What's the deal with that "Cupcakes" fanfiction?

Here's a post for you bronies out there. And for my regular readers: Warning! The following blog post discusses adult material and extreme violence. (No, this isn't turning into a My Little Pony blog, but this has been on my mind.)

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Everyone's heard of the wildly-popular newest generation of ponies. The series features new characters, a larger fanbase, songs, and superior animation and voice-acting as opposed to previous shots at the franchise. The army of bronies and pegasisters has given way to countless videos, pieces of fanart, and the dreaded fanfiction.

Last January, at an non-confirmed date a mysterious story titled Cupcakes was posted on 4chan. So far, the author SEEMS to be someone by the name of Sergeant Sprinkles, but that too is not certain. Here's where the story gets difficult: to get a full (and safe) synopsis of the fanfiction, if you're unfamiliar with it, click here. If you're too lazy to do that, here's the short version: Pinkie Pie (shown above right) drugs and kidnaps Rainbow Dash. When Rainbow Dash wakes up, the story that follows is something of a mix of Sweeny Todd and Silence of the Lambs as she's tortured to death for the "special ingredient" in Pinkie's delicious cupcakes.

Charming, isn't it?

To make things clear: No, i haven't read this fanfiction, and I don't plan to any time soon. The last time I read a grimdark fanfiction, it was by accident and I didn't sleep properly for the next forty-eight hours. As for Cupcakes, it's caused an uproar of either praise or rants of condemnation from bronies in every nook and cranny of the internet. Putting shipping and pairings aside, let's go over the reactions...

At first, many fans were outraged that the piece had ever been written. Pinkie Pie was created as the happy, carefree pony of the six main cast members and it was wrong to think she'd ever harm her companions, especially not Rainbow Dash who she works hard to befriend very early on in the series. On top of this, the story was seen as overly-violent and mentally scarring. Having seen a fan-made "animated version" of Cupcakes, I definitely agree on that account.

The other group viewed it differently.

They seemed to delight in the idea of Pinkie Pie becoming a psychopath and spawned the pictures and spin-off fanfictions we now have lurking on the internet. Besides, it was just a fanfiction, right? At least it wasn't as bad as Sweet Apple Massacre. (Note to readers: Sweet Apple Massacre is another violent fanfiction that I haven't researched much OR read. After a quote from my brother, I don't plan to touch it with a twenty-foot pole. Before looking it up for yourself, know that it's easily the most-hated piece related to the Friendship is Magic boom yet to be created - much more so than Cupcakes.)

As a third party, trolls have started using cupcakes as a tool. Pinkie Pie sings to Applebloom (above right) about baking cupcakes in an episode of the actual show. The song itself is innocent, catchy, and fits Pinkie's canon personality. However, if you look up the song to listen to it on YouTube, you're most likely to see someone comment something along the lines of "Hey, you guys like cupcakes? You should read a fanfiction called 'cupcakes'. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie bake together - it's very beautifully written."

I saw this comment and responded immediately with the word "Troll". The writer's response was to continue to try and beckon me to read the story, proving again that TROLLS ARE STUPID.

Wrapping up what is no doubt the darkest post this blog has yet, what do I, Hideki think of the Cupcakes hype?

When I read fanfiction, or write it for that matter, my belief is this: Fanfiction is a way to see the characters you love in a situation that they haven't had a chance to experience in the show, movie, game, song, et cetera that they're featured in. Cupcakes follows this belief, HOWEVER: I'm also a stickler for in-character writing. Watching My Little Pony I admit, yes, Pinkie has that one episode where she loses grip on her sanity a bit, but my problem is that she had warning signs and was PROVOKED before slipping to the point of creating imaginary friends. As far as I know, there was no lead-up to drugging Rainbow Dash, a friend she's very close with. On top of this, Friendship is Magic is a KID'S SHOW. Yes, the brony community is greatly made up of adults, but originally the ponies were created with pre-pubescent girls in mind. That, and it's also shown on Saturday mornings on the Hub, a channel for children. That fact makes it hard for me to see any character from the show, let alone Pinkie, harming another in such a gruesome way. This also affects the fan-pairings in my mind: Yes, Pinkie Dash and ApplejackxRarity seem to make sense, but I don't care much for and fanfiction or fanart that go beyond pony-hugs and maybe a kiss on the cheek. (With the exception of The Party isn't Over Yet, which was so well-written it has parts that could practically be written into the show.)

No hard feelings towards those Cupcakes lovers, but I won't be joining you, I'm sorry to say.

- much luvz, Hideki.

RANT: Trolls are Stupid

Remember my blog post about going to WonderCon back in May?
While I was there, pushing my way through the crowds of people, some random guy and his friend passed by me and said very clearly something along the lines of "Look at all these assholes." followed by a chuckle from his companion.
I'm sorry sir, but you paid MONEY to get inside of a convention. So why are you bashing the people here? What, I wonder, is the point of spending a perfectly good Saturday afternoon in a place that you had to pay to get in to with when you're just there to make snarky comments about those who want to enjoy themselves?
This memory was brought up by a deviantArt member who posted a journal detailing someone saying they "HATE" what she's done to the new My Little Pony fandom. Whether you're a hardcore brony or don't give a Pinkie Pie cupcake about the show, the artist gave a very good argument:
She hadn't drawn the picture to offend anyone, and it wasn't targeted at the commentator, obviously - the two had never crossed paths before. The commentator made on of the most cowardly moves I've ever seen a troll make, however: they blocked the artist from commenting back. On a separate account, the artist chewed out the commentator rather explicitly, but as said before, made an excellent argument.

