From here on...

Bad news first: 5.00 on Fnet=ma. I answered 15 questions. The cutoff was 13.75. Maybe I should use a #2 pencil to bubble next time? (Or maybe I should get better at physics…) I also got 51/100 on NACLO. The cutoff for the invitational round was 70. aarghhh

Now for “meh” news in this order:

1. Plans for the rest of this school year.
2. Plans for the summer.
3. Plans for the next school year.

(Exciting, huh?)

For the rest of this school year, I’m pretty much doing one main program consisting of the following:

• Going through Plane Euclidean Geometry as an “intermediate” geometry course suggested by rrusczyk.
• Going through the AoPS Intro + Intermediate Counting and Probability textbooks.
• Going through the AoPS Precalculus textbook and taking the Precalculus class.
• Continuing to study AP Physics B.
• Preparing for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests in Chemistry, Physics, and Math 2.
• Whatever we do in school.

It is a lot of stuff, but I definitely won’t get bored. As for the AMC/AIME, let’s just say I’ll have a very depressing birthday. I’ll take both the AIME I and II unofficially, since I think I could do OK on them, but I won’t do a bunch of AIME-specific prep right now.

As for the summer, I plan to drop my Ross application; there’s just too much work I have to finish up during the first week of Ross that I wouldn’t be able to do there. (I could say the same about the Texas Mathworks camp, but I’ve already submitted my application…) As such, all I need to do is finish the PROMYS problems (I have two or three left and one or two I’ll leave unfinished) and submit the entirety of the HCSSiM application. Assuming I am accepted, I’ll attend one of those programs, but I haven’t decided which one. As for the rest of the summer break after the program, I’ll start on the AoPS Calculus textbook and calculus-based physics.

On that note, here is my preliminary school schedule for next year (I’m 99% sure that I’ll be able to take Japanese 3, but since there may not be enough space, I’ll put AP Psychology as a backup course):

• English 11H
• AP Statistics
• AP Physics B
• AP US History
• Japanese 3
• AP Music Theory

Wait. Why am I taking AP Physics B at school when I’m taking the AP exam this year? I feel that I have a weak foundation in physics (i.e. I really suck at physics, almost as bad as I am at writing), and that regular homework along with actual instruction and a bunch of other people taking it with me will help me learn physics better. Besides, my other choices are AP Chemistry (which I’m not very interested in, and which has too much freaking work) and AP Biology (I hate memorization and ridiculous amounts of reading). So taking AP Physics will alleviate possible boredom in class and will allow me more free time than AP Chem or AP Bio. That’s pretty good. (Plus, taking AP Physics B will allow me to take AP Physics C at school in senior year, assuming they’ll offer it.)

My rationale for taking AP US History is that

• There will be more smart people taking it, and thus it will be much less *facepalm*-inducing than, say, my current regular World History class
• It will go more in-depth than regular US History, obviously, and in-depth is what I like
• I’ll get a lot more practice at college-level readings and writing (which I desperately need)

The rest of the classes are fairly trivial (i.e. require much less work than AP Physics or APUSH), which is good for my free time.

As for my free time:

• WOOT, plus AIME practice (maybe AIME Problem Series) and probably minimal AMC practice. My goal: make USAMO and get a somewhat decent score (i.e. above 1). Sounds challenging after not even making AIME this year, but I believe in myself!
• AoPS Calculus textbook and class, plus the AP Calculus BC exam.
• Self-studying the first half of calculus-based physics from a text I haven’t decided on yet: mechanics, fluids, thermodynamics, and waves. Thus, I will take the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam.
• Preparing for the SAT Subject Test in U.S. History. (Plus the SAT itself, if the upcoming May test doesn’t go well…)
• Maybe trying out for the Bay Area ARML team. I’ll probably get owned, but I think it would be fun!
• Maybe actually preparing for NACLO. (By doing lots of problems? I have no clue, actually.)
• Maybe actually preparing for the USPhO. Though I wouldn’t be ready for semifinals/IPhO until senior year.

(In case you’re wondering about the other half of calculus-based physics, I’m doing it senior year.)

This scaling-down of activities reflects the higher workload of taking 4 AP classes, 1 Honors class, and 1 regular class instead of 3 Honors classes and 3 regular classes.

So yeah. I guess I can sort of pick myself up after devastating failure (i.e. failing SAT, Fnet=ma, NACLO, and AMC).

The good news (finally!):

• I watched from episode 8 to episode 35 of Hayate no Gotoku yesterday, and 36-37 this morning.
• I watched Bakemonogatari 14 today. Tsundere Service!
• I attempted to watch Shana S 2 today, but the subs were so terrible (Google Translate quality) that I’m going to watch it later, when better subs come out.

Anime is fun.

(This post is really long. Ugh.)

[Via http://ronaldkwan.wordpress.com]

Stress...

