random babble, mostly manga(SHOCK!)

In the non-manga arena: tonight is the  church Thanksgiving meal.  This will be Thanksgiving meal #2 of 4.  The first was work, the third will be with Dad's family on Thursday and the fourth Mom's family on Saturday.  Thank goodness it was agreed on year's ago that the Saturday meal was a no-turkey meal.

In other news, megaupload is evil and keeps cutting me off after one or two eps of Utawarerumono, making me wait 8 or so hours before I can have another(yet another argument to stick to my "dvds only" thing...)  If they announced a thinpak tomorrow I'd just wait the 4-5 months until I could get it(since I'm getting it anyway...)  I'm on ep 12 now and it's great, but one I think I'm better off waiting to really talk about until I finish.  I'm having to pace myself because of megaupload's meanness, but as soon as I get the whole thing...

Also, the online manga community has let me down thrice in the last week:  no scanslations to be found for Night of the Beasts, Qwan or Hikkatsu! Strike A Blow to Vivify?  I can find scanslations for every endless hearts and flowers and giant eyes love triangle shojo and every endless shonen action manga, but those?  Nowhere to be found.  Not even raws.  (Though, if anyone with mightier googlefu than mine wants to be nice and try...?)  At least I did find Togari, though I don't plan to read ahead there atm, just use for posts and maybe icons.  I have also decided to catch up with Bleach.  No idea what chapter/volume I left off at, so I'll just skim until I get to where I was.

[And since I'm talking a lot about downloading stuff:  I utterly despise reading manga/books and watching anything but youtube vids on my computer screen(though I have nothing but love and respect for scanslators and subbers.)  Especially reading.  I do it only to feed addictions, or if there's no other way to get it.  If I download it, I consider myself committed to buying the licensed version when/if it comes out.  The only exception is if I get completely fed up with something, at which point, I'll drop it...this has happened exactly once, and as I'd already given the US publisher a ton of money, I didn't feel real guilt over not paying for EVERY volume I read...]

On the printed manga front:

1.  I have vols 2-6 of xXxHoLic and vols 1-3 of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle waiting for me.  Do I need to read them in any specific order(since I know there are crossovers) or can I just catch up with xXxHoLic and then worry about Tsubasa?

2.  Anyone want me to try to create a comprehensible, semi-logical explanation of the plot of Hikkatsu! Strike A Blow to Vivify?  I feel compelled to pimp it more and since I can't provide scans...

ETA:  And if anyone wants to see the status of the "planned reading for the rest of the year" post I made a couple weeks ago:

( update here )

random babble, mostly manga(SHOCK!)

In the non-manga arena: tonight is the  church Thanksgiving meal.  This will be Thanksgiving meal #2 of 4.  The first was work, the third will be with Dad's family on Thursday and the fourth Mom's family on Saturday.  Thank goodness it was agreed on year's ago that the Saturday meal was a no-turkey meal.

In other news, megaupload is evil and keeps cutting me off after one or two eps of Utawarerumono, making me wait 8 or so hours before I can have another(yet another argument to stick to my "dvds only" thing...)  If they announced a thinpak tomorrow I'd just wait the 4-5 months until I could get it(since I'm getting it anyway...)  I'm on ep 12 now and it's great, but one I think I'm better off waiting to really talk about until I finish.  I'm having to pace myself because of megaupload's meanness, but as soon as I get the whole thing...

Also, the online manga community has let me down thrice in the last week:  no scanslations to be found for Night of the Beasts, Qwan or Hikkatsu! Strike A Blow to Vivify?  I can find scanslations for every endless hearts and flowers and giant eyes love triangle shojo and every endless shonen action manga, but those?  Nowhere to be found.  Not even raws.  (Though, if anyone with mightier googlefu than mine wants to be nice and try...?)  At least I did find Togari, though I don't plan to read ahead there atm, just use for posts and maybe icons.  I have also decided to catch up with Bleach.  No idea what chapter/volume I left off at, so I'll just skim until I get to where I was.

[And since I'm talking a lot about downloading stuff:  I utterly despise reading manga/books and watching anything but youtube vids on my computer screen(though I have nothing but love and respect for scanslators and subbers.)  Especially reading.  I do it only to feed addictions, or if there's no other way to get it.  If I download it, I consider myself committed to buying the licensed version when/if it comes out.  The only exception is if I get completely fed up with something, at which point, I'll drop it...this has happened exactly once, and as I'd already given the US publisher a ton of money, I didn't feel real guilt over not paying for EVERY volume I read...]

