Random Musings...oh, and a new hint!

Here’s a entry of a bunch of random musings I think may (or may not) be interesting to readers…but are too short to each have their own entry. What does this have to do with anything? Nothing, but you’re getting a hint out of this, so smile and nod and be polite.

First of all, has anyone seen those new McDonald’s ‘snack time’ commercials? You know, one of them has the guy digging out of the office with a spoon?
Is it just me…or is that guy Spike Spencer? The one with the spoon, I mean. Maybe I’m just going crazy, but it really LOOKS (and sounds) like the guy to me.
If it’s him, I’m glad he’s finding work in Hollywood. You hear so many things about how hard it can be to find a job as an actor…although, I’m sure he’d rather be working on a TV show or a movie, but work’s work. (Writers are sort of similar in a way…I want to be a novelist, but I might end up writing…for example…instruction books for TVs or something.)

Okay, next topic: my brother recently got Fullmetal Alchemist volume 11, and I decided to read some of it today. Hiromu Arakawa, like a lot of other manga-ka, starts off each volume of Fullmetal Alchemist with a little note. This is the note for volume 11: “True story – when I went to get a shiatsu massage after making my last deadline, the masseuse said to me, “Your right shoulder is really tense.” I almost replied to him, “That’s because it’s auto-mail!” because I was sleepy and my head was in a daze as I was thinking about some ideas for the next chapter.”

Now, I’m sure you all find this really funny…and it is…but you know what the sad thing is? I’ve kind of done that before.
When I was a kid, I was telling a story about something that happened to a friend and me. “And he said to me ‘Look, Lidia…’—“

“Lidia?” one of my classmates asked. “Who’s Lidia?”

Me: “*confused pause* Oh…I’m sorry…that’s one of my characters. He said ‘Haley.’

Classmate: …One of your characters?

Me: Yeah.

Classmate: ………BWAHAHAHAHAHA. YOU JUST CALLED YOURSELF A NAME OF A CHARACTER FROM ONE OF YOUR STORIES?!

Me: ._. Is it…that weird?

*A few hours later, during study hall*

Classmate: Hey! Lidia!

Me: *looks up* What?

Classmate: BWAHAHAHAHA. YOU DID IT AGAIN!

Yeah, that classmate of mine was a bit snobby. I have to admit, though, it’s a relief to know I’m not the only one that does something like that.
I wonder if that’s not just a writer thing? Do actors ever accidentally call themselves their characters or think they’re them? Does Johnny Depp ever answer if someone calls him ‘Jack’? Does Vic Mignogna wake up in the morning and wonder where Al is?
…No, probably not. Writers tend to be a little more…insane than actors, it appears. (…Well…then again…)

Another new topic I just thought of: You know that new iPod ad that has color in the shadows now? I like that one. It’s funny, though, with color you can see more details in the clothing…like you can see the argyle on one of the sweaters.
I wonder how much a wardrobe department has to worry on a commercial like that? Less than the typical ad, or more?
“NO you fool!! This pair of jeans has the wrong fading! We need four whiskers, not three!”
Okay, now I’m just getting really random, I better stop.

EDIT: Okay, I just saw something REALLY awesome, so I thought I should edit here and show it to you guys.
I just noticed that on a few recent Bang Zoom! dubs, one of the actors is credited as 'Jack Bauer'. I have no idea who it is--I haven't seen any of those shows recently enough to remember the voice--but whoever it is, they're awesome. Best pseudonym ever.

Okay, now I'm done.

As promised, you’re getting another hint for the Mystery Character Contest! All because you sat here and listened to me.

Your new hint is…
The mystery character has green eyes.

Now there’s a hint that’s actually useful, eh?
Don’t worry, as time goes on, I have some hints that will narrow it down considerably, as well. I'm just holding off on using those for a few days so it won't be too obvious at first. Hopefully that doesn't narrow it down TOO much...

See you next post!

Right Stuf sales!

Hi everyone! I've just found out about some great sales that Right Stuf is having!

