Friday, December 14, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Little Busters! Not the Pillows...
Little Busters is Key/Visual Arts new game. Well new in the sense that I just discovered it so technically it's just their newest game. I have not played this one at all and much like previous Key/Visual Arts games I'm hoping for an anime series but this one really has potential to knock it out of the park. It was HEAVILY hyped before release and from the materials I've seen so far about this...it's pretty darn good. Despite the above image, yes there are a bunch of "uber-cool-shonen" doodes in the game. I simply choose to ignore them...so nyaaah~! Oh and for clarifications sake this is a non-H title though I'm pretty sure there will be an H version someday when the sales start to slow on this thing.The story is almost like a "moe Fight Club" though it's not strictly male endorsed. People are used to shows about delinquent High Schoolers pummeling each other in secret fashion but I think this is the first time maybe that they decided to make a moe game out of it. Good call as the game images look great and it gives you more to do other than sit there and contemplate who you should be going for. The intro song is pretty cool and very different than their pass work, it's a nice change of pace.
The Anatomy of Moe
What makes a good moe character is a topic of immense discussion and scrutiny amongst the otaku(nerd) kind. So what makes a good moe? After viewing many many shows of this topic and spending extensive time observing galge (no really...seriously I was just...research...yeah...) it's come to my attention that what makes a character moe CAN be categorized. After all the archetype will appear over and over in mass media and be instantly recognizable so the moe in theory should be too.
So what makes a girl moe? Number one of all the things I've seen, this is maybe one of if not the most important : they have to be STUPID. Ok, too strong a word. Let's try...mental age deficiency. If they have the mentality of a 6 year old, you've scored yourself a moe! There's nothing better to an h-obsessed otaku than a teenager stupider than himself. After all, it's a security blanket for those who are lacking confidence knowing that your preferred gal-pal is a needy child trapped in a teenager's body. As a bonus, most moe girls tend to make random noises as their emotional range changes...usually on the off side. If you ever hear a stray "Uguu~..." then you know for sure that your moe girl is not feeling too well...sort of like a pet kitten.
Which leads to the next item of almost parallel importance...eccentricity! A stupid girl with an eccentric personality creates a conundrum. In real life they'd be horrifically annoying to murderous degrees. However in the world of the otaku, this is perhaps the most endearing type of girl there is. Does she like starfish to a sickening degree? Perhaps it's aliens? A belief in the supernatural? An insane animal lover? It could be collecting paper clips as long as it's brought to the hyper extreme spectrum. Happy, sad, angry or overzealous...you need to find someone with a quickly identifiable personality trait and then crank it up 1000 times and you'll see exactly how a moe girl behaves.
But why is it that they all behave in such a manner? Ah, here comes the answer. Tragedy. Stone cold, harsh, bitter reality raping their childhoods of any sense of safety. What I mean is a loss in the family or something equivalent or greater you damn perverts! Anyway, did they lose a childhood friend? A parent? A favorite pet? Perhaps they're even the ones that were lost! This great tragedy must have the averse effect of creating the eccentric personality to hide their past sorrows because it's so great that you wonder how they're NOT in therapy. Take heart, childhood friends are usually the BEST candidate for this requirement. If you knew her more than 5 years prior to your reunion...then holy hell she's got baggage that'd make grown men cry!
This brings us to the otaku himself. Yes that's right, here's where the appeal occurs. The otaku is fascinated in the idea of being there for others. Despite their lack of confidence in dealing with the opposite sex, they strive to be understood and needed. The moe girl is perfect then for the otaku as they can now fantasize about being a facilitator emotionally. Breaking through their mental guard walls, the otaku strikes a forward attack of affection to crack that eccentric shell and find the incredibly girly (and sexy) core within. At least that's what they'd like to do. However seeing as in real life we all have problems that require hours of yapping into our friend's ears the otaku sees no hope of doing such a thing in the 3D world and hence has regressed into watching (or playing) stories where they are indeed this individual of incredible ability.
