Life | Business in Mayhem

A Well Needed Update

Heyos Everyones!

It’s been quite some time since I’ve last made a post here, and let me tell you, it’s not because I didn’t want to. Between issues with my health, money, and time, I haven’t been able to spare the time or energy to update this blog or the main site. However, I feel as I’m finally able to contribute again, and I’ll do my best to prevent such a situation from occurring again.

On that note, I’ve extended the blog to other members of Dowase. This used to be mainly a blog for my personal use, but I feel as though having others post their experiences will not only diversify posts on here, but also keep them blog from going unused for an extended period of time again.

In terms of anime, gaming, and other news, my life has been relatively slow in those aspects. I’ve not been able to watch or play too much this summer, and I even skipped out on AX for the first time in 5 years, due to monetary constraints. However, I feel as though this will change with Fall approaching fast. For the anime series I’m watching, I’m really only following Charlotte, Working!!!, and Monster Musume. I have a number of other series I want to watch, but that won’t be until I get the chance to get my computer and internet back to optimal speeds. I want to continue Ore Monogatari, and start on Rokka, Ranpo, and Sore ga Seiyuu. Hopefully I won’t be too disappointed by their progression!

Gaming-wise, I’ve really only been re-playing SA2, and going through Ranko Tsugihime’s Longest Day. I completed Earthbound for the first time, which really met with a mixed feeling for me. I know I ranted and raved about Splatoon in my previous post, and trust me, it’s a great game, but with the internet in my current location I can’t even play it without terrible lag, and that’s no fun. I’ll get back into it when I get sustainable internet again. All in all, I’ve not been doing too much on the gaming side.

That’s really all I have to say right now, as this was just a quick update on what’s happening. Dowase is going to be present at Saboten Con 2015, so if you happen to be going we’d all be happy to see you there!

-Ace

Quick Update, and hopefully new stuffs soon!

Heyos Everyones!!

Holy hell, where to begin… Let me start off by saying ever since the incident, I’ve been doing everything I can to catch back up with life. I can’t deny that I’m taking some stuff a bit too easy, but there’s only so much I can do and really, life always takes a toll on you when you work as hard as you can. Luckily, I don’t foresee any other problems occurring, especially with how smooth everything is falling into place at the moment. Of course, there’s always room for error, but I *want* Dowase and this blog to continue on a regular schedule, and I refuse to let this die like my other projects in the past. So many failures, and you start to realize that you can’t always do things you want, but things need to be done, and I want to start applying to things I know I can do, and not be distracted by what I cannot do.

In that vein, Dowase has been pretty good since we got ourselves a new member. Back in January, Mark joined the team as essentially PR and the most vocal one of the group, and as a result, we’ve definitely started to get more attention on the side of convention programming. Hopefully Danny and I can follow in his footsteps and start taking initiative ourselves, but regardless, I will continue to create fun and innovative panels for Arizona and potentially out-of-state conventions. Dowase Entertainment will be making an offical appearance at Phoenix Comicon 2015, with various panels, so please feel free to drop by and have a good time! Of course, if you have any issues or concerns with our programming, please feel free to let us know at the panel or by emailing me, and I will gladly take any suggestions or comments you have. I want our panels to be fun for everyone, and I take our job running panels very seriously. If you aren’t having a good time, we have failed, and that’s never a good thing.

On a lighter note of things, with school out of the way, I’ve been attempting to keep up with a number of anime, and it’s going… okay. I’m still behind by one or two episodes for each show, but I’m definitely in a better position that I was say, a year ago. Among those series, I’m watching Fate/Stay S2, Ore Monogatari, Plastic Memories, Hibike Euphonium, Show by Rock, Nisekoi S2, and others. It’s my first season actually watching this many shows as they air since I stopped back in 2012, and I love it. Other than anime, I’ve recently been playing the Fire Emblem series, a favorite of mine since I picked up Fire Emblem 7 years ago, and I’m loving every minute of it. In addition to Fire Emblem, Splatoon is a title I’m greatly looking forward to on the Wii U, and you can bet your ass that we will be playing it in our spare time at PCC.

