This is the part where I update, right?

So.

Happy Chosen Religious Holiday to you all. I suppose you want to hear about my haul, huh?

Of course you do.
Angelic Layer Thinpak Collection (God bless CLAMP)
Samurai 7 Vol. 1 (God bless GONZO, too)
Scrapped Princess LE Vol. 2+3 (cool figures)
Fruits Basket manga Vol. 6-8 (the best shoujo manga, evar)
Evac (Transformer action figure)
Leobreaker (likewise)
Firefly Complete Season + Serenity
DDM and SWM boosters
Star Wars: Shatterpoint
$80

So then I went and bought some more miniatures, Fruits Basket Vol. 9 (Aya-san!), and Prowl from the Transformers Alternaters line. His rear-view mirror snapped off though, so I had to glue it. I'm a complete ditz when it comes to super-glue, by the way.

So, then I saw Chronicles of Narnia with Josh, since I missed going with Strats Club. Very enjoyable, I'd say. Two days later, I went to see The Producers. Hilarious movie, with some great music. Ending was a bit slow, though.

Went down to Brookfield Square today to trade in some DVDs at Suncoast. Got about 40 bucks in store credit, and proceeded to buy Samurai 7 Vol. 2 and Fruits Basket Vol. 10 (OMGLOL Kisa). Picked up "Star Wars: DNIII - The Swarm War". Can't wait to start it.

Yeah, I managed to double my Fruits Basket collection over the course of a week. Talyah's going to kill me.

I'm wondering if I feel like doing some sort of end-of-the-year retrospective post thing tomorrow. I might. After homework. What? Screw homework. Ew.

Homework. I should get on that. Here, fill out this survey. It's for Psychology.

New avatar. Hanajima-san, the very definition of cool.





Why aren't you reading Fruits Basket yet?

HEY. LOOK AT THAT.

Wow, that was some surprisingly quick turn-around time for cast lists. I got a part that seemed pretty accurate based on my crappy audition. A chinese guy who gets swindled by our main characters. Should be hilarious. The rest of the casting seemed fairly good too. Congrats, people who I don't hate. You know who you are.

School's out. This makes me fairly happy.

Bitches.

All of that Chemistry stuff I had to do? Done. With minimal injury.

I should try and do something about that D+ in FST. We're on Trigonometry (I'm f*cking awesome at Trig) and I have a quick n' easy project coming up, though. Should be a low B by the end of the quarter.

I'm looking forward to The Producers. Compared to my dramatic compatriots, I'm a newb at musicals. This should add to my resume.

Hey, Christmas is soon.

Man, I don't know why I wrote this. There's nothing interesting going on right now. Except auditions for Anything Goes. Tomorrow.

So, wait. Doomsday is Superman from the future? It makes so much sense!

Staying home from school for two days kicks all sorts of ass. The flu, however, does not. Neither does having to make up both a Chemistry test and a lab next week. Not fun. Which reminds me, I have a blasted lab report to take care of this weekend. And it looks like I won't be seeing Narnia tonight, nor will I be able to go to my RPG night.

But I get to stay home and do whatever I want.

Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil is a good read. Moves nicely into ROTS.

Auditions for Anything Goes are next week. Christmas is in just over one week. Coo.

Oh, Lord knows that anything goes!

Anything Goes. Musical. Auditions. Two weeks. Production in Spring. Sweet.

Also. The Producers in theatres this month. Another thing to see before the end of the year. Along with Narnia and Rent. Though I'm supposedly seeing Narnia next week. Which sounds like fun.

Damn Skippy.

Too true.

Aggressive Childish Insult!

Oh man, I really regret not going to TheatreFest last year. I got back earlier this week and it was the most fun I've had in months, maybe years.

Thursday Afternoon
Arrived at Hotel. Small but cozy. Room was small, only two beds. Matt, Chris and Dan were roommates and we were quite happy to learn that our room connected to the one holding Jesse, Sean, Curtis and Alex. There was much trading of pleasantries (read: vaguely offensive remarks), and then the X-Boxes were set-up. This attracted our entire group to the two rooms. Much Halo is played, which I believe I have stated my opinions on before.

A bunch of us wandered over to the Two Brothers Resturuant and had dinner. Decent food, I suppose. Conversation with Jesse, Erika and Peter was amusing.

Wandered back to Hotel, boarded bus to go see some play. I wasn't really looking forward to Scapino at the time, but it turned out to be the best damn thing I saw all weekend. Fake Italian accents, madcap comedy and slapstick physical humor was the order of the night. Had a headache and sore throat from laughing, but I had fun, damnit.

Late evening proved to be the most frustrating part. Our room was still the gathering point for basically everybody in our group, so my room was filled to capacity until midnight. I opted to visit the pool (but not swim) and then wandered off to Talyah's room to play Mario Party 2 (a classic) with Hannah and Krystle.

Friday
Halo was played until 1: 30 in the freaking morning. Tried to read Psychology but to no avail. Nobody fell asleep until after two, anyway.

Skipped breakfast in the morning and hung out in the lobby, sipping Hot Chocolate and talking to our Hotel-mates from Homestead with Talyah, Erika, Peter and Gabe. Fun bunch of people.

Sallyed off to UWO for the main event. Started off the day with a talkback with the cast of Scapino. Great bunch of people. Then headed off to see some plays with Gabe, Krystal and Jesse. Two plays were shown in the theater.

Lepers - Excellent play symbolizing the "leprosy" of society. Metaphors abound. Very sad at parts. A-

The Insanity of Mary Girard - Me to compainions at end of play: Freaky-deaky. B+

Went to Lunch with the aforementioned people, followed by Peter and Talyah. Had lunch (Pizza was excellent) with them and got to talk to a Scapino actor. Quickly made friends. Interrupted once I decided to check out the University Bookstore, then returned with a cry of "They have manga!" to which some of us headed off to see. No Fruits Basket Vol. 6, but they had Gunslinger Girl Vol. 3, so picked that up.

Two more plays after that.

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind - 15 plays in 30 minutes. Each one an amusing and fun to watch satire. A- Source of the title for this entry.

Idiot and The Oddity - A rather cute tale of a Greek Demi-Goddess who wants to become a full Goddess, and the son of Oddyseus. B-

Headed back to the hotel. Made a harrowing trek along the highway to Subway, along with Sam, Brianne, Gabe and Krystle. Near-death experiences, including fast-moving cars, freezing weather and an especially villainous lightpost. It was worth it though for Spicy Italian and Herbs and Spices. Tasty.

Went and saw some audition contest for a hefty college scholorship. Some good auditions, excepting one girl who evidently slaughtered Wicked. Had to restrain Talyah and Hannah. "It's the GUY!" was also yelled into my ear whenever "The guy" showed up on stage.

Halo was adjurned earlier tonight, much to my gratitude. Got considerably more sleep.

Saturday
Didn't have to do much packing, since I did it all the previous night. Hah.

Boarded the bus, went back to UWO and saw some more plays. There were workshops, too, but I didn't feel like going to any of them. (Well, the Stage Combat thing sounded interesting...)

