Hospitality *is* about sharing, Ivan, but you can draw the line at your horrible nasty virus bug thing that I now have because I do not want it!! >_<
*has spent morning throwing up, is not a happy bunny*
I am coming to the halloween party as a duvet. Or maybe a corpse, depending on how the afternoon goes. >_<
Well, no, I am not eating their food, but I have stolen Jane's house. As she is at home and I am in Oxford. Hurray! I prove yet again that I cannot be dragged out of the Oxford womb. So if you want to see me, I will be in town all week!!111ONEONE YAAAAAAY!!
I have also brought down huge amounts of anime which EVERYONE MUST WATCH. I require to instill gleeful glee in all who watch the next episodes of Gankutsuou. G L E E. Trust me. If you trust me on no other anime, which I suggest you do not, as you have well learned, trust me on Gankutsuou.
And the above point is well demonstrated by my next comment. I like Moon Phase. Episode 2 was Good. And now I even like Neko Mimi Mode. -_- This is what comes from subjecting yourself to hateful music for hours on end until you cannot distinguish bad from worse.
But on a happier note, paternal parental unit now likes anime and videogame music! I have been making him cds of music I think he will like, and he likes some of it! However, this means I require help in choosing the next load of songs to give him.
So far he likes:
Inner Universe/Lithium Flower (GitS:SAC)
Hemisphere (RahXephon)
Salva Nos/Canta Per Me/Kopperia no Hitsugi (Noir)
Hikari (Kingdom Hearts)
Cat Blues/Ask DNA (Cowboy Bebop)
Eeeeeverything from the orchestrated Final Fantasy soundtracks
I need suggestions for things in the fast-beat, many-layered Yoko Kanno/Yuki Kajiura female vocal tracks (although not the Fafner op, which he doesn't like >_<) or happy non-vocal dance music, in the same vein as the Mr Scruff remix of Cat Blues.
Suggestions?
...and I am suffering from a complete lack of new Gankutsuou, I present, for your delight and delectation, my new door hanger.
Why not try getting a cereal packet and making your own, like I did???
...or is there actually a rational explanation as to why I felt I needed five variations on Neko Mimi Mode? >_<
*bludgeons self with stick to horrifically cheerful cat music*
Why won't anyone sub Gankutsuou 3 already?? *beats head on keyboard*
I need animated County goodness!! >_<
In other news I found a really awesome secret hiding place in my house. It is awesome.
...that they're going to go back to some of the bits they've skipped at the beginning of The Count of Monte Cristo in Gankutsuou. I would pay good money to see the Franz-and-the-Count-as-Aladdin-and-Sinbad-the-Sailor-respectively-take-hash-in-cave scene. Mmmm corrupting. Dumas knows faaaar too much about drugs for it to be healthy. o_0
In case people haven't been ranted at yet, I am enjoying The Count of Monte Cristo very much. It is a smashing book. I recommend you all go and get a copy. I really want to know what their character design for Dantes is going to be like, because Dumas makes a point of the fact that he looks completely different before and after his imprisonment. Fluffy Happy Nice Teenager -> Angry Angry Man, essentially. ^_________^
Oooh oooh I know what else I was going to rant about. Kannaduki 3. ^______^ _Everyone_ is in love with Chikane-chan. _Everyone._ Even her maid, who has now got some kind of evil plan to kill Himeko using mushrooms. There appears to be some kind of ginormous love polygon developing. But they got their super miko power this week, which was excruciatingly cool and *only makes my desire for cosplay worse*. >_< Oh and there was much gratuitous fanservice this ep, too. Kannaduki no Miko - something for everyone, ladies.
MORONS!! >__<
I've been shafted by the woman who said she'd buy the CCS staff off me. >_< NO I AM NOT GOING TO GO AWAY IF YOU DON'T REPLY TO MY EMAILS AND I CAN SEE YOU BOUGHT ANOTHER CCS STAFF AFTER YOU BID ON MINE!!
>_<
I'm so angry about this.
GANKUTSUOU 3!! THE COUNT CONTROLS ELECTRICITY AT WILL!!!! HE'S SUCH A DUDE!!!!
screencaps later. ^____________________^
Why does the first time in my life that I feel a desperate need to do cosplay arrive while you are on holiday? >_< I require some kind of moral support/fabric help/convincing that I'm ever going to wear this to a con if I do make it. >_<
I'm sure D won't mind me pasting an extract from an email he sent me last night. I've been making him download sparkly new season anime.
