ULTRA-IMMORTAL UVALL Episode 1 (Super Robot Wars J)

Ghostlightning hasn’t been able to shut up about Super Robot Wars J, and since I’ve also longed for one of these ridiculously awesome games to come out in English, I decided to help him build a bandwagon that I hope can get even more people. Why? Because this game is excellent for blogging.

You can read gl’s post linked above to get a basic summary of what the game is and why it’s so amazing, but the important thing to know for this post is that the game lets you name your character, mech, and attacks; and even lets you get bonuses on your three favorite franchises represented in the game. What this means is that everyone’s experience of the game will be different; each player gets to live out their own insane mecha fantasy. Sure, the story is going to be basically the same for everyone, but what really matters is that I can kill the final boss with “BAAAAKUNETSU! GODO FINGAAAA!!!,” and my brother can kill it with “BIG BANG PAAAANCHI!!!,” and gl can do it with his penis, etc.

Unlike gl, my mecha-fu isn’t that strong—I’ve heard of all the shows in this game, but most of them I haven’t seen. My three favorites are Martian Successor Nadesico, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and Full Metal Panic, because those are the only three I’ve seen in full. (Besides that I’ve seen some of Mazinkaiser and Tekkaman Blade, but not a lot.) I’m okay with this—sure, I’d rather be playing the one where Bright Noa slaps Ikari Shinji (who wouldn’t?), but it’s more than enough that I get to have Hoshino Ruri, Gai Daigouji, Allenby Beardsley, the entire Shuffle Alliance, D-Boy, and Sagara Sousuke on one fucking ship together (just thinking about it makes my brain erode under tidal waves of fuckwin). I’m not far enough that I have these things yet, but I look forward to them.

(I didn’t take any screenshots because this post was unplanned, but I will in the future. Meanwhile, here’s a video run of the first stage in Japanese, for those who want an idea of the gameplay or want to see the awesome fights in action.)

100 Characters For 100 Otaku (Part Three: 90-86)

The third post in “100 Characters For 100 Otaku.”

Alrighty! We’re blasting into the third part of “100 Character For 100 Otaku!” A post series in which I follow through on the insane request to take the list of my top one-hundred characters and not only state what I like about them, but also how they are mirrors of the true nature of otaku, how they parallel my own otakudom, and for some reason, how they parallel the first episode of Crest of the Stars! It’s a wacky ride, and today we have numbers 90 through 86!

Minor Characters That Deserve Their Own Anime

This post on Low On Hit Points inspired me to do a post about my favorite minor characters. I won’t be defining it necessarily by pure screentime, as some will be more minor than others. However, these are all characters that were around, but had little focus. They might have done something really useful once or twice, but when all is said and done, they don’t get a huge place. They are characters who most people would forget all about once the show is over, but a select fanbase will never forget them.

Chara Design of the Week: Kawazoe Tamaki from Bamboo Blade

At first and maybe second glance, the Bamboo Blade character designs aren’t anything special. And they aren’t, really. Body-type wise, they are pretty much templates. The hairstyles are just the usual stuff with the usual strange colors. The faces reflect the personalities of the characters. In other words, it’s pretty standard anime fare. However, it is in some of those standards that Kawazoe Tamaki stands out.

The Long-Expected Second Coming of the King – Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight

Originally, it was one of the shows that got me back into anime. About 6 months later, it was the anime that evoked the strongest emotional response from me ever – a complete mental breakdown (read about that on the lists page.) At first, it entered my list at number ten or so, remaining in the teen areas afterward. Though it had meaning to me, and I loved it, I never really plunged deeper into it at first. However, I would like to quote the post I’ve read and quoted the most of any on the internet – Omo’s favorites list. Manabi Straight was the only show added to that post between 2004 and 2007, but that’s not the entry I’m quoting. It’s his comment on his alltime favorite anime, Martian Successor Nadesico.

“To make a lofty and senseless analogy, Nadesico is like a man’s heart. Deep, subtle, but very real. On the surface it’s superficial and it can be really funny at times, but each passing wave is just a shadow of the profound inner workings that lies beneath. The uncovering of that is what made Nadesico my favorite ever since I watched it through the first time. It managed to be funny, easy to swallow, but my mind chews on it like tough jerky, releasing pleasant “flavors” each time I think back to it.”

When I first watched Manabi Straight, it was long before I had any kind of grip on my favorites list. However, like Nadesico, this ended up being the show that was constantly in my mind releasing new flavors into me. I continually had tiny revelations about it and found myself idolizing the subtleties and amazing undercurrents that kept the show’s spirit burning within me. Omo helped with this also with his awesome and frequent analyzations of the show’s inner workings.

As time passed, I forgot some of the show’s details, as I did for most of the things I had the bad sense to marathon when I was new to anime. However, the show’s image in my mind only became greater and greater. It didn’t take me long to realize that it was one of my favorite anime – however I refused to appoint it such until I rewatched it for confirmation. Hence, this is not a post in the Epic Journey. When I first started trying to perfect my favorites list this past summer, I came to the same conclusion every single time – Manabi Straight in my top 5. I absolutely knew I HAD to rewatch it.

However, I was sure not to watch it during the summer, because I was scared it would make me want to drop out of school (it would have.) Finally I got the chance today and rewatched it. To say the least, it was everything I expected and more. Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight is EASILY my second favorite anime of all time – a spot it’s long deserved and finally honored with. I feel great relief in knowing that my favorites list is that much closer to perfection, though I still need to do this show in the Epic Journey. That may happen soon, since this is a show I want to watch over and over and over again : D