Top Favorite Anime/Manga Moments of 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The new year is almost upon us! To kick off the new year and put the old year behind us I decided to get on the ball and make my top anime/manga relate moments of the year. That includes best new series/characters/songs/ect. I also included some of my not so favorite anime moments of the year because that is how I roll.

I am just proud of myself that I am actually posting this while it is still 2009. GO ME FOR BEING ON TIME FOR ONCE.

Enjoy my post and what I thought stood out in the year 2009. I hope everyone has a safe night and that next year will be filled with more awesome anime/manga moments for us to talk about in 12 more months.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!



Saddest moment: Ushio/Nagisa dying

There were a lot of sad anime moments in the year 2009. I tried to think of the saddest moments of the year and it came down to a tie between Nagisa’s death and Ushio’s death. I know I was only supposed to pick ONE moment but I am bad at making decisions when they are this close. Also the deaths are kinda related so it’s okay. Or at least that is what I tell myself.

Be right back, finding tissues. :(

Since I spoiled the series for myself neither deaths were a surprise. But the build up to Nagisa’s death was so sad. Tomoya and Nagisa looking out at the ocean knowing that their future was really really bleak. But then the moment happens: Nagisa gives birth and Tomoya is in denial that the moment is happening. Nagisa is brave until the very end but we probably can’t say the same for all the viewers watching this sad scene unfold. Nagisa’s death brought a lot of tears in my house and I am sure I was not alone in sobbing land.

Thank you Clannad, I wanted to run out of tears today!

I think everyone knows I am not really a fan kids…but Ushio and her silly accent almost broke down the doors to my kid hating heart. The moments she and Tomoya spent together were short but very cute and sweet. So when her tiny self became sick and all she wanted to do was go on a trip with her dad my heart nearly broke. Tomoya holding his dying child in my arms…it was almost Nuriko dying in the snow kind of tears. She didn’t stay dead for long…but still. Not going to talk about this anymore, I feel the tears building up.

Favorite moment: Tomoya hugging his daughter/Tomoya hugging Nagisa

Okay I really suck about picking just ONE moment but can you blame me? Both of these moments are just too awesome for words.

And then I lose it. XD

Tomoya spent 4/5 years after Nagisa’s death mourning and feeling sorry for himself. Which I don’t fault him for but he should have spent time with his daughter. That is time he will never get back and that is part of why this scene is so powerful. He understands what he has done to this innocent girl isn’t fair and he just wants to be the very best father he can be now. And Ushio…well she has a heart of a very forgiving child who just wanted to be loved all this time. If this scene doesn’t bring tears to your eyes well then Mr. Grinch you have no heart. And yes this is one of my favorite moments of the year despite the fact that I was crying like a baby.

I can stop crying now yes?

So after all the sadness that Tomoya has experienced has not been in vain. He has earned his right to reset his time (collecting everyone’s happiness) and be with Nagisa again. Now I thought that Tomoya was doing a “noble” thing letting Nagisa walk away so that she could live even though they would never again experience their life together. But love won out in the end and Tomoya wanted to be with Nagisa even if the sadness would still come. Nagisa is joyful that Tomoya was able to make that hard decision and their faith was rewarded and Nagisa gets to live this time. So this hug symbolizes the magic reset and how it made the whole series worth it. Again with the tears but they are happy tears.

Lamest series: Maria Holic

Sadly she never dies...:(

I really do not know why I watched this series for so long. If I hated something so bad I probably should have dropped it well after it started giving me a headache and stopped being fun to mock. But I didn’t so part of the reason this series sucks is my attitude.

That being said…just no. This series was trying too hard to…well use every artist anime element known to mankind. And the jumps in between the techniques gave me a headache. Instead of coming off as pretty or funny it came off as lazy. The main character was a perverted jerk and you kinda wish these people wouldn’t talk to her.

I liked Maria though. If the story focused more on her the series wouldn’t have been such a failure. But since it focuses on boobies and some girl’s pretend universe that she was a lesbian which…I thought was pretty disrespectful it failed. Tons of fail.

Favorite Manga Series: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

It can't be over! I refuse to accept it!

Probably not a huge surprise with this one. Tsubasa will probably go down as one of my favorite mangas of all time. A lot of fans thought the ending dragged on a little bit which hurt the rushed FINAL conclusion. I tend to agree and thought too many things went unanswered and pages were wasted with beautiful but unnecessary battle scenes.

But overall the manga is gorgeous and the plot was really unique and interesting. I love all the crossovers from the different CLAMP series and the way CLAMP is still stringing me along with X/1999. I love all the characters and the pairings (YES I SAID PAIRINGS). I love the art work and the dramatic emotions.

But I do wish some of the major plot points were answered. There is still hope that we will find out who Fei Wong Reed is in XXXholics. However I fear some answers will never come. I guess that means…they need to a Tsubasa part two! XD

Favorite New Manga Series: Kobato

I love the hats. XD

Thanks to Simplicity I got hooked on another CLAMP series. Which is good since Tsubasa ended and all. I really need to keep up with the latest manga and not rely on the beyond behind selection at book stores. But I also curse Simplicity since Kobato has such a slow release schedule. CURSES for more waiting.

But after reading a not so fluffy CLAMP series it is nice to get back to the more magical/naïve girl side of CLAMP. Of course since this is CLAMP something bad is bound to happen. And Kobato has so many mysteries going on in its limited release pages it keeps an audience very entertained.

If you like Card Captor Sakura this manga is for you. You are probably a little more mature now since your CCS days so Kobato is right up your alley!

Favorite new series: Eden of the East and 07-Ghost

I sorta suck at just picking one moment/series in my list. I am just that special. But I liked these shows for separate reasons so that is how I justify it! XD

Interesting way to start off a series...