"What the heck is Kannaduki no Miko about? Who is the target audience? And should I feel bad if I want to see more? :O"
Heeeeee! *glomps wonderful corruptable boyfriend* a) I don't know ^___^ b) I don't know ^___^ and 3) Not in the slightest. ^____________^
See? This is why we make a good pair, dude. ^____^
In other news *gloooooomp* Thank you for the pretty letter!!! Much stuff will be winging its way to you when I go to the post office this afternoon. ^____^
Finally, I want an end a sentence in a preposition jar. ^___^
NEKO MIMI MODE DE!!
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase is so wrong. That's all I can say to you. o_0
want. so. much. o_0 *runs off to make many fimo things/remove spare kidney*
You remember the pictures of Gankutsuou 2 I sent you of the Count whispering something to Albert that made him incredibly embarrassed? You need to watch the episode. You will not be disappointed. ^_________________^
Gankutsuou ep 2 in "Even Slashier With the Subs" shocker!
...does this always happen? I'd just said goodnight to D, tired and intending to go to bed. I was actually quite tired indeed, and still am. Then I remembered I'd downloaded the raw of Gankutsuou 2.
It's probably not a good idea to watch anime that swirly this late at night. It's probably even worse to watch it without much of an idea of what is happening. o_0 All I can say at this time is you need to watch it now. Download it. Watch the Count embarrass chibi nobleman! Watch chibi noblemen when they were chibis! Watch the Count kicking severe ass! ^______^
It's sad that these little things make me happy, but never mind.
...you haven't read my previous entry, do. This one is just whining and you'd be better off reading what I had to say previously. I'd rather read about Monte Cristo than me, so I'm sure you would too.
It sucks royally not being at animesoc. -_- It's pathetic really, I've spent all evening mentally beating my head against the wall feeling fed up at not being in Oxford tonight. It's just bringing home the truth that I don't have any friends here, let alone anyone who wants to watch anime with me. -_-
I'm such a loser. -_-
Look, it's for your own good that you take heed of me on this one.
WATCH GANKUTSUOU.
WATCH IT WATCH IT WATCH IT NOW.
To facilitate my mission to make all visitors to this site watch the _superb_ example of everything that is right with modern anime, I have made a visual guide to why you can't go another moment without wanting to watch this show.
Here are a variety of screenshots to inspire intrigue/confidence/Monte Cristo love.
The Count is quite the melodramatic bastard. And he smokes a hookah. ^____^ (don't ask me why that's cool, it just is o_0)
He also has little noblemen friends. Who are also very fun, but do not really hold a candle to Monte Cristo. ^____^
And then, of course, there are those staples of Dumas' world, spaceships and mecha. What do you mean you don't remember the count owning a spaceship in the novel?
And in case you really need more convincing. LOOK!! MORE PICTURES OF THE COUNT!!
JOUJI NAKATA IN "PLAYING ROLES LIKE ALUCARD AGAIN" SHOCKER!! ^_______________________________________________________^
*falls over in fangirlness*
Watch Gankutsuou!! Watch! ^______^ Monte Cristo looks like the improbable lovechild of Numanor from Ulysses 31 and Vampire Hunter D ...and sounds like Alucard! ^______________________________________________^
WATCH WATCH WATCH!! ESPECIALLY YOU! The main characters are two slashy noblemen. If you don't like it, I will cry. ^____^
I must go and get myself a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. And cast it in my head with Alucard in. ^_____________^
...that anyone should/would be interested, but I have been rearranging my room.
...and yes, if you look really closely, there are Kannaduki no Miko pictures up already.
Suggestions/submissions for other things to put up are always welcome.
(Enormous thanks to Laura for the caps. ^____^)
It has a sparkly opening! ^_____^
...yeah so maybe I was desparate and watched the raw of ep 2, I'm not ashamed...much. o_0;;;; It has a sparkly opening with sparkly music and swords and bishoujo and sparklies!!! ^________^
...and the plot appears to have become much funner too! ^____^ The group of enemies, who I can only accurately describe as the Chibi no Ryu, have appeared, as has what looks like the nemesis of the school "prince", Souma. No prizes for guessing the "oh my goodness, you're the moon priestess and I'm the sun priestess!" birthmarks scene was going to happen this episode, but this does mean they're going to get their funky miko outfits from the opening, which is of the good. If only someone would tell Chikane arrows aren't the most effective weapon against mecha and/or large men wielding chains apparently trying to get a date with your friend. o_0
And just to continue the "spot the derivations" game, Souma's mech really looks like Royal Gundam.