I see this sort of thing all the time on YouTube: someone posts an anime clip from the English dub of the show. Let's say it's Ichigo's transformation in Bleach for argument's sake. Johnny Yong Bosch is on the screen screaming or laughing maniacally as it's Hollow versus Soul Reaper in one body, and below there's the comment box. While I raise my eyebrows, impressed by Johnny's talent once again, people are writing careless messages like "the original's better" or "this dub sucks". You get the idea.
The most offensive one I recall was on a video posted by the voice-actor. Steve Blum is probably most well-known for his role as Oroshimaru and Zabuza in Naruto. He put his demo reel up on YouTube for loyal fans, and one gutsy viewer posted a comment saying they wished Steve was away from the microphone forever, mentioning a club for those with that shared belief.

Why on Earth have we slipped so low?
There is a very simple rule to anything on the internet: Don't like? Don't watch. Why is it so hard for people to understand this principle? Why waste your time torturing yourself with a show, dub, or even a CONVENTION for God's sake that you don't enjoy? Does the masochism make you cooler? If so, do you REALLY need to share your complaints with EVERYONE? Even if you disagree, what's the point in picking a fight with some hardcore fan? Believe me, I've tangled with enough Twilight fangirls to know how to say, "I don't like the series, okay? We don't have to talk about it." Rather than pick a fight. The argument will go nowhere, and someone will get hurt.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

Kingdom Hearts: A final end

When was the point where it stopped being fun?

Are you still waiting for your life to start?

Once upon a time in the far-away land on Eng, there lived a girl named Jenn who loved a girl named Kelly. Jenn needed a way for Kelly to notice her, so she donned her mullet wig and Organization XIII coat to start a web show. This is the story of the hugely popular Demyx Time YouTube series. What started as a crush spawned into a now widely-known internet sensation that's grown by over 40,000 subscribers, sprouted from one girl in with a camera to an entire cast and was born from a love story that's now touched hundreds of people's hearts.
However, all good things must come to an end.
After about four years, it was announced that the fifteenth and final episode of Demyx Time had been filmed, and the show would soon be ending. However, the end seemed to have a larger effect on Kelly and Jenn, the internet stars.
Trying to break away from their Kingdom Hearts roots, Parle Productions began releasing their newest series The Marauders, based off of Harry Potter. After various announcements about a Left 4 Dead music video to be filmed at the next convention they were attending, the two uploaded a video of them cosplaying Nick and Ellis from L4D2.
The newest video spawned countless comments somehow relating back to Demyx Time and The Sora Show. Yesterday, Kelly officially announced it on her journal:
Parle Productions is quitting Kingdom Hearts cosplay permanently.
Time has passed, and simply put, they're tired of Axel and Demyx. They've essentially exhausted Demyx Time, but Kelly mentioned that she doesn't enjoy playing Sora any longer either. Therefore: After the final episode of Demyx Time is released, Kingdom Hearts will end for Parle.
Today, Jenn put her final cosplay picture of Demyx on DeviantArt, and Kelly wrote an update detailing that they're looking for a house.
I'm sad to see it go: truly, I am.
If it weren't for web shows like theirs and The Misadventures of MarVex I'd have never enjoyed the fandom as much as I have. Also: Jenn and Kelly have helped me with some personal problems as well.

Parle isn't dead.

The Marauders will continue, and I'm hoping The Shinra Files will as well.
I hope Jenn and Kelly the best: whatever they choose to do, there's no point in doing it if they don't enjoy it as much as the people watching.

Parle, here's to you.
Have a good future.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

New Blog

I'm not done with anime, but someone new has appeared in my life.
Actually, three somethings.
I aqquired three hermit crabs last Saturday that are now alive and well at this very moment. Their names are Sei, Kino, and Marluxia. You can read it here.

Thanks!

- Much luvz, Hideki.

Misery

For once, this blog is about something non-anime, not about my life, and not about a movie that spawned into a popular video game. However: a nerd is a nerd is a nerd, and I know there are Stephen King freaks out there.
In my continuing experimentation with horror movies and thrillers, tonight my dad and I watched Misery. The tale tells of author Paul Sheldon who crashes on a mountain road during a blizzard. Annie Wilkes, claiming to be his number-one fan, pulls him from the wreckage and brings him back to her home to nurse his broken limbs. Soon it becomes clear that Annie isn't quite right in the head. She lies to Paul about her contact with the outside world when she has no phone. When leaving the house, she locks his room, and when discovering that he's killed off the heroine, Misery Chaste, of his hit romance series, she throws a tantrum and forces Paul to write a continuation. Crippled and praying he can deceive his captor, Paul starts desperately searching for a way out.

When I watched The Shining, I liked the IDEA of the story, and the movie left me unimpressed. However: I believe that stalkers are some of the most terrifying people you could come across. Misery had a character that lived up to that expectation - rapid, uncalled for moodswings; obsessive-compulsive habits and paranoia. This movie made me jump, sit on the edge of my seat, and had everything I look for when taking a dose of horror.
For gore lovers, I'm sorry: there's a minimal amount of blood. One person is shot through the chest before Paul and Annie's final struggle where the both bleed quite a bit.
The acting was excellent: Paul was a clever man who had to act for his life to fool Annie. The sheriff that goes looking for him was charismatic with a hysterical wife.
I really enjoyed Misery. With this on top of my friend's rants on Stephen King, I think I'm finally sold on actually reading one of his books.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

Kitchen "Energy"

I swear to whatever God you may or may not believe in, I just saw something in my kitchen. My dad says he often sees “passing energy” in our house, but this is my first visible brush in several years.

