English is so special

I was writing a report for one of my courses, when I ended up writing "...an universal...". To my surprise, auto correction brings it to "...a universal...". Since this was strange to me (I was sure I was told, if word start with vowel, use "an" instead of "a"), I had to look it up. Results and reasoning after the jump.

Apparantely, I was taught wrong, or taught right and remembered it wrong.

English isn't something you just memorize, which makes it one of the harder subjects to master.

Instead of memorizing vowel beginnings then replacing "a" with "an", you should pronounce the word first. If it SOUNDS like a vowel, then you do the replacement. Otherwise it stays the same.

Here are some examples, since it caught me off guard myself.

Ultimate
- Sounds like "a"ultimate
So its "[an ultimate] human being"

University
- Sounds like "y"university
So its "[a university]"

Heres the problem though. If you aren't fluent in english and have no idea what the word sounds like, then what do you do?

Source: Here.

Read more!

MySpace Port: Poem Summary

Basically, I brought over all the poem posts I've made on myspace. The entries were in reverse chronological order. First post was the latest. The dates ranged from Feb 11, 2007 to Dec 20, 2007. I never considered myself an english major. But I really appreciated the poems I wrote. It felt nice to read and it made me feel extremely good inside to have produced something that seems nice. If you do have time. Please take a moment to read some poems. They were written to be read afterall.

Read more!

Tokyo Anime/Manga Ban Passes!

Uh oh. Is this a bad omen? Quote from Sankakucomplex (NSFW),

"The revised law now demands a restriction on sales of anime, manga or games which “improperly glorify or emphasise” illegal sexual acts, such as rape, groping, BDSM, voyeurism, exhibitionism, etc., by extension including underage sexual activity as well."

So that basically means animes with suggestive themes that air normally or similar mangas that sell without an adult only restriction now either has to stop completely, go over series revisions, or be attached with an adult only sticker and be sold accordingly.

According to sources, this will have a huge impact on the Japanese anime and manga industry (As one would expect). Good thing is the law doesn't kick in until July of 2011.

To read the full news on sankakucomplex, follow links here, here, and here.
To think, this all started with amazon.com posting Rapelay. Forgot how many years ago that was though. Anyway...

Thats the end of the news.
Read below if you want to hear my monologue about my opinion.

I may be an otaku to some degree, but I'm still human. Although I am against the idea of "banning" all together as I already know it solves nothing. The idea behind it is justified. One big problem is the low birthrates in Japan. This maybe because alot of japanese people like to stay indoors (hikikomori). Why do you think they stay inside? Because they find better things indoors than outdoors. As a person of similar nature myself (meaning I stay inside alot), there are always regrets that come with it. I first noticed it when I was working.

As you know, working isn't just about working. You make connections with your immediate supervisors and coworkers. That way, promotions and other benefits are easier to obtain. However, when I've locked myself indoors most of my life, how do I start a conversation with those people? "Hey the weather is nice today?" Not going to work. Trust me, here in Canada, you won't get very far by talking about anime and games either. Especially in the adult stages, its mostly about sports, music, and movies, and anything between them (including actors, etc). No, japanese pop doesn't work either. ESPECIALLY if you don't even understand japanese yourself.

So the baseline for this ban is. GO OUTSIDE. Totally agreeable. How the ban works is limiting the joy you get indoors so the incentive to go out is greater. Great! Except that shouldn't be how it works. You should work on increasing the incentive to go outside. Not decreasing the amount of indoors. But I don't write laws. Lets end it at that.

About the anime industry. Although in my anime history of shows watched. They aren't great with high score animes from good producers like Ghibli Studio. My kind of shows has always been comedy/romance. I do watch others from time to time but I get bored of them fast. But even in the specific genre I've been watching. Anime seem to be going downhill. There is an increasing number of sexual suggestions. If you look and compare Kanon to Clannad and now to Ore Imouto. Kanon had nearly none. Clannad had very few. And Ore Imouto has lots of them. Sure, none of them had actually any sexual content. But thats what they are banning. Anime do not have to have those to be funny or enjoyable. Yet, of the late, thats all the creators were able to think of. And yes, I know the sources for those 3 animes are different. But they still have a plot in common. And no matter which source its from (eroge, visual novel, manga), a plot is still a plot. Animes have become filled with "fan service". I especially hate when animes I watch now have been just exposed pantsu every few minutes or tripping over and falling on girls at every intersection. There is a limit to how many we can see in a lifetime. I am well past it. Not impressed.