Eden of the East was a good show because it really didn’t depend on any gimmicks to get the point across. The art style is simple and most of the characters aren’t stereotypes/moeish (except for our resident Pantsu). The story is what made this show great and that’s how it should be done. The storyline was unique and our main hero doesn’t even know why he is a hero. There were plenty of twist and turns to keep me interested and while I am not a fan of the open ended…ending the movies might answer some questions. Or at least they better.

It's okay if Teito sparkles. XD

07-Ghost was a good show because it was eye candy and I love my yaoi pairings. XD But it wasn’t totally plotless (even if a great deal of the plot focused on Teito crying in the corner). The art was really well done and most of the characters were enjoyable. After season two I will have a more definitive answer on why I like this series. But for now….eye candy.

Prettiest Scene: Kyoko’s angel moment

Eat that Sho!

Even though I think this moment was done better in the manga the anime still did an excellent job of making Kyoko look awesome (not that she isn’t awesome already). The scene really showed all of Kyoko’s acting abilities and even melted the heart of Sho for half a minute. So while this moment might have happened at the beginning of the year and many people have forgotten about it I love it. Kyoko makes an excellent heartbroken angel and the art was just done so well. Now where is season two?!

Favorite Song: Soul Eater ED4-STRENGTH

I have never seen Soul Eater (insert BOOS and how much I suck). I was wasting time on the internet one day and was searching what everyone else’s favorite songs were and this one came up a lot. Now I can’t get enough of this song (and it is surprises me that it is ending song given how powerful it is!). I have absolutely no idea what they are singing about but that’s okay. Sometimes you just enjoy a song for the music and the emotions the singers are putting through and this song has a LOT of emotion. Such a pretty song listen to it now!

Least Favorite Song: Maria Holic opening theme song

This entire series made my head want to explode so why should the opening theme song be any different. A lot of people LIKED this opening and for the life of me I can’t figure out why. Different tastes okay but seriously people? Naked mannequins, random words, and Maria…just bleh. It is just chaos. Sometimes chaos works but not in this case. But maybe my judgment is a bit clouded since I absolutely hate the series. That might be it.

But the opening still sucks.

Favorite Character: Fai

Clearly I need an excuse to post this again. XD

SURPRISE SURPRISE RIGHT? Who would have guessed that Fai was my favorite character of 2009…and 2008…and probably for the rest of time. XD
I promise next year I will actually make a hard decision and pick someone new from the year 2010. But for now…FAI!

I know that most of Fai’s awesome moments (or sad…) didn’t even happen in 2009 but that is when I read them so that is what counts okay! Fai stabbing Sakura, Fai having to go to his home world and face the one he was running from, Kurogane cutting off his ARM to be with Fai, and the two finally having their awesome moment of YES we are a couple.

Okay so that last part didn’t happen but it got pretty close to it right? The meaningful glance, the one that acknowledges that they are something…yeah it was a special moment. And I loved it.

Fai changed from his fake smile way to his…cruel fake smiles to his honest tears and his sad screams and now his real happy smile. Fai is a tragic character who needed to be saved, probably more than Sakura herself. He is definitely my favorite CLAMP character and he has earned his spot at the top of my 2009 favorite list. Hopefully he and the other Tsubasa boys are finding some happiness now wherever they are. I still have my fanfics to keep me company.

Least Favorite Character: Kuroko

But I like this moment...

She sucks. She sucked as a minor character is To Aru Majutsu no Index and she sucks as a main character in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. Her voice, her perverted nature, the fact that she is like 12 years old and acts like a know it all. The list goes on and on. And on and on. Her one redeeming quality is that she is loyal but that comes at a price of course. The price being her perving on Misaka every episode.

Kuroko might be tolerable in small doses but not every episode every week. I really wish she wasn’t in Judgment, it is hard to swallow her holier than thou attitude when she has the authority to back it up. Just stop talking you crazy kid.

So there you have it, some of my top anime/manga moments of 2009. A lot got left out but I tried to just pick the moments/topics I could think of at the top of my head. If I could still remember the series/moment/character after an entire year then that topic deserves to be mentioned.

Good bye 2009. Thanks for the memories and the great series you gave us. Here's to hoping that 2010 is just as awesome if not more than 2009.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Movie Reviews for 2009

Today is Wednesday. Wednesday means Kobato episode post. This however is not a Kobato episode post. :( Sad blogger is sad.

APPARENTLY Kobato is taking a week break. Because of the holidays or something. Or maybe because they hate me. But there won’t be any Kobato until next week. Let us all be sad together.

So instead of a Kobato post I shall compile a list. Because I love lists. This list shall be about all the movies I viewed this year and my honest opinion about them. Of course my opinion would be honest, when am I anything but brutally honest? This list shall be about movies viewed in the year 2009, not movies that came OUT in the year 2009. I am a slacker (see cheapo) about going to the actual movies and I have tons of movie channels that play old crap all the time.

So MAJOR spoilers for this post. If you like to be surprised at the movies and don’t spoil yourself ten minutes after the movie is out like I do this post is not for you. But if you are a major movie goer who knows the ending of every movie that has come out recently this post is safe to read. SPOILERS FOR ALL!





I said this post would be all the movies I saw in the year 2009. That might be a little impossible since I lack the ticket stubs to the movies I viewed online (see being a stealer face).That and do scifi movies count because we would be here all night. So I shall just list SOME due to my inability to be brief.

My Bloody Valentine- A very forgettable film. I am glad that I didn’t waste money on it. I can’t even remember why the killer was the killer. Just a basic run of the mill horror movie. Although I think there was a lot of cheating in this movie. Redneck miners or what have you.

Paul Blart Mall Cop- I wasn’t planning on seeing this movie but my husband dragged me to see it. It was amusing during some scenes and forced during others. The audience is suppose to cheer on the hero as he is not the typical hero (overweight, “loser” in life, trying to catch a girl he doesn’t have a chance in hell with) but sometimes you just want to roll your eyes at his….approach to life. The main girl was a bit on the boring side but the villain was amusing. While the way Paul Blart caught the criminals was over the top it was amusing to watch.