So, for all of you who visited this wonderful blog today. I’ve got something for all animelovers out there, or more like, I’ve got something for everyone who has yet to realise the grand potential the anime business possesses. Code Geass is an animeseries that has been critically acclaimed by most famous anime reviewers as an excellent series which constantly keeps you on your toes.

Though the first season may be dull at a few moments (not saying it’s a bad season, just that the second is better), the second season makes up for it by offering a wide array of content and taking us to see new characters as well as killing off old ones, in a more or less literar way. Get to see this series, now!

Lelouch, the most charismatic character in anime?

[Via http://drastico.wordpress.com]

Ninja Assassin

Really great movie. LOVED the blood. This movie isn’t horror, yet it shows more people being cut up then any of my horror movies. I think even more then my Saw movies. Haha.

It’s a good thing my aunt let me watch this before she did. She hates gory or bloody movies. So I had to warn her on how much there was. My mom had told her that it was the type of movie I’d like, and my aunt and mine movie tastes are completely different. She likes movies where it ends happy. I like movies that end with, if possible, every character dying. Bwahah!

The whole ‘heart on the other side of your chest’ part, I thought was just something they made up for the movie. But it turns out it is a real thing. It’s called Situs Inversus. It’s actually kind of neat.

And what makes it even neater, is that Sanji from One Piece (an Anime I watch) has Situs Inversus as well. I didn’t know that until they made a reference from it on the Situs Inversus Wiki page. I guess I missed that episode. Haha

Plot, taken from Wiki

Raizo (Rain) is raised by the Ozunu Clan to become one of the most lethal Special Ops ninja assassins in the world. As a child, Raizo experiences severe training under the guidance of his “father”, Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi): he is whipped and/or cut whenever he fails and is encouraged to hurt his ninja kin for their training failures. The only kindness he ever receives is from a kunoichi (female ninja), Kiriko (Anna Sawai).

As they grow older, Kiriko and Raizo develop a romantic bond, however Kiriko’s desire to leave the Ozunu Clan for freedom is greater.

One stormy night, Kiriko decides to escape from the clan. She encourages Raizo to join her, but he decides to stay. They kiss and she then climbs over the wall to freedom; only to be caught and brought back by her ninja kin. Branded as a traitor, Kiriko is executed (a katana through her heart) by her elder ninja brother Takeshi (Rick Yune). As a result of Kiriko’s death, Raizo begins to harbor resentment and doubt towards the clan.

After completing his first assassination, Raizo is instructed by Lord Ozunu to execute an escaped kunoichi like Kiriko. He rebels against his master by slashing his face with a kyoketsu shoge and fights against his ninja kin. Barely surviving, he escapes by falling into a nearby river. Raizo recovers and begins to intervene in Ozunu hits by foiling their attempts.

While staying in Berlin and waiting for Ozunu’s next move, Raizo rents a small apartment where he secretly continues to refine his training until it is time to act.

Meanwhile, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has been investigating money linked to political murders and finds that it is potentially linked to the Ozunu Clan. She defies her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), and retrieves secret agency files to find out more. The clan, finding out about the investigation, attempts to assassinate her but she is rescued by Raizo.

Mika convinces Raizo to meet with Maslow for protection and to provide evidence against the ninja clan, but Raizo is intercepted by a task force for interrogation. Mika feels betrayed that Maslow would trick her that way, but Maslow secretly assures Mika that he is still on her side and gives her a tracking device for emergencies. While Mika warns Maslow of the dangers of keeping Raizo, the Ozunu ninja infiltrate their secret base and slaughter all the officers.

Mika frees Raizo and he lures the ninja away as Mika tries to escape. Raizo kills and fends off as many ninja as he can while Takeshi continues to trail him. He and Mika manage to escape but Raizo suffers mortal wounds around his stomach. Resting in a private area, Mika implants the tracking device into Raizo. Unable to fend against the clan, she hides outside the hotel until special forces arrive to help her. By that time, the ninja have recovered Raizo and taken him back to their base, bringing him before Lord Ozunu for prosecution.

While hidden inside a steel locker Raizo uses his healing techniques to heal all major injuries before being reunited with his “father.” Lord Ozunu decides to have Raizo executed as an example but is infuriated by Raizo’s defiance to the end; Ozunu strikes against Raizo’s internal organs, causing him to spit out the tracking device.

Europol Special Forces Counter-Terrorism tactical teams lead by Maslow storm the hidden Ozunu base and kill most of the ninja in the court yard. Takeshi and Raizo face each other in the burning Ozunu training hall. Raizo slays Takeshi and confronts Lord Ozunu in a sword duel. While Ozuno initially has the upper hand, Mika, fearing for Raizo’s life, distracts and shoots Ozunu with her pistol.

