Hatsune Miku -- Dear
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i_KGwFms6w

Here’s Usa’s from Nico Nico Douga version. Which reminds me I need to do a post about all those awesome singers from NND soon. Always meant to do a rough guide to those talented singers but it always slipped my mind.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrKV35-gUp8

Here’s my attempt.

Lyrics:

Related posts:

1. “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari” ~ supercell: Translation Attempt
2. Hatsune Miku Figma
3. Kagami Miku Cosplay Figure Out!

The point is, being an otaku isn’t exactly the coolest of things and it can sometimes prove to be quite an awkward moment in a discussion. When I meet someone who share my interest, and I know is totally fine with mine, I will usually start to open up. However, most people will just give you a strange look if you start going on an extended otaku conversation with them. Worse, they remember you as “the strange otaku” and that will be the end of your social life so far. Ok, that was probably an exaggeration but you get the idea ^^ Anyway, until then, I will just keep a low profile with regards to my otaku interests and at best, be just a typical narutard/bleach or increasingly, a K-ON fan. Mind you, the first 2 categories are pretty hard for me as I don’t keep up with either Naruto or Bleach at all. Being a fan of the moe-blob show isn’t that hard….its engineered to let everyone like it. Why else 5 girls prancing around and doing funny stuff? Surely there must be a reason don’t you think so?

For those with a similar inclinations to remain under the radar, I have 10 tips for you. Not to be presumptuous but I guess we could use every tip we get.

1. The first is one of the easiest – Do NOT discuss anime or profess to knowing ‘popular’ (read cult hits/mega otaku obsession level) titles like Haruhi. When absolutely pressed, talk about shows like Gundam, Bleach and Naruto and just show a passing interest in them.
2. Do NOT attempt to have a lecture or ‘teaching’ session with other people. If you find that you are dominating the conversation and is already on a 1-minute monologue, stop immediately. Otakus generally feel like they have to attempt to level up other peoples’ otaku knowledge. We have a tendency to correct others or make known our point of view. DO NOT! This is a trap to lure you out of your otaku ninja-hood!
3. Do NOT talk about figures/PVCs, especially the gazillion collection that you have or that 1 moe bootylicious PVC girl winking at you from the corner of the shop. Knowledge about The Most Evil Company in the World (TMECW), otherwise known as GoodSmile Company, should be kept to a need-to-know basis. Its partially for their own good as well since no one can withstand the various poisons unleashed periodically on the unsuspecting public by TMECW.
   
   Talking about bishoujo figures is obviously off-limits if you haven’t figured it out by now. Do not identify or even show recognition of popular collections, the nendoroids or any limited edition rare items. Talking about retail websites such as amiami (finally!), hobby-link japan or even hobbystock/otacute etc are obviously a big NO-NO. When absolutely needed, a discussion about gundam plamo & its difficulty is your best bet. Do not venture in Macross Plamo because it will just spiral out of control into a Ranka vs Sheryl debate.
4. Do NOT confess to reading any manga or even any scanlations. Its a dead giveaway for a ninja-otaku especially if you let slip you are reading some obscure or niche titles.
5. Do NOT in any case talk about cosplay, cosplayers’ raison d’être (fancy phrase which basically means why a cosplayer do what he/she does) or celebrity cosplayers (KIPPI !!). People don’t really want to know what you think of it, and knowing it inside out just make you sound like a creep who stalks those cosplayers. Just say its quirky, interesting and colorful and most people will leave it at that.
6. When someone says that some show is the BESTEST show of the season/year/decade/EVAR, and even if its the moe-blob show K-On or some show which you can obviously see is missing a plot, do NOT interject and argue that they are sacrilegious/rubbish/out-of-their-freaking-mind/obviously have not watched enough anime. Just let it go and suppress those urges to knock some sense into that person’s head. This rule applies to game(ero-games…), manga or anime movies as well.
7. On that note, do NOT even talk or venture into ero-ge/game territory. The less said about this, the better. Self-explanatory for anyone who wants to be a ninja-otaku.
8. Do NOT use words like orz/moe etc in your regular vocabulary. Besides making you sound like a terrible weaboo, its very disorientating for anyone who is trying to take you seriously when you are in ninja-otaku mode.
9. Most importantly since chances are that many people will trip up on this due to the surprise, do NOT in any case name popular anisong artists as your favourite band/musicians. A regular j-pop one is fine but will set some peoples’ otaku-radar on alert though. Anyone that starts to shift towards the niche like Nana Mizuki, Yukarin etc, no matter how awesome, is of course NOT appropriate for an answer if you are trying to be a ninja-otaku.
   