Suffice to say I have already covered a small chunk of my room with Kannaduki pictures. Yes I am ashamed of myself, but frankly not enough to care.
...oh, and before I forget the catgirl must die.
...I can actually do things I've been meaning to do for a while - anime reviews! Not that I think anyone would/should take my opinion into account, but it keeps me off the streets.
New Season Stuff
Mai Hime - I'm willing to give this one another episode at least, but it's very much got work to do for me to like it. I really liked the trailer when I saw it way back when, but the first ep didn't seem to have anything like that in it. I suspect the content/style of the first episode is a little unrepresentative anyway, so we'll see.
There were two main problems I had with Mai Hime - none of the characters particularly engage me, and the fanservice makes Bakuten look subtle. We're not talking the odd boob jiggle here, it's the painfully obvious "oh no embarrassed male has fallen into my chest!" type. However, I do want to see more of the dark-haired-mecha-dog-owning girl, as she may be cool.
Windy Tales - This one was quite a surprise! It fits into my oft overlooked pet category of slow, observational loveliness (more of this later!) The main thing anyone is going to say in any review, I suspect, is the style of the animation. The colours are very clean and crisp, and make a really nice contrast with the jagged style of the drawing. My only peeve with the animation is that I hate the way the arms and legs are drawn. There's something slightly disturbing about their conical limbs. o_0
But aside from the animation (which I haven't actually decided if I like or not) I quite like the story, not least because it involves flying cats and pretty clouds. So this one is going to stay on my watch list for the moment.
Kannaduki no Miko - Now, if I haven't shouted at you already, or you haven't bothered reading the previous entry, I *love* this show. ^____^ As far as I can tell, it appears to have polarized opinions, from love it to hate it. I'm afraid I fall very firmly into the first camp. I *know* it's shoujo-ai fluff, and it's hugely derivative shoujo-ai fluff, but I'm not looking for life-changing stuff in my anime, so it does me fine.
I know one of the big complaints people have had over this show is bad characterisation, but I wonder somewhat if it has to be taken from a certain angle. Not to delve too deeply into my school experiences, miserable as they were, but I can understand the dynamic they set up in shows like this with one girl being held up as some kind of glittering example. I was one of those loser types who always admired girls like that, although I stopped short of falling over myself screaming Kakkoii!! don't worry. o_0 This may be one reason it doesn't seem quite so ridiculous to me, I don't know. I'd be interested to know if anyone else thinks the same, or is it just me, again? >_<
And something that isn't new season, but on loan from Andrew, Kino's Journey - This is the other one of the slow, observational loveliness shows I mentioned with Windy Tales, although it is cranked up a few gears. Kino and talking motorbike travel through many (often bizarre) countries and find people of varying degrees of niceness. It's got a similar feel to Haibane Renmei, with the one thing Haibane Renmei was missing. That's right - sporadic violence! Kino kills rabbits, hurray! But no, jokes aside, this does look like it's going to be a very interesting series. Kino is infinitely likeable, as is talking motorbike Hermes, although I suspect a little is lost in translation with his malapropisms. I'd like to know the Japanese for those - in a few cases the equivalent mistakes don't quite fit the situation. But otherwise, huge positive for this one.
Now I'm going to lurk in my room and rest because I've been traipsing round Nottingham all day. o_0
Kannaduki no Miko is _really good_!!! ^_________^ Incredible familiarity of some points of the series aside, and not necessarily in a bad way, I think this will be my show for the season. ^_____^
(This is entry 100, it seems ironic given that I started my "moved" blog at the beginning of this series. ^_^)
BAKURETSU TENSHI 24! *weeps and beats fists on floor*
Whatever it did wrong throughout the series, Bakuten _totally_ redeemed itself with the last episode. Absolutely brilliant. I entirely adore the resolution to the Jo/Meg storyline because it's completely not what I was expecting, and infinitely better for it. And it even makes me *like* Meg now! Just the very last bit of the episode, awesome. ^________________^
Hurray up and make the ova, Gonzo, PLEASE!!!