Before Raizo can recover, Lord Ozunu stabs Mika in the heart. Emotionally ravaged, Raizo uses the ’shadow blending’ technique for the first time and finishes off Ozunu. Mika, seemingly fatally wounded, is in fact saved by a quirk of birth: her heart is on the opposite side of her chest. Mika and Europol leave the destroyed Ozunu compound while Raizo stays behind. Symbolically, he climbs the same wall Kiriko did all those years ago and looks out at the surrounding countryside. Recognizing his freedom for the first time in years, Raizo smiles, ending the film.

[Via http://sharpshoots.wordpress.com]

A Girl With Wings

 Kaleido Star (カレイドスタ) is really a very inspiring anime despite its appearance of a bundle of girls in fairy costumes. It is the story of 15-year-old Sora Naegino (苗木野そら), who comes to San Francisco Bay, California from Japan on a mission to fulfill her dream of being a top star at the famed Kaleido Stage (カレイドステイジ). She has had no real experience on the stage up until this point but her enthusiasm for the show and her wish to bring smiles to her audience gradually draw both her co-workers and the viewers to her. By no means is she a perfect girl, and even her optimism falters at times, but despite her obstacles and what seem to be human limits, she stands back up every time she is thrust down and her strength to overcome her troubled feelings and expectations eventually reveal her to be the star she is. A truly amazing character, Sora’s greatest trait is her single-mindedness in chasing only her dream and nothing else, and such devotion will instill a desire in the watcher to pick up the broken fragments of that dream long forgotten and piece them together once again. . .

Episode 1: My Amazing Stage Debut! （はじめての！すごい！ステイジ）

Sora Naegino arrives fresh from Japan in this first episode but upon landing finds herself completely lost. She stops by a kiosk to ask for directions to the Kaleido Stage only to have her suitcase robbed by a suspicious man standing nearby and she immediately gives chase. Accomplished gymnast as she is, Sora still receives help from a little boy on the street who lends her his rollerblades and Sora retrieves her belongings while putting on a show for the pedestrians walking by. After such a hassle she receives help from the kind policeman Jerry (ポリスジェリ), who drives a high-spirited Sora to the Kaleido Stage. Unfortunately she bursts into her auditions late and is sharply rejected by Layla Hamilton (レイラ・ハミルトン), the current shining star of Kaleido Stage. Sora is discouraged from hearing these words from her idol but stays around to watch the next performance. She is still as enchanted by the Stage as she was when she was a little girl watching the Alice in Wonderland show with her mother and father, who both died in a car accident. As it turns out, a minor performer has acquired an ankle injury and cannot perform as one of the numerous pink bunnies in the background for the ongoing Romeo and Juliet show. Everyone is in a panic but Kalos Eido (カロス・永戸), the manager of the stage also known as “Boss”, suggests that Sora, though a dropped auditionee, should try to fill in the role and prove herself. Sora is up to the challenge and attempts to fill the role, but as her first time on stage she messes up considerably only to be saved by Yuri Killian (ユーリ・キリアン), Layla’s co-star. Once backstage Layla again condemns Sora’s abilities and commands her to leave immediately. Sora does so and is walking away from the Kaleido Stage when Ken Robbins (ケン・ロビンス), the young stage manager who is smitten with Sora, calls her back and informs her that Kalos has accepted her into Kaleido Stage.

[Via http://crescentheart.wordpress.com]

Changing Gears

Sorry for the complete lack of updates last week, as well as my lack of responding to all your comments. I’ve been quite busy with work lately, and I’ve also been laying it pretty hard with gaming (I finished three games this February!)

I’m going to switch gears for a little bit, and change my priorities. With work coming on heavy, and me wanting to fit in more gaming, I’ll have less time to blog.

This does NOT mean I’m stopping blogging. You’ll still see updates from me, but probably not as heavy on photo taking. You’ll still see photoshop work from me, and art work, but I’m probably not going to have time to do figure reviews for the time being. (that may be good news for some of you readers!)

I’ll still try my best to reply to all your comments, because you’re all very important to me, but please don’t be sad if I can’t reply! I still read every one of them.

Here is a youtube video of me doing some spontaneous sketching. Hope you enjoy it!

[Via http://radiantdreamer.wordpress.com]

So-Ra-No-Wo-To 8

Ah, the adventures of phone duty!

So HQ is calling to check if the phone lines still work, and because Kanata has never used a phone before, our resident moe-blob steps up to the plate. And in the process…

Get’s raepd by Felicia

Reveals she discovered about the bootleggin operation, although she says she’ll tell them how she did later. Clearly a ploy by the studio to sell DVDs, which will include two bonus episodes.

Is paid a visit by the priest and the two orphans.

Then Yumina shows up looking for the priest, only to discover shit’s hit the fan…

And in the process, finds the priest has an underwear fetish:

And then goes all soup-nazi on him and the kids:

To apologize for the priest and the kids, and to help Kanata get out of her clothes which are soaked, she offers an outfit Kanata can use. And in the process reveals that she has a cosplay fetish:

And then Kanata has to pee.

