The name's David, and I hail from mid-south Ireland, a place called Tipperary to be precise! I love languages; I'm fluent in Irish and English, almost-fluent in French and I hope to study Japanese and perhaps German in the coming years! I like politics. I'm strictly liberal and progressive; conservatives make me sad. Video games are great; though I don't play as much as I used to. I think Square Enix are the best thing about video games ;) Musicals, I find, are also fantastic! My favourites being Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, Hairspray, Anything Goes and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I also rather enjoy music. My holy trinity of musicians is as follows:



But, I also like The Killers, Less Than Jake, Snow Patrol, some dance music, Razorlight, the Blizzards and some classical music too, also music from Japan: namely Utada Hikaru, Gackt, Ali Project, Flow, L'Arc~en~Ciel, Asian Kung Fu Generation, Cool Joke, Nana Kitade, Kosaka Riyu, Porno Graffiti and the music composed by Susumu Hiarasawa, Nobuo Uematsu and Shiro Sagisu.



Of course, I love anime, too! My first anime was Pokémon, though I didn't realise it was anime way back then. When I did learn that Pokémon was anime, I wanted to check out more of it; and so I bought Akira and DVD and watched it. Didn't really 'get' it the first time, but upon my second viewing of it, I was blown away! Akira has made me an eternal anime fan, I think! Some of my other favourites are ..

Neon Genesis Evangelion - This is my all-time favourite for a number of reasons. But, to make a long story short, I think it's almost-perfect in pretty much all aspects (except, maybe for that ending, but End of Evangelion's ending more than makes up for episode 25 and 26's shortcomings!).

Fullmetal Alchemist - This is here for emotionally immersing me in the world, for being wildly imaginative, for having an outstanding dub, and for being incredibly exciting!

Code Gess: Lelouch of the Rebellion - I adore this series because it looks fantastic, sounds great, is really exciting and has lots of awesome concepts! It's all a bit silly, but I think that's what makes it so good. I also have a penchant for awesome mecha action, and Code Geass delivers on that front! :D

Also, Heat Guy J is really fantastic! In terms of episodic series, I think it just edges out Cowboy Bebop!




I haven't read as much manga as I'd like to have, but I'm definitely a fan of the medium! My first manga was Detective Conan, and now I've collected 11 volumes. It's great because it's so much fun! I really like the Evangelion manga, too, because the art is amazing and, well, it's Evangelion! Antique Bakery is the only shojo work I've read and I really enjoyed it. Recently, I've fallen in love with Osamu Tezuka's manga. His work is cut far and above the rest, I've found. Ode to Kirihito, Apollo's Song and MW are all outstanding! I'm looking forward to reading through Buddha and I can't wait for Verticals' Black Jack releases, starting this summer.




The Evangelion fan club - I sort of run it (alongside the lovely creator NoMoreSorrow). I think this is the best club because it's got one of the most active forums and comment boards (without much spam!), an ever-growing member base and a kick-ass picture gallery! :D

Studio Gainax fan club - I made this club! It's cool because ... I made it? Nono is our current mascot, so that earns the club more brownie points, right? Right?

The Gay club - Because, you know, I'm a gay! :D

And last, but not least ...

English dub fans - This club is good because I'm not treated like a traitor for enjoying English dubs :p Also, it's nice and active most of the time ;)

Lust is my absolute favourite character EVER!