Any other items aren't necessary but they can greatly enhance the moe girl's appeal. She can even be a fluffy rainbow dinosaur that soars on magic clouds of licorice dust and it wouldn't matter. Because in truth she's simply an insecure girl in search of that guy DESTINED to solve all of their mental deficiencies. Of course once he does, the only difference in said girl ends up being that they love said guy yet they continue to behave in exactly the same manner sans all the feverish blushing.
Yes, there's a lot of facts in this writing that probably make no sense. But isn't that the point? I've spent enough time explaining this to ya...so off you go into the world to find your own moe girl. Uguu~...
So what makes a girl moe? Number one of all the things I've seen, this is maybe one of if not the most important : they have to be STUPID. Ok, too strong a word. Let's try...mental age deficiency. If they have the mentality of a 6 year old, you've scored yourself a moe! There's nothing better to an h-obsessed otaku than a teenager stupider than himself. After all, it's a security blanket for those who are lacking confidence knowing that your preferred gal-pal is a needy child trapped in a teenager's body. As a bonus, most moe girls tend to make random noises as their emotional range changes...usually on the off side. If you ever hear a stray "Uguu~..." then you know for sure that your moe girl is not feeling too well...sort of like a pet kitten.
Which leads to the next item of almost parallel importance...eccentricity! A stupid girl with an eccentric personality creates a conundrum. In real life they'd be horrifically annoying to murderous degrees. However in the world of the otaku, this is perhaps the most endearing type of girl there is. Does she like starfish to a sickening degree? Perhaps it's aliens? A belief in the supernatural? An insane animal lover? It could be collecting paper clips as long as it's brought to the hyper extreme spectrum. Happy, sad, angry or overzealous...you need to find someone with a quickly identifiable personality trait and then crank it up 1000 times and you'll see exactly how a moe girl behaves.
But why is it that they all behave in such a manner? Ah, here comes the answer. Tragedy. Stone cold, harsh, bitter reality raping their childhoods of any sense of safety. What I mean is a loss in the family or something equivalent or greater you damn perverts! Anyway, did they lose a childhood friend? A parent? A favorite pet? Perhaps they're even the ones that were lost! This great tragedy must have the averse effect of creating the eccentric personality to hide their past sorrows because it's so great that you wonder how they're NOT in therapy. Take heart, childhood friends are usually the BEST candidate for this requirement. If you knew her more than 5 years prior to your reunion...then holy hell she's got baggage that'd make grown men cry!
This brings us to the otaku himself. Yes that's right, here's where the appeal occurs. The otaku is fascinated in the idea of being there for others. Despite their lack of confidence in dealing with the opposite sex, they strive to be understood and needed. The moe girl is perfect then for the otaku as they can now fantasize about being a facilitator emotionally. Breaking through their mental guard walls, the otaku strikes a forward attack of affection to crack that eccentric shell and find the incredibly girly (and sexy) core within. At least that's what they'd like to do. However seeing as in real life we all have problems that require hours of yapping into our friend's ears the otaku sees no hope of doing such a thing in the 3D world and hence has regressed into watching (or playing) stories where they are indeed this individual of incredible ability.
Any other items aren't necessary but they can greatly enhance the moe girl's appeal. She can even be a fluffy rainbow dinosaur that soars on magic clouds of licorice dust and it wouldn't matter. Because in truth she's simply an insecure girl in search of that guy DESTINED to solve all of their mental deficiencies. Of course once he does, the only difference in said girl ends up being that they love said guy yet they continue to behave in exactly the same manner sans all the feverish blushing.
Yes, there's a lot of facts in this writing that probably make no sense. But isn't that the point? I've spent enough time explaining this to ya...so off you go into the world to find your own moe girl. Uguu~...