Which she does, all over the floor. Thanks to Felicia and Kureha:

I should note that while Kanata was bum-rushing the bathroom, the phone does ring. And because Kanata has to wee-wee, Rio ends up picking the phone, and instantly recognizes the voice on the other end. It’s someone she seems very familiar with, and is not to pleased with either. However, the person on the other hand pleads the following:

So yeah, I guess I was expecting a lot after last weeks great episode, but they went back to the old slice-of-life, Moe, or whatever you want to call it. At first I was put off about that, but after a while, I just sat back and enjoyed the episode. While I was kinda disappointed we didn’t get more war, I do like that the are seeming to manage both the serious and light-hearted elements of the show, and are able to throw them together so well. Last week was mainly a serious-toned episode, but it did have its regular light-hearted moments. Conversely, this weeks episode wasnt serious at all, but the did throw in some serious overture as well. While the obvious was Rio answering the phone to some one she knows, there was also this name written in the music book Rio gave to Kanata:

Well it seems Rio was indeed close to Princess Iliya (not Iria like the fansubs put out last week), if not related. While I’m not saying this CONFIRMS they were sisters, I’m really getting the strong feeling that is the case. Also, Rio seemed to be really upset at the man on the phone, almost wanting to hang up on him. A lot out there are speculating that is her father, and I think they may be on to something. But, like this show is so annoyingly well at, the only drop hints, and we’re forced to wait till next week to find out some answers. Anyway, I didn’t see the serious episode coming last week, and I didn’t see a light-hearted one coming this week, so I have no idea what we’ll get next week. Although I should note that in this episode it was said that peace negotiations between Helvetia and other nations are not going well, so I can only guess war will break out by the end of this series.

Also, best moment of the episode: Noel sleeping through the whole beginning sequence, except to answer the question:

Noel is easily the best character in the series thus far!

[Via http://joewii.wordpress.com]

The Lupin Conundrum

I love Lupin the 3rd. He’s hits all of my fanboy buttons the same way Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and James Bond do. He’s a roguish, slightly amoral action-adventure type who’s more about fortune and glory and getting the girl than saving the day or angsting over stuff like “emotions.” He’s an old-school pulp “hero” who is both larger than life and down-to-earth. He’s capable of seemingly superhuman feats, but he’s also the sort of character you can relate with in a vicarious way. He’s the sort of “perfect” that seems almost attainable if it weren’t for all of those nagging little details that make stuff like “reality” so banal and mundane– that sort of fantasy that’s just outside your grasp.

But I have issues with Lupin. Rather, I have issues with his stories. Lupin is an iconic character, but the other characters I mentioned, he doesn’t have what I would call an iconic career.

Take James Bond. He has many defining moments (a literal roll in the hay with Pussy Galore, leaping off a cliff while skiing to reveal a Union Jack parachute, “shaken not stirred,” etc), defining villains and supporting cast members (Blofeld, Jaws, Oddjob, Moneypenny, Q, etc), and an iconography that’s practically a language in and of itself (Aston Martins, tuxedos, Walther PPKs, etc).

This could reflect my own “upbringing” or whatever (The first movie I remember as a kid was For Your Eyes Only. My dad took me to see it when it first came out in 1981. I was maybe three at the time. I’ve been a Bond fan ever since.), but after all of the Lupin movies and TV series that I’ve seen, Lupin just doesn’t measure up. The problem with this is that Lupin should measure up to Bond in this regard.

This isn’t to say that Lupin has nothing in the way of defining tidbits. Lupin’s look, with his jacket that changes colors depending on when the particular series takes place, is right up there with Bond’s formal decor. Lupin’s supporting cast may be stronger than Bond’s, what with Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata, but after that there’s a distinct lack of “iconic” bits to Lupin. Outside of Castle of Cagliostro, I couldn’t describe to you any scenes the way I can describe Bond being strapped to a table with a laser pointed at his crotch. Other than a movie that was directed by Miyazaki himself, Lupin doesn’t have the sort of defining moments possessed by characters of similar stature.

Like I said, this could be the result of me not being as inundated with Lupin-ness the way I’ve been drowned in Bondness since I was barely out or diapers, but I doubt it. I’ve made a definite effort to “catch up” with Lupin. I’ve seen a good chunk of his TV series and I’ve probably seen ten Lupin movies. In terms of hours watched, I’ve probably seen just as much Lupin as I’ve seen James Bond, but none of it sticks the way Bond sticks.

Essentially, Lupin may be an iconic character, but he doesn’t have the iconic story that he deserves.

What Lupin needs is a bit of a shake-up. The same voice actors have been playing the characters since monkeys rose out of the primordial ooze it seems. Start there. Let them bow out on a high note with some sort of “final” TV special (that could very well be the recent “Final Job” special, but I’m not up on what’s going on at the moment) and then start over. Get an entirely new cast to do the voices. No holdovers. No “Judi Dench still playing M despite resetting the Bondverse.”