Its time animes turned back into the glory they used to be.

Lastly, this is something to say why I am against the ban. It all started when the Western people (Americans) saw Rapelay on amazon.com. Thats when the whole eroge conflict came about. It later developed into child pornography. Now its become a broad anime and manga ban. It all happened because people feared children were being compromised. But I personally do not think that is the case. It is true that when you see something you want to do it. Most people have probably already felt this one in their lives. However, what matters is not what they see. It is the mindset and the knowledge their parents and guardians taught them. I loved my upbringing. I can't remember it. But I am sure I loved it. And whats better? I can identify what is right and what is wrong. Isn't that what parenting is all about? You don't just stop your child from seeing those things. You tell them after they see those things. That they are bad. You should not do it. Over long periods of time. You will automatically know its bad (kind of like propaganda, hahaha...). If you just don't let them be exposed to it, when they finally do at a greater age, they will go to their best source of information (their friends). And thats when things go hare-wire. You know peer pressure? Im sure you've been there. Killing, robbery, that kind of stuff happen BECAUSE of peer pressure.

So what I'm saying is, if this ban was for the sake of the children? I say, f*ck it. You're digging your graves.

Oops, forgot one last thing. Its about the creativity in animes. Or maybe the content. This is what I find interesting in animes. The ability to watch things that I cannot perform myself. I watch animes because I cannot write one myself which can look anywhere as good as what they air in Japan. I play games because I cannot write a better game than the ones available. I view art because I cannot draw one as competent. I listen to music because I cannot compose. And the list goes on. Think deep down, isn't that also a reason because you do something?

Sure, my expectation for anime/games/art/music/etc can never be fulfilled, that is why you continue to do those things until this very day. And when it does become fulfilled, you stop playing games, or whichever. But you do those things because it makes you in awe (and maybe because you enjoy it, but how can you describe the act of enjoying? You can't.).

Isn't that what animes are all about? If you ban certain aspects of animes, some people are going to lose their favourite genres, themes, aspects, and so forth. The anime industry is going to suffer (from people, they say it is already suffering). Because you couldn't do those things in your current life, you want to read or view about it. And thats what mangas and animes are for. (Sorry for the sudden use of this inappropriate example but I feel it is neccessary). Take a look at the number of rape mangas and animes there are. There are ALOT. Why I know this? Don't ask. It is because Japanese people don't want to commit this crime (makes sense, I don't either). But there is the desire to be relieved. So what to do? They draw ero-mangas for it. Or ero-animes for them. Although the relevance isn't completely there before I don't have any data on me. Japan has the lowest number of reported rape incidents in the world. Before you go totally believing what I say, it is also true that Japanese girls are more shy and therefore they may not report all the cases. Which leads to a decreased number of reported incidents. But I strongly stand by what I said.

Because of the time it took me to write this, I've already forgotten what I wrote in its entirety. Therefore there won't be a summary. Lol. Sorry.

Thank you for reading through to the end. If you have any comments or questions. Feel free to ask them below. I am heavily affected by this ban and feel deeply connected to it. I may be still an otaku so I am hurt deeply by this ban. But at the same time, I am human so I want the best for my Japanese friends who I have not met and is currently indoors and wasting their life away. Do take an opportunity to learn about the world. Outdoors is not as secure as your 2D life (expect depressions and despair) but it is the only thing that is real. So although it sucks. You have to bear with it. You were born a human afterall. This ban is going to hurt the creativity in the anime industry and people's appreciation of it. Causing it to go severely downhill from this point. I don't think this ban will serve much good. As banning something is never a solution to begin with. Education is the key. Ultimately, we may just see backdoors. As with pirating. As with illegal drug/firearm imports. Trying to stop something just makes more criminals. Sorry Japan. Do try again.

Read more!

EssenceRO Christmas Loading Image Submission

Whether I win or not, atleast I've put the wacom to good use. LOL !
The image is after the jump.

I have renewed respect for artists now. Drawing is HARD! I mean, seriously. Not even the thinking and planning part. That was kind of easy for me. But to put the stuff in my head onto paper. WOAH SLOW DOWN ! Even though Im submitting it, I think its full of problems. But I'm disregarding those since I might stop playing essenceRO soon anyway.

I wanted to try to use this as a motivation to draw. But I see from this experience, drawing isn't for me. It took me way too long to do and the result wasn't that great. I wonder how people can draw so well?

Read more!

Writing on the go: Black Rock Shooter Origin?

Found that at some cartoon store in Ottawa many months ago.