Underworld Rise of the Lycans- Some critics say this movie wasn’t necessary, that both the previous Underworld movies explain the back story of the vampires and the werewolves. And those critics are right. This movie really didn’t add anything to the story line but just played out what fans already know about Viktor being the world’s best father! But this movie did have the funniest sex scene I have ever seen in my life so that’s something? And some of the half naked Lycans were nice to look at. Lucian not so much. Did I mention Viktor really SUCKS at life?

Friday the 13th – Boobies. Yes boobies. The gratuitous boob shoots in this movie…wow. I was impressed. But putting that aside I like that this movie doesn’t try to open up Crystal Lake camp and it just has the teens vacationing there instead. It sorta bothered me in the original that people would be stupid enough to try and reopen the camp over and over like SOMETHING different was going to happen this time. The pompous teenager was a little too much for my liking but the “nerdy” side characters were really awesome in this movie. And for once I was cheering for the girls to live! I think it was a bit of a stretch for Jason to take a prisoner but sometimes remakes mean a little bit of character assassination and we all have to learn to live with that.

Wolverine-Gambit was not as hot as he should have been. Also way WAY too much Sabertooth. I thought Wolverine having a connection to older mutants made sense but no Captain America? I think the guy who played Dead Pool should have played Gambit le sigh. I think fans were expecting a lot from this movie although I don’t know why (X-Men: The Last Stand anyone?). But I do like that Hugh Jackman is so dedicated to this role. That always makes a movie fun to watch, when you know the main actor is having fun.

Terminator Salvation- A lot of people dog this movie and I am not sure why. Yes this movie isn’t Terminator 1 or 2 (and for most people THANK GOD not three). I have seen people talk about how the mood is different, that there is no hope. Well DUR people those movies happened before the big ka-boom. Those movies were trying to prevent the big ka-boom. This movie is life after the big ka-boom and how it sucks! I would be a little depressed too. Such stupid people.

That being said I thought Marcus was way more interesting than John which is a shame since this is all about John right? I also think that John as a character and John as a leader is seriously flawed because this John KNOWS he is supposed to be a hero. He doesn’t become one out of necessity; he becomes one because he is told he has to be one. He doesn’t even save Kyle because he is a human; he saves Kyle so he can be born. John knowing he is the hero makes him a weak and unworthy hero.

The movie needed more Kate, less Blair, and technology that is more faithful to the terminator time line. But this movie is by no means horrible or a plague on the franchise.

Transformers 2- This movie needed about 95 percent less Megan Fox. You can tell the actress doesn’t want to be there and the director only wants her there for the BOOBIE AND HOT GIRL FACTOR. I hope for the third movie her character is off screen studying how to be a better sl….mechanic.

Shia LaBeouf is funny. He is the same kind of funny in each movie he is in but I like it. It works.

Most people are going on and on about the movie being MOG racist. I found the characters in question of the top and annoying. But if we are going to call racism on the two robots we better call racism on all the other stereotypes in this movie.

I think the marine is hot. But a little less magical robot dust next time.

The Collector- This movie is the worst movie to watch pirated on the internet. I watched the entire movie and maybe saw 20 minutes of it. The rest of the time it was a black blur of shadows and killings I didn’t get to watch. Serves me right.

The movie was supposed to be a prequel to the SAW movies and I am just not seeing it. But the movie was good, the bits that I saw. It is always a bit shocking to see a child star all grown up and showing her boobies on the big screen but we must endure. The main….not bad guy didn’t do a very stellar job of saving people did he? XDI guess I see a bit of SAW in regards to how bloody and violent things got and how well things were planned out. Which makes it a little weak as the bad guy in this movie doesn’t have any back story so it is hard to gauge if he is capable of doing such elaborate things.

This movie would have been better in the theater. Well, if I had seen it in a theater.

District 9- Didn’t like it. The aliens were ugly looking. I know they all can’t be awesome looking like in Avatar but gag me with a spoon. The main character is a douche bag and I wish he had died. I really don’t fault the humans for being all GET OFF OUR LAND but setting fire to the babies/eggs/tiny gross things was a bit callous. Also I thought it was magical and special that the humans and aliens could understand each other.

Final Destination 4- I wasn’t expecting much and I got nothing in return YAY! Most people think the only good thing about the movie is the X-ray death opening. This movie has less interesting characters than the 3rd movie which is pretty amazing. The outrageous death factor went up but no substance to back it up.

Halloween- This movie was FUN to watch via the stolen web. So much darkness, so little of the death scenes revealed. And that’s why you watch horror movies right, to hide behind your fingers during the death scenes. The internet did the hiding for me. But putting that aside this movie was really, really different from the classic. I guess it would have to be or no one would watch it. That and look at the person who “created” the story.

I am not a fan of “let’s look into why Michael Myers is a killer”. I kinda just liked pretending he snapped/was born evil. Not diggin the whole his momma is a stripper and the random dude living in his house is an asshole. A lot of families grow up in tough situations and don’t go on to kill 5869 people (or only 59 in this movie as Michael Myers actually DIES).

Lorrie was a bit updated and it worked in some parts. And I still love the fact that the actresses playing her high school friends were 29/30 in real life, just like the original movie.

Halloween 2- Again probably would have been easier to watch this movie on TV/in the theater. But at least the darkness hid the skanky stripper club.

I am not a fan of making Lorrie a crazy person just like her brother. I always saw her stronger than that so this ending (a real ending as I don’t see how a third movie is possible at this point). But now she has the same sickness as Michael which makes Michael even more tragic.

I was sad that Loomis was an egotistical butthead and not the remorseful doctor like in the original. But Lorrie finding out the truth about her past was done well. I also like how the cop had more of a story line in this story.