On the printed manga front:

1.  I have vols 2-6 of xXxHoLic and vols 1-3 of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle waiting for me.  Do I need to read them in any specific order(since I know there are crossovers) or can I just catch up with xXxHoLic and then worry about Tsubasa?

2.  Anyone want me to try to create a comprehensible, semi-logical explanation of the plot of Hikkatsu! Strike A Blow to Vivify?  I feel compelled to pimp it more and since I can't provide scans...

ETA:  And if anyone wants to see the status of the "planned reading for the rest of the year" post I made a couple weeks ago:

( update here )

Togari Vol 3

I have read Togari Vol 3.  As I am at home where I also have most of the series on my hard drive, and no other series I want to pimp right now has scanslations(or even raws that my meager googlefu can find) I shall post scans instead of a writeup.

( clicky )

Hmmm...why does LJ seem unusually slow even for a Sunday?

Time to see if megaupload will let me have anything yet.

Togari Vol 3

I have read Togari Vol 3.  As I am at home where I also have most of the series on my hard drive, and no other series I want to pimp right now has scanslations(or even raws that my meager googlefu can find) I shall post scans instead of a writeup.

( clicky )

Hmmm...why does LJ seem unusually slow even for a Sunday?

Time to see if megaupload will let me have anything yet.

Utawarerumono: a proper post

Whilst I wait for megaupload to give me more eps, I shall go ahead and make a proper Utawarerumono post, as at 15 eps in, I think I've finally met everyone(btw, if you watch, don't get scared off by the animation in ep 14...it's very, very bad but goes back to great in ep 15)

Random reasons to watch:

1. Unlike many epic fantasy anime(or epic fantasy in general), which centers around the hero beating one villain and then we assume things are for the best after, the Evil Emperor is overthrown early on(fortunate, as his Very Unfortunate Afro kept distracting me), with the rest of the series focusing on whether or not the new government can last, especially as other empires come to try to take over before the new government is strong, as well as the secret of Hakuoro's identity, and whether or not he's actually the greatest evil of all.

2. Karura: The biggest buttkicker on the show? The one the most legendary candle in the land couldn't take down? The laid back sake lover? The walking army? A female escaped slave.

3. For that matter, pretty much the entire female cast. For such a large female cast, I'm surprised that I either like or don't mind pretty much all of them. There's also Touka, an enemy warrior who initially wants to kill Hakuoro because she has been told that he was a murderer(including of his own wife and children) in his previous life, but who tries to take her own life in penance when she learns she was used, only to be stopped by Hakuoro. There's also the sisters who become Hakuoro's family, Eruruu and Aruruu, characters who could easily annoy(especially Aruruu, who possibly has a bit much of the "shy kid" thing going at first) as well as the sister's of a winged race, Urutori, an ambassador(who is either involved with Karura or likes trading knowing glances and drinking sake in the moonlight with warrior women) and her flighty younger sister, Kamyu, who, again, could annoy but doesn't. There also the twin archers, Dori and Gura, who, granted, don't do a lot outside of battles but are great when they do.

4. Hakuoro: He may be the great hero and leader, but he's no simple man. When called on to lead, Haukoro does so, and he makes no apologies for what he has to do, nor does he dissemble. He may not WANT to be the leader, or the emperor, but he understands that he is the one best suited for it. There is no ego to this, just acceptance of the fact. He also wastes no time pondering right and wrong, only what is needed. He is aware at all times that his force is the smaller one, and the one with more to lose. To win, he has to be crafty, underhanded and smart, and he is. He also sees no problem with accepting forner enemies as retainers, and most members of his inner circle started out as his enemy, or at least, opponent.

5. Oh heck, most of the male cast too. You want your noble, obligation driven, kickass general bound by duty even when it's to the wrong lord? Benawi. You want the loyal, open, laid back big guy who'll become your friend even as he's trying to kill you and also kicks butt? Kurou(actually, he reminds me a lot in character and design of Dokugakuji in Saiyuki.) The young but loyal hothead who's not half as rough as he seems? Oboro. Sure, they're the well done cliches, but when they work, they work, and they definately work.