(Oh, and I’ll be restarting the Month of Openings soon, completing with the remaining 10 days, so look forward to that!)

Anyways, this was meant to be a quick update on the state of things here, and I hope I got all my thoughts and opinions out. Of course, thanks for reading, and if you’re in the area, please come visit us at Phoenix Comicon!!

-Ace

Time to get back into the action!!

This series definitely grows on you, I'll tell you that. — This series definitely grows on you, I’ll tell you that.

Heyos Everyones!!

Sorry about the abrupt end to the openings! Let’s just say that there was a bit of an emergency which let me out of the loop for a bit, but as of this writing, I am back to normal! The posts will resume again in a couple of days as we continue to count down some of my favorite openings in anime! I’ll probably add a few more days, as it was slated to end the 28th, so I’ll add two more to make a full month, as well as some endings that I really enjoy as well.

This shouldn’t impact any future appearances at cons, as far as I’m aware, so Dowase Entertainment will be appearing at Aselia Con 2015 and Sabaku Con 2015! I’ve yet to receive confirmation on Sabaku, but I’m fairly confident that we will have at least one panel for everyone! Hope to see you all there!!

Until next time,
-Ace

Time for December Festivities!!

Heyos Everyones!

It’s been a little longer than expected to make a post, but better late than never, no? Regardless, a lot has happened these past few weeks, and a number of issues have presented themselves to me, giving me reason to doubt some current progressions I’ve been making. Fortunately, I believe that a quick recovery is in store, and activities will return to normal shortly.

In other news, I’ve been able to keep up with series such as Amagi Brilliant Park and Log Horizon S2, and I must say I am enjoying myself when it comes to the shows this season. Perhaps after the season is complete I will post some impressions, but I refuse to make any promises due to my terrible track record. =) Also, although this isn’t an anime, I recently watched RoosterTeeth’s RWBY series, and for a short little web series, I must say I had fun watching this show. The music is definitely the high point in the series, but everything else is great, provided one does not watch the series as an anime. While there are clearly styles reminiscent of anime, the show as a whole is its own species.

In terms of gaming, I’ve secured a Wii U this past month and I plan on catching up with Bayonetta 2 and other games I may have missed. However, in the mean time, I’m completing FF6 to remember why I enjoyed the game so much as a kid. At the moment, the game is meeting expectations. Pokemon will come after, and then perhaps some Tales of games.

This wasn’t going to be a big post. Just a little something until I finally have some more to add to this blog. Everyday activities, in a sense. Until next time,
-Ace

Winter is Coming

There's been a lot of Kurisu lately, hasn't there? — There’s been a lot of Kurisu lately, hasn’t there?

Heyos Everyones!!

Hard to believe it’s already so far into the year!! This year has definitely flown by, but it has definitely been an exciting and fun one!

I’ve been quite busy this month, ranging from watching new anime, finishing some school related projects, and planning for panels and future conventions under the Dowase Entertainment label. It’s been a bit hectic, but I really enjoy working on these types of projects. I’m aiming to have a regular update schedule with Business in Mayhem again, along with working with my youtube channel again. However, these are all projects that may or may not come to fruition. We’ll just have to wait and see.

As for my backlog of anime, I’ve been steadily making it smaller and smaller. I’ve watched quite a number of series this past month, and I’m finally comfortable with watching new series as they air again. This hiatus was troublesome, but I’m ecstatic that it finally came to an end. As for current series, I’m really enjoying Amagi Brilliant Park, I Can’t Understand What My Husband is Saying!, Psycho Pass II, Log Horizon II, and Unlimited Blade Works. ufotable is an amazing studio, and I’m gladly looking forward to each week as they animate my favorite path of the Visual Novel.

Unfortunately, catching up with all this anime does have a side effect. I haven’t been able to play as many games as I’d have liked because I’m dedicating most of my time with school and anime. I was able to pick up Super Smash Brothers 3DS on release day, and I’m really enjoying that, but any jRPGs have to wait until I can free up some anime time. Luckily, that time appears to be rapidly approaching, and will probably be here in no time.

I really hope you all enjoyed my impressions of Gurren Lagann last week, and I hope to have something new for you all next week! Seeya’s!
-Ace

Haa~ It’s already the end of September.

