Series Completion
I hate the smell of a new school year. I hate it not so much as it heralds the coming of sumo-sized readings or a chrono-vampiric schedule but because it marks the end of summer (props to those who got the anime allusion).
I hate it when good things end and summer has never dropped the ball for me.
My primary geek-related activity this summer was funnily enough, anime series watching. yes yes, being the polygamous geek that I am, I did dabble in the usuals: toys, comics, video games and a spot of magic but the big winner this summer was anime.
Back in March, I did promise myself that I'd clear my video game RPG backlog but alas, it was not meant to be. I guess now's a good time as any to announce that I am now growing up and therefore, I offically announce that I'm demoted from "Avid Gamer" to a mere "Casual Gamer". Don't cry for me Blueskies, Blizzard and Bomberman. (I was going for triple alliterative score)
If you're done either wagging your head or squinting as to why you're even bothering reading this far, then it's anime discussion time. This summer, I was able to down more Naruto, a little bit of Bleach and I finally ended Samurai Champloo.
The Naruto eps past Sasuke's defection to Orochimaru are all worthless save one: the Lee & Gai impersonation episode. I swear, I'm such a sucker for the lamest things but what the hell, bumbling ninjas are funny. (yep, here's your 15kb of fame Val)
Bleach seems to be off to a slow start. I think Ichigo is bland but his style reminds me of my younger days. Here comes the gay-metrosexual comment: I miss layering. However, I'm sure the best eps are to come. I have a sneaking suspicion it'll either involve a dark tournament or a great teacher giving away life lessons through hooligan behavior. Take your pick.
Now here's the gem: Samurai Champloo. I just ended the series oh about 20 mins ago and I kinda got the same feeling as finishing a custom map on Heroes of MIght and Magic 3. After so much time investment, I end up smiling and then feeling empty. I mean, no doubt, an anime that came from the same guy who did cowboy bebop is definitely excellent. I mean throw Bebop action, music and style into a samurai setting and you've got a series that Cartoon Network America will be itching to snag before it even airs in Japan. (yup, that really happened) The fight scenes rock (see the gif below) and the plot was just a right balance between something light-hearted and samurai-drama-esque. I liked it. Too bad it spanned a mere 26 episodes.
"Gee, I didn't know Ben was this geeky. I mean I never thought he'd actually post about anime"
Yup, I just did.
Maybe it's really the end of summer, or the upcoming con and my new outlook on cosplayers (hey, they're just a more hardcore sub-genre of pop culture, Kinda like
the kind of Vegans who only eat fruits that fall from a tree) or maybe I just need to start practicing how to type again in preparation for those infernal case digests. In any case, I'm sure some time soon I'll end up thinking about what the hell possessed me to post about this topic. I just hope it doesn't hit me when I'm in the middle of recits.
I hate it when good things end and summer has never dropped the ball for me.
My primary geek-related activity this summer was funnily enough, anime series watching. yes yes, being the polygamous geek that I am, I did dabble in the usuals: toys, comics, video games and a spot of magic but the big winner this summer was anime.
Back in March, I did promise myself that I'd clear my video game RPG backlog but alas, it was not meant to be. I guess now's a good time as any to announce that I am now growing up and therefore, I offically announce that I'm demoted from "Avid Gamer" to a mere "Casual Gamer". Don't cry for me Blueskies, Blizzard and Bomberman. (I was going for triple alliterative score)
If you're done either wagging your head or squinting as to why you're even bothering reading this far, then it's anime discussion time. This summer, I was able to down more Naruto, a little bit of Bleach and I finally ended Samurai Champloo.
The Naruto eps past Sasuke's defection to Orochimaru are all worthless save one: the Lee & Gai impersonation episode. I swear, I'm such a sucker for the lamest things but what the hell, bumbling ninjas are funny. (yep, here's your 15kb of fame Val)
Bleach seems to be off to a slow start. I think Ichigo is bland but his style reminds me of my younger days. Here comes the gay-metrosexual comment: I miss layering. However, I'm sure the best eps are to come. I have a sneaking suspicion it'll either involve a dark tournament or a great teacher giving away life lessons through hooligan behavior. Take your pick.
Now here's the gem: Samurai Champloo. I just ended the series oh about 20 mins ago and I kinda got the same feeling as finishing a custom map on Heroes of MIght and Magic 3. After so much time investment, I end up smiling and then feeling empty. I mean, no doubt, an anime that came from the same guy who did cowboy bebop is definitely excellent. I mean throw Bebop action, music and style into a samurai setting and you've got a series that Cartoon Network America will be itching to snag before it even airs in Japan. (yup, that really happened) The fight scenes rock (see the gif below) and the plot was just a right balance between something light-hearted and samurai-drama-esque. I liked it. Too bad it spanned a mere 26 episodes.
"Gee, I didn't know Ben was this geeky. I mean I never thought he'd actually post about anime"
Yup, I just did.
Maybe it's really the end of summer, or the upcoming con and my new outlook on cosplayers (hey, they're just a more hardcore sub-genre of pop culture, Kinda like
the kind of Vegans who only eat fruits that fall from a tree) or maybe I just need to start practicing how to type again in preparation for those infernal case digests. In any case, I'm sure some time soon I'll end up thinking about what the hell possessed me to post about this topic. I just hope it doesn't hit me when I'm in the middle of recits.