October 28th, 2007
How Soon is Now?
Started One Piece. I admit, I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer length of the series, but with some prodding, I was intrigued enough to see what I've been missing.
The art style (minor characters have exaggerated features / irregular proportions) was unsettling, moreso because I've focused on practicing drawing human figures realistically. On the other hand, I really liked the light, washed-out backgrounds.
So far, the episodes I've watched are enjoyable, but somehow I feel like I'm rushing the watch because I've heard that it gets good around 30+ episodes. I want to get there now even if it means marathoning the series (which is something I never do). Crappy net speed to the rescue, I'm still downloading the next episodes so the rushing is a bit tempered. :/
The art style (minor characters have exaggerated features / irregular proportions) was unsettling, moreso because I've focused on practicing drawing human figures realistically. On the other hand, I really liked the light, washed-out backgrounds.
So far, the episodes I've watched are enjoyable, but somehow I feel like I'm rushing the watch because I've heard that it gets good around 30+ episodes. I want to get there now even if it means marathoning the series (which is something I never do). Crappy net speed to the rescue, I'm still downloading the next episodes so the rushing is a bit tempered. :/
Some random thoughts:
- Luffy is crazycool. :D
- Kinda surprised by Zoro's hotness. I never noticed him in the odd episodes of One Piece I've watched before. Must be the sword-biting thing he's got going. ^^
- Shushu rocks. <3
Finally got around to finishing Claymore. I've been postponing it because I felt I was going to be really disappointed (lame logic, but there you have it ^^).
And disappointed I was. Dropping animation quality + anti-climactic major battle + unbearably cheesy-happy finale = poor, unsatisfying ending. It feels rushed and there's too many loose ends (e.g. the other Claymores in Pieta, the dirt on the organization, the other Abyssal Dwellers, etc.) so there's probably a second season or an OVA at the least.
Claymore was a great show (the Teresa storyline was awesome) but it fizzled out horribly towards the end. :/
And disappointed I was. Dropping animation quality + anti-climactic major battle + unbearably cheesy-happy finale = poor, unsatisfying ending. It feels rushed and there's too many loose ends (e.g. the other Claymores in Pieta, the dirt on the organization, the other Abyssal Dwellers, etc.) so there's probably a second season or an OVA at the least.
Claymore was a great show (the Teresa storyline was awesome) but it fizzled out horribly towards the end. :/
Nothing much to say about Bleach, except to say I'm catching up. Lol, I just wanted an excuse to post Aizen-sama's image here. <3
In his lust for power, Aizen wants to be a God, right? Interestingly, I found out a namesake of his who's already one:
In his lust for power, Aizen wants to be a God, right? Interestingly, I found out a namesake of his who's already one:
In Japanese Buddhism, Aizen Myō-ō (愛染明王 or 愛染妙王) is the god of love and lust. Originally a Hindu deity, Ragaraja, Aizen Myō-ō became part of Buddhism, and Kobo Daishi Kūkai transmitted the teaching of him to Japan.
He is portrayed as a red-skinned, frowning man, his appearance representing suppressed lust and passion. He variously has two, four or six arms; in the latter form, his hands bear a bell, a stick, a thunderbolt, a lotus, a bow and an arrow. Similarly, he sometimes has two heads, with a lion's head in his wild hair. According to legend, he represents the state at which sexual excitement or agitation becomes enlightenment and passionate love becomes compassion for all living things. In Buddhism, he manifests as a vajrasattva.
The Japanese god of love, worshipped by prostitutes, landlords, singers and musicians. Despite his ferocious appearance, he is considered to be beneficent to mankind. Originally he was a god of the Shingon and Tendai and represented love that changes into desiring 'enlightenment'.
[Sources: Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Mythica]
- Aizen: "indigo"; "dye"
- Sousuke: suffix meaning "all"; "right" (direction); "mediate"
An interesting thing about indigo dye: there is no true indigo color for dye. It's synthetic. (more information here). Aizen also has something to do with the chapter title "end of hypnosis 3 (the Blue Fog)", as Aizen claimed his sword would confuse enemies in fog before he revealed it. fusaki_aiko notes that Aizen is a pun for "before love" (愛前).
Posted by gothicpsyche | Oct 28, 2007 12:22 AM | 5 comments
Private Entry
September 13th, 2007
The Internet is for ____.*
I never realized how much I was deeply attached to my unlimited# Internet access until it died on me a few days ago.
To pass away the time (while repeatedly clicking the Repair command on the Network Properties section *whew!*), I finally read the Kotonoha-Scans One-Shots that's been lying around forever. I found one-shots enjoyable -- quick, random samplings of various manga genres and wtf storylines / plot ideas. ^_^ I'm in a somewhat melancholy mood so the current favorites are Flowers (Yoko NIHONBASHI) and White Clouds (Hisae IWAOKA).Anyhow, an ISP technician came by today and finally fixed our interwebs. Unfortunately, I was taking a nap when he dropped by so I still don't know what went wrong with our connection.^^ It's weird but now that I have access again, I don't want to be sucked in by my internet 'addiction' just yet. I find that I'm quite enjoying the offline life so I'll probably be around intermittently in the next couple of days. ^^
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* Pasintabi (can't really translate this word, but it's something like excuse/apologies) to Avenue Q for the title. ^^
# It's advertised as such by my Internet provider but not really. Hmft!
Posted by gothicpsyche | Sep 13, 2007 11:28 AM | 3 comments
Private Entry
August 25th, 2007
Permission to Reincarnate
In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation."
But beyond the irony lies China's true motive: to cut off the influence of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader, and to quell the region's Buddhist religious establishment more than 50 years after China invaded the small Himalayan country. By barring any Buddhist monk living outside China from seeking reincarnation, the law effectively gives Chinese authorities the power to choose the next Dalai Lama, whose soul, by tradition, is reborn as a new human to continue the work of relieving suffering. [Source]
Posted by gothicpsyche | Aug 25, 2007 9:55 AM | 2 comments