hontou ni
4Feb/104

Seikon no Qwaser 02 – Beyond the facade of friendship

SnQ 02 continues its strong storytelling with a nifty double twist towards the end that had me gasping "SUNRISE moment!?!".

▼ Show

22Jan/1018

Seikon no Qwaser 01 ~ Beyond mammarian monstrosities

It's easy to write SnQ off as yet another hentai wannabe just like how many have condemned Mahoromatic and Kodomo no jikan into the ecchi and lolicon ghettos respectively. Given that I've only seen 1 episode of SnQ, I would not defend it as rigourously as I would for Mahoro/KnJ but suffice to say, I see much potential in the series beyond the clutter of fanservice and mutating mammaries.

First, let me get this off my chest - Neither big nor small (Will talk about 'small' when I come to Dance in the vampire bund in the next entry) is beautiful. Being proportional is. I'm not sure what brand of milk the character designers are drunk on but Tomo's figure is simply outrageous. (I have no doubt Tomo was absent from school due to her chronic stiff shoulders/back from carrying that load.) That said, since milk seems to be the manna of this magical world, the over-the-top... err top could possibly be a future plot device? Who am I kidding?! And so that's it. My one time rant about the oversized chest and I urge all hung-up on the fanservice to move on since there's so much more goodness in SnQ than genetic disorders.

21Jan/102

Sasameki Koto 13

A satisfying conclusion to the cour. Pleasantly surprised that the main problem was solved by toning down Ushio's skirt-chasing antics and showing her doing her best wrt her difficult family circumstances.

Sumika is also doing her best - Erica opines that "Sumika's inability to say anything" has less to do with "her weakness in the face of her feelings" but more with Ushio's "you're so not my type" block, taking it at face value and attempting to respect that boundary.

I look forward, with great interest, to see how Ushio can become more honest about her own feelings.

Filed under: sasameki koto 2 Comments
12Jan/1010

Full Metal Panic! TSR – From bootleg to blu-ray

My very first copy of FMP! TSR DVD was a bootleg bought in a neighbouring country, bearing official seals assuring the authencity of the product. While mental klaxons had blared with the ridiculously LOW price, (S$15 for 2 discs), I persisted on my folly, naively putting my trust behind those governmental stickers. Turns out, those stickers were the ONLY thing genuine with those DVDs. I had bought fansubs with much worse video quality than those sitting on my hard-disk.

8Jan/103

Japan Trip Day Two: Itasha at Washinomiya

Automobiles, Vans and Bikes!

8Jan/101

Japan Trip Day Two: Washinomiya Merchants Association

Mammon doesn't need a shrine because he's in every shop

The various ways in which the "Washimiya town commerce and industry association" has embraced Lucky Star.

7Jan/1014

Japan Trip Day Two: The Town KyoAni Made "Holy" – Part II

All Purpose Cultural Prayer Plaque (traffic safety, illness recovery, improve drawing skillz, happy bday etc.)

Ema galore continues! [40+ large images follow]

6Jan/1012

Japan Trip Day Two: The Town KyoAni Made "Holy" – Part I

For some reason, some signs drop the "no"

I have an abiding fascination with the town of Washinomiya. The changes wrought as a result of being made into otaku "holy ground" (via alafista) suggest stories about a clash of world views and then a curious hybridization, of the cultures of surbania and small town (as opposed to State) Shinto with the sub-culture of Akiba, mediated by capitalism, red-tooth-and-claw. [30 large images follow]

5Jan/1013

C77 Day Three: My Otakuism Will Go On

This is not The End

Filed under: event Continue reading
4Jan/106

C77 Day Two: Round Two, Fighto!

And there I was thinking of taking it easy on Day Two...

Filed under: event Continue reading