   Personally, I will say Fire Bomber, High & Mighty Color and Orange Range. Most people who are not in the know will just wave them off as regular western bands. Those who are slightly in on the joke might find it slightly familiar on account of Orange Range though.
10. Which brings me to the last point. Its fun to know more people who you can just discuss/debate random stuff and commit every mistake the above 9 points have tried to prevent you from committing. This means you have to spread out some ‘feelers’ but nothing too obvious. Sometimes it feels much better to be yourself and have a nice chat about how moe-anime is killing the industry. Do NOT wall yourself away from the world

That’s all for now. Have fun and good luck!

No related posts.

Its the ED of the Bakemonogatari Anime as well as one of the single from Supercell, the group which used to have Hatsune Miku as their lead vocalist and also the creators of Black Rock Shooter. They have alot of really good hits with Hatsune Miku and they released them all on Nico Nico Douga. Currently, for their latest project, their lead vocalist is Nagi (aka gazelle) who is another really talented singer from Nico Nico Douga. Which reminds me that I might do a short introductory post on some of Nico Nico Douga singers as well as Supercell’s past songs.

Meanwhile, enjoy the videos and the lyrics! I tried for the first time in translating a piece of lyrics so pardon me if there is an error somewhere. Please do correct me so I can improve!

This is the PV for their single. I find that it is purposely done in an amateur manner with a young inexperienced casts, probably to capture the spirit and rawness of youth as well as the tribulations of growing up.

Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari PV -- supercell
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yos2eki0_dA

This is the ED of Bakemonogatari. Really nice anime which I want to finish as soon as I have the time for it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zgMjmE51GQ

Lyrics:

I tried to preserve the meaning of the japanese lyrics as far as I can word for word and only condensing/summarizing sentences when I can’t think of any alternative. Also, orihime-sama is the Japanese term for the Vega Star, hikoboshi is the name for the Altair Star and I have translated accordingly to the implied meaning rather than the literal meaning for them (It doesn’t make sense otherwise). The stars have a very interesting back-story which has many cultural links to it. Do check it out if you are at the wiki page.

Related posts:

1. “Dear” ~ Hatsune Miku: Translation

Goodsmile has announced the release of the Black Rock Shooter anime on their website! It is due to be out on 30th September 2009.

Some screenshots:

 

This short animation will only be out on either DVD + CD for 1,260 Yen or BD (Blu-Ray) + CD for 1,890 Yen. Reservations will be made available starting in the next few days at a few online websites, Amazon.jp being one for starters.

Many other websites have also claimed that this short animation project is more like an OVA to an even bigger project if it proves successful. No idea whether if this is true or not.


Some background/trivia regarding Black Rock Shooter:

* Created by self-declared freeter Huke and made famous by the PV he did of the character. This led to a few artbooks and recording deals, such as the rather popular Supercell album.

* Black Rock Shooter (that’s the character name!) is often marketed as the vocaloid Hatsune Miku twin or clone depending on how you look at it. Most people view it as her being Hatsune Miku darker alter-ego.

* In Huke’s PV, she is shown using a katana (Blade Blade) as well as a big-assed gun called the Rock Cannon to fight off yet another evil character. Cue the kongfu moves and acrobatic kicks.

* In actual fact, Black Rock Shooter was created even before artwork of Hatsune Miku was out. This is not a widely known fact but its true that she was conceptualised even before Miku. However, Miku cornered the twin pig-tails heroine market before Black Rock Shooter was even released. It didn’t help that both characters look remarkably alike.

