early so that I can at least be "rested". I'm also hoping that there will be cute girls there :))

Kasal...anan Ba Ang Magmahal?

"Love has many powers. If the love is true, it can cross the earth and withstand the storm it can conquer... even you(demon of death)" - Erzulie from 'Once on this Island'

If you actually believed this picture, thanks :D

Macross Zero

I incidentally came upon a strange file for download sometime in 2002 . I absolutely loved Macross Plus and Macross Zero sounded good enough a risk to try. So it was, and 2+ years after the first chapter, the fifth and final chapter has come out.

Without spoiling anything, I would say that this OAV is without a doubt a splendid masterpiece. The plot, magic, mystery and melody are all that we could expect from people who truly believe that songs are a gift from above.

Kick@ss Teachers

Two of my friends went out and proved that some love and a little luck can land you top spots in the LET(Licensure Exam for Teachers). Congratulations Reg and Peej, and may your wisdom be passed on to the next generation.

PDF of results

Windstruck

Windswept x Dumbstruck = Windstruck or SweptDumb

This is is the latest movie starring Jun Ji-hyun(My Sassy Girl).

Shucks. I've got so much mixed feelings for this movie. "Not bad, could've been better" sums it up i guess. But if you're a MSG fan like me, this is a MUST watch XD.

"I want a 15 year old wife" -MCP

Let's face it, who wouldn't?

I watched "My Little Bride" yesterday, another Korean romance-comedy film. I was laughing thoughout and having "imaginary nose-bleeds" here and there. It stars Geun-yeong Mun
who also appears in "Lover's Concerto" and "A Tale of Two Sisters". She's cute, sassy and reminds me of a local actress named Tricia Roman.

It's scary... no I take it back... *scream*

A Tale of Two Sisters is a psycho-horror film. I wanted to watch it because Geun-Yeong Mun is there. Not as much scare factor as Ring or Eye but creepy none the less.

Brymac's Geun-Yeong Mun Gallery

Shopping Mall Mishap

Yesterday I experienced what JK Rowling speaks of as "his stomach gave a weird lurch as though he had missed a step going downstairs".

I finished a meeting with my friend/client and my head was buzzing with info and ideas when I had the calling to go to the comfort room. A step through the door and I found it peculiar that there was a diaper changing counter. Two more steps and my heart stopped as I looked to the left and saw 3 ladies freshening up infront of the mirror. Lucky I was able to stride back out before anybody had time to react.

Who's to blame? The artist who made the sign. Why? The girl in the sign had such a short and non-triangular skirt *laughs insanely*, and bald for heaven's sake.

A couple of meters away across the mall's exit was the men's cr. I was having misgivings again as there were around 3 girls right outside the door. I double checked the sign and was relieved(?) after regognizing the stench. Thus ends the Shopping Mall Mishap.

@_@ ... @_@ ... -_- ... -_- ... ^_^

The past several days have been hectic and tiresome. After finishing up all the loose ends and getting enough sleep, yours truly is back and blogging.

PIng PI
That video editing stint got me so bewitched, that I'm realizing just now that it was soooo wrong. But nothing in my opinion makes me feel more alive than being engrossed in some form of artistic expression. So after more than a weeks indulging into Video Editing Mastery, I myself was satisfied with the finished product (which I would have to admit is a rare occurrence). I'd like to thank these girls for making my life both heaven and hell for a period of time :D


Blogrolling
I've added a blogroll to let you, the readers, know the blogs I visit. PM/Y!M/Comment if you want to be added or removed :D

The Classic
I started to have high regards for Korean films eversince watching "My Sassy Girl" and "Il Mare". "The Classic" doesnt fall far from that standard, with a healthy dose of comedy, drama and coincidence. Pick it up and watch it if you get the chance.

First Kiss
No... not mine :D. Its a 1998 Korean film of that title and stars the girl in Endless love 2 (winter sonata). It falls a little short of my standards but still better than some of the other movies I've seen.

Let's Get Retarded!

I've recently been infinitely playing Blackeyed Peas Songs, two of which I really like. Let's get things started/retarded and The Boogie That B. They have groovy beats that keep me up and workin ^_^.

It was a mild shock for a 'hermit' like me to be suddenly surrounded by 4 ladies. I've been editing their video which is a requirement for one of their subjects. They were actually kewl to be with, them being fun and lively.

It was also the first time I handled a direct to pc vid camera: Sony dcr-trv740. Was fooling around with it, but found it had some limitations. I tried to stream the video via USB to Yomiko(mac iBook G4) but after reading some fine prints, usb streaming is not supported on macs (duhhh - why even claim to be compatible when it can only get pictures?) So I went back to Tsunami(winxp duron700) and painfully captured their "bizarre love story".

