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!
Didn’t think you’d hear back from little ole’ me, did ya? Well I’m back and I’m ready to start back, right where I left off!! But before that, just a few notes to keep everyone updated on what has changed.
First, Dowase Entertainment had a successful run at Saboten-Con 2013, and will hopefully be appearing at Kikori-Con 2013 and future conventions in the Arizona area. As always, we’ll be front-running with our ‘Name that Anime Tune!!’ panel, with some new games and informational panels that we’re starting up to generate a creative and fun experience for all.
Second, I’ve not seen much anime this year. As such, my backlog is >9000. This is one of the reasons as to why I’ve not made many posts thus far, and why I’ve kinda fallen back on everything. With the end of Saboten, I’ve realized that my passion for anime has been rekindled, and the life blood of the blog and website has been reborn.
So while I’ve not much to say at this point in time, I can say that there will be more posts in the future, and I will be updating the main page with our new panels and plans for the future.
Until Next Time,
-Ace
P.S. Free and Attack on Titan are the next on my list of anime to watch, so there may be something on those these next few weeks.
Wow. It’s been awhile since my last post, and damn, have things gone up and down these past few weeks. Not only is my personal life demanding, even with the absence of school, but the con season is starting and my wallet still hasn’t recovered from my last outing. To top it off, this anime season looks amazing, and I’ve yet to see any of it.
First off, in terms of conventions and what-not, Phoenix Comicon was fantastic! We held our panel, Name that Anime Tune!, to great success, even with the lack of time and computer screen (My laptop screen is broken and caused some slight problems during the panel). However, I’ve also noticed some improvements to be made for our panel at Saboten 2013, should we be accepted, and I will probably give out the original program if enough people want it. I just want to improve and ease some tasks within the program, which will reduce the chance of human error and allow people to have a better time. That was my intention when I first programmed the panel, and I intend to improve upon that idea as much as possible.
Anime Expo 2013 is coming up around the corner, and while I don’t have too much to look forward to (Other than Porno Graffiti, which is pretty cool, and the usual convention getaway), I know that it’s going to be a blast being away in L.A. once again!! As for anime this season, I have a lot of shows that I want to try, but due to time constraints and real life issues, I’ve yet to take the time to watch them. Soon though, I shall finish the series I started and write impressions once again! Then the blog will bustle and thrive!! (Not really, but I can dream, no?).
I really don’t have much else to say, but I wanted to make sure people know that I’m not down and out yet, and I will come back once time permits me to. It’s been rough, yes, but with every event one endures they thrive and improve their ideas, views, morals, and beliefs. Until next time,
These past weeks have been full of excitement and mayhem, and I can truly say I have loved every minute of it. Sure, work may suck, but hell, the experiences I held have been the best I have ever had. First off, Aselia Con (The first Tales Of convention in the United States) went off amazingly, and the turnout was much more significant that I had anticipated! Therefore, Dowase Entertainment will happily be returning next year with our panels and fun. Second, Con-Nichiwa (An anime convention in Tucson, AZ which had over 1500 unique attendees) was a blast, and I’m proud to say that our panel (Name that Anime Tune!) was a huge hit! In terms of conventions and panels, Dowase Entertainment is steadily becoming more and more well known, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.
Next up, we have Phoenix Comicon, which we again will hold our “Name that Anime Tune!” panel. We have some other conventions we are aiming for, but I’ll have to keep that sealed until I have confirmation.
But that isn’t the only big news that I have today! Today, April 2nd, 2013, Dowase Games Entertainment has fully transitioned to Dowase Entertainment. Not only do we plan on releasing games in the future, but the group will also be considered a panelist group that programs our own games for our panels. For example, our “Name that Anime Tune!” panel utilizes an engine developed by myself, and our other gaming panel (Crazy Wacky Game of Shenanigans) will also be programmed and developed in-house by myself. It’s going to be awesome, and I can’t wait to get everyone pumped for the fantastic games and activities we have planned for our attendees!