* She has a long scar on her tummy as well as a blue flamed left eye (don’t ask why ^^)

* Goodsmile has already announced a Black Rock Shooter PVC back in March this year. That’s how popular the character is. Most places had their allocated pre-orders snapped out pretty fast and I booked mine after much deliberation. The paintwork, sculpting and the excellent modelled base was just too tempting not to get. It is slated to be released in October 2009.

Black Rock Shooter – Theme

Animation screenshots via dannychoo.com

Related posts:

1. Vocaloid Nendoroid Petite Announced
2. Hatsune Miku Figma
3. GSC’s Index Announced!

I finally got started with the second season of Spice and Wolf. The OVA or episode 00 was released last week and it was fairly interesting with the usual Spicy Wolf quirks. The animation studio team changed so that might explain the slight drop in animation quality, but however the positive side is that the series got brighter or more ‘lighted’ up in terms of the animation. Overall, I guess I just got to get used to the slightly different artwork.

Wolf and the Sudden Split



- Lawrence and Holo are travelling to a pagan city delivering nails when they meet a young, fairly successful trader called Fermi Amati who was very taken with by Holo and helped them as a result.

- Holo is disturbed when she keeps thinking about how the duration of Lawrence’s lifetime is but a blink of an eye to her.

- Lawrence is disturbed by how his friends are also aging and doing well with their own shops while he’s still a travelling merchant, despite arguably being a better merchant than them.

- This is compounded when he realized that Holo does not have a clear idea how to get back to Yoitsu, her hometown, and hence the journey might be quite long, so he informs her that he might not be able to follow her all the way, a statement which he promptly regrets uttering.

Spice and Wolf II -

OP : Mitsu no Yoake

ED : Perfect World

Related posts:

1. Spice and Wolf Season II Episode IV
2. Spice and Wolf Season II Episode II
3. Spice and Wolf Season II Episode VI

Managed to land myself a ticket to stage front (Standing!) Oasis gig on 7th April for around SGD$60!

It was selling for around $100 as you can see in the picture so the price was a steal! The gig was held at Indoor Stadium and while the acoustics there wasn’t exactly top-notch, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and it was a kick ass gig. The only thing is just that they didn’t really play many of the old songs and concentrated on their new album but they played the essentials though – Don’t look back in Anger / Wonderwall / Supersonic and they were awesome.

Came home with a sore throat and ringing in my ears which persisted even slightly until today. Great fun all around though.

Oasis is going around Asia on their world tour. Their next stop is either Thailand or Japan. I bought an official Oasis Tour t-shirt merchandise for the occasion. This also fulfill one of my life-long dream of hearing Oasis live and I didn’t regret it a single bit.

Oasis:

Don’t Look Back in Anger
Wonderwall
Supersonic

Related posts:

1. Anisong At AFA09 – Basara X Mylene: Macross 7 All Over Again
2. “Dear” ~ Hatsune Miku: Translation

�

End of the road for Tora-dora. It was a really interesting journey, bitter-sweet in retrospect. The series was both touching and amusing and at times left me either exasperated or pensive. I am really glad I came back to the series after I initially dropped it after episode 1.

For the last episode, their teacher Yuri Sensei made a very wise observation when she announced that Taiga was transferring / withdrawing from school. Basically, she said that throughout your life, you will come to many crossroads. Regardless of whether you wish to turn back or stay on your path, you still have to make a decision. Sometimes no matter which path you take, you will let someone down but it�s for the best as no one can get the best of both worlds. Yuri Sensei is their form-teacher who provided some comical relief and yet was grounded in reality throughout the entire series. She has a rather interesting life and philosophy although she is constantly in despair over her single status. Not sure why she�s complaining though. I guess it will be equally interesting if the focus were more on her although I�m not complaining! ^^

It was also interesting to note the casual camaraderie among all the members of the class, as opposed to the beginning where they rarely interact as a group. It is this sort of progression which makes me feel wistful every time I think of the series. Overall, it has been a great anime and makes me feel really glad that I have watched it. The ending had a sense of closure to it unlike some other anime (macross frontier anyone?) and although it was a happy and predictable ending, the journey there was anything but.

