As an aftermath from yesterday's fire alarm incident, my body was sore all over today from the stairs climbing and weight (read: cat) lifting. Even now, I'm still having trouble straightening my right arm without wincing.
Considering that I barely walk over 1km on a daily basis, counting from waking up in bed to going to bed, the one round trip from the 16th floor to ground with the weight probably accounted for a good couple of days' worth of exercise for me. Not to mention that I took another trip downstairs after that and walked from the church to the supermarket.
My body's beat. :(
My old and frail body isn't fit for exercising. :x
I'm so out of shape, even for an old person. XD
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
火事と水害に要注意
I went to bed at around 3am this morning after chatting with bro and Neko-tan, only to be woken up at 7:20am by the fire alarm, the 2nd I've experienced since I moved in here.
I was kinda hesitant at first whether to actually go out or not, especially since the 1st fire alarm last year was a false alarm and it was -13°C this morning. After about 20 minutes, I forced the cat out from under the bed and stuffed him into the carrying cage, and started the trek downstairs.
Long story short, it turned out to be a broken sprinkler in the basement that triggered the fire alarm. The super had to shut the water system for the whole building down and waited for the repair guy to come. However, since the water system was down, the internal emergency system was kept up and prohibited the use of the elevators.
After waiting around in the lobby for half an hour while the super tried to get someone to tell him how to override the system to at least get the elevators going, I decided to attempt the climb upstairs.
Accompanied by another guy I met at the lobby who's one floor above me, we scooped up our respective furry companions (him with a dog and me with a cat) and took up the challenge.
We took a short breather on the 10th floor before continuing to the 16th floor, by which time I could hardly feel my legs and right arm that was carrying the cat cage. Unfortunately for the guy, his unit can only be accessed via the elevators or through the roof, but the doors to the roof were locked, so he had to go all the way down to talk to the super, who was stuck in the lobby telling people that there's no water.
Just as I ventured downstairs again for church an hour later, the super emerged from the basement and got off the phone. He's finally able to get the elevators back working. At least I wouldn't need to climb up 16 floors when I returned.
Thankfully, the water pipe seemed to be fixed up by the time I returned a couple hours later. Everything's back to normal again.
Apparently the building at the end of our street had to evacuate everyone (with buses, I heard) last week when it was -30~-40°C because of a burst pipe in the penthouse, which subsequently drenched the whole building and caused something like a million dollars of damage.
And the building next door had a broken pipe yesterday, too.
It really can be dangerous when the temperature gets too cold and freezes the pipes. I have water damage coverage for my house insurance, but that's something I wish I never need to claim.
I was kinda hesitant at first whether to actually go out or not, especially since the 1st fire alarm last year was a false alarm and it was -13°C this morning. After about 20 minutes, I forced the cat out from under the bed and stuffed him into the carrying cage, and started the trek downstairs.
Long story short, it turned out to be a broken sprinkler in the basement that triggered the fire alarm. The super had to shut the water system for the whole building down and waited for the repair guy to come. However, since the water system was down, the internal emergency system was kept up and prohibited the use of the elevators.
After waiting around in the lobby for half an hour while the super tried to get someone to tell him how to override the system to at least get the elevators going, I decided to attempt the climb upstairs.
Accompanied by another guy I met at the lobby who's one floor above me, we scooped up our respective furry companions (him with a dog and me with a cat) and took up the challenge.
We took a short breather on the 10th floor before continuing to the 16th floor, by which time I could hardly feel my legs and right arm that was carrying the cat cage. Unfortunately for the guy, his unit can only be accessed via the elevators or through the roof, but the doors to the roof were locked, so he had to go all the way down to talk to the super, who was stuck in the lobby telling people that there's no water.
Just as I ventured downstairs again for church an hour later, the super emerged from the basement and got off the phone. He's finally able to get the elevators back working. At least I wouldn't need to climb up 16 floors when I returned.
Thankfully, the water pipe seemed to be fixed up by the time I returned a couple hours later. Everything's back to normal again.
Apparently the building at the end of our street had to evacuate everyone (with buses, I heard) last week when it was -30~-40°C because of a burst pipe in the penthouse, which subsequently drenched the whole building and caused something like a million dollars of damage.
And the building next door had a broken pipe yesterday, too.
It really can be dangerous when the temperature gets too cold and freezes the pipes. I have water damage coverage for my house insurance, but that's something I wish I never need to claim.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
手遅れた
Since a lot of anime movies and series are going to be released in a few months, I thought it might be a good time to redeem my Aeroplan mileage for the Amazon.ca gift card.
......it's not there as an available reward option anymore. orz
AHHHHHHHHH! orz
Why didn't I redeem it sooner. orz
Now I don't have a purpose in collecting Aeroplan miles. orz
I hope they get the gift card reward option back. T__T
......it's not there as an available reward option anymore. orz
AHHHHHHHHH! orz
Why didn't I redeem it sooner. orz
Now I don't have a purpose in collecting Aeroplan miles. orz
I hope they get the gift card reward option back. T__T
Friday, January 28, 2011
NGP vs. 3DS
Don't think I'd be considering the NGP (Next Generation Portable, successor to PSP, but you probably can't tell from the not-so-smart name), but I'll just briefly compare the new features of the two hand-held game systems. Of course, since NGP won't be out much further down the road, the specs is still somewhat speculative.
[NGP]
- HD/close to HD display
- 5" multi-touch screen
- dual analogue sticks
- GPS & Near feature
- new game card type, not backward compatible with UMD
[3DS]
- processing power comparable to GameCube/Xbox
- 3.53" 3D screen without glasses on the top, 3.02" touch screen on the bottom
- addition of analogue stick above the d-pad
- new game card type, backward compatible with current NDS games
Looking at the new features, it's pretty obvious which one I would go for (3DS, although I'm a bit unsure about the analogue stick since I'm that old school). While it's tempting to be able to play games in HD with the convenience of a hand-held, and that there will likely be games taking advantage of the multi-touch screen feature, it'll need a lot more than that to lure me to Sony on this one. I'd probably want to acquire a Famicom before I fall for a NGP.
The biggest argument against NGP, for me, is the incompatibility with UMD. Software is what really drives the success of a game system. It's not that easy to get people to abandon their game library just so they can play games in HD (already done on consoles) and maybe touch screen (common feature for owners of NDS or iPhone/iTouch, which would be a sizable population). Okay, the game library for PSP is almost only half of that for NDS, so it might not be as hard a sale. But still.
I might be tempted to get a NGP eventually if I didn't have a PSP. But I do. And while I only have a measly 3 games so far, I do plan to procure a good number more when I have access to those Japanese games. As of now, I don't see myself getting a NGP in the next five years.
Although it'll probably be year or two before I consider making my move on a 3DS. My current NDS games and potential PS3/PSP/NDS games will keep me busy enough...
[NGP]
- HD/close to HD display
- 5" multi-touch screen
- dual analogue sticks
- GPS & Near feature
- new game card type, not backward compatible with UMD
[3DS]
- processing power comparable to GameCube/Xbox
- 3.53" 3D screen without glasses on the top, 3.02" touch screen on the bottom
- addition of analogue stick above the d-pad
- new game card type, backward compatible with current NDS games
Looking at the new features, it's pretty obvious which one I would go for (3DS, although I'm a bit unsure about the analogue stick since I'm that old school). While it's tempting to be able to play games in HD with the convenience of a hand-held, and that there will likely be games taking advantage of the multi-touch screen feature, it'll need a lot more than that to lure me to Sony on this one. I'd probably want to acquire a Famicom before I fall for a NGP.
The biggest argument against NGP, for me, is the incompatibility with UMD. Software is what really drives the success of a game system. It's not that easy to get people to abandon their game library just so they can play games in HD (already done on consoles) and maybe touch screen (common feature for owners of NDS or iPhone/iTouch, which would be a sizable population). Okay, the game library for PSP is almost only half of that for NDS, so it might not be as hard a sale. But still.
I might be tempted to get a NGP eventually if I didn't have a PSP. But I do. And while I only have a measly 3 games so far, I do plan to procure a good number more when I have access to those Japanese games. As of now, I don't see myself getting a NGP in the next five years.
Although it'll probably be year or two before I consider making my move on a 3DS. My current NDS games and potential PS3/PSP/NDS games will keep me busy enough...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Soramimi Project #29: Ishida Akira 石田彰
First heard: Ikeda Kazuma (Kareshi Kanojo no Jijyo)
First noticed: Nagisa Kaoru (Evangelion)
Memorable characters: Nagisa Kaoru (Evangelion), Xelloss (Slayers series), Athrun Zala (Gundam SEED/SEED DESTINY), Sarutobi Sasuke (Samurai Deeper Kyo), Kouya/Kenrou Shinkun (Juuni Kokuki), Hayami Atsushi (GunParade March), Chrono (Chrono Crusade), Head (Star Driver), Takenaka Hanbei (Sengoku Basara 2), Katsura Kotarou (Gintama), Gaara (Naruto), etc.