Chag | 3 hours ago Wow, you wrote that an hour after watching the series? You continue to amaze me, my friend. The only thoughts I could muster an hour after episode 26 were something along the lines of: "Wow, I know I've just watched something epic, but damnnit, I'd be lying if I said I got any of that." My friend's sub-VHS quality disks did not help my understanding either -- I was not only baffled mentally, but visually as well. Heh. Anyways, the changes are perfect, I have nothing to complain about the review now, though if it was me, I would talk about the flaws in the series... but that's just me, and I tend to get overly critical. I think I'll give Akira another go. Whether or not I liked it the first time, like Evangelion, it's one of the most influential works in the medium, and that alone makes it deserving of a second viewing. As for the manga, have you tried your local public library? It's where I got the chance to read it. Get a library card if you don't have one and place a hold on it if it is available. More and more manga are finding their way to library shelves... Oh! that reminds me, I should check if my local libraries carry GTO volume ten... damn thing has been out of print for ages. Also, if you can stand some adult content, be sure to check out the RE-TAKE doujins. It's amazingly consistent with the original work in terms of tone and character. The story takes place after the events of EoE and explores the romance that never was between Shinji and Asuka. Out of all the anime and manga I have come across, RE-TAKE has probably left the biggest impression on me, along with the original Eva works, of course. If you should check it out, know that the reading order is volume 1, 2, 3, 0, 4, and then the "after" volume. Edit: Oh SNAP, I knew your name sounded familiar! You're a poster on Evageeks! I used to post under the name of Good_Noodle, back when it was called Evamonkey. Ah, good memories, one of the best communities I've come across. Friendly, intelligent, yet critical of the show they admire... can't ask more of an anime community. Too bad I had to move on as the Eva fever eventually cooled. Reply - Anime - Manga

Chag | 8 hours ago Oh, and since you've proven to be pretty good at reading into anime, think you can explain the appeal of Akira to me? I liked the manga for its gritty portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world as well as great sci-fi elements, but hell, the movie was just so condensed that the characters are either cut out or reduced to screaming idiots rather than fleshed-out characters. And though the ending of both the manga and anime were cryptic, the anime's ending was just a little too much for me. Like after Eva for the first time, I'm sure I'm missing something, but I could never summon enough motivation to re-watch Akira. I recognize it as a classic for its animation and source material, but I really want to be convinced of its storytelling merits. Bah, enlighten me, my ears are sincerely open. By the way, if you haven't read the Akira manga, do it! If you enjoyed the movie, the manga will probably blow you away. Reply - Anime - Manga

Chag | 8 hours ago Checked out your review on Evangelion, and it's pretty damn spot-on (save for the numerical ratings -- let's face it, eva's storytelling really is too cryptic for its own good, and the plot holes don't help the viewer's understanding much either. And don't remind me of the corner-cutting on the animation). You went over the qualities that make Eva a classic without falling to some of the common pitfalls, such as fanwanking about the religious symbolism. The characters, especially Shinji, are what defines Evangelion, and you emphasized that well. It pains me every time I hear something like "I loved Eva, but hated Shinji -- what a giant emo!" Gah, way to completely miss the point! I've always thought about writing a review for Eva, but it's just so damn difficult to voice an opinion on such a controversial series without popping a few veins in sheer frustration, but now I can rest a little easier knowing that there exists at least one adequate review on this site. My hat is off to you, good sir, though you should have mentioned End of Evangelion and its integral role in the enjoyment of the series. A quick change, perhaps? Reply - Anime - Manga

	Kanashimi | 06-26-08, 4:44 PM Sounds like a plan Stan~ I'm always up for making new friends. :3 Reply - Anime - Manga

	danobou | 06-25-08, 8:00 AM Great NGE review! It was very well written. Eva rocks! Reply - Anime - Manga

Viral | 06-21-08, 3:23 PM Yesss, I was going to go out las night as a celebration for my friend who' working in a different state for 3 and a half months, but because I'm all unemployed and poor I couldn't go >: Spent the entire day beforehand with her, though, so I'm not that bad a friend. And yeah our money is plastic. I'm surprised most other countries haven't followed suit. It's so much more practical...and pretty. I got fired because a customer rang head office and complained that I apparently "racially discriminated" against her, when what all that really happened was she overheard a joking conversation I was having with a friend where the sentence "I hate asians" was used. v___v AND according to a bunch of stupid papers I signed when I started work there, racial discrimination is an instant dismissal. It's their loss, though. I was good. I've visited the store since and it's a mess. Absolutely no luck with job hunting, not that I'v done much, either. I like artz, ya. It's taken me about 18 years to discover my own style, so in that regard I'm very much in love myself lately. Favourite musical? TBH I hate most musicals, but I love Rocky Horror and Sweeney Todd. Edward Scissorhands is also playing in Brisbane and I was considering seeing it. Reply - Anime - Manga

