Trick or Treat 2012

It's Halloween!

Zombie Cirno! | Source

And I stayed in school for the most part. Hooray...

But anyways, I saw quite some little kids in some cute costumes. Mostly in the mall though, since it was raining like crazy. It was nice to see that Power Rangers is still there as a costume, albeit the Samurai version.

And another not-quite Halloween news is that I got a great deal on 5 volumes of a certain space school manga that is out of print at the moment. I guess it helps that it was unpopular, even though it was so good. Hopefully I can retrieve the rest before the prices skyrocket too far. It's already pretty crazy for 2 - soon to be 3 - volumes.

I also got a sketchbook that will most certainly use this time around. No more "precious sketchbook" syndrome for me. 200 pages is a lot to sketch on.

To end this mainly off-topic post, here's some Touhou Halloween pictures I grabbed from pixiv. Tons more to look at, but these are a select few.

The Scarlet Devil Mansion! | Source

It's Kogasa - Pumpkin forme | Source

Subtle, but sweet costume for Nitori. | Source

The baka-gang all dressed up. | Source

Cool watercolours and the oh-so-popular Halloween witch Marisa! (and Reimu) | Source

And another for Marisa. Looking really... sweet. | Source

Petit Idolmaster Zero

And so it begins. The so-called episode Zero of Puchimasu! aka Petit Idolmaster was released a while ago as a bonus. It'll be floating somewhere.

This episode was just that. An zeroth episode with no "plot" but quick introductions of all the Idols and Puchidols. I expect fun times during the actual web show. Ritsuko seems to be the main character as she's front and center for the whole thing. Of course she's the one who has to take care of pretty much everyone. I can't wait to see them all, as well as P-head Producer-san!

Spatial Urban Study Week 8 - Complete

And it's done!

Ours was pretty decent, although of course the design could have been a bit better. Had it not been for those super tiny park images...

There were a lot of good presentations though. Especially impressed by the last two labs of the day. Also the final presentation of the day was great. "Basically" it was about a good urban area near where I live, as well as a really old square in Italy. Informative and funny.


Now to wait for the upcoming "trip". And get around to catching up on some anime.

Spatial Urban Study Week 8 - 1 day left

It's crunch time, though it's also a bit relaxed since we started at 2pm.

Finishing up those slides, Finalizing everything. Getting random last minute critiques that actually helped. And doing a really haphazard rehearsal that left us wondering "How do we finish this in 10 minutes? It's too long!" Graphics are ok, but it could be better.


Also had a chance to visit the library book sale's final day. Picked up an incredibly cheap player guidebook to a certain dice rolling game. Using a d20, which I don't have. Not the full set sadly, but it looks almost mint except for the writing inside. Super cheap.

Spatial Urban Study Week 8 - 2 days left

More work, less work.

Slides are being completed, the content and text is pretty much completed by our awesome dedicated writer.

Thank goodness that there are some people who can layout an outline so that we have a plan to follow. Or else we'll all be lost.

Graphic design is a pain, yet fun at the same time. Futura is an awesome font.


No library visit today. All project work all the time.

Spatial Urban Study Week 8 - 3 days left

Hard work or hardly working?

Not quite sure, but we have constantly researched and have started prep for some slides. Going to be a pain since we don't have a dedicated graphic designer, but we'll make do.

Urbanism and all that stuff in this one park in Shibuya, and this one district in Seattle.

Why are they so quirky?



And also I went to the library sale again, but came out with nothing. Those prices are darn cheap, but I really don't read enough books to randomly buy something.

And Shiny Festa is out! I've been looking at videos, but don't really know which to post. When I get around to playing it or something, I'll probably post some. Or maybe when I'm less busy.

2012 Library Sale Loot 1

Hopefully this is the 1 out of 4, since the sale lasts four days.

Anyways, I actually bought some more books today! I was able to pick up a very good condition copy of Buddha vol 1 by Osamu Tezuka. A brilliant work by a brilliant mind. I didn't notice that it was the UK/European copy until I got home though. Still, it was an incredible chance that I could not leave.

Next up was something I completely picked up as soon as I saw it. The "Train Man"/Densha Otoka novel translated into English. I was completely unaware that it was ever translated, so I had to pick it up. Even though it was in pretty bad shape, it was cheap and I really wanted to read it. Not bad for less than a dollar.