The Life and Death of Larry Benson - Easily the best dramatic acting I saw all weekend, along with a gripping and emotional story. A

The Breakfast Club - Meh. Works far better as a movie. B

The Shadowbox - Worst thing I saw all weekend. Boring plot that didn't move anywhere. Some decent acting from one of the characters, though. C+

The Actor's Nightmare - Hilarious stuff that only a Drama student would get. Very quotable. A-

Headed back to lunch, this time with a far larger group. Played some Three-Dragon Ante, lent to me by Josh for the weekend. Muchos gracias.

Sweeny Todd - Performed by our friends from Homestead. If any of them happen to read this, I'm very sorry about nodding off at parts. Little sleep, accompained by sitting around all day tends to do that. Liked what I saw, though. B+

As You Like It - My second favorite Shakespearian comedy (second to MSND) editted to fit within the time limit. A dissapointment, but some fun singing and dancing. B

Headed home in a very uncomfortable bus ride.

Back in time to see Goblet of Fire with Kyle, Ryan and Josh. I'll post a review later, I suppose. I have one on the Pojo forums somewhere.

Close curtain, fade to black

Well, that's it for Up the Down Staircase. A fun play, but still can't beat out Midsummer Night's Dream. Time to say goodbye to Joe Ferone and clean up all my toothpicks from the back. And now we turn around and audition for Anything Goes, the spring musical. I'll be very interested to see how this one turns out.

I leave on Thursday for TheaterFest with basically all of my friends from the troupe. Thursday to Saturday I'll be in Oshkosh for the event at the college there. Plays and workshops and all sorts of fun stuff, in addition to general hanging out with friends.

Plans have been made to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with "the guys" on Saturday as part of a birthday celebration for a friend. Looking forward to it.

DDM: Underdark is much awesome, I assure you. Two Epic figures out of two boosters is pretty sweet. For those who care, I pulled Iron Golem and Aspect of Kord. Even their regular versions are excellent in 200-pt, especially Kord, who single-handedly won me some matches. I'm really looking forward to playing an Epic game with these suckers.

Been playing Soul Calibur III like a madman, lately. In my quest to unlock everything, I've been having some success with Tira. I've taken on the legendary Night Terror, using Cassandra of all characters. I'm currently in the process of unlocking Amy and the Soul Calibur for Tira.

That's all I've got.

Opening Night

So...

We opened today. This opening night defied tradition in that we barely made any mistakes. We all did quite well, or so I'm told. The audience seemed to like us. All five of them. But tomorrow we should have a full house in addition to our in-school performance.

I'm leaving for TheaterFest in one week. That should be a fun weekend.

Good work everybody! Like any of you actually are aware of this thing's existence.





Paul: As Ella Freidenberg would say, I have a problem!
Bea: But you're working on it.

Freaking Liability!

Shadow of the Colossus is too good for words. The incredible feeling of impending doom as you pass the ridge and gaze at the huge monstrosity about to attack you. Anyone else would run away, but for some reason, with a grim determination, you charge. It's beautiful. I've taken down seven of the things so far. It's been a lot of fun.

That Star Wars Miniatures tourney? I went, there were only three other players. We were playing Classic era, so I quickly assembled an impromptu Rebel Alliance squad and went to the battlefield. Didn't do too well, but there was only one round anyway. I got a promotional figure and a new Cloud City map anyway, so I'm happy. I think I'll check out the Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures scene next week.

Up the Down Staircase proceeds well. I've got my lines down finally, and all I have to worry about is opening night. We open on a Thursday night which is TERRIBLE. By the time the performance ends, there's no time for me to get the next day's schoolwork done. Plus, it's the one night we're guaranteed to screw up on. Oh well.

New Transformers have finally shown up in my neck of the woods. I acquired Sideways who is excellent. Fun in both modes, yes.

The accompanying TV show has really improved. The drama, suspense and plot twists have made it feel like it came from the Beast Wars era. A shame there's only an episode or two left before it goes into reruns.






Lou: 'Sup, teach?
Sylvia: 'Sup, pupe!

Oh, that zany Jack Thompson! You never know what he's going to say next!

So I got the Revenge of the Sith miniatures starter set. It's pretty cool. My Seperatist force is now quite the force to be reckoned with. I'm considering playing in a tournament later in the month, now that I have a map.

Up the Down Staircase is rolling along fine, though I really should be studying my lines right now. If you want to see it, send me the money and I'll send you a ticket. Must provide own transportation.

Yugioh GX is kind of nifty, I guess.

I'm debating whether or not I want to read Mostly Harmless and So Long And Thanks For All The Fish, as I hear they're quite bad compared to the first three. I do need something to read until The Swarm War comes out in December

I really do not like German. I have got to have the most obnoxious classmates ever.

The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie looks really good so far. It should blow Emma Watson and the Prisoner of Azkaban out of the water. Not that that's terribly hard.

Also, my Yugioh writing career is dead. It didn't lead a terribly prosperous life, mind you, but I got some cash out of it, so I'm reasonably satisfied.




SADIE: All teachers. At the end of home room period, send those students who have failed to report for checkout because they've left the building to Mr. McHabe.
SYLVIA: (to BEA) How do we send students who've left the building?
BEA: (smiling as she goes) It'll be a challenge.

No power in the 'verse can stop me.

Be Warned: Spoilers for "Serenity" follow. Leave now to avoid them. Trust me on this.







Oh man, that was great.

I laughed. I cried. And I cheered. Even as a relative newb to Firefly, having seen the TV show only two weeks ago, I loved the film. Joss Whedon has proved his genius to me, and I'm really looking forward to hopefully getting more movies, since he says he wants to keep it movies now.

I was amazed that the actors and crew managed to keep the feal of the Firefly world, even after about two or three years of being away from it. It really felt like a longer episode of Firefly. I could easily picture it as a two-part season finale.

It was cool finally seeing the Reavers after only having glimpses throughout the series. I can see why everyone is so afraid of them. And well they should, after seeing their origin story.

The great writing continues, and I find myself quoting it all the time. The trailors alone showcase a lot of it. Also, everyone seemed in character and they all had their spotlight.

The space battle with the Alliance vs. the Reavers was excellent. I had a bad feeling about it, but it turned out great. I felt every hit Serenity took and it was great seeing all the well-done CGI on the ships. Looked like something out of Star Wars.

Wash. It's amazing how fast laughter can change to tears. He was in the middle of his "leaf in the wind" line, and I was laughing at it. Then he up and dies. My sleeve was near soaked by the time I stopped crying.

I couldn't believe all the near-misses that followed. I was expecting more character deaths after Wash. I thought Zoe was out when she got shot, then I thought Kaylee was leaving us when she got hit with the darts, and then Simon looked like he was about to buy the farm when he got shot. Then River jumps into the fray, leaving the remaining crew. I thought for sure that River was going to fall, and then those darn tears came back.

It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping up and cheering when it showed River wiping the floor with the Reavers.

Oh yeah, Mal vs. The Operative. Very nicely done. The story did a good job of characterizing The Operative, when he could've asily been just another random assassin. I laughed out loud when it showed Mal holding the tiny scalpel against The Operatives giant knife. Cool battle scene, that.

Interesting that the movie answered enough questions, but still leaving it open for another movie or TV series. All I know is, if there is indeed more, I'll be first in line.

"Serenity"
Rating: A-

You really can't stop the signal.

My gawd, I'm such a rebel...