Image character: N/A
Discernment rate: very high; visual
Number of works seen: 97
Number of merchandise owned: 12
ｷﾀ━━━━━( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )━━━━━!!
My honmei male seiyuu! XD
Ishida-san is undoubtedly one of the best seiyuu out there and is of legendary status. One of his most famous stunts involved him portraying 7 different characters (himself, father, mother, grandpa, grandma, younger brother, and younger sister) in a 5-min track where he listens to an answering machine message left by his families.
I first heard Ishida-san in Kare Kano, but as Kare Kano was my 2nd ever anime in Japanese, I knew nothing about seiyuu. When I really started to watch anime a few years after, Kaoru from Evangelion caught my attention. Soon after I met Xelloss from Slayers TRY, and that's when I started to recognize his voice.
As can be gathered from the very high number of works I've seen of Ishida-san (which is probably not even half of what he's done), he's pretty much played any type of characters imaginable, from young to old, male to female, hero to last boss, cold-blooded to hot-blooded... You name it, he's probably played it. And he is goooood. He creates a presence for his character whenever he speaks.
He's got a very smooth and graceful voice, but he's stopped singing character songs after 2002 (but would sing if it's part of the act in the show), which is a real shame. I really like his Xelloss songs for Slayers Next and Try.
The first time I heard Ishida-san's own voice in a web radio program, I was surprised at how high his pitch was. He's generally known to not be a people's person, and he often appears in photos without a smile. But when he's amongst people he's familiar with, he opens up a bit and acts more freely. Then he becomes a potential tsukkomi person, especially when he's with good friends such as Hoshi Souichirou.
Despite having heard many works where Ishida-san appears in, I still squeal in happiness whenever I hear him. Since he's my honmei male seiyuu, obviously I'd want to hear as many of his works as possible. I'd shoot for 150 works if it's possible, but seeing how I don't have access to Japanese games, this is not really feasible since I'm also watching other anime as they air and therefore can't just watch anime that he appears in.
I'm probably pushing it to even shoot for 110, but I'm gonna set the goal at 120 works by the end of 2012. Anything more would be bonus. XD
素敵な演技をいつもありがとうございます、石田さん！
これからも頑張ってください、ずっと応援します！( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )
First noticed: Nagisa Kaoru (Evangelion)
Memorable characters: Nagisa Kaoru (Evangelion), Xelloss (Slayers series), Athrun Zala (Gundam SEED/SEED DESTINY), Sarutobi Sasuke (Samurai Deeper Kyo), Kouya/Kenrou Shinkun (Juuni Kokuki), Hayami Atsushi (GunParade March), Chrono (Chrono Crusade), Head (Star Driver), Takenaka Hanbei (Sengoku Basara 2), Katsura Kotarou (Gintama), Gaara (Naruto), etc.
Image character: N/A
Discernment rate: very high; visual
Number of works seen: 97
Number of merchandise owned: 12
ｷﾀ━━━━━( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )━━━━━!!
My honmei male seiyuu! XD
Ishida-san is undoubtedly one of the best seiyuu out there and is of legendary status. One of his most famous stunts involved him portraying 7 different characters (himself, father, mother, grandpa, grandma, younger brother, and younger sister) in a 5-min track where he listens to an answering machine message left by his families.
I first heard Ishida-san in Kare Kano, but as Kare Kano was my 2nd ever anime in Japanese, I knew nothing about seiyuu. When I really started to watch anime a few years after, Kaoru from Evangelion caught my attention. Soon after I met Xelloss from Slayers TRY, and that's when I started to recognize his voice.
As can be gathered from the very high number of works I've seen of Ishida-san (which is probably not even half of what he's done), he's pretty much played any type of characters imaginable, from young to old, male to female, hero to last boss, cold-blooded to hot-blooded... You name it, he's probably played it. And he is goooood. He creates a presence for his character whenever he speaks.
He's got a very smooth and graceful voice, but he's stopped singing character songs after 2002 (but would sing if it's part of the act in the show), which is a real shame. I really like his Xelloss songs for Slayers Next and Try.
The first time I heard Ishida-san's own voice in a web radio program, I was surprised at how high his pitch was. He's generally known to not be a people's person, and he often appears in photos without a smile. But when he's amongst people he's familiar with, he opens up a bit and acts more freely. Then he becomes a potential tsukkomi person, especially when he's with good friends such as Hoshi Souichirou.
Despite having heard many works where Ishida-san appears in, I still squeal in happiness whenever I hear him. Since he's my honmei male seiyuu, obviously I'd want to hear as many of his works as possible. I'd shoot for 150 works if it's possible, but seeing how I don't have access to Japanese games, this is not really feasible since I'm also watching other anime as they air and therefore can't just watch anime that he appears in.
I'm probably pushing it to even shoot for 110, but I'm gonna set the goal at 120 works by the end of 2012. Anything more would be bonus. XD
素敵な演技をいつもありがとうございます、石田さん！
これからも頑張ってください、ずっと応援します！( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
イッツ・ア・ピーンチ～ Part.2
Before the Christmas weekend, I mentioned that my HDD had less than 10G of space left. Seeing how there's not as many new anime series for the winter season, I figured that I would be able to get it back up to around 20G.
Now I have less than 7G (even 5G at one point) of space on my HDD. orz
Coincidentally, I've also had the computer just freezing on me (along with the music freezing on the same note on Winamp) for a few times in the last month. I hope it's just simply insufficient memory due to extremely low HDD space and yet intensive usage.
This calls for some serious cleaning up, a.k.a. going through my ACGN (anime, manga, game, novel).
So I'm starting on the winter season anime today! XD
Now I have less than 7G (even 5G at one point) of space on my HDD. orz
Coincidentally, I've also had the computer just freezing on me (along with the music freezing on the same note on Winamp) for a few times in the last month. I hope it's just simply insufficient memory due to extremely low HDD space and yet intensive usage.
This calls for some serious cleaning up, a.k.a. going through my ACGN (anime, manga, game, novel).
So I'm starting on the winter season anime today! XD
Sunday, January 23, 2011
大河ドラマ初体験
Taiga drama is an integral part of the Japanese television culture. Despite having a strong interest in the ACG subcultures, I have yet to touch on the Japanese jidaigeki which includes the Taiga drama. Until today.
While anyone should be able to enjoy a show without any prerequisite, obviously one can only fully submerge in the experience when one has an understanding of the background settings.
I like to learn about a lot of things, but I'm also mentally very old fashioned. To me, modern warfare, with the myriad of remote and automatic weapons, removes the sensation and weight of taking another life. It's easier to overlook this burden when lives are just dots on the radar or numbers on the screen, rather than being face to face with the person in front of you dying due to the wounds you inflicted. It's definitely harder on the nerves, but it also makes people value the everyday lives more.
...*cough* I've veered off-topic.
What I wanted to say was that when it comes to history, I generally don't have much interest for anything post-19th century. But I also don't like to study history just for the sake of study history and usually just pick up additional reading if I encounter something interesting in popular media. As a result, I have a very limited knowledge of history, especially Japanese history, to be able to enjoy historical series fully.
Having said that, I recognize quite a few names for this particular Taiga drama from other ACG works, and I even know the lead female from another drama series, so I thought I'd give this one a try.
So, I present you my first ever Taiga drama series, 江～姫たちの戦国～ (Gou ~Himetachi no Sengoku)!
On a side note, today's been a history-themed day for me. I finished the Dong Zhuo arc for SDガンダム三国伝 (Three Kingdoms period), then saw the emotional turmoils of the many samurai as they pick themselves up to face the last boss in 戦国BASARA弐 (Sengoku period). Then I watched the 1st episode of 江 (Sengoku~Edo period).
Maybe I should watch something non-historical next. XD
While anyone should be able to enjoy a show without any prerequisite, obviously one can only fully submerge in the experience when one has an understanding of the background settings.
I like to learn about a lot of things, but I'm also mentally very old fashioned. To me, modern warfare, with the myriad of remote and automatic weapons, removes the sensation and weight of taking another life. It's easier to overlook this burden when lives are just dots on the radar or numbers on the screen, rather than being face to face with the person in front of you dying due to the wounds you inflicted. It's definitely harder on the nerves, but it also makes people value the everyday lives more.
...*cough* I've veered off-topic.
What I wanted to say was that when it comes to history, I generally don't have much interest for anything post-19th century. But I also don't like to study history just for the sake of study history and usually just pick up additional reading if I encounter something interesting in popular media. As a result, I have a very limited knowledge of history, especially Japanese history, to be able to enjoy historical series fully.
Having said that, I recognize quite a few names for this particular Taiga drama from other ACG works, and I even know the lead female from another drama series, so I thought I'd give this one a try.
So, I present you my first ever Taiga drama series, 江～姫たちの戦国～ (Gou ~Himetachi no Sengoku)!