Kurisu is still the one of the best. — Kurisu is still one of the best.

Heyos Everyones!!

What an incredibly busy and odd summer! This was the first summer I’ve had where things weren’t really all set in stone, and I can’t say I’m necessarily a fan of that feeling. This summer was full of crazy and wacky shenanigans, and I’m honestly shocked I was able to get through this summer alive. Of course, I apologize about my lack of updates and what not, but I just haven’t had any time to discuss the crazy events that have been going on, and no anime or game has stuck out enough for me to write about the lasting impression. Perhaps that will change this season as it will be the first season of anime that I will be able to follow along as it airs! After the events of the past few years, I’ve been neglecting new anime and this is going to be a nice change a pace, so maybe I’ll be able to write up some opinions on these shows!

As for Dowase Entertainment and the various panels and conventions we’ve been to, there haven’t been too many events to talk about. Of course, Anime Expo 2014 was pretty interesting, but there were a lot of disappointing and lackluster events going on, and I really wasn’t too interested in a lot that was happening. While AX was my first anime convention back in 2010, I can’t say if I will be returning in 2015. There has to be a fantastic musical guest for me to return. Saboten Con 2014 was another event, and we held two panels for the convention. Both panels were fantastic, and I hope that everyone had a great time! The next convention planned is Kikori Con in Flagstaff, so I am really looking forward to that. Next year is going to be another wonderful year, so let’s see how much fun can be had in the coming conventions!!

Personally, I’ve been working my best to catch up on shows that I’ve missed this past year and a half. Watamote, Wizard Barristers, Engaged to the Unidentified, Love Live, and High School DxD NEW are among the series I’ve recently caught up on, and I’m really looking forward to series such as Psycho Pass, Black Bullet, and Hamatora S2. In terms of gaming, I had to put a pause on my gaming backlog because my anime backlog was just too massive. Of course, I do plan on playing Tales of Hearts R when it’s released and I’m looking forward to the new Smash! Other than that, the rest can wait until January, where I am to be caught up with series.

Well, that’s pretty much all that’s important, wrapped up in a nutshell. I anticipate writing more for this blog in the coming months, especially with school in session and whatnot. I’ve more a drive for it when I’m busy. So, look forward to the future!!
-Ace

Aselia Con 2014 Wrap Up

Heyos Everyones!!

This year has been a doozy, and I’m really happy with the opportunities that have arisen, as well as the awesome memories I’ve gained this past few months. Just recently was Aselia Con, located in Ft. Worth, TX. The convention’s all about the Tales of… series, and man it’s always a pleasure to go. Whilst I run the programming there, I really enjoy meeting and seeing everyone have a good time and enjoy themselves socialize with others who have played the Tales games as well. Meeting fans of the series is not that easy, and when you do you’re finally happy to meet those with the same interest as you. Not to mention there were a million and a half awesome cosplays, and I’ve honestly gotten it in my head that I can cosplay too. It’s going to take some time, but the cosplay’s will come soon enough!!

Aselia Con 2014 was amazing. I was given the opportunity to see so many people, whether they were people I’d met prior or people I’ve never met. The whole staff of Aselia is amazing, and really, the attendees are awesome as well. I’ve never been to a nice convention where everyone is there to have fun and nobody condescends anyone there. We’re all there to have a good time, and that’s why it’s spectacular. Karaoke was phenomenal, the fan programming was wonderful, and David Vincent was just the icing on the cake. When you have a small con like that, with people coming all over the world to visit, it’s just a beauty so indescribable that it puts one at a loss for words. I love everyone there, and I can’t wait until next year.

This weekend is Con-Nichiwa, and Dowase Entertainment will be there holding two panels, Name that Anime Tune! and Sig. of Anime OP/ED. Both are awesome panels and require some work to be done, but I can guarantee that I will do my best to make sure they sing. Come on down to Tucson if you’ve the time, and I greatly look forward to meeting you all there!