In light of our completed revamp, the official site has returned, and my blog has once again taken to the sidelines. Finally, information can now be accessed via the site, and soon everything will be complete, functioning, and easy to use. Please look forward to our changes, and thank you for reading my blog, putting up with my nonsense, and just being a visitor to the site.
However, this does not mean that I will completely stop blogging. If anything, I will be blogging more now that my motivation hath returned to me. For now, the site updates will be made via my blog, until I restore the forum functionality to the site. For now, however, stay cool everyones. Thanks again for coming to the site, and look forward to the changes we have in store for the rest of 2013!!
Wow, time is really going by, and I’ve yet to catch my breath with all the crazy shenanigans going on lately. Not only do I have school and work, but events have been coming up in life that have severely impacted my activities with anime, manga, and gaming. Not to say it’s necessarily a bad thing, but it’s definitely not something I’m used to. Regardless, that’s why there hasn’t been a post on here for over a month, and why I’ve yet to add any new reviews or impressions. In other news, this weekend marks the very first ‘Tales of’ convention, taking place in Ft. Worth Texas! Aselia-Con will be giving fans of the Tales series a place to gather and share the love for this fantastic series, and Dowase will be there holding two panels. Come on down and check it out if you happen to be in the area, as it’ll be fun all around! Additionally, Dowase Entertainment will be attending Con-Nichiwa in Tucson, AZ on the weekend of the 22nd, so feel free to stop on by then and have some fun! It’ll just be the usual ‘Name that Anime Tune!’ panel, but it’ll be a lot of fun and I hope anyone who is going to the convention can make it and check us out!
In other news, I just completed Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the first time in my life. Well, kinda. I’ve beaten the game without collecting all the emeralds before, but only recently have I beaten the game with all the emeralds and in one sitting. I must say, Sonic 2 is a fantastic game, and I really understand now how people claim it to be the best in the series. I’ve always been the bigger fan on Sonic 3 and Knuckles, mainly because the game was just so damn fun and I have so many experiences with it. But, I can beat the game easily without even trying and getting all the emeralds just isn’t as rewarding anymore. When I finally beat that seventh special stage, I felt content. I felt like I had earned the right to play as Super Sonic, and the feeling was oh-so-satisfying. The Genesis Sonic games are the best in the franchise, and they will forever hold a place in my heart.
Well, it’s about time for me to head off. Have a fantastic time, and if ya happen to be in the Ft. Worth area, come visit Aselia-Con!
Modern Magic. A series that was okay, yet not necessarily memorable
Heyos Everyones!
It has been an incredible past few weeks, with changes to both my online and off-line life. Unfortunately, these past few weeks have left me quite behind on the current season’s status, but let me get a few things clear before I continue on.
First off, I will not be watching any new series until I have finished what is on my plate already. This seems fairly simple, but in addition to this, I also mean that I will continue the series that I have wanted to re-watch and “review” before I start on the previous season. Quite frankly, I don’t find much appeal to the new season of anime, especially with KyoAni crapping all over faithful fans and churning out generic crap every season. Once I get another show with quality animation and quality story, then I will finally begin watching their series again. I just find more fulfillment in the series of the past that I may have overlooked, so I feel it is finally time to watch them in all their glory.
With that out of the way, life in general has been quite simple and clear. Classes are going quite well, with a few minor setbacks and what-not, but I feel every semester will have some flaws. Gaming-wise, I purchased Ni no Kuni, which is an amazing game, and definitely deserves a play at least once in your life. The music is pure bliss, the gameplay is magic, and the story telling is phenomenal. On another note, I got my hands on Rewrite, the latest KEY novel to be released, and I am ready to have a good time on that ship.
For the conventions on this year., I have two scheduled and hopefully more planned. I can say that Dowase Entertainment will be in the Dallas area on March 14~March 18 for Aselia-Con, a Tales convention that will specialize in the Tales fandom. After that, we’ll be in Tucson, AZ for Con-Nichiwa 2013 between March 22~March 24. March is going to be a busy month, and I can’t wait to see what’ll come of the trip!