What do you think that is?

Looks kind of like Black Rock Shooter, no?

Colour
Clothes
Name

- Written on the go from iPhone 3GS

Read more!

HobbySearch was Hacked!

I just found out today when I read it on Nekomagic. The source will be linked to after the jump.

The good news is that paypal users were unharmed but if you used a credit card on HobbySearch, you might want to check your statements or contact the card company. Just for safe measure, I will check my own card as well. Make sure theres nothing going wrong.

But on a side note, I haven't ordered from HobbySearch for a long time now. Amiami has all the stuff I need. And at a better price (most of the times).

Source: Here.

Read more!

Trip to the Cheltenham Badlands

Its a somewhat unique place in northern Toronto. Around the Brampton area. It was special because of the red soil and the rolling hills. We drove there by ourselves without any guides, other than a GPS. It was just on the side of the road, as you can see to the left side of the picture above. Its a nice scene. I'm not much of a guy for scenery but I do like looking at the sky. The vast sky makes me feel calm with the cloud cover and light diffused throughout the landscape. I would love to be able to star openly into the distance. Except school and work calls. And they take breaks for no one. Continue reading for the gallery link and other links.

Going there to the badlands, showed me something new. Although I personally didn't find it to be that interesting. There were alot of other people though. In the pictures in the gallery, its nearly impossible to not have someone photographed. There were THAT many people.

Since as you know, I photograph my pictures for figure reviews and what not. I am slowly picking up photography. Like going from auto mode of the camera to manual mode. Controlling aperture, shutter speed, etc. And one of the main skills I need to take pictures of figures is macrophotography. Since its important to show people the fine detail in any product to give it a thorough inspection so you may decide with lots of knowledge whether or not buying the product is worth it. And what are the pros and cons in doing so.

Yes, the overall product, is important, because you don't exactly stare at it closely 24/7. It just sits in your room somewhere. I fully understand that, but why would you buy something which has hidden flaws? So you can be disappointed later? That just cannot be right. Therefore, I want to be able to give fair assessments so the reader can benefit from my reviews. I know I don't do alot of them.

Two reasons for that.
1. I just don't have money to buy everything and give you a review.
2. I don't have the time either, nor am I ever at home. I am currently in university. Last year, research project. Its going to be tough and VERY BUSY. Sorry if updates slow up on the blog.

Anyway, thats my take on this issue. Whatever that may be. I lost track while I was writing it. Didn't want to erase what I wrote since then if you opened up this post to read on, you would only have 2 links. More information and gallery.

Information link: Here.
Gallery link: Here.

Read more!

Interesting Video

This is an interesting video.

The source claims to be a Cebu Pacific airline. Instead of the standard boring safety lecture, they turned it into a dance.

If you didn't like that video, think about it this way.

Read more!

Interesting Video: Kyoto Subway

The video above is the Tozai Line in Kyoto. Its regularly looking and sounding right?
Well, look what the inhabitants of Nico nico douga did. Results below.



I must say, I'm impressed, not just the creator/creation, but Japan as a whole. This isn't the first "remix" of anything done by nico nico douga. In fact they've done a whole lot. Here are some examples.











Most of their work involved replaying some lines over and over again with a specific background music. Accidentally it becomes quite addicting.

They even have a theme song. Its basically a whole bunch of songs linked together from many series (and games, ie Touhou). Oh its over 10 minutes long.

Read more!

Interesting Fanmade Video

Something I found while surfing the web. I thought I would post it. The fanmade video is above, the characters in there are from Touhou. After the jump is the original version.



The original is from an eroge called 魔界天使ジブリール4 or Makai Tenshi DJibril 4 in Romanji. The maker is FrontWing (NSFW). I never played it and probably never will. It doesn't really have a good story. The first and 2nd of the Jibril series were put into an anime (of course, its for 18+).

On another note, I thought the fan made video was very good and professional. So I thought I would help spread the word.