Lastly was something I was almost going to leave! Though I consider myself a pretty avid anime watcher, I haven't seen a lot of "must-watches" like the adaptation of this novel. The novel is "The Tatami Galaxy" or "四畳半神話大系" as I saw it because it was the original Japanese novel. I knew I recognized the cover somewhere, but I didn't know it until I searched it up at home. This is one where I trusted my instincts and got something good! No regrets here. I won't be able to read through it anytime soon, but it's still a nice addition to my "To-Read" Japanese collection.

All in all it was a bit hectic in there, but not as bad as the crazy closing sale that happened this summer. I even saw a 10 volume set of Claymore from that sale being sold at this sale, but alas, I'm thinking of saving my money for something a bit more special.

I ended up borrowing 7 more volumes of manga from the library as well, so that made my bag a bit heavy.

I'll be back tomorrow hopefully.

Asapon : The Great Imitator Returns

Alternatively, Ami (and Mami, even though she's technically not in this) : The Great Imitators Return.

Nico

Asami "Asapon" Shimoda does it again in the latest Namassuka Special 04. Her challenge (as Ami) was to imitate all of 765pro, so now we get to hear her takes on Takane, Hibiki, President, and even Producer-san. That Azusa and Miki voice always get me.

Priestess, Mjolnir, and Napping

I recently finished episodes 2 and 3 of Chu-2. It introduced the sleepy Kumin Tsuyuri (voiced by Azumin, the VA for Yukiho!), Touka the badass older sister of Rikka, and Sanae Dekomori with her huge twin tail hammers.

Fun times all around as Rikka tries to escape the clutche of th Priestess (her sister) whilst carrying a Chimaera (a cat) in her abode. Also great are her hijinks in trying to create a riiculous sounding club, that gets a longer name as more people join. What will become of the former Dark Flame Master? How will he handle all these weirdos (himself included)?

And next episode we shall see how weird that girl with the giant hairclip really is.

Little Busters 3 : Kurugaya-san

Kurugaya-san being a badass as usual.

In this episode of Little Busters, we get a tiny bit of Haruka screentime as well as a lot of Kurugaya-san action. Like everyone else in the Little Busters world, she's a bit crazy. Skipping class and doing whatever she wants, including toying with Riki a bit. She's also mysterious, almost like every other character...

This episode was quite fun, though of course the rest of the crew only got half the screentime due to introductions. It took a while to take off, but it's going pretty ok. Comedy is great, action is funny, and everyone is awesome. Although I'm not sure if it's just me, but the voice recordings seem a bit low quality sometimes. Could just be their voices.

Next episode is the long awaited Kud episode I hope!

Pop-up Pirate vs Katana. Only in Little Busters.

Elf World Online

Yep elves. And magic!

Honey Heartbeat - Namassuka SPECIAL 04

"3! 2! 1! Say ho!"

And now for... Namassuka.... (almost) Sunday 04!! Preview medley below!

So right after my "review" of 03 comes 04. I came in with only slight expectations such as there being a "Groovin' Magic" cover by Makoto, which she pulled off very well. And of course the rap filled "Honey Heartbeat". A nice M@STER version indeed with tons of rap and fun. The rest? Well I'll have to take a listen again, but it was all around pretty good. Hatsukoi this time was rockish, and it was pretty good though not as great as the others past. I'd have to listen to that again before having a better opinion.

Oh and we can't forget the extremely entertaining talk tracks! Haruka(kka) OTL! Brilliant Ami impressions! And Makoto... being girly? That... was a bit unsettling to say the least. And the extra talk with the upcoming duo plus one who's going to be in the next album. Oh Kotori, never change.

"Zunzun. Zunzun."
"Shiny Smile~ Hai na futari~"
"Say ho! Say ho ho ho! Sawage!!"

Nico

I guess something I forgot to mention was the new NicoNicoDouga (or just plain niconico now) interface. Seems pretty nice even with the bugginess at the beginning.

Ai LIKE Hamburger - Namassuka SPECIAL 03

Oh Yayoi. Eating on the job eh?

This is going to be edited in a bit, but I just want to put out my thoughts on the 3rd Namassuka Special even though 04 already came out a while ago.

Video medley of songs below.

First off, I didn't know Yayoi's and Ritsuko's voices could work together so well! That intro to the M@STER version of Ai LIKE Hamburger was a bit strange, but in the end it was still pretty good. Though not quite as great as Nanairo Botan, it's still incredibly catchy and repeatable.

As for the talk tracks, I haven't really payed my full attention, but I love the reactions of Ritsuko. Yayoi being the onee-chan is always fun. As well as the "surprise" visit from Producer-san himself.