“It might’ve just been that.” Reassured my brother when I told him.

“I swear to God, it wasn’t the coffee maker!” I cried, gesturing to the appliance’s glowing face.

“What, like a glowing orb?” He grinned, almost teasing.

“Yeah, like a glowing orb!” I repeated.

I have a strong belief in ghosts and spirits. Whether you agree with me or not, I DO respect your opinion.

However: I just saw something in my kitchen.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

Twin Spica

I don't often rush to review a series that I haven't read or seen a substantial amount to draw an opinion on, but tonight I found the manga series Twin Spica so awing and dream-like that I HAD to share it.

As the story goes, in the year 2010, Japan's first manned spacecraft failed to launch when the gas caught fire. The entire crew was killed and the rocket crashed into the nearby city, killing many people. Asumi Kamogawa was born in the same year, and grew up knowing her mother only in a comatose state, completely covered in bandages before she passed away when Asumi was five. Once the funeral had passed and her mother was created, the young girl meets and befriends "Mr. Lion", a man who wears a cartoon mascot head. Mr. Lion teaches Asumi about outer space and the stars, and the girl's passion to someday pilot a rocket grows. She promises her father and friend that they'll get on her space ship for free.

At fourteen, with some trials and bumps in the road, Asumi applies for the Tokyo Space School. With the love of Mr. Lion and her father, she's sent off into a strange new setting where she spends her first week locked in an isolated room with two strangers. There, Asumi defies the impossible after reliving the trauma in her childhood.

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At this point, I haven't gone into much detail and not much has happened, but the cartoony style of Twin Spica portrays a shocking story with hidden meanings.

Never have I seen this accomplished with an art style so freakishly similar to Akiko and the Planet Smoo by Mark Crilley.

Supposedly a series with so much true fact blurs the lines of life, love, reality and legend in only this one volume I picked up at the library today.

When Asumi first meets Mr. Lion at age five, he's surprised that she can see him and claims he's a ghost. Further hints about his identity are revealed later. Who he is and his purpose is so far a mystery, but he is the element that's turning your science brain upside-down as you read.

The book is ridiculously easy to fall in love with, and I'm already longing for more.

Twin Spica is like nothing I've seen yet.

- Much luvz, Hideki

Ringing Bell

I came across an AMV from a movie titled Chirin no Suzu, or Ringing Bell of Chirin. As I write this, the YouTube window for the American version of the movie, titled Ringing Bell, is already up.

When I saw the AMV, I checked the Wikipedia page to see what in the world I was watching. The movie was so intriguing when put together with the AMV that I had to sit down to see it.

It starts as a movie very obviously aimed towards kids. Chirin is a young, hperactive-lamb living with his mother spending his days running free and eating clover. Due to his ADD personality, Chirin wears a bell around his neck so that he won't get lost where his mother can't find him.

Barely managing to get through to her distracted child, Chirin's mother warns him never to venture outside the fence into the mountains where the Wolf King dwells, his favorite food being lamb.

As fall arrives, one night the sheep in the barn are awoken by the sound of dogs fighting. The door bursts open, and the Wolf King enters. Chirin, still half-asleep doesn't flee with his friends and family. As the Wolf attempts to attack, Chirin's mother throws herself in the way to save her child.

Needless to say, Chirin's mother doesn't survive. This is where I bring in the description of the YouTube video I was watching this on: the uploader points out that the lamb goes through the five phases of grief, these being denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Denial comes first, obviously. As soon as Chirin realizes that something is wrong, he immediately launches into the heartbreaking "please get up", "you can't leave me" rant.

Chirin charges into anger as soon as he's done sobbing over his mother's carcass. He marches into the mountains, calling out to the Wolf. In a pathetic attempt to attack his adversary, Chirin reveals that he plans to kill the Wolf as he killed his mother. However, the apathetic wolf literally flicks the lamb away.

When he returns to bargain, Chirin begs the Wolf to make him his apprentice. The lamb claims he hates being a cowering sheep and wants to become a strong wolf also. The Wolf refuses, and Chirin even suggests letting himself get eaten if things don't work out. Still, the Wolf King couldn't care less. Chirin swears he'll become a strong wolf and sets off on his own.

Our poor little lamb makes an attempt to hunt down prey, but it's obvious he doesn't know where to start. Taunted by the animals he tries to eat, an isolated Chirin starts following the Wolf on his travels, still insisting to be taught. Here we are treated to the Wolf King's harsh lifestyle where he shocks Chirin with his brutality. However, the lamb bears through it, following the wolf exhausted through the mountains. Occasionally seeing other animals with their mothers and remembering his deceased mother, the lamb slips further into his depression.

After accidentally smashing a nest of bird eggs, Chirin falls apart as the Wolf watches. He tells Chirin that sorrow is good, that it will help him "grow fangs" as he finally agrees to take the lamb as his apprentice. Once more, Chirin swears he will defeat the Wolf.