On a side note, today's been a history-themed day for me. I finished the Dong Zhuo arc for SDガンダム三国伝 (Three Kingdoms period), then saw the emotional turmoils of the many samurai as they pick themselves up to face the last boss in 戦国BASARA弐 (Sengoku period). Then I watched the 1st episode of 江 (Sengoku~Edo period).
Maybe I should watch something non-historical next. XD
Saturday, January 22, 2011
アニソンは良い物だ
剛才一口氣看了 Animax Musix Fall 2010 ~artist selection~ 跟 MUSIC JAPAN 新世紀アニソンSP.4, 果然只有真正的強手才能在live舞台上閃閃發光啊～
[Animax Musix Fall 2010 ~artist selection~]
- SCANDAL： 瞬間センチメンタル（鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST）
ハガレンFMA還沒看所以沒聽過這首歌，對SCANDAL也不熟。
- AKINO from bless4： 創聖のアクエリオン（創聖のアクエリオン）
在アクエリオン之後就沒什麼作為。Live時的key都比原曲低是我的錯覺嗎...
- Lia: My Soul,Your Beats! （Angel Beats!）
神曲！麻枝准寫的歌都很讚，Lia歌姫好棒～
- 玉置成実: Believe （機動戦士ガンダムSEED）
老實説我幾乎忘了這首歌的存在，SEED DESTINY之後就沒聽過玉置成実的歌了。
- GRANRODEO: OUTSIDER （キューティーハニーTHE LIVE）
沒聽過的歌，可是谷山紀章唱超high。我個人覺得歌唱力很棒的男聲優之一。
- 彩菜： Last Regrets （KANON）
也是神曲，可惜只有一段chorus而已...
- Kalafina: oblivious （空の境界）
基本上Kalafina的歌都很棒，和音也超讚。個人最喜歡WAKANA，不過聲音跟外表打扮相反的低音歌姫KEIKO也很棒～
- ORIGA: Rise （攻殻機動隊SAG 2nd GIG）
真人ORIGA第一次看到，唱起來還蠻猛的。沒唱俄文版的水のまどろみ有點小遺憾。
- 中川翔子: 空色デイズ（天元突破グレンラガン）
姆，老實説還沒看過中川翔子唱得好的live演出，而且這首還是自己的歌...
- KOTOKO: SCREW （ASSAULT GIRLS）
有名的I've歌姫，不過電波跟我不太合，喜歡的歌佔少數。很不幸這首是多數裡的歌。
- KANASA×玉置成実×AKINO: CAT'S EYE（CAT'S EYE）
原曲因年代的縁故當然是不知道，不過我倒是比較被三人的打扮嚇到。
- May'n: Lost my music （涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱）
May'n!! 比原唱強N倍的大好き歌姫～:D
- LISP: ラムのラブソング（うる星やつら）
原曲好像有聽過，耍萌版跟我的波長不符，不過還算能接受。
- 中川翔子: 星間飛行（マクロスF）
本來聽説比中島愛唱得還差的時候還不相信，居然是真的。orz
- HIMEKA×下川みくに: 輪舞-revolution-（少女革命ウテナ）
HIMEKA還是一樣可愛，不過覺得太偶像的打扮不適合吶。旁邊的下川みくに顯得沒什麼存在感...
- Kalafina×ELISA: ゆずれない願い（魔法騎士レイアース）
好棒！這種組合唱什麼都沒問題！XD
- 黒崎真音: 翼はPleasure Line（クロノクルセイド）
從HOTD才開始聽所以不熟，不過前景應該不錯。可是這首歌還是要栗林みな実唱比較有感覺吶。
- 佐咲紗花×河野万里奈×喜多修平: ハローダーウィン！（ケロロ軍曹）
原曲不明，唱歌的三隻也不熟。中下的感覺。
- ELISA: 愛・おぼえていますか（超時空要塞マクロス）
ktkr! 不愧是ELISA歌姫！最近聽過最讚的愛・おぼえていますかcover!
- 中川翔子×SCANDAL: Don't say "lazy"（けいおん！）
原曲聽過一次，其他沒什麼好説的...
- May'n: Ready Go!（オオカミさんと七人の仲間たち）
- May'n: 射手座☆午後九時 Don't be late （マクロスF）
May'n! May'n! May'n! ( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )
[MUSIC JAPAN 新世紀アニソンSP]
- 工藤真由: ハートキャッチ☆パラダイス！
歌跟人都不熟，不過後面的魔法少女伴舞團超級有存在感。紫色那隻為什麼會讓我想到台灣的布袋戲。XD
- ピコ: 勿忘草
一樣都是歌跟人都不熟，似乎是Nico上有名的両声類。我怎麼看都覺得像是女的，不過光聲音聽得出是男的就是。
- 水樹奈々×May'n： ETERNAL BLAZE
- 水樹奈々×May'n： ダイアモンド クレバス
神曲加真正的歌姫，讓人會尖叫出來的組合！我要完整版啊～～～
- May'n: もしも君が願うのなら
沒聽過的新曲，May'n好棒！
- ALI PROJECT： 聖少女領域
雖然是名曲，不過這位大嬸您到底想玩哥德到什麼時候...
- JAM Project: MAXON
一如往常地熱血演出，Maximum! XD
- Girls Dead Monster: Crow Song
麻枝准的好歌之一，可惜唱的人稍嫌水準不足。Girls Dead Monster的活動也從此打上了句號。
- 水樹奈々: 十字架のスプレッド
現在連arcade遊戲都有這麼豪華的主題曲了啊...
對這次的MUSIC JAPAN 新世紀アニソンSP.4沒什麼怨念，應該不會去找完全版，最多去找水樹奈々×May'n那兩首的完整版吧。
Animax Musix Fall 2010雖然不是所有歌手都欣賞，可是有不少超級期待的cover，最後又有May'n的6曲連發，全長將近七個小時的演唱會可不是蓋的。果然還是會找完全版吧。
[Animax Musix Fall 2010 ~artist selection~]
- SCANDAL： 瞬間センチメンタル（鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST）
ハガレンFMA還沒看所以沒聽過這首歌，對SCANDAL也不熟。
- AKINO from bless4： 創聖のアクエリオン（創聖のアクエリオン）
在アクエリオン之後就沒什麼作為。Live時的key都比原曲低是我的錯覺嗎...
- Lia: My Soul,Your Beats! （Angel Beats!）
神曲！麻枝准寫的歌都很讚，Lia歌姫好棒～
- 玉置成実: Believe （機動戦士ガンダムSEED）
老實説我幾乎忘了這首歌的存在，SEED DESTINY之後就沒聽過玉置成実的歌了。
- GRANRODEO: OUTSIDER （キューティーハニーTHE LIVE）
沒聽過的歌，可是谷山紀章唱超high。我個人覺得歌唱力很棒的男聲優之一。
- 彩菜： Last Regrets （KANON）
也是神曲，可惜只有一段chorus而已...
- Kalafina: oblivious （空の境界）
基本上Kalafina的歌都很棒，和音也超讚。個人最喜歡WAKANA，不過聲音跟外表打扮相反的低音歌姫KEIKO也很棒～
- ORIGA: Rise （攻殻機動隊SAG 2nd GIG）
真人ORIGA第一次看到，唱起來還蠻猛的。沒唱俄文版的水のまどろみ有點小遺憾。
- 中川翔子: 空色デイズ（天元突破グレンラガン）
姆，老實説還沒看過中川翔子唱得好的live演出，而且這首還是自己的歌...
- KOTOKO: SCREW （ASSAULT GIRLS）
有名的I've歌姫，不過電波跟我不太合，喜歡的歌佔少數。很不幸這首是多數裡的歌。
- KANASA×玉置成実×AKINO: CAT'S EYE（CAT'S EYE）
原曲因年代的縁故當然是不知道，不過我倒是比較被三人的打扮嚇到。
- May'n: Lost my music （涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱）
May'n!! 比原唱強N倍的大好き歌姫～:D
- LISP: ラムのラブソング（うる星やつら）
原曲好像有聽過，耍萌版跟我的波長不符，不過還算能接受。
- 中川翔子: 星間飛行（マクロスF）
本來聽説比中島愛唱得還差的時候還不相信，居然是真的。orz
- HIMEKA×下川みくに: 輪舞-revolution-（少女革命ウテナ）
HIMEKA還是一樣可愛，不過覺得太偶像的打扮不適合吶。旁邊的下川みくに顯得沒什麼存在感...
- Kalafina×ELISA: ゆずれない願い（魔法騎士レイアース）
好棒！這種組合唱什麼都沒問題！XD
- 黒崎真音: 翼はPleasure Line（クロノクルセイド）
從HOTD才開始聽所以不熟，不過前景應該不錯。可是這首歌還是要栗林みな実唱比較有感覺吶。
- 佐咲紗花×河野万里奈×喜多修平: ハローダーウィン！（ケロロ軍曹）
原曲不明，唱歌的三隻也不熟。中下的感覺。
- ELISA: 愛・おぼえていますか（超時空要塞マクロス）
ktkr! 不愧是ELISA歌姫！最近聽過最讚的愛・おぼえていますかcover!