Jeez, MS Word and Powerpoint is exceedingly easy. I'm an entire chapter ahead so I have a lot of free time in the computer lab, which incedentally, is where I'm posting this from.

Cast lists for Up The Down Staircase came out today. I have been granted to role of Joe Ferone, the rebel without a cause. Didn't see that one coming. Wasn't particularly hoping for this role, but as an actor, I shall take it. Several friends got the parts they wanted, which is cool.

Random notes and meaningless info follows:

-I'm really not enjoying German 3. I am in class clown/jock central. Normally, I do a good job of ignoring them, but I'm right in the middle of one of their major intersections, so I have to put up with dodging thrown objects and loud voices. Not particularly fond of the teacher, either. The students can throw stuff, yell across the room and horse around with the sink, but start playing calculator games, and suddenly you're being disruptive, please put it away.

-I'm getting thoroughly vexed with my hair. I can't seem to get it to lay flat and smooth like a girl's. I'm stuck with it looking like I'm with the "in" crowd, which I assure you, is far from the truth.

-Miniatures cost too much.

-The DMV is a very poorly-organized place. I spent about 15% of the time in line, 45% waiting to be called to renew my learner's permit (no, I still don't have the full license, so shoot me), 25% waiting to take my picture and 15% actually getting my new permit. I did get fully caught up on my Psychology reading, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

And now I'm rambling, so I'll leave you to whatever the hell it is you people do when you're not listening to me whine.

My aim is bad.

Down the, oops. Up the down stairs... case... cases

^Actual quote from one of my auditions. They went well, thanks for asking. I'm hoping for the role of McHabe or one of the teachers, but I have a feeling I'll get stuck as one of the kids, thanks to all the taller people. Cast list won't be posted until Tuesday, which is a FARKING ETERNITY! I want my role now!

School's all right I guess. Psychology is fun, and the reading has yet to be a real problem. Finished Oedipus the King in Com/Trag, and I enjoyed it.

Oh yeah. Firefly is a damn good show. I'm starting to regret not getting into it sooner.

Second Gig

So.

School started yesterday. Let's run through the classes, shall we?

FST - Standing for Functions, Statistics and Trigonometry. It was either this or Pre-Calculus. Seems tame enough so far. Problem is, the questions have to be written out on the assignment. Just ridiculous as it eats up valuable time and shoots my entire organization method to hell.

Chemistry - Fun. Everybody complains about having to write Lab reports, but I'm optimistic. I'll gladly take writing over the horribly long worksheets that go with the labs.

Comedy/Tragedy - Half the class is made up of friends and acquaintances. This is good. The class itself is interesting so far, and I'm looking forward to starting the first play, Antigone.

MS Word/Powerpoint - Can I just have the "A" right now? I really am not enjoying it, though. The teacher doesn't seem very good or organized. I can't even log in to the school network.

AP Psychology - Looking like a fun, but difficult class. Cool teacher, and the textbook has some neat stuff in it. Not terribly worried about the difficulty or the amount of reading. Should be good.

Study Hall - Yay.

German 3 - No yay.

Auditions for Up the Down Staircase are next week, so I'll definetly show up there.

Man, my wallet is going to be SO dead this fall.

The demo disc is the only reason I even get the Official Playstation Magazine anymore. I have gone completely bonkers-nuts over this new game from the geniuses behind Ico. Shadow of the Colossus looks absolutely beautiful. The battles with the Colossi are amazing, and the environment floored me. Never before have I wanted so badly to ignore the plot and just go exploring. The only reason I haven't wandered around the demo area yet is for fear of getting lost. Between this and Soul Calibur III, my gaming plate is nice and full this fall.

The party I was talking about? I went for about a hour and a half and left due to disinterest. This other group of friends isn't quite as easy for me to relate to, but somebody brought small firecrackers so we messed around with those, which was entertaining.

Ponda Baba hits, roll for damage. And Obi-Wan dies.

Played some D&D today. Glimdale Folkhorn, my gnome bard, kicked all sorts of cool. Then we played some Star Wars Miniatures. Delightful game, though my Seperatist squad was beaten.

Contemplating whether or not to attend a party tomorrow night. Depends on what I'm up to, I guess.

Wait and hope!

Finished our Outlaw Star D20 game last night. Turns out the Galactic Leyline was really hiding in some seedy diner.

Well.

Then we watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Viewed as a movie by itself, it's quite good. Not so good as a book adaptation. The romance between Arthur and Trillion is not only boring, but retarded as well. They kept some of my favorite jokes though. The whale and petunia thing, especially.

Gankutsuou Vol. 1 releases on October 25th. It comes with a swank box featuring a smug picture of the Count. Only six volumes in the series, something Geneon hasn't done before. Bravo. New picture, I guess.

...and then your God jumps out from behind the bush and says "Gotcha!"

So I finished The Resturaunt and the End of the Universe. Just as good as the first one. I got Life, the Universe, and Everything today, but I haven't started yet. I did start Star Wars: The Joiner King, though. Pretty good.

God, I hate the Pojo Yugioh Tournament Forum. Bunch of stupid, arrogant, pompous assholes who think they're better than everybody else, because they're on some absurdly-named team, like Team Fagcrap or Team Ritz-Bit. It's worse than the Veteran Forum, I tell you.

What else did I want to complain about? Oh yeah, I bought another SWM: Universe booster yesterday. Pulled an Acklay and Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master. Luke kicks all sorts of awesome, but the Acklay can't compare to the Hailfire. I also got a Yuuzhan Vong, finally, and a Vornskyr. Cool beans.

Went to a friend's house today. Played Halo 2. Fun game. Overrated, but fun.

For the love of...

Skylar Deleon, who you may have heard murdered a couple and "starred" in Power Rangers, is everywhere these days. Skylar was a nobody. He played a kid in Episode 55, "Second Chance". He wasn't a Power Ranger, and he never worked as an actor again. C'mon people, do a little bit of research before you say that a Power Ranger is a murderer. As a PR fan, I'm getting sick of explaining this to everybody.

We now return you to your normally scheduled life.

Cherry-Picking

So, Star Wars Miniatures: Universe Huge was released today. Bought a single booster at the local game shop. Results:

Huge: Hailfire Droid (yay)
Rare: Ponda Baba (boo)
Uncommons: Dark Side Marauder, Nexu (yay)
Commons: Clone Trooper, Super Battle Droid, Kaminoan Ascetic (meh)

So, not bad I suppose. The Hailfire Droid is very cool. Pictures can be found in the post beneath this one.

What luck, Quinn!

It would appear that the scheduling goddess has smiled upon me for my Junior year.

Semester 1:
1. Functions, Statistics and Trigonometry
2. Chemistry
3. Comedy/Tragedy
4/5. Microsoft Word & Powerpoint (easy A if I ever saw one)
6. Lunch
7/8. Advanced Psychology (woot)
9. Study Hall
10. German 3

Semester 2:
1. Study Hall
2. American Literature (awesome teacher)
3. Independent Sports
4/5. German 3
6. Lunch
7/8. Functions, Statistics and Trigonometry
9. Chemistry
10. Advanced Psychology

I've already found a decent amount of my friends share parts of my schedule, so it's looking like a good school year.