I can’t really compare the second original to this movie as I have not SEEN it yet (the TV refuses to play it) but the hospital scene was done pretty creepy. But the ending/Lorrie being crazy made the movie bleh to me.

Pandorum- This movie had a good ending. A nice twist in the middle. And some crazy people who went crazy in space. I think this movie would have been a lot better had the trailers not given away most of the plot. Also I wish the soldier would have lived. The zombie element was a bit too…something but it was explained in the movie. I think that the beginning part of the movie was a little slow and could have been cut and snipped. I want to know what made Earth explode!

Zombieland- I wasn’t planning on seeing this movie (which is common with me and comedies). But it was fine. Not really a horror movie but a not so dark comedy? The zombie rules were funny and the epic hunt for Twinkies will live on always. But this movie is highly forgettable.

SAW 6- Complete thoughts on movie found here. I know, it was posted such a long time ago I had to link it for you.

2012-The world is destroyed and it only took 5790 billion dollars in special effects to do it. They should have used some of that money to buy a better leading actress. A volcano is exploding in the not so far away land mass in front of you and you are NOT scared out of your mind? Everything you say is calm and lovely? Fail for you.

I think the process of picking people was pretty fail. I mean, they explain that they need money to fund these ships so they have to sell seats to people. However if the world is ending who cares about money? You can create all the fake inflation/negative numbers you want! WHO CARES! So the selling of seats to undeserving people was pretty fail. They try to make it make sense in the movie but I ain’t buying it.

The good guys (once they found out) were so upset over the selection process but they really needed to be more on the ball about the whole end of the world thing. The Anheuser is a mean mean man thing was shoved gently down our throats but I was left wondering why there wasn’t more of a rebellion. Or why the date was such a surprise to some people. But it had to be dramatic. We can’t know the end of the world and be prepared okay!

I think the movie did a good job portraying all sides of humanity. You need people like Adrian who are optimistic and want to do the most good despite the fact it might not be possible. You need people like Anheuser to represent all the jerks in the world and also the cold hard truth. You need dumb kids who ask dumb questions about going home at the end of the movie despite the fact that she SAW THE HOUSE SINK INTO THE GROUND. You need people like Jackson to fight for their families no matter the cost and you need people like Yuri who represent the greed that exists in this world. But no matter what flaw these characters had they made sacrifices to save another person in the end which I hope is the true representation of humanity.

The visuals were good, the story needed more work. And possibly less characters.

Prom Night- I hate seeing high school prom movies. No one dresses like a skank like that. At least not in my day! We walked 15 miles in the snow to get to the mall and buy only slightly revealing clothes. Kids these days!

Other than that yawn. People get killed, the girl lives, the police suck at protecting people. Why don’t they ever make a movie about boys having serious creepy stalkers that go around and murder everyone?

Sorority Row-I was watching the lifetime version of this movie and remembered that this movie existed. Maybe I shouldn’t have remembered it. The head mean girl is too mean to be believable and it is a pity she didn’t die sooner.

Although I do think the prank was awesome. Before the girl died of course. And by awesome I mean it was fun to watch and would never wish it on anyone.

The story had some major plot holes/issues. Like why did Kyle go crazy in the end if he wasn’t the killer? Why is Garrett out to get revenge against people who did nothing to him? Why are all colleges shown as being one big beer/party fest? And how the hell did the new house get built so fast?

I wasn’t really invested in any of these people as they were all terrible and the real killer was a big stretch.

Quarantine- I like that people are turning into zombies and the media/government is trying to cover it up WHILE trying to contain it. XD Of course next time they should stick to bombing the building but meh. Interesting cast but again the trailers give away most of the movie (AND THE ENDING).

The Hills have Eyes- Doug is really bad ass. Just a normal guy beating the crap out of ugly mutants. I am always in awe how these mutant families live undetected for so long. And why they always want to eat us normals.

Poor dog. :(

Descent-I am not sure how this movie is SO awesome. Maybe the fact that there aren’t any guys in it? That the girls are pretty kick ass and don’t spend most of the movie crying like little babies? But it has to be ruined because one girl is a skank and slept with someone else’s husband. We were so close to girl power.

I was never planning on going in an underground cave anytime soon. This movie did nothing to help my fears.

Apparently seeing the second movie makes you a bad person as that true ending of the first movie is THE END, no room for anyone to be in the sequel.

The 4th Kind- Just saw this movie tonight. My pain is too fresh and my disappointment is too overwhelming. RESIDENT EVIL 4 PLEASE!

So there is a list of some of the movies I watched this year. As you can see….romantic comedies mean nothing to me and I like watching people die. That’s kinda creepy when you think about it…

Let’s hope that there are some better movies in 2010. And no SAW VII.

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Hello Kitty Build A Bear day

I am 26 years old and I picked now to build my first Build-a-Bear. I am slightly behind on the times.

But since it is HELLO KITTY I forgive myself. XD I do mighty silly things for the love of that cat.

X_X How do little kids carry these boxes through the mall?!

I just want to go on record and say that Build-a-Bear is way too special for me. This is coming from a girl who owns over 100 HK plushies. There is way too much song and dance involved in the building process. You got to dance with the heart (of the plushie), wiggle around for some reason, give the plushie a bath, and make it a birth certificate. Just....way too much for me.

Then my mom (the person off to the side laughing at me as the Build-a-Bear lady made me go through this song and dance despite the fact that I am WAAAAAY older than the usual clientele and thus not feeling the whole make a wish thing) pointed out to me the store is called BUILD-A-BEAR. You are paying for the experience to build/create your own bear. Also this store is aimed at little girls who like this kind of stuff. All of which tells me my mom must have hated me as a child for not taking me to Build-a-Bear when it could have actually been cool.