- 中川翔子×SCANDAL: Don't say "lazy"（けいおん！）
原曲聽過一次，其他沒什麼好説的...
- May'n: Ready Go!（オオカミさんと七人の仲間たち）
- May'n: 射手座☆午後九時 Don't be late （マクロスF）
May'n! May'n! May'n! ( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )
[MUSIC JAPAN 新世紀アニソンSP]
- 工藤真由: ハートキャッチ☆パラダイス！
歌跟人都不熟，不過後面的魔法少女伴舞團超級有存在感。紫色那隻為什麼會讓我想到台灣的布袋戲。XD
- ピコ: 勿忘草
一樣都是歌跟人都不熟，似乎是Nico上有名的両声類。我怎麼看都覺得像是女的，不過光聲音聽得出是男的就是。
- 水樹奈々×May'n： ETERNAL BLAZE
- 水樹奈々×May'n： ダイアモンド クレバス
神曲加真正的歌姫，讓人會尖叫出來的組合！我要完整版啊～～～
- May'n: もしも君が願うのなら
沒聽過的新曲，May'n好棒！
- ALI PROJECT： 聖少女領域
雖然是名曲，不過這位大嬸您到底想玩哥德到什麼時候...
- JAM Project: MAXON
一如往常地熱血演出，Maximum! XD
- Girls Dead Monster: Crow Song
麻枝准的好歌之一，可惜唱的人稍嫌水準不足。Girls Dead Monster的活動也從此打上了句號。
- 水樹奈々: 十字架のスプレッド
現在連arcade遊戲都有這麼豪華的主題曲了啊...
對這次的MUSIC JAPAN 新世紀アニソンSP.4沒什麼怨念，應該不會去找完全版，最多去找水樹奈々×May'n那兩首的完整版吧。
Animax Musix Fall 2010雖然不是所有歌手都欣賞，可是有不少超級期待的cover，最後又有May'n的6曲連發，全長將近七個小時的演唱會可不是蓋的。果然還是會找完全版吧。
Friday, January 21, 2011
YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE @ Ottawa
I already watched Evangelion 2.0 last summer, but being able to watch it on a big screen is just too rare a chance to pass by. So I scrambled to buy the ticket at 2am yesterday, 17 hours before show time once I confirmed the audio to be in Japanese.
The screening felt as if a local anime club booked the smallest cinema (even smaller than the lecture theatre I went to in university) in SilverCity, and whoever was responsible for the actual playback seemed like a newbie.
The small cinema was relatively full, and the average age of the room was maybe under 25. There were probably no more than ten East Asians, and a lot of the people had the air of typical Western geeks rather than hard core anime otaku. Friend-K was slightly impressed by the atmosphere of geekiness. I just thought it's calming environment where I could spend the whole day reading quietly in a corner. XD
While it's pretty awesome to watch Evangelion 2.0 on the big screen, the somewhat muted audio volume was very disappointingly pathetic. The somewhat flat audio sound failed to deliver the impact of big screen movies and made it obvious that it's just a regular disc playback. Yes, it's just a straight Blu-ray disc playback, and the BD logo was shown on screen for a brief second.
From the reaction at the end, the majority of the people likely already saw the movie before. I didn't hear any surprised gasp during the whole screening even though the movie diverts rather drastically from the original series. When the lights were turned back on during the ending theme song (who put the lights back on when it's not really over?), only a few people left. And people who got up to chat instantly sat down quietly just as the song finished.
All in all, the screening was a pretty merry scene. Despite it being an anime movie, it felt more like being at the Comic Con rather than the Anime Expo, however.
On a side note, I wasn't planning to write anything about the movie itself, but something kind of irked me. As I was purchasing the ticket online, I was asked to select the number of ticket I wanted for senior, children, or adult. Apparently the movie is rated PG, which means that basically anyone older than 10 can watch it.
...!?
I wouldn't be surprised if it's R-15, and the rating (by the movie theatre) is PG?? What, just because 99% of the reddish fluids shown on screen do not directly come out of a human being, it's not considered to be bloody? And young female flesh strategically concealed by beer cans and a straw (albeit for gag effect) is not considered nudity? Are people still treating anime as cartoon for older kids?
Anyway. There you have it, my first theatre-going experience in Ottawa.
Now to wait for the 2.22 Blu-ray release in North America.
The screening felt as if a local anime club booked the smallest cinema (even smaller than the lecture theatre I went to in university) in SilverCity, and whoever was responsible for the actual playback seemed like a newbie.
The small cinema was relatively full, and the average age of the room was maybe under 25. There were probably no more than ten East Asians, and a lot of the people had the air of typical Western geeks rather than hard core anime otaku. Friend-K was slightly impressed by the atmosphere of geekiness. I just thought it's calming environment where I could spend the whole day reading quietly in a corner. XD
While it's pretty awesome to watch Evangelion 2.0 on the big screen, the somewhat muted audio volume was very disappointingly pathetic. The somewhat flat audio sound failed to deliver the impact of big screen movies and made it obvious that it's just a regular disc playback. Yes, it's just a straight Blu-ray disc playback, and the BD logo was shown on screen for a brief second.
From the reaction at the end, the majority of the people likely already saw the movie before. I didn't hear any surprised gasp during the whole screening even though the movie diverts rather drastically from the original series. When the lights were turned back on during the ending theme song (who put the lights back on when it's not really over?), only a few people left. And people who got up to chat instantly sat down quietly just as the song finished.
All in all, the screening was a pretty merry scene. Despite it being an anime movie, it felt more like being at the Comic Con rather than the Anime Expo, however.
On a side note, I wasn't planning to write anything about the movie itself, but something kind of irked me. As I was purchasing the ticket online, I was asked to select the number of ticket I wanted for senior, children, or adult. Apparently the movie is rated PG, which means that basically anyone older than 10 can watch it.
...!?
I wouldn't be surprised if it's R-15, and the rating (by the movie theatre) is PG?? What, just because 99% of the reddish fluids shown on screen do not directly come out of a human being, it's not considered to be bloody? And young female flesh strategically concealed by beer cans and a straw (albeit for gag effect) is not considered nudity? Are people still treating anime as cartoon for older kids?
Anyway. There you have it, my first theatre-going experience in Ottawa.
Now to wait for the 2.22 Blu-ray release in North America.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
愛されるハードたち
任天堂ハードにまつわる豆知識 (日々是遊戯)
Another trivia list from Hibikore, this time about the Nintendo hardware.
1. Famicom was red because that was the cheapest coloured plastic available at the time. Having the controllers attached to the console and the lack of the start and select buttons on the controller #2 were all measures taken to reduce the cost of production.
2. Famicom game cartridges can actually be manually removed. The eject lever mechanism was included to make children happy with bouncing game cartridges.
3. The famous Game Boy that was damaged when barracks were bombed during the Gulf War, but still works. (I often hear stories of working Game Boy after being ran over by heavy trucks or flushed in the toilet. Modern hand-held devices? Lucky if they survive a 5-foot drop.)
4. When inputted into 3D modelling software, the logo of Nintendo 64 is shown to have 64 vertexes and 64 faces. Coincidence?
5. Speed up the menu BGM of GameCube 16 times and you'll get the start up BGM of the Famicom Disk System, as someone found out almost 10 years after the release of the Disk System.
6. Panasonic actually released an accessory, Q, to add DVD playback to the GameCube back in 2001. However PS2 was already doing this and had a large market share, the add-on device didn't sell well. GameCube itself was actually a joint project between Nintento and Panasonic, but Panasonic had completely pulled out of the game industry after 3DO.
7. Wii-related products have a product number that starts with RVL, which refers to its original developer code name, Revolution. GameCube-related products start with DOL for its code name, Dolphin; NDS-related products start with NTR (not to be confused with NTR, netorare/寝取られ) for its code name, Nitro.
8. There's over 26,000,000 people in Japan with their own Mii and over 1.8 millions Mii around the world.
Conclusion:
任天堂はみんなに愛されるだな、本当に。何か皆のこと、子供の頃からずっと見守っている様な（笑）。さすが歴史ある会社。
Another trivia list from Hibikore, this time about the Nintendo hardware.
1. Famicom was red because that was the cheapest coloured plastic available at the time. Having the controllers attached to the console and the lack of the start and select buttons on the controller #2 were all measures taken to reduce the cost of production.
2. Famicom game cartridges can actually be manually removed. The eject lever mechanism was included to make children happy with bouncing game cartridges.
3. The famous Game Boy that was damaged when barracks were bombed during the Gulf War, but still works. (I often hear stories of working Game Boy after being ran over by heavy trucks or flushed in the toilet. Modern hand-held devices? Lucky if they survive a 5-foot drop.)