Once you clear out the cast and get some new peeps, what Lupin needs is a genuine antagonist. No, Zenigata isn’t an antagonist. Zenigata is Lupins foil. They compete and fight and are eternally linked to one another, but they do not have an antagonistic relationship. They both respect one another (grudgingly in Zenigata’s case) and neither one of them wants to do any real harm to the other. On the occasions that one of them seems to die, the other is genuinely bummed. What Lupin needs is the SPECTRE to his Bond. It doesn’t need to be an overarching conspiracy or organization, but there needs to be a singular force that is behind most of his confrontations. Maybe it could be someone more like Moriarty– a similarly brilliant criminal mind who is willing to go that extra nefarious step that Lupin refuses to take. Lupin may be a scoundrel that breaks the law, but he isn’t a murderer or a terrorist. Lupin could benefit from a genuine nemesis that plays along those lines.

Obviously, this nemesis shouldn’t replace Zenigata, it should simply be an addition to the Lupinverse.

I’d also love to see Lupin move away from yearly specials. The recent ones have felt a bit half-assed and gimmicky. A team-up with Detective Conan? That feels more like Abbot and Costello Meet the Frankenstein than anything, and such combinations are never as cool as they sound. Get back into the big-budget theatrical movie business. Maybe go to a bi-yearly movie schedule or something like that so there’s more time to plan movies and pump up the animation. Lupin deserves something BIG like that, but he’s been reduced to the anime equivalent of guest-starring on The Love Boat and being a celebrity partner on The $100,000 Pyramid.

Quit slumming it up, Lupin, and pull a Casino Royale on the animeverse!

Unless that slumming results in somethig awesome like the above. Then you and Spike can slum all you want. I’d blow up the universe twice to make something like that a reality.

[Via http://mechaguignol.wordpress.com]

Ookami Kakushi 07

Ciassou!!!
Dark Screen!
Animes desse tipo eu gosto de ver quando ta completo porque simplesmente não tem o chamado final do episodio!
So por isso!
Ciaoo..Ciaoo!

Nome: Ookami Kakushi 07 - Perda
Fansub: PA e Rematers
Tamanho: 58mb Formato: Real Player (.rmvb) Língua: Japonês | Legenda: Português Uploader:Itachi Servidor: Rapidshare/Mediafire Download: Aqui/Aqui

[Via http://animestime.wordpress.com]

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Episode 96 - Dubya Arr Jee Pii

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's presents...

So I really planned on posting this earlier than this… but for some reason my connection wasn’t 100% and so I decided to wait until it’s back to normal.

It’s sort-of back now but anyway, here’s episode 96. It’s time for the WRGP to commence. Team 5D’s are looking forward to a great start with Bruno’s engine and do a practice run. But on the way, they meet their first round opponents and eventually led to a practice Duel.

Expect Rua, Ruka and Aki’s return. Oh, and comic Bruno.

Last episode summary:
Crow finally learns the truth. It was Bolger who murdered Pearson. Bolger holds Blood Mephist and claims that Pearson had been conceited in refusing the money (seriously, why are you conceited for refusing a huge sum of money?). In a desperate situation, Crow’s determination and will allowed him access to a secret part of Black Bird, apparently where Blackfeather Dragon is hidden. He was able to summon it and defeat Bolger. Bolger realizes his mistake and turns himself in. Crow promises Pearson that he will continue to carry his will by making the kids happy.

Key Card of the Week:

Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest: LV 7, 2600 ATK / 1800 DEF (Andore's).

Episode 96:

It seems last episode actually helps the plot. Everyone is now inside Bolger’s D-Wheel company and his workers have developed the D-Wheel engine that Yusei and Bruno have worked on. It seems before being sent to prison, Bolger ordered them to help Crow and his team for the WRGP as his final act as president of the company.

From here, it looks more like an anvil from cartoons.

The guy in charge, who is named Rick, explains that no one hates the president, as they all know that he only did it because of his love for D-Wheel. Yusei thanks Rick as now they are much closer to their dream.

Rick... no, not Astley.

Back at Yusei’s love shack… two entities are approaching…

Entry Number 29!

Ruka and Rua head inside and check on the new D-Wheel. Crow proudly shows them their new Riding Duel outfits as well.

Jack's uniform is almost the same as his old one, only with the logo.

Ruka notices the 5D’s logo on their shirt. Rua asks what it meant. Crow says that it was Jack’s idea and Bruno cuts in. He says that 5D’s mean that there are five D’s: Devil, Destroy, Dead hit, Dark and Daisuki Bruno-chan. He receives a tsukkomi whack from Jack afterwards.

'Drop Bruno-chan' is more like it...