In other news, SWM: Universe Huge looks great. Check it out here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=swminis/article/setlistuniversegallery

Witty Post Title #2681

Went to Brookfield Square today. It's a mall. Looked at stuff in Suncoast, bought more Furuba manga. Went to KB Toys, found an Astray Blue Frame action figure in the back for 3$. Checked out the new Barnes and Noble, very cool. Had Taco Bell for lunch.

I should think about writing another column for Pojo. Oh well, the book that I contributed to should be out soon. Got fifty dollars out of it, already spent it.

Let's Stay Together, Always

Damnit, Fruits Basket is the best anime I've seen all year. Easily top five material. You should watch it. And by "watch", I mean "buy". And by "buy", I mean "buy the official Funimation releases instead of the Hong-Kong bootleg you were about to buy from the guy on eBay". No need to give dirty bootleggers your hard-earned money.

After finishing the anime, I've gotten started on the manga, which goes beyond the anime. Good so far.

Outside of that, this week has been fairly ho-hum. I got a new shelf, so I threw a bunch of my paperbacks on it along with some miniatures.

In other news, I can't wait until Gankutsuou Vol 1 releases on October 25th. I loved it when I watched the fansubs and I'm sure I'll love it as much when I buy the official releases and toss out my fansubs.

Posting in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

Hm. Bionicle's cool again, I suppose. The new $20 sets are nfity. Or at least Roodaka is. The bad girl of Bionicle. I like it.

Also today's Penny Arcade is funny. http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2005-08-05

Loserific

So my birthday came and went. Not terribly exciting, so I won't bore you with the details. I did get Vector Prime and Scourge from Transformers Cybertron, both of which are awesome. I finished R.O.D. The TV, finished collecting Fruits Basket (still have to watch all of it), finished Gundam SEED and got the 08th MS Team Complete Collection. Started the Gunslinger Girl manga as well.

I also recieved Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam and a Hyaku-Shiki Master Grade kit. The game is excellent, and I've devoted unhealthy amounts of time to playing it recently.

Bought Cybertron Optimus Prime, who is the best Optimus toy I have ever bought ever. Go buy it now, it's totally worth the forty bucks.

Now that we arive in August, I find myself awaiting school, mainly because I can tell it's going to be a great year.

Family Reunions Demonstrate Why We Don't Get Together More Often

So that's where I was the past couple of days. Ventured from Wisconsin all the way to South Dakota. It's the farthest I've been out of my state.

WEDNESDAY - Drove up there. Pretty much listened to my anime music and read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hilarious book and I should see the movie so I can whine and argue about it like the cool fanboys do.

THURSDAY - Argued about lunch, went to Barnes and Nobel, saw a nifty CLAMP artbook that I'll be too lazy to ever buy, it was really hot, blah, blah, blah.

FRIDAY - The Washington Center (a former High School) is a nifty place. The family got a tour of the place and we came across to the theater department, which made me insanely jealous. They actually have an auditorium that seats 1900, compared to our second gymnasium which seats, oh, 12. Maybe 15 if the school's feeling generous. 10 dressing rooms and a giant costume and props department. It ain't fair.

Had a brief tour of Augustana College, which seems like a nice place, I guess. OH GOD, THE HEAT. 104 degrees. When you have a wardrobe like mine, that's a recipe for disaster.

During the evening I went to see a seven-man production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Not as hot, and only one family member accompanied, both of which I am thankful for. The show was quite nice and pretty accurate. I still like my troupe's portrayal of the Rude Mechanicals better, of course. I'm rather quite proud of my Thisbe. At any rate, they did a good job for only seven people.

SATURDAY- I went and checked out the local shops. Found Dirt Boss and Optimus Prime at Wal-Mart, neither of which I got. My brother got Dirt Boss, who's okay I suppose. I'd give him a B-. And I guess Toa Iruini is out from the Bionicle line. Maybe I'll get him when I have extra cash.

Then there was a barbecue or something with the whole family. Wandered around outside, made a little small talk with family members I knew, ate and had cake. Spent most of the time holed up in the basement with a vintage N64.

SUNDAY- We left. Nothing really happened. Spent the ride home staring out the window contemplating a certain issue.

So all-in-all, it was a good time I suppose. I'm glad it ended when it did though.

Spoilers? Of course there are spoilers, you twit!

Book Six: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
Oh dear, oh dear, where to start? I finished it Sunday evening, though I could have done it earlier as I was away all afternoon and evening and I had been pacing myself on Saturday. No matter, on with the reviewing.

-----------------------------
For some reason, I really enjoyed Chapter 1. The interaction between the two Ministries was something I always wanted to see, and this didn't disappoint. The PM's reaction is understandable, and I loved the introduction of Rufus Scrimgeour.

I liked seeing Narcissa, for we never saw much of her, and it was a real treat to finally see Snape's bachelor pad. I was also happy to find out where the heck Wormtail had been for OotP.

Dumbledore's visit with the Dursleys was entertaining to read, and I was happy to know that Dumbledore was as normal as ever. I expected Harry to be a bit more downtrodden, but the prospect of leaving Privet Drive must have lifted his spirits. Horace Slughorn seemed to be a nice enough guy when we visit him, and I was glad to see that Harry wouldn't have too much trouble this time. From meeting Tonks, I was worried about her throughout most of the book.

The Burrow was it's usual place, even with Fleur around. I was happy to see her back and glad to know that she and Bill are happy. Fred and George's joke shop was a real treat. Loved thew whole scene and the twins were just as entertaining as ever. I didn't care for the Draco part, I thought Harry was just being paranoid, but I knew that there was something going on. Hermione's bluff was funny.

I was very happy to see Neville and Luna, but disappointed to see them in such small roles after OotP. We're introduced to Zabini, who was mentioned way back in PS. I was amazed at Draco's beating of Harry and relieved to see Tonks helping to guard him. I was pleasantly shocked when Snape got the DADA job and Slughorn took over Potions. I knew that would be trouble, and sure enough, Potions and DADA have reversed themselves on Harry's favorites list.

I was immediately interested in the Half-Blood Prince and theorized that he would be Tom Riddle, but I realized that the timeframe was wrong when the book's date was revealed. I didn't think to suspect Snape for some reason. I found the book to be a very interesting plot thread. I found it typical, rather than OoC, for Hermione to be angry with Harry, after all, Harry was, by her standards cheating.

Let's see, fast forward. The Quidditch match. I had fully believed that Harry had slipped Ron the potion, but then Harry proved me wrong. Very nice, however unfortunate that it results in the rift between Ron and Hermione. Lavender and Ron's resulting relationship felt very forced and from out of left field, but I suppose that's how it was for Ron as well. I pretty much yelled for the two of them to kiss and make up already. Oh yeah, Harry as Captain. Okay, I guess.

I was rather unhappy at the lack of any real classroom moments. Outside of the trio's hushed conversations we really didn't see much of the standard test-taking and homework woes. Not a big problem though. Harry's distrust of Malfoy bordered on obsessive, which somewhat annoyed me that Harry was so quick to judge, even if he did turn out to be right.

I was very interested in Dumbledore's "lessons" and was eager to see where exactly we'd go each time Harry was brought in. Quite an interesting, though rather predictable past our Tom Riddle had. I did like the scene where Dumbledore first meets Tom; much like Harry and Hagrid's first meeting.