Viral | 06-20-08, 6:20 PM Is €8.50? Hahahaha, I have no idea about conversion rates, but for a can of vodka and guarana it was like $9, and that's insane considering it used to be about $5 for a bottle. Silly. And life's being a shit, a little bit. I got fired, lol >_> So I'm unemployed. Its the most boring thing ever, considering all my friends are at work during the week, so I have nothing to do but sit at home and look for jobs. Pssh. Apart from that and the fact that I have no money it's alright, though, ha. My avatar's a picture I drew. It's a zombie rabbit eating an arm. Hahaaa, I dunno. You're looking at the back of its head, if that's what confused you. SWEENEY TODD. Did you enjoy it? I bought the soundtrack a few weeks ago 8D Reply - Anime - Manga

Viral | 06-14-08, 5:41 PM Ooooh, I left home for a while and the friend I was staying with decided to like...wipe her computer, and then couldn't get her hands on a copy of Windows, so yeah. I went out clubbing for the first time the other night! It was EXTREMELY fun, but it ends up costing soooo much, I'v decided from now on I'm getting drunk before I leave, and saving my money for club entry. Reply - Anime - Manga

	Viral | 06-13-08, 9:36 AM Also, what the hell is up with Sweeney Todd not being on your list of favourite musicals? Quite sure it and Rocky > all. Reply - Anime - Manga

	Viral | 06-13-08, 9:35 AM HAI. I'm bored, and it's late/very, very early, so I figurd I'd see what you're up to these days. Also, I did not have a computer for too many months. It was bad. Reply - Anime - Manga

Jayme | 06-06-08, 10:13 AM To start off, I'll begin with the explanation of the Broadcast and Chronological orders, The Chronological order follows the episodes as in the novels, The first novel takes place from episode 1 to 6. Episode 00 is a film the SOS-dan film during the second novel, Its a strange introduction to a series and is the first broadcast episode, But chronologically takes place in episode 11. Basically, It doesn't really matter in what order you watch 00 and 7 - 14, Although, The technically it may feel like the series is ending half way through if you watch it all chronologically. The events after the sixth episode, aka end of the first novel are events that happen in later novels. In the episode previews, Kyon announces the broadcast orders whilst Haruhi announces the chronological order. The only difference between them two, and the DVD order is the fact that episode 00 is first. God, Its sounds confusing. ;p Yes, I do recommend the LE's, I have a feeling you'll regret it if you don't. Its such a magical release. The first LE has space for the CD's and DVDs, as well! I've been watching BECK slowly, I haven't even started on Volume 3 and I really need to watch Mushishi but I think with all the long waits that Revelation do, I'll wait for the whole series. ;D Bai~ Reply - Anime - Manga

Jayme | 06-05-08, 4:25 PM Hey, I seriously cannot wait for you to start watch The Melancholy, I take it you'll probably watch in Chronological order over Broadcast, since the DVDs are released like that (Its good, I like the broadcast order, a bit better, I think - Mainly because the last episode of the story based on the first novel fits nicely at the end). Anywaiz I hope u becomez a Haruhiist liek moi. I need to watch BECK 3, as well. ;p Reply - Anime - Manga

	nightwalkersan | 06-03-08, 1:35 PM Hello there friend ^^ Nice to meet you, Shinji fan _o/ you have a nice taste for animes/mangas, lol :] Reply - Anime - Manga

	Kuyukly | 05-21-08, 4:31 PM English dub fans - This club is good because I'm not treated like a traitor for enjoying English dubs :p Also, it's nice and active most of the time ;) I'm guessing this is why you sent me a request ;) Why yes, I will be your MALbuddeh Reply - Anime - Manga

	rah-rah | 05-20-08, 2:44 PM Fav FF game(s) are FFXII and FVIII. Fav Square games are Xenogears and Vagrant Story. What about YOU :3. And yay you are almost done with 00 :3 Reply - Anime - Manga