4. When inputted into 3D modelling software, the logo of Nintendo 64 is shown to have 64 vertexes and 64 faces. Coincidence?
5. Speed up the menu BGM of GameCube 16 times and you'll get the start up BGM of the Famicom Disk System, as someone found out almost 10 years after the release of the Disk System.
6. Panasonic actually released an accessory, Q, to add DVD playback to the GameCube back in 2001. However PS2 was already doing this and had a large market share, the add-on device didn't sell well. GameCube itself was actually a joint project between Nintento and Panasonic, but Panasonic had completely pulled out of the game industry after 3DO.
7. Wii-related products have a product number that starts with RVL, which refers to its original developer code name, Revolution. GameCube-related products start with DOL for its code name, Dolphin; NDS-related products start with NTR (not to be confused with NTR, netorare/寝取られ) for its code name, Nitro.
8. There's over 26,000,000 people in Japan with their own Mii and over 1.8 millions Mii around the world.
Conclusion:
任天堂はみんなに愛されるだな、本当に。何か皆のこと、子供の頃からずっと見守っている様な（笑）。さすが歴史ある会社。
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
マリオ、再び
マリオの豆知識25選 (日々是遊戯)
I was reading the NINTENDO WORLD 2011 3DS hands-on report on Gamez when I saw the article on our beloved moustache guy. Of course I have to post something about this awesome trivia list! XD
1. Mario is not a plumber(!!). His official occupation is actually a carpenter.
2. The plumber identity is likely spread around thanks to the 1993 live action Super Mario movie.
Though I recall seeing an American live action Mario show prior to 1993... Can't remember what, but I think the brothers were already plumbers in the show.
3. Super Mario Brothers is the best selling separately sold game (But the best selling game in the world is Wii Sports)
4. Mario was referred to as Jump Man/Mr. Video/Mr. Video Game within Nintendo when he debuted in Donkey Kong.
5. Mario was called Mario staring in Donkey Kong Jr. The name is from Mario Seagale, the landlord of the office that Nintendo of America (NoA) was renting at the time, who looked Mario.
6. Mario's full name is Mario Mario (since it's called Mario brothers, which means Luigi would be Luigi Mario). However, this only came about because NoA took some desperation measures. Nintendo Japan does not official admit the name.
7. How Luigi's name came about is unknown. Some said it's from 類似(similar) since he's similar to Mario. Some said the NoA employee that named Mario wanted an Italian name to go with Mario and picked a name used the most by Italian designers at the time. There's also rumour that there was a pizza place near the NoA office called "Mario & Luigi's."
8. Mario's known to wear a red shirt under a blue overall, but he debuted in Donkey Kong in a blue shirt under a red overall. It wasn't until SMB3 that he's set to the colouring today.
9. Some thought クリボー/Kuribo (Goomba) is a chestnut because of the name (栗/kuri), but it's actually a shiitake mushroom. They were originally soldiers of the Mushroom Kingdom and turned traitors when Koopa (Bowser) invaded the kingdom.
10. Koopa (Bowser)'s name came from gukbap (pronounced koopa in Japanese), Korean rice soup served in BBQ restaurants.
11. Outside of Japan, Koopa is called Bowser or King Koopa, and Koopa is used to referred to the turtle race. ノコノコ and パタパタ are called Koopa Troopa and Koopa Paratroopa, respectively, outside of Japan.
12. The Koopa in World 1-7 are all fake, only the Koopa is World 8 is the real Koopa. The fake one's real identity can be seen when it's defeated by fireball.
I always wondered about why sometimes the Koopa turned into a lesser enemy when I played the game. Now I know! :D
13. The brick blocks and pipes are actually residents of the Mushroom Kingdom who are trapped in Koopa's magic.
14. Koopa wants to abduct Princess Peach because she's the only one who can dispel the magic he cast on the resident of Mushroom Kingdom. After Super Mario RPG, he attempts to kidnap Princess Peach more for wanting her as a wife.
15. Mario grows with mushroom because Miyamoto associated mushrooms with magical lands in general, not Alice in Wonderland as many believed.
16. Turtles were chosen as Mario's opponents because the team wanted an enemy that can be knocked down from under and then finished off from the top. Even better, one that can revive itself if it's only knocked down.
17. The brick blocks float in mid-air because... "the insides are actually connected. XD"
18. It's possible to jump over the flag pole without touching the flag. (But you probably still need to touch the pole to pass the stage)
19. Using a certain very dangerous unofficial trick, it's possible to play World 9 and all the way to World 256 (with many more tricks to get past the impossible stages, I'm sure).
20. SMB2 has an official trick to get to World 9 (clear World 1-8 without going through the wrap zone). At the end of 9-4, Mario gets to swim through the staff's message for playing all the way (アリガトウ！).
21. Outside of Japan, SMB2 is not the real SMB2, but Yume Koujo Doki Doki Panic. As a result, enemies such as Hey Ho (Shy Guy) and Kathrine (Birdo) become regulars in the Mario series.
22. The stage clear BGM for SMB3 is simply Do-Re-Mi-Fa So-La-Si-Do Do (same as 1st Do).
23. It's possible to clear Super Mario 64 without obtaining any stars with the help of certain tricks. There's also confirmed record where one cleared the game in roughly 7.5 minutes.
24. There was a rare Game & Watch version of SMB. (Yes, I went beyond the trivia list to find the information on the game)
Ah, Game & Watch. Another distant but nostalgic relic from my childhood... I didn't recognize the brand name so I looked online and realized that I used to play the Game & Watch Donkey Kong Jr. before Game Boy came out.
25. There was an arcade version of VS. SMB, based on a mix of SMB & SMB2 but with some differences. It was released after Nintendo pulled out of the arcade market and therefore wasn't sold in Japan. It's available in some arcade stores in Japan now thanks to parallel imports.
Conclusion:
いや～まさかスーパーマリオブラザーズにはそんなキャラ設定があったんだ、ちょっとストーリーっぽい感じですね。やっぱり日本人は細かい事でも気を付けるですね、いい意味で。さすが社会現象とも言える、ゲーム業界を代表する作品の一つに違いないでしょう。
ああ、また遊びたいとなった…
I was reading the NINTENDO WORLD 2011 3DS hands-on report on Gamez when I saw the article on our beloved moustache guy. Of course I have to post something about this awesome trivia list! XD
1. Mario is not a plumber(!!). His official occupation is actually a carpenter.
2. The plumber identity is likely spread around thanks to the 1993 live action Super Mario movie.
Though I recall seeing an American live action Mario show prior to 1993... Can't remember what, but I think the brothers were already plumbers in the show.
3. Super Mario Brothers is the best selling separately sold game (But the best selling game in the world is Wii Sports)
4. Mario was referred to as Jump Man/Mr. Video/Mr. Video Game within Nintendo when he debuted in Donkey Kong.
5. Mario was called Mario staring in Donkey Kong Jr. The name is from Mario Seagale, the landlord of the office that Nintendo of America (NoA) was renting at the time, who looked Mario.
6. Mario's full name is Mario Mario (since it's called Mario brothers, which means Luigi would be Luigi Mario). However, this only came about because NoA took some desperation measures. Nintendo Japan does not official admit the name.
7. How Luigi's name came about is unknown. Some said it's from 類似(similar) since he's similar to Mario. Some said the NoA employee that named Mario wanted an Italian name to go with Mario and picked a name used the most by Italian designers at the time. There's also rumour that there was a pizza place near the NoA office called "Mario & Luigi's."
8. Mario's known to wear a red shirt under a blue overall, but he debuted in Donkey Kong in a blue shirt under a red overall. It wasn't until SMB3 that he's set to the colouring today.
9. Some thought クリボー/Kuribo (Goomba) is a chestnut because of the name (栗/kuri), but it's actually a shiitake mushroom. They were originally soldiers of the Mushroom Kingdom and turned traitors when Koopa (Bowser) invaded the kingdom.
10. Koopa (Bowser)'s name came from gukbap (pronounced koopa in Japanese), Korean rice soup served in BBQ restaurants.
11. Outside of Japan, Koopa is called Bowser or King Koopa, and Koopa is used to referred to the turtle race. ノコノコ and パタパタ are called Koopa Troopa and Koopa Paratroopa, respectively, outside of Japan.
12. The Koopa in World 1-7 are all fake, only the Koopa is World 8 is the real Koopa. The fake one's real identity can be seen when it's defeated by fireball.
I always wondered about why sometimes the Koopa turned into a lesser enemy when I played the game. Now I know! :D
13. The brick blocks and pipes are actually residents of the Mushroom Kingdom who are trapped in Koopa's magic.
14. Koopa wants to abduct Princess Peach because she's the only one who can dispel the magic he cast on the resident of Mushroom Kingdom. After Super Mario RPG, he attempts to kidnap Princess Peach more for wanting her as a wife.
15. Mario grows with mushroom because Miyamoto associated mushrooms with magical lands in general, not Alice in Wonderland as many believed.