Lasting Impressions will be starting up again with the new shows. I know it’s been some time, but I haven’t been watching anime for the longest time. Just this year I’ve been catching up, and now that I’m finishing some series, I can start writing my final impressions on them again. I can also close the Initial Impressions posts I’ve started as I finish those series, and start new ones up again. I’m really happy to have the time and dedication to write these again, so please feel free to look forward to those in the future.

Thanks again for all your dedication and patience, and look forward to future content!!

Retail Experience is a Must for Everyone

I’ll be honest, working in retail has taught me a lot. I’ve seen the measures people go through to get what they want. I’ve a great company falter in its goal to give the customer a fighting shot, either by miscommunication or management striving to make due with what corporate wants, which isn’t for the benefit of the customer.

I was lucky enough to start with a company that was stable, and I never feared about losing my job over petty things. If a customer was nice to me, I tried to be nice to them. If it was a mistake on our end, I would try to fix it. Of course, I wasn’t the best cashier. Hell, I wouldn’t even consider myself a GOOD cashier. I would come into work some days with a negative attitude, and I would struggle to make it through the day.

Point is, I’m happy that throughout my years in this retail job, I was able to gain the knowledge and experience I wouldn’t had learned otherwise. Essentially, be nice to the person serving you, whether it be cashier, waiter, retail assistant, manager, or other sales or customer service position. They will be more inclined to help you in the future, mainly because you made their day easier, better, or just less of a nightmare.

For customers out there, as a former cashier at a retail grocery chain in the United States, I’ve a few words for you all.

1) Please feel free to use coupons. I’ve nothing against them, nor do many cashiers. However, please learn the coupon policy for your store and be understanding. I’m not the one trying to stop you from using your coupons, but I’m the one who has to talk to my manager or store head because I let you through with too many coupons or overrode too many coupons. When I inform you of the situation, please be understanding. Next time I may be more willing because I recognize you and I know what may or may not slide with my managers.

2)Fraudulent coupons are growing more and more frequent. Please understand that I cannot take a coupon that I understand is fraudulent. I understand you probably aren’t the one who created the coupon, but if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is. In fact, a better way to make money is to provide stores and companies with information regarding the creator or origin of the coupon. Many stores nowadays are offering rewards for that information.

3)As you shop, you may notice dates on a tag. If you see that the date is overdue, please feel free to bring that tag to the front so we can give you the proper price. Many stores will give you the tagged price if we left a tag up as it was our fault and we need to give you the posted price. This does NOT mean that if you put an 8 pack of Paper Towels on a 4 pack stand and say it was just placed there that we need to give you the price. We are not responsible for customers placing loose items on an empty rack. Fighting over issues like this is only going to make me less likely to go beyond for you in the future.

These are a few of the issues I want to bring to light as my final day approaches. Retail is a tough job, and it’s not fun, but if you are being courteous to the employee, generally we will go out of our way to help you. If we don’t, we may be having a bad day, but please be assured your kindness does help and we do remember it.

Next time, more anime and gaming news!!
-Ace

2013: Year in Review

Heyos Everyones!!

This has been one crazy year, and while there have been a lot of good and bad encounters these past 12 months, it’s time to pack those memories into storage and start the new year with a bang!!

But before that, it’s time to reflect on the good, and bad, memories that have occurred during this wonderful year.

Starting off the year, I had begun attending classes per usual at GCC and making blog posts containing my impressions and reviews of certain anime series and games. This was short lived, as my personal life had begun to flourish and I found myself with many responsibilities that I hadn’t considered before. This caused my posts to decline and ultimately cease with the occasional post every now and again. This was something I didn’t have too much control over, and I was dealing with new situations that I never could have imagined before. I’m happy to have experienced these encounters, but I wish I could have controlled my posting a little more.

This also leads to my falling out with current anime and video games this year. This was the first year in which I didn’t watch series pro-actively or as they aired in Japan. I used to follow series to the day they were released, and I just lost all interest in these new series as they were released in Japan. With my loss of my precious free time, I had to really consider what series I took my time watching and what series I needed to drop immediately. I took to watching series that had been on my backlog rather than watching new shows. Regardless, my time for anime and games was severely reduced, and that impacted my impressions and reviews as I had nothing to review or think about.