The Wolf is a harsh teacher, and he changes the once happy lamb into a vicious ram with a pair of horns to be reckoned with. The Wolf says he's happy with Chirin's progress, and the ram replies with this:

"You can't imagine the times I looked for a chance to kill you, but, somehow, I could never find one. I could never make myself do it. Living on this mountain has changed the way I think about life, and about you. For now, I think of you as a father, and if the world you live in is a Hell, then I'm willing to live there with you."

Here is Chirin's acceptance, but the story has a bit more to go.

The narrator tells us Chirin and the Wolf are now known far and wide for their ruthless and reckless killing.

On a dark and stormy night, the Wolf and his adopted son return to the ram's childhood home. Claiming he'll have no problem with the sheep, Chirin is shocked that he can't bring himself to attack a young lamb that's shielded by its mother. The Wolf, saying it's the last thing he'll "teach" the ram, tries to enter the barn. Chirin begs him not to enter, attacking the Wolf in an attempt to save the sheep inside.

Running wild, the ram remembers and cries out "I'm a ram! You're the wolf that killed my mother!" and gores the Wolf King on his horns.

The Wolf congratulates Chirin as he stands dying impaled, saying he knew this would be his demise: dying at the hand (or horn) of someone stronger. However, he says he was glad it was Chirin before falling dead to the ground.

Grieving in the rain, the ram turns to his childhood home, hoping to be accepted. The sheep, terrified by the attack and then murder, shut the door in fear of a creature that is neither wolf nor ram. After all, there was no way this fearsome monster had come from their field, right?

A confused and depressed Chirin returns to the mountain, thinking back to the time when he so desperately wished to kill the Wolf. Without a home or companion, the ram screams into the night for his adopted father.

As snow begins to fall, he asks "I'm still alive, but where do I go now?!"

The camera shows us a blizzard over the mountains that the Wolf and Chirin once roamed together as the narrator finishes the story: Chirin was vaguely remembered by some, but quickly forgotten as life moves on. In his field, he was never seen again.

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As I figured I might, I'm not sure how to take this movie. It's an older anime from where the style didn't have the defined style it does today. An unknowing parent who might pick up the VHS tape for their child (God forbid) might not even know that it wasn't originally produced in America. However, the dubbing is excellent for a movie licensed in 1978.

The acting has that feel to it as well - done in a style making me think of Kimba the White Lion and Speed Racer. Therefore, it's hard to judge in 2011.

The movie itself moves at a good pace for kids, despite its heavy storyline. It features musical numbers, oddly. Not by the characters but some band probably hired by the company who dubbed it.

As for watching it, the movie has no DVD. It was released in the VCR days, therefore piracy is barely noticed, that's why I let myself watch it on YouTube. If you have the time, whether you actually want to go through with watching Ringing Bell is up to you.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

More Excitement!!!

Quite some time ago I mentioned that I had my e-mail read over Avatar: The Last Podcast. This has happened AGAIN, however, I wasn't expecting it this time and it made the shock much more extreme.
After hitting their 80th episode, Kellen Scrivens who hosts Animezing Podcast re-formatted the show and asked for e-mails requesting anything to be reviewed. About a week ago, I did, sending in requests for the FLCL anime and the Afterschool Nightmare manga.

However, apparently I forgot to mention WHICH manga series I wanted them to review.
Thus comes my embarrassment.
I quickly corrected the issue in a second e-mail and added a PS pointing out something:
I'm a girl with a unisex name, so it's not the first time I've had this issue. It was more sigh-inducing rather than rage-inducing if you catch my drift.

Look these podcasts up - you'll love them.

-Much luvz, Hideki

Tokyopop: A Final Goodbye, and the End of Manga

I started in denial: it was a prank. An April Fool's joke.
Then I was told once more a few months later and I knew it was true.
Tokyopop, the American manga publishing company, has officially shut down as of last month.
Tonight I was out to dinner with my family when we visited the book store afterwards. On my way over, I wondered what the manga section would look like after this "end". I was shocked at the change in the shelves I'm so used to seeing dominated with CLAMP series or Fruits Basket or Future Diary. Tokyopop volumes were slim pickings with far and few in between.

This is a great loss, in my mind, to the Otaku community. According to Anime News Network, Tokyopop was an pioneer in unflopped Japanese comics in America.
Not only that, but it holds a great deal of nostalgic sadness on my part: the first manga series that go me into anime and my current otaku life was Fruits Basket, one of Tokyopop's most-loved and best-selling series.

At the end of the day, my desire to see the logo above flourish in bookstores once again does nothing.
These days it seems like everything's ending: just as I've finished my school year, my brother has graduated middle school, Demyx Time released the trailer for its final episode, my remaining great-grandparent passed away recently, Borders closed and now this.
Things are changing, I regret to say.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