Long story short. I wanted the Hello Kitty doll. I could have done without the song and dance. Wished the woman could have sensed that. ON TO MY AWESOME DOLL!

I hope you know the suffering I went through for you.

TADA! All the dancing and kisses resulted in this big headed freak. Lies I love my plushie. I love most HK plushies but this one is special. I pushed the fake pedal that stuffed her!

Cute necklace is cute.

The few times that I expressed interest in making a non HK doll at Build-a-Bear my husband talked me out of it with his logic about it costing too much and I could buy a different, already made HK plushie for far less. And I always thought he was just being cheap for saying so.

I am here to say HOLY COW my husband was so right. Build-a-Bear is expensive! When I first heard about the limited edition HK plushie at Build-a-Bear I thought I would just make the one that was advertised on the website. However that doll with all the accessories was 48 dollars. X_X I know HK is expensive but good grief!!!! So yes husband, you are right. But I am still going to buy this overpriced piece of cuteness.

Why am I saying this all? Because at least the base doll came with a free little 35th anniversary necklace. I enjoy free.

Hello Kitty's trademark bow. XD

Hello Kitty doesn't need not stinkin shoes.

Hello Kitty has a cute design on her feet, one that matches her bow. Therefore i couldn't bring myself to cover them up with shoes. Or I was already spending too much on her and the shoes were the easiest thing to drop. But I do think her feet look cute.

Behold the awesome shirt!

Half the reason I wanted to make the Hello Kitty doll was this shirt! I haven't gotten much 35th anniversary HK merchandise yet and that makes me feel a Hello Kitty slacker. But I think this shirt+doll is one of the top 35th anniversary items out there. Slapping on 35th anniversary on random items doesn't really make a product special. Of course some might say that Build-a-Bear is just trying to ride the HK gravy train.

But the shirt is pretty cute. Despite the fact that Hello Kitty and her big head required me to put the shirt on over her legs and it made me look like a crazy person in front of some 6 years olds. It has a simple pattern on the front and more details on the trim in true HK fashion. I love the whole HK face instead of head. A simple doll shirt can make me smile so I am happy that I was able to get this outfit. XD

Pretty decent size plushie! Rule them all Hello Kitty, rule them all.

So that is my Hello Kitty doll. I survived the specialness that is Build-a-Bear and I spent a good chunk of my Christmas money to make this doll but I am happy. I got to bond with my (hopefully) soon to be sister-in-law. I made another wonderful memory with my mother, one that she will bring up when she wants to laugh at my pain. Anyone who is an avid HK collector should stop by Build-a-Bear to make this doll, it is well worth the crazy effort and certainly worth the money.

But still beware the crazy effort.

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SAW VI: The franchise has come full circle and there is no one left to root for

Remember when I was on the fence about seeing SAW VI? That I didn’t want to waste money to see how the series was going down the tubes? That this series was hanging on by a thread and there was nothing left to milk out of the flashbacks?
Well apparently none of that matters to me. That or I still hold out hope for this series despite all that is going against it. Or that I am really, really bad at not knowing how things end.

But as you can see from my previous post I said I wasn’t going to pay money to see this movie. And technically I didn’t. I further plunged the economy into debt by being a bad person and watching it for free online. So technically didn’t go against my word? Maybe? GO ME!

So blah blah spoilers for the movie/entire series/my crazy thoughts lie beyond the cut. You have been warned. By now you should know the rules. And yes there are rules!





This movie wasn’t as bad as V.

Shall I come and scoop you off the floor from shock?

Now I am not going to gush about how awesome this movie is and how it’s the movie that is going to save the series. That would be going too far and if it were true that would be the true shock.

The fact is that VI was only marginally less sucky than V. A lot of people think IV was pretty bad but at least Jigsaw was still alive in 4 technically. And the “victims” were a bit in the dark about what was going on so it was hard to blame them. But it wasn’t great. It’s like broccoli is better than brussell sprouts. No one wants to eat either but most people can choke down the broccoli and will leave the brussell sprouts to rot in the corner of the kitchen.

Hoffman was not the reason VI wasn’t as bad. Hoffman is the reason the movie was still pretty bad. Because while John was a crazy man killing people….we still all kinda liked him. Yes his ideas were really out there and he was killing people and justify that he wasn’t but he was still likable. He was a murderer with values. Amanda was a murderer with some values. Hoffman is a murderer who….murders people.
Does anything make sense? I hope it does.

In the last movie Hoffman was only guilty of killing Strahm. Strahm was not being tested (despite the lame tapes that were left for him). Strahm was only killed because he was on to Hoffman. John killed the other cops because he hated cops. Err I mean he had a reason to test them (setting people up, being about of an affair, not paying attention before jumping in). Strahm was doing his job and only obsessed because everyone he knew was dead.

But in this movie Hoffman decides to not only bathe in the blood of Strahm pancake (which didn’t look as awesome bootlegged, that is my punishment) but he decided to set up dead Strahm as being Jiggy’s second apprentice. He then spends most of the movie looking constipated at pictures (seriously pouty lips=/acting) and telling the other cops that Strahm was the killer. Only the other cops were told by Jill that Hoffman is the real killer. So Hoffman does the sensible thing and kills those three cops too. Perez was THIS close to surviving the series. But now she is splatted like every other cop that step foot on a SAW set.

Putting aside that Hoffman is a real murderer and nothing like John he was really, really stupid in this movie. Particular when he learned how Strahm couldn’t be the Jigsaw accomplice. You know, when the cops were like OH the finger prints were from a dead person. So what does Hoffman do after he is doing killing the remaining cops/FBI agents/people with badges? He goes out to get the Strahm hand (which he carries everywhere like a chew toy) and covers the place in fingerprints. In Hoffman’s world he has killed every smart cop out there and no one will ever put 2 and 2 together ever again! YAY FOR WISHING!