Jack explains that it was because of their birthmarks that they decided to go for 5D’s. Rua says that he doesn’t have a birthmark, but it’s also thanks to Ruka’s birthmark that he met Yusei and the others. Jack says that Ruka and Rua are a 2-in-1 package anyway which makes them shocked.

Professor Yusei explains where bonds come from.

Bruno cuts in again, saying that his name is not included as well. It should be called “Bruno and 5D’s” and again, he receives the tsukkomi whack from Jack.

Aki admires the team’s name. They now declare that from now on, they will be Team 5D’s!

Some people need some pentel pen...

Opening song: FREEDOM by La-Vie

The OP again has scenes from the movie.

After the OP, they are now looking at a monitor screen. The style of the WRGP battles are explained, which is pretty much tournament style in which there are blocks… and each block has 4 teams… and an elimination style, yadda yadda yadda… So yeah. It’s like the Fortune Cup all over again.

Rua looks closely at the screen and finds that Team 5D’s first opponent is Team Unicorn from the WRGP opening ceremony episode.

Yusei says that Team Unicorn is rumored to be one of the top candidates for the WRGP. Jack doesn’t care. They’ll just defeat them… yep. He sure knows how this type of series work. Bruno comes in and informs them that their practice run time is now. The kids, Bruno and Aki watch from the stands.

Ruka notices a familiar policeman just in the sidelines and they approached him. Of course, it’s Ushio.

"Don't look at the camera... that's the cool guy pose..."

Rua asks why Ushio is in his old Duel Chaser uniform and Ushio explains that they need improved security due to the WRGP. Duel Lanes are being used and not in Auto-Pilot mode so accidents may occur. He is there on standby just in case anything happens. I bet he didn’t just have enough money for a ticket

Yusei, Jack and Crow go off for their practice runs. Ushio notes how amazing their D-Wheels have improved and wishes that he could fight them again. He’s giving a hint that he may be participating in the WRGP and when asked by Bruno about it, he says it’s a secret. Ushio goes off to patrol a different area.

Later, their practice run ends. Yusei and Jack slow down to stop but Crow says he wants one last run as the next team won’t be out so quickly. But as Crow speeds on, he was badly-mistaken. A member from the next team have entered the course and because Black Bird was modified to get a faster speed, he wasn’t able to stop immediately and hits the D-Wheel, sending both the D-Wheel and its rider bouncing off the course.

CGI man overboard!

The members of their respective teams rush in to provide help. Apparently, the guy who was bumped into was named Breo. The other members are Andore and John.

"No, we can't leave you here, White Ranger!" "Just go and leave me here, Blue Ranger!!"

The John person grabs Crow and accuses him that he did it on purpose. Jack breaks the hold and Yusei comes in to apologize. John says that this is a competition so surely, there’s a higher chance that it was on purpose. He plans to report them to the administration to ban them. Andore stops John as it would be a meaningless victory for them if that happened. Judging from their helmet’s horns and their logo that looks like a horse, they’re Team Unicorn.

"As you can see, even our hair are color-coded."

And yep, they introduce themselves as Team Unicorn. Crow apologizes to Breo personally and Breo doesn’t seem to mind. Crow wants to repay them but John says they don’t look like they have money anyway. Yusei explains that they’ll feel sorry if they just let it slide.

Andore hatches an idea. He wants a Duel. 1-on-1. It’s their practice time anyway. At first, Jack tells Yusei not to accept the challenge as they might develop a strategy against them. But after being taunted by John, Jack gets angry and tells Yusei to accept… which Yusei does so…

Part B:

Yusei and Andore prepares for their Riding Duel. In the background, Breo and John talk about Team 5D’s. Breo says that it would’ve been bad if he was really hurt and reveals that they merely broke their own D-Wheel just so Yusei will accept their challenge. Everything earlier was just an act so they could investigate their opponents. John admits that they are their most powerful rivals in the WRGP.

Way to tell everyone about your evil plan halfway through, genius.

The Riding Duel starts.

Featured Duel of the Week:

Will Yusei restrain himself from showing his strategy or will he be forced to by Andore?

Speed World 2 is set on.

Yusei speeds up and takes the first turn. It is then revealed that John advised Andore to let Yusei have the first turn so they can scout him better.

Turn 1 - Yusei: 4000 LP, 0 SPC
- Summons Max Warrior.

John and Breo are disappointed about Yusei’s start. John explains that Andore is using the ‘fast power’ Deck. Breo comments on how Andore is good at understanding such a complex Deck and John mentions that Andore makes good use of every card that he encounters. The genius style of playing.

As Yusei doesn’t seem to be giving away his plans, Andore thinks he should dive in and force Yusei to.

Turn 2 - Andore - 4000 LP, 1 SPC
- Summons Playing Opossum.
- Activates its effect. When there is a monster with higher ATK on the opponent's side of the field, it can destroy itself.
- Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest's effect activates and summons itself to the field by paying 1000 LP (3000 LP).
- Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest attacks and destroys Max Warrior (Yusei: 3200 LP).
- Sets 2 cards.