I was surprised to see Hermione's reaction to Won-won. I had expected something more original, but she uses the old standby of jealousy. A shame. I was elated to see Harry take Luna to the party, for that was the couple I had been shipping. I didn't care for Hermione's absence over the holiday, but I liked seeing Percy and Rufus showing up. A shame Percy's still the way he was, but I've still got faith in the boy. Insightful into Rufu's character, his stroll was, and I had hoped for a more friendly sort of Minister, but he turned out somewhat like Fudge. Oh well.

Okay, Harry's like for Ginny came out of nowhere. I don't mind being wrong on a ship, but I would've liked more build-up. For some reason, Harry all of a sudden views Ginny in a different light. I'm sure there's some deaper hints I've missed, but I liked how the teenage romance part was handled. It seemed accurate enough.

I, like others, am somewhat confused as to why Dumbledore needed Slughorn's Horcrux memory, but I suppose he needed to see Tom's part of it. Harry's final attempt to get the memory was hilarious, as was any scene involving drunk professors. Intoxicated Trelawney was especially funny.

The Horcruxes are an interesting plot device. It makes the diary much more clearer, but it sort of seems like something thrown in for a quest plot. It feels almost like Pokemon, but it works well enough. I do like the mystery surrounding the remaining Horcruxes though, and am eager to find out what's been hiding Voldy this whole time.

Ron's poisoning could probably have been left out, though it adds more to the relationship with Hermione. Glad to see him break up with Lavender. Highly amusing, too.I found Draco's breakdown with Myrtle hard to take. It seemed rather OoC for him, but he was under the strain from the Dark Lord, I suppose. It was horrifying to see the true poer of Sectumsempra and even more terrifying to have Snape walk in. It seemed to turn out well enough, though, as Gryfindor won the game and Harry gets a kiss with Ginny. Luna as commentator was hilarious. Glad to see Ron's approval. I would hate to have another Ron/Harry schism.

Chapter 25 grabs you and doesn't let go. From the moment Harry finds Trelawney at the RoR, things get shot to hell. His desperate orders to his friends was oddly scary, as if he had only moments before a great battle.

Harry and Dumbledore's trip to the cave was a tense scene and Harry desperately trying to save Dumbledore was very suspenseful. I expected someone else to rescue them, but he made it. Worrysome scene upon their return. Dumbledore almost seems reinvigorated at the sight of his school and his students under the Dark Mark. Goes to show you his dedication and bravery.

Amazing scene with Draco, Harry and Dumbledore. I felt just like Harry, powerless to do anything but watch. Dumbledore attempts to help Draco, and for a moment, I thought he would falter. Hearing of the fallen body, I feared the worst for all my favorite characters until the Death-Eaters arrive and Snape hurries after them.

Powerful is the only way to describe what comes next. It's obvious from the evidence and clever use of words, that Snape didn't want to kill Dumbledore, but Dumbledore had told Snape that it was the only way. So with that, Harry's greatest protector and the best headmaster of Hogwarts falls. Snape is obviously left with no choice now and makes a run for it with the Death-Eaters. What becomes of Draco will indeed be interesting.

Snape vs. Harry, fleeting though it is, is done well. Snape's reveals himself as the Half-Blood Prince, which I honestly didn't fully expect. I was breathing heavily throughout these entire chapters, as if I had just ran alongside Harry. Great.

The heads of houses meeting is very somber and that's when the full impact of the death hits; especially when we see a new portrait of Albus, sleeping serenely as if nothing happened.

The funeral is done well. A bit of tears got through from me, as the whole meaning of Dumbledore's death culminates. So many people showed up and several cameos, as well. Ron and Hermione seem to finally have formed a relationship and Harry tries to push Ginny away. I have a feeling they're not completely over, though.

Fenrir Greyback is an interesting new villain. Bill getting bit by him was unexpected and I'm anxious to see what will become of him. It was wonderful to see that that didn't matter to Fleur and it looks like the wedding's still on.

I have little doubt that Hogwarts will reopen next year, and that somehow Harry will end up there again. This book leaves several questions including the identity of R.A.B. (not convinced it's Regulus), Snape and Draco's status, the remaining Horcruxes, the direction of the relationships and countless other unwrapped plot threads.

Well, it's going to be a hard wait for Book Seven, but I know I'll enjoy poring over the book and it's predecessors trying to figure out what JK Rowling is up to, and I have no doubt that she'll surprise me again.

------------------------

Rating: A-

Current Book Ranking: (subject to changes at the author's wim)
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Chamber of Secrets
5. Goblet of Fire
6. Sorcerer's Stone
Not that that means much, they're all good books. Heck, 1-4 might as well be a tie.

The Pillar of Storge

So...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is out on Saturday. Cool. Can't wait to read it. I wonder if I can do it in one night?

Went to Best Buy, got Gundam SEED Vol. 9. One disc left now.

The Light Before We Land

Picked up Gunslinger Girl Volume 2 over the weekend. The show continues to rock. Episode 8 especially is very good; it introduces Angelica, quite possibly the most tragic of the girls.

Also got Cybertron Hot Shot. Decent mold, cool weapons and an articulate robot mode. B material.

Automated Vehicles and the Driving Thereof

So, I finally passed the Practice Road Test. Now I don't have to do any more school driving. And I can get the last 14 or so hours required by myself on my own terms.

It makes driving slightly more enjoyable and interesting. I still don't understand what all the kids get excited about.

Transform And Roll Out!

Just got back from Toys R Us, and they've got Cybertron out before any of my local areas. Wanted to get Vector Prime and Optimus, but they weren't on shelves. I even bothered an employee to check, but didn't get any results. I picked up two Deluxes and a Leader, while my brother assisted my pillaging by picking up a Voyager, formerly known as a mega.

LANDMINE
The first of the two Deluxes and the only Autobot I got. Alt mode is a construction vehicle with a front shovel. The Cyber Key is put into the wheels, and little blades come out around it. Neat. Robot mode is good, with some nice poseability. Not bad for 10 bucks. B+

THUNDERCRACKER
The other deluxe, his alt mode is a Jet. He's rather dissapointing. His robot mode is flimsy. His Cyber Key feature is a nifty gun that pops out of his back and forms one of his robot mode arms. Decent, but the worst of what I got. B-

CRUMPLEZONE
The Voyager guy. His alt mode is a sort of futuristic racecar with a bulky back area. Very cool. Insert the Cyber Key in the back and two giant bazookas flip over accompanied by sound. Robot mode is big and bulky, bringing to mind the hired muscle of the Decepticons. Surprisingly sturdy and cool. Good for twenty bucks. B+

MEGATRON
Ah, the forty dollar leader fig. Looks a bit silly, but is loads of fun once he's out of his cardboard prison. A bunch of colors throw off the evil-look, but the points and fins all over are cool. Three underwhelming Cyber Key features; gun pops out, spikes extend, and jets extend out with lights and sounds. The cool part? He transforms into the Batmobile. It looks just like it with the sweeping fins and large wheels. Very cool. It also transforms into a jet but it doesn't really change much from the car mode. All in all, the best Megatron out of Armada, Energon and Cybertron. A-

The Cybertron toyline looks to be off to a great start, and I can't wait to get my hands on Vector Prime and Optimus. I might also pick up Scourge, who looks very nice.

Mr. Anderson, welcome back. We've missed you.

Vacation was decidedly average.