6. The relationship between Hakuoro and Eruruu and Aruruu: where most anime would simply forge a romantic relationship between Hakuoro and Eruruu, and make Hakuoro and Aruruu bickering sibling, Utawarerumono takes another path. Eruruu and Aruruu become Hakuoro's family, his only family, with Aruruu adopting him as her father, and Eruruu filling the roles of mother, sister and wife(but not lover) for Hakuoro. While there is potential for romantic development down the line(and Eruruu does seem to have at least some romantic interest in Hakuoro...a good bit, actually) the point of the relationship isn't whether or not they'll get together, but that Eruruu and Aruruu are his home.

7. Mukuru. What can I say? I have love giant deadly pets in anime and manga. Especially when they come equipped with cute little girls who orders him to defend her "daddy."

An MV:

Watch on YouTube

Utawarerumono: a proper post

Whilst I wait for megaupload to give me more eps, I shall go ahead and make a proper Utawarerumono post, as at 15 eps in, I think I've finally met everyone(btw, if you watch, don't get scared off by the animation in ep 14...it's very, very bad but goes back to great in ep 15)

Random reasons to watch:

1. Unlike many epic fantasy anime(or epic fantasy in general), which centers around the hero beating one villain and then we assume things are for the best after, the Evil Emperor is overthrown early on(fortunate, as his Very Unfortunate Afro kept distracting me), with the rest of the series focusing on whether or not the new government can last, especially as other empires come to try to take over before the new government is strong, as well as the secret of Hakuoro's identity, and whether or not he's actually the greatest evil of all.

2. Karura: The biggest buttkicker on the show? The one the most legendary candle in the land couldn't take down? The laid back sake lover? The walking army? A female escaped slave.

3. For that matter, pretty much the entire female cast. For such a large female cast, I'm surprised that I either like or don't mind pretty much all of them. There's also Touka, an enemy warrior who initially wants to kill Hakuoro because she has been told that he was a murderer(including of his own wife and children) in his previous life, but who tries to take her own life in penance when she learns she was used, only to be stopped by Hakuoro. There's also the sisters who become Hakuoro's family, Eruruu and Aruruu, characters who could easily annoy(especially Aruruu, who possibly has a bit much of the "shy kid" thing going at first) as well as the sister's of a winged race, Urutori, an ambassador(who is either involved with Karura or likes trading knowing glances and drinking sake in the moonlight with warrior women) and her flighty younger sister, Kamyu, who, again, could annoy but doesn't. There also the twin archers, Dori and Gura, who, granted, don't do a lot outside of battles but are great when they do.

4. Hakuoro: He may be the great hero and leader, but he's no simple man. When called on to lead, Haukoro does so, and he makes no apologies for what he has to do, nor does he dissemble. He may not WANT to be the leader, or the emperor, but he understands that he is the one best suited for it. There is no ego to this, just acceptance of the fact. He also wastes no time pondering right and wrong, only what is needed. He is aware at all times that his force is the smaller one, and the one with more to lose. To win, he has to be crafty, underhanded and smart, and he is. He also sees no problem with accepting forner enemies as retainers, and most members of his inner circle started out as his enemy, or at least, opponent.

5. Oh heck, most of the male cast too. You want your noble, obligation driven, kickass general bound by duty even when it's to the wrong lord? Benawi. You want the loyal, open, laid back big guy who'll become your friend even as he's trying to kill you and also kicks butt? Kurou(actually, he reminds me a lot in character and design of Dokugakuji in Saiyuki.) The young but loyal hothead who's not half as rough as he seems? Oboro. Sure, they're the well done cliches, but when they work, they work, and they definately work.

6. The relationship between Hakuoro and Eruruu and Aruruu: where most anime would simply forge a romantic relationship between Hakuoro and Eruruu, and make Hakuoro and Aruruu bickering sibling, Utawarerumono takes another path. Eruruu and Aruruu become Hakuoro's family, his only family, with Aruruu adopting him as her father, and Eruruu filling the roles of mother, sister and wife(but not lover) for Hakuoro. While there is potential for romantic development down the line(and Eruruu does seem to have at least some romantic interest in Hakuoro...a good bit, actually) the point of the relationship isn't whether or not they'll get together, but that Eruruu and Aruruu are his home.

7. Mukuru. What can I say? I have love giant deadly pets in anime and manga. Especially when they come equipped with cute little girls who orders him to defend her "daddy."

An MV:

Watch on YouTube