I'm in quite a rut at the moment, I think. -_- I apologize for sounding increasingly like a fourteen year old with a Livejournal, but it's this or *really* go insane. I'm stretching the limits of my sanity to very very thin places at the moment, and I could really do with getting away. But I can't, because I have no money, and things here are a mess. -_- My parents are still doing the horrible "appearing to be alright but not" thing, which is just really upsetting me now. If things aren't alright, talk about it. It's not fair to have all this stuff happen in secret then suddenly get told about it when it's too late to do anything. -_- I thought it had all blown over, but no, they were just doing all this in secret. -_-
What else is wearing incredibly thin is the fact that I'm stuck here all the time with no friends. It's absolutely horrible. -_- I spend more time talking to News 24 presenters than I do other people a lot of the time, that's how bad it gets.
If I could just get a call from the job agency, then I'd be able to go out and earn money, and I might actually feel like I had a purpose again becuase right now my life just feels like one long, boring stretch after another until I can get back to Texas again. -_-
Sorry, I'm just lonely/unhappy at the moment.
I'm so bored, so very very bored. So in the grand tradition of things, what am I going to do? Make you people amuse me!! That's right, it's one of those retarded quiz things! Copy, paster, fill in, blah blah blah.
Generico Beginning Questions
1. Who are you? Katy
2. If you could change the answer to question 1, what would it be? Katy in Texas.
3. Go and look outside (remember outside?) What's the weather like? Too sunny. I can tell you that from the hideous glare on my monitor.
4. What are you listening to right now? *cough* Judge Judy *cough*
5. What's your desktop wallpaper right now? A Witch Hunter Robin wallpaper I made all by myself. It's Amon-tastic. ^___^
6. Who or what do you use for your usual messenger/livejournal/other avatar? Jo from Bakuten or Garma Zabi/anime vampires/Hippo from MMPPP.
7. What was the last book you read? "The Slippery Slope" by Lemony Snicket
8. What was the last film you saw? Hero, I think.
Fill in the Blanks
9. If I were a magical girl, my magic wand would be black and bat-shaped. (Much like the magic wand I already own then...)
10. If I had an anime mascot-style pet, it would be a Baaaaat. Preferably Babbit from Kodocha.
11. I am most embarrassed by my taste in music.
12. If I could be any fictional character in the world, I would be either Integra Hellsing or Jo.
Desert Island Crap
The usual desert island setup. We've shipping you out to the pacific forever, with nothing but the shirt on your back and the following answers.
13. One computer program. MSN Messenger o_0
14. One anime series. Utena. Just because it's infinitely rewatchable.
15. Three video/pc games. FFVII, FFVIII and SSX3.
16. One television channel. BBC News 24 *cries at own geekness*
17. One non-essential item of clothing. My cowboy hat. Closely followed by my ankle length black cardigan.
18. A limitless supply of one type of food... Chicken. Mmmmmm.
19. ...and one type of drink. Calpis.
The Final Straight
20. So you're sitting on your cloud/bench/forklift truck in whatever you imagine the afterlife to be. Who's in your entourage, (fictional or real)? D., the contents of the blog ring, and a host of biseineney goodnesses including but probably not limited to Sephiroth, Alucard, Dante and...um...Jo, too. What? That would be an awesomebad party.... o_0
21. If you were planning a trip round the world, with unlimited funds, where would you go (top three destinations)? Egypt, Japan and Mexico.
21. Pick a song that presently sums up your opinion of life. I wish to make "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" the national anthem when I take over the world.
23. Which one of these questions took you the longest to answer? 20. I have too many people in my entourage. o_0
24. Where's my burrito? Well??
No, I don't mean that as a prophecy of my own death in 21 years' time. I'm having a depressing day and for no apparent reason I feel very old and very cranky. Maybe it's because my life is so mind-numbingly sucky at the moment. >_< I am decidedly fed up of my efforts to improve the situation coming to nothing, particularly as I've been trying really hard of late.
I even signed up for a temp agency. >_< Have I heard anything back from the woman who promised to phone me within a few hours of my leaving her office? Have I ever. -_- I just want some retarded office job I can earn money in for two months then I'll be out of their hair. But "disheartening" appears to be my keyword for the year, so who knows, maybe I'll be penniless for months to come yet. :p
Yeah I'm feeling quite bitter at the moment.
On the plus side, I finally got hold of 20-22 of Bakuretsu Tenshi which was pleasing, devestating and annoying in relatively equal amounts. I would bother marking spoilers but I suspect no one who reads this blog is ever going to watch more Bakuten than what I've already forced them to so there's not much point. This whole next paragraph is about Bakuten 20-22, in case anyone cares.