Video Explanation: I will try to explain as much of the details on the video so you can comprehend the effort put into this.
- All the background pictures were changed from the original to a more Gensokyo like theme, with old era buildings. PS Gensokyo is where the Touhou world exists.
- Character animations were changed, as were the still pictures.
- The weird pink logo at 0:27 is Youmu's ghost half, Myon
- The title got changed to Meikai Kenshi Yoyomu 4, and Myon is written on top of the "4"
- ZUN is the Touhou creator. He started it all.
- The characters in introduction order:
Konpaku Youmu (spelled Yomu in the video) (Gardener)
Hakurei Reimu (Shrine Maiden, and main character)
Kirisame Marisa (Ordinary Magician, 2nd main character)
Saigoyoji Yuyuko (Manipulator of Ghosts, is one herself)
Yakumo Yukari (Manipulator of boundaries, a Gap Youkai)
Cirno (spelled Chiruno which is how its spelt in Japanese, since they got no "r") (Ice fairy, the Strongest, she is labelled as 9 for "baka" or stupid because of this pic, legend at bottom says 9 is "baka")
- The tree at 1:00 is the Saigyou Ayakashi, it holds a significant important to Saigyouji Yuyuko, who happens to be Youmu's master (or mistress).
- Twin BBAs probably refers to Twin Baabaas, for twin old ladies. They're not twins, but they are expecially close, video here. Also, they're called old because the majority of the girls in Touhou look like children. But their ages are mostly all in the hundreds because they're considered Youkai (monsters, if you will)
- The picture of Reimu at 1:27 is her with a donation box. Fan works always make her seem poor and asking for money. There is alot of fanpics of her donation box with other people as well.

And there you have it. Those are all the things I can point out, but if you're a Touhou fan, you might find out more than what I have. I've only been a fan recently. I admire the music greatly, especially a few groups like Silver Forest and Liverne.

Read more!

How to Distinguish Real and Fake Touhou Figurines from Griffon Enterprises

My mom recently returned from her visit of her parents in Hong Kong. And as we probably all know, no expedition is complete with out a souvenir. Since I've been a Touhou fan for a while and since its DIFFICULT to find any goods from them, I asked her to help me look for some. Judging from the title, you will probably have the idea on what she bought.

It was a fake Marisa figure from Griffon Enterprises. Not being there myself in Hong Kong to do the purchase, I have no idea what the environment of the store was like. So I can't say that I blame my mom for such a purchase. If anything, I should be grateful, it allowed me to make a post about it.

*Note: The "real" one that I assume to be true was bought in Akihabara on my Japan trip last summer, in a store called Gamers"*

So let us begin this investigation.

First of all, we should start at the box, since that is the first thing you see when you think about buying a figurine.

There is nothing much I can really say, the box is made to mimic the official box from Griffon Enterprises. Since I don't own an official player 2 colour Marisa figure from them, I can't compare the numbers and other details. Although the box looks nearly identical, there are several things that sets them apart.

*Note: for any of the images uploaded below as a guide, the same images are also available in the gallery.*

1. The colour of the paint on the box is poorer than the official product, that is usually the case which allows the product to be sold cheaper than the original goods. However, that isn't something you can easily tell if the original box is not present.

Fake (Left) vs Real (Right)

2. In the original box, there was a sheet of paper that presents the other Touhou figurines that Griffon Enterprises was releasing along in the same batch. However I do not know if that is restricted to the mass produced models (1P colours) only. Since again, I don't have an official 2P colour version of Marisa to compare with, that is the best I can do at this point.

Fake (Left) vs Real (Right)

In terms of other features about the box, I could not tell you how to differentiate them. If you do happen to be stuck in a situation where you think it may be fake, do advise before you buy it. Or you can read the next section which talks about the differences in the figure itself.

The 2 figures changes significantly when inspected. This was not a real shocker because I didn't expect them to be anywhere near similar (as seen here). Here are what you should pay attention to:

1. Take a GOOD look at the base of the figurine, that is where you'll see the MOST difference. The official figuring has a name plaque that looks like metal and bolted onto the plastic base with 2 nuts. However, in the fake one, it looks like a sticker. Also, notice the spelling mistake.
*Note: I do not think it will be possible to see the base when the box is unopened, so this may not be helpful if you are at a store.*

Fake (Left) vs Real (Right)

2. The base connectors to attach the figure on looks different between the real and the fake, both securely fasten the figure on the base, but they still look different.

Fake (Left) vs Real (Right)

3. The fake figure tends to be more glossy, that applies to pretty much everywhere. The main distinction is from the face, arms, legs (skin area), the white apron, shoes, and hat. This seems to be a trend amongst knockoff products (refer to nendoroid petit comparison post, here)

Fake (Left) vs Real (Right)

4. The broom doesn't fit into the hand socket. Therefore the broom moves around in that general position.

Notice how the fake figure has the broom touching the base, thats because its not tightly attached to the hand (via bad mold)

5. The head position of the fake Marisa is straight while the real one is slightly bent to her right.

No, it actually looks like this. I hope you can notice the difference.