For the first one, until Febuary 7th all items from Mythwear are 30% off! I actually use a Mythwear bag as my bookbag for college (this one, I think). I got it last summer, and it's survived being stuffed full of heavy text books and being held by the top handle, as well as being used as my "purse" at NDK last year, and still looks GREAT and hasn't broken at all. If you know how I abuse my bags sometimes, you'll understand how sturdy these things are. XD (And no, I don't have any endorsement payment or anything from this company. I just love the bag!)

Their second sale is that until February 11th all of Media Blaster's items are on sale--40% off for DVDs, and 33% off manga and other items. I haven't seen a lot of the anime they've licensed, but I've seen Rurouni Kenshin and it's a classic for a reason...plus, they have Invader Zim as part of the sale, which is one of the best cartoons Nick has EVER had on their channel. (I might have to pick up one of the DVDs...)

I've ordered from Right Stuf before during one of their sales and got a great deal from them with good shipping. Never had any problems from them, probably one of the better stores you can order online from.

I'll try to remember to tell you guys from now on when they have other sales ^^;

Oh, and before I forget...it's time for another hint in the Mystery Character Contest!!

Your new hint is....
The anime the Mystery Character is from has 26 episodes on the DVDs

That narrows down the field a bit, doesn't it?

Anime and Manga Reviews

In this entry, I’ll explain how my standard format for anime and manga reviews looks. Like my other review formats, these are subject to change as I see how things work (although I’ll always make sure to make a note of it if I do change my format). For anime and manga, I’ll be looking at the same basic qualities. My style for these reviews is borrowing heavily from Anime News Network’s rating system—partially because I really like their reviews, and partially because I TRIED to deviate from it, but found that their style works really well for expressing why I do (and do not) enjoy a series. However, unlike ANN, I’ll be using a 1-10 rating style, instead of letter grades.

What I’ll be looking for:

Story: This rating will show how I felt about the plot and characters. Does the plot hold your interest? Does it borrow heavily from clichés, or is it unique? If it does uses clichés, how well does it execute them? Are the characters memorable? Do they grow and change? And how about the pacing? That’s the sort of things I’ll be looking for in this category.
I should note that, for anime that focuses heavily on comedy, the ‘story’ rating will rely more on the characters and humor value, rather than the plot (which sometimes doesn’t really matter in a show along the lines of Azumanga Daioh).

Art: This rating will show how I felt about the overall style of the work, and the quality of it. For anime, this will include how smooth the animation is, the character design (can you tell the characters apart? Can you always recognize the characters?), how well the color used works, and how well the overall look is executed. For manga, this will cover the style, the quality of the art, the character design and how well the layout and drawings work together to tell the story. (Nothing bothers me more than being unable to tell what’s going on during an action scene because of how the panels are laid out, or because the art is angled confusingly.)

Overall: My overall opinion of the anime or manga. This won’t be an average of the scores, but both will be taken into account. Generally, I place more importance on the story than the art style, although the greatest plot in the world can be dragged down by horrible art. I’ll also split up my rating for the dub and the sub: good acting can raise a rating, and bad acting can lower a rating.

Also, please note: My reviews will mostly focus on one volume of the series (for example, Princess Tutu: DVD 1, or Fullmetal Alchemist: Manga 5), rather than the entire series. I will sometimes combine a review of two or more volumes if get them at the same time, though, and I also may review boxsets at times.

Now that you know what my general format is, a bit of a warning. While I will try to be objective as possible, I do have my own tastes in terms of anime and manga, and inevitably, these will probably sneak themselves into my reviews. So you know where I’m coming from, here are my…

Personal biases: I’m a big fantasy nerd (as you can probably tell), so stories that do a good job of telling a fantasy story are probably going to catch my attention. I’m also a huge sucker for good character development—if the characters are interesting and deep, and have a great character arc, I may be more willing to forgive a weak plot or setting. I tend to be more of a shoujo fan than a shounen fan as well, but not always.

My favorite anime: Fullmetal Alchemist, Princess Tutu, Paranoia Agent, Laputa: Castle in the Sky (and most of Miyazaki’s films), Azumanga Daioh

Favorite manga: Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, Megatokyo (Megatokyo isn’t actually a manga, but I’m also planning on reviewing “World Manga” as well)