Playing Opossum: LV 2, 800 ATK / 600 DEF.

The Key Card of the Week, making its appearance.

Turn 3 - Yusei - 3200 LP, 2 SPC
- Activates Speed Spell - Angel Baton and draws 2 cards while discarding his Quillbolt Hedgehog.
- Activates another Speed Spell - Angel Baton and draws 2 cards while discarding his Speed Warrior.
- Summons Junk Synchron.
- Activates its effect and Special Summons Speed Warrior from his Graveyard.
- Quillbolt Hedgehog Special Summons itself to the field due to its effect.

Breo and John continue watching and compliments Yusei’s usual way of fighting.

Continuing Yusei's turn:
- Tunes his LV 3 Junk Synchron with his LV 2 Speed Warrior and LV 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog.to Synchro Summon Junk Archer.
- Uses Junk Archer's effect and removes Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest from play.
- Junk Archer attacks directly.
- Andore activates his Trap Card, Flight Instinct. When he is about to receive a direct attack, he Special Summons a LV 4 or lower monster from his hand. He Special Summons Nimbe Momonga.
- Nimble Momonga is destroyed by Junk Archer (Andore: 1700 LP).
- Nimble Momonga's effect activate. Andore gains 1000 LP (2700 LP).
- Nimble Momonga's second effect activates. 2 more Nimble Momonga get Special Summoned to the field in Defense Position.
- Sets 1 card.
- End Phase. Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest returns to the field.

Nimble Momonga: LV 2, 1000 ATK / 100 DEF.

Just when the gang thought Yusei was getting the upper hand, by the End Phase, it looks like he’s in a pinch already.

Turn 4 - Andore: 2700 LP, 3 SPC
- Activates Playing Opossum's effect from the Graveyard. It Special Summons itself back to the field during the Standby Phase after it was destroyed by its own effect earlier.
- Tributes Playing Opossum and a Nimble Momonga to Tribute Summon Behemoth the King of All Animals.
- Behemoth the King of All Animals' effect activates. He returns 2 Nimble Momonga from his Graveyard back to his hand.
- Switches the Nimble Momonga on his field to Attack Position.

Behemoth the King of All Animals: LV 7, 2700 ATK / 1500 DEF.

Everyone becomes worried for Yusei’s condition. If he receives all those attacks, he’s done for. Breo notes that if Yusei loses that quickly, they won’t even have any chance to spy on his strategy.

Rawr!

Closing song: -OZONE- by vistlip

The closing song is also fitted with new scenes from the movie.

—

Comments:

Bruno is starting to be funny… good or bad?

It’s nice to see Ruka and Rua back. They’re just too cute to be left in the shelf.

But really, Team UNICORN? Come on… just because their leader’s hair looks like a Unicorn doesn’t mean they all have to demean themselves by calling it Team Unicorn… What about Team Drill? If they follow this logic, Yusei’s team should have been called Team Crab instead.

Of course, we also know that Playing Opossum is based on the phrase “playing possum” in which possums are known to play dead or act, and this has been used to refer to other things as well that pretend to be dead or injured.

I don’t have much say about this episode, but it’s kind of refreshing that what happened last episode was actually helpful and connected to this new episode. Bolger was actually a good piece in the WRGP arc for Team 5D’s.

I just can’t help but see Team Unicorn as Doma’s goons from the first Yu-Gi-Oh! by NAS for some reason. Breo should apply as a stuntman instead.

Most of the stuff I noticed were put in the article… so I don’t have much to say anymore. OP change, anyone?

Next episode:

The continuation of Yusei vs Andore’s practice Duel. Yusei seems to be in a tough spot. Will he just lose or defeat this guy? I’d personally say just lose and they won’t get any info from you… but it’s still a mystery what Team Unicorn wants if Team 5D’s loses.

- This is the Bunny Chief, being busy, over and out!

[Via http://whateveranimeblog.wordpress.com]

A 24 Minute 24 Second Stay of Execution

The warden called, Sora no Woto. You’ve been given a brief reprieve from your death sentence by the governor of Animeland. New evidence has surfaced and you’ll be given another chance to prove your innocence before a court of law. Make due with this second chance or forever hold your peace.

I gave up on Sora no Woto after episode two. The first episode showed hints of promise, what with the post-war setting and cool dragon skeleton. But it also showed more hints of lameness, such as its completely inane take on the way music operates. Being a former musician myself (played viola and violin in middle and high school, played piano in college), the way Kanata could understand notes and not play a simple tune on her trumpet was a deal breaker. Despite that I gave it a second shot.

The second episode killed any desire for me to keep up with it. It didn’t play off of any of the potential in the first episode and devolved into a bad parody of the sort of thing you’d see in Scooby Doo: kids go into a “haunted” building, run around, act like idiots, and find out it wasn’t a ghost at all. I didn’t want to waste my time with that crap, so I stopped watching.