Saturday - Got the Star Wars: ROTS artbook. Very nifty. Arrived up there, wandered around town for a bit, was astounded by the amount of roleplaying junk in the local book store. Nice. Also finished the Force Heretic trilogy. Boring most of the time, with spots of brilliance.

Sunday - What the hell happened that day? I don't even remember. Nothing must've happened

Monday - Went to a neighboring town, where in we looked at various shops. Cool big antique store with all manner of useless junk inside. Fun for window shopping. Went home just as the storm hit. And by hit, I mean really hit. Rain, wind, lightning, thunder, the works.

Tuesday - After much deliberation, I finally bought myself copies of the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual, both 3.5 edition. Cool stuff in there. Finished The Final Prophecy in the NJO. Excellent book. Sad to see Nen Yim get the axe.

Wednesday - Went horseback riding. Got to practice driving too and from the stables. Yup, still hate it.

Thursday - Went to Rhinelander. Checked the Wal-Mart. Nothing. Left Rhinelander.

Friday - Went Go-Karting, which I now am not a fan of. Meh. Finished The Unifying Force and the entire New Jedi Order. Fine conclusion, and a great EU series.

Saturday- Left.

I Know You're Out There.

My local stores have apparently adopted a 100% Transformers: Cybertron-free policy, so I'll have to wait until I return from vacation to get my hands on anything.

Oh yeah, vacation. I leave tommorow for the region of the United States commonly referred to as "Up-North". Specifically, to an old cabin on a lake wherein I sit around and read or walk around on the abandoned roads. Computer free, the Eagle River region is completely devoid of anything that could remotely be considered "gaming" or "anime". No problem, I have the Star Wars NJO to finish up, and I'll undoubtedly find more books in the local stores. I get back in a week.

Finally, I should have a new article thrown up (heh) on Pojo later today. Go read it. I manage to take a fairly humorous idea and completely screw it up.

Also, today's Penny Arcade is funny. It's on the sidebar thing.

Мои глупые вхождения журнала

Teen Titans - Episode 48: "Overdrive"
Cyborg episodes are usually boring, slow and uneventful. This one was no different. We've seen Cyborg use crazy contraptions before, and there wasn't much done this time that was different. His schedule scenes though were amusing, as was his fight with Adonis (who's still a loser villain, by the way). Billy Numerous was bothersome and slightly creepy; talk about your narcissists. The final battle was cool, but could have been better. Not to mention it's implausibility. Underwhelming.
Rating: C

Justice League Unlimited - Episode 21: "Hunter's Moon"
Enjoyable episode. I was glad to see what had become of the Thanagarians after "Starcrossed" and it didn't dissapoint. Shayera's reaction to the defeat of her race, and Hro's death was heartbreaking, especially in her VA's delivery of the line. I never cared much for Vixen before and she didn't do anything for me this time, either. Admittedly, I liked her better this time, than in "Wake the Dead". The ending was a bit of a cop-out, but I'll take it. I wonder which relationship is still going. Vigilante stole the show with his "cowboy-isms" and his lines. Great moment when he pilots the Thanagarian starfighter.
Rating: B+

Samurai Champloo - Episode 6: "Stranger Searching"
Hilarious episode. The Eating contest was the best part and I honestly yelled "No, Fuu!" when she was going to smack the fly. The Dutch guy was amusing. Nice how he hopes that the world will be more accepting of people like him in the future. Oh, if he only knew. At any rate, the tour was a bit dull, but it picked up around the fireworks and the resturaunt. Weird seeing subtitles on Adult Swim, but they worked out. Nice episode.
Rating: B+

Paranoia Agent - Episode 4: "A Man's Path"
Not quite as good as 2 and 3, but a good episode. The twisted cop was an interesting change of pace from the other characters. Very creepy character as well. For a middle-aged fat guy he was pretty good at robbing people. The manga montage was amusing. I was rather surprised to see the Lil' Slugger get beaten like that, but I'm betting it's not the real one and just a copycat. The tense part was when he robs the family and the girl comes back from school. I don't want to know what happened after that. Good episode.
Rating: B+

Eh....

Been a pretty boring week. In fact, you could probably skip over this episode and not miss much of the plot.

Transformers Cybertron has yet to be stocked at my local Target or Wal-Mart. This annoys me. I'll check Toys R Us later in the week, I guess.

Second post in a long and proud line of posts

So, Summer Vacation.

I've sat around and done pretty much nothing except talk on Pojo and watch TV. You see, my TV schedule expands greatly during the summer. Mornings I catch my favorite game show of all time, The Price is Right, and yell at the idiot contestants. Fast forward to Jeopardy, usually accompanied by home-made nachos in the afternoon. Double Seinfeld on TBS after that, followed by maybe Wheel of Fortune where I also yell at the contestants. Maybe then I catch Whose Line is it Anyway? and end the day with Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

I really have no life. Seinfeld was funny. It was viewed alongside the consuming of KFC Popcorn Chicken. Excellent.

Garage Sale started today. I don't really pay attention to this sort of thing.

Oh yeah, I made fifty dollars today and you didn't.

A Veritable Buffet of Pointless Reviewing

Power Rangers SPD - Episode 18: "Samurai"
Saturday's episode was decent filler. The whole "samurai in modern times" story was interesting to watch and Jack vs. Cruger was a well-done plot. I saw the fake Shadow Saber thing coming from a mile away, though. Also, the giant drawer thing is about one of the most ridiculous things I've seen on the show. And I saw the episode where TJ was baked into a giant pizza. Overral, good development for Jack.
Rating: B
Next week looks fudging awesome. Grumm vs. Cruger. My heart skipped a beat just typing that.

Teen Titans - Episode 47: "Stranded"
A real 180 turn from last week. I didn't really care for Starfire and Robin's plot. I was pretty sure that the two of them already knew their relationship up until now, when Star started acting rather childish. Though Robin's side was fairly realistic. Cyborg and Beast Boy's plot was the real winner here, though. Reconstructing Cyborg into Giant Robo and BB getting the character's outfit was a hilarious reference as was Cyborg trying to dictate his instructions so BB would understand them. Raven's subplot was fairly average, but it was nice to see her calm and relaxed after the past couple of episodes.
Rating: B+

Justice League Unlimited - Episode 20: "Clash"
Yeah, it was damn good. It was really cool seeing Captain Marvel and I thought the way he was written was excellent and his voice-actor did a marvelous job. Superman and Batman discussing Luthor over a standard meta-human bust was great to watch. I was in suspense the whole time at Luthor's press conference. I literally had no idea if Lex was telling the truth. The battle between Supes and Marvel was one of the best that the show has ever done and Marvel proved himself to be really powerful. The resolution was great, and it was interesting to see that Superman was wrong. Then they go and say that it was a set-up which I honestly didn't see coming. Captain Marvel's final speech was powerful and it shows what's happened to the JL lately.
Rating: A-

Samurai Champloo - Episode 5: "Artistic Anarchy"
This is one of the better episodes so far. Several hilarious moments all around. I didn't see the ending coming, though. Who knew that the old guy was the one running the slave ring the whole time? Mugen had some funny moments, and the secret police officer was amusing; I liked how he was the narrator for the episode. The show has a very good storytelling method - the three heroes all go on seperate adventures, only to realize that their own quests were actually all connected. Good stuff.
Rating: B+