In regards to life, I think everything has been said, and updates will be made once time is alloted. I’ve got some little things planned, but nothing final yet, so look forward to that!
(This post may contain spoilers for the following series. If you have not seen the series before, please exercise caution before viewing this post. You have been warned.)
I was going to do a Lasting Impressions segment of Steins;Gate, but I feel that my opinions would be too strong for a series I enjoy as much as this. Therefore, I have posted my reasons as to why I love the series as much as I do.
This is the protagonist folks.
Some may wonder why I have such a fascination with the series Steins;Gate. After all, the main heroine is commonly used for purposes of my avatar or header. However, before I can begin on the amazing reasons as to why I enjoy Steins;Gate so much, I have to explain some details about myself.
I have always liked the concept of time travel, and even as a little kid I dreamed about traveling through time and controlling the concept of time. Due to this fascination, anything to do with time travel interests me. Of course, most mediums fail to capture an agreeable concept of time travel, such as the movie Looper, whereas some grasp the concept well by establishing rules and restrictions to actually create a story worth telling. Steins;Gate performed this task well, and greatly enhanced the reasons behind following the story.
It’s….Makise…Kurisu…
At the very beginning of the series the rules of time travel are explained and set, leaving no room for confusion or error. While they aren’t explained to the viewer right away, little signs and warnings are set into place to show the rules are in place, yet not exactly explained. In addition, the way the series handles the concept is extremely well done, utilizing points and branches to demonstrate the travel of time and using a convergence meter to show what timeline we are currently seeing. What’s even better is the fact that these concepts were developed by actual scientists and the series merely borrows the concept to create a story. Steins;Gate uses an already developed theory on time travel and expands upon this theory, leaving only the development on the story and how well to tie things up in the air.
But he’s a guy.
While I enjoy time travel and the concept of controlling time, there are a few other ideas and concepts that Steins;Gate utilizes to appeal to me even more. Nitro+(Nitroplus) and 5pb(Mages) write fantastic stories that are often based on real life events and set in the present time. This allows someone watching the series within a few years of release to relate with the series even more, understanding the companies, events, and conspiracies that may be referenced in the series. In addition, the series often uses suspense to confuse and anticipate the viewer, which only adds to the greatness of the series. The story is never fully understood until the final episodes, where everything is finally explained and things start wrapping up.
Tuturu~
As for the characters, it increasingly becomes easy to connect and understand each one. Okabe, the main character of the series, or rather, the protagonist, often comes off as crazy and comedic. However, once things actually start moving in the series, his true personality comes out as caring, compassionate, and lost. Mayushi often comes off as bubbly, airheaded, caring, and carefree. However, one can see that she does have worries and fears, and becomes a victim to later events. Kurisu can often be described as a typical tsundere, but she does keep her hobbies to herself to preserve her image as a scientist and a scholar. This often gets poked at by the others when she references internet memes and trends. Daru is the smart computer nerd of the group, used mainly for jokes and jabs at the NEET population and internet savvy user. Moeka comes off as unfriendly, unsociable, and self-centered. It later shows that she is alone and scared due to past events, and is merely following what she has been given to believe in. Ruka gives off
This is the supa haka, Daru.
feminine vibes, yet is shown early on to be a male. Suzuha comes out of nowhere and seemingly doesn’t add much to the plot, save for the few moments of confusion she gives when her words appear to make little to no sense. Once her backstory is explained, however, things begin to fall into place and her true intentions pave the way for the later half of the story. Ferris probably contributes the least to the plot, only giving little appearances at the cafe and one little sub-story in the large plot at hand. Another reason why this series bodes so well with me also comes from the fact that every character comes into play at least once. While some characters don’t appear to have a greater significance, it’s later shown that there was more to said character than meets the eye.
Ferris Nyan Nyan Time!
Although the story and characters make up a large part of my admiration for this series, another key factor would be the art direction. I’m not going to go out and say that Steins;Gate had the best art of the season. However, I love the art style used for this series. This goes for both the Visual Novel and the Anime, as both have such a unique style that really contributes to the uniqueness and power of the series as a whole. The art direction works wonders, and really left an impact on me.