16. Turtles were chosen as Mario's opponents because the team wanted an enemy that can be knocked down from under and then finished off from the top. Even better, one that can revive itself if it's only knocked down.
17. The brick blocks float in mid-air because... "the insides are actually connected. XD"
18. It's possible to jump over the flag pole without touching the flag. (But you probably still need to touch the pole to pass the stage)
19. Using a certain very dangerous unofficial trick, it's possible to play World 9 and all the way to World 256 (with many more tricks to get past the impossible stages, I'm sure).
20. SMB2 has an official trick to get to World 9 (clear World 1-8 without going through the wrap zone). At the end of 9-4, Mario gets to swim through the staff's message for playing all the way (アリガトウ！).
21. Outside of Japan, SMB2 is not the real SMB2, but Yume Koujo Doki Doki Panic. As a result, enemies such as Hey Ho (Shy Guy) and Kathrine (Birdo) become regulars in the Mario series.
22. The stage clear BGM for SMB3 is simply Do-Re-Mi-Fa So-La-Si-Do Do (same as 1st Do).
23. It's possible to clear Super Mario 64 without obtaining any stars with the help of certain tricks. There's also confirmed record where one cleared the game in roughly 7.5 minutes.
24. There was a rare Game & Watch version of SMB. (Yes, I went beyond the trivia list to find the information on the game)
Ah, Game & Watch. Another distant but nostalgic relic from my childhood... I didn't recognize the brand name so I looked online and realized that I used to play the Game & Watch Donkey Kong Jr. before Game Boy came out.
25. There was an arcade version of VS. SMB, based on a mix of SMB & SMB2 but with some differences. It was released after Nintendo pulled out of the arcade market and therefore wasn't sold in Japan. It's available in some arcade stores in Japan now thanks to parallel imports.
Conclusion:
いや～まさかスーパーマリオブラザーズにはそんなキャラ設定があったんだ、ちょっとストーリーっぽい感じですね。やっぱり日本人は細かい事でも気を付けるですね、いい意味で。さすが社会現象とも言える、ゲーム業界を代表する作品の一つに違いないでしょう。
ああ、また遊びたいとなった…
Monday, January 17, 2011
Last Story
RPG is undoubtedly the weakest genre for the Wii system, but Last Story looks pretty interesting and has the potential to be a great title.
Judging from the presentation video by Sakaguchi-san (actually, that's all I know about game; didn't even read the story or character pages), the battle style is more akin to that of an ARPG or MMORPG, and you can either choose to leave it to the AI or manually control your teammates' commands. The AI for both the player's party and the enemy seem smart enough. By default, the enemies target the weakest links on the player's party, the spell casters! I'm impressed... XD
Graphics-wise, being on the Wii system means it won't look as pretty as Final Fantasy XIII, but it's well within my acceptable range. Of course, my only 3D polygon gaming experience has been the few hours spent on the 1st disc of Final Fantasy VII for the PS, so your mileage likely vary.
Attire is categorized into upper and lower body, and customization options are available to change colours or to take partial attire off (eg. changing the colour of the scarf from red to blue, or taking the scarf off). Customization is appearance-only and doesn't affect the defensive effect, and attire can also be made optional. Sakaguchi-san stripped the main character Elza down to just briefs and had him running around town and even entering a short scene with another teammate.
The music is composed by the famed Uematsu Nobuo, and from what's played during the presentation game play, it's very suitable for the game's atmosphere. さすが植松氏！
The seiyuu cast is really great as well, starring Miyano Mamoru as the main character Elza. All the other party members we saw during the presentation game play were all voiced by big name seiyuu: Ishizuka Unshou, Toyoguchi Megumi, Fujiwara Keiji, Shimono Hiro (okay, Shimono is newer, but he's still good), and Noto Mamiko. I'm sure other characters also have great seiyuu behind them.
Now, the game isn't without its flaws. There's a few based on the presentation video, the most glaring of which is when the characters pass through stone pillars and even once through the huge body of a defeated boss enemy. This is especially apparent in the online multi-player battle mode. Personally I don't mind it too much, but I kinda expected a more polished gaming experience from Mistwalker.
During battle, there's a line between an enemy and a member of the player's party, indicating that the enemy is targeting the particular member. When there's a large number of enemies in a battle, the screen can get pretty crowded with all the bodies, lines, numbers, and flashing lights from spells. Maybe it can be getting used to with time and experience, but I sometimes found myself losing track of party members and enemies during the presentation.
All in all, I think I would be sold on the game by the presentation alone...
If only I had a Wii.
Even better if it's the Last Story edition. XD
Judging from the presentation video by Sakaguchi-san (actually, that's all I know about game; didn't even read the story or character pages), the battle style is more akin to that of an ARPG or MMORPG, and you can either choose to leave it to the AI or manually control your teammates' commands. The AI for both the player's party and the enemy seem smart enough. By default, the enemies target the weakest links on the player's party, the spell casters! I'm impressed... XD
Graphics-wise, being on the Wii system means it won't look as pretty as Final Fantasy XIII, but it's well within my acceptable range. Of course, my only 3D polygon gaming experience has been the few hours spent on the 1st disc of Final Fantasy VII for the PS, so your mileage likely vary.
Attire is categorized into upper and lower body, and customization options are available to change colours or to take partial attire off (eg. changing the colour of the scarf from red to blue, or taking the scarf off). Customization is appearance-only and doesn't affect the defensive effect, and attire can also be made optional. Sakaguchi-san stripped the main character Elza down to just briefs and had him running around town and even entering a short scene with another teammate.
The music is composed by the famed Uematsu Nobuo, and from what's played during the presentation game play, it's very suitable for the game's atmosphere. さすが植松氏！
The seiyuu cast is really great as well, starring Miyano Mamoru as the main character Elza. All the other party members we saw during the presentation game play were all voiced by big name seiyuu: Ishizuka Unshou, Toyoguchi Megumi, Fujiwara Keiji, Shimono Hiro (okay, Shimono is newer, but he's still good), and Noto Mamiko. I'm sure other characters also have great seiyuu behind them.
Now, the game isn't without its flaws. There's a few based on the presentation video, the most glaring of which is when the characters pass through stone pillars and even once through the huge body of a defeated boss enemy. This is especially apparent in the online multi-player battle mode. Personally I don't mind it too much, but I kinda expected a more polished gaming experience from Mistwalker.
During battle, there's a line between an enemy and a member of the player's party, indicating that the enemy is targeting the particular member. When there's a large number of enemies in a battle, the screen can get pretty crowded with all the bodies, lines, numbers, and flashing lights from spells. Maybe it can be getting used to with time and experience, but I sometimes found myself losing track of party members and enemies during the presentation.
All in all, I think I would be sold on the game by the presentation alone...
If only I had a Wii.
Even better if it's the Last Story edition. XD
Sunday, January 16, 2011
危なかった
Ever since the proxy experiment last month, I've been (or at least trying to) dutifully checking in on a weekly basis to watch the latest episode of WEED on Niconico.
Today I got a access denied page with the same IP that I had used since last month...?! I remember seeing on Niconico News not long ago about Taiwanese IP's getting blocked (not by Niconico), but I was using a Japanese IP!
My guess was that it might had been a popular proxy IP for Taiwanese internet users and got grouped with the other Taiwanese IP's by whoever blocked it. I don't know. I don't even know if Taiwanese IP's are still getting blocked or not (I assume not).
So I scrambled to switch to a different proxy.
After numerous tries (many were too slow and simply timed out, while a few asked for a user name and password, and one was even determined by Niconico to be a non-Japanese IP), I settled on my current one, which is slower than the previous working one but still acceptable. Hopefully this one lasts...
Today I got a access denied page with the same IP that I had used since last month...?! I remember seeing on Niconico News not long ago about Taiwanese IP's getting blocked (not by Niconico), but I was using a Japanese IP!
My guess was that it might had been a popular proxy IP for Taiwanese internet users and got grouped with the other Taiwanese IP's by whoever blocked it. I don't know. I don't even know if Taiwanese IP's are still getting blocked or not (I assume not).
So I scrambled to switch to a different proxy.
After numerous tries (many were too slow and simply timed out, while a few asked for a user name and password, and one was even determined by Niconico to be a non-Japanese IP), I settled on my current one, which is slower than the previous working one but still acceptable. Hopefully this one lasts...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
3Dやらなイカ？
なんて事だ！3DS will be able to play both NDS and 3DS games, but not vice versa... There's already some games coming to the 3DS that I want to play, too. orz
So much for not planning to make the plunge into 3D gaming. orz
What? PS3 is already 3D? But I haven't played any game on it yet. XD
まあ、未だ3DSを購入するつもり無いけど。もし本当に買うことになったとしても、それはまだまだ先の話、だな。
と言っても、いずれ買うでしょう。
So much for not planning to make the plunge into 3D gaming. orz
What? PS3 is already 3D? But I haven't played any game on it yet. XD
まあ、未だ3DSを購入するつもり無いけど。もし本当に買うことになったとしても、それはまだまだ先の話、だな。
と言っても、いずれ買うでしょう。
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Super Mario Brothers
The red-cladding, moustache-sporting plumber and his green-cladding, moustache-sporting brother are probably the world's most famous gaming icons. No wonder a SMB-related entry still made the #4 on the Top 10 list for 2010 on ITmedia Gamez's Hibikore, even as the brothers celebrated their 25th anniversary.