Paranoia Agent - Episode 3: "Double Lips"
Episode 3 was just as good as the second. The two different personalities really kept me guessing throughout the whole episode, and I couldn't help but think too hard about some things in the background looking for symbolism. William's Street was pretty brave with this episode, what with the whole graphic prostitution shindig. Great finisher as well. I always end up holding my breath, waiting for Lil Slugger to show up and whack the character.
Rating: A-

Gundam SEED Destiny - Episode 34: "Nightmare"
It rocked hard. With all the research, preperation and pure indomitable ferocity, Shinn easily deserves his victory. After everything that Kira has taken from him (rather by accident or otherwise), one can hardly fault Shinn for his rage at Kira and his Gundam. Talia and Murrue's brief conversation was interesting and Neumann's quarter barrel roll around the Minerva was pretty awesome, but everybody was paying attention to Kira vs. Shinn. One of the best Gundam fights I've seen in a while, Shinn pulled off some truly inovative moves. First he throws his shield and shoots it with the beam rifle; the beam richochets and hits Kira. Then he splits the Gundam and rams the Chest Flyer into Kira, blowing it up with the Core Splendor's vulcans, then re-forming in the air while Kira is crashing. Finally, he calls for the Sword Silhoutte and doesn't even switch packs; he just pulls off the Excalibur and slices through the Freedom's shield and into the torso. Meanwhile, the Minerva supposedly blows up the Archangel with the Tannhouser. Pure awesome.
Rating: A+
It'll be great to see Kira get out of this one. Sure he escaped the Strike Gundam when it exploded, but this is a farking NUCLEAR EXPLOSION. Of course Kira will make it out so he can pilot the Strike Freedom, but gosh darnit, he'd better have something to remember this battle by.And what of the Archangel? Somehow I don't think Murrue's Miraculous Bouncing Boobies (TM) are going to help the crew this time.

In honor of awesome Gundam SEED Destiny, a new avatar has been issued for your pleasure. Yes, I know Range Murata girl is cute, but this was just too awesome not to make an avatar of. She understands.

Also, I have grown much too lazy to continue reviewing W.I.T.C.H. and Trinity Blood. Eh, I say.

I have conquered thee!

So I finally managed to get that neato Gunslinger Girl wallscroll up without damaging it. Turns out all I had to do was steal the bottom rung from my brother's Sephiroth scroll and attach some string.

You shall rue the day you tangled with me, household ornament hanging procedures!

The End of an Era

At any rate, I went through three more exams yesterday and today. World History was up first, and it was very easy. I'll sound like a huge nerd, but I really enjoy taking 300-question tests for some reason. Relaxing. The test itself covered Europe from The Enlightenment to the end of WWII, a fun period in history.

Biology was up next, which turned out to be easier than I was expecting. Yay. Today I had Advanced Algebra which went all right I think. I had just reviewed for an hour beforehand, so I shouldn't do too bad.

And now school's out. What to do for the next three months...

Oh yeah, Fruits Basket. Good show.

Die Zeit für Revolution ist gekommen.

So, exams started today.

Start off with a healthy dose of German, in which I undoubtedly performed averagely. It was multiple choice, which helped somewhat, because I would have failed easily had it been a writing test.

Next, I wandered off to Information Technology, which, contrary to what the title might tell you, has nothing to do with Information or technology of any form. Ergo, my loathing of the class. I don't think I did very well on the mechanics and electricity portion, but the computer sections was incredibly easy, so I will probably salvage a C in that class. I mean, I didn't do any of the Screen Printing or this Design Problem contraption.

Third part of the day involved me waiting in the cafeteria, due to my exempting my Language + Literature exam. Repeated "A" papers and tests tend to do that. The exam would have been a breeze, though, so it might have been fun to take it just for fun. But then again, that would increase my hatred for the class and the students, so I don't think that would be the best idea. And that's totally a subject for a different entry. I'll have way more ranting time over the summer.

At any rate, the cafeteria. I wasted money on various snacks and drinks from the local vendimatoriums which inexplicably give me food and drink when I put in too much money. It was worth it, however, for Andy Capp's legendary Cheddar Fries. A celebration was in order. I contented myself with finishing up the History Review sheet, but got bored of it around Louis XVI.

So I stealthily stole (read: begged to borrow) my friend's PSP. Metal Gear Ac!d was already loaded up and so I played around in the game none-too seriously. Creative game, and it's a shame people don't like it more. I think it's the arbitrary exclamation point that does them in.

Then I headed home on some scary and unfamiliar autobus, much different from my typical ride. See, on exam days, the bus system is screwed up so much that children end up boarding the wrong buses and ending up in the completely wrong place. Shanghai, for example. My crazy new bus driver eventually ended up on my street and I happily ran the hell home.

And that was my day. I dunno, I felt like writing something other than the objective reviews I typically do.

Take your reviews, you Godless Heathens

Samurai Champloo - Episode 4: "Hellhounds for Hire Pt. 2"
Excellent finish for a two-parter. Several cool battles as always and the scene where Fuu is taken by the ugly guy was particularly funny. The two gangs resolving the conflict with the roll of a die was interesting, along with Fuu and Jin meeting at the occasion. Also amusing how Mugen randomly comes in for no reason and starts killing people. I didn't see the point to the last scene, though. Sosuke's father killing himself as payment was something I didn't see coming.
Rating: B+

Paranoia Agent - Episode 2: "Golden Shoes"
I see the dog plush is up to it's old tricks again. The plot with Ichi was rather more interesting than Tsukiko's but I'm glad she's staying in the story. The two reporters look like recurring characters as well. The fat kid really bothered me for some reason and I didn't blame Ichi for hating him. After he was wishing that Lil Slugger would come and beat him, I quietly gasped as Slugger slowly glided past Ichi. Ichi's later acid trip was freaky and it ends with him getting beaten with the bat as well. My mind was working furiously throughout this entire episode.
Rating: A-
I'm hooked.

Teen Titans - Episode 46: "The Prophecy"
Very creepy. About the creepiest thing Teen Titans has ever done. Any battle involving Slade was excellently choreographed and animated. Raven's excursion to Azaroth was cool, as was meeting her mother. And we see the true powers of Trigon, who is revealed as the villain. Raven vs. Slade Round 2 was very cool, I thought she was actually going to kill ol' Wilson. Then he makes an escape after pointing out her friends' terror. The battle with the ghouls was well animated but I got tired of it about halfway through. What could Slade be bargaining for with Trigon? His son? Terra? His life?
Rating: B+

Justice League Unlimited - Episode 19: "Double Date"
I liked "Double Date" much more than "The Balance". I've been waiting to see Huntress in the series, and what do you know, she's kicked out in her intro episode. She seemed a tad out of character as well. Glad to see The Question again, and he was just as much fun as he was in "Fearful Symmetry". Can't wait to see more of him. His car and the connection between girl scouts and crop circles was hilarious. Green Arrow shows up again with Black Canary in tow, who seem to be much more than friends. Each "couple" trying to outwit each other was fun to watch. The battle between Huntress and Canary was cool as was Arrow vs. Question. Finally, I thought Mandragora was pretty cool as a villain.
Rating: B+

And as a bonus...