I also liked how they alluded that true love is a rare and elusive object and how they stumbled upon it and then refused to let it go despite their many tribulations. Faith in each other pulled them through their last year as it time-skipped at the end. Towards the end, at the graduation ceremony, the audience was treated to a 3rd party perspective of this bunch of people whom we have followed throughout the series as a junior in the school. Kitamura was said to be continuing his studies in America, with his beloved senpai. Minori looked like she received the MVP for the school softball league and continues to head towards her dream of representing Japan in the World Series. Ami stayed on and graduated, receiving many bouquets from her adorers as she was leaving the school for the last time. And then the Ryuji x Taiga ending which brought an end to the entire series.

It�s quite funny when you think that the voice actor for Ryuji is the same one as the �poor� teacher from Kodomo no Jikan. Anyway, I leave you with this from a Tora-dora scene. Goodnight and goodbye for now.

Tora-dora:

OP 1 / OP 2: Pre-parade / Vanilla Salt

ED 1 / ED 2: Silky Heart / Orange

Related posts:

1. K-On Madness Ahead! The Attack of the Goth-lolis
2. Spice and Wolf Season II Episode I
3. Benjamin Button vs School Rumble

Just some background info, GDH is the parent company of Gonzo and they just announced that they will be merging with Gonzo after firing around 75% of its staff. The name of the joint company will remain Gonzo and this looked like it has cost saving and reduction in cost written all over it.

GDH was more known for its mobile phone gaming business and I guess the Gonzo name will provide it with better recognition among the general public. Brand strengthening will also be the order of the day for GDH here.

Still, Gonzo always have a place in my heart for their Strike Witches, Kiddy Grade, Burst Angels and most of all, Last Exile, one of my all-time favourite. The studio seemed like slightly schizophrenic with some great/good works (including Welcome to the NHK & Speed Grapher) scattered amongst many mediocre efforts which make you wonder why do they even bother.

�

Last Exile OP: Cloud Age Symphony

Last Exile ED: Over the Sky

Picture via otaku.com

Related posts:

1. Spice and Wolf Season II Episode I

The pre-orders for this figure are out and I got to say it looks really nice. Retailing at 7,800 yen which is very reasonably for something of this scale and quality. The Alter figurine here is well-painted as usual and I’m very tempted to get it.

Another picture of it, this time a full-body shot.

Meanwhile, I have already ordered this from BT a few weeks ago.

Hopefully I can collect the Yoko Nendoroid when it reaches next week although it might encounter some delays as usual. Looks like another great work from GSC.

Yoko Theme Song
TTGL Theme Song: Libera Me from Hell

Related posts:

1. New Toy! Yoko Nendoroid from Gurren Lagann!
2. Alter’s Yoko Littner vs Kotobukiya’s Yoko
3. Alter’s Yoko Littner OUT!!!

Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments.

Welcome to AlternateSam.com. I guess I do have to start somewhere so here it goes

I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and it struck me that it was similar to School Rumble. I know that SR ended quite a long time ago but I only picked it up recently. And it was really really good, in the sense that I will remember it for a long time. Its funny and the plot might be illogical at times, but always fun and entertaining.

�

�

The message I took back was that life can never be perfect forever. In some frame of your life, you might be very happy but in times to come, this will certainly end. We are meant to lose the people we love, for this is the only way to know how important they are. Just as in SR, life cannot be purely what you want, but rather what is best for everyone involved. Like Harima, he took the choice of letting someone he loved be happy instead of being selfish and making himself happy at another person�s expense.

Its odd how a comedy like SR can be analyzed for its life�s messages and reasoning. Somehow, you think that it was all based on life experiences. In any case, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was really good and thought-provoking. As what Benjamin said, your life is defined by its opportunities… even the ones you miss.

�

School Rumble OPs/EDs -
Season 1 -> Scramble / Onnanoko Otokonoko
Season 2 -> Sentimental Generation / Futari Ha Wasurechau

Related posts:

1. Tora-dora Episode 25, The End
2. K-On Madness Ahead! The Attack of the Goth-lolis
3. Spice and Wolf Season II Episode I