Forever Best Girl
Of course, the series wouldn’t be as fantastic as it is without it’s awesome soundtrack. The piano tracks that play during the series are phenomenal, and I love the Opening and Ending song of the series. Kanako Ito is one of my favorite singers, and Hacking to the Gate is a lovely song. Speaking of Openings and Endings, the subtle changes between the Alpha Opening and the Beta Opening was a brilliant idea, and a neat way to change things up without being too obvious about it.
Overall, I feel Steins;Gate was an overall fantastic series. Would I consider it the best series ever? No, that would be implausible. However, Steins;Gate does fall under my favorite anime of all time, and for these reasons above, I feel that my reasoning is sound. White Fox adapted the Visual Novel amazingly, which after the Chaos;Head fiasco (Which, the VN is amazing, but the anime leaves much to be desired), was a breath of fresh air. I’m happy that they’re taking the series a little further with a movie, because the characters are unique and fun, but I do fear that they may ruin some of what the series stands for if they try to add more mystery to the series as a whole. I love the series because it wraps itself up perfectly, leaving little to no holes, and for fan service purposes, I’m fine with fun, extra adventures with the cast and crew. For all intents and purposes, however, Steins;Gate as a whole should be its own separate story, boxed up and independent from future endeavors.
(This review may contain spoilers for the following series. If you have not seen the series before, please exercise caution before viewing this post. You have been warned.)
Oh man, it’s great to actually have time to watch anime again. Of course, it’s only fair to start off with a bang, and begin my new batch of impressions with an awesome, kick-ass show entitled Hagure Yuusha no Estetica. Baring resemblances to Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou and Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls, the show follows a hero who goes by the name of Akatsuki Ousawa as he leaves the world he was summoned to and returns to his home world. While most stories begin with the summoning of a hero to save the world, this story begins with his departure, and upon arriving back in his own world, it becomes apparent that ‘Heroes’ are summoned often, and while many do not return, the few that do are sent to a school called Babel, where they can learn to control their new skills as ‘Heroes’ and adapt to the world with their new found powers.
The Main Characters Ousawa Akatsuki and Ousawa Miu.
The general idea behind this series piqued my interest early on, and it only helps that there is more behind the story than just the setting. First off, the main character, Akatsuki Ousawa, isn’t just a returning hero. He is unable to use magic, but his overall skill level is tremendous. Second, he brings the Demon King’s daughter with him to his world in guise of his younger sister. From the beginning, Akatsuki already has multiple targets on his back, ranging from the kingdom he saved before the series began, to the Babel Academy Student Council. The main characters in the series then range from the Demon King’s Daughter, named Ousawa Miu, to class clown Chikage Izumi, to Vice-President Haruka Nanase. Together the cast encounter wacky hi-jinks in their daily abnormal high school lives.
Clearly the best girl of the series
Unfortunately, this series lacks in character development and characterization. While every character contains some element to personalize them, they don’t really stand out among the crowd and honestly, don’t evolve and develop as the series progresses. However, it can easily be stated that this series wasn’t created to cater to lore fanatics and well-balanced fights. Every scene is catered to demonstrating how bad-ass Akatsuki is, and how he can solve every problem using his power that never truly gets fully explained in the show. Each arc consists of Akatsuki wanting to prove his strength, playing pranks on all the pretty ladies, solve some problems by creating misunderstandings, and usually ends with a woman crying with him coming to their rescue. This isn’t necessarily a terrible situation, as the show does what it intends to do. It entertains and provides great feelings to those who want a good “feel-good” show to watch. In addition, it doesn’t help that the story doesn’t conclude with the last episode, with a huge cliffhanger ending that begs to be filled with another season. Why can’t shows end without cliffhangers anymore? A huge portion of anime nowadays end up unfinished because the companies don’t make enough money to add another season, and the show suffers because of these poor creative decisions. If this show fails to bring a continuation, which I highly assume it will, I’ll be disappointed yet again.