I had actually seen the list of Mario secrets before, but it still didn't fail to impress me how early game designers express their world view and characters in such creative ways while being limited by the hardware. (Yes, I'm a very strong supporter of the 8 and 16-bit gaming.)
40kb for a game with endless replay values, entertainment, and even modding fun*! I especially loved the end of the Minus World, where Mario is told that the Princess is at another castle. XDDDDD
*While checking out the Uehara Tetris (#8) on the Top 10 list (which I have yet to clear even 20 lines... orz), I stumbled upon the extremely interesting looking Uehara Mario. I might wanna try my paws on the game when I have time... XD
On a side note, I think I do want to try the Sudoku (#7) on the Top 10 list. Haven't touched a single Sudoku for the longest time, though. It'll probably take me forever, if ever, to solve this one......
I had actually seen the list of Mario secrets before, but it still didn't fail to impress me how early game designers express their world view and characters in such creative ways while being limited by the hardware. (Yes, I'm a very strong supporter of the 8 and 16-bit gaming.)
40kb for a game with endless replay values, entertainment, and even modding fun*! I especially loved the end of the Minus World, where Mario is told that the Princess is at another castle. XDDDDD
*While checking out the Uehara Tetris (#8) on the Top 10 list (which I have yet to clear even 20 lines... orz), I stumbled upon the extremely interesting looking Uehara Mario. I might wanna try my paws on the game when I have time... XD
On a side note, I think I do want to try the Sudoku (#7) on the Top 10 list. Haven't touched a single Sudoku for the longest time, though. It'll probably take me forever, if ever, to solve this one......
Monday, January 10, 2011
おすわり
We used to get our cat to sit before he's allowed to eat. I've since abolished the practice when the cat moved to Ottawa, mostly due to my laziness and the no longer timely feeding schedules.
Naturally, he doesn't sit anymore since there's no need for him to.
Lately, however, he's sitting again. And usually after yelping and hissing during the trimming and cutting sessions, too.
What the cat is willing to do to get his fill of catnip. XD
Naturally, he doesn't sit anymore since there's no need for him to.
Lately, however, he's sitting again. And usually after yelping and hissing during the trimming and cutting sessions, too.
What the cat is willing to do to get his fill of catnip. XD
Saturday, January 08, 2011
まだまだだね
やっぱり、ACGをやるだけで、日本語をまともに勉強してないなら、翻訳は難しい。特に耳だけを頼りになるドラマCD、だな。
After announcing the intent to translate the Superior drama CD in November, I finally started on the draft... And stumbled a few times within the first minute. orz
Hopefully it'll get better once the monologue is over.
Maybe I should have started with something that I can actually see the text, instead of trying to guess what the word is by listening (いや、問題はそこじゃないが*). Too late now. :x
*學都沒學過的語言，突然間就想做聽力翻譯，果然是自不量力又學不乖的傢伙吶。:Q
まあ、今更言っても仕方ない、自分で決めた、やりたいことだから。気合で乗り越えるしかないんだ！
After announcing the intent to translate the Superior drama CD in November, I finally started on the draft... And stumbled a few times within the first minute. orz
Hopefully it'll get better once the monologue is over.
Maybe I should have started with something that I can actually see the text, instead of trying to guess what the word is by listening (いや、問題はそこじゃないが*). Too late now. :x
*學都沒學過的語言，突然間就想做聽力翻譯，果然是自不量力又學不乖的傢伙吶。:Q
まあ、今更言っても仕方ない、自分で決めた、やりたいことだから。気合で乗り越えるしかないんだ！
Thursday, January 06, 2011
綺羅星☆
I programmed my Japanese IME so I can manually type out characters such as ∀ and Д and ω to make up the faces, instead of looking for them and copy&paste every single time. Have yet to figure out how to type the eyes in （ノ`Д´）ノ～～┴───┴, but this combo can be tricky with the up-turned table, so it might be easier to just search and c&p.
On a side note, there doesn't seem to be an official face for kiraboshi, so I've decided to experiment a bit here. I've only seen a few episodes so far (I know, 失格者だ。 But I do also watch each episode multiple times) and don't have the characters down yet; these are just the kiraboshi pose in general.
Smirking kiraboshi:
(下 ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(⇛ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≤ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≡ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(∈ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≯ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≮ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
Sad faced kiraboshi:
(下 Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(⇛ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(≤ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(≡ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(∈ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
On a side note, there doesn't seem to be an official face for kiraboshi, so I've decided to experiment a bit here. I've only seen a few episodes so far (I know, 失格者だ。 But I do also watch each episode multiple times) and don't have the characters down yet; these are just the kiraboshi pose in general.
Smirking kiraboshi:
(下 ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(⇛ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≤ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≡ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(∈ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≯ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
(≮ ー ´ )～綺羅星☆
Sad faced kiraboshi:
(下 Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(⇛ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(≤ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(≡ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
(∈ Д ` )～綺羅星☆
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Starry☆Sky ～Episode Capricorn～
Expanding a bit on my message to Neko-tan...
「剛在animate.tv上看了Starry Sky 1-2
原來是13人, 一人兩話總共22分鐘
動畫基本上只是角色路線大綱, 遊戲的話搞不好10分鐘就知道的情報量」
Apparently the original game is 3 ppl/season with a total of 12 playable characters, but there's a 13th person for the anime. Since the characters seem to be grouped by game, the 13th person might be grouped with non-playable supporting characters from the games?
「不過緑川光篇裡的配角役...
路西露變超級陽光少年
席翁被人叫媽媽
連沒有列在攻略角色裡的緑川爸爸都是重量級聲優
真是火力全開啊～ｗｗｗ」
ルシルのキャラ変わってるｗｗｗ
シオンはお母さんになってる… まあ、これはあまり変わってないかな、ある意味で。 XD
Don't know if the character will appear in the anime, but the Web radio is hosted by the head of the News Club, who is also voiced by a very well known male seiyuu.
The anime version is basically an extended PV for the characters to get people who don't usually keep up with gaming news to become interested in the games. The games have rather raving reviews --to be taken with a grain of salt, since girls are typically very lax and forgiving with otome games loaded with heavy seiyuu-- so I look forward to play them.
Sometime in the future.
Lucky if it's within the year.
「剛在animate.tv上看了Starry Sky 1-2
原來是13人, 一人兩話總共22分鐘
動畫基本上只是角色路線大綱, 遊戲的話搞不好10分鐘就知道的情報量」
Apparently the original game is 3 ppl/season with a total of 12 playable characters, but there's a 13th person for the anime. Since the characters seem to be grouped by game, the 13th person might be grouped with non-playable supporting characters from the games?
「不過緑川光篇裡的配角役...
路西露變超級陽光少年
席翁被人叫媽媽
連沒有列在攻略角色裡的緑川爸爸都是重量級聲優
真是火力全開啊～ｗｗｗ」
ルシルのキャラ変わってるｗｗｗ
シオンはお母さんになってる… まあ、これはあまり変わってないかな、ある意味で。 XD
Don't know if the character will appear in the anime, but the Web radio is hosted by the head of the News Club, who is also voiced by a very well known male seiyuu.
The anime version is basically an extended PV for the characters to get people who don't usually keep up with gaming news to become interested in the games. The games have rather raving reviews --to be taken with a grain of salt, since girls are typically very lax and forgiving with otome games loaded with heavy seiyuu-- so I look forward to play them.
Sometime in the future.
Lucky if it's within the year.
Monday, January 03, 2011
読書強化月
Hn Hn Hn... I finally got hold of the the Denyuuden novels (and got sucked into reading the first 60 pages or so of vol.8 when I'm supposed to go back to vol.3 orz)
Beside the Denyuuden series, I've also secured a couple other series, including Full Metal Panic, Zero no Tsukaima, and some of Nishio Ishin's works. My goal is, of course, to keep growing the collection so I can just be a book worm and read! XD
本は素晴らしい！( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )
Beside the Denyuuden series, I've also secured a couple other series, including Full Metal Panic, Zero no Tsukaima, and some of Nishio Ishin's works. My goal is, of course, to keep growing the collection so I can just be a book worm and read! XD
本は素晴らしい！( ﾟ ∀ ﾟ )
Sunday, January 02, 2011
2011年 冬アニメ
Yes, the new season of anime is upon us, and it's time for another round of pre-air impression based on the introduction video on Niconico!
IS 〈インフィニット・ストラトス〉
- people fighting in mechanical suits
- Uchiyama Kouki and a number of the female seiyuu cast
- there's only one guy in the whole school...?