Gundam SEED Destiny - Episode 33: "The World Revealed"
Dullindal's speech on LOGOS was cool and I can't wait to see how it turns out. When the portraits were scrolled across, the position above Lord Djibril was missing. I'm betting it's Dullindal himself. Looks like Shinn's serious about taking out the Freedom and Kira. I hope he suceeds, somebody needs to knock the uber-pilot down a notch. The scene where Neo wakes up was well-done. I'm really looking forward to more interaction with poor Murrue. I really hope that Mwu returns to his old self for her sake. Yeah, I'm a sucker for that sort of romance.
Rating: B+
The Minerva is ordered to exterminate the Archangel next week. Can't wait.

Home on the Range

Yeah, new avatar. Range Murata rocks and needs to do more anime. Here's the full image:



Found the image here: http://www.absolutetrouble.com/murata/index.php



Just got back from seeing Revenge of the Sith for the second time. It doesn't lose much in subsequent viewings, fortunately.

Batter Up

Justice League Unlimited - Episode 18: "The Balance"
And we come to the "Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl become friends again" episode. Flash was hilarious at the beginning as he always is. Hermes was also an amusing character, and it was funny to see them try to get around mentioning "hell". I found it rather hard to believe that WW would just try to steal Hawkgirl's mace. Speaking of which, Hawkgirl needs to go get a new costume. Or something. I never cared for felix as a villain, but he served his purpose this time around. It was pretty cool when Hades arrives and beats the crud out of him. What shall become of Tala I wonder? This is a real hit against Cadmus, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll do about it.
Rating: B

Samurai Champloo - Episode 3: "Hellhounds for Hire"
Funny start with Jin and Mugen making their escape from Fuu. Also amusing how they all end up meeting later at once. Jin and Mugen getting hired by opposite sides and ending up fighting each other was great, as was Jin's disguise. I can say this from experience; never mess with a crossdresser.
Rating: B+

Paranoia Agent - Episode 1: "Enter Lil' Slugger"
Vely intelesting.It does seem to be along the lines of FLCL and GitS:SAC. I have to wonder what the heck CN's problem with subtitles is. It could really help make the plot easier to understand. At any rate, it's very creepy and the dirty reporter is a much more interesting character to follow rather than the two police investigators. I'll keep watching this in hopes of a definitive ending.
Rating: B

Too lazy to review Gundam SEED Destiny and Trinity Blood. In short, both were good episodes.

Critics give my life 1.5 stars.

Anyone who plays the Star Wars RPg can check out two of the planets I'm using in my campaign here. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=437185

Lots of stuff on tonight. New Teen Tiatns, new JLU, premieres of Paranoia Agent, premiere of s-cry-ed and new Samurai Champloo. Too bad there's no SPD or WITCH.

Two weeks left of school. Exams are coming up and I'm going to see about exempting my Advanced Algebra and Language exams. I also have to get my Information Technology grade up to a C so I can pass well. I hate that class, we don't even do any information technology. The people in it are anooying as well. Oh well.

Got the last four paperbacks to the NJO today. Can't wait to start Force Heretic I: Remnant. the goal is to finish the series by the end of the school year. Since we'll be doing a lot of review in school for the rest of the year, I'll have plenty of reading time.

Ace out.

Star Wars Literature

So yeah, in my exploration of the New Jedi Order, I just wrapped up Destiny's Way. At the moment, it's tied with Star By Star as my favorite book in the series, but that could change. Here's my ranking at the moment.

1. Star By Star/Destiny's Way
2. Traitor
3. Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
4. Balance Point
5. Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand
5. Edge of Victory I: Conquest
6. Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
7. Vector Prime
8. Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
9. Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
10. Dark Tide II: Ruin
11. Dark Journey
12. Dark Tide I: Onsalught

It's hard to rank 12 good books, so ranks 3-7 are all very close to each other.

The New Jedi Order is an excellent series, and I can't wait for the conclusion. Five books left to go.

Do YOU speak BOCCE??!!

Gundam SEED Destiny - Episode 30: The Fleeting Dream
Not much happens except for Shinn going against orders and returning Stellar. We get to see a bit more of Shinn's character, and we find that Neo seems to be genuinely a nice guy behind the mask. Also, we see the remains of the Saviour. it's safe to say that we'll be getting the new Justice soon; I imagine ZAFT will put in the order at the same time as the Destiny.
Rating: B-

Trinity Blood - Episodes 2 and 3: "Witch Hunt" & "Star of Sorrow Pt. 1"
Episode 2 was boring. We're introduced to the new droid character and there's some nutty plot involving a little girl. Yah, I don't care. Episode 3 was much better. Abel has some funny moments and we are introduced to Esther. She'll probably stick around, seeing as she's in the ending. I'm looking forward to seeing what this royal enemy guy is up to. I especially liked the part at the end where they face down the squad. Can't wait to see what happens to our hero.
Ep. 2 Rating: C+
Ep. 3 Rating: A-

Speaking of anime, Gunslinger Girl rawks.

I bought the Vol. 1 + box set last week. Nifty wallscroll that I might put up somewhere, though I think I'd be rather uncomfortable with a poster featuring adolescent girls in my bedroom. >_>;;

It's indeed a thinking man's anime and I can't help but be interested in all the various relationships. The first five episodes do a nice job of setting up the characters and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them. As with any job involving a shadowy organization, I'm betting that the Italian Welfare Agency has something to hide. And of course, a healthy dose of gunfights and explosions. All set to some lovely music. Volume 2 can't get here soon enough.

clock king? OLOL moer liek cock king! m i rite?

Justice League Unlimited - Episode 17: "Task Force X"
Great to see JLU back. It was cool to see that the opponent of the League were pretty close to regular humans this time. I expected Captain Boomerang and Plastique to be on Task Force X, but Clock King was a huge surprise. It was cool seeing a villain like him back again. Action was good, not quite up to Teen Titans level though. This Cadmus plot continues to get more and more interesting.
Rating: B+

Power Rangers SPD - Episode 16: "Boom"
Yay, filler. Boom's fantasy at the beginning was amusing as was the arrival of his parents. I liked how Boom got to be an actual ranger for a brief time, helping out with the capture of the device. It is his specialty after all. I was hoping they'd give him a real morpher for the mission though. I'm very interested in this Morgana character, though I have a feeling the accent's going to get on my nerves.
Rating: B+

W.I.T.C.H. - Episode 16: "Ghosts of Elyon"
Worth the two-week wait. Will's side-story with the mother was pretty typical stuff. The story is a staple of any series involving teenagers. The main plot was much more interesting. The Guardians used some creative ways to figure out which of the Elyons was the real one. The storming of Phobos's castle was also very cool. The second attempt in the bunker was also fun to watch. Caleb was cool in this episode and they continue to throw Cornelia and Caleb's relationship in our faces. I'm looking forward to what Elyon will do in the next couple of episodes.
Rating: B+

Samurai Champloo - Episode 2: "Redeye Reprisal"
Not quite as good as the previous episode. Mugen and Jin going on their own plots was a nice way to showcase their individual skills. Nice samurai action as in the first one. Dub continues to be nice, as far as I can tell. I was a bit dissapointed by the lack of all the rap scratches from the first episode. Why did Mugen just kill the deformed guy when he stopped?
Rating: B

Gundam SEED Destiny 30, Trinity Blood 2+3 and Gunslinger Girl 1-5 to come later.