First half of ep 20=not good. That's generally what I think of most episodes which feature very little of Jo. Kansai police girl whose name escapes me irritates me very very much, so the fact that she featured a fair deal didn't help. This is a theme of my "annoying" complaints. I don't like Kansai girl and I don't like Mario either. But we will get to Mario later. It was very nice of them to finally explain what the bit at the start of ep 1 was about, it's perplexing as to why they left it until a whole 20 episodes later, however. But wouldn't you just know it, it turned out to be a zombie congressman from the sewers that Jo was fighting. Every logical fibre in my body disbelieves the idea that there is a planned, coherent and concluding plot behind Bakuretsu Tenshi, but I may yet be proven wrong. The amount of bombshells they dropped in these eps is surprising, but does smack a little of "oh crap it's nearly the end of the series!". I do, however, like the plot twists. I'm very very glad I didn't have to watch it in raw because I would have had *no clue* what was going on. Jo revelations were somewhat depressing in a kind of yes-we-knew-that-but-please-let-her-go kind of way. I am not happy when Jo is incarcerated and not able to beat up things in Jango. But hey! That's where Mario came in. *boo hiss* Mario being another of the "angels" brought up with Jo, who has a severe grudge against Ms. Carpenter for not having beaten her in the supreme death match at the end of their training. It was much cooler than I make it sound, not that that matters much anyway as I suspect all may have skipped this paragraph by now. They had a very nice cg mecha fight though, even if it was horribly spliced into the normal animation (...and that surprises me why?) So anyway, I wait for the last two eps and this alleged ova with baited breath.
You didn't read that, did you? Probably for the best. I would go and drown my sorrows in drink if I didn't know that was a really stupid idea. Maybe I ought to go and write some more of The Shameful Project. o_0
For those who doubted nogs were the greater species. I want that nog, he is truly awesome.
This is one of the nicest ideas I've seen in ages and I urge everyone to get involved. I know my parents don't read my blog, so I can safely disclose this is what they're getting for Christmas. Now to decide between chickens, seeds or goats...
...thank you. I am listening to more Tom Lehrer than is healthy at the moment. Between him and Lemony Snicket (who I suspect are both on very similar mental wavelengths o_0) I am in a healthy state of black humour. Well at least other people in the house think "The Masochism Tango" is funny too.
I have a decided lack of things to blog about at the moment, but don't you all know that's not going to stop me. o_0 A devestating evening has confirmed that the national IQ has plunged dramatically in the last twenty years. I was subjected to some of ITV's Saturday night programming. o_0 Why why why? I completely don't get "The X-Factor" despite everyone else thinking it's hilarious here. It's people, they can't sing, you get to listen to them not being able to sing for an hour. How is this entertainment? I mean, for crying out loud, I liked Big Brother but this is just torture. o_0
I have been brushing up on my life skills today too. Maternal parental unit has been teaching me to knit again. I do *somewhere* in the recesses of my brain know how to knit, but like many things, I have forgotten. And now I am knitting an enormous big tube, which may one day be a scarf. I like knitting with tube needles. In case you're not familiar with said devices, they're a bit like very short knitting needles, only they're attached to each other with a bit of cord so you can knit tubes. ^___^ It's quite an interesting experience, actually. It's a lot like reading books without chapters, you don't ever get to the end of the line so when you want to stop there's never a convenient place. ^___^
I had a really awesome dream last night, that reminds me. I keep having dreams where I have particularly awesome clothes, and this may have been the pinnacle. Why I was going to a hallowe'en party in a gothic lolita outfit, I don't know, but it was incredibly cool. o_0 It has bats on it. Goodness only knows what my subconscious gets up to when I'm not watching. It did make me a very nice nightdress a couple of nights ago, which also had bats on. That was great.
About the only other fun thing I have been doing at the moment is attempting some kind of diy on my shoebox bedroom. Apparently the bunk beds in my room are being broken up, so I am making myself a canopy for my bed. Why? Because it means I don't have to look at the rest of my room when I'm in bed. o_0 It's like sleeping in a store cupboard. >_< You know how much crap I had in my room in Oxford, so imagine that (and then some) in a 6'x10' room. Yes, that *is* in feet. o_0
Anyway, I'm going to bed soon, I'm tired. o_0