= Probably watching
夢喰いメリー
- Endou Aya and the male seiyuu cast
- never read the original manga, but the story looks kinda interesting
= Probably watching
魔法少女まどか★マギカ
- Shinbou Akiyuki as director and Urobuchi Gen as script writer
- music by Kajiura Yuki and Kalafina's song
- mahou shojo genre is really not my cup of tea
- character design, along with the seiyuu cast, is also not my type
= Probably not watching
Rio Rainbow Gate!
= Not watching. I think the reason is pretty obvious.
GOSICK
- BONES
- supporting seiyuu cast is pretty good, but newbie lead male seiyuu
- never read the original novel but the story might be interesting
= Probably watching
お兄ちゃんのことなんかぜんぜん好きじゃないんだからねっ！！
= Not watching. I think the reason is ultra obvious.
フリージング
- descent female seiyuu cast
- never read the original manga, but the story is by Lim Dal Young... 微妙だ
= Not sure, might trial watch...?
みつどもえ
= Not watching. Never watched the 1st season.
これはゾンビですか？
- seiyuu cast not bad
- never read the original novel, uncertain about story
= Probably trial watch
レベルE
- Namikawa Daisuke, Koyasu Takehito, Tachiki Fumihiko
- music by Ryo Kunihiko
- hearing Tachiki's narration reminds me of gag anime...
- never read the original manga
= Watching
ドラゴンクライシス
- nice seiyuu cast
- Ryuuji(竜司) is not to be confused with Ryuuji(竜児), since this time Kugimiya is a dragon with very loli voice instead of a tiger with a little loli voice. XD
= Watching
フラクタル
- image looks good
- descent seiyuu cast
= Watching
放浪息子
- character design not my type
- ストーリーはちょっと微妙すぎ...
= Not sure. Might trial watch...?
這いよる! ニャルアニ リメンバー・マイ・ラブ （クラフト先生）
= Not watching. I don't do 萌え系.
カードファイト!! ヴァンガード
- JAM Project's song
= Not watching. I don't do card battles.
もし高校野球の女子マネージャーがドラッカーの『マネジメント』を読んだら
- 「もしドラ」 for short XD
- there's only illustrations from the original novel so can't tell how the anime will look
- story seems interesting, and it's about high school baseball
= Watching
放課後のプレアデス
- SUBARU x GAINAX Animation Project #1
- YouTube exclusive?!
- looks like there might be mahou shoujo, but also seems to be space/star related?
= Watching
君に届け2
- 本命 for the winter season!
- I'm expecting more blinding lights XD
= Watching. Loved the 1st season.
Starry☆Sky
- plan to play the four original games... sometime in the future
- I don't think any anime can ever top this in terms of male seiyuu cast x__x
= Watching
Wolverine
- 声優の無駄使い -__-|||
- never read the original comic
= Wasn't planning to watch, but I might get lured by the seiyuu cast
べるぜバブ
- never read the original manga, but the story seems interesting
- really good seiyuu cast (アニキ！)
= Watching
スイートプリキュア♪
= Not watching. I'm not a Precure person :Q
Summary (total 22)
- Watching: 11
- Not watching: 7
- Undecided: 4
Even though I'm probably going to watch at least 11 of them, only a few jumped up for me. In general not a heavy season, but it's expected since winter isn't a big season for anime. Seiyuu-wise, a lot of new female seiyuu and not that many veterans, which is slightly disappointed for a seiyuu fan like me.
I look forward to the spring season in April (おい)! XD
IS 〈インフィニット・ストラトス〉
- people fighting in mechanical suits
- Uchiyama Kouki and a number of the female seiyuu cast
- there's only one guy in the whole school...?
= Probably watching
夢喰いメリー
- Endou Aya and the male seiyuu cast
- never read the original manga, but the story looks kinda interesting
= Probably watching
魔法少女まどか★マギカ
- Shinbou Akiyuki as director and Urobuchi Gen as script writer
- music by Kajiura Yuki and Kalafina's song
- mahou shojo genre is really not my cup of tea
- character design, along with the seiyuu cast, is also not my type
= Probably not watching
Rio Rainbow Gate!
= Not watching. I think the reason is pretty obvious.
GOSICK
- BONES
- supporting seiyuu cast is pretty good, but newbie lead male seiyuu
- never read the original novel but the story might be interesting
= Probably watching
お兄ちゃんのことなんかぜんぜん好きじゃないんだからねっ！！
= Not watching. I think the reason is ultra obvious.
フリージング
- descent female seiyuu cast
- never read the original manga, but the story is by Lim Dal Young... 微妙だ
= Not sure, might trial watch...?
みつどもえ
= Not watching. Never watched the 1st season.
これはゾンビですか？
- seiyuu cast not bad
- never read the original novel, uncertain about story
= Probably trial watch
レベルE
- Namikawa Daisuke, Koyasu Takehito, Tachiki Fumihiko
- music by Ryo Kunihiko
- hearing Tachiki's narration reminds me of gag anime...
- never read the original manga
= Watching
ドラゴンクライシス
- nice seiyuu cast
- Ryuuji(竜司) is not to be confused with Ryuuji(竜児), since this time Kugimiya is a dragon with very loli voice instead of a tiger with a little loli voice. XD
= Watching
フラクタル
- image looks good
- descent seiyuu cast
= Watching
放浪息子
- character design not my type
- ストーリーはちょっと微妙すぎ...
= Not sure. Might trial watch...?
這いよる! ニャルアニ リメンバー・マイ・ラブ （クラフト先生）
= Not watching. I don't do 萌え系.
カードファイト!! ヴァンガード
- JAM Project's song
= Not watching. I don't do card battles.
もし高校野球の女子マネージャーがドラッカーの『マネジメント』を読んだら
- 「もしドラ」 for short XD
- there's only illustrations from the original novel so can't tell how the anime will look
- story seems interesting, and it's about high school baseball
= Watching
放課後のプレアデス
- SUBARU x GAINAX Animation Project #1
- YouTube exclusive?!
- looks like there might be mahou shoujo, but also seems to be space/star related?
= Watching
君に届け2
- 本命 for the winter season!
- I'm expecting more blinding lights XD
= Watching. Loved the 1st season.
Starry☆Sky
- plan to play the four original games... sometime in the future
- I don't think any anime can ever top this in terms of male seiyuu cast x__x
= Watching
Wolverine
- 声優の無駄使い -__-|||
- never read the original comic
= Wasn't planning to watch, but I might get lured by the seiyuu cast
べるぜバブ
- never read the original manga, but the story seems interesting
- really good seiyuu cast (アニキ！)
= Watching
スイートプリキュア♪
= Not watching. I'm not a Precure person :Q
Summary (total 22)
- Watching: 11
- Not watching: 7
- Undecided: 4
Even though I'm probably going to watch at least 11 of them, only a few jumped up for me. In general not a heavy season, but it's expected since winter isn't a big season for anime. Seiyuu-wise, a lot of new female seiyuu and not that many veterans, which is slightly disappointed for a seiyuu fan like me.
I look forward to the spring season in April (おい)! XD
Saturday, January 01, 2011
良いお年を
２０１１年、明けましておめでとうございます！
あいにくだが、ここはちょっと悪いお知らせを伝えします：ニコニコ動画のプレミアム会員になれない。
何故なら、海外のクレジットカードはダメだ、WebMoneyでも買えれない。
本気で登録したっかたのに、無念。orz
Now I don't really set New Year resolutions, but I do hope to accomplish a few things this year:
- keep my weight at the current level (OK, maybe get it down to that level...) so the first digit doesn't start with 7 when the number is rounded-up
- finish translating the シューピアリア drama CD and posting on 冒険の書
- finish reading at least H2, とらドラ, and 植物図鑑
- finish at least one of Chrono Trigger, FF IV, or DQ IV
- buy a pair of shoes to leave in the office for winter
Most of those are what I've been wanting to do but haven't done, so there's really nothing new here. I think most importantly, I want to have more control over my urges (to pig out, to buy, to do nothing, etc.)
では、今年もよろしゅうに～
あいにくだが、ここはちょっと悪いお知らせを伝えします：ニコニコ動画のプレミアム会員になれない。
何故なら、海外のクレジットカードはダメだ、WebMoneyでも買えれない。
本気で登録したっかたのに、無念。orz
Now I don't really set New Year resolutions, but I do hope to accomplish a few things this year:
- keep my weight at the current level (OK, maybe get it down to that level...) so the first digit doesn't start with 7 when the number is rounded-up
- finish translating the シューピアリア drama CD and posting on 冒険の書
- finish reading at least H2, とらドラ, and 植物図鑑
- finish at least one of Chrono Trigger, FF IV, or DQ IV
- buy a pair of shoes to leave in the office for winter
Most of those are what I've been wanting to do but haven't done, so there's really nothing new here. I think most importantly, I want to have more control over my urges (to pig out, to buy, to do nothing, etc.)
では、今年もよろしゅうに～
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