For the cover songs, I have to say that I like them. His cover songs were not bad at all. As always, the Hatsukoi in this one was a nice listen as well.

Full thoughts will be edited in a bit I hope.

Nico

A Translucent Girl

I just completed volume 1 of "Translucent", a manga by Kazuhiro Okamoto. I picked this up randomly from my local library and I was thoroughly surprised by how enjoyable it was to read.

The main character is Shizuka who has this mysterious condition called "Translucent Syndrome" which means that parts of her body turn either translucent or transparent. It's a weird problem that seems to be accepted in society, though she is still treated slightly differently from the rest. She gets to meet an eccentric boy named Mamoru Tadami, who loves models and drawing. This guy has a strange interest in her, and that causes changes in both their lives.

Anyways, no more description just go out and find it somewhere. The art may be a bit strange to begin with, but it has its charms and improves as it goes along. Too bad volume 4 and 5 hasn't seen the light of day in English yet.

Although one thing to add is that I like the "Perfect" girl who ends up being the student council president, Okouchi-san. Her personality and relationship with Shizuka and Mamoru are pretty well done.

Little Busters 2 : Komari joins the Team

I recently watched the second episode of Little Busters. As random as ever, and the episode thoroughly introduced Komari. Komari seems to be a cloudcuckoolander huh... How interesting. Also great are the cute Rin moments. Oh so awkward, oh so cute.

And then narcolepsy. What will happen in the next episode? Who knows, but it seems to have someone who is very charismatic.

"What's necessary for baseball?"

"Guts! Courage! And Friendship!"

Brother and Sister

I recently watched Sword Art Online 15. Right now, it's after the whole SAO finale, so things have cooled down a lot. Although it was already in the outside world, I was surprised that there was some fighting going on. The main focus though, was Kirito/Kazuto's sister, who seems to play a major role in the next arc. 

Anyways, looking forward to Kazuto's quest to get back to Asuna. And hopefully beat that silly "childhood friend". 

Next episode: Goodbye swords. Hello elves!

Spatial 3D Week 6 - Complete

And it's done. Time for a much needed rest after that unexpected all-nighter.

So many better projects that other people did... Oh well, at least we got to experience all of this together. And the prof complimented our amazingly long render! All that time was not for naught!

Spatial 3D Week 6 - 1 day remains

1 more day... Haven't had time to practice the script yet, but I hope it goes ok.

Spatial 3D Week 6 - 2 days remain

Rendering and lighting all the way. Took forever to do this relatively simple piece of lighting. Good thing someone in our group is working on the interior so efficiently.

Aqua 2 : President Aria Adventures!

Today I picked up Aqua volume 2 from the library. Yet another light-hearted journey through the beautiful water, landscape, and architecture of Neo-Venezia. Part of it was President Aria, part of it was Akari, and then there was a chapter for Aika. All in all it builds up the world of Aqua and makes me intrigued yet "nostalgic" at the same time. I look forward to reading/watching the rest!


Also, unlike the leisurely pace of this story, there's been a lot of project work that I have to work on. 3D rendering is such a pain sometimes!

Pokemon and Androids

Wow this post is super late... I was super busy for the whole week working on two things. One "assignment" that was worth quite a bit. Had to make some infographics. The next one is a huge project involving research and 3D modelling software.


Anyways, during the downtime between sleeping and school, I found a use for my android. As a great big emulator hub. Today I just started Pokemon Yellow again, along with looking back at my almost finished Pokemon Emerald game. I had 7 badges already, but I didn't feel like trawling through that game till I got up to speed with my older nostalgia. All that nostalgia is coming back, though I won't be able to play too much. It'd be funny if I finished that again instead of the more recent Pokemon games. Next up is looking for a good PS one.

Nankurunaisa~ Happy Birthday Hibiki!

Happy Birthday to everyone's lovable Okinawan. She's "kanpeki!"

Hibiki Challenge~

Today's challenge is... to enjoy her birthday as much as possible! No[t much] suffering today!

Teal is her colour, Okinawa is her home, and suffering energy and power is her forte!

[nico video goes here]

109%

We have reached the 10th Cirno Day of the Year 2012 in October. That means costumes!

"Shark!" | Source

End Game

Sword Art Online 14.

"The End of the World" is what it's called.

And that's what it was.

It was quite a bit quicker than I expected, and the whole epilogue part of it was seemingly lack-luster. Of course, the moments between Asuna and Kirito were great as always. The big reveal was already spoiled for me, but the way it played out was different than what I expected.