Falling Stupidly

The end of the school year is coming to the close, meaning one thing inevitably: finals.
In Dance PE we were instructed to coereograph (spelled wrong) our own dance to music. 30 seconds for a solo, a minute for a pair and so on.
The next two days will be our last regular days of the year before four hellish half-days. Our teacher, Ms. Howard, fearing we wouldn't have enough time to show all of the dances asked about three groups today to perform. When we have a final in Dance PE, we are videotaped so it's easier to grade us. I volunteered to work the camera today. however, there is one problem: I'm SHORT.
This camera was quite high on its tripod to see over the heads of students and onto the stage. It seemed like a good idea at the time to drag a metal folding chair over to stand on.
This, however, is not true.
The chair buckled.
I wobbled.
The chair closed on my ankles and toppled to the ground, knocking over the tripod and leaving a twitching Hideki on the gym's linoleum.
"Are you okay?" I heard someone say.
Groping for some vapor trail of my fleeing pride, I looked up to see someone's knees. It's odd how the more you get to know a person, the more familiar they become. For example, at this moment I identified my friend Sam solely on his jeans and shoes.
Despite the fact my feet had nearly been severed from my body, I almost threw that thought away to grin like an idiot.
"You really do care!" I wanted to say.
Yet again, Hideki shows her weird mind-set and freakishly low self-esteem: Instead of fearing for your own well-being, get an adrenaline jolt from the fact that you obviously don't annoy this person in question like you constantly think you do.
My ankles will recover, but they're a bit tender and I'm expecting a bruise in the morning.

On another note, I'm concerned for my bamboo plant.
On of its three stalks has turned almost completely creamsicle yellow, and various leaves have been developing veins of the same color for the past few months. This bamboo plant is important to me - aside from the fact I haven't killed it yet, it's a keepsake from entering high school. My mom bought it with me at Trader Joe's last summer as a gift for the occasion.
Fearing for my dear bamboo plant's legacy, I grabbed a glass candle holder filled with beach pebbles, scurried to the kitchen, and filled it with water. I snipped off the two sprouts from the yellowing stalk and stuck them in the pebbles, praying they might grow.
Hang in there, Bamboo-chan!!

- Much luvz, Hideki.

Resident Not-So-Evil

I recently asked my parents if I could buy Silent Hill: Homecoming. My father, fearing for my "pure young mind" (if only he knew...) suggested I "train" before diving into the world of psychological horror mixed with gore. Therefore, tonight we sat down to watch Resident Evil.

I come from a zombie-loving family. We chat over dinner about our "zombie plans" if there ever is the virus outbreak that the world now is obsessed with. However, Resident Evil wasn't up to my expectations.
It centers around Alice who wakes up on the floor of her shower with no clothes or memory and is thrown into the super-dramatic world of the Umbrella Corporation whose main base, the Hive, is below her mansion. Pulled into a top-secret mission, we discover as she regains her memories that were lost via nerve gas that Alice was employed to hide the entrance to the Hive with her fake husband, also employed by the Umbrella Corporation. However, the Hive's super-computer the Red Queen went brutal, releasing a viral weapon into the Hive and sealing it off. This turns the entire staff and population into zombies, essentially, and now Alice and her slowly dwindling team of gun-wielding bad asses need to shut the Red Queen down and return to the surface before they're closed in for good. Meanwhile, biological experiments are loose and after them.

Dad was a bit disappointed that I didn't enjoy the movie as much as he hoped. Don't get me wrong - great acting featuring kick-A chicks that can pull off wearing leather boots in a super-sexy dress while kicking the crap out of zombies and mutants is fairly entertaining. The cinematography was good, but was also the point where the movie screwed it up for me. Uber-dramatic cuts and flashbacks backed with a techno-beat soundtrack made it feel overplayed. I prefer my zombies more like The Walking Dead - more obviously rotting, first off. These guys were fresh. Furthermore, Alice and her buddies rely on guns and pipes and crap like that to beat zombie dogs' head in with no plan whatsoever. In a typical post-apocalypse society, you need a plan to keep yourself and others safe while looking for food, shelter, and other things. These guys had to throw together their non-existent strategy in an hour, slapping a band-aid over zombie bites only to have a cool army chick turn around an bite you when Alice needs help fighting off the giant mutants. The story was too fast and tried to play off it rather than the characters. Not everything was wrong - the Red Queen's little girl British voice was super-creepy and perfect for claiming "you will all die down here" and screaming "kill her now!"

Maybe I'm picky, or maybe zombie thrillers have just evolved to a higher state since Resident Evil. It was a good shot that hit the target but missed the bull's eye.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

NUU, MARLY!! T^T

I've been spending a lot of money on cosplay lately. One such investment, was a very cheap pink wig to serve as Marluxia from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Claiming to be the "Zexion" of our group, I have a love-hate relationship with this character, much like Medusa from Soul Eater who I played for WonderCon.

Anyhow - this is my first real cosplay wig, and it's pretty exciting for myself and my friends. However: imagine my DISGUST when I pick my Marly wig off my bed to find a DEAD EARWIG IN IT.

Yep.

Ah, yes - these lovely cosplayers are part of Parle Productions, which is run by the girl responsible for Demyx Time. I found these great pics on "Marly's" DeviantArt page, AKA stripeydani. Dani is this grogeous Marluxia, and plays him in a few episode of the web series as well as the music video "Consign to Oblivion". She's also seen as Xaldin in episode 14 of Demyx Time and is playing Sirius Black in their newest show The Marauders.
The Larxene in the second picture is One-Sky-One-Destiny who has always been there when Demyx time needed her. She's also played Kairi and Sora's mom in The Sora Show, Elena in The Shinra Files, and is now playing Lily Evans in The Marauders.