On the deFattening front: its still going well, although I think I've nearly approached the limit of how lean it can make me. Either that or the slimming curve is becoming painfully slow :((

Oki Dokidoki

This person who refuses to be identified has been confirmed to be alive and well, states a reliable source earlier today. The said sassy person got caught up with some nasty pre-residency stuff and hopes to looks after female health and screaming pregnant women. We wish you luck in your chosen path!

dokidoki*

(adv,n,vs) throb; beat (fast); (P)

Voter's ID, Diaryo, Garapa

OMG!!! Do I even need to articulate my rants about this piece of ... identification? How much of the taxpayer's money was pocketed yet again? Will thugs be sent to eliminate me for posting such a derogatory comment?

"no" "hundreds of millions" "probably"

Oh yeah, the barangay people who delivered it asked 10php per id. Is it for the lamination or just plain extorsion? Darn Bry, enough questions!!!

Bourne too slow

As I've indulged myself to watch both "bourne" movies, I opted to mention it in this post. They're not bad, and Julia Stiles was kewl!

The title of this post is a spoof of "Born Too Slow" sung by The Crytal Method. Its one of the background tracks used in the game "Need for Speed Underground". You can also say that this song applies to both Osaka and me.

I went out today to pay some bills and deliver some stuff. I was fortunate enough to be able to see "her" after about a month. How thick of me to be only able to say "hi". *grumble*. Sooooo sloooowwww of me.

Tribute to Azumanga Daioh and Mac

Here's something I made using a concept I picked up from a similar wallpaper.

How wondrous it is to be able to both love and hate.

Where I got this line? I made it myself.
Why? Because I like cats in general but hate where they indiscriminately poop.

I spent a good deal of time yesterday cleaning up the front our house cause a stray cat marked it as her 'spot'. All this because a neighbor decided to be smart and put the cat's poop on one of my plants. I had to dispose of all the plants and their pots, as the 'mark' will never leave the soil. Had to use liberal amounts of Chlorox and Insecticide to eliminate any traces of the scent.

Quoting Phoebe from "Friends":
" Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
You're getting fat

I think that I'm gonna be sick
It's your ears, and nose and pick
Part of it, tempt me"

Azumi Kakkoii-desu!!!

"Azumi is Cool!!!"

You may think that I'm referring to that famous AV idol, but I'm not. Its the title of a Japanese film released in 2003 and is the name of the main character. Its the story of 10 orphaned children raised and trained by a ninja to become assassins whose mission is to kill power-seeking warlords. You can say its a young and pretty female version of kenshin, but the 'essentials' are there: swordfights, oceans of blood and queer antagonists. Don't pass up an opportunity to watch it.

Blast my desire, break off the barrier!

Body pains sort of subsided, almost 2 weeks into the dF sessions. I'm currently shuffling between Tae-bo Advanced and Cardio, which sort of feels right.

Live-evil and Ideology recently released their fansub of Initial D stage 4 ep 5&6. These episodes show how 'lady-luck' is head-over-heels in love with Takumi. BTW, the title of this blog is a line from iD's end song.

Smallville Season 4 also started. Ohhh Lana, ur so hot!!! At least most of the old cast are still there, as opposed to what I heard from somewhere. More Lana scenes please!!!

Hairy Potpot

Woke up again with nagging body pains. I wanted to try the Tae-bo cardio work-out so I went ahead and did it. The "cardio" catch word wasn't a joke, since it was truly non-stop.

I suddenly had the urge to update the Harry Potter Quiz since I just learned that book 6 would be entitled "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". The changes are mostly facial, edited colors and shapes. Other changes are: added a Loader, aligned the answer, exported as transparent and added an HTML image gradient.

Back to studying stuff and work. Haven't been doing either *rotfl*.

Barely Survived deFattening Session No. 4

*gasp* *pant* *wheeeezeee*

Thats what I got by trusting my flabs to a black guy (Billy Blanks). The weather is not helping either, mornings are so cold that my muscles feel like stone or lead. Well, I hope it does work out in the long run. I've also acquired a Cardio version of Tae-bo, will try that tomorrow or the day after.

I recently watched Ghost in the Shell Innocence. The animation was incredible, superior to the first movie and may even be above that of Macross Zero. But overall, the plot and pacing of the first one is a lot better. Its well worth the watch anyway!

That's So Fat, Dude!

Its the week that I wanted to turn 'social'. What do I get for it? Pokes left and right suggesting that I'm fat.

"Bry, we really need to jog"
"Bry, its too early for you to have a belly"

I know that I am. Well, I'm not mad or anything, coz they weren't meant as insults. I feel that they are concerned enough to hint it to me. It actually makes me half wish I still had that gallstone, when I couldn't digest cholesterol. But since time cannot be turned back, I decided to do Tae-Bo again. Its been more than a year since I was able to finish the CD, but I felt absolutely great after accomplishing it. Here's hoping I'll be able to keep it up ^_^.