Despite that, I harbored a glimmer of hope that Sora would shape up and finally play off of some of the cool tidbits hinted at in the beginning. So I’ve been keeping up with blogs and shit. Unfortunately, everything I’ve seen has only helped justify my initial opinion. Moe Sucks’ post about the glass maker episode confirmed my theory that the writers are clueless when it comes to the way music functions, while the positive reviews that get covered on The Cart Driver’s metablogs praise things that I know would make me want to pull my hair out. An episode that starts with what seems to be a war-time situation that ends up being some simulation, with the rest of the episode being your typical “let’s sit around and do cute stuff” diatribe? No thanks, I’ll keep doing the whole “not watching” thing.

Then I read some blogs about episode seven. Apparently it’s supposed to actually show the war and reveal stuff and all that jazz. So I snagged the episode to give it a try. Let’s see how this turns out.

*insert 20-something minutes of anime-watchingness here*

Ok.

The wartime scenes were well done, and the brief scenes with Felicia’s crew members did a far better job of creating a sense of camaraderie than everything I’d seen previously with Kanata and her inept cronies. They were still young girls that did girlish things, but they were believable as a group of soldiers piloting a giant spider mecha into battle. I’d probably enjoy a series that was based around them, since their brief moments felt far more believable than the two episodes I saw at the beginning of the series.

I also liked how they deal with Felicia’s trauma resulting from seeing her friends die. She’s handled their deaths pretty well, and it makes sense that she’s “retreated” into herself and has become a motherly figure. She’s still sickenly annoying and sweet, but I buy the development. She’s a mother hen that doesn’t want to see her new chicks get eaten by the big bad fox that’s “war.”

I also like that she essentially has a delusion/vision based on comments made by one of her friends. Said friend mentions something about humanity being on the decline and that there isn’t much that can stop humanity from vanishing from Earth. That comment seems to have led to Felicia having something of a psychotic breakdown when she’s underground after she escapes from the battle. She comes across a decayed corpse of a soldier from “the previous era” and imagines him appearing before her to speak of the inability of previous generations to keep the world from sinking into chaos.

Other blogs seem to be taking this as a literal vision of what happened in the past, but I’m not buying that. This seems to be some imaginary coping device that Felicia’s brain is creating to rationalize what’s happening around her. She just saw her friends get blown up, then she’s tumbled into some “lost” area that’s a relic of the past. Her little brain starts kicking into overdrive and imagines a ghostly figure coming to her to explain away everything that’s happening. Felicia has a vision of robotic spider mecha attacking a city and overwhelming it. She’s trying to rationalize how the world has gone to shit and does so by having a postcognitive “vision.” If she believes that the world was destroyed by some “other” power that couldn’t be stopped, it makes the horrors of reality a  little more bearable for her.

So yeah, I don’t think we’re getting any insight into what really happened in the past. We’re seeing Felicia’s attempts to cope with some nasty shit.

I liked all of that. Pity that all of this took up about 10 minutes of what so far been seven 20-something minute episodes. The rest of this particular episode was the same old garbage that turned me off of the series. A festival is going on. The girls gawk at stuff. They eat food and make stuff. I almost turned the episode off once all of that started back up and I realized the flashbacks were over, but I toughed it out.

Felicia has a nice line at the end of the episode about how the world has no meaning, and this is a good thing because it allows people to create their own meaning. I like that train of thought, but  it’s the first intelligent thing to come out of a character’s mouth this entire series.

In the end, I doubt I’ll resume watching Sora no Woto. This episode proved that it can be watchable when it wants to be, but it also proves that it’s more interested in sitting around and having the girls do meaningless stuff and that the stuff that I find interesting is more of an afterthought. I don’t need to have all sorts of answers thrown at me. I don’t need to see massive amounts of wartime action. What I need is some proof that this series is more than some slow-moving slice-of-fantasy-life series that’s about feeling the emotions of little girls I don’t give a damn about.

This episode used Felicia’s experiences in the war as a catalyst to further this emotional exploration. I’m not the least bit interested in connecting with characters on an emotional level. At least not in this manner. I like laughing. I like tension. I like dread. I like nihilism. I like exhilaration. Those are the emotions that I’m looking for in an anime. Sora no Woto is going for pity and remorse and sadness and nostalgia and other emotions that I don’t look for in entertainment. It wants us to feel “connected” to these girls when I want to get a thrill out of seeing them pilot a mecha. It wants us to feel sad when they pray for their departed loved ones when I want to fear for their lives when an army marches on their city. I’m looking for an emotional response out of anime, but Sora no Woto and similar series aren’t delivering the emotional experience I’m looking for.

That’s why the Supreme Court of Animeland is denying Sora no Woto’s final appeal.

Flip the switch, warden.

[Via http://mechaguignol.wordpress.com]