6. The fake figure is generally made with lower quality plastic or PVC (or whatever that is made with)

Fake (Left) vs Real (Right)

7. The crack at the head is much worse on the fake figure than the real one (but this might be different from one to another)

Fake (Left) vs Real (Right)

Final note: It would probably be easiest to identify the authenticity of the figure by holding it near a good light, because the main noticeable difference would be the glossy finish of the fake which would differentiate it from the real. This might be a little troublesome because of the plastic that protects the figure and keeps it from moving inside the box.

For those who are in a hurry. Though I highly encourage reading the whole thing incase I missed anything in the summary.

Summary:
- Fake figure has a glossy coat whereas the original does not
- Fake is generally lower quality for the box, the figure material
- Fake has horribly sloppy base with a sticker name tag instead of metal and has spelling errors
- Fake has a straight head whereas real has a bent one
- Probable best method to distinguish authenticity would to be bring it near a good light to check for glossy coat

*Note: In the photos with 2 items, the left is always the fake one whereas the right is real.*
Gallery: Here

Read more!

How to Distinguish Fake and Real Nendoroid Petits

As you may already know, I went to G-Anime back in Feb 6 and 7, 2010. While I was there. I made a few small purchases, including a FAKE Nendoroid Petit from the Vocaloid Series. I later bought a real one from a store in Ottawa, comicbookshoppe. So here I will compare the two with images.

First of all, the boxes as far as I could see, looked exactly the same. It was unfortunate, since when you buy Nendoroid Petits, they all come in a fully enclosed box. You can't see whats in it.

I don't have pictures of it, but the fake nendoroid petit doesnt have anything for you to build. Just the figure, the base, and the rod to hold it up. It is also just one piece where as the real one has movable pieces (head, arms, waist).

So lets begin by looking at the front. Fake is on the left, real is on the right.
As you can see, the skin tone is completely different, so is the hair colour. The eyes aren't coloured properly either. You can also see the lack in colouring on the clothes and the detached sleeves.

And a close up if you cannot see it clearly.
Though I must say, in poor lighting (this is the best I can do inside a room). Taken early evening. Its a basement by the way. So I don't have much sunlight.

And now for the back shot, again left is fake, right is real.
Again, you can see colouring is lacking on the fake nendoroid petit. It is expected because of the cheep costs. Though since labour is cheap anyway. Why not make a good job out of it? Beats me...

And for the side shot. Same orientation as previous pictures.
I kinda bent the support on the real nendoroid. orz
So it doesn't exactly stand straight. I don't want to risk breaking the rod, so I didn't bend it back. BUT I would assume if the rod wasnt damaged (by me) it would be able to stand straight. Also, notice the base and the rod are not the same between the two. The real one has a smaller base and a more unique rod which has 2 bends instead of just one 90 degrees bend. Also, the one on the right has a ball joint with the base and the figure, so it is possible to change the angle of the figure (ie, to make it slanted like in the picture). The one on the left has no flexibility, it just goes in and stays in. No movement.
It might be also good to note that the hand positions aren't the same, because the real one is movable, while the fake one is stiff. I didn't take pictures of different poses. (Perhaps I should have...)

And time for the biggest difference....
...
..
.
...
..
.
orz

Another image.

For those who didn't feel like reading.

Summary:
- Real one has more colour than the fake
- Posable vs imposable
- Pantsu vs nopan

Hope this helped.

Read more!

Lets take a step back for a minute.

I read something interesting today. I am not sure if anyone else has thought about it in the past. The topic today is... School girls in Japanese culture.

As you may already know from animes, manga, visual novels, dramas, movies, and many other media from Japan. School girls plays a huge part in them. From either the main character being one, or the setting takes place in some high school or middle school.

But have you asked yourself.. Where did this come from? Who thought of it? Why is it such a success?

We have just taken it for granted and happily accepted this fact. Perhaps because we find them visually appealing... or maybe it relates to the audience who like me, are young adult. Or maybe the creators of such animations starring school girls wishes to share with the audience his experiences while he was still a student. Speculations can go on. But I shall stop here.

If you have always wondered about this. You are in luck!
Brian Ashcraft, Kotaku edittor, has gone and done the research for you!

He even published a book so people may learn the secrets to this "School girl" culture.
For a low low price of $11.43 USD

Here are some sources for you look at if you are interested.

via Kotaku
via Amazon

If you got other speculations of why school girls became so popular, just drop by in the comments. I'll be glad to read them.

Read more!