You don’t want to make him angry. He’s a scholar and a gentleman.
The artistic and musical aspects of this series are phenomenal. The art, while not beautiful or gorgeous by any standards, doesn’t detract from the show and doesn’t appear lazy. While there is an excessive amount of fan-service, considering the audience I don’t view that as a huge negative. In terms of music, there aren’t many memorable tracks, but there is a fantastic rendition of the main theme that plays during the ‘epic’ scenes with Akatsuki, and I love series that contain arrangements of the main theme as they give the scene meaning and signal an important event. However, this piece of music was definitely overplayed, appearing in nearly every episode. Speaking of main themes, the OP for this series really brought the mood of the series, generally pumping the audience up for the episode with action and rock. There was some surprising foreshadowing in the OP that really caught me off-guard, and really made me appreciate the OP even more. As for the ED, a completely different approach was used, but I think it fits. It uses a catchy little song and consists of material focusing mainly on Miu and her relationship with Akatsuki. Overall, the OP/ED aren’t the greatest, but they do provide the correct emotions and enhance the series as a whole.
They’re brother and sister, can’t you tell?
In all honesty, Hagure Yuusha no Estetica gives a great time for those looking for a bad-ass main character, tons of action, and some quick laughs. There’s a lot of fan-service, and doesn’t provide the best storytelling, leaving some loose ends both in the middle of the series and the end, but provides some entertaining experiences for those bored of today’s moe overload.
It’s been a good while since I’ve had the time, inspiration, and motivation to write a new post. First off, I’ve not been watching anime lately, due to school and just general lack of interest. This season has in general been pretty unappealing, and if anything, seems to push me toward watching and re-watching older series that I have fond memories of. Luckily, with school over, and my bad semester completed, I now have less worries and more time to complete some of my goals and write up some new posts. I’m currently watching Hagure Yuusha no Estectica, and I’ll probably get an impressions post of it as I complete it. Some other series are coming to an end, so expect more posts to end this dry season.
In terms of life outside of anime and gaming, it’s been really tame, yet confusing. All of my classes save for one have been fantastic, and work has been the usual bullshit. But, there have been some silver linings, and I can say I’m pretty damn content right now. I may just be following the waves, but at this point, there isn’t much I can do. Even if I make a plan, one little nudge sets the path off-course and sends me spiraling off to nowhere. Maybe it’s because I’m just a naive twenty year old student, but it’s odd seeing the amount of change go around and I can safely say I could not have seen myself in this situation a year ago.
As for gaming, I bought a PSVita for Black Friday, as Amazon had an amazing bundle which pretty much led to the final price being around $100. Not bad. I bought Persona 4 and have been enjoying that, while I also have been having so much fun with Gravity Rush. That game is phenomenal, and the music is outstanding. On another note, Tales of Xillia will be releasing in English sometime next year, and I can’t wait to get my hands on that game. I love the Tales series way too much.
In all honesty, I really don’t have that much to say right now, other than school has pretty much ended, life has been going well, and this site’s going to be active once again. I can only take so much before I crack, and I’m happy to say that the time to watch and pour my emotions over anime have come again. Until next time,
After a nice long vacation over in Flagstaff for Anime Kaigi, it’s nice to say that I have returned home safely and satisfied. This convention has been amazing, as smaller cons seem to have a charm that bigger cons such as AX don’t have anymore. Meeting new people is one of the biggest factors in small cons, and I met quite a few new people whom I am really glad I got the chance to meet. On another note, the panel ‘Name that Anime Tune’ was a huge success, and I am looking forward to another chance to hold that panel and perhaps even more at a later date.
Now that the convention is over, I can continue my quest to finish my backlog of anime, or at least attempt to finish the list. However, it seems after a convention ends I have even more to watch, and it only ever continues to grow. Either way, this is going to be a long week due to Calculus and other school work, so hopefully I’ll find some more time to finish one or two series and write my impressions on those. Until next time, seeyas!