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Something to Watch this Fall
A lot of people are starting to or have been feeling that anime has been dull lately. Copies of older more successful formulas are springing out of the ground in rapid succession and it quickly gets confusing when it comes to picking out the good from the bad. Now that the new season of TV anime has passed a sufficient amount of episodes, one can gauge a little better just how the season will pass. Just like in the NBA, after 15 games we now know for sure...the Knicks are absolute GARBAGE, this is what I've been watching so far...
Minami-Ike
One of the shows I can't stop laughing at. Though the first episode wasn't very funny to me, as the show went on I started to get it more and more. It's hilarious if you liked shows like Azumanga or School Rumble even, but Minami-Ike will hopefully have a long lasting appeal and broadcast. Maybe we'll even find out one day what's up with Sensei and Ninomiya-kun.
CLANNAD
Based on the PC non-H galge, CLANNAD I think has the most emotionally resonant story of all the shows this season. It's being made by Kyo-Ani so it was expected to be good but wow, the characters are a lot of fun and they devoted a good number of episodes early on to Fuko-chan this time so it was a real tear-jerker.
Blue Drop
It's really hard to put my finger on this one, it's so mundane yet there's a lot going on here. They are developing the story at a very slow pace and really the setting of the story might be off putting to fans of faster paced shows. I'm still contemplating whether I like it or not though maybe it's one of those things you see from start to finish to really get a feel for?
Bamboo Blade
Is it a sports anime? Is it a slice of life comedy? Or is it both!? Do they dare? It hasn't piqued my interest in kendo, that's for sure but it's good enough. The characters are very lively and being a fan of tokusatsu live action shows helps your enjoyment of this one as it's the running joke. Though I have to wonder...what the hell is up with MiyaMiya and Dan-kun!? Seriously, seeing that would really piss me off...
The flavor of the decade is still moe. It seems that's what sells and that's what's going to continue into next year. Code Geass will return soon to reclaim it's spot from Gundam 00 for a season when that ends and Suzumiya Haruhi is preparing to blow your mind with a HIGHLY...highly anticipated sequel. If you haven't read the translated novels in some way...well get ready cause this next storyline is insane (I think it's awesome!).
* LOL updated. Minami-ke is name the of the show. Minami-ike is "south pond". Here is a funny video to divert my stupidity :
Minami-Ike
One of the shows I can't stop laughing at. Though the first episode wasn't very funny to me, as the show went on I started to get it more and more. It's hilarious if you liked shows like Azumanga or School Rumble even, but Minami-Ike will hopefully have a long lasting appeal and broadcast. Maybe we'll even find out one day what's up with Sensei and Ninomiya-kun.
CLANNAD
Based on the PC non-H galge, CLANNAD I think has the most emotionally resonant story of all the shows this season. It's being made by Kyo-Ani so it was expected to be good but wow, the characters are a lot of fun and they devoted a good number of episodes early on to Fuko-chan this time so it was a real tear-jerker.
Blue Drop
It's really hard to put my finger on this one, it's so mundane yet there's a lot going on here. They are developing the story at a very slow pace and really the setting of the story might be off putting to fans of faster paced shows. I'm still contemplating whether I like it or not though maybe it's one of those things you see from start to finish to really get a feel for?
Bamboo Blade
Is it a sports anime? Is it a slice of life comedy? Or is it both!? Do they dare? It hasn't piqued my interest in kendo, that's for sure but it's good enough. The characters are very lively and being a fan of tokusatsu live action shows helps your enjoyment of this one as it's the running joke. Though I have to wonder...what the hell is up with MiyaMiya and Dan-kun!? Seriously, seeing that would really piss me off...
The flavor of the decade is still moe. It seems that's what sells and that's what's going to continue into next year. Code Geass will return soon to reclaim it's spot from Gundam 00 for a season when that ends and Suzumiya Haruhi is preparing to blow your mind with a HIGHLY...highly anticipated sequel. If you haven't read the translated novels in some way...well get ready cause this next storyline is insane (I think it's awesome!).
* LOL updated. Minami-ke is name the of the show. Minami-ike is "south pond". Here is a funny video to divert my stupidity :
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