So if this franchise thinks it has a chance with Hoffman at the wheel I am here to inform it (them/whoever) they are dead wrong. Hoffman is the reason this series is going to fry in a burning ring of fire. The actor who plays him can’t act (stick to scifi originals please), he is a murderer murderer (as opposed to someone who THINKS he is doing good work), and…I hate him.

The ending also sucked. Hoffman has gotten away with killing so many people and he gets to LIVE? Of course I was complaining that Hoffman stuck Strahm unwinnable traps so it might be a little hypocritical of me to cheer that Jill stuck Hoffman in an unwinnable trap. Whether or not that is a double standard I wish Hoffman had gotten his entire face ripped off. He deserved to die. I don’t care if it was an unfair trap or not. You reap what you sow and all that jazz.

HOWEVER how is Hoffman going to explain his injuries? Surely the new cops (the ones who will be killed in the 7th movie) will also discover that the Strahm prints are from a dead hand so how can Hoffman keep on blaming Strahm? Though….it will make him look more innocent now that I think about it. CURSES!

So it has been established that Hoffman is not the reason why this film was a tiny bit better than the last one. Jill is also not the reason. I really don’t think I need to explain Jill right? Most hard core SAW fans hate her and I am sure the casual viewer doesn’t see Jill as someone who could carry the series. So we won’t even discuss her lame contribution.

Just let me die already!

So it wasn’t Hoffman and it was Jill that saved this movie from being rated an F on the Tenchi scale. It also wasn’t the flashbacks. I think we can all agree that the flashbacks have been done to death. But at least they didn’t stoop to showing John going to Home Depot to buy nails and sheet metal. But the scenes with Hoffman and Amanda going at it like rotten siblings was a bit of a stretch. I suppose the scene that was dedicated to fans was the explanation on what was in Hoffman’s letter to Amanda. However since SAW III was written and directed by different people than SAW VI who knows if that explanation was the real explanation. Personally I think it is a bit of a stretch that Amanda is the one who help killed Jill’s baby but it does work into the story quite nicely. But overall the flashbacks feel out of place and an excuse to keep hardcore fans interested via John.

So it’s not Hoffman and it’s not Jill and it’s not the flashbacks. So what interesting about SAW VI? The victims! Unlike SAW V the victims resemble human beings. They are all tied together (like in every other SAW movie) but VI was convoluted and the focus was more on the gore rather than the lesson. The victims might have gotten more screen time but I didn’t feel connected to them and kinda cheered when they died in the end. The two “survivors” made poor decisions and killed their fellow prisoners. They didn’t learn anything so they deserved to die (if they died).

But it was different in SAW VI. Yes it was a bit of a cop out to use health care as the evil force given the current state of our country but it made sense. At least it was something most of the audience could relate to and it made SENSE unlike some bomb building thingy things.

Even though William is a insurance exec. he is about 10 percent more likable than Eric!

The movie starts off with the “main” character being a cut throat insurance/death dealing. He is the president of Umbrella Health (which sadly has nothing to do with Resident Evil) and he gets to make the tough/fun (depending on your prospective) decisions on who gets insurance and who gets cut. Which is all very interesting to me, when people who are sick get cut from insurance after being with a company for 20 years because they didn’t cross a t somewhere. Funny how their money was good for 20 years but the minute something goes wrong OH WAIT we never should have accepted your application in the first place.

And I would say hate the game not the player or hate the company not the worker but main character William is the executive of the company. So….he created the game and made the rules and makes the money from the game. So it is safe to hate him and perhaps not the other “victims” in our story.

I say the victims are the ones who saved this movie but I am not happy with how they picked the first victim. The janitor, not the other two people that start off the movie. Although home girl was pretty awesome/X_X for chopping off her own arm. There is a person who has learned a thing or two from the SAW movies. Putting that aside I think the janitor got screwed royally. Is John seriously picking on people who smoke now? Did he run out of people who are genuinely bad and need to change their ways? Am I next because all I eat is pizza and Froot Loops and I don’t respect my body enough to eat veggies? Yeah not really sensing how that was fair but moving on.

SAW VI mirrors SAW III as the main character has control over whether people live or die. Jeff had to save the lives of people he hated and William has to save the lives of people that did nothing wrong but work for his slime ball company. William was slightly more successful than Jeff and was a LOT quicker to act. William also had to do a lot of damage to himself to save people while Jeff kinda got off easy.

The victims and the traps go hand in hand. Who the victims were and how the traps played out made this movie ten times better than VI. In VI it was who can I kill to make it to the next room while VI was actually trying to help people out and give them at least a fighting chance (except for janitor man). Some fans might like the traps better when the true victim is the one who decides the consequences but I like it when the main character holds all the cards. To me those victims are already dead (hence John being a murderer) and them being saved is a bonus. The real change lies within Williams so everyone else really doesn’t matter.

Which doesn’t make the games fair mind you. It just means the game really weren’t meant for the people in them but for William. And his game is to show him the value of human life and to show him how horrible it is to pick who lives and who dies.
I think William has also been following the SAW cases and learns his lesson WAY early on. Instead of making the practical choice of saving the younger male Allen he choices to save the sickly woman Addy because she has family. I am not the evil head to a villainous insurance company but even I would have picked Allen. But William LEARED that human life has no value on it blah blah blah.

And they all fall down!

My favorite trap was the carousel of death. Again none of these people had a chance to save themselves. But they could have pleaded their case a little bit better than they did. The mother, the first saved victim, did an excellent job of saying why she should live. But the other 5 were all really crappy human beings and William was nice to save one of their sorry butts. When push comes to shove though some people will bash on someone else to save their own asses instead of stating why THEY deserve to live.

So William saves as many people as he can and loses about 2 pints of blood in the process. His test is over and he makes it to the end of the hall to reunite with is his family. Only his family is the reporter lady (which….added nothing to the storyline) and not the lady and her son. No no, those two people are related to someone that Williams “killed” by denying him insurance or something. Now…that really isn’t fair. Just because Williams denied some dude insurance means that he wanted him to die or that the guy’s only option was to die. He could have paid out of pocket and been in debt up to his eyeballs or had insurance and died ANYWAY because cancer kinda does that.

But the point is that William learns the hard way that his actions have consequences. He learned to be a better person but that doesn’t erase all the pain and hurt he has done in the past. William learns the value of human life but Brent didn’t. Brent is too upset that William killed his dad to see that William has become a better person. Again this might be unfair but that is how life is. You can’t do 658967 horrible things, have a Scourge epiphany, and then have everyone love you. That is not how life works sometimes. Sometimes the son of the person you “killed” will push the kill button and you will melt in half. Just a fact of life.

Long post has gotten LONG. So let me try to wrap things up the best I can. Hoffman is killing the series with his boring personality and lack of soul. The flashbacks have seriously been milked for all they are worth. They are no more little boxes with John’s last requests. And the police force has been reduced to one fat cop and the guy who handles the evidence locker.

However the storyline regarding the victims was one of the best so far. I would say almost as good as SAW II. SAW III had a better twist with MOG Lynn is Jeff’s wife than GASP these people are not William’s family but overall the storyline was better than VI and V. I actually cared whether or not William lived which is more than I can say of the cast of V. Besides the blond of course who never stood a chance.

But we can’t have a movie with just good victims and good traps. We need someone to carry out these traps and their storyline to be interesting. So I don’t know where this series can go besides the toilet.
However…SAW VI was not the complete and utter failure I thought it was going to be. I am glad I didn’t waste my money but a little sad the death scenes were hard to watch dude to my stealing abilities.

I give this movie a Tenchi rating of a C- and that is a little generous. Quit while you are behind SAW creators.

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To Aru Kagaku no Railgun Episode 13: Boobies

No.

Do not want.

Fan service? In my anime? SAY IT AIN'T SO!

I hate this. After such a run of excellent episodes this was bound to happen. Why am I surprised?! Why am I so upset?

I am tempted not to say anything about this episode. Because it was all about boobies and fan service. And I am very much against boobies and fan service. But since most boys blogging about this episode will go MOG AWESOME I feel that I should shed a different perspective on this hot mess.

Boobies? I mean MODELS! Silly me.

Boobies. Lots and lots of underage boobies. I feel kinda dirty for even watching this episode. :( I thought that maybe the girls were taking a break from demon fetus killing and were spending some time at the beach. I thought MAYBE it would be slightly bearable or I could at least laugh at Kuroko’s stupid behavior.

So you don't know these nearly naked photos are going to be used for? OKAY sign us up!

But no. The swimming club girls (last/only seen in episode 2) want to make a calendar or something for their school. The company sponsoring the club wants to use underage girls as models for their websites. At least that is what I took away from it. Whatever the explanation I find it creepy and weird and gross. You need a bunch of 12/13/14 year olds to model for a website so you can give them a few bathing suits? Yeah this sounds like a great idea.

No thanks. We don't want to board this fail boat.

I also thought it was special that instead of the swim team (not just two of its members) doing the swim suit photo shoot that random friends were allowed to partake in this magical calendar event. Such high high standards this huge company has. Almost reminds me of America’s Next Top Model. Lets use naive kids for free advertisement. Such an awesome idea.

Hello minor characters. Please join us for the fail parade.

So everyone gathers together for this awesome photo shoot. The swim club girls, Misaka, Uiharu, Saten, and Kuroko. Also joining in on this fail boat of fun is Konori (Kuroko’s glasses wearing superior who is the oldest out of this awesome group at about 16) and Kongo, the annoying fan girl who has had nothing to do with anything up until this point.

Before picture: Normal junior girl figures.

After picture: INSTANT BOOBIES!

So we have a bunch of junior high kids and ONE high school student who is the closest to being of age (U.S. wise). And despite this being an anime none of the girls (minus Konori) has what I call a swimsuit body. Which they SHOULDN’T at this age. That I can get behind and agree with. But why then recruit them to make a calendar. X_X It makes no sense.

Then we are told the girls aren’t going to any beaches or exotic locations. They are seriously going to a big building that has super duper advanced technology and can create a realistic backdrop of your desired location. And by realistic I mean the water feels real, the sand feels real, and the sun/elements feel real. So in addition to not paying for models they also don’t have to pay for travel or location or hotels. This company is AWESOME!

I would like to go on record and say that such a reality seems so very, very sad. I hope we as a society don’t create technology like that of this fictional city. The idea that instead of traveling to faraway place where I can experience the awesome culture and beautiful scenery I can instead go to a cold, plain building and virtually experience….something that is not really there. As it is now we don’t have to write letters to people anymore, we have email and Facebook and twitter. We don’t have to visit people for the holidays; we can just hop on our webcam and say hi that way. So….with all the technology we already have we don’t need an excuse for not traveling to awesome places! End of rant that was much clearer in my head.

This has been censored out of concern for your safety. You're welcome.

So our girls change into their bathing suits. They look like normal 12/13/14 year olds before they put on their suits but now they have all grown boobies. It is amazing. Except Kuroko who looks like she has the body of an 8 year old. I seriously nearly threw up when I saw her suit. Just…I need to take a shower after watching this episode.

Smiles for everyone. Well except for Kuroko but that's okay.

Then it is photo shoot time. I guess I should thank my lucky stars there was no pervy old man taking their pictures. There could have been but we are told the ROOM is taking pictures. Awesome. The girls are told to act natural so Misaka runs around trying to kill Kuroko, that fan girl acts like a moron, and the other girls act like this is a day at the beach. Sounds normal to me.

Saten will save us all!

The “fun” part of the episode was when the room goes into crazy land and sets the girls up in less than ideal situations. A blizzard, a fishing boat in the middle of nowhere, and the desert with its blistering heat. Yay for two minutes of actual fun…
Then the machine/room needs to be reset so the girls are allowed to take a break from “modeling” and are told to make themselves some lunch. They are given real ingredients which is nice. What with the real running water the real log cabin has I was a little bit worried about where they were going to get real food. It must be MAGIC….I mean science.

This just in: Making food is boring.

The rest of the episode was boring as boring can get. Kongo was a jerk about making curry and lies that she knows some awesome curry recipe. The girls cook, they bond, it’s less than magical….just blah. Boring and blah.

I should be happy I got a bit of Touma in this fail episode right?

I guess the best part of the episode was at the end. Misaka wanted to try on a “childish” bathing suit (when I think it was more age appropriate) and this time Uiharu and Saten decide to be good friends and say YEAH try that baby on. Only Konori did not get this memo and calls the swimsuit childish. In any event all the other girls are leaving the AWESOME LOCATION but Misaka stays behind. She goes and tries on the suit….but accidentally presses a button that makes her room visible on the building’s live broadcasting thingy thing. She is oblivious of this fact and frolics along in the water. Touma passes by the building and sorta laughs at her misfortune. THAT part of the episode was funny.

But as a whole this episode was really, really stupid. Which is lame considering how awesome the last story arc was. While I realize it is hard transitioning between main subplots I don’t think we viewers deserve something….like this.

But maybe the boys who like this series appreciated this episode. I hope someone did. Moving on to episode 14 please. Hopefully with 100 percent less bikinis.

Also BOOBIES! Thought I act like a 14 year old boy since it was made for one.

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Nendoroids are happiness in a box!

Ah the day after Christmas. That is the day many people brave the malls/stores to make returns or spend Christmas money that is burning a hole in their pockets. The second busiest day in the retail world.

It is also the day that people spend with their new treasures they got on Christmas. That could mean cleaning out the house to make room for the new junk or to completely rearrange rooms to better suit the new swag.

Behold my new swag!

Isn't it amazing?!

Wait. That is the bookcase my mother bought me to hold all my lovely treasures. Let's try this again.

TADA!

XO Empty Nendoroid boxes?! SAY IT AIN'T SO! Have my precious nendoroids run away from?! Or....was I so excited about my lovelies I forgot to take a picture of them in the boxes.....MMMMM.

Canaan wants to give you a post Christmas hug!

Say hello to my beautiful nendoroid. The second I saw the first episode of CANAAN I knew that the series would make lovely figurines. XD That's just how I think now. But Canaan is adorable. Her clothing is on the simple side for a nendoroid but that's okay. Canaan doesn't need flashy clothes to be loved!

Don't make me use this!

Canaan's yelling face is too cute for words! Sure she is brandishing a gun but that is besides the point. The point is that Canaan can point a gun at me any day. Yay for cuteness!

Sweets make everything better!

If you haven't watched CANAAN yet you suck. And if you haven't finished watching all the episodes of CANAAN you suck and your name is Tenchi. But I shall Canaan. Your candy+gun holding combo has made me a believer again! I shall get right on watching your series when I get a spare moment I promise!

Crazy robot is crazy.

I opened up this nendoroid and went X_X. I mean I have seen pictures of her since I am a little nendoroid stalker but I had no idea who she was. Except that she came with a lot of pieces and only one head. Her box is bigger than all the other nendoroids I have. Instead of having different head she has different head pieces.

Take me to your leader.

But I have educated myself. I now know her name is Drössel and that she is from the anime series Fireball. Or rather they are anime shorts created by Toei Animation AND Disney. That's right DISNEY! Disney + nendoroids= WIN! There isn't much info on Fireball or Drössel which makes me a little sad.

Sailor Moon hair?!

What I did learn is that Drössel is a Disney princess! Not your typical singing finding a prince kind of princess but a princess none the same. Every little girl grows up loving princesses right? XD So it's like my husband brought back childhood memories for me. But instead of talking animals I got a robot.

Correct, I got a robot that has GLOWING EYES!

Drössel is the first nendoroid that I have (and I think out of all of them?) that GLOWS! Drössel and her very top heavy self has a battery inside her plastic frame so she may glow and frighten us all. But she is creepy in a good way. So while Drössel was not top on my must have list I am sure happy I have her now.

Err, am I a storm trooper?

Yes my Lord.

Sebastian! It has been a long time since I have seen you. This is the nendoroid I picked up at AWA. Sometimes I am given spending money to purchase my own gifts. Silly little family. But at least this way I get what I want right? I just have to wait a little while.

Hug the kitty!

While Sebastian wasn't the nicest person in Kuroshitsuji he still makes a cute figurine. Even the baddest of bads can look sweet and innocent while in chibi nendoroid form. That and every looks AWWWWW when they are holding a tiny little kitten. A random accessory for Sebastian but it looks pretty cute in his demony hands.

We are not amused.

I waited for months little Sebastian. You could at least look a little happy to see me! But at least his outfit will look cute when the other nendoroids are cosplaying. XD

Now behold the awesome shelf of awesomeness!

We own this room.

Lily Saber will lead them all to victory!

Um Canaan one of your troops has a sword in her....

That is all my normal size nendoroids. I love my three new cuties and the bookcase that will be home to them all. Now they get the space they deserve. XD Last Christmas I got a bunch of petit nendoroids and every other holiday/occasion I have gotten at least one nendoroid. So I hope nendoroids will become a Christmas tradition in my household. You know, along with the Grinch, Santa, and gingerbread cookies. Nendoroids fit right in with snow angels, penguins wearing scarves, and Christmas cards.

Thanks for stopping in to take a look at my growing nendoroid collection. I hope everyone into figurines got some new lovelies this Christmas/holiday season!

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