Fortunately, I still followed through with my travels to various anime conventions, including Aselia Con in Texas and Anime Expo in Los Angeles, both of which resulted in costly travel expenses for myself. However, my experiences at these conventions really gave me the break I needed from real life and time to find out what was going on in the world I had almost forgotten. It was my foot still in the door, and I couldn’t be crazy enough to fully step outside of this familiar world to the strange beyond I know nothing of. I made tons of great friends and these experiences have definitely salvaged my mind multiple times during stressful events or occurrences.

In my personal life, things were new and great, but it was all different and something I had never experienced before. I had never thought that I would go through such tough times, nor had I foreseen myself going through such wonderful times. It truly was a roller coaster, but it was a ride I definitely would take again and I wouldn’t trade my experience or memories for anything in the world. Sure, it wasn’t all good, and I did many things wrong, but it was a great experience.

Of course, the whole year couldn’t end on a successful note. Towards the end of the year, the world started crumbling and I had to step back through the door my foot had planted itself through. However, even that world was unfamiliar and crumbling. My wonder time had finally come to an end, and now things really need to change and I don’t have a world to return to anymore. Someone pushed me out into this new, undiscovered world, and now I have to either piece the old world back together, or walk until I can find a world worth living in. Granted, I’m not alone. I’ve still got my experiences and those that come with them, and I’ve also got the memories that I will never forget. But I can no longer return to that wonderful paradise that I had once considered would be there forever. Perhaps I was a fool to think that things would forever be in my favor, but I can’t say that this little stretch of misfortune will cause this year to be considered ‘bad.’

2013 was an amazing year. There were events in the end that were full of misfortune, but the memories and experiences during the majority of the year were irreplaceable and I have become a better person because of it. Thanks to everyone who is a part of my life, either directly or indirectly. Get ready for 2014!!

-Ace

Conventions, Persona, Tales, and Adventure!

Lyndis — Lyn from Fire Emblem. The BEST girl in the FE Universe, hands down.

Heyos Everyones!!

Damn, it’s been a long time!! How has the time flown by so quickly!? Regardless, it’s already November, moving into December, and I’ve yet to post anything in the last few months. My apologies for that, but I assure you, I’ve not been slacking!!

First off, I’ve watched quite a few new shows this time around. Most of the shows are from my backlog, as fewer shows interest me in new seasons. But among those I’ve finished are Free! and Attack on Titan, and I must say, I really enjoyed watching both of those. I’ve also worked on Future Diary and Baccano!, and I’ve got tons more to catch up on. I’ll consider getting my impressions posts back, but in the mean time, I have to catch up with real life and the holidays. Don’t worry, things will be kickin’ in gear soon enough!!

Convention-wise, this year is officially over!! Both Saboten-Con and Kikori-Con went smooth as butter, and I must say I’m extremely pleased with the progress Dowase Entertainment has made this year. We’ll be kicking things off at Taiyou-Con 2014, so if you happen to be in the area I’d be more than happy to meet you or have you attend one of our awesome panels!! Details about our panels can always be found at our homepage, so feel free to check it out!!

The gaming scene is quite a ruckus with Persona news coming around, and I must say, I’m rather excited. I’m really hoping not to get anything extreme with Persona 4, as I feel that the game needs to close and we need a new chapter in the Persona universe. Not to say I don’t like Persona 4, but I’ve played it more than I need to for now. In regards to the Tales of… series, some may know that I am the Programming Director for Aselia Con in Irving, Texas. On that note, I’d like to point out that Aselia Con is having its second year and we’ve got tons of awesome reasons for you to come out and meet others who love the Tales franchise and have loads of fun!! David Vincent, VA for Richard in Tales of Graces will be in attendence and with a successful year we’ll have even more goodies in the following years, so help out by attending or donating at http://aseliacon.com !!

While I’m making a post now, I’ve not officially returned to blogging. I’m currently in the transition to a new university, and I won’t have as much free time until I get everything sorted out. I’m extremely happy to say that life is moving on and I can move with it, rather than get stuck in the dust wondering why I’m in the same spot as before. So for now, I’m happy to say that things are turning out awesome, and I hope to post more as the year rolls around!

-Anthony ‘Ace’
Dowase Entertainment Administrator