I continue to appreciate the spoiler-free, fat-free episode "previews" that only state the title of the next episode. Here's hoping for a great new opening and ending song combo. More LiSA and Haruka Tomatsu songs please!

A New Beginning in Unova

It's time for more Pokemon!

Today I got a chance to play the very recently Pokemon White 2 while my bro played Pokemon Black 2. The nostalgia is there, but not too strong since it didn't seem that long ago.

So far I'm only about 1.5 hours in because of stuff I had to do. My brother's quite a bit further in and it seems a bit too familiar while being different at the same time. First thing to notice would be the big city we start in. Second thing to notice would be the rival who seems to be looking for something. Third and very important thing to notice would be Bianca giving out the starters! It's good to see Bianca again, but this game really does break convention by bypassing the lab completely.

All in all, I look forward to catching these "new" Pokemon in the Unova region. I'll be having fun having Oshawott as a starter this time instead of Snivy. Too bad there aren't too many actual new Pokemon.

Although most likely I won't get too much of chance to play for a while due to school work.

Little Busters : The Baseball Team anime

This is it. It's time for Little Busters the anime! I've been looking forward to this for years.

And here it is. First episode starts with crazy stuff and awesome characters. Riki (with Yui Horie voice acting) actually sounds [slightly] more boyish now! Glimpses of the future Little Busters team are also shown, but not quite introduced yet.

The Opening and Ending sequences are the usually fare of showcasing the characters, but not quite the visual novel opening I expected. Also, the added "rock" feel to it wasn't that great in my opinion. I really like the original 'Little Busters!" and "Alicemagic" better. Oh well, they're still ok.

The whole "building a baseball team" thing was really a strange premise, but hey it works.

As for the animation... well it's not quite Kyoto Animation, but JC Staff seems to be pulling it off so far. Would've been better if there was actually more animation, but hey they got to make do until the very end. I'm liking the character designs so far and Yui Horie's voice is actually very suitable. Too bad they didn't add in the battle interface, but that whole "awesome quotes" section along with the "title" that Rin got was golden.

Looking forward to the next episode!

Dark Flame Master and Wicked Eye

I just finished watching "Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai" episode 1. It was a lot more fun than I expected. I expected weird yet funny and it definitely achieved all that and more. The whole backstory of the main character and the strangeness of Rikka is great. Also a plus is that Rikka and Ranko (from the Idolm@ster mobage) all have the same voice actor. Double the Chuunibyou.

The subs I watched called it "8th grade syndrome" rather than Middle School 2nd Year Syndrome", but it's perfectly acceptable. Although it doesn't really make much sense either way, the explanation in the beginning suffices.

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the Chuunibyou now. Will they be as crazy or crazier than the Wicked Eye girl?

HaruChiha "Love Letter"

Nico

Such a sweet love letter for the person sending it.

Wizards and a Lizard Head

Or "Sorcerers" as they are called.

I had just recently borrowed the first volume of Dorohedoro from the library because it seemed interesting. The name was a somewhat significant factor as well. What type of name is Dorohedoro?

Little did I know it had to do with a man with a lizard head killing a whole bunch of Sorcerers. Such a strange story with even stranger humour. It makes we wonder how it's going to pan out. Will Caiman ever get his real head back? Who was he originally? Why is Nikaido so awesome? Etc.

The bad guys are almost quite interesting. There were two "reveal twists" that were unexpected yet to have them happen so close to each other was the most unexpected part of the twists.

Fishing and Reaping (and Faces)

Sword Art Online 13 was an episode that shifts from a silly side-story to the start of a crazy boss battle. With lovely Kirito and Asuna moments in between.

And it was also filled with a whole bunch of... interesting faces. Probably had quite a bit of help from some other side-studios.

Lots of non-spoiler images here!

Kirito looks perturbed.

Asuna being curious!

Oh Asuna. What interesting attire you have.

Shocked Asuna and shocked(?) Kirito.

Serious faces.

Not so serious face.

Shocked Kirito.

Serious fighting. Happens in the latter half of this episode.

Spatial Week 4 Complete

It's finished.

And we did really well. Much better than I expected. I have to thank the 3 team members who actually did tons more work than I did. All I had was research. They did the modeling, graphic design and editing. And it all turned out well.

There were also a lot of really good models that completely blew away the competition. I'm glad I visited all the classes.

Next up is the 3D model.