Check out Dani and the rest of the Parle crew in the links below!!
- Much luvz, Hideki

Parle Productions' YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/JenxtheJinx
Jenn's (director) DeviantArt:
 http://tealpirate.deviantart.com/

Dani's DeviantArt:

http://stripeydani.deviantart.com/ 

The Sora Show's account:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TouchMyKeyblade 

One-Sky-One-Destiny's DeviantArt:

http://one-sky-one-destiny.deviantart.com/ 

Blacker than a Cat

When I hear the name "Gonzo", I think of the super-artistic animation styles found in shows like Samurai 7 and Afro Samurai. When borrowing the first Black Cat DVD from a friend, I was surprised to find the smiling bishi on the front cover from this studio. Further was my surprise when the opening showed off a cartoony style akin to Soul Eater. The shocks didn't stop there, however - as in the typical shonen style, the super-fast superhuman protagonist rips through the pilot at a break-neck speed. However, this grinning sweetie I'd seen on the case was nothing like the near-silent emo boy that broke into the series as a stone-cold killer. Furthermore, there was almost zero exposition on who the boy was, leading the spotlight to an unlikely down-on-his-luck bounty hunter with a do-everything briefcase.
Black Cat was clearly a force to be reckoned with from square one.

This FUNimation show fell into a friend's hands with the excellent bargains from the closing-down Borders. Hanging out last Saturday, we doodled our yaoi OC's and chatted about her finds. She offered to let my take Black Cat home with me without ever touching the disc inside, so I agreed without thinking.
The show begins with our not-really-a-hero hero, Sven Volfield, looking for his would-be gangster target, Tyrant, who's just been elected governor. Sneaking into the guy's ritzy election/engagement party, it's revealed that the eye Sven covers with a patch has the ability to see five minutes into the future. He realizes that Tyrant is about to be assassinated, but epic fails to save him as a mysterious boy with XIII tattooed on his chest shoots the governor through the heart. From his information guy, it's revealed that this boy is KuroNeko, or Black Cat who works for the Chronos company. The intriguing Black Cat's name is revealed to be Train Heartnet who isn't done getting in Sven's way just yet.

The more you watch, the more twists this show has. Supposedly a girl in distress turns out to be thief. Her "baby sister" isn't a hostage at all, but the world's most advanced bio-weapon that Sven as a "gentleman" takes upon himself to teach about the world. Train has friends in high places, but what exactly are his ties to Chronos? And then there's our hero's eye - his so-called vision eye. What powers does it have exactly?

The style of Black Cat is close to indescribable. What appeared to be a "cartoony" anime is constantly throwing dramatic background effects behind its characters with odd, slashed layers of color. The story itself has a realistic way of keeping you in the dark but the anime flavor of giving you just enough a taste of what's to come to keep you interested.

The dub isn't the best I've heard, but it's far above average. Brandon Potter is a name I'm unfamiliar with, but he brings Sven to life. Jason Liebrecht is an actor I usually see in secondary roles, but his sultry Train shows off his talent when compared to characters like adorable Finny from Black Butler or Principal Ench from Shin Chan. Brina Palencia, however, will always steal the stage. She whips out an itty-bitty voice for the cutesy bio-weapon Eve that speaks in a monotone, but still manages to scream with horrific pain during fight scenes.

This show is definitely a mold-breaker for both Gonzo and a stereotypical Shonen Jump series. Only five episodes have left me wanting more. I'll definitely be trying to get a hold of more of this show, and I hope you'll find a [legal] way to enjoy Black Cat as much as I already have.

-Much luvz, Hideki.

Spice and Wolf

Spice and Wolf caught my attention on the FUNimation website which was advertising the fact that they'd bought the license and released the English-speaking cast. Since that time, I've watched maybe three or four episodes in English, read various chapters of the manga and bought the first three novels from Yen Press.

The story is by Isuna Hasekura in supposedly his debut work. It centers around mid-twenties Kraft Lawrence, the traveling merchant in a Europe-like country. Upon passing through a town the day of its harvest festival, the harvest goddess Holo the wisewolf manifests herself in the wheat Lawrence is carrying. Tired of the neglect she's been through due to advances in farming, Holo is convinced that the town no longer needs their goddess. She talks Lawrence into taking her to her homeland in the north, and thus begin their journeys together.

Spice and Wolf defies all my expectations, simply because I had none. I didn't know what to make of the original description on the FUNimation website, and the pilot episode left me with an entirely different impression than the rest of the show. Upon exploring the three mediums of the series, my conclusion is this: Spice and Wolf was NOT written for manga or television. In each town Lawrence finds some sort of mishap - usually pertainign to other merchants - but his trouble never climaxes until the end of the book. Filling up the spaces are explanations of how the story's society functions and going into detail about the exchanges between merchants. While this helps the reader follow along in the book, it makes for chatty manga crowded with speech bubbles. This is why I stopped reading the manga before Lawrence and Holo reach their first bump in the road - it's the same thing that causes me to shy away from American comics. Taking a page out of a How to Draw book, manga is meant to be read fluidly and quickly - to be a page-turner by definition. American comics tend to expose back story in detail through written narration, whereas a typical manga reveals important information through dialog and the excess is left for later on in the story when it's relevant. The Spice and Wolf manga had the same characters from the book and charming illustrations, but long conversations between Lawrence and Holo about different currencies in the country doesn't make for a good read. The same goes for the show - the animation was beautiful, Brina Palencia played Holo with deadly accuracy, and I can't imagine anyone else rather than J. Michael Tatum as Lawrence, but it still came off as dull. In truth, the novel can't translate into good TV or comics.

Don't get me wrong - Spice and Wolf is a GREAT read. It pulled me in and kept me there with an enticing translation describing Lawrence's strategies and Holo's unpredictable, playful attitude. If you're up for sitting down to read an actual BOOK rather than a comic, I highly recommend Spice and Wolf.

- Much luvz, Hideki.

Fullmetal Alchemist: 0 [Zero]

Back in July of last year, the final manga chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist was released.
I found out a few months ago, however, the creator Hiromu Arakawa had released an extra chapter titled Fullmetal Alchemist: 0 after the series ended.
Tonight I was on a scanlation website to look up something for yet another fanfiction, saw this extra, and read it.

0 takes place after the final chapter, thus after Ed and Al's return to Risembool. Soon after, a box arrives addressed to Al and is opened to reveal the suit of armor that formerly housed his soul. Mutilated as it is after the final fight against Father, Winry tears up causing a distraction as Den grabs the helmet from the armor and runs off, nowhere to be found. Giving up on their search, the brothers request Winry take them to Rush Valley where they have the armor melted down to make auto-mail rather than "sit and collect dust".
Upon returning to Risembool, Ed gives Pinako a sickle made from the armor's leftovers (because pulling weeds is ad for an old lady's back). Trying it out, she disturbs a nest of bird living in the helmet that Den stole.

I can see it now: Arakawa-sensei being washed away in a sea of fan letters that scream: WHAT HAPPENED TO AL'S ARMOR?!?!?!
Judging by the way the characters talk about it, the armor itself is regarded as a character, no doubt holding emotional ties with the creator and her assistants.
It was also a great gag to see Ed and Al squirm as it gets pounded into scrap metal...
The armor also keeps up with the theme that the brothers hold such little sentimental value to anything - their house, for example - save Ed's pocket watch.

I think more than anything, this was Arakawa's way of saying a final goodbye to her story. This is made very obvious as Ed tells the baby birds that they'll someday soar through the skies - kind of like the artist attempting to tell herself to move on and flourish in her next comic.

I didn't get too attached to this chapter.
I think I finished grieving after the final release on top of the fact this story was excruciatingly short compared to the ending chapters. 0 almost felt like a different story altogether - there was no use of alchemy at all, most likely because Ed no longer has the ability, Al felt the armor should be given a proper transformation, and Winry can make a better product with top-notch metal she supervises.

"Don't Forget Fullmetal Alchemist" is the caption on on of the ads at the end of the short.

Again, this is Arakawa's final goodbye to her series.
However, the caption does say something: Fullmetal is a series much like Inu-Yasha that will live on and nurture otaku for many generations. I think Arakawa knows that, so I believe she can let go without a fear.

- Much luvs, and wishing the best for the future, Hideki

Fanfiction W****

This is what I called myself the other day.

In my continual stalking of Spoonychan and Arxatih (see blog entry #2) I've been reading Arxaith's fanfictions on deviantArt like they are THE PRECIOUS NECTAR THAT KEEPS ME ALIVE.

Now, I have never been a fanfiction kind of girl.

When I was, this was before I even knew it had a name.
When I actually tried to write these mysterious "fanfiction" things, they turned out to be CRAP.
When I tried to access fanfiction.net, my computer froze and crashed.

Thus: I am not a fanfiction girl.

However...

Tonight I passed over to the dark side and posted my VERY FIRST on deviantArt.

GASSSSP!!!

Enjoy -- http://fav.me/d3eqbzl

 - Much luvz, Hideki

RANT: Why I hate fangirls

It's past 2 AM and not being able to sleep, I browse YouTube and watch videos taken of voice actors at conventions. As mentioned earlier, I pursue this career because of Vic Mignogna. For those of you who don't know: Vic and his girlfriend Michelle Specht are now publicly engaged.

I didn't know much about Michelle at first, but I've seen some of her acting online and found her to be hilarious, not to mention capable in her bit-part voice roles. Looking at videos tonight, I didn't think people would have the exact thoughts as I did, but here is where I draw the line.

One of the comments specifically read: "you deserve better" while directed at Vic.
Why on earth would anyone say that?
On the off-chance you have met Michelle in person, is that enough to analyze her entire relationship and decide who is fit for who?
This same person said the some of the Risembool Rangers she knew - members of Vic's fanclub - wished "she would die".
I didn't breathe until I saw the reply: "That's terrible. He deserves to be happy".

YES!! THANK you!!!

I now pose my argument:
I adore Vic as much as any other fan, but I love him as a person. Let's be honest - the guy's the same age as my parents. He's a mentor, my indirect sensei. I won't be out of California for at least two more years, so the best I can do is take what I can learn from him as a fan.
From his roles I try to absorb acting techniques.
From convention videos I can hear his advice, keep trying to get better until I can eventually turn to him as a colleague and explain how he personally helped me find and achieve my dreams, help me through the roughest parts in my life and then thank him for all of this.

I'm sorry - this probably isn't making much sense since I'm so tired.

-Much luvz and apologies, Hideki

WonderCon 2011 [Part 1]

Finally! Some real coverage on - you guessed it - WonderCon 2011.
Today was the first full-family convention experience. Our original plan was to leave the house at ten, but since things rarely go well when five people are forced to function on one schedule, we left after noon and didn't get to the convention center until after two in the afternoon.

Due to traffic and stress over finishing my Medusa cosplay at the last minute, I was about ready to strangle someone and didn't start to breathe until we encountered a viking woman in a nearby bathroom. (Even the cosplayers on the crowded streets hadn't soothed me while we sat in the car.)

Once we had our passes, I was free to frolic among the nerds as long as I met my parents at the appointed time and place. On my way to said location, I came face-to-face with people from my school, and some I wasn't expecting to see either. I started to laugh at seeing the first, and didn't see the taller one until he started talking. We part ways but my sister and I teamed up at the checkpoint to try and hunt them down. We wandered the con floor, which was incredibly busy and hot, stopping at random stalls while craning our necks to look for the surprise peers. Failing, but finding some good stuff along the way, we met our share of cosplayers and snapped a picture of Princess Mononoke and an extremely friendly Ciel.

By the way, Ciel, if you stumble across this blog, I have to say this: I was not stalking you. That second meeting was me seeing you by chance, and I really, really need the traffic on my YouTube channel... I'm just saying, you seemed a little scared of me.

After we met up with Mom, the three of us headed upstairs for the anime screening room. There was some confusion in finding it, but we managed.

The room was dimly-lit and I didn't want to disturb the viewers, so I bolted to the front to get out of the way, feeling my mom was talking extremely loudly. I nabbed a seat next to two guys in the front row who recognized my costume right away. I wasn't feeling up to the sub-only show on-screen, so I happily chatted them up. After realizing we were probably bothering some of the people actually watching the show, we slipped out into the hallway to speak in normal tones.

Sooner or later my family (my dad had shown up somewhere before now) got tired of anime and left, telling me to be at the checkpoint by six. I talked a bit longer with the two before the Fullmetal Alchemist fan and I set off to find the stand selling Ed's watch - one of which I'd gotten earlier. The other stayed behind to wait for the group he was with.

Finding the stall was harder than we thought, seeing that after a few hours on the floor, all the booths start to blend together. Either way, we talked some more on the way there about various shows and here and there pausing to look at something that caught our eye.

I think I scared him a bit when I snapped a picture of a box of yaoi manga to send it to a friend. (Who knows who she is.)

Eventually, I caught a glimpse of some VOCALOID CD's, looking up from my browsing to see we'd found the stall we were looking for. He was ecstatic as he gleefully grabbed his watch and paid for it as I thumbed through posters.

Shortly after that, it was time for me to leave, so he waved and took off into the crowd. I organized myself, stuffing plushies and posters into my bag and (discreetly) applying deodorant before settling down on the concrete floor to listen to my iPod.

My parents and sister picked me up at out set time, and after a quick skim through a few more stalls we left and went home. I was utterly exhausted, so they dropped me off at home promising to bring me back a noodle bowl as they went out for dinner.

Here are my purchases for the first day of my WonderCon experience:

$10 Soul Eater wall scroll

$15 grab bag hat

$9 Alphonse Elric plushie

$15 Edward Elric stopwatch

$10 autographed Firefly poster (split with sister for a friend)

$3 Black Rock Shooter poster

$22 Miku Hachune plushie

Hair ornament (gift from Mom)

Tomorrow is another day - "look forward to it!"

-Much luvz, Hideki

Crazy Paint Day

After reading Hyperbole and a Half and LOLing loud enough to concern my family, I thought it'd be appropriate to talk about one of my own crazy experiences.

I go to Autistry studios on request to do a painting for their upcoming fundraiser last month. I wake up late, and not to mention tired, so I grab a mug of coffee on my way out the door. My mother who drove me should've known better - she was there when I was duck-stepping through the hardware store with my sister after my first latte, why would she give me coffee again?
Anyhow - we arrived to meet with Robert Evans, the artist who was there to help us with things like brushes, color, ect.

On a side note, if you have time to look him up, he's fairly well-known for doing things like the dog for the rootbeer can.

Yeah, this one.

Robert showed us some of his paintings before we scattered to get our pictures started and by this point the caffeine was starting to affect my system. My hands were a little twitchy as I did the wash for the background, and downright shaking while I drew my characters out in pencil.

On top of this, I was getting crap from Daniel - another student - for taking so long.

It took at least an hour to draw my characters and lay out the brickwork used in the scene, and by then things were going terribly, terribly wrong for me.

I am the shortest person in my family at 5'3, and the handmade tables in the cold warehouse were too low for me to use on a swivel chair. Therefore, I was kneeling on a rolling chair trying to put a good effort into a painting to be sold for a few hundred dollars while my thigh and ass muscles are quivering like a chihuahua pulled out of a swimming pool.

All of this was so distressing - the shaking, the cold, and the time limit - that I barely had the capacoty to figure out what everything would look like. The characters I was portraying had never been put in color before, so eyes and hair was a new issue.

I ended up giving my supposedly 100% Japanese guy blue eyes and his Japanese friend light-colored brown hair and green eyes.

My caffeine-addled brain apologized, saying his mom was now European.

Even with my efforts and others' attempts to help me soak up the coffee with pretzels and food, I didn't finish the painting until a week later when I came in for my regular workshop.

Can't win 'em all, especially when you can't hold your mocha.

-Much luvz, Hideki.

PS - the painting was my second for a fundraiser and sold for $400. The first was for Jennie McArthy's  (spelling?